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Lonan wasn’t surprised. They’d spent a bit more time in the last town than they normally would, and the sudden middle-of-the-night violence of their former neighbors was almost welcoming. A reminder that Lonan wasn’t really welcome anywhere, and trying to settle wasn’t something that they could do. Though he desperately wanted to. Normal would be really, really, nice.
So, when Lonan said they weren’t surprised that they found themself once again on the road, their bag filled with their few meager belongings in one hand and saxophone case in the other, they meant it. He’d been expecting it.
The path through the woods that Lonan was taking was overgrown from lack of use, so they constantly found themself tripping over branches and hitting their toes on rocks. His bones already creaked and ached in pain with each step they took, and the long hours spent trekking on that horrid path did not help. Normally they could’ve flown, but not with the amount of stuff they were carrying or their state of exhaustion.
It took very little breaks as it walked, and about three days after leaving the last town, it emerged on the other side of the woods right when the sun was rising.
The path got better as it continued through the grassy land, ending up at a small town. A sign along the path let Lonan know that this village was called “Sunside.” Seemed nice enough. So far, at least.
As they walked, they took note of how the town was set up. Around the edges were all the houses, while the main town was focused near the center. Past the town and houses were large fields full of crops, along with orchards, barns, windmills, and few occasional smaller houses. There was a separate space closer to the main area of Sunside that was set aside for something else, Lonan couldn’t be sure what. The rising sun cast a glowing, golden light over the whole scene, painting it in a beautiful, quaint little way.
Getting closer to the actual town itself, Lonan also passed by clumps of giant sunflowers, bigger than any they’d seen before. Winter had just ended, so the sight of blooms as big and gorgeous as those was a bit strange. It didn’t take them long to realize that the people of Sunside used these giant sunflowers as umbrellas, as the first people Lonan came across were using them for such. They had noticed him first, smiling politely and waving. The smile he sent back was awkward, too big and imposing, crooked and showing off his pointed teeth. They didn’t seem to mind, though, didn’t shrink back like so many others had. They continued on their way, and Lonan was left slightly stunned by their… What even was it?
This town was very different from the others.
Lonan continued deeper into Sunside, and as more people began to pop up, setting up for the day, he noticed more and more trends among the townsfolk. For example, while a lot of them used the giant sunflowers as umbrellas, many of them also dressed in what you’d typically expect a farmer to dress in- overalls, flannels, bandanas and wide-brimmed hats. It made sense from what Lonan had seen of the scenery.
Notably, there were also more non-humans than humans, which Lonan had never really seen in any of the towns they’d been in. It was.. Strange, to be among so many people like them. Not entirely human, but not a creature of the wild. Though that was how Lonan had been treated in some of the places they’d ended up before.
It wasn’t long before Lonan ended up in the center of Sunside, and it was so full of life . Warm colors, smiles and hugs, kindness and welcoming, children playing and families happily enjoying each other’s company. A fountain in the center let out generous streams of water, and kids played in its coin-occupied depths.
They looked around, maybe for someone that didn’t look too busy who they could ask for directions, when something big landed on his head. He cautiously looked up to find a giant bee, about the size of a dog, perching in his hair. He’d never seen anything like it before.
“ What the fuc- ”
“Oh my gods Rufus-”
Lonan spooked, and turned to find a little girl with big eyes, a mix of light shades of blue, gray, and green. Her dirty-blond hair fell to just below her shoulders, though it was tied up in a small braid. They wore bright yellow overalls and a black and white striped shirt. The child couldn’t have been older than six.
She grabbed the giant bee from the top of Lonan’s head (having to flutter a little bit in the air to do so, with bee wings that he hadn’t noticed before) with a sigh, holding it and muttering scoldings to it. Then she looked back up at Lonan.
“Are you new?”
“I- um,” Lonan cleared their throat, trying to recover from being landed on by an abnormally large bee. “Yes? I was just looking for a place to stay- I left home recently and I’ve been traveling for the past few days.”
That was typically the story they stuck with, and the light explanation slid off their tongue with easy. It was simple and easy to repeat many times if needed, but not simple enough that people wouldn’t ask to many questions. And, of course, not complicated enough that people would get confused. Too many details might end up confusing Lonan, too, like in the off chance they forgot a detail- hence the need for simple stories.
