What Will Be | Chapter 54

Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued support! It means the world to me. For those of you not in my Discord, today's chapter was a smidge late because my writing/editing hours today were eaten up. Full details in the Discord, but to keep it short: my dog is old. I took her to the vet for a thing. She is mostly fine now.

“The regulation of Skills capable of direct, social manipulation is a necessary stripping of liberties, I think. For the inverse would be to empower others to, in turn, strip the liberties of different others. Not all nations feel the same, of course, but there is a reason most traveling musicians are never particularly high Tier; not publicly, at least. For there is little that can sway the minds of the masses more than Skill-empowered tune. It is a terrifying thought, really.”
~Unknown 

The wisdom within Tina’s letter proved accurate. Over the coming days, Fudge’s fur regrew in its entirety. There was a magical uniformity to it, unlike the patchy, irregular growth one might witness under normal, more natural circumstances. Had I the inclination to do so, I could have watched the process in real time.

As was promised, one of my parents regularly stopped by to check in on Fudge and I. It was usually Tina since she had an easier time with the dogs; the fact that Tulos came at all was a surprise. 

“It is one thing to hear of my son’s well-being, and another to see it for myself,” was what he said on the matter. I was fond of the sentiment, largely because it was one I could empathize with. 

While Fudge was recovering, Tina was true to her word; she didn’t pester me regarding the specifics of the Advancement. Instead, she focused on making sure I was well cared for and even fielded a few questions I had. Being alone with Fudge all those days left me with ample time to spend on contemplation, after all. 

“Is he going to get bigger like Vigil did?” I was in the middle of stretching out my legs when I asked the question. I had been given plenty of blankets - their abundance one of the main perks of living close to so many sheep shepherds - to make my stay more comfortable, but they could only do so much. Youth and mana spared me from any lingering aches or pains. 

“It is possible.” Tina’s reply lacked commitment. “Vigil grew to his expanded size over a few months. It is usually only the more… artificial changes that happen initially. Fur, eyes, scales, feathers, teeth, nails, claws, talons- you get the idea.” As she listed the trait, she counted them off with her fingers, moving to a second raised hand when necessary.       

“Thanks, mom. I would have been much more worried without you here to talk me through things.” I also knew I wouldn’t be completely at ease until Fudge opened his eyes and started wagging his tail; there was a reason Tulos’ words resonated with me. 

***

At first, it was hard to notice what the changes to Fudge’s fur were. At a glance, it seemed to maintain the same charcoal-gray colouration from before his Advancement. It wasn’t until it was fully regrown that Tina and I noticed what the difference was. 

It was the third day since Fudge’s Advancement and he was largely looking like his old self again. The sheddings from his old coat had been collected and disposed of, making it appear as if he was simply taking an extended nap. His chest rose and fell with healthy regularity, and his slumber was devoid of whines or wimpers. 

Tina had come to drop off some lunch and refill my water. For the first time in a few days the cloud cover had largely retreated. When the door opened, the entire space was filled with sunlight. I’d turned to face Tina to greet her, so I didn’t see the phenomenon at first. I just saw my mother’s eyes widen and heard her surprised gasp.

I snapped my neck around, fearing the worst. Instead, I saw colour. All of it.  

Fudge’s fur reminded me of the more audacious paint jobs I’d seen on some cars, or like a fuzzy opal. Prismatic. That was the word. The charcoal undertone was consistently apparent, but as the light played through Fudge’s fur every color on the spectrum made a fleeting appearance.

He is every color, but also completely monotone. Possibility. Potential. Paradox. The fur was a subtle nod to the conceptual depths of Fudge’s newest Skill that was, itself, not at all inconspicuous. If not for Vigil’s equally eye-catching appearance, I’d have been concerned. As it was, I carried some small hope that Tamer animals were usually strange enough to behold that Fudge would be found mundane in his oddity. 

“Wow…” Tina breathed as she took in the sight. 

“Yeah… wow…” We both stood transfixed for a long moment. 

*** 

I periodically prodded at Taming [Fudge], hoping for some change in the Skill, for the ‘door’ to be unlocked. It never was, though in the end, my efforts were ultimately inconsequential. 

Fudge’s leg twitched. 

I almost didn’t notice it at first, from my spot leaning against the wall. I had been wondering how easily dogs could distinguish different types of wood by smell. I’d often heard scents described as ‘woodsy’, but that was usually the end of the nuance. Then I remembered that ‘scents of oak’ were often referenced when people spoke about whiskey, but I was also half-convinced that whiskey folks were talking out of their asses when it came to that particular topic. 

That all is to say, I had allowed my mind to wander.   

When his leg twitched a second time, there was no missing or mistaking it. 

“Fudge. You okay, boy?” A lump of hope rose in my chest.

Another twist. A shudder. Fudge opened his eyes. 

