I'm not at your orders

a quiet evening

Evening came calm and serene, with the chant of a few larks echoing from the forest. Arya and Filip were returning from their training session, earlier than usual due to the stomach ache that had suddenly occurred to the child.
-What did you eat this time?- Filip carried her on his shoulder, walking through those green hills warmed by the light of the sunset:
-nothing- she said with her head dozing on his shoulder:
-should I ask Agnes?- he said, certain of when Arya was lying based on her tone of voice. She snorted a little, for which Filip gave her a sidelong glance:
-now you're acting offended? nice way of thanking me for carrying you on my shoulder-
-Ok, just don't tell daddy or mummy-.
-Yes, yes, I swear- he said immediately and Arya told about the episode of the cream puffs, to Filip's amazement for having eaten them all:
-Wow, you remember me as a child, it's crazy-
-did you eat a lot of cream puffs too? -
-not exactly- he said with a small grin: -but I used to get up to all sorts of mischief.-
-Daddy too?-
-oh yes, he was worse than me- Arya laughed amused, waving her dangling little legs:

-So you won't tell daddy? pleaseee, you and Nori are the only ones who know.-

-Nori?- repeated Filip in a confused voice, to which Arya confirmed again. He said nothing, continuing to walk, only to be intrigued by the small laugh that escaped from Arya:

-what?-
-pff, I gave him a bignet in exchange for keeping the secret and he immediately accepted-
-oh yeah? - Nori had an imperceptible grin: -very heartening to know-.

-uncle, you and Nori don't talk much, do you?-
-no, we don't-
-why? Nori is so nice- Filip thought about it for a moment:
-...there's no reason, we just don't have much to say to each other- once they reached near the House of Pania he made Arya come down, and then said to her:
-now go inside and put on your drops- she said nothing but hugged her uncle on the leg, as she was too short to get any higher. Filip caressed her head, appreciating the genuineness of that gesture, and then said goodbye and saw her go back into the house; it was always pleasant to be with his niece and every day he seemed to see her grow, improve her wolf form and become more independent, feeling a nostalgia similar to that of a parent towards their growing child, although he did not linger long for that state.

He took one last glance at the forest, watching it take on yellowish green and orange hues, and then observed a wolf emerge from the cluster of trees, carrying something indistinguishable in its mouth at that distance, though it was not difficult for him to recognise that it was Nori. He watched him run towards himself, or more presumably towards Sirius' study as the botanist's assistant and healer of the pack. His fur was thick and light, tending to yellow ochre on the giarra, and of the size of a beta. Given the evening hour, his fur seemed to be tinged with shades of light, shining even brighter amidst the green of the fields, and once he saw him climb the hillside their eyes met, Filip's blue and Nori's chestnut brown, framed by his ochre fur. Compared to the human form wolves were particularly big, and larger in size depending on their rank. In his mouth he held a pouch with contents unknown to Filip, but what really intrigued him was imagining Nori in his human form conversing with Arya, as if there could be some kind of harmony between the two comparable to friendship.

-'evening Nori- he said casually, but the wolf gave no sign of greeting, no nod of head or ears, by custom intended as a form of reciprocation, as he continued on his way towards the greenhouse, clearly ignoring Filip's words. He turned back, watching him walk away undaunted, puzzled by that behaviour.

How Arya could call him nice, he could not explain, but he did not like to see him act that way, as if he did not owe him any respect. Yet he couldn't say exactly when that indifference towards him had started: they used to see each other as children, since Filip often went to Sirius' to observe a collection of frogs and tadpoles for his studies, even if most of the time he ended up arguing with Nori, until as a teenager he had simply decided not to visit the botanist any more. Had Nori taken offence? No, it seemed absurd to him to believe so, as well as childish. In any case, it seemed intriguing to him to test and tease him, just to see how far his contemptuousness would go.

Nori changed back into a human in the studio and once he was dressed, he opened the bag inside, extracting some distorted and colourful mushrooms, then removed the stalks and worked with just the caps. He cut thin slices, then poured them into a saucepan of hot water so that they slowly released all their beneficial substances.
-Still working? -After a few minutes, Sirius lazily entered the study wearing an orange nightgown -it's just an infusion; for your shriveled bones-
-I already told you I don't need that slop-
-Sirius...let's be serious. You will thank me in the morning- He threw some dried root powder into the pot, infusing the room with a pungent smell:
-That doesn't cure old age, son-
-I know- said Nori, intent on filleting the mushroom stalks: -but you can still live a quality old age, can't you?- Sirius looked at him attentively, but finally resigned himself and sat down in an armchair nearby:

-Tomorrow is your birthday, Nori- the young man did not respond to that remark, continuing to mince the stalks:
-Take a day off; you deserve it after all, son- Nori filtered the mushroom water into a blunt cup, handing it to Sirius cautiously:
-I don't need it- The master blew from the cup and took a small sip:
-This is not a request, Nori- the boy looked at him astonished, but the elder continued: -Take some time for yourself. As a child, you always asked me to take you to the Source on your birthday.-
-'cause I knew we'd go together- Nori laughed, -now I don't think I'd like it as much as before- Sirius placed the cup on his lap, veiledly worried about the boy:-why don't you go with some of the pack guards?

-You want me out of the way that badly? - Niro countered ironically:
-I would say so- commented the old man
-good to know... but tomorrow they will all be busy with their chores, and I don't want to disturb them.-
-I don't think Filip will keep them so busy. Come to think of it, he also liked to go to the Source.-

-You are either kind or forgetful if that is your only memory of him- Niro closed the stems in a container with spices and ginger, keeping his head bowed over his work:
-obviously not. I still remember all the times he would break my plants and you would start a fight. I seriously thought you would have never stopped bickering, but fortunately you have matured-Niro didn't comment; he simply said goodnight to Sirius and then retreated to his room, tired from the day.

His room was not far from the study, large enough to contain armchairs, bookshelves full of books, a desk equally covered with books, a one and a half bed and a brocaded carpet in the colours of purple; everything Nori could wish for. The evening light filtered through the small window, giving a placid and intimate atmosphere to the space, effectively his refuge. He lay down on the bed, tired but thoughtful: he would have turned 29 the following day, although he felt no joy about it. Instead, he felt a state of melancholy for which he could not explain himself, but which caused him to cast his mind back to the past and which he was accustomed to extrapolate in his reflections in solitude. Over time, he had lost the pleasure of birthdays, as each year he noticed how Sirius grew older and more exhausted, although he sometimes joked about it, as he himself urged, although the differences in the years were becoming more noticeable.

On the other hand, Nori had come into Sirius's life at an already advanced age for the botanist, and the hardships of raising a beta male were certainly not few, especially on his own. His first birthdays with him had not been easy, often because Nori lamented the absence of his mother from whom he had separated at the age of four, but then slowly grew accustomed to the company of the botanist and his unusual cakes. Once he had baked him a carrot and red turnip cake, to Nori's obvious displeasure, followed by the threat that if he hadn't eaten it he would have been forever the size of a dwarf.

All in all, however, they had been fortunate to have happened to be in each other's lives and to fill each other's loneliness, enjoying the simple everydayness of life and the beauty of nature, as Sirius said.Maybe a trip to the spring wouldn't hurt, he finally thought as he watched the ceiling blur into darkness.