~Chapter 18~
The wind, carrying with it the heavy scent of the floral forest, gusted across the field causing the tall grasses to bend to its will and Karanosi to drop and stretch his wings, tightening them to his body.
"I am not the one capable of giving you an answer," he said, turning to Mae. "What I can live with may not compare to what you can tolerate. If you value life and wish to do no harm, then you should seek a way to complete your task while holding to your belief. Or decide if your desire to return home is worth the risk of compromising that belief. You needn't rush. Strativar isn't going anywhere, and I don't believe Omb will insist on anything being done, as long as you continue to show strides towards rescuing him. As she never stipulated a time frame, you are free to make any preparations you wish, and that includes accepting whatever Nimaro offered."
"He offered me a place as an acolyte without making vows. He'll train me in exchange for me giving him the knowledge he was promised by Omb, sooner rather than later. Without some sort of training, we both know I'm doomed to fail. And I half suspect at this point, my training options are rather limited."
"You are correct," he replied as he took a hold of her hands. "Mae, you have no other options. When you signed that agreement, you sided with Sotar'ra. While Boem'thol may not view you as an enemy, he certainly will not accept you as an ally. You cannot walk the path of light or dream."
"Right," she mused, "only darkness and fear are left to me now. Should I be careful lest they corrupt me and turn me to evil? Is this where you tell me that I chose the bad side?"
Karanosi set his hand to her cheek with an amused bit of laughter, "My dear Mae, I'm afraid you have terribly misunderstood the nature of this world. There are no good or evil sides. Such notions are steeped in ignorance. Every species, every being, every Aspect, each is capable of doing both these things. Sotar'ra and Boem'thol are merely two sides of the same scale. One cannot exist without the other."
"So, if they aren't good and evil, what are they?" she asked as his hand slipped away from her cheek.
"Destruction and creation. Sotar'ra gives life purpose because he promises an end. Yet he cherishes Boem'thol who ensures life anew returns. Without a beginning, there can be no end, and with no end, life would have no meaning."
"And I chose the side of destruction, even though I value life. It still seems like I picked the wrong side."
"Did you? Don't you value life because it is finite?"
"I suppose so," she replied turning from him, finding the entire concept to be confusing. "Once I'm back on my planet, it's not like any of that is really going to matter. I probably shouldn't stress over it so much."
"No, you shouldn't. A path has been set before you, but it is up to you to decide how you wish to walk it. Now, to avoid belaboring the conversation, how about we return to the reason I asked you out here in the first place. How do you feel about summoning your mount?"
"I feel like it's long overdue," she exclaimed as she pulled the stone from its housing and tossed it into the air. "To my aid!"
A flash of green light, burst from the stone. Shielding her eyes, she could faintly see the mass that erupted around it. Lowering her arm, she gazed upon her mount. A warog. A creature that resembled a striped hyena the size of a large male polar bear, covered in diamond shaped scales, and a thick, bushy mane that stretched from the back of its head to the tip of its tail. Between the stone-grey scales, its fur was emerald green, and its eyes were ghostly white. Its mouth hung open, revealing its canine smile and purple tongue as it panted uncomfortably, and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, a low, guttural growl emanated from it.
Mae grasped tight to Karanosi's hand.
"What's wrong with it?!"
"Him, and it is as I suspected. It's known as stone sickness," he replied as he walked her towards her warog, who was still laboring to breath. "It happens with wild caught mounts who haven't been summoned since their capture."
"What do I do? How do I treat it?" she asked as she dropped to her knees next to his head.
"It will correct itself on its own. Stay with him for now. Speak to him. Touch him. Comfort him. Let him feel the ground and grass, and smell the air. He's been in that stone for a very long time and it will take him time to adjust. Once he starts feeling better, he will lift his head. When he does, stare into his eyes until he blinks away. It will solidify you as his owner, and given the pull he had on you, I don't think he's going to put up much of a fuss over it. I'll leave you two be for a while. But I'll be in the garden if you need me."
"Thank you," she said as he patted her on the shoulder before walking way and leaving her with her mount.
He was magnificent. As large and strong as Pi'Kel had suggested he'd be. Adjusting herself, she crossed her legs and lifted his head into her lap.
"Hey," she said before taking a deep breath. "My name is Elahemé, but I prefer being called Mae. It looks like I'm your owner now, but I really hate how that sounds. I'm not from this world. I'm from a place called Earth and there, things are a bit different. When my husband, Jack, adopted a dog and brought him home, I became his 'mom'. His name is Koobs. I was told you don't have a name. I was also told that you may have refused to give it, which doesn't make any sense to me. Not just because I'm uncertain if you can speak, but also because of what Karanosi just said. How could you have given your name… how could you have refused, if they never summoned you to ask?"
As she spoke, she rubbed at his head and massaged his cheeks and behind his ears. Her heart ached at the thoughts she had about what may have happened to him. And found it infuriating to think about how long he had been trapped inside that stone. Clearly this warog was no pup. He was larger than any she had seen so far and his coloring was entirely different. How long had he lived before he had been captured? Torn from his life, his family, and his freedom to be kept as a stone in a dark box. There was cruelty in this practice as far as she was concerned, and her mount had, and was now suffering because of it.
After several minutes, his breathing began to relax, and he pulled his tongue in as he shifted his head, failing to lift it. But she could feel him breathing as he pressed his nose against her side and that reassured her that he was slowly coming around.
