Karl sat on the corner of the recovery kennel cuddling the hele pup on his lap, who looked so comfortable despite his arms and torso being covered in bandages, having a cast on his leg, and an IV drip being attached to him. Karl gently stroked the hele pup's head, humming the song from a far off memory. Rywa sat across from him, listening with a gentle smile on his face.
"Looks like he has finally fallen asleep," Karl whispered.
"Here, let me put him back to bed. You've just recovered from your fever, yet you stayed up all night to be with him here," Rywa gently pried the hele pup's paws still clinging on Karl's waist then laid him down on the large dog bed at the corner.
After tucking in the hele pup, the pair left as quietly as they could.
"The hele pup is undoubtedly still in so much pain. But your gentle touch and your song soothe him, that's why he can fall into a comfortable sleep. Karl, you have a heart that resonates with other sentient beings and that makes them feel at ease. Even Gobaith, who is usually wary of strangers, felt safe enough to fall asleep around you when you first met."
"Speaking of Gobaith, so he's a mystical firebird?!"
It was a sombre occasion when he first saw Rywa's companion eagle in his fiery form, but now that he was reminded of it, he was in awe. Karl suddenly remembered the captive hawks that were set free before the poachers' hideout was set ablaze.
"Then the hawks…" Karl mumbled.
Though his voice was soft, Rywa caught on to what he was saying. "Ah, yes. Forgive me, one thing happened after another and I had forgotten to mention it. You seemed troubled by the missing hawks, so I asked Gobaith to search for them.
He found where they were being held captive and rescued them. He was rather pissed, so he burned down the building as well. He did try his best not to harm the humans, even though they were scoundrels."
Karl laughed while imagining an angry Gobaith chasing the poachers and burning their asses.
"Karl, Rywa! G'morning!" Bianca waved, Hogan in tow.
"Yo," Hogan nodded. "We heard from Zeph that you guys went to see the hele pup so we thought we'd go visit too. But it looks like you guys are done."
"Yes. The little one just fell asleep. Heles are nocturnal so it's best to go in the evenings," said Rywa.
"What happened to your hair?!" Bianca pointed at Rywa, horrified.
"I cut it last night."
"So you figured you'd just grab a random pair of scissors and DIY it?!" Bianca scowled.
Karl snorted. "More like sliced it. He used his sword."
Bianca shook her head, looking appalled. She grabbed Rywa's arm and pulled him along. "That's it. You're coming with me to the dorms, mister. We're fixing this atrocity."
"Oh but I wouldn't want to trouble you-"
"It's no trouble at all. And trust me, I'm doing this for my own eyes."
Putting an arm around Karl, Hogan said. "It's okay, Bianca's the one who cuts my hair."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "It's 'cause you spend thousands of yen for your games yet you keep saying getting a haircut is too expensive!"
"Bruh, you're so stingy," Karl teased his teammate, who elbowed him in the waist.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who refuses to get data on his phone 'cause 'there's free wifi in GDF anyway'."
"But it's true tho! Plus we have our communicators and those have unlimited roaming anywhere in the universe. Why would I need data?"
Bianca groaned. "Weirdoes."
They went to Hogan's dorm, where Hogan showed Karl the new mobile game he had developed while waiting for Bianca to finish giving Rywa a proper haircut. It was a pixel game where you played as the lone coastal wolf, who had made GDF and its surrounding islands his home.
The player can swim between the islands, hunt or forage for food, and must stay hidden from people (NPCs). The concept was simple yet engaging, Karl didn't notice an hour had already passed by the time Bianca was done styling Rywa's hair.
Bianca switched off her hair dryer, took off the barber cape and quickly dusted off Rywa's neck and shoulders with a barber brush.
"All done! So, what do you boys think?"
Karl and Hogan looked up. From the jagged, sword-chopped hair, Rywa's crimson locks were now even shorter, just enough to cover his nape, with a layered cut and side bangs framing his sculpted visage.
Looking at Rywa's face, Karl had a sudden vision of Rywa who looked older, but his eyes and hair were as golden as the sun and with that same warm smile. Hogan whistled in approval, snapping Karl out of his momentary daze.
