Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Light Through The Darkness: Lyn's Conviction ❯ Light Days ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author’s Notes: My last English class involved writing a novel for the duration of the semester which pretty much made me break away from a lot of things. Writing for any other reason was one of them. The best I can do is apologize (Sorry!). I wasn’t sure If I was even going to continue with this after all of that but I don’t have much more planned for this anyway. Just 2-3 more chapters unless it becomes really popular out of no where for some reason, won’t happen. ;p


Much of the first week of summer was spent engrossing myself in the many books around Reika’s home while my leg healed. The books taught me much in the ways of these humans. There was much more to them then perceived at first glance. The stories showed both light sides and darks sides to them. For some reason though every book left some kind of good impression at the end though. Like a hero would some how rise up against all odds and even though defeat seemed eminent, he still wouldn’t give up. In the end courage and willpower made them conquer any situation. However the darker stories she had seemed to always involve humans from treacherous pasts, an easy example would be one like mine. Forever being hunted and becoming deranged and murderous because of it after losing sanity. Some of the said books had endings in which the protagonist was able to befriend someone or many people throughout the story and somehow change. It made me wonder about how I’d have ended up having never met Reika, most likely dead or worse.

The nights and mornings were sometimes spent enjoying the views in the sky around the outskirts of her home. It was a very peaceful wilderness here. Even her animals roamed around outside the house freely unwary of predators. Before I met Reika they would have been perfect meal opportunities but now they seem like friends as well. Years ago, whenever I came close to an animal it would growl or cower away in fear. Reika’s horse in particular seems quite fond of me now though. Often I will find myself walking around and he will show up looking for attention. It brought up some of the things I read in books involving animals and auras or instincts. Maybe I’m emitting some kind of aura that is more peaceful then it once was and my presence no longer feels intrusive to them. It’s hard to say really.

The days and afternoons we worked the garden and small fields of crops that she had around, not to mention take care of my new animal friends. Never realized it before but for this young woman to take care of all these things by herself day by day, she must be really strong and energetic. Occasionally I’d steal glances and become enraptured by her sparkly performances in the field as the sun glistened off her wet clothes. If we weren’t working the fields for the day we would usually spend it walking, talking, or every now and then fishing.

The summer also had its awkward moments. For example our first night together, she insisted I sleep in the same room as her but I couldn’t bring myself to agree for some reason. The emotions I had at the time were completely oblivious to me as to their reasoning. Looking back on it now, I was just some fool in love unknowingly. After the many readings it became evident to me and my actions seemed to change according to the situations I had read about. I ended up sleeping in the living room on her wool couch for the first week. After my leg and wing healed I ended up sleeping on the roof. After so many years spent in the outdoors, it was hard sleeping inside and the roof was surprisingly relaxing.

One summer night, Reika tried to surprise me on the roof by climbing up the vines of the shrubbery growing up the side of her house. She’s so light that it must not of bothered them. As for how I knew she was as light as a feather, I’ll get into that in a moment. Of course my heightened senses as a demon made her effort to surprise me a lost cause but we ended up conversing while laying on the roof that night. At one point she reached her hand up as if to grab the moon and spoke of the stars and their beauty. Shortly after that I stood up and took off the overcoat that covered my wings spreading them out fully. I turned to her and snatched her up taking off into the sky. At first she was quite scared, wouldn’t open her eyes while begging me to take her back down. I managed to persuade her to open them though and she didn’t regret it.

I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to fly very long carrying her when I took off but she was very soft and light. Actually I was kind of embarrassed and lost myself at times while flying around holding her while she was talking to me about how pretty everything looked from above. We didn’t fly around very long; I didn’t want her to catch a cold. I can handle cold and hot temperatures a lot more easily then her. She was having so much fun that she didn’t even feel cold till I let go of her back on the ground to the front entrance of the house. We stood there for a moment and she ended up thanking me. It was clear we both wanted to say more but were unable to. Bound by are differences perhaps, like an ever-present barrier that can’t be seen or touched but still perfectly aware of it. She turned her head back to me one last time before entering the door. At that moment I longed to tell her my feelings toward her but just couldn’t bring myself to do it cause of that barrier. It may have been the same for her, I really don’t know.

