Cheep!? 170

The city of Riizen bustled to repair the damages of the siege after so much had been destroyed between the Dawr assault upon the walls, and Sliver Peak’s Mountain King, Keranthun’s, breath attack. Beasts of all kinds strove to pile the debris in specific locations, where yet more of their kin further sorted the materials into piles that could be recycled by those with the appropriate patterns. Niko, with his feathers glinting in the midday light, couldn’t help but watch the activity even as he and the rest of his companions, the Wyldwalkers, walked through town.

All in all the city had gotten off remarkably easily, considering wars between two mountains could take far longer, and be much more costly. That was, Niko reflected, a silver lining on what otherwise was a horrible incident. Lives had been lost, both among the defending force and a few civilians that had been caught in the wyvern’s path, but the numbers were significantly lower than Niko had feared.

Still, he could clearly see the signs of mourning amongst the city here and there, with wreaths and trinkets of the fallen resting atop temporary memorials. The beasts continued their work, but in these areas, they would slow reverently, before getting on with whatever they had to do.

“They’re working quickly,” Ronald’s voice roused Niko’s attention from his own observations. The Az-Phorus turned his gaze to the human, his hybrid of full-plate armor and lighter chainmail striking an impressive sight, even without stopping to consider the enchantments layered upon the gear. Ronald’s helmet was placed on his pack, revealing a stoic looking man with handsome features, dark brown hair, and currently a small, calm smile. His chiseled jaw and dark brown eyes tended to give him a kind of ‘action-hero’ vibe that Niko still couldn’t shake. Especially given how much he seemed to characterize the traits unironically.

Beside him, Stella picked up, “It’s been two weeks since the attack. I’d want to be as swift as possible with rebuilding, too. It helps that Greenleaf and Riizen have been trading materials the other has been short on.” The elven woman smiled, blonde hair bundled into a messy ponytail, appearing almost metallic with how shiny it was, with bright blue eyes to accompany them. She was tall, just as much as Ronald, reminding Niko on many levels of a professional model, and currently wore hardened leather armor for its greater flexibility. She left her mid-section unarmored, though she still wore an airy, breathable shirt, and her arms and legs were unadorned, save for greaves and vambraces. Having sparred with her, though, Niko knew that appearances were entirely deceiving. After her brush with mortality, Stella had given her all in this newest set of armor, heavily leaning on her inspirations and newly gained knowledge from the beast smiths that had taught her their sigil-craft.

“It’s ironic, in a way,” Skye snorted, the half-elf regarding the situation with a bittersweet tone, “We came here to secure help in rebuilding Greenleaf, but now Riizen needs rebuilding, too.” She was shorter than her cousin Stella, with her reddish-brown hair short aside from a pair of braids that she was slowly growing out, slung forward and barely touching her collarbone. Skye’s mild glare, a resting expression that he wasn’t even sure she knew she had, drifted without any particular focus. Her hazel colored eyes now had flecks of amber coloration in them, a newer trait that had appeared with her patterns own growth. Niko noted the easy, almost predatory grace in which she moved now, and felt the resonant wash of her thoughts through their connection. She possessed her own natural beauty, tempered by her clearly no-nonsense demeanor, such that he was fairly certain many would approach her if they could work up the courage to get past that second part.

Niko could feel the mild annoyance Skye had with her armor, as she was still unused to the new set that Stella made for her and wished it would break in faster. Much of it was comprised of carefully carved wood, both titanwood bark and heartwood that was heavily enchanted. It was an experimental set that was designed to, hopefully, be able to work alongside her Wyldform pattern to enhance both at once. Niko thought the ensemble looked complete with the burnt-orange cape she still wore, complimenting the leaf-green of the rest of her outfit.

She arched an eyebrow with a bit of a  smirk whilst looking directly at Niko. Their connection was two ways, and Niko could actually feel her preening at the assessment. The Az-Phorus cawed softly in amusement; she was definitely picking up his habits.

