Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 8: In Bloom

The next few days dragged by. Each meal was incredibly awkward as Lydie naturally hung onto her anger with their father. There had been a few points where he attempted to bridge that gap, but she refused to listen to a word he had to say on the subject. Even Merida was unable to lighten the mood. Despite Aym's warnings, Cassius did not stop his attempts to visit Lydie. He continued leaving his letters as always, but he didn't try sticking around again which proved he had some sense. When their birthday finally rolled around, the party that Lydie had been so excited for did not at all live up to her expectations. The tension within the family caused the entire thing to be subdued, and it ended far earlier than originally planned when Lydie had another fight with Aym. To his credit, he did not lose his temper. Lydie was the only one yelling that time. The following morning, Merida fastened on her fleece, grabbed her staff and went out to find her mother. The Lamb was with Caxton on the grounds, they had been in the process of assigning new Follower's to their tasks.

"Mama, I am going to visit Kenedra." Mir̃alai furrowed her brow and Caxton did nothing to hide his distaste for the idea, rolling his eyes as he wrote into his book.

"Merida, I wish you wouldn't... Or at least bring her here."

"I can take care of myself, Mama." Merida insisted calmly. "I am more than capable of taking him on if need be, but you and I both know that won't be necessary."

"Still..."

"He isn't going to manipulate me, Mama. I want to go there for Kenedra, not him. If anything is amiss, I will let you and Nykka know."

"Very well." She sighed, "Just be careful, alright? When will you be home?"

"I am not sure..." Merida thought about it for a moment, "Tomorrow at the latest. It isn't often I get to see her, and the walk alone will take over an hour."

"Please do not stay longer without letting us know. You may be an adult now, but you're still our child. We just want to know you're safe."

"I know, Mama." She smiled and gave her mother a little hug. "I love you."

"I love you too." She managed a little smile.

The walk to Narinder's home went by much faster thanks to her newfound knowledge of its location. It also helped that she ran most of the way, unable to contain her excitement over seeing Kenedra again. When she finally made it to the cottage, she was surprised to see Narinder outside. He wasn't wearing the black robes he had been the last time she saw him, instead he wore a tunic and trousers. The clothes were dirty, with snags here and there, and the cat himself looked a bit disheveled too. Her confusion over his appearance resolved itself when she realized he was working. The black cat had gathered a sizable stack of lumber, and was in the process of chopping yet another log to add to the pile. She approached him with a little wave.

"Hey, Narinder..." She greeted him awkwardly. Her friendliness towards her family's sworn enemy somehow didn't feel right. He had been so focused on what he was doing that he apparently didn't notice her approach. When she spoke, he jumped a little.

"Oh. Hello." He returned the greeting plainly, and set his ax aside. "I assume you are here to see Kenedra?"

"I am..." She replied as she looked past him. The home appeared to be missing a section of wall, the gaping hole covered with stitched together hides. "What happened to the cottage?"

"Hm?" He turned to look where she was, then gave an understanding nod. "Ah, I am currently working on a renovation." He explained, looking back at Merida. "It only had one bedroom. So, I am expanding. For the time being, Kenedra is using my room and I am sleeping in the living room. I expect her room to be done in a month or two."