The Downhill Fey Forest Ch. 05

He repeated the problems with being a courier in his mind, and accepted them. The job just wasn't for him. He knew other people who genuinely liked it, and didn't mind these problems, but he wasn't them, and there were so many better options out there. Hiroko brought a hand to Alban's chin and gave him gentle, tingly scratches.

The elf kingdom of Rosenia was a big place, and there were many towns he could settle in. He hadn't been to every one of them, but he knew enough about the culture to assume that they were all mostly pleasant. He wondered which one was the best... maybe the capital? It was a big place, with brilliant architecture, and surely had plenty of opportunity.

Hiroko kept stroking his head, and as he thought more on her lap, he felt at home, comfortable, and perfectly at ease, and began to drift off without being aware of it...

~~~~~ ~~~~~

Alban woke up to golden rays of sunlight and Hiroko's snoring. It was morning. They were in a different part of the forest now, a more brambly place with muddier shores and thornier plants. Rose bushes grew on the bank of the river, dotting the brown and blue-green landscape with red. The goldfish, Kaede, was still pulling the boat along.

She was sitting upright, yet still asleep. Her legs were still warm. His blanket and her thighs were all the comfort he needed on the hard deck; he had barely noticed the hard wood the night before, given all the soft things around.

Alban was about to close his eyes again when he heard two quieter snores coming from behind Hiroko. His grogginess vanished. Trying not to wake anyone, he listened closely, and knew that two small someones were sleeping close by, right behind Hiroko.

He gently lifted his head from her soft lap and stood up, still wrapped in his blanket. He looked at Hiroko: she was still asleep, sitting upright with her arms coiled in her blanket. Her blanket partly covered her tails, but not quite, and the snoring came from inside them.

Alban snuck around by Hiroko's tail and slowly lifted the blanket. Snowdrop and Sundrop were there, snoring and sleeping, covered in Hiroko's fluffy mass of tails.

As soon as the sunlight hit her eyes, Snowdrop fluttered awake.

"Huh? Is it..." She saw Alban peering down at him. Sundrop bolted awake as well. "Aah! Abandon ship!" Snowdrop and Sundrop started to beat their wings, quickly darting out of the pile of tails and soaring past Alban's shoulders. He tried to grab one of the fairies, but they were too fast.

As they flew away with panicked speed towards the forest to Alban's left, Hiroko stopped snoring, and she sat up.

"Oh, is it morning already?" she asked. "It looks like we're coming close to the castle." She turned around. "And it also looks like you woke up before me. Did you have a good night's sleep?"

Alban was still staring as the fairies vanished into the canopy by the shore of the river. "I did," he said. "I did a lot of thinking while I was falling asleep; I feel a lot better now."

"Wonderful! How about some morning tea?"

"I'd... sure, I'm starting to love it. Maybe I should drink tea more often."

"And, I just need to ask, were you touching my tail while I was asleep? I swear, I felt something there while I was waking up."

Alban thought for a moment. There wasn't any need to complicate things by telling her about the fairies. "Yep. Sorry, it's just so fluffy..."

"Don't be," she said. "You can touch it all you like. I don't mind."

Soon, Alban was passing the time by sipping more of Hiroko's fruity tea while sitting behind her and stroking her tails. He stayed alert for the sounds of fairies, but none came as they sat together.

The boat pressed onward, and Alban, content where he was, happily occupied himself with small talk and Hiroko's fluffy tails. Hiroko didn't question him as hard as she did last night, and they kept the conversation lighthearted and insubstantial.

Time flew without Alban realizing it, and at noon, he noticed that the forest had changed again. There were blooming cherry blossoms on the shore, and a tall, silver spire in the distance ahead.

~~~~~ ~~~~~

The final part will be out soon. Stay tuned!