Page 17 of A Soul to Steal

“Weldir threw me off a cliff.”

Gideon almost tripped over his own feet in shock; it didn’t help a random fallen stick twisted between his ankles. With his eyes wide and his lips parted in disbelief, he turned his gawking expression to Aleron.

“He fucking didwhat?!”

Unsure why the male shouted with outrage, Aleron tilted his head at him like he often did. Especially since Aleron knew Weldir had done it with good intentions, despite what happened afterwards.

Gideon’s hands clenched into tight fists, like he was truly enraged on his behalf. That elated him to no end, and he almost hummed contentedly.That must mean the human cares for me.This was, at least, what he told himself.

I will protect Gideon, too. I will make sure nothing happens to his soul.He would even fight with Weldir or the other Mavka here if they tried to touch it.

He would be fierce about it and safeguard it with all his might. He would protect his little human companion.

“Why would he do that if he knew you could be harmed?” Gideon gritted out, gripping at his fringe that nearly came to his eyes, before swiping his hair back. “That sounds... cruel. How could a father do that to their child?”

Although Aleron knew to call his creators mother and father, the bond, in his mind, was still disjointed. He understood a little of it, that he was supposed to care for them, but not why it would make the human so upset about learning this.

Weldir was his... friend. That’s what he saw in his creator.

“He did not mean to hurt me,”Aleron stated in his defence, snorting through his nose hole.“He was teaching me to fly.”

He let out a huffing laugh, remembering the day he’d acted rather foolish and skittish. Even his orbs brightened to a joyous yellow at what Weldir had gifted him in doing something this human deemed callous.

Weldir had led him to a cliff and told him to spread his wings and leap. Of course, wary about falling, Aleron had shaken his head. Then, lowering himself so his bowed chest was rubbing across the ground, he backed up in fear.

When his command was denied, enough of Weldir’s patchy form was visible to reveal an annoyed frown. When he stepped forward, Aleron attempted to bolt.

He didn’t make it far before his tail feathers were grabbed. Then he was flipped onto his back and lifted off the ground. With his legs flailing above him, whining and whimpering, Weldir held him above his head like he weighed absolutely nothing. The closer he got to the edge, the more Aleron panicked.

Only to roar when he’d been...tossed.

At first, he fell, then he spun in the air so he could uselessly land on his feet, knowing he’d probably break all his legs when he hit the ground. But as he plummeted, his arms, legs, and wings twisting and moving, wind caught underneath his feathers.

His descent felt endless, but it gave him enough time to spread his wings and try to flap them. At first, he moved them one at a time, then eventually caught more wind and steadied them.

Just as he was close to the ground, he began to glide.

He looked down in surprise. At himself, and because Weldir was on the ground, ready to catch him in case he hadn’t figured it out.

Unfortunately, just because he’d gotten the hang of gliding and flapping his wings, it didn’t mean he knew how to steer. He ran into a tall tree, breaking his right arm and wing in the process.

There was no laughter from Weldir as he reappeared at Aleron’s side. Instead, he apologised, explaining how he thought Aleron would make it past the tree line since he’d started flying upwards. Weldir immediately healed him, and he suffered no ill effects from the damage, nor any scarring.

If he was left to heal on his own, it could have been different.

Despite the pain, those few seconds of flying were exhilarating. He begged Weldir to take him to the top of the cliff so he could leap off the edge himself. He bounced on all four limbs, practicallybeggingfor it.

And, once Aleron flew confidently in the sky, safely away from the trees, he discovered Weldir could change his form at will. His creator came up beside him with his own set of wings, their bat-like tips flicking against his feathered ones.

He didn’t know how long they’d flown together, but after a long length of sadness and sorrow, it was the first time he’d...laughed. It was the first time he’d been able to forget and just enjoy his presence in this new world.

He didn’t know if it was true, or just something he wished to tell himself, but he wanted to believe his creator had done this in order to help him. Not just to teach him, but also to give Aleron that freedom. To help... ease him, heal him, be there for him in his own way.

He is a good creator. He cares.

He chose to believe this, just as he chose to believe in most – even if they hurt him. Like Merikh, the bear-skulled Mavka, who often acted mean to him and his kindred; he believed this about him too. Why else would he have allowed Aleron and his kindred to rest under his protective ward?

Perhaps Aleron was too trusting and forgiving, but he wanted to see pleasantness in the world. He wanted to think it could be kind, even to a monster like him.

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