~Chapter 19~
Two days had passed since Mae and Ven had returned from Tag'thyr, and Karanosi had gone back to the Dailen Shaad. Hidai, Mae's warog mount, had fully recovered from his stone sickness, and had settled in well, even getting along with Praja, despite being different species.
It seemed odd at first, to Mae, since Praja, a sambel, was an herbivore and prey animal to warog, but Ven explained that they could sense the stones and knew each other to not be wild. While this made sense to her, and explained the behavior, it raised questions that Ven couldn't answer. Which was fine, since they were waiting on Kyurn's arrival, as she was expecting him to bring the book that Karanosi had promised to send along, that would hopefully answer her questions.
Kyurn, was of course, a spitting image of his father, just younger and with a bit more of a peach hue to the outer edges of his scales. Mae had been at the pond with Hidai when he arrived, and eager to greet him, she rode back to the house still soaking wet. Tossing on her robe as she jumped down from Hidai's back, Kyurn, who had already transformed into his smaller form, grabbed her up and spun her around.
"You're going to get all wet!" she exclaimed as he refused to put her down.
"As if I mind," he remarked setting her back onto her feet. "Gives me a good excuse to shed the robe."
"Don't you dare," Ven stated, making his way back out of the house.
"I was joking, brother. So, this is the mighty Hidai father told me about? No wonder he had me lug that book all the way here. I've never seen a wild caught before. How's his temperament?"
"Wonderful, as far as I can tell. He's such a good boy!" she stated as she scratched the underside of his chin. "Go dry off."
With a quick pivot, Hidai dashed into the field and could be heard rolling around against the grass.
"He'll tire himself out and nap in the sun for a while. What can I take inside with me?"
Following Kyurn over to the large pouch he had brought with him and set down near the door, he picked up a fair-sized bundle and handed it to her.
"From mother. Why don't you take that up to your closet, while we handle the rest?"
"She really needs to stop with the clothing," Mae said as she took the heavy bundle from him. "I have more than enough and I'm afraid your sisters are going to get angry if this keeps up."
"Angry? They're thrilled! They've finally gotten some room back in their own closets. They haven't worn any of these things in years, and trust me, they will never come looking. Like Mother, they will never leave the Shaad."
"I've always been curious about that. Why don't they leave?"
"Besides the value of their scales? There are far fewer females than males and if they ever left the Shaad, they would be targeted by other broods. They would either be kept as captives or killed. We aren't all as civilized as we may seem," he explained.
Lugging the bundle up to the closet, she organized the clothes Golkic had sent. There were 2 dresses made of heavier fabrics, a fur-lined and floor length coat, on her, 2 sets of fur leggings, that she would have to drastically alter, and a pair of mittens, that were actually her size with a note tied to them. She still couldn't read the writing, but she could recognize the symbols that Ven told her was how they wrote her name. She also didn't need to read the note to know that Golkic had made them for her.
Changing into something dry and clean, she combed out her hair, stopping to look down at the cellphone on her table and the necklace Nimaro had given to her which she kept next to it. Over the past two days, she had thought about everything that had happened, the offers and the deals that had been made, multiple times, and each time she came to the same conclusion. She wanted to go home, before she got so used to this world that staying would be easier than leaving.
As it was, she knew that she would have to leave Hidai behind. She couldn't stomach the thought of him being trapped in his stone for however long it took for it to decay into dust on Earth with no one else ever knowing that he was even there. Leaving him seemed a kinder fate, and she had already ensured that Ven would continue to take care of him long after she was gone, so he could live out his days in comfort and freedom.
Picking up the necklace, she put it on and tucked it safely beneath the collar of her dress, before joining Ven and Kyurn downstairs in the sitting room.
"I've got a lead on a full grown Davibas on the Aughton branch. Four days out, four days back, and three on sight. It will give us enough wood to make everything you want and there will be enough left over for a few extras."
"I would love to join you, but I can't be gone for that long right now," Ven replied handing a small book back to Kyurn.
"Will you please tell him that you are more than capable of fending for yourself for a few days, please?" Kyurn said as he looked at Mae with a pleading gaze.
"I'm more than capable of fending for myself. And I won't be alone; Hidai will be here with me. Honestly Ven, at some point you have to get back to your life. If something needs to be done around here while you're gone, tell me so I can write my own list and take care of it. Despite how I look, I'm not a child."
"You really are so cute and tiny," Kyurn remarked with a mocking grin.
"I realize you aren't a child, Mae. And yes, at some point, I have to get back to my life. And at some point, I'm certain you're going to want to get on with yours too. My home will never cease being your home, but you should also have a place of your own. One that you don't have to share."