The child’s eyes shined. “You could stay with us!”
“But I don’t even know your name, and you don’t know mine. We just met. We’re strangers.”
“Mmm nao, you’re my friend now!” They gently grabbed his free hand and started dragging him in the direction of some kids playing, supervised by their parents. “My name’s Sunny.”
“Mine’s Lonan.”
“Lonan.” Sunny said, testing it out. She scrunched up her face in concentrating, before nodding in approval. “I like it!”
“Ah- thanks?”
“Mhm!”
Sunny led them to two men standing side-by-side on one side of the town square, watching a group of children playing together nearby while conversing lightly. One of them was balancing a newborn on his hip, the tall bee hybrid with blond hair pulled half-up and green eyes. They paused their conversation when they saw Sunny and Lonan, exchanging quizzical looks.
“Papa! Dada! This is my new friend Lonan! He just got here.”
The blacket’s face burned as it waved towards the men, who were apparently Sunny’s dads.
Their faces broke into smiles, and the other, a flannel moth hybrid who had brown hair, dark eyes and glasses, stepped forward and held out his hand. “Hi Lonan, I’m Moth, and this is my husband Noah.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” they said, having to drop Sunny’s hand to shake Moth’s. She looked disappointed, and immediately snatched their hand back up once it was free. She still held Rufus the Giant Bee in her other arm.
The little girl that the other man, Noah, was holding started making grabby hands in Lonan’s directions. Her eyes were big just like Sunny’s, and they had similar smiles. Noah looked down at her. “You want to say hi, Bumblebee?”
“Bumblebee? That’s her name?” Lonan clarified. Noah nodded, and Bumblebee started making little noises, continuing to make little grabby hands. Sunny giggled.
“Would you like to hold her?” Noah asked.
“I- sure?”
Lonan set down their saxophone case so they could carry Bumblebee with one hand and keep holding Sunny’s hand in the other, since it was clear she didn’t want to let go. Noah passed Bumblebee over, and she immediately started happily babbling once Lonan was holding her.
Don’t drop the baby don’t drop the baby don’t drop the baby-
“Hi there,” Lonan whispered. Bumbleebee’s impossibly large eyes locked onto theirs, and they couldn’t find it in themself to look away. Like if they looked away, then Bumblebee would get upset.
She let out a particularly loud babble and started hugging them around their neck, startling them.
“I- that’s- I’ve never held a baby before-”
“She likes you!” Sunny beams.
Bumblebee seemed to let out a sound of confirmation, causing everyone to giggle at her antics.
“Do you have somewhere you’re staying, Lonan?” Moth asked politely. Lonan shook their head.
“No, I had just gotten here when Sunny found me.”
“That’s our Sunny,” Noah said proudly, ruffling his child’s hair and earning a cry of protest. “Always picking up others.”
“You could stay with us if you’d like,” Moth offered.
“I mean- if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
Moth shot them a polite smile, and Lonan found themself smiling back, once again shocked by the kindness and outright welcoming feel of this town. They hadn’t smiled this much in their life, and never had they felt this comfortable with it, at least from what they could remember. Surely, they had a family when they were a child? They would’ve smiled then, right?
Sunny tugged on his arm lightly. “Can I show you around? You’re gonna love it here!”
Lonan nodded and handed Bumblebee back over to Noah, and barely had time to pick up their saxophone case again before Sunny was dragging them down a random street and he was waving farewell to her dads.
“What even is in there?” She asked, pure wonder on her face.
“It’s an instrument, a saxophone.”
“Oh. Cool!”
Nobody had ever bothered asking Lonan that, either.
After the “grand tour of Sunside,” as Sunny had proclaimed, Lonan ended up sitting at the dinner table with the rest of the Morningcrest family. They’d been allowed to stay in the spare bedroom of the giant house, at least for the time being. Nobody had brought up how long Lonan would be there for. If things ended the same here, then Lonan would be lucky to stay for a year.
The house was right on the edge of town. When (not if, never if-) needed, it would be easy to run.
The Morningcrest family was much bigger than Moth, Noah, Sunny, and Bumblebee. There was also Finley, the mother of the children. Which there were… quite a few of. There was Vyen, a three-year-old. Livadi, Sunny’s twin. Walter, who was ten, and Tommy, who was five. Everyone sat around the table in their own chairs (except for Bumblebee, who was in a high chair), eating their dinner of vegetable soup. The air in the room was filled with quite a bit of comfortable chatter amongst the family, rather than silence.
