Salt & Pyrrha

A Changing World Novel

Chapter 07 - Dawn of a New Day

 

[ - content warnings: light mention of death - ]

 

I wake up to the sound of my phone's alarm blaring. 

 

Blearily, I fumble around on the air mattress until I find the phone under my pillow and finally silence the magical tiny horse cartoon opening theme music emanating from it.

 

I hear rustling in the silence that follows, and turn to find Pyrrha sitting up and staring at me. 

 

“What on Earth was that?” she asks, bewildered. 

 

I laugh a little, and the sound of my soft voice sends shivers of delight up and down my spine. Then I turn my eyes and ears to Pyrrha, and say, “That was my alarm for getting up in the morning. I’m sorry I forgot to turn it off! You’re welcome to go back to bed if you’d like?”

 

My tail thumps a little anxiously beneath the blankets. I always hate being an inconvenience to people.

 

Pyrrha blinks, then looks embarrassed. “I’ve actually been up for a while. So no worries, you didn’t wake me.”

 

“Oh,” I say, my mood brightening. “Well um, good morning!”

 

I sit up and turn to face her properly, pulling the sheets around my shoulders like a cape as I do so to keep out the morning chill.

 

“Good morning,” Pyrrha says pleasantly, “I hope you slept well?”

 

“I did,” I reply with a smile. “What about you?” 

 

She tilts her head a little, seeming to think on the question. I wait patiently for her response.

 

“Yes,” she decides, “that was probably one of the best sleeps of my life so far. This bed is so incredibly soft, I’ve been appreciating it more and more all morning.”

 

I feel a wave of relief wash over me. “That’s wonderful!” I say, “I’m glad you felt safe enough here to get such good sleep.”

 

Pyrrha’s eyes widen briefly, before she looks away and blushes. 

 

“I feel very safe here, Salt,” she mumbles, “You and your moms, your friends, I know none of you mean me any harm. And even though it goes against my instincts to trust so quickly, these have been fairly extraordinary circumstances. You’re the first people I’ve met in this world who haven’t shunned me the moment they learn about my past.”

 

I nod my head slowly. She scootches over to the edge of the bed, and mirrors me by taking all of the bed’s blankets and wrapping them around herself. She looks small and vulnerable, with a little frown tugging at the corners of her mouth and a furrowed brow. I find myself filled with a need to hug her. 

 

“Hey,” I begin.

 

“Y-yes,” Pyrrha says, cutting me off, “you can come hug me. I think I would like that.”

 

I stand up in a hurry, grinning widely. “Okay!” I exclaim. 

 

She holds an arm out wide with the covers grasped in her fist, pulling them aside so there’s room for me under the blanket cloak. I eagerly climb onto the bed and sit beside her, carefully wrapping both of my clawed arms around her waist and squeezing her in a gentle if awkward hug. 

 

She stills at the touch, but she doesn’t make any move to push me away.

 

“Is this okay?” I ask.

 

“Yes,” she says softly, “It is.”

 

“Good,” I reply.

 

Gods, I’m so glad this beautiful but traumatized cutie came into my life when she did. 

 

She tentatively drops her left hand down to my waist, returning the hug. I let go of her with my left arm and let it fall to my lap, keeping hold of her in a side hug with my other arm. 

 

“Thanks,” she says quietly, “I really haven’t had much intimate contact with people these past twenty some years, not really. Feeding is... it’s not exactly a situation where I can relax and be myself. So, um, what I mean is this is nice.”

 

I smile as I rest my head gently on her shoulder. “It really is,” I say softly, “I’m glad we found each other in that forest.”

 

Pyrrha stills. Emotion chokes her voice but she manages to get out, “Thank you, Salt. Me too.”

 

I squeeze her midsection gently. “You’re welcome, cutie,” I say.

 

Pyrrha leans her head against mine, and the both of us relax against each other. We stay like that for a while in amicable silence. The only sounds in the room our breathing and the odd whistle from the radiator in the corner. 

 

After a while I start to hear sounds from the kitchen downstairs, so I know one or both mums must be up already. 

 

“Would you like something to eat?” I say quietly. Then I grimace. “Doh, right, you don’t need food.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Pyrrha says with a smile in her voice, “but you should probably eat, right?”

 

I sigh, nestling my head a little further against her shoulder. “I suppose,” I say, “but I’m comfy.”

 

Pyrrha laughs lightly, and hugs me a little tighter. “Then you may stay here for as long as you like.”

 

“Aww, you’re too kind,” I say with a grin.

 

Pyrrha snorts. “That’s not something I’ve been called in a long time.”

 

“What, kind?” I ask curiously.

