Well… I supposed this kind of thing did happen.

Shifting a little, I frowned down at the dead horse… and tried to ignore the soft whimpering from behind me.

Sap and Liora were a few dozen feet away, near the small creek we had been walking along. The young saint was upset over the horse dying, though not just because she was a young child who just watched something akin to a pet fall and die right in front of her. Her reasons were a bit… unique.

Glancing behind me, I studied the distant figures. Sap was kneeled before the saint and her wings were unfolded a little, since she was a tad uneasy. She didn’t seem to like the sound of Liora’s weeping, her face was wrought with worry… though she knew Liora was of course fine and healthy, just sad. The look on her face reminded me of the times Lilly and I had happened upon children who were hurt, or lost. Such as those whose villages had been devastated, and we had been too late to save them. It seemed Sap had inherited Lilly’s innate care and concern for the young. Rather deeply, too. I was glad she had, it was a good trait to inherit.

Liora was sitting on a small log. One covered in moss. She was wiping at her face with a cloth as she regained control over herself, and was mumbling quiet words to Sap. The owl was obviously trying to relieve the young girl, to let her know all was well, but I didn’t put any effort in hearing the actual conversation. The reason I didn’t try to hear them was because I had heard enough.

The young saint blamed herself. Thus her emotions.

She felt as if she should have foreseen the horse taking a tumble as we crossed the creek. So felt responsible for the creature’s death.

It was a silly notion, of course. The horse had simple stumbled, and had not done so while I was near it… and so nothing and no one had been able to save it. Horseshoe had landed harshly, not just breaking both front legs… but also cracking the side of its head open on a sharp rock in the process. The kind of crack that resulted in its swift death… from shock more than blood-loss, I’d wager. I hadn’t even been given the time to consider putting it out of its misery myself, it had died that quickly.

Liora hadn’t been near, or on the horse, when it had happened. I was thankful for that, since such a fall would have undoubtedly hurt the girl as well… but it was also likely the reason the girl had not foreseen the casualty. She herself had not been harmed in anyway, nor had Sap who had been the one guiding the horse. The only one harmed here and now, other than the young saint’s heart, was the horse. Thus Liora’s lack of having a prophecy concerning the creature.

I sighed softly as I looked away from the two and back to the horse.

I’d already removed our bags, but hadn’t messed with the saddle or anything attached to the horse. There was no point… even if they were expensive. They were just cumbersome things for us at the moment. Too cumbersome, since I now had several more bags to carry.

“So close too…” I whispered as I looked upward.

We were rounding a mountain. One that Sap was very confident that was just north of SilverCreek. We were so close to Renn I could almost taste her, which made the horse’s death feel even more needless than it did.

“Sorry,” I whispered as I stepped away. I wasn’t going to bury the creature, there was no point. Even if I did a bear or something would just dig it up, unless I buried it far deeper than I wanted to deal with right now.

It really was too bad. The horse had been young and stout, and also calm and smart. Even when I had scared it the thing had calmed down quickly and settled, instead of running off. I would have liked to have kept it, so it was… regretful. But accidents happened. Always have and always will.

Approaching the pair, I noted Liora was no longer crying. She was still sniffing, and had a frown, but at least wasn’t weeping anymore. “Want me to carry you, Liora?” I asked gently.

She shook her head with a sniff.

Glancing at Sap for conformation, the owl nodded softly at me. She stood, and as such gently got Liora up off the log and onto her feet as well.

“I’m sorry, Vim…” Liora whispered with her head hung low.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Liora. Your powers are not things you can control with such finesse. And accidents happen, no matter how much any of us try to prevent them. They are a part of life,” I said.

“Still…” she mumbled.

“Come, come. Let Horseshoe return to the forest, as all things do,” Sap said as she patted the young saint’s back and guided the girl along the stream, away from the area. At least this time she had gotten the horse’s name right.

Liora nodded gently and with a last glance to the dead horse, then sniffed again and looked away as she began to walk alongside Sap.

I joined them, but kept back a tad. The young saint had went ahead and grabbed Sap’s hand, so I figured it was fine to let Sap take the brunt of the burden of being there for her.

Which was odd to do, in a certain sense. Sap was so much like Lilly it was startling, yet here she was… showing such gentle concern for the young human. A saint, even.

Though I suppose Lilly has also shown such care over the years. Even as she sneered or sighed, she had generally been rather calm and kind to those who were young or infirm.

As we left the dead horse behind, and Sap and Liora began to talk about other things, likely to just not have it be quiet as we walked, I found my thoughts drifting to Renn.

She was good with children. She always got very happy when we weren’t somewhere that had children, to the point that sometimes she didn’t want to leave them behind. Such as Lilly’s new child, Root, when we had been there not too long ago Renn had basically spent every waking moment with the girl.

And it wasn’t just babies she enjoyed either. She had a very good relationship with those like Angie and Tundra, those who were not outright children but also not grown adults just yet… I knew many found Renn’s compatibility with children to be expected, as if it was obvious she’d be good with them, but I knew better.

