A Journey for the Soul

[clockwork girl]

She kept herself from laughing when she felt him wake with a disgruntled sound, breathing slowly as if she was deep asleep. What would he do, she wondered. But for a good while there was nothing but silence, and stillness. Confused, she waited—it was rare Malachi didn’t react quickly. Had he fallen back asleep? Just as she was about to open an eye to sneak a look at him, he suddenly moved, pinning her to the mattress under him. Briar let out a squeak of surprise, her eyes flying open to stare into his warm golden-green pupils.


“W-Well, in your tiger form you’re awfully soft and fluffy,” she retorted, though a tint of pink was flushing through her cheeks as she struggled half-heartedly. “You can’t blame me for mistaking you as one once in a while.” Familiar or not, Malachi looked every inch a young man, which had not quite escaped her attention. “How long are you going t—” she started defiantly, but her words were cut off as he leant down and kissed her gently. When he finally drew back her jaw dropped, shock in her eyes. The previous pink on her cheeks deepened rapidly into a tomato red as she stammered. “Y-y-you, I-I…!” Her face felt like it was burning up and she managed to snatch her hands away from his grasp, throwing herself forward against him so she was on top again, face buried into the crook of his shoulder where he wouldn’t be able to see her face. “T-That’s not fair,” she mumbled, sounding grumpy in her embarrassment. “Don’t look at me.” Her heart felt like it was trying to burst out of her chest cavity.


She hadn’t really had the time to moon over any boys before. Not after the tragedy, and not while she had been working tirelessly to keep her ragtag family fed. But now, things were a bit different. Of course, she had her goal set, and was working towards it every day, but she was a young woman now, and she noticed things. “I-I, um. I have to get breakfast ready,” she managed, hoping her face was a bit less red as she pulled slightly away. Stupid Malachi, playing a nasty trick on her like that. And it had been her first kiss, too.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Malachi chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that seemed to come from his chest rather than his throat. He slid his arms around her waist, it hadn't been the first time he had been bold about his affections for her, but that had been indeed the first time he had kissed her on the lips. There were many times he recalled kissing her knuckles, or her cheek. Even her forehead, albeit she was far from a child any longer. He hugged her close to him while her face remained buried against his neck, chuckling as she stammered through her fluster. "But I like looking at you, Briar. Your beauty is only rivaled by nature herself." He chided playfully.


He smirked when she lifted her face, "Not yet. It's our day off. Lay here and relax." He smiled, keeping one arm firmly around her waist as he brought the other up to stroke softly against her cheek. It was still warm from blush, and soft, almost like rose petals. He had made sure to snag some of the more expensive soaps and lotions meant mostly for the upper class people so that Briar would be able to be a fighter and a woman if she so chose. "It's not often we spend time doing much together except for sparring and training." He smirked, keeping his eyes focused on her face.

 

[clockwork girl]

“Oh stop it, Malachi,” she mumbled, feeling another wave of embarrassment as she playfully whacked at him. “That’s just you.” Even so, she relished the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly about her. He still made her feel completely safe—that had not changed since her youth. That would never change, no matter how strong or old she got.


Her excuse was rejected by him, and she gave in reluctantly, falling back down against him. “Fine,” she muttered, though she did not pull away from his hand on her cheek. “I guess I’ll indulge the laziness in me today.” She had very deep affection for her familiar—they were soul bonded to soul, and yet she couldn’t quite determine her exact feelings for him. He was the deepest relationship she had with any living creature, and he would always understand her better than any other human could. She couldn’t imagine living without him. The very thought felt blasphemous.


She thought back to the children back in the village, of Juniper, Nettle, and Thistle. Briar occasionally exchanged letters with them, and they were still doing well. Those three were the only ones she knew that had a familiar like her, and yet…their relationships with their spirit companions seemed to be of a slightly different nature than whatever she and Malachi had. The other children were very close to their familiars, like best friends, or siblings. And of course Malachi was her family, and best friend too, but…was that really all? The girl turned to him, staring at him with a peculiar expression.


