She walked mostly in silence back to Denocte, thinking quietly about what Metaphor had said. It was so hard for her to believe that love was not a weakness. For so long she had been told that love would weaken her defences, cause her to stumble on the battlefield. She had been told that love would make her hesitate which could end in her death. And yet, here Metaphor was, telling her that love was not a weakness, that it would make her stronger. It would take more than a few words to undo the training that had been instilled in her since birth, but she was willing to try.
By the time they reached the Night Court, Katniss led Metaphor through the rather scenic route there, trying to show him much of what she called home. But soon, she led him into the courtyard of the center of court life. This was the hub for activity, but Katniss had never really been one to participate in some of the day-to-day hustle and bustle of the court or of the markets. She had always been too caught up in her duties as boarder patrol. Perhaps that would always be her nature.
As they meandered through the streets of the Night Court, Katniss led Metaphor towards a small little home, one that she claimed as her own but she was never there. “Come, follow me. I have something to show you.” She pressed her nose against his neck in a comforting, encouraging manner, before she led him into the small little cozy home. A fire flickered in the back of the small home, the smoke rolling out of a hole in the ceiling. And near the fire lay Finnick, the harpy eagle that she found herself bonded to.
Finnick, looking entirely pleased to see Katniss, straightened himself upon his perch. And as Katniss came towards him, the bird jumped onto her back and settled himself as she brought him over to Metaphor. “This is Finnick. He’s like your fox.” The eagle cocked his head ever so slightly to the side, his way of greeting the other. “Finnick, this is Metaphor. He means the world to me and I hope you two can get along.” Katniss was just starting to bond with Finnick and she was finding that the bird could be hesitant of strangers. Perhaps it was because this was new to him as well. Only time would tell.
@Metaphor
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