Across Frthea, there was a common belief.
If a capital city represented the heart of a nation, then the inhabitants living there would be a clear demonstration of its people.
Oh, the heart of those wyld~
Ah, Wyld’s Heart, let us fight~!
Poetic poetries aside, there was indeed some grain of truth to such a claim. After all, foreigners from faraway lands would usually find brightlanders to be religious, dwarves to be boisterous, and elves to be harmonious - much as I would like to correct them on that last part.
Of course, such an outward assumption might not always be correct. Things could change with time or circumstances, just like how some folks could become a shining example compared to their… “cumbersome compatriots”.
Case in point, drifters - humans and wylders who fled to the Life Line during the Age of Darkness - were once seen as little more than cowards or scoundrels. Nowadays, however, their floating city could be said to be booming with a bang. Bright Land completely relied on the merchant monarchs to keep their flying ships afloat. So, it was no surprise that the old image of a drifter no longer held true, for the most part.
The same could be said for the rąts - weak, worthless, waste of space that they were. A good rąt might as well be a booted rąt, down into the ocean as fish’s food. Though there had been rumors that some exceptional outliers managed to rise up the ranks in Bright Land, so I would give them that.
Anyowl…
“So, as you can see, sometimes people might act completely different from how they usually are. Kinda like… Um… Like how a good boy might still bite some stranger if he is agitated? Yeah, something like that!”
“... Are you talking about humans, wylders, or dogs here?”
My naive ward asked back with a frown and a tilt of his head. Hiro was clearly puzzled as to why the caravan needed to set up camp and send out a scouting party, especially now that the walls of Wyld’s Heart, as well as the mountainous oak looming over the city, were finally in view.
I was tempted to just flat out tell him how bad things were. It would be easy, too easy. Then again, my human companion might still, somehow, not get it. He didn’t even realize why most females from our caravan had been chopping gigantic roots to bring along, or why the males now harvested blood-sucking fruits and poked holes onto them…
The first half of this month had already made hormones fly high as a kite, and now that there was less than a week before mating season ended… Well, all my ward could see these past dozen days were wylders fighting furiously to vent their frustration… When put like that, maybe this wasn’t so bad…
“AIEEEEEE!!!”
Oh, who am I kidding…
Several screams echoed throughout the valleys, containing sounds that could only be described as an unholy union between a warcry, a howl and a moan. Hearing this, Hiro immediately snapped his head towards the distance, both eyes squinted tight. Of course, I highly doubted that he could tell what was going on from the cliff our caravan were perched upon.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for me…
A glance around our camp revealed that, surprise surprise, “curiosity” didn’t just kill the “cats”. Given how everyone’s ears were standing straight as a ramrod, as well as the mixture of colorful smells now polluting the air, it was safe to say that curiosity had made the cats very, very, horny instead…
While I mentally apologized to big sis Nexa for associating her kins to a randy ranch, the scouts that were sent ahead finally returned. They were flushed bright red, though whether it was due to a long sprint or some other strenuous activities, I didn’t want to know.
After one brief and quiet debrief, the leader of our caravan tapped his clubbed staff onto the ground, causing everyone to look at him in rapt anticipation. This was it - the moment of truth. All of us had relied on the guidance of this grizzled watcher to make it this far, and whatever his decision might be, there was no doubt that-
“We’re skipping the city.”
Boos and jeers had already filled the camp before I could even finish my thought. Wanderers, seekers and a very frustrated champion immediately jumped at the leader of our caravan with blood in mind. Meanwhile, the rest of us slowly stepped away from the ensuing carnage.
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A hand tugged at my side, and I turned back to find a very puzzled fledgling who looked bewildered as all heck. I cringed inwardly, dreading the inevitable talk.
“Isa, what was that all about?”
“... Wait until you’re older.”
“Huh? What do you mean-”
“Wait until there are orders, fledgling Hiro! You will get your answer once we get near the walls…”
This would get awkward, to be sure. Hopefully, I could delay “the talk” for as long as possible…
•ㅅ•
After a lot of fighting, biting, snarling and, last but not least, negotiating, it was decided that we would circle around Wyld’s Heart. The caravan would be moving from the western side of the valleys to its south, before heading up to camp near the city’s eastern wall, where it would be safe to stay during the blood moon.
As compromises went, this was… Well, it wasn’t perfect, especially since the original plan had been to rest comfortably within the city proper. Nevertheless, needs must. And right now, we needed to stay as far away from the capital as possible, especially since this year’s additions had been reported to be so “passionate”...
