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The Gift

Richard's FA Intro, Part 4

copyright comidacomida 2018

I was beyond tired at that point and really my mind was focused on the prior portion of our discussion. "So... if you've been watching me a lot of the time, what about when I'm alone... and... uh..."

There are certain things that aren't discussed in polite public, and some of those are what a teenage male does when he thinks he's not being watched. In response, Jack simply rotated his head until he faced me once again. It was almost embarrassingly painful when he responded with a matter-of-fact. "Yes. That as well."

Groaning, I covered my face with my blanket. Despite how earth-shattering my self-conscious self-reflection had become it still barely held a candle to how exhausted I must have been because I don't remember a thing after that; once my body was surrounded by darkness I was asleep. When I next awoke, however, I was surprised to find Jack laying on the bed with me. A double mattress was nowhere near the right size for me to be joined by such a large Gryphon but, oddly, it worked without me being crushed.

It wasn't anything 'inappropriate', aside from the fact that the blanket didn't exist for him and beneath it I was still naked. He took notice that I'd awoken and I watched as he pulled his wing back from where it lay half-extended across me. "Good morrow to thee, my boy. Thy sleep was undisturbed, I trust?"

It was such a casual greeting for so strange an interaction, especially since my head was resting on one of his arms and his other was draped around my ribs. Rather than answer his question I had one of my own. "You're... uh... on the bed. With me?"

Jack chuckled and I swear I could feel his chest spasming against my shoulders, the feathers of his eagle-y 'mane' brushing along the hair on the back of my neck. "I have slept with thee since moving in here, Richard. Thy sleep the first eve was full of nightmares and with how busy thou hath been of late, you require a restful slumber."

Cherry City was a far cry from back home and Jack wasn't over exaggerating; I'd been running around all day every day getting ready for the new term. Nursing school in the area wasn't easy to get into and prerequisites consisted of earning 'points' toward qualifying for classes; they only had room for so many students and those with the most points were the ones accepted into the program. I'd pushed myself pretty hard and managed to be the second-from-the-last student accepted as of the cut-off date; most of the other students had been trying for two or three terms to earn their way in.

Still, one thing about us natural caregiver types is that we usually have trouble being cared for in return, and the thought of the invisible spirit having been watching over me during such a time was almost as disconcerting as him being with me in bed. Although I couldn't help but bring up that surprise I did so delicately by addressing it with a matter of confusion. "How can you even fit up here with me? There's not that much room."

He slowly removed his arm from around my midsection and turned his talon so that its palm was facing me. "Tis difficult to explain, my boy... but if thou wouldst willingly give me thy hand, perhaps I can provide thee some insight."

I'll admit it, I felt a little embarrassed putting my hand up against his talon; it felt significant-- intimate even... and feeling the fur of his chest against my naked back didn't help the situation any. Regardless, I did as he requested and, as I felt the smooth, soft scale-like not-leather of his talon I also perceived an echo of that eerie sensation from the night before: the valleys and the shoreline-- the grassy fields in summer and the cool breeze of the mountain tops-- ripe wheat, sea salt, the acrid tingle of a campfire... the scent of a big cat, and the feel of a beak resting against the top of my head.

They were all things that had surrounded me and brought me comfort as I was drifting off to bed so very often lately but, until that moment, they had been so subtle that I hadn't noticed. Only as his talon slowly disengaged from my hand, claws slipping away from the space between my fingers did I realize it. "My dad told me before that somewhere in our family history we had a family crest with a gryphon on it. I guess were related to English royalty or something."

The entire world felt strangely out of place for a split second as Jack stood up, his body passing right through me. Once he was standing, the Gryphon turned around so he could address me face-to-face, his 'ear feathers' standing up as his beak parted in what I took to be a smirk. "Nobility, Richard, not royalty... tis a vast difference. Thy lineage is that of a noble house, though you are many times removed. This is why I am a guardian spirit to thee."

A few lines were starting to intersect in the chaos of the previous night, but one important question remained. "But... why me? I mean, if you're a guardian spirit for an entire noble family then--"

His feathery 'ears' lowered and he let out a sigh strong enough to make his wings puff up. "There was a time, my boy, when our house was great and true... but when thy words of 'entire noble family' are spoken, thou speakest only of thee and thy father, and, by extension, thy mother."

I took a moment to assimilate what he had to say, and another question came up. "But... my dad isn't an only child, he has two sisters, my Aunt Jeanne and Aunt Gail... and Aunt Jeanne has kids."

Jack's wings settled back into his shoulders and, just as I realized that the Gryphon was entirely naked, he was suddenly adorned in his armor once again. My mind still lingered on the slightly lighter fur along his abdomen trailing down to his thighs and the spot between; I hadn't stared long enough to take in all of of what I'd seen, but Jack was definitely a 'he'. Despite the fact that I was still reeling from the realization that we'd been sleeping together naked his next words brought me back to the conversation at hand. "When thy aunts married they assumed the heraldric of their husbands' families. Whether those families had guardian spirits or not, I could not say, but I serve thy family. Nobility or not, I am sworn to thee."

