Ketucari 10th Anniversary Side Story: Nadim & Aurik

Chapter 1: Gorgeous Garochs

Nadim had not intended to spend the morning following a stranger through an underwater city. Then again, his travels rarely remained exactly what he intended. Paschmahaa stretched dark beneath him, its black waters swallowing much of the light filtering down from the surface. Far below, the ocean floor twisted into mineral-rich mountains, broken trenches, and faintly glowing seams where the heat beneath the earth still made itself known. It was a place that rewarded careful movement. Nadim had learned long ago that unfamiliar lands usually announced their dangers well before they became dangerous, provided one bothered to listen.

Ahead, Kehn moved confidently toward the concealed city of Paschara as Nadim followed. They were not alone. The other ketucari had joined shortly before their descent, a smaller Danuoc whose attention seemed incapable of remaining fixed upon any single thing for long. "Not from nervousness," Nadim thought, "probably curiosity."

The stranger had already stopped twice. Once for an unusual mineral formation, and once because he had noticed something half-buried in the ocean floor. Now he had slowed again.

Kehn glanced back, "something wrong?"

"No," the Danuoc was staring at the mountain ahead.

"Then why did you stop?"

"I was looking."

Kehn waited. The stranger continued looking. Nadim's whiskers twitched with quiet amusement. Eventually Kehn turned and continued onward.

The mountain revealed very little from the outside. Only when they drew closer did its secrets become apparent. Stonework emerged where natural rock should have continued uninterrupted, and strange mechanisms sat embedded within the surrounding structure. Beyond them shimmered the faint distortion of an energy barrier.

The Danuoc immediately accelerated. Nadim caught him with a warning call before he reached it. "Perhaps," Nadim suggested, "we allow our guide to reach the security barrier first."

The stranger looked back at him. His expression held the unmistakable disappointment of someone being told not to poke an interesting object. "Aurik," he said.

Nadim inclined his head, "Nadim."

That seemed sufficient introduction for both of them. Kehn guided them safely through the barrier and into Paschara and Aurik forgot Nadim existed the moment they entered. The ancient city occupied the sheltered space beneath the mountain, its architecture woven through stone that should have been far too unstable to support it. Magical bulkheads reinforced passages. Old mechanisms hummed beside carefully constructed walls. Security machines traveled predetermined routes while, farther below, the city opened into inhabited spaces.

Aurik turned in a slow circle, "how old is this?"

Kehn answered.

Aurik immediately asked another question.

Then another.

By the time they reached the outer edge of the Paschara Gardens, Nadim had learned far more about Aurik through observation than Aurik had learned about him through conversation. The Danuoc knew ruins, more importantly, he knew how to look at them. He noticed where old construction ended and later repairs began. He examined stone without disturbing it. When something interested him, he became stubbornly difficult to move until he understood at least part of what he was seeing. Yet he never spoke of where he was going afterward.

The Gardens distracted him again. Great stone plots stretched across the seabed, cultivated like fields despite the ocean surrounding them. Seit grew within them while large fish grazed through the submerged farms, guided by currents into carefully constructed areas.

Aurik stared, "underwater cattle."

Kehn laughed, "close enough."

"I like them."

"You've known them for five seconds."

"Long enough."

Nadim finally laughed softly. Aurik glanced toward him, "you don't?"

"I haven't decided."

"That sounds unnecessarily cautious."

"I've known them for five seconds."

Aurik stared at him before realizing his own words had been returned to him, "fair."

They continued through the city. Eventually Kehn led them toward one of the places where Paschara's Garochs could be safely observed. Aurik's attention shifted immediately.

This time Nadim understood why. There was something undeniably captivating about watching Garochs move through their environment, especially here, where the dark water and strange architecture made every unfamiliar shape seem part creature and part apparition.

Aurik edged forward, Kehn warned him not to get closer. He stopped... barely.

"Do you always do that?" Nadim asked.

"Do what?"

"Reach the exact boundary you've been given."

Aurik considered the question, "probably." That answer told Nadim considerably more than Aurik seemed to realize.

For a while, the three simply watched. It was Aurik who eventually broke the silence, "I thought I'd stay around here for a while."

Kehn glanced toward him, "Paschmahaa?"

"Maybe."

"And after that?"

Aurik's tail shifted lazily in the current, "somewhere else."

Nadim watched him. There was no sadness in the answer. No crisis carefully concealed beneath humor. Aurik simply appeared to have reached the end of one current without yet finding another.

"You've traveled far to arrive here," Nadim said.

Aurik shrugged, "there kept being things to see."

"And now?"

"There are still things to see."

"Then you have not run out of road."

Aurik looked toward him. Nadim offered nothing further. He had found that advice often became less useful the more eagerly one explained it.

Kehn eventually began leading them back through Paschara. Aurik lingered one final moment beside the Garochs before following. Near the barrier, he caught up with Nadim, "so where are you going?"

"Zolkanis."

Aurik tilted his head, he had heard the name, but never visited, "what is there?"

"Floating islands. Salt flats. Waterfalls. Cities." Nadim continued swimming. Behind him came a brief silence, then hurried movement as Aurik caught up, "floating islands?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"There are several answers to that."

"Do you know which one's right?"

"No."

Aurik's interest sharpened immediately. Nadim glanced sideways at him... there it was, another  curious current.

