Healing Ties (Ties, Book 2) | ✓

Chapter 30

It took Fanner a long time to get to sleep that night, but once he did he slept through until dawn. That was still probably fewer hours than he needed, and certainly not enough to make up for everything he'd been through in the last few days, but at this point just getting several hours of solid sleep felt like a blessing.

Danya had brought him some supplies, so Fanner found a comb in the bag and combed and braided his hair and then dressed in a fresh shirt and pants. The werewolves who lived here shifted so often and freely that half the time they didn't even bother with clothes, and when they did they were quite minimal. Maybe he would fit in better if he went around without his shoes or shirt on, but somehow it felt improper when it was him.

Yore had made it clear that Fanner was free to move around on his own, but he decided to wait for Slone anyway. No one had been aggressive towards him or threatened him in any way, but they weren't exactly welcoming, either. The way they looked at him, or refused to look at him at all, made him feel like they'd rather he wasn't there at all.

Slone seemed to be a bit of a night owl, though, so Fanner suspected he'd be waiting for a while. He set himself the task of cleaning the guest cabin he was staying in while he waited.

There were eight beds in the room, though Fanner was the only one staying here at the moment. To anyone else the room probably would have looked to be clean and in good repair, but a Companion had an exacting eye. Fanner noticed every dusty corner, every gouge in the wood of a bedframe, every smudge on the wall. Maybe nobody would notice the difference when he was done, but at least it made Fanner feel useful. At least it kept him busy so that the dark thoughts couldn't sink in too deep.

It was midmorning by the time Fanner finally heard a knock on the door. He went to answer it and was relieved to find Slone waiting for him.

"Ah, good, you look ready to go. Got breakfast." He held up a cloth wrapped bundle. "Put your shoes on. I'll take you to eat someplace nice outside."

Fanner grabbed the boots Lucas had given him, sat down on his bed, and started to put them on.

Slone stepped inside, his head slowly turning as he looked around. "You clean in here?"

"Oh, um! Yes, I—yes."

Slone nodded. "Smells different."

"Oh. Ah... that's not bad, is it? You don't, ah. I think scent based animals sometimes like things smelling a certain way, and—"

Slone waved the concern away. "It's fine, Fanner. Just smelled of everyone else who'd stayed here a bit. Nobody'll miss that."

"Oh, okay. Good." Fanner finished lacing his boots and stood. "I just don't want to accidentally do something wrong. I'm sure I will, though. I did constantly when I lived at Milaine House and there weren't that many rules and I knew them all, I just... I'd get distracted and forget what I was supposed to be doing and I'd mess even the simplest of things up."

"Eh, well, places like that have a lot of snooty rules, right? You gotta stand just right, or... I dunno. Guarantee you I wouldn't do too well at that either, but I'm fine here. Very different thing, right?"

Fanner nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain or dump all my anxieties on you."

"Ah, nah, go ahead. It's what I'm here for, really. Anyway, you ready to go?"

Fanner nodded.

"Hope you're up for a bit of a morning hike," Slone said as he led the way out of the cabin. "Gotta admit, I get a bit restless sitting around at home."