As If By Fate

[Torin Kilvin]

The human boy kept still as the Fae'ethalan cautiously descended till their feet touched the ground. He knew how to not move, or move in very obvious and slow ways so as not to startle forest creatures. Some of them knew him now, deer, mostly, raccoons and the like. He would feed them or just watch them and they were learning not to fear him. Destynreal seemed like a forest creature, not in that he was an animal, but in the ways he moved so it was almost instinctive for Torin to be still and let himself be approached.

He could tell he was being mocked but it didn't sound the same as when the village children did it, it was less mean, somehow. He made note of the negation word as it was repeated, tried to commit it to memory. When the sun was pointed at he looked up but didn't understand what he was supposed to be seeing, maybe it was a reference to where the child had come from, seeing as they could fly.

Pointing at himself again and then through the woods in the direction of the village he said its name. It didn't seem to do much but they were both trying and it was nice. Under the careful desire not to startle the Fae'ethalan away and the fear that he might be in danger himself was a tiny ember of delight at having a conversation with another child who didn't seem to hate him on sight. One in which they did not share a language, but still...

When one of his wounds was pointed out he at first covered it with his hand as though to hide it. Shrugging his shoulders as if to imply that it was nothing, not important, shame etched itself into his posture and he looked down at the ground for a moment.

When he looked up again it seemed like his new acquaintance was leaving and he dropped the hand from his cut to reach out as if you ask them not to go before pulling it back, remembering he was trying not to scare them. Tilting his head he realized the child wanted him to follow them. He bit his lip, following strange sentients into the woods was a bad idea in almost all the stories but...

He took a step forward and then another until he was padding through the underbrush. His keen eyes examined the back of the Fae, which was significantly more different from human children than the front. There were the wings for a start, like a dragonfly's only folded more like a butterfly. Then there was what looked like bark protruding where Torin's own spine curved on his body. He was immediately quite jealous. The forest was where he felt safest, other than the forge, and having wings and skin made like the trees would have surely given him a kinship beyond what a human could achieve. Perhaps he was being led to the Fae realm where he would be accepted into their race and changed to be like them.

When the child called after him he increased his pace a little but stayed several feet behind,

"I'm coming."

[Destyn]

As if by Fate

14 Searing, 121

Destynrael tipped his head upward as they reached the tree line and flared his little nostrils a few times as he took audible sniffs of the surrounding air. Based on the results of his olfactory inspection, he shift their path toward the left and led the human boy through the brush and between the tall, old trees- both of which were quite curious about the odd pairing of bipeds treading through their midst. He paused to glance up at one old oak tree that looked like it might have been kin to him based on the shade of its bark. He placed a palm against its trunk and looked back to Torin.

"Tá aithne ag an gcrann seo ort." He arched an eyebrow and regarded Torin with a mild grin, then knitted his brow wondering how to impart his meaning. He pointed to Torin, then the tree, then his own temple. The oak elaborated a bit and Destynrael's eyes lit up, "Ó!" He pointed to Torin again, then the tree, then mimed the action of climbing. Torin had climbed that tree before- Or so the oak seemed to believe. He patted the bark warmly before resuming the hike deeper into the forest.

He tipped his head down, sniffing again, until his nose brought him to a green plant with thick, fleshy leaves. He knelt down, leaned close to it and whispered something that sounded like a request, then an apology. He broke off one of the leaves and rose to his feet.

"Tar, tar!" He instructed, as shifted their course slightly and trod along until they reached a brook babbling with cool, crisp, clear water over smooth stones. He pointed to the same cut he'd indicated earlier on Torin's arm, and then gestured to the water.

"Glan do chréacht anseo, Torin!"

As If By Fate

[Torin Kilvin]

Watching the little Fae move through the forest was like watching a human who was also a wild animal, he sniffed at the air and changed his route based on that. Torin wished his senses were strong enough to pick his path based on smell. He could scent his way back to the town from anywhere in the near woods, but that was easy, smoke and the smells people make just living were strong.

When he was spoken to, and, surprisingly, grinned at like he was interesting or wanted, he couldn't help but smile back, not quite an answering grin but an answering expression at least. They were stopped under a big old oak that Torin often took refuge in, sometimes when wanting to avoid the other children, sometimes just to daydream and lay out on the wide branches. Destynreal made the climbing motion his smile became something closer to amusement, delight even and he nodded. Wonder lit his eyes as he realized that his new friend was communicating with the tree somehow.

