Late spring
Wolf was happy, finally today, after weeks of waiting to get the supplies and everything set up how he liked, he felt ready to craft.
He studied the herb book a few times while waiting for everything to arrive and before getting everything settled. His brother Coby was able to visit more often and started requesting potions to help with stamina.
He said they did a lot of traveling on foot in places, which took a toll after a few weeks of hunting. My sisters also made random requests, though he thought it was more to be involved in his craft and encourage him than needing his supply.
But if he was going to be a true alchemist, this was just the start; he had a small blank notebook near him.
He will write all the working concoctions he ever made, which will help him keep track of what worked.
He figured he would do a few easy, mundane ones and then try to focus on more magical ones afterward.
Spice mix mild: common mix of herbs; if you want hotter, add pepper flower.
Moon berry drink: Water and berries with honey serve as is or can be mixed with caffeine if they want to be kept up. Star beads or night moss for sleep
After a bit of trial and error, he managed those items. The moonberry drink was a happy surprise.
He was thirsty when he figured, why not try something new, since berries were common here, and it was an easy mix. Figuring out how best to dilute it took a bit of time, but it worked out in the end.
It was the addition of the pep from caffeine or sleeping from the star beads that scared him a bit.
The first time, he put way too much caffeine in a batch and could not sleep for two days.
So he thought he was smart after not sleeping for two days, adding night moss.
Then he woke up three days later…. It scared his family, and they rushed him to the church for healing.
But when the bishop tried healing him, he said it was just a sleep-induced potion; combined with the lack of sleep, it hit him much harder, and he just needed to sleep it off.
It was after that that he knew what Herbert the hermit meant when he said understanding what you made was so important and why he warned about magic.
This had a mild effect; he chose to make what happened then when magic altered things….
He was content now, and the family loved the new spice mixes and drinks once he worked out how to make them safe. He found he needed a fraction of the caffeine or sleeping agents vs. the rest of the mix.
Before he tried to split it even, he was surprised he didn’t hurt himself with stupidity.
The only saving grace was doing the herb mix first; he knew it took a lot less pepper flower for a hot taste.
So he did put in less caffeine or sleeping agent, but he still went overboard, it seemed. On the more magical side of what worked, he made the potion the hermit told him about, the one for cramps.
Mostly for his family, as the hermit was already selling it, and he did not want to compete. He still wrote a few notes to be safe.
Teardrop leaves, lime moss, and pixie tears for women’s cramps, minor healing, and cures for food poisoning.
He was able to reproduce it easily, as it only required making it like tea few of the new herbs brought were an odd mix, as some by themselves could be used as poisons.
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Adder bite: red stem, the stem is used in many poisons, fast acting, causes paralysis, not fatal
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Bluebell spider: a blue blooming flower; its petals are highly toxic and cause cramps, headaches, dizziness, and mild blindness.
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It will neutralize all other mild toxins even in base form, combined with lime moss and teardrops for an antidote with no side effects.
Most of the info he had was based on his random research and reading; he knew he had to be careful, but what was interesting about the spider brew was even though it was so deadly, it also was a selfish poison. as he review the note.
It refuses to allow anything else to hurt its victim, which is why it can be made into an antidote. It flows through the body so quickly that it neutralizes other poisons, and the teardrop heals.
before the spider can turn its poison on the victim since it uses its potency to hunt through the body. It loses its edge long before it can harm anyone, leaving the healing effect to dispel it.
That is only true if it’s in the antidote form. If by itself, it will attack the body after it makes a pass-through and poison the person afterward.
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Another was an adder bite, which was also a poison, but if used carefully useful for reducing pain as a paste to numb areas.
He was scared of the spider brew for a while, so he bought two cures from Herbert to be safe and would keep one at all times as a fail-safe.
The cure only took a sip same with the other potion's effects, so one bottle brewed will last a very long time.
When he looked at the antidotes, the brew was a deep orange with a soft glow.
He was assured that a small amount, enough to fill the bottom of a cup, would cure any poison.
He did not like to be told deadly poison was also a cure for all known poisons, but in the books, they said it was, as he recalled the page.
