We hike up the cobblestone road, idly chatting with one another.
My ears twitch, catching the sound of…footsteps?
Why would there be footsteps behind us?
I swat my tail to my ankles, pulling a short dagger out of a leather
pocket on the side of my boot. I then quickly whip my head around to face whatever was following us as I take the knife from the grip of my tail. A hooded figure approaches us, and fast. In the darkness of the cloak, I notice a yellow glow. Eyes. Very focused eyes.
Oh shit, this'll be fun.
A confident grin peers itself onto my face, and warm blood sears
through my veins. My lungs take in every breath deeply, preparing for action. Everyone else turns around, curious as to why I stopped.
They see it too, and begin darting to either side of the road. Not wanting to fight, they hide in the alleyways surrounding me. I furrow my brows; this'll be a one-on-one battle now. I ready my dagger at a defensive angle, realizing this may be more dangerous than I originally anticipated.
The unknown creature rushes towards me, flaring its long and
thin blades in the harsh sunlight. I bend my left knee shifting my balance, straightening the other.
I wish I had my dagger. The one my brother gave me.
The tall figure leaps into the air, aiming their -talons!?- at my
chest cavity. My eyes widen, ducking to the cold stone. I push my weight onto my hands, pulling my knees to my chest as I spin around to face my enemy. Its cloak catches the breeze, revealing their long grey wings.
An Avesinn? Around these parts? I gawk, wondering why on
Lykaia this bird is attacking us.
"What do you want from us?"
No answer. The feathered frame just darts in my direction, ready
to slice me to pieces. I deflect the blades, crossing my wrists as I face my palm towards the flat side. They pull the swords out from my grasp, leaving a gash on my hands, before attempting to plunge one through my heart. I hastily squat to the floor, slashing their scaly ankle with my steel edge.
"Dirty goch!" The voice raspy, following it with a wretched
screech. I slide from underneath them, arching my back as I hop onto my feet with my tail's assistance. The Avesinn sheaths one sword with a shrrriing, the others' hilt steady in their grasp.
"Makes easy for me to rid of you." I shudder slightly, noticing
their thick Preynian accent. I hadn't heard that articulation in a while.
My hands are shaking and bleeding, and my chest becomes tight
as I see a smirk on their beak. They begin circling me, seemingly testing the waters with a slash at my calves. I shuffle backward, barely avoiding the blade with a wince. The winged beast snickers as they lunge forward, the longsword diagonal to slit my throat. My ears twitch, catching the sounds of their movement, and I dart underneath the sword as it cuts the wind in two.
My breath heaving, I promptly bound myself to a backstreet,
ambling through the narrow passageways in an attempt to get out of the bird's keen eyesight.
As I'm running, someone strongly grips my arm, pulling me into
the shadows.
"Shut up." The figure hushes me, covering my mouth with their
other hand.
From the prickly fur on their hands, and the somewhat crude
attitude, I realize that it's Kurtis. My shoulders tense, watching the feathered assassin hurriedly search for me or any of my teammates. As the Avesinn leaves my line of vision, I glance over to Kurtis, who gazes up at me removing his paw from my lips.
He's short, almost as short as Samson.
"Where-"
He shushes me quickly. I furrow my brows, annoyed, but I
understand why. I peek behind him, scanning for a sign of anyone else being with him. I spot the silhouette of fluffy ears and recognize that Astrid is beside Kurtis.
Wonderful, half the gang is here.
I pause, a realization washing over me with a painful dread
overcoming every emotion I had felt up until now.
Now where are Samson and Zenith? Neither of them has the
agility nor the street smarts to get out of this on their own…right?
My mind races, thinking of every possibility of what could have
happened to them already. My chest becomes tight again, and I feel drops of sweat running down my temples. Even though I've only known them for a short amount of time, they're still important to me. I have come to enjoy their company in these dire times, though I've always preferred to work alone.
I snap out of these thoughts as the large feline motions for us to follow, and Kurtis swivels his head to look at her. A moment passes before Astrid cocks her head; I assume she rolls her eyes and walks off. Kurtis lankily follows, his tail swaying slightly behind him. I huff in amusement, my chest lifting as I shuffle after the both of them.
