“Just rest, I’ll take care of setting things up for now.” Mathias told her and went about setting up their small camp for the night. It wasn’t much, a small fire circle with barely anything but twigs and some blankets, but having spent most of the last few days confined to a drafty cell without so much as a thread of warmth, the blankets were extraordinarily welcome. Yet perhaps the most surprising thing from the Cervine was his voice, while setting up he had taken to singing. It wasn’t a tune she recognized nor was it a tongue she knew but it was pleasing, ever calming to her weary ears after the grating of the world even if the tune was dower.
I’m going there. Across the roughs. Across the whites.
I’m going there. To see them on the shore.
I’m going there. In the face of my growing fears.
I’m going there. I’m going home.
I’m going home. Across the waves. Across the blues.
I’m going home. To call as others swim through.
I’m going home. Despite all my worldly loves.
I’m going home. I’m going on.
I’m going on. Across the wash. Across the black.
I’m going on. To sing with those on the shore.
I’m going on. With joy in my heart.
I’m going on. I’m going on.
“What’s that about?” She asked as he struck flint to the twigs within the fire circle. Mathias glanced up to her before looking back down with a sheepish grin and perhaps a bit of embarrassment.
“Sorry, a bit of a habit from traveling alone.” He said, striking the flint again. “I’ll stop.” But Kelkera shook her head. “No no, I’ve just never heard anything like it. What is it?” A few of the sparks took and a small flame burst from the twigs, Mathias leaned down and blew into the base of the fire to give it life.
“Nothing a Vulpine would get I don’t think.” He said pulling back up. “It’s an old Cervine tune about crossing the river of death.” At once Kelkera made a face.
“A river of death? Why would one sing about that?” She asked and Mathias leaned back on his hands, antlers back and towards the wide sky and three moons that drifted across it.
“Oh it’s not a sad song, far from it, it’s about going home. Seeing those who have gone before you, those who swam those dark waters welcoming you with open arms that you’ve finally made it.” The song again filled the air as Mathias sang through the words once more. Kelkera let him finish.
“Your voice, nobody in Carran’s Rest could sing anything like that.” Kelkera added and Mathias flushed with what she only assumed was embarrassment.
“It was my first love.” He said drawing in another breath. “But not every Cervine can join the Chorale and I…” he shrugged, “wasn’t good enough.” Kelkera rubbed her pads, not good enough? He seemed incredible to her! His voice was as smooth as the water that flowed through the irrigation streams back in Carran’s Rest. “But that’s enough of that, we need to figure out what you’re going to do.” Mathias said, turning his attention back to Kelkera.
The sudden reminder that she was essentially homeless didn’t do any favors to Kelkera’s mood or potential answers and she pulled her legs close, avoiding Mathias’s direct gaze. But if Mathias noticed this he didn’t say anything about it and instead continued after a small pause.
“I promised Luka to take you to Atheson and see you off to Lauror. There’s got to be at least one ship that makes the crossing, then you’d be safe among your people!” He smiled but Kelkera didn’t really care and her mind returned back to what had happened over the last few days.
“And I just left her by herself with all of those-” she let a growl lose, “People.” She tried to speak the word with as much scorn as she could.
“She is an Esurian though.” Mathias countered and Kelkera groaned at his obvious answer.
“Not like them. She was always kind to me, even when I ran the streets and before I was presentable to anyone else, before they even considered me worth a look and I just left her to fend for herself. You know what she was reduced to, for just being my friend!” Kelkera’s tone grew as she pictured the husky man that had come from the darkness in Luka’s home, no she couldn’t let her continue like that, she couldn’t let her submit to that any longer. “I’m going back!” The sudden outburst after a few moments of silence threw Mathias off and Kelkera stood, reaching for her pack to start packing the blankets.
“What! You just barely scraped by with your fur and you want to go back?” His words were laced with equal parts surprise and exasperation but Kelkera didn’t stop and stuffed the blanket roughly into her pack.
“Yes.” She said but Mathias rose with her and his face had switched from his gleeful cheeriness to be like rock, a face chiseled out of stone.
