When she saw Sakiri again, Aranis was elated to meet an old friend from her traveling day. She was thinking of returning to Jabouti to see how it had changed since the last time she had been to the southern plains, and even considered traveling around the world as she usually did for several couple of years in her adult life.

The elf was also aware why the Chitra would want to leave her home and come to a region unfamiliar to her. The last time Aranis talked to her was to find her in Kraigen only when she was in a situation too difficult for her to resolve. A Chitra of her position would not leave her home without a very good reason.

So, when Aranis spotted Sakiri checking on the dry water fountain in the town center, the elf approached the Chitra, who simply sat and sulked. Narati was nearby, in an abandoned storefront. He was checking the store and sometimes disappeared behind the tall counter, owing to his height.

The elf was not one for small talks, especially when she knew what she needed to ask. When Sakiri spotted her and invited her to sit by the empty fountain, she obliged, but soon asked her what she had in mind.

“I think it’s time you tell me the reason you are far from your home,” said Aranis.

“I want to visit an old friend,” said Sakiri. “Is that really that surprising to you?”

“Surprising, no. Expected, yes. There is only one reason why you came here all alone and without an escort. The situation in your kingdom deteriorated, hasn’t it?”

Sakiri’s expression turned grim, though it was hard to tell since she always had a bored expression. Only her ears and the way her eyes looked away indicated distress.

She then scoffed. “My kingdom? If you can call it that, sure.”

“What happened?” asked Aranis, sensing a problem.

“A coup happened. My father’s most trusted general turned on him and threw me out of our castle. I barely managed to escape. Given that I did not return to reclaim my throne, well…she’s now the queen of Jabouti, and I’m here, with enough money to buy one set of clothes and food for a week.”

“Do you need assistance? I may be able to help.”

“I appreciate the offer, Aranis, but unfortunately, no one’s going to acknowledge me if an outsider comes to my aid.”

The elf understood what Sakiri was talking about. When she visited Jabouti, her father, king K’tanga, considered opening the nation to outsiders after more than a thousand years isolating themselves from the world. There was a very good reason for that. The nation almost fell against Nuremnia and was in no position to join the Coalition. When the Coalition won, they accused Jabouti of betraying them as the fall of the nation was not widely known due to the chaotic communication during the long war. Aranis learned from their national archives how the king of the time chose to strengthen his nation’s borders while the rest of the world burned in the aftermath of the war.

This, in turn, made them wary of foreigners, as Aranis had experienced during her stay as the king’s personal guest. The elf had sensed the brewing discontent in the royal court and was the primary reason for her suggestion. It was ten years ago, when Sakiri was still a young princess. Given an elf’s long life, ten years felt like a breeze.

“At least I still know you’re the same little Kiri I met back then,” said Aranis with a smile. “But tell me. What become of K’tanga? How about K’reki?”

“Reki’s….” Sakiri shook her head. “Reki’s also captured. Father’s the one who told me to find you. He reminded me of your offer. I managed to slip out before they realized it. I just…I just hope they’re fine. I only hope it’s a bloodless coup.”

“I see,” said Aranis. “I’m sorry, Sakiri.”

“Don’t be. I doubt it will make any difference.” Aranis sighed. “At least I know Saiyara. She may not like my father’s stance, but she is not ruthless. I hope.”

“I know her, too. She may not harm your family…but I doubt her entourage will simply stay their hands. If she does not show strength, she will also become a victim.”

“It’s out of my hands now,” said Sakiri with a sigh. “Although, I appreciate your concern, Aranis. Hey, uh, how about if you show me the forest? I want to hunt something. If that’s against your beliefs, then a walk will suffice. Probably.”

“If you need to hunt, then I won’t stop you,” said Aranis, standing up. “But not in the forest. Come.”

Sakiri let out a smile, showing her sharp fangs. She also let out a happy growl.

“Thank you,” said the Chitra, but then she realized something. “Oh, wait! We can’t just leave Narati alone!”

“Then he can come, too,” said Aranis. “I doubt the place is going to be raided in just an hour, especially since it’s ‘cursed’. He has a lot to learn if he wants to settle down and be independent.”

