Something Extra - Hungry Heart - Ch. 16 (Patreon)

Chapter One  / Chapter Two  / Chapter Three  / Chapter Four  / Chapter Five  / Chapter Six / Chapter Seven / Chapter Eight / Chapter Nine / Chapter Ten  / Chapter Eleven / Chapter Twelve / Chapter Thirteen / Chapter Fourteen / Chapter Fifteen  

Author's note: Hi guys, I hope you're ready for some more adventures with the trio! I have good news, too, as this story now gets three installments per month, due to Dave's generosity! So, there will be two other chapters this month to keep up with Toru, Duril, and Varg! Also, I want to remind you that it will continue to be a pretty epic story!

Happy reading!

Chapter Sixteen – To Build Again

It was hard to keep his body in check, but for the sake of everyone involved, he needed to be considerate. The small sound of distress coming from the healer made him stop his advance. He rolled Duril onto his back gently and stared into his eyes. Seeing in the dark definitely had its perks, and he was more than ever happy with being a tigershifter.

“Don’t be so surprised. I missed you,” he whispered.

Duril sighed. “Then why did you leave?”

The healer caressed his hair and pushed it behind his ear.

“I couldn’t have dreamed that you and Varg would follow me. Because,” he made a small pause, as deeper, more vulnerable feelings took over, “I didn’t know you think of me as a friend.”

“Why not? I know we’ve known each other for so little time, but we’ve been through a lot. You fought an army of rocs --”

“—and you saved my life,” Toru completed.

“And you saved us all, back in Whitekeep. How could I not think of you as a close friend?”

“But you had a good life going for you there,” Toru insisted. “What about your shop?”

“I put the lock on the door for now. If we ever go back to Whitekeep, it’ll still be there.”

“We?”

Duril’s gaze intensified. “It’s what I hope.”

The healer didn’t seem used to speaking his mind, and it appeared as if it took great courage to do that. In comparison, Toru felt like a coward. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Duril laughed softly and caressed his cheek. “I thought we were in that phase where it’s me following you. Us. Varg, too.”

“Yeah, but after… maybe I shouldn’t think that far ahead.” Toru allowed himself to be vulnerable and hoped the healer wouldn’t laugh.

No, Duril wouldn’t do that. He was too kind, and his body was warm, making Toru overly conscious of how they lay there, so close.

“It’s all right. Here’s a promise. We will all go back to Whitekeep, once our lives as adventurers allow it. What do you say about that?”

Toru nodded enthusiastically, but then some of the warm feelings in his heart began to dissipate. “We might encounter many other dangers. I don’t know where I’m going.”

“I have faith in you, Toru. And I want to be there for you, every step of the way.”

Toru rubbed his nose against Duril’s, making the other giggle. “What about we make out now?”

The healer wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “Varg might get jealous.”

Toru stopped and frowned.

***

Of all the things he could say, he had to bring up Varg. The wolfshifter had feelings for Toru, even if he disguised them as tough love and camaraderie. Still, the way Toru’s face turned into a frown made him doubt that it had been the right thing to say.

“I like you better,” Toru said stubbornly. “Don’t you like me?”

Duril locked his eyes with the golden pools, shining in the dark. Toru was the most striking man he had ever met, which made him think of a myriad of reasons why he should be choosing someone else.

Someone more handsome, stronger, valiant. That someone was sleeping in the same room, oblivious to the storm inside Duril’s heart. But he felt it was his duty to consider Varg, too, and not leave room for anything that would muddle their friendship.

“How could I not like you?” Duril said lovingly. “You changed my life.”

“I did?” Toru cocked his head to one side. Sometimes, he sounded like a kid. A lost one.

“You know, when I was little, I had a cat,” Duril confessed, as he caressed the other’s shoulder. “I loved him very much.”

“So, you’re a cat person?”

Duril nodded. “Yes.”

“What happened to your cat?”

“Something that taught me that if you love someone, you have to watch over them always.”

Toru didn’t insist on an answer to his question, but he took Duril gently in his arms, by sneaking them underneath and lifting him a little. “Is that why you want to watch over me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love me?”

Duril realized too late that he had fallen into a trap of his own making. He closed his eyes and felt Toru kissing him gently.

