Act II: Ameshin Loyalty

Chapter 10 – Kinship

9:10 // Day 25, Mittwoch. Luna 97c.

"That’s the last one, thanks Arcrel."

"You can just call me Arc; everyone back home does."

We finished moving the twelve boxes of various shapes and sizes into the stables main room.

Perhaps I understated just how large this room is in previous explanations; it was large enough to comfortably fit a full-sized carriage inside of. Though it was rare we did such a thing since we had a separate room for storing them in. The room could be accessed via a large, heavily fortified, set of wooden doors on the opposite end of this room; which I was just in the process of unlocking.

"Speaking of home, where are you from?" I asked.

"Originally, I was from one of the Faeles’ outer villages in Enviar; it was named Mandar, though I've lived in the Eastern Region of Rubia for a few years now."

I pulled the right door wide-open, Arc grabbing the left-hand door’s large groove and following my lead. We swung the large doors open; revealing the sight of two pristine carriages, one that had arrived not hours before and, the other, a smaller carriage for trips such as these.

I was trying to ignore his use of past-tense description.

"Well, thanks for your help. I should be good now, though."

"It’s no biggie, I’m going back to the guild anyhow."

Oh right, I completely forgot that he had been sent here just for me...

"Uhm... I suppose you can load up the carriage then, it’s the one on the left. I’ll be back with Red in a moment."

"Got it, sir." he replied, his proportionally large ears flickering at light speed after my supposed approval.

Arc began by moving the boxes one-by-one beside the carriage—since he didn’t know how to activate the enchantment to reduce their weight—and, after observing the young man a moment longer, I made for the left-hand side of the room; toward the door to Red’s home.

Red was a good horse, my favourite of the two. She had a lovely reddish-brown coat that split in the centre of her body, changing to a semi-white coat towards her rear-end. She also seemed to like me a bit more than Smokey did, though that was probably because Enryn spent little time with her compared to his other steed.

Entering the room, I was greeted with a cool breeze from outside and the familiar, thick, stench provided by the horse. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad smell by any means—if anything it’s a pleasant, organic, one—but it is an overwhelming one.

Red turned her head from the surrounding scenery after hearing my entrance, happily dragging her hooves on the ground in response. Leaning slightly over the barrier, I held my hand out for her to rub against when she felt ready to: which didn’t take long as she was already nuzzled up in my palm after a few seconds.

Moving away to take her saddle, hanging safely on the wall, I felt relief in remembering my cloak. The majority of the room was open to the elements, which was perfect for a horse with a thick coat, but, not so much for myself.

Grabbing the saddle and blanket, I moved towards the small gate between the horse and myself. Red instinctively backed away, giving me room to enter and begin saddling her up.

"Good girl. I’m sorry I haven’t been out, but my skin isn’t as thick as yours."

Red snorted, letting out a low grunt in response.

In my first week here, I had spent a lot of time with this creature, finding myself constantly amazed by the poise she exuded; and the attention she demanded. And, whether it was by my efforts or not, we had fast become friends.

"Come here then, I know you just got back but we need to head out again." I said, throwing the blanket over her back and positioning the saddle atop of it. Typically, horses are fairly shy and timid creatures; making the act of saddling them up a pain. I was certainly no expert on the topic, but Red seemed to understand that I meant no harm and didn't recoil from my obvious lack of skill whenever I equipped her saddle.

I tightened the saddle up, placing my fingers between the girth and her skin. Both of us felt satisfied so I unlocked one of the three gates leading outside.

Enryn wasn’t particularly bothered about security regarding the horses. If the horses wanted to leave there was little to stop them: on the other hand, if someone wanted to steal them, they had to deal with the horses themselves who are likely a much better line of defence than a set of locks.

Holding onto her reign was unnecessary as she would follow me whether I liked it or not, so I simply left her to follow after I had placed the reigns in their ‘holster’ on both side of the saddle.

Our destination was an adjoining field—attached to the side of the building—which acted as the Import and Exporting location for Enryn’s goods. It ran towards the main road, allowing easy access for the horses to enter; though you couldn't put them in their stables via the field, since the only part of the building inside of the field was the carriage's storeroom.

It’s hard to describe just how homely and picaresque Enryn’s home—and the surrounding area—is. Though, I suppose I should be getting back to Arc now. I imagine that he is raring to go.

I gave him some rope so he could tie up his horse, though I think he ended up just leaving it in the front garden, which is fine... unless it goes for the flowers.

