Leaves and wildflowers danced in a small whirlwind as Leif twisted his forefinger in tight circles. The sheep trotted a mite faster to catch the stems and veins in its teeth, but a crook of Leif's finger whisked the cyclone further up the dirt path. He bit back a smile at the sheep's frustrated bleat and hid his hand behind his back when its eyes turned his way.  Pleased as he was to see the milky hue wash away from the sheep's dark eyes, the lingering haze of Ambriel's Words dogged their steps longer than he would have liked. Leif kept a steady stream of chatter going but eventually fell silent when the sound of the overlapping bleats of a flock drifted toward them on the breeze. 

He turned his head toward the open pastures where the sun-tinged white-washed walls and a thatched roof in dreamy shades of gold. Wind swept through the grass, sending rippling waves of green across the sprawling pasture. Leif breathed in the tranquility of the present, and when he exhaled, the last of his tension seeped out in a heavy sigh. 

The sheep bleated longingly at its kin's cry, and the world seemed to hold its breath until the flock answered in equal desperation. Leif chuckled at the oscillating sounds and curled his fingers to his palm. The leaves and wildflowers, abandoned by the current that kept them afloat, drifted down to the earth where they came to rest before the sheep's hooves. Yet, the sheep did not look down. Its twitching ears and dark eyes scanned the distant homestead with longing as it shuffled in the dirt anxiously.

"I'm happy for you, my friend," Leif said, patting the sheep between its ears and then scratching deep within the tufts of wool. "But for the sake of your shepherd, please do not run off again. It's dangerous here."

The sheep answered him with a shake of its head and a beckoning cry as if telling him to hurry along. Leif smiled at the urgency and shook his head, carelessly waving his hand to brush the leaves and wildflowers aside before they could be crushed by the sheep's hooves. Dirt sprouted with green until it covered the path from all sides. Tall grass brushed against the laces of Leif's boots as he slowed his pace to allow the sheep to overtake his lead. A lazy smile curled on his lips when more sheep appeared in the distance, milling about with heads bent low to the earth to nibble upon the grass.  

The wooden crook of a shepherd's staff towered above their heads while the one holding it was only half its size. A young boy, perhaps no older than twelve from his bearing, stood amongst the sheep with a watchful eye.  Leif huffed, a flicker of endearment stoked in his chest for how earnestly the boy looked over the flock. Though, he couldn't help but note how the young shepherd hadn't spared a single glance behind him. 

"Oi, Alan!" Leif shouted, trying to smother a grin when the boy whirled around with his staff raised.  He's certain that he's failed when Alan's eyes narrowed beneath the sloping brim of his hat. But the crook lowered to the ground once Leif raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, extending his palms and fingers to the sky. A little nod toward the sheep at his side dispelled the last of the hardened lines on the boy's face until he resembled a child more so than a fierce warrior. 

"You're home!" Alan cried out, hurrying over as quickly as he could without stepping on one of his flock or dropping his crook in the process. He brushed past Leif, throwing his crook to the ground to wrap his arms around the sheep's neck.  "Svet, I thought I'd lost you!"

Svet rubbed its head against the boy's shoulder, eyes closed and bleating almost apologetic. It was the most remorse Leif had seen from his charge all day, he thought, decidedly keeping that to himself.  Once they'd parted, Alan hustled to his feet and searched along  Svet's flanks and between his ears before resting his forehead between the sheep's ears. His hands mindlessly raked across Svet's wooly back, hat pushing back from his eyes, lids half-drawn from exhaustion. Leif leaned on his back foot with a lazy incline of the head as the boy sighed, "Mister Leif, " and glanced up to him with light brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. 

"Thank you so much."

Despite his best efforts not to, Leif reached beneath the brim of Alan's hat and ruffled the soft mousy locks flattened beneath it. The boy squawked indignantly, batting at his wrist a second after Leif withdrew his hand.  “You’re welcome," he said when their eyes met, "but a bit of advice. Keep an eye on the ones who trouble you the least when taking them out to graze. ”

Alan pouted petulantly, likeliest upset from being treated as one his age oft would be in Leif's opinion. “Are you a shepherd too, Mister Leif?”

“Mm," Leif pursed his lips, a hum buzzing at their seam until a light tongue click escaped. "Not quite, but I was raised by a few. Why?"

"Oh," Alan murmured, half-burying his face in Svet's wool as he muttered sheepishly, "it's just that.. looking after all these sheep by myself is hard. So, I thought if you knew anything about shepherding, then…"

Leif's lips parted slightly then pressed in a slight smile. His hand itched to reach out and ruffle the boy's hair again but he held back, shaking his head. "Any idea when she'll be back?"

"After this moon's passed," Alan said, angling his face downward until all Leif could see was his chin past the shadows cast by his hat. His hand stroked along Svet's back until the sheep lowered its body to the ground, tucking its head against Alan's stomach.  The boy's fingers curled tight in Svet's wool, tugging but the sheep didn't seem perturbed, butting its nose gently against the boy's ribs.  Leif's smile gradually fell when he heard the sniffle, and he turned his eyes away as a tear streaked down the curve of Alan's chin. 

"I can't wait," Alan said hoarsely, his voice cracked high by longing. 

Leif hummed in commiseration, crouching down on Svet's other side. His knees brushed against the sheep's flank and dark eyes drifted to him with a look of urgency. He sighed, scrubbing his hand through his hair until his fingers curled against his nape.  "Y'know, " he started, averting his eyes when Alan's shoulders tensed. "Whenever there is trouble around, sheep stick together despite being afraid of the danger. And when they're pushed into tight corners, they fight back with all they've got. Shepherds keep them safe, sure, but sheep are a lot stronger than you'd think."

