The Murder Of Willowstream

Ch.24. Happy Birthday Indeed...

The cake was delicious. Handcrafted by Lily's mother, Marshal was getting diabetes just by looking at it, and while Alaric didn't often partake in mortal food; as it was his birthday: he decided to make an exception. Like he did every year.

It was a twilit evening, one spent in good spirits as the group laughed and joked from within the den. Sharing stories, and whatever gifts they could cobble together for the Birthday celebration. For one, shining moment: Things were just as they had always been, and all the events of the passed month or two were forgotten in place of happy habits.

"Thank you, I love it." Alaric said enthusiastically as he unfurled the large piece of paper and stood so that he may better gauge its contents. It was a gift from Marshal, and on it was a masterpiece of all them, Yasmine included, painted in breathtaking detail and colour.

"Really? I'm not too good with paints." Marshal questioned in disbelief, only to scowl moments later as Lily pinched the meat of his thighs.

"Just take the compliment, you dolt" she remarked, giggling when Marshal stuck his tongue out in her direction as a response.

"Honestly, Marshal, it's fantastic. You're amazing, and could make a living off of this stuff if you wanted to." Alaric said, ignoring the questioning silence as he aimed the paper at different sections of the Den wall, pivoting on the spot and closing one eye as if that made a difference. "What about here? I'll have it framed and I can put it up here." He questioned, striding from the nest of his friends to the eastern wall and holding the paper against the craggy stone, while smiling expectantly at the rest of them as he awaited their answer.

What he got, for a moment, was a shared look of complete and utter questioning.

"What? Do you think it better to be placed over there instead? I just thought that if I'm having it framed: the light won't hit it so harshly if I put it here." He said rolling the paper up again, and pretending to be completely oblivious as to why his friends were staring at him. Although his shoulders spoke of the expectant questions. Slumping lower slightly before he pulled them back up into their broadness, and ready to carry whatever weight was passed on to him.

"What is with you at the moment?" Alice questioned, lowering her plated slice of cake to her lap, and breaking the uneasy silence that had smothered the previously jovial atmosphere. The question had long been on the tip of Alice's tongue, and she had grown quite tired of her theories going unanswered.

"What do you mean?" Alaric replied innocently, and yet refused to meet a single one of their eyes. Choosing to look anywhere else in fact.

"Wow, even I caught that one, Alaric. Ow- hey!" Marshal snorted in response as Lily tugged at his hair and procuring a small black feather from the pale blonde strands, before tossing it casually to the side.

"Quit being a baby, you just had something in your hair. Anyway, I'm with She-Wolf, big cheese. You've been acting weird for what; three weeks, now? I think it's about time you spill the beans. All of them. I don't want to see a single bean left in the can, because you've spilled them all." Lily responded as the rest of them, except for Rhys, nodded in agreement.

"I don't know what-"

"Beans!" She interrupted Alaric with a commanding point of her finger. All that was missing from the surprisingly intimidating gesture; was the accompanying crack of thunder in the distance.

Rhys relaxed his hands. Which had been balled into fists throughout the entirety of the conversation. With an exasperated sigh he stood from the floor and began to leave.

"I'm just going for air." He said non-committally, and began to walk while doing his best to ignore the gaze that Alaric bore into his back from behind. Silent was the 'don't you dare leave me in this', but Rhys was already at the mouth of the Den and had turned the corner, away from view. Although he managed to catch Lily's exclamation: