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Elderberry #18. Howl from Beyond with Whipped Cream and Hot Fudge
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1248
Word Count : 648
I think this is the first I've included Shasa in the whipped cream. She's about 4-5 years younger than Kairn, so 8-9 to his 13 or so here.
“Whatcha doin’?”
Sethan’s jaw locked. Kairn swore he could hear his teeth grinding. He looked up at his sister, perched, wide eyed and grinning, on the log behind them. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Nope,” said Shasa, not the least perturbed. “I thought maybe I could come help you.” She paused for a moment to scrunch her little nose at the metal stretched between Sethan’s hands. “So what are you doing? Are those traps?”
“What do they look like?” Sethan’s tone was measured and flat as the jaws of the snare snapped into place.
“They look like traps.”
He leveled a look at her sharper than the barbs on the snare and Shasa’s lip rolled out in a sad pout and started to tremble.
“You…you don’t have to be-”
Kairn shoved himself between them. “They’re traps, Shas. Ok? Master Berwyk wanted us to get him a few rabbits-”
Her jaw dropped, her eyes grew even wider, and her hands scrabbled against the log as she remembered, at the last moment, to keep hold of it. “You’re going to catch poor little rabbits with…with those?” One hand clutched at the bark beneath her while she tore the other away to point a shaking finger at the steel jaw glinting at Sethan’s feet. “You’ll crush their little legs!”
Kairn looked from the snares to his sister and raised a brow in confusion. “It’s not like Berwyk wants live rabbits.”
“But…but-”
“Look,” he clapped a hand over her shoulder, gently, so as not to knock her off the log, “It’s not like you can pull bodies out of thin air. Where did you think they came from?”
“Or your dinner for that matter,” Sethan muttered as he popped open another trap. Kairn shot him a glare which received the blank look of one in denial he’s said anything at all. He turned back to Shasa who was working her lip between her teeth.
“But…” she repeated, the corners of her eyes twitching, watering. “But…how could you?”
There was a sniff from the grass, and Kairn gave Sethan another scowl, this one not even earning a look in return. “Maybe you should go home, Shas. There are traps all over, and we wouldn’t want you to step in one.”
“You wouldn’t.” It was barely above a breath, and Kairn stilled the urge to cuff him across the back of the head, sure Shasa hadn’t heard.
He caught her eyes again. “Please?”
Shasa let out a shuddering sigh, swept the back of one small hand across her eyes. “Alright, I-”
A tremendous roar drowned out whatever else she might have said. All three whipped their heads to face the woods, Shasa nearly tumbling from the log with the motion. Kairn, still holding her shoulder, caught her weight and helped her stagger to the ground.
“W-w-what w-was that?” she said, and Kairn found his arm in a two-handed grip like a vise.
Sethan shrugged, pulled the trap in his grasp open until it popped, and set it in the grass in line with the rest. “Behemoth,” he said.
Shasa’s jaw opened and closed a few times without sound and her hands tightened around Kairn’s arm. “You’re telling me there’s a monster in the woods?” she sputtered. “Does Master Berwyk know this?”
Kairn looked at her sideways as he peeled her fingers from his arm. “They’re ten feet tall and sound like that,” he said. “Yeah, I figure he’s noticed it.”
Her mouth went into another bout of impotant fluttering before she managed, “D-don’t you think we should go? Before it finds us?”
Sethan turned their way, the corner of his lips quirking slowly up as he focused on Kairn. “I wonder,” he said, “what Berwyk would say if we brought that thing home instead.”
Before Kairn could frame a response, Shasa was halfway up the road to the manor.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1248
Word Count : 648
I think this is the first I've included Shasa in the whipped cream. She's about 4-5 years younger than Kairn, so 8-9 to his 13 or so here.
“Whatcha doin’?”
Sethan’s jaw locked. Kairn swore he could hear his teeth grinding. He looked up at his sister, perched, wide eyed and grinning, on the log behind them. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Nope,” said Shasa, not the least perturbed. “I thought maybe I could come help you.” She paused for a moment to scrunch her little nose at the metal stretched between Sethan’s hands. “So what are you doing? Are those traps?”
“What do they look like?” Sethan’s tone was measured and flat as the jaws of the snare snapped into place.
“They look like traps.”
He leveled a look at her sharper than the barbs on the snare and Shasa’s lip rolled out in a sad pout and started to tremble.
“You…you don’t have to be-”
Kairn shoved himself between them. “They’re traps, Shas. Ok? Master Berwyk wanted us to get him a few rabbits-”
Her jaw dropped, her eyes grew even wider, and her hands scrabbled against the log as she remembered, at the last moment, to keep hold of it. “You’re going to catch poor little rabbits with…with those?” One hand clutched at the bark beneath her while she tore the other away to point a shaking finger at the steel jaw glinting at Sethan’s feet. “You’ll crush their little legs!”
Kairn looked from the snares to his sister and raised a brow in confusion. “It’s not like Berwyk wants live rabbits.”
“But…but-”
“Look,” he clapped a hand over her shoulder, gently, so as not to knock her off the log, “It’s not like you can pull bodies out of thin air. Where did you think they came from?”
“Or your dinner for that matter,” Sethan muttered as he popped open another trap. Kairn shot him a glare which received the blank look of one in denial he’s said anything at all. He turned back to Shasa who was working her lip between her teeth.
“But…” she repeated, the corners of her eyes twitching, watering. “But…how could you?”
There was a sniff from the grass, and Kairn gave Sethan another scowl, this one not even earning a look in return. “Maybe you should go home, Shas. There are traps all over, and we wouldn’t want you to step in one.”
“You wouldn’t.” It was barely above a breath, and Kairn stilled the urge to cuff him across the back of the head, sure Shasa hadn’t heard.
He caught her eyes again. “Please?”
Shasa let out a shuddering sigh, swept the back of one small hand across her eyes. “Alright, I-”
A tremendous roar drowned out whatever else she might have said. All three whipped their heads to face the woods, Shasa nearly tumbling from the log with the motion. Kairn, still holding her shoulder, caught her weight and helped her stagger to the ground.
“W-w-what w-was that?” she said, and Kairn found his arm in a two-handed grip like a vise.
Sethan shrugged, pulled the trap in his grasp open until it popped, and set it in the grass in line with the rest. “Behemoth,” he said.
Shasa’s jaw opened and closed a few times without sound and her hands tightened around Kairn’s arm. “You’re telling me there’s a monster in the woods?” she sputtered. “Does Master Berwyk know this?”
Kairn looked at her sideways as he peeled her fingers from his arm. “They’re ten feet tall and sound like that,” he said. “Yeah, I figure he’s noticed it.”
Her mouth went into another bout of impotant fluttering before she managed, “D-don’t you think we should go? Before it finds us?”
Sethan turned their way, the corner of his lips quirking slowly up as he focused on Kairn. “I wonder,” he said, “what Berwyk would say if we brought that thing home instead.”
Before Kairn could frame a response, Shasa was halfway up the road to the manor.