Odyssey of Shadows

XLII - The Ageless One

Aerysdren would have loved the Khaishrik village.

Nestled deep in the woods and settled right next to a small river, it seemed very isolated from the rest of the world. Walking into its outskirts seemed like a breath of fresh air to Varenyl, Lorthrendel, and even Ragnus. On the edge of the river were small fishing boats and racks, and small, cute little huts made of wood and sticks were placed throughout the village in rows. It wasn't very large; Varenyl estimated the population to be around one hundred and fifty at most.

But it was the people themselves that caused Varenyl and Ragnus's eyes to widen. They were just as Lorthrendel had said; humanoid cats, standing around the average height of a human, their bodies covered in fur. The companions halted when a group of children suddenly huddled close to them, their clawed fingers waving at them and timidly touching them in awe. Their feline eyes gazed at them with a large amount of amazement and curiosity, and not an ounce of fear.

Ragnus recoiled from their touch but at a harsh glance from Lorthrendel he begrudgingly forced himself to relax, grumbling into his beard as a child grabbed his arm.

Lorthrendel bent down on one knee and looked at the Khaishrik that seemed to be the oldest; she (or at least Varenyl and Ragnus assumed that they were female) had soft grey fur and glittering blue eyes. She smiled at the mage.

"You are one of the smoothskins, yes?" she said in her own tongue. "Like the ones the Ageless One tells us about? You are so strange looking."

"My friends and I need to speak to the Ageless One, child," Lorthrendel told her in a gentle voice, struggling with the language. "Can you please take me to her?"

The Khaishrik vigorously nodded her head up and down and took Lorthrendel's hand in her own. "Of course I can!" she grinned. She turned to the other children and scowled, flattening her ears back. "Hey! Stop crowding them so much! Back off! Now, come with me, smoothskin. The Ageless One is right over here in the temple."

Before Lorthrendel could even stand up, the girl started to pull him along with her, forcing him to jump to his feet or fall face first in the dirt.

He cast a slightly annoyed glance back at Ragnus when he heard the dwarf snicker. He angrily gestured for the two men to follow him as the girl pulled him along.

The villager's curious gazes followed the companions as they were marched through the town by the crowd of children that clung to them. It wasn't a hostile curiosity though; it was a welcoming one, and they did not look at them for long. If anything Ragnus and Varenyl stared at them for far longer.

As they walked through the village, a cool breeze blew off of the river and thunder clapped in the distance; a storm was going to roll in soon. At the sound of the thunder, the children crowding around them jumped and looked up at the sky through the trees. The villagers began to bring their things inside their homes.

"Oh no!" The girl leading them covered her mouth with her free hand, still keeping a tight grip on Lorthrendel's hand. "The Mad God is about to open up the skies! We must hurry. My mama will yell at me if I am not home before the sky cries." She pulled him along faster.

The girl led them to a larger hut set around the river. She finally let go of Lorthrendel's hand (allowing him to stand up straight at long last), opened the door and gestured for them to go inside with a big grin on her furry face. "She awaits inside, smoothskin."

"Lorthrendel," Ragnus growled just as the mage was about to step in. "Are you sure about this?"

Lorthrendel cast him a cold glance but said nothing. "Thank you for taking us, dear," he said to the girl, slightly bowing his head. He ignored Ragnus and walked on inside the hut, Varenyl and Ragnus reluctantly following suit. The khaishrik girl slowly shut the door behind them, scolding the other children who tried to follow them inside.