When: Mid-morning, 16 August, 2020
Where: Some backwoodsy place near the Barrett propertyÂ
Who:Â @rodrikbarrettâ
Space. A thing too many people couldnât afford, and had just forgot how to have, in this age of cities crammed to bursting and manicured parks. The rise of industry had seen the end of wildness. Fionn would know. Heâd watched it happen. Like sitting in on your own vivisection. Thatâs how it had felt, no word of a lie. Perhaps he wasnât tied to that world, not like some were; heâd known nymphs, seen them wither and fade as their trees were cut and their rivers poisoned. Maybe that was the particular curse of being a fae thing in a time that didnât much care for magic: lasting, to see all you knew fall away. The free, fenceless world had been his home, after his own threw him aside. Seemed to be getting smaller every day, now.Â
Not that Fionn liked to think too much about such things.Â
It had struck him, though, as he smoked his way through these unfamiliar woods, wishing he had more than tobacco to keep him company. Perhaps it was all heâd been running from the past few days. His family, that is. A daughter heâd hoped to stay far away from, for her own sake. A nephew, a bloody nephew he hadnât even known heâd had. News of his brother, his sister, and more besides. A gaggle of them. Christ. How? How was it, exactly, that theyâd all turned up here? By chance? Seemed rather too fucking unlikely. And yet. Just his luck.Â
The forest rustled, wavering in a heady summer wind. The kind that smelled like more storm. On another day, that would have sent his blood a-racing, giddy with the splendor of his season, his time. Now⌠well, he wasnât in the fucking mood, was he? Huffing smoke, Fionn considered his options, his uncertain map. Heading back to that corpse-botherer wasnât at all appealing. Nothing against the man, besides that they were family. And he lived too close to the dead. Where else? A snort, a clip, a clop, spun him round. Of all the things - heâd got his wish, hadnât he? Company. A dappled grey mare, tramping through the ferns, ears flat. Too glossy to be wild.Â
Just his luck. This looked like the start of an apology; heâd take it.
âLost, are we? You and I both,â Fionn smiled, slowly, steadily, as he offered out an open palm. Grimacing, at the stretch on his stitches. A soft-lipped mouth bumped at his fingers, then his shoulder, those deep, dark eyes blinking slowly, calmly. âYouâre being missed, someplace,â Fionn ran his hands down her cheeks, her nose. Tried not to think too much about that, either. Nobody with any sense was missing him, not anywhere. âWant to see me home, hm? Show off your place, somewhere with a good, strong roof?â She did, it seemed. And he didnât even have to ask her to take a knee and help him on, with all those stitches to mind. Settled in, bareback, a loose hand in her mane, he gave her speckled shoulder a pat. âGo on, then.â His ride started off through the trees, at a steady, rolling pace. Going noplace fast, but. At least he wouldnât rip anything open on the way.Â
The rain was just starting, in big, fat drops, when they stepped out into a broad, fine clearing, criss-crossed by neat fences, sprawling out around a farmhouse, some stables. She didnât need any nudging on. Fionn let her set the route, firing off a swooping whistle as they came closer to the outbuildings. She wasnât bothered by the racket. His creatures never were. Just people. âIâve a horse, here,â he called, squinting through the drizzle. âShe seems to think sheâs yoursâŚâ Pity, really. Sheâd have made a lovely wild thing. At least she looked cared for, though. Loved, as she should be. âYou missing a mare?âÂ
Rod had been inside with his niece when the storm hit. He needed to check on the animals, and he had anxiety punching through him during it. But he could hardly leave Eden alone. The moment that Nolyn got back, Rod kissed Eden on the cheek and clapped his brother on the shoulder in pure relief and looked at him for a long moment before running outside to check on the animals. And the barn door was open. Oh shit. Oh shit.Â
After doing a quick headcount, he quickly moved outside to find the one missing horse, but, thankfully, he didnât have to go far. âOh thank god.â He reached out to run his hand over the fur on her cheek before pressing his head to her, breathing quietly in shaky relief. âThank you.â He looked at the man with wide eyes as he shook his head slowly. âGod, that- I was with my niece, I couldnât leave her and-â He stopped himself, trying to stomp out the desire to explain himself. âThank you, really. I was afraid she might be out there freaked out. Sheâs been calm through most of it, but, I havenât had her that long so.. You just never know.â