The Nameless One

by Lily Adile Lamb

  “I always have my bath by the spring until it snows. You worry for yourself, beast,” Faine challenged the nameless one, but he could hear the humor in his tone. “You’re the one who is flying around in the cold.”

  “You’re insolent, human,” he quipped back as he tried to sound serious.

  “You’re a cantankerous beast! Are we done with this bickering now?” Faine asked without turning back.

  “Yeah. We’re finished,” the nameless one murmured in his gravelly voice.

  “I didn’t come yesterday because my legs ached a lot, so I had to rest. I didn’t know how to send you a message. Sorry,” Faine apologized softly.

  “Then why are you here now? You can’t be well so quickly.” He growled and increased his body heat to keep the human warmer.

  “Wow… Is there a fire behind me? My back feels warm suddenly.”

  “Kind of, but don’t worry. You won’t get burnt. I am just keeping you warm so you won’t be in pain.” The nameless one made sure the man was not too hot, keeping his hands, red with his infernal heat, just behind the human, never touching but close enough to warm him.

  “You live alone, human? Do you have a female waiting for you at home?” The question came out before he could retract it.

  Faine answered hesitantly.

  “No. I don’t have a female mate, nor will I have one.”

  “Why is that?” The nameless one’s heart skipped a beat.

  “They are fine as friends, but I don’t want one of them as my mate… What about you, beast? You have a mate?” Faine turned his head slightly to his right. He didn’t try to look at the nameless one, but there was something about the way he spoke and turned that made the nameless one feel excitement growing right in his belly.

  “No. No mate for me. There is none of my kind here, but even if there was one, I would seek a male for a mate,” the nameless one answered with certainty. He wanted Faine to understand what he meant, with no chance of misunderstanding.

  “Will I ever see you, beast?”

  “No.” The nameless one suddenly felt as if he should open his wings wide and fly away. He couldn’t reveal himself to the human. What if he was disgusted or frightened? He liked the slight man and did not want him to run away. He was lonely, and if nothing else, the human was his first friend… Ohh, how he wished it was more than that, though.

  Chapter Twelve

  For the next few days, he watched Faine from a distance without talking to him. He felt that the man knew he was close by, because he kept playing happy tunes and spoke loudly about his day.

  “Today, we found an injured pup. Someone shot him with an arrow. Can you believe that? We do not harm the animals in the forest. We even cut the trees, with permission from the forest. The trees moaned all day because of the dog. She’s sleeping by the stove now…She’ll be alright.” As he talked about his day, the nameless one could see how pleased the man was about finding the pup. He didn’t respond, though.

  “I get lonely sometimes… All my friends are either with their mates or are so young they just want to play ‘hide and seek’. I live with the guardian but… it’s not the same, you know. She’s like a mother.” Faine spoke softly as he drew patterns on the soil. The nameless one gasped in shock at what the other man was telling him.

  The nameless one had to clear his throat before he responded. “Isn’t there a nice man in the village? You’re rather kind and easy on the eyes too, you know.”

  After the shepherd walked back home with his small flock, the nameless one heard the trees whispering, but he couldn’t understand exactly what they were telling each other.

  Day after day, the shepherd stayed a shorter amount of time, as the weather became colder and wetter. The last day, when he saw how the man was struggling to reach the mountain, he flew close to him, and started talking about the bats in the cave to stop him from walking. They were just outside the forest, in a small valley close to the mountain. This part was well away from all the prying eyes of humans, including the villagers in the forest.

  “The bats live in the cave close to me. We are so high up, with winter and the altitude being so high, there are no insects left around. They all huddled together on the ceilings, curled up, looking like furry dark balls.” He smiled at the way they looked last night.

  “That sounds fun to watch. Do they let you touch them?” Faine asked.

  The nameless one heated his hands and brought them close to the back of Faine again to keep him warmer. “Yeah but right now, they want to sleep, and they are a bit testy. I dare not tickle them right now.” He laughed at his own mischievousness. When he heard the human laugh as well, he felt warm inside. Faine did not find his life repulsive, which lit a small fire of hope in him.