Despite the nice, welcoming atmosphere, Lonan still felt a bit like an intruder. They weren’t used to this sort of lifestyle, and were unsure of how to act.
“So, Lonan,” Finley spoke up, bringing the avian into the conversation unwillingly. He didn’t really have a choice, did he-
“Uhm, yes?”
“Tell us about yourself. After all, you’re our guest here.”
Finley was… Lonan wasn’t sure how to feel about her. The woman was a bee hybrid and had long, ashy brown hair and light blue eyes the color of a pale sky. She was clearly defensive over her children, caring deeply for them, and that seemed to carry over with the rest of the Morningcrests. It was obvious they all mattered very much to each other, and Finley seemed like the type of person who would do anything to preserve that.
Lonan could understand. Maybe that was the scary part of interacting with her.
“Well… I’ve been traveling for the past few days, I left home for the first time recently,” they said.
Don’t tell them anything. Don’t tell them what you know. Don’t tell them the truth. They won’t understand.
Finley narrowed her eyes a bit but hummed. “What about your family?”
Noah exchanged a look with Finley, and Sunny looked between the adults and Lonan wildly. Walter was trying to keep Tommy from throwing soup on Vyen.
“I’m an orphan. I grew up with two siblings.”
Another lie. Well- half-truth. Lonan didn’t know the actual truth. He had no idea where his family was, if he ever had one.
Moth hummed in thought. Finley gave Lonan another look but said nothing about their answer.
Vyen let out a screech as Tommy successfully dumped his soup onto Vyen, and they began arguing. Moth let out a sigh and walked around to their side of the table to help them.
Watching the siblings, Lonan couldn’t help but feel jealous. They had each other. Lonan had no one. They wish they actually had the siblings they lied about growing up with. They wished for a lot of things, but they clearly didn’t deserve any of it if this was their current situation.
He looked back down at his food, pushing the food around with his spoon and ignoring the long stare that Sunny was definitely sending his way.
It was late on Lonan’s first day in Sunside. The sun was already far below the horizon, and the stars were a familiar sight after the long hours of daylight. He had curled up in the spare bedroom, reading one of the books off the Morningcrests’ bookshelf that they’d so graciously let him borrow. It was interesting, an adventure story about a brother and sister going to war with each other. The comforter was pulled over their legs and they were propped up against the pillows (only two, but Lonan was used to one, so it was new to them), their bag and case on the floor next to their bed and right below the window. Close enough, in case anything happened.
Along with a bed right beside a window, which they liked, the door was on the opposite side of the room, which they disliked. At the wall next to the door and across from the bed was a dresser with drawers, and a tall mirror beside it. On the other side of the door, between it and the bed, was a closet that Lonan would probably never end up using. The center of the floor was occupied by a circular, fluffy rug in a nice blend of yellow and orange.
A knock sounded at the door, and Lonan’s head-wings twitched. They forced themself to stay calm, ignoring the way their breathing sped up and hands grew clammy, as they called, “Come in!”
All of the kids were asleep. So it could only be-
Finley’s head poked in, followed by the rest of her, then Noah and Moth.
Lonan couldn’t help the way they shrunk into the pillows at the sight of the three adults, wrapping their wings around themself slightly. It felt threatened. Cornered.
The adults seemed to take notice of Lonan’s behavior, and they stayed at the other side of the room by the dresser.
“What do you need?” Lonan asked, while slowly setting their book down. They didn’t take their eyes off of the other three.
“We wanted to talk to you about what you told us earlier at dinner,” Noah began, exchanging looks with his partners. “Were you telling us the complete truth, Lonan?”
Whatever words they had been planning to say got lodged in their throat, cutting off their air and their ability to speak. He took a moment to force his throat to open again, trying hard not to look away from their deep gazes as he considered telling them the truth.
He could keep going with the lie. Or run. That might be better.
Moth seemed to notice the contemplating look on its face because he took a cautious step closer.
Lonan flinched and immediately scrambled back as far as they could, kicking the comforter away and hitting their wings against the wall painfully.
