All Is Well When All Is Quiet

The days following the incident with my Uncle Thomas were less than enjoyable. The storm cleared, letting workers to get the roads cleared. Once they were up it was officer after officer asking the same questions over and over again. It wasn't just me but many people around the house even if they weren't even there.

A lot of it was probing it seemed to see what kind of character I am. I'm by no means deaf so I heard them asking questions out in the open.

"Does he have a history of violence?"

"Does he lash out often?"

"What does he do on a daily basis?"

Then they asked me all kinds of questions that were attempting to lead me to admit to some harsh feelings against my Uncle. Well, the problem with that is since he showed up he was a pest to not just myself but everyone in the house. We all wanted him to leave but he did everything he could to refuse. Then the day before the incident there was a rather loud confrontation where I had to put my paw down and tell him to leave.

Madam Odette is doing her best to reassure me that there was nothing I could do differently in this situation. I'm not sure I believe her on this. Hindsight is 20/20 is what everyone always says. Looking back on what happened there are all kinds of actions I could have taken that could have ended this issue in so many different ways.

Authorities took Uncle Thomas's body away. He still had my tail in his grasp when they found him. He was so hungry for it that even in death he did all he could to hold on to it. Their initial observation turned up that he died from a heavy series of internal injuries. I have no idea what I threw at him but it hit its mark.

The commotion went on all day. I wasn't arrested but was told to not leave the estate. There would be more officers and more questions over the coming days until they seemed to be satisfied. Madam Odette did her best to run interference. She even had one of her legal experts give advice and pull papers. He did everything he could to make sure all the proper information was retained and used. It must have worked though. It's been over a week since the last officer came to talk to me. Since then, only Anne has come to visit me in my cabin by the woods.

It took me a lot longer than I wanted to get it cleaned up. The floors are fine, There's no water damage since it was so cold that nothing melted but it was such a pain to get everything out. A few warmer days helped clear the paths around the estate making it easier to get everything resettled. Once I could get the fireplace going again it was much more enjoyable. A soft light, some warmth, and occasionally Anne's company helped get me together. Even so, one person never did come to check on me during that time.

Fall is gone. Winter is hovering over the area just waiting for its chance to blow in. The fire in my cabin crackles quietly. Anne is asleep on my bed while I rest in my chair close to the glow of the flames. I'm not sure what I'm thinking of. Every little thing that does cross my mind passes over in an instant onto the next thought only to disappear as fast. I can't slow down for some reason. Meditation, sleep, relaxation, and breathing techniques don't help. It's beginning to affect me. Even my pinging spell is coming back blurred and jagged.

Anne rolls over catching my attention. I hear her exhale as she settles back into a comfortable spot. She's been using my bed more than I have recently. Even with the lack of sleep and lack of focus I don't feel worn down. Just a mess.

I watch the fire burn until it's just to embers throwing another couple of logs on. It picks back up providing warmth to the cabin. Eventually, the warm glow of the fire spreads over the cabin as the sun slowly rises to expand the light. I nod off here and there but anything I do can hardly be considered sleep. I know it's time when I hear Anne take a deep breath and begin to stir. "I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

I look back at her still wearing her clothes from the day before, "You did. How did you sleep?" She tries to make herself more presentable but there's still some bedhead she'll need to take care of. "Very well, thank you, Sir Red."

I look around the corner of the chair at the sleepy fox stretching as she stands. "Anne, why do you call me that?"

"Call you what?"

"Sir Red."

It's been happening for a while but I never did ask where it came from. It's not disrespectful by any means but it is just strange. She begins to fidget on the spot as she quickly becomes flustered, "I.. um… well…"

"Anne, you can be casual with me. Why is it?"

"Well, Madam Odette ordered me to address you as such. You're a landowner, thus a lord of the land, and that's the proper title for someone in your position."

"I don't own land. I don't own this cabin. Even if Madam Odette gave me the cabin and the land it stands on I don't believe that I own it. So please, just call me Red."

"I… will try… Red."

With the formality dropped, I feel that I can be a lot more comfortable. I give Anne a smile and nod to let her know that she's good by me. I don't need her to think that I pushed her to do something uncomfortable. I'm by no means a lord with land, no matter what Madam Odette says to her. I'm just me.

Anne still has her daily chores she needs to do so she leaves my cabin as the sun begins to make its way across the sky. I see her shortly as she delivers me a plate for breakfast. She leaves it on my desk with a smile before heading off to serve the rest. Her winter uniform looks very similar to what she always wears but it seems thicker. With the colder weather and her having to move outdoors often, she's protected by it.

While she's off being busy I sit by the fire feeding it log after log eventually heading outside to grab another bundle to keep it going. I hear the door open and close after a long, quiet day. Just from the footsteps I can tell it's not my usual visitor. I don't even need to look to see who it is.

