#happy late birthday kel!!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theprissythumbelina · 5 months

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Snippet Time!

I feel like I haven't posted anything in forever, and since I mentioned him on one of my polls I thought I might post this for reads and comments.

As a bit of context, Kel comes into Mortal Sparks as a detective and former companion of Nicolette's mother. He helps Nicolette and Alyss move through the big city and eventually flee the continent on a ship. Kel has been haunted through his life by the kidnapping and murder of most of his family, which he believes was tied to the exotic slave trade. Despite his efforts, the three youngest members of his family have been missing for over 20 years.

This snippet is from his childhood in the rural mountains of Clard Bute.

@thetruearchmagos @teacupsandstarlight if you're up for a bit of not-light reading?

"Happy birthday!"

Owen groaned as he was shaken so hard his head flopped off the pillow.

"Happy birthday!" a chipper voice repeated, a soft thump landing next to his head. Owen curled tighter in his quilt. Small hands patted his cheek repeatedly.

"You think we should get the water, Pat?" Conner asked, somewhere above.

"Gonna be late if we don't," Patty grumbled.

Owen fumbled to his left, snagging Riley and pulling her in with a squeal. "Gonna get the baby wet," he mumbled, tickling her until she flopped off the bed, still giggling. He pulled himself up and rubbed his eyes.

"I'll pay that price," Conner loomed over him, wielding a cup threateningly. Owen could see it was empty from the bed. He stuck his tongue out.

"That's not how a man acts," Patty scolded from the door. She tried to pick Riley up from the floor and was promptly tickled in return. "Get up, Owen. Kel made breakfast."

"Get up, Owen," Conner mimicked.

"Get up, Owen!" Riley added helpfully. "Up, Owen!"

"I'm going to eat," Patty sniffed. She left, and Owen pushed himself up. He pulled a shirt over his longjohns, stumbling as Riley tangled herself in his legs.

"Can you get rid of her?" he pleaded to Conner.

His older brother swept Riley up in a bear hug.

"Com'on, blubberbug, breakfast's waiting." He walked her awkwardly out to the kitchen as she tried to wiggle over his shoulder. Owen pulled on his boots and shuffled after them.

"Morning, birthday boy!" Kel crowed from the stove. Patty was already grumpily spooning oatmeal into her bowl. Owen's eyes caught on a small pile of chokecherries at Kel's elbow. Kel caught his look and grinned.

"Ready to eat?" He held out a bowl and sprinkled the chokecherries dramatically on top. "Only the best for our new man of the house."

Owen wrinkled his nose. "I'm twelve," he complained. "'Sides, that's Noah."

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Kel teased. "I get you wains out of bed, I feed you, I clean your nasty clothes -" he paused to pull Riley's hair out of her oatmeal, twisting it into a hair-tie. "And it ain't no picnic."

"Love you, Kel," Patty announced obediently, Owen and Conner a beat behind. Kel waved it away affectionately.

"Get on to school, now. You'll be late." Owen crammed more chokecherries in his mouth in between gulping down oatmeal. He grabbed his books, packed and ready by the door, and trooped out with Conner, Patty, and Riley.

"Not coming, Kel?" Patty turned before the door shut. Kel shook his head.

"Gotta call Mom, you ken? She probably lost track of the days. She'll want to be here tonight."

He said it with such easy confidence, Owen almost believed him. Conner muttered something, but shook his head when Owen leaned closer. He tugged at Patty's arm, and she let the door slam shut.

"He's gonna be behind next time he does come," she complained as they stomped down the frosted dirt road. Owen gazed up at the lightening sky, hoping they'd have an early snow for his birthday.

"He's not going back," Conner snapped. "He's gonna go with Noah next year, and I'll be looking after you lot. And once you get to 15, you'll be looking after Owen and Rils and I'll be working too."

Patty was silent for a moment. She stepped over the pinecone Owen kicked her way, still frowning.

"But I like school. I want to be a nurse, you have to go to school past 15 for that."

"Yeah, and I wanted to be a printer. But someone has got to take care of the littles."

