Chapter 2 [U]
Italics – Thoughts
Late Autumn, 683YE
The hunter watched as the four legged animal came into view and she stood up stealthily, bow at the ready. She inhaled, pulling the bow string taut. The Deeroo stood on it's two hind legs, raising its head to checking the air for the scent of predators. Content, it walked out of hiding and bent down to graze. These agile herbivorous mammals were native to the Kagen lands, easily bounding through the forested obstacles with great ease on their powerful hind legs. The opportune moment came when the wind died. The hunter expelled a soft breath as she released the arrow.
The Deeroo picked up the sharp whistle as the arrowhead cut through air, raising its head to ascertain the directionality of the sound, but it was too late. It didn't have the chance to register the short spurt of pain, before it collapsed on the soft grass.
The hunter peeped out from the hiding spot and jogged over to the carcass when the coast was clear. She quickly checked for vital signs to make sure the animal was dead.
A sizeable kill like this would last them for the next few days as they would have to journey across the arid mountains before even reaching the borders of Vitilus. They hadn't encountered any more Arixians; it was probably too deep into the maze-like woods for the outsiders. She pulled out a small hunting knife from her sash – it would be better to dress the animal here. Her little sister had seen enough blood for the time being.
After a week of trudging and trekking through the mountains, the pair finally arrived at the first Vitilus small town, located at the northernmost part of the domain. The capital was still a few days away. Glancing back at the familiar thicket of green they were about to leave behind, uncertain about the vastly different architecture of sandstone bricks a few miles ahead.
The younger girl looked up at her sister, who was staring back at her homeland with a distant look in her eyes. The small child unconsciously tightened the grip on her sister's hand. Feeling the tensed grip, the elder sibling looked down, realizing that she was worrying her sister and offering a small smile in reassurance, "Let's go."
The tall man studied the letter handed to him intently, his brow creasing as he scanned through the letter that was handed over to him. Beside him, a woman smiled warmly at the two ragged children before her.
"So, young'uns, how did the both of you get here?" he asked, folding the letter and keeping it in his breast pocket. He walked toward the older of the two, kneeling to match the girl's height. Reclusive as she was, and with a total stranger, she unconsciously retracted. He looked up to meet her gaze - it was wary, with a defiant glint within those deep viridians. "May I, please?"
At her hesitant nod, he gently lifted the injured arm and examined it. The wound had looked to be rather deep, but blood had crusted and there were remnants of herbs that had been haphazardly applied to it. He was seasoned enough to know a battle wound when he saw one. He sighed inwardly; guessing that the circumstances had caused the poor child to take her first life at the tender age of thirteen.
"Across Craggy Crevice..Viola-sama," the older sister replied, halfheartedly. She had felt a curious gaze on her since they set foot into the Vitilus palace. She had tried to ignore it, thinking it was just her hallucination, but she couldn't shake off the feeling. While her attention was mostly directed at the Admiral, she took every available opportunity to scan the area for the source of the gaze. It wasn't long before her eyes finally met a pair of curious eyes peeking out from the slightly ajar doorway. The eyes widened when they realized they were spotted, disappearing from sight at once.
The Admiral, still kneeling, stroked his beard, "Why, that old mountain path is virtually impassable. After crossing the mountains, it's still a week's travel to reach our capital."
"Mhm," she murmured in response. There! The gleaming pairs of eyes returned through the crack in the door. This time, they did not disappear upon eye contact. Instead, they blinked rapidly at her. The girl tilted her head in confusion.
Distracted, she jumped slightly when the Admiral patted her on the shoulder softly, "Your father was an exceptional archer. I trust that you have been training under him?"
The girl gave a single nod, quickly refocusing her attention back on the tall Admiral.
He smiled, eyeing the bow that was slung across her shoulder, "Take care of that. Your father had great hopes for you." He tilted his head to the side, to address the younger girl, "Hey, how're you little one?"
The six year old shyly hid behind her sister, burying her face slightly into her sister's hip. The elder sibling didn't really hear what the Admiral and his wife was saying to her sister, she was distracted again when she spotted the pair of eyes appearing again, this time, winking at her. She shifted uncomfortably on the spot, swallowing slightly.
She was so distracted in trying to make out the owner of those eyes, that she didn't notice that the Admiral was calling her name. He chuckled to his wife when there was still no response at the third call. "She's really spacing out. She must be more exhausted than we thought, eh? My Lady, could you please get them rested and ready for dinner tonight?"
