| |
The first few steps into the forest aren’t quite as bad as Azrian had feared. Based on the stories he’d heard as a child of bizarre creatures and strange happenings, he was more or less expecting something... bigger.
Maybe bigger isn’t the right word. The forest itself seems huge and a touch overwhelming — but each step that they take without a massive, flying avisim swinging down on them or volucrae swarming them leads him to relax. That is, of course, until his lumbering, overly obvious companion decides to ruin it.
“It’s getting dark, Azrian.”
Sure enough, he realizes how badly his eyes are straining to see in the dark. He doesn’t understand... just a few minutes ago, they’d been out in broad daylight. It shouldn’t be nightfall yet. “Great,” he mutters sarcastically. “A forest of eternal darkness... this is exactly what I wanted. Funny how the stories never mentioned that.”
He steps carefully over a fallen tree and creates a small ball of light to accompany them. Once again, he feels his straining, tense muscles loosen up. The fear fades, if only a little. He can breathe.
“Okay,” Az says, helping Kato cross over a small stream. “That map Rhix gave us doesn’t exactly help here. We know that we have to go deep and curve to our left, then basically pivot and head up. By our estimations, it’s going to take about three weeks to get through... and that’s if we don’t get lost or eaten first.”
“Eaten! What might eat us?” Kato asks, his golden eyes darting around them nervously.
Grinning a little, Az stands up straighter. “A valianis, maybe. They’re giant, as big as you... but furry with huge paws and razor-sharp teeth. I don’t think they eat humans... but I’ve never seen one, or met anyone that’s seen one, either.”
“Hopefully, we don’t see one. I wonder if I could control them,” he muses, seemingly to himself. Az has to hope he can, because if he can’t... well, he doesn’t want to think about that.
The change in conversation is welcome. “Have you tried before? Controlling animals, I mean. I didn’t see any at Deadrun, but I guess the meat had to come from somewhere.”
“No. I didn’t see animals until we got to Edros, and the ones I’ve seen have run away before I could even think to try. It would be useful... I could make them freeze so we can eat them and not even bother with traps... but I would have to get close enough for that, huh?” Kato scratches his head, letting Az know that even after all these years, he still doesn’t know the extent of his own powers. “I don’t have migraines anymore... why do you think that is?”
Azrian stops walking and steps in front of him, wanting Kato to know how absolutely serious he is. “I don’t know how, but it was Adeinde. It had to be... I saw her face. They were hurting you, Kato. They have been your whole life.”
Kato stares at him with displeasure, his lips parted in shock as he takes that in. “It was always worse when she was around. How did I not know?!” He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “She was like a black hole, every time I attempted to read her mind... all I got was vast emptiness and pain.”
Az’s face scrunches up in confusion at the analogy, but that’s not what he chooses to focus on. “Maybe she’s a Contego? A... shield, I guess. I’ve heard about them, but I didn’t honestly think they existed. I thought it was just something Praediti parents made up to get their heathen, shadowhead kids to behave. You can normally get an idea of what kind of Praediti people are by the color of their eyes, but with her I could never tell.”
“I’ve never heard of a Contego, but... it makes sense they wouldn’t ever tell me. And since I was so blind, I wouldn’t see it for what it was, anyway.” Kato moves around Az to start walking again, the crunching of leaves under his feet filling the silence.
Great. Somehow, I pissed him off... again. Az sighs as he follows. The one positive of the new situation seems to be that Kato is clearing his path — before, they were trying to wade through the thickening brush together, but now, he simply sticks close to Kato’s back and lets him do it. For once, being so much smaller comes in handy.
They walk like that until the darkness settles fully. Az tries not to be upset that from where they are, Cettia isn’t visible. “Stupid trees,” he mutters as they finally stop. His bones are aching, and he’s sure Kato’s aren’t much better. “We should stop here.”
Kato faces him and nods. “Okay... I can start a fire for us. Should we try to catch —” he looks up in the trees and frowns, but he looks more confused than angry “— I thought I heard something.”
Fear spreads through Azrian’s body, but he doesn’t show it. “I’m sure you did. And yeah, go ahead and build a fire. I’ll work on catching us something to eat.” He drops his bag so Kato can build them a small shelter, then grabs his bow and a single arrow. They can’t afford to waste them. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” he states as he crouches down to work on a fire, but as Azrian walks away, he sees Kato stop and look up at the trees again.
He lets out a slow, quiet breath as he scans the area around him. The light has long since gone out, so there’s nothing between him and the crippling darkness but one, single arrow. Okay. Breathe. Kato’s right there, he’s not far, and clearly, he won’t let anything happen to me. It’s just some trees and a few creepy animals... nothing to be so afraid of.
The sounds erupting around him have him distracted, though. He can’t seem to pick any out individually which will make hunting harder, but all he needs is one. Just one.
Time passes slowly as he picks his spot and waits. From this particular vantage point, he can just make out the glow of the fire and the silhouette of a giant moving around, and he takes comfort in the fact that Kato’s still okay. “How’s it going over there?” he reaches out, if for no other reason than to distract himself.
“It’s going okay. Fire looks good. Just a little hungry. How are you doing? Any furry shadowheads around?”
He smiles to himself in spite of everything. “I sure hope so. I don’t want to listen to your stomach growl all night. Speaking of which, eat the rest of that sweet bread. It won’t be any good come tomorrow.” Movement catches his eye and he notches his arrow, squinting through the dark to try and pinpoint it.
“You don’t want any? I can save you some.”