"I climb it, yeah." He turned and pulled himself up by the familiar handhold to demonstrate, or start moving up if that was what the other wanted. When the sniffling and searching resumed he hopped down, saw the little pat the Fae had given the tree, tilted his head, then did it himself with the deliberate seriousness of children. Scampering off to keep up with his surprisingly fast companion he caught up just as they leaned over to start whispering to another plant, this time a green one growing close to the ground. Was this what life was for the race? Wandering around having conversations with plants and animals? Maybe the Faery stories were true after all.

A leaf was broken off the plant and then they were off again, heading toward the little forest stream he played in when it was warm enough. When they were at its bank the Fae child began speaking again, the words made no sense but he watched until he thought he understood.

"You want me to wash it?" He probably should anyway. At least the water wouldn't be too cold this time of year. Glancing into the shallow water he beckoned to be followed in turn. "It gets deeper down here."

It wasn't very far, a few hundred yards, and the forest opened a little into a tiny clearing big enough to support a pond under a tiny waterfall of about a foot. Pulling his shirt off over his head he grimaces when he noticed a little tear near the hem. He would have to try and mend it before anyone noticed.

Squatting he splashed around a bit, washing the cut on his arm and anywhere else that was actually bleeding, trying to get the dirt off all of himself. He missed the tear track dirt smudges on his face but otherwise did a reasonable job.

"How about now?" He inquired with such an obvious tone and posture that mistaking his question would be difficult.

[Destyn]

As if by Fate

14 Searing, 121

Destynrael smiled, nodding at words he didn't ken whilst believing he picked up on the meaning based on the context of the response and the adjoining nod and pantomime. Torin confirmed what he'd picked up from the tree. It hadn't been a question, really. Trees didn't lie, after all, but at least it meant the human boy understood his meaning despite their linguistic barriers.

"Oo-ash?" Destynrael attempted to repeat Torin's terminology, wondering if the human understood. Human children were not raised in nature as Destynrael's people were, so perhaps the notion of cleaning a wound would be alien to the boy. He pointed at the water and made a scooping gesture, then pointed at one of the cuts, hoping that clarified things.

"Nigh." He added, in his own tongue. He tilted his head bemused at the addendum, but he followed when Torin led them to a different, more idyllic spot. He nodded, and let Torin go about cleaning the wounds off. When the human seemed satisfied with his work, Destynrael crouched on the bank and scooped up some of the clear water and splashed Torin's face, then rubbed it with his hands to clear away the smudges. Then he put his soft hands back into the water to wipe them clean of the residue.

With that out of the way, he held up his hand in a halting gesture for Torin to stand still. Then he spread his wings and began to waft air toward the wet child, slowly at first, and then the loud beating took his feet off the ground a few feet and he hovered there until the front of Torin was relatively dry, then he circled around to the back of him. After a few moments he landed and strode back round to Torin's front, giggling at the state of his hair after the whole ordeal and saying:

"Suigh." He instructed with a nod to a large, flat rock that sat a bit closer to the tree line, as he stuck his hands back into the water and withdrew two smaller stones, made smooth by many years under the current. He cleaned them off and used the stones to grind up the leaf he'd collected earlier until it was a paste. Then he returned to Torin and applied it to the cuts, where it instantly imparted a soothing effect to lessen the sting fresh wounds tended to bear. It tingled a bit, but numbed the stinging sensation significantly.

"Níos fearr, anois." He said with a broad grin and an approving nod.

As If By Fate

[Torin Kilvin]

The little human tried not to giggle as the Fae attempted to pronounce words in Common. Being mistaken for mocking was the last thing he wanted, even if it was a little funny.

Soft little hands on his face were more surprising than the cold water, he sputtered a bit but otherwise stood wide-eyed and still under the touch. He must have gotten dirt on his face, or maybe it was a ritual of some kind? It didn't seem like any ritual he'd seen or heard of, but who knew the ways of the Forest-Folk? His desire to learn of their ways was all but overwhelming, yet he could not ask.

He froze in place when a hand was held up to halt him. When he saw the wings he held out a hand, trying to find words to ask the child not to go, not yet. But he was not being abandoned only...dried? Eyes closed tight against the dust and debris kicked up by the intense wind of the Fae’ethalan's wings he withstood the buffeting. After a minute it moved to the other side of him and did the job again.
By the end, he was much dryer, if also somewhat covered in dust, bits of grass, and leaves. He was usually covered in a thin layer of dirt so it was more a return to his natural state, which was nice. He grinned when he heard the giggling, glad that it felt okay to laugh now.

Picking up his shirt he shook it out and began to inspect the tears in it as he sat down where instructed. It only took a moment before he was again distracted by what the other child was up to. Head tilting he watched carefully as small stones were drawn from the moving water and used to smash up the plant the Fae had been carrying. The resulting paste was carried over to Torin, it smelled of green things and something else, almost astringent but mild. He shied a little when it was first put onto his cuts but it didn't hurt and the touch was, again, gentle, so he settled to being still for the treatment.