“And not relying on that contraption of his.”

Sakiri chuckled. “That, too.”

***

“You know I’m not that defenseless, don’t you?” said Narati while glancing at his circular saw axe, which was propped beside a shelf.

“Which I’m sure you are,” said Sakiri. “Only you have not fight alone before and you need to learn some lesson in life if you really want to properly settle.”

“Also, aside from hunting, we better buy some seeds,” recommended Aranis.

“Then who’s looking after the town?”

“I got that covered." Aranis then turned to the Fa'ar. "Unless, of course, you made some traps.”

“I was just going for that," said Narati.

“Then do not worry. I have something better.”

Aranis chanted a spell, which took longer than usual, then cast the resulting spell up to the sky. Soon, the town was covered in mist, severely reducing visibility and temperature. Narati felt cold, even though he had fur, possibly due to the side effects of a cast spell.

“Aren’t you worried about your reserves?” asked Sakiri.

“I’m an elf. I have more reserves than any sapient races. This isn’t an overly complicated spell, so I hardly break a sweat. Let’s go, Narati. Leave your axe.”

Narati did not feel like he wanted to leave such an important and dangerous weapon, but he had no other choice. After wrapping the weapon with a cloth and sliding it under the counter, the Fa’ar joined the elf and the Chitra, armed with nothing but a dagger and his improvised explosives.

The three left the town, now covered in Aranis’s purple mist spell. Narati looked back and wondered if it was too excessive, considering how the town was left as it was without any of the effects that made it look like someone was protecting something. Then, the Fa’ar wondered if the elf did so to deter Fa’ars, considering the chill he felt when she cast the spell.

He would ask, but he trusted the elf’s decision.

Aranis guided them to the plains, far from the forest that was relatively closer to the town. This made Sakiri wonder if she was trying to protect the animals in the forest, given that she was a forest elf. Unlike Narati, the Chitra assumed that was the reason and did not hesitate to ask.

“Is it because of a vow that the forest is off limits?” asked Sakiri.

“Yes, but also no,” said Aranis. “You won’t find anything but foxes and squirrels in that forest. There is no deer in there…not anymore. You are free to take the wild berries. They are quite tangy this time of the year.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Sakiri chuckled. “Don’t bet on me eating those. I don’t have sharp teeth for nothing.”

“I have sharp teeth,” commented Narati. “But I like berries.”

“Narati, don’t start,” said Sakiri with a sigh, causing the Fa’ar to look at her with confusion.

The elf, however, did not join in the banter and focused more on locating the beasts they were going to hunt. Soon, she tapped Sakiri’s fur-covered shoulder and silently gestured to drop. Sakiri’s expression turned serious as she dropped to a prone position. Narati followed suit.

The Chitra found her prey, but soon realized that it was an unusual prey. With her sharp eyes, she noticed that it looked like a deer, but covered in a hard, rocky carapace, giving it a reptilian-like appearance. Its tail was long and feline-like, and its eyes, bright yellow with cross-shaped pupil, made it clear that this beast was unlike anything the Chitra had ever seen before. The plains in her kingdom did not have anything like the beast.

Her first thought was to wonder whether the animal was edible or not. A deer-cat hybrid covered in carapace would be a very unusual prey. She started to think that Aranis took her to hunt such an unusual animal because it was an aberration that should not have existed if it wasn’t for the war.

Nevertheless, Sakiri understood what she needed to do. She cast a spell that would keep her downwind so the animal would not catch her scent. She then kept her body low as she pulled out an arrow and drew her bow, keeping her eyes at the nearest target.

Taking a deep breath, she aimed at the animal’s softest part in the middle of the body and released the arrow. It whizzed through the air, letting out a soft whistling sound. A second later, it found its target. The animal let out a noise as it fell to its side

“Nice!” said Narati, pumping his fist.

Sakiri jogged towards the animal, finding it gasping for breath. She sighed in relief; it seemed that, despite its appearance, its heart was still in the same position. She could’ve enhanced her arrow with wind magic to instantly kill it, but she could not risk it catching her scent at the most critical moment.