He could be impetuous and uncouth, a troublemaker and a brawler, but his kisses were the sweetest. Duril didn’t know what made Toru look like a lost child every once in a while. But he promised himself that he would find out, and then he would replace all of the bad memories with new and better ones.

Toru eased himself to the side, but without letting the healer out of his arms. “Now I think I’m sleepy.”

Duril wanted to make a joke, but Toru again threw one arm and one leg over him and kept him close. He must look like a giant toy for a giant cat. But it was warm and pleasant, and Toru began snoring softly right into his ear.

He smiled to himself. They would have a lot of time to work the kinks out. And he would make sure that Varg never felt excluded from their friendship. The wolfshifter was tough, but he had feelings, too.

Duril had a hunch that Toru was well aware of that.

“A world of adventure awaits,” he said with a small smile before falling asleep in Toru’s arms, his head on the tigershifter’s shoulder.

***

Varg wasn’t surprised to find Toru wrapped around the healer, both sleeping soundly, although the sun was starting to send its first rays of light through the curtains. He tiptoed to the bed his friends were sharing and hovered.

“Hey, kitty, there’s a fresh bowl of milk waiting.”

Toru shifted in his sleep but didn’t budge.

Varg cleared his throat, ready to make the tigershifter jump by talking louder, when another idea crossed his mind. He walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and brought it with him to the bed.

He dipped his fingers into the glass and began sprinkling the droplets on Toru’s face, careful not to disturb Duril. After all, the healer had done nothing wrong to be part of the little punishment he had in mind for Toru.

Toru began to scrunch his nose and suddenly sneezed. Duril was jolted from his sleep and let out a shout of surprise. Toru, finally awakened, shifted in a split second and jumped to the middle of the room, the fur on his back standing on end. He was hissing and looking around, shaking his head, as if attacked by a swarm of bees.

Varg started to laugh, his hands on his hips.

“You mutt!”

He barely had time to brace himself as Toru jumped on him, his claws unsheathed and ready for trouble. He shifted, too, just in time for those sharp claws to meet his much tougher wolf hide. So, the kitty wanted to play first thing in the morning. Varg was just in the mood for that, too.

He escaped the sudden attack and moved past Toru. “I heard kitties like to chase their own tails.”

The tigershifter moved in circles as Varg ran around him.

“No way, only mutts do that!”

He didn’t mind a bit of a tumble with his new friend. Maybe Duril and Toru needed to hug and cuddle, but Varg was cut from a different cloth.

Toru took advantage of an opening and jumped on him. He spared nothing as he tried to bite Varg, but it was easy to see that he was doing that playfully. In return, Varg did the same.

Their heavy bodies rolled against the leg of the table, making the pitcher fall with a loud crash.

“You two are something!” Duril shouted. “Come on, you are friends!”

The healer was still in bed, clutching a blanket to his chest, probably wanting to stay out of harm’s way.

“Don’t worry, Duril, we’re just playing – ouch, you bit my ear!”

And it hurt. Varg couldn’t let such a thing go unpunished. He turned and dug his teeth in Toru’s ear, making the other hiss. It looked like the kitten didn’t appreciate the payback.

They broke their rough embrace, and Toru began running along the wall, pulling the curtains along with him. Varg followed him, now having decided to assert his dominance. One of the curtain rods gave way and fell noisily.

Somehow, Toru managed to entangle himself in the fallen curtain, so Varg didn’t hesitate. He jumped on him and kept him down as the tigershifter tried to free himself to no avail. “I got you! Now let me bite your ears properly.”

“No way, mutt! You won’t get my ears! Duril, help!”

***

A desperate knock on the door silenced them. Duril threw the rambunctious couple a look of disapproval as he went to open the door. Zul was there, in human form, and with concern written all over his face. “Good morning. I hate to bother you, but we heard loud noises --”

The rabbitshifter’s face fell as he took in the sorry state of the room. “Have we been attacked?” he asked fearfully.

Duril patted Zul’s arm. “No, nothing like that. It only appears that your honored guests,” he said while staring at Toru and Varg, “have forgotten their manners a smidge.”

