Demos communicates the sitch to me, as if Kaline's dumbfounded face and surprised emotions didn't broadcast her feelings. As if Vedette's raised eyebrow and folded arms didn't let us know that our new parrot friend Gussie's request to join us and to bond with a member of the illustrious House of Riddlehoeven might be a problem.
[Don't feel bad.] Demos sounds sympathetic. [Look at the result of our bargain with Gussie.]
Somewhat soothed, I regard the brace of fat freshly killed rabbits that we are bringing home.
Yes, rabbits. Gussie was mistaken about that, which she freely admitted. Not without some relief. After all, she said to us, [I don't bear partridges any ill will. In fact, I like them. And maybe I somehow had an inkling that there were no partridges there.]
[She's going to be trouble.] Demos' words had no real heat or bite in it. Maybe he, too understood that it was wrong to ask Gussie to betray her fellow birds, even if she offered. We caught lots of rabbit,
Demos did more of the hunting than I did, truthfully. I pounced, growled, and chased the rabbits through the slick, slippery, tangled vines. Hunting felt messy and exhilarating.
And yes, I killed. I bit down, I clawed, and I brought down the rabbits. It's entirely different than buying chicken for dinner, but it reminds me of my previous life. I wasn't always a law student. Long afternoons on my grandparents' pig farm taught me where my food came from. The same grandpa who gave Damon and me lollipops and died in his sleep also raised pigs, and some of those pigs ended up on our dinner plate.
It's one thing to help slop the pigs and clean out the pigpen and learn how clean and how smart pigs are. It's another to eat them for dinner or breakfast.
But when Demos and I stalked the rabbits through the vines, shimmying and trying not to get entangled in the green macrame lattice, we were living life raw and on the edge.
When I finally caught the rabbits, the fur felt soft in my claws, and I could smell the smell of the hunt. Overpowering. I could hear the stillness of the jungle around me.
[Good job.] Demos seemed pleased. [You're a natural hunter.]
Am I?
Looking at our haul of freshly killed game, I don't know whether to be sad or triumphant. Maybe I should just accept what happened as the law of the jungle.
The game displays a notice. [Hunting skill increased.]
Well, that makes it all worth it, doesn't it?
And Gussie helped us. Talk about a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, or the vines in this case. She perches on my back, her claws buried in my tawny orange fur.
Vedette, Kaline, Ser Maartenwitz, and Tomas chatter amongst themselves.
"Demos can't just make PROMISES to a parrot," exclaims Vedette.
"Why not?" Kaline asks, wide-eyed. "He was looking out for the parrot, maybe. So was Blaze."
"Blaze doesn't even have telepathy," Vedette says in a superior older-sister way. "So, how could he ever know?"
I flick my ears and tail to signal her that I may not be telepathic yet, but I can read the room. And doesn't she know that I can communicate with Demos?
[What do you expect? They don't think that deeply about our connections with each other,] Demos notes. [They're blind. They can't smell all the wonderful plants around them, for a start. They don't know what goes on.]
Maybe the game knowledge base can shed some light on this?
[Beasts can communicate with each other, as easily as humans speak to each other, but most humans are not aware of this. Even beast tamers do not know how powerful this communication can be. The beast tamers of House Riddlehoeven know, but only the more advanced ones.]
Interesting. So Minette and Lamant are letting their precious daughters learn things for themselves. Talk about not spoon-feeding your kids. But then, when I was Kaline's age and later Vedette's, I guess if my parents had told me everything in life I needed to know, I might not appreciate it. In fact, when they did, my parents usually got an "I know, I know," with an eye roll.
[You mean I can't come with you?] Gussie asks, her feathers drooping.
"Oh, she looks sad," Tomas observes. "She's pretty. I bet she can talk."
"Tiger," Gussie says. "Tiger."
That's telling them, Gussie.
"Bear," Gussie adds. "Bear."
Vedette softens. "She's certainly intelligent. And pretty. But do we know anyone in the family that needs a beast, or even a bird?]
A+ Dad doesn't have a bird. Neither does Minette. Why? They are the heads of the family. That's like an engineer who doesn't use a computer at home.
I beam my thoughts into Minette's mind, or at least my emotions. Come on, Minette. Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad.
"Mom and Dad," Gussie repeats. "Mom and Dad."
Way to go, Gussie!
Looking at each other, Vedette and Kaline say, "By the First Beastmaster!"
Flapping her wings, Gussie whistles, fluffing her feathers proudly.
"Your mother and father?" Ser Maartenwitz looks a little less severe and pinched. "I have been campaigning for them to bond with new beasts after the unfortunate accident a year ago."
Unfortunate accident?
Demos growls. [Both their beasts mysteriously disappeared. The links severed. No one knows why or where they went. That is why they're so relentless with my Mistress and yours.]
I do not want to feel badly for Lamant. Imagine losing something so important to you. Imagine a part of your life just being gone forever.
Vedette scowls. "Show a little empathy, Ser Maartenwitz. Our parents could barely stand to look at Demos for a while. It was really quite upsetting to him."
"Especially Father," Kaline says, the love in her heart washing over me. "He doesn't seem to want to tame a beast...so maybe Gussie is the answer to our prayers!"
"Dad. Dad. Dad." Gussie pours her heart into the repeated words.
Kaline strokes my head. Awww. Keep doing that. "Blaze, I want you to march right into Dad's study with Gussie riding on your back. He won't be able to say no!"
Whew! It's not easy being a good beast, but winning over Lamant just might make all the effort worth it, and help me level up!