"Looks good on ya, mate" Hogan nodded.
Bianca huffed. "But of course. Rywa was also very specific when he described how he wanted me to style his hair, it made my job a lot easier. Honestly, you looked great with your long hair too, but now we can see your face so much better! The only thing sharper than your jaw line is your sword!"
"Thank you, Bianca. You're amazing, this is exactly the look I was going for." Rywa turned to Karl. "Well, what do you think?"
"That was weird…"
The three of them blinked owlishly at him.
Bianca grinned menacingly at Karl. "Are you saying my work of art looks weird?" She locked Karl's head in her arms and gave him a noogie.
"Ah, no! That's not it!" Karl waved his hands frantically. "Just now, I-"
Karl was saved by a knock on the door.
"Oh, that must be them." Bianca opened the door and Sahd and Viernn were standing outside.
"Hey guys! Wait for me here, I'll just grab the stuff." Bianca went into the dorm room right across from her twin brother's.
"What stuff?" Karl asked Sahd, tilting his head to one side.
"I heard from Rywa that you kept the hele pup company all night. The little one craves affection at that age, and he must be terribly lonely after losing his mother. So I thought I'd make a doll to keep him company."
Bianca came back with a butter cream-coloured fleece throw and assorted white clothes in an eco-bag. "Here ya go."
"Are you sure? You don't need these anymore?" Sahd asked before taking the bag from her.
"Yep! I was about to donate these anyway. You can use them."
"Thank you so much."
"Sahd may look big and and gruff, but his crafting skills are the real deal. He used to make the most intricate fingerless lace gloves for my late sword teacher, and she loved them," said Rywa.
"Yes, the lady truly adored them." Viernn's voice was laced with fondness and nostalgia. "She never went a day without them on, but each pair always looked good as new. She must have taken such good care of those gloves you made for her."
Sahd rubbed his nose, blushing a little. Both Rywa and Viernn had such fond smiles on their faces, but Karl noticed that it never reached their eyes, which held a glimmer of sorrow.
A moment of heavy silence filled the room until Viernn lightened up the mood. "Your new haircut looks really nice on you, Rywa."
"Why thank you, Viernn. For a moment I was starting to think I look strange," said Rywa, eyeing Karl with a theatrically hurt expression.
Karl puffed his cheek. "Like I said, that wasn't what I meant! It's just when I saw you with your new haircut, I had a sudden vision of you with blonde hair. Except, you looked older."
The teasing smirk was instantly wiped off Rywa's face. Viernn gaped. And the bag of clothes slipped from Sahd's hand.
Karl was taken aback by their reactions. "Did I… say something wrong?" His voice was apologetic.
The Zirkans exchanged looks then Viernn tentatively spoke. "Well… what you said wasn't 'wrong', and that's the problem. The man you described just now was the late-" Viernn looked at Rywa hesitantly.
"My late father," Rywa said with a bittersweet smile. "My father's hair and eyes were the colour of the sun. Though I inherited my mother's flaming red hair, everyone tells me I'm a spitting image of my father."
Rywa walked closer to Karl. "But how do you know my father? You said you've never been to Zirka, and the last time my father ever stepped foot outside of Mira— our galaxy, even— I wasn't even born yet. And neither were you."
Karl shook his head. "I- I don't know. Though the face feels familiar, I'm not sure who he was, nor where and when we met." Karl grimaced, feeling a dull ache in his forehead. The more he tried to recall, the worse the throbbing became. He knew this feeling too well— it was the beginning of an oncoming migraine.
Rywa cupped his face. "It's all right, Karl. Don't strain yourself to remember. And don't worry about it. Just as you look like someone I knew from my past, perhaps that person is also just someone who looks like my father. Zirkans and humans don't look that much different, after all."
"Mm," Karl nodded, lips slightly curving upwards. He loved how Rywa's gentle voice always soothed him.
Viernn cleared her throat. "We'll get going now then, so Sahd can start on his project. Now if only we had materials we can use as eyes and nose too."
"I might have some at home…" Karl said, pressing his index finger on his cheek. "I used to fix Zephyr and Luna's old teddy bears, plushies, and clothes when they were little, so I have some spare buttons. I'm heading home after this, so if you want, I'll bring them with me when I come back to the base."