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It’s by the design of the god of balance that that which hurts can heal and that which cures can poison. However, never assume you are safe from hurting yourself or others from mistakes. The gods let us choose even if those choices will lead to mistakes.
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He hated that line; he read about alchemy being balanced and that it has so much potential and power.
But it was balanced with an edge that could always lead to harm or worse, death.
He wanted to make new potion types and thought about the spider flower; perhaps that was why the bluebell spider’s flower was so common as a poison mix in potions. He remembered it saying mild toxins, even though it was highly toxic.
So that meant, despite its toxicity, it was not fatal, just fast-acting? That would also make sense as to why it was favored as an antidote; they will always heal quickly…
He figured to be safe; he started with the adder potion and made it into a liquid vs. a paste.
The way he planned on testing needed to have a person for the failsafe giving the cure, so he got his sister, Nina, to join him.
He preferred his real sister Leena, but that would be rude to Nina, who loved him as a real brother. So he bit his tongue and did not say that out loud to her , especially when she showed nothing but enthusiasm to help him.
When she came with joy to help, she was conflicted as he explained how he planned to test them on himself.
“Are you really going to poison yourself, little brother? I don’t think that's safe.”
“No, I mean, I know it’s not safe. But are you sure it’s worth it just to test what you already know something about?” Nina asked skeptically.
He sighed, “I’m sure.”
“ I can’t practice some of these things alone. I need to know what they look like and the worst effects that can be suffered before I’m willing to risk it on others.”
“Ok,“ she said in a low, sad voice. “I trust you.”
“But I don’t like it, and I know Len would hate it more.”
She gasped, “Your mother!“
Wolf held up a hand to stop her as she didn’t think about why he wanted her help. Just happy to help, but now she knew the details. She was opposed.
“It is an adder's potion: The book mentions the paste numbing.”
“So at worst it numbs me.”
“But I need to know how the antidote works to better understand poisons and cures,” he explained.
She still looked at him with doubt but let him proceed.
The adder potion was simply mixed with water as the base. He took a sip, and the effect was immediate.
He was watching Nina as he did it, and she watched him back with concern; his face never changed.
He just blankly watched her as he fell sideways;He felt no pain; everything was just numb. He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing, and that thought caused him to panic a bit.
But then even his thoughts seemed blunted; even that was numbed, it seemed.
A light coolness touched his lips, and he felt water race in his body. Everywhere it touched, from his face down to his feet. felt something eating away at the numbness at an amazing rate,
In less than a few seconds, he went from a blank, paralyzed state to feeling normal. Even after that water rushed through his body, it faded in seconds as if it never existed.
“Look at me!”
“Hey, listen, are you ok?!“
He was shocked to see Nina’s face in front of him. How was he not able to notice her before? How potent was the adder potion?!
“I'm fine,” he said, surprised he felt …. Normal?
No side effects? Gods, that is amazing! There were tears in Nina’s eyes as she held him.
“Don’t scare me like that,” she said and held him tighter, cutting off his air.
“Too tight!“ He gasped, and she let go slightly but still held him.
“I told you what I was doing, and I made sure I had help. This was a good test.”
“ I know now how dangerous the toxin is and how powerful the antidote is.”
He tried to comfort her, but she wasn’t listening, so he gave in and held her instead“ok ok, I'm sorry.“
“Thank you for helping me. I’ll use more care and not try to hurt myself anymore, ok?”
She did not let go, but he felt her nod. He was happy she cared so much, but she had been overprotected.
Now that he thought about it, maybe it was best he did not involve his other sister.
“I trust you, sis, so please keep it from Len. I can’t learn if I don’t practice, and she will fear I can’t be trusted.”
She laughed at those words, “You’re not proving her wrong.”
He rubbed her back: Yeah, I guess I'm not. But if we lace this on weapons? It is a very strong tool to help fight monsters. So it was a good test.”
“ Now I need to do spider poison.“
“NO!“ Nina shouted,
“Everything ok?” He heard his mother say in another room. He grabbed Nina’s mouth to stop her and said
“Everything is fine. just fighting over little things”
“ Ok,” his mom said, “supper in an hour.”
“ Ok,” he shouted back.