“You will not go back, I’m sorry I will not let you.” He spoke, the very foundation of his words seemingly digging into Kelkera’s core. Her resolution wavered in the face of the wall he had erected with his tone and body. Mathias the soldier stood between her and Carran’s Rest.
“I can’t just leave her though! You saw what they think of Beasts, what about those who call them friends?” Kelkera protested but Mathias gently shook his head.
“She’s got a better chance of figuring it out than you do going back there.” Something within Kelkera knew that he was right. Something told her that continuing to Lauror, continuing to where her people lived was the smart decision but it wasn’t the right decision. She drew a sigh and looked down at the pack in her pads, roughly packed with the dirty blanket and then she noticed it. The corner of the book! She thought back to what the Avians and their Magic, their powerful Magic! So much so that Tobias had even called them demons, all of that must have been them! She nodded her muzzle once.
“Mathais.” His head cocked and face softened at his name. “I’ll continue with you to Atheson, I’ll even board a ship bound for Lauror.” He smiled but it was immediately wiped away, “but! If we run into those Avians I’m going back with their help.” She pulled the tome out to show him. Mathias drew in a shallow breath and realizing that he wasn’t going to win this no matter how hard he tried, relented and nodded his head.
***
The Plains had long dominated Kelkera’s sight, valley after valley stretching out before with little else to show they had been moving. That is, until the trees came into sight. Initially, small shrub-like bushes lined the path, but soon towering trees with an array of green hues enveloped them. As the road continued into the green Kelkera couldn’t help but grow apprehensive, as if it were being swallowed by the dense forest. For her entire life she’d known nothing but wide open plains and as her visibility shrank her apprehension grew. They walked further into the forest and Kelkera found herself gradually moving closer to Mathias who kept walking straight on as if not noticing the change of scenery. Around them the sounds of the trees and those who made them their home filled the air but Kelkera kept shielding herself. The idea that someone could be watching them and she wouldn’t know disturbed her.
“What is this place?” She eventually asked, unable to contain it any longer.
“Don’t know, probably just some forest.” Mathias responded with confidence. But Kelkera noticed a slight tension in his stance, the fur on the back of her neck stood on end and her tail drooped low between her legs. The sound of wind rushing through the trees and ferals rustling through the underbrush had Kelkera looking in every direction with every rustle.
The two pushed deeper and the plains that had been around them had dissolved with no evidence that they had ever been there. Interestingly though, the deeper they went the more comfortable Kelkera grew. She didn’t know if it was because she was getting used to it or what but she didn’t find the noises as jumpy or the wind through the branches as unnerving. Just as she was going to say she felt better Mathias stopped, he held out a hooved hand and slowly scanned the treeline.
“What’s wrong?” Kelkera asked. “There’s not a sound around.” She said, the tips of her ears twitching around like they were trying to focus on one sound but none came.
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.” He muttered. One hand instinctively reached for the sword, omnipresent at his side ever since they left Carran’s Rest. He didn’t unsheath it just yet but he motioned for Kelkera to stay back in case he did have to. With every passing moment the forest proved to be completely dead. Mathias stood for a long while, focusing before he finally relaxed and let out a deep breath.
“Guess it’s just me then.” He said, a smile returning to his face as he let his hand fall away from the sword.
“Almost had me there!” The voice sounded from a nearby bush jolting Mathias back into high alert. He swung around, his sword at the ready, expecting to face a threat.
“Knew it,” he muttered, taking a step toward the bush and demanding the hidden figure to come out. Instead of a confrontation, they heard a deep sigh accompanied by a slight chuckle.
“I guess not almost,” the voice replied, seemingly amused by its deception. But to their surprise, the voice came from directly behind them. They both swung around to find a Vulpine staring directly at them, his head cocked and a mischievous smirk across his muzzle. The sight itself threw Kelkera into a daze while Mathias pointed his sword directly at the diminutive Vulpine.
“Hey hey hey, I’m not going to do anything, I’m a Beast! Like you!” The Vulpine exclaimed, flicking his wrist as if to motion the sword away but Mathias wasn’t having any of it and kept his weapon zeroed in on the mystery Vulpine.
