Shorter Than Me (Continued)

32.4 Levi

It's finally time for me to go visit Petr and Genta. I wake up early, before the sun fully rises, and get dressed. I pack a bag with extra clothes, then make my way to the stables. Oddly enough, the door is open. Did someone leave it open the entire night? That's ridiculously irresponsible. I walk to my horse's stall, grabbing his saddle and other tack. I start to put it on him when I see movement off to the side. Guiin is leading another horse outside. It looks like she's going somewhere for the weekend too. I ignore her. By the time I'm ready to leave, she's long gone. I close the stable door, then mount my horse.

I ride for most of the day. It's long and silent. The sun shines through the trees, and birds fly around chirping. It's very peaceful and relaxing. It leaves a lot of time to think. I'd rather have something to distract me, but there's nothing I can do.

***

I hear a loud squeal of excitement before I actually see Petr playing on the ground a few meters from the house. Genta is outside too, keeping an eye on him. Petr jumps up and runs toward me as fast as he can. "Daddy!" He reaches my horse and starts jumping up and down next to it. I step over the horse and lower myself down. Petr hugs me before I'm even completely on the ground. I put a hand on his back. He's less than half my height, so I can't hug him very well until I kneel down. He doesn't let go until Genta comes near. Petr keeps one hand on my leg as Genta greets me.

"Hello, Levi."

"Hello."

"Petr has been asking when you were coming ever since we received your letter. He has a picture he wants to show you."

I glance down at him as he looks up at me with a huge smile on his face.

"The letter was from the Scouting Legion, so at first I was afraid that you hadn't come back from the expedition. But it was a long while after the expedition had returned, and they wouldn't be that late in sending the letter." We're walking to the stable so I can put my horse inside.

"Usually they send a Scout to personally deliver the message."

"Daddy?" Petr pulls on my sleeve.

I look down at him.

"Where do you go all the time?"

I start to take the saddle off my horse. "I go to work."

"What do you do?"

I glance at Genta. Of course I'm not going to tell him everything. He's too young. "I fly. And I protect everybody."

"From what?"

I pause. What do I say? I kill huge human-like creatures that eat humans for no apparent reason?

"Monsters," Genta says.

Petr's eyes widen. "Isn't it scary?" He looks almost devastated.

"No. I fly too fast. They never get me."

A smile of relief spreads across his face. "Good. I don't want you to die." He hugs me.

I put both arms as much around him as I can from this angle. "I don't want to die either."

I see Genta smiling at us. Maybe she thinks it's cute or something.

I pull away from Petr and start to walk out. Petr follows me closely. He probably wants to play with me.

"Daddy," Petr says.

"Yes?"

"Can we fly?" He looks up at me with Petra's eyes. I glance at Genta, knowing she doesn't like it. She shrugs as if to let me know it's up to me.