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The second day was work entirely, but no one stayed with Rukh for the night, and he enjoyed rest and solitude, reading fantasy books before going to bed. Zack did not appear in the forest. Well, his father wanted to make an entrepreneur out of his son, therefore the feline had seen many towns before his fifteenth birthday, and now he could stay and chill with friends from other towns or be late because of business. Maybe he comes back soon. Maybe not.

The third evening. The work is done, almost the whole company decided to return to the town - stuffy heat was felt in the air, a thunderstorm was supposed at night. Rukh chose to stay - tomorrow was a day off, and the uncle's cabin was perfect to sleep well.

It gradually darkened, it became colder, and moisture seeped through the windows of the veranda into the not heated house. Thunderclouds came from the plains, the wind rose, and it became uncomfortable to stay outside. Small wooden house gave dusky shelter and yet it was not dark enough for the lamp. Rukh did not want to turn on the light The griffin had already freshened up in the stream and put the feathers and fur in order, although they still smelled of poplar forest and fresh sticky buds. In a good way, winter wool should have been combed out, but there would be fluffy shreds that would come out only after a couple of days, so Rukh chose not to bother - the bed was still covered in his wool and some more mess will not make it worse.

Fatigue. Pleasant fatigue from many hours of work, when it becomes convenient to lie on any surface, but you still do not feel sleepy. You lie in silence, listen to the beat of your heart, thoughts smoothly flow into slumber. The thoughts that tormented Rukhgert for a long time laid out on shelves in his mind, and did not bothered anymore. Fantasies came...

Suddenly - a timid knock on the glass at the veranda window. Someone drummed his claws and froze. Somewhere in the distance, an alarmed bird cried out.

Rukh got up, looked at the hatchet behind the stove, stepped onto the veranda, and asked warily:

'Who?'

'Lisa. May I...?'

'Come in...' Rukh raised the door hook and let the guest in.

'Thanks. Why so confused?' Lizabeth slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

'Just was thinking of you. Thanks for that day and tickling, there is no longer a feeling of emptiness.'

'We can repeat, you're wriggling amusingly,' her elongated muzzle lit up with a smile.

'Not now, or I won't fall asleep. I did not think that this helps. How did you find out?'

'You're not the only one who has wizard relative. May we go into the house? I do not like to speak loudly about my undertakings on the threshold, and I couldn't catch you earlier these days.'

Dusky twilight hugged them. Lizabeth sat sideways on the edge of the bed, dangling her leg. Rukh wanted to settle in another bunk but was caught by the tail.

'And you remain yourself,' said the lizard.

The griffin grabbed a fluffy brush from scaly hands but sat next to his friend. Over the past six months, Liz's perseverance has not gone, as has griffin stubbornness.

'I have not heard that one of your relatives also has abilities.'

'The cousin grandfather can do some simple things. The one to whom I will go again this summer, yes. He shows me various tricks, explains what I have come to on my own. He says that I have the abilities with which he could help and that my pharmacognosy only takes away from me the time I could spend with him, to learn his art.'

'But you prefer to learn from Orazay to collect and prepare healing herbs.'

'Yes, and also my cousin's grandfather is increasingly demanding of the outward decency and culture of pangolins, although the way to which he is accustomed, not remained even in his native world except the remote villages. This does not prevent me from learning from him, while me remaining myself and doing what I want,' Lizabeth smiled and moved her fingers raising her hand to the griffin's tail.

Rukh thought for a moment, looking at the dark silhouette and digesting what he heard, and finally, with a smile, he said:

'One less secret between us. I can finally show you what I can, but not right now. Don't you mind to share what you learned?'

'Yes with pleasure. That's why I came,' smiled Lizabeth in the twilight, 'but the first one more secret must be revealed. Tell me why you need this armor?'

'What armor?'

'You know,' the lizard leaned a little closer, almost touched his beak with her nose, and the griffin cautiously backed away.

'I mean exactly this one,' she whispered.

'What do you want from me, Lizabeth?'

