– Your Simuran? – Lisel raised her eyebrows.
– Do you have a live simuran?! – the cousins said in unison.
– This one is clearly not dead. Look how it flutters its wings! – Khvoyana chuckled.
And Simka, noticing such attention to himself from afar, did not miss the opportunity to show off, and having formed a circle above us, he landed spectacularly, raising clouds of dust.
– Simka!
I hugged my friend’s neck, and at the same time checked the pocket on the collar, where I found a long-awaited letter from my sister.
– Oh, how cute! – Volde melted. – Mirre, can I… Can I pet him?
The cousin folded her hands in a pleading gesture.
“We weren’t allowed to keep animals,” her “wild” sister said unusually quietly.
– Iron for good health! If he allows it, of course. I have a Simka with character.
Winking at the winged wolf, I stepped aside. Simka was not at all against affection. In general, he loved attention, treats, and having his belly scratched. While the girls were squeezing and stroking him, Ada came and stood next to me, condescendingly watching the others.
– And you are full of surprises, Kyari.
– This is bad? – I asked.
– It's fun! – the northern woman responded with a smile.
– Ada, do you have a pet at home?
– Was. Large northern wolf. But he died.
– Oh. sorry…
“He died of old age,” Ada explained. – Happy and toothless. He also loved having his belly scratched.
Uncle Alan, who had gone away to replenish water and provisions, was already hurrying to the stagecoach. Noticing Simka, he turned towards us.
– Mirre, about your simuran… I’m not sure that you will be allowed to keep it at the academy. Of course, you can ask your father, but the rector… – He shook his head.
– Ashsher Nett, don’t worry about Simka. It is adapted to wild life and knows how to get food. Or do you think that at the boarding house he lived right in my room?
– Simuran accompanied you to the boarding house?!
The magician's eyes widened twice, and I laughed.
– From the very first day. And somehow he survived, and he ate so many sides!
These same sides were now being scratched with four hands, and Simka was lying in a completely indecent position with his tongue lolling out in pleasure. Hearing our conversation, the girls began to persuade Essher Nett to allow him to take the simuran with him. The twins especially tried. And when the quiet and silent Yumi looked at him with her huge eyes and whispered “please,” the magician’s heart melted.
– OK then. You know better. But be careful, there will always be some detractor.
– Thank you, uncle… Ashsher Nett! – I was happy. “We’ll take note and warn Simka not to stick his head out too much.” He is no stranger to hiding.
And so the simuran, watered, fed, and even loved, slept peacefully on the floor next to my bunk, and I finally got to the letter from Talaria. My sister was sincerely happy for me. She knew how much I didn’t like it at the boarding school, and she took my transfer to the academy positively.
“…But remember, Mirre, it won’t be easy. Try, learn. Prove that you are a really cool naturalist. I believe in you, dear!”, the sister wrote.
Every line I read was filled with love, and I couldn’t help but smile as I read them over and over again.
Tali is my father’s illegitimate daughter, born before mom and dad met. Once upon a time, my mother didn’t want us to communicate with her because she was jealous and afraid that she would have a bad influence on me. How wrong she was!
