As they stand side by side with their backs facing me, I’m struck dumb by their beauty. I’ve literally seen Connor turn into a wolf, so I don’t understand why it’s this moment that the weight of my new reality strikes me, but it does. Maybe last night was too much for me to take everything in, because now I feel an overwhelming wave of awe and understanding that the world is very different than what I knew-- and I can’t go back. It’s like the past week I’ve been so knee-deep in trying to figure out this new reality that I’ve only now had the chance to step back and really take it in. It’s both magnificent and humbling. My friends aren’t human.I’mnot human.
The air is filled with the dry scent of sweet hay and autumn leaves-- the smell of real feathers. I approach Kaleb, transfixed by the reality of what I’m seeing, and he rolls his shoulders, his wings shifting with the gesture. Fine semi-plume feathers follow the lines of where the bones of his wings meet his back, the joint looking as if it’s covered in crushed pearls. I can feel the others’ eyes on me as they pretend they’re talking to each other, but it’s as if I’m wrapped in a bubble-- the outside world patiently waiting for my return.
I reach up, my hand hovering inches above his right wing, and hesitantly ask, “May I touch them?”
He nods, just a subtle shift of his head, before clearing his throat and answering, “Yes... you may.”
I gingerly trace my fingers along the contour feathers I can reach, careful to go with the grain. They’re soft and warm with a smooth texture toward their tips. Kaleb shivers under my touch, his wings fluffing in response.
I ignore the coughed snickering from the others and quietly ask, “Is this okay?”
He turns his head, part of his profile visible between his wings, and murmurs, “It’s fine… I just-- no one’s touched my wings since I was a child.”
“Oh,” I breathe, starting to chew on my lip. Heat crawls up my neck. “So this is… is this something...?”
Kaleb chuckles, the sound like a gentle roll of thunder in the distance. “It really is okay. Even though Twin Cedar Pass has a somewhat substantial supernatural population, we’re still outnumbered by humans and have to be careful when we show our wings. They’re harder to explain away than a large wolf or someone with fangs.”
“Hey, I resemble that remark,” Nolan rebukes good-naturedly, “and I’ll have you know, I work hard to keep these babies under wraps.” His statement is accompanied by a sharp smile and a flash of needle like incisors.
Well, I’ve officially seen it all. It’s like the world’s most bizarre show and tell.
“If you’re done wing fondling, we should probably get to work,” Donovan drawls, his smirk hinting that Kaleb might be downplaying the whole wing-touching thing.
I’m pretty sure my blush has spread all the way down to my toes. Clearing my throat, I step back and work to keep my expression blank. Just because I feel like I want to crawl into the nearest hole doesn’t mean I have to show it.
Like before, their wings vanish from sight, and they both continue toward the wall of swords, though Kaleb looks more pensive and Donovan a whole hell of a lot more amused than before.
Great, I get to add awkward supernatural levels to my already challenging ‘how do physical interactions with friends work?’ I’m still stuck on hugs and hand holding!
Connor looks apathetic to the interaction, perhaps because he likes it when I pet him as a wolf and doesn’t really see the difference. In retrospect, I appreciate that it appears not to be a big deal that I pet him, since I didn’t really ask for permission.Definitely need to find an etiquette book.In his typical fashion, he simply nods at me before heading toward the treadmill near one of the bay windows to start warming up.
As Donovan searches the wall of ridiculous weaponry, he calls over his shoulder, “I left my phone upstairs. Anyone got the music?”
“On it,” Nolan replies, pulling his phone out of his pocket and waving it in the air.
“Thanks, man.” He turns back and suggests offhandedly to Kaleb, “Maybe you should try something else. Whole wall of choices.”
Kaleb looks over at him slyly. “I plan to.”
While they debate the finer points of their weapon choices, Nolan walks a few feet away where there’s a mini fridge, shelves of white towels, and a music dock on a shelf of its own. He thumbs at the screen a few times on his phone then places it in the dock. Through the entire gym comes the sound of a singing violin to a heavy dubstep beat. I’m unfamiliar with the music, but I like the juxtaposition between the light, sweet quality of the classical instrument against the grittier, heavy beats.
Music in place, he heads back over to me and asks, “Ready?”
“Yep,” I answer brightly, very much ready to do something that doesn’t make me blush.
With a hand on the base of my spine, he leads me toward an empty area between the exercise equipment, Felix trailing after us. As we walk, I can’t help looking over my shoulder at Kaleb and Donovan retrieving their weapons of choice.
With his right hand, Kaleb grabs a silver sword about four and a half feet long from rounded tip to blunted pommel that has about a six-inch cross bar, and with his left hand, a dagger the length of my forearm, which he holds like an ice pick.
“The dagger? That’s not actually different if you’re still going to use the longsword,” Donovan grumbles.
“It’s been a while since I practiced one-handed,” Kaleb retorts, a knowing smile on his lips. “And it’s not like I can run around with a shield, so practicing using a dagger defensively is important.”
Donovan rolls his eyes and reaches for a singlekatanaabout three and half feet long in a lacquered black sheath, with a gold hilt wrapped in black knotted leather. When he pulls the blade free, the metal casts dancing lights on the ceiling.
As they make their way back to the open space beside the grey mat and look to ready themselves for their duel, Kaleb taunts, “Besides, I know you hate that I now have equal reach.”
“Please,” he scoffs back. “Just thought that you might want to try something different-- challenge yourself.”