  “Go back home and keep yourself warm,” he softly commanded. “If you are out, just play the flute and I shall find you.” He cooled his hand and touched the man’s back. Faine gasped at the touch, but did not turn to him.

  “Fear not. I mean you no harm,” he rushed to reassure the human.

  “Oh. I know that. I just didn’t expect you to touch me. You caught me unaware,” the human whispered. The nameless one felt encouraged, and touched the man’s shoulders with both hands, letting him see his translucent, humanoid hands. He noticed how they must appear to a human. The fine blood vessels were slightly visible. He wondered whether they looked disgusting to Faine, but his breath hitched when he felt the human’s small but cold hand touch his own.

  His wings quavered at the contact of another. When Faine intertwined their hands, he gently increased the heat in his palms to warm the human’s. He didn’t know how long they stood like that, but as it was getting very dark, he leaned closer to the man and whispered, “Go home. It’s not safe here at night with the hungry packs of wolves running.” When Faine nodded, he gently turned him toward the forest, making sure his face was still concealed.

  He watched the human slowly walk back to the forest with help from his stick, before he spread his wings and flew home.

  The next day it started snowing, and the nameless one was relieved that he didn’t hear the sound of Faine’s flute. He watched the snow slowly covering the forest like a white blanket. Everywhere outside the mountain was covered in snow.

  He silently admitted that he missed the human. The nameless one knew the mountain felt his loneliness, because its walls and the ground shook with his grief. A gust of wind swirled inside the cave, as the wind moaned in response to his pain. The nameless one realized they were trying to tell him to go and find the shepherd immediately.

  He let go of the ceiling and flew out of the cave with all his strength…as fast as possible. He glided through the blizzard, not caring how cold it was. When he heard wolves howling and snarling, his heart sank in dread, and he raced to reach the young shepherd. He knew the wolves had been hungry since yesterday, and thought it was the way of the nature, and it was not for him to interfere. It was not in his nature to take the life of an animal, unless it was in self-defense, and that never happened because all the beasts left him alone.

  In a sheltered cove in the distance, he saw a weak fire and flew there as fast as possible.

  He roared at what he saw. The wolves had slaughtered some of the sheep, while the rest ran off. The unearthly sound of the nameless one’s anger was so strong and so loud that the wolves whined and suddenly took off running as fast as they could.

  When he landed, he tilted his head, and roared again to show his rage and grief. His eyes were roving through the bloodied, torn flesh to find the shepherd. There he was, by a huge rock, with his felt cape lying close to his body, the wolves having clearly pulled it off him.

  The nameless one moaned as he rushed to the man’s side. He forgot to hide himself, kneeling down beside Faine. With shaky hands, he slowly turned the human onto his back and took a sharp breath. His shepherd’s face was bleeding and his torso had many bite marks, with blood oozing from each bite.

  “Faine… wake up.�
� He growled his command but the man was unresponsive, his eyes remained closed. The nameless one looked around quickly and saw nothing but the blizzard, slowly burying the dead sheep. He hoped the ones who’d ran away found a safe place, because his priority was Faine at the moment. He wrapped Faine in the felt cape, then increased his internal temperature to keep the man warm. He tightened his hold on the human and spread out his wings.

  Mindful of the blizzard and the safety of this precious weight in his arms, he flew toward the safety of his home. He’d never carried anything like a human before, but it was no trouble for the nameless one, for the man was slight.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As he entered the cave, the nameless one wondered whether he was allowed to bring the man into their midst. When the mountain made no sound and the wind was calm, he took it as acceptance and walked deep into the mountain. As he looked around to find a comfortable place to lay the man, a gust of wind brought leaves and small twigs from the other parts of the mountain into the cave. It was not much, but it was enough to offer some comfort to the human, so the nameless one bowed his head in gratitude and whispered thank you.

