Disclaimer: I do not own anything Mercedes Lackey has written, or the characters of Ranma ½.
Dancing with Demons
Chapter One: Meetings
Akane and her twin cousins Fey and Ryoga where feeling more than a little overwhelmed as they finally rode into Haven, the capital city of Valdmar. Even on Companions, and a battlemare it took a while to get here from the Dorshia Plains, for all three youths were of the Clan Tale'sedrin. None had seen a city before being Chosen, and none of the cities they had passed through on the way here had been nearly so big. As they rode in people turned to stare at the strange procession. And they had reason enough to stare, all three wore the Shin'a'in version of Grays and rusty Reds, strange enough in itself, but on Akane's shoulder perched a crimson firebird with a metallic gold crest, tail and primary flight feathers. Its diamond dust eyes surveyed the crowd nervously; it had attached itself to Akane while passing through Hawkbrother territory, and was of bondbird breeding. Perched on Fuu's shoulder was a ferruginous hawk, a raptor with unique red-brown and blue-grey marking and a white breast, like the firebird it was of bondbird breeding. Riding next to Ryoga's battlemare was a solid black kyree, a denizen of the Pelgars, wolf-like in appearance but built more like a grasscat. Both had been 'acquired' at the same time as Akane's firebird companion.
When the trio had finally reached The Palace grounds, after a full two candlemarks of navigating Haven's twisted streets. Immediately they were greeted enthusiastically by a short woman with red-brown hair wearing Whites, or rather the companions were.
"Van! Yuki! We thought the two of you had decided to leave us for good, you where gone for so long! So, you finally decided to Choose," the speaker took her first good look at the new arrivals, but didn't seem to be startled by the new arrivals outlandish clothing, though the sight of the bondbirds and kyree seemed to take her aback for a moment, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Talia, Queen's Own Herald, I've been elected to show you around, and get you settled."
In other words, no one else was brave enough to face the 'savage Shin'a'in', Fuu mindspoke to her Companion, brother, and cousin