Nina was glaring at him; she could easily slap his hand away and pin him down with zero effort…
But she loves him and shows him more respect by restraining herself. He moved back slightly with his arms up, “I already read the side effects.“
“And you already proved you can help me quickly if things go bad.”
“It’s why I bought potions versus trying to make them just be extra safe, I promise.”
She was not convinced she even had a bit of puffiness in her eyes from crying a bit. “If you mean it.”
“You will spend an afternoon with me vs. Coby or your sister and random others.”
“You’re always avoiding being alone with me...” She pouted.
“I don’t,” he tried to retort. “I’m just always busy, or you are.”
“ Sure,” she said. “So busy ignoring your loving sister unless you needed something.”
“Even then, only IF”
“Len is not available.” She looked away at those words as if they were a finality and proof of her point.
He flinched at that; he never thought she noticed. He did ignore her and tended to humor her more than believe whatever she said.
He looked down at that and said, “Ok… you’re right.”
“We both have another brother or sister, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show you more love and respect like you do me. I just never thought it was an issue."
“It’s not" she said, but it got me a day alone with you. So I’m happy,” boasting with a smugness.
“You liar!” he said with alarm. You made me think I hurt you?!” She faced him with a smile.
“I could never be mad at you, little brother. We're family,” she beamed, “but that doesn’t change that what you’re doing is wrong and dangerous.”
She turned serious just as quickly as she was smiling before. The shifts in moods were exhausting, but he knew she wasn’t being flippant; she wanted him to understand what he asked and to be mindful of his choices.
“Ok,” he said again, “we will shop tomorrow. I need more herbs anyway, and I can put stuff up for sale. Then maybe we can have lunch at the inn as a random treat .”
“Is that fair?”
“ Yea !” She said excitedly.
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He repeated the steps to make a spider potion; he knew it was a bit strong, but the effects were not fatal, so he would at least be safe.
Nina watched him carefully. “Make sure to let its effects last for a few seconds,” he said.
“ as anyone hurt would go much longer even if the effects were milder. With the flower," she nodded, watching unmoving.
The antidote and the poison were scarily similar side by side that he almost couldn’t tell them apart.
The poison just had a slightly deeper color, whereas the antidote had a brighter glow, so it was easy to harm… He needed to find a way to make sure the poisons looked like poisons.
Maybe a dye or mild poisons to change the color, since this was to be marketed as a poison; he needed to make sure it couldn’t be mistaken.
For now, the goal was to test the effect to know what he would be inflicting on others.
He took a smaller sip, learning from the paralyzing brew, and at first, it felt just like the antidote to the point that he had to look to make sure he picked the right one.
Water rushed from his mouth to his feet and flowed into his body. He was about to say howdd it was that it did nothing and wasn’t working.
When the cramp hit his stomach, he involuntarily twitched, and his vision went black and then cleared.
More cramps randomly hit the other body parts. He still was in control, but everything felt off, and fighting him to move that by itself wasn’t that bad.
It was when the dizziness and sickness hit that he was losing himself; everything just felt wrong, and he couldn’t focus.
He wanted to tell Nina to heal him, but he was not sure which way was straight, even though he was just sitting…
He was not even sure if he spoke or slurred words.
Everything felt random; no clear thought could enter his mind.
This he was able to think weakly is mild effects. He wanted to laugh at how cruel where the gods were if Mild did this.
As he was finishing those thoughts, he heard a voice in his ear.
“Shhh.”
“It's ok, little brother.”
“I’m here.“
“Drink this.” He did not feel the drink upon his lips, but the effect was immediate.
The same rush from head to foot, but this time he noticed everywhere the water went, it ate and destroyed.
He couldn’t think of the right word; it just removed everything wrong and left peace.
The antidote was indeed a godsend if poison like that can hurt normal people like that in the wild…. Terrifying.
It was only after he was cured that he came to and noticed Nina holding him, rocking him in her arms…
“Um… why?” He said once he got a moment of clarity to speak, she shook her head.
“After you drank that, you started crying and mumbling to yourself.”
“while seizing up”
“So I held you and gave the cure.”
“Letting you know you’re ok.” She smiled at him as a mother would hold a child.
