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The Gift

Richard's (SF) Storyline, Chapter 2.1

copyright comidacomida 2018

I still don't know if Balam had wished me good dreams or was telling me that I would have good dreams, but that was the case; that night I had the most relaxing sleep I'd had since the accident. My dreams, plainly put, were good ones. I can't remember specifically what dreams I had or the specific elements of them but it was wonderful. When I awoke in the morning I finally felt like I was ready for classes, which was a good thing seeing as it was a Saturday and the term was starting the following Monday.

I was alone in my bedroom but I already heard the tell-tale signs of the spirits moving around in the living room. Although their voices were muffled I could clearly hear a discussion between Sabhana and Treboada, with Jack occasionally contributing. They all fell silent when Balam said something; I couldn't hear specifically what it was he'd declared but, in unison, all of the others spoke up loudly "Good morning, Richard!"

Stretching, I got up and, considering the spirits new I was awake, I decided to wait to change out of my bed clothes to limit the likelihood that one or more of them would grow impatient and come visit me while I was changing. Walking down the hallway, I saw Balam first, who was seated on the floor with his legs crossed. He greeted me in the same was as the others had, albeit, in Spanish. "Buenos dias."

The living room was exactly as I'd left it the previous night but the spirits were gathered up in the corner. Jack was seated in the recliner while the two Wolves were lounging on the sofa; Sabhana had her legs stretched out onto Treboada's lap and he was giving her a foot rub or, a 'paw rub', I suppose would be more accurate. She smiled up at me, head laid out on the armrest. "Sleep well, Richard?"

I nodded. "Yeah... thanks. Did everything go okay last night after I went to bed?"

The feathers of Jack's cowl puffed up and settled down. "They did, yes, Richard. Treboada and I exchanged tales from the isles and--"

The male Wolf interjected. "An' then Sabhana 'ere put us t'shame with more a the lot... She can tell a story an gie it laldy, ah tell yeh..."

I was left with the impression that what he had to say was a good thing. "Oh, yeah... I loved the story you told last night, Sabhana."

She smiled warmly. "Thank you, Richard... for the longest time stories were the only way history was recorded. It is an art form that is not celebrated as widely today as it was so many years ago."

Not exactly part of the conversation, Balam interrupted the discussion with a question. "What do you want to do today?"

Jack, as expected, followed the question up with his own inquiry. "What does the savage want, Richard?"

"He wants to know what I want to do today."

The Gryphon blinked, rotating his head toward the Wolves then to me. "Tis a good question. Dost thou have plans this day?"

I considered the question for a moment before turning first to Balam, and then to Jack, speaking first in Spanish then in English. "No se. No tengo nada que hacer hoy-- I don't know. I don't have anything I have to do today."

Sabhana slowly sat up, reclaiming her legs from Treboada's attention. "Well, Richard... today is Saturday. What do you normally do on a Saturday?"

Treboada let out a snort. "Yeh gotta bring up schedules, lass... why's that always so important ta so many people? Silly world runnin' on seven days... makes no sense anyway."

The Wolf's humored rant caught my attention. "What do you mean? A week has seven days... I thought that was universal."

Sabhana smirked. "In our time, Scottland had eight."

Treboada offered a single succinct nod. "Aye. Didomhnaich, La na Sabaid, Diluain, Dimairt, Diciadain, Diardaoin, Dihaoine, an' Disthairne."

I was about to ask, but the Wolf quickly added "T'day's Disatharine, Lad, not that it should mean anythin'."

There were a number of other questions I would have asked about an eight day week but Jack had another for me. "And what about tomorrow, Richard? Dost thou attend church? If so, which one? Art thou a man of faith?"

It was a pretty personal question, and one I wasn't ready to answer. "Uh... I-- uh... no. Not really... I guess... maybe?"

Treboada chided me with a straight face. "An' the lad's also full a conviction."

Ignoring the Wolf, Jack cocked his head to the side, staring at me. "Perhaps thou mayest explain thy stance... thy answer had many parts to it, Richard."

I shrugged, trying to figure out how to put my agnosticism into words. "Well... my parents are Lutherans-- uh... a... a branch of Protestant, er.. C-- Christian, I guess."

The Gryphon nodded. "Yes... I know of Lutheranism, Richard-- I was in Saxony during the time he was the provincial vicar."

His single statement had gone far past my own understanding or historical knowledge. "Oh... well... uh... I've BEEN to church, but I... I don't really follow those teachings or anything. I guess I'm Christian, but I don't really practice or anything."

Jack blinked, ear-like feather tufts raising. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "I don't know... I guess I just never really felt the calling to go to church or anything. I mean, my parents taught me some prayers and everything but it's been years since I actually--"

Treboada just tsk'ed. "Feh... yeh ken get a lot more outta runnin nekkid in th' moonlait... aye, Lass?"

Sabhana, to whom the black Wolf had addressed the questions ran a paw through her hair. "If it isn't his way, Sian, then it isn't his way."

Pressing the issue, Treboada looked to me. "It'd be good fer yeh, Lad... bein' a bit more free an' lettin go a all the stuff that weighs yeh down durin' th' day."

The Gryphon clacked his beak several times to draw attention back to him before countering the statement "And this would involve worship of pagan gods? I fail to see how being naked does not but relieve thee of the weight of thy clothes."

Treboada stood, stretching as his loincloth and the leather ties on his head-fur disappeared in wisps of smoke. Arms high over his head, tail arched slightly along with his back, the Wolf slowly circled in place, providing too good a view of his well built body and graciously gifted assets without a care in the world or any sense of modesty. "Aye, berd... an' that burden be more'n what they weigh..."

Sabhana rolled her eyes in a way that almost made me think of an older sister putting up with a younger brother's silly theatrics. "Sian... there's no need to wander around Richard's apartment sky clad... I think you're making the poor boy uncomfortable."

The word 'uncomfortable' was certainly one way to put it but, to be honest, I was mesmerized at the naked wolf's form-- from a scientific appreciation for the anatomy as well as an aesthetic appeal. In response to Sabhana's request, however, Treboada took a seat on the coffee table, clothing reappearing on him in the time it took for the mist to reform. "Just makin' a point, Lass... if we're talkin faith, we should talk about all sorts a faith."

Jack scowled. "I was asking after Richard's faith... nothing more."

In order to bring a close to the topic I quickly interjected. "Agnostic."

The Gryphon and both wolves looked to me at that. It was Sabhana who asked "What does Agnostic mean?"

Pausing, I tried to figure out how best to explain but, in the end, I went for the simple answer. "It means I don't know if there is a god or not and, if there is, I don't know which version is the right one."

Sabhana smiled, glancing playfully at Jack. "Or if there may be more than one?"

He shot a glance back at her but it didn't seem any more aggressive than hers had been. "Just because I come from a god fearing kingdom does not mean their faith holds me in its sway, m'lady... Richard is free to follow his own heart. I make no claim to his religion. I would, however, greatly like to teach him something of faith."

Balam, having almost been forgotten amidst the discussion suddenly spoke up. "They are talking about gods?"

I glanced back to the Jaguar, who was still seated on the floor but was looking up at me. I nodded. "Yes. Jack wanted to know... uh..." I realized I didn't figure out how to say what I wanted to about faith, so I went with a simpler way of putting it. "...what church I go to."

The Jaguar cut straight to the point and, although I could tell that he had trouble figuring out how to say what he wanted to, he did a better job than I did. "Do you believe in the god of a church?"

Before I could answer, he added "If you want to learn about gods I could teach you."

Suddenly faced with numerous spirits each wanting to have me experience faith differently, I--