krystalkatzficz | The incubus part 3

Nino woke the next morning feeling better than he had ever done. His body was warm and even the knots that were normally in his back were non-existent. There was a slightly heavy weight on his chest and when he opened his eyes, he realised that it was the goat from last night. He smiled again and stroked the beasts head before the realistic image of the man calling him master caused him to gasp and he rolled out of the bed staring at the goat wondering if last night had been dream, a fever that came from the damage done to his body or the loneliness that he felt. The goat stirred and looked up at him giving a small bleat that sounded almost like a sigh of good morning. The goat stretched and then hopped off the bed and then trotted around the room. Nino watched him with his mouth open and his heart pounding against his chest cavity. He shivered a little and then remembered that if it was real the goat had helped him.

“Aiba?” He whispered and the goat bleated before heading over to him and lightly nipping at his fingers in a gentle way. Nino gave an awkward, shy smile, and whispered “Thank-you…” Bleating the goat came and rubbed his head against his side, over where his ribs had been busted, as if asking him if he was okay. “I feel better thank you…” The goat bleated happily and then trotted off towards the ladders, Nino followed watching as instead of climbing down the goat just jumped off the side landing gracefully in the straw at the bottom.

The goats around him didn’t seem to think anything was off with the strange human goat and Nino shook his head wondering if maybe his mind had slipped into madness. It wouldn’t be surprising. Realising the time, he hurriedly went to wash his face having to break up the ice that had formed over the top of the water. Once done he washed his face trying his best not to shiver as the cold water dribbled down his chin and then down his neck. It felt good though and it woke him up. He headed down the ladder surprised at how much easier he was moving. Ever since he was little his back had pained him when he moved, he often suspected that he had a broken several bones in his back and legs when he younger and they hadn’t healed properly now his body felt brand new.

Aiba was waiting for him at the door of the shed and Nino suspected that the goat-man wouldn’t like it if he tried to leave him behind. As he would most likely be scrapping snow from the 300 stairs that led from the temple to the village below, he decided that it would be okay to let him go with him. It would be a never-ending task if it was still snowing but Nino knew that it would have to be done. He shivered as a blast of cold air hit him in the face.

The snow was extremely thick coming almost to his knees and he was amazed when the goat motioned for him to follow him. He took him away from temple to the old shrine that was no longer used on the top of the mountain. Nino looked nervously down at the temple. None of the monks would be awake yet but he knew that one was awake and saw him shirking his duties he would be punished. More so as the shrine was forbidden to him. He had been told time and time again that the shrine wasn’t for people like him.

The goat kept walking however and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the old shrine. For all the monks were insistent that the temple was well maintained they didn’t have the same respect for the shrine, and it was covered with mould and grime. The roof covering it stopped it from being covered by snow, but it was still extremely cold, and his teeth chattered together and then the goat pushed him a little as though he was trying to get him to scrape the muck off the stone. Taking another nervous look around he did as he was directed and slowly scraped the murky, slimy mould from the stone. His hand trembled as he did so his finger nails scrapped against stone as he desperately to unhook the strong roots.

After a few minutes of struggling the moss and weeds came away in his hands and writing was revealed underneath. It was too old and worn to make out what it said with his limited grasp of the written word but that didn’t matter. His gaze was soon captivated by the image that came with the words. Curling hair was around a handsome noble looking face. Although it was a stone picture, he could imagine the dark eyes that had bored into him and the seductive smile that had been on the kissable lips. It was crudely done but it was still clearly the man that he had seen chained to the wall. "This…That is that man that I saw last night…Is he…Is he your master…” He asked softly and the Goat nodded slowly looking almost as though he was smiling. “He sent you to me to look after me?” Again the goat nodded and Nino swallowed before asking; “Why is he chained up?” The goat, Aiba, shook his head in a gesture that suggested to Nino that he didn’t know but was angry about it. “Where is he?” The goat shook again and then let out a wild bleating noise before somehow managing to look completely frustrated. “Can’t you change back…No…You said that…That you didn’t have magic left…Why…I don’t understand…What does…What does soul mates mean…He said…He said that we were soul mates…He said I have to find out what it means and then find him…But where is he?” Aiba came to nibble at his fingers and arms in what Nino thought was probably a comforting way. “Sorry…I am confused. I don’t understand…” He sighed brushing his fingers over the horns of the goat and then smiling as it let out a happy bleating sound. “You like that?” He asked and the goat nodded happily his eyes closing. “I should go in and make the monks breakfast…” Nino mumbled gently looking at the stone again and somehow getting courage from the image of the man.

He headed back down the hill towards the temple and Aiba trotted behind him. The snow was thick and Nino made sure that Aiba made it through the snow okay. Although he was quite small Aiba seemed to be able to get through the snow better than he did and they were in front of the kitchen door. Aiba brushed his head against him and Nino gave a smile rubbing his head between his horns saying;

“You can’t come inside with me, will you be okay outside or do you want to go back to the shed?” The goat shook his head and then settled himself down to wait outside the door clearly deciding that he would be taking his role as protector a whole lot more seriously now and Nino felt a whole lot more confident for it.

TBC

A/N: I hope that this is okay >.<