A small, furry something darts out from behind the trees. “Nah, you can have it. I know how much you like it.” He lets the arrow fly and sends up a silent apology to Cettia as it pierces the creature’s heart. “Coming back, hope the fire’s hot.”
Az moves as silently as he can through the trees and picks up his prize by the tail, then heads back toward the fire. Once he gets to the clearing, he holds up the animal to get a better look at it as Kato joins him. “It’s a raccanis,” he says. “See the black marks around his eyes? That’s how you know. It’s a fat one, too. If we play our cards right, this little guy will last us for a few —” Claws suddenly rake at the back of his neck, and his body jerks with fear and adrenaline as he drops the other animal and flails wildly.
“Shadows!” Kato yells, jumping up to assist. The raccanis chitters aggressively, but before Azrian can even digest what is happening, Kato speaks again: “You — Azrian, you killed his cousin. He’s upset... try apologizing.”
Slack-jawed, Azrian just stares at him. The dumbfounded, confused trance is broken only by the creature jumping straight at his face with enough force to knock him flat on his back. Az kicks out uselessly as he yells at the thing to get off of him, but it doesn’t let up its relentless, sharp attack until he finally gives in and forces out, “Okay! Okay! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have killed your —” he pushes the thing off of him finally and scrambles back to his feet, his hand flying to his bleeding face “— your cousin? Animals have cousins? What? Ow.”
“Stoppit!” Kato snaps his fingers to get the creature’s attention. “He said sorry. Can we be civil? We had no idea animals had cousins, and even if we did... we have to eat, too.” The small beast screeches at him and waves his little arms. “O—okay... okay, but that means you ate someone’s cousin today, too.”
Azrian’s jaw goes slack again, and he mutters, “Guess that answers our question about whether or not you can control animals.” He scratches the back of his head, watching as Kato continues to try and reason with the raccanis. “Uh... Kato? You might wanna tell the nutjob over here that he should leave. I’m apparently about to perform an autopsy on his kin.”
“Azrian!” Kato whispers sharply, then turns back to the angry animal. “What did you expect? We’re hungry. Do you want some?” A high-pitched scream comes out of his tiny body and Kato looks like he genuinely feels bad. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Here... what about sweet bread?” He picks a piece off of his bread and sits down next to the creature, smiling when his little hands snatch the food and he begins to nibble on it. “What’s your name?”
More intense, confused staring. Azrian is starting to think he’s losing his mind.
“Okay, Leiko. My name is Kato. That’s Azrian, and we’re sorry. But we need food or we’ll die... we have to eat yo— okay, we have to eat Razzil so his death isn’t in vain.” More screeches signal the raccanis isn’t happy about it, but he reaches a short arm out for more bread and Kato hands it over seconds before the animal darts off into a bush. “He’ll get over it. I don’t get the vibe they were very close cousins.”
What in the shadows? “Not very close... yet he tried to rip my face off?” He shakes his head, then puts the dead raccanis down to prepare it. “I don’t even know where to start with all that. I’m just glad he’s gone... though I’m pretty sure giving it sugar was a bad idea.”
“Oh, he’s coming back in the morning,” Kato states, as if that’s no big deal. “He likes the bread, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that was the last of it.”
The absurdity of the situation isn’t lost on Az, but he doesn’t have it in him to argue. “Fine, just don’t give him any more food... we’ll never get rid of him then.” Bit by bit, he sections off the meat and gets it cooking, and only then does he stop to dig out their first-aid kit and clean up his face. “But I guess if he does come back, I can just shoot him, too.”
“No.” Kato frowns. “You can’t shoot him; I’ve spoken to him...”
“I’m really not sure what that has to do with anything,” Azrian argues. He flips the meat, then points the knife at Kato to accentuate the words. “We’re not keeping him, Kato. It’s going to be hard enough to fill the mouths we have without picking up actual strays.”
“Okay but what if he can help? With berries and high-up fruit,” he argues, and Az doesn’t exactly have an answer to that.
It doesn’t stop him from trying. “I can climb, and we’ve got Rhix’s list. We know what berries we can eat... unless you’re talking about using him as a poison tester, in which case.... sure, the nutjob can come along for a while. But only until we can do it for ourselves.”
“His name is Leiko, and I was meaning so we won’t have to climb. We can help each other.” Kato walks over and studies his face. “You missed a few cuts, let me help.”
Az just nods and tips his chin back so Kato can see better. “Your little friend did this to me, just remember that.”
“He was mourning. I don’t know what that is like, but I can imagine.” Kato grabs a colwort leaf and squeezes some of the gel from inside it onto his hand, then dabs Azrian’s cut. “He won this fight you know,” Kato teases.
The urge to flip Kato off is strong, but the colwort feels so good he can’t bring himself to argue. “Very funny.” He sighs quietly at the relief and reaches up to hold on to Kato’s shoulders. “He scratched my back up too, if you’re offering to help.”
“Of course, take off your shirt so I can get a better look. We still have a few moments before the meat is cooked.” Kato turns him slowly and starts to help lift his shirt, but Az pulls away to do it himself. The fire provides enough light that he knows Kato will see, and he also knows it’s nothing Kato hasn’t seen before... but he’s still a little nervous. The scars on his torso tell a story his mouth will not.
Kato waits, but he watches Azrian pull it off a little too intently. Az doesn’t have time to think about it much further though, because when Kato notices a certain scar, he frowns. “What happened here?”