“It’ll help foster better connections, for sure,” Mithel added in, her bob-cut moving with her ever searching gaze, a frown on her face. The gnome was unlike what Niko had thought they might appear, mostly looking like a human, but with rounder eyes and somewhat shorter than the average human. Mithel had a kind of cute charm to her, with liveliness and curiosity somehow portrayed in even her resting expressions. Her platinum blonde hair and bright green eyes set her apart from most people that Niko saw, even without considering the fact that she was currently wearing a large backpack and several strapped belts and a satchel that appeared visibly stuffed with materials. He knew that the entire assortment had been enchanted to allow for more materials to fit into the packs and lighten the weight itself, but he couldn’t help but feel heavy just looking at her. Even though she had mostly avoided direct combat, she too was outfitted with new armor. Bands of metal were well hidden within her layers of coats and clothing, but Niko pitied anyone who expected the alchemist to be an easy target.

“It’s a shame we can’t go see Greenleaf again,” Niko warbled softly, “I’d like to see how the rebuilding is coming along.”

A soft noise settled in near Niko, and he involuntarily jolted at the approach. He hadn’t heard, smelt, nor felt the man before he was there. Luckily, before Niko could squawk in surprise, he realized who they were.

"Peck me, Dachna. What’d I say about popping up out of nowhere like that?” Niko clicked his beak with a mixture of agitation and annoyance, “How are you even doing that!?”

The man laughed, “Sorry, sorry! I’m just trying to test out a new way to use my patterns, it’s… hard. But, hey, it’s definitely paying off if you can’t dete—” A hand pulled his arm abruptly, “Whoa!”

Mithel tugged him into step next to her, “Play with your pattern later, I want to walk with you.”

“Uh…” Dachna, flustered and with reddened cheeks, seemed to have difficulty forming words. Before a moment passed though, he was grinning, and fully arm-linked to Mithel, “Yeah, me too.”

Niko shook his head outwardly at their display, but inwardly he couldn’t help but be amused. Dachna wasn’t quite short, but where Ronald had a kind of ruggedness, Dachna had a kind of intentionally-messy, tousled look that went well with his angular features and river-blue eyes. His short, dirty blonde hair was long enough to be wavy, and somehow always seemed to retain its springiness. Beyond that, his lean body was clad in a dark-blue full body duster, plates of cured leather and interspersed bands of metal protecting his body. Royal purple was his alternative color of choice, his vest in particular also had a complex, thorned-rose pattern that Niko knew hid part of the sigil work. Stella hadn’t worked on his equipment alone, but the work done had been blended almost seamlessly and functioned all the better for it. His kama and chain clinked occasionally, though Niko noted that it happened out of sync with his steps, as if the weapon were moving on its own.

Considering what he’d both seen and heard of it, Niko knew that it probably was moving a little bit on its own.

“I’m going to miss this city…” Ronald said, leaving the words hanging in the air.

“But…” he stretched as he said it, “I think I’ll be glad to get on the road again. Shame we can’t stop by Greenleaf, though. I’d have liked to see my folks again before heading off to Ar’Klaadi.”

“A little stir-crazy?” Dachna asked, eyebrow quirked, “I’d thought Skye would be the one to crack first.”

“I’ll crack something, alright,” Skye muttered loudly enough that they could hear it, with Niko chuckling.

Ronald shook his head with a smile on his face, “Well, I’m not saying I want to just live out in the sticks, either.”

At that Stella laughed, perhaps a touch too loudly, and Skye set her glare on her, “Oh, it’s that funny, eh?”

Unrepentant, Stella only laughed harder while shaking her head vigorously up and down, “It’s accurate!”

Stella ducked on reflex as Skye darted forward to grab her, “C’mere! Don’t run fro—get back here!”

Niko trilled out laughter as the cousins darted around, Stella moving around Ronald, then darting around Niko to keep Skye at bay, still laughing at her. Niko inconspicuously fanned his tail feathers, catching Stella by the legs. With an inglorious yelp, she went down, just as Skye came around the other side and likewise fell into a tangle of limbs.