 

“Yes, it’s close enough in meaning to things my mater used to often call me,” the succubus explains. “I was her ‘ray of sunshine’.”

 

“That’s adorable,” I say.

 

“Thank you, it was a very different time and place,” she says wistfully.

 

“I can only imagine... Do you miss her?” I ask, “Your mother, I mean.”

 

“Every day,” she answers, “I lost her a few months before I set sail and wound up here. She was so kind to me, throughout everything that happened... your moms remind me of her, a little.”

 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I say, “but I’m glad you had a good mother figure in your life.”

 

“There’s no need to be sorry,” Pyrrha says. “Her memory, her story, it lives on with me.”

 

I pull back a little and look at her stormy gaze with renewed interest. “That’s beautiful,” I say.

 

She smiles at me with melancholy. “Thank you.”

 

I hug her a little tighter, then release her to give my tiring arm some time to rest. 

 

Maybe next time I perform Cindy’s spell I’ll try to up my strength, I think to myself. I’d already started doing the nightly prep spell again.

 

“So um,” I begin awkwardly, “what do you want to do today?”

 

Pyrrha’s eyes widen slightly. “Um, well, it depends on what you and your moms want to do? Like we could go get my clothes and things from the forest, but that doesn’t have to happen today. And I’m happy to go downstairs whenever.”

 

I nod. “I’d be more than happy to accompany you to the forest, and I’m sure one or both of my moms will too,” I say.

 

Pyrrha bites her lip, hesitating. “Salt,” she begins tentatively, “how long are you and your parents planning to help me, to house me? I’ll make myself as useful as possible, but I can’t rely on your family’s charity forever.”

 

I blink at her. And I know she can read my mind when I think, As long as you need.

 

“How can that be fair to you and your family?” she asks, perplexed. 

 

I shrug. “I mean, you seem like a pretty great person so far. My software engineer moms have enough income between them that we can probably house and feed you comfortably. We’ll have to consult with them first of course, but like, we’re all happy to help you find your footing I think,” I explain.

 

“What do you ask in return?” she asks trepidatiously.

 

I raise an eyebrow. “Nothing, though I do hope you look after yourself. Just let us know if you ever need anything,” I reply.

 

Pyrrha raises an eyebrow skeptically in response.

 

Er, I probably should ask my parents about that first I guess, I think a microsecond later.

 

Pyrrha smiles hesitantly. “Well how about we go downstairs and ask?” she says.

 

“That’s probably a good idea,” I admit.

 

The both of us embrace in one last hug, then we hop off the bed in unison. 

 

“After you,” I say with a smile, gesturing towards the door. 

---

We make it downstairs without issue, and find both my mums sitting at the kitchen table beside each other. A plate of pancakes sits in the center of the table, with two settings of plates, forks, and knives set out before the empty chairs on this side of the table.

 

“Good morning you two,” Sarah says cheerfully, giving us a little wave from the far side of the table where she and Mist sit.

 

“Morning mums,” I say with a smile, making a beeline for my usual chair across from Sarah.

 

“Good morning Sarah, Mist,” Pyrrha says politely, following me and taking the seat beside me across from Mist.

 

“How was your sleep?” Mist asks, raising an eyebrow at first me and then our guest.

 

“Pretty great,” I reply with a smile.

 

“Very good,” Pyrrha adds, “and yours?”

 

“As deep and dreamy as ever,” Sarah says with a smile.

 

“Yeah, what she said,” Mist agrees.

 

“You didn’t have to make us breakfast, so thank you very much!” I say, excitedly sliding a few pancakes onto my plate.

 

“You’re very welcome,” Sarah says kindly.

 

“We know you don’t need to eat Pyrrha, but if you want to try some you’re more than welcome to,” Mist adds, gesturing to the pancakes.

 

“Thank you,” Pyrrha says sincerely. She mirrors me by forking one of the pancakes onto her plate, and watches closely as I pour syrup all over the food on mine. 

 

“What’s the point of that?” Pyrrha asks, nodding towards the container of maple syrup in my hand. 

 

“Oh uh, it moistens the pancakes and adds a sweet flavor and stuff,” I explain. 

 

Her eyebrows rise, and when I offer her the syrup she takes it gingerly and carefully pours a little bit on the side of her plate.

 

She cuts a little piece of pancake off from the rest and dips it in the syrup as I’ve been doing, and the moment the food touches her tongue her eyes light up. She chews and swallows it with a beatific smile on her face, and immediately starts cutting up a second bite. 

 

“This is divine!” she exclaims.

 

I grin at her enthusiasm. “I’m glad you like it!” I say.