After a bit of stalking through the maze-like alleys, we find
ourselves in a more open area. The dull, gray walls still cold, stones stacked atop one another, standing tall, with a few lanterns bolted against them. The warm light beaming onto the cobblestone floor, now allowing us to see each other.
Astrid pivots on her heels, and shifts her gaze to me and the
brown-gray rat.
"I think we've lost the bird. We should be safer now." She sighs,
her ears twitching.
"Hopefully. Do we know where Samson and Zenith are?" Kurtis
ponders quietly.
I shrug, my heart beating fast and hard in my chest.
"We should look for them. To make sure that they're safe."
Kurtis and Astrid nod in agreement, but as they do so, the golden dog and the purple dragon creep from another passageway to our left.
"Oh thank Phanes," Zenith sighs in relief as they trot over. "We thought we'd lost you guys." They wrap their arms around Astrid for a minute, then me. Kurtis stands there, his arms crossed in a 'don't touch me' type of way.
"Mhm, I knew y'all would be alright." I give Zenith a gentle squeeze, trying to avoid brushing against their wings.
Who am I kidding? I had no faith in their survival capabilities. I can't just say that to their faces though. Just- move on, Roxley. Move on.
The embrace is over, and we're simply idling in this closed-in clearing, glancing at each other to think of a plan.
"We should leave before we get found by that winged beast," Samson suggests, his tail tucked between his legs and brows furrowed.
"Sounds good, but where to? It's not like we have a place to go." Astrid acknowledged, running her paw through the fur between her ears.
I tap my chin with my index finger, pondering a strategy to get out of here. It's not going to be easy, but it'll have to do.
"I know what we can do. Just follow my lead, and be as convincing as you can. It's our only option for now."
Everyone else shoots each other skeptical and confused looks, I put my hands on my hips.
"Do you all not trust me? I just saved our tails from the Avesinn, what else can I do to earn your trust?"
"No, no, Roxley, it's just…we think we should know what we're getting into before we go through with it," Zenith explains, shaking their head.
I chuckle at myself for assuming the worst.
"Ah, right. Well, I don't know how to say it. Can we…just go with the flow?" I plead softly; my tone slightly desperate without meaning it to be.
The others tilt their head, weighing their risks. They seem to come to a collective decision, agreeing to simply do what I ask of them.
"I suppose. Then, does that mean you're electing yourself as the group leader? 'Cause I don't think any of us want to take that role." Kurtis admits, cracking his neck with a quick roll.
I grin, gesturing towards one of the halls for us to go down as I slink towards it.
"Yes. Now come, folks."
We sneak through the foyer, somehow barely making a sound. When all of us reach the other side of the maze of alleys, we find ourselves in front of a subway station entrance. My eyes scan the perimeters, and I notice nothing unusual. I hold my hand over my heart, relieved that we're in a safer place.
"We're going to get on the next train. Without payment, so we'll have to be stealthy." I elucidate, my tail thrashing behind me.
"I know someone in Fleur Theria. A pen-pal if you must." Kurtis interrupts, his finger pointed upwards.
I nod, taking a mental note of that.
"So we'll take a train to the docks then."
The group shrugs, not having any other option to object with. We
head down the short staircase, and into the lobby of the station.
Thankfully, the area hasn't gotten word of our escape yet, so
we've got some time left before everyone begins looking for us.
Wooden benches with steel details line the scuffed walls, and the floor is burnt orange terracotta bricks. The station's lighting is dim but warm and almost cozy if it weren't for the cold wind. There's distant chatter and the sound of trains launching across the icy surface. A train pulls into the closest track, the iron blades dashing over the frost, bringing in the foreign passengers. The train, a fusion of technology and Xeva, its aerodynamic form adorned with intricate patterns that gleam arcane energy. A bell rings and a crowd rushes to the doors, a crew member helping people off board. The melting ice drips into the drains, making a tik-tink sound, causing my ears to shiver. Zenith trembles, from what I assume is the loudness of our environment.
"Hey, you alright big one?" I whisper, trying to seem friendly.
"Uh- yeah, I'm fine.." They shift their stance, snout scrunching uncomfortably. I nod, understanding that they just need space right now.
"We should change into our new clothes before we get on the train. Find a washroom and meet back here?" I suggest, a short smile on my face.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Samson nods with a nervous chuckle.
We split up, and quickly reclothe ourselves and gather back in the lobby. Glancing around, I spot a sign with the next seven or so rides and where they're headed with time specifications. I skim the board and find that in around ten minutes, a train will be headed to the docks: exactly where we need to go. As I'm thinking of a plan to get onboard unnoticed, a group of two satyrs and two centaurs talking to one another wander nearby. I observe the camping backpacks on their shoulders, and a match catches fire in my head.
I turn to the others, a smirk on my face.
"I've got a great idea. Stay here."
I shuffle over to where the hooved party is, and 'accidentally' bump into them.
"Ack! I'm so sorry." A surprised look falls over the smirk that once stood. The satyr I knocked into stumbles, and focuses their gaze onto me.
"Ah, no worries mate. You seem to be in a rush. Where to?" They ask calmly, rehabilitating their balance.
"Mhm, we're off to Fleur Theria. What of you lot?" I chuckle, my tail close to my body so I don't thwack anyone as I gesture to my group behind me.
"What a coincidence! We're going there as well, to camp out and embrace our Fleurian culture in nature!" They show off their curled horns with open palms, their dark skin speckled with various patches of white.
"Oh neat, that's so cool! The train is launching in a few minutes, so we should board it together!" I suggest, tightening my ponytail and smoothing out the half-down hair.
One of the centaurs narrows her eyes in suspicion. The other satyr perks his ears excitedly.
"That sounds great! I'm Xilas, this is Xando, Drophia, and Coria." He points at the satyr I bumped into, then the two centaurs. The untrustful one, named Coria smiles weakly.
"Lovely names you all have. I'm-" I pause, realizing I probably shouldn't give out my real name to strangers; especially ones who may be in contact with the fae, "I'm Straiya."
Straiya out of my imagination, HAHA!
"Beautiful. We should head to the boarding area now, yes?" Xando reminds us, tilting his head.
"Yes, right." Xilas chuckles.
I wave over the others, and they come quickly behind me as I follow the hooved crew. We step over the gap and onto the steel train, pretending to be part of the same group as the centaurs and satyrs. It's successful. The ticket master lets us onboard with them, and we sit in the same cart as them to solidify the part.
I glance over at Kurtis, who seems annoyed with my choice of plans. I snicker, turning my head to look at Zenith. They're staring at the floor, clearly overwhelmed. I place my hand on their shoulder, patting gently to assure them that we'll be alright. They nod with a short smile, zoning out into space again. We sit in awkward silence for a moment, before the lights turn on, and we hear a magical humming beneath us. Samson peers out the window, looking down at the icy floor. He stares in awe, avoiding touching the glass pane though. I scoot across from him towards the window, trying to see what he's looking at. I gaze downwards and spot them. The runes carved into the frost, glowing bright purple.
"Whoa, what're those?" Samson asks finally.
"Those are the runes. They power the train to go places efficiently." Astrid explains with a confused look on her face. "Have you never rode the subway?"
"No, I've always been driven by my drivers, Boln and Azonio." He shrugs.
"What!? That's- That's insanity. What do you need private drivers for?" Kurtis butts in, waving his arms about.
"Uhm… to drive me around? What, do you all not have drivers?" His voice just as clueless as his social awareness.
"No…? Have you looked at me?" Kurtis gestures to himself and his clothes, forgetting that he changed.
The awkwardness that follows is almost unbearable. Almost. The train slows down a bit, allowing the runes to maneuver the carts with less energy. I gaze out the window, admiring the scenery we're going past. The crowded bristly trees blur into a green tapestry, leaves dancing in the gentle breeze. Beyond them, a long range of colossal snow-topped mountains stretches endlessly, their peaks piercing the skies. And amidst this landscape, a cloud of Meepsheep grazes peacefully on the lush grass, their fluffy coats shimmering in the golden sunlight.