"Mind company?"

Nadim looked ahead toward the dark waters beyond Paschara, "no."

And just like that, Aurik had somewhere to go.

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Chapter 2: Zolkanis Zoomies

Aurik had understood the words floating islands perfectly well. He had simply decided that Nadim had failed to describe them properly. The first shadows appeared across the water before the islands themselves became clear. Aurik lifted his head, expecting clouds, only to find enormous masses of earth hanging impossibly above the sea. Water spilled from their edges. Some streams disappeared into mist long before reaching the ocean. Others fell in brilliant ribbons toward lower islands, lakes, and distant stretches of land.

Aurik stopped swimming. Nadim continued several lengths before noticing.

"You left out the waterfalls."

"I said waterfalls."

"You didn't say they fell out of the sky."

Nadim looked toward the islands, "I thought the floating part implied that."

"It did not."

Their approach brought more of Zolkanis into view. Green spread across the lower islands, interrupted by pale stone and flashes of brilliant wildflowers. Above them hung still more land, layered through the sky at heights Aurik struggled to judge from the water.

He had crossed an ocean for this. Admittedly, he had not known he was crossing it for this at the time, that hardly mattered. By the time they reached Hazefall, Aurik's uncertainty about accompanying Nadim had vanished entirely.

The seaport was threaded through with water. Canals divided sections of the city, carrying small boats between buildings and beneath bridges. Beyond the structures, waterfalls descended from higher ground, feeding the waterways before continuing toward the sea.

Aurik stared down one canal, then another, then back toward the harbor, "this place has roads for boats."

"Canals," Nadim said.

"I know what canals are."

"Then why did you call them roads for boats?"

"Because that's what they are."

Nadim chose not to argue.

They had barely begun exploring when another ketucari approached. Penny was considerably smaller than Nadim. Smaller even than Aurik, her Danuoc build keeping her compact beside the large Ryno. Brown covered most of her, broken by warmer and paler markings that caught the daylight as she moved.

Aurik noticed her looking at them, Penny noticed him noticing. A moment later she turned and started down a canal-side path.

Aurik looked at Nadim, "do you know her?"

"No."

Penny stopped farther ahead and looked back. Aurik looked at Nadim again, "I think we're being summoned."

"So it would seem."

They followed, Penny apparently considered that sufficient agreement to become their guide. She led them away from the busiest part of Hazefall, occasionally waiting when the visitors fell behind. Nadim kept an easy pace, but Aurik did not as everything distracted him.

A narrow waterway disappeared beneath a building and emerged on the opposite side, he investigated.
Flowers grew in enormous colorful patches outside the city, h investigated those too.
A waterfall vanished behind a ridge, that required investigation immediately.

Penny finally hurried after him and intercepted him before he disappeared in entirely the wrong direction. Nadim watched from several lengths away.

"You could have warned me," Aurik called.

"I wondered how long it would take you to notice."

"Notice what?"

"That Penny was going the other way."

Aurik looked at Penny as Penny looked back at Aurik, "right." He followed her.

Beyond Hazefall, Zolkanis opened around them. The lowlands were unlike Paschmahaa's dark waters and mountainous seabed. Here, open country stretched beneath an enormous sky. Wildflowers scattered color through the grasses, while distant lakes reflected fragments of the islands above them.

Aurik repeatedly tilted his head back. From below, the floating islands looked even stranger. Roots and stone protruded from their undersides. Water poured over distant cliffs without any visible mountain beneath them. Shadows traveled slowly across the land as the islands shifted overhead.

Penny broke into a run, Aurik watched her for perhaps two seconds, then ran after her. Nadim sighed as the two Danuocs tore across the open ground. Penny had the advantage of knowing where she was going. Aurik had the advantage of apparently not caring.
She darted around a patch of flowers, he went through it.
She slipped beneath a low stone shelf, he scrambled over it.
Penny glanced backward and accelerated, Aurik did the same.

Whatever quiet tour she had originally intended dissolved completely. By the time Nadim caught up, Penny stood near the edge of a lake while Aurik was halfway into the water. Nadim stopped beside her, "I assume this was part of your tour."

Penny looked entirely pleased with herself. Aurik surfaced, "there's something shiny down here."

Nadim closed his eyes briefly, of course there was. Aurik disappeared beneath the surface again. When he returned, he carried nothing.

"Well?" Nadim asked.

"Rock."

"A remarkable discovery."

"It looked more interesting underwater."

Penny chirped beside him. Aurik pointed at her, "she understands."

Their route eventually curved back toward Hazefall as afternoon began leaning toward evening. Aurik was damp, covered in bits of grass, and carrying several questions he had not yet found anyone capable of answering. He seemed happier than he had in Paschmahaa, Nadim noticed but said nothing.

At the edge of the city, Penny stopped. Aurik glanced toward the waterways behind them, then toward the floating islands overhead, "we barely saw anything."

"No," Nadim agreed.

Aurik looked at him suspiciously, "how long were you planning to stay?"

"I had no particular schedule."

That was evidently the correct answer. Aurik's attention returned to the islands. Somewhere high above them, another waterfall spilled over an unseen edge and dissolved into mist. "Good," he said.

Penny started forward again, Aurik immediately followed. Nadim watched both Danuocs disappear into the city before setting off after them. Zolkanis, he suspected, was going to take considerably longer than he expected.