 

“So what are the plans for today?” Sarah asks, as Pyrrha goes back to eating. 

 

“We came down here to figure that question out,” I say, and I spare a quick glance at my succubus friend. Then I add, “And Pyrrha was also wondering how long we’re planning on housing and helping her, which isn’t a question I can answer alone obviously.”

 

Mist and Sarah exchange a glance. “Well it just so happens we were discussing that before you came down,” Mist says, “It depends on what you want to do of course Pyrrha, but we’re prepared to help get you on your feet. We can house and feed you for at least a few months while you figure out your next course of action.”

 

Pyrrha looks on the verge of tears. “Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your kindness,” she says with a wavering voice.

 

“You deserve it, sweetheart,” Sarah says. “Do you have any ideas on what you’d like to do with your life?”

 

Pyrrha wipes at her eyes with a sleeve. “I don’t know exactly what I’d like to do, but I think broadening my education would be a good start. There’s so much about this world I still don’t know.”

 

“Hell yes,” Mist says with a smile. “We can certainly help with that.”

 

“You mean there’s a chance we could go to the same school?” I say with barely-contained excitement.

 

Pyrrha smiles at me. “What do you study?” she asks.

 

“Computer science is what my degree is currently in, but I’m minoring in philosophy and psychology,” I explain.

 

Pyrrha’s eyebrows rise. “That all sounds incredibly interesting,” she admits.

 

“Maybe we can look at courses online together sometime?” I suggest.

 

“I think I would like that,” she says.

 

“Well I’m glad that’s settled,” Sarah says, setting her fork down on her empty plate.

 

I’m about to reply when my phone starts buzzing from its place next to my plate on the table. 

 

“Ope, it’s Carlos,” I say as I grab the infernal device.

 

“Better see what’s up so early,” Mist comments.

 

I get up from the table and walk towards the front of the house as I use my thumb to answer the call. 

 

“Salt here,” I say.

 

“Salt, my wolfby friend!” comes Carlos’ cheery voice, “I'm just calling to ask if you all wanted more company for fetching Pyrrha's things from the forest? Raya, Storm and I are all free today and can come help!" 

 

I pause in the doorway to the kitchen, and turn to look back at Pyrrha and my mums. I put the phone to my chest and ask, “Do we want friends Carlos, Storm, and Raya to join us today?”

 

My mums share a look, Pyrrha looks excited about the possibility. 

 

“That’s fine with us,” Sarah says, “though what should we do, meet at the park maybe?”

 

“And how do you feel Pyrrha?” MIst asks, “About people joining us I mean?”

 

Pyrrha turns back to look at her. “I would love to see them all again,” she says happily.

 

I raise the phone to the side of my head and twitch my ears to catch the faint sounds of breathing on Carlos’ end of the line. 

 

“Want to meet us at the park?” I ask.

 

“How soon?” Carlos inquires.

 

“How soon?” I echo to the rest of the kitchen. 

 

“About half an hour from now let’s say? Gives us time to clean up breakfast,” Mist answers.

 

“Half an hour from now?” I say into the phone.

 

“Perfect,” Carlos replies.

 

“See you there!” I say.

 

“Adíos, amigby,” Carlos says, and he hangs up.

 

I slip my phone back into my sleep-pants’ pocket, and walk back to the table.

 

“Well,” I say as I retake my seat, “looks like we’ll be getting the whole gang back together again.”

 

I take another pancake, figuring I’ll need the calories to keep up with everyone today. Mist and Sarah get up and start cleaning up their dishes and the cookware. Pyrrha’s already well into her second pancake now with no signs of stopping.

 

I smile, excitement for the day building within me. I’d get to see all my best friends in one place again! It is a rare event, and I figure Carlos and Raya might’ve taken sick days off to make it happen. I’d have to inquire quietly about that when I saw them, and thank them profusely if that’s the case. Storm is definitely missing out on study time, too. 

 

I shake my head a little, to dispel the annoying worries about my friends being inconvenienced and taking it out on me.

 

It’s about time I get showered and ready for the day, anyway, so I get up not too long after my moms had.

 

“Feel free to eat as much as you want,” I say to Pyrrha kindly, and she takes her third pancake and douses it with more syrup.

 

“Mmmf,” she says, “Thanks, I will.”

 

“I’m going to go get ready for the day,” I say, “If you need anything, I’ll be in the bathroom taking a shower. My moms should be around to help too.”

 

“Sounds good Salt,” Pyrrha says.

 

Succubus seen to, I make my way towards the stairs to get started on my morning routine.

 

It’s gonna be a great day.

End of

S&P 07 - Dawn of a New Day