Karnwyr padded about outside at the back of the Sunken Flagon. He had enjoyed it inside when Avera had stood up for him against that innkeeper and was amused with how she teased Bishop in the process.
But some other man was interested in his sibling and Bishop was doing nothing about it. He could smell the frustration rolling off his bonded in waves.
Why does bonded not do anything? He is attracted to Vera. Why would he think she is a danger to us?
He had tried several times to explain to Bishop that this was his wolf sib but the images seemed to only be confusing the human. So he became fed up with even trying. He was also having some trouble because he had not been able to mind talk with Avera much. They had to rebuild that bond.
If was Keza bond still be there.
He snorted as Avera walked over to the fireplace and looked up at the mantle.
"What wrong Vera?" He was happy that he could say a bit to her. It was frustrating but he knew the more often they spoke the better he would be at talking with her again. It felt so good to feel her voice in his head.
Her mind voice shook, "My whittling knife."
The images that poured into Karnwyr's mind made him whimper, "That knife?"
"That knife." She announced as she turned and stumbled. She caught herself at the end of Bishop's table.
"Stick around. A few more beer and you'll start looking good to me."
"Bish!" Karnwyr was hardly able to say anything to Bishop before Avera steadied herself and threw her mead in his face, "Your fault."
"Yeh but it was worth the look on her face." He stood to look at the whittling knife then left, "Watch her. Show me."
He only wanted him to watch when he was hunting. Bish hunt Vera? Bish scent want mate. Maybe? Vera angry. Won't mate when angry.
Karnwyr watched the group through half lidded eyes and listened. He started to nap, "Karnwyr!"
The dire wolf woke in a snap, "They do nothing."
"I wanted you to watch. Where is she?" Karnwyr could feel confusion then he saw through his bonded's eyes instead of the other way around. Bishop was in the hall in front of her looking down and watching her reactions as she studied his body.
The canine got up then ran into the hall to see what was going on with his own eyes. He got to the corner and peeked around to see both Avera and Bishop standing there like stone.
He could smell the attraction from both of them. He licked his lips hoping for them to realize what their bodies were telling them when Bishop finally spoke.
"Has it been that long since you've seen a real man?"
Karnwyr turned his head and closed the eye which could see that side of the hall. He refused to look but he heard the splash of liquid easily enough. He peeked back around the corner to see his bonded soaked and startled enough to almost let go of his towel. Avera stomped towards her room.
Bishop turned and headed into the bathing room again but Karnwyr followed.
"That not go well."
"Oh quiet. What do you know? Her expression was priceless."
The dire wolf walked to the window and looked around. Bishop opened it for him and he jumped out, "Bish like teasing her?"
"Call it my new hobby."
Karnwyr shook his head then trotted around the inn satisfied that his bonded was having a bath and Avera would only be playing her music. Man in blue problem. But he was not near her now. Good.
As he turned the corner he noticed a large leopard lying in front of Avera's window. She looked old. Her muzzle was more white then golden and her fur looked dull and faded.
The dire wolf stopped in his tracks and growled at the interloper.
The cat looked up and rolled her eyes at him as if he was boring beyond belief, "Well met, Karnwyr."
He backed up at the voice. Who was this? Who else had a companion? He did not know of any other rangers ... unless, "How know me?"
She stretched and languished in the feel of her muscles' movement, "Avera knows cub. I know cub."
Karnwyr blinked at her. She was Avera's companion? What about mother? He had hoped to see mother some time soon. So where was mother? He glared at the cat wondering how she got to be with his sister. It was not unheard of for a companion to kill another companion to get the ranger they wanted, "Where mother?" A thick snarl accompanied the mind words.
The leopard shook her head and started walking away from the window, "Kathin not know. Kala gone or I not be here."
He took a close look at the cat as he walked with her, "So mother?"
"Maybe dead. Maybe alive. Left Avera somehow. Avera needed. I came. Esmerelle's wish."
"Vera blood mother?"
The dire wolf thought it over. His mother may have decided to leave but why she would leave Avera alone he did not know. He did not know that Avera's mother had wished another to watch her, "Why wait?"
Kathin gave the younger animal a slight sigh and nod of the head, "Can't bond until two leg is six. Avera found Kala then. I waited. Kala left. Avera needed so I came."
He wondered about the tiredness in the cat's voice, "Kathin tired."
"Kathin tired."