"Kel takes care of us just fine," she protested. "Why can´t he stay home? He's been doing it since Mom left."

"Daithaine ort, Pat, 'cause he's gotta work. You think Noah makes enough for 5 of us? You think we can live off berries and rabbits forever? What about our clothes, Pat? You'll be fine, you got Mom's and 'Kayla's dresses, but what about Owen?"

Owen hunched his shoulders at his name. Patty had a stubborn look on her face, like she was glaring at John Balacky all over again. Conner went on.

"His boot were Dad's, then they were Noah's, then they were Kel's, then they were mine. You think they're gonna last much longer?"

Owen could hear Noah's words as Conner ranted. A three-room cabin was not enough space to avoid eavesdropping even on a quiet conversation. He'd seen the slump of Kel's shoulders through the door slit, heard a mumbled agreement as Noah ran his hand over his face. He had looked older than nineteen, in the lamplight. Owen had heard a different variation a few days later, as Conner tried to make his own stand. Kel had put a hand on his shoulder, but Conner shook it off and stomped into the bedroom he shared with Owen.

Noah had gone to bed a few moments later, pausing at the door as Conner cried quietly with his face toward the wall. His footsteps moved on after a few seconds, leaving only Kel to quietly prepare the kitchen for the morning.

Owen had barely seen his oldest brother for the last two years, and never in daylight. He rose before the rest, second only to Kel, who got up first to warm the stove. He got back home late too, smelling like sap and cold and sweat. Kel alone waited up for him most nights, though the sound of movement sometimes stirred the younger kids to say goodnight.

Owen blinked as Patty stomped her foot, now in a full-fledged argument with Conner. He buried his fingers deeper in his pockets, wondering if it was worth the effort to break them up. He yawned and thought better of it. They were still arguing as he pushed open the wire gate to the schoolhouse.

Kel was waiting for them as soon as the school bell rang. He leaned on the wire fence, grinning cheekily at the older girls standing in the schoolyard. Mary Balacky in particular took notice, her face turned toward him even as she chatted with her friends. Her red bow bounced slightly on the top of her head as she nodded happily, her eyes darting to Kel. Owen wrinkled his nose as Patty snorted. John Balacky stuck his tongue out at Patty as she and Owen pushed past, half-hidden behind his sister's skirt.

"Where'd Conner get off too?" Kel asked cheerfully, glancing at Patty and Owen before eyeing the girls again. He had a pack slung over one shoulder that was suspiciously lumpy.

"Ms. K wanted to talk with him," Patty said snottily.

"She said he wasn't in trouble," Owen piped up.

"Probably she wants to give him another award for good behavior," Kel reached over and tugged at Patty's curls. "Not like little Miss Right Hook here."

"Jonny started it," Patty insisted, swatting at Kel's arm.

"And you ended it just like I showed you, huh? Right in the kisser. Pow!"

Patty grinned.

"What's that?" Owen pointed to the bag.

"Nothing for right now. Gotta wait for the celebration, alright?"

Conner stomped out of the school, glowering at the younger kids in his way. They scattered like sparrows as he reached the gate.

"There he is," Kel greeted him. "You get another gold star?"

Conner resettled his bag on his shoulder. "She wanted to know if this was my last year in school." He shrugged. "I told her I didn't know."

Kel grimaced, making an aborted attempt to pat Conner's shoulder. "Well," he cleared his throat, "Let's get going, wains."

A chorus of "Bye, Kel!" followed them away from the school. Kel twisted to give one last wave before settling to walk up the mountain, his arm draped over Owen's shoulder. Halfway to the house, Owen gathered the courage to speak.

"Kel?" He hesitated.

Kel tightened his arm supportively.

"What's the craic?"

Owen felt his newfound courage fade. "What if…" he tried, but lapsed into silence. Kel gave him small smile.

"What if it doesn't work?" he finished for Owen. Owen nodded, cheeks heating.

"Well," Kel dragged the word out, "If it doesn't, we gotta feed you to the fairies, you know."

Owen blinked at him. "The fairies?"

