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During the three years leading up to my attendance at the Royal Acadmey, I was forced to study and cram to catch up on the knowledge that should have been taught to a child my age. It was during one of these study sessions, as we grew ever closer to the day of admission, did I feel the calling of Flutrane, distracting me from my current lessons.
Excusing myself from the room, I left with Justus towards the lavatory on the west wing of the castle. Even though the lavatories in the northern part of the castle were closer, I knew to never go there unless absolutely necessary, else face harassment from Veronica's pawns in my moment of vulnerability.
As I reached the chamber, I had Eckhart inspect the insides for traps, but after a moment of investigation, he returned with a small shumil in hand.
“I found this curled up in a dark corner. Checking the collar around its neck, the shumil’s name is Blau.” Eckhart said, holding the creature from the hair behind its neck.
“Be more careful with how you hold the poor thing.” Justus said, taking Blau from Eckhart, and instead cradled it with both hands. “If I recall, this is the pet of Lord Sylvester. Should I send an ordonnanz to one of his attendants and have it returned?”
“I suppose that would be for the best. We can’t have it wandering around unattended.” I answered, bending over slightly to get a better look at the thing.
Having never seen a shumil up close before, I was really interested in it as I crept ever closer to the ball of fur in Justus’ arms. Its hair was dark blue, bordering on indigo in color, while its pale yellow eyes shook in fear as they darted around, rapidly looking around the room.
“Put your arms out like this,” Justus said, motioning with his arms. Mimicking him, I cradle my arms as he did. “Here, just hold him like that. They enjoy it if you scratch behind their ears here too.”
Scratching at its ears, Blau stretched its spine, extending up to feel more of Justus’ palm. After a few more scratches, he stepped away and summoned an ordonnanz to call one of Sylvester’s retainers. As I kept holding the shumil, it looked up at me, matching my gaze for a moment. The fear in its eyes lessened, as it curled up in my hands, and licked my forearm a few times. Once finished, it curled up its ears under its cheek and rested its head against my chest.
“It seems he likes you.” Justus said as he returned, not even bothering to hide his grin.
“I don’t understand why. It just did this unprompted.” I said, admitting my confusion.
I wanted to hand the creature back to either of my retainers, but neither seemed willing to remove the shumil from its comfort. It took me reminding them that I was here to relieve myself for Justus to take the thing from my arms, allowing me to fulfill my purpose for coming to this wing of the castle.
A little while later two of Sylvester’s retainers arrived, taking Blau from our position. One continued to chat with Justus for a few moments longer before taking their leave. It was as Justus was returning to his station that I inquired what words were shared.
“It seems that Sylvester has gotten rather tired of his pet, allowing it to roam free instead of raising it with proper care in its cage.” Justus replied. Taking an eavesdropping magic tool from his belt, he extended his hand towards me. Receiving the tool, he continued, “Rumors are that he had forced Blau into a game of sorts a week back. It would take a while to get into specifics, but the results of this game injured the poor creature. It appears Blau has been determined to escape his confines ever since that day.”
It made me think back to the small creature's behavior, recalling it licking my arm. It seemed panicked, but once it was in my arm, it felt like it could finally relax. The thought haunted me for the rest of the day, being the last thing I recalled before drifting off to Schlaftraum’s domain.
It was two days later that I ran into Blau again on an errand through the castle. This time I found him in a dark storage room whose door was left open. Illuminating the room, there were signs that Blau had regurgitated its meal upon the floor covering, staining the rug.
“Aww, you poor thing.” Justus said as he picked up the creature.
Approaching me, he handed off Blau before summoning his schtappe. I would be getting one of my own soon enough, so I watched with eager eyes as I witnessed Justus clean the mess on the carpet, removing the stains in the process.
“Is Blau unwell? Or do you think his food is being tampered with?” I asked, holding the small creature.
“I doubt it is the latter. Maybe the small thing is still shaken up from the other day.” Justus said with a shrug.
“If Sylvester has given up proper care of Blau, do you think he would mind if I brought him back to my room?” I asked, looking down at the dark blue ball of fur in my arms.
“Maybe not your room, but we can surely arrange for some food and a bed in the common study.”
The next day we set up an area for Blau in the lecture room. We arranged a cozy corner with a cushioned seat and a tray where we could place his food and water. At first, Blau was hesitant to enter the room, but after a few days of sniffing around did he start to come in on occasion.
One day he jumped up on the chair next to me, then onto the desk, then just sat there, watching me as I studied. At first I was weirded out constantly being watched like that, but over the following days of the same behavior, it soon became a comfort to have him by my side. On occasion, Blau would take to a spot by the window, where he liked to watch the birds dance and sing. Though when I was given a moment to take a break, I would make an effort to pet and play with the shumil.
“It seems you really enjoy Blau’s presence.” Justus would tease, but he was right. I had grown to enjoy its company.
