"Why am I doing this?" Aspen asked nobody in particular. "I should be with Grampy!"
Kelda sighed. "You needed to get out of that room," she told her clio sadly. "Gods know you need some sun."
Aspen had been spending a lot of time with his grandfather lately. Which didn't sound abnormal, but he had literally spent almost every day with his grandfather since his 17th birthday three weeks ago. Aspen's grandfather, Quinn, was dying, and now that Aspen was seventeen, he worried that his grandfather's days were numbered. When Aspen turned sixteen he was terrified, but Quinn still seemed as healthy as can be, so after a few days and a lot of coaxing, Aspen was able to leave Quinn's side. It didn't start to occur to Aspen that he might be settling soon until a month before his 17th birthday, when Quinn started showing the same symptoms of the disease he suffered from years ago, before Aspen's parents were even in love. Recently, Quinn's condition had gotten worse, which was why Aspen had been by his side constantly.
It was a rare warm day for it to still be the beginning of March, but Aspen was hardly in the mood to enjoy it.
"I just don't understand," he said to his daemon. "They want me to enjoy the warm weather, but how am I going to enjoy it if I can't stop thinking about my dying grandfather?"
Kelda flinched. She had no answer for that.
The two of them made it to Repori beach before Aspen stopped walking. "Kelda," he sighed sadly. "Let's just go back."
His daemon nodded before taking the form of a horse so that her clio could ride her back home. He was about to hop onto her back before some strange feeling in the pit of his stomach came over him. A sense of warmth and tinglyness wriggled its way from his stomach, through his arms, to the tips of his toes and fingers.
"No."
He watched in horror as Kelda's form started to change before finally settling into the form of a grey wolf. Before he even cared to know her form, he took off running back toward Ughdarras as fast as his legs could take him.
He ran through crowds, bumping into clio and never once pausing to apologize. He knew it was pointless, but he couldn't stop himself.
Finally, he burst through the front door of his grandfather's house, ignoring the looks of surprise and utter sadness on his family's faces. Somebody had called his name, somebody else grabbed his hand, but he tore it out of their grip.
"Axel," he whimpered, when he ran into his grandfather's friend and adviser.
Axel's eyes were red, and fresh tears sprang to life when he saw Aspen. He shook his head and stepped out of the way so that Aspen could pass.
Slowly, Aspen crept into his grandfather's bedroom, as if he were merely asleep and he didn't want to wake him. Quinn lay there, with his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips. He had spent his last moments with his wife, and had been so relieved that Aspen wasn't going to be there when it was time. His last words had been a simple, "I love you, Lumi." Before death finally took him. He hadn't been in pain, and went peacefully.
"Grampy!" Was all that Aspen could moan, before he finally crawled into bed and clung to his grandfather, sobbing into his shoulder. It was still warm, so he pretended that Quinn really was just asleep.
Eventually, Aspen fell asleep in his grandfather's bed. He didn't know when, or who, but somebody had scooped him up and carried him to a separate bedroom. Aspen couldn't fall back to sleep though. He lie there, feeling so incredibly guilty and upset. It didn't matter how many times he was told it wasn't his fault.
Aspen killed his grandfather.
Kelda sighed. "You needed to get out of that room," she told her clio sadly. "Gods know you need some sun."
Aspen had been spending a lot of time with his grandfather lately. Which didn't sound abnormal, but he had literally spent almost every day with his grandfather since his 17th birthday three weeks ago. Aspen's grandfather, Quinn, was dying, and now that Aspen was seventeen, he worried that his grandfather's days were numbered. When Aspen turned sixteen he was terrified, but Quinn still seemed as healthy as can be, so after a few days and a lot of coaxing, Aspen was able to leave Quinn's side. It didn't start to occur to Aspen that he might be settling soon until a month before his 17th birthday, when Quinn started showing the same symptoms of the disease he suffered from years ago, before Aspen's parents were even in love. Recently, Quinn's condition had gotten worse, which was why Aspen had been by his side constantly.
It was a rare warm day for it to still be the beginning of March, but Aspen was hardly in the mood to enjoy it.
"I just don't understand," he said to his daemon. "They want me to enjoy the warm weather, but how am I going to enjoy it if I can't stop thinking about my dying grandfather?"
Kelda flinched. She had no answer for that.
The two of them made it to Repori beach before Aspen stopped walking. "Kelda," he sighed sadly. "Let's just go back."
His daemon nodded before taking the form of a horse so that her clio could ride her back home. He was about to hop onto her back before some strange feeling in the pit of his stomach came over him. A sense of warmth and tinglyness wriggled its way from his stomach, through his arms, to the tips of his toes and fingers.
"No."
He watched in horror as Kelda's form started to change before finally settling into the form of a grey wolf. Before he even cared to know her form, he took off running back toward Ughdarras as fast as his legs could take him.
He ran through crowds, bumping into clio and never once pausing to apologize. He knew it was pointless, but he couldn't stop himself.
Finally, he burst through the front door of his grandfather's house, ignoring the looks of surprise and utter sadness on his family's faces. Somebody had called his name, somebody else grabbed his hand, but he tore it out of their grip.
"Axel," he whimpered, when he ran into his grandfather's friend and adviser.
Axel's eyes were red, and fresh tears sprang to life when he saw Aspen. He shook his head and stepped out of the way so that Aspen could pass.
Slowly, Aspen crept into his grandfather's bedroom, as if he were merely asleep and he didn't want to wake him. Quinn lay there, with his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips. He had spent his last moments with his wife, and had been so relieved that Aspen wasn't going to be there when it was time. His last words had been a simple, "I love you, Lumi." Before death finally took him. He hadn't been in pain, and went peacefully.
"Grampy!" Was all that Aspen could moan, before he finally crawled into bed and clung to his grandfather, sobbing into his shoulder. It was still warm, so he pretended that Quinn really was just asleep.
Eventually, Aspen fell asleep in his grandfather's bed. He didn't know when, or who, but somebody had scooped him up and carried him to a separate bedroom. Aspen couldn't fall back to sleep though. He lie there, feeling so incredibly guilty and upset. It didn't matter how many times he was told it wasn't his fault.
Aspen killed his grandfather.