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Chapter 3: Dramatic Deities

Aurik had discovered that Zolkanis became considerably stranger the farther he traveled into it. He considered this an improvement. Hazefall had been unusual enough, with its canals and waterfalls spilling down from islands suspended overhead. Beyond the city, however, the landscape seemed determined to disregard every rule Aurik thought land was supposed to follow.

He and Nadim had spent the better part of the morning crossing the open flats. Wildflowers gradually surrendered to stretches of pale ground and scattered pools, while the floating islands remained overhead, casting enormous wandering shadows across the landscape. Aurik had already wandered away twice. The first time, he had found an interesting stone. The second time, he had found another interesting stone.

Nadim had declined to acknowledge the difference between them. Now Aurik was several lengths ahead again when something moved across the ground. He stopped, the shadow was enormous.

Aurik looked up as two heads looked back. For several seconds, neither he nor the creature moved. Then Aurik called, "Nadim?"

"Yes?"

"There is a very large bird staring at me."

Nadim approached at his usual unhurried pace, "I can see that."

"You don't sound concerned."

"I know who they are."

That was reassuring for approximately half a second, then the creature began descending. Two long necks rose from a single avian body, one head carrying warmer hues of orange and cream while the other bore cooler blues. Vast wings stretched from either side, patterned with strange golden eyes that seemed almost to watch independently of the creature's actual heads. Long tail feathers trailed behind them.

Aurik took one step backward, the creature became smaller... he blinked. By the time their feet touched the ground, what had moments ago seemed large enough to dominate the landscape stood roughly comparable to the ketucari before them.

Aurik stared, the orange head stared back while the blue head tilted sideways. "You got smaller."

"Yes!" said one. The other added, much more calmly, "it makes conversation easier."

Aurik looked at Nadim who dipped his head respectfully, "Igyera."

Both heads brightened in recognition of the greeting. The excitable one leaned toward Aurik, "you're new."

Aurik leaned backward, "I am."

"Yera," the calmer head said.

"I know."

"You are crowding him."

"He's interesting."

"You have known him for seconds."

Aurik glanced toward Nadim, who's expression remained perfectly composed.

Aurik narrowed his eyes, "you're enjoying this."

"A little."

Igyera settled their wings against their sides. Nadim introduced Aurik properly, and in return explained the distinction Aurik had not known: the calmer head was Igra, the considerably more animated one Yera. Together, they were Igyera, Domain Guardian of Zolkanis.

Aurik's attention snapped back toward them, "Domain Guardian?"

Yera looked delighted, Igra merely nodded. Aurik studied them again. He had expected something different from a deity responsible for an entire zone. Something distant, perhaps. Something that appeared surrounded by followers and ceremony. Instead Yera was examining the unusual feathers along his neck.

"Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"I like them."

"Thank you?" Igra gently redirected their shared body before Yera could inspect him from another angle, "you have been enjoying Zolkanis." It was not phrased as a question.

Aurik looked toward the floating islands, "I've never seen anywhere like it."

"Good!" Yera exclaimed, "you shouldn't keep seeing places you've already seen."

Igra considered that, "poorly stated."

"But correct."

"Mostly."

Aurik smiled. Nadim settled nearby, apparently content to let the conversation wander wherever it pleased.

Igra looked back toward Aurik, "what brought you here?"

"Nadim."

Nadim's ear flicked as Igra waited. Aurik realized they wanted more, "I was in Paschmahaa. He said he was coming here."

"And before Paschmahaa?"

"Sunye Wastes."

"And before that?"

"Viridian Tangle."

Yera's head rose higher with each answer, "you've been everywhere!"

"Hardly everywhere," Igra corrected.

"Enough places to make everywhere eventually."

Aurik laughed, Igra remained focused on him, "what are you looking for?"

That answer came less easily, Aurik scratched lightly at the ground, "I don't know."

Yera opened their beak but Igra spoke first, "that is allowed."

Aurik looked up. "You expected us to tell you?" Yera asked.

"No."

"Yes," Nadim said.

Aurik turned toward him, "whose side are you on?"

"No one's."

Yera laughed loudly enough for both of them, Igra's amusement was quieter. "You have learned things," Igra said, "you have traveled. You have followed interests until they became skills."

Aurik thought briefly of cooking. Of Greheli. Of flooded ruins and half-buried objects that could hold his attention for hours.

"And now none of them are telling you where to go next," Igra continued.

Aurik nodded. Yera immediately stretched their neck toward him, "then go somewhere!"

Aurik stared. Igra closed their eyes, "that was not advice."

"It absolutely was."

"You have told him to solve uncertainty by continuing to be uncertain elsewhere."

"Yes!"

Nadim made a suspicious sound that might have been a suppressed laugh.

Igra looked toward Aurik again, "you do not need to choose a destination simply because you have reached the end of the last one. Pay attention instead to what repeatedly catches your interest."

Yera nodded enthusiastically, "then chase it." This time Igra didn't correct them.

Aurik looked between the two heads, different answers... except not really. His gaze drifted toward the horizon, he still didn't know what came after Zolkanis. Strangely, that uncertainty felt less like an empty space than it had before.

Eventually Igyera rose. Their body expanded as they took flight, growing rapidly until vast wings spread over the flats again. Golden eyes flashed across their feathers before they climbed toward the floating islands.