“Nothing,” he says quietly. His shoulders scrunch a little in protest of someone else touching him, but he forces himself to relax. “It was a long time ago.”
“Okay,” Kato says simply before walking behind Azrian and applying the gel to his wounds. Neither of them talks until after he’s finished and walking over to rinse his hands. “How’s the meat?”
He keeps his head low to hide his face. “It’s fine, probably ready to eat... it’ll be hot though. Blow on it before you put it in your mouth.” While normally, he’d laugh at his own innuendo, he can’t bring himself to do it now. Despite his initial reaction, he can’t deny that having Kato’s strong, gentle hands ghosting over his skin felt good. He doubts it has anything to do with Kato himself, but rather the months he’s spent without that kind of contact with someone else. Years, if he’s being honest.
Sure enough, as Azrian pulls the meat from the fire, it looks like it’s ready to eat. They don’t have much in the way of plates, but thankfully, they’re in no shortage of leaves the size of Kato’s head. He plucks one from the forest floor and wipes it off as best as he can, then loads it up and passes it over.
“Thanks.” Kato takes it and sits down, blowing on it before he takes a bite. Based on his face, it isn’t great, and Az sighs quietly as he gets some for himself.
“Sorry, Jellycrai. I tried.”
~
SURPRISINGLY, KATO sleeps well that night. He wakes to Azrian shoving his arm, telling him they overslept thanks to the trees blocking the bright sun’s rays. Jumping up, he looks around to take in his surroundings. If he has to guess, they didn’t oversleep too badly, but Az seems flustered and when he sees the bags under his eyes, it’s apparent he didn’t sleep as well as Kato did.
The nearby bush begins to shake, and it has him grabbing for his spear, knowing anything could come jumping out at them — but when Leiko walks out, he sets it aside with a small smile. “Good morning, Leiko. I wasn’t sure you’d return.”
They ignore Az’s scoff and the raccanis speaks to him as best he can. “Said would return.”
“I know, but... you were also very upset.”
“Because cousin. Bread help.”
“I’m sorry, we’re... out of the bread. I gave you the last of it.” Kato looks around for something else that isn’t the poor animal’s family member. “Maybe we have something else...”
Az snaps his fingers to get his attention. “Listen, tell Nut that if he’s going to stick around, he needs to get his own food. And I can’t promise I won’t be feeding you his great-aunt a couple nights from now.”
Kato gives Azrian a pointed look and Leiko actually laughs. “You liked that nickname? Okay, Nut.”
Nut says he doesn’t actually care for the nickname, but he also doesn’t care much about what he’s called regardless, so Kato fibbed just a little to appease Azrian. If they can make some kind of food arrangement, Nut will stick around, and Kato’s not in a position to be turning down extra company at the moment. He listens to Nut’s terms and then turns to Azrian to bargain, expecting an uphill battle. “Okay, Nut says Cettia won’t be visible at all for weeks. His deal is he sticks around and we protect him, help him find food, and he will help guide us.”
Sadness crosses Azrian’s face and he nods, deflating a little bit. “Of course it won’t. Whatever, just keep him away from me... and if he scratches me again, we’re eating him.”
“Play nice?” Nut asks, and Kato nods.
“Yes, he will play nice if you do, too. We all will. If you’re going to tag along, you two can’t fight the whole time. Deal, Azrian?”
“Yeah, sure.” He tears down the tarp they were using as shelter and folds it up, then continues packing. “Ask him if he knows where a stream or something is.”
Kato looks at Nut — knowing he heard Az for himself — and he tells him he knows of one. “He says he’ll lead us there when we’re packed. He says it cuts through the forest a few times and we’ll come across it often if we stay on course.”
“Finally, some good news in this stupid forest.” Az continues on for several moments, cursing everything from the ground to Cettia using words Kato has never heard before. When his rant is finally over, he points at Nut. “Lead the way, the faster we get out of this place, the better.”
Kato adjusts his satchel and follows with Nut close behind. He isn’t sure if he should bring up Azrian’s anger, so he doesn’t. He has a feeling it would just make it worse.
By the time Nut runs out in front, he knows they are coming up on the stream and the sound of flowing water fills his ears. Az carefully sets down the bag he’s been hauling and wades quickly in, throwing himself forward until he’s completely submerged... clothes and all.
Nut chitters a little and turns inquisitive eyes on Kato. “Does it swim?”
“Yes. It does,” he jokes, smiling over at Az. “I think the cool water will help him stop being a shadowhead.” Kato sets his stuff down and starts to strip for a bath.
“I heard that,” Az says, apparently back above water. “I’m not being a shadowhead. I’m just... tired, and I miss being able to see.” He hums as he draws his energy, but nothing happens. Kato stands in just his boxers as over and over, Azrian tries to spread light around them and nothing happens at all. “What in the shadows is happening?!” Az yells, scrambling back out of the water and trying again. “Nut, you little shit... what’s in this stream?!”
“Not stream,” Nut says to Kato as he hides behind him.
“He said it’s not the stream. It’s just clean water, Az. I think you’re just exhausted.” Kato wafts into the water and waits until he’s chest-height to take his boxers off, but no one is paying any attention to him at all. Azrian’s on his knees and staring at his hands like they’ve betrayed him... and maybe they have.
After a moment, Az gets up and wrings out his drenched hair, then removes most of his soaked clothes. “I don’t know how we’re supposed to get anywhere without light,” he snaps to the sky.
