Ravenwings (Imaged + Completed) [1st in Trilogy]

Part II: Chapter 20

Grandma glowered at me suspiciously and I broke away from kissing Raven.

"Grandma! You're up! I...I...uh...err..." I jumped in front of Raven as if I could possibly hide the winged man from view. Please don't recognize him again...

"I just knew something was going on wich'ou!" she snapped.

"Grandma...I...I can explain." How am I supposed to explain this?!

"Yeah, you better start explainin' when you've been shackin' up with some boy I've never heard about!"

"Uh..." But...wings...

"Don't tell me otherwise, I heard you two kissin' just now! It's ten o'clock at night, what'chou think yer doin'?! And you see my glasses anywhere? I just can't see a bloody thing!"

No, you clearly can't... "No, haven't seen them, but...I..."

"And have you two bin makin' all that racket in the attic?! That banging around all night, you're going to fall right through that attic to the floor below it! I can't believe you Melly, you bin framin' Potatonut and cursin' my whole house, f*ckin' in my attic behind my back!"

"Oh no no, Grandma, you've got the wrong idea!"

"Oh really? Well I ain't stupid! And if you've been swapping spit and Coyote forbid something else, I should f*ckin' know about it!" She turned from a mortified me to a petrified Raven. "And especially if you bin hookin' up with my granddaughter in my attic!"

I turned a very deep red and had absolutely no idea what to say...I'd never been so embarrassed or shocked in my life.

Raven, still leaning on me for support to even stand, could tell I wasn't going to be able to reply.

So, using the most normal voice he could, which was even harder than usual because he was still tense with the pain, he said, "I'm very sorry ma'am, my mistake. I came by to visit Melody on my way through town, so I don't know what this whole 'attic' business is, but you won't be seeing me around... I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep, ma'am, I'll just be off."

My eyebrows rose. The Trickster offspring to the rescue.

As I gaped at him, Grandma started walking towards him threateningly. "Oh no no, who are you really? The Raven that's been sneakin' 'round my feeders?!"

She figured it out. He gulped. "I don't know anything about that," he said, but he didn't sound as decisive.

"Bullsh*t!" Grandma pointed at him with that long, scrawny, wrinkly finger. "You're a terrible liar, boy. And you smell like a spicy wet dog. So you'd better get the f*ck out of here 'fore I call the f*ckin fuzz, you ugly little bastard! If I ever see your ass again, I'll shoot it plum off with my shotgun!"

Grandma's vocabulary never ceased to impress. How many curse words could one fit in a single phrase?

The thought of my Grandma with a gun kind of scared me a bit. She'd never used one before, chances were that if she tried, she'd shoot it backwards and that would be the end of her.

Raven's eyes grew pretty wide when Grandma threatened to call the authorities. No doubt she really would, or kill him if she could, so it was time to pick between the police and a shotgun or the hunting dogs. By the sour look on his face, I wondered if he was also considering option three; knocking the woman upside the head and telling her it was all a dream the next morning, but it might very well kill the old hag.

"You understand? Answer me, boy!"

"Y-yes ma'am," he replied quickly.

I cried to see him cringe as he seriously debated going back out to face the hunting dogs while my grandma, literally blind to his wings and my tears, kicked him out.

Raven peeked through the door window to assess the scene before he continued talking. His search went long, and his tense shoulders dropped as he relaxed a little. After a nod to Grandma and locking eyes with me, he slowly opened the door and backed out with a pained limp, wings tucked behind him, breathing heavy against every wince he made.

He leaned against the doorway, then the porch railing, and stumbled down the stairs, collapsing at the bottom with a sore grunt.

"Not even hidin' that he's drunk." Grandma slammed the door shut and went into a determined snail-speed rapid shuffle back to her room with her cane.

I sighed in frustration. "Grandma, you've got it all wrong! I don't have anything going on with Ra-"

"You shut up, you a hoe, you can speak with me in the morning once you've had a chance to think of exactly what you're going to say to me and how you're going to apologize for that."

That's hurtful, Grandma... "But why are you still up? It's been a long day, weren't you tired?"

"I'm a light sleeper, Melly. You know that. I've tried sleeping pills before and they don't help. And in case you didn't realize, I have an alarm connected to my hearing aid to let me know if someone is moving around in the house! Now goodnight, get out, and wake me at ten!"

Apparently...melatonins a didn't work on my grandma? That made me unable to help but wonder, what about a tranquilizer?

Raven, hang on, I'm coming.