Feyrahl, SoFurry Edition

Introduction to the Kingdom, Ch 1.5

Mac had never put much faith in prophecy or divination or fortune tellers or any of that, but his mindset was based on his world not Feyrahl, so the thought of being part of some kind of prophecy was unsettling to say the least. He changed the subject as quickly as he could, sacrificing a little tact in the attempt. "So... why don't you tell me about the court? If I'm going to be here in Feyrahl, I should at least know a LITTLE about it if I'm going to be a part of it."

Rolin's muzzle split in a good-humored grin as he laughed jovially. "Either that, or learn enough about it that you choose to follow my example and avoid it as often as you possibly can, Millman."

Joren's ears raised and he shot a sour glance at the Lynx-Bear. "And what precisely is THAT supposed to mean, Shadow Star?"

The Ranger chuckled, reaching out to give a light punch to the Rhino's shoulder; the Commander's torso didn't move so much an inch. Rolin glanced between the two before his eyes settled on Mac. "Oh, the Sage King is a fantastic man... in a one-on-one situation there is no finer a partner for conversation, and the Commander here is pleasant enough company... but the others?  Eh... not so much."

The Rhino let out a snort. "As with anything, learning how to navigate the court and courtly endeavors takes time, experience, and exposure. You do yourself no favors avoiding involvement, Shadow Star."

Rolin's smile faded slightly. "Nah... I'm just good at taking a hint, Commander. Most of the nobility would prefer that I'm not at court, and they could make my life much more difficult the more often they see me."

Joren grunted, folding his arms across his massive chest. "You have the Emperor's favor... any threats they might make would be empty ones."

The Lynx-Bear shrugged. "But then I would be causing trouble for his Imperial Majesty. He already has enough to worry about."

The Commander reached across the distance and clasped his hand down on the Ranger's shoulder in what looked like a gesture of camaraderie . "Well... I still encourage you to make a showing now and again. Your presence is missed."

Laughing again, Rolin let out a sigh. "Well... it's hard to ignore such an invitation but, trust me, Millman: the less you're there, the better it will be for you."

Joren gave the Lynx-Bear a gentle shake. "Do not try to influence him for the worse, Shadow-Star.... Millman's way may not be the same as yours. He will need to find his own way in and around court, and the choice will be his. Besides, he is the Sage King's personal guest; the members of the court would do well to curry his favor."

The Ranger smirked wider. "You presume they'll know how to accomplish that when a Human is involved. I watched their reaction from the veranda after I left-- half of them looked at him like he was an asp, and the rest like he was a vaerlis."

The last word was definitely in the Feyrahlian tongue, which confused Mac. "What's that? It... didn't translate."

Both of his companions glanced to one another and Joren spoke. "What?  A vaerlis?"

Rolin quickly piped up. "A small lizard, smaller than the size of a paw. They scamper about, raid food stocks, and spread disease."

The Human understood the comparison. "Oh, like a ra--" he immediately silenced himself, realizing that he had seen some humanoid Rats in court and he had a feeling the correlation would not be appreciated. "I think I get it... so they think I'm either a threat or a nuisance."

Joren rests a hand on Mac's shoulder. "Be that as it may, the only way their opinion will change is if MacKenzie helps them to revise it."

Mac hadn't realized that the Commander had used his first name until Rolin's ears raised and the Ranger called attention to it. "I haven't often heard you refer to anyone by their given name, Commander Stonewall. Why so suddenly casual?"

The Rhino snorted, the insides of his small, leaf-shaped ears reddening slightly. "Ah... well, it was like you said, Shadow Star, the, ah... the Emperor's guest is in need of companionship and familiarity in this strange world... uh..." he glanced down at MacKenzie, ears reddening further, "Presuming you do not mind, of course... MacKenzie."

Mac felt his cheeks redden in response to the attention provided to him by two sets of Feyrahlian eyes. "Well... I mean... uh... usually my friends don't call me MacKenzie-- they just call me Mac."

Joren's ears rose up, as did his thick eye-ridges. "We... are friends then?"

