cobalt

cobalt :: 9

"Be careful. There's heult around here." Arsenic muttered, guiding Gallium and I up to the castle.

"Heult? What is that?" I asked, studying the vast size of the entrance unfolding before us.

"It's the line of defense here. Hopefully he'll sense me and know that I'm bringing you two here. He knows Gallium, though. We should be fine." A nonchalant response.

I felt chills for the first time since I found his journal. He was now calling this thing a "he." Not very reassuring.

Gallium turned and gazed at Arsenic upon hearing his name. Lavender eyes looked up into soft, blue ones.

"Έλεγα κορίτσι αστέρι για το πώς σας αρέσει το αφράτο θηρία." Arsenic was smiling down at the boy, ruffling his hair slightly.

A warm grin painted Gallium's face as his eyes widened in a boyish manner. He nodded his head and turned his gaze back to the path before him.

"Hey, Arsenic." I whispered, Gallium walking in the middle of us in an oblivious manner.
"Hmm?"
"What language were you speaking? What did you tell him?" I had to stop myself before more questions poured out of my mouth. This is the second time I've heard them converse in this strange history of words, and my curiosity was becoming hard to handle.

"Greek." He stated, kicking a pebble on the path of marble in front of us.
"You see, we've been in an alliance with Greece since ancient times. Our own language was difficult to teach to our children and outcasts, so we resorted to Greek." The castle was getting closer. Still no sign of any 'heult.'

"Gallium is similar to many others here; he has not yet adopted the English language. He can only speak and communicate through Greek and bits of German."

I looked down at the subject of our conversation, admiring the cheery smile upon his face.

"Why German?" I felt compelled to ask.
It seems we're too deep into this subject now to find out what he said to Gallium.

"Our ancestors were discovered in Germany." He smiled, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"That's our true home. I remember being there. It was a kind man who lent his hand to us. It's a very long story. Perhaps I can tell you later."

I felt the corners of my mouth tug upwards, and I succumbed. I was about to reply, but was soon rudely interrupted.

A large, furry beast tackled Gallium, who was in the middle of Arsenic and I. All I could see was a mass of black, larger than a car, come between us. Instinct kicked in, and I shrieked as loud as I could. Stumbling backwards, I stared in fear at the scene unfolding.

Arsenic was scratching its ear as Gallium was pinned to the ground, receiving many slobbery licks to the face.

It looked like a dog. A huge, fluffy, black dog. It had the strong body type like a German Shepard with ears that were perfectly pointed upwards. Its fangs reached an inch beneath its jaw with paws the size of small kiddy pools.

That was the first time I saw Gallium laugh.
He was trying to push the dog's head away to stop it from bathing him in drool, but it was no use. Arsenic was still petting it, watching Gallium warmly. I felt my fear wash away with a heartwarming feeling. I don't know what got into me, but I hesitantly approached the beast and ran my hands through its fur.
It was so soft, as though I were in a dream and this wasn't real. I dug my face into its side. I could do that forever.

"Down. Komm schon, Kumpel. Spielzeit ist vorbei." Arsenic told it, putting a hand against its shoulder blade.

Gallium was released at last. The large canine backed up, its tail wagging slightly.

Arsenic looked at me, pointing to the dog next to him.

"This, is a heult."

I stared at it for a moment longer as Gallium attempted to wipe himself off.

"So... Your line of defense is a large canine?" I asked.

"Basically." He smirked. "He may not seem ruthless, but you haven't been around when someone has actually tried to break in. It's rather hard to clean stains out of marble."

I didn't want to ask anymore questions.

"Γλυκό αγόρι. Υπέροχο αγόρι. Καλο παιδι." Gallium cooed, patting the creature's head. I took this moment to really study Gallium's eyes. It was as though someone had inverted the colors. The sclera was coal black in both of his eyes, along with those stunning lavender irises. They stared deeply into the pure white ones in front of them.

The dog's eyes were as white as snow; no pupils or irises. That's what made this canine appear so mythological.

Arsenic looked at me from over the connecting foreheads of Gallium and his best friend.

He made a movement with his hands, referring to the great kingdom ahead of us.

Glanz was shining upon it, reflecting off of the canons and strips of gold. I felt as though the entirety of this castle could be seen from space if it were placed upon Earth.

I wasn't sure what was waiting inside that castle, but I'll never forget it.