Steelforged Legacy 4 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Traveling overland offered such vastly different views that Casey didn’t mind the extra effort that went into it. Sure, being able to see everything from far above was a wonderful and interesting perk of the flying longships, but between the distance and the wind, he missed out on a lot of the simple joys of travel.

Like what he was witnessing right now.

“No! Aiden, stop chewing on that! You don’t know where it’s been!” Einar protested, trying to scoop up the elusive form of the small Tinderfox that had been following him about all day.

The little creature gave a muffled cackle and scampered away with his prize—an old-looking bone that it had found under a bush.

Einar tried to follow, but the Tinderfox used Magnus as cover, ducking under the large elk’s legs and out the other side, forcing Einar to lose momentum as he went around.

“I wonder if he realizes that Aiden is only doing it to get a reaction,” Vibeke said with a light laugh as they walked.

“I’m half convinced that Einar does know, but he’s having too much fun playing with the little guy,” Casey responded with a grin. Inside his mind, he could hear two more sources of laughter besides Vibeke’s, as Maude and Magnus chuckled along.

The group had left the main road some time ago, moving overland following the directions of the simple map that had been inside the scrolls that Einar and Vibeke had been given. This was the third day from the mountain, and only the second one with Aidan in tow and the little Tinderfox was acting like he’d always been part of their group.

The chase came to an abrupt stop as Aiden let out a little yelp and Einar cursed. Casey, Magnus, and Vibeke were in motion almost immediately but Einar proved his reaction speed. By the time the three arrived, Einar had Aiden cradled against his chest in his left arm, while the right lifted the bloody end of his war-hammer from where it had crushed a rather large snake that had lunged out from underneath a bush.

“Gods damned plains viper,” Einar cursed roundly, his hammer coming up again and descending to pound more of the snake flat into the grass. “Aiden, are you okay?”

The little Tinderfox responded with a quiet yip, wiggling about so he could lick the side of Einar’s face, his fluffy tail flailing wildly about. His prize, which had seemed so important a moment ago to the Tinderfox, lay on the grass next to the snake.

“Be more careful, little flame!” Einar chastised in a stern voice, which was ruined by the barely-suppressed laughter that could be heard underlying it.

Aiden, knowing how to hear his new friend’s forgiveness, continued to give Einar a bunch of sloppy dog-kisses while making the happy little yips that foxes were known for.

“Come on, you two,” Casey said with a roll of his eyes. “We should be arriving on the edge of the Gale Cat lands soon, if Aiden stops distracting us.”

Aiden shot him a dirty look over Einar’s shoulder that transformed almost immediately into a canine grin complete with rapidly panting tongue.

You know, we could just stuff Aiden into one of my saddlebags. I bet he’d behave for a bit and think it a grand adventure, Magnus suggested.

The muffled snort of laughter from Casey got curious looks from his two human friends and a head-tilted look from Aiden.

“Nothing, Magnus just made a rather amusing offer is all.”

“Casey is right, little flame,” Einar said, directing his attention back to the little Tinderfox in his arms. “Stick close, the last thing I want is for you to get hurt in a misunderstanding since the Gale Cats may not like another spirit beast entering their territory.

Aiden gave a quiet yip of understanding before scrambling up onto Einar’s shoulder and then around behind his head to drape himself over Einar’s shoulders. The drengr, for his part, froze to let his partner get comfortable before he began to tentatively walk again.

“That little miscreant already has you wrapped around his paw,” Vibeke teased with a broad grin.

The tall spearwoman shifted around to walk on Einar’s other side so she could reach up to gently rub Aiden’s head. Aiden gave a happy squeak and nuzzled into her fingers, giving her hand a few licks while his tail flicked and tickled Einar’s face.

“Just you wait, you’ll have it just as bad when we find your partner,” Einar chuckled and then began to cough and spit when the tip of Aiden’s tail slapped him right in the mouth.

That little bugger is really cute, Maude said within Casey’s mind. Her normally flat mental tone ringing with hints of affection and amusement. He knows just how to get away with anything and wiggle his way back into Einar’s good graces.

Makes you wonder if he’s going to have as much luck when he’s bigger. His mother was the size of a pony, Casey shot back.

Magnus had confirmed that the Tinderfox pup was one of the ones that they’d rescued weeks previous during their hunting trip. It had come up during the ruckus after Einar had first woken up with Aiden curled up with him.

The little Tinderfox was too young to be able to communicate more than just general concepts to Magnus, but the Gladewalker Elk had confirmed that Aiden had gotten his mother's permission to find and join with the ‘big friendly human’ so they wouldn’t have to worry about her hunting them down to retrieve a ‘stolen’ kit.