Later that night she climbed back up on the roof with her bed blanket and told me that she couldn’t sleep. We ended up sleeping on the roof that night together under the blanket, my right wing acting as an extra blanket for her. She went to sleep quite fast after that but now I was the one that couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t help but gaze at her from aside. After that night I agreed to sleep in her room but on the floor with the window open. It seemed to work quite well till I’d wake up to find her beside me shivering on the floor underneath my wing and the blanket again. It was becoming colder as winter closed in and we decided to shut the window for good and to both sleep on the bed with extra blankets.

How could I forget our many town visits? We went into town to refurbish tools and stock up on supplies regularly. I’ve met many of the people and their children there thanks to that first day in town. They all really seem to enjoy my presence now, not that they didn’t before hand or anything. We’ve even gone to the tavern a couple of times for songs and dance and on one separate occasion, drinking. I’ve also learned that Reika does not handle her liquor well… At all… but that for another time perhaps. It does however seem that my so-called bad luck or aura of negativity seems to have all but vanished.

My life as a wanderer had surely ended but every now and then I’d take off into the wilderness without telling Reika. In a book I read, the auther called it “The call of the wild”. It’s some kind of instinct for life forms that have lived in nature long enough. I’d always come back to find her in distress but she would always smile and say welcome back as if it was nothing. I decided it would be best to let her know about it from now on.

The cold was getting worse and worse, well at least for Reika it seemed. Her house had a place in the middle that had stones around it and a small hole in the ground for a fire. It was a relatively old house, there was no chimney but the house had many air leaks in the ceiling so supposedly smoke would go right out. There was a table covering the hole and stones during the other seasons. Which brings us to today, I decided it would be best to go out and chop firewood for her. I had guessed that she normally cuts some before winter but she spent too much time with me, leaving me feeling somewhat guilty.

“Reika, I’m going to go cut some firewood. Some of the locals in town said it would likely start snowing tonight. I think some firewood would really help keep it warm.” I told her.

“Ok, but please don’t stay out too long.”

Her reply gave me all the warmth I needed for the job or so I thought. Just as I had entered the wilderness with the axe it began to snow. Yes demons can handle cold better then humans but we can still freeze to death. I didn’t want to go very far from her house but I also didn’t want to chop any trees near it. I felt like that would ruin the surroundings so I ended up venturing farther then I probably should have. A tall but not very wide oak tree became my target for the night. I laid the large burlap sack to the side and began pounding away at it with an axe I’d brought and after many hours succeeded in chopping it down and sectioning three pieces for splitting. A bit more time passed between splitting the three pieces leaving twelve chunks of firewood for burning. I didn’t want to stay out much longer. It was unclear how much time had passed already. I loaded up the firewood into the large sack and made my way back. The snowing had gotten a lot worse and the wind had started picking up anyway so it was a good time to be heading home.

As I approached the house a familiar aroma of vegetable soup caught me off guard.

“I can practically taste it now… If its anything like the one she made the day I met her, I’m in for a real treat. Only this time I won’t pass out and will fully enjoy it!”

Just as I finished talking to myself there was a short scream. I was so preoccupied with the smell of food and talking to myself that I was unable to generalize what direction it came from. Throwing the sack over my shoulder, my legs took off full speed towards the house. As I approached the front door I could tell something wasn’t quite right. I picked up a scent trail of Reika towards the wilderness. I decided to trust my instincts before anything else and dropped the sack of wood in front of the door then quickly taking off in the direction of the scent. I was frantic. The scream I heard earlier was probably Reika. Who else could it be?

