romanenkokarina: переводы

→Yes. And kin, too.

→The wolf-girl nodded, smiling back. “Friends, yes, Lady. And we are kin, too.”

→Fer gave her a sleepy smile. “It means we are friends, Fray.”

→“What does it mean?” Fray persisted.

→“It is different.” Fer remembered what the High Ones had said. “It’s a change.”

→“That was a strange thing you did, Fer-Lady,” Fray said. “Swearing your oath to us.” She was silent for a moment, as if thinking. “It feels different.”

→“Oh no,” Fer answered, and yawned. “I wanted to come home.” She settled with her back against the Lady Tree, feeling its solid strength, its branches reaching high up into the starry sky, its roots plunging down into the darkest depths of the ground. All was well in her land. It would be even better if Rook were here, but she knew him well enough. He’d be back, and she could figure out then if they were really friends or not. She took a sip of tea and sighed with perfect happiness.

→“We thought maybe the High Ones would try to make you stay at the nathe,” Fray said.

→“It’s all right, I’ll get it,” Fer said. She didn’t want to disturb Twig, who was now fast asleep. Quietly she found a cup and poured out tea.

→Fray nodded and reached for the kettle that was keeping warm next to the fire.

→“Is there any more tea?”

→“Yup,” Fray said. “All well.”

→“Everything’s okay?” Fer asked.

→“Hello,” Twig echoed, and then gave a huge yawn. She leaned her head against Fray’s broad shoulder and sighed.

→“Hello, Fer-Lady,” Fray said.

→Sitting around a campfire were Fray and Twig, each with a cup of tea in her hands. Circling the fire, Fer sat down next to them. In the tree overhead, she heard her bees buzzing sleepily.

→No, not everybody was asleep, she realized. There was an orange glow coming from the other side of the Lady Tree. She padded through the grass and came around the Tree and stopped, staring.

→As she came nearer, she saw that the lights of the houses in its branches were out; her people were asleep.

→She stared after them. The pucks, leaving. Had Rook gone with them? He might have—she’d seen a familiar-looking dog in their midst. If he was awake and well enough, he must have gone. With a sad sigh, she turned back to the path and headed on toward the Lady Tree.

→A dark shadow loomed on the path before her, and before she could even catch her breath she was surrounded by pucks who jostled past her, bumping her off the path, their eyes flaming in the night. “Farewell, Lady,” one of them said; she heard a laugh and caught a glimpse of sharp teeth. Then they faded into the night and were gone.