Shaking her head at his stubbornness, she went to him.“You shouldn’t be trying to move this much yet.”
“Sunshine and fresh air are good for healing.”
Despite his words, he winced as he took the final step to the ground and steadied himself.
Sighing, Daya put her shoulder beneath his good one and took some of his weight.
“You’re lucky I’m tall,” she murmured.
His attempt to laugh cut off abruptly into a pained groan.“Don’t make me laugh.”
Smiling to herself, Daya helped the stubborn warrior over to the low railing.A little time outdoors wouldn’t hurt him, as long as he didn’t fall.
Coming to a halt, she slipped her arm from his waist and let him use the post for support.His eyes immediately focused on the owlcat sitting on the railing.
The pause gave Daya time to slow her pulse, which seemed to have sped up even more when she noticed that he’d shaved the light beard from his face.She moved to Neka’s other side so that she could watch him without hovering at his side.
“I’ve never seen an owlcat up close.She’s incredible,” he breathed softly.
Holding out a hand, he offered his scent to Neka, letting her nudge him with her white head in invitation.Her paw came up to hold his arm in place as he began to stroke her fur.Raiden chuckled and took a step closer so he could pet her better.
“She’s a snowy owlcat, as you can probably guess.”
Neka had a thick layer of soft white fur covering her body, all the way down to her paws.A top layer of feathery fur showed white with faint gold spots and streaks.When spread, her huge wings were a combination of white, gold, and brown.
“Are they usually this affectionate?”Raiden asked as Neka purred and rubbed against his hand.“Or is she just that way because of you?”
Daya frowned.“You think I changed her natural behavior?”
“Ereven and Ember behave in no way like normal hawks.”
“Mmm,” she hummed noncommittally.
As the winged guardians of Hannelore, they only looked like normal hawks.They were bonded just as she was to the mountain, giving them the ability to mind speak and an extended lifespan.The three of them were meant to function as a unit.
Her relationship with Neka was entirely different.She tufted the fur on the owlcat’s rounded head.
“I raised Neka from an owlet.My father rescued her from a flood and brought her to me when her parents couldn’t be found.”
Raiden tilted his head in confusion as he studied Neka, running a gentle finger down her feathery neck.“She’s fully grown.”
“Yes.”
Owlcats didn’t reach maturity until they were over eighty years old, and Daya was well aware she appeared to be around thirty, her aging slowing to an infinitesimal rate once she accepted the call of guardian.Ignoring his lifted eyebrow, she chose not to elaborate.The intricacies of her altered aging process were not something she wanted to discuss.He’d have to live with the mystery.
Daya cleared her throat.“I made bone broth for you if you’re hungry.”
Wrinkling his nose at the herb-laden concoction, he made a sound of displeasure.
“I know I’m notthathungry.Healing slowly is awful.”
“You’re walking better today.”The limp would plague him for a long time, maybe forever, but he was putting more weight on the leg than during their journey.
“Am I?Hurts so much I can’t tell, and I still can’t move my arm.”
Worry tightened his features, and she read fear in his eyes when he looked at her.
“You’re not dying, Raiden.And you’re not losing your arm.But the muscles were cut through in some places.That’s going to take a long time to heal.The important thing is that you’re recovering from the blood loss.”
