Shadowydreamer’s Scribbles
A Place where a Dreamer throws up stories.
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From a Dream Pt3
The guards were as amused as her when they pulled up the mounts so they didn’t leave the street rat behind. She wasn’t sure if he’d ever ridden before, but the mule was placid enough for any tyro. He’d insisted on coming out of the city with her and she was starting to toy with the idea of offering him an apprenticeship. He wasn’t gifted, but there was more to healing than mental powers.
What had caught Jono’s attention was the spirit horses galloping and playing on the plains north of the city. The magical creatures were said to be the fallen mounts of wars of the past and they could go solid when they so choose but they were mercurial and not to be trusted. Sometimes they were present as great herds, sometimes only a few, sometimes none at all. Never had Sora passed through and had the scene be the same. Jono was absolutely fascinated by the ghostly shapes that flickered in and out as they danced through the grass.
Daisy, Sora’s equally placid mule decided this was a good opportunity to eat some of the dusty grass by the side of the roadway. The guard’s destriers were better behaved and just shifted restlessly in place. “I know it’s a fantastic sight, but we do have a time table,” she said to Jono gently.
The boy whipped his head around and gave her a shy and embarrassed smile. She smiled back, “I understand, they take me the same.” He just ducked his head further while the leader of her three guardsmen chuckled and clucked to his horse to get it moving once more. The mules fell back into the middle of the pack, Daisy munching on wisps of grass as they went. Sora supposed letting her mount eat with a bit in wasn’t particular good horsemanship but she was the one who’d be cleaning the tack.
The Rissiki village didn’t look much like anything of the sort, a few mounds with the large cat people lounging around and that was all most saw. Their elaborate dens were hidden by camouflage spells that would make the queen’s wizards jealous. They may have claws half a foot long, but that didn’t necessarily mean they liked battle and wanted it on their hearths. “Kasai Mesong,” Sora said as conversationally as she could. The felanoid’s language didn’t adapt well to the human throat no matter what breed of human tried to speak it.
One of the watchers rumbled a laugh and rolled off his mound to greet the party. “Good day to you Lady Life and her death brigade,” he gave a bow, tail flicking from side to side. “You bring a cub with you now?” He sniffed in Jono’s direction.
The mute boy stared at the Rissiki with wide-eyed fascination. While many races came to the city and even more lived in the wilds around, it was probably his first encounter with the race that had these lands first. They didn’t exactly come into town often.
“This is Jono, a possible apprentice.” She answered, the boy’s eyes flicked to her and then back. “He doesn’t have the gift of speech, but his hands have the gift of caring and life.”
That brought a rumbling purr of approval. “You are welcome in our den, Jono of possible apprenticeship,” the guard teased, “and your metal death troop know their welcome.”
Their welcome was about ’start trouble and we’ll feed you to the ground.’ Fortunately Baron pain in her butt had chosen her guards well and trouble had never surfaced.
Sora nudged Daisy forward and they rode into a shimmer curtain that then revealed the tents, dens, and buildings beyond. Without a welcome, you’d see a dusty road or your funeral from the wrong side. Jono seemed as fascinated by this magic as he had been by the horses.
They were soon greeted by the eldest of the village females, Kosi “It is too early for birthing season and we have not called, why you seek us?” she asked, licking her whiskers nervously. None of the females liked change from routine.
“War comes to these lands again, I wanted to offer the safety of walls and make sure you were prepared.” Sora answered simply.
Kosi’s tail lashed twice, “War always comes in the shadows of humans.” She softened her bristling, “But so does friendship. We are well Sora-Healer, and we thank you for your concern. Do you wish to join us for a meal?”
She was tempted, Kosi’s cooking was heavenly, but the suns were climbing through the sky and they had other communities to visit yet. “No, I wanted to check in on and you and introduce you to Jono. Will you take his scent?” She wanted somewhere for the boy to be safe and there were fewer safer places than the Rissiki dens.
Kosi’s tail stilled for a heartbeat and she approached the group. The equines shifted nervously, even Daisy was uneasy around what she considered a huge carnivore. She reached Jono’s side and took his palm and gave the startled human’s hand a long sniff. “You and your direct kin are welcome in our dens Jono human cub.”
Jono’s eyes sparkled and he touched palm to heart and gave her a fairly credible bow.
Kosi tsked and turned back to Sora, “That boy needs a mother, he will steal hearts of all who have birthed.”
Sora laughed, “If hearts are all he steals, I’ll consider him reformed.”
Jono looked offended by this but soon enough they were heading back out of the village and on to the next.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
And the story continues…with today’s 4:52 posting much harder to read in black text!
July 5th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Not sure why it’s black! I’ll have to fix that!