Feral Bonds

Chapter 37

Natania halted her pacing as Gretchen stormed out of the magical stone archway. "What happened?" Natania asked, walking to her side. "Did you get into the library?"

Gretchen didn't answer and Natania frowned at the unease leaking from her. "Gretchen?" When she still didn't speak, Natania grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop. "What's wrong?"

"You were right." Gretchen finally spoke, sounding half choked. "This is too dangerous."

"What did you see?" Natania couldn't imagine it was anything good if she was that shaken up about it.

Gretchen hesitated, staring off into the distance. "The future, if we don't change our course."

"What does that mean?" Natania growled, frustrated at how vague she was being.

"I don't want to talk about it." Gretchen pulled out of her grasp and started walking again. "Let's just go home."

"Did you at least get into the library?" They had to have gotten something out of all this.

"It didn't open," Gretchen said distractedly. "I didn't want to stay to find out."

Gretchen was distant over the following weeks, often disappearing to make phone calls that she wouldn't talk about. Natania tried to respect her wish to be alone, but she was concerned. Gretchen was acting like she was suffering some great inner turmoil, but she wouldn't talk about it.

"Don't worry," Gretchen reassured her several days later, without looking up from her computer screen. "I'm just trying to accept that it's over. I've spent so long with this one goal, to give it all up now..." She sighed heavily. "It's a lot to take in."

"Can I help at all?" Natania curled her arms around Gretchen's chest, resting her head on the human's shoulder. She still didn't know what Gretchen saw in the Hall of Fates, her companion wouldn't talk about it. Either what she saw in the trials, or the answer she got. Gretchen just kept repeating that she didn't want to talk about it.

Gretchen ran a hand through Natania's short hair. "Just being here is a big help," she murmured. Natania tilted her head at the tinge of guilt in Gretchen's voice, then shrugged. She probably imagined it. Gretchen spun in her chair suddenly, ripping herself out of Natania's grasp and said, "Enough work for today, let's go out."

"Where do you want to go?" Natania asked.

"Anywhere you want, what would make you happy?"

Natania bit back the "you do," that rose to her lips. "Ah, how about the carnival?" she said instead. "It should be open one more day." Natania had been able to see the lights, and occasionally, fireworks, from the balcony. She hadn't been to a carnival in years and it seemed like it would be fun.

Gretchen blinked for a moment. "That wasn't what I was expecting," she admitted. "But fuck it, let's go."

There was a childish delight in Natania's step as they bought enough tickets to go on every ride, twice. "These things sure have gotten expensive," Gretchen said, but she was smiling anyway. "What do you want to go on first?"

Natania gazed around at the bright lights, the iconic carnival music spewing loudly from speakers at every corner. "I've never seen half of these rides," Natania admitted. "So I don't know. Start at the corner and work our way in?"

They end up spending half their tickets on a ride where they leaned against a wall as it spun really fast. Natania was laughing so hard as they dizzily walked off the ride that Gretchen insisted they ride it again, and a third time, until neither of them could walk straight.

Natania sniggered as she plopped onto a bench, head still spinning. "I don't think I've ever seen you laugh that hard." Gretchen smiled as she sat down beside Natania.