"Yeah, you´ve seen the ring down by the kill. You know, we used to have another brother, but it didn't work for him, so he had to go into the ring."

Owen stared up at him. Kel snorted.

"Geez, If I told you I wrote gullible on the roof you'd look up, wouldn't you?"

"Uh," Owen muttered.

"It's gonna work, buddy. And if it doesn't, you'll still be our annoying littlest brother. 'Sides, you don't remember your teething years. You've got some strong chompers."

Kel poked at his mouth playfully. "Open up now, let's see those sharp canines. I've still got a scar from when I got too close to your dinner."

Owen pushed him away. Kel chuckled and slung his arm back over Owen's shoulder. "You're gonna be fine, I promise. Scout's honor."

Owen nodded, but he burrowed a light tighter under Kel's arm anyway.

At the house, he and Patty did their homework while Conner helped Riley with hers, and Kel chopped firewood behind the house until dinnertime.

Owen looked up when the door opened, expecting to see Kel. Instead, Noah pushed his way in, dropping his knapsack in the line of bags by the door. Owen jumped out of his seat and rushed into Noah's arms.

Noah chuckled, wrapping Owen in a bear hug. "Easy there, bud," he rumbled. Patty and Riley also joined the clump, squishing Owen between his siblings.

"I didn't know if you were gonna be here," Owen beamed up at Noah.

"Course I was. I wouldn't miss your birthday."

"Missed mine," Conner muttered from the table. Noah looked up, a dark expression clouding his face, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Kel pushing past.

"None of that," Kel told Conner pointedly, "This is a birthday and we're gonna be happy with each other, okay?"

Conner shrugged, but followed him back out for another armful of firewood.

With the stew ready and the shadows stretching over their cottage, Owen sat in the middle of his family as they prayed and sang and ate. As he tipped the last of the stew into his mouth, Kel stood up and fetched his bag, setting it down in front of Owen and taking his bowl. Owen pulled back the top of the bag and lifted out a pair of dark leather boots, solid and sturdy, with only a few scratches on the toe. He breathed in the smell of clean leather, with no scent of his brothers. These boots were his and his alone. He grinned up at Noah, who was watching him with a tired smile.

"You'll need to pad them out with your socks still," he told Owen, "but we figured your old ones were about ready to kick the can. These should last you at least ten years, if you care for them right."

"I will," Owen promised. He stood and hugged Noah, then Kel.

"You want another bowl?" Kel asked. "There's a little left."

Owen shook his head. "Its almost time, right? We could visit Kayla and Dad, before…"

Noah got to his feet. "Good idea. Let's go visit Kayla. The bonfire is close to her anyway."

The kitchen was suddenly a bustle of activity as everyone fetched coats and boots. Kel fussed over Riley, pushing his own gloves over her mittens and wrapping a second scarf over her head. He delayed so long that even Noah rolled his eyes and pushed them all outside.

All six followed a small path through the trees, into a small clearing. Owen blinked in the darkness of the trees, but he followed his brother's sure footsteps into the lighter area of the clearing. Puffs of air hung around their heads as the family gathered next to two headstones. Owen hung away from the second headstone. It had always made him feel weird, that there was no grave under it. It was like talking to empty air. But, the loggers never found any remains to give them. Their mother had insisted on the headstone.

Kel cleared his throat. "Hey, Kayla. Hey, Dad. It's Owen's birthday, his twelfth birthday. We, uh, we wanted to come and all be together - well almost all, but," He took a deep breath. "We wanted to come and remember that, we're still a family. And we always will be. You both should have been here tonight, and -"

He stumbled to a stop. Noah took over. "You aren't forgotten. You never will be. Each of us carries you in our hearts. Tonight, in this life or the next, we are together, as family."

Patty nudged Owen. "Say something," she hissed.

"Uh, Dad, Kayla, I miss you. We miss you. But I promise, I'm gonna make you proud, and I'm gonna, uh, take my place in the family. We're looking out for each other."

They stood in silence for a long moment. Kel shifted first, gazing at the sky.

"Moon's almost up." he said. "Let's get to the fire."