“Fire sticks!” Kato states excitedly. “The ones I saw in your mind all those months ago.” He finishes with the soap and makes his way to Azrian, whose eyes widen as he approaches.
“You... um... Ka— um...”
Nut covers his eyes with both paws and shakes his head.
“I brought you the soap.” Kato looks at Nut and then back at Azrian with a confused frown.
“Penis out,” Nut states, but all it does is confuse Kato more.
“Well...” he looks down at himself. “I’m bathing. Of course my penis is out.”
Azrian sighs and snatches the soap from his hand, then stomps back toward the water. “Makes all the giant comments a lot less funny,” he mutters to himself. “Of course he is, why wouldn’t he be? Sweet shadows... I want out of this forest.”
Nut makes a sound a lot like a laugh and falls to the ground, rolling on his back.
“I don’t... the animal is laughing at me. Did you even know they laughed?” Kato pulls up his boxers and rolls his eyes. “And I don’t know why you think my penis is giant right now, the water was cold.”
“The water was cold,” Az mocks. “Great, so I’ll have to come up with a word more giant-y than giant. Excellent.” He scrubs his skin quickly then gathers the suds to wash his hair. “You can’t use fire st— torches — in forest this dense. It isn’t safe. That’s why we need to find those little clearings for fires.”
“That makes sense.” Kato goes a little upstream to drink some water and refill both of their canteens. “Do you want to rest today? So you can try to use your powers after?”
Az shakes his head. “We don’t have time to take unnecessary breaks. I’ll be fine, I’m sure it was just... anxiety or something.” He gets out to dry off and notices Nut still laughing, but while Kato tenses, nothing happens.
They silently pack up, and like the twins, Nut tells Kato he’s a funny human. Instead of correcting him — telling him that he isn’t a human — he ignores it. Part of him wishes he were for the simple fact that it would be easier, but the scars on Azrian’s body remind him that isn’t true.
No matter what you are, it’s a cruel world.
~
“HOW ABOUT WE SETTLE here?” Kato asks, drained from another long day of traveling. Nut has definitely come in handy; he’s kept them fed on fresh fruit from deep in the trees and he’s the only one completely adapted to life in Cettia’s shadow.
As he stares at the small beast, he listens to him yammer on about the ground and the trees. “Why do I have to hear your complaining?” he asks with a small smirk. Azrian is also complaining about the tree cover and how they can’t see Cettia, and instead of commenting about hearing everyone’s complaints all day, he decides to have a little fun.
Connecting minds isn’t easy. He was able to do it with Cal in that moment because his adrenaline was pumping and it was a life-or-death situation, but that was only the third time he’d ever tried it in his life. He imagines connecting Az and Nut will be difficult, but the thought has him giggling before he even attempts it. He avoids looking into Az's mind in the process and focuses on Nut’s thoughts, almost shoving them into Az’s mind one word at a time. “Tree.”
Azrian stands taller and looks over at Kato. “What?”
“What?” Kato bites back his smile and tilts his head.
“I thought I— never mind.” He goes back to their packs, and Kato connects them again.
“Grouchy human.”
Kato snorts at what he picked up that time and he bends over to busy himself and hide his expression.
“Who’s grouchy?” Az asks, turning to face Kato again with pinched eyebrows. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been a little on edge, but it’s not like I asked to be here. And why’d you say it in such a weird voice?”
“What are you talking about?” Kato manages to rush out, still avoiding his gaze.
“Scratch grouchy human.” Nut jumps up on Az’s leg and launches off of him into the tree, and the screech Azrian lets out is confirmation enough that Nut succeeded.
“Sweet shadows,” he curses, lightly touching the spot that’s already bleeding. “What just happened?” He scrambles to his feet and searches for Nut in the branches. “Get back here, you little...”
Kato’s unable to fight his giggle this time, and he lets Az hear Nut’s squeaky laughter as he ascends higher in the tree. “Azrian slow.”
Barking a laugh, Kato finally meets Az’s eyes but tries to play innocent. “What’s wrong?”
“Did he just call me slow? Did I just hear him call me slow?” He glances from the raccanis back to Kato and rubs the back of his neck, loudly wondering if he’s going crazy. Kato can tell the exact moment Az works it out but doesn't react fast enough — Azrian’s face snaps toward his and the next thing Kato knows, he’s being tackled to the forest floor.
Kato’s fully laughing now and lets Az believe he can win this match for a few moments. “What’s wrong? He just wanted to say hi.” He grunts and pretends he’s about to flip them but doesn’t just yet.
Az adjusts his grip in an attempt to pin him, but Kato can see the amusement finally budding in his expression. “I barely want him around, I certainly don’t wanna listen to him insulting me,” Az says.
“I have to listen to him all day.” Kato finally bucks into the air and flips them, pinning Az to the dirt with his body weight. “I thought you might be curious.”
“Cur—” Az exhales sharply, his body going limp under Kato. “What?”
He stays and tries to figure out why Az gave up so quickly. “What?” Kato’s eyes travel his face and he suddenly has the urge to kiss him, but Nut chitters next to them and they can both clearly hear his thoughts: “No sex. No want see that.”
A deep blush graces Azrian’s cheeks and he coughs as he pushes Kato’s chest. “Make it stop.”
Kato instantly recognizes the dismissal and gets off of Azrian, disconnecting them in seconds. “There. All gone.”
“Giant squish him.”
“Shut up, Nut. Are you okay, Az? I didn’t squish you, right?” Kato holds out a hand to help him stand, and Az brushes himself off afterward.
