Lost Bloodline 3 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

In order to find a safe place to camp, the group continued further up the mountain for another mile before Samira directed them off into a copse of trees that hid a secluded campsite built under an overhang of stone. The little nook was small, and looked like it might have been an animal’s den at one point, but would handily serve their purposes. There was even a small pile of firewood tucked under the overhang out of the weather.

“Normally, this is used by the hunters who venture into the mountains in search of the goat herds, or when we hunt for cloudberries during their season. It’s going to be a bit tight though, since those parties are normally only four or five people,” Samira said as she pushed through the thick bushes and emerged into the rocky clearing.

“I don’t mind cuddling,” Arthene snickered, pushing in after her. “Koda makes a good pillow, after all.”

“He does,” Calandra laughed. “But there’s not enough space to set the tents up here.”

“Looks like you’ll have to behave, then,” Sienna teased the dwarven woman, tugging on one of her three braids gently.

“It just means I need to wake up early.” Calandra let the pull on her hair tug her head back so she was looking up at the wolf beastfolk and smirked.

“Behave,” Koda warned as he stepped up behind his mates, pinching Sienna’s bottom gently and making the woman jump before leaning into him with a comfortable sigh. “Let’s get settled and get some rest. I know all of us could use some sleep. We’ve been running and fighting all day.”

“You’ve been fighting—the rest of us got to sit on our thumbs and watch you get the tar beaten out of you,” Netta teased with a grin as she pushed past. “I think this will be a good campsite, nice and cozy. And with the thick undergrowth, we won’t really need to set a watch.”

“Still going to set a watch,” Todd grunted from within the bushes. “The time that you aren’t wary is the time that you will lose everything.”

It took them a minute to all get into the small clearing. Arthene ended up claiming the overhang by dint of being the first one to just flop down there and drag Koda down onto her lap to check over his injuries. Sienna looked like she wanted to protest Arthene’s actions at first, until the ancestral spirit started checking the bandages rather than just dropping off to sleep.

There was just enough space for their entire group to get into the clearing and settle in around the weathered fire ring that sat under the front half of the stone overhang. They would sleep side by side, but that, combined with the small fire that Samira prepared and lit, would handily keep off any chill from the evening.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Arthene said as she gently probed Koda’s bruises, making him wince only slightly. The enhanced healing that came with his blessing as a champion had already blunted the injuries enough that they were turning a mottled green-purple, and Koda had a feeling that they’d be entirely gone by the time he woke up tomorrow.

“Second,” Calandra volunteered as she thumped her pack down, making her armor jingle quietly from where it hung on the pack. “I think that, starting tomorrow, I’m going to be traveling in my armor again. I should have put it on before we entered the village earlier, but I was too worried about Koda getting hurt.”

“I have third then,” Koda said, remembering that the late watches were the hardest.

I have my stamina and the blessing, so it’s best if I have the broken sleep, Koda thought, doing his best to not act uncomfortable as the girls settled in to make themselves comfortable. Arthene seemed intent on taking her turn on watch with Koda in her lap to cuddle with. He knew her senses were strong enough that she wouldn’t miss anything, even sitting down like this.

“Then I will take the fourth watch,” Todd said with a nod.

“Surprised you aren’t arguing more about it,” Koda asked as his mates fussed over his injuries while the others settled on the hard ground and warmed hands by the fire.

“You expressed a desire to not be left out of the rotation before, Aegisclaw. You serve Thera just as we all do, so I would be remiss if I just ignored your requests,” Todd replied with a smirk as he got comfortable against a stone and wrapped his cloak around himself, rather than lay out his bedroll like the others were.

“But you ignored it until now,” Koda shot back, making the fox beastfolk’s smile grow a bit more.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Aegisclaw,” Todd replied dismissively before flipping up his cloak’s hood to cover his pointed fox ears. “No one roll into the fire; it would be a horrible way to wake up. Also, Hans.” The elder hunter peered out from under his hood to lock eyes with the bull beastfolk. “Back to the woods. The last thing we need is you causing a flare up in the night.”

Grumbling under his breath, Hans shifted to make sure his back was to the woods as everyone, save Samira, laughed. Netta and Hanna curled up back to back on Koda’s right, mirroring Todd in using their cloaks as blankets, given the tighter confines. Hans sat on the opposite side of the fire beside Todd, while Samira was on the left between Hans and Calandra. Sienna settled in on Arthene and Koda’s right, using the bear woman’s thigh as a pillow, while Calandra leaned back into the combined laps of Koda and Arthene, pointing her booted feet towards the fire instead.

