A/N: Well it looks like you are getting three chapters after all because you are all so special. Though this one will be a bit short than usual. Again no reviewers from chapter five because these will all be put on the same day. So once again, to all of you from chapter three, thank you so much! After the news about Ryan, well each new review, fallow, and favorite meant that much more to me. I leave for his funeral in Virginia not long after I get back from my vacation. So I will try and write more on that drive too. I only wish I could have seen him one more time before he died.
Well, my wonderful followers, I thank so much for staying with me this far, so read on, sweet angels, read on.
It became a regular sight to see Francis walking home with Feli in the afternoons and sometimes late at night. He spent fewer evenings staring at the sinking sun and more waiting for the flashy alpha's boat to return to harbor with full nets. In another turn of events Lovi happened to be the current captain of the larger rig that Francis navigated. Their boat was one of the largest ones, carved from the trunk of an ancient tree with two masts and nearly fifteen feet wide, Feli's skiff was little more than five feet wide. This made it very easy to spot on the horizon, and every time he saw the twin white sails billowing in the wind he would take Felicity and sometimes Berlitz and they would race to the docks and see if they could beat them there.
And usually, he did.
He thought less about his Ludwig, and when he did it was more of the fonder memories rather than the fact that he was gone. He still pined for him, particularly at night, and there were days when Francis would hold him as he cried for him still. Francis had experienced something similar. He had loved a girl once, a pretty little beta girl and a fierce fighter. They had planned to promise, but she had drowned not long before the same Storm Festival that took his Ludwig from him. And he still missed her on given nights as well. So he understood what it was to loose a love.
Feli thought long and hard about their relation ship as Dry Season neared its end and he drew closer to being eighteen, and the beginning of his heats. He would be able to take a mate this year at storm festival, as was tradition. But he still wasn't sure if he could take Francis as his one alpha. Yes he certainly cared about him and loved him in a sense but it didn't feel the same as what he had had with his Luddy either. He was still so confused about things.
So that evening, after seeing Francis at the Docks he took Felicity down to Kiku's home deep into the jungle. The Shaman's home had always been set aside from the rest of the village, in a small inland cove behind a waterfall that poured down from a mountain spring high up. It was easily accessible through a narrow ramp of rock that jutted out from the wall of the ravine bellow, carved through layers of black stone by the rushing torrent of the river. Felicity being sure footed in her prime easily picked her way down the slippery path and behind the silky spray of the falls.
Here ever burning torches lined the walls, and a central fire always crackled in the center of the cave. The orange light made the reflected ripples of the falls look like liquid flame pouring over the well worn cave. Torches at the back revere a small passage way to where Kiku kept his personal quarters, and a storage room for drying herbs and medicines. Kiku himself sat beside the fire with his casaraptor, Winawe (Win-ah-way). The she-raptor was a beautiful shimmering dark indigo blue, with a brilliant frill of iridescent green feathers, with paler ripple marks crossing her entire body. She hardly ever left the cave, as she had bad legs since she was but a chick. Kiku had taken her in as another patient and nursed her to the point where she would not leave his side, even when she could walk properly.
"Ah, Feliciano. Welcome, what is it I can do for you today?" The Shaman said with a smile as her carded his fingers through the casaraptor's feathers. Kiku had not seen the prince in his home in months, something he took as a rather good sign. So he was curious as to what had drawn the omega here. Feli dismounted and removed Felicity's gear for a bit signaling she was free to roam for a bit. She kept her lead low of the ceiling, and made her way over to Winawe's side and plunked down with a coo at the older female. They began chatting away in quiet trills and clicks as Feli ambled over to sit across the fire from the beta.
"Vee~ I need a some advice Kiku. From a Shaman, not a friend or a relative." He stated simply. The dark haired man nodded bidding him continue. Advice was not something he usually gave out. Normally people came to see him for ailments and injuries. But guiding the people was just as important as healing them. He hmmed lightly and leaned forward.
"Advice about what Feli?" He inquired. After all one cannot give proper advice with out first knowing the situation the other is in. It didn't take Feli long to spill the entire story behind himself and Francis and his up coming birthday. How he knew he felt something for the other alpha but not what he had for Ludwig, not as strong as their bond. But everyone had been telling him for the last six or so years that he was dead, because no one had seen anything from those taken and the Dead Islanders themselves. No one wanted to give up hope, but, there was just no other way they could have been gone so long otherwise.
So what was he supposed to do?
Give up on his first love and be happy with Francis? Or keep waiting. He remembered the deal he made with Kiku four years ago, and he was a man of his word he had to stand by it. But he still couldn't help but feel that he had made some sort of mistake by trying to be with Francis like this. Had that ocean breeze that day been wrong, and been nothing more than that, just a breeze with the comfort of the ocean?
Kiku nodded periodically, and stared into the flames before him as he finished. Without a word he stood up and stepping over Winawe's tail disappeared into the back. Feli dared not fallow, and sat listening to the roaring rush of the water fall outside, and the crackle of the warm fire. He wasn't gone long though. He returned soon enough with a small leather pouch cupped and cradled in both hands carefully.
"These are the thirteen end bones from the tail of the last Shaman's casaraptor, for they are more attuned to the spirits than even we shamans are. The same will happen to Winawe's when we have passed on as well. They often help when one is at an odd cross road in life. I think they will help you." He said holding out the pouch to him. He carefully took it and heard the rattle and clack of the bones inside. Often casaraptor bones were kept as talismans to ward of bad dreams for children, because they held the pure spirit of the beast they had belonged to. Feli had used the middle toe bone from his mother's casaraptor as a child, he still kept in a small linen pouch tucked under a pillow beneath his window. Bones held power in their culture. Some strung them on twine and tied them to their spears in war time, others thought they brought good luck and protection. The only bones not used were skulls, they were highly revered, and were either buried or sent to the Bone Sea to rest in peace.
Kiku retrieved a pitcher and walked to the entrance of the cave, mumbling as he went. He held it out catching the rush of water to fill it to the top before withdrawing and returning to the fire. While he did that Winawe stood and turned her long neck around and reached for something hanging from the ceiling. After living in the shaman's home for so long, he height had been stunted. While Felicity stood nearly seven and a half feet tall, and had to duck, Winawe only stood about six and half, and had to stretch. She return with a small twine net bag of what appeared to be small nuts. Kiku settled back into the crook of her side with the pitcher and took the bag from his casaraptor.
"Macadamia nuts, as an offering to the gods." He said taking a handful and crushing them between his fingers. He tossed the broken shells and shattered fruit insides into the flames. They sparked and flickered turning the flames green for a second, before settling again.
"Now cast the bone into the fire." He instructed. Feli carefully un did the draw string and let the small bones tumble into his palm. The smallest was a as big as his thumb print, the largest was as big as his big toe. He gently rolled them around before tossing them into the flames. They crackled, and snapped as the dry bones were swallowed by the flickering flames.
"Spirits and gods above we ask that you help this young man find his rightful path in life." He whispered over the fire. Next Kiku took the pitcher and poured it over the fire. it sputtered, shrieked in protest, but water is stronger than fire. It shriveled into warm coals quickly, and plunged the cavern into near darkness, the only light being the blue water ripples, but it was enough to see by at least. The bones lay amongst the charred nut shells but were unharmed themselves. They lay scattered, some close together other far off to the side. Kiku took a poker stick and cleared the larger coals away from them without disturbing the bones at all, studying them carefully. He looked confused, and shocked at the same time.
"This is most unusual. You cast the bones, yet they are aligned to predict the coming of a boat. One of our own at that. The bones are never wrong, but it's as if you weren't the one to cast them at all." He said shaking his head. The coming of one of the fleet? That happened every day. They left early in the morning and fished until sun down. He knew, he had worked on one of the slightly smaller fishing rigs for awhile when he was sixteen, but found he rather preferred fishing alone or hunting on land.
"How soon?" Feli asked curiously. Kiku continued shaking his head as he reached forward to gently pluck the warm bones from the ashes. He settled them back in their pouch and then set about re starting his fire with the flint and metal rich basalt stone. They sparked violently at they were scrapped together and eventually they caught purchase again in the coals. With the addition of new kindling and larger blocks of wood, the blaze was set again.
"Hard to tell, could be an hour, could be a day, but no longer than two weeks, Storm Festival. Perhaps one the extended fleets is coming back early." The extended fleets were the truly massive ships, better of twenty feet wide, and forty or fifty long, double, sometimes triple masted. They had to be built of multiple logs, and so were put together very carefully to prevent leaks, and then soaked in twice as many layers of water proofing fish oil as any normal sized boat. They were the only things large enough to keep the Great Sharks at bay. They also often missed the festivals because they were out fishing still. So one coming home early either meant excellent fishing, or a storm was on its way in, and it was close enough for that to happen.
"Maybe. Ve~ I suppose I will have to think of this on my own then. Thank you any way Kiku." The omega said standing and giving a bow of respect to the Shaman. He nodded in return as Felicity trilled a goodbye to Winawe and stood too still keeping her head ducked. Feli slipped her harness back on, and swung up into the saddle with the ease and grace his grandfather once displayed. Though he was beginning to loose his touch in everything with his old age.
"I only wish I could have been of more help my prince. And remember our deal was that you had to start looking for a mate when your heats started, not be mated when they did. You still have time to hope Feliciano." He said to him as Winawe stood and gently walked up to his side. One could see where her legs had once her feet inward, but she walked fine now, though she couldn't quite run. Feli smiled down at him and ruffled the she-raptor's frill before directing Felicity out of the cave. Kiku smiled as he watched the young prince and his casaraptor disappear around the curtain of water tumbling past. It wasn't one of companionship, or even just his usual soft smile. No this was more a knowing smirk.
"Do you think we should have told him who is in that boat?" He asked looking up at his casaraptor as he threaded a hand into her feathers, admiring the iridescent quality for a moment. While names were usually incredibly hard to divine, this one had been written there plain as day. She snorted, a sound as close to a laugh as a casaraptor could make. She knew how to read the bones as well as he did, and she knew what was coming. She cooed and bent her head to nip at his hair as a mother might her chick's frill. She smiled a wide lizard grin and cooed again.
"I fully agree, my dear Winawe. It is best left as a surprise. I knew I was right about him being a part of something grand." The Shaman gave a pleased smile and laughed for a moment before drawing his casaraptor back from the falls and inside again to share their evening meal.
A/N: Alright ladies and gents that's it for now. I won't give any hints or spoilers. But leave me a guess in a review or pm as to who you think is in this mystery boat, and when it will show up. As he leaves Kiku's? The next day? Day before storm festival? During the festival? After the festival? Hell even I don't know at this point I'm just coming up with this as I go. But I'd like you to guess. It will give me something good to look forward to as I attend my friend's funeral. Well, here's to an entire box of Kleenex tissues and the mega ton of hugs that I am going to need.
Well until the next chapter kitties, this has been PoseidonChildOfSong, signing off.