However, over the course of the next few weeks, Blau's health began to deteriorate at a rapid pace. He started throwing up more frequently and eating less and less food as the days continued to pass.
After awaking to find another pile of vomit, the three of us stood around Blau's feeding area in the study room, thinking up different types of food in the hopes that Blau would eat any of them.
I sighed, "I don't know what to do. He's not eating anything we give him."
Justus looked back at the small shumil, shaking his head, "Maybe we should force him to eat? Make a grul that would be easier to digest."
Eckhart grunted, "No, that's not the way. Animals have their own will, and we should respect that."
I looked at Eckhart, "What can we do then?"
Eckhart thought for a moment before answering, "We could try to find something that he likes. Maybe he's just being picky."
Justus snorted, "A shumil being picky? That's ridiculous."
Eckhart gave Justus a stern look, "Animals have their own tastes, just like the rest of us. We should try different types of food and see what he responds to."
Nodding, I relented, "Okay, let's try what we can. We have to find something he’ll eat."
Justus left to the kitchen, trying to find something that Blau would eat. They spent the next bell trying different foods and observing Blau's reactions, but nothing seemed to perk his interest.
I looked down at Blau, who was lying on his side, weak and lethargic. "I hope we can find something for him soon. He's not doing well."
Justus patted me on my shoulder, "We'll keep trying, Ferdinand. We won't give up on him."
Over the next two days his walking had become more staggered and weak. I could see him swaying and wobbling as he hopped through the halls of the castle. It was painful to watch him suffer, and I wished there was something more I could do to help him.
After a few more days of Blau not eating, I found the small shumil outside of my bedroom when I awoke. Laying on the floor, barely able to walk–let alone stand, Blau’s appearance was thin and fragile. His breathing was labored as he looked up at me with pleading eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, I scooped him up into my arms and brought him into my room.
“Justus, Eckhart, come quickly! Something's wrong with Blau!" I yelled out as I reentered my room.
Justus was the first to react as he approached me. "What's the matter, my Lord? Is he hurt?"
"I don't see any injuries.” Eckhart said as he squinted at the limp creature. “Maybe he's just tired?"
"Look at him!” I argued back. “He can hardly move!"
Justus, pushing between the two of us, attempted to focus our minds. "Let's get him inside and see what we can do for him first."
While holding Blau, Justus made a small bed out of blankets and pillows for him, while Eckhart found him some water. He tried to drink some, but he was so weak he couldn't even hold up his head. I stayed by his side, petting him and whispering words of comfort, hoping that he would get better if he just drank something.
It was as I was thinking of anything that would help that I remembered the healing spell that I would be learning once I received a schtappe of my own. “Justus, I want you to cast Heilschmerz’s healing on Blau. You have to try and save him.
Justus approached Blau to take a closer look. After opening the shumil’s eyelids and waving his hands, he stood back up shaking his head. "Blau seems to be in a precarious situation," he said with a solemn expression. "I'm afraid a simple healing spell won't be enough to save him at this point."
I looked up at Justus with the heat of mana welling up in my chest. "But we have to try! Please, Justus, cast healing on him."
Justus hesitated, knowing that it might be too late for Blau. "Ferdinand, I don't think it's going to work. I will try, but know, it might not be enough."
My voice rose in desperation. "I don't care, Justus. We have to try! Just cast the spell."
Justus took a deep breath and began to chant the incantation, his schtappe glowing with a soft green light. The lights of healing particles fell on Blau, but rolled off his fur like water on a river. I watched in despair as Blau's breathing slowly became shallower and shallower with each breath.
Justus just scratched at Blau’s ear as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Ferdinand. We did all we could," he said softly.
The next morning, I woke up to find Blau lying still on his makeshift bed. According to Eckhart, he had passed some time after the last bell. I felt a sense of loss and emptiness in my heart that I had never felt before upon seeing his corpse. It was as if a part of me was missing. I realized then that Blau had become an important facet of my life, and I would never forget him.
Justus came into my room and saw the sadness on my face. He knew how much Blau had grown to mean to me in these recent days. "I'm sorry, Ferdinand. It's always hard to lose someone we care about," he said, draping his cloak over my back.
"I know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I held down the raging heat in my chest. "But I'm glad he came into my life. He made me feel less alone in this big castle as the day of enrollment drew ever closer. I'll always remember him for that."
Justus nodded in agreement. "Blau was lucky to have you as his friend. You gave him love and a home in his final days, and that's all we can do for those we care about."
That afternoon we buried Blau in the garden visible from the study room, under a tree that he had loved to watch birds graze in. As we stood by his grave, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the time I had spent with him. Even though he was gone, I knew that he had left a lasting impression on my heart.
In the years that followed, I continued my studies and grew older. But no matter where life took me, I always remembered Blau and the lessons he had taught me. I learned that love and friendship can come in the most unexpected of forms, and that it's important to cherish those moments while they last.
