A New Friend

Life, Relationship change

Fenneck meets Erikur on his farm when they're children and they quickly become best friends.

"Come on, Fenny!" Faina led Fenneck out of the lift and into the part of the mountain with the animals in it. This layer of the mountain reeked of feces and animals and was rather gross, but Fenneck liked seeing the different animals they passed on the way to the butcher's shop. He suddenly saw another high-elf boy who was about the same age as himself holding a little bundle of white fur in his hands. The boy looked quite pretty to Fenneck. He had long sandy blond hair and dark green eyes and a very elegant face. He was wearing a dirty brown tunic that was fraying at the edges and he looked like he hadn't gotten a bath in a while. "Hi!" Fenneck called out to him as they passed the elf, who looked up a bit startled at being addressed. "What's that?!" Fenneck asked him excitedly as he ran up and pointed to the white creature in the boy's arms. The boy held it out for him to see. "It's a wabbit," he told him. "Wanna pet him?" he held the little fluffball out to Fenneck who looked over at his mom to see if it was okay. "Yeah, go ahead," she told him sweetly. Fenneck reached out and petted the soft creature and giggled excitedly. "He's so soft!" he exclaimed. The boy nodded. "We have a lot of them," he said, motioning behind him to a large cage where a bunch of rabbits were hopping around together in the mud. "Wow!" Fenneck said. "I'm Fenneck, by the way," he said as he held out his hand to greet the boy. "Erikur," he said, shaking Fenneck's hand and smiling at him. "Wanna see the other animals?" Erikur asked him excitedly. Fenneck nodded before turning back to his mom. "Can I go see the animwals?" he asked his mom who smiled sweetly at him. "Um, sure," she said, walking over and kneeling down next to the young children. "What did you say your name was?" she asked the boy. "Erikur," he said, offering a hand to her as he clutched the rabbit against him with his other hand, almost dropping him. "Oh no!" he said, quickly trying to cradle the rabbit again. Faina giggled and helped him get situated. "Are your parents here?" she asked him. He nodded. "My papa is working with the goats," he said, motioning across the farm. "And my mama is at home with my sister," he said. "Okay," Faina said. "I'm gonna run over to the butcher's shop, Fenny. Be careful and stay in this area, okay?" she told him. "Okay mum!" he told her as she kissed him on the cheek. "Come on!" Erikur said, excitedly leading him through a gate. Suddenly, Fenneck and Erikur were swarmed with chickens and ducks that Erikur casually shoved out of the way. "What is your favorite animal?" he asked Fenneck. "I like foxes a lot," Fenneck told him. "I saw one once when my dad took me on a walk through the Vallee," he explained. "He said I was named after a type of fox because I have big ears," he said, showing his ears to Erikur who giggled. "We don't have foxes here because the like to eat chickens," Erikur said, gently patting one of the hens on the head. He led Fenneck over to the cage of rabbits and opened one of the doors to put the one he was carrying back inside its pen. "Wanna see the goats?!" Erikur asked him. Fenneck nodded. Erikur reached out and took Fenneck's hand and pulled him toward the goat pen and led him inside where they became surrounded by braying goats. Fenneck pet a couple of them and giggled. "Their horns are cool!" he said. Erikur nodded in agreement. "That one is my favorite!" he said, pointing to a little baby who was bouncing toward them excitedly. "I named him Kozel!" he said proudly as the little goat baaed to them before gently bucking Erikur's leg with his tiny horns. "Erik!" Fenneck turned and saw an angry high-elf in filthy clothes walking toward them. His hair was the same color as Erikur's but he had much sharper, fiercer features. "What the hell are you doing?" he scolded the boy. "Who is this?" he motioned to Fenneck. "This is Fenneck, he's my new friend," Erikur said nervously. "I wanted to show him the goats!" he explained. "Well stop holding hands," the elf scolded them. "You wanna be a faggot when you grow up?!" he asked Erikur angrily. Fenneck didn't know what that word meant but it must have been bad because Erikur quickly dropped Fenneck's hand and nervously shrunk down from the elf who continued to scold them. "I need to milk these damn goats and you being in here makes them all distracted!" he told them. "I told you to stay with the rabbits!" he said, motioning to the rabbit cage. "I'm sorry!" Erikur said as tears started to run down his face. "Get out!" he told them, waving them out of the pen. Erikur quickly ran to the gate and Fenneck followed, scared of the angry elf. Erikur ran back over to the rabbit cage and sat down on the other