  He gently laid the man on the makeshift bed and closed the cape to keep him warm. Deep inside the mountain, it was never too cold or warm. The fireflies that never left the cave flew close to the man to watch him curiously.

  The nameless one wet his fingers in the small spring that trickled down in one corner, then washed the man’s face gently to see the damage. It was not deep. He took the man’s shirt off to see how injured he was. He had many bite marks on him and several deep gashes where the wolves tried to tear the man’s flesh.

  He washed the bite marks on the man’s body, then slowly licked each bite to stop them from getting infected. Once he saw the bleeding stop, he sighed with relief. But by then, Faine had started shivering. The nameless one wrapped the cape tightly around the unconscious man and watched him for a while.

  That night, Faine lay still, his breathing shallow, which worried the nameless one. He should have woken up or responded to his ministrations, but didn’t. Early in the morning when it was still dark outside, the man woke up and started vomiting and complaining of his head hurting. The nameless one couldn’t bear seeing the human suffering this way.

  “What do I do?” he asked loudly, knowing the mountain would respond to his plight. And sure enough, the response came fast, whispering to him in almost lyrical tone. The nameless one heard the awe and the love for Sylvonna at the way the sounds changed to almost singing her voice in awe.

  “Hurry to the forest. You must find Sylvonna. She will help the man.”

  He tucked the felt cape tightly around the sick human, so he would be warm in the nameless one’s absence. He flew out of the cave, not fearing how the powerful blizzard tried to throw him off direction. The storm was Mother Nature at work, and he respected that. He increased his body temperature, making sure he still blended well with the sky so no human noticed him. As each strong gust of wind pushed his body away, the nameless one tried even harder to sail through the strong gust of wind. He whispered with respect beseeching, “Dear Mother Nature, please let me reach the forest to find Sylvonna. I need her help. There is a very sick human in the mountain… I need him to urgently get well.”

  His plea was heard, as the blizzard lessened its mighty power to allow the nameless one to fly to the forest as quickly as he could. As he neared the forest, he saw the subtle change in the trees.

  As he landed right in front of the guardian trees, they leaned toward him and moaned, “Where is Faine?”

  “He’s injured. The wolves attacked him. He started vomiting and complaining of his head hurting. I need Sylvonna. Please help me find her.” The nameless one opened his arms to show his sincerity and honesty, for he knew Sylvonna was the fairy of the forest and what he asked was not asked before.

  Sylvonna stepped away from one of the guardian trees. “I know you are honest and sincere, nameless one. The mountain already warned me that you were on your way here. The wind explained everything. I’m prepared and ready to leave with you.” The nameless one understood that the trees hid her until they heard what he had to say to them, and he respected that.

  “Thank you Sylvonna. I am in debt to you.” He bowed with open arms to show his respect in the way of his people.

  She wore a large, tattered cape that hid her face, but the nameless one saw her face very briefly. She was not an old woman as she had appeared in the forest. She clutched a small bag, which he assumed was the medicine for Faine.

  “Thank you. I shall take you safely to the mountain.” As he gave his promise to her and the forest, he opened his arms to her. As soon as she stepped into his arms, he hugged her tightly, then opened his wings wide to lift them up, keeping the fairy safely in his arms.

  This time, the Mother Nature was gentle and kind to them, for she made sure the blizzard sped their travel safely toward the mountain. As soon as the nameless one landed at the opening of the cave, he opened his arms and followed the fairy as she rushed inside to Faine.

  When they reached Faine, the fireflies were flying frantically to make sure Sylvonna had clear vision of her patient.

  She kneeled beside Faine and touched his head gently. “He has fever and he must have hit his head, because I can feel a lump the size of an egg.” She opened her bag and went through her bottles and dried potions, wrapped neatly in small handkerchiefs. The nameless one watched her in fascination at the way she knew precisely what to pick and what to crush. She prepared a mixture in an earthen bowl, then mixed her herbs with water from the trickle of water in the cave.

