Over a Winters Season

Untitled Part 11

They spent the rest of the storm hidden away in their little house in front of the glowing fire pit with warm cups of tea keep their insides warm. Kenma had happily continued his weaving as it calmed his mind from the raging storm that lay just outside the rattling door that made his heart pound. He was already half way through making a blanket to help shield them during the night when they couldn't stoke the fire- Hinata even managed to widle him some knitting needles from some old wooden spoons. Hinata had gone through all of his books and was now excavating under his bed looking for something. Kenma didn't really catch what it was, just a bunch of Hinata's excited rambling as he dug his entire upper body under the bed.. "Ah ha! I found it!" Thump! Hinata groaned as he rubbed his head that was just smashed into the bottom of the bed, while Kenma just chuckled a bit.

"What did you find?" Kenma put down his yarn to peer down at Hinata to see him pulling out a medium sized box that rattled when it was dropped to the floor. He giddily pulled his legs underneath him to sit, his feathers puffing out in excitement, a little tick Kenma had noticed when his wings fluttered. Hinata blew off the dust that covered it's faded blue leather, it was old and rusted yet it's brass clasps were clean. Hinata's name was made of  rusty brass buttons that were pressed into it's faded top, the tengu gingerly ran his fingers over the cool metal. "It's been a while since I've opened this box, last winter i think." He hummed as he unclipped the latches and lifted the lid, removing the white cloth atop it's contents. The smell of  dried cherry wood filled his senses, the box was filled with wooden figures of all shapes and sizes. Some were unfinished, lacking shape and definition, but others were carved in the shapes of humans and yokai's alike, animals both land in sea were immortalized in wooden craftsmanship.

Kenma reached in and picked up a cat, it was carved body was sitting in a regal pose on the small lotus base, the wood was smooth and shiny. He chose another, this time of a six tailed kitsune women, subtly carved sakuras covering her kimono that looked as if it was flowing in the wind- that it would come alive at any moment. Placing the two down on the cloth he picked up another, Hinata was untying a handkerchief to inspect the carving tools. "Can i look threw this?"

"Sure go ahead! I needed to go through them anyway!" Hinata waved him off as he stared down the handle of  A koi surrounded by the water it jumped out of, a crow in mid takeoff, a scaly dragon poised upon a boulder, even an duck with a Lilly pad perched on it's head. "These are really good." he said looking further in the box. Birds, foxes, dogs, snakes, yokai, and random objects were soon spread out on the floor around them like little soldiers. "Thanks, my dad taught me before he died. I used to make toys for my little sister."

"You don't talk about your family much, were are they?"

"They uh. . . My father died from miasma poisoning after running into a rouge yokai. My mother and sister um. . . they died about four years ago. We used to live on a smaller mountain not far from here. I came here after they passed so i wasn't by myself. Although they didn't really like a new stranger so i kept a bit to myself." He explained with a deep sigh, the wrinkles around his eyes faded as he forced to keep his smile from dropping as he continued to look through the box. Kenma remained silent, glancing over at Hinata who was "You can ask by the way, it doesn't bother me. And i can practically feel the confliction on your face."

"What happened to them?"

"It was poachers, they had managed to find our home. My mother had sent me out to a lake a few miles away to fish for dinner, i had only been gone a few hours when they came." Hinata took a pause to take a deep breath that shook with unshed tears, "When i got back, i noticed the door had been broken and. . . um, they were, they were. . " He shuttered and ran his arm over his eyes to keep the tears from gushing down hie red cheeks. Kenma immediately pulled the ginger into his chest to stroke his soft locks, purring lightly to try and sooth him, "You don't have to continue, i know it's hard."

"N-no it's fine. . . it'd be nice to tell someone about it. To get it off my chest. . .i guess." he took another shaky breath, "They were dead on the floor, surrounded by pools of blood. There wings had been sliced off right at the back, my mom had such pretty feathers, almost silver in direct light- my sister was the same. But there wasn't a feather in sight.

"After that i flew here for help, it was the closest village nearby. Although the elders didn't do much since they're not big on outsiders, they did help my bury them and move the rest of my things into the only open house. And i've been here ever since." He lifted another small bag from the box that was filled to the brim with small oak butterflies, he gave a wistful sigh as he ran his hands over the smooth indentations on the wings, "My sister loved butterflies, she had me make her dozens so she could hand them in her room. She would hang them on a string, so when she'd go to sleep she could make a small gust of wind so they'd move. And she'd watch them until she fell asleep. " He chuckled as he pulled his knee's to his chest, his large wings wrapping around his front out of habit. Kenma gently ran a soothing hand in the space between Hinata's wings as the boys shoulders shook with silent tears. 

There was no sound aside from the soft hiccups and crackling fire between the two for a while, even the raging storm had fallen deaf to their ears. Once his shaking stoped Kenma ran his free hand over his wing, "Are you well enough to come out of your cocoon?"

"No." 

"Can i bring you anything? Some tea maybe?" 

". . .Yes please." he croaked, voice cracking hurt Kenma's heart. He quickly filled the kettle with water and green tea leaves, placing it on the hook over the flames and adding wood to its dying light. As he waited he placed the wooden figures back into the box to move aside for now, making sure each one was handled with care. Once the kettle started to whistle Kenma used long hook to pull it off the hook and place it on the table, two cups were filled with the steaming drink with one being placed just outside the feathered cocooned. He kneeled with his own cup across from him, smiling behind the rim as he watched Hinata's black wings parted slightly so he could snatch the cup from the floor. His wings curled back together, Hinata giving a soft 'thank you' before the two were thrust into an awkward silence. 

"I didn't know my parents that well." Kenma's voice was flat and stale, not taking eyes from his tea. "They left me with my uncle and aunt when i was really little, so i don't really remember anything about them. My uncle and aunt raised me since i was a kitten, which was a little hard considering they were both leopard types, and i'm a more domesticated type. My cousin Kuroo is about a year older then i was, but were practically brothers. 

"But i often felt like i didn't fit in." He muttered a bit quieter. Hinata peeked through the cracks in his feather to look at Kenma's back, the cat having turned to look at the fire with his cup discarded at his side. "I was never very adventurous, never interested in wrestling or running, i'd rather find a nice sunny spot to just sit and read by myself. Not to mention my nerves are very weak so i get really nervous all the time. Kuroo did most of the talking for me growing up, always talking about us going on an adventure. Even if i told him i was content staying with our clowder."  (a group of cats, there's a fact.)  

"Then why did you come all the way here yourself?" 

"Our tribe has been stricken by a nasty miasma that's making everybody sick. Thankfully it's not lethal, but i was one of the only ones not to catch it. So they sent me to get the needed ingredients. Then you know what happened after that."  

"i see, well, once the final snowfall passes in about a month or so, I'll help you gather enough flowers to take back home with you. I can even write down a more effective remedy. Alright?" Hinata uncurled his wings with a grin on his face and clinked their cups together. The crowd then scooted next to Kenma and put his win over Kenma's shoulder and they admired the fire in silence. "Alright." 

Later when the two curl themselves under the covers, Kenma snuggling into the crows chest after he had fallen asleep, the cat mulled over Hinata's words. ' Theres only a month left of this winter, then I'll get to go home. . . why don't feel happier about that?'