 Denahi looked in confusion between Flynn and the stranger. His tail stopped wagging and dropped a little as he became unsure. The husky fretted shifting his weight between his front two paws. Denahi could smell that the lady was frightened, and he could hear her pounding heart. The husky's ears flicked backwards - he hadn't meant to frighten her. A small whine escaped him as he looked to his fairy.
"Is...is she going to throw the ball?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. Flynn shook his head but smiled reassuringly at his familiar. He fixed Cal with a firmer look,
"No, buddy," the captain replied, "I don't think she's going to throw the ball."
"Oh," Denahi sighed, lying down on the ground and resting his head on his paws, "oh...okay." Flynn extracted himself pointedly from behind Cal and crouched down next to the husky to stroke his familiar's back.
"This lady seems to think you're a wolf, Den."
"REALLY!?" Denhai asked, jumping to his feet again and puffing out his chest importantly. His tail stopped wagging again. "Oh..." he said, deflating, "but wolves are scary! That explains why her hear..." The husky broke off but Flynn was smiling.
"What about her heart, buddy?"
"Nothing," Denahi replied, glancing apologetically at Cal.
"This is Denahi," Flynn explained, moving across the room to perch on the edge of his desk taking care not to knock over any of his sister's framed paintings spread over the work surface. "He's not a wolf, he's a husky..." He looked at Cal for some sign of understanding, and added, "a dog...a domesticated wolf" when he didn't find it. "And yes, he's my familiar. Was that your familiar on your..." Flynn flicked his ear indicating the place Cal's communication device was clipped "on your thing? Where is he?" Finally Flynn managed a smile, "and as to that drink, what kind of drinks are you used to? We have a healthy supply of ale in the officer's mess." He shrugged, she was probably going to tell him she only drank yaryar juice or something. It had been that kind of conversation.
Holding out his hand Flynn accepted the folded parchment Cal offered.
"I'm sorry you can't get home," he said holding her gaze as he unfolded it carefully, "are there people waiting for you." The captain's gaze flicked unbidden to the portrait of his two younger brothers a small distance to his right. What would happen the them, he wondered, if he had been sent somewhere he couldn't return from, "it must be hard." Denahi nudged Cal's hand with his muzzle and wagged his tail tentatively, worried he was going to make her start shouting again.
"Normally it wouldn't be a problem," Flynn continued, folding up the letter and handing it back to Cal with another small smile, "we can always find a use for an experienced pair of hands around here and the um..." he suppressed a grin "household guard is being expanded. I think this one goes over my head though, you're from another world and other than Allianah, no one knows you here."
"I can take you to see a member of the royal family, it'd be their call, not mine. And, if I were you I'd play up the well-trained, hard-working side of yourself and play down the highly-recommended by a deity part."
F L Y N N
ghosts running through my nights |
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