"That would be great! Appreciate it," Sahd nodded.
-
Back at the Lyle residence, Karl took out a festive, Christmas-themed shortbread cookie tin from his closet. He took the cover off but instead of cookies, it contained a colourful assortment of threads, a little sewing kit in a plain craft paper packet with a hotel's name printed on it, old kiddie scissors, and a used furikake jar with buttons of all shapes and sizes inside.
A lone strip of sapphire blue ribbon stood out among the sewing paraphernalia. With a nostalgic smile, he gingerly reached for it. "I still have this, huh…"
There was a couple of knocks on the door before Zephyr came in. "I saw your shoes at the genkan." He noticed the ribbon on Karl's hand. "Whoa, that brings back memories. When we were kids, your hair was down to your shoulder, and you used to tie it with this ribbon all the time."
"Yeah… When I got into GDF, I cut my hair short 'cause it was more convenient. So I put it away."
He was amazed that the ribbon's colour still remained vibrant and never faded, and it did not sustain a single crease even though he wore it every day when he was younger. Fiddling with the soft satin, Karl's mind drifted back to the past.
But somehow, his recollection went beyond the memories Zephyr brought up, to an even earlier time. Long before Zephyr was born and the ribbon was twice its current length.
*******
"Your hair is sooo long… falling over your face… Can I tie…?"
"As you wish, My…"
Karl reached behind him and untied the blue ribbon on his own hair.
"Wait, that ribbon is very precious… Your mother…"
"Then let's share… I'm sure Mother…"
He pulled out a dagger from its intricately decorated, handmade sheath. Its blade was no less exquisite, with its blend of silver and blue tones and a crystalline finish, reminiscent of a frozen lake in winter. With its sharp edge, it took little effort for Karl to split the ribbon in half.
"There! Now we both have… Uncle…"
*******
"Karl? Karl?"
Karl snapped back into reality when Zephyr called his name.
"Yeah? Sorry, just got lost in memories for a bit…" As if confirming his memory, only one edge of the ribbon was cleanly cut and sealed, while the other had slight fraying as if it was indeed split in half. "Say, did our uncle have such a long hair before?"
The flashback he had just now was all muddled and fuzzy, he couldn't even make out the face of the man he was talking to.
Zephyr thought for a moment. "If you're talking about one of our mom's overprotective older brothers, you'd have to be more specific. There're four of them. I don't really remember much though, since we were still little when we last saw them."
"True. They're usually overseas with grandpa. They'd bring us a lot of trinkets and snacks as omiyage whenever they're here in Japan though. Oh, remember that time they brought home those macarons? Luna was crying she that couldn't have any 'cause she just had her wisdom tooth taken out."
Zephyr's deadpan face belied the slight annoyance in his voice. "The only thing I remember is how they used to squish us all the time like plush dolls."
Karl let out a hollow chuckle, eyes drooping. "Fun times…"
He carefully placed the ribbon back inside the cookie tin and took out the jar of buttons for Sahd, then closed it and put it back in his closet.
"Anyway, since you're home, take a bath then go to sleep. You stayed up all night, so you need to get some rest. If you're hungry, I can make you something light to eat before your nap," said Zephyr.
"Yes, Doc."
Though he felt much more relaxed now that he was home and had taken a bath, Karl's headache had gotten worse. He opened the corner cabinet in the kitchen and took out the medicine box. He picked up the bottle of pain relievers and took a capsule, something that didn't escape Zephyr's eyes.
Zephyr took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from their refrigerator's dispenser then handed it to Karl, who muttered 'thanks' and drank his medicine.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just a bit of migraine," Karl shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Zephyr frowned. "You used to have migraines all the time, but you've been fine since you got into GDF. Has it relapsed?"
"It only happened today, so hopefully not." Karl reached up to ruffle his brother's hair. "I'm okay. Don't worry."
'I worry more every time you say that.' Zephyr mentally chided.
After eating the sandwich Zephyr made, Karl trudged up to his room and flopped down on his bed. And as soon as his head hit the pillow, he conked out.