“How magnificent, wouldn’t you agree?! Jasha asked with excitement, swinging on a trapeze line. “I must say, when you fought that golden turd, and I made you see some sense in your idiocy, I had been hoping for this.

  “No more lies of morality to hide behind. Just raw brutality as you fight for your life and, of course, so I won’t make you feel too bad since I think you deserve it, the lives of others.”

  Sitting in the audience seat surrounded by shadowy figures, Kenneth let out a tired groan, hoping she’d fall. “Hey! Cirque du Soleil! Is there a point to this dream, or can you just let me sleep?!”

  Smirking, Jasha picked up momentum and flipped toward another trapeze. With her arms outstretched, she only managed to scratch the trapeze with her claws as it became clear she mistimed her jump.

  Falling toward the ground the crowd gasped while Kenneth yawned. However, from the obscured and shadowy big top of the circus tent, appeared on a trapeze line of his own, Kenneth’s younger self.

  Reaching out his hand, he caught Jasha and tossed her toward the trapeze she’d failed to catch this time making it. “If you want to sleep, that can be arranged, but I thought it would be nice for the two of you to talk since it’s been so long.”

  Eyes locking, Kenneth watched his younger self vigilantly like a hawk as he swung toward him. It may have been a while, but he still remembered their previous interaction, and he wasn’t looking forward to this one.

  Letting go of the trapeze, his younger self hurled toward him as the crowd gasped with distinct screams of women and a few cries from a baby. With a heavy thud that destroyed the seat in front of him, his younger self glared at him.

  Glaring right back, Kenneth couldn’t help but notice his younger self looked a bit older than the last time he’d fought him.

  “Hey sucker, you are not as dumb as I thought, his younger self said in a surprisingly calm tone of voice. “You finally taught all of them a lesson they won’t forget. I might not have to lock you away at all.”

  Leaning forward in his seat, Kenneth got right up in his face. “We both know what happened last time you tried that.”

  His younger self narrowed his eyes as he stuck out his tongue. “Stupid frog-sucker, didn’t you hear? I said I might not have to. Just don’t forget they should fear us.”

  “Is there anything more you want to say?” Jasha asked, hanging onto the trapeze with her knees. Grunting, his younger self ran off, disappearing into the shadows.

  Arching her back, Jasha once again picked up momentum. The crowd held their collective breath as she let go of the trapeze and flipped through the air. However, her destination wasn’t another trapeze but Kenneth.

  As the shadowy audience members that surrounded him fled, Jasha landed with a heavy thud.

  “Was that supposed to scare me?” Kenneth annoyedly asked.

  Standing above him with her legs spread and feet on the seats next to him, which were utterly destroyed, Jasha smirked. “So, how would you rate me on a scale of one to ten?”

  With disdain, Kenneth rolled his eyes and adverted his gaze so as not to blatantly stare at her crotch. “It was shit.”

  Placing her hands on his shoulders, Kenneth’s eyes went wide as Jasha straddled him. “Realy, only two? I’ll admit my form wasn’t the best, but the suspense and execution should at least award me another douche and a tinkle.”

  Glancing at his shoulder, Kenneth’s heart raced. For the first time, he could feel her touch. Balling his hands into fists, he’d like nothing more than to punch her.

  “Surprised? Jasha asked as she leaned back and started tracing her claw across his jaw. “To be honest, I think this is the first time I’ve been so close. You want to hit me, don’t you? Your eyes tell me as much.

  “But I can also see you know it’s pointless, just like every other time you’ve tried. However, believe it or not, I was so entertained by the last episode that I’ll give you one for free. A bit of positive reinforcement.”

  ‘I-is she telling the truth? Kenneth wondered for the briefest of moments, his fists shaking with rage before falling limp. ‘Yeah, right. She’s just lying.’

  “hm… nothing, really? Perhaps I need to annoy you a bit more?” Jasha smirked as she brought her finger to his lips, slowly pushing past them and wiggling it inside his mouth.

  Regardless if she was lying or not, Kenneth wouldn’t take this from her as he slowly focused on her hand. With a sudden chomp, he bit down as hard as he could.

  “AAAARRRGGG!!!” A sudden scream of pain erupted in