flair: (Default)
yousei-san ([personal profile] flair) wrote in [community profile] metamorphosis2012-01-20 04:07 pm

289;

Title: getting better
Characters: Chien, Cer, Ber
Rating: G

25/365.

They're getting better at this.

Under the cover of darkness they sneak through the village; every so often, Chien peeks in through the window of one of the huts and watches two adults hold hands and talk in hushed whispers by the fire, glancing at sleeping children every few minutes to make sure they're still asleep. He pretends he doesn't wish he was in a warm house (in a warm family) as he slides by and looks for Cer and Ber. They're investigating a house on the other side of the dirt packed road, snuffling by the window. He heads over and peeks in, grinning when he finds the occupants asleep.

"Stay here. I'll be back with some food."

His brothers whine softly and he hugs them both reassuringly. He'll be quieter this time; they won't catch him again, he whispers, and climbs in through the open window. He's careful where he steps this time (broken glass scattered across the floor last time didn't do him any favors) and makes his slow way across the traps and tricks, wincing when he nicks his heel on a piece of glass and freezing when he hears a body shift. Nothing happens and he ignores the burning pain in his heel in favor of moving closer to the fire. There's a still-warm pot of leftover stew hanging over the dying embers and he carefully lifts the lid to smell it. His mouth waters and hedips a finger in it to taste, humming quietly in satisfaction. The lid's carefully placed beside the firepit and he moves on to see if there's anything he can steal before he lets his brothers in; three ripe, red fruits and half of a hardened loaf of bread wrapped snugly in his scarf later, he's carefully pulling open the door and pressing his fingers to his lips. Cer and Ber make their way in and lean against the pot with their front paws, back legs shaking a little at the exertion of having to stand up; Chien watches and waits his turn, keeping an eye on them and an ear on the inhabitants of the village. When they make their way over to him (going around the traps; they're able to see in the dark far better than he can, and it makes him a little jealous) he shoos them out and goes to see what they've left for him.

Nothing, as it turns out, and he shoots them a frown as he tries to replace the lid on the pot quietly-- it slips of out his fingers and clatters noisily onto the iron pot and he bolts, feeling glass tear and slam into his soles. He keeps pounding after his brothers as arrows fly by his cheeks, rolling into the forest and tearing through the brush and bramble. He doesn't stop until he hits home (the temple) and he collapses, feeling tears well up in his eyes. The soles of his feet weren't all healed from last week's glass barrage, and the old wounds split open in criss-crosses with the new; he spends the rest of the night pulling the bigger pieces out and scraping the smaller ones out of hiding with a knife, trying not to scream. Cer and Ber watch him and he can tell they're worried; he trise to smile and fails, and they lean against him and lick the bottom of his feet whenever they grow too sticky with the warm, red blood that keeps washing out with every new piece removed.

They're getting better at this, too.