Satyrs At Dusk ✔

Chapter Six

"You're finally back! Oh, you got someone too. Is this the new friend?"

At the entrance of the house, Myra leaned against the open door and swung it back and forth, eyeing Saevel as he shifted uncomfortably in the loose pants.

It was painfully obvious that his legs were misshapen.

The knee hooked back and his shin angled forward. The human leg was nowhere near the shape his leg took. Myra's eyes lingered on the pants before snapping back up to Saevel's eyes. His black horns were covered by Maxwell's slightly tattered baseball cap.

He tried his hardest to genuinely smile.

"Oh well come in! Mom's not home anyway.." she muttered the last part, making Saevel raise a brow. Maxwell shut the door behind them and as he slid his sandals off, he realized that Saevel was mirroring his actions.

He quickly reached over and shoved the loose shoe back onto his hoof, which made Saevel shriek and outright kick him in the gut. Maxwell doubled over and groaned, shooting the satyr a deadly look.

"Not here," he whispered. Saevel's eyes flicked to the side in confusion, but then his eyebrows flew up and he gasped. Silently, the two exchanged nods as Myra frolicked to the kitchen.

"Come on before she notices." Maxwell grabbed the other's hand and they both scampered up the steps, made a sharp left and the human practically pulled Saevel into the bedroom.

The door slammed shut and Maxwell ripped the hat from Saevel's head, making the satyr yelp. "You're rude when you're home." Saevel scowled.

"I'm just trying to protect you... Honestly, I don't know what her reaction would be if she saw what you have down there."

Saevel's face flushed, "What do you mean by down there? I just said I didn't have any genitals."

Maxwell broke out into laughter and plopped down on his mattress. "Well, let's just stay in here until we find a way to show her properly."

_

"So you... Stand on a board in the water? How is that physically possible? You'd sink.." Saevel pondered. They've been talking for the past two hours, and Maxwell's learned a lot from the satyr.

He learned that not only was he skilled in the Illusionary school of magic, but a bookworm too. He didn't know what books satyrs read back in his homeland, but he assumed they were interesting.

Saevel sat at the edge of Maxwell's bed, all clothes thrown aside as he hated anything that smothered his fur. Maxwell's baseball cap was on the other side of the room. He absolutely despised human clothes; they were too confining, he'd said.

"No. It's called surfing, when you ride one of those giant waves in the ocean. Summer's the best time to do it though. The tide and the winds are high." he explained.

"So, you... balance on the board. On a wave?"

"You've never been surfing, huh."

Saevel glanced down to his legs, then thumped his hoof against the floor. "I don't think I could even if I tried... My legs aren't fit for that kind of thing." He paused, taking a good look at his fur, grimacing.

"-and wet fur is hard to dry." he added.

"I know, I used to have a dog. She was a big dog, so whenever she got back inside from the rain- Oh God, the smell." Maxwell grimaced, just imagining the dog shaking about. The mud and water would splatter everywhere.

"A dog, huh? Satyrs domesticate weasels and tropical birds. It's quite different here.."

"Well, the pet depends on the pers-"

A knock on the door interrupted their banter. Saevel jumped, eyes growing wide. Maxwell whispered, "It's Myra. You have to hide!"

"Hey, I made some epic cookies! Open up, will you?" Myra's voice chimed from outside of the door. Maxwell threw the blankets over Saevel's legs, and Maxwell realized that he had nothing on, not even a shirt.

When Maxwell reached for Saevel's borrowed hoodie, the door opened and in came Myra, holding the door open with her hipbone. "Very helpful, guys." she scoffed. Her eyes trailed over to the two, who were caught in a rather compromising position.

Saevel was under hastily thrown blankets, shirtless, and Maxwell was on his knees reaching for a shirt. She paused momentarily, eyes fixing on the two horns that poked from Saevel's head. "Oh. Did I interrupt something?" Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively. Maxwell chucked Saevel's hoodie at Myra, to which she shrieked in horror.

"Don't get it on the cookies!"

Maxwell pat the bed space beside him, and as she drew closer, Saevel panicked. He scooted up to the pillows and took the blanket with him. "Don't- don't sit down," Saevel brooded.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You're fine. Just sit down." Maxwell shot Saevel a soft, calm look. His expression was comforting. "He's not used to being with lots of people. Loner, y'know?" Myra sat down the sheet of sugary cookies, already taking two for herself.

Myra took a seat by her brother. "Yeah, I get it. There's nothing wrong with that." She turned to Saevel and flashed him a smile, placing a hand on his leg. When her palm wrapped around right above Saevel's hoof, he stilled quickly.

"Your legs are really skinny... Are you sure you're eating okay?" she asked. Saevel's eyes went wide and he began to tremble, fists clenching around the bed sheets.

"It's a sensitive topic for him. Best not to talk about it right now-"

Maxwell was interrupted by Myra. "But why are his legs...? Does he have.. Do you have some sort of deformity? It's okay to tell us, you know." She inspected the tears that pooled up at the brims of his eyes. She gently wiped them away and handed him a cookie, dropping it in his palms.

He looked down to the treat, weighing it. He swiped a thumb over the cookie, feeling grit and grain. "How'd you get those horns? Your ears are pointy too." she noted. The room went dead silent, if it wasn't already.

"Myra-"

"He can talk on his own, Max." she glared at her brother, to which he went quiet. "I won't be mad at you. A little differences aren't gonna change how I see you. You're still a friend."

With much hesitation, Saevel climbed off of the bed and finally stood to his full height. The blankets slipped from his legs, exposing the ragged fur and the powerful hooves of an animal. He waved a finger in the air, quietly chanting something inhuman.

A ring of bright misty embers circled his finger and they traveled to his palm. There, they expanded and grew into a large bolt of fire awaiting to be cast. "Embro." he muttered. The fire set off with a flick of his wrist, and completely incinerated one of Myra's cookies.

Myra was left with no words.

Maxwell looked up through his curly bangs, watching as Saevel's eyes guiltily averted themselves. "I'm dangerous. I can't stay, Maxwell. I have to find that lyre."

"Wait, hold on! I need some context-"

"What was that for..?" Maxwell breathed, sucking life back into his silent bones. He was astonished at the fluidity in the satyr's movements. The spells looked perfect in his control.

Saevel brushed off his legs, kicking the air to break their rigidity. "I-I just couldn't take it anymore. The possibility that I could hurt you guys... It's too risky for me to stay. I need to go. I know what I have now won't be enough to last through the whole journey. I just need some supplies."

Myra was sent into a fit of awkward laughter, almost disbelieving at first. She uttered through clenched teeth, "Heh, um... What are you guys talking about?"

"Long story."

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