side of it where they could hide from the angry elf. "Who was that?" Fenneck asked fearfully. Erikur wiped his eyes with his dirty brown tunic, smearing some dirt across his face. "My papa," he said sadly. Fenneck peeked out behind the cage to see the elf was back to work with the goats. "What's a 'faggot'?" he asked Erikur. Erikur shrugged. "I don't know. He just scares me when he's angry like that. He doesn't like it when I interrupt his work," he explained, trying to wipe the rest of his tears away whilst smudging more dirt across his face. Fenneck reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to Erikur who smiled gratefully at Fenneck. "Thanks," he said as he wiped his face off with it, making it quite filthy. "Sorry," he said, holding it out to Fenneck who shrugged. "You can keep it if you'd like," he offered. "I have plenty at home." Erikur smiled. "Thank you," he told Fenneck sweetly as he studied the lacey piece of fabric and put it in his pocket. "Your shirt is really pretty," he told Fenneck who looked down to remember what he was wearing. It was a light blue tunic with silver, embroidered flowers along the bottom. "Thanks!" he said. "My uncle made it," he explained. "He makes clothes for the royal family! He said I can be a tailor like him when I'm older, if I want to," Fenneck said. Erikur's eyes lit up excitedly. "That's so cool! I'll probably be a farmer," he said sadly, gesturing at the animals around them. "Yeah, but you get to play with animals!" Fenneck said excitedly. Erikur shrugged. "I guess so," he said, petting a duck that had started nibbling at his filthy clothes. "I just get bored down here. My sister never wants to hang out with me because she's a lot older than me." "Wanna come hang out at my house sometime?" Fenneck asked him. Erikur smiled and nodded excitedly. "Where do you live?" he asked him. "On the level above this one! It smells better up there," he said, waving his hand in front of his face to defer the stink of manure. "I'm used to it," Erikur said, shrugging. "Fenneck?" Fenneck looked over and saw his mom waving at him from the street. "I have to go," he pouted. "Wanna see if you can come over now?!" he suggested. Erikur nodded. "Let's ask my mom, she's nicer than my dad most of the time," he said as he got to his feet and led Fenneck over to the gate to let them out. Fenneck ran up to his mom. "Mum! Can Erikur come over and play?!" he asked her excitedly. Faina shrugged. "If his parents are okay with it, I don't see why not," she said, smiling at Fenneck's new friend. "Where are your parents so I can meet them?" Faina asked him. "This way!" he said, leading them over to a house front and opening the door. "Mama!" he called out as he walked in. A cat ran up to the door and started rubbing against Erikur's feet. "Yes?" Fenneck saw a high-elf woman walk out. She had brown hair and green eyes like Erikur's and she was wearing a simple, worn smock. "Oh my!" she said in surprise, seeing Faina and Fenneck there. "Hi there," she greeted them. "Erikur, who are these people?" she asked him. Faina smiled and offered a hand to the woman. "I'm Faina Frostears," she introduced herself. "My son, Fenneck, met Erikur over by the animals and they were wondering if he could come over and play," she explained. "What is your name?" she asked the woman kindly. "Ann," she said, shaking Faina's hand. "Ann Oblonsky. My husband, Alexandre, is tending to the farm at the moment," she explained. "Can I please go play with Fenneck?" Erikur begged his mom. "I'll bring him back in a couple hours," Faina promised her. Ann seemed hesitant but she nodded. "Of course," she said. "Why don't you come with me and we'll change you out of those filthy clothes first," she said, pulling Erikur inside. "He uh, he wears that when he hangs out at the farm," she assured Faina. "We'll be just a minute," she said, closing the door. Faina leaned down to Fenneck. "Was everything okay at the farm?" she asked him. "Did you like the animals?" Fenneck nodded. "What's a 'faggot'?" he asked her casually, causing her to look alarmed. "Don't say that!" she scolded him in surprise. "It's... it's a very bad word," she told him. "Well why would Erikur's dad say that holding hands with me would make him one?" he asked her, confused. Faina looked flustered. "It's... it's nothing, Fenneck. Some people say mean things sometimes. Maybe just, don't hold hands with Erikur, okay? At least not it public," she told him. "But why? He's my friend," he told her. Faina gave Fenneck a sad look. "Some people get offended by people showing affection in public," she tried to explain. "Like if daddy kisses me in public, some people find it icky!" she told him. Fenneck shrugged. "Can we get an animal? The rabbits are cute!" he said, getting bored of his mother talking about kissing. "No," she