Chapter 26: House United
She stood there staring at me and slowly began to back away. I huffed a little smoke at her and she booked it. ( I guess I changed so much that she doesn't recognize me.) I started following her slowly. It was easy as I just followed the smell. It was something that had changed over the years, but not enough for me to not recognize it. Fireplace smoke, flower tinted perfume, and soft smooth silk.
I went deeper into the forest following it's trail. Past that cats boundary. Past the areas I knew best. I started to leave claw mark's so I knew which way to come if I needed to find my way back. As I proceeded I suddenly felt something in my mind, a pull of sorts. "HELP ME!" A feminine voice seemed to shriek. I immediately booked it forward. I found Sam at the base of a small cliff surrounded by wolves with silver pelts. She was a little ragged with a cut on her cheek and a twig in her hair with a broken branch in her hands.
( Still clumsy as ever.) I thought as I went over the top of the cliff and down wind of the wolves. The wolves hadn't noticed me as they were focused on their prize. And that was their mistake. I launched myself for their rear and landed dead middle of their group.
With a flurry of whipping tail, flashing claws, and flame. Before they could even comprehend what was happening 3/4 of them were dealt with while the last 1/4 ran away yelping as I kicked away a smoking corpse. I turned to Sam who was a little worse for wear. Her top has a few small tears that were easily mendable and couple smudges of dirt of her face and knees. She sat there trembling as I came close. She was obviously tired from running and her eyes closed as she seemed to accept her date.
But of course that would be the case if I was actually a monster. And having not seen her in ages I decided on a soft approach. I laid down in front of her and put my head on her lap. "Huff" I puffed out a little smoke right into her face making her cough. And after a moment she opened her eyes and stared at me.
She was stunned. She didn't move. I thought for a second and tried what I thought could work. ( Samantha.... Why are you here.) I thought as openly as possible. Her face cringed a little after I thought that. "Get out of my head! HE'S DEAD!" She thought as she grabbed the sides of her platinum hair.
I continued to look at her in silence for a moment. ( Dead? I'm right here. Unless that's what you want me to be which I will heartily decline.) I responded with another huff and more coughing ensued. She stared at me in her lap. A sad yet yearning gaze met mine as I rolled onto my side away from her so my horns didnt dig into her. And showed my belly.
"Why are you so friendly to a human like me?" She said as she reached out and patted lightly. I quickly reached up with my six legs and pulled her into a hug while I rolled onto my back. "Eek!" She stiffened. After a while she softened. This is something I would often do when I played with Sam. Though at that time it was just her hand that I could fit in my grasp when I was smaller. I suddenly felt a hand on my lower jaw. "You.... are Ignis aren't you." She pondered. I nodded my head slowly. Her eyes teared up and she started crying.
" They told me you were dead! They told me they got rid of you to save me! Sniff sniff Waaaaaaaaah!" she cried as she hugged me curled up on my belly. Her tears trailed across my warm scales as she let out her emotions.
I laid there for a while cradling her gently while she cried herself to sleep. Her breathing evening out with small sniffles every once in a while. After making sure she was asleep I rolled and got her slowly put on my back for the ride back to the hollow. I had to go slow so she wouldn't fall off.
I went back on my route up the cliff and followed my claw marks back to my den in the tree. Thankfully monsters had left us alone seeing as I was an alpha of an area now. Not a big area. Just around my home.
My den's opening now felt much smaller than previously with Sam on me though so I had to fix a few things.
I had to place Sam down to make some adjustments for her and I to fit. I moved the bark I used for the door and widened the doorway by scratching out more of the ground. I dug deeper into the floor and leveled it to give us more height to deal with. Unfortunately I didnt have blankets or a bed to offer so I gave her the softest pile of leaves I managed to gather and put them near the well and under the most shaded part of my den.
The sun setting and the dark arrived to the howling of wolves and the roar of nocturnal beasts. Even as an Alpha I preferred to stay in at night. It's hard for a cold blooded creature to stay warm when the sun is gone. Sam woke up not long after the howling started. It seemed to take her a minute to understand her surroundings as I had moved her while she slept.
She slowly sat up and realized how low the ceiling was. Her hand tracing the clawed clay that had hardened. The smell of soil and ash met her nose as she adjusted her senses. She wasn't freaking out which I was really grateful for. But I still wondered what she would do next.
She looked around as saw me at the door (The ever faithful guard dog) and slowly moved over to me. She crouched low but thankfully I had managed to make enough room for her not to have to crawl. So I had done something at least.
I lifted my head to meet her eyes and look on her face showed consideration but also surprise. "Is this where you've been living?" She asked as she looked around and I sat up a bit more as s I nodded. "Why didn't you come back?" She asked as she gave me a sad look.