Aurik watched until they became distant against the sky. Then he looked at Nadim, "they're not what I expected."

"No."

"They're nice."

"Yes."

Aurik started walking again, after several steps, he glanced back, "you were very quiet."

"They weren't speaking to me."

"You could have helped."

"You seemed to be doing fine."

Aurik snorted and continued onward. Behind them, the shadow of Igyera's wings passed once more across the land. Aurik looked up and smiled, then kept going.

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Chapter 4: Raid Remembrance

Aurik waited until Igyera had disappeared completely before asking the question, "they're really the one everyone warns travelers about?"

Nadim glanced toward him, "the one?"

"You know what I mean."

"I usually do."

Aurik gave him a flat look. They had left the open flats behind and followed a narrow rise overlooking one of Zolkanis's many lakes. Above them, floating islands drifted slowly across the sky, their shadows sliding over the water. Somewhere beyond the hills, a waterfall poured from one island to another in a pale ribbon.

It was difficult to imagine anything terrible happening here. That, Aurik suspected, was part of the problem. "Igyera was nice," he continued, "Yera nearly climbed on top of me, but nice."

"Naturally."

"And Igra was..."

"Wise?"

"I was going to say less exhausting."

Nadim's mouth twitched. Aurik looked back toward the distant islands, "so why does everyone act like making them angry is the worst thing anyone could possibly do?"

Nadim slowed, he had been expecting the question eventually, "because kindness and harmlessness are not the same thing."

Aurik's ears angled toward him. Nadim stopped near the lakeshore and lowered himself onto a broad patch of grass as Aurik sat nearby.

For several moments, Nadim said nothing... Aurik endured perhaps ten seconds, "well?"

"I was waiting."

"For what?"

"For you to think about what you saw."

Aurik frowned, "I saw a two-headed god give me advice."

"What else?"

"They can change size."

"Anything else?"

Aurik looked upward... the islands... the waterfalls... the enormous stretches of land suspended impossibly above them. His expression changed slightly, "they're holding all of this together?"

"Perhaps."

"You don't know?"

"There are different explanations."

Aurik sighed, "you and Igyera would get along."

"We did."

"That was not a compliment."

Nadim ignored that, "whatever keeps the islands aloft, Igyera is responsible for Zolkanis. Not merely for the land but also for those living upon it."

Aurik listened. "Imagine," Nadim continued, "that something threatened Hazefall." Aurik pictured the canal city as Nadim pressed further, "or Wyvern's Heart. Or the lowlands. Imagine a threat that did not leave when warned. Something that harmed those under Igyera's protection and continued doing so deliberately."

Aurik's tail stilled, "then they'd fight."

"Yes."

"How bad?"

Nadim looked at him, "bad enough that everyone remembers why it should not happen."

That answer had considerably less humor in it. Aurik glanced toward the lake. He had encountered dangerous creatures before. He understood territorial animals. He understood something attacking because it was hungry, frightened, or cornered.

That wasn't quite what Nadim was describing. "You've seen a raid?" Aurik finally asked.

"I have seen what remains after one."

Aurik looked back immediately towards him... but Nadim did not elaborate. He didn't need to.

"So everyone fights the Domain Guardian?"

"When matters have deteriorated that far, yes."

"That seems backwards."

"It often is."

Aurik's brow furrowed, "if they're protecting the zone, why would the ketucari attack them?"

"Sometimes protection becomes wrath. Sometimes mistakes compound. Sometimes people convince themselves that because they survived one poor decision, another will be equally survivable."

"And then?"

"Eventually, someone must deal with the consequences."

Aurik was quiet. Above them, an island drifted across the sun, the lake darkened beneath its passing shadow. Nadim watched him rather than continuing.

Aurik finally asked, "so the lesson is don't annoy gods?"

"No."

"That seems like the obvious lesson."

"It is the simplest one."

"Those are usually useful."

"Until they're wrong."

Aurik groaned softly, Nadim continued before he could complain, "if you only avoid angering Igyera because you fear what they can do, you have learned very little."

"Then what am I supposed to learn?"

"Why they would become angry."

That stopped him... Nadim gestured toward the landscape around them, "Igyera protects this place. They protect those who need them. Their friendliness does not weaken that responsibility. It exists beside it."

Aurik thought again of Yera leaning eagerly toward him and of Igra patiently listening. Of both heads agreeing without hesitation when protection had been mentioned.

"They're dangerous because they care."

Nadim nodded once, "closer."

Aurik stared at the water, he understood now why Nadim had refused to turn the conversation into a warning. Warnings could be forgotten, this was harder to dismiss.

"So if someone threatens Zolkanis..."

"They should expect Igyera to respond."

"And if enough people are foolish enough..."

"A raid may follow."

Aurik grimaced, "that sounds miserable."

"They usually are."

Another silence followed, this time Aurik allowed it... eventually he stood, "so."

Nadim rose as well as Aurik looked toward the path ahead, "I don't anger Igyera."

"A promising beginning."

"I also don't anger other Domain Guardians."

"Better."

"And if I see someone else doing it?"

Nadim considered him, "what do you think?"

Aurik sighed, "stop them before everyone has to fight a god."

Nadim started walking, Aurik hurried after him, "that was the answer, wasn't it?"

"It was one answer."

"You really can't just say yes?"

"I could."

"But you won't."