“This road is full of thieves and highwaymen, you think I’m going to let my guard down for a second? Anyone could be hiding in these woods,” Mathias retorted, his tone firm. He took a step towards the Vulpine, eyes affixed. Whereas the Vulpine seemed unfazed, crossing his arms and feigning annoyance.
“All of you come out!” He called out and stood there, annoyance painted across his face as he focused his gaze at Mathias. Silence enveloped them again and Kelkera strained her ears to catch any sign of movement. But there was nothing to catch, the forest was still frozen. The Vulpine shrugged his shoulders and gave Mathais a wide eyed stare of ‘See’ and only after a few more moments of this standoff did he lower his sword.
“Ah, much better…I think.” He said. His voice matched his stature, it was quick and precise. He spoke with no space between his words which also lent him to being slightly hard to understand. Mathias stood silent but Kelkera subconsciously moved towards him. It was another Vulpine! She had only seen a handful that she could remember at Carran’s Rest and perhaps only got to speak to one or two. He was the epitome of a Vulpine, bright orange fur covering the upper half of his face and ears, which perched atop his head exactly like Kelkera’s. A snowy white started at the tip of his muzzle and extended to his neck and down his front behind a dirty brown splotched dark green fabric jacket which covered most of him. His pads were completely black matched by his feet. His tail swung lazily behind him, completely nonplussed about the whole thing. Finally, his cloudy brownish yellow eyes turned to Kelkera and she took another step forward.
“What’s a Vulpine doing traveling with a Cervine soldier?” He asked, looking the both of them down.
“What’s a Vulpine doing randomly tailing people in the forest?” Mathias retorted back without missing a beat.
“It’s what I do.” He replied, throwing up his two black furred hands in a fainted surrender. As he did so Kelkera could hear the forest start to come back to life, birds started to chirp again, the wind seemingly flew freely through the branches, insects buzzed once again around her face.
“That’s not exactly an answer.” Mathias grunted and the Vulpine shrugged again, seemingly his default response.
“But it is an answer, now you tell me yours.” He challenged. Mathias fell silent as the two locked eyes, but Kelkera couldn’t contain her curiosity.
“We’re going to Atheson, originally from Carran’s Rest,” she said. The Vulpine turned his gaze to Kelkera and he made a clicking sound with his tongue.
“Oh, that’ll be kind of difficult considering…” He trailed off, studying Kelkera from head to toe.
“Considering what?”
“Considering all Beast’s are banned from Atheson.” He stated bluntly. His words hit Mathias like a ton of bricks, causing him to drop his sword in an apparent daze before shaking head to clear it.
“Banned!” Mathias clamored while reaching down to pick up his weapon. The Vulpine just nodded and again shrugged.
“Why do you think I’m here?” He said. “Used to live within the walls myself but one day it's ‘kick all the Beasts out’ and we’re out of our homes.” Kelkera stole a quick glance towards Mathias but he was still apparently shaken from the news.
“They did the same thing in Carran’s Rest! Tried to kill me over it.” Kelkera finally uttered which seemingly finally threw the Vulpine off guard for a fraction of a moment.
“Well, be glad they didn’t! They accomplished that with a few others before we were all able to escape.” He then gave a wide smile and deep bow, so much that Kelkera thought his nose would touch the ground.
“Well, since you didn’t know and now you do, I think I just saved your lives. You’re welcome! Name’s Ragun.”
“Kelkera.” Kelkera quicked followed with a nod in response to his bow. Mathias stayed silent, still shaken up from the news. “The Cervine is Mathias.” She added once he didn’t say anything.
“Kelkera and Mathias, Atheson travelers no more.” He laughed and an uneasy silence followed. “Well, we should probably get going! Will start to get dark here pretty soon.” His ideas seemed to flow into each other just like his words and Kelkera felt like she had whiplash from the quick turnaround of what just happened.
“We?” Finally Mathais had righted himself to the point he had sheathed his sword, realizing the danger this Vulpine posed was fairly small.
