The Lone Kirin

A dinner for two

Prophet is such a fine girl.

She doesn't have a place in our community. We murder to get by. She kills, because... Well, she doesn't want to. And that's the point. Her crying in my arms right now is more than proof that being an asshole doesn't need to be in someone's blood. I believe it is all about education... ehh... She didn't get one. And she learned that killing means surviving, from day one. I hope she doesn't end as her mother did.

"Shhh. I know your start into life wasn't all that good. But why don't we make the best out of it? I can tell you care. And you being part of our small family here, will let us have many more magical moments, like yesterday night."

I held and petted her for about an hour before she answered me.

[You know what?]

"What?"

[You are right. Concentrating on the wrong things in life only makes you sad and frustrated. I am young. I should have fun. And even if my mother left me, she surely wouldn't want me to be worried.]

I couldn't tell whether she had just repressed her emotions again, or if this was something more significant. I do wish for her to be happy. I don't know her for that long. But of all the creatures that ever passed my pond, excluding those which I didn't get to know because of... reasons, this little foal needed help the most. She is special. She is a force, I can't deal with, using my trickery. And yet, she is dependent on someone, anyone. A stable variable in her life that keeps that children's in check, as she is evolving as an individual. I'm not quite sure whether I can handle another one, but I will try as hard as I can. Nobody back home would suspect me having gotten this far, I assume. I'm 18, with two-three children keeping me on edge. And my pond has become a pretty little grotto. I am thankful to Prophet in this way as well. Not just has she brought fresh air into this stable, but she is also my first non-fey friend. And she helps me harden my core, by radiating all that mana. She is just too good of a companion.
Whoops. I kind of got off track there. My cute Kirin friend is having trouble. And she needs someone right now.

"What say you? Would you want to do something after dinner?"

[Something?]

"Yeah! Something YOU would like to do. Try things out, lie down, go swim together, run through the forest. Whatever you want."

She turns her head, to face me, and stared.

[There is something...]

"And what is that?"

[ I would like to find a field of flowers, to just play around in. My mother left me a lot of memories of her childhood. And she seemed to enjoy it. Would you know where one would be?]
"You do remember that I am a Fey, yes? Our powers pretty much come from the flowers of this world." I let a few illusionary flowers swirl around her head.

"And yes. Beyond this forest, to the west of it to be precise, there are some planes, covered in flowers. A very well known vacation spot, for the fey on this continent, by the way. You'll be in awe when you see it."

[I'd love to.]

"Yeah. Let's do that. But I'll make dinner first. Do you want to have you part of the Girape in any special way?"

[Are you going to cook?]

"Yup."

[I don't know anything about that. So... Please surprise me.]

Nothing easier than that. One surprise, menu. Coming right up.

"Sure! Why don't you have a quick nap? It will be quite a while until I finish preparing this. It's a big one, you brought me."

[Is it a male?]

"Yeah? Why are you asking?"

[Ahh... nothing. I'll lie down on the lovely spot that you have made me.]

"No problem."

Gee. She doesn't have to ask permission. But that is part of her charm. A childish horse. Hmm? It doesn't sound weird.
I turn towards the Girape.
Man. How big did it have to be? Even with magic, that thing will take some time to roast... And there will be leftovers. A lot of them. Well. It depends on how much a Kirin stomach can handle, I guess. And the crows will be happy as well.

Actually... Crows... Wouldn't it nice to have airborne guardians? They aren't all that strong. And their aptitude for anything but wind magic is ass, but being able to observe such a large portion of the forest, just by having a little of potential animalpower wasted doesn't sound like a bad idea to me.
But I'll wait for that until I have something to lure them in with.
Leftovers...
Yes. Cooking... Why exactly did I want to do this again?

...

To make Prophet happy.
And right now, there is nothing more, than to see her smile.
For a stunning four hours, I prepared the Girape's corpse and cooked everything, that seemed edible. The neck was a almost all muscle... But maybe she liked that. Don't know until she tries. For myself, I made some steak. Plain and simple. I hate all those people back home that always told me not to eat meat.

Why wouldn't I? My guardians kill animals all the time. Why wouldn't I eat the leftovers after they were finished? It's a waste not to eat something so good.
And for Prophet, a Girape surprise. Ribs, with the bones, carefully removed. Steak from all around the animal. Even though it couldn't be called steak anymore, they were more like chunks. Some kebab, out of the thinner leg and back meat. And a whole fucking two meters of neck in two halves.

I decided to roast it until it was rare. Medium is insulting to the animal and raw... well. You have to take baby steps. Literally in her case. And giving her a taste of blood would slowly but surely make her less sensitive to it.
That makes me wonder. Does she have a problem with blood? Or just with killing? I should ask her... some other time. Talking about Prophet...
She slept until now.

Should wake her up? This sleep is probably very therapeutic. I mean... Rest is the best medicine. No doubt about it. What am I talking about? She will be hungry as hells when she wakes up.
I go over to her and scratch her little beard.

It is cute, how Kirin have beards. Even the female ones. But on Kirin, they look good, unlike on every other creature. No. That's not true. I have killed a dwarf once, whose beard was magnificent. But it was more like art and less like my little cutie's.

[This smells great...]

And she has an adorable bed voice as well. Actually. She is way cuter than any horse-like creature I've ever met. Are all Kirin like this? Probably not.

"I hope you like it."