"No."

Aurik shook his head. Ahead, sunlight returned to the lake as the floating island passed beyond it.Some lessons, Aurik decided, were apparently easier to survive than others.

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Chapter 5: Discovery of Doggos

The problem began with a broken wheel. Aurik noticed it from halfway across the field, though Nadim suspected the scattered vegetables had caught his attention first. A small cart sat crooked beside the path, one side sunk heavily into the grass. A broken wheel lay several lengths away. Leafy greens, bundles of herbs, and several small sacks had spilled across the ground. Two travelers were attempting to gather everything before the contents rolled farther downhill.

Aurik changed direction without saying anything as Nadim followed, "need help?"

One of the travelers looked up, "yes, please."

That was all Aurik needed. He caught a sack threatening to roll down the slope and dragged it back toward the cart. Nadim began collecting the smaller bundles while the travelers explained that the wheel had struck a stone and cracked at the hub.\

None of them noticed the large figure watching from farther across the field. Sonov had been watching travelers for several days. Watching was easier than approaching. The outside world was unfamiliar in ways he disliked admitting. Much had changed, yet some things had not changed nearly enough. Ketucari still reacted to unfamiliar faces with suspicion. Stories still survived long after those involved in them were gone... so Sonov watched.

The two strangers beside the broken cart interested him. One was a massive Ryno, similar enough to Sonov's own build, though his ocean-colored coat and dense Jacobin feathering made him immediately distinct. The other was a much smaller Danuoc who seemed incapable of remaining still. The Danuoc had already disappeared beneath the cart.

"Found the problem," Aurik announced.

"We know the problem," Nadim replied.

"No, the other problem."

There was a pause, "what other problem?"

"The axle's cracked too."

One traveler groaned, Aurik wriggled backward from beneath the cart. His crest was full of grass. "So," he said, "good news."

Nadim waited... "I found it."

"And the bad news?"

"I found it."

Nadim looked at the damaged cart as Aurik grinned.

For reasons Sonov could not quite understand, the travelers laughed. They had no obligation to stay. That was what caught his attention. The spilled goods were gathered quickly enough. After that, Nadim and Aurik could easily have continued on their way but they didn't.

Aurik inspected the axle as Nadim helped lift the cart so he could see beneath it properly. One of the travelers searched through their supplies for rope while the other collected several sturdy pieces of wood. Sonov moved closer, not enough to join them butt enough to hear.

"Will it reach Hazefall?" one traveler asked.

Aurik considered the improvised repair, "if you're careful."

"How careful?"

Aurik glanced at the wheel, "very."

Nadim lowered the cart gently, "we can accompany you."

Aurik looked at him. Nadim looked back, Aurik shrugged, "sure."

Sonov's brow furrowed, the travelers hadn't offered payment. They hadn't even asked. The group began moving as Sonov followed at a distance. He expected someone to notice eventually... Aurik did, the Danuoc looked back once, then twice.

On the third time, he stopped. Nadim stopped beside him, "what?"

"We have company."

Sonov considered leaving. Instead, he remained where he was. Aurik stared toward him, Sonov stared back... neither spoke.

Nadim broke the silence, "good afternoon."

Sonov's ears shifted, that was not the reaction he had expected. Aurik glanced at Nadim, "you know him?"

"No."

"You greet everyone like that?"

"Usually."

Sonov approached cautiously. The travelers beside the cart became quieter as his enormous shape drew closer. Nadim noticed but said nothing. Aurik looked Sonov over openly, not fearfully but curiously. "You've been following us."

Sonov gave a small nod.

"Why?"

Another pause... Sonov's gaze moved toward the damaged cart, "watching."

Aurik accepted this answer remarkably easily, "want to help?"

This time Sonov stared baffled at him. Nadim's expression remained neutral, though something warm flickered behind it.

"The wheel keeps leaning," Aurik explained. As though that settled everything, Sonov stepped forward causing the travelers to stiffen... he noticed. For a moment, old instincts whispered that he should stop there... then the cart shifted. Aurik darted toward the side, but Sonov reached it first. One heavy shoulder braced against the wooden frame, the cart steadied.

Aurik looked up at him, "that works."

Sonov remained beside the cart as they continued. The journey became easier with his help. When the wheel caught against stones, Sonov lifted the damaged side enough for Aurik to clear them. Nadim kept the load balanced while the travelers guided the cart along the safest ground.

Nobody asked Sonov where he had come from, nobody demanded an explanation. Eventually, one traveler held out a piece of fruit, "for helping."

Sonov stared at it.

"You don't have to," the traveler added quickly.

Sonov took it, "thank you."

They reached a better road before evening. The travelers could manage from there. After several grateful farewells, they continued toward Hazefall, their crooked cart wobbling behind them.

Aurik watched until they disappeared. Then he turned toward Sonov, "you were watching us because of them?"

Sonov looked toward the distant road, "partly."

Aurik waited... Sonov glanced at Nadim, "I wanted to know if things had changed."

Nadim understood more than Aurik did, he did not ask Sonov to explain... "and?" he said instead.

Sonov looked at the fruit still held carefully between his claws, "one broken cart isn't the world."

"No," Nadim agreed, "but it's part of it." Sonov looked at him. Aurik had already become distracted by something moving among the nearby flowers. Nadim smiled faintly.