"Aww, Meepsheep! They're so cute!" Zenith chirps, resting their head on top of mine.
I would nod if I could, but I hum in agreement instead, smiling. The rest of the ride is a peaceful one. Samson falls asleep against Astrid's shoulder, while she whispers to Drophia. The cautious centaur, Coria, suspiciously scowls at us the whole time. Xilas and Xando talk to each other quietly about their Xeva learnings. Kurtis is just sitting there, reading a book; to which I have no clue of where he got it.
The train settles into a stop, and a ding signifies that we have arrived at the coastline. The group stretches and stands, happy to get off the cart and onto land.
"So, what are y'all taking to get to Fleur Theria?" I ask, wondering how we'll be getting there also.
"Oh, the usual. Just the ferry." Drophia responds, shrugging.
"Ah, I see. We'll be going our separate ways here then." I say sadly, though I don't care much.
"Okay, it was… interesting meeting you, Straiya," Coria interjects, her tone dismissive.
Xando nudges her with their elbow, glaring at her.
"It was lovely meeting you all, and I hope to see you again sometime soon." I chuckle, tilting my head with a short smile.
"Yes, I agree. Until then, Straiya and company." Xilas chimes, waving as he leads the crew off the train.
I sigh in relief, stepping onto the stone floor, glad to be in town now. I turn to face my group, grinning wide.
"We're making progress guys!"
"Barely." Kurtis rolls his eyes.
"Okay," I chirp with a forced smile, "Time to execute step two of my magnificent plan."
"Great. And what would that intel?" Samson questions, his ears perked.
"Oh, don't you worry your little head, Sam. Just let the adults do the… adulting." I pat his head.
"I am an adult!"
"Only on paper." Kurtis butts in. Samson pouts, his ears and tail flopping down. "No but seriously Roxley, what are we doing now?"
"We are borrowing a boat for a bit."
"I highly doubt we will be borrowing it, but whatever. Let's do it." He grins.
We reach the pier and search for an unsupervised boat to take. Samson groans, wishing he could just buy one for us with his daddy's money.
"This one'll do well, yes?" I gesture towards a rustic fishing boat, the sail worn with time, its once vibrant colors faded to soft hues of weathered canvas. The wood, stained a nice green-blue, bore the traces of countless voyages, each scratch and mark a testament to the tales whispered by the sea. Salt-encrusted ropes dangle lazily from tethered cleats, and patches of rust adorned the metal fittings.
Samson winces, disgusted by the old-looking ship.
"We'll have to travel…in this…?"
The others nod, ignoring Samson's comment.
"Alright, who knows how to sail a boat?" I ask, hoping someone has experience.
Astrid summons her able-scroll and searches for a boating tutorial. She seems to watch a couple of seconds of one before closing it out.
"No, but it doesn't look that difficult." Astrid chuckles, rolling up her sleeves and dismissing her able-scroll.
I tilt my head, like 'Are you sure about that?'
She steps up into the ship, unfurling the sails.
"See? Easy breezy."
A barrel falls, clanking against the deck. Kurtis peeks up from behind it, wide-eyed.
"Oops…" He stands, hoisting the barrel back onto its base, it settles with a wobble.
Astrid makes a double take, "What- How- When did you get up here?" She stammers, a puzzled expression falling upon her.
Kurtis shrugs, lankily moseying himself to Astrid's side, gazing up at her.
"I don' know, I came up here with yuh."
She blinks at him, clearly bamboozled at how she didn't notice him clamber onto the boat with her.
"Well, we should get a move on then." I interrupt, stumbling onto the deck.
Whoa, I didn't realize how shaky a boat would be.
I glance back at the other two, staring nervously at the ship. I reach out my hand, lending them support. Zenith takes my hand, hesitantly getting on board. They tremble slightly from the currents of the waves beneath us. Samson continues glaring at it for a moment, before sighing and taking my hand. He finally hauls his small frame onto the ship with the rest of us.