His skin tingled and he shivered at first, until the pain began to retreat then he looked up at his new friend in wonder.

"It doesn't hurt." It must be magic, some sort of spell cast by the combination of water, earth, and air. The rocks, the stream, the plant, and the wings coming together to heal him. "You're amazing." His eyes shone as though he might cry but it wasn't actually about to cry, they were just bright and blue and huge in his thin little face. "Can you do other magic?"

[Destyn]

As if by Fate

14 Searing, 121

The Fae child wiped his hands on his tattered trousers, which seemed as though they'd been stained many times over with grass and grime that no amount of washing would ever completely dismiss.

"Destynrael.. ah-may-jing?" He slowly tried to repeat the word Torin had assigned to him, though he had no idea what it meant. Perhaps helpful? That was what he was seeking to be, at any rate. But then Torin used one of the few words in Common with which Destyn was familiar at this point in his life.

"Mah-jik!" He was excited to know one of the words in Torin's tongue. That made him feel really smart and worldly! But the beaming grin fell away, after he realised that Torin must have thought he'd used magic to help him. Destyn shook his head, "Níl. Tá mé róbheag." He sounded a bit crestfallen about whatever he was saying.

"Torin déan mah-jik?" Destyn inquired, as he began to check the human's skin for runesign, going so far as to push up the other boy's sleeves and pull his shirt up to check his chest and back in case he'd missed seeing something when he'd been washing. Runes, he knew, could be very faint when they weren't active. All in all he came up empty and stopped short of pulling down Torin's breeches, knowing that would be inappropriate.

"Dá bhféadfainn draíocht a dhéanamh, d’úsáidfainn é chun cumarsáid a dhéanamh leat." Destyn sang plaintively, as he took a few backwards steps and sighed. It was a little fun to try to communicate with someone who didn't know Vallasren- like a game. But it was also kind of a frustrating game. He wished he could just project his general feelings at the human the way he could with plants. That might help the other boy contextualise his words, even if he didn't fully comprehend the nuance of what was being said.

Destyn pondered for a moment, trying to figure out something he might be able to do to communicate with the friendly human.

"Ó!" He hopped up and darted over to a bush to pick some berries, bringing them back in cupped hands. If they couldn't talk, perhaps they could at least share a meal. "An itheann tú caora?" His eyes widened as a scary thought occurred to him, "Ní itheann tú Fae, an bhfuil?!"

As If By Fate

[Torin Kilvin]

The little human understood the denial at least, Destynreal did not believe he had magic. Torin disagreed with the statement, considering the other child was Fae-ethalan and had just shown he could both talk to trees and fly, but perhaps they had different definitions of magic.

"Me?" He pointed at himself and shook his head and then made an iffy face and did the hand wiggle that is generally understood to mean 'sort of'.

"I am learning Runeforging." His master had recently taught him the word for their craft in a variety of languages. The man believed he should know the words of his trade in as many different tongues as possible and the name seemed a good place to start. Torin was diligent with anything his master tried to teach him but he had taken to learning the words he was given with a special enthusiasm. It felt almost like another kind of magic, being able to communicate with anyone you came across. Their current situation proved the concept. He repeated the word in Fae-ethalan and pointed to himself again, then made another gesture with his forefinger and thumb close together,

"A little."

He tried not to giggle when he was investigated, not embarrassed by the inspection. It was odd to be so freely touched by another person, kinda tickled. Even his master and his wife were careful about how they touched him and did so rarely after he'd shown them he was a big boy who could clean and take care of himself. The next ramble of words to tumble out in the language weren't anything Torin could make out at all. The body language seemed disappointed. He hoped his own lack of magic wasn't the cause. Perhaps it was the language barrier.

The disappointment seemed to last only a moment before the other child was darting about again, this time fetching and holding out a handful of berries, Torin happily took one and said,
"Berries."

It took the tangy-sweet flavor busting into his mouth as he bit into the fruit to make him realize what Destynreal was trying to do. A grin broke through Torin's normal resolve and he took another, holding it up between finger and thumb. "Berry." He said it distinctly, and slow. Thinking back through what the other boy had said he tried, "Caora?"

[Destyn]

As if by Fate

14 Searing, 121

Destyn squinted at the human and did his best to repeat.

"Roon... forjeen." Destynrael rolled the R's, seemingly unable to form them rhotically as Torin did. As he said the word aloud, he found he comprehended it no more than he had prior. His eyes went wide and his wings even perked at his back when Torin repeated the term in Vallasren.