Sonov looked once more toward Hazefall. The world was larger than one kindness. Perhaps that meant it was also large enough to contain many more. For now, that was enough.

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Chapter 6: The Strut-Off

Nadim had survived storms, territorial fauna, unstable ruins, and arguments between pack members who had already decided they were right before seeking his advice.

None of those experiences had prepared him for Aurik holding up a brightly painted festival notice and saying, "we should enter."

"No."

"You haven't read it."

"I don't need to."

They had wandered into a gathering on the Zolkanis lowlands almost by accident. Colorful stalls occupied the edge of a wildflower field, travelers mingled beneath banners, and somewhere nearby someone was playing music.

Aurik turned the notice around, "it's a strut-off."

"No."

"You compete to see who has the prettiest pack."

"I understood the concept."

"And?"

"And no."

Aurik followed as Nadim resumed walking, "you could win."

"That does not improve the idea."

"What if there's a prize?"

"I don't want it."

"What if I want it?"

"Enter."

Aurik looked at the notice, then at himself, "this feels more like your thing."

Nadim stopped, "my thing?"

"You're very..." Aurik waved one paw vaguely... Nadim waited, "...put together."

"I have no idea what that means."

"Neither do I, but you look like you could win."

A laugh sounded nearby causing both to turn. The ketucari standing several lengths away was large even beside Nadim. Pale green covered much of his Ryno frame, broken by intricate markings and darker accents. Several sets of horns framed his head, and his harpy feathering gave him an elaborate silhouette that made Aurik's argument unfortunately stronger.

Atlas had apparently heard enough of their conversation to understand exactly what was happening. "Your friend is persuasive," he said.

"He is persistent," Nadim corrected.

Aurik looked between them. Then at the competition notice. Then back at Atlas. His expression brightened.

Nadim recognized danger immediately, "no."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

Atlas smiled faintly. Aurik pointed toward him, "are you entering?"

Atlas glanced toward the gathering, "I was considering it."

That was all Aurik needed. Within minutes, Nadim found himself standing among the contestants. He still wasn't entirely certain how. Atlas stood beside him looking almost equally uncertain, though considerably more amused.

"I was told this would be fun," Atlas said quietly.

"So was I."

"Do you believe them?"

"No."

"Neither do I."

Several lengths away, Aurik was practically vibrating with satisfaction.

The first contestants crossed the open strip of grass between two rows of spectators, displaying tails, feathers, horns, and markings with varying degrees of theatrical confidence. One turned halfway through and fanned an enormous tail causing the crowd to cheer.

Aurik leaned toward Nadim, "you need to do that."

"I absolutely do not."

"Atlas probably will."

Atlas looked alarmed, "I probably won't."

Aurik considered both Rynos, "you two are terrible at this."

"That may be the first correct thing you've said today," Nadim replied.

Then Atlas's name was called... the pale Ryno hesitated but only briefly. Something changed the moment he stepped forward, Nadim noticed it immediately. Atlas might have been introverted, but he was also a performer. The uncertainty didn't disappear. It simply ceased controlling him.

He moved with the easy awareness of someone accustomed to being watched while playing music before strangers. His elaborate horns and feathering did much of the work naturally, but Atlas added a smooth turn near the end that sent his long feathers sweeping around him.

The spectators responded enthusiastically. Aurik's jaw dropped. Atlas returned looking faintly embarrassed.

"You lied," Aurik accused.

Atlas blinked, "about what?"

"You said you weren't good at this."

"I said I wasn't going to fan my tail."

"That is completely different."

Nadim's name was called, Aurik immediately grinned. Nadim regarded him, "if you make a sound, I am leaving."

Aurik pressed his lips together as Nadim stepped onto the grass. He had no intention of imitating Atlas, he simply walked. His pace remained measured, his head held naturally high. The heavy Jacobin feathering surrounding his neck shifted with each step, framing the ocean mist markings across his Ryno build. He reached the end, stopped, and turned.

Aurik remained miraculously silent. Nadim began walking back.

Someone in the audience cheered, then another. Nadim glanced toward them. That small acknowledgment was apparently a mistake... the crowd grew louder. Behind them, Aurik broke, "YES, NADIM!"

Nadim closed his eyes, Atlas laughed not so politely... actually laughed. Nadim returned to them with as much dignity as circumstances still permitted, "you made a sound."

"I made several."

"I noticed."

"You did great."

"I walked."

"Exactly."

Atlas was still laughing, Nadim looked at him, "you encouraged this."

"I did nothing."

"You entered."

"I was already considering entering."

Aurik squeezed himself between the two larger ketucari, "so who won?"

The result took several more contestants and considerably more unnecessary suspense. When the announcement finally came, Atlas placed ahead of Nadim. Aurik reacted as though a grave injustice had occurred. Nadim reacted with relief. Atlas looked genuinely surprised.

"You should demand a rematch," Aurik told Nadim.

"No."

"Next year?"

"No."

"Different competition?"

"No."

Atlas leaned toward Aurik, "I think he's finished competing."

"Forever?"

"Hopefully," Nadim said.

Aurik looked unconvinced. They left the gathering together, Atlas accompanying them toward the edge of the lowlands. For once, Aurik walked quietly. Nadim glanced at him, "what?"

"Nothing."

"You're thinking."

"I always think."

"That is debatable."