"Madam Odette, glad you could come to visit." I keep my eyes locked on the fire as my head rests on my paw. I can hear her heels clicking against the wood as she sits on the edge of my bed. "Anne's been sleeping here, hasn't she?"

"She has. She's worried about me and since you appointed her as my caretaker she's been taking it very seriously."

"She's very good at her job. Give her a task and she will see it through. Have you been sleeping though?"

"I have."

"Have you been actually sleeping?"

I should have known better. I can't hide anything from her. "I have, but not well." I hear her stand up as she moves across from the bed to the desk. "I can tell. The magic you've been using is rather tattered, almost incomplete. You're taking steps backwards and it worries me."

"That my skills may fade?"

"That you are fading."

"I wish I could fade away…"

I hear her heels against the wood coming closer. There's a heaviness with her steps as she comes closer. They get faster as she winds around the chair standing in front of me. Her paws are shoulder width apart as she stands before me. Her winter jacket is the same sterling red and gold she hosts in her home. "Red, look at me."

Her voice is oddly soft with some shaking behind it. I lift my chin from my paw to see her face. I see her teeth are grit before I'm forced to look to my right out the window of the cabin.

The warm sensation comes first before the stinging comes to the surface. My ears rings from the sound that echoed through me. I turn my head back to look at her again. She has her paw cradled in her other nursing her own stinging from the slap she delivered to my cheek. Tears well in her eyes as she begins to breathe through her teeth, "Don't. Ever! Say that. Do you understand me?"

Her chest is rising quickly from her elevated breathing. Something inside my head clicks bringing me out of the stupor I've been stuck in for the past week. I don't answer her. I stand instead as tall as I can with my chest out. She clenches her paw she slapped me with into a fist putting it down to her side. She has a fire in her eyes that I haven't seen in her before. She's… She's not mad. She's angry. Her arm shakes at the shoulder from the tight grip she keeps beside her.

My arms slide between her sides under her armpits crossing across her back as I step into embrace her. I can feel her body shake with anger. Her heartbeat is violent. "I understand Madam Odette. And I'm sorry."

The tension from her body gives as I feel her wrap around me. Her nose buries itself into my neck as I begin to hear her sniffling. I feel the outpour of tears from her eyes as she breaks. "I was so worried I would lose you. I don't want to lose you, Red."

I feel her claws dig into my shoulders as she grips me tighter. I can't say no to her right now. She needs this as much as I do. Just someone to lean on. I give her a gentle kiss on the forehead to let her know I'm there, and that I don't want to leave.

The air around us seemed to clear up at that moment. Madam Odette collected herself wiping the tears from her eyes. "You tell anyone about this and I'll deny it until I die." She's back to her usual self. "It will be our secret then."

We both calm down. I take my seat back in my chair. Madam Odette takes a seat on the floor between my legs facing the fire together. She kicks off her heels putting her paws up to the fire to keep them warm. Then we just talk. We go over a few things from Uncle Thomas's incident before trailing off to anything else. Madam Odette opens up a little bit about her own upbringing here and there. I didn't know she had an older sister who ran away from home to make her own way. She hasn't heard from her in over 10 years though. She hopes that she's ok out there.

"That's something else. I don't have much to share. I just finished high school and then you brought me here."

"You must have some stories though. Some wild adventure you went on."

"My dad and I went camping once, just the two of us when I was 12. We didn't catch anything in the two hours we could fish when it wasn't raining all weekend."

"That sounds like it was a rough trip."

"It was but him and I still had a good time. We talked a lot. I learned a lot about him."

We just ramble through the evening until nightfall. I didn't even notice it until I woke up in my chair. Madam Odette was resting her head on my leg using her arms to comfort her. The fire wasn't out but it was getting close. I can't move though. I have to focus and float a new log into the pit. With a deep breath, I'm able to control it, lifting, floating, and dropping it in place. Madam Odette shifts to the noise but doesn't wake up.

I stretch the best I can getting comfortable in the chair when I hear the cabin door open again. I look behind me to see Anne coming in still wearing her work uniform. She pauses to look, seeing something amiss in the cabin. I bring a claw to my lips to give her that all known sign to be as quiet as possible. She notices the extra body already there. I can see her grin before she starts to slink back out. She whispers to me as she goes, "Take good care of her."

"Take care, Anne. Good night."

She waves before the door shuts behind her. I turn back to the fox nestled up to me. She really is something else when she's asleep. I run a few claws through her hair as she breathes peacefully. She moves slightly but again, not enough to wake up. I rest my palm on her head leaning back in the chair letting sleep finally take me for a few hours.