"Ahhh?!" He gave the human youth a scowl that would have told anyone, regardless of their origin, that he thought Torin had been holding out on him this whole time.

"Tá focail doiléire Vallasren ar eolas agat, ach ní féidir leat beannú dom?!" After a moment, it became clear that Torin just happened to know one, random, obscure word in Destynrael's mothertongue, which was all the more frustrating because he couldn't ask how he'd learnt it. It was in that moment that the little Fae resolved to learn Common, if only so he could come back to this place the next time in clan passed through, and demand an explanation.

When Torin held his thumb and index finger close together, Destynrael mimicked the gesture and repeated:

"A'littul." And then he said the same in Vallasren, "Beagán." When Torin attempted to distinguish how Destynrael had said berries, he nodded emphatically.

"Caora..." He shook the berried in his palm, "Berys!" He was already learning Common, it seemed, and quite enthusiastically at that. "Tá áthas orm go n-itheann daoine caora agus ní leanaí Fae." He said, with a bit of relief in his voice. Torin had not understood when he'd asked earlier whether humans ate Fae'ethalan, as he knew them to have carnivorous tendencies, but if they did- it seemed Destynrael was off the menu for the moment. Perhaps due to his helpfulness.

The Fae transferred the remaining berries from his right hand to his left, so he could extend the right hand to Torin.

"Torin agus Destynrael ... cairde?" He held his hand outstretched, arm straight and eyes widely gazing at Torin expectantly. "Cairde?" He repeated, hopefully.

As If By Fate

[Torin Kilvin]

Trading little words, starting with the word 'little', between them, exchanging bits of language, was fun, like a game they had to figure out together. Forgetting to be worried Torin began to smile, nod enthusiastically, make faces when he couldn't get his tongue to wrap around the way Destynreal said things. He started saying the words he was trying to teach slowly, enunciating them with care to make it easier for the Fae'ethalan.

When the hand was thrust forward in an unmistakable offer of friendship he got a little shy again, not from fear, but from the emotion it caused him to feel. He repeated the entire sentence, carefully and without knowing how to roll his own R's, as a statement of fact instead of a question.

"Torin agus Destynrael cairde." It sounded like he was trying to say the words to a song without the music or rhythm, which felt wrong. Being able to say a full sentence felt really good though, he repeated it in common, then the last word again in mimicry of how Destynreal had done it.

"Torin and Destynreal are friends. Friends." He grinned at the end, feeling like whooping or leaping into the air but deciding that either might scare away his first friend.

He kept hold of the hand once the shake was finished, gently pulling them both over to the nearest tree he thought back to what had been said earlier and tried,
"Gcrann?" Laying his hand on the trunk and looking for recognition in the other child, "Tree?"

When he got the confirmation he was looking for he flushed with pride and reached out to touch one of the leaves, "Leaf?"

He kept on like that, moving from object to object, learning their names in the new language, trying to impart them in his own. The stream gave him a little trouble; he ended up pantomiming the movement for the word 'Stream' and cupping a handful to show it for the word 'water'. He was hurt for a flash-pan moment when he realized he was being laughed at for his antics but it was immediately obvious it wasn't mean so he laughed too, but also threw the handful of water at Destynreal.

[Destyn]

As if by Fate

14 Searing, 121

Destynrael blinked, seeming surprised at how Torin clasped his hand rather than his wrist, and the way he shook it when it was in his grasp. He smiled, both amused and bemused, and nodded.

"Fuh-rend-us." His attempt to repeat the word, afforded three syllables in the place of one as he did his best to emphasise each sound that formed the term. This time, he even tried to emulate the rhotic R, which he exaggerated to the point that he was baring his teeth to form some semblance of the unfamiliar sound.

He tilted his head, as Torin tugged him treeward, but went along abidingly and continued to play along with their little game of tongues, translating the words that interested Torin, and asking about a few things that interested him. He seemed particularly interested in the names of a few insects, which he plucked up and held to Torin's eyeline until their Common names had been offered.

"Sa... kay...da." He repeated, before munching down on one of the slow, plump winged insects that were delightfully easy to snatch out of the air or pluck off of trees when they were in season.

"Uiesce." Was the last thing he said, before he was treated to a splash of cool water to the face.

14 Searing, 121
Kalzasi

It was as if the memory of being splashed in the face with water, woke him out of his reverie and brought Destyn back to the present where he was standing before a much larger Torin. His stance and his expression softened, as he saw hints of the boy in the man he'd become- That same crestfallen look he'd seen in those eyes years earlier.

"Fós cairde?" He asked with that same, telltale tilt of his head that made him seem more a creature of the wild than the citydweller he'd perforce become.

As If By Fate