“Yeah, don’t see anyone else do you?” Ragun looked all around him like he was searching.
“But why with you?”
“Well, you two certainly aren’t going to Atheson anymore and from the way you were walking through the woods and the light packs you two are carrying.” He paused, seemingly for effect. “You probably need a place to stay. Why not with the other Beasts who left Atheson?”
Traveling through the dense undergrowth and towering trees of the forest floor proved to be completely different from the relatively smooth journey along the road. Every step Kelkera took seemed to ensnare her feet on sticks and roots, while patches of clinging moss stuck stubbornly to her pads. She absentmindedly rubbed her fingers together remembering that her claws were gone. She couldn’t help but wonder if having them would have made navigating through the tangled brush easier or only exacerbate the amount of moss that had found ways to cling to her.
Ragun led the way through the thick foliage, with Kelkera and Mathias doing their best to follow behind. Sometimes he’d disappear from their vision only to appear always in the distance unaware that they had not been able to keep up. The Vulpine had abruptly ended their conversation with a beckoning of his hands and ducked into the bush. It left Kelkera or Mathias without much time to think about their next move; they simply followed Ragun’s lead without much of anything else to do. They continued the trek, guided by the faint glimmer of daylight filtering through the dense canopy above. Until the faint scent of campfire smoke tickled Kelkera’s sensitive nose.
The trio eventually emerged from the treeline into a vast clearing surrounded on all sides by the forest. Before them sprawled a camp with a haphazard blend of permanent structures resembling small wooden houses and semi-permanent dwellings made of heavy leather and hide. Various campfires littered the encampment, lifting a gray smoke to the skies and leaving the scent of burning wood to hang in the air like a miasma.
Beasts of all shapes and sizes mingled around the camp, forming a vibrant tapestry of species that Kelkera had only read of. Her eyes widened in awe as she took in the sheer number of her fellow creatures. Vulpines and Cervines, like herself and Mathias, were present, but also Felines, Canines, Bovids, Rodents, and even a few Amphibians. The presence of so many Beasts in one place was overwhelming, far surpassing anything Kelkera had ever seen before.
“Welcome to Beast’s Refuge.” Ragun stopped and turned to face them. “It’s what we’ve taken to calling it, every Beast who got away from Atheson and its King ended up here.” The unexpected scale of the makeshift town left the two momentarily speechless. What they had initially anticipated as a small outpost turned out to be a bustling community, roughly a third the size of Carran’s Rest. Kelkera could already discern the formation of well worn paths and walkways among the dwellings, indicating that a semblance of order and organization was taking root in this impromptu refuge.
The tantalizing aroma of cooking food wafted through the air and Kelkera’s stomach growled in response. The idea of a meal consisting of anything beyond meager portions of small game or foraged weeds seemed so far out of reach this morning, yet here they were. With cautious anticipation, they approached the makeshift town behind Ragun.
As they approached the shallow wooden defenses that wrapped around the town, the guards stationed along them all converged their gaze towards them. One guard, a Canine with a muzzle of charcoal gray and striking deep black ears, locked eyes with Kelkera. She towered over Kelkera casting an aura of complete authority and the subtle characteristics of a brick wall.
“Where’ve you been? And who is this!” She barked, her menacing green eyes scrutinizing the newcomers.
“Was out foraging, you know Adiums Day and all that!” His eyes bounced to Kelkera, they held an excitement at the utterance that she didn’t share, he quickly moved away. “They were headed to Atheson; hadn’t heard what happened.” Ragun said, ending with a nonchalant shrug. It seemed that his casual demeanor was a trademark, regardless of who he was addressing, be it a scary looking Canine or newcomers in the woods. She though, let her tongue run over her fangs as if imagining what she were to do with the newcomers but then she noticed Mathias’s armor; a look of horror reaching her face.
“He’s from Atheson! What the hell were you thinking!” Her voice rang with dismay and she reached for a sword affixed to her waist. But Mathias held up his hands.
“I swear I’ve never been there! I came from Farclaw, her Carran’s Rest. The armor was a uniform but recent events tell me that it no longer is.” His agreeable voice brought a much needed calm to the interaction and the Canine relaxed her grip.
