Chapter 47, Where the wild things are
The Viera sprang from their hiding places and drew their bows at the humes throats, no one even had time to draw breath. Vaan could only stare down his nose at the merciless looking arrowhead, barbed and probably poisoned.
"What do we do?" He hissed at Balthier.
"What can we do?" Balthier sighed. "Let's just see what they want."
Ashe was somewhat less intimidated, she had not been in the best of moods before and now she was suspended twenty feet above the ground in a tiny net. "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but could someone let me down?" She shrieked.
One of the Viera fired and arrow, neatly severing the vine holding her and sending her crashing unceremoniously to the forest floor.
"So they understand our language?" Penelo muttered.
"More likely they just wanted to shut her up." Balthier sniggered.
Vaan was feeling very uneasy as one of the tallest of their attackers approached and started sniffing at his face. She was wearing if it were possible even less than Fran, and Vaan felt uncomfortable with her standing so close. Several of the others followed suit, sniffing their captives while their ears twitched in a way Fran never did. It was almost like they were animals.
Eventually the tallest who seemed to be the leader rattled of a sentence in an unknown language which seemed to have as many gestures as words. As one, the host of Viera surrounded their captives and began marching them off the path and into the darkness.
It was unclear exactly how many hours they walked or where they went as they could see nothing more than a few feet in front of them. The Viera seemed to have no problem with the lack of light and guided them between trees and through bushes as effortlessly as breathing.
"Where do you think they're taking us?" Penelo asked worriedly.
"I wouldn't worry." Larsa said with a weak smile. "I mean the Viera have society don't they? They're probably civil enough."
"You've never heard Viera stories have you?" Vaan said dryly. "All they find of the victims are the bones."
Larsa stayed quiet after that.
"I have an idea where we're going." Balthier muttered. "But you're not going to like it."
"I don't much like our situation now." Basch growled as his guard began poking at his bicep curiously.
"Most likely they're taking us to Eruyt. It means village in their tongue, Fran told me briefly about it."
The mention of Fran's name brought about an awkward silence.
"Do you think she could help us?" Vaan asked.
"I don't think so." Balthier sighed, but he wouldn't say why.
As they walked they noticed the light began to change, they began to see gaps of daylight more frequently and the path gradually ascended into the treetops.
"That's actually kind of pretty." Penelo said smiling.
"We must be near the crown. It can't be much further." Balthier murmured.
Sure enough, a few minutes later they came through a natural but unmistakable gateway, but it seemed to lead to a steep drop.
"What now." Ashe fumed but the lead Viera was already doing something.
The tip of her index finger was glowing bright green and she was waving it through the air as if drawing something, this peculiar ritual carried on for a few minutes. At first there was no change, then...
"Oh." Exclaimed Penelo as before her eyes a path started to materialise, they were shunted on as the path continued to appear before them.
"How do you suppose they did that?" Vaan sighed. "Can they make paths appear out of nowhere?"
"I get the feeling." Balthier muttered back. "It was there already, we just couldn't see it."
The entered the trunk of an enormous willow and the draping branches obscured their vision for a moment, the sight that met their eyes on the other side was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
Vaan had seen Viera in Rabanastre but never so many in one place, they were everywhere. Some on a high branch playing instruments, some sitting astride huts making weapons but most were simply walking around, serene, at peace with the world. Their arrival was about to change that.
They strode into the village and the spell was instantly broken, all eyes were suddenly on them. For a few seconds all they did was watch, then with speed and agility unheard of by humes they scurried from wherever they were to examine the newcomers. Some were even bounding down the tree trunks on all fours like squirrels. They all crowded round the humes and began the sniffing ritual they had seen before. Twitching their ears, sniffing, talking in their strange language.
"Please." Said Ashe weakly. "We don't have time for this sniffing, does anyone here know any Vieran?"
"I know a few words." Balthier chipped in. "But nothing appropriate."
"Typical men. Hey!" Ashe shouted as she and Penelo were pushed out of the circle and into the arms of their captors.
"Princess." Basch barked as he tried to leave the crowd but two of them wound themselves around his body and began trying to lick his face. "What the.. Get off me." He growled trying to shake them off, but chivalry was his downfall and he could not be too rough with a woman.
"Vaan." Larsa wailed. "I don't like what she's doing to me."
Vaan couldn't help but snigger as a Viera tugged at Larsa's cheeks, he was quickly shut up by another grabbing him from behind in a way he was certainly not comfortable with. "What the hell are they doing?" He yelped.