Gods... I don’t want to think about that. I’d better hurry back.

"Yo, White. All done here." yelled a familiar voice from beyond the fence.

I keep forgetting that he has a cat’s ear—well, actually, two—so he could hear mine and Red’s footsteps from a mile away.

"Alright. I’ll meet you on the main road." I shouted in response.

As I did, he emerged from behind the rear-end of the stables, greeting myself—who was in the process of letting Red through one of the gates.

"I'll see ya there."

"Uh-huh."

As soon as Arc came within an arms-length of Red, they were all over each other.

I’d heard that cats and horses were sometimes unlikely friends. I guess that goes for half-cats as well.

"We might get on, you know. Now you've stopped the rhyming."

Arc stopped petting the creature for a moment, staring back at me with his usual blank stare. I can’t say I’ve known him long enough to understand what he was thinking. Though, I don’t think he’s necessarily a bad person.

"No need to be forthright, White."

Never mind, he’s a terrible person. No, actually, he’s the worst person in the entire world; the worst person in the entire world is my new guild-mate...

ahem

Anyhow, once they had their fill of petting, he headed through the still open gate and back to his awaiting steed.

"Come on, Red. Let’s go."

whinny~

9:37, 18 Minutes Later

The Northern Farming District’s Main Road, 20 Minutes from Vaalbara Eclipse.

"So, are Felis rare?"

clatter, clatter

"Not necessarily, but new Felis are..."

clatter, clatter, clop

"New?"

The clattering of the carriage droned on in the background of the conversation, though we both began to drown out the noise as we became absorbed in our conversation; almost forgetting that we were both on the job.

"Yeah... as you know, the Faeles’ aren’t exactly open any of the other races."

"Mmhm." I nodded in response, though I had no idea about the Faeles’ culture; I only knew they existed.

"Most of the current Felis are descendants of the Faeles who left the village hundreds of years ago. It’s, well, rare that a Faele would leave, at least nowadays."

"Were you... banished from the village?"

As much as I didn’t want to ask the glaring question—it was the glaring question. I suppose it’s not a bad thing to speak about these things, learning about the world is why I’m here after all and it’s not all good things.

"...no, but my father was before I was born. Though I am not welcome there, so I suppose the answer is yes, then."

"Do you... care?"

"Not really. I never knew them anyway."

"I think I understand..."

Actually, I understood all too well. Being born with all the same qualities as the person next to you, but life granting you different opportunities.

It wasn’t fair, but it didn’t have to be.

I think that’s why I feel some kinship in Arc. We’ve both lived with the cards we were dealt, and that isn’t a bad thing. I mean, look where it got me. And, perhaps the Gods take away things from those they deem worthy: to level the playing field.

"You know, I’m glad we met. This is the first conversation I’ve had with a human." Arc sincerely replied, trotting alongside my low perch atop the carriage.

"What? I thought you’d been here for a couple of years..."

"I have, but no one has treated me with the respect you have."

"Huh? I’m not really treating you any different—"

Oh right. That’s exactly what he wants.

Well, my village wasn't necessarily against the Kin; in fact, we welcomed them if they ever came—rare as such an occasion was—but I was aware of the stigma. Especially now, after The Fluctuation: tensions must be high between all the races in Rubia.

We continued down the familiar dirt path, having just passed the Calsian’s bench. I’d remembered to check the plaque since I had forgotten its inscription when with Elise. It was in memoriam to Fae Calsia—someone I had no connection or knowledge to—and dated 67c, around 30 years ago. Whether she had any relation to Elise, I was unsure of. While she bore the Calsian name, many nobles sought brides from other families to increase their standing... according to Enryn.

I’m getting side-tracked again... what was I doing?

clop, clop

The familiar noise provided by the clashing of hooves and tough dirt brought me back to my senses. We had just passed the halfway line to the guild—which was the bench—and well on our way to arriving. It’s not that much faster by carriage than it is walking, so we can expect a thirty minute-or-so journey there.

"…"

The fields are deserted this time of the year. I've not seen a single farmer—or even their children—out today. Though, it's to be expected; nothing is going to grow anyhow, and the crops that do are usually of poorer quality.

There’s also The Fluctuation, I suppose. Even though it’s over, I can’t imagine that people are too keen to venture far from home just yet.

clop, clop

"…"

clop, clop

"......ugh" I want to get this delivery over sooner, rather than later. I’m still feeling groggy after my late nights of waiting... how close are we? Judging by our surroundings, I’d say a good ten minutes.