Before I could even think to celebrate, the Tamer Bond ceased being obstructed. A surge of emotion poured into me from Fudge with more clarity than I had ever felt before.

Concern. Worry. 

Despite having recently Advanced, he scrambled to his feet with only marginally more elegance than usual. His eyes fell on me, and the Bond surged yet again.

Relief. Excitement. Love. 

It bordered on overwhelming, but I didn’t care. I sent my own feelings of concern back at Fudge, and he paused, going suddenly stock still. I wondered it he was also-

EXCITEMENT! HAPPINESS! 

Fudge galloped towards me, a feat which resulted in two awkward, prancing steps in the confined space before he was showering me with affection and demanding attention. It was as if the issue of his Advancement simply… wasn’t an issue. He was just happy to see me. 

“I missed you too, boy,” I said, my words riding the tail of a mirthful giggle. 

A hammering thump every other second let me know Fudge was wagging his tail, and I heard the rest of the dogs start to stir outside. They’d been oddly unobstructive until that point, likely due to something Tina and Vigil had been doing.   

The smell of dog breath didn’t at all bother me as I gave Fudge a big hug. The waves of happiness rolling off of him through the Tamer Bond were contagious. My own joy got reflected back to Fudge and the cycle continued, like a sort of emotional resonance. At the time, I was so relieved to see Fudge back on his feet that I didn’t spare a thought to properly consider the implications.

I also noticed Fudge’s eyes. The prismatic quality of his fur was mirrored in each iris and the whites of his eyes. Objectively, I realized their new, piercing qualities might have been unsettling to some. All I saw was the same pair of dopey, puppy eyes that could convey so much even without the Tamer Bond. 

They just change color now, is all.

*** 

Having been alerted to the commotion of the dogs, Tina was quick to come and investigate. Marco was nowhere to be seen, so presumably Tulos had been assigned to watch the crib. Fudge was busy getting sized up by Vigil, who was circling and occasionally sniffing at his now-prismatic offspring. When not in direct sunlight, the effect was - thankfully - much more subtle, but still present if one knew what to look for.

“See, I told you he would be fine,” Tina said as she effortlessly hopped into the kennel, scattering up a small spray of dirt in the process. Her recovery over the last few months had been smooth; the benefits of a higher-tiered body. It raised a few questions regarding the safety of childbirth for the baby, but I wasn’t ready to ask them yet. By all accounts, the information would not be relevant to me for a long time - if ever.

“And I never doubted you,” I replied quickly. I had been unable to wipe the smile off of my face since Fudge woke up.   

PRIDE. 

From behind me, I heard Fudge give a satisfied harumph as he clearly passed some kind of test under his sire’s scrutiny. It was distracting enough that I reached towards Taming [Fudge] and tried to marginally close the- 

Huh… The metaphorical doorway between Fudge and I had contained a door that could not be opened. There was no longer a door. It was as if Fudge waking up had blown the door off its hinges; or Fudge being unconscious was the door; or… or… 

Either way, this could be a problem.  

Fudge looked my way and tilted his head.  

Concern? 

There was a questioning lilt to the emotion, though how that was even possible I could not possibly articulate or explain. It simply was. 

“... listening, Will?” The backend of Tina’s question finally caught my attention, snapping me out of introspection. 

“I was not. Sorry.” I had the good sense to bow my head slightly and look embarrassed when I replied. A frown briefly touched Tina’s lips. She was the parent of a baby and both were on minimal sleep; I had to imagine she had already been making an effort to not be ambiently grumpy even before being accidentally ignored. 

“I can only assume you- no, let me try that again.” She took a deep breath and gently drummed her finger tips against the sides of her thighs. “Please tell me what is on your mind, my Will.” Her tone had noticeably softened. Tina kept her mental state under careful observation; a side effect of managing the spillover of more advanced Taming techniques. She was on edge, but she was also cognizant as to why and took steps to regulate. I found it admirable. 

“Do you have time? It will involve that talk you said we need to have.” 

Tina pursed her lips in consideration and turned her neck to look back at the house. 

“Yyyyyyes. Yes.” Her uncertain hum turned into a more definitive answer. “Just let me go tell your father and then the four of us can go for a walk.”

“Wait, dad and Marco are going to come?”

Tina snorted to suppress a giggle.

“No. Vigil. Fudge. You. Me.” She pointed at each invited dog and person in turn. In my defense, her phrasing had been vague and throughout that whole exchange I had to draw on Perseverance to avoid getting too distracted by Fudge’s - for lack of a better phrase - ‘loud emotions’ coming through the Tamer Bond. 

Without waiting for my reply, Tina pivoted on her heel and took off towards the house at a light jog. I turned back to Vigil, Fudge, and a few of the other dogs who had wandered over. 

“We have a few minutes. You folks know how to play cards?” 

Their response to my joke was a collection of blank stares and slowly wagging tails. 

Yeah, that checks out.