Moth stopped. Finley’s face shifted, not in a way that Lonan could recognize, or wanted to bother trying to.
He basically answered their question.
You were wrong about them, they’re not going to-
“Lonan,” Finley spoke softly, as if taming a wild animal. Lonan hated that voice. “Can you please tell us?”
Their chin wobbled and they started shaking, eyes darting quickly between the adults, the door, the window, the closet, anywhere that they could go to-
“We’re not going to hurt you.”
How many times had Lonan been told that, then nearly killed, or hurt, or thrown out?
Moth stepped closer, and Lonan couldn’t shrink away anymore. Fuck, fuck, fuck he was going to-
He wrapped his arms around them and pulled them close, careful of their wings (and extra limbs that felt like they shouldn’t be there but were and-). He placed one hand on their back and the other on the back of their head, carefully and calmly carding through their hair. Two more sets of arms joined the hug, and Lonan found themself enveloped in a hug from three people they’d only just met. Strangers.
This shouldn’t- this wasn’t how-
“You’re safe,” Noah said, and it sounded like a promise. True.
They held him like that, for a few moments. It was long. Warm.
What a home should feel like.
Eventually, though, they pulled away. Lonan wiped away tears they hadn’t even realized had gathered in their eyes.
“I don’t remember anything from my childhood,” they mumbled, voice slightly hoarse. They stared down at their lap, at the hands fisting the cloth of their pajama pants. “I woke up in the middle of a forest with a sword in my hand, surrounded by blood and I had no idea if it was mine or not. I was injured, and I got these weird… markings on my left arm.”
He rolled up the left sleeve of his shirt, revealing the star-like markings on his upper arm, and light scars decorating the rest of his skin. It continued talking.
“I started traveling. Looking for answers. I didn’t know much of anything. And I kept getting followed by this talking bird- I lost it for a few days, but it’ll probably find me here soon. It doesn’t hurt me. All of it’s just… confusing.”
They rolled the sleeve back down and looked up at the adults.
The looks of concern on their faces spooked Lonan. Not that he’d ever told anyone any of this before, so he had no idea how they’d react- but the concern wasn’t something he was expecting.
Noah placed a hand on their shoulder, and Finley tucked a stray strand of hair behind Lonan’s ear (they needed a haircut soon, probably).
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. But you’re safe now. We’ll take care of you,” Moth said, a soft, kind smile on his face.
Lonan managed to find it in them to return the smile, full of the same kindness that these people had shown them.
Time passed.
He’d been staying in Sunside for about a month, at this point, and it had unsurprisingly been a bit difficult to adjust to a completely different lifestyle than what he was used to, what he had basically grown up experiencing. Sunside was the absolute opposite of anywhere else Lonan had stayed. Everywhere else, it was whispers, hurtful comments, judging gazes, all sorts of things that he now knew were rude and not an appropriate way to treat someone.
Sunside was welcoming, wholesome, and it quickly became home.
The fifteen-year-old had spent a lot of time with Sunny, who had never seemed to grow bored of their company. They’d done all sorts of things. Sunny had shown Lonan how to farm, pick the good crops from the bad and wash them, how to cook, how to make flower crowns, or play a certain game, all sorts of fun things. In return, Lonan had played their saxophone and put on mini performances for the Morningcrest children, gone stargazing with them, and told Sunny about some of their more positive adventures.
He liked it here. He really didn’t want to leave.
They got a chance to… really be a bit of a child, too. Which- they hadn’t really had the chance before. They sort of had to grow up on the road, since they didn’t remember their childhood at all.
When they had told Sunny’s parents that, well… the concern was not something they had really been expecting. But their support was helpful.
Lonan hadn’t told them how long they’d been traveling for, how many winters and summers it’d been. Though it’d been many. More than they probably should have seen at this point in their life- they were supposed to be fifteen, yet they weren’t.
At the moment, Sunny was sitting in Lonan’s lap on the grass near a river, yapping to them about something random that her brother Tommy had said the other day while they each made flower crowns for each other. He listened intently, nodding when appropriate, but focusing mainly on making sure the flowers were weaved together tight enough that they’d stay in place, but not too tight that the fragile stems would break.
The merlin had showed up again two weeks ago, and it perched on a nearby tree, thankfully staying quiet. Explaining its existence to Sunny had… certainly been a time.