Seeing the way the Tinderfox’s fur shimmered in the afternoon light reminded Casey of another being with shimmering red hair and his mood twisted.

You’ll figure it out, Casey, Maude reassured him, having been able to read his emotions as well.

I’ve had that dream every night since we left, Casey sent back to her. Every time it’s the same: I’m cruising in one of the flying longships, I see a cloud in the distance and turn that way. The ravines, the soot, the Fomori, everything. But the voice doesn’t speak again. It cuts off just as I emerge from the rock face and see the swarm ahead of me, and I wake. All that remains is a sensation drawing me west, out towards the lands you mentioned were a wasteland that the Fomori roam. West, but nothing more than that, just generally west…

That just further convinces me that it is some kind of divination or vision, love, Maude insisted and Casey felt a sensation like ghostly fingertips running over his cheek reassuringly.

Taking a deep breath, Casey turned his attention to the wild lands all around them.

It’d been some time since they’d left the road, and since the trio of drengr were more than capable of running for extended periods of time without tiring they’d made it quite a distance overland.

They were currently headed up a rocky hillside that was dotted with boulders and small scrubby bushes like the one that had hidden the viper until Aiden had spooked it. Casey could see a stand of gnarled trees on top of the hill ahead of them, as well as the glimmer of a vast lake off to his right that lay nestled amongst several of the rough hills.

Large patches of brilliant flowers bobbed and danced in the swathes of bright light that made it past the mixed net of clouds overhead, and the sweet scent of the blooms was carried on the winds to them. Songs of hundreds of small birds were carried on the wind as well, and Casey felt the combination washing away the darkness of the visions from his mind.

So different from the stink of the city and the rumble of cars, Casey thought to himself, stretching his arms over his head with a sigh. Even if I didn’t want to get stronger just to give the Orange-Suited Bastard a testicle-shaped necktie, I’d do it just to protect this beauty.

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The territory of the Gale Cat turned out to be rather like a savannah. Fewer trees except around the waterways, and those that did exist were sturdy and low-to-the-ground varieties. Lots of rocky outcroppings marked the terrain, along with a selection of buttes and bluffs that were uncomfortable reminders of Casey’s vision. But thankfully none of them matched the ones that he’d seen, so he pushed off his concern for another time.

Aiden continued to win affection from Einar and wriggle his way into Vibeke’s good graces, clearly recognizing ‘his human’s’ affection for the woman. After the encounter with the snake, though, the little Tinderfox made sure to stick close to his protector.

They spotted the first pride of Gale Cats lounging on a rocky cliff face in the distance, overlooking a large herd of aurochs that were using a nearby watering hole. The majestic animals were a tawny yellow-brown in color, as if someone had done a blonde take on brindle, replacing the black with a pale yellow. Even from a distance, Casey could tell that they were enormous animals, easily larger than a tiger or a cougar. The lazy way they sprawled in the sun or studied the aurochs below them told of supreme confidence in their own abilities.

Following the directions in the scroll, Vibeke guided them out onto the plains and made no attempt to hide their presence. The Gale Cats were guardians of this area and allied with the Roaring Mountain. There were also supposed to be a dozen or more patrols that roamed this section of the Windsong Valley to protect it, hunt, and care for the land. So they expected one of those patrols to find them in short order.

What they didn’t expect was the sudden rushing of wind that deposited a tawny cougar the size of an elephant in front of their group within an hour of crossing onto the massive savannah.

The giant creature was obviously a spirit beast, the amount of qi that rolled off of it would have only been rivaled by Queen Runa or maybe her guard, Ragna. Its bright, glowing yellow eyes flashed as it alighted with as much grace as an animal a tenth its size. The racing wind that had carried it flying through the air swirled around its body, tearing up dry and dead grass and sending it spinning outwards in a whirlwind before the breeze calmed.

Magnus reacted almost immediately and not in the way that Casey expected. The Gladewalker Elk actually cantered forward rapidly, placing himself between Casey and the giant cat, and presented his antlers to the animal in a defensive stance.

“Be at peace, son of the forest,” rumbled a male voice that sounded like the roar of a great wind. “I see your companions bear the mark of my allies, and as such have nothing to fear from me. Do you three come from the Roaring Mountain?”

Casey winced and shook his head at the resonant voice, which still echoed around them. However, the animals nearby did not react at all. The birds continued to sing, the auroch to drink at their watering hole, and the other Gale Cats didn’t stir from their lounging spot.

Greet him, Casey! Maude said in an urgent tone. This is likely the Gale Cat Monarch, senior and most powerful amongst his kind in this area.

The big animal twitched, his glowing yellow eyes turning towards Casey curiously, and he reacted quickly to address the creature and distract it.