“Oh,” Zul said, “I see. I will come back later to do the cleaning when you join Lord Onyx for the day’s activities.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll take care to leave the room looking at least as presentable as it was when you let us spend the night under your roof,” Duril said courteously.

He already had a mind to tell Varg and Toru a thing or two about proper behavior as esteemed guests.

Zul waved his hand as if to brush the suggestion aside. “No, no, it is my duty, and Lord Onyx waits for you quite impatiently. Please, don’t forget, Sir Duril, that I am here to serve, and I have been serving a house of wolfshifters for centuries. Such troubles shouldn’t even be mentioned.”

“Then we’ll come down as soon as we can,” Duril promised. He hesitated for a moment, but then he said, “Just call me by my name. I am no ‘Sir’.”

Zul frowned for a short moment. “Lord Onyx instructed me to address you according to your station.”

Duril had a mind to argue some more, but he feared that he would put the servant in an awkward position. “Then I will take this matter up with Lord Onyx. I would very much like us to be friends, Zul,” he added, seeing the way the rabbitshifter stood there stiff, like a butler.

He relaxed the moment he heard those words. “Of course, Sir Duril. We are more than happy for your friendship and great help in freeing us from the darkness. May I know what you would like for breakfast? It will be ready shortly.”

“Anything will do,” Duril hurried to say.

“Anything with meat,” Toru shouted.

He looked funny, wrapped up in the curtain, with Varg keeping him down, but he still didn’t forget about his meat. Duril suppressed a smile with great difficulty. He allowed Zul to rush to his duties and turned toward the two troublemakers. “I wouldn’t have the guts to ask for that if I were you.”

***

Oh, no, Duril was pissed. Well, not too much, since Toru could clearly see that he was biting his lip not to laugh, but he was probably ashamed that they had made a mess out of the room.

“It’s Varg’s fault!” he declared at the top of his lungs.

Duril blinked a few times, in another visible effort to keep the laughter in. “I remember distinctly how you bit Varg’s ear. Are you sure it’s only his fault?”

“Yes,” Toru said without hesitating for a moment. “He scared us, first thing in the morning. I had to do something.”

It was terrible logic, but it was his.

“Hey, you two were sleeping like two lovebirds, with the sun already shining. Someone had to wake you up,” Varg argued.

Toru struggled against the curtain, but it looked like it had gotten tangled around him pretty good. “Just get off me, you mutt.”

Varg stared at him with his wolf eyes. “I’m not in a hurry to have breakfast. We could sit like this all day.”

“What do you want?” Toru was used to skipping meals when there wasn’t enough food to go around, but when he had the chance, he liked to eat as much as he could.

“Let me bite your ear the way you bit mine.”

“Varg, you should be the one with his head on his shoulders,” Duril chided the wolfshifter.

“Yeah. You’re the old one,” Toru said with defiance.

“Are you insulting me, kitty? I might be old, but I can still chase you and munch your ears if I want to.”

“All right, all right, you win. And you’re not old,” Toru added impatiently.

He knew very well how Varg looked without clothes on. That wasn’t the body of an old frail person. But he couldn’t think too much of that right now. Between dreaming of how he would manage to make sweet love to Duril one day, and all that banter with Varg, if he wasn’t careful, he could end up incapable of controlling his own body.

He shifted into his human form and Varg followed his example.

Then Toru turned his head, presenting an ear. “Here, bite me. We don’t have all day.”

Varg only made it worse, by taking his ear between his teeth and nibbling a little at it. Toru closed his eyes, the bolt of pleasure coursing through his body a bit too much.

“There. It wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

“Pfft, you bite like a grandma. Now let me get out of this damned curtain.”

He hoped Duril didn’t notice how affected he was when Varg touched him, especially like that. He got up quickly, as soon as Varg let him, and hurried toward the healer. “We should go down for breakfast, right?”

Duril pointed at the room. “Not before we put everything in order. I won’t have the people here gossip about how we’re a pack of animals.”

“Not completely untrue,” Varg interjected.

Toru felt rightfully protective of the healer. “Hey, speak for yourself, mutt. Duril is not an animal like you.”

Duril intervened, seemingly horrified by the effect of his words. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that it’s hard to have people think and speak badly of you all of the time. I know what that’s like.”

