Spirit Animals Shorts

Faya - Questions {Part 1}

By Meilin (references to Reilin - "Other People")

"Everyone knows it was you!"

"It wasn't me, for the last time!"

Finn sighed and twirled his utensil around on his plate. It was morning in Greenhaven, and the Greencloaks were lined up in the Great Hall and enjoying breakfast. Or, more like, trying to enjoy breakfast as a lover's quarrel took place at the head of the table, like always.

Meilin huffed, flicking hair behind her shoulder. "So, what, what other excuses do you have? What other fake excuses are you going to give us?"

Rollan had his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't seem nearly as scary as Meilin as he snapped, "They're not excuses, it just wasn't me! I didn't leave the kitchen in a mess last night!"

"Go on, go on!" Meilin threw her hands into the air. "Accuse someone else again! Who'll take the fall this time? Conor again? Or Finn? You seem unnaturally obsessed with him."

The young blond Greencloak turned red at the mention of his name, but mostly everyone was turning to stare at Finn. Finn froze. Why, why, why did you bring me into this?

Rollan was pale. "I - I - well, Finn - we saw that it wasn't YOUR legs he was interested in, huh?"

Finn's blood turned to ice. Rollan seemed to realize his mistake one moment later and slapped his hand over his mouth.

Muttering angrily, Meilin stormed past. She left a silence behind her.

It was broken by a curious Abeke. "Okay, what?" 

Finn shrunk into his seat. Rollan, I swear to Tellun, Meilin will punch you one day, and you will deserve it, you youngster ...

"When was Finn ever interested in anyone's legs?" Conor asked the silent room.

That was it. That. Was. It.

Drawing up his cloak, Finn ducked his head and escaped from the sea of eyes trained on him. He pointedly avoided the crystal blue eyes that was attached to a head of curly red hair.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Back in his room, Finn threw a suitcase across the room. It made an unsatisfying noise against the far wall and plopped to the ground.

Donn, tail high, dragged himself around Finn's legs, leaving a layer of black fur.

"Those young little Heroes will be the death of me," Finn told the panther, stroking Donn's muscular side. "The death of me."

Donn's eyes were accusing. He made a noise that wasn't exactly a growl but wasn't exactly a purr, either.

"What? What did I do?" Finn sat on the bed. "Maya? The two of us were just talking after we had night-watch duty together. We were heading to the bedrooms - to our SEPARATE bedrooms - and then we just dropped by the kitchen. That's all."

Finn saw the look in Donn's eyes and imagined what he would say if he could talk. Why did you pick her up? Why were you embarrassed? Why would Rollan think you were attracted to someone's legs?

His face burned. "I'm not! No one is attracted to anyone here! Stop talking about it!"

There was a very quiet and stifled cough. Finn's head snapped up to see that his door was slightly open, and a very concerned Lenori was staring at the duo.

Finn opened his mouth but found he had nothing to say. 

"I talk to Myriam for hours." With that, Lenori walked along without another word, closing his door for him. Straining his ears with Donn's help, he could hear a low chuckle.

He splayed onto his bed like he had done back when he was a young child. "I'm not leaving this room today," he said to Donn. The panther had stretched himself luxuriously across the bed next to him. "I'm on a bad luck streak."

He thought back to two nights ago, when he and Maya had been walking back to the wings after a few hours of guard duty on top of Sunset Tower.

~ ~two nights ago~ ~

"The stars are so, so pretty on clear nights like this," she giggled. Tini was perched on her shoulder and seemed to match her expression.

Finn looked forward and tried not to smile from ear to ear. Why did he even want to smile? He just felt... happy around the red-haired Greencloak. She reminded him of his old school crush, back before he had summoned Donn and become a Greencloak.

"They are," he agreed. He looked at her. A strand of bouncy hair had twirled around the wrong side of her head, getting tangled on other strands. Without realizing it, he reached out to pluck it free of the tangles. He only realized what he had done when Maya turned to look at him with wide eyes.

Flustered, he pulled his hand back. "I - there was a strand -"

Without letting him finish, Maya pulled the hand back and put it around her own shoulder. Heat rose in Finn's cheeks, but he didn't pull away. The turn for the bedroom wings was coming up, but Finn steered them away from it, heading towards the kitchen instead. He wanted to keep talking with Maya.

Maya's voice was light and sweet as always. "Has anyone ever asked you how come you pretend to be so cold?"

The question surprised him. "Um..." Funnily enough, there had been someone who had asked him that - his own youngest brother, Alec. "Yes. My youngest brother."

Immediately, Maya turned to look at him with guilt. "I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about your brothers. It must be hard."

"What?" Finn was momentarily confused. "No! No, no. It makes me feel better to talk about them. I'm... I'm done grieving." He winced, looking down where Donn's mark was. "I've seen what grieving does. Nothing good." 

Maya, relieved, turned back to him, this time laying her head on his right shoulder. "Oh. So, what did he say?"

Finn smiled at the memory. "He asked me why on Erdas I was so grumpy all the time if I wasn't even going to be a hermit when I grew up."

Maya laughed. "And did you reply?"

"Well - no. I don't answer a lot of questions."

"You answer mine!" Maya clung to his shoulder, but she was so light it didn't feel heavy. They turned another corner, right into the kitchen.

"I do, because you repeat them!" Finn said. 

He was right. Maya never let go of a question. "So, why didn't you answer?"

The truth was, back then, Finn had just been tired and wasn't up to answering his nagging little brother's questions. For some reason, he didn't want to say that to Maya. "I wasn't sure," he said instead. "I just wanted to -" 

Realizing that Maya's eyes had suddenly gone wide, he followed her gaze, to where two younger Greencloaks stood in the kitchen, staring at the two of them. Rollan and Meilin.

Finn was suddenly aware of Maya's arm around his shoulders, and his around her waist. Without giving a second thought, he tucked his other arm under Maya and swept her off her feet, rounding the corner and half-carrying her to the next end.

His heart thumped in his ears. What on Erdas would they think -

Maya jumped out of his arms in surprise. She stared at him. 

"I'm sorry -" Finn began, but mischievously smiling for some reason, she bounded down the hall, curls flying out behind her.

He hadn't followed.

~ ~present~ ~

"I know, I'm clueless and stupid," he said to Donn, who was dozing off. "But you've never been in a more awkward situation!"

"Hello?" A sudden voice at the door made Finn jump. The bed creaked beneath him.

"Yes?" he called, voice cracking slightly in surprise.

The voice responded after a few seconds, like it was hesitating. "Finn, it's Maya. About this morning..." 

To be continued ~~