12 BeneV(i)olence ( 5 )

It was an interesting sight to behold: a bird half flying and half dragging itself slowly over the ground with the disheveled boy behind it not faring any better.

Unable to take it anymore, Whistle collapsed on its back, exposing its tiny chest heaving up and down. This was equivalent to a marathon run without preparation, and it simply couldn't keep up.

Kalani took the last few steps before reaching the bird: his flushed face a stark contrast to his dirtied clothes.

Gasping greedily for air, the boy managed to say, "Caught you~" He grinned wickedly at the inert fluff on the ground.

"Peep..." Whistle knew it was screwed. Kalani bent down to pick up the bird; however, he then realized that there was no paper note on the bird. With widening eyes, he flipped the bird around in an attempt to find it.

"Whistle..." the boy spoke through gritted teeth, "where is the note?..." His menacing smile made the bird tremble. Chirping pitifully, Whistle motioned with its wing toward the gravelly road from where they came.

"..."

Kalani felt his head draw a blank. To begin with, it probably was his fault for chasing the bird first, which led to losing the note. But what scared him more was that his uncle had sent something important along with the note this time, and it was for his mom. Kalani looked up at the sunny sky.

'Should I run away from home?...'

Though just as he was considering that, he heard a rustle in front of him. Glancing down, he saw his mother with her arms crossed.

"Care to explain yourself, Kalani Walkers?" she emphasized his name while having a bright smile.

Although both Kalani and Whistle witnessed her smile, the flames dancing around her unveiled her true emotions. Despite the air surrounding them growing warmer, the troublemakers shivered.

"So...not only did you not get the note, but you also ripped your clothes?" his mom uttered sternly after observing them for a minute.

Unable to say anything to defend himself, Kalani lowered his head guiltily. The heat then appeared to have risen to a new height as an oppressive aura rolled over them.

Kalani shut his eyes once he noticed his mother approaching him; however, instead of a scolding as he expected, he felt warm fingers touch his scratched-up, bleeding arm.

"Are you hurt badly anywhere?" his mother softly asked. Gone were the volcano-like emotions in her voice, and what replaced it was a hint of sorrow. Seeing his mother's actions, Kalani felt a pang of guilt in his chest before he shook his head no.

For several minutes, the woman checked her son's condition before reaching a decision. "Let's go inside to treat these wounds," she stated but added further, "Punishments afterward, so don't think you can get away with it."

Turning to Whistle in her son's palm, she stated with a grim look, "Don't let him get this hurt again..." It was a warning, but her motherly love showed through her words, earning the bird's respect.

Keeping in mind their promise, the bird spread its wings and took off toward the woods.

...

Along the way, Whistle spotted the familiar wagon rushing over the road, and being naturally curious, the bird flew down secretly and tailed the wagon from behind, eavesdropping on their discussions.

Gazing intently ahead, the driver verbally prodded the horses to go faster in hopes they could catch up to Kalani.

Eventually, Arlo inquired as he fidgeted on the bumpy front seat, "Do you think cousin will be fine?" The man knotted his brows tightly with unease before shaking his head.

"I don't know," he replied before stealing a glance at his son, "But are you holding the paper and its contents properly?" To his question, Arlo held out his hands, which were firmly grasping the note.

Then a woman's voice rang out above the din of the gravels hitting the wheels, "Dear, do try to not turn the wagon over. You are going to break the potteries I prepared for them." Hearing this, her husband reined in the horses to travel more smoothly.

The scenery changed from towering trees to a lush meadow with flourishing fields covering every acre. Arlo was so entranced by the plump corn and other crops that he didn't notice he gulped his saliva on multiple occasions; however, his father discerned his fascination and chuckled quietly. Even his mother took a peek as they passed, pleasantly surprised by their surroundings.

Once they were nearly there, Whistle turned around and gradually disappeared into the forest trees.

Parking the wagon a few yards away from the house, the man hurried to the door, hoping that Kalani was home and not stranded somewhere. He knocked before realizing his clothes weren't exactly presentable, but in the middle of tidying up, the sleek, wooden door swung open abruptly.

Flustered, he glanced at Kalani's mother and then observed his nephew's hand waving at him from inside. He sighed in relief.

"Charlie?" Kalani's mother had a look of surprise. "What are you doing here?" She then noticed Arlo and his mother stepping out of the wagon.

"Did you not get the letter?... Ah right, I sent it in the last note, but you didn't get it," Charlie stumbled on his words.

While he was botching up his explanation, his wife approached them and apologized, "Sorry that we came on such short notice, Adeline, but we needed to give you something urgently that the bird couldn't carry. So we thought it would be nice for us to visit your family since we don't do it so often."

Adeline, Kal's mother, understood what the woman meant when she read the paper note, which Arlo handed to her.

"You actually came at the right time, Delilah," Adeline mentioned with a smile, "We just cleaned the whole house yesterday because of the pollen, so your family can stay in the guest room."

After greeting his aunt, Arlo sped past the entrance into the room, halting once he saw his cousin sprawled on the couch. The young boy tilted his head, staring at the white bandages covering his cousin's arms, legs, and chest.

"Cousin, are you ok?"

Kalani shifted a little to face Arlo, "I am just tired..." Then with awkward stiffness, he placed one bandaged arm over his eyes wearily.