Toru looked down, feeling chastised now. Of course, no one dared to say one thing to him, not ever since he had gotten so big and strong. But Duril had suffered all kinds of injustices, just because he was kind and gentle. It was easy to see how people gossiping about them would hurt his feelings.

“I’ll start cleaning,” he announced.

“I’ll help,” Duril said and touched his arm in apology.

He didn’t have anything to apologize for. He and Varg did.

“Varg, you’re bleeding,” Duril said and hurried to Varg’s side.

Toru frowned. It was true that he had bitten Varg’s ear quite hard, but he was a tough wolf, wasn’t he? His inner beast could take care of a small bite like that.

The healer hurried to Varg’s side and began tending to his ear. Toru locked eyes with the wolfshifter, and his jaw fell when Varg stuck his tongue out. His eyes thinned. Was there no end to the mischief that old dog was capable of? He had probably suppressed his healing ability just so that he could rub it in Toru’s face that he had stuck his teeth in too deep. And he had stolen all of Duril’s attention…

Well, he would let it slide for the moment. Ignoring Duril’s fussing over Varg’s imagined injury, he picked the pitcher up from the floor. It looked like he would have to take care of the cleaning by himself.

***

“So, did I make you jealous? At least a bit?” Varg threw one heavy arm over Toru’s shoulder.

Duril was out of earshot as Zul had offered to guide him on a tour of the castle, this time without creatures of the night on their tail. Both he and Toru had declined, more interested in showing the young lord of Fairside some tricks of the warrior’s trade.

The kitten pretended he didn’t care, but his nostrils were flaring. “Who’s jealous? I slept with him,” Toru said and pointed at himself.

“Yes, and I could tell that all you two did was sleeping.” Normally, he wouldn’t indulge in so much teasing, but after what they had been through, he saw fit to do so. He had nothing against Duril and Toru becoming more than friends. But he would bet that both of them wanted that moment to be special, not stolen with another person in the same room.

Toru puffed. “So? I’m not an animal, ready to knot everyone, like you.”

Varg roared with laughter and slammed his hand down on Toru’s shoulder. “You think you know everything about wolfshifters. How many have you known, truly known?”

“One is more than enough. And I know you must have a big knot. Who would want that?”

The kitty didn’t know what he was talking about. Varg tugged at the collar of the shirt that Zul had offered when supplying them all with new clothes. It had suddenly grown too tight. Maybe teasing the kitten wasn’t the best course of action, since it looked like it could end up biting him in the ass.

“Ready to teach Onyx a few tricks about fighting?”

Toru turned and glared at him. “I’ll show all of them on you.”

Varg grinned. “Be my guest.”

***

Toru examined the small assortment of fighters put together by the young lord. They were mostly farmers, and there was fear written on their faces. Seeing how centuries had passed without them being that much with shifters, they were probably impressed with him and Varg.

Varg stepped into the middle of the enclosure that would serve as their training grounds for now. The wolfshifter moved from one would-be warrior to another and stopped at Onyx who was there wearing armor that looked too big for him.

“Drop all your weapons and shed your armor,” Varg demanded.

The men exchanged a few worried looks but obeyed.

“You too, Lord Onyx,” Varg added.

It seemed that the young wolfshifter wanted to argue for a moment, but he followed Varg’s direct order without a sound.

“You may wonder why you have to train and learn to fight, now that the sun is back up in the sky, and your fields can grow new crops.”

Silence followed.

Varg stood in front of the group of farmers, his hands behind his back. “These blessed days always come with a price. In times of peace, we must prepare for war. Clouds may come again, and you must be ready for everything that evil might have in store.”

Murmurs of approval could be heard now.

“I know how you must feel after what you’ve been through for so long. But next time, you won’t be helpless. You will be strong.”

Toru stared at Varg from the side. He couldn’t help but feel admiration toward the wolfshifter. With his help, Onyx and his people would have a fighting chance, whatever might come to cloud the sky above their heads.

***

“I must say that I was impressed with the feast last night. We hunted… Varg, Toru, and Lord Onyx hunted so that everyone would have enough to eat, at least for one meal.”