said. "They're a lot to take care of," she explained. "And I already have my hands full with you and your father," she said playfully, kissing Fenneck on the head. At that moment the door opened and Faina stood back up. Ann was there with Erikur who was wearing a cleaner navy blue tunic which was clearly too big for him and tied at the waist with a simple pieces of brown rope. "Well, have fun, Erik," she said. "I'll see you in a couple hours," she said, gently pushing him toward Fenneck and Faina. Fenneck smiled at him. Erikur looked a little more nervous than before, though. "Goodbye, Ann," Faina told her. "It's wonderful to meet you," she said. "Of course," Ann said. "You as well," she said, closing the door. "Come on!" Fenneck told him excitedly. "I can show you my toy dragons!" Erikur's eyes lit up. "Okay!" he replied. Faina led them up to their home and Fenneck waved Erikur to his room. "Come on!" he said. "This is my room!" he said proudly as he opened the door and led Erikur inside. "Where's your bed?" Erikur asked him. "I have this mat," Fenneck said, plopping himself down on his bed mat that was covered in cozy blankets and warm furs. Erikur sat down next his and ran his hands through the soft fabrics admiringly. Faina came in and lit the small fireplace in his room. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked them. "Yes, please!" Fenneck told her as he started playing with his toy black dragon. "Look!" he said to Erikur. "I have all five different colored dragons!" he said showing him his collection of wooden carved figures. "Wow!" Erikur exclaimed, picking up the blue one and studying it. "What's your favorite color?" Fenneck asked him. Erikur shrugged. "Blue, I guess," he said. Fenneck took his dragon and playfully flew it into Erikur's as if they were fighting. "My favorite color is blue but sometimes I like green and I also like red," Fenneck said indecisively. Erikur giggled and playfully swooped his dragon down toward Fenneck's. "This is fun!" he said. "Mhhmm!" Fenneck said. They started playing together and were soon caught up in an exciting battle as Fenneck's dragons fought to destroy a village and Erikur's tried to protect it. "Ahhh!" Fenneck said, pretending to be people screaming. "Dinner's ready!" Faina called from the kitchen. "Five more minutes!" Fenneck pleaded. "No," Faina told him. "It's going to get cold and your father is hungry!" "Ugh!" Fenneck said, landing his dragon. "Let's go eat," he told Erikur, who shrugged and followed him out into the kitchen area. Fenneck's father had gotten home and he smiled when he saw Erikur. "Dada, this is Erikur," Fenneck introduced them. "Hey there, Erikur," he greeted him. "I'm Leonid," he told the child. "Nice to meet you, sir," Erikur told him politely. "Why don't you hop up here at the table and join us for supper," he said, gesturing to the table. Fenneck sat down and Erikur climbed up into the chair next to him. There was a fresh plate of pirozhki, some chopped carrots, celery, grilled leeks, cheese and a fresh apple pie which sent a beaming smile across Fenneck's face. "Yay!" he cheered seeing the pie. Erikur looked at the food in bewilderment. "What is this?" he asked, holding up one of the pirozhki rolls quizzically. "It's a roll with beef and some vegetables inside," Leonid explained. "It's called pirozhki." Erikur shrugged and bit into it cautiously before smiling and scarfing it down excitedly. Fenneck reached for the pie and his mother slapped his hand away. "Eat some real food first," she scolded him, plunking down a roll and some vegetables onto his plate. "I want pie though!" he complained, looking longing at the delicious pie. "It will still be there when you finish your food," she told him. "Ugh!" Fenneck huffed and reluctantly ate the roll. "This is so good!" Erikur mumbled through a mouthful of food. Faina smiled. "I'm glad you like it," she told him. "We normally just eat cold soup," he said as he bit into a piece of cheese. Faina and Leonid shared a look and Leonid decided to change the subject. "So your family has a farm of animals?" he asked Erikur. Erikur nodded. "We have wabbits, chickens, ducks, and goats!" he told Leonid. Leonid smiled. "I had a pet rabbit when I was a young boy," he said. "Can I have one?!" Fenneck asked him excitedly. "I already said no, Fenneck," his mom scolded him. "But dad had one!" he argued, looking to his father to help him out. Leonid chuckled. "We don't really have room here, Fenny," his father told him, prompting Fenneck to start pouting again as he munched on his celery. "This is gross! I want pie!" he complained. "Fenneck," his mother scolded him. "Be polite. You have a guest here," she told him with a stern look. "Ugh!" he said, grumpily turning back to his celery and trying to eat it quickly so he could have pie sooner. Erikur seemed