She gently brushed his cheek, and he felt wetness. Oh, no, I was crying.
He pulled away from her and wiped his face. “It was necessary,” he said.
“I can’t let that happen to others, not you or anyone else.”
She smiled at that, “I know.”
“As much as it hurt to see you like that.”
“ I knew why you were willing to go so fast to make sure that there was no one else.“
“I don’t blame you for not being able to handle an unknown poison. It would be scary.”
He did not like being talked down to like a child, but he was acting like one if he thought he was in control.
A small part of him even had a bit of fear knowing that he was willing to do this by himself.
The thought now was proof of how careless he had been. Herbert warned him to follow the book, yet not even half a year passed, and he thought he was master enough to experiment anew.
“Thank you, Nina.”
“But I think I’m going to shower and end it here.”
“ I’ll be down for dinner, but I want a little alone time.”
“ I won’t forget about tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to,“she said. “I’m not that selfish, you know I love you and just wanted to spend some time—”
“ No,” he said, “I want to, and I promised to spend time with one of my sisters, so I will.
“Yeah!“ She said excitedly and clapped a few times before kissing his still-damp cheek.
“You’re a good boy, Wolf. I promise I’ll keep this secret from Leena.“
“ Or she will kill me for helping you," she thought for a moment, "after your mom does… so no, I won’t tell either of them."
It was a small comfort, but a comfort all the same. He nodded as she saw herself out. Dinner went well, and Len did sense something was off, but he played it off as having been forced out on a playdate with Nina. She objected.
but did not call him out, and the rest of the evening went smoothly after that.
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In bed, he couldn’t sleep.
He wanted to make many new brews, but he also knew he could not just assume he knew based on what was written.
He wished he had an easier way of knowing but figured more study and time were needed before sleeping; he wrote a bit in his book as a note.
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Mild effect or not, a poison is still a poison. never assume any are safe,
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Care must always be taken with unknown effects. The god of balance may gift us many things, but the gift also brings dangers.
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He wasn’t sure why alchemy was made that way; maybe it wasn’t, maybe we just assumed and just kept doing it.
He mused and looked at his hand. I was blessed by the gods with great power.
If I can choose, then I don’t like that people can be hurt with healing. I want to change that.
Even if it means new things must be rebalanced. A dark thought crossed his mind, even if it meant the side effects or poisons would be deadlier?
He wasn’t sure; does everything need to be balanced? The gods already forced magic into set ways.
Isn’t that enough? Isn’t taking my ability to do real magic enough? He thought darkly as he faded into sleep.
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It wasn’t often, but sometimes Nina slept inside with Leena. She loved sharing a bed; she tried with me, but it freaked me out as I never really even shared one with Len.
But Nina seemed to crave not being alone, so it became a random thing we accepted.
Dad made them a guest house in the back since everyone already welcomed them as family. The only bad thing when she stayed indoors was…
“HELLO BROTHER,” a voice boomed in the hall.
“Morning, Nina,” he said. She was way too happy in the morning. He liked his other sister, calm and quiet.
Nina was not…
“Are you ready for today?” She said, practically jumping up and down and waiting for his answer.
“Yes, yes, I haven’t forgotten. Just let's get a light breakfast and will wander the town.”
Dad spoke up as he was trying to go to the bathroom, ” If you got time to play. Can you take a bit of time to help me and Nebo load the wagon?”
“Nebo is going to the city soon, so anything you want to sell, we can do it there.”
That made him happy as he wanted to sell the juices and herbs he made. He knew they were not rare ideas but doubted they were flooded in the market, so he could make something off them.
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The morning went by quickly with the choirs done and seeing everyone off; he was now off with Nina.
They mostly explored and chatted about miscellaneous things, and it was a mundane day overall.
They later went to the inn for a meal, and he saw the bear tavern master, Icarus. There were people at the tables now being served by humans and random beastkin.
Icarus sniffs the air before looking their way. “There's a face I haven’t seen in ages.”
“ Where you been, pup?”
“Did I scare you away? Hah,” he barked at his joke; Wolf was happy to see he wasn’t forgotten despite the time away.
“No, just busy trying to learn new things."