“Narati, the knife,” said Sakiri.

Narati pulled out his dagger. Sakiri then said, “End it.”

“Uh…where should I….”

Sakiri, realizing that Narati had never hunted before, so she put her clawed hand on the Fa’ar’s dagger hand, and silently put it over where its throat was. Aranis then positioned herself near its deer-like head and started praying, just as Sakiri gently push Narati’s hand into the dying animal’s throat.

It let out a bleat and a huff as Narati slowly pushed the dagger deeper. He then noticed the animal’s unusual eyes closing as Aranis prayed. It then let out its last breath, and it became motionless.

Sakiri patted the Fa’ar’s shoulder, with Narati nervously smiling. Somehow, it felt different from simply killing someone. While he had no regrets killing anyone who came in his way, this felt sadder. The animal was just minding its own business when an arrow fatally pierced its chest. He almost felt bad for killing it.

“Are you okay?” asked Sakiri, noticing Narati’s saddened expression.

“I…never hunted before,” said Narati. “I took many lives before, but this…I don’t know. It felt…sad. It reminds me of…of that dragon.”

“It’s different,” explained Sakiri. “We cannot help it with the dragon, but this is what we do if we want to live. I’m sure you did not do this out of malice. If not…I’m sure you wouldn’t ask me where you would plunge that knife without causing it to suffer unnecessarily.”

Narati, assured by this, smiled and said, “Nebar. You’re right.”

Sakiri knew what to do after a successful hunt when she carried a length of rope to tie around the creature to carry it back to the town. The creature was small and light enough for two beast people to carry. Unfortunately, it looked rather awkward, with Narati only half the height of the Chitra.

“Say, Aranis,” asked Sakiri. “What’s the story with the creature? Is it natural, or is it Aether-related?”

“Considering the history of the Valley,” said Aranis “It is the latter. That rock-like carapace was part of their way to adapt against the Aether. Hardy creatures, these things.”

“But can we eat it?” wondered Narati.

“Yes. I am sure that it is like those antelopes back home, Sakiri. I am not allowed to try them, even if it is for a bite, so I cannot judge on its taste.”

“Ah.”

“I’m sure you can appreciate the taste of fresh kill,” said Sakiri. “I bet it tastes better than anything in the desert.”

“I had a taste of Valley cuisine, and you’re right. I’ll let you do the cooking.”

Sakiri chuckled and lightly punched Narati, amused by his quippy remark.

Once they returned to the town, glad that no one decided to take it over while they were gone, Aranis set off again, this time alone and towards the nearby forest to find the right herbs and wild vegetables to complement their dinner. Meanwhile, Sakiri asked Narati to get to the abandoned pub and start the stove while she pulled out her own dagger to start carving their latest hunt on a nearby carving table. The Fa’ar noticed how the Chitra easily carved and clean the cat-deer creature with ease as if she had done it before.

“You know a lot about a creature you barely know,” said Narati.

“She said it’s like antelopes, and I trust her,” said Sakiri as she cleaned its innards.

“You put a lot of trust in her, don’t you? They way I look at it, you two have known each other for a while.”

“Not for a while. She is my childhood friend and mentor. Aranis visited our kingdom years ago when I was young. She’s a traveler, you know.”

“Your kingdom?”

“Ah. Jabouti is a kingdom. One of them, at least. It’s…home, to many people in the grasslands. We just happened to, uh, met, and since then we became friends.”

Narati could easily tell that she was hiding something from the way she stopped between words. Curious, he asked, “I bet she loved your home, Sakiri.”

“Well, she’s wise and humble. She makes quite a good counsel to my father, the k—”

Sakiri stopped before she could say anything more. Unfortunately, Narati was shrewd enough to know what she was going to say.

“Huh,” said Narati. “And here I thought you’d be wearing a dress and decked out in jewelries, itripu. You don’t dress like a princess.”

“Oh, fine,” said Sakiri with a sigh as she stopped carving the meat. “I’m a princess. What of it?”

“What of it? You’re a princess! It’s a comfortable life with everything available to you!”