“-And then he said that everything that comes out of my mouth is stupid, so I said ‘Tommy’.”
“His name?”
“Yeah! I was basically calling him stupid cause if anything that comes out of my mouth is stupid, and his name came out of his mouth, then he’s stupid! The way his jaw dropped was hilarious and Livadi started laughing, it was soooo funny!” She giggled.
“Sounds fun,” Lonan smiled.
“Mhm! It was fun ‘cause I won.”
Sunny finished off her flower crown and turned, delicately placing it on Lonan, right above where Sunny had weaved tiny braids into their hair on either side of their head.
“Thanks, Sunbug,” Lonan smiled.
Sunny beamed back with that impossible, contagious smile of hers. “It’s perfect! Did you finish yours yet?”
“Nearly, I’m trying to figure out how to end it.”
“Lemme help you!”
Sunny guided Lonan through the steps to complete the circlet, before letting Lonan balance it on her head around her antenna. As soon as it was in place, Sunny threw her arms around Lonan’s neck and tightly hugged them, spooking them slightly.
“Thank you.”
The following week was Sunny and Livadi’s birthday. March 5th. They were turning seven.
It was… a good birthday, as far as birthdays go. The twins seemed to enjoy themselves, which was a good sign. Lonan hadn’t celebrated many birthdays, never their own (how could you celebrate it when you don’t remember it?), so watching Livadi and Sunny… He was happy for them. He smiled for them.
He wasn’t jealous. Not entirely.
The cake was good, though, and the twins seemed to enjoy the presents. Lonan hadn’t been able to make or buy anything for them, he wasn’t much of a crafter and he didn’t have much money. So, instead they’d put on a small performance of “Happy Birthday” (among other songs) on their saxophone. Everyone seemed to like it, at least a little bit. Lonan would hope so.
It was at night when things fell apart. The kids had all been sent to bed, their foreheads blessed with goodnight kisses from their mother. Finley was standing on the other end of the hall, in front of Sunny’s room. Lonan was lingering in the doorway of the spare room, eyes watching Finley carefully.
“Are you okay, Lonan?” Finley asked lightly.
They nodded. “I’m fine.”
Their question hung unasked in the air for a few moments before Finley let out a long sigh. She crossed the hallway towards Lonan, cupping their face in her warm hands. Lonan let out the slightest flinch at the unexpected contact, but they were getting better at controlling their involuntary reactions to things like that.
“Finl-?”
Finley cut them off by pressing a gentle kiss to their forehead, before whispering in their ear.
“Take care of Sunny for me. She’s going to need support since she’ll be too busy watching after everyone else.”
He blinked at her in surprise. “I-I promise. But wait, Finley, are you- are you going somewhere?”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” she shook her head. “And Lonan? For what it’s worth, I saw you as a son.”
Lonan didn’t have a chance to speak, and it wasn’t like they could, not with the tears threatening to spill. There was no opportunity to ask if she was coming back, or where she was going, or why. Finley ushered them into the spare room, whispering a final goodbye into the thick silence before she left.
Lonan stared at the door, wondering what exactly was going to happen to Sunny’s family because of this.
Not long after that night, Sandra, the children’s sweet grandmother who ran the vineyard, died. Finley was declared dead a month after she vanished.
Lonan kept their promise. Or, at the very least, tried to.
Life continued throughout the months. Lonan would find themself out in the fields, in the town, or at home, playing with the kids, cooking, farming, all sort of things. It was a simple lifestyle, but not one that they minded.
The family was still haunted, falling apart with Finley’s absence. Sunny seemed to decide it upon her to carry the rest of her family with her, to pick everyone back up. And Lonan was there when she needed someone to help her instead.
Today, they were outside of the main town, out in the expanse of farmland. The fields were long, the varying crops between each other tall, mature, and healthy. Large clumps of sunflowers broke up the illusion of infinity every couple yards, growing nearby the divots of water in the ground that were hydrating all of the plants. The sky was void of any clouds, and the sun was generous in the heat and light it gave off. Only the occasional gust of wind provided any break from the relentless heat and the golden light dappling over the world.
Lonan sat alone in the center of it all, journal in hand. A reaper of death in the middle of so much life. Sunny was a few feet away, running through the crops barefoot, her pants rolled up to the knees. Tommy stumbled along behind, trying to tag her. He was actively losing the game they were playing, and her laughter was only frustrating him.