“Greetings to you,” Casey began, remembering Maude’s lessons on how to address powerful creatures like this. “We are indeed from the Roaring Mountain—”

“Ah, bless Runa and her foresight then! I am about at my wits end right now, and could use her council,” thundered the big animal, striding forward on paws as large as a wagon wheel to bend and inspect them. “But you are so young? Why would you be sent to investigate…”

“Ah, I believe that the honored spirit beast may have misunderstood,” Casey said, again falling back on what he’d learned from Maude on how to address the creature. “We are from the newest batch of recruits, and my friend here was guided by her vision within the Womb of the Earth to seek out your clan.”

“New recruits?” the Gale Cat asked, its head cocking in surprise before it stopped and sat back onto its haunches. Sitting like this, the massive animal was easily three stories tall and its massive tail snapped through the air behind it. “I didn’t realize… No, it is the right time of the year but early… You couldn’t have done more than have just completed the trials a day or two ago, and you have already made your way to me?”

Since the massive spirit beast was clearly not going to threaten them, Magnus finally relaxed and turned to trot back to stand beside Casey.

Be careful, brother, Magnus warned him. Elders like this one can be mercurial in their tempers and unpredictable in the best of times.

I could guess that much, Casey responded mentally to the Gladewalker. Is it normal for a Monarch to confront a group like this entering its territory?

It is not, Maude interjected and Magnus gave a grunt of agreement. Normally, the Monarchs either spend their time roaming their lands, hunting, cultivating, or other things that follow their nature. This one seems unusually distracted and bothered…

While Casey had his silent conference with Maude and Magnus, Einar had stepped forward with a trembling Aiden still draped over his shoulders.

“Aye, we only recently completed our trials and were eager to meet with our companions. The bonds between drengr and spirit beast are fascinating to see and we wished to begin ours as soon as possible,” Einar said with a brief half-bow to the massive creature.

The Gale Cat Monarch snorted and bent to sniff at Einar. Such was the creature's size and strength that the gesture made Einar’s hair stir even from over ten feet away.

“You do not smell like one who would bond with my kind, and from the little spark that I see on your shoulder, you are already spoken for,” the Gale Cat rumbled in amusement before glancing towards Casey. “And he is already bonded to the son of the woods, so that would mean that you are the one seeking my kind’s favor?”

The Gale Cat’s eyes landed on a stiff Vibeke, who was studying the majestic animal with wide eyes. She gave a start at the sudden weight of the spirit beast’s regard before mirroring Einar with a half-bow.

“Yes, my lord,” Vibeke said rapidly. “I received several visions during my trial within the Womb of the Earth, and I saw your kind in each of them. They came to me and urged me to run with them beneath the open sky, and so I have come here to answer that call.”

“Interesting,” rumbled the Gale Cat Monarch, panning his glowing gaze over their small group. “Come, let us find a place in the shade to talk. I would get to know you before I recommend one of my children to possibly bond with you, and I would ask you a favor to carry word back to Runa for me.”

“Of course,” Vibeke replied immediately without bothering to ask either of the men with her.

Casey could tell from the wide-eyed wonder that she watched the massive Gale Cat as it rose that Vibeke was now quite happy with her decision to pursue one of the great beasts for her partner. There was a sense of majesty as the massive animal rose and padded across the plains towards the watering hole that the auroch her was gathered around. A large stand of trees sat opposite where the herd drank, and the big animal led them towards that welcome shade.

“It’ll be fine, Aiden. If he was going to hurt any of us, he’d already have done it. And you know your Uncle Magnus wouldn’t have relaxed if he was still a threat.” Einar was reassuring Aiden, who was making quiet, worried little squeaks and chirps while trying to burrow into Einar’s beard to hide.

Damn straight I wouldn’t have moved, Magnus huffed in irritation. But I’m worried about what he said, brother. He sounded like he was expecting assistance from the Roaring Mountain, or for someone to come check on something.

“Agreed,” Casey murmured aloud, patting the elk on the shoulder as they followed after Vibeke and Einar. “I’m sure we’ll learn more, especially since it sounds like it wants us to carry a message back to Queen Runa.”

Einar turned to shoot him a knowing look and a nod over his shoulder. It was reassuring to know that the big man had also seen the issue and recognized it for what it was. He was sure that Vibeke would also be in the same mindset once a bit of her wonder had worn off at meeting a Monarch.

Why am I not more intimidated after meeting something this powerful? Casey wondered internally. Is it because I’ve talked with multiple gods already? Or am I too dumb to be afraid? No, that can’t be it, if I was too dumb to be afraid, I wouldn’t be thinking of this.

A moment more of thought and Casey had to smother an amused snicker.

Probably because I’ve been gearing up to meet Maude’s brothers. ‘Jojo’ is going to be even bigger than this fellow and probably far more intimidating, too…