“Except I’m just Sakiri now. I lost my home, my family, and my kingdom. That title means nothing to me now.”

Narati could tell that Sakiri was troubled, given how she returned to her preparation while letting out a growl. She was clearly in a very bad mood, and Narati’s question exacerbated it.

Sympathizing with her plight, and aware that Sakiri only knew him as a Fa’ar, but not as something else, Narati, reluctantly, said, “I don’t mean anything about it. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

“That curiosity can lead to jealousy. I know one or two things about how jealousy can lead to something worse. I don’t learn magic or fight for the sake of it. You learn you are just like any other Chitras out there when reality hits you like a damn punch in the face. Suddenly, you don’t feel that special anymore. That, or simply politics.”

“Yes, I understand,” said Narati. “Only I…don’t have the luxury of learning to cast spells or fight like a normal person. All I have is a broken soul, a throat that barely heals, and a life of shame.”

“Shame? Why would you be ashamed?”

Realizing that he started to talk about his past again, Narati tried to change the subject. “Let’s…let’s just forget about it and prepare our dinner, alright?" he said, attempting to change the topic. "Looks like the stove’s hot enough. What should I do next?”

“See that pan over there,” said Sakiri, pointing at a cast iron pan hanging nearby. “Heat that up and put some fat on it. I’ll do the rest.”

“Can I stay…and watch?”

“Not a problem. Just…tell me, Narati. What should you be ashamed about?”

“It’s nothing. Really.”

“Look, I know I sound like a jerk, and I’m sorry. Losing my kingdom’s already bad enough. The thing is, I…don’t feel anything about losing it. Me and my family, we…we’re not that close.”

“Why?”

“I…I was abducted. It felt…so degrading. So humiliating. Aranis saved me, but then I learned that by saving me, my father’s plan was ruined. The elf was the only one who could prevent a total war without sacrificing my freedom. That’s when I realized how little they thought of me other than being an heiress.”

“I…see.” Narati hesitated, just as Sakiri put on some fat, which sizzled on the surface of the hot pan. Then, feeling that she might need him to relate with, the Fa’ar said, “I was…a slave.”

Sakiri stopped what she was doing and turned her head towards him. There was only silence in the kitchen after Narati said that.

“And…that’s all I have to say. Please…temper your curiosity, itripu. I beg of you.”

Sakiri could only imagine how painful it was for Narati to tell who he really was towards a former princess on the run. The way he begged, with his raspy voice and his sudden mood change, were enough for the Chitra to surmise that it was an experience he would prefer not to talk about or complain about. He’d prefer to bury it deep within his memory, or even to forget. His shivering and the way his long, worm-like tail wrapped around himself clued Sakiri in on his experience.

All of the sudden, Sakiri’s problems turned to complaints, and she felt bad. Understanding Narati’s feelings, she changed the subject, knowing that she needed it, too.

“H-hey, Nara,” said Sakiri as she took parts of the meat she just cut. “When the fat’s hot enough, we put this slab of meat on the pan. Then, you wait until it’s cooked before you flip it. If…if you have salt, that’d be great.”

“Raine told me about salt and pepper before,” said Narati. “He said it makes a stew taste better.”

“That it is.”

“I think he left some for us to use. I’ll go check the pack he left behind.”

Narati started walking out of the kitchen to find the pack. Before he exited the room, he stopped by the curtain separating the kitchen and the patron area and said, “Thanks, Sakiri.”

“Please. Kiri’s fine,” replied Sakiri.

“And you can call me Nara, Kiri,” said Narati, who formed a smile as he walked out of the room, intending to find the salt and pepper he mentioned.

Sakiri, alone in the kitchen with only the sizzling sound of meat being cooked, let out an exasperated mewling growl.

“Goddamn it,” said Sakiri. She always thought her title as a princess meant that freedom was out of her reach, and the only way to live her life properly was to get away from it all. That was the reason for her indifference about losing her kingdom, and a family that did not appreciate her.

Narati’s revelation made her reflect. She sounded like a spoiled princess.

The Chitra owed the Fa’ar an apology.