Maybe I’ll just complain to Arc for a bit, that should do the trick.

"Hey Ar—"

"We're not that different, White. Even the Faele. We're really not that different..."

Ugh, he beat me to it.

I leaned back on my narrow bench in response. I suppose he was correct, had I not seen his ears or tail; Arc would seem almost human.

"We have the same reproductive organs; I can show you i—"

"No, I’m fine, thanks."

Arc chuckled in response to my apprehension: he was clearly amused with my deadpan response.

"Did that wake you up?" Arc asked. He was likely just tormenting me, but it was a kind gesture...

"I guess...?"

"...I’m glad Kai sent me; he was right about you. I’ve never been able to speak to you Humans like this before."

This was his true intent. Everything before this was prose, just meant to lead into this one statement... and, perhaps I underestimated his sincerity. I just wish he didn’t lump me in with the rest of Humankind; we were certainly a race that cared little for self-unity.

"Thanks, Arc."

Arc took a moment to respond, tilting his head towards the Merchant Districts wall on his left-hand side.

His hair was of medium length, reaching partway down his neck and covering his eyes somewhat. And, only at times like this, you could see some small braids mixed into his unruly hair; adorned with silver hair tubes near the roots of his braids.

The braids didn't seem to be fashion statements, instead, owing more to tradition. People in Pentas are typically proud of their heritage, due to the abundance of cultures and history across our lands. For example, some adventurers from Hinter permanently remove strips of hair from their eyebrows; to honour those they had killed (done the same way in which my hair was dyed).

I didn’t necessarily have much pride in Enviar. I, of course, love the people, but the actual nation itself matters little to me. Which is perhaps why I feel no animosity towards the other nations and races, such as the Kin.

"Hey, White. Do you know about the Evolution Theory...?" Arc asked, finally formulating his question.

I was aware of the theory, though I didn’t subscribe to it, nor knew anything more than the surface level information I had been told. So, I responded with...

"A bit, I guess."

"Do you believe in it?"

"I don’t know enough about it to say. I’m not religious, but... I believe they gave life to Humankind. Though I can't explain where you came from, unfortunately, and, well, I can't say I have full belief in the Gods either."

Arc looked back towards the wall, most likely meticulously planning his next question. For all his antics before, he’s very thoughtful when engaged in a serious conversation.

"I suppose that wasn't an answer. Sorry."

"No, it’s fine. Most Humans outright deny it, since it would mean admitting relation to the Kin."

Admitting relation...?

Ah, right. My knowledge is limited on the subject, but the Evolution Theory is what some of the Kin use to explain how we were born. It stems from the idea that we were all one, singular, lifeform in the beginning, slowly adapting and splitting into what we have become now. So, of course, Humankind would deny such a theory.

It would drag them down from their pedestal, placing them among the races they so much despise.

Arc turned back towards me, his ears slowly folding downwards as he spoke.

"Us Felis have no Gods, so it’s all we have."

Oi, oi. Don’t start crying on me now, I’ve not even known you for an hour... I’d better say something.

"You’re overthinking it, Arc. You’re here, and I’m here. How we ended up here doesn’t change who we are now: that’s all there is to it." I confidently said, perhaps getting a bit too into my speech, but completing my objective.

Arc had stopped moping around and his regular self was gleaming back through.

Seriously, why does everyone do this around me?

"We’re not far from Eclipse now... you feeling okay?"

"Y—yeah... sorry, and thank you. I guess I’m still a bit emotional over the incident."

sigh

I think Arc was affected a bit more by The Fluctuation than he’s let on. Though, I suppose that much is true of the several other’s that appear to have joined in my absence.

"We’re almost their girlie, just a couple of minutes." I gestured towards the 3-years-old horse, who let out a happy whinny in response.

I’m still impressed by how well trained she is, especially since I have absolutely zero skills in equestrianism. She was so well behaved that I didn’t even need to hold her reigns... how did Enryn do it?

"So, you’re like my cousin fifty-thousand times removed?"

Arc’s ears flickered once again at my question, perking up again.

"Yeah... I think?" he said, tilting his head to the left as he stared back at me.

"Then—by that line of thinking—you’re like better monkeys. I've never seen a real monkey though, only read about them."

"Yeah, I guess?"

clop, clop

"Hmm..."

clop, clop

"Wait... don’t compare me to a monkey, Whi—"

"Oh, would you look at that? It's the guild."