Aurik grinned, "I was just thinking you almost won something you didn't even want to enter."

"And?"

"Maybe you're secretly competitive."

Nadim continued walking. Behind him, Atlas laughed again. Aurik hurried after them. Nadim decided there were some observations that did not deserve the dignity of an answer.

____________________________________________________________

Chapter 7: Arena Action

Aurik discovered the arena because someone had used very large letters. They had reached the City of Zolk that morning, and Nadim had barely managed to get him past the first cluster of shops before Aurik stopped beneath a brightly painted poster.

His eyes traveled slowly down it, "Nadim."

"No."

Aurik looked over his shoulder, "you don't even know what I'm asking."

"I have learned from experience."

"This is different."

"That is what you said about the strut-off."

"This has fighting."

Nadim stopped... that, admittedly, was different. Aurik pointed toward the poster. It advertised the city's coliseum, promising exhibitions, demonstrations, and opportunities for visitors to participate in supervised trial matches. "We can fight."

"You can fight in many places."

"Yes, but here they give you permission." Nadim read the notice again. Aurik waited.

"We were going to watch," Nadim reminded him.

"We can still watch."

"From inside the arena?"

"Exactly."

Some time later, Nadim found himself standing beside Aurik beneath the shadow of the coliseum. He wondered whether he had become too accommodating. The trial attendant had assured them that the beginner match was simple. The fauna would be native to Zolkanis, the encounter supervised, and neither participant nor animal was expected to suffer serious injury.

Aurik had accepted immediately. Nadim had asked what fauna they would face, "keerops."

That had earned a pause, "how many?" Nadim asked. The attendant had simply smiled in response... Now the gate opened. Aurik stepped onto the arena floor beside him. Spectators occupied only part of the seating above. This was no major gladiatorial event, merely one of the smaller public trials held between larger exhibitions.

The opposite gate rattled. Aurik lowered his stance as one Keerop emerged. Its furry body was surrounded by broad dark wing membranes, marked with bright stripes and enormous eye-like patterns. Long appendages rose from its head as it stalked forward.

Aurik relaxed slightly, "oh."

Nadim glanced at him, "what?"

"I thought there'd be more."

A second Keerop appeared... then a third. Aurik's ears lifted. A fourth squeezed through behind them. Nadim looked toward the attendant. The attendant waved cheerfully. A fifth Keerop entered... Aurik stared, "well."

"You wanted more."

"I did not say that."

"You expressed disappointment."

"That isn't consent."

The first Keerop charged, Aurik moved. His smaller Danuoc frame slipped sideways as the creature snapped past him. Nadim met another head-on, driving it aside with his shoulder without enough force to injure it. Two more immediately replaced it.

Aurik laughed, Nadim heard it over the noise, "you're enjoying this."

"One of us should!"

A Keerop lunged toward Aurik's tail. He twisted away, using Greheli magic to lighten himself just enough to spring farther than the creature anticipated. Unfortunately, he landed beside another, "oh."

The Keerop shrieked, Aurik bolted. The audience cheered. Nadim intercepted the pursuing creature, but the first had already recovered. Their strength individually was unimpressive, their coordination was not. Every time Nadim drove one away, another approached from a different angle. Aurik circled back toward him, "they're herding us."

"I noticed."

"I thought we were fighting them."

"So did they."

Another pair swept forward, Nadim braced but Aurik didn't. Instead he suddenly darted toward the edge of the arena. Three Keerops followed.

"Aurik."

"I have an idea."

Those words barely improved Nadim's confidence. Aurik ran directly toward the arena wall. At the last moment he used Greheli again, springing upward and sideways. The Keerops tried to turn but all three collided. Not hard enough to hurt themselves but more than hard enough to become furious.

Aurik landed, "that worked."

One recovered immediately and charged him. "That worked briefly," Nadim reached him before it did. He drove between them, forcing the Keerop aside while Aurik ducked beneath his larger frame.

"Any other ideas?"

"Several."

"Good ones?"

"Unclear."

Nadim sighed. The trial became less a fight and more an increasingly complicated effort to keep five determined scavengers from surrounding them. Aurik used speed while Nadim used strength. Neither tried to seriously injure the fauna. They shoved, dodged, redirected, and occasionally found themselves retreating from creatures considerably smaller than either of them.

Eventually a horn sounded, the Keerops stopped... mostly. One still had Aurik's tail feathers between its teeth. Aurik looked backward, "can someone tell him?"

An attendant hurried onto the arena floor and coaxed the creature away as the audience applauded. Aurik stood breathing heavily, several feathers disheveled and dust coating one side of his body. Nadim looked scarcely better.

They walked toward the exit. Aurik glanced back at the Keerops being guided toward their gate, "so." Nadim waited... "That was fun."

"No."

"You laughed."

"I did not."

"You did when the three crashed."

"I exhaled."

"Very loudly."

They passed beneath the arena arch. Outside, another poster advertised the next set of public trials... Aurik slowed. Nadim caught him gently by the back of his neck and continued walking.

"I was only looking."

"I know."

"We could come back tomorrow."

"No."

"Next week?"

"No."

Aurik grinned as he was steered away from the coliseum. Apparently Zolkanis had found yet another way to keep him entertained.