“So, what can you tell us of these stonecracker leopards?” Koda asked as everyone worked to make themselves as comfortable as possible on the hard stone of the clearing’s floor. Samira was winding herself into a ball around her pack, but perked up at the question, her eyes sparkling in the dim firelight.

“They are supposed to be descendants of the great huntress who once lived in these mountains, though no one knows for sure, as we have no records of her existence beyond the scars in the stone of the ritual cave we were at before,” Samira explained, her tufty ears twitching in excitement while her tail wiggled through the air making sinuous motions. “I’ve seen one of them from a distance, and it was impressive. They stand almost as tall as the buffalo do, but with armored hides that allow them to blend in with the rocks of the high mountains. They hunt the sheep, the trolls, and other creatures of the high mountains like harpies, drakes, and tundra worms.”

“They are very impressive creatures,” Arthene echoed, stroking Koda’s hair gently with one hand, smoothing the long, straight strands back while tugging him to nestle into her bust more. An easy choice, given she had her other arm around his waist to prevent his escape.

Not like I’d want to, Koda thought with a silent grin. I love my mates, and I know Arthene does this because of her own issues. I can only imagine how lonely she felt as a spirit in that cave, trapped and dreaming of a day when Thera might return with enough power to bring her out of hibernation.

To spread the joy of loving touch, Koda set one hand on Sienna’s hair, getting happy little groans from his wolfish mate as he finger-combed her shoulder-length hair and rubbed the base of her pointed ears. The other hand went to cup Calandra’s cheek as the dwarf settled on her side with her head in his lap, and Calandra nuzzled into it before shifting so that his hand fell to cup her neck, and then sighed happily.

Samira had continued to rattle off information about the stonecracker leopards while they got comfortable, everything from how many there were theorized to be in the mountains, to a story about their progenitor and its supposed size.

It almost sounds like she’s describing another ancestral spirit like Arthene, Koda thought. But she said it existed long before, back when this world belonged to that troll god. I wonder if it ever swore to Thera, or if it lived and died before finding her?

“The most terrifying part of the stonecracker leopards, the reason they are called that, is their jaws. Teeth sharp enough to punch through steel and hard enough they can chew and swallow stones. Claws sharp and strong enough to slice through stone, too. There are some tales that said they can eat and digest metals, too, which is what gives their teeth the impressive strength,” Samira said with a flourish.

“Definitely sounds like something useful. Worst-case scenario and none of their spirits linger for Koda to bind, then those teeth might be useful,” Arthene murmured quietly. “Especially when we work with my bones to make weapons for the rest of you.”

“Bones?” Samira asked, perking up again curiously, but Arthene waved one hand dismissively.

“A problem for another time. Rest, wise Samira. You will need your strength for tomorrow so that you can guide us safely on our path,” Arthene chided gently. Samira nodded rapidly, her pointed ears flapping cutely at the gesture before she snuggled back into her blankets and silence fell into the campsite once more, only broken by the crackle-pop of the campfire and the quiet sounds of breathing.

Without distractions, Koda felt the formless monster that was sleep rise up to take him into darkness once more. The warmth of his lovers against him allowed his muscles to unwind, and the security of family close at hand eased his mind until sleep took him.

<><><>

Koda’s awareness shifted, and he was surrounded by swirling mist. Underfoot was a rich carpet of green grass that supported his bare feet like the softest of carpets. Despite the thick mist around him, he wasn’t cold, even though he could feel the slight tickle of dew on his feet and arms as the dense cloak of gray-white mist swirled around him.

“What?” Koda muttered, but the fog muffled even his voice. Glancing down, he discovered he was clad only in a pair of close-fitting linen pants in a dark brown, but no shirt or boots. A flex of his spirit caused the bladed gauntlets to manifest around his hands, which helped to reassure him.

Allowing the gauntlets to fade away, he scanned his surroundings once more, trying to peer through the mist.

There was light coming from ahead of him, beckoning Koda forward, but he couldn’t see the origin of the light because of how thick the mist was.

Setting aside his hesitation, Koda took a step forward towards the light. The grass remained soft underfoot, the beads of moisture tickling his skin gently. But with that single step, the world blurred around him. A moment later, he stood beside a simple dirt path and was no longer alone.

Sitting in front of him was possibly the strangest little creature he’d ever seen. It stood roughly knee high on him and looked vaguely like someone had taken an arctic fox and given it a shampoo and conditioner job. The fluffy creature’s white fur shimmered like the mist was emanating directly from it. The creature’s face was nestled amongst the fluff, two bright yellow eyes glittering above a pointed snout that furthered the image of a fox. Balanced on its head was a fist-sized lamp with a dancing yellow flame that sent gold threads shimmering through its fur.

