“Maybe if you’re feeling scared like you were with the harpies,” Delphia says, “you could find it helpful just to find one good reason. You know, like you don’t have to fight them because you’re scared, and you hate them, and you’re angry all at the same time. Just pick one reason to stand up to someone and go with that.”
“That’s good advice,” I concede. A sense of peace whispers through the oasis. We sit in easy silence, watching the fire, as I contemplate Delphia’s words.One good reason.
Rosalina should have been the only reason I needed not to chase after my brother during our fight in the Hall of Vernalion. The frenzied rage that had overtaken me had been like a living entity in my chest. I’d felt it again in the harpy nest.
There must be another way to protect those I love. A way that doesn’t result in me losing myself in the manner I’ve done before.
I wish I could stay here for longer, but the line of the horizon is bright orange, and any minute the sun will slip away. “All right, girls, time for bed. Get out your bedrolls.”
“Aren’t you going to sleep by the fire?” Eleanor asks as I stand up and walk away.
“No, I’m going to be on watch at the edge of the oasis. Don’t worry. I’ll look out for you.”
The girls exchange a look again, but I turn away. On the other side of the oasis, behind a bush, I shed my clothing, carefully tuck my new bracelet away, and wait for the last rays of sun to fade.
The beast seizes my body, erupting out of me with thick black fur and sharp claws. I shake, the bones matted in my fur rattling together.
I pad out from behind the bush, readying to patrol the edges of the oasis.
“Whoa!”
“He’s HUGE.”
Jumping back, I’m faced with the two gaping faces of Delphia and Eleanor.
“What are you doing here?” I growl. “I told you to stay by the fire!”
I step back, trying to shrink into the darkness. I don’t want them to see the glint of my fangs or the moss that grows through my fur. I don’t want them to look upon this monster that’s supposed to protect them.
“This is so fascinating,” Eleanor says, stepping closer and touching one of the bird skulls tangled in my fur.
“Sharp!” Delphia squeals, grabbing my lip and examining my teeth.
“Hey.” I growl again, backing up, but the girls keep approaching.
“Look how pretty his tail is!”
“You really are big enough, we could both ride you. Then we wouldn’t have to walk.”
“All right, all right.” I nudge their backs with my snout. “To the fire.”
The girls trudge dutifully back toward their bedrolls. Drusilla is fast asleep, legs in the air and wings splayed.
“Now stay,” I tell them and start to turn away.
I feel a small hand on my back, fingers running through my fur. “You’re so warm,” Delphia says. “I thought you’d be cold, but you’re warm.”
Eleanor places her hand beside Delphia’s. “And soft, too.”
They’re not afraid,I think.Even when faced with the most horrifying parts of me.A strange sensation thrums in my chest.Or am I not as frightening as I’ve always thought?
With a sigh, I turn back to the fire and thud down, sending up a cloud of dust. “I can keep watch from here, if you prefer.”
They nod and walk back to their bedrolls.
I curl in on myself and close my eyes, just for a moment. Just for a moment to feel the warmth of the fire.
Two shapes lean against me. I crack an eye open to see Delphie and Nori snuggled together, pressed against my side, no mind to my fangs or claws or matted fur. I still, not even daring to take a breath.
