Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 21: Curiosity Traumatized the Cat

[CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF GORE]

Merida woke the next morning to the unpleasant absence of warmth. Eyes closed, she ran her hand along the mattress, and frowned crankily when she realized Kenedra was no longer lying beside her. A soft giggle told her the feline wasn't far, and she felt Kenedra's hand gently take hers.

"Good morning, love." Merida opened her eyes and smiled a little, pleased to see Kenedra's sweet, adoring expression. She had been sitting on her stool, a partially painted canvas in front of her.

"Morning..." She muttered sleepily, releasing Kenedra's hand to sit up. She felt her wool, still surprised by how short it'd become with the latest incident. "How long have you been up?"

"Only an hour or two." Kenedra shrugged, resuming her work. Her painting skill had gotten better over the last few months, but still left a lot to be desired. At least the shapes she'd painted were discernible. Trees, bushes, and colorful flowers along a lake. "I thought it best to let you sleep, you were quite restless last night."

"Sorry about that."

"It is alright." She waved a hand then leaned forward to add a few more speckles of blue paint into a bush. "You will be resuming your training today, yes?"

"I think that's the plan." Merida stretched her arms and slipped out of bed. She grabbed her fleece, pulling it on and fastening it.

"Do be careful. I can only imagine your training will become increasingly dangerous from this point."

"I will." Merida smiled and walked over to hug an arm around Kenedra's shoulder. She kissed her head, causing the cat to giggle. "You're getting better at this." Merida nodded towards the painting.

"You lie." She laughed a little.

"No, I mean it." Merida insisted with a grin, "That's a plumbago bush." She pointed out the bush Kenedra had been painting. The cat beamed.

"It is! I suppose I have made some progress."

"See? I wouldn't lie to you." Merida chuckled.

"I love you." Kenedra purred, resting her head against Merida.

"I love you too." Merida returned the sweet sentiment and leaned to place a soft kiss on Kenedra's lips.

"Hm, go now. I am sure Father will want to resume your training soon. I will have breakfast later, I am too focused on this." Kenedra smiled.

"Alright." Merida sighed. True, she was eager to progress further, but she wasn't exactly thrilled about leaving Kenedra's side. She released Kenedra and exited the bedroom. The smell of a freshly prepared breakfast drifted in the moment she opened the door. Merida entered the kitchen just as Narinder put the stove out. He glanced back at her.

"Good morning, I was about to wake you."

"Morning. Kenedra said she'll eat later, she's caught up in a painting."

"Very well." Narinder set a plate of food down for Merida and prepared tea for both of them. Merida began eating, her mind on her training.

"How much more do I have to learn?"

"Well..." Narinder began, stirring cream into their tea. "After you learn to properly utilize the fire curse, we will begin work on the chain curses."

"Is that much harder?" Merida asked, taking the cup of tea he handed to her.

"It is more difficult, yes. It is also far more dangerous than fire."

"How is that?" Merida raised a brow. It seemed to her that the chains were far more passive. Afterall, Narinder used them, more or less, in place of rope. He used them to hoist targets, and to save her from that fire blast.

"You have not seen the damage that can be done with them. They are a specialty of your Uncle's." The information was enough to convince Merida that they could be dangerous. Baal's fighting style was very aggressive compared to Aym's more strategic approach. If Baal preferred the use of the chain curse over fire, then it must be more aggressive.

"Alright, is there anything else after the chain curse?"