Balthier shrugged. "Who knows, perhaps we came at the right time of year." Clearly loving the female attention.
"And what time would that be?" Basch grimaced as he tried to lift the vice like grip of his two lady friends.
"Well, Viera have a mating season and since they are an all female species they must seek out the males of other races to mate with, usually kept for later use.
Vaan's jaw dropped. "You mean they're gonna..."
"Yes."
"For the rest of our.."
"Most likely."
Vaan tried again to push off his partner. "But that means we'll never get to Bur Omisace!"
Balthier shrugged. "I can imagine a worse fate." At which point he said something in vieran to the nearest of them, she giggled and embraced him at once.
"I thought you said you didn't know vieran." Ashe shrieked from the background.
"I said I knew nothing appropriate." Balthier's voice came from his partners cleavage.
"Well now." A new voice entered the hubbub, and at once ever Viera stepped away from their captives. "It has been a long time since we had outsiders here."
The voice was heavily accented, somewhat husky and vaguely familiar.
"Show yourself!" Basch barked.
Silence, then. "As you wish, loud Hume."
From the biggest hut in the village stepped a newcomer to the crowd, all present could tell she was special in some way because she was wearing the most. Clad in black fur leggings and a pink corset which was made of leather of some kind she stood taller than all the Viera there, her silver hair falling over her familiar face.
She leaped from her perch to join them with the agility of a cat.
"Who are you, and what do you want in our woods?" She said softly, as if she didn't really care.
Ashe apparently did not pick up on this. "We are on an important mission for the sake of all Ivalice, please if life and freedom means anything to you then do not detain us."
The viera's head snapped round to face her. "So you are the spokesperson." She said, sounding disappointed. "So soon you want to leave, but you only just arrived. Do you not realise how lucky you are? Do you know how many before you I have seen standing there where you're standing, I can count them on my fingers. Normally outsiders are never allowed in here, but now is a different matter." She finished slyly striding over to the men. "It is not uncommon during this season..." She drawled snaking a hand over Basch's shoulders. "...For us not to get any mates at all, as I said I can count the people I have seen in your position on my fingers. This is the biggest catch so far I have seen."
"Madam." Basch began. "You know not what you do, please let us go."
"My name is Jote." The Viera said, wrapping her arms around his neck, sizing him up. "This one is by far the best." She muttered. "Handsome, strong and a few years in the wider world." She moved on to Balthier, grabbing his chin and turning his head from side to side. "This one is nice to look at in his own way, but a little scrawny. I'm not sure he would last long with us!"
A cackle of laughter rippled through the Viera, Balthier succeeded with difficulty in looking down his nose at her. "My dear I can assure you I would last as long as any man here."
She smiled coyly. "We shall see." She raised an eyebrow at Vaan. "I'm not sure this one has ever felt a woman's warmth."
"We could change that!" Laughed Vaan's partner, another cackle through the crowd.
Finally Jote came to Larsa who seemed on the verge of tears. "This one is not even a boy let alone a man, throw him with the women."
"Wise Jote." One of the women's guards said softly. "You said so yourself, mates are rare. And with the growing turmoil in the land we cannot let one go. He may not be a man yet, but he will be one day."
Jote looked thoughtful. "Very well little one, you will stay here with us until you are ready to be a man. At which point we will assist you."
More laughter while Larsa trembled uncontrollably.
"Hold on a minute!" Ashe strode forward but her guard held her back. "You think you can just drag us up hear steal half my group and just throw us out?"
"I'm sorry princess, you must finish this task yourself. Go on without me, it's too late." Balthier called with no real effort.
Jote looked up as if remembering the girls were there. "Oh no." She smiled. "I cannot simply let you go, in case you remember the way to Eruyt I must kill you."
She gave an sharp bark, and twenty bowstrings in various locations were pulled taught. "You can't do this!" Ashe shrieked as her captors got out of the firing line.
"I can and I will." Snorted Jote. "This has been the way of the wood for centuries and will be the way of the wood for centuries to come."
Ashe shut her eyes and waited for several arrows to find their mark. They never came. Gingerly she opened her eyes again to see every Viera staring at something behind her, even the ones petting the men had stopped what they were doing.
"Really Jote." Came a much more familiar voice. "Where is your sense of dignity?"
Alright I know, I rewrote the Viera but in my opinion they were too high and mighty in the game. I could honestly see no difference in a wild Viera and a free Viera, I wanted to see some difference. I wanted wild Viera to be... y'know, wild. Anyway, once again you should see some quick updating. Man I'm on a role!