“Ooops.” Niko said with faux-ditziness, “My bad!”

The two regarded him with glares before turning their attention back to one another. Niko had an ominous feeling overcome him as they nodded to each other before getting up.

“Uhhh… parley?”

Those around regarded the Wyldwalkers with amusement at their antics, even as Niko cawed out in alarm at the resulting tandem attack on his person. Considering how much they’d done, no one faulted them for cutting loose a little bit.

---------------------------------------------

By the time they reached Sasha's home, Niko had been conscripted to carry both Stella and Skye, as they had thoroughly worn themselves out. As the group strode into the manor, he glanced at the few mirrors set into the foyer, allowing him to peruse his own appearance.

To Niko, he felt like he was a sturdier, more thickly built version of a griffin, though he didn’t know exactly what they might look like in this world. An ordinary Az-Phorus could have a range of feather colorations that tended towards earthen or stone-like tones, and would lack wings. For Niko, the fact that he was so vibrantly colored was already a dead giveaway of his “aberrant” status, but having functional wings would only serve to further exemplify how different he was. He wasn’t certain how that might affect things when they once more roamed the so-called “Lowlands” that the Kingdom inhabited.

His feathers were predominantly a frost-bitten sapphire color, with ruby and amethyst breaking up the color in places, especially along his wings, the framing feathers along his legs, and his tail feathers. His color patterns balanced the brightness and darkness well, and while Niko was sure there were many ways the overall presentation could have appeared odd, it was somehow balanced enough to have a kind of fierce elegance. Moreover, his feathers had grown in even fuller across his body, and his current plated armor on his torso and his modified saddle-pack further accentuated the look into something resembling gallant.

‘I suppose that if I am going to carry people and things, I may as well look every bit the resplendent creature I am,' Niko thought to himself with amusement, preening at his image before realizing that Skye was nearly rolling her eyes with enough force to throw her head back. He cawed a laugh at her suffering, before continuing after the others.

Ottowan, the house steward, led them through the halls, coming to a space where they’d previously eaten before. Already waiting for them were several beasts, a few of which were the remaining members of their group.

“Friends!” Charlotte cheered, then frantically gestured at the food in front of her, currently a roast of some sort, “Fruit!”

“No, dear,” Anya’s voice cut in, “That is ‘Meat’, not ‘Fruit’, but…” She paused, seeing the stunned and fretful look that somehow was conveyed through Charlotte’s eight eyes emotionally, “Well, that’s fine. Don’t worry about that.”

The fruit—and now meat—eating spider celebrated with a jig, her four fluffy antennae flaring into the air before she bit into the essence rich food.

“I am glad you could make it, we only just started eating.” A masculine, deep voice sounded out from one of the tables, this one practically radiating with essence, “Did you all get a good night's rest?”

The Wyldwalkers greeted the Patriarch of the Mountain, Riizen, with as much of a casual air as they would with a family friend. It was hard not to, considering the beast insisted on it constantly, and had an easy charisma to match. Of all the beings that Niko had met, Riizen ranked highly among them, only below the Titans and Deities that he was aware of. He appeared very similar to Sasha, albeit with his blue fur an azure shade, and his mane fur appearing almost ethereal in how it seemed to float. Small yet silent arcs of electricity jolted between the hairs, curling upwards and slowly rolling back and forth from time to time. Given that was the only indication of his power, Niko knew that Riizen’s mastery of his own essence was at a level far beyond what Niko and Ronald could approach.

“Very, thanks for asking. And you?” Ronald answered before unceremoniously finding a seat nearby, greeting Thokk and Sasha with a friendly nod. The big sloth bear in particular rumbled warmly at his approach, before whispering something that Niko couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, Ronald nodded, and said something back.

“Good, when I eventually slept. Too much has gone on, but I finally had time to catch up with the Misse—” He started, before Anya’s tail flicked his side, sounding more like a mace-hitting a wall than a mere tap. Riizen didn’t miss a beat, “I slept great.”

