Page 86 of To Free a Soul
With a snorted huff, Orpheus climbed down the stairs on all fours as she pulled her feathered hood over her head.
When she was in her owl form, she took off west, and he sprinted after her.
Not in rage, but in faith.
She hoped to the spirit of the void that it wasn’t sorely misplaced.
Landing at the forest’s edge near a walled village, Lindiwe allowed her human form to come to the surface. Her curls bounced around her cheeks and shoulders when she pulled her hood back, and they were swept to the side by a light, warm gust.
She waited for Orpheus to catch up, and he followed her scent to greet her. She kept herself still, letting him come as close as he chose, and then reached into her satchel.
“I think it’s best if you use this to block out any potential fear or blood scents,” she told him, holding out her hand.
A cloth saturated in a heavy, clogging perfume tingled her nose. He gingerly pinched it from her palm, held it to his bony nose hole, and sniffed it. Orpheus immediately choked and gave two wheezing sneezes while pulling it away.
“Awful. Bad smell.”
“I know it’s not the most pleasant, but your sense of smell is keener than a human’s. You need to tie it around your nose, and likely inside your mouth to hold it in place.”
Orpheus’ tongue poked forward with a blergh, but he obediently did as he was told. He sneezed a few times, and his blue orbs turned white and started to waver as if they were about to shatter and produce tears. He adjusted to it and began to breathe through his mouth with shuddering pants instead.
“I also have... this for you.” She pulled out neatly folded black material and unravelled it to reveal a cloak. “It might work in your favour to make your appearance initially easier for humans to look upon.”
Orpheus took it and inspected it thoroughly.“Hide?”
Lindiwe hid the worst of her wince, so that it only twitched one cheek. She felt awful that she was having to do this, explain this to him, but it was the truth – and it was best he knew beforehand.
“Your... appearance might be a little frightening. A living being walking around with a skull and horns is abnormal, as is your body. It would be best to shield it, even a little, until you gain the trust of your new human.”
“Yes. Ugly.”
“Not ugly,” Lindiwe rejected darkly, her jaw clenching at the fact that he even knew what that wordmeant.“Just different.”
Orpheus fumbled with how to put it on, throwing it over his head like a sheet. She couldn’t help her quiet, hidden laugh as she stepped forward to help. Taking it from him, she waved for him to lower his head.
“There’s two holes for your horns. You have to poke them through first.” She slipped them over his impala horns at the same time to show him, and her fingertips tingled at touching the hardness of those bumpy spirals.
I’ve never been able to touch him before.She even sneaked a caress over his cloth-covered wolf skull when she adjusted the fabric. Then she secured the ties around his neck.
Shoving his arms to the side, he pushed the cloak open and brushed his claws over the dark material. Then, before she could direct him to, his form shifted, and black clothing rose to the surface when he became more humanoid.
He knows this is a better look for humans.
Which was a saddening thought to Lindiwe.
He still looked dapper and gentlemanly, albeit a little spooky, like a grim reaper with his cloak. But it did help to hide the more animalistic parts of him. If it wasn’t for his skull, horns, claws, and pawed feet, he could have passed for a very tall human.
“Maybe you should sheath your claws,” Lindiwe suggested, and he promptly complied.
She pulled the cloak in tight over his chest, surprised he was letting her be this close to him, while remaining wary of a lethal strike. Perhaps her actions were foolish, but Lindiwe trusted him.
She trusted Orpheus. He knew his own strength – knew he could harm easily. Everything he did on purpose was gentle. It was careful, hesitant.
“There.” She let him go and stepped back, then turned to the side to look upon the village gates. “All you need to do is follow me inside and heed my directions.”
“What if I hurt?” Orpheus asked, and brought both hands to his abdomen nervously. His orbs morphed to white when his bony snout lifted towards the village.
“Orpheus.” She let out an exasperated huff. “You’re forgetting who and what I am.”
