The feeling of walking through the path in simple robes instead of the long, dragging whitish ones was rather weird, but Farin was happy to have an easier time walking for once. His nervosity was rising steadily with each step. He had walked this path several times already, but this time was different.
When the cave opened up, he glanced around, clutching his bag. Singing birds and rustling wind, the whole atmosphere was serene. Carefully he resumed walking, inching forward. Only the first few meters of the area were even and open, after that plants were covering the floor like a beautiful carpet, a forest slowly forming with healthy trees. He couldn't actually see that far with the forest hindering him, the colors blending into blotches the farther away he tried to see, and was too wary to wander off, so he merely wandered around the edge of the cave.
I don't know if he can notice me when I'm coming at a different time than usual... I will just wait for a while and leave if he doesn't appear.
The worry was unfounded. Mere minutes later, the soft ringing of bells attracted Farin's attention. Excited, he took two steps into the direction of the sound, staring right into the thick forest. With the sound of the bells rising, a familiar shadow appeared.
Step by step, the tall Alvarr approached, tail swinging calmly behind him and ears turned to his back. A whistling sound came out of his throat as his tail curtly swished over the ground.
Alvarr settled in front of Farin, who was smiling, before turning his head back. Another whistle sounded, then several mewls answered from the bushes.
One, two, three... Seven tiny figures hopped through the grass, mewling like little kittens, limbs uncoordinated as they stumbled forward, tugging at the adult Alvarr when they finally reached him. Going by looks the children were only three or four years old, staring up at him with wide, brown or golden eyes. Just like their adult companion they had horns - though tiny - growing on their heads in different variations and long, fluffy hair. Ranging from brown to black with reddish tints, just like a southerner, they would easily be able to hide in the ground with their green and brown clothes.
All seven little kids had violently moving tails, like puppies wagging at Farin, their eyes full of fascination.
"Oh my god", Farin merely stared, squatting down and being stared back at, barely holding back the urge to drag one of them over. Seeing him squat down, the mewls began anew, along with continuous tugging at the adult Alvarr's clothes who promptly sat down on the ground in front of Farin.
Fixing his pants, Farin shifted his legs to sit down as well, coaxingly calling out to the little ones. Alvarr suddenly grabbed one and held it up, holding it into Farin's direction while blinking and saying something. Delighted, Farin opened his arms, just to suddenly have the curious child placed right into his arms.
"Hello there!", he called, hugging the little girl who started growling lightly while rubbing her head against Farin's chest. It took him a moment to identify the growl as more of a purring sound before he began to let his fingers slide over the girl's head. Her tail whipped against his legs.
Alvarr said something, prompting all six other children to jump the step forward and tug at Farin, then at his bag.
"I've brought you something, but let the adult decide whether you can have it." Laughing, he fished out a type of sweet bread, holding it to Alvarr. The man's ear twitched, then he reached out and took the bread, blinking and looking up at Farin. The carrier made a biting motion. "It's food."
Alvarr didn't seem to be worried that Farin was going to poison him - or maybe the mere concept was nonsense to him - so he bit in right away, a satisfied sound escaping him. Instantly, the children ran right back over to their companion, trying to get the bread, excluding the little girl that clawed at the bag from Farin's lap. Wordlessly, Farin took out more, looking at Alvarr who gave his piece away to show that there was no problem in sharing it.
In seconds, Farin was covered in munching children, chuckling at the sight and the low rumble of their purring. He looked over at Alvarr, whose tail was still elegantly moving in the air.
"I guess that means you're in a good mood", he said, watching the movement. "Sorry, I don't have a tail, so I can't return the gesture."
Whatever the God understood from that sentence, he shortly halted, then a soft smile tugged at his lips. Pointing at the children, he said a single word.
"I'll interpret that as 'thanks'." Happy, Farin enjoyed the sight of the short-lived smile as long as it lasted. Contrary to him, as a human, the smile seemed to be a conscious effort for the Alvarr.
It suits him a lot, but he looks much younger when he smiles. I wonder how old he is, compared to me? Do their ages even work like a human's? Who knows, these kids might be older than me.
He looked down at the fluffy, curled up balls covering his legs, and found the thought rather ridiculous. This was more like a nursery.
Hm? Actually... Is that it? They don't look like they're related to Alvarr, is he just watching over them?
The movements of his eyes, glancing back and forth between children and Alvarr to compare, was caught by the adult. His tail flicked. After another second or two, the adult God moved one of his feet, causing the bells around it to jingle.
In an instant, all seven pairs of eyes were focused on the bells, bodies still and ears perked up. When their companion didn't move again, the children resumed eating and playing.
"Ooh, that's useful... So the bells are used to make sure they know where you are?", Farin wondered out loud. Except for the bells, he had never heard a single of the other's movements. No cracking of branches or rustling of leaves accompanied his coming and going. Thinking about his own loud movements, Farin felt a bit awkward.
Just as he was debating on how to make himself quieter, the children had finished their food and were now in the mood to play. Their mewls turned to occasional whistles, conversing with each other in cute sounding words.
Alvarr exhaled audibly. Crouching down, he stretched his body like a cat, lightly growling. The children perked up, jumping over to their companion and toppling him over with loud calls and play-bites.
The wild scene surprised Farin, especially since the otherwise so calm Alvarr was playing along, crying out when bitten and letting himself fall on his back before pushing the children off or pulling them into his arms. Joyful squealing filled the air beneath the setting sun.