On the bright side, this was the first time we could march at our own pace, ever since the expedition began. It certainly helped that Wyld’s Heart had an abundance of warriors to send on patrols - many of whom even approached and offered to guard the caravan. This, combined with the mighty presence of wyld magic that bent these valleys to the city’s whim, had all but ensured that ours would be a walk in the park.
A slow, agonizing walk, according to the more “blood-lusted” members of our group…
Especially since the sounds of indecency had been growing stronger, the closer we got near the city…
•ㅅ•
Finally, on the third day, our camp got close enough to get a full view of what had been happening near the first set of walls. The scene was quite a sight, and I could only cover my face with both hands in embarrassment. My ward also fared no better, given how his jaw had long dropped in pure shock and horror.
“What… the actual fuck…”
“What the rut, indeed… I swear, things are not usually this bad…”
Across the valley, a crude and large encampment were erected near the western wall of Wyld’s Heart. Its participants were numerous and varied. Some were big, some were small. A lot came packing to the limit, though some also arrived completely naked.
Overall, it was a wylder’s wet dream.
Of bloodshed and violence, that was…
“Oh god… Are they killing each other!?”
“Potential pairs are dueling to see how compatible they are, yes…”
“Dear god…”
It was still a bit difficult to see from this distance. Regardless, there was no denying the bloodfest, and my human companion could definitely recognize limbs and lumps flying from their owners… With better eyesight, one could even spot a decapitated wćlf getting dragged off to get his head reattached by some druid nearby…
“But… but why?”
“Honor or tradition, or even love if you’re wrong in the head. Whatever you think is more appropriate, Ser Hiro.”
Both of us jumped at the voice, and we whipped our heads back to find the familiar face of our caravan leader. The bєar looked worse for wear. He also sported a huge black eye - courtesy of having to fend off hordes after hordes of horny battle maniacs a few days earlier.
“Sir! Um, could you elaborate? The books at Growling Trunk didn’t say anything about this… and what I read before my “jump” into this land certainly didn’t help…”
The watcher looked at me with a silent question and I could only shrug. “I filled Hiro in on the bare necessities. No points mentioning the “wylder side”, lest our guest think that all wylders are like that. Best to let him see for himself and draw his own conclusion.”
Our leader nodded his head. With one hand up to scratch his scraggly beard, the bєar then looked towards the distance. His voice, deep and slow, seemed to rumble around us.
“First of all, you need not call me “Sir”, Ser Hiro. A watcher is what I am, and a noble knight I am not.” Without waiting for my ward to correct himself, the bєar continued. “And, as for the madness you’re seeing down there… Well, you already know about the birds and the bees, I suppose?”
“I know what sex is, Sir watcher.”
I had to bite back a laugh at the way Hiro deadpanned his answer. It appeared that someone didn’t appreciate being treated like a kit. Our leader also seemed to find the reaction amusing, since he soon replied with a deep chuckle of his own.
“I apologize, but you wouldn’t believe how many human scions I’ve met that would blush at such a topic.” The old watcher and I tried our best not to laugh at my ward’s grimace. Keyword being “tried”. “Anyowl, regarding the festival that any of us with a brain is trying to avoid… You see, once upon a time-”
“Valiant watcher, I think that Bun`Thornbee is sneaking off over there…”
I pointed towards a suspiciously big bush that was hopping away from our camp. Normally, this wasn’t something special on its own. However, the fact that said bush had two long ears and a huge oaken lance sticking out of its top, which immediately hid themselves the moment us three looked in their direction…
“DOGS RUTTING DARN IT! THAT BATTLE MANIAC!!!”
The bєar bellowed with a voice full of anger and exasperation. Before he could take off and chase after the busted bush, though, several trunks, patches of grasses, logs, and even one huge cloth with an ugly tree drawn on it, all started sprouting ears and tried to make a bolt for the festival…
We watched as one fifth of our caravan rolled down the hills like a bunch of loons. Hiro looked at me. I looked at the watcher. The watcher looked at his hand, which he tiredly dragged down his face while letting out one pained growl after another.
“Runner Isa… Could you please fill Ser Hiro in… While I go knock some sense into a bunch of idiots?”
Without waiting for my reply, the bєar had already marched off, muttering words like “not getting paid enough for this” and “elder Ruink can shove it up his mass”. So, no different from what other watchers constantly grumbled at the shouting halls, really.
I then turned to Hiro, who looked so lost that it was beyond comical to look at. Once again helping my ward pick up his jaw, I then spread both hands wide with a flourish, before starting an old tale anew.
“Out in the sea… Once upon a time~”