“Hello?” Koda asked quietly, and the creature blinked up at him, tilting its head slightly to one side before it made a cackling-chuckling noise that definitely cemented it as some kind of fox or fox-spirit in Koda’s mind. One paw-shaped hand emerged from the fluff and it beckoned to Koda, before turning and toddling off into the mist on two legs.

“Did Arthene slip me some kind of strange herb?” Koda muttered as he watched the creature move. “Clearly, this has to be a dream, but it feels far too real to be a dream. Wouldn’t making the connection wake me up?”

The little creature paused just before it faded from sight and glanced back at him over its puffy shoulder, waving again for him to follow before making that odd snicker-bark-laugh that foxes do.

Before he could hesitate, Koda took another step after the puffy creature. He knew he could summon his weapons if needed, so he wouldn’t be helpless if something went wrong. So why not follow the odd little creature?

All it would need is some purple wings and a red pom-pom to look like that one game character… Koda thought as the mists blended around him once more, leaving him right behind the creature and on the dirt path.

Now that Koda was following it, the creature picked up speed and trotted along. Despite being so short, it moved with a great deal of speed. Each step Koda made covered a dozen or more feet, but the creature had already bounded further ahead by the time he arrived. The motion reminded him of the last time he’d dreamed of Thera, and Koda wondered if that was where the creature was leading him.

Better Thera than one of the other gods. Though that Chandra that Cal keeps talking about might not be so bad, since Thera clearly misses her, Koda thought as the little critter giggled at him again, bouncing off the path and between a pair of trees. He adjusted himself and stepped in that direction next, blurring and appearing on the other side of the trees.

Another three steps later and a familiar-feeling mansion loomed out of the mist directly in front of Koda. The creature bounded to the door and shoved through a swinging panel that appeared to be a cat-flap for all Koda could tell.

“Wait!” Koda called, stepping again to pursue it.

Unlike before, when he simply phased through the trees to chase the creature, Koda thumped heavily into the door, only traveling about half as far as he normally would.

Growling to himself, he rubbed his chest where it had hit the solid wood of the door and looked around again. The style felt familiar; made mostly of smooth wooden beams with solid log trusses, which were supported by a base of carefully shaped stones that had been whitewashed in the past. However, the treatment had cracked and fallen away to reveal the ancient stone beneath it. Windows were set high in the wall but were firmly shuttered to the night and the mist.

With the loss of the little creature and its lamp, the area around Koda was dark save for where threads of light leaked from the walls and door. So he reached for the carved bone handle on the door and gave it a tug. The doors lurched and rattled, but did not budge.

“Locked?” Koda muttered curiously, and carefully shuffled backwards from the door.

Oddly enough, he didn’t teleport with that motion. So he studied the building. But Koda didn’t have long, as there came another bout of the yipping-giggles from the other side of the door and then the quiet thump of footsteps and a muffled voice that was nonetheless familiar.

“Pippin, why are you alone? Where… You didn’t leave him outside, did you?”

A moment later, there was a clatter from the door and a familiar face wrapped in raven-colored curls poked out to peer into the mist.

“Koda! Come in, please,” she held out a hand toward him and beckoned.

The gesture dragged Koda through the mist like his steps had transported him, dropping him on the other side of the door beside Thera before she yanked the door shut again and slid a large, wrought-iron bar into place to block it.

“I apologize for Pippin. He’s just excited to be awake once more and can’t help himself in teasing people.”

“It’s fine, Thera,” Koda reassured her, smiling as the goddess turned to glare at the fuzzy white creature, who was sprawled on the floor on his back, cackle-yipping furiously while all four little legs flailed in amusement. The lamp that had been balanced on its head was hanging on a hook at knee height beside Thera, clearly having been placed there when the little miscreant toddled in through his cat-flap. “No harm done. Worst case, I could have just crawled in through his door.”

“That is not proper, nor dignified for your station, Koda,” Thera replied haughtily, the svelte goddess continuing to glare at her small servant before turning a brilliant smile onto Koda. “Especially not given your exploits! My champion is a troll-slayer, and he’s worn the mantle for less than two moons of time! And now you lead my faithful in a hunt for more of Oluk’s foul kind to assist more of my lost children. I am so proud of you, dear Koda. My Aegisclaw.”

The last part of the goddess’ statement had a throaty purr to it as she pressed herself into Koda’s side, wrapping herself around one of his arms. The soft sensation of her pale skin against his bare torso brought a thrill of heat racing down Koda’s spine, and he fought down a blush.

