Shepherd by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

The sun was brilliant with an altered light, moving from the yellow glare of summer toward the whiter light of winter. It still lay warm on Dainig's shoulders as he strolled with Peter through the high-flying leaves of autumn. The hillsides had changed. Quiet and green all summer, individual trees now announced themselves in copper-gold, bright yellow, rust and crimson. They stood outlined against the slate-blue clouds, raised halfway to the vault of the sky on every side, their fiery towers swaying in the wind to lay bright washes of color at their feet.

Eagerly, Peter collected leaves, his hands so full of the brittle stems that they dropped in his wake. Dainig walked casually along behind him with a tree-identification book, teaching both of them to match the leaf to the tree and call it by name.

"This is the best one yet," Peter hollered, racing back in his uncoordinated run. He held the leaf high. "It's a maple."

"It's an oak," Dainig corrected.

"Oak, oak. I never can tell, can I?" Peter huffed at himself. "I'll just call it a leaf, all right?" He put it with the others in his scattering bouquet and dashed off again, unbothered by his mental limitations.

A sudden crunch of leaves caused Dainig to spin around, expecting to face a large animal. Instead, he found Laine approaching, the crackling leaves making her sound bigger than life.

"When did you get here?" He rushed to meet her. There was so much to tell her this time, but first he had a need to feel her live warmth against himself.

She clung to the embrace even after he relinquished it, sighing sighs that echoed of relief more than love. "I'm so glad to be back."

"Are you all right, Laine?" Dainig asked, concerned.

"No… but it doesn't matter. The sun keeps on rising in spite of it." She looked straight into his eyes. "Yet… if you're strong enough now, per—"

"Laine!" Elated, Peter zoomed at her. "Danny forgot to tell me you're back. Come and see my leaves."

"Not now, Peter," Dainig pushed the boy aside. "Laine's tired. Let her rest for a while first."

Not used to being shunted out of the way, Peter concluded he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab or shout. I was only happy to see her."

His face was a mixture of hurt and repentance, and Laine immediately bent to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm happy to see you, too, Peter."

"But you need to rest? Like Danny said?"

"I do. I also need to talk to Danny. Alone."

"Then I'll find some best leaves for you to look at later," Peter announced. "Don't go away while I'm hunting for them." With her promise, he ran off, happy with the peace he had made.

Dainig led Laine into the shade of a maple tree and sat down with her. His news about his transformation would have to wait. She was obviously in need of something other than plans for a coup.

Nevertheless, she didn't pursue what she had begun

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