“No, I’m— that was... it was fine. I’m fine.” He’s still blushing but goes back to what he was doing beforehand, keeping his back to Kato and ignoring Nut’s chitters. One single thought slips through before Kato can manage to block him out again: Gods, I hope he doesn't judge me for liking that.
It makes him smile because he feels the same. Pinning Az was... Stop, these are dangerous thoughts. He pushes them all aside and gets back to work, and once their campsite is set, they lay down and stare up at the trees. In his time outside, he’s grown so fond of Cettia that he actually understands why Az is so drawn to it. “What was that animal we saw today? It had a bushy tail and pink, round ears... it darted up the tree.”
“Uh... it was a dorscuir. They’re pesky little things but not bad to eat if you can catch them.”
“It was kind of cute. Its thoughts were even harder to hear than Nut’s.” Kato looks over to see Az’s silhouette. “And I haven’t eaten poison... so that’s a plus.”
The soft sound of laughter fills the night as Azrian rolls a little closer. “A very big plus, Jellycrai. Can’t have you checking out on me now, I need you.”
“I know.” He doesn’t mean to sound cocky, but Azrian’s thoughts about that are loud sometimes. “I need you too, Azzy.”
“Good.” Az pushes himself up and sighs as he fumbles through the darkness, nearly tripping on Nut as he makes his way toward the small pile of wood they’d gathered. “It’s getting colder tonight than normal; I’m going to start a fire. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah. But if we need to conserve, I can wait until morning.” Kato’s truly starving, but he doesn’t want Az to worry about it. “Maybe we can move... closer tonight? For warmth.”
Az smiles as he squats down to light the fire. “Cuddling with you isn’t the worst thing,” he jokes. “But I don’t want another night where your stomach keeps me awake, so you’re eating. Just have to wait for the flames to get hot enough.”
Kato smiles back and hugs his knees, watching Az move around. “Only if you eat, too.”
“Yes, Sir,” Az says with a playful tilt of his head, but his expression changes quickly when one of the burning logs falls off the pile and lands at Azrian’s feet. He tries to stand but loses his balance and falls backward, giving the log just enough time to ignite the dry leaves around them. He moves fast — grabbing one of the thick capus-skin blankets Rhix gave them and falling on top of the log, yelling senselessly about Kato needing to run when the problem is completely contained.
Kato rushes to help, unable to even remember what they were talking about prior to the fire. “Az. It’s okay, it’s out.” He pulls him in for a hug, hoping to calm him. He doesn’t have to look into his mind to know why he’s so spooked. “You’re okay. We’re okay. Breathe. Fire is gone. We’ll cuddle for warmth and we have some berries from Nut. We’re okay. Can I keep holding you for a little bit?”
Az buries his face in Kato’s chest and lets out a shaky breath, nodding and wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. “We can still cook on the main fire, it’s lit anyway. I just... thought it was going to get out of control, that’s all.”
“You were too fast. Much faster than I was.” Kato rests his face in Az’s hair, inhaling the only scent he finds comforting in this forest. “You did good, Az. We’re safe because of you.”
“Yeah, I put out a fire I started. Good for me,” he says quietly, then pulls back from Kato and holds his hand for a moment. “You can tell Nut it’s safe to come back, I think I heard him run off when the log fell.”
“Nut’s fine. I can hear him up there.” Kato squeezes his hand and meets his gaze. “Stop being so hard on yourself all the time, Az. I’d be dead without you.”
~
THE NEXT DAY IS QUIET. Az doesn't speak much, Nut keeps his distance, and Kato is left wondering what other traumas will be coming their way... and if there will ever be a time that he can play around with Azrian without something or someone reminding them of what they’ve been through. He doubts it, but that doesn't stop the prospect from being something he looks forward to.
They settle down for the night; Nut between Kato’s legs and Az on the other side of the fire staring up at a sky he can’t see. He opts for telepathy — not wanting to disrupt the song coming from the forest around them — and reaches out to Az. “I’ve really grown fond of the sounds out here... especially at night.”
“I’ve... heard worse,” Az admits. “Hey, I’m sorry I’ve been so hard to deal with. I think a big part of me regrets leaving Rhix’s house.”
“It’s okay. I’d still choose to be here if that helps at all,” he offers. “We’ll make it through. Any... progress tonight?”
“Nah,” Az says. “Still nothing at all. I don’t get it, Kato. I mean... why now? Why is it that the moment I need them the most, they’re gone? I don’t understand. But... thank you for saying that. Humans aren’t worth a whole lot.”
“Why would you say that? Praediti are no better than humans, Azrian. If the world were less divided, maybe it would be a better world.” He can’t help but frown, knowing Az feels that way because of circumstances. But what if it’s possible to change those circumstances? What if the Regnum actually do something good, like work on equality? It seems like it’s their job to keep the peace, and peace includes humans. He doesn’t understand why they haven’t done something before now.
It takes so long for Azrian to answer him that Kato thinks he might have fallen asleep. But just as Kato himself is about to drift off, Azrian’s voice fills his mind. “Maybe you growing up in Deadrun wasn’t all bad. You’ve got a purer heart than anyone else I’ve ever met, Jellycrai. Get some rest, we’re halfway there.”
Kato smiles to himself at the nickname. He tries to think of one for Azrian, but before he can, sleep pulls him under, and he dreams of a different world. A better one, where humans and Praediti work together. Even his subconscious knows it’s a dream, but he has to have hope that it’s possible. If Azrian has taught him anything, it’s that settling is not an option, and even if it takes his whole life to convince a small handful of people that peace is possible... he has to try.