I sat up, wrapping my blanket around myself. "So... you're what then? A vassal? A serf? Some kind of butler? ... Are you my knight?"

Something about me attempting to come to grips with the situation seemed to be humorous to Jack and he chuckled softly, eyes glinting in good humor. He reached a talon out and, suddenly, a small wooden stool appeared in it, which he set on my floor before taking a seat. "I am what thou needest of me, my boy. Tis my task to be here for thee and provide what service I can for thy health, thy happiness, and thy success; thy wellbeing is mine own."

Something about the way he intoned the explanation made me almost feel like it was some kind of prayer. Beneath my blanket my hand went to my chest. "And... last night you saved my life."

Although my comment wasn't so much a question as a statement, Jack gave a succinct nod. "Aye, that I did, my boy. Twas my duty and my honor to be in service to thee."

Letting out a deep breath, I sought to find a centering moment so I could come to grips with all of it. I chose to start on the small things first. "Why do you keep calling me your boy? Isn't that a little patronizing or something if I'm supposed to be your 'liege-lord' or whatever the right term is for a spirit?"

His beak closed, and his ear-tufts laid down as he stared at me. Jack let out a single, soundless spasm of his shoulders, as if trying to avoid laughing, and he cleared his throat. "Richard... thou art 'my boy' in as many ways as thou art that of thy father. I have seen thee grow and have watched over thee since before thou couldst remember not but thy crib. Shoulds't thou desire a different term of address I shall call thee whatever it is thou mayest wish, but, to me, thou shalt always be 'my boy'."

It was a touching sentiment and also a little overwhelming. How could I mean so much to someone who wasn't even family? Therein, I realized, was the point: if he'd spent so many centuries looking after my ancestors then Jack WAS family-- really REALLY old family. Honestly, it didn't bother me that much, especially once I considered the 'why' behind it. "No... that's okay, I guess. Considering you saved my life and all, the least I can do is to let you call me whatever you want."

A smile spread out across his beak and I watched his golden eyes gleam slightly as his ear tufts raised anew. "I have watched thee for thy entire life, Richard-- the greatest thing that could ever have been done for me would be that we could meet. I had not expected that I would meet a Seer in this age, or any hence... yet, here we are-- my ward... my boy."

I could tell there was a huge amount of certainty to his words, and that he was filled with an emotion that I wish I could have understood. He was still strange and, worse, a stranger. Regardless, at that moment, all I could think about was wishing that I could have known him better. Standing, I slid a hand out from beneath the blanket and held it toward him. "I still don't know about all of that but in time I'm sure I will. Until then, I hope we can start with 'friends'."

The moment his talon touched my hand and his grip closed around it, Jack's eyes glowed brightly enough to illuminate the dimly lit room with a soft golden light. "It would be my honor... my liege-lord."

The title, I could tell, was wholly for my benefit, and I found myself laughing. A moment later he pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms and wings around me in the kind of hug I used to get from my dad back when I was ten. I hadn't been hugged like that for a long time and, to his credit, Jack disengaged right before it started to get 'weird'. Unfortunately, Anapa's timing wasn't quite so on-point as he stepped through the closed bedroom door and announced simply and clearly "Hem-netjer. Is day."

I refolded the blanket around myself and looked to the Jackal, who was once again adorned with the golden pigmentation around his eyes and his Egyptian-looking headdress. He was staring at me expectantly, as if his two word greeting were enough for me to understand his point. "Okay... Yes. It's day."

He blinked, staring at me like I was supposed to understand what he meant. He licked his muzzle and flicked an ear, moving his weight from one sandaled paw to the other before trying again. "U te tekyoppa?"

It was my turn to stare. "I don't speak... that language. ¿Habla espanol?"

In truth, I'd only taken two years Spanish and passed both with a C+, but it was worth a shot. He seemed even less pleased, and tried again, stoic visage unmoved in his attempt to communicate. "You."

I nodded, pointing to myself. "Me."

He paused again for a moment before offering a next word, but the inflection he put on it made it sound like a question. "Do?"

I tried figuring out what he meant. "I do? You mean, what do I do?"

That seemed to hit a chord. "Yes. What you do?"

We were getting somewhere but, I realized, at entirely too slow a pace. "Like... in general? Or... right now?"

I felt my face blush; was he wondering why I'd been hugging Jack? Was the Jackal jealous? Fortunately the Gryphon was able to put things in perspective. "I believe he came to awaken thee, Richard... methinks he wants thee to start thy day and wonders what thy plans are... thy profession, perhaps?"

It made a lot of sense, so I moved forward with that assumption. "I'm a student. I'm getting ready for classes."

At least one of the words made sense to Anapa, who nodded, understanding in his eyes. "Ah. Student. Matahdees. You student. Matahdees."

I held my hand against my chest. "Matahdees... well... in a week I will be."

It was a start, at least... a vey slow start. I was soon to learn, however, that living with spirits involved taking progress however it came. What I didn't realize at that time, however, was that when classes did finally start the moments of chaos were only going to increase in number... as was the household.