I was running so fast that occasionally I would have to backtrack to scent trail and follow it more sharply cause of the near blizzard conditions. I’d even stumble over things that normally I would avoid with finesse. It’s amazing how careless I become when Reika is in danger. Normally I would have my wits about me in situations like these but all that mattered to me was finding and ensuring her safety at the moment.

There was never a second scream, which worried me more and more. At least the screams were signs that she was still alive. I don’t know what I’d do if I ended up losing Reika. I could go mad, insane more like. It made me think of one of the books that I read where the protagonist lost someone special to them. That same protagonist ended up taking his own life unable to live without the special person.

“No! Stop thinking these thoughts, she’s alive, and I’ll find her!” I assured myself.

The scent was stronger now and there was another scent. A strange scent not familiar to me. It led me in the direction of one of the ponds I’d visited with her in the summer for fishing. It’s not that far of a walk from the house but it’s still not somewhere you’d go when you can’t see much more then 10 feet in front of you cause of this whiteout.

As I reached the pond I found Reika covered in heavy fur clothing clinging on to a tree and desperately reaching out to a luxuriously white-coated wolf that had fallen through the ice unable to get back up. Just as I was closing in there was a snapping sound followed by a scream.

I’m not sure exactly what happened at that exact moment. I remember screaming her name in my mind. Then coming to with my left arm holding the tree and my right arm wrapped around her body pulling her to safety into my arms.

“Are you crazy? You could have fallen through the ice and died!” I practically yelled at her.

“I know…! But… But…!” Stated Reika while pointing at the wolf.

It was unclear how long the wolf had been in the water but it wasn’t moving much. It didn’t have long left at this rate but calling it a wolf was wrong. Its eyes were a fiery demented red.

“That’s no wolf,” I stated picking up a large firm branch next to me and extended it out to its fangs.

“Bite it and I’ll pull you over.” I stated at the freezing creature dangling helplessly on the broken edge of ice.

The creature hesitated for a moment. It was as if it considered death instead of possibly living the situation out by accepting my help. I pondered for a moment during the brief silence as to why the creature would refuse then I thought back to the time Reika found me in the woods in an alike situation. Would I have accepted her help if I were conscious of it?

The so-called wolf ended up choosing life. It bit into the branch and held on as I pulled it over to safe ground where it lay rested.

“Is it alright? Its not going to die is it?” Asked Reika worried

“If we get it to our cabin and I get a fire going in time we might be able to save it. It won’t make it if it stays out in the cold.” I stated looking down at the wolf.

“Can you stand?” I asked it.

Reika was looking perplexed but it was reasonable. I didn’t want to tell her that it was actually a demon and go into an explanation here. This wasn’t the time for that. The demon tried to stand stiffening up on its front legs but the back legs gave way as it tried to raise them.

“It’s understandable, they’ve been in the water too long. If you don’t warm them up somewhere fast they will succumb to frostbite…” I lamented implying the grave importance of coming with us.

The demon nodded as if to allow me to pick it up. It was light, very light, less then Reika even. I wrapped my coat over it and around its hind legs and we hurried back towards the cabin.

Reika opened the door and I immediately laid the wolf down next to the hole. The table had already been moved. Reika disappeared into the kitchen coming back later with a small bowl of vegetable soup after re-heating it while I grabbed two pieces of wood from the sack and placed them among the hole with a pinch of hay for quick fire. After placing the bowl of soup next to the demon she came over to me and handed me a flint. Within moments the room was aglow with a radiant orange and filled with warmth. The demon was licking at the vegetable soup while absorbing the fire’s energy. Reika and me took off our wet clothes shortly after the gravity of the situation died down and joined it next to the fire wrapped in a blanket together like our first night in town.

I was so busy warming up with Reika that I didn’t even notice the demon was now staring at us with an astonished look.

“Don’t you think its about time you tell us your name?”

It just kept staring silently as if bewildered by us. The realization came to me shortly after looking back at Reika.