“Do all familiars kiss their humans?” she asked jokingly, humor flitting through her eyes. However, joke or not, it was a pretty valid question. She had not been taught about the traditions of druid and familiar—such texts had been lost too long ago.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Malachi chuckled as she batted at him, and gave a small laugh of triumph when she relented and fell back against him. The hand that had been on her cheek slid around her head, brushing through her hair before settling around her waist with the other arm. "It's always good to indulge in a little bit of laziness on occasion." he agreed warmly, his voice soft, rumbling through his chest. He was happy when he won out in keeping her in his arms a little longer than normal, like on nights she woke from her nightmares and hugged him tightly. He knew the nightmares were bad, and tormented Briar, but at the same time, he felt the tiniest bit of the back of his mind hope that they never went away. So that Briar would always have need of him beside her at night.


He laid their silently, his fingers brushing lightly in circles over Briar's back where his hands rested, enjoying the close contact. He cared deeply for Briar, and some might go as far as saying maybe to deeply, but that didn't necessarily bother him. He did what he wanted, mostly, when it didn't conflict with his duties to his soul bonded human. And caring for, or loving, Briar was definitely not a conflict. Not to mention the fun they tended to have when they teased each other. He had let his eyes slide closed as he listened to Briar's breathing, curious as to what exactly she was thinking. He knew her feelings, which appeared to be a mixture of nostalgia, confusion, and other things that just seemed to be a jumbled mess of things.


He opened his eyes back up when he felt her shift, and raised an eyebrow in confusion at the peculiar look on her face. His small, half-smile faltered slightly at her question, but he saw the half-serious humor that flitted through her eyes. He sighed, and shook his head. "No." he said simply, holding her gaze. "Most do not." he added, his arms tightening slightly around her. "Long ago, when we spirits first bonded with humans, your ancestors, a pact was formed. We walked together, helping and guiding them. There were only three spirits to bond with a human before myself, and Aithne." he began, and for once his eyes left hers as he slid back in time to the memory in question.


We were all young spirits, in essence, and soul bonding was new. We didn't always know what we were doing. After the first three generations of spirit and human bonding, something happened. I don't quite recall what the incident was, since it didn't involve me, nor happen within my vicinity, but a law, in a sense, was instated there after. No spirit was allowed to love a human.


He recited, and then finally looked at Briar again, "It became a taboo. So, no. Spirits and humans don't normally kiss." he said, sighing. "But that was hundreds of years ago. Surely whatever happened then was a thing of the times, and not the byproduct of a love between a spirit and a human." he stated, chuckling. He shifted, rolling so they were laying on their sides, he still holding Briar close to him. "So, don't worry about it to much, Briar." he smirked lightly.

 

[clockwork girl]

"No," he told her, seeming a bit serious. "Most do not." Well that confirmed her creeping suspicions that their relationship was outside the norm--she'd never seen Aithne or the other spirits look at their humans the way she caught Malachi looking at her time to time. His grip tightened subtly on her, as if he was afraid that he would lose her. That strangely gave her a little comfort knowing that he didn’t want to leave her as much as she didn’t want him to disappear.


She nodded slowly, listening carefully as he related to her about the history between her ancestors and the spirits. "So a spirit must have fallen in love with their human and...it must have not ended well," Briar murmured. He was telling her that it must have been due to the times and not the relationship, but that was difficult to know definitively, right? Especially if he didn't know what had exactly happened. It was taboo, then. He told her not to worry about it, and while she was not too much of a worrywart, she did have to ask. "A spirit wouldn't get in trouble by the....leader of the spirits or something like that?" she laughed a little, though she cocked her head to one side to fix him with a curious gaze. Carefree or not, she did not want him to possibly get in trouble and face harsh consequences.


On the other hand, she could also see why such a relationship could end tragically. After all… Spirits were not mortal in the way humans were. He would live on long after she was dead, and she didn’t know how to feel about that. Perhaps it was a bit…upsetting. She drew a slow breath, gently tugging his arms away from her torso. “We should really get moving. All my training will go to waste. Time never waits.” Her smile was a bit distant, as if she was seeing something far away.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Malachi shrugged, "There isn't really a technical leader above us, Briar. There's no one I would get into trouble with. The taboo was placed to protect the bond and those involved." he said simply, giving her a reassuring smile. He could see the worry she felt, and it warmed him that she felt such a way for his well being. It only seemed to bolster the growing care he held for Briar. He brushed some of her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear as she tugged his arms from around her torso and started to get up. Once again, her smile seeming distant as though she were looking into the future.


