Chapter 154 - 143

The air has come to life around us, shushing with strength and a sharp coolness boosted by the speed as it rushes at us, bringing all sorts of smells with it.

The ropes and metal parts that keep the structure we are on from falling into pieces clicked and clacked into each other, joining the wind as the cables move like flags in the breeze.

"Is our turn brother." I say to Hunthor, making him stop playing with the hounds and come closer to take my place.

"Already? Oh, man, ok, I'm going." He says as I stretch my paws in front of me and finally move from that place, only for my brother to sit there and immediately light his fur ablaze.

"And don't sleep in service this time."

"Alright alright!"

All of that this is to keep filling the balloon on top of our heads with hot air, as if we are some kind of fuel, the kind of bargain you would expect Isaac to get I supposed, keep the thing afloat to get a ride, what does he think we are? I'm not surprised though…

But, well, I cannot complain much because, in the end, he found us a flying ship to use, a very practical and fast way of transport if you ignore that we are the ones filling the only thing keeping this wooden ship afloat and the fact that there are too many… poor renovations along the ship, wooden cracks, stitched cloths up above, and some missing railings then yeah, is a good exchange.

"Good job out there!" Says the captain of the one man ship as he pulls the rope that keeps the stretched out wings from closing on the sides, making rounds and testing that everything is just almost falling apart, emphasis on the almost not on the falling. "Are you going back in?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Don't tired yourself to death, we need you up there alright?"

"Yeah yeah."

"Are you going to see him again?" Says Hunthor behind me, but I just give him a nod without turning as I advance over the lower parts of the ship, my claws rasping the wood, passing my companions that stay on top at the open area of the ship, going down only to sleep because of the claustrophobic small space this small ship has in its interior.

Plus is a unique opportunity to watch the clouds from above too.

Even if I was up to mock Isaac along the way and ask if he is doing fine while I knew that he hasn't left the railing since this thing started moving because of his sick stomach, once I get deep into the dark quiet place where we let him rest my face stiffens as I approach to sit beside him, resting my snout on his arm to watch him while he sleep.

Sleep… can it be considered that when he doesn't wake up?

I've been sitting like this for the past days, close enough to him and yet in an angle that I can watch his face while I try to sleep and end up doing so only from extreme tiredness, every night, every day, over and over again.

I did what I had to, I gave away everything, did everything right, so why aren't you waking up? Was I too late? I am now cursed to have you so close to me, and yet so far from reach?

Will you really leave me behind?

Leonel… please come back to me… don't be gone because of my stupid problems, don't be gone because of me.

By my own paw, by my own weak mind, weak heart.

Please come back… I miss you.

I don't want to say goodbye, I-I can't say it…

Is this my destiny? In the end, to be unable to save those I love, to be fated into losing one of you… Is not fair, it is not…

On that night, as many others before, with a foggy vision I end up falling into a restless sleep, and I knew I would wake as tired as I was before going to bed, sometimes even worse.

…

…But this night, it was different.

I woke up with the creaking of the wood surrounding us, and unsurprised by the lack of proper sleep I instinctively turned my gaze towards your sleeping face.

Only to notice in shock that your eyes are open, that you are awake.

Your hand on my fur, your touch on my ears.

Your warm gaze shining in the dim light.

My heart speeds up and I fight to keep the sobs at bay, but in the end with tearing eyes I jump up towards Leonel's face as I start brushing my cheek and licking him awake with enthusiasm while he starts chuckling.

"C-Calm down love, haha, I'm here, I'm alright, slow down a second, I'm not going anywhere, shhh, that right, I'm here, with you, shhh…" At some point he hugs me back as I start crying nonstop, all the sadness, all the happiness, everything medley into an incoherent mumbling of cries and sobs as I have no shame to show.

"Y-you, I thought y-you, that I would n-never see you again, I-I…" I try to say in between the sobs, but only manage to throw some words out.

"I know, I know, shhh." He says, hugging me strongly until I calm down enough to at least speak a phrase without crying.

"As happy as I'm to see you too my little hound I still don't understand what happened here? Wasn't I… dead?"

I burry my head on his chest, filling my lungs with his smell, hearing his heartbeat sound pass the monotone it had, almost like a clock, and let myself sink in his presence, ignoring his question as I did not want to break this moment, I wanted to savor it, to enjoy it.

But of course Leonel had other plans.

"Thilgon…" He says while pushing me back to look me in the eyes. "What did you do?"

I look away, but as his steady gaze does not cave in under the silence and only inquires further I sigh and sit back.

"… It is something that I learned from the Ancient Elven Library, on the same book that taught me how to break the contract between magical creatures and casters…"

"…Thilgon, you didn't…?"

"Form a contract with you? No, no, what I did is much worst, much… deeper, I-I bond us together."

"Bond us?"

"It can be considered a type of contract, an unbreakable one because our life forces are mingled now, like one. As long as I live, you live, and the other way around, truly like one."

"That explains why I'm not hungry but…What if one of us die?"

"…"

"The other dies too…"

Silence befalls and I'm scared that he will reject me now that, somehow, I overstepped the bonders for my own selfish wish to have him back to me, for my fear of losing him, of perhaps simply needing him my life.

I'm a messy confusion right now, have been since I made this bond. 

"Are you… mad?"

Leonel gets out of thinking to look at me and, as if surprised by my reaction, says: "Oh no love, of course I'm not, how could I be?"

"But now we are stuck together. Truly together. We cannot live without each other, live apart…" He calmly looks into my eyes, understanding that I meat that now there is no turning back from this, not if he wants to live, that is.

However my worries turn out to be in vain when he smiles at me, saying: "And I would not have any other way, love, I went back in time for you, I changed history just for the opportunity to spend more time with you, to have a chance for us to stay like this, together. Believe me, I know how it feels to lose your loved one, of the despair, that is not what worries me, is just that… is something against your nature, to be bond like this, you have fought to free so many magical creatures from this type of contract only to end up in one… to lose your precious freedom for me… that is what bothers me."

"It shouldn't though. I did it because I wanted to, to save you."

"…Because of guilty?"

"Because I love you and could not stand a second more without you."

I love how that makes his heart skip a beat while he holds his breath.

And that only makes me want to get even closer to him, as if to rub on my face that this is it, this is real and he is here to stay, forever with me, until death tears us apart.

How poetic it sounds… and quite hot.

I stand at that point, feeling my heart speed up too as all the lodging that has built up and happiness that I'm feeling now overwhelm the sadness in a way that makes me want to do more of the… a.d.u.l.t stuff.

So I crawl on top of him while he stares at me in confusion, and change back to my humanoid form, letting my long black hair drop over my back and frame my face as I look at him with a smile and a sparkle in my silver eyes. 

He looks at me, surprised, and as his gaze goes up and down he says: "…Ahm, Thilgon, you are n.a.k.e.d."

I crook my head to the side, giving him a better view as I say: "… I know." 

And that makes another type of smile to spread on his face.