"Of course, darling! Come now children, follow me," the Lady Fio beckoned. When there was no movement from the pair, she turned around when she realized that the elder girl was still spaced out and her sister was peering up at her inquisitively. "What are you looking at?" she asked, her gaze following the child's and landed right upon a pair of eyes peeking out from the heavy doors. Both husband and wife cast glances at one another and the Admiral chuckled, "Ah, I see. Come on out here and say hello!"
There was a soft shuffle of feet through the doorway. The door creaked softly as it was pushed open and the two siblings peered curiously through the widening crack. A young girl, dressed in a simple summer frock stepped slowly out of the doorway, more bashful than before, now that all the attention was on her. She made her way across the room and softly greeted the pair, "Hello, pleased to meet you. I am Shizuru Viola." She curtsied.
The elder sibling eyed her warily. This shy girl, who even curtsies like a princess; was the one who was sending her cheeky winks? She frowned, but offered, "I'm Natsuki Kruger. This is my sister, Alyssa Kruger."
The Admiral turned to his wife, "Since Shizuru is here, why not let her show them to their rooms instead?"
Lady Fio nodded in assent, "What a fantastic idea. Shizuru, would you be fine with that?" The girl nodded, pleased with the decision. This stern Natsuki intrigued her.
"Go on Shizuru, bring Natuski-san and Alyssa-chan to their rooms first and I will send word for the baths to be prepared."
Shizuru turned and was about to lead the two newcomers out the door when Natsuki muttered, hesitation clear in her voice, "Wait. Uhm."
Puzzled, all three Violas turned.
"I mean, we just have something.." She lifted the small cloth that had been snugly wrapped across her shoulders. Alyssa automatically stepped forward to assist her sister in unraveling the little bundle. A small dark snout pushed itself out of the bundle, sniffing the air curiously. Next to it, its smaller and younger companion cracked open an eye and made a half-hearted attempt to stand up but staggered and fell on its rear.
"A Wolcon? I mean, baby Wolcon?" the Admiral exclaimed, excitement unbridled. "I haven't seen one since your father and I were boys! I was one of the rare few who managed to even touch one!"
"Ah. These are Duran and Artemis.. my father gave them to us before.. before. He left," she pursed her lips at the memory, before clearing her throat, quickly changing the topic, "Are we allowed to..?"
Fio patted her hand gently, "Not to worry, Natsuki. Shizuru sleeps with Kiyohime in her own bedroom too; till she grows big enough, anyway. I believe our rooms are big enough to house them till they are of age. How big do they grow to, anyway?"
"Uhm, about this big.." Natsuki stretched her arm above her head.
Alyssa nodded, adding in shyly, "Royal Wolcons, from mum and dad."
"Do not worry," Fio assured them, "I'm sure they'll be comfortable as long as the two of you are with them."
Natsuki gave a small smile, "Thank you, Viola-sama."
"So, our rooms are just down the hall. Our rooms are just next to each other," Shizuru pointed ahead of her. They had just escorted little Alyssa and Artemis off in her new room with an attendant, by the name of Miyu. The exhausted child had was barely chasing off sleep by then. The dark haired girl had knitted her eyebrows as she begrudgingly handed the sleeping girl and her furred companion into Miyu's arms. Shizuru could sense Natsuki's extreme reluctance to leave her sibling's side and quickly assured her that Miyu was no ordinary attendant, but was, in fact, a soldier serving in the Vitilus Infantry.
Natsuki nodded, marginally at ease, "Thank you, Viola-san."
"Shizuru is fine," she replied, lips pulled into a smile.
"Ah," her companion murmured, "Natsuki, then."
Shizuru nodded, then clapped her hands together, "Natsuki, would you like to see my Raptor, Kiyohime?"
"I read that Talon Raptors can be very protective of their masters," Natsuki muttered but, interest piqued nonetheless, "Would it be alright?"
"Natsuki is very well read," Shizuru hummed, leading her down the hallway, "Perhaps, you can find out now." Shizuru swung her door open, pulling Natsuki in. "Not to worry, I will be around to call for the medics if Kiyohime sprays a mouthful of acid on Natsuki."
Natsuki wasn't even able to respond to that comment as she was dragged into the room nonetheless. She had seen a Ranger who had unwittingly crossed the path of a Talon Raptor before. He wasn't a very pretty sight. Her mother had told her that he got away lucky because he was fast enough - but his right arm was a gnarled mess. Her eyes fell onto a bump on Shizuru's bed. Natsuki couldn't really tell how big it was as it was hidden under the fluffy sheets. At their entrance, the bump had moved and two yellow eyes were now peeking out from underneath the sheets. The eyes blinked once, slowly and Natsuki gulped.
There was a soft snort and the pair of golden eyes disappeared, followed by more movement on the bed. "Shi.. Shizuru?" Natsuki turned around to look for the girl, only to find that her companion had her hands crossed behind her back, an unreadable look on her face.