“You just bring them here?” She returned, her ire centering back on Ragun.
“So you’re suggesting I should have let them walk up to the gates of Atheson and get skewered with crossbow bolts? We’re already stretched thin as it is.” Ragun argued and gestured towards the small refuge. He tried to match her gaze one to one but her intensity forced him to avert his eyes. Then she redirected her piercing gaze towards Kelkera.
“Tontashi, I’m head of guarding this place. Why should I let you in?” Her question was directed squarely at Kelkera, the only person who had not said anything. Being caught off guard by the sudden scrutiny and already not expecting an interrogation, Kelkera struggled to find words. Encountering one of her own kind, let alone discovering a town of Beasts in the heart of a forest was far from anything she had expected. As such a few stutters fell out of her muzzle much to the chagrin of Tontashi. She turned to Mathias, directing the same question at him.
“We won’t stay long. Just need to figure out what to do. We didn’t even want to come along but your friend there insisted.” Mathias replied, pointing at Ragun. Tontashi shot a death glare at the red Vulpine but drew in a short, shallow breath through her black nose. She ran through a few mental calculations before relenting.
“Fine.” She finally said and quickly turned to Ragun. “I trust you’ll show them where they need to go?” She demanded. Ragun swayed from one foot to the other and pretended to think for a moment.
“I don’t know, I’ve got all these duties to do.” He said, his voice a comically poor imitation of Tontashi’s. However, a single glare from her was enough to make him straighten up and offer a quick nod.
“I’m sure you would if you did what I actually asked.” Tontashi said back, though her sigh betrayed a sliver of exasperation. “And no more going out alone!” Reluctantly, she stepped aside and Ragun gave her a mock salute. Kelkera and Mathias followed him into the small town and as they went Kelkera couldn’t help but feel a sense of lost nostalgia. It was reminiscent of Carran’s Rest before it had grown. Yet except for normal Esurian vendors lining the streets, they were Beasts. Individuals sitting in front of their new simple homes were engrossed in various activities. Some were sewing or mending clothing, others were crafting tools and the enticing aroma of cooking hit their noses. Kelkera found herself drawn to the sight and sound of others preparing their meals, her stomach audibly grumbling each time they passed by.
“Who was that?” Mathias asked, looking back at the Canine who returned to her seating position near the town entrance.
“Tontashi used to be part of the Atheson Guard, stood on the walls and everything. But just like everyone of us,” he opened his arms to gesture towards all of the other Beasts, “she found herself here after the exile.” Mathias fell silent, his gaze fixed on the ground. Both of them continued to follow Ragun until they arrived at one of the larger leather hide tent-like structures. Ragun positioned himself beside it, as if presenting their temporary quarters. “Welcome home!” Kelkera ducked under the flap that acted as a door and was met by a cacophony of smells arising from the numerous bed rolls that littered the space.
“Used to be one of the communal sleeping spaces, but people started to build their own so it was left. We’ve been using it as an inn of sorts.” Ragun explained, as Kelkera cautiously stepped inside. She scanned the area and located a relatively clean bedroll near the edges of the tent, where she settled her pack down. Mathias followed her lead and chose a roll near hers.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Mathias turned his head towards Ragun, who was already on his way out of the tent. “What’s the food look like?” He asked.
Ragun shrugged, a hint of resignation in his voice. “Whatever you can scavenge up. This whole place is still a work in progress, you know.” His pads gestured around, encompassing the general area. It wasn’t what Kelkera wanted to hear, especially after catching the delicious smells of the outdoor cooking fires. Nonetheless, they had managed to endure for a few days with nothing, and she was confident they’d manage somehow.
“One more thing!” Kelkera called out just as Ragun was about to leave. He paused, tilting his head back to indicate his attention. “You haven’t seen a pair of Avians around have you?” She asked, a tinge of hope ringing in her voice. Ragun made an about face, his expression of surprise genuine.