~
AFTER A FEW MORE DAYS of the same routine, all three of them are completely exhausted and to Kato’s surprise, Nut is the first to take a stand. “Break,” he commands, sitting down on the ground with a plop. “Water.”
Kato looks back and sighs to himself. “Azrian, Nut needs a break. He’s thirsty. We’ve been walking for five hours; can we take a bit? My feet hurt and I’m hungry.”
“Yeah,” Azrian replies. “I can hear the stream, just sit down. I’ll be back.” He grabs their canteen and heads off through the dimly lit trees on his own as Nut flops over onto his back with a squeak.
He looks comfortable enough to copy, and soon, both of them are sprawled out and staring up at the trees above them. “Do the trees ever end?”
Nut replies a simple “no” but then says something that brings Kato some hope. “Four days to Etria. Trees never end.”
“Well, I didn’t mean literally. I actually like trees, but four days... we can do four days.” At least there is an end in sight.
When Az comes back with water, Kato and Nut stay where they are, only lifting their heads to ensure it’s him. “Nut said four more days.”
“Right,” Az says quietly. He hands Kato the canteen and then glares at Nut as he sinks down onto his butt. “We can rest here, but we’re too exposed. We can’t stay long.”
“I kn—” Kato pauses, trying to understand what he just heard. “The — what?” He turns toward the brush seconds before a gigantic valianis walks out. His paws are nearly as big as Nut’s entire body and the markings on his face became clearer with every step. “Stop.” Kato stands, holding out his hands to take the creature in. He doesn’t feel threatened, but his ice blue eyes have Kato frozen in place.
Az notches an arrow instantly. “Kato, move!”
“No, wait!” Kato moves in front of the arrow and faces the valianis. “Hello, I’m Kato. This is Azrian and Nut. Can you repeat what you said? I couldn’t make it out.”
The animal’s eyes dart between them, and his voice is much clearer in his mind this time. “I’m called Axis. There’s no time. The avisim are coming.”
“What’s avisim?”
Instantly, Az tilts his bow higher. “Remember those giant things we saw when we got here? That were swinging through the trees and flying?” he asks quickly. “Those are avisim.”
“He says they’re coming. Like... now.” A branch snaps up above and no one moves.
“They’re here. I will help you.”
Kato doesn’t speak out loud — he can feel them watching, but he has to let Azrian know. “They’re here and Axis is going to help us fight. Axis is the valianis’ name.”
Axis slowly stalks forward, eyeing Nut and taking a protective stance in front of them all. “Is this dinner?”
“No. That’s Nut. He’s... family,” Kato says, because after the things they’ve survived together, “friend” doesn’t seem to suffice.
When the first avisim drops to the forest floor, Az fires his arrow and strikes it between the eyes. With a high-pitched grunt, it falls, but three more quickly take its place. From somewhere behind him, Azrian screams for Kato to run, but there’s nowhere to run. Their path is completely blocked, so Kato swiftly grabs his spear and prepares for a fight.
Nut is screeching loudly, making the avisim hesitate in their charge, and Axis’ snarl could be heard for miles. Kato tosses his spear and hits the chest of one on the ground just as another drops from the trees and lands on his head. The wails coming from the creature are deafening, and he falls to his knees as the beast carves up his face.
The thwack of Azrian’s arrow hitting home is the most welcome sound he’s ever heard. The avisim’s weight leaves Kato’s body as it falls limp, and Az is there a moment later to help him back to his feet. “Up, Kato! Here!” He shoves a bloody spear back into his hand and whirls at the sound of tearing flesh — and Kato follows just in time to watch Axis rip the throat out of the largest one they’ve seen yet.
The forest around them grows deadly silent as the remaining avisim stare. Az sidesteps slowly toward Kato and makes eye contact, so Kato listens: “What are they thinking? Do I keep shooting?”
“They —” Kato listens as they argue. “We killed their leader... Axis did. They’re scared.” The avisim back away, launching off the floor and into the trees. “They said our scraps aren’t worth another life.” He falls to his knees, his face aching from the assault. “Ass.”
“Wait, they got your ass, too?” Azrian kneels next to him and puts a hand on his shoulder.
“What?” He looks up, confused. “No, my ass is fine. Is your ass okay?” Kato asks, trying to look around at his backside.
Az turns to block him and holds out a hand. “But you — wait a minute, were you trying to cuss? Shadows, Kato. I’m beginning to think you need to take that from my head, too. But come on... let me see if we have any colwort left.” He digs around through their trashed rest site and comes up short. “Okay, it’s okay. Here.” He pulls off his shirt and turns it inside out, then uses one of the few clean patches left to dab up the blood. “We’ll make do until we can find some more. Maybe Axis or Nut can help?”
Just then, Nut comes up with a fresh leaf, handing it to Azrian and then checking on Kato himself. “Kato, okay?”
He nods with a small smile. “Yes, Nut. Kato is okay.” The fact that Nut cares so much has him feeling a tightness in his chest, and Az cleaning his wounds makes it even tighter. Axis is still close by and Kato hopes he sticks around. “Axis... thank you.”
“You are welcome, Kato. Is Azrian alright?”
“Axis wants to know you’re alright, Az. Talk to him.”
