1. Dividing Blood: Approaching Fall

Here is part two of my crossover series!!! If you are new to TTH, just know that this is the first chapter in a second "book" so if you like it you should check out Origin and Aerwiar. Also, gotta give credit to Chat GPT, it helped me streamline it!!!

Gracie woke up early with a long happy yawn. She got up from her pallet, pulled the blankets up in a semblance of order, and padded over to the fireplace where Nia was already up with Rebekah prepping breakfast and food for their upcoming journey. Gracie wasn't really happy with the idea of leaving, but she knew it was necessary. "Morning, Mama!" She greeted Nia. Gracie had quickly started calling Nia ‘Mama' like the others. Mrs. Wingfeather felt too stiff for someone who treated her like family. Anyway, Nia felt more like a mother every day and certainly had taken it upon herself to treat Gracie and Rebekah as her own children... even when it came to discipline. She had especially started teaching Gracie table manners and had been delighted that she had been more easily teachable than Tink was proving to be. Nia directed Gracie towards the dishes, which she started laying out for breakfast under Nia's guidance. Kalmar and Janner were outside splitting and finding wood with Podo--- or maybe wrestling. Leeli got up, made her bed, and started helping Gracie set the table. Now that Nia had more girls to help her, she had stopped assigning household tasks to the boys and instead had the girls help her with them. That didn't mean the boys didn't get their fair share of chores, however, and they continually argued that it had been more pleasant when Podo had been the one doing most of the outdoor jobs, as they preferred sweeping food to manure any day. After the food prep was done and the floor swept, Nia called the boys in and over a swift hearty breakfast asked Podo to make another supply trip to Anklejelly. Gracie, Janner, and Tink all volunteered to join him, but Janner was the only one taken, as Kalmar was behind on his THAGS due to his negligence the night before, and Nia needed Gracie to help Peet, I mean Artham, with the traps he was going to set the next day due to the urgency of their leaving. Gracie’s quick, deft hands made her the perfect helper for Artham’s traps, and thus she was called upon many times to do parts he was unable to with his claws. They worked on these clever rope and vine traps until Podo and Janner returned for lunch.

Meanwhile, in a hotel room in town, Oscar N. Reteep wheezed heavily, that dresser was way too heavy! He had heard an intriguing crash and also needed to get a bit of fresh air. He peeked out the window, albeit cautiously, and looked around trying to see what had happened. "Oscah En REEteep. You get away from that windah!" he heard from behind him. He turned around guiltily, backing away from the open window. "My utmost apologies to you. I had an entirely unquenchable desire for fresh air. As Nid Torkson wrote, 'It was necessary!'" She smiled, but her expression quickly became quietly serious. “The crash you heard was the Fangs abductin’ the neighbors. They’ve been takin’ a few every day in the black carriage. Stay away from that window, or you’ll get us all arrested!” He nodded seriously this time, catching the danger of the situation. She continued, "I came ta tell you I've prepared an escape route just in case me husband 'n I get arrested, which doesn' seem that unlikely due to what's been goin' on. If ya go behind the pantry, you'll find a secret back door that leads to the stables, if ya get that far go ahead and borrah our donkey, 'cause if the Fangs grab us, we won't need 'im...

Lunch over, Nia announced that thanks to their hearty preparations, they were almost ready to leave. They had a bit of food preparation to do, everyone needed to pack their travel bag, and Artham needed to set up his traps, but then they would be free to leave at any moment otherwise. They planned to leave at nightfall the next day to be able to travel under cover of night to Torrboro to avoid suspicion upon arrival. Everyone prepared a bedroll and a backpack with supplies, and everyone attached weapons somewhere on them. Gracie pulled out her sword, which had gotten put under the bed out of the way, and inspected it carefully for the first time. To her surprise, she found that there were strange runes carved onto the short sturdy blade, and to her inexperienced eye, they looked like a cross between Hebrew lettering and elvish writing from Tolkien. Curious, and with a slight tingle in her belly, she showed Nia the lettering, and Nia found that the runes carved on the blade were a newer form of Old Hollish she could read quite easily. The words gave the sword a name, and Nia remembered reading legends of swords similar to it in her childhood. The sword's name in the old language was Kadesh Hatil Neshach, and Nia said the first part she could translate as holy, or blessed of the Maker, and the second part meant something like swing and bite.: "Evil beware, for Kadesh Swingbite thirsts for those who would challenge its bearer. The Maker's strength and wisdom lie in wait—those who stand against it shall find no mercy." After Nia read this aloud, Janner grinned, "Gracie, it seems the Maker wills you to fight, but your skills would need to speed up a bit for you to stand up to that merciless description!" Gracie laughed at the gentle tease at her developing skills, "Hey, at least I'm better than Tink! He can barely keep his blade up!" Tink groaned into his soup. He hadn't been able to defeat Gracie once, even though his skills had improved with his practice. Janner had an edge on Gracie all summer, and he strongly suspected that his Thronewarden skills and talents were playing a large role in that. Gracie had improved rapidly as her strength had grown. Her throwing improved drastically, as she showed natural aim, and her fighting became fiercer and wild. Podo kept having to remind her it was important to have a defense before she had an offense, but she still kept fighting like it was her last chance to survive. Rebekah didn't practice fighting much, she usually chose to "escape to safety" with Leeli during the main lessons, which Podo heartily agreed on, but also insisted they practice self-defense at least a little. Leeli had become her music teacher and Leeli herself had grown in her harp skills as she taught another. Rebekah still hadn't spoken, and the others assumed she had lost her voice to shock. She often would disappear for hours into the trees, seeking out quiet places to practice her harp, or whatever else she did. Janner did the same, and he and Gracie would often race for the best tree hideouts. After lunch, the children worked on their THAGS, Janner and Gracie focusing on Word, Kalmar working on Form, and Leeli taught Rebekah Song, and memorized pieces for her work. Gracie and Janner found stiff competition on who could read and write better. Gracie read extremely quickly and had high comprehension and memory of what she read, but Janner was better at writing and oratory, and remembering where he got his information, as Gracie never remembered where she remembered something from, which exasperated Nia. After the children did THAGS for about an hour, they went outside and did fighting drills with Podo. This went on amidst friendly rivalries for about an hour before Rebekah and Leeli went inside to help Nia prepare dinner, while Gracie continued practicing with the boys. At dinner, Nia clarified that they would not have THAGS tomorrow, but instead be practicing with Podo before they leave. She reasoned that she'd get the children out of the house so she could better prepare for their departure that evening. (Ahem, Kalmar) After dinner, the children scattered to enjoy the last half-hour of daylight, with Janner and Gracie scurrying outside to journal, and Rebekah and Leeli playing their harps in tandem. By dusk, bedrolls were unfurled, and the house was quiet save for the adults’ whispered preparations.

Hope you enjoy reading!!! This first chapter is rather slow, but the next few chapters should pick up pretty quickly... This chapter was mainly to show how Rebekah and I integrated into the Wingfeather family. This book in my fic is where characters start experiencing extreme trauma... Also, I 'probably' will post faster due to the fact that I have planned all the chapters ahead of time. Also, this fanfic I plan to explore views and places we don't get much in the book, and we meet a new character who will eventually expose one of my unpopular silly, even to me beliefs. Enjoy!!!