“Avians you said?” He mused scrunching his muzzle slightly and Kelkera nodded eagerly. “Aren’t they all dead?” He said and Kelkera felt her heart drop out of her, hopelessness welled in her like a spring and all she could do was sigh. Ragun made a face, narrowing his eyes at the response unsure of how to respond. But then his ears perked and he cocked his head, tail pointed straight out. “You know, Adium’s Day is around the corner! We could use another hand and always welcome another in the festivities.”
Kelkera had never even heard of such a holiday and she looked to Mathias who shrugged as well. Ragun spun and made his way to the entrance with a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Anyway! Welcome to Beast’s Refuge, if you need anything please hesitate to come look for me.” He then ducked out of the door.
***
It hadn’t been long since they entered the Ruptured Grove, a patch of forest that lay between the Leukos Plains and the path to Atheson. Their first trip through it had been uneventful, mostly accentuated by feral birds and the odd critter rushing about. But there had been nothing that made his Master freeze, that made him cautious. Master Elacce did not answer him and instead took a few steps back to be closer to his Apprentice. Kicit took this as a worrying sign and scanned his surroundings as well. To him everything looked like the last time, normal even. Some of the feral birds sang above them in the trees and dashed between branches, he could point out some of the same smaller ferals that he’d seen previously. But then he saw it, in a flash, a second, a fraction of time, eyes trained directly on them. A shiver shot down his back.
“See it?” Master Elacce asked and Kicit clicked once. “Good, how many?”
“Just one?” He answered but Master Elacce coo’d, so low that Kicit could barely hear him.
“No, I believe there are three, maybe more. Be ready.” He whispered back and Kicit returned to staring at the forest and trying to pick out anything that could give away what was out there. He had read about different ferals and even monsters that inhabited the Islands outside his home, feral wolves, trampling Torobrics, even the terrifying lumbering Scriers. All imprinted on his brain with their vicious descriptions. But, they couldn’t be here, right? Still, Kicit selected a Release in his head, imagining the forest around him flattening, and waited for Master Elacce to do something, anything. The silence drew out and the forest grew still.
“Kicit-” Master Elacce began but Kicit took it as a sign. He wove his Release in the still air as a Canto sang from his beak. He pushed all of his will into a wall of air; imbuing his fear of the unknown with it. Master Elacce yelled but the words fell away as he tried to bat down his Apprentices Release. But it had been too late. The trees had not seen such winds and their branches screamed at the power, their bases struggled to keep rooted in the ground. Leaves scattered all around them and Master Elacce turned on his Apprentice.
“How dar-” was all he got before one of the groaning trees snapped with a vicious lightning crack and fell towards the road, right towards the old Master! Kicit tried to draw his Release again but the tree was much too fast for even him. He screamed at his Master who desperately attempted to fling himself out of the way of the crashing tree with his wings. He only got so far before it smashed into the ground, crushing his left wing with it.
“Master!” The dust settled around them. The old Avian lay pinned to the ground, the tip of his wing crushed under the girth of the tree. The familiar pain of casting surged through him but Kicit had anticipated it and quickly began to draw a release to free his Master but his beak loudly snapped twice.
“Stop!” He cried. Such was the command that Kicit immediately halted his movements. “What kind of stupidity was that! You have no idea what was out there!What were you thinking?” The words hit Kicit like bolts, he thought he was doing something right, something to help protect both of them, to scare off whatever was out there.
“Master, your wing!” He called trying to change the subject away from him but his Master just shook his head and with a quick Canto drew a simple Objective Release with his left talons. Immediately, the tree rolled off of his wing and off the side of the road. He picked himself up with a clack of his beak and gingerly rested his winged arm, using his other to prop it up. The light brittle bones that made up their wings stood no chance against the tree and his taloned hand lay limp. He cursed in the Avian tongue and snapped his beak.
“Grab my pack!” He demanded but before Kicit could move the forest around them grew. Sounds of people moving through the brush surrounded them and immediately Kicit wanted to queue up a Release but he stopped himself, not wanting to make the matter worse, it would be better to rely on Master Elacce.
