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January |
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January |
Kagari blinked sleepily and curled back under his blanket. He didn’t want to get up yet. He was warm and content and Kagari didn’t want that feeling to go away. It was all a dream, it had to be, like the man with silver hair and black wings or the music that wrapped around him and dulled his pain. Once Kagari opened his eyes he would be back in that cold, damp field or worse yet, still in the river.
It was strange though, Kagari’s dreams were never this real. He could feel the soft mattress beneath him and the warm blanket tucked around his body. Kagari opened his eyes cautiously. Oh, it wasn’t a dream. Someone had found him and brought him here. Wherever ‘here’ was. Kagari shifted and sat on the edge of the low bed. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The floor was smooth stone and warm beneath his feet. He was in a cave of some sort, though it looked more like a comfortable bedroom. Ornate lanterns set in the walls illuminated everything in soft light. It all made Kagari very curious. Who had saved him? What kind of person lived in such a strange and fascinating place?
Soft footsteps startled Kagari out of his thoughts. He glanced up to see a tall man with silver hair and the most intense eyes watching him from the door. “It’s good to see you back among the living.”
Silver hair and blood red eyes: it was the man from his dream. The man stepped into the room revealing a pair of large black wings. Kagari had never seen anything so amazing or anyone so handsome. “Who are you? What is this place?”
“My name is Haelan and you are in my home, more specifically my bedroom.” The man stepped closer. He had a steaming bowl and a bit of toasted bread in his hands. The contents of the bowl smelled so good that Kagari’s mouth started to water. “You must be hungry.”
Kagari’s stomach was growling, but he didn’t want to be rude and eat in Haelan’s bed. A sharp pain shot through his ankle as he tried to stand. He stumbled forward but before he could fall too far, Haelan stretched out a dark feathered wing and caught him.
“Easy, you twisted your ankle pretty badly.” Haelan nudged Kagari back onto the bed.
“I’m all right.” Kagari carefully braced his arms and lowered himself on to the smooth stone floor. “I didn’t want to get crumbs on your bed.”
“Thank you for the thought, kitten, but I’d rather sleep with crumbs then have you hurt yourself.” Haelan pushed the bowl and the plate of bread into Kagari’s hands. “Well, dig in. I hope you like it.”
Kagari dug into his food. It was a thick stew that tasted of chicken and herbs and it was delicious. Part of him nagged that it could have been poisoned or drugged, but Kagari ignored it. Nothing that tasty could be poisoned, could it?