to Walk on Water || NaNoWriMo 2023

Chapter 6 | Adoption

The party hadn't been as bad as Heim had prepared for. Though it was still clear, alcohol and people weren't his thing. He could still appreciate the homely feeling the townsfolk were emitting with their dancing. With every swift turn of a skirt the sand was cast into the air. Stampeding feet obscured the view of the earth while they danced in circles.

But he didn't join. Heim sat at the right side of the circle. Cradling Kleia in his arms, keeping her warm. Despite the large bonfire her small body felt cold in his arms. And the only reason he wasn't freaking out about that was because he knew a thing or two about small halflings. Depending on their heritage, fae or mer, her body temperature regulation would be different from humans. Fire couldn't warm her, at least not now that she was still so small. She would need body heath to keep her systems running.

When Heim would see Lize, he would ask her to hold Kleia again. The probability of her being more human than him was quite high. Her keeping Kleia warm would very likely be more effective. If Kleia had been older and able to speak, he wouldn't consider forcing someone else to nurture his child. But now he couldn't risk letting her fall ill. He wasn't sure if he was emitting any body heat now, or if he was even capable of that.

Had Kleia been human, magic induced heath or the fire would keep her warm. But alas she wasn't, so he had to accommodate her needs instead of his own.

With Lize's arrival by the seat next to him, she accepted Kleia after quickly confirming his suspicion. Heim wouldn't be able to help Kleia with this.

That was the reason why Heim was now walking around the forest. Kleia was bound to his body with some cloth, so that he could move around easier.

He was looking for a small animal that could work as some sort of pet. If he had been in the city he would have bought a cat or a dog, but as he was in a village with a three-monthly fair, he would have to do with something else. Small enough to live inside, but big enough to warm and nurse Kleia.

In the best situation he would find her familiar, but with her being too small to have presented yet he could only guess and see her reaction to the animals around them. As for now she still hadn't shown any familiarity to any of the animals he had captured and shown her. If they continued like this it would be evening again, and he would have to bother Lize again. Something he wasn't planning on doing.

She seemed pretty harmless but he wasn't going to be fooled by her appearance. No person smelling like magic was harmless. Maybe she wouldn't have big teeth or claws to harm, but then her words would be able to destroy you. He wasn't going to irritate her and hope it wouldn't be too bad.

Dusk had arrived, so in a last attempt to escape the inevitable, he called as many species as he could to him with help of his magic. The feat in itself wasn't so difficult, it was that the range was far too big without help.

So now he was waiting by a small pont. Every time a new species appeared he showed them to Kleia in the hope she liked them. Thus far she didn't. Though she didn't cry when she saw the young wolf, so he kept that one apart. If nothing better would show they would have to do.

A low growl disturbed the scenery of the pont. The small wolf had crawled over from its original spot and was now hiding behind Heim. Allowing a soft warning growl to emerge from its muzzle. Warning Heim something dangerous was coming this way, something the wolf feared.

The leaves of a bush trembled slightly and a lynx appeared. Trailing behind her were two cubs. They were the reason for the distress of the young wolf.

And far more important, the happy cheer of Kleia.

For the first time since Heim started looking around in the forest, she seemed genuinely happy to see an animal. Could this be her familiar?