Page 34 of Thorulf

Chapter Thirteen

“YOU WERE HAVING fun, ja?” little Thorulf reiterated in a memory that had just manifested. He peered at little Jade’s dragon, who wasn’t all that much bigger than last time. “Having fun even though I was so sad?”

Evidently, they were old enough to communicate now. More than that, everyone could hear their telepathic conversation. Jade slowly sat again as the memory unfolded. As she realized she hadn’t just filtered her sisters' negativity but Thorulf’s too.

“But you’re not sad anymore, are you?” Little Jade replied in a sing-song voice. She pranced around him, quite proud of herself. “You look very happy now.”

“I am,” he conceded, peering at her curiously. “But what’s that got to do with you taking off like that? Why didn’t you stop when I asked you to?”

“Because I had to move,” she explained, flapping her wings in example. “When I make my sisters better, I have lots of energy afterward.”

He cocked his head one way then another, thinking about that. “But I’m not your sisters.”

“No, but you’re my brother,” she replied. “And my closest friend.”

“Brother?” Loki smirked at Jade and Thorulf. “Yet another interesting twist.”

“We’re not siblings,” they said at the same time. If Jade was sure of nothing else, it was that.

“I don’t feel like your brother,” little Thorulf countered, unknowingly backing them up.

“You don’t?” Little Jade cocked her head as well, perplexed. “How come?”

“I don’t know.” Thorulf shrugged. “I just don’t.”

“Would you like to pretend to be my brother then?” Her little nose quivered, and her eyes welled. “I can protect you best if you’re family. Otherwise, you might get sad again.”

“I don’t think I need protection from my sadness.” Thorulf looked at her with dubious curiosity. “Do you?”

“Of course you do.” A fiery tear trickled down her cheek. “Because I don’t like when you’re sad. It hurts you and makes me sad too.”

He thought about that before he came to a swift conclusion.

“Then I will let you protect me.” He wrapped her in his little wings the best he could and said what she needed to hear. “And I will try to be a brother no matter what.”

“I didn’t think I’d have much luck at that,” Thorulf murmured, clearly remembering the moment. “But I didn’t want you sad any more than you wanted me that way.”