____________________________________________________________

Chapter 8: Friendly Fights

Aurik's first mistake was mentioning the arena. His second was demonstrating what had happened. "And then three of them followed me," he explained, darting sideways across the grass, "so I went toward the wall, jumped, and they couldn't turn fast enough."

Fleeting's eyes lit up, "you jumped over them?"

"Not exactly."

"Show me."

Aurik stopped. They had met Fleeting less than an hour earlier on the outskirts of Zolk. Nadim had initially expected the encounter to consist of greetings, perhaps some conversation, and then everyone continuing on their respective ways.

That expectation had lasted until Fleeting started talking. The bright green toa possessed enough energy to make Yera seem contemplative. He was friendly, certainly. Enthusiastic about practically everything Aurik said, absolutely. But once Aurik mentioned that he and Nadim had participated in an arena trial against a flock of Keerops, Fleeting had become intensely interested.

Aurik looked toward Nadim, who was resting in the grass nearby, "no."

"I didn't ask anything."

"You were about to."

Fleeting looked between them, "does he always do that?"

"Yes."

"Frequently," Nadim corrected.

Aurik turned back to Fleet, "anyway, I can't show you without a Keerop."

Fleeting immediately lowered his front half toward the ground. Aurik stared, "what are you doing?"

"I'll be the Keerop."

"You don't look anything like a Keerop."

"I'll charge like one."

"That sounds worse."

Fleeting grinned, Aurik's own expression slowly changed. Nadim saw it happen, "no." Both toas looked at him.

"We still didn't ask," Aurik said.

"You don't need to."

Fleeting sprang forward, Aurik yelped and threw himself sideways. The green toa thundered past him, skidded through the grass, twisted around, and immediately charged again. Aurik laughed and ran. Nadim watched them disappear across the field. Apparently a friendly fight had begun.

Fleeting had the advantage in size. As a standard ketucari, he stood considerably larger than the smaller Danuoc, and he used every bit of it. There was nothing cautious about the way he fought. He bounded, lunged, and threw his weight behind every attempt to catch Aurik.

Aurik compensated by refusing to be where Fleet expected. He ducked beneath one swipe, Fleet spun around. Aurik was already behind him.

"Oh, that's annoying!"

"Thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"You sounded positive!"

"I am positive!"

Fleet lunged again, this time Aurik wasn't fast enough. Fleet's shoulder caught him and sent him rolling through the grass.

Nadim lifted his head. Aurik stopped on his back, Fleeting froze, "you good?"

Aurik blinked at the sky, then rolled upright, "that was excellent."

Fleet's concern vanished instantly, "I know!"

Nadim lowered his head again, at least they were checking in on eachother. Aurik shook grass from his feathers and lowered himself into a ready stance, "my turn."

Fleeting practically bounced, "go."

Aurik charged as Fleet braced himself. At the last moment, Aurik changed direction. Greheli magic shifted his weight, allowing him to spring sideways and circle around Fleet's larger body.

Fleet tried to follow but Aurik tapped him sharply on the hind leg and darted away.

Fleet stared after him, "that doesn't count!"

"I hit you."

"You poked me!"

"Successfully."

"You're supposed to fight!"

"I am fighting."

"You're fleeing!"

"My name isn't Fleeting."

Nadim covered his muzzle with one paw. Fleet stared at Aurik for a heartbeat, then burst into laughter. Aurik made the mistake of laughing too as Fleet tackled him. They went down together in a tangle of green and black feathers. Aurik managed to twist free, only for Fleet to catch one of his hind legs, "got you!"

Aurik kicked loose, "no, you don't."

"Almost!"

"Almost doesn't count."

"It will in a second!"

They separated and circled. There was competition now. Not anger, not even a serious desire to establish which of them was stronger. Each simply wanted to be the one who landed the next good hit. Fleet feinted left, Aurik believed him, but that was a mistake. Fleet switched direction and bumped Aurik squarely in the shoulder. Aurik staggered. Fleet backed away immediately, grinning.

"Nice hit," Aurik admitted.

"I know."

"You don't have to sound so pleased."

"I absolutely do."

Aurik charged him again. Their match continued until neither had enough energy left to pretend otherwise. Fleet eventually collapsed into the grass, Aurik dropped several lengths away. For a while, the only sounds were their breathing and the distant activity of Zolk.

Then Fleet lifted his head, "again?"

Aurik stared at him, "you're insane."

"Tomorrow?"

Aurik considered it... Nadim spoke before he could answer, "no."

Fleet looked toward him. Aurik rolled onto his side, "you know, technically, he isn't in charge of either of us."

"I am aware."

"Then tomorrow?"

"Absolutely."

Nadim sighed as Aurik grinned. Some time later, they parted ways with Fleeting after exchanging promises of a rematch that Nadim suspected would become his problem eventually.

The road stretched ahead beneath the floating islands. Aurik walked beside him, unusually tired but unmistakably content. After a while, Nadim asked, "where will you go after Zolkanis?"

Aurik's pace slowed... months ago, perhaps even weeks ago, the question would have bothered him. Now he looked toward the horizon, "I don't know." Nadim waited... Aurik glanced upward as the shadow of a floating island moved over them, "there are still things I haven't seen here."

"Yes."

"And after that, there are probably things somewhere else."

"Almost certainly."

Aurik smiled, "so I'll figure it out." Nadim nodded.

They continued along the road together, with no destination beyond whatever caught Aurik's curiosity next.