It was a rainy night, and what made it worse was that the lights of the kingdom were only a handful of feet away. Blurred through the trees and the downpour, sure, but still so close that the two men didn’t dare make a fire out of fear of burning down the forest being seen.
“So… Foolish, what’s your name?” Jimmy’s could hardly see the hulking figure of Foolish sitting across from him, but the awkward silence was too much to bare.
“What the fuck do you mean what’s my name? You just said it.” Foolish was already grumpy without the stupid questions. He was regretting asking the gods for any help at all, and all this canary had done so far was trip over things and make the corniest of jokes.
“No, sorry, I meant your real name.”
“Totem of death.” Foolish wished they had a real tent instead of the canopy of trees to keep them dry. Not that he felt the rain anymore with his golden skin, but the whole situation was abysmal.
“That’s not a name, that’s a title. Come on now, man!” Jimmy wished he had never spoken, because this conversation was somehow even more awkward then the silence. “Everyone has a name! You know mine, I’m good ol’ Jim! If we’re going to be the death squad, that’s what I’ve named us by the way, we have to know each other!”
Foolish shook his head and smiled a little bit despite himself. “You remind me of the person I used to be, canary. Said whatever stupid thing came to mind.” Foolish paused. “And I don’t remember my name. Foolish is fine.”
“They call you that.” Jimmy looked up towards the sky, then back down at Foolish. “Is that why you’re so serious? Because you were foolish?” The rain was starting to slow down now, and the moon, although still hidden behind the rain and the leaves, brightened the ground ever so slightly. Jimmy could see Foolish’s face more now, the hulking warrior whose face was now in his hands. “Foolish, if I’m to be honest here, which as a fellow member of the death squad I have to be, you’ve kind of become the coolest person I’ve ever met.”
“Im the only person you’ve ever met, and I’m not even a person.” Foolish peered between his fingers at Jimmy.
“Foolish, please, im trying to bond with you.” Jimmy waved his hand at him. “You, the totem of death, given a name of ridicule, take it as your own and run wild with it. I know you’re just like me, I’ve seen you fall off of three cliffs by accident so far. Foolish, totem of death, able to slay an entire village while also singing a silly song. You have the power to make that name into a complement.”
“That’s enough out of you, Jimmy. Go to sleep, we have stuff to do tomorrow.” Foolish turned away to start polishing a sword, clearly done with talking. Jimmy shrugged and snuggled down best he could into the roots of the tree. He fell asleep almost at once. Foolish watched over him and their tiny shelter, wiping away golden tears.
Travelers weren’t uncommon in the kingdom of Goshal. People came far and wide to watch the dog fights. So no one gave the blond man with the yellow cloak a second look as he bopped his way down the street.
“Why ‘ello there!” the man joined a gathered group in the middle of the street. “What’s all this then?”
“Dog fight about to start. You wanna wager something?” A tall man holding scraps of paper said, walking over to him.
The blond man nodded cheerily. “Oh yes indeed, I love winning gambles!”
“Winning? Sir, the match hasn’t started yet, how could you have won?”
“Oh, no no no, I’m not talking about the dog fight, you silly man. I’m referring to the fight between this whole kingdom and the totem of death. Please keep up.” Jimmy grinned, and his whole body started to glow gold. Behind him, a figure burst onto the street.
“What’s up motherfu-” the figure tripped over a loose cobblestone and face planted. “Ouch! Shit!”
“Walk it off king! I believe in you!” Jimmy cupped his hands to yell, even though that wasn’t necessary considering the whole street had gone silent. “He’s embracing his inner fool, bless him.” Jimmy told the tall man.
“Fuck!” Foolish rose to his feet and grabbed his blade again. “Alright, sorry about that. Now, who’s ready to fucking die?”