"Why not pass on?" A companion could pass on if they were tired. They would go to the spirit world where they stayed when unsummoned or wherever spirits went at death. Their bonded responsibilities would be available for others once that happened. Why did she not do so?
The leopard padded around a tree and sat down, "Esmerelle cast spell when died. Spell not cast right … pain, fear … no focus."
"What Esmerelle try?" He could not understand what the cat was trying to say.
"She spell for me to stay. Wanted Kathin help cubling as long as could. Spell forced until death."
"What?" Karnwyr turned to her, "Kathin not able to pass until …"
"Kathin not pass on bond until Kathin die."
Or until Avera died.
"Must tell Vera!" Karnwyr knew that Avera would not want to force her companion to stay with her when she should be able to pass on. Kathin was too tired to keep going and should be allowed to go.
"No." Kathin watched him from the sides of her eyes, "Avera not able to help. Will only hurt. We wait. We see."
"Why not?"
Kathin put her head on her paws, "Magic messed up. If not know what goes wrong cannot fix. Not even know spell used."
"So Kathin stuck."
"Yes. Kathin stuck."
Karnwyr thought it over and agreed that it would only bother Avera if there was nothing she could do about it, "Not tell Vera."
The two put their backs against each other and stretched out to relax, "So ranger your bonded."
He grinned a wide puppy grin, "Bish mine. Not like?"
"Has temper. Has fear. Hurt bad."
"Vera hurt too."
"Same, not same. She had father. She had pack. Ranger had nothing. Not know trust." Kathin licked a paw.
"Bish know trust! Bish trust me!" Karnwyr felt hurt that she would think that Bishop trusted no one.
The leopard sighed as she watched Avera's window, "Bishop not even trust self."
"How cat know!" He hopped onto his paws and snapped, his teeth coming close to her ear.
Kathin lazily turned her head, "Kathin old. Esmerelle's magic in Kathin still. Kathin sees." She rubbed her cheek on the smooth sand, "Bishop trust Karnwyr only so far. Fear rules heart. Heart fears pain."
The dire wolf stepped back and thought her words through. Bishop did fear being hurt. He was afraid to be in any form of relationship, "Vera same?"
"Avera want love."
"Vera tell you that?" His heart hurt for her. The hobbit had told him that before and said she was afraid being a hobbit would make it so she would never find what she wanted.
"No." Kathin rolled onto her back, "Kathin see in head. We not talk much. Too tired to mind talk with bonded long."
He glanced at the building then flopped onto the ground. Kala had told him that the older a companion got the harder it was to speak with them if they had not bonded well. Kathin had to have been very old when she met Avera.
Karnwyr felt guilty. He realized that his ability to speak with Avera would, even at this point, be stronger than that of Kathin's ability to do so.
It was a good thing that companions did not loose the ability to speak to each other or he never would have learned all of this.
"Where are you?"
Bishop's voice startled him, "In back."
"Is it clear back there?" The ranger quested.
He is hunting?
"Yes." He watched as Bishop walked around from the front and strolled towards the back of the inn. The ranger strode forward and turned. It took him moments to climb into Avera's window.
Kathin watched it all happen with Karnwyr.
The dire wolf glanced over at the Leopard, "Kathin not care?"
"Kathin not worried. Scent ok."
His nose picked up his bonded's scent with no trouble and realized why Kathin was not bothered by him hunting Avera. Karnwyr grinned, hoping that it meant he was finally coming to his senses.
Then Avera came into the room. The companions watched carefully as the figures hardly moved. It did not look good. In fact, it looked bad. Karnwyr decided to watch from his bonded's eyes.
"The only time you have been curious has been when I've played with Karnwyr."
"What you have a thing for animal bestiality?"
Her eyes went as wide as saucers. The nerve! She walked up to him as he snickered at her, "I would have to if I ever became interested in you." She poked him in the chest just enough to put him off balance. It made her greatly pleased as he fell out the window and onto the ground.
She stuck her head out and smiled, "Dang. That's hardly even neck breaking distance. Oh by the way, Bishop … STAY OUT!"
Karnwyr stood and strode over to his companion while listening to the cat chuckle in his mind, "You ok, Bish?"
"I just might kill that woman for the hells of it."
"Why? Cause bonded not get any?" The dire wolf jumped back as Bishop grabbed for his paws. Then he ran, laughing into the man's head as the human chased him.
--
Karnwyr and Kathin lay on their backs out in the morning sun.
"Devil." The dire wolf called into the cat's head.
