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“Well,” Kieran thought for a moment and paused, then answered. “I am not sure. I just know that this is what everyone is told, and it is why people come here; to see the place that started it all. There’s a monument in the main town back there, to honor Asprochioni.”
“It’s stupid,” Riven laughed. “Foxes? From the sky? Come on.”
Tessa pouted.
Riven noticed, and Kieran watched. “What’s the matter, missy? You don’t believe the stories of your ancestors now, do you?” the outlaw asked, seeming to be hinting at a greater point than he let on. He’d come here seeking Tessa for her powers, that much was clear, so he had to believe in its existence, right? Or, was he here for something else, like gaining status simply because many chose to believe in her powers?
‘Wait, no… Riven told Tessa that he would see her perform her alleged powers, that he knows a lot about her past,’ the bounty hunter contemplated the complexity of this interaction. ‘Something’s gotta be going on… it doesn’t add up.’
“N-no, of course not!” the winged fox lashed out defensively.
Thunder rumbled softly above in the gray, sodden clouds.
“Good,” Riven laughed, holding his head high, rain drops beginning to drip down through the rivulets of his facial scars. “Only a weak idiot would believe in children’s fairy tales.”
Tessa’s brows remained furrowed down. It was clear that the brown fox’s words struck a nerve with her, but Kieran could not pinpoint exactly why. It was obvious she was sensitive about her past, that much had already been made known to him, but he was missing a lot of key details… ones that Tessa preferred to keep under lock and key within her heart.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She was running, after all, and maybe not entirely just from power-hungry figures.
The camp had been set up in a small ravine, within a large hollow log; it acted as a worthy shelter from the unending rain, a place of warmth, and it smelled quite nicely of pine within its natural walls.
There was plenty of room for everyone to lay down comfortably. Kieran and Tessa slept that night with their blankets, but Riven, having nothing with him, made his bed on the bare inner bark. He did not seem to mind it, though; he was quite a hardened individual, and highly adaptable.
He had boasted that he’d slept on much worse.
Perseus rested huddled very close to Tessa, though in all actuality probably never actually fell into slumber; he had the same concerns as Kieran in that he feared the new addition of their squad would kidnap his friend, the one he was sworn to protect.
The dragon kept guard with his loyalty and his love.
Kieran, for some reason, had not been able to stay asleep and so he sat up for a moment, to spend time thinking until he felt ready to try again. An extra set of eyes and ears to keep guard was always a good thing, anyway.
He noticed that Riven’s scent became fainter and fainter as the next hour passed, and when the realization hit him that the newcomer was no longer nearby him or within the tree shelter he tensed up and felt a fear that coursed through his entire body like electricity.
The minty fox quickly looked around in the very dim lighting to see if Tessa and her dragon were still with him, and she was. Some light bounced onto his form, just barely, and if he listened carefully he could hear her breathing.
This relieved him and calmed his heart, but the question still nagged at him like briars against his back in the wind; where had Riven gone?
‘Maybe for a piss in the middle of the night,’ Kieran huffed humorously, deciding to wait around ten minutes for his return. It was pouring hard, so surely if he just needed to relieve himself he’d be back by now.
No fox would want to stay out in weather like this.
When Riven did not return, the question burned stronger in Kieran’s mind. Had he abandoned them? Had he gone to the local town? Worse yet, did he know anyone in these parts, was there anyone waiting here, who would help him take Tessa? His mind swirled with the possibilities.
To be safe, Kieran whispered to the fire drake. “I’m going outside to look for Riven. Signal for me with a roar if I am needed.”
He removed his clothing so that only his minty fur was exposed, so that when he went outside in the rain he wouldn’t get his attire wet.