A Beast of Lon: pt 3
a short story
The next day, Ri’gel greeted them at their rooms and offered to take them on a tour of the caves where his people lived. Luppa wanted to see artworks within the palace. And Asha wanted to see the process the Gaolians used to cook an entire boar. Vedra happily went with Ri’gel to tour the caved. She liked exploring and hiking. To see wildlife, she often had to go on long treks. She wore her exploration attire, thick sole boots, a loose short shirt and legging with a belted vestment.
Ri’gel led her up the ridge where the caves overlooked the palace and the city below it. Dotting the ridge they walked, and the one across were wooden towers. She could see Gaolian men pacing and standing. At the foot, beasts watching as well.
“What are they watching for,” Vedra asked.
“Wyverns. They fly around here hoping to pluck children during the warm season hunting. However, they are also spiteful. The De Mora sent some of her warriors to strike a nest the other day. Their numbers are too great.”
“Oh, so they are as intelligent as your people?”
“In some ways, yes and in others, no. They are brutal and self-serving,” he said with clear revulsion in his voice. “Long ago, we wanted to join forces with them. To split hunting grounds. To put an end to mountain men poaching our skin and claws. They didn’t want to do that.”
“Why?”
“They told the De Mora, all who live on the ground are prey to them. Why should they care about what becomes of their meat?”
Vedra had never even seen a wyvern, but she could tell she didn’t want to meet a creature that saw everything beneath it.
When they arrived to the mouth of the cave, Vedra was thinking of something akin to a large den or cave that was dark, but cozy. However, when they crested the hill, they were something to behold.
The palace below them was built for intimidation and defense for enemies and impress neutral forces and allies. The caves were something of beauty.
Vedra’s mouth dropped open at the sight of light touching rugs and cushions laid out in corners and in chambers. Very little dirt covered the surface, well there was fur, however, everything had bright colors around her. Leaf greens, sky blues, pinks, and midnight purple were all around her. The walls of the cave not only were smoothed with some sort of plaster but had murals painted with paws covered in paint from what she could tell by the prints and scratch marks.
“Is there any significance to these colors?” asked Vedra.
“The colors indicate the different packs among our people,” responded Ri’gel, never stopping his steady pace as he led them through the den. “There are many packs out there. Some are small, and other as large as ours. When they come here to visit, we add colors here to represent and remember them.”
“Why color,” she asked, noting that his kind could see color for her notes.
“They last longer than scent,” he said.
As they progressed, Vedra studied the paintings that they passed by, trying to take in all the details she could. “Have you painted anything here?”
“Oh no. There are pack member who’s duty it is to paint here. I do have a single mark on the wall of lineage as a child to the De Mora’s late sister. She was once De Mora of this pack.”
“So, as a keeper of knowledge, you just read about other people through books.”
Vedra saw Ri’gel’s ears perk up at that question before he answered, “And visitors. I’m watching you.”
Vedra raised an eyebrow at Ri’gel's response. There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. She realized then that he might not be as disinterested in life as he appeared to be.
As they continued through the caves, Vedra couldn't shake off the feeling that Ri'gel was leading them with a purpose beyond just showing her around. They pasted by a few other beasts resting within their dens. He said they were guards who would patrol the grounds and surrounding area at night. Soon they reached a chamber. Half of it was filled with a pool that was filled by water pouring from the rocks. The ceiling was low and had lanterns handing from it but only one was lit and cast a dull amber light over the entire area.
“What is this,” she asked, wondering what sort of important cultural significance it could represent. Maybe some kind or ritual took place there.
“This is a place to drink water,” he told her.
“Oh,” she said flatly.
“It’s also used by my pack to talk to others in privacy. I want to know what is it like to travel around. My travels are limited and usually, it’s by escort. I don’t know what it is like being able to feely move about.”
Vedra let Ri'gel's question hang in the air. She hadn’t expected him to ask, well, much of anything, much less that. She took a deep breath and tried to put all her travels into words.
"Traveling around is exciting. The less I know about a people, the more it’s like solving a mystery," Vedra began. "I personally like studying the different creatures that inhabit distant lands. Then, of course, the people. They shape my perspective and understanding of the world. It's a constant journey of discovery and learning. And I enjoy it. I enjoy the dances, the music, and the food. And learning mostly, we are not that different from each other."
Ri'gel listened to her with intrigue sparkling in his eyes, a stark contrast to his usual stoic demeanor.
“That sounds lovely,” he said when she finished.
“It is. It opens you up to all sorts of connections and collaborations. People to message, granted sometimes those messages take months to receive, but we discuss things all across the continent. Surely the De Mora could let you see a bit of the world.”
“Not an ornament like me,” he said. “Granted, we rarely leave this country. We are safer within the borders. We beasts are often seen as the equivalent of marauders on the lands competing with other two-legged hunters. And unlike the low-creatures, we are a lot more tenacious at getting what we want. And they don’t like it.”
He stood to his feet and led them out of the chamber. She could see why as another of his kind came padding in panting and clearly in the need of water.
After that, they exited the caves, and going down the steep trail back to the place gardens when she heard someone blowing into horn. People shouted right as several shadows zipped across the grounds.
“Wyverns,” growled Ri’gel.
Vedra looked up in time to see one soar over them with wicked looking claws. She froze for an instant not knowing what to do. There was no cover for them to hide under or a place to run to. They were halfway between the caves and the safety of the guardhouse. “Run to the guardhouse,” ordered Ri’gel.
She bolted towards the now open door with an armored man gesturing her to come on. With two large beasts shot passed him coming towards them. Ri’gel kept behind her and then a shadow blocked the sun. Vedra kept her attention to the door and was afraid to look up. Then something heavy slam and raked against her back. Stars blossomed in her vision as she hit the ground in a hard skid. She tried to draw in breath when weight slammed on her back. Pinching claws held her arms down and then it was all gone in a loud angry snarl.
She twisted around to see that Ri’gel had the wyvern’s wing that attacked her in his teeth, tugging it back. Another wyrvern came down from the sky in aid of its kind and she scrambled up hobbled ran inside the guardhouse where she exchanged with guards with spears followed by more beasts. She couldn’t see anything, but she heard vicious snarling and roaring. Her back burned.
One of the groundskeeper forced her to lie down. '“Stay still,” they told her. “You’ve been injured.”
She lay there as still. The wound stung her every time she moved, and she felt dizzy with dark spots forming over her vision every time she sat up. She was still alert enough to hear the chaos of snarling and bone chilling cries from the wyverns outside.
Light flood in the dark room she occupied and vanished as an urgent voice then joined them.
“Sounds brutal out there. How many wyvern this time,” said the new occupant who settled at her side.
“Too many,” said a man. “It was an ambush. I haven’t seen any scouts in days.”
“I heard that the de Mora sent a few hunters to cull one of their nests,” stated the new occupant. They touched her back.
“That’s nasty, but not life-threatening. I’ll tend to your wounds as soon as the area is deemed safe.”