Page 91 of Hollow

“You and the little demon puppy would probably get along better if you sparred more,” Dimitri said with a smile on his face. “That is what kept my brothers so close.”

He explained how much of what he’d learned in combat came from his older brothers. Florien and Mikhail would battle for weeks on end sometimes, tearing through the forest to track each other down.

“Mikhail had formed a pact with all the bears in the region, making Florien’s assaults much more challenging. But Florien always possessed superior control over his dark armor.”

“The energy around your hands and feet, right?”

Dimitri nodded affirmatively and even demonstrated a bit of his control. His entire left arm was soon coated in spiked darkness. It took on this bizarre plated armor aesthetic. Then Dimitri balled his fist and retracted the dark energy until it only covered his hand again.

“My sister, Elena, said they behaved this way because they embraced the old ways, the chaos of nature over the order,” Dimitri continued. “My father said it was because they needed to go off and find their own forest to haunt.”

“Oh?”

“It is not uncommon for Leshy to seek solitude from their own kind or any others. My brothers had reached an age of independence.” Dimitri’s smile cracked, and he did his best to hide the somber face that took hold of him. “Who knows, if they had set out for their own journeys a bit sooner, they might have never encountered Gordon or his hunters.”

Jack remained quiet, taking in what Dimitri shared, and offering solace with the simplest and kindest squeeze of his hand. Dimitri interlocked their fingers and let the sorrow wash away. He could remember the sad memories any day. This was about sharing the good.

“Elena used to love venturing into the towns. She would explore every human settlement she could find.”

“That’s cool,” Jack said with a genuine look of enthusiasm as he focused on Dimitri while carefully winding through the trail.

“She would bring me along many times.”

“Oh? Did y’all shrink the antlers and wear little hats?”

“Sometimes, if she absolutely wished to walk through the town. But we were always careful not to bring attention to ourselves, always cautious per our father’s rules.”

“Is that why you’re sometimes hung up on going into Sleepy Hollow?”

“No, that is because you stop to talk to everyone, and they all want to talk to you,” Dimitri said with a sigh. “It is exhausting.”

“Life of an extrovert.” Jack grinned. “Made all the better by my emotional support introvert.”

“I have to provide the emotional support?” Dimitri asked. “I suppose I can do that.”

“Good, because you’re stuck with me forever.”

Dimitri’s face and chest heated at that. He loved the idea of being stuck with Jack forever.

“You know, I think Elena was an extrovert, too,” Dimitri said. “We did not always venture into towns, but she always talked with someone. Usually, the birds. She sang to them, and they loved her more than any Leshy ever.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. I am certain of it,” Dimitri continued. “They would share their senses with her and with me when I was in her company. They would fly through the towns, showing us everything. They would steal the best pies, and we would taste them on the birds’ tongues. We would sense all the wonder and learn all about the human world from the safety of the forest.”

“Wow, that’s really cool. And like you would feel them flying around?”

“Exactly. Alas, I do not possess the same level of connection with birds, but I hope perhaps one day Nikolai and I can attempt such a bond.”

“That would be amazing,” Jack said wide-eyed. “I had no idea a Leshy could do so much.”

“Yes, there is much even I do not know,” Dimitri replied. “Truly, my eldest sister, Zaria, was the wisest. She knew even more than my father about our connection to the forests.”

“Oh?”

“She spent all her time communing with nature.”

“Well, you do that too.”