He sighed, and let her up from the small bed, climbing up after her. "Training, training, training." he muttered, "It's not going to waste away by spending one day not working." he stated. He stretched, and adjusted his clothing, moving to the small wardrobe the two of them shared. He opened it up, and fetched out traveling clothes, "We're not training today. It's the seventh day of the week. You're body needs to relax before you get injured, Briar." he stated as he stepped around the thin wooden privacy wall he had built so that they wouldn't have to change directly in front of each other. Though he only ever changed his lower half out of sight, opting to change his shirt as he walked out from behind it, his torso momentarily bare.

 

[clockwork girl]

Why wasn't she surprised when he seemed against her wanting to train today too? Well, because she knew he always worried about her pushing things--she knew that already, and it had often annoyed her, but right now it grated on her nerves for some reason. While she knew he cared about her and was determined to help her, it almost felt like he didn't take this as seriously as she did. Getting revenge...it was what kept her going. And yet he wanted her to take it easy. Letting out a huff, she yanked open the wardrobe after Malachi, taking out her training clothes instead of causal ones.


"Not all of us have all the time in the world, Malachi," she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I need to get stronger. And soon." At the thought of her own mortality, she could practically feel her years slipping through her fingers. It was frankly frightening, and Briar was not the kind to be weepy when scared--she lashed out. Disappearing behind the wooden screen, she angrily began to put on her training clothes--and when she was dressed, she stepped out to face him stubbornly, hands on her hips. "I want to train today." While her physical fighting skills had been well honed, magic wasn't so simple. It was finicky, complicated, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Malachi crossed his arms over his chest, meeting her gaze with a steely one of his own. "No. We aren't training today. If you get hurt, then the training would have been for nothing, and your revenge would be out the window anyway!" He stated in an icy tone. "You're going to end up against seasoned warriors, Briar. You're no where near ready and wouldn't be even if you trained everyday til the end of the year!" He huffed, wishing she would just listen to him. He moved over to the door, grabbing their traveling cloaks.


"If you want to train so badly, hike to town. We need to buy some things for the cottage." He muttered, tossing her cloak to her. "Otherwise, no training. Nothing. Got me?" He practically hissed, glaring at her. Why was she so testy today? Was she on her cycle? He huffed again, storming outside.

 

[clockwork girl]

"But I could be strong enough a day earlier, a week earlier, a month, a year earlier if I don't waste my time!" she retorted sharply, her eyes flashing darkly. She needed that. Mortal lives were like a candle in the wind. How was she to know when her own life was to end? She had to hurry, didn't she? Why didn't he understand that? Well, of course he doesn't, Briar thought bitterly to herself. He's got an eternity ahead of him. It was so...unfair. "Fine! I will! Just don't think you'll be coming along!" she snapped loudly as he left the house. Clenching her hands into fists angrily, she barely kept herself from screaming in frustration. Jerking the wardrobe open even more forcefully than earlier, she thrust herself into her better everyday clothes. When she was dressed, she snatched up her basket and exited into the crisp forest air, walking--no, storming--away to the path that would lead to town. She didn't care where he was, but he'd better not follow her to town, she thought darkly. She didn't want to see his stupid face right then.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Malachi could easily hear her retorts as he had left the house, moving to the edge of the tree line before she exited after him. He crouched behind some bushes and waited. Once she had exited the cottage and began the arduous hike to the small town they lived near, he shifted. One thing he was grateful for was that the bond of know where their partner was at nearly all times was one way. He could hide from Briar, but it was harder for her to hide from him.


He flitted through the sky in the form of a local bird, just high enough, and back enough to keep track of Briar without her notice. Like that he stayed, always on the watch over her. Even if they were fighting, he didn't want to be far from her in case there was trouble. When they made it to town, he landed in a fairly dark alley and shifted again, taking the form of a small cat. Of course, he didn't keep his usual coat coloring, opting for a more normal color that Briar wouldn't recognize as him. In that form, he continued to follow her, though always keeping out of her sight.