"You're really heavy," she muttered, lifting his head and stretching out her leg as his heft was hurting her pinned ankle.
Leaning over him, she ran her fingers through the thick, heavy fur of his mane as far up his neck as she could reach, admiring the way it shifted from dark green at the roots to black towards the tips, his undercoat feeling like cashmere against her fingers. His ears flicking when her arms brushed against them.
"I hope you don't mind if I take a bit of time to name you. I'm still not sure that's even how this works, but if it is, I want to get to know you before calling you something that won't suit you," she whispered, leaning back as he lapped his tongue and licked his lips.
Breathing deep, he exhaled and slowly lifted his head, raising his eyes to meet hers. As she stared into his eyes, he stared back and she watched as the life returned to them. Blinking, his ears lowered and he nuzzled his head back down against her side. She felt her heart swell and was instantly in love. He was no Koobs, but he was still perfect.
"How are the two of you doing over here?" Karanosi questioned, having returned from the garden with a basket full of fruit.
Lifting his head, the warog eyed him warily.
"I think he's feeling better. This is Karanosi. He's like a father to me."
"He probably smells Saulk. Has he said anything yet?"
"No, but what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Everything that lives has a way of communicating. You just have to know how to listen. Warogs have a repertoire of vocalizations and body language. I have a fairly extensive book on the subject in my library. I'll send it along with Kyurn when he visits in a couple of days."
"I would really appreciate that. It would be a huge help. I don't want to misread what he's trying to tell me, and right now, I'm at a complete loss."
"You will come to understand him in time. And speaking of which, he's had more than enough. Time to get up and moving. The sooner you're on your feet, the sooner you will feel better."
The warog growled and casually got to his feet, before stretching out, bending back, butt in air, then arching forward, chest out, feet back. Yawning, his mouth opening wide enough to fit a basketball, and then vigorously shaking himself out, the scales making a very distinctive clicking noise beneath the rustle of his mane.
"Firstly, do you have a name?" Karanosi questioned as the warog looked around taking in his new surroundings.
Folding back his ears, he lowered his head, and looked up at Karanosi, his mane puffing up as he widened his stance.
"Defiance. He's refusing to say. Perhaps he'd rather have a new one."
"I can understand that. New life, new name. We can work on that together though."
"Second, he will need exercise and food. It's best if you don't recall him for a few days. Really let that sickness work out of his system. There are some creatures and animals roaming the lower valley and mountain passes, and it will be good for him to go hunting. If you need him, you can summon him back easily enough, as long as you have his housing with you."
"Well then, what are you waiting for? Go for a run! Stretch your legs! Roll around in the grass. I'll be up at the house behind us when you get back."
Turning around, the warog looked back at her and began to make a number of noises that made it sound as if he was grumbling.
"He says, his name is Hidai, and he will return once he has eaten."
"It's very nice to meet you, Hidai. Enjoy yourself, be safe, and hurry home."
He chuffed before turning his head and running off.
Near an hour later, Mae could hear a yowling outside of the house and made her way out the front door to find that Hidai had returned. She watched as he paced behind a large carcass, kicking up the dust, his eyes fixed upon her.
"Karanosi!" she hollered back into the house.
"Is something wrong?" he questioned as he came out of the door, Venificus following close behind.
"He seems really agitated."
"He has brought you a gift. He has been successful with his hunt and seeks your approval."
"Oh," she replied before clearing her throat and stepping towards him. "Come here then."
Hidai turned about and made his way to her lowering his head.
"Well done," she said as she grabbed his cheeks and rubbed her face against the top of his head. "Look at you all covered in blood. Who's a messy boy? Now show me what you brought me."
"It looks like an antufet. And a large one," Ven remarked as he stood over the carcass, which looked like the remains of an adult bull moose, minus the head and the bulk of its neck. "Well, aren't you impressive?" He smirked as he looked at Hidai. "This will last him about three days if you let me butcher it for you."
Hidai chuffed and woofed as he sat down next to the carcass with his head in the air, clearly proud of what he had brought back for them to see.
"Any chance you can save the hide?"
"That won't be a problem."
"Then go for it," she remarked as she set her hand upon Hidai's shoulder. "Thank you for the gift."
"He is very impressive," Karanosi complimented. "Antufet are the largest prey animal in these mountains. Modern warog do not hunt these alone."
At Ven's behest, Mae took Hidai around behind the house and followed the trail up into the woods. She was enjoying the stroll and the sounds the leaves were making in the warm breeze, when they reached their destination.
"This is it Hidai. This is our pond. This is where you can come to clean up or cool off," she explained as she made her way over to a nearby rock.
He didn't pay the pond any mind, seemingly just happy to follow behind her.
"Not a big swimmer I guess, but too bad for you, since I am. You need a bath, and it's really hot out. Plus," she said leaning towards him, "we're alone out here."
Taking off her sandals and robe she set them onto the rock, before wading down into the dark crimson water. She was going to call to Hidai, but when she turned around, he was behind her, following her into the water. Leaning back, she drifted further out, and watched as he glided towards her. He barely made any noise as he moved, pulling himself forward with his front legs, and using his tail as a rudder to maneuver around her. When he came close enough, she used her hands to wipe down his chin and neck until all signs of the blood had vanished. She suspected that this would become somewhat of a ritual for them in the time to come, after all, he was a carnivore, and she never shied away from a good hunt.