Zul rubbed his right ear. “I was amazed with it, too. You see, the pantry was suddenly full of all kinds of wonderful foods. We had cooking oil, and honey, and also pork ribs,” he added, his surprise transparent in his words.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful,” Duril said, “but wouldn’t it have been better if you kept your supplies? The fields will take time to yield crops, and you need new livestock.”

They had just arrived at the large pantry located on the ground level of the castle keep.

“What you say makes perfect sense, my friend.” Zul had been adamant to call Duril something fit for him, and Duril had insisted on being called a friend. “But with the bountiful supplies, we also got this message.”

He cleared his throat and pulled a scroll out of one of his deep pockets. Duril couldn’t stop wondering at the beautiful white coat the rabbitshifter wore. It looked like a long robe that went down to the floor and its hem swept the ground with small swishing sounds as he walked.

“It says here,” Zul began and opened the scroll, “these words. Feast tonight, forget your worries, but tomorrow you must build again.”

“So it was a gift,” Duril offered his opinion. “There must be forces of good at work, as there are of darkness, in the world.”

“Yes. And we thought of keeping some of the generous food we got for leaner days, which, unfortunately, are not that far ahead of us. What am I saying? The leaner days are here.” Zul pulled a heavy metal key out of another pocket and opened the pantry door.

Duril walked in and stared in disbelief. On the shelves, several large amphorae stood. One of them leaned on one side, and it looked like it had been filled with sand. Zul removed the lid from a wicker basket that must have been filled with vegetables and gestured for Duril to come closer.

Nothing but sand was in there, too.

“But this is a serious issue,” Duril said. “Does Lord Onyx know?”

“I told him in the morning, after I checked the pantry. The breakfast was nothing but leftovers from last night.”

“We must tell everyone. It’s not something to keep to ourselves.”

“Yes, I believe so,” Zul replied. “I must confess, my friend, that I had ulterior reasons for which I offered to take you on this castle tour. Again, we have to ask for your help and advice.”

“And we will offer it to the best of our abilities. What did Lord Onyx say about this?”

“He’s very young. We didn’t speak about it, as he said that he must train with our other two dear friends. And he said that he would think about it.”

Duril rubbed his forehead. “There are… how many souls here, in Fairside?”

“A bit over three hundred, as we speak. This land was richer, and people were many, but the last centuries bit hard into our resources of all kinds,” Zul explained.

“Still, to feed three hundred mouths… that is a feat,” Duril said.

“Don’t I know it? I cannot press Lord Onyx, and he might be too proud to ask for help again, which was why I decided to use this trick to let you know about it. Will you tell your friends about the new troubles we must face? I know it must be too much --”

Duril shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Lord Onyx must learn that there should be no fear or shame or pride when having to ask a friend for help.”

Zul embraced him briefly and then withdrew, seemingly overwhelmed. “I have no words to thank you. I know that we must look like a helpless bunch to you.”

“Helpless? Must I remind you who jumped into the depths of hell to save us all?”

Zul stared down, looking even more embarrassed.

Duril took his arm. “Come. This matter suffers no delay. Varg and Toru need to learn about it, too.”

“But they are training right now.”

“When they would better do some hunting so that we can put some food on the table by tonight. Don’t worry; I know that they will see things the way I do. The land is generous. We’ll have to take what it can spare for us.”

“I am no hunter, but I can help with roots and herbs,” Zul offered.

“That will be our task,” Duril agreed.

He wouldn’t admit it to the rabbitshifter, but he felt worried about the situation. Was an illusion of happiness enough to convince people that the bad days were gone away from them?

It was so easy to fall prey to complacent thinking. The skies above Fairside were clear now, but just like in Whitekeep when the rocs had attacked, things could change at the slightest whim of fate.

For now, there was no time to meditate upon such things. Caring for the people of Fairside involved quick wit, courage to make decisions, and a meeting with friends so that they could come up with a plan.

***

Toru grumbled as Varg offered him an arm to help him back to his feet. “I didn’t sleep well. That’s why you can kick my ass,” he explained.