On the other end of the clearing, Kel had piled logs and branches almost up to Owen's chest. The logs had already been doused with gasoline, and a thick swath of freshly tiled dirt created a barrier between the bonfire and any dry grass or pine needles. Noah struck a match and tossed it at the base of the logs. It caught flame with a bright flare that settled into a steady, warm blaze.

Owen fiddled under his coat, clutching his amulet. He hadn't taken it off in nearly six years. His heart was already pounding away next to the amulet, heating the red stone. Owen heard a thump as Noah shed his heavy overcoat. To his right, Kel unwrapped his own scarf and added it on top of Riley's numerous layers, followed by his own coat. Conner had already stripped to his longjohns, and Patty was pulling off her boots.

"It's best if you get the clothes off before it starts," Noah advised him gently, pulling off his shirt. "You don't want to rip anything."

Owen nodded nervously. He had always been like Riley until now, waiting in cast off layers for the moon to finally cast light over the clearing. He tugged at the laces of his boots, his ears attuned to the soft sounds of clothes falling to the ground around him. Owen was down to his skivvies, shivering, when a low groan made him look up.

The moon had risen. It loomed behind the mountains, thin wisps of clouds curling around and under its glow. Full, and huge, it stretched up, up, and at last pulled free of the horizon. Kel's head dropped back to his shoulders as he groaned again. Noah fell into a crouch. Conner stretched his arms forward. Patty threw her head back and let out a high, mournful cry, that slipped into a wild howl as she shuddered and folded, her forelimbs lengthening, her hair spreading to cover her entire body in dark brown fur. She threw back her muzzle and howled again. This time, Kel joined in, his voice dark and melodic. Noah and Conner joined, Conner an octave above both his brothers.

Owen's throat ached to join in, like he had dreamed each full moon. But he clung to the amulet, his hand like a vise. If he took it off, he'd have no excuse. He hesitated. The voices dwindled off. A cold nudge to his elbow brought him back to reality, and he looked up at Kel's amber eyes. He was a huge werewolf, larger than a pony, but even a smaller werewolf like Patty could never be confused for a true wolf. It was the eyes, and the legs, with their strangely long paws and bent limbs. Kel nudged him again, his eyes gentle.

Swallowing, Owen pulled the amulet over his head, and tossed it into the fire. For the first time, he felt the moon steal over his skin. It itched like crazy, like his skin was crawling, moving. He scratched at thick, dark fur that coated his arms, his legs, his chest. He cried out as his fingers cracked and twitched, becoming longer, thicker, built for running and clawing. He ran his tongue around a lengthening mouth, sharpening teeth, and finally, finally, settled in a crouch and tipped his head back to the moon, letting loose a howl.

His siblings joined in joyously, howling and yipping, their voices bouncing off the mountains and echoing back like a pack of a hundred. Owen pulled in air through his nose for the first time, marking the scent of each of his pack, his family. The fire in front of him snagged in his nostrils, sharp and acrid, but below that was the scent of the trees, clean, and the earth, and a deer, stinking of fear as it bounded away. Owen ached to chase it.

As if he had read Owen's mind, Noah rose to all four feet, summoning his pack with a low grumble. Owen bounded up, his tail betraying his excitement. Patty and Conner panted and yipped, circling Noah impatiently. Noah held them back until Kel straightened from his crouch, Riley steady on his shoulders.

With a huff, Noah bounded forward, Patty and Conner on his heels, Owen and Kel bringing up the rear. They raced down the mountain, the scent of the deer's panic like a flare. Owen stretched his new limbs, feeling the blood pound freely through his veins. He matched pace with Conner, their shoulders' brushing in perfect unison. Patty yipped as she broke off to the right. Conner steered Owen to the left, surrounding the deer. They were so close now, he could hear the deer's heart pound. In the distance, another voice lifted to the moon. Wilder, older, and burdened by sorrow, but still celebrating a new member of the pack.

#long post #text post #wip Mortal Sparks #snippet #Kellen Cúllaidh #worldbuilding #werewolves #shapeshifter #repost #my writing #werewolf family #the Family #fantasy #writeblr

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