Unlikely Friends: Chapter 7

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“Have you travelled much in your life?” Icarus asked as he walked beside Milarose. They had Azrinal with them in a modified sling that rested over Icarus’s back, holding the child securely in place while allowing Milarose to keep his hands free. 

“Not as much as you have,” Milarose said with a light chuckle. “I doubt anyone has.” 

“In that we agree,” Icarus laughed.

Milarose glanced aside at the kainu, studying him for a long moment. He had a good laugh, nothing that suggested he had anything but joy and mirth in his heart. But Mila was still leery, unsure if he could trust what Icarus seemed to offer him.

“Of all the places you’ve visited, seldom have you traveled to cold climates,” Milarose pointed out. “Afraid to get your hooves frozen off?” 

“Ah, you’re observant,” Icarus said, his ears flicking in the direction of a bird they’d disturbed. “Cold and I are fair-weather friend. We are only ever together for as long as it takes me to travel to somewhere warmer.” 

“I don’t mind the cold,” Milarose said, looking out over the river to their right. “I miss seeing the sun glittering on the snow in the mornings.” 

They stopped together when Azrinal began to fuss, Milarose using a gentle hand to untuck the child’s whiskers from where they had been pinched. 

“Do you have children of your own?” Icarus asked cautiously. “You’re so good with them, it seems like you would make a good father.” 

Milarose glanced away and swallowed thickly before he said, “No...none of my own. It was never something I was terribly interested in. In fact, the idea of even committing to a relationship long enough for children to be an option was terrifying to me.” 

“Well something must have changed,” Icarus said. “You have more children than most would ever want.” 

He couldn’t disagree, but Milarose had to consider for a moment. Children would have been a challenge for him and the only partner he would have entertained the idea with, but he would have been willing to try. He had been that invested in their relationship…

“I met someone who changed my mind about whether it was worth the potential heartbreak of starting a family,” he finally said.

Icarus nodded in understanding, his eyes shadowed. He said, “I was always too busy travelling, learning, adventuring. When I finally found love, I wasn’t prepared for it. He wasn’t either, but we were both young and mystified by this new thing neither of us had felt before, and we got swept up in it. We didn’t see that there were others who disapproved...There were extenuating circumstances around how I had come to be near him, and I had to return home for a time. When I came back, I learned that he had been killed. He had birth defects and his people harshly judged those who were imperfect. They killed him for his imperfections as soon as I was not there to defend him.” 

The kainu stopped for a moment, his ears laying back as he swallowed hard. “I lost my mind...I attacked them. I’m deeply ashamed of the actions that I took and I live with that burden every day. I can only hope to one day do something that attones for my sins.” 

Milarose absorbed this information quietly, letting Icarus speak and get the words off his chest. It would appear that they both had traumatic pasts with partners, one stolen one fled. 

“That must have been very difficult to come to terms with,” Milarose said, choosing his words carefully. “You’ve done so alone, haven’t you?” 

Icarus nodded and gave his head a little shake so his mane settled a bit more comfortably. He looked aside at Milarose and said, “We both have, am I wrong?” 

“You’re not wrong,” Milarose agreed. “I’ve done so many things in my life alone, it’s just easier at times.” 

“It’s been getting harder though recently, hasn’t it?” Icarus asked. 

They both fell quiet, looking at one another uneasily as they considered what neither of them wanted to say. 

Icarus took a step toward Milarose, hesitant but not shying away. His whiskers reached out to touch the dracus, who flinched slightly but didn’t move away. Their whiskers found each other and felt along their shoulders and necks, eyes closing for a moment as they just enjoyed that small contact. 

A burbling sound came from the sling across Icarus’s back and the adults pulled away from one another before looking to see Azrinal blowing spit bubbles and making small sounds that seemed very much like a laugh when they popped against his lips and nose. 

“We should get back,” Milarose suggested. “He’ll need his nap soon and I don’t want the others to worry if we’re gone too long.” 

“Damn,” Icarus said with a smile. “Foiled by youths once more.” 

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