Seeing this, Arlo walked back to his mother and tugged on her skirt, "Mommy, can you heal cousin? I wanna go outside with him." His endearing puppy eyes did the trick, and the young boy led his mother to the couch.

However, once Aunt Delilah spotted her nephew's body, she placed a hand over her mouth but to no avail.

"HAHAHA!!! A MUMMY!" the woman's mature facade cracked as her raucous laughter filled the cottage. "What is this?!"

"That's not the right way?" Adeline inquired innocently, sending Aunt Delilah into another bout of laughter. Now, the woman couldn't even stand properly anymore and had to lean against the wall for support, but looking at Kalani was enough for her to cackle again uncontrollably.

It was then when Kalani said aggrievedly, "See Mom, I told you didn't need to place all these bandages on me. It's too much!" While clearing her throat, Aunt Delilah crouched beside him.

"I'll heal your wounds and fatigue. But let's at least take off some of those bandages," Aunt Delilah mentioned as she laid her hand on Kalani's forehead.

A verdant herb-hued halo emerged from her outstretched hand, vanishing into Kalani's forehead. He widened his eyes in shock as a refreshing feeling coursed through his veins, but a stinging pain on his arm followed, making him quiver.

"I have to peel the bandages off, sorry cousin," Arlo remarked in a not so remorseful voice as the boy stripped them off in quick succession. Closing his eyes, Kalani gritted his teeth while enduring the skin-like peeling. To his relief however, it become much more bearable due to Aunt Delilah's healing.

Pacing around the room, Kalani's mother observed his pain with a worried expression. Once it was over, Kalani breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Aunt Delilah helped Kalani sit up on the couch before patting his back.

"It's fine now, Adeline; the bandages were just constricting," the woman comforted his mother. Kalani grinned.

"I'm completely better, Mom!" Kalani pumped both fists into the air. "Yahoo!"

His exaggerated gestures finally eased his mother's heart as she let out a chuckle.

"~~~" Muffled voices came from outside, and everyone turned toward the door. Being the fastest, Arlo dashed out the doorway, "Uncle Peter!"

Uncle Charlie was standing next to Kalani's father, who let out a grunt when the young boy jumped into his arms. "Getting heavier each year I see!" Kalani's father remarked, swinging the airborne boy around in circles. Eventually after doing too many turns, he set Arlo down because of the dizziness.

"Of course, I'm ten years old, so I'm a big boy now!" Arlo remarked happily as he clung to Uncle Peter. Both families laughed.

...

Later in the afternoon, the parents decided to eat outside for a change since the weather was too perfect to miss. In the middle of deciding where to picnic, Kalani recommended Whistle's clearing.

'Cause unknown to them, the boy had been continually pestering Kalani to take him to the bird, which was driving Kalani half insane since the boy's parents would never allow Arlo to be alone with just him in the wilderness.

Due to his earnest pleadings, Kalani was able to convince his parents, and after deciding to trek there, they all set off with baskets of food in their hands.

Under his cousin's watchful eye, Arlo skipped over the gravelly road ahead of the group while Kalani followed closely behind. While Kalani was ahead, he could still hear his parent's discussions.

"When Arlo becomes fifteen, we are planning on sending him to —— School that teaches how to wield magic, and we are wondering if you are going to send Kalani to a magic academy when he becomes of age."

Kalani's ears perked up at his name. He didn't quite catch the institution's name, but that wasn't really important in his opinion.

Kalani heard his father reply, "We haven't decided on whether to send him there yet."

"Kalani is fourteen now, right?" Uncle Charlie asked; to which a yes was given.

"While a suggestion, I do hope both boys can attend school together," Aunt Delilah said.

His mother spoke up, "School is important; that's true. But I want to hear Kalani's opinion on what life he wants to take." That comment touched Kalani deeply.

"However—" his mother paused, "he is going butt naked if he rips more clothes..."

Kalani smiled wryly, making a mental note for future preservation. Amid his thoughts, a ringing pierced his mind, distorting his vision; he stopped in his tracks immediately but found that the anomaly went as quickly as it came.

Kalani furrowed his brows as, out of the corner of his eye, Arlo tripped in front of him. Responding almost instantly, he reached over and grabbed the boy's arm, preventing a nasty fall. Kalani placed the basket he carried down carefully as he checked Arlo for any sprain.

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from behind. "Are you both okay?" the parents simultaneously voiced their concern. Kalani waved his hand in front of his face with a smile, indicating they were fine.

"But my legs are tired," Arlo drawled. The parents glanced at each other; while it was perfectly fine to be tired, they expected this after they arrived there. The baskets were cumbersome and heavy at the moment, making it difficult to continue their walk.

Listening to their words about going back, Arlo drooped despondently. He had wished to see the bird today, but it seemed all hope was lost. Then his cousin crouched in front of him.

"Climb on my back, Arlo," Kalani said confidently.

Uncle Charlie questioned worriedly, "Are you sure? We can just head back." His inquiry was met with a shake of Kalani's head.

Latching onto his cousin's back, Arlo exclaimed, "You are the best!"

'For my sanity...' Kalani mused, shuddering inside as he recalled Arlo's incessant pestering earlier. With a basket hanging from one arm, Kalani trudged along.

However, what he hadn't told the group was that his temples were throbbing a little, and from their reactions, no one seemed to hear that noise. Kalani bit his inner lip silently.

'What was that?...'

...