The look he gets in return is confusing, but then again, there’s a good deal of that radiating off of Azrian. “Um... I hate to break this to you, Jellycrai, but I can’t talk to animals. I mean... I am okay—” he turns to face Axis “— I’m okay, but... wow, you’re big. Okay, let’s just—” Axis moves forward slowly, and they’re practically eye-level “— let’s just take it easy.” Az stumbles back and falls with a grunt, then throws his arm up in defense. “Kato! Why is he looking at me like I’m dinner? Tell him to eat one of the avisim!”
“He isn’t. He wants to know you’re okay. He... likes you.” Kato chuckles.
Axis nudges his arm gently and sits in front of him, but it barely seems to make a difference in his height. “I’m here to help.”
“He said he’s here to help. Axis, you can eat that big one, you earned him.”
“Thank you.” Axis nods but doesn’t move. He sticks by Azrian despite the uneasiness written all over his face.
“Can we keep him, too?” Kato asks, crawling closer to them as Nut screams something at him in a language he doesn’t understand.
Az slowly reaches a hand out to touch Axis’ nose. “I’m certainly not going to tell him he has to leave, are you?” he asks skeptically. “Will you shut yours up though? I think my ears are bleeding.”
“Nut is scared. They’re sort of arguing right now, but Nut just wants to know he won’t eat him. Axis did ask if he was dinner earlier. Come here, Nut.” The raccanis climbs into his lap and glares at Axis, but quiets down soon after. “There. He’s quiet. They agreed to stick to their own humans... whatever that means.”
“Yeah,” Az agrees, clearly still nervous. “Whatever that means. Can you walk? We should get going... the faster we get out of this forest, the better.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kato touches a deep cut on his cheek and stands. “The colwort felt good. Thank you for grabbing that, Nut.”
~
LIKE NUT, AXIS IS AN extremely useful traveling companion. He may not be able to climb trees, but tonight he brought them a few dorscuirs, and for the first time ever, all of them have their own animal to eat. Kato hums happily as he takes a bite and stares at the giant beast fondly. “Thank you for dinner. With your hunting skills and Az’s cooking skills, we’ll never go hungry again.”
“You're welcome,” Axis’ deep voice sounds in Kato’s mind. “The forest will thicken soon, and wildlife will be scarce. Eat your fill while you can.”
He nods and looks over at Azrian, watching him stare into their campfire as if it might combust any moment. He needs a distraction. “Hey, Az? Do you know of any games we can play? They played some at Deadrun, but I wasn’t allowed to join in.”
The sudden interaction seems to startle him, and he jumps slightly as he looks over. “What? Oh, um... yeah. I know the feeling, the Praediti kids in Embermeadow didn’t usually let the humans play with them, but we had a few games of our own.” He licks his lips and looks around. “Okay, we played this game called Occy. It originally started when we were making fun of the Oculare, but kinda stuck. What you do is describe something, anything at all. It could be something you’ve seen or something you want, but you can’t say what it is. The other person has to guess what it is, and then if they can guess if you’ve seen it or want it, they get more points. Usually, we just played until we got bored or ran out of ideas, we never really had a winner or anything.”
Kato’s smiling as he sits up more and thinks of one to say. “I want to play! Okay, I got one... it’s something I want.”
“You're not supposed to tell me,” Az laughs. “But okay, go ahead.”
“Okay... it’s sweet... and made of bread.” He bites his lip in excitement as he waits for Az to guess.
He smiles slowly. “Um... sweet bread?”
“You’re good! Shadows I want some sweet bread right now... Okay, your turn.” Kato makes sure to completely block off Az’s mind, he doesn’t want to cheat.
“Jellycrai... you have to be less obvious about it than that. Like... hmm. The thing I'm thinking of is wet, it feels good, it’s only found one place, and it only works with certain people around.”
Kato frowns at him and tries to figure it out. It’s wet and feels good... well I doubt he means what I automatically thought of. He almost blushes at his thoughts. Only found in one place and only works with certain people around... Shadows... what is he talking about? “Um... is this a sex thing?”
“No,” Az says quickly, clearing his throat and squirming where he's sitting. “It’s not.”
Kato scratches his head and thinks harder. “Wet... I don’t know, Az. I was thinking... wait, a shower?”
His body relaxes. “Yes, the showers at Deadrun. Can you guess if it’s something I want or just something I've seen?”
“I think you want it. I want one too, Az... but I also like baths now, too.” Kato takes another bite and thinks of his next one as Az tells him he’s right, but falls silent after, like there’s something else he doesn't want to say. Instead of peeking, he focuses on the game. “Okay... I have one. I’m thinking of something that looks fluffy and sweet, but you don’t want to cuddle it... or eat it.”
This time, Az looks truly stumped. He fidgets with his food and eats slowly with his brows pinched until it finally clicks — “Mors Byssum?”
“Dammit! I should just quit.” Kato laughs at how bad he sucks at this game and then waves a hand. “Your turn.”
“Hey, you got the last one of mine right. I'm going to say that’s just something you’ve seen, not something you want... and for mine—” he bites his lip and looks around the forest, then snaps his fingers “— It’s really bright, guides me home, and I'm utterly lost without it.”
“Cettia. Seen and want.” Kato hugs his knees and tries to think of something that might stump Az. Instead of focusing on things they’ve seen or tried together, he digs deeper down to the thing he longs for the most — a family. “There’s a man and a woman. They’re standing over a crib and staring down at a little boy... the woman is humming something to him. What are they doing? And why am I thinking it?”