Anya rolled her eyes at her husband's antics, “Excuse him, he is yet addled from the efforts of rebuilding and minding his manners in front of the other clans.”

Niko couldn’t help but let out a guffawing caw of laughter at Sasha’s mortified expression. He wasn’t positive, but Riizen seemed to enjoy making his daughter embarrassed.

“Well, good,” Ronald laughed, unbothered, “We’ve got all of our things packed up. Have you heard any word from Greenleaf?”

Sasha eagerly cut in to answer and further drag the conversation away, “Some. Crowe and Camille are supposed to return today, likely soon, with any more news. From last we heard, though, reconstruction efforts are going well.”

“Shame that you all can’t stay longer,” Anya sighed wistfully before her eyes settled on her daughter, “Sasha, remember what I told you last night.”

The sabre cat nodded, “I will, Mother.”

Niko looked over their other beast companions; Sasha the blue-bellied sabre cat; Thokk the sloth bear; Charlotte the fruit-eating spider. That last one was up for debate, though, considering Niko hadn’t seen her bat an eye—metaphorically, she didn’t have eyelids, after all—at eating the meat that was set in front of her. Sasha’s coat had deepened to an almost shimmering, navy blue, striped with black that seemed to swallow the light. Her long incisors were carved with what Niko had come to find out were natural glyphs, formations that her pattern had created for her. Her eyes were a rich, yellow color, reflecting light and allowing her to see even in the darkest nights. She was smaller than Niko, but rippled with muscle, and he knew that she could all but vanish to his senses if he wasn’t incredibly vigilant to spot her.

Thokk, on the other hand, was one of the few beasts that could claim to be able to loom over Niko. He was a heavily built Ursus, his shaggy, granite grey and dusty white coat doing well to hide the fact that Thokk was a slab of muscle. That said, Thokk did not lean upon his prodigious strength alone, and even now Niko could smell the earth on him, rock and stone ready to leap at his beck and call. His paws were more than large enough to grab Niko by the head, and his claws were like scythes. For all his mass, though, Thokk moved his cumbrous limbs gently, ensuring that he was in perfect control of his every movement.

Charlotte, on the other hand, was the very picture of erratic, high-energy motion. She had a wide assortment of food on her table, though Niko did note that less and less of her meat dishes received her attention. She occasionally moved in ways that made Niko’s fur stand on end, but for the most part he had grown quite used to her. Her eight eyes each had a pin-point pupil, one that would expand or detract seemingly more based on her emotions than on light. Currently, the front two pairs were needle-points, with a wash of color like an oil-slick through light surrounding them. Her fur, shaggy and surprisingly soft, save for coarser bits along the joints of her legs, leaned towards a kind of pearlescent jewel tones in green, with blue and yellow stripes across her body in places. When light hit it along the edges, the colors were much more apparent, but near the roots of her furs the color darkened to near black.

In short order, their orders were taken, with Ronald ordering the same thing that Thokk was eating, revealing what the bear had likely whispered to him. Niko was curious, but he was willing to let the chef surprise him. Astold had yet to steer him wrong in cuisine.

As they ate, they vaguely went over their plans, making light conversation on how they planned on embarking on the next leg of their journey. Niko and the others had only accomplished one part of what The Great Eye asked of them, and needed to pursue their next mission.

Niko couldn’t wait to see what the fortress city of Ar’Klaadi would be like. Given his odd dreams, he also hoped that perhaps his siblings would be in the area.

‘I’ll bet my new body will surprise them. I’ll show you little bastards who’s not good at birding!’ Niko thought good naturedly. Hopefully his new form wouldn’t surprise them too much…

It was then that Ottowan entered the room again, “Pardon the interruption, but it would seem that Crowe and Camille have arrived.”

Riizen grinned, his two pairs of incisors sparking with electricity, “Excellent! Show them in, hopefully they haven’t eaten lunch yet!”