by kyeza » Sat Jun 17, 2023 9:18 am
"... and then he kicked me out! can you believe it!?" hailpaw watched, head tilted, as chase distractedly untied the knot to a rope tied around a fallen log.
walking back with the peculiar pair to their makeshift camp nearby, hail had learned quite a bit about them. as they quickly discovered, chase loved to talk. he was a wandering trader and, as a result, had countless stories to tell about his adventures. he turned out to be a very captivating speaker, tales and words used to tell them alike fascinating him as they listened, allured.
when they'd first made it to the small clearing in the tall grass, fallen log in the center, he was a bit startled. a great, hooved creature awaited them, tied to the log. amongst its antlers were several gilded cages and across its back was some sort of seat-shaped piece of leather with what seemed to be some sort of bag on either side.
chase was a wandering trader after all, which made hail wonder why he hadn't seen it coming; where were his wares? his supplies? how would he carry them all himself? jadeclan had plenty of traveling merchants, many with their own form of transportation, elk quite common among them. chase had introduced his companion as ajax and, upon inquiry, explained that on his back was a 'saddle' to help him balance when sitting upon it.
currently, the lively apricot tom and his sightless partner are preparing to continue their journey, this time with a new goal in mind.
"how did you guys find me?" hail asks curiously, as chase wraps up his current rambles on how him and bones had met.
bones turns his head toward the sound of his voice from where he stands on the log, packing up supplies. "we heard 'em from a mile away. their ruckus was stirrin' up the prey 'round here. we kept an eye on 'em from a distance... can't get too close," he pauses, a grimace on his face. "why is that?" hail questions.
"well y'see, kid... i'm from what you lot call the farlands a-"
hailpaw inhales sharply. "y-you live there!?"
chase chuckles. "let him finish, and you'll find out soon enough," he teases. "right, sorry." hail mumbles, dipping their head.
"i used to. now i travel th' world with this one 'ere and help him make some coin." bones answers. "anyways. we spotted you trailing 'em not long after. you lot ain't real big fans of the unknown, though, and my homeland's definitely up there on your not-to-visit list. so i keep my distance." he continues, nodding in chase's direction. "my husband here can go pay 'em a visit, though. might even pay up for some supplies, eh?"
"husband?" hail asks, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity. "that's right," chase nods, a warm smile on his lips as he abandons his place by ajax and pads over to nuzzle bones' neck.
"been together as long as i can remember. a peaceful life it is, mere wanderers. this guy hasn't left my side since he kicked me out that fateful day. as grumpy as this old man seems, he's actually quite sweet. the love of my life," he blinks slowly up at bones, who, despite being unable to see, seems fond of the gesture and bends his head down to touch noses with him.
"you're probably right, though," chase remarks thoughtfully. "i might have to drop by and see if they'd like to buy anything when they stop for the night. you two would have to stay behind."
turning his attention back to hailpaw, he quirks an eyebrow. "anyways, why are you following them, hail? what are you after?"
drawing in a breath, they reluctantly begin, "i-i'm following them to the mountains. i've always dreamed of seeing the farlands for myself, since i was a kit listening to the tales of the elders." he glances at bones. "i didn't know that there were actually cats from there... we've always been told that it's deserted and desolate, and that anyone seen there is a ghost and must be avoided or else they'll make you an offer you can't refuse and you'll be stuck there forever too."
the pale tom grunts. "ever since the cataclysm, yes. there ain't many like me. my ma was one of th' few desert dwellers left. now it's just lil' old me. i can take ya there, but it's a ghost town now. literally."