“Oh,” Icarus said, and got a fox girlfriend, I see.”
“ I approve!“
“NO ! “ Wolf said
“She is my sister.“
“Well, not my blood sister.”
“But she is still family.”
“ I promised…" He was flustered trying to explain, and Icarus laughed.
“Relax, kid.“
“She's a regular; she talked about you all the time too.”
“So I already know the story,” he scratched his chin while looking around.
“Teva usually talks with her, too?" He was wondering where that girl went.
He was still trying to compose himself when Nina spoke.
“He’s my new little brother, and I do love him. But I think he is still too young to think about girls.”
“Not that I will be able to say no to him if he asks.” She grabbed him in a hug, saying that, and he pushed her away.
Blushing, why was she causing a scene? He focused and said, “I'm here for a drink.” In the most adult way he could, Icarus laughed.
“There’s a man, not a pup!”
“You want a man’s drink, then? A grin full of teeth, he noticed people starting to stare from all the excitement, but he still shook his head.
“No, just a normal one, please, and some food.”
“ Ok, little one,” Icarus said, It's my treat since I missed you and you brought a date.”
“ I mean your sister,” he joked and laughed as he went to the back. Wolf lowered his head, feeling a bit defeated. He was trying to take control, and everything was getting beyond him.
It was then he felt a hug slightly different than before press against his back.
With a voice he had not heard in a while, “Missed you, wolf.” He was stunned at the new sensation and could not move as the voice went on, “Nina.” The voice said flatly.
“You said you would make an effort to help me see him since he was busy!”
He saw Nina look indifferent. “ I have been busy.“ Her ears and tails remained flat. He knew it was Teva when he turned to look and was stunned at how she had changed in such a short time.
Her hair was slightly longer, though still short, and she wore a simple, loose-fitting blue dress with an apron tied on the front. She was stunning, just as bright as in the past with the way she seemed to glow.
Despite the glares at each other, she left me and Nina to help others, and he admired her speed going around the table checking on the people who thankfully ignored him in favor of their own food and drinks.
He forgot how he liked her around, and the way she smiled was full of life. He hated how he ignored her and did not think twice…
A voice whispered into his ear, “Should I be jealous? I thought this was our date?”
“What?” He cried, shocked. “This isn’t a date.” That got a few random stares as he quickly went to the counter to sit.
before turning to his sister, “I don’t like crowds. Too many people watching me freaks me out. and also stop pretending to be a random girl I met… I like you as family.”
Amused, she sat beside him and stared at him with a smile. ” You never said if I should be jealous. So is she your type?” His mind went blank for a moment as he thought about her words.
“I don’t have a type,” he said bluntly, then proceeded to ignore her, waiting for the food she kept starting for a bit, then conceded for now.
Icarus came with simple drinks that were yellowish-looking; they tasted bitter and sweet.
“Nina here tends to ask for them; it's a lemon-type mix, so I brought two on the house!” He said with a bit of pride, he remembered her drink of choice.
“Thanks,” she said with a bit of cheer. He also nodded his approval in thanks. As Icarus went to check on another who needed his attention.
The more he drank, the more he noticed the drinks' odd mix. The sour bitterness was very light before it got to the point where it was too much, the sweet blend. Smoothed it out, making you chase the flavor, which faded much too fast, so you drink another, and it would repeat.
“ Interesting,” he muttered to himself.
“I know, right?” Nina spoke up beside him, ” It’s why I love the stuff.”
“No matter what you eat, the flavor of the drink doesn’t interfere with the food since the aftertaste fades. Amazing stuff.”
Now that he had a moment to relax, he could hear a bit of music playing in the background. Was that always there?
He looked for the source, and interestingly, it was a human man, a gnome girl, and a human girl. Playing some instrument in the corner.
It seemed they had been taking a break. Why did he not hear them before? Nina noticed where he was looking. “Aha, them.”
“Yeah, they've been here a few weeks. I heard they tend to travel. But I liked this place and have been staying a while. Not sure how far they go. never asked”
“Sometimes the gnome sings nice voice too.”
“Really?” Wolf was amazed that he heard his mother and sister sing lullabies, but never a real performer; he wanted to know if there was a difference.