"What are you saying Ven?" she questioned as she couldn't tell if he was trying to politely convince her to leave or on the verge of asking her to move out directly.
"I was going to wait until I was certain it was viable, but since I'm going to be leaving for the Shaad tomorrow morning, it's best if I tell you this now."
"You're coming then?" Kyurn perked up.
"Yes. Yes. I'm going to go with you, but we have to take care of something today then, because it can't wait until I get back," Ven replied as Kyurn silently cheered. "Before Karanosi left the last time, I had him pick one of the seeds from the top of the house. I've already started the germination process, and I was going to wait until it sprouted before planting it, but it won't hurt to plant it today instead."
"Did I hear you right? Are you giving me a house?"
"Yes, and a place to grow it. It will take a year before the first pod is ready to be adapted, so this isn't a quick process, but it's something for you to look forward to."
"It's also an Evleshian tradition," Kyurn added.
"I'm not doing this because of some stupid tradition. I'm doing this so she can have a place to call her own."
"Because you recognize her as an adult and as family, she is the only one deserving to inherit a seed from this house. See, tradition."
"I'm not going off to war, Kyurn."
"We most certainly are… doing something that really isn't anything like going to war, but it is still dangerous work. Well for you… if I wasn't there."
"Thank you, Ven," she spoke up before Kyurn diminished the gesture any further. "Tradition or not, I'm touched by your generosity."
"Good. Now, I have three places in mind, but I'm certain I know the one you'll pick."
"Then that's the one you should show us last. You fetch the seed, and I'll bring the shovels," Kyurn said with a smirk, while lifting his hand and flexing his fingers.
Ven had, of course, been correct about the location she would choose. It was higher up in the valley, on the east side of the forest where the pond was located, where there was a fairly flat plateau of rich, dark soil, that was large enough to support the home even once it reached the size of Ven's.
Being as polite as he was capable, Kyurn then told Mae to go away, remarking about it being taboo to let her see him shift, while Ven snickered something about her not needing to see him in the buff. Taking the hint about why she had also never been privy to Karanosi's transformation, she and Hidai headed into the forest in search of an easy path to the pond.
Sadly, they had no such luck, as the bush on this side of the pond was denser with thick underbrush. But the benefit was that clearing a path would be something to do while they waited for their home to grow. Figuring they had given Kyurn ample time to transform, they began to make their way back. They arrived just as Kyurn finished digging the hole after he had scorched the ground cover and cleared away several trees to ensure nothing would impede the home-seeds growth. Then she watched as he lowered the seed into the hole and carefully covered the bulk, except for the pointed tip at the top from which the stem would sprout.
She was honestly pleased that they had done all the work, and that she would have a year to get used to the idea of living on her own. The strange symbolic nature of planting a seed, to literally be laying down roots, had left her feeling more unsettled. This was just one more thing that would be abandoned when she left and she felt horrible that he had wasted one of the three seeds on her. She also knew that it would be yet another thing she would get attached to, as it would be impossible for her not to care about such a precious gift that inevitably they would watch grow, and toil over to make it a proper home.
She was well aware that everything Ven, Karanosi, Golkic, and Kyurn were doing was to make her feel as comfortable as they could, and while she appreciated their kindness and generosity, they had no idea how difficult they were making it for her. And she didn't have the heart to tell them.
Ven and Kyurn spent the rest of the night preparing for their trip to the Aughton branch of the Shaad, while Mae followed them about writing notes at Ven's behest, wanting to make sure that she knew exactly what to do and when to do it. And while they wished to depart early in the morning, it was closer to midday before they finally left, and considering how late they had all stayed up talking and drinking, she was surprised they had left at all.
Since her arrival, this was the first time she'd been left on her own, and despite all the notes Ven had her take, there really wasn't much at all for her to do. She had to tend to a few things in the garden the following day, and prepare meals for herself and Hidai, since Karanosi would be back in three days to check on her. Thus, she rode Hidai down into the valley to the center of the wide, open field. Climbing from his back, she left him to roll around as she removed the necklace Nimaro had made for her.
Even as her hands trembled, she knew there was no other way forward, and delaying wasn't going to change a thing. It didn't matter if she came to love that world or the people that surrounded her. This was not where she belonged. She was a human of Earth, and she only felt at peace when she thought of going home to Jack and Koobs, despite all that she would have to leave behind.
Placing the medallion into her palm, she clasped her hands together and held them up before her mouth, before taking a calming breath and whispering, "I've made my decision. Nimaro, come find me."