The Human had to fight back a reactionary laugh; something about the Commander's surprised expression made him think of one of the home schooled students he met during his first year in college making a friend for the first time. Managing to scale his reaction back to a smile, Mac nodded. "Well... like you both said: I could use more friendly faces around me and, if court is as bad as Rolin says, and as important as you say, Commander, then I could probably use as many friends as I can get."

Rolin smirked. "That means you should probably start calling him Joren, Millman."

Mac didn't know whether it was his glare or the Commander's that got the Lynx-Bear to start laughing, but the two ultimately looked at one another, and Joren's ears reddened again as he rubbed the back of his head. "Within court, it is proper to refer to me by my title... but when we are not interacting in an official capacity, I would be honored to have you call me Joren... Mac."

The Human smiled at the sound of his name, and the invitation to likewise move toward a less formal interaction. "Thank you... I'll do that, Joren."

Mac looked down to the outstretched arm and the open hand facing him and he held out his own. The Rhino's massive fingers completely eclipsed and engulfed his own hand and Joren gave it a firm shake; the Human almost thought his arm was going to come out of its socket, but, fortunately, the Rhino was 'gentle' with the motion. "Good. Now you should not have to feel so intimidated about being in court."

Rolin's smirk faded and Mac saw the Lynx-Bear's gaze shift past him. His follow-up statement was casual, but still pointed. "Ah... looks like the shift has changed."

Joren cleared his throat and stood up, adjusting his tunic as he turned toward the direction Rolin was looking. "Ah. Guardsman Frostbrand... is it that time already?"

The long-maned Lion snapped to attention, striking his chest twice with his unarmored paw. "Sir!"

The Commander held a massive hand out to Mac. "The Emperor's guest was looking to spend some time outside of his room, and we spent some time in discussion here in the garden. I hope it was not difficult to find us."

Mac accepted his hand, and was pulled to his feet as if he weighed no more than a jug of milk; considering the massive size of the Rhino, he may as well have been. Vihas moved over to join the two of them even as Rolin slipped away into the shadows with a brief farewell. The Lion placed a paw on either of Mac's shoulders, looking him up and down, brushing off one of the Human's sleeves. "NO, Commander; there was no difficulty. Guardsman Khosk told me where you could be found."

Joren nodded to Vihas. "In that case, I will release the Emperor's guest into your capable paws, Icebrand. Keep him safe."

Vihas repeated the double-chest thump salute. "On my honor, Commander."

The Rhino then looked down to Mac. "I have enjoyed our discourse tonight, Mr. Millman, and I hope that we shall run into one another again soon."

Mac nodded. "Me too, Commander. Thank you for talking with me."

Joren's bow was full of poise and grace-- surprising considering his size. "It has been my pleasure, Sir."

The Human followed after Vihas, a warm feeling in his gut helping keep his steps light. Despite his initial reservations about the strange animal people surrounding him he was starting to make friends, and it was easier than he expected. Hoping to continue his good luck streak, Mac took a few steps to catch up with Vihas. "So... did you have relaxing break, or whatever it was?"

The Lion grunted with a nod. "I did."

Mac took several steps, working to reassess his approach. "And you're ready for your shift tonight?"

Vihas' answer was no less direct. "I am."

The Human forced out a pleasant laugh. "Oh... well... good. I'm counting on you to protect me, after all."

The guardsman slowed, turning to regard Mac with his emotionless gaze. Offering a curt nod, Vihas stated "I will."

Clearing his throat, Mac surrendered willing to chalk that one up to the realization that not everything can be a success. He took a few extra quick steps, gesturing to the door leading to his private quarters. "Well... uh... okay then. Good talk. I guess this is my room coming up then, huh?"

The Lion was still short on words. "It is."

Opening the door to his room, Mac lingered for a few more seconds. "Good night then."

Vihas' reply was a simple head nod before he took up position next to the portal. The Human sighed; it was becoming rapidly apparent that Vihas was a night guard for good reason: his personal skills could use some work. Pushing that thought aside, Mac focused instead on getting ready for bed, and his first night in this strange new world.