“Here you go, little wolf, eat up and be a big wolf,“Icarus said as he laid down two plates of slabs of meat.
With a very small side of veggies, he saw wolf-shocked faces of the size and laughed, “I like meat, so I tend to serve it every chance I get.“
“Hunting has been good here. So I can afford to share the wealth; eat what you can. We got fat pets that enjoy leftovers. They’re lazy bums, but I love them all the same.”
He left them to their meal. Halfway through the meal, Teva came back and approached them. "Everything ok?”
“Are you feeling better?”
“You were shouting earlier,” Wolf blushed involuntarily. He was used to attention from his family, but from her? It caught him off guard, and he wasn’t sure how to act.
Seen her this close, her eyes were still a deep blue like the lake, Nina spoke up while he was still lost.
“My little brother is fine, thank you for your concern, but I'm watching out for him.”
Teva smiled and got a mischievous grin. “We’re not strangers; he was my friend first.“
Then brushed his hair. “Besides, when did he become your brother?”
The soft touch of her hand on him was nice but distracting; he wasn’t really attracted to her least he didn’t think so…
He was just not used to random girls touching him. Nina didn’t count; she was different.
He thought that he could see Nina getting angry, which was very rare, and he wasn’t sure why. Wait, was she the jealous type? Or just don’t like to share?
“Please leave my brother alone; he doesn’t like so much attention.”
“It's spoiling his meal.“ Teva flinched and stopped touching him as if bitten. “
Sorry, sorry!”
“ Just wanted to make sure he was ok.”
“ It has been a while, and I missed him. And when you're surrounded by old farts all day, you want to be closer to people you care about.”
” So I just want to be closer to a cutie. I’ll be on my way; stay safe, Wolf; please visit more.“
He was blushing from being called cute but also saw Nina staring daggers and found a voice to speak. “Thanks for worrying about me, Teva.”
“Sorry… I have been a stranger“.
“That was rude … I’ll try to visit more,” she beamed and danced away, tail swirling with the dress.
“Maybe we can talk more without your pesky sister….” were her parting words.
He wasn’t sure how to respond to that; was it still friendly banter or an attack? “Ooooo,” Icarus was watching from the side, speaking, “Up caught her eye, did you?”
“Careful, she does bite.” He wasn’t sure what was going on about, still tried to recover…
" It was just Teva. Why is everyone making it a big deal?
“If she tries anything, she will regret it. My brother doesn’t need a vixen's temptations.”
“He's going to be an alchemist, not a cat toy for a random catkin… " Icarus laughed again.
“Never dull with you around, Cub.”
“Already trying to build a pack of women, and not even a full wolf, very bold!”
Wolf finally started to get desensitized to all the attention and overbearing nature of the bearkin; he sighed, "No, just a date with my sister,” he conceded.
Trying to stem some of her anger, it did not work; she still looked ruffled. The rest of the meal was eaten mostly in silence. They thanked Icarus for the meal and promised to return the favor.
As they left, a few patrons nodded or gave a wave goodbye. Wolf couldn’t help but look, and yes, as if by intuition, Teva was watching him and gave a wave goodbye. He even thought he saw a bit of sadness in the eyes but wasn’t surely lost in his own world.
The walk home was met by a detour to the lake; he didn’t mind, as he always enjoyed its view. Even now,
As they neared the water’s edge, Nina made smooth rocks appear in her hand and started skipping them.
A petty use for magic, but amazing to him, who would have loved to do just that. He looked at his hand full of power, and nothing there….
She spoke after a third toss, “Thought you did not like her?”
“What?” he said. "I don’t.”
“But you sure loved her attention,” she replied with a calmness unlike her
“It was different,” he said. “Not used to girls liking me.”
“What about me ?” Nina asked.
“You’re my sister,” he said flatly as if that solved everything.
“No,” she said, “you always pushed me away with indifference. You liked her touching you.” He blushed at that.
“ IT’S DIFFERENT!” he shouted, flustered. “She’s NOT FAMILY,” he shouted more at the end to make it a stronger statement.
She stopped throwing rocks and sat down. At that, Wolf had to know.