'To expand your boundaries of the permissible, pull you out from behind the wall that you built for some reason. So that you will not be embarrassed or timid, as if we had not known each other for fourteen years. To help you do not avoid others. It is funny for me to tease you, but it is not very interesting to do it without your response. I do not ask for anything serious. Simply, the magic that I know requires sincerity and the ability to share my warmth, and you have lately carefully ignored almost all my attention, and rarely responded with all your heart. Although you are not a fool in other aspects of life, and by daily actions, I see the real you, who are enjoying my company. And for those things that I don't see, I can recover your personality and thoughts from your behavior.'

Rukh only sighed in the thick twilight. Yes, Lizabeth was right; it is bad to close himself behind the wall. If she noticed, soon others would begin to notice the same. Soon he will get the reputation of the classical magician from books: loneliness, a difficult temper, and other joys of the hermit were not far away. What could he do?

'If you do not learn how to respond warmly to warmth, you will become a piece of ice,' the pangolin poked the feathered friend in the chest.

'If I respond to everyone who wants warmth, it will be worse, isn't it? Being good out of politeness is a lie that hurts both yourself and others. Even if you want to make someone happy, play along, you can be misunderstood and break someone's heart once you cannot answer out of politeness anymore. That's it. Minus friend in your life. The fact that griffins fall in love once and for all is a lie. Although this happens. But we are considered as a model of fidelity not because we do not dump each other, but because we do not run with scissors into relationships. Moreover, it is unacceptable for wizards. We must keep ourselves under control. Griffins have affection and impulses of passion, which, by the way, pass by themselves in a couple of weeks or months, you just have to endure.'

'Maybe they disappear because you don't do anything, don't develop and feed them?'

'They disappear on their own. According to Zack, it may happen even if you had already started dating someone. Even he... Why do you need to know all this, Liz?'

'I wanted to make sure I would not damage your mind with this.'

Before the griffin got what is going on, Liz overturned him on his side and hugged him tightly from his back. An angry grunt creaked from the beak:

'Maniac.'

'You won't learn magic if you hide from everyone. You need to feel the others, their mood, sensations. Need to share your strengths, your mood, feel how it is changing for both of you. This is the only way the forces will not go into the void and everything will work out. Just leave your fear and embarrassment. You said that you would not short circuit your brain from a simple hug.'

'You are the only one to whom I allow this, you know? And that is because I know you well and trust you for a long time.'

'Listen to yourself, not your fears. I hear they are talking in half with indignation. What if you stop your thoughts and try not to think?'

Rarely someone could touch the back of a griffin without causing irritation and a desire to brush himself off. He felt dangerous people with his wings. Now Lizabeth hugged him and there was a pleasant peace.

'Don't think about anything, Rukh,' whispered Lizabeth in his ear, 'nothing at all. Feel, but do not think.'

Rukh did not want to think. An alarm receded. Thoughts receded. There was neighter ambiguity of the situation, nor forest beyond the walls of the house, nor an impending thunderstorm. There were wings and gentle stroking of good hands on the feathering of the soul.

***

In the morning, Rukh woke up a little earlier and found a scaly hand on his waist - Lizabeth quietly sniffed beside him, hugged the feathered one for warmth and put her leg over his legs. Looks like yesterday they fell asleep dressed and she pulled a blanket out of the next bed at night. Despite the not very comfortable posture and numb limbs, the griffin felt delightful. The dusk of a wooden house and the subtle smell of familiar scales only added the pleasure. The wings, which he was afraid to lose forever, were felt again. The griffin allowed himself to squint his eyes in gratitude to the world and one close pangolin friend in particular. He is alive, everything is fine, and it is definitely worth continuing to live and learn magic.

Carefully move back and look at sleeping Liz - the narrow green muzzle was serene. Rukh flinched at the thought that, if desired, his every morning could be like that, and shook his ears immediately - he was not ready for this.

Carefully get out - first take off her small palm, then slip out from under her legs, and eventually be caught by the tail.

'Good morning, Rukh.'

'Good morning, Lizabeth.'

'Did you want to dress up in your armor again?'

'No, perhaps. Not from you.'

'Then take off your shirt, and perhaps your pants, and prove it.'

'What?' Rukhgert stiffened: his tail arched, his ears protruded, and his eyes widened. Lizabeth only giggled.

'Let me comb you. I am already covered in your wool. You molt. Or do you want to go home like a scarecrow?'