The Distance Between Us

The rain splattered in tiny spots against the window, making little tapping noises with every drop. Somehow, even with the gray skies the sun managed to smile into the gray room, making it just a little brighter than it had been previously. The air smelled fresh and spring was bringing life to the dreary castle village.

A bird, shaking off the rain from its feathers, perched itself on the sill of the window. It called loudly and observed the opening, choosing to hop in and call again, just loud enough to wake the man sleeping, back bent over a small bed. His big hand shook a little and grasp tightened around the smaller hand beneath his. He took a deep breath in through his nose and his eyes fluttered open and for a second he grumbled at himself for falling asleep.

"Krys..." He groaned, sitting up and hearing his back pop, but it didn't hurt. "Wake up, beautif-..." He paused and noticed that her sleeping eyes seemed different than usual. Her fever, the night before, had been a nightmare and he had told her stories until she could finally sleep, only because she asked. Jack reached up a hand to feel her forehead and then her neck but once he felt her skin he knew... it didn't take long to realize. With trembling hands, Jack covered his small daughter's body with the sheet and he stared numbly, eyes welling with big tears. He collapsed, face pressed into her chest as he began to let out the loudest sobs. He ached all over but he got up and cut a lock of her hair to keep, pasting it into a pocket watch he always wore at his hip. After he was done he rested next to her again until he could find the energy to bury her.

The bird, a falcon, hopped again, closer still. She tilted her head, observing the man and his lost daughter. She called out to him again, but he wasn't listening. She spread her wings wide and shook them to get the water off, then went to preening herself, making sure each and every feather was in its rightful place. When she finished, she looked back to the numb man and called again. Still, he didn't listen to her. She wasn't sure how much time had passed while she had preened her feathers, but she was dry now, and she decided it was high time he stop ignoring her. She carefully stepped to the edge of the sill, and flew toward him and landed on his head. Then she called to him again.

"Why are you playing these games with me, you foolish bird?!" He snapped, but it was almost welcome and the ache in his chest was leaving because of the distraction. Jack swallowed hard and sat up straight, holding up his arm for the falcon to sit on. "You always were Krys' favorite... you're hungry..." He knew Krys would be angry with him if he didn't feed her favorite bird. He got up and walked out to the kitchen, choking on a sob that refused to leave. "I'm sorry, she's dead... I guess you'll just have to trust me."

She gripped his arm lightly, only enough to stay on so she wouldn't scratch his arm. He was a strange man. She'd never really met him before... only his daughter. His daughter was sweet, and always left out food. The girl knew her secret. The girl knew a lot. This man didn't know anything. She'd have to teach him. That was frustrating. She flapped her feathers at him in frustration when he set her on the kitchen table. She was sad the girl was gone. Krys... she was sweet, and kind, and had become a dear friend. She was truly sad. But it didn't change that she still needed this man's help and he didn't know anything. >(

He didn't even know that what she really wanted was a honey and banana sandwich... not a cracker.

"Here." Jack laid half a banana sandwich on the table, cut from his half but he only stared at it wearily, "Krys didn't tell me anything... she just had me make sandwiches all the time but she didn't eat much..." He sighed, "She'd tell me stories about the falcons and the robins, we talked last night. She told me things and... I thought she was delirious. I told her to rest. Why the heck am I talking to a bird?"

Because I'm not a bird. She thought, a bit irritated. She would show herself. As a lady, as the princess of wizards, but she didn't have any clothes. The girl had said all of her mother's clothes were gone as well... so she'd have to somehow convince him she wasn't a bird. She decided to munch on the sandwich... though there wasn't much of it.

"Krys had a really big imagination... I should have played pretend with her more but because of her mother's death... I just didn't have any time to do anything else but take care of her and work." He bitterly took a bite of the sandwich and dropped the rest on the table in front of the bird, "Eat up... I can't do this today."

The falcon ate the sandwiches quickly and then watched him carefully. She wasn't sure what she should do. She hopped toward him and called to him. She wanted to tell him she wasn't a bird, but... she didn't want him to see her naked. She was a little shy that way.

I'm not a bird!! She screamed in her mind, but he'd never understand. There had to be another way.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Jack reached over and felt the top of the falcon's head, it was so soft so he extended his gentle stroking all the way down her back and then back up to her head again, "Maybe you can show me... am I missing something?"

Show... yes, but he might actually appreciate that more than she wanted him to. She shivered at his touch and ended up making a twirling noise in response. She hopped some and then flew off to another table, holding a picture of his wife and daughter she poked it lightly, then tried to make herself look proud.

She was a woman, and she was proud of it.

"Uli and Krys..." He walked towards the picture and sat down near it on the sofa. "What about it? You look proud... I know Krys was your best friend... Maybe you're like Uli? Is that why you keep pointing to her?"

Yes! I am a woman! A beautiful woman! Like her. Yes.

The falcon nodded and then stood proudly again. She didn't know how else to tell him other than show him... but she didn't want to show him. He'd enjoy it too much.

Jack chuckled, "Krys is dead and I'm losing my mind... this is crazy." He got up and picked up a blanket, laying it on the sofa, "Do what you will while being here, I need to take care of things." He walked out of the room and went to work on taking care of Krys' body.

The little falcon watched him sadly. He was leaving. She took off and landed on his shoulder. She couldn't have him giving up on her! >(

So she sat there to keep an eye on him while she tried to figure out how to tell him. >|

Hours later after saying goodbye to Krys, Jack found himself sitting in his room, trying to fall asleep. It'd been so long since he slept alone because normally Krys was with him.

He tried, his eyes were heavy but sleep refused to come. Eventually though he fell into a light sleep.

Finally, he was asleep. The falcon flew out of his room and into the bathroom. she wanted to have a nice, warm bath for the first time in a while. She closed the bathroom door and for a moment, she paused. She shifted her wings a little, and she slowly began to grow until when she looked in the mirror, she was a lovely lady of normal stature. She was thin, but very beautiful. She sighed a little and began to heat the tub while the water drew. She smiled. She really needed a bath. Her lovely golden locks... didn't shimmer anymore.

When the water was finally warm, she sunk into it, smiling delightfully as she grabbed the bathing salts and began to cleanse her hair.

Was that water running?

Jack slowly got up, annoyed as sleep had finally taken him but wasn't strong enough for him to sleep through noise. He rolled out of bed and wandered to the bathroom, pushing the door open to see a woman who slightly reminded him of his wife... sitting in the bathtub, using bath salts he'd kept from Uli.

"Excuse me..." He said, almost not phased because of his tiredness.

She gasped and covered herself, her eyes wide. She knew he'd like it! He was staring!!

And if she could, she'd scream. But for her, there was no voice to come. She stared back at him for a long time, and then shifted back into a falcon. She didn't want him to stare at her like that anymore.

"What are you doing in my bathtub?" Still kind of sleepy, Jack sat down and leaned against the doorframe. "I'm not stupid... turn back." He was too tired to care but he normally wasn't phased by things, his mind was still gone from Krys' death. "I'm losing it."

She shook her head quickly. He'd look, and she didn't want him to look. Even though he didn't seem to care... he'd remember it someday. She knew it. She landed on the edge of the tub and shook the water off of her feathers, and then realized they were covered in cleansing sand. She hadn't rinsed her hair before shifting.

Jack sighed, annoyed. "I've had a hard day... I don't care what you do here." He got up and walked out, slamming the door behind him. He knew what she was now but he was too tired to think about it. He returned shortly after and put some clothes under the door for her.

She didn't actually expect that. But once she was fairly certain he wasn't going to return, she shifted back so she could rinse off, and dry. She looked over the clothes he'd given her. They weren't lady-like at all, and definitely different from what she wore at her home. She shivered from a cool draft that curled under the door and she decided to get dressed. So she did, trying to make the clothes fit, since they weren't made for a woman. But once she was finished, she smiled at herself in the mirror. She looked homely, or like a made, but very pretty at the same time. But she soon frowned when she glanced back at the door. The man was angry with her. She wasn't sure what to do about that. She needed him to be the one to help her, but now he was angry... and hurt over his daughter's death. She sniffed and wiped at the tears in her eyes, and then opened the bathroom door. She looked around carefully, but it was obvious he was sleeping. So, she slipped out of the bathroom, walking carefully so she wouldn't disturb him, only to have him yell at her again. She was headed for Krys, the girl's bedroom. She stood in the doorway, and another tear came. Krys had been a dear friend, and had been so close to releasing her... and and now she had to start over. Now she had to try and explain everything to that man. She was scared he wouldn't have the patience for it, and she'd have to search for someone again.

She dropped to the floor and began to sob quietly... that was all she could do. For her, there were no loud sobs. She eventually cried herself into a deep sleep, and there on the floor, she slept for the rest of the night.

Jack had to blink a few times to take in what he found in Krys' bedroom the next morning. The girl from the bathtub the night before was apparently the falcon but she slept comfortably (he wasn't sure) on the floor, hair sort of messy from being damp when she fell asleep. He approached her slowly and then crouched down, shaking her gently.

"Hey... good morning..." Still taking it in, he decided it was welcome to have a stranger around, he didn't want to have enough alone time to get swallowed by grief.

The girl jumped when he shook her, and she stared at him, her eyes wide like before. Was he angry? Did he want her gone? But then... he didn't look angry, and his voice was calm. Was he better now? She sat up slowly and yawned. She had slept deeply after crying so much. She looked over at Krys' bed and she frowned. She missed Krys still, but her father needed to be educated now. She looked quickly back at him and eyed him curiously. Eyes... green. Hair... black. He was handsome, but unmistakably her father. They had the same nose and eyebrows.

And the same gentle smile.
Jack gave it to her with ease and patted her shoulder, "Don't be scared... I'm Jack." He was reading her really well, especially the left over tears in her eyes. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, "You were the falcon... I saw last night. I know why you're crying." Still holding her shoulder gently in one hand and removing her tears with the other, he kept his sympathetic smile on. "Are you hungry?"