"Duckie." Kathin said back.
"Duckie? That not look like duckie!"
"Looks like duckie, blind pooch." Kathin sniffed, "Boat."
"Yes boat. Oh, bonded upset." Karnwyr licked his lips, "Tiefling tail!"
"Tiefling tail tasty." The cat rolled a bit to scratch her back on the rocks, "Ooh! Chubby dwarf!"
"You bite tiefling?"
"Not bite. Nip. Just after first met tiefling tried steal amulet Avera found. Not know why she kept it."
Karnwyr waved his paws in the air, "Vera and Bish having show down. Point bows at each other."
"Avera not serious. Testing ranger. Deer!" She pointed a paw at another cloud.
"Maybe Vera think may need it." He wagged his tail, "Bish not serious with bow. Playing. Oh oh! Cow!"
"Cow? Cow?"
"Get eyes checked, hairball breath. It cow!"
Kathin swirled around and got up quick for a cat that age, "It not cow!" She called into his head as she playfully swatted his nose then ran.
"Kah?" Karnwyr rubbed his nose then got up, "It cow!" He ran after the cat and tried to trip her by swatting her back legs out from underneath her.
"Not cow!" She called as the dire wolf was finally able to flip her.
The two tumbled about in knots and laughed heartily as they played.
--
Kathin walked about in circles then stopped. She looked around then started to pace.
Karnwyr trotted around to the back of the inn happily thinking of a cheerful tune Avera had sung to him the other day but at the sight of the pacing leopard he stopped in his tracks, "What wrong?"
The cat turned as she mind spoke, "Avera. Avera hurt."
"What?" He ran over to the leopard and touched noses with her, "What happen?"
"Not bring me. She go in crypt. Ghost shoot her. Ghost shoot her lots!" She sat down hard and looked up at the dire wolf anguish rolling through her eyes.
"No no! Vera hurt mortal?"
"No. Avera hurt. Not die hurt. But hurt. But Kathin not help." The cat flopped her head onto her paws and wailed, "Kathin not … not able help. Kathin old. Kathin useless."
Karnwyr dropped to the ground and put a paw on her muzzle, "Kathin not useless. Kathin search. Kathin track. Not useless. Good friend to Vera. Always fur for lie in. Always shoulder cry in. Kathin help how Kathin can."
She lifted her head from her paws, "Karnwyr mean that?"
He nodded, "Karnwyr mean that. Avera know that. Kathin not be sad. Please."
Kathin pushed his paw from her nose then licked it, "Kathin do best not be sad."
--
Karnwyr rubbed against the tree, happily getting rid of the itch that had been driving him nuts when Kathin came trotting along, jumped onto the fence and continued on to where he was.
"Kathin happy."
"We visit mountains." She grinned mischievously, "Bite orc butt."
The dire wolf blinked, "Orc butt? Not bitten orc in long time. What Vera must do."
"Find eme … emie surry. Some two leg."
"Sound boring." He shifted his weight and looked through his bonded's eyes, "She tell misfits now."
"Misfits?"
"Bish call Vera friends misfit sqwa da."
The cat grinned happily as she carefully lay herself on top of the fence's railing, "She call when need Kathin. Be new fun."
They both looked into space as if they were listening to the stars then snickered as they looked through their bonded's eyes.
The group was about to leave and Avera looked over to Karnwyr's bonded. The companions were happy to be able to watch as if it were them speaking.
"What do you want?" Avera snapped.
Bishop grinned, "Well, if you give me a few gold I just may give you a going away present." His eyebrows lifted and his grin turned feral.
"What kind of 'present' are we speaking of?"
He leaned towards her and whispered, his fingers traced her throat to her ear.
That's it bonded! She likes that. Likes that lots.
"Since you like Karnwyr so much, if you want," His breath tickled her neck and he was the only two leg who noticed that it really affected her, "I could do you like a dire wolf."
Kathin fell off the fence, laughing into Karnwyr's head and flailing her paws in the air as she could not stop being amused by that. She continued to watch through Avera's eyes but was having a hard time containing herself.
Bishop smiled as Avera's eyes went wide and she intelligently stuttered, "Huduwha." Then his head rocked from the pressure of her open hand connecting with his cheek.
The dire wolf continued to watch through Bishops eyes and saw Avera and her group leave, "Could have had her." He mentioned to his bond mate.
"I doubt it. Besides … the look in her eyes … that was fun."