[mal du pays]

Thread for NaCl!

[NaCl]

[754 words]

A strange all black storkatten trotted up to the tall imposing figure of Eragon, who looked down on them with a harsh stare, his eyes narrowed as he spoke.
"What do you want?" he snapped, and the storkatten recoiled slightly, before gently placing down the small mewling kitten they held by the scruff of their neck.
"You... are you one of The Guardians?" They asked shily, and Eragon felt bile rising in his throat, of course he wasn't one of them, but perhaps playing along was in his best interest.
"I am. What do you need?" he said calmly, masterfully masking the disdain he felt for The Guardians.
"please, take my kitten with you when you go back, my colony cannot handle another mouth to feed, and I cannot bear the thought of abandoning my child into the dangerous wilds" they looked up at him with pleading eyes, and Eragon stared back, expressionless. Did they really think he was the best option? but desperate times call for desperate measures, he supposes.
"very well. I suppose I'll take this kitten with me" he scoffed and looked down, narrowing his eyes. The strange storkatten bowed their head, lowering their chest to the ground.
"Thank you! Thank you, I am forever in your debt- ... what's your name?" they looked up, meeting Eragon's harsh gaze once again, who simply faked a smile.
"Eragon" he said after a pause, his tail flicking behind him. The strange storkatten nodded, and bowed their head again.
"Eragon.. thank you Eragon" they muttered and rose to their paws, looking down at their kit one last time.
"I'm very sorry to impose my child on you like this but I- I cannot take care of them" they got quiet again, looking down at their paws, and Eragon let out a soft sigh.
"It is really fine, I can understand your concern for the wellbeing of your child. They will be well taken care of" he said, feigning understanding as he gazed down at the kitten.
"Thank you, thank you so much" they said softly and got to their paws, turning to leave.
"I really must get back to my colony" they added, and Eragon simply nodded, bringing the kit closer to him.
"safe travels" was all he offered as he watched the black storkatten run back into the forest where they came.

Eragon had picked up the kit and traveled to where he knew the nearest gateway was, in the center of an old ruined temple, surrounded by broken stone and long forgotten artifacts of times past. The kitten was mostly silent on their journey, letting out soft mewls as Eragon carried them.
Upon reaching the temple Eragon gently set them down on a nearby stone, trotting up to the gateway.
It was a grand structure of pure black stone, held in a ring by the workings of ancient builders, only cracks and chips broke its beautiful surface. Runes were inscribed along the ring, Eragon knowing the language of runes incredibly well, could easily decipher it as.
A gate to the world beyond ours, where paragons gather and magic flows through the very air
While not untrue, it was an exaggeration, only one paragon still lived within the pocket dimension, and was quite an illusive figure, never showing his face, and getting others to speak on his behalf. Eragon grit his teeth and searched around the ruined gate for the activation runes, listening to the mewls and cries of the kitten behind him. The noises were awfully distracting, but he did eventually find the chest that contained the runes, and dragged it back to the gate where he began to lay them out on the stone carved out for their placement.
enter into the heart of magic
were what the runes read, and Eragon found it quite cheesy, if he had to be honest, but they did the trick. After laying them out in the correct order, Eragon took a step back and inhaled, closing his eyes before breathing fire onto the runes, the marks lighting up and the gate exploding to life, white swirling energy gathering between the black stones. At the sudden burst of energy, the cries of the kitten got louder, and Eragon groaned, walking back towards the kitten.
"you, young star, will be a great asset to my endeavor, perhaps you can earn your worth as you grow older. Your place in this world has now become clearly defined. The Council will crumble, and you will help me achieve that."