happy as he tried the different foods. "Thank you for this wonderful food," he told Fenneck's parents gratefully. "Of course," Faina told him. "You're always welcome to share a meal with us," she told him sweetly. Fenneck focused on eating for the rest of the meal as his parents chit-chatted about boring adult things. He caught Erikur's eyes as he ate and Erikur smiled at him. Fenneck smiled back and quickly finished his food and held up his empty plate to show his mom, sending crumbs falling down onto the table. "Fenneck!" she scolded him. "You're spilling crumbs everywhere!" He huffed and put his plate down. "Can I have pie now?" he asked her. "What do you say, Fenneck?" His father gave him a stern look. "Please?!" he begged them. Faina sighed in defeat and cut him a slice of pie and sat it on his plate. "Yay yay yay!" he cheered happily. Faina leaned down into his ear. "You need to behave in front of your friend," she told him in a harsh whisper. Fenneck nodded guiltily, feeling embarrassed to get scolded in front of Erikur. Faina fixed Erikur a slice. "Thank you," Erikur told her politely. "Of course," she said sweetly as she sat back down. Fenneck looked up at his mom guiltily. "Thank you," he told her quietly. Faina smiled at him. "You're welcome, Fenny," she told him. "Apple pie is Fenneck's favorite food," she told Erikur who was already chewing a bite of it. "I see why!" he mumbled happily through his food. Fenneck excitedly took a bite and smiled happily from the delicious taste of cinnamon and apples. Faina and Leonid hadn't really eaten much and Fenneck's mom stood and started wrapping up their leftovers. She cut another piece of the pie and set it aside in the ice box before covering the pie pan with a cloth and filling a basket with the leftover food. Fenneck happily focused on his pie and when he and Erikur were both finished eating his mom smiled and took their plates away. "You about ready to head home?" she asked Erikur. "I told your mom we would head back about now," she said. "Okay," Erikur said, a bit reluctantly. "Can Erikur stay the night?!" Fenneck suggested. "Not this time," Faina said. "Maybe next time though," she suggested. "Fenneck, do you want to go with us?" she asked him. Fenneck nodded. "Yeah," he said, climbing off his chair and running over to put his shoes on. Faina picked up her basket of food and they headed out and down into the third level of the mountain and walked over to Erikur's house. Faina knocked on the door and Alexandre opened it and seemed surprised when he saw Faina. "Hi," she greeted him. "You must be Mr. Oblonsky," she observed. "I'm Faina Frostears and this is my son, Fenneck, who I believe you already met," she said a bit awkwardly as she tried to be polite. The man shrugged. "Thanks for dropping Erik off," he said coldly as he beckoned Erikur inside. "Goodbye," Erikur told Fenneck sadly. "Bye! I had fun today!" Fenneck told him. Erikur softly smiled at Fenneck and ducked inside. Alexandre went to close the door but Faina stopped him. "Wait," she said. "I brought a gift," she held out the basket of food to him and he looked at her with a look of confusion. "I just want to be neighborly," she explained. "Fenneck doesn't really have many friends yet and it would be nice if they got to hang out occasionally," she said. The elf gave Fenneck a cautious look and slowly reached out and took the basket. "I guess it would keep him out of trouble," he said reluctantly. "Perhaps he could come over in a couple days again?" she suggested. Alexandre nodded cautiously. "Sure," he said. "Thanks for... this," he said awkwardly, motioning toward the basket. "Of course, it's no problem at all," she said. "Have a wonderful evening," she told him before steering Fenneck away with her hand. When they finally made it back to their home Faina led Fenneck into his room and closed the door behind them. "Hey," she said, leaning down to talk to him. "Are you okay?" she asked him. Fenneck nodded. "I'm sorry I was being rude at dinner," he told her, still a little confused as to why he had gotten in trouble. "Thank you for saying that," she told him. "I forgive you. I just want you to be aware that Erikur's family doesn't have as much stuff as we do," she explained. "He doesn't get to eat big meals like that so when you complain about them in front of him it looks like you're being rude and ungrateful," she explained. "I'm glad you found a friend though," she said, changing the subject. "He seems sweet and you'll get to hang out again soon," she promised him. "Okay," Fenneck said. Faina kissed his forehead and stood up. "We'll come in for story time in a couple hours okay?" she told him. Fenneck nodded and plopped himself down to play with his toy dragons, suddenly missing his new friend as he realized it wasn't as fun to play by himself.