Her few experiences with children before joining the Society had been ones of heartbreak. Her youngest sister had been someone she had loved, but had felt as if she had failed all the same. Someone she believed she should have cherished more, and also saved. And then of course there was the two human children, Lujic and Ginny… although the boy had grown to old age, she had felt she had failed both of them equally. She had failed the girl, since she had died while young, and had failed the boy for not being there for him more than she had been.

Then there was Nory… one who she ended up living with until her death in old age.

To many that likely made one seem accustomed with children. But I knew the truth. I knew Renn better than that.

She was scared of loving people. Or loving children. She and I had not really talked much about our own, such as the one prophesized to come, but I knew it was something we needed to speak of. One of Renn’s deepest fears, something that showed itself in her nightmares even, was a child’s death. She feared losing someone young, either because of her own failures or because of her inability to keep them safe. Sourced by what she deemed her past failures.

Such fears have not shown themselves often lately, since Renn’s become so much more comfortable in both herself and her position in the Society… but I knew deep down they still existed.

It was why she sometimes kept a distance from the children she so utterly adored during our visits. Such as when she had intentionally kept herself busy at the Smithy, as to keep herself from falling in love with Copper. She had actually worried if she had not been careful she would have abandoned all else, just to stay and watch over the girl…

Was it her bloodline maybe…? Bigger cats did typically raise their children on their own, and were known to be fierce protectors of them… but was it to the point that it would influence her that strongly? After all most animals treated their young with the same fervent loyalty. Most mammals, at least.

Likely Renn’s simple desire to care and love children was sourced from her same desire to have a family. To have a home, and a place to belong. A lot of people found great meaning in raising their descendants, after all… to the point many saw it as their greatest feats or most important duties in life. Maybe for Renn it was the same. To her a child was… well…

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Everything.

Yet to me…?

Stepping over a large twig, I frowned as I realized that I once again needed to address such a thing. Such a future.

I was to have children.

Of course I was excited over the idea… but was I as Renn was? Did I see it as something hugely momentous…?

Regrettably I wasn’t sure if I did.

I knew elation. I knew joy and pride. I felt it each and every time I tore a god apart.

Did… would I feel the same thing upon seeing my child’s birth…?

Would I feel as accomplished? Would I feel the same rush and thrill…? Or would I simply see another soul to protect…? Another person that I now needed to pay attention to, and tend to, and nothing more?

Taking in a deep breath, I sighed it out softly enough that neither Sap or Liora noticed. I was now in a bad mood.

Maybe I was a bad man. Or maybe the reality of having children has simply not settled in me yet.

I’d known many who changed once they held their child for the first time. Lilly had changed. Even Celine had changed a little, and Light hadn’t even been her actual daughter. And she had known of her existence since nearly her own!

Maybe I would too. Once I saw Renn’s belly swell. Once I heard their first cry.

But…

Glancing around, I took a small moment to leave my thoughts and examine our surroundings. I felt, again, for any source of divinity… at least, a source not coming from the two in front of me.

I felt none. The world was quiet. Calm. The afternoon sun was even warm, the kind of warm that made it feel nice and good… not too hot, and not too cold. There was even a gentle breeze.

All was right in the world, at least for the moment.

“No children. Not until they’re all gone,” I whispered, vowing it.

Renn would not be happy with me… but I couldn’t allow it.

I had been able to grab Havoc. Even with his threat looming over me. Even with the knowledge it would cost me Renn.

But…

Could I do the same with a child?

What if this daughter, this saint… this Nory… was threatened alongside Renn?

Could I still step forward and grab my enemies…? Or would I hesitate? Cower? Give in?

I almost didn’t want to even think of it, but I had to. Had to.

Because if I didn’t… I’d be caught unawares…. And I couldn’t have that. The world couldn’t have that.

Yet, did that mean I didn’t truly love Renn…?

That was not possible. I genuinely loved that woman. Even in the midst of battle I thought of Renn’s smile. Even now I was doing all I could to just… run off, and abandon Sap and Liora, and run to her arms. It was actually difficult since I knew Sap could just fly the rest of the way, carrying Liora as she did. Though I knew Sap would never do such a thing unless it was an emergency. No matter how much she’s softened up to the young girl, something like that was likely too much for her.

Still… I could be holding Renn in just a handful of minutes. I could get there that fast.

But if I did it’d open up fate to do what she did best… and I couldn’t risk that.

Last thing I needed was for Liora, or Sap, to get hurt or die. Either event would cause me great grief and trouble. In more ways than one…

So I simply stayed calm. Collected. And walked at what felt like a snail’s pace.

Yet that desire, that deep itch to run off to see Renn if but a few moments sooner… proved that I did love her. I had not felt this way about anyone before, at least not for as much as I could remember.

There had been plenty of times I’d ran in a hurry to see someone. But usually it was because I felt fear. Or sorrow. Because I knew they needed help, and I was being too slow to deliver it. And I’d hurried, with great effort, over hate. Many times.

I’d even hurried out of lust, though I’d not done that in many years.

