The Day My Dæmon Settled
This is a small short story I wrote for fun about the time in my life I think my dæmon would have settled, if things in our world worked as they do in Lyra’s. I would be curious if others had times in their lives when they feel like their dæmon would have settled.
Also, I apologize if the writing is a bit stilted. I am a historian by trade, so I do not often write fiction.
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It was the loneliest night of my life. Having looked forward to it for months I now found himself alone at a small university surrounded by people I had never met until that afternoon.
My only companion, the only constant from my old life was Oliver – my dæmon. He sat perched at the foot my bed, a large and powerful golden eagle, the form he preferred in moments of tribulation, when he really felt the need to be impressive.
As I looked over at him, he leapt from his perch onto my bed as a cat. But a cat of no ordinary size, he must have been nearly three feet long. A king among cats. His fur was long, sleek, and filled with more shades of brown than I knew existed. From a dark chocolate to a deep red to a light tan and everything in between. It shined in the moonlight and his deep golden eyes sparkled with warmth as they gazed down at me.
This new and unusual form comforted me. The majesty of it, its elegance, its warmth. I found solace in the smoothness of his coat and the warmth of his body as he curled up into my arms, and I knew that this was the only form he would ever take again.
Artwork by @minneral