“Oh yeah, I got some explaining to do don’t I. Ahhh lets see,” I said shaking my head, “This is my friend Reika. She’s a human, I’m guessing you figured that out by now. My name is Lyn, and you’re probably aware that I’m a demon also. You know us so now… What’s your name?”

I didn’t have to look beside me to know that Reika was still somewhat confused. Me talking to a supposed wolf must look pretty silly. Even demons can’t speak to animals but we can usually judge their intents and actions a lot more perceptively.

“Sylvia…” Was the withered reply we received from the creature

“It can speak?!” Said Reika surprised.

“It’s a demon Reika. I can only assume it’s a demon talented in the arts of shape shifting. Like me I can look almost perfectly human except for my wings. This demon’s skills are very different though. They can fully transform into some creatures, I can only disguise myself as a human. What other shapes can you take up?” I asked.

“A wolf is the only shape I can make… besides human.” The demon stated as it proceeded to stand with the blanket still over it.

As it began its way up the fur began receding back seeping into the skin and the skin and bones started to mangle and mutate with lots of cracking and popping sounds forming into a young female human. I noticed Reika was somewhat terrified and covered her eyes and ears laying her head to rest against my shoulder.

The next moment I let her free she saw a young female human standing before us wrapped in the blanket that was covering a wolf earlier.

“You’re… You’re a female?!” Yelled Reika standing up and running over to Sylvia leading her to her bedroom.

“Guess I should have been expecting that reaction. Hopefully she has some clothes that fit her.” I conversed within myself.

Later they came back and Sylvia was wearing some clothes that looked like Reika’s from long ago when she was a child. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a soft white dress and who knows what else other then them. Sylvia sat back down in front of the fire as Reika went into the kitchen and came back with two bowls of soup for herself and me.

“Thanks.” I stated to her.

Her face was flustered and somewhat angry, she didn’t even give me a reply.

“Heh heh… … So uhh Sylvia how old are you and where are your parents?” I asked

“I’m probably close to 14 in terms of human age. As for my parents… …”

She became silent and stared into the warm blaze before her. Her eyes were wide and infuriated but you could tell she was in emotional pain, even with the angry stance she takes on it. This brought me to the stories I read again throughout summer. The protagonists with the ravaged past, they have trouble showing sadness and sorrow and instead replace it with anger and frustration. This would have been me before I met Reika.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to talk about it now. Just rest up and get better, when you feel like talking about it… Lyn or I would be more then happy to listen.” Entered the ever wise Reika after reading Sylvia’s complexion.

“Alright…” Replied Sylvia, staring at us.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I don’t get it. Humans hate us so why is Reika being so nice to me, and why are you her friend.” Questioned Sylvia somewhat infuriated.

“Am I not aloud to be nice to you?” Spouted Reika beaming her a smile.

The reply must have been enough because Sylvia sat there shocked for a moment then laid out and rolled on her side as if to sleep. Her hair was short and pure white almost as the snow outside laid out sparkling across the ground around her head mixed with the fire’s glow.

“I suppose we should sleep around the fire tonight, it’s quite cold out. Besides that it’s very late.” Insisted Reika while getting up.

She came back later with more blankets and laid one over Sylvia who was already fast asleep. She must have been completely drained after all that, who knows when the last time she had slept was anyway. Next she came over to me and laid one out across the ground and motioned me over. I laid on it and she joined me pulling a few over us as if it wasn’t anything special. I don’t know when it became so normal for us to sleep together like this. It just kind of happened one night and we just go with the flow now. That doesn’t mean my feelings for her have dissipated more like the opposite. Even now as she lay in front of me under my wing and the blankets, I have trouble sleeping and its not because I’m tired.

“If I had been a human… Would we be living differently? Would Reika see me in a new way? It makes me wonder. I want to touch her or caress her or ……”

Just as I was thinking to myself with my eyes closed trying to sleep Reika had curled up practically in my arms. I couldn’t tell if she was asleep or not but I dare not move for some reason. Instead I found myself slowly slipping into the dream world.