Az stares at him like he's trying to read between the lines, then pushes himself up to walk over and kneel in front of him. “They're comforting their son, and... my guess is you’re thinking about it because it’s not something you had. It’s something you want. A mom and dad that love you.”
The sadness that washes over him is unexpected, but he feels better with Az closer. “Yeah... even just one of them.” The scene he’d just described came from Ronan’s memory, not his own, and he finds himself wondering what it feels like to be loved.
“Kato, I'm so sorry.” Az climbs into his lap and wraps his arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. “You should’ve had that.”
The hug makes him smile and he holds Az close for a while as the fire slowly dwindles. “Thank you. This feels nice.”
“We should get comfortable, but if you want me to lay with you tonight, I will. I didn't mean to make you sad... it was just supposed to be a game.” He rubs Kato’s back and climbs off of him to finish his cold food and set up their makeshift bed, but when they settle in together, Az ends up almost on top of him again. “Is this okay?”
“More than okay.” Kato smiles against the messy mop of Azrian’s hair and sighs. “And you didn’t make me sad earlier... I’m sorry I made the game sad.”
Soft fingers trail down Kato’s side as Azrian shakes his head. “It’s not your fault. It happens sometimes, especially when we don’t have everything we want. I can’t promise it’ll sound any good, but if you want... I can hum to you. I think I remember the song my mom used to sing me.”
“Really?” Kato’s eyes widen slightly in disbelief. “I’d... yeah. I’d like that, Azzy.”
The first few notes are almost too quiet to hear — so much so that Kato wouldn’t know he was humming at all if not for the vibrations coming from his chest. But as he gains confidence and hums a little louder, the forest around them seems to still for the first time since their arrival, like not even the creatures around them want to disturb the sound.
It isn’t until Az finishes that the trees begin to move again, and even then, it’s a while longer before the silence is disturbed by Axis reaching into Kato’s mind. “The trees are more alive in this part of the forest. They hear him, just as we do.”
Kato smiles, rubbing Az’s back in slow circles. “The forest likes your voice almost as much as I do,” he whispers.
“Shhh.” Az mumbles something under his breath and buries his face in Kato’s armpit, then laughs at himself and lifts back up. “Yeah, we should try to take baths before we get going tomorrow. We’re getting smelly.”
But despite his words, Az only cuddles closer, and Kato knows it really doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t have to look into his mind to know that Az finds his smell comforting, especially because he feels the exact same. The scent of Az reminds Kato every single day that he isn’t alone, and smelly or not, it’s the only thing they have that feels like home.
~
TRAVELING ON AXIS’ back isn’t the most comfortable. Kato imagines it isn’t too bad for one person alone, but two people and an overweight raccanis leaves little wiggle room. The trees are so thick up ahead that Kato’s convinced it’s impossible to get through, but Axis insists he can. If Nut is correct, this should be their last challenge in the Simbian Forest, and right on the other side of this is the beginning of Etria.
“That's really thick, Ax. How are you gonna get through there at all, let alone with us on your back?”
The valianis takes a few steps forward, and just as Kato and Az begin to lean down to seek shelter in his fur, the trees begin to slowly part to make a pathway just large enough for their bodies. “I told you. The trees are more alive here, they'll make way for me.”
Kato stares slack-jawed at the trees and updates Az in a whisper when he tenses in front of him. “He believes the trees are more alive here at the edge... maybe so the forest can protect itself from those who come to destroy.” He feels them around him, and the buzz of the forest has his hair standing on edge. It’s absolutely breathtaking. “Thank you, trees.”
If they're capable of communicating the way animals do, they don’t show it, but Kato takes comfort in their silence. They bend and bow, twisting around themselves and moving Athoze itself to let them through. He knows in that moment that no matter how many times he’ll try, he’ll never quite be able to capture it on parchment... and somehow, that brings him comfort, too.
When they finally break through and reach the forest’s edge, Kato fears the animals will leave them. It makes him almost sad to say goodbye to the forest behind them. “Will you guys... stay? With us?” he asks, stopping just before the clearing.
“Me stay with Kato,” Nut says quickly, sitting on his back legs.
Axis looks to a confused Azrian and nods. “I’m staying, too.”
Kato has learned over the last few days that Axis is nearly a century old, and his full sentences make him much easier to talk to than other animals. “They said they’re coming with us, Azrian. All the way.”
“Oh,” he says with a small nod. “That’s good, but you’re going to have to put yours on a diet.” He steps closer to Axis and fists a hand in his long, black fur. “Nut eats more than the rest of us combined... he’s getting chubby.”
Nut screeches at Azrian. “You skinny. Not my fault.”
“Azrian,” scolds Kato. “You hurt his feelings and now he’s defensive.” But he also speaks into Az’s mind to keep Nut from listening. “I don’t know how to put him on a diet. He doesn’t listen well.”
Chuckling, Az moves a branch out of his way to get to Kato. “Tell him no when he tries to eat fourth helpings at dinner, maybe,” he says with a smirk. “Hey, your cuts are... wow. They’re gone, how did that...?” He reaches up to brush his fingers along Kato’s cheek, his brows pinched.
Kato shrugs. He doesn’t have a mirror, but the soreness had stopped the day after, so he had a feeling they’d healed. “I’ve always healed quickly. We should get going, who knows if we’ll find somewhere to rest tonight.”
“Course,” Azrian agrees as he drops his hand. “You’re right, as always.” They walk a few more paces to the edge of the trees, and Azrian sucks in a deep breath. “Okay. One forest down, one terrible desert left to go. We can do this, we just... have to...”