The raptor circled overhead, eyes darting around and watching the far distance for anything that approached. Before, Lonan would be busy doing that too, but they were a bit busy watching the kids play, a faint smile on their face.
“Lonannnn,” Tommy whined. “Help meee!”
“You got this, Tommy!” Lonan called with a laugh. Tommy stuck his tongue out at them and continued to chase Sunny. Their squeals rang throughout the peaceful silence, and all at once the world struck Lonan as beautiful, for maybe the first time in their life.
This peace was unlike anything else they’d experienced.
Sunside had festivals, apparently. Quite a few of them. Sunny had managed to convince Lonan to come out to the harvest festival with her and the other Mornincrest siblings, right when the sun was setting.
The festival was set up in an area near the main town, with all sorts of lights, stalls and carts, games, and families exploring. The smell of delicious food wafted through the mid-fall, faintly winter air.
At some point, Lonan had acquired Sunside-special paint on their skin. It had been Sunny’s idea, and she’d eagerly given Lonan little teardrop markings by the corners of their eyes, like she had. It was adorable. There were also sunflowers, little animals, stars and a sun, all sorts of pretty pictures. The siblings went to town with drawing on each other’s skin, either nice things or teasing, little jokes that ended with Tommy covered in paint splatter on the ground catching his breath.
Throughout the festivities, the siblings played and danced, sang songs at the top of their lungs or urged Lonan to perform on their sax, ate delicious foods and drinks, ran around together before flopping in the grass, staring up at the stars together. The rest of the day and night was long but enjoyable. Lonan and Walter had to guide the rest of the sleepy children home. Everyone fell asleep still in their clothes, with paint all over them.
No one complained one bit.
It was early July, in the middle of winter at Sunside, when Sunny found out.
“What do you mean you don’t have a birthday? That’s not possible!”
“It is for me,” Lonan shrugged. “If I ever had a birthday, then I don’t remember it.”
“What about your siblings? Did they not remember?”
Right, Sunny thought Lonan had an actual childhood.
“They don’t know theirs either,” he lied smoothly.
“That’s messed up! You deserve a birthday, Lonan,” Sunny huffed.
And that’s how, on July 14, Lonan walked into the living room to find the rest of the household waiting, screaming the words “Happy Birthday!” as soon as they appeared.
“Wha-?” Lonan said tiredly, rubbing at their eyes. They’d only just woke up a handful of minutes beforehand.
“Sunny told us that you didn’t know when your birthday was, so we decided today would be your new one,” Walter explained, a kind smile on his face.
“I don’t- you really didn’t have to do this,” said Lonan, and they shot a look at Sunny, who was wearing a guilty smile with pleasure.
“We wanted to, sweetheart,” Noah said.
That was how Lonan found themself in the middle of a decorated living room, eating cake, with their… siblings showing them the cute little crafts they’d made as gifts. Gifts . Lonan still couldn’t wrap his head around it. This family cared so, so much.
Life continued on.
In the weeks leading up, the merlin had grown more and more cryptic with its haikus. It’d been difficult to interact with the Morningcrests, what with all the stress building up under their surface. They were constantly looking over their shoulder whenever they went outside. Coming up with excuses.
This always happened, in one way or another. The anxiety and tension piling up inside them. Lonan would have to leave Sunside soon.
They really, really didn’t want to.
Sunside was unlike anywhere else that Lonan had ever been. It was whimsical, safe, welcoming, so full of love and compassion. Everyone here was kind and wholehearted, the smiles and joy contagious to even the most dower of souls. It had taken time for Lonan to adjust to such a different lifestyle here, but they had finally gotten to the point where they could call this place home.
They’d grown attached. That was dangerous. The one thing he’d told himself not do, wherever he went, even though he’d wanted to. And he did, and now he had to leave, and it was going to break him. Everything they’d built. Because at some point the Morningcrest family had become their family, the spare room became their room, Sunside became their town.
And maybe they were breaking their promise to Finley. But she would understand.
Lonan had talked to Noah and Moth already, a few days before. They’d understood, had reluctantly agreed, made him promise to be safe. They’d explained it to their children, too.
Sunny, obviously, did not take it very well.
