Prrreee! Ppree!
A small usher continued to chase after Tyson's group long after the others had returned. Its little blue eyes desperately trying to keep their trail. When it finally caught up to them they were all standing still in order to catch their breath. With its target in sight the little white fox's butt wiggled about in the air behind it. Pouncing fast out of a bush it found itself landing right into Tyson's hands as he blocked it from catching Chi.
"Did that thing follow us all the way?" Fae asked as he watched Tyson hold the thing with both hands. He knew the usher was one of Loe's creatures from the village they had just escaped from.
"What are you doing here? You should be back with Loe and the village." Tyson said to it as he tossed the usher to the ground. He knew that Loe never allowed them to wander far from the village. The little fox in front of them was the youngest one in the village, as well as the one who had taken a liking to Chi from the start.
"Forget that.. we were just chased from the village. We can't turn back for that thing." Fae pushed his opinion out. If they went back to a village that no longer wanted them they would only risk themselves getting killed.
Chi knelt down and reached out his hand to the little usher. Seeing his action it quickly climbed up his arm. Curling up on top of his head as it let out chirping sounds. Staring at the sight the others could only accept that the usher was with them until they found something else to do with it. At the least it would be something further to aid Chi when they could not.
"Where are we going next?" Chi asked them both as he reached up and carefully pet the white silk fur of the usher that was curled up on his sandy hair. It's blue eyes closing at the feel of his touch.
What the others did not know was that no matter how far the usher got from Loe it was still connected to him. It could feel the presence of its master because it was connected to his soul even after Numen had hauled him off somewhere. The usher could feel the shift in his location the second it happened as well as the downfall of its own kin. Blue eyes gazing at the three living ones in front of it as it awaited them to start moving again. It desired to reunite with Loe and they were its way to get there if it wanted to go up the mountain.
"We can't afford to waste time. We head up from here. The next place we must pass through will be phoenix territory." Tyson had to think over his memories of the terrain. He had never made it to the peak but he had heard stories from Loe and the villagers over the years. Some had died in higher zones in Numen's Garden. Nobody knew what the top looked like because Numen would not allow those who did manage to get too close to him to wander freely because they were considered hazards to him. Much of what he heard and learnt from the lost souls were kept in his textbooks he'd made himself though he had no chance to grab any of them.
"Phoenix? Giant birds who can roast us alive? Great." Fae thought out loud as he hated the idea of dealing with giants birds made of fire. To a vampire from his world dealing with fire was like asking for your own death. The thought of giant birds flying around that could burn him alive was something that made his spine tingle.
Chi on the other hand had a look of excitement in his eyes at the thought of seeing something like that for the first time. Phoenix were something he had only heard about in books as a child. He was expecting them to be a body built of flame.
"These aren't exactly what you expect probably.. You'll see when we reach their territory." Tyson simply said to the excited little Chi. He did not want the man to be excited about it only to get his hopes crushed. It felt strange to Tyson how the man could still hold high spirits in their situation but it felt refreshing.
"Even if they aren't what I imagine I think they are still probably something great to see at least once in your life." Chi refused to let the fact that he did not know what they really looked like ruin the fact that they were something amazing on their own. Phoenix might be a deadly creature but from a distance they were still probably a great sight.
Walking forward Tyson could hear the sounds of Chi and Fae bickering with each other behind him over the phoenix. Fae clearly did not like the idea considering fire was one thing he could not deal with. Chi on the other hand loved the thought of getting to see one. They could not come to an agreement on the matter. It was a sense of liveliness that he was not use to being around. He had long forgotten what it was like to listen to others bickering so casually in front of him. Without looking at them he simply listened to the sounds of it.
Little chirps could be heard from the small usher on top of Chi's head as they walked on. Having the usher on top of Chi's head made the man look even more less intimidating. It was a sight that Tyson could not help but on occasion glance back at. Whenever Chi caught sight of Tyson checking on him he'd simply give a small warm smile that put the man at ease each time he saw it. Chi was not sure why the man kept glancing at him. He did not mind it and simply kept trying to show that he was fine by smiling at Tyson.
Their walk for the phoenix territory would be a long one but with the three of them and the usher together Chi was not worried in the least about making it there. With the others by his side he felt like they could surely make it through anything that was thrown at them. He knew that it was wrong to feel so positive about their chances in such a place but he did not care in the least. Feeling happy to have met them all he could not erase the fact that he was glad to have them all by his side.