Chapter Text
They were about a day’s ride from Posada when they found it. Jaskier was wittering away about all and nothing, trying to come up with a new song about their last adventure, much to Geralt’s displeasure. Geralt had tuned out the bard a few hours ago, not having the mental capacity to really process the constant chatter, so his senses were dulled. He should have noticed the creature before Jaskier but it was too late.
“Geralt!” Jaskier cried loudly, pulling him from his thoughts.
He blinked a couple of times and refocussed his eyes. Jaskier was standing in front of him with bright eyes, glimmering with hope and wonder, a large toothy grin on his face. Geralt frowned, a happy Jaskier was never a good sign, danger was sure to follow, and sure enough Geralt’s eyes finally dropped to the bundle of fur in Jaskier’s arms.
Three yellow eyes gazed up at him, blinking one by one. Tiny horns protruded from his head, barely visible through the tuffs of spotted brown fur, behind them were a set of larger antlers. Geralt groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jaskier, put it back.”
“Oh but Geralt, look at him, he’s so tiny! He wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Jaskier cooed and them bumped his nose against the baby fiend’s. He starting to sing a lullaby and Geralt groaned, pressing his fingers to his forehead. “You are just the sweetest, mummy loves you, yes he does!”
“Fuck, Jaskier, I’m serious, drop it!”
Jaskier pouted, holding the monster up to Geralt. “But look at him, the cutest little darling!”
“He’s a monster, and his mother won’t be far away.”
Jaskier snorted and cuddled the creature as if it were a kitten, and not a ferocious beast. “Geralt, my dear, people think you are a monster, and we both know that’s not true.”
“Hmm.”
“Now, stop that!” Jaskier snapped, cradling the baby fiend in his arms. “You are not a monster, Geralt.”
“Regardless, that,” he pointed at the fiend, one of its hoofed back foot hanging limply down “is a monster, and I do not want to meet its mother. Put it down.”
“No.”
“Jaskier!”
“Geralt!” Jaskier glared back, stubborn as ever, stroking his fingers through the fiend’s fur, wrapping the tiny tail round his fingers.
The creature had had enough of their bickering, and bleated loudly. Geralt’s medallion hummed, his hand flying to his chest to catch it in his palm. “Shit! Jaskier, drop that thing, and get behind me!”
Jaskier whined. “But what if he gets hurt?”
“It’s a fiend, Jaskier, not a cat!”
Jaskier pouted but finally lowered the baby fiend to the floor. It bleated again, nuzzling against Jaskier’s leg, peering up at the bard with wide eyes. Jaskier whined again and Geralt cursed. “Stop looking at it.”
“But he’s so cute!”
“It’s trying to hypnotise you, shit!” Geralt swore, spinning round to see a much larger fiend charging down the path. Without thinking he picked Jaskier up and dumped him into Roach’s saddle. “Look after him, Roach.”
The skittish mare whinnied and cantered away, Jaskier’s shouts of protest filling the air. Geralt rolled his eyes and drew his silver sword, it would not be an easy fight and one he hadn’t prepared for. He was hoping he could injure the mother enough to slow her down and then run after his horse. He bent his knees and raised his sword, his fingers itched on the hilt, ready to blast Igni at a moment’s notice.
The baby fiend ran to its mother and hid beneath her paws, bleating happily. Geralt sighed. It was cute, he could admit that, if its mother wasn’t about to try and kill him. He shook his head, smiling fondly at the thought of his daft bard.
“Come on then, you bastard, let’s dance,” he muttered.
The fiend roared, pawing at the ground as it began its charge. Geralt smirked, another day, another monster.