This feeling though was far different. It was… simpler, yet more complex. I wanted to see Renn… and not just to make sure she was okay, to touch her, or kiss her, or do anything else…. I genuinely just wanted to see her. To just… see her smile. To hear her voice. To watch her ears and tail twitch and sway as she greeted me, or laughed over some joke I half-heartedly made up on the spot upon seeing her.

Yes… this was definitely love. Or at least, it was what I considered it to be.

Yet this love had not stayed my hand. It had not stopped me from risking her life, and the whole Society, over Havoc’s threat.

But something told me if I wasn’t careful…

“Vim.”

I looked up and found I was only a few feet behind Sap and Liora now. They had slowed a bit and were turned, facing me, though still walking forward.

Was something wrong? I glanced around real quick, just to make sure nothing was amiss, and then returned my attention to them. “Sup’ Sap?” I asked.

She smirked at me, and lifted her hand which was holding Liora’s. “When we get closer do you want to go on ahead? We’ll probably arrive while it’s still daylight, so I might need to stay back anyway until later,” she asked.

What…? Had I been speaking aloud or something…? “I figured I’d do so when we got to the city itself, yes,” I said.

“You sure…? Liora said she’s okay with staying with me for a bit. You could probably get there in an hour or so if you hurried from here,” Sap suggested.

Yes. I know… but that was likely still several miles of distance. I didn’t want to risk the two. “I’ll wait until we’re closer,” I said.

Sap frowned at me but nodded as she glanced down to Liora. “See…? He’s very protective,” she said to her.

Oh…? The two must have been talking about this before, while I’d been lost in thought. “It’s too bad, I’d have liked to fly,” Liora said in return.

Ah… so their plan had indeed been to have Sap carry Liora and fly the rest of the way. It was the better option. Especially now that we didn’t need to worry about the horse, and were close enough that we didn’t need to worry over Liora getting sick from being in the sky too long.

“If you wish to carry her for a short bit you can. But let’s not fly the whole way there, lest you get seen,” I said.

Liora perked up that and smiled happily up at Sap, who nodded down with a grin. “Then next clearing we get to, okay?” Sap agreed.

“Yeah!”

I sighed at the two. Sap offering to carry the girl was another testament to the owl. It was one thing to do so during emergencies… but to just do so for fun? Sap must really like the girl.

Maybe I’d misread Sap all this time… I had thought her a very solitary creature… yet here she was, easily becoming friends with a human saint of all things. She had been very open and comfortable with Renn too, hadn’t she…? Though one could argue that had been thanks to Renn being seen as a family member and all…

Wonder how she treated Fly…?

I flinched as I realized I had not actually asked about the young robin. We’d mentioned her in passing conversation a few times, but I hadn’t actually inquired about her well-being.

“Speaking of flying… how is Fly, Sap?” I asked, and I felt a tad guilty.

“Hm? Oh! She’s doing great. She’s been trying to seduce Bark, but it’s not going well. I think he’s one of those weird men that don’t like women,” Sap said with a laugh.

“Kaley says those men are useless,” Liora noted.

Sap laughed even more. “Maybe they are!”

“Uh… so she’s doing good, at least, right…?” I asked. Was seducing someone doing good…?

Sap giggled as she nodded at me. “Yes. She helps take care of Root a lot, and recently my father’s been teaching her how to do math and stuff. She likes numbers, it seems,” she said.

Really…? That was good to hear. If she wasn’t just being trusted with Root, but was being accepted and taught as if an actual child by Windle then all was well.

How relieving. Renn would be utterly overjoyed to hear this news, she’d likely tear up over it too.

“Fly…? You mean an actual person?” Liora then asked.

“Yep…! She’s not much older than you, actually,” Sap said.

“Yet is already seducing men…?” Liora whispered.

“She’s a tad older than you, Liora,” I said. Though to a degree I agreed with her slight confusion. Fly was still a bit too young in my perspective to try and seduce someone like Bark who was nearing the end of his first century of life.

Though Sap could be slightly over-exaggerating Fly’s actions, and just using a word she deemed suitable for them.

But at the same time… Fly was also one who would not surprise me to be doing such a thing… Being so thick-blooded, and having been raised in the environment she had been born in.

Ah well… still, Bark was rejecting her was he? I wonder if Sap’s accusation had weight, or if she was just… again looking at it from her odd perspective. Bark might just be rejecting Fly’s advances simply because of their age-gap or something like it, and not something such as that.

“It’s why I’m glad to have found you two, that tree has become so noisy!” Sap said happily.

“It must be a big tree to hold all of you,” Liora said, noting the way Sap always called her home a tree.

“Oh, but it is!” Sap happily went to describe, in detail, the massive tree she and her family called home.

Following the two in silence, I smiled softly and found myself… relaxed and happy.

I was about to return to the one I loved, and she was fine. Healthy. Alive. And everyone around her… if but with a few problems, were likewise doing okay.

For now all was right in the world. The people I cared for were happy, and alive. And for they would be, for the foreseeable future.

For now, at least.

Not including Horseshoe, of course.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep