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Of Monsters and Men

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"I rather like that." He told Matt and closed his eyes. "You are seek something for the child?" He shifted over a little more seeing that Matt wasn't backing off or going away.


"You can see that the valley is far below us now. It is most unsafe to travel alone or on foot from here. I cannot allow you to risk this. What is this thing that you need. I shall try and find it." He stood up and started to lumber out. "I know the woods and can find whatever it is that you need."


He then slowly turned back around and looked at Arianna. "She needs you here. I'll go."
 
Matt peered out of the opening of the cave. They did appear to be quite high up. He sighed.

"Aspen leaves," he said. "I need Aspen leaves. It's the tree with the white bark," he explained. "Not a birch tree though. The leaves are sorta wide... uh.. heart shaped I guess?" He held up his hands to make a heart shape. "I have to crush it up, and give it to Duncan."

When Elder offered to get the leaves, Matt nodded and thanked him, then went back to where Arianna and Duncan were and settled down, trying to keep talking to Duncan, so that he wouldn't fall asleep. He refreshed the wet rag a few times, and made sure that he was drinking enough water.
 
Elder took off seeking the right tree as the clouds moved in but all he could find were strange looking ones that he was sure weren't the heart shaped ones that were what Matt had requested. About to give up Elder saw movement below him and quickly slipped into the shadow changing his form and hiding. He was near the river banks and could hear the thunder in the distance.


He knew he had to leave but when he saw who was by the water's edge his heart was torn. It was the man he had seen with Arianna before. Only for her he went towards this male and it naturally made the horses upset.


"Who are you? What do you want?" I will sell you my horses I have nothing left to give I only want to get home to my wife and daughter." Eric told him as he stood up.


"I offer you only safety no danger or harm." Elder told him.


Blinking Eric looked at him a bit confused. Then he recognized him. "Your….. The man from before. Where are they, what have done with my family?" Eric stepped closer shortening the gap between them. He mule stayed close and kept eating the one horse bolted and Eric let it go.


"I can help you and one other… pick now." He pointed to the animals and right then a lighting blot stuck a tree snapping it and setting its top ablaze. His heart was racing. "Yes ok, whatever you wish." The mule kicked with fear and Eric held its side. "Easy."


Looking to Elder he was worried and scared. "Spare me this one. Simple and difficult but I need her. My horse, I can buy another."


"As you wish." Elder stepped forward as the rain started to pleat them. He touched Eric's shoulder and mule's side. In a blink they were on their way to the cave. Upon their arrival Eric panted and dropped to his knees. "That… was uncalled for you… warn me next time." The mule kicked and shook wonder the cave and Elder backed away from both of them.


The storm raged at the mouth of the cave. "I'll keep watch." Eric looked around and then saw his son and the others. "Duncan!"
 
Matt paced at the entrance of the cave while Elder went out. He peered precariously over the ledge, trying to spot any aspen trees from where he was but it was no use. They were too far up. The wind blew in toward the entrance and rain was starting to fall, still he did not move from where he was and let the wind whip the rain into his face and plaster his hair onto his forehead and in his eyes. He had to keep pushing it back because it was getting too long.

When Elder popped back with Eric and the mule he was glad to see him again, but he realized that Elder did not have the Aspen leaves either. Matt eyed the mule with distaste while Eric reunited with Duncan.

"So we meet again, my nemesis," he muttered to the animal. It took him a moment to remember that his bag had been tied to the saddle and he immediately went for it, digging for some Tylenol. He also found a cold pack. It wasn't ice, but it would be just as well, and it definitely would work better than a damp rag. He quickly activated the ice pack and carried it over to Duncan, wrapping it in a towel and laying it tying it against the bump on Duncan's head. He also gave Duncan the Tylenol pills and water.

"Take these," he said urgently.
 
Duncan looked at Matt and didn't understand. "I… what are they?" He asked softly. Blinking he felt so sleepy. Eric just watched and fight sleep himself. He was so tired from the whole thing. Being near Elder was making him very nervous he just wanted to go home.


"Eat them son." He told Duncan. Eric didn't understand either but tried to help.


Arianna smiled and kissed Duncan's cheek making him blush. It also made him feel worlds better and he laughed a little. Getting up from his side she went towards Elder.


He watched her and shifted. His wings blocking the caves exit. "You cannot go." He told her.


"I, I don't want to. I want to play."


"Play?" He blinked and tilted his head.
 
"No don't eat them, swallow them whole, with water. They taste really bad if you chew them. Think of it as crushed Aspen leaves dried up and made into a pill. I woulda made you swallow the leaves without chewing much too." Matt held out the pills again and the water. "It's medicine from the future. From my time. Our medicine isn't perfect, but some of it is better than what you've got now."

Since when did I become a doctor? Matt wondered. Medicine had never been his expertise. Nor had taking care of others. He was generally selfish and crap at sensing other's needs.

He was suddenly struck by how much he missed his friend Dom. And how Dom would always cut his hair for him and always made it look nice but now it kept getting shaggy and unkempt and was always in his eyes.

Once Duncan had taken the pills, Matt stepped back, giving himself space from the others, as he tended to do when he was feeling emotional. He watched Arianna quietly while he sat in a particularly dark corner of the cave.
 
As the medication helped Duncan and eased his pain. Eric watched over his son. They felt safe enough to sleep but it was an uneasy one since they were after all in Elders cave. Eric watched Duncan nod off then he followed.


Giggling Arianna tried to get Elder to play but he wasn't understanding her at all. Blinking he flexed his wings and looked around his cave.


"You wish to play in here?"


"Yes, I want to play. Can't you play?" She asked him again as she ran around I her true form. His cave was perfect for her since she had more than enough room.


"I… I never have done this play that you request." He looked up to see Matt in a corner.


"You should check on your rider." He told her and only then did Arianna look over and see Matt alone. Worried she went to him.


"Papa?" She approached slowly and sniffed at him. Her long neck and big eyes seemed a lot larger now in this space. "You ok?"
 
"You go play," Matt said, smiling at Arianna. "Don't worry about me." He really didn't want her to worry about him. He didn't want anyone to worry about him. He missed his friends. But he wasn't so sure any of them missed him. He was pretty sure they didn't. It left Arianna and Duncan and this entire world as being his only safe place and he was sure about one thing and that was that he wasn't about to risk losing his only safe place by talking about his problems. And he wanted to pride himself on being able to handle it himself without having to involve anyone else.

"Papa enjoys watching you play," he explained to Arianna. "Besides, this guy must never have had a childhood, so you should show him how wonderful it is. Maybe he wouldn't be so stiff anymore." He smiled and patted her nose. "No worrying. Go play."
 
Arianna nuzzled into his side and kissed his head. "Ok." She smiled at him and padded off. "Ok, we are going to play." She told Elder and he just gave her a head tilt.

He watched her with wonder and tried to keep up. They moved around at the far end of the cave and Arianna's laugh filled the air. "No, no like this. Move your tail like this." She showed him and he tried it making her laugh even more.

"But why are we doing this?" He asked her.

"Because it's fun." She laughed and he blinked. "I see."


Eric and Duncan woke up to the noise and Duncan was doing much better. They both laughed and watched. Arianna found large rocks to hide behind and things to climb on. She jumped around and flapped her wings. Elder actually smiled and chuckled a few times.

"I see this playing is different." Once she was done she panted and sat down near him. Resting into him he looked down at her.

"You should rest." Yawning she rubbed her eye with her claw and he pulled it away.

"No, that will hurt you if you do it wrong. Go rest." She padded off and he watched her. Arianna lay near Duncan and was soon napping.
 
Matt enjoyed watching Arianna play. He didn't always understand play either. But he remembered a time when everything was fascinating, movement was freeing and exhilarating, laughter came easily, and creativity, imagination and music danced through his head with ease and with passion. Things tended to feel a bit dull now, but Matt found Arianna's playfulness refreshing. Matt found Arianna refreshing.

She gave him a sense of responsibility. The sort of responsibility that only a parent would be able to hold. A deep desire to protect her. It was her energy in life that was the most healing for him. She was a reminder that such energy and excitement was possible and the ability to find wonder in small things could still occur.

She was ready to sleep, and so was he. It had been a very long day. He stood up from his spot and went over to join the others and tried to make himself comfortable on the stone ground of the cave, shivering in it's cool temperatures.
 
"I shall take you home now." Elder told Eric and Duncan.


They both looked at Arianna and Matt. "But we made a promise to take them to the…"

"Yes, well they have me now. You need to be at your human village." He stood up and went closer. Eric wasn't going to stop him. He touched Arianna's head and gave her a kiss. Duncan pet her and smiled.

"I won't forget either of you. I love you both." He sniffled and sat up. Eric helped him stand and they went towards Elder.

"You come back when you need to Matt. Our home is yours, always." He smiled and Duncan nodded.


"Let's go." Elder opens his wings and stood ready to leave. "Oh here." He went over towards Matt and blew into a small pit creating a fire. "Keep warm while I'm away and do not leave or try too. It's too high up she will only get hurt." He blinked and then turned to go.
 
"Oh-" Matt exclaimed, sitting straight up. "You're leaving," he said, realizing that he might not see them again. He scrambled to his feet and went to hug both Eric and Duncan tightly, shedding a few tears despite all of his efforts not to. Matt was glad that Duncan would get some care for his head though, and that was most important. And so it was a tearful goodbye but once they were gone, Matt went and huddled closer to Arianna by the fire, trying to stay awake to wait for Elder to return, but finding it too difficult now that he was warmed by the fire. He was soon fast asleep.
 
When Elder would return the cave seemed softer and warmer than before. Something had shifted and he was in his human form tending to a small meal. Limping and favoring his right arm he moved slowly from one area to the next. He had his back to the pair was his senses were keen to them and he would know if they awoke of if they were in any danger.


Humming softly to himself he flipped the meat on a smaller fire away from them. The smell of fresh cooked food soon filled the cave. He had two small pots going with other items inside each bubbling with drawing aroma that begged for spoons. He knew that Matt would soon wake and desire a meal perhaps Arianna as well but he would not press her since she wasn't sure what form was best for her-self yet.
 
Matt knew his depression was cropping up again, weighing heavily on his chest, coming and going as it tended to do. And right now it was coming in slow and steady waves. Like a tide it ebbed and flowed. And now the tide was in.

Usually an early riser, he slept quite late, and despite the uncomfortably hard floor of the cave, he found it difficult to get up and begin moving around. He was sure it was a combination of many things, including the loss of Graham and Duncan, Eric and Orei now out of his life for the time being.

He lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling and at the shadows that the fire created across the stone. He reminded himself deliberately that Arianna was still there and that he had to stay strong for her and he'd been doing a bit of a shit job of it as of late, what with his tendency to disappear off by himself when he got down. Even the delicious smell of food couldn't motivate him much to get up. But he had to try to keep moving forward.

He sat up quietly with his back towards the room and dragged the magic bag towards him. He was unsure about self medicating without a doctor, though he did know that antidepressants had worked a bit in the past and he had a pretty good idea how to monitor his dosage and whether he needed to increase or decrease. So he wished for it and hoped the bag could provide. It did and he pulled out one pill and dry swallowed it before turning around and looking over the cave.

He needed to go to the bathroom and knew the cave was too far up to just step outside. He would have to address Elder about that eventually but wasn't yet ready to be social. He dug out a tin and poured some water in it with the intention to boil himself up some tea, then sat next to the fire and set up his water to boil and watched the fire.
 
Elder watched Matt and thought it might be best to let him for now. He took over care of Arianna since she seemed to need a bit more direction from another like her.

"Arianna come eat." She got up and padded towards him but stopped her.


"In your human form." She blinked and paused instantly pouting.


"But I don't want too."


"I don't care if you don't want too, that is how I am and out of respect that is what you will do as well understand." He looked at her and she lowered her eyes and nodded.


"Yes, ok Elder." Being put in her place she backed off right away.


Stepping over towards him in her human form he gave her a plate and then a spoon. Arianna held the items and they felt odd in her tiny hands.


"Hold the plate like this and the spoon can rest across the food like this until you sit down. Go sit by the fire." She looked at him and then he walked her over.

"Now sit and hold your plate flat, move slow easy now. There you go." He had his hand ready to grab it so she wouldn't drop it.


"Good now wait for me. Once I join you we can eat together." Arianna was so hungry she wanted to eat right away but being told no made her want to cry.


Pouting she sighed and waited. She put the plate in her lap since they had no table and she waited. Elder joined her and she watched him hold his plate with ease and sit. Wishing to be like him so badly. "Now, let's eat." He gave her a soft smile and that made her feel better. After a few bites he smiled at her. "You're learning, it's hard I know, but you're learning and that's all that matters."
 
Matt quietly watched as Elder taught Arianna so well. Matt was guilty of wanting to say yes to her too much, because he wished for her happiness. But Elder had a much more effective way of teaching. Matt felt a bit inadequate but he tried to remind himself that he had no experience with being a parent, and no one to get advice from. He tried to take it as a learning experience, but he was struggling with convincing himself that's what it should be, despite him knowing that's how he should feel about it.

The urge to wander off again was growing stronger, but that wasn't possible because of how high off the ground they were, so he moved with his cup of tea and sat on the very lip of the cave with his legs dangling over the edge where he sipped at his tea and dealt with his invasive thoughts on his own.