They sit in not-quite comfortable silence for a moment, and Leif cursed not having the heart to even steal a glance at Alan's face. The last thing he wanted was for the boy to be reduced to tears by his clumsy attempt at consolation. 

"Well, that's enough from me," Leif said, bolting up to his feet. Shame curdled in his gut as he turned around with his tail tucked between his legs, literally. But it was much better than wallowing in misery.  

"Wait a minute, Mister Leif!"

Leif nearly stumbled over his feet, half-startled by the sudden break in quiet and half-surprised that he hadn't been immediately mocked. When he turned around, his hand lifted reflexively to snatch the small object lobbed at him. It bulged awkwardly, metal clinking inside as he turned it over in his palm. Leather, warm and soft, brushed against his fingertips as he undid the leather twine binding the furled top. Its inside was quite dark, but there were circular metal pieces twinkling within. Leif reached in, plucking one of the coins out with his forefinger and thumb to hold it up to his eyes, twisting it this way and that while sunlight caught on the opalescent surface - reflecting iridescently.

"Mom said when someone does a kindness, you pay them back," Alan said. Leif dropped the piece in the pouch, regarding the way the boy dipped his chin low and avoided his eyes. "You brought Svet home, and… even though the stuff you said sounded really weird…"  Leif's brows knitted together disconcertedly, then smoothed out when he heard Alan mutter,  "I think... I think I can wait a little longer." 

Leif's tail flicked behind him, waving about lightly as his lips curved into a smile. Alan glanced at him, then startled when their eyes met, turning his head sharply as he grumbled, "But I'll get real mad if she's any later than she promised. I could be playing with my friends, but I've gotta watch the sheep."

The itching in Leif's hand returned, and this time, he hadn't the strength to fight it.  He stowed the pouch in his satchel before crouching down to pat and ruffle Alan's head until the boy squeaked indignantly, batting his hands away. "Well if that happens, just hire me again," Leif said between peals of laughter, dodging the swing of Alan's crook by rolling back on his heels and dancing out of reach. "We'll go looking for her together."

Alan huffed, tamping his crook on the ground with a little pout. Slowly though, a smile took its place when Svet nibbled at his sleeve. He wrapped an arm around the sheep's neck, tousling its wooly head affectionately. When the sheep nibbled at his cap, bubbling giggles joined the flock's bleating and the breeze sweeping through the tall grass. Leif laughed heartily when Svet snatched the hat from Alan's head and began making his way back to the flock with joyful muffled bleats. The shepherd boy stumbled over his feet, nearly falling to the ground if not for Leif's hand wrapping around his forearm to pull him up to his feet. The corner of Leif's lips tipped upward at the ruddy tinge to Alan's cheeks and the hasty bows he gave before running after his wayward sheep with cries for his hat's return. 

Leif stood there for a moment, basking in the ease of loneliness and the tranquility of the afternoon before he turned back toward town. The coins bounced and jingled with every step, enticing thoughts of what he could use them for.  Although the proper use loomed at the back of his mind like a needle incessantly prodding at his better judgment. He blew out a sigh, raising his eyes with a soft oh when the orchard and its apple tree were once again in his sight. His footsteps slowed to a halt, head tipping to one side as the sunlight skimmed an apple's blushing skin. Eyes narrowed, he watched the glow darken around its crevices as a long, spindly black leg wrapped around it. It was joined by another, and then four more until a butterfly emerged from the apple's back to perch upon its stem. 

He would have hardly believed the butterfly was there, for its ventrals were translucent enough that he could see past its tiny body and into the trees behind. But once its wings unfolded, spanning the apple's girth with gossamer scales scintillating in the sunlight a shiver ran down his spine.  His eye twitched as he breathed in the thick musk of petrichor, a soft rolling rumble of thunder echoing between his ears with a voice carried on the zephyrs  —  

<< Flattery and mockery are unbecoming of you, Shining One. Yet, this One cannot find where thou hast misled the child. Pray tell, where doth thine truth begin and lie end?  >> 

Leif breathed in the cloying ozone and earth and swallowed hard.  He couldn't hear the birds or the playful breeze over the thunder's rumble and when he opened his eyes again, the butterfly's wings seemed to glow brighter like the shafts of forked lightning behind his eyelids. 

 “I’ve spoken nothing but the truth," he said, more forcefully than intended. A smile cut into the apples of his cheeks to soften the blow as he held out his hands on either side of him with a stiff shrug. “And lauding the passage of misdeeds isn’t becoming of a deity, is it?  Even one of your… peculiarities.” 

When no reply came, his heart's racing gallop began to slow.  

“Besides, I wouldn’t want to upset the Bowlord while I’m here," he explained, slipping his hand in his pocket. His fingers wrapped around the pouch, pressing it tight against his palm until the coins dug into his skin. "I know how He feels about His Children.”

A dampness crept up his arms like a sheer shroud of mist, coming to rest against his shoulders where it curled like long fingers holding him in place. The voice hummed with thunder and sighed with wind. 

<< Yes, this One's brother is quite doting upon His Children though this One cannot understand why. Yet, this One cautions thee to remember that thou hast earned His permission to dwell beneath these boughs. Do not forget what that means.  >>  

"How could I?"  Leif asked.  His tail curled behind him as he bowed, staring down at the ground as droplets fell to the dry earth. His eyelashes stuck together as he took a deep breath, then exhaled with a tight smile. "Your Radiance shall be seared within my mind evermore, my liege." 

Gradually, the damp fingers slipped from his shoulders and as he raised his head - the butterfly's wings furled with the voice ringing in his ears.

<< As this One said, flattery and mockery are unbecoming of thee.  >>  

"—Mister Leif?"