“Are you saying you don’t want to be my sister?”
“ No,“ she said in a low voice. He didn’t want to ask, but he had to know. “Are you wanting… Did you want to be my lover?”
“ WHAT? NO” Nina looked at him aghast; he let out a sigh.
“Ok, good. Then why are you jealous?”
“ Because you’re MY BROTHER.”
“ MY FAMILY”
“ I don’t want to share!” She explained with a huff, then tears were in her eyes, and she looked away. ears flat
He wasn’t sure how things ended up like this, so he sat beside her and held her like his other sister would have done for him.
Like Nina would have done for him.
“ I understand,” he said. ” I got so used to you and Len loving me. I forgot there's a bigger world with more people.”
“It freaks me out, and the actions overwhelm me.”
“Teva is... nice and a friend. I don’t like her, but she is pretty and friendly. So I was happy for the attention. She did not do anything wrong to make you mad,” he finished.
“Yet,” she said.
“What?” he asked.
“She did not do anything yet. Let’s not pretend she wouldn’t chew you up the first chance she got, little brother.“
“You don’t understand women. You be a toy she had fun with and then lost interest in for another. She did not see you for a while, so she likes you.”
“When the next new boy comes along, you'll be an afterthought .”
That stung a bit, but he didn’t care; he wasn’t trying anything anyway. But he had liked to believe they were still friends and she would not abandon him; they had just grown apart. Teva only ever showed him kindness; maybe one day…
He focused on Nina instead, “will always be a family.”
“ I promise.”
“But there may be a day you find someone else, and I trust you won’t leave me. Any more than Len will?“ She did not answer at first but leaned into him.
“I guess,” she said, then stayed quiet.
“Part of growing up is knowing we have to share and we don’t always get to keep everything,” he went on.
“I learned that when Len was helping Dad with work, and although Mom had always been there, it wasn’t the same; it was the same thing with Coby.”
“My only friend is off hunting with his dad.”
I knew Teva for a while from the church, but we had just kind of been busy…” He watched the lake before going on. “So I was happy when you came along.”
“But you were too happy. It overwhelmed me. I was used to being alone. That’s why I pushed you away with what seemed indifference. You always bounced back with more joy.”
“So I thought you never cared what I did.”
“I don’t, "she said, not really“…
“I mean, I do care. It’s why I got jealous of a new girl. But as long as you were happy and my family?”
“ I was happy… I really just wanted people close who did not worship me as a magical object and wouldn’t leave me.”
“Well, I'm glad we had this playdate,” he said after her confession.
“ Play…date? She asked and laughed. “Is that what this is to you?”
“Well, where, family, and you said it was a date?“
“So we had a playdate; she nuzzled her head into his chest.
“ You’re fun, little brother.“
“Don’t change even if you have a wife and kids.”
“ I promise to be a good aunt and love them as much as I love you.”
The shift from sad back to happy threw him off a bit, and hearing her say she loved him while it wasn’t rare made him think about how he felt versus just humoring her feelings.
“ I love you too, sister.”
“But you should try to spend more time with your older brother. Bet he is lonely with how much you embrace me and Len.”
She stiffened at that. “You know I tried. He's happy keeping his distance. He never accepted me the same way you and Len did.“
“Dunno why.”
“It’s sad seeing as he is blood and you’re not. but I feel more like a family with you than him.” Her tail gently wagged as she spoke.
“ Maybe he just likes his space and not being touched? You’re a very loving person.”
“It can be a bit too much.” He knew he was assuming a lot, but he wanted to assure her she wasn’t alone, even without him, and he did wonder why her brother was more distant.
She shrugged at that. “Maybe, but I think we’re both happy with the way things are. He never tries to get closer, and I never push him.”
“If it bothers you, I’ll give you more space.”
“ No,” Wolf said, ”You’re fine. We're all growing up in our own way.”
“Let’s at least try to make it work.
“Even if it is not perfect, ok?”
“ Ok~” She sang and hummed to herself as he held her by the lake; it was a good day, not the one he wanted, but a good day.
all the same, and he couldn’t help but think how the lake reminded him of the Teva blue eyes…111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcx3he6kY9u
