Something Wild (Child of the Winter Moon Book 1)

52: Doubts

As Eskel and Juray tracked their prey, Eskel softly sang the same song he'd sing to Aiden.

"De ole hen she cackled, she cackled on de fence... De ole hen she cackled, an she ain't cackled sence."

"What's that song?" Juray asked. "You used to sing that to Aiden."

"Some old hill-folk tune, perfect for hiking... My mom sang it to me."

"You remember her?"

"Just that silly song. Nothing else."

"Lucky."

"Still bitter?"

"Not bitter. Angry. I would love to forget having stuff thrown at me and called the White Demon and being reminded about how I was a curse and should have died at birth. How my birth father wished I'd been stillborn."

"Hmm. Good point. But at least you're taking it out on monsters and not being an asshole to everyone around you."

"Like Lambert?"

"Like Lambert."

Juray crouched down. "Landed here."

"Not very gracefully, look at the tracks. You broke its wing when you hit it with Aard, I think."

"Fled to its lair, looks like."

"Good. Means it's done fleeing. Gonna make a stand."

"Makes it more dangerous too." Juray stood. "Come on."

~~~

They finished off the forktail together, the two knowing how to use their strengths to aid each other.

"All right. Let's collect the spinal fluid and get outta here. Cut into its back, just below the skull."

"Gonna tell me which side of the knife to cut with next?" Juray asked as she crouched down with her knife drawn.

"The sharp one," Eskel said with a smirk as Juray worked. "C'mon, hurry up."

"Yen can wait five more minutes for this."

"Speaking of, why's Yen lifting the curse and not you?"

"I need the help. She has more connections than me." Juray finished collecting the spinal fluid and stood. "The curse was spoken in a dialect of Eldar I don't know how I knew the translation for. And the magic coming off Uma isn't anything I've ever sensed before. Even with my...", she trailed off. "Abilities, I can't pinpoint how to lift it on my own."

"That's the first time I've heard not call your extra abilities a curse."

"Because I don't know what it is anymore."

Eskel took Juray by the shoulders and turned her toward him. "It doesn't matter if your abilities come from a curse or not. You're still a damn good Witcher and you're the best at lifting curses. You've made a name for yourself and I'm proud to call you friend."

"You're so full of shit, Eskel."

"How? I'm only telling you what I think."

Juray gave a small smile. "Come on. Let's get back to the horses."

~~~