Come on, Koda! Get a hold of yourself. You’ve gotten used to Arthene and Calandra’s teasing, so don’t freak out and make the goddess uncomfortable, Koda chastised himself as Thera hugged his arm for a long moment before using her grip there to tug on him.

“I won’t keep you long, my champion. Your body will need to rest to finish digesting the power you claimed from the troll. It will be days before it fully settles within you, so be gentle with your mates until then, all right?” Thera asked as she guided him into motion. “Pippin, lock your door and you may play for the rest of the evening.”

The white puff-ball fox gave a cackle of assent and rolled to its feet, toddling over to throw a latch on the cat-flap much like the bar that Thera had used on the door, before scampering down a different hallway.

As before, when Koda moved too quickly in this realm, the world blurred around him. He was aware of the movement, but with Thera clinging to him, he was distracted enough that it just passed him by.

The goddess’ scent enveloped Koda with a primal smell of a woman combined with wildflowers and the rich scent of pine-sap. As they walked, Koda saw feathers form in Thera’s black curls before they were replaced with tall, pointed ears reminiscent of Samira's, even as the faint pattern of spots in her hair shifted.

To distract himself from the feeling of Thera’s breasts caressing his bicep, Koda cleared his mind and focused on her face. The goddess’ silver eyes danced in amusement as she watched him while escorting Koda through the halls of her manor.

“How are you doing, Thera? Are you feeling better? Stronger, hopefully?”

“I’m doing well, my champion,” Thera hummed happily, her features softening into a smile as she tugged him through a door into another hallway. “Your continued work to find sites of power to claim for me helps, and every day that my people endure salves my heart. When my shrine was established in the mines above Silverstone, I was lost in mourning for my fallen. I had no idea that there were other tribes nearby that might still hold the candle of faith for me, and in my diminished state, I could not hear their voices. But the Silent Plains tribe… they speak to me again.”

Tears gathered in the goddess’ eyes, and Koda reached up with his free hand to brush them away gently. Thera’s smile brightened, and she nuzzled into his hand for a moment before taking a deep breath to control herself.

“I apologize, Koda. It is… I did not expect you to achieve so much so quickly. You continue to surprise me with your determination. But please, rest when you can? I know that you have taken up this burden for my people in helping the Silent Plains tribe, but you need to rest. Your body is still acclimating to the gift of power I gave you when you first arrived here, and you have received further blessings from me as you restored my strength, bonded with Sienna, Arthene, and now little Calandra. You wield not just one weapon, but two in my name, and have two mates learning to wield magic.”

“It’s fine, Thera,” Koda said when she paused to breathe, wanting to reassure the nervous goddess that was holding onto his arm still. “It needed to be done, so I did it.”

Thera’s nervous look disappeared beneath a frown and she stamped one foot rather cutely on the ground. The sharp clop startled Koda enough that he glanced down in time to spot the cloven hooves that had been Thera’s feet melt and slowly return to bare, human feet once more. Glancing back up at her, Koda found a blush laying thick on Thera’s cheeks.

“What?” she demanded, pouting at him. “Surely you’ve seen my body shift before.”

“Just never seen the hooves before. At least I think so?” Koda blinked at her as he tried to remember. But before he got too far down that particular rabbit hole, Thera gave his arm another tug.

“Look, just let me thank you, okay? You’ve done so much in so little time already, Koda. I’m terrified that I’m going to lose you because you are moving so quickly. I have something I want to give you, something you’ve asked me for before.” Koda continued to stare blankly at her for a long moment, and Thera sighed before rolling her eyes at him. “The armor you asked about?”

“Oh!”

“Yes, ‘oh,’” Thera snorted up at him cutely, her silver eyes flashing as the iris slitted before returning to a normal shaped one. “I wanted to give it to you before you fought that troll, but in your traditional fashion, you ran off faster than I expected. When I realized you were creeping up on the troll chieftain, I panicked and rushed the last of it. Then you were smart for once and didn’t race in to challenge that beast before you were ready. So I could wait until you dreamed to draw you into my sanctuary to give it to you here and save some of my strength.”

“Ah… sorry about that,” Koda said sheepishly. “I just… didn’t want to miss the opportunity. And Arthene said it would be fine!”

Thera shot him a level look at that, one hand coming down to prop on her hip.

“You’ve known Arthene long enough that you should be aware that isn’t a valid excuse,” Thera said accusingly, and Koda slumped before nodding in agreement. He did know better. “Anyway, come on. We only have a short time before you’ll be woken for your watch duty and I want to see my champion properly garbed for war.”