those bright crooked stars, man they're howlin’ out
thought you read them all right, had them all figured out
He hadn't questioned it when suddenly he was larger and stronger, built and toned and deadly. He'd been a little busy.
They were walking away now, successful and covered in gore as they left the others to crawl out of the ripped-open bodies of the beasts that had eaten them. His anxiety was hidden beneath an impenetrable mask he'd likely learned from his mother, the spy. All of his secrets were hidden, his face unreadable.
Beneath his skin, his heart hammered a thundering beat. He thought he'd felt naked when his wings had vanished, but that was nothing compared to this; suddenly large and full grown and specific parts completely visible to all, just hanging out there on full display for any wandering eye to see.
He just killed something. He should probably be more concerned with that. Or even that his sister was now covered in bone like their father.
There was one other that had survived the attack, and she walked up to them then with introductions. "I'm Dagen," he replied without inflection, falling quiet for Brazen to introduce herself. "Five pebbles," he added, explaining in short what they had been instructed to fetch and return to the mountain.
He walked further with them to their destination, an ocean of dark rocks littering the ground at their feet until the land met the sea. They'd found them and their next issue was to find a way to transport them. The stranger spoke again and his dark blue-black eyes flicked over to her, then to Brazen as he eyed her new armor speculatively. Carry them? In her bone plates?
Then she threw out another idea: they could paint mud on each other and stick the pebbles to it like glue.
"I'm not sure that would hold them for the long trip. We should combine that with another idea. We draw mud along our spines and find flat-bottomed ones to settle there, held in place better with the thick soil." Ugh, gross. He would absolutely be bathing after this. Soaking, even.
"And maybe we can embed them into some nooks in your armor, Brazen, with mud for you too to hold them."
They were in agreement and began their task. Brazen had already hunted hers down as they spoke, so they muddied her little nooks up and placed them inside. Mud was applied to each of them, and pebbles too. The five, flat-bottomed ones he’d picked were settled along his spine with their help, chosen with less specified care as the girls had chosen theirs. As was typical for girls, they seemed to gravitate to shinier ones, pretty ones, and as a guy, he simply didn’t care so long as it was functional and served its intended purpose.
When everyone was set to go, he checked them all over, then nodded shortly.
He led them carefully back towards the mountain, traveling once again in tension-filled silence. Each path ahead was scouted vigilantly with his eyes before he took the women on them. This was where his attention to detail was as specific as the girls’ had been when choosing their pebbles. He was glad they’d made it this far, sparing a brief thought for those other participants that they’d spilled from the bellies of the beasts.
As they reached their destination, Eurwen helped pluck them off his back and each of their pebbles was brushed free of debris before placed in careful piles for presentation. “Thank you,” he murmured to her, his voice older and deeper than he was accustomed to.
He lined up beside the girls, standing behind the pile of varied stones that had been his find. A couple were rounded and taller than the others, another flat like a skipping stone. The other two were sharp and jutted. All of them were of varying shades of charcoal and obsidian and grey, and their only shared likeness was the flat side that had served as their balance along his spine.
With a last glance at his twin sister, ensuring she was alright after this long journey, he faced the fairy with stony eyes and waited to see if they’d helped the world begin to overcome this widespread sickness.
learned every constellation, just to find where you're at