the darkest nights produce the brightest stars
Fennick grinned widely at Gallows’ approach. Sure, he had just fallen over a log, but if Fennick wasn’t just the tiniest bit intimidated by the mare he might have said she waddled. Pregnancy had a way of making even the scariest mares seem like slightly sweet, grouchy messes. He knew better than to say that to them, however. He had been hollered at one to many times for implying they were anything but perfect.
Sure, standing up might be the world’s biggest accomplishment when you were 10 months gone, but god help the poor bastard who implied they needed help.
“How’s the baby treating you, Gallows?” He replied, adopting a slippery sweet tone that implied he thought it was not treating her very well. Still, he did it with affection, and he assumed she would know that through her very invasive “powers of observation.” Sure, he could turn into anyone he saw, but he would still have no idea went on between their ears. The world was ironic like that.
Say what you will, however, Gallows’ “powers of observation” (or perhaps she just recognized this mare) came in handy. Fennick nodded with interest, and a little concern. Crap. Had this mare really been here the whole time and nobody had noticed? Who the hell was in charge of their security?
Oh wait.
Fennick winced. Without a General or a high ranking officer, that would probably be him. He really needed to step up his game. Not that this mare seemed particularly threatening. If anything, she seemed a little scared. He looked at her and tried to smile in a way that wasn’t ironic, smirky, or sheepish. He needed to dig deep, and he wasn’t sure he accomplished it.
“Yeah, I’m just fine. I just…do that.” He trailed off at the end, realizing that the hole he made for himself just kept getting deeper. Fennick used to be remarkably graceful. Then he had turned to goo and been reborn with the ability to turn himself into anything but a smoother version of himself. Finally, just to make sure his grace couldn’t be salvaged, these giant wings had come along effectively screwing him over until he learned to manage them.
Gallows made their introductions, thus saving the job from Fennick’s clumsy hands. He did, however, give her a sharp look, trying to figure out if she was mocking him. From past experience chances were pretty good that she was. Plus, it was really hard to say “drop dead gorgeous male” without making it sound ridiculous.
Luckily, any inappropriate report was silenced when Demian appeared. Fennick’s eyes widened in surprise then squinted questioningly. How was the Valley king that sneaky? Fennick was pretty sure every conversation they had started with Demian sneaking up on him. The notable exceptions were, of course, the day Fennick crashed the king’s coronation and the day that king erected a wall of cosmic fire. That wall couldn’t sneak up on anyone.
The planet next to there’s already saw them coming.
Fennick turned his attention back to the mare, and admired her scales and strange reptilian eyes.
“What should we call you?” He asked her with curiosity.
“Hey you seems a little impersonal.” Another smile, and another unwanted joke. This was fun right?