I felt a tinge of regret and turned to face away from her. { I didn't know where to go. He sent me here without warning and to a place I've spent who knows how long surviving in. I had no idea how to get home. Let alone where home really was. Or if I'd truly be welcome back there.} Sam looked at me with a slight angry glint. "He?" I turned back to her. {Your Father. Didn't he tell you anything?}
Her eyes turned a tinge of red as her teeth clenched. "Let's get you home." She growled and my head reared as my eyes lit up at the mention of home. Back to the mansion with its decadence and majesty. Away from all these creatures constantly trying to take my head.... My mind was racing. Back to some form of a peaceful existence? Yes!!!!!! Back to wonderful meals and spices! Back to a warm place and a bed by the fire! But wait.... Sam's condition. It was so bad I had to be sent far enough away for her to live a normal life.
{I can't. I was sent away so you wouldn't get sick. I can't risk that happening again. You know that right?} I thought as I looked her in the eyes and laid back down.
She frowned. "I improved myself enough to offset any progress you make. And I know how to make sure that situation doesn't happen again." She poked my side.
"And I'm not leaving you here for another moment more. We've spent enough time apart. It's time you come home." She said.
I let out a small snort as I pushed open the door and exited my den. Sam followed not long after. I suspect that my den really didn't suit her as she had a harder time managing through the door but all the same. I wouldn't be coming back here any time soon.
I looked upwards staring at the tree and honking of the time I've spent here. Sam stood and stretched before looking into the trees branches. She noticed the star covered fruits hanging from the boughs it didnt take much convincing to get a wok full of fruits for the road. I had gotten everything I needed and wanted from the den tied to my body with thick vines before we began the journey home.
I lead Sam out of the forest to the closest road. The crunch of warm gravel under my claws was a nice feeling compared to the damp soil of the forest. Sam took out a map from her waist and after examining it we headed east. After the first 3 hours of walking I got Sam on my back to relax her feet a bit. I was used to this.
We crossed a prairie and finally met a cobblestone road. It's grey hue and pitted texture I looked left then right.
"Go left. That's the fastest way back." She said. I turned left and started running. "Ignis! The road is bumpy we'll lose the fruit!" I opened my wings and with a few flaps took to the sky. Sam could only hold onto the vines and squeal as I launched into the air. My beating wings forcing us to rise higher and higher as the ground below grew much broader.
I went higher and higher till the clouds were withing reaching distance. Sam's hands held tight to the vines on my back. She didn't want to fall. Not that I'd do anything to drop her.
Sam talked most of the way back to ease her nerves of flying. She talked about how Gerald joined the Royal Army and Bryant was going to The Royal Academy of magic. While she had been stuck at home. After I was taken she was forced through rigorous training. Enough to make her tougher than most people. Her skills with weapons was mostly focused on the war hammer. She didn't quite have a talent for the others. She talked about what her father told her when she woke up and I was gone. The told her they got rid of me. Killed me even, to bring her back to health. My power was too much of a burden on her little body. But after she got better she always felt that I was somewhere....waiting. The bond never truly broke so it was a nagging thing at the center of her mind. The problem was that a monsters soul can actually keep existing in the bond if they die. The problem is that the soul will drive the human mad if the bond is svered or cleansed incorrectly. Which is what people had been whispering about Sam after I was sent away.
But seeing as she could still feel something pulling her she came to find out what. And that's how she found me.
I continued flying for a while after Sam stopped talking. The clouds felt nice as we passed through them. The cold water cascaded from us and the cloud as we flew. The suns rays kept us warm against the cold winds as we exited the clouds. And after an hour or so we finally saw the mansion. It's tall walls and broad yards made it easy to notice as I lessened our altitude till we could see it clearly. Its green courtyards and white stone walls was like a great flag guiding us home. I slowly descended outside the mansion trying my best to give Sam a soft landing so she didn't end up on her ass in the grass. Guards shouted as they rushed the gates with pikes at the ready after seeing me.
"Halt! Who goes there!?" One shouted. Samantha came out from behind me with a very unimpressed look.
" Tell father I'm home. And open the damned gate you buffoons. This is my familiar. Let him through." She gestured at me not flippantly but quickly.
The guards laughed to each other.
"Milady. Your jokes are good. Your familiar is dead. We saw it ourselves."
I glared at the guards before moving forward and breathing bright hot flames onto the gates till the metal turned red because the guards weren't moving. "Yelp!!!!!" I heard one of the guards exclaim. I quickly slammed my body on the hot metal and bent it inward allowing Sam to enter.
"Thank you Ignis. " She smiled and patted me on the head. I followed her as the guards shook with fear by the wall.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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stone