So it was, and not a moment too early. It was almost a saving grace to see that familiar church, it's circular steps and the makeshift stable beside the entrance. Well, I say stable, but it's just a roof and some fencing to tie horses to. Arc aimed his horse toward the 'stable', whereas I made my way across the rough mix of time-gone cobbled stone and rough dirt. I think a path used to be here, but it certainly isn't anymore.

Hopping down from my low perch, I kicked a lever near the bottom of the carriage, activating the dual supports on either side of the vehicle.

I made my way towards Red; she was pawing at the ground... with her hooves as if wondering; why was the ground was so strange? After all, Smokey usually made this trip. Red was the second horse for pulling the larger carriage: she was probably excited to go out on her own like this.

"Hey Red, I might be here a while, so you’ll have to be patient, alright?"

snort

"Alright, I’ll take that as a strong yes. Let’s get you unhooked."

Removing the twin hooks, I made my way to the door, knowing that she would be fine waiting around the entrance.

The guild wasn’t in a necessarily dense area as it bordered a Residential and Farming District, though it would probably be better to tie her up now that I’m thinking about it... I don’t think anything would happen, but it’s better safe than sorry, I guess. I turned back to see the horse just metres away from me, trying her best to be quiet.

"You can’t come in, Red..."

It was hard to refuse the lovable horse—especially after he dejected whining—but I doubt Kai would appreciate her being in the guild half as much as he does myself.

"She seems to like you buddy." spoke a familiar voice, belonging to the once distant Arcrel.

"Not as much as your one does. Was he... licking you?"

"Yeah, we sometimes groom each other, that was ju—"

"Please don't finish." I said, cutting him off before he finished. I certainly didn’t need to know the rest of that sentence.

Arc let out a quiet laugh in response... but I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He does possess cat-like qualities though, so perhaps it wasn’t as strange as I thought... no, it was definitely weird.

He’s definitely weird.

"Hey, White?" the strange cat-like man asked as the three of us manoeuvred towards the currently occupied stable.

"Yes..." I cautiously asked.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being you."

"...did you steal that line from my mother?"

"I mean it. Thanks."

Arc looked up at me, waiting impatiently for a response. Just like a cat asking for food, no, begging for food.

I suck at this, I really do, and that’s why I can only respond one way.

"Whatever."

"Thanks..." he optimistically replied, ignoring the fact that I in no way acknowledged his sincerity.

"You can stop saying Thanks." I responded in a monotone voice.

"...sorry."

"And sorry."

"...alright, White"

"And rhyming my name..."

"No can do, sir!"

It seems he's back... unfortunately.

"Whatever, let’s get this stuff in. I might need to do another trip yet." I replied, somewhat worrying myself at the prospect of repeating this cycle once more.

"Yes, sir!"

"And s—"

sigh

There's no point, is there? I thought to myself, taking out some rope from a small pouch in Red's saddle; attaching it to the fence, just across from Arc's horse. Close enough so they could talk. Do horses talk to each other? They neigh and whinny, but they’re not saying actual words, right?

...I think Arc's stupidity is contagious—perhaps I should get inside and tell reception I'm here.

"We going in?" Arc innocently asked, as if he wasn’t causing this 16-year-old's hairs to turn grey so early in his life.

"Yeah, come on. You should get back to Kai, he probably told you to head straight back, did he not?"

A troubled look formed on Arc’s face; I’d hit the nail on the head.

"Go on, I don’t need any help. We’ll catch up later."

"Thanks, White..."

"What did I say?"

"Y-Yeah, so—" Arc stopped mid-sentence, realising exactly where he was heading. "—see you later?"

"See you later, Arc." and with that, he was finally gone; scampering towards the large, open doors. I, on the other hand, took my time, making sure to give Red ample attention before leaving her.

Arc’s horse seemed well enough—unlike his owner—donning a thin cover to keep the cool air off his thin, grey coat. And, Red seemed to like him, well, at least more-so than she liked Smokey. There was certainly some animosity between the two horses, but at least she didn’t share that feeling with other horses.

"See you, girlie."

Red responded with her usual whinny as I announced my departure; making my way towards the side of the carriage, it was an open-roof model, or more accurately, had a removable roof—which was currently removed.

Hopping onto the side-skirting, I made sure I had everything I needed before announcing my arrival.

One, two... eight, nine... twelve... all accounted for, though I feel like I’ve left something.

Making for the steps, I was sauntering beyond the thick, iron-plated, wooden doors, when I remembered what I'd forgotten.

"...the training sword."

10:03

Chapter 10, End