Farin wondered if he should play along but soon discarded the notion at the sight of the large gashes appearing in the ground whenever the children curled their fingers. Even this small, their nails and teeth would probably tear him apart.
...I shouldn't overdo it. Watching is cute, too.
Like little kittens, the seven of them played with the adult to their hearts' content - which wasn't very long, actually, since their little bodies were soon tiredly curling up on the ground. Alvarr reached out to caress their heads, carefully rubbing his fingers over their flicking ears. The little ones yawned.
Farin lowered his voice. "Looks like they're exhausted."
He inched closer, carefully watching Alvarr's reaction to decreasing their distance while wanting to imitate the other's movements in caressing their heads.
Alvarr showed no sign of having a problem with it, even shifting his hand a bit so that Farin could see what he was doing that made the children purr so loudly.
Watching closely, Farin could somehow see the movement through the children's fluffy hair. So it's the area where their ears connect to the skin... They don't look like they're sensitive when touched there, Alvarr is being rather rough. He glanced up at Alvarr's face. Seeing him from the side, he could watch the furry, brownish ear turn, a golden ring pierced through the lower area.
Alvarr's golden eyes suddenly moved, meeting Farin's blue ones. Then he smiled - slightly stiff - before making a sound. First tilting his head, then leaning over, he held out his own head for Farin with an amused look on his face.
Farin was stunned. Ah? Does he want me to scratch his ear? Is that okay to do for an adult?
His hesitation only lasted for a moment. Oh well, temptation.
He lifted his hand, fingers carefully approaching Alvarr's ear. The other's hair tickled like fur on his skin, soft to the touch.
Happy, Farin let his fingers slide over the twitching ear, then using his fingernails to lightly scratch over them. The soft sensation made him want to just let his fingers run through the man's hair over and over again.
The growl made him flinch. An instant fear made him freeze before his thoughts caught up with the fact that Alvarr's body language hadn't changed at all and that the sound was too different from the previous playful growl. In fact, it was more similar to the childrens' purrs. It was a weird moment.
As a human, he would never let anyone know so openly he enjoyed their touch. Even though he enjoyed hugging his friends or leaning onto them he never made it obvious or said it aloud, and the same went the other way around. Showing it bluntly was a foreign concept for him, which was why Alvarr's purring stunned him.
The children glanced up at hearing their overseer purr but didn't seem to find it strange, going right back to rest. Alvarr, himself, simply leaned in towards the touch. Embarrassment was flooding through Farin.
Hey, can you not look so happy at being touched by me?!
He still had to scold himself, though. After all, he wasn't pulling his hand away at all.
Just like this, he ended up staying in that position for minutes, much too blissful for his own taste. As a complete animal lover, he just couldn't help himself from touching that soft fur- well, hair. Anyway, it was a troublesome mix between a beautiful man with fluffy hair and furry ears, purring when scratched.
...He imagined the scene with any other person he knew and cringed. Indeed, under normal circumstances, this would actually be rather disgusting. It was only working out since it was an Alvarr, not at all possible with a human.
Soon, Alvarr tilted his head away and Farin hurriedly hid his hand on his lap. Alvarr merely turned his ear before looking at the little children on the ground. One by one he picked them up, making Farin gape once more.
One child on each shoulder, another that attached itself on his back, two on his tail and one in each arm. A ridiculous sight, seeing a man covered in children like that. The little ones complained at being picked up but settled into silence immediately afterward. Even the ones that were holding themselves on him out of their own strength didn't look troubled, like it was instinctual and effortless.
Alvarr steadied the child on his right arm to free his hand for a moment, making a waving motion.
"Goodbye", he said with a heavy accent, then blinking and tilting his head.
"Ah, goodbye!" Farin returned the wave and Alvarr turned on his heels with a curl of his tail, slowly walking back into the forest, the young human's gaze following him. He watched until Alvarr was blurring out of sight before he turned to look at his now empty bag.
"He can pronounce our words...", the carrier whispered, brushing some stray strands of hair behind his ears. The Gods' language was far from similar to his own and the times when Alvarr had imitated his words, the difference had still been striking. This time, he almost talked in the way of humans. "That's amazing. Maybe I can teach him."
The snacks inside his bag were all gobbled up, making it almost weightless and easy to carry. With one last glance, Farin walked to the cave path and took out his glowing gems to walk back. His steps echoed inside the cave.
The young man stopped in front of the door, trying to listen but then realizing that the door was simply too thick, refusing any sounds to pass through. He just had to hope no one was nearby. Generally, there really shouldn't be, since this area was off-limits for anyone other than the temple master and carrier. Ives was the stand-in, but he was an obedient young man who wouldn't go against the master's orders. He had no reason to be up here.
Outside again and glancing at the sky, Farin could already see the stars. It was a bit too dark up here so he had to slow down considerably, making sure he wouldn't break his ankle on the way down. Still, his steps were light, and a smile was plastered on his face.
Hair billowing in the wind, dark robe caressing his skin, did the lone figure begin his descent down to the temple through the lush green forest.
So cute~
Im meltinngggg....
Thank you for the chapters and your hard work!?
I'll be waiting for more! ????
I'm happy to hear that! :D there's definitely more to come
I find it quite interesting whenever a couple has a huge barrier between them like that - not just language or culture, but species barrier xD I like finding out how exactly they get along, and it's very nice to read both of their povs :D
Ded. Fluff overdose. Kaput.
Thanks for the chapter