Maybe it was a coping strategy, or just his personal way of dealing with depression, the wandering off. He knew it had always frustrated his friends, and they often got mad at him for it. Or when wandering or walking off wasn't an option, moving himself into the furthest corner of the room. Being here though seemed to put a bit of perspective on the issue. Maybe if people would have just let him wander off as he was inclined to do instead of trying to stop him from doing so, things would be better. Or maybe not. He wasn't sure.

He swallowed the last of his tea. He needed to stop thinking about himself for once. Depression was such a selfish disease. Slowly he turned and stood up with stiff legs and meandered back to the fire where Elder and Arianna sat eating. He sat again and helped himself to some of the food. "Thanks for making this," he said softly, and gave Elder a small smile.
 
Elder looked up and was happy that Matt had joined them. "You're welcome. I thought that you could both use a good meal. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could still do this sort of thing. I've had no one to prepare a meal for in such a long time I thought all my efforts just might be in vain."


Arianna tried using the fork he had given her and it was a messy process. Most of her meal had gotten on her rather than in her. She just sat there and licked it off her dress and fingers instead. Elder sighed and watched her.


"This is going to take some time I believe. She will need to pass as human for you both to make it past the Towns gate at the bottom of the valley. Either that or fly a great distance. I'm worried over both." He slowly got up and went over to a large bucket that held water and there he cleaned his plate then went to lay down leaving Matt to deal with Arianna who was a sticky mess.


She looked up to see Elder walk away. Licking her fingers she blinked and saw Matt. She blushed and giggled liking his company better anyway. "Hi Papa." She beamed at him.
 
Matt felt rather sure that Arianna would much prefer attempting to fly a long distance than try to pass for human for too long. She struggled with it and was so shy around people though, and for the most part, he felt most people would just think he was just a bit crummy as a father and teaching. In this day and age, he felt like most people were old fashioned enough to find a man raising a little girl to be very odd indeed, and that he should probably try to find a woman to share the task. If anything, he was pretty sure it would reflect more poorly on him than it would on Arianna. However, he was sure Elder knew best when it came to what was the right course of action. Matt only knew what he was very sure was Arianna's preference.

"I would...maybe not mention... f-l-y-i-n-g around her. She gets very excited and it's all she talks about..."

Matt finished eating once Elder left and smiled at Arianna, "Hi, Bud," he said with a hint of adoration in his voice. He reached for her and pulled her into his lap, nuzzling his nose in her hair. He felt pretty sure that he could in the very least trust that a child who had more or less adopted him as a father could be trusted to not leave or abandon him. He was afraid it would always be a fear. And every time he tried to start a clean slate on the matter, it always crept back in. But a child always needed a parent. At least, for now. And in every parent and child relationship that went wrong, it was never the child who left or hurt the parent, that he'd ever heard of, it was always the parent who left or abandoned the child. And one thing he was sure of, he would never (purposely) do such a thing to her. And hopefully that meant that he could count on her to be there too.

Besides, he thought, I just can't get anywhere in this world if I believe that every single person is going to break my heart or hurt me.
 
Arianna rubbed her eyes and then turned to look up at him. "What is F. L. Y. I…. no wait F.. Y. I. I I.. N. N GG?" She asked him sweetly.

Elder chuckled from where he sat and then looked over. "Not lacking on understanding this one. Might as well tell her. She will need to know. Have you taught her how to read and write or thought too?"

He came back over slowly slipped back into his dragon form. "It would be wise, she has the ability."

Arianna watched him and rubbed her eyes once more. She was getting very sleepy for some reason and curled up into Matt loving how warm and strong he felt.
 
"It can wait..." Matt replied in reference to Elder's thoughts on Arianna's flying. He hadn't considered yet teaching her to read and write. He had to admit it hadn't even dawned on him and he realized he was quite clueless when it came to teaching. He had mastered the caring about her part, he figured, but any other aspect of "parenting" if it could be called that, hadn't really even crossed his mind. He was grateful for Elder being there, to help guide him.


"I haven't..." he admitted and scooted awkwardly over to where his bag lay, letting Arianna remain in his lap as dug around in the bag where he found some children's books. With Arianna sitting sleepily in his lap, despite it being morning, he figured now was as good a time as any to begin teaching her to read. Not that he had any clue as to how to teach her to read. He didn't remember anyone teaching him to read. He felt fairly certain he'd just always known how to do it, or at least had picked it up very easily, without really realizing that he was learning to read.

He propped the book open in his hands, making sure that Arianna could see the pictures, and began reading to her.
 
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