  Once she seemed satisfied with her poultice, Sylvonna generously layered it over Faine’s injury, covering the lump. She applied one of the handkerchiefs that she had handy, then wrapped it around the man’s head to secure the poultice. Throughout the ordeal, Faine never woke up. She then looked up at the nameless one.

  “I need fire to brew some of my special leaves to reduce his temperature. Can you set a fire?” Seeing her troubled expression, he nodded his head and went to bring wood from outside. He looked in secluded parts of the mountain and then heard the trees calling him with their whispers. He changed his direction and flew toward the enchanted forest. Once he landed by the forest, he heard whispers from all directions coming from the forest saying the same thing.

  “Come here, nameless one. You can take my branches. I dropped them for you.” He saw the poison ivy dropping its thin branches as if it was guiding him to follow the path. He was marveled at the generosity of the bushes and the great old oak tree that had dropped branches for him. As he picked the wood, he bowed his head to show his respect “Thank you for your gift. When Faine wakes up, I shall tell him about your kindness.”

  “He is one of our own. Keep our precious Faine safe, nameless one.” The oak tree bent its longest branch to brush his shoulder with affection but the nameless one was too shocked to notice the kind gesture.

  “Wait! What do you mean by calling him my mate?” Even as he asked, he felt his increasing heart beat with hope.

  The oak tree spoke softly in his deep hoarse voice, “He doesn’t know it but we heard from the wind, and our Mother Nature, that he was destined to be your mate. You were brought here to be free and meet your soul mate, nameless.”

  He felt his knees buckle in shock and then gratitude for the higher power, and fell upon his knees. All the while, he clung to the wood with all his might, for his mate needed the hot brew to heal. For the first time he tilted his head back to howl with joy instead of crying in total despair.

  “Go to your mate. He needs you.” The wild chestnut tree spoke as it rustled his branches in anxiety.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Without spending another moment, he spread his wings and flew back to the cave. His heart sang in joy, and didn’t feel the icy wind, nor the rain on his body. Flying back to the cave truly felt like coming home, for he now knew Faine was his soul mate. He quickly
put the branches together as Sylvonna asked, and set the fire before he put the pot carefully over the fire to brew the precious tea.

  He watched Sylvonna wiping Faine’s face with gentle touches. “Nameless, the tea must be ready. Will you pour some into the cup?” Grateful to take part in looking after Faine, the nameless one did as she asked. He silently watched her patiently try to coax Faine to swallow the brew.

  He knew she was satisfied with everything as her shoulders dropped in relief and she sighed with her gentle smile.

  “Will he be alright, my lady?” asked the nameless one hesitantly, fearing the answer before he finished his question. She put everything back into her bag, before she leaned over and kissed the man gently on the forehead. Then she turned to the nameless one.

  The nameless one tried not to cringe and twitch in front of the small woman, for he felt her immense power prodding his mind as if she wanted to read his thoughts. She was more than a human or a fairy. In that moment, he realized she was connected to the mountain, as he felt the mountain pulse steadily as if it became one with her. He knew this from the way her heartbeat was in synchrony with the mountain.

  “I knew when he was hurt, but I couldn’t get to him on time, for it was not my time to do anything.” Her cryptic answer did nothing to lessen the demon’s worry, but before he said anything, she spoke again. “Yes, he will be okay, nameless one. In the morning, he will feel much better… I left some berries for his morning meal. He is partial to them.” She smiled as she stood up to show she was ready to leave.

  “Thank you, my lady. I shall return him to you as soon as he is ready.” The thought of his leaving filled the nameless one with sorrow.

  “No,” Sylvonna murmured as she wrapped her robe tightly around her body and walked into the nameless one’s arms. “It is up to Faine to decide when to return, or whether he wants to return. He is of age… He can make his own decisions now, and I know the trees informed you of his importance to you. He doesn’t know anything, because it wasn’t our secret to tell him.”