So far, it had been Varg trying out his fighting techniques on him, and not the other way around. Toru was a bit miffed about how easily the wolfshifter could overcome him when in his human form. Grudgingly, Toru admired him, but having his butt meet the ground one too many times did nothing for his self-esteem.

“You didn’t sleep well?” Varg’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “While you were busy cuddling with Duril and I had to sleep alone? I was cold, you know?”

Toru snorted. “With all that fur on you?”

Varg smacked him playfully upside the head. “I didn’t sleep in my wolf form.”

“Then it’s only your own fault that you were cold.”

Toru had a small flash of an image with him being squeezed between Varg’s solid and hard body and Duril’s softer frame. He grinned and then shook his head. He had to prove to the wolfshifter that he was a fighter and a warrior, too, and being pushed around like this was taking things too far.

He was about to plan a sneak attack as Varg turned toward the men in training, when he noticed Duril and Zul rushing from the castle keep. Even from that distance, he could tell the healer was worried.

Suddenly, he tensed, his entire body ready to take on an army if need be.

“Varg, Toru, we need to talk,” Duril said without any greeting. “Lord Onyx, you must come, too.”

Without saying a word, and after a short exchange of looks with Varg, Toru followed the healer hurriedly.

“Zul, did you upset our guest with our problems?” Onyx said the moment they were inside a small shed that served as a temporary armory. Dust and rust covered the few weapons there, but at least they had a few.

“What problems?” Varg asked at the same time as Toru.

Duril put his hand up to placate the young lord. “Lord Onyx, please do not get mad at Zul. He is worried, and for very good reasons.”

The pup put his chin up defiantly and stared crossly at his servant. Toru stole a quick glance at Varg. If the older wolfshifter noticed Onyx’s behavior, he looked like he would let it slide without any ear munching for now.

“Explain,” Varg commanded in a stern voice.

Zul hesitated, so Duril stepped forward. “The feast last night was a gift. From whom, we do not know, but it is wise to believe that forces of good are at work, too. But miracles cannot replace hard work, and by the state of the castle pantry, I believe that we should go hunting. I mean, I’m thinking that it would be a good idea if you three organized a hunting party,” the healer added in a humble voice.

“Is the pantry empty?” Varg asked in a measured voice.

“Empty is not the right word to describe it, but all of the food that remained after the feast last night turned into sand,” Duril explained. “There are over three hundred souls in Fairside, and there’s a good chance that they might go to sleep without supper tonight.”

Toru intervened, “There’s no more food?”

Duril nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“Did you know about this?” Varg turned toward Onyx who looked away and suddenly appeared more like a boy his age than a ruler over three hundred souls.

“I should have let you know, Sir Varg,” Zul began.

Onyx put one hand up. “Stop protecting me, Zul. I have to rule now. Sir Varg, we cannot run to you for help each time something happens. Where would Fairside’s pride be then?”

Someone had taught the pup some things, Toru thought. He was a bit too proud for his age and his own good. He could barely wait to see how Varg would put the boy in his place.

To his surprise, the wolfshifter put one heavy hand on Onyx’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “There used to be legends about how proud the wolfshifters of Fairside were. But do you know, Lord Onyx,” Varg accentuated every word as the pressure of his hand must have grown greater as Onyx’s staunch posture endured, “why Fairside was so proud?”

It was easy to tell that the boy was fighting with every fiber of his being not to cower under that test of strength. He kept staring at Varg without saying a word.

“It was because your people had many things to be proud of; their lands, their crops, their forests, their wealth. Now, you must build again.”

“Just like the scroll said,” Zul interjected.

As per usual, the rabbitshifter was a bit nutty. What scroll was he talking about?

“Here,” Zul added and took from his pocket a rolled piece of parchment.

They all gathered around and read the words.

“Folks,” Toru decided to grab the bull by the horns, “Duril is right. People around here will go hungry if we don’t go hunting.”

“Feeding three hundred people is not an easy feat,” the healer warned.

“Which is why they will help,” Varg said. “From today forward, Fairside must work toward regaining its place in the world. Do you agree, Lord Onyx?”

“I do,” the pup said proudly. “But will we hunt each day? The forest might not be capable of keeping everyone fed.”

“I think I have a plan,” Duril said, and all eyes turned to him.

TBC

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