On the day of, in the early morning, Lonan stood at the edge of the Morningcrests’ property with their bag and instrument case. It was a bit too similar to the day they had arrived in Sunside for their liking. There were a few major differences between the two days. Lonan had a few more things in their bag: more food for the journey; little gifts from Sunny and her siblings; two extra changes of clothes; and an axe and pair of knives.
Sunny was clinging onto his leg, getting tears on his pants, begging him not to go. The others had already gone inside, Sunny the only one remaining.
“Please please please please-”
“Sunny, I can’t-”
“Please please please please please please-”
“Sunny.”
“Please please please please please please please please please please-”
“ Sunny .”
The seven-year-old paused her pleading and looked up at Lonan with a sniffle. “You’re leaving. Just like Mama.”
You’re going to leave and I won’t even know if you’re alive or not.
Lonan flinched. “I have to go, Sunbug. You know I have to.”
“But do you? You could stay here, with me .” An idea seemed to strike her like lightning. “Or I could come with you! We could go together, anywhere in the world!”
Oh, this girl was going to break Lonan’s heart.
“It’d be too dangerous for you,” Lonan said, crouching down to her height. “I can’t protect you.”
“I know how to fight, unlike you , mister. I could protect you! You need protecting too.”
“Sunny, I love you, but you can’t come with me. Your family needs you. You need to look after them for me, okay? I’ll find you again one day.”
She sniffled, her big eyes welling up, before she threw her arms around Lonan and hugged them tightly. Lonan hugged her back, not caring about how her tears and snot soaked their shoulder.
“You’re my family too. You’re my brother.”
Lonan’s eyes watered, and they quickly attempted to blink the tears away.
“I’m going to miss you so much, Sunbug. I’ll tell you everything someday, okay?”
A sob built in Sunny’s throat, and she nodded, unable to speak.
“I love you too,” she whispered soon enough.
As it happened to be, and as the gods so willed it, life continued on. Lonan said goodbye and left Sunside. A year passed, and the thought of their life at that town was a persistent thought in Lonan’s mind. Of what was happening with them, of how they all were. They remembered the birthdays, holidays, and festivals. All of it. During difficult times, the voices of his found family would whisper in his ear, encouraging him to keep going. Keep living.
He ended up in a few other villages, and the one he was currently at was on the smaller side. He’d been there for only about two days, and was staying in the pub. They were playing a card game with someone else at the bar that they’d met earlier on, the loser of each round buying the other a drink. Lonan didn’t have alcohol very much, so the bartender only gave them cider that night.
And that was when it heard the rumor, casually exchanged between some people sitting at a nearby table.
“Sunside was attacked by pillagers… it’s been burnt to the ground. Only a small group of kids made it out.”
The cards slipped from Lonan’s shaking hands.
“Lonan? Why the hell-”
“I have- I have to go,” Lonan stammered out, before taking off up the stairs to their room and leaving the other player confused and cursing their name.
Shit.
They flew.
They flew as fast as they could, bringing as little as possible, ignoring the way the merlin squawked and struggled to keep up.
It had to get to Sunside, it needed to know what happened, who was alive, or if they were all-
No, no, they can’t be dead .
I shouldn’t have left .
Lonan didn’t know how many days it’d been before they heard, and they barely kept track of how long it took them to get to Sunside. He already knew what direction it was in- one of the things the Morningcrests had given him before he left was a compass that led directly to the center of town.
Fly faster .
It wasn’t fast enough.
Lonan got there and found lifeless ruins, still smoking. He wandered through the once-whimsical town, looking for anyone. Anything. But there was nothing.
They ran to the edge of town, stopping in front of the building they’d once stayed in, once called home. The Morningcrests’ house was collapsed. Noah and Moth were dead beneath the rubble, the kids nowhere in sight.
It was bound to happen. Inevitable.
They’re dead, just like everyone else.
Just because they met you .
The avian fell to their knees and let out an animalistic scream.
Years later, Lonan woke up in a cold sweat. The blankets and pillows that made up their nest were thrown all over the place, their hands shaking as they scrambled to the floor and quickly changed. The sun was in the middle of rising outside, pink clouds streaming across the sky and faint stars twinkling as they watched over The Village.
Sunny. They needed to find Sunny.
I finally found you .
And now he remembered.