Kicit readied himself for any command as the rustling grew louder, his brain pictured a Torobric rushing out, its horns pointed directly at them. But, instead of angry eyes, three Vulpines emerged from the forest. Their faces engrossed by the sight of the two Avians and one of them spoke, his high nasally voice distinct in the forest.
“You can cast?” He said in the Esurian tongue, gawking at the two. One of them ran to Master Elacce who at first retreated from the white Vulpine but then upon seeing that he wanted to inspect his wing, relented. Kicit, absolutely embarrassed at his actions didn’t know quite what to say so he bowed low and voiced his Apologies. The nasally voiced Vulpine shrugged.
“You had no idea, I don’t blame you.” He said. “But if you don’t mind me asking, what are you?” Before Kicit had a chance to answer, the white Vulpine who had been inspecting Master Elacce’s wing turned.
“Ragun, we’d better get this one back to the Refuge. It’s badly broken.” He said. Kicit flushed with more embarrassment while Ragun tapped his foot impatiently.
“Tontashi ain’t gunna like this one.” He whispered before nodding. “Come on, you need to get that…'' he paused wondering about what word to use, “wing looked at.”
***
Kicit had tried several times to talk to his Master, several times to apologize to him but he had grown quiet, insular. He seemed to avoid Kicit’s gaze, any of his attempts at trying to open a dialogue. He couldn’t figure out what was worse, that he’d actually injured his Master and badly at that or that his own Master wouldn’t talk to him.
They followed the Vulpines, Master Elacce continued to trudge ahead of Kicit even with his broken wing. He had asked one of them how long it would take and they said it would be before the sun dipped under the treeline. Then silence had taken over the group until Ragun had fallen back to Kicit, letting the others lead the way.
“You seem to be more agreeable than that fellow.” He joked but Kicit did not respond. “If you don’t mind me asking, and I mean this in only the best way, what are you?” His head had cocked to the side and he looked up and down Kicit’s cloaked frame. “I mean you can’t be…” his voice trailed off before his eyes widened in realization and he shook his head. “I didn’t know any of you still existed!” He gaped and Kicit clicked his black beak once.
“We do.” He said and Ragun clasped his pads together.
“On top of that you can cast as well! Amazing! I’ve never seen anything like what you did.” His praise felt off-putting and undeserved as Kicit’s eyes bounced to his Master and back. “You know, it’s interesting, there was someone looking for a pair of Avians. Does the name Kelkera mean anything to you?”
Kicit cocked his head at the name confusion swirling within at how this Vulpine would know the name. There wasn’t any way that he had gone all the way to Carran’s Rest and back between when they were last there. That is unless she had come here.
“I’ve met a Vulpine by that name, yes.” Kicit answered and Ragun tapped his nose with his finger.
“Curious! Like you both are supposed to meet or something, maybe Adium had something to do with it.” He winked and Kicit kept his beak shut. “Oh, could you show me how you did that Release back there?” Ragun asked. At first Kicit felt a surge of excitement, it was the first time anyone had asked him to share his knowledge or at the very least show interest. But upon moving his eyes to Master Elacce, still nursing his broken wing, Kicit lowered his head.
“No.” It was a terse response and one Ragun seemed to take personally because he recoiled and fell silent. But it didn’t last long and he shrugged.
“Keep your secrets I guess! Ain’t no mange to me.”
Just like they had said the smells and sounds of a small bustling village hit them well before the bottom of the sun touched the treeline and it was right as it did so that they broke through a treeline to a large clearing where the center, or perhaps a bit off center, was a town.
“Beasts Refuge!” Ragun cheerfully introduced and squinted in the distance before yipping with an excited chomp of his muzzle. “Looks like Tontashi is not at the front at the moment, saved you two from an interrogation let me tell you!” He rubbed his pads together and Kicit just noticed he was missing one of them but before he got a closer look Ragun sped up and started talking with whoever was at the front watching the entrance.
They approached as he was making large gestures with his pads towards a Cervine and then finally ended up pointing at Master Elacce. The Cervine tilted his antlered head as they approached and the two Avians entered Beasts Refuge without a word.
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