"..!" Natsuki jumped slightly when she felt something hot at her hands and quickly pulled her hand back. The sheets were finally shrugged off by the inquisitive Raptor, revealing a beautifully scaled creature - it was a deep purple, but when the filtered rays of sun hit it's scales, as it tail waved in curiosity, it shimmered and looked almost mahogany.
Natsuki frowned when she realized that the Raptor she thought was a giant was merely as large as her bundle that Duran was tucked into. Shizuru giggled, breaking her stoic expression, when she saw the confused expression on Natsuki's face. "Natsuki, I'm only fifteen years old. Surely Natsuki did not think that my parents would let me keep a full grown Raptor in my room that sprays acid at people she did not like? Kiyohime wouldn't be getting her acid till she's a little bit older."
Natsuki blinked slowly, realizing that she had been tricked. She opened her mouth to retort, but Shizuru didn't give her the chance as she sidled up to the dark-haired girl and picked up Natsuki's hand, reaching out towards Kiyohime. The little reptile inched forward, before a forked tongue slipped out quickly and the golden eyes blinked.
"Look, I think she likes you," Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear, still holding onto the smaller girl's hand as Kiyohime bumped the newcomer's hand softly. The reptile had started to circle the pair, brushing against both Shizuru and Natsuki happily.
Now gently petting the Raptor's head, Natsuki asked, "Hey Shizuru, do you think it'd be alright if I let Duran out to meet Kiyohime?"
Shizuru nodded, "I think Kiyohime would love to meet a new friend. Would you, girl?" She cooed as she rubbed her beloved reptile's chin.
Natsuki eagerly set down the cloth bundle, unwrapping it slowly. A dark gray snout had poked out of the opening, its brown eyes taking in the room. An unfamiliar scent caused the its small black nose to sniff a couple of times, turning to the direction of his master. As he kicked off the cloth enveloping him, Shizuru could see that he had a coat of magnificent ebony, lest for the tips of his ears which were tinged white.
Kiyohime instinctively sat up, regarding the dark-colored Wolcon. Without warning, she hopped back up onto Shizuru's bed, tucking herself beneath the sheets. A few seconds later, two golden eyes peered out from underneath. Duran stood up, a paw raised as he tilted his head at Kiyohime. The pup's tail wagged furiously, intrigued by the new scent of a new species.
Natsuki scoffed, "Seems Kiyohime also likes to hide and gawk at people."
Before Shizuru could retort, Duran scampered toward the edge of the bed, propping himself up with his front paws and sniffed at the semi-hidden reptile. The little lump under the sheets twitched and Kiyohime suddenly dashed out from under the sheets and knocked right into Duran. Startled, his wings flapped open and both animals tumbled into a ball across the bedroom. They rolled across the rug, kicking around everything in their path, before settling down beside the bed. Duran had a paw wrapped around Kiyohime's waist as he lay down on his side, toungue lolling out; and Kiyohime had somehow managed to curled herself snugly against his warm body.
Natsuki raised a brow at her pup and the mess they'd caused, a head on her forehead, "Come, Duran!" She turned to her fair-haired companion, ignoring her steed's lowered tail and bowed head as he plodded over. "Sorry, I don't know why he's so hyper; I'm beat."
Shizuru had already glided across the room, towards the door, "Natsuki must be tired, I'll show Natsuki to her room at once."
"Ah, thanks," she muttered, casting a apologetic glance back at Kiyohime, "Bye Kiyohime." She followed Shizuru down the hallway, which led to a room just around the corner from Shizuru's own quarters. As Natsuki entered, she walked toward the window, which offered a view of the palace grounds. The landscape stretched out before her, a large expanse of neatly manicured shrubbery, some dotted with pinkish flowers and the paths were lined with sandstone paths. Much further off, the green expanse was less orderly, giving way to a few tall, broad trees and the distant perimeter walls. She couldn't help but think of home. It was so different - the meticulousness of the garden, the boundaries set by the walls, even the air was so different. Would I ever see home again? See my friends, my master, my fam.. I have no more family. No, I have Alyssa and I'll get us home. Lost in her thoughts as she gazed out into the skyline, she forgot she wasn't alone.
Shizuru glanced quietly at Natsuki staring far off into the distance. Those resolute emeralds that she had locked eyes with in the halls were now glazed over, entirely consumed by the longing thoughts of home, swirling with anguish and anger. The fifteen year old brunette wanted to reach out to her, but she stopped herself. She wanted to help, but didn't know how. It was in that moment that she resolved to remain by the enigmatic girl's side, hoping to support her in any way she could.