• • • • • •
though skeptical at first, hail had quickly gotten used to the pair's presence. they certainly made for an odd trio: a grumbly skull-faced ghost of sorts, an overly-talkative, exuberant bird enthusiast, and a deformed, tiny apprentice with big dreams. somewhere along the way, another one of chase's birds—a little jay by the name of afina—had made herself at home on top of his head.
from his perch on ajax's back, just behind the saddle where the other two were sat, he could see everything for miles. the cerulean sky, vast and cloud-speckled, willow wisps in the open water, stretched for as far as the eye could see. aside from the occasional tree, the majority of the valley remained open.
the tall grass provided excellent cover for cats on the ground, but while sitting atop the great elk, they were in plain sight. thankfully, the patrol had no reason to be wary of a traveling merchant.
eventually, dusk approached as the sun slipped down toward the horizon in the west. both the patrol and hail's entourage slowed to a stop for the night, chase leaving the other two to set up camp while he rode off to pay the patrol a visit and hopefully sell some supplies. unfolding the soft blankets bones had grabbed from the saddlebags before his husband left, hailpaw glances around for a suitable place to put them.
deciding on a nearby bush, he layers them, forming a thick barrier from the dirt below; pastel yellow and white, baby blue and grey, sage green.
when chase returns with ajax, coin pouch jingling as he holds it up, swinging with each step of the giant creature beneath him, the trio settles down for the night. bones had been making dinner while hail set everything else out, and a mouthwatering scent wafts across the makeshift camp from the fire where he's situated.
hail's eyes light up, reflective of the flames in front of them, as bones describes what he'd made: grilled rabbit with roasted carrots. the different types of food are definitely one of hailpaw's favorite parts about jadeclan; there were so many ways to use each ingredient that it was hardly ever necessary to eat their prey raw anymore.
they eat in pleasant, companionable silence, the fire crackling from its place within the circle of rocks.
it turns out bones is an excellent cook; he explains how years in the 'desert' forced him to get creative with his meals, or else he'd be eating raw lizard much more often than he'd like. years of practice with fire later, he'd taught himself how to grill and fry his prey. experience with new herbs and ingredients and cooking methods from his travels with chase served to further hone his skills.
apparently, he'd also made them some rabbit jerky and roasted sunflower seeds for later on in their journey, which he promptly placed in the saddlebag designated for food.
after finishing eating and putting out the already-wavering flames, hail shows them to the pile of blankets hidden in the bushes. as the other two settle near the middle, hailpaw sidles toward one of the edges and eases down onto the plush floor. he could feel chase's eyes on his back, but tries to pay little mind to the pair's faint whispering and instead watches the stars twinkling in the ink black sky through the small, wind-blown gaps in the leafy roof.
a little while later and the sound of the cheerful ginger tom's soft snores drifts to his ears. the chill of the crepuscular night air was beginning to take its toll, a shiver creeping its way down their spine.
"c'mere, kid. no sense in sleepin' alone," bones huffs, evidently still awake after chase expressed his concerns about hail's solitude. reluctantly, hailpaw lifts himself to his paws and pads over to their entwined forms. bones lifts a paw, opening up a spot for them next to chase's head. lowering himself down gently, as to not wake chase, he whispers a 'thank you' to bones and sighs, soaking in the pair's warmth.
• • • • • •
warm...
hail blinks open bleary eyes, strangely content. a weight lifts itself off of their shoulder as soft fur brushes against his side. lifting his head to look around, his eyes widen slightly. they'd ended up falling asleep with bones and chase after laying down near them for warmth, intending to get up just a few moments later.
embarrassed, hailpaw slips free of their all-too-welcoming grasp and under the branch-ridden barrier separating them from the outside world. with a parting pat to ajax, he sprints off to check on the patrol. he hadn't heard their bickering in far too long; something wasn't right.
reaching the spot where chase said they'd set up camp for the night, hail stops abruptly, realizing he was right. they'd already left!
they scurry into the small, flattened grass clearing where the patrol had once been, sniffing around for signs of how long ago they'd left. if only there was a tree nearby, he'd climb it for a better vantage point and would probably be able to spot them. lost in his thoughts, they fail to notice the rustling of grass behind them.
"you're a little mirage, ya know?" bones' gruff voice remarks, startling them. chase chuckles, bob tail swishing. "little mirage... i like that."
hail ducks his head, embarrassed that they'd come looking for him since he'd left without a word. he was planning to go back, after all. though, they don't know me to well, he supposes. for all they know, i could be planning to ditch them without a second thought. for some reason, the thought made them sad, despite barely knowing the pair himself.
"i just wanted to check on them. i was gonna come back, you didn't have to follow..." hail mutters, sheepish. "but... they left already! i-i'm not sure how long ago, but-"
"relax, mirage," chase interjects. "we don't need to follow them anymore, do we? you have us now. we can take you where you wanna go. plus, they aren't even heading the same direction. i talked to them. once they get to the black road, they're crossing it. we need to follow it 'til the tunnel to get to the farlands."
"tunnel..?" hail murmurs, bemused.
the ginger tom nods, bird skull charm on his necklace jostling with the movement. "if you follow the black road to its origins, it takes you underneath the mountains. some sort of cave system, i think? not sure," he comments. "but anyways, it goes below the mountains, which is a much easier route to the farlands than crossing over them."
"the path aboveground is treacherous an' definitely not somethin' you wanna follow," bones adds with a quick, dismissive shake of his head. "however... th' tunnel ain't much better. there's a buncha rogues who claimed it as their own. quite fittin' for the only two routes to the land of th' dead to be deadly themselves, eh?"
"luckily," chase continues, "the two of us have pretty good relations with the cat they call their leader. these rogues call themselves the keepers of the night; their hierarchy is actually pretty interesting, th-"
resting a pale, claw-studded paw on one of chase's, the sightless tom interjects gently. "now ain't the time for lore, love. we ain't got all day. gotta get goin' if we wanna make it to the black road 'fore nightfall."
chase's gaze softens. "right. let's get back to camp and pack up then, shall we? time to get this show on the road."
• • • • • •
it only took them about half the day to reach the black road on ajax's back. from there, they followed the charcoal path, scorching hot to the touch, remaining in the soft grass beside it so as to not get burnt to a crisp.
hail recalled wondering how omen's group managed to cross over to follow their own path. chase had quelled his curiosity rather quickly, answering his inquiry, saying that they likely waited until after nightfall for the black stone to cool down enough for them to walk across.
that was the only instance he could remember thinking about them since they'd parted. their journey had swiftly become irrelevant; hail had bigger things to worry about now, a story of his own to tell.
the trio traveled on for several days, stopping only for the occasional hunt or to settle down for the night—each of which hail 'reluctantly' spent smothered by the pair's affection. they maintained a pretty good pace; the rations bones had been preparing each time they stopped had definitely come in handy, saving them a great deal of time they would've otherwise had to spend hunting.
at some point along the way, hail had begun to realize that this was the closest he'd ever come to feeling like a part of a family.
back home, he hadn't really had anyone to turn to when things went south. their friends had been a bit distant at best, never quite making him feel at home.
his mother, the only actual family member he'd ever known, was not exactly someone he considered true family. a traveler, she'd left him with the clan after birth to continue on her journey and very rarely would he see her after, given she was passing through and chose to sell her wares in the marketplace for a few days before leaving once more.
bones and chase, though complete strangers a mere few days before, were quickly becoming more than companions to him. they cared for them like no other; they listened, they cared, and, most important of all, had been willing to drop everything to help him see his dreams come true from the moment they'd spotted him.
somehow, they'd come to be a kind of found family, this peculiar trio. despite all their oddities and the couple's bickering, hail took comfort in their presence. he felt seen, appreciated... loved, even.
it was stranger, still, that he could so easily bring himself to say that. he'd known them for a few days, for jade's sake!
but somehow, in some way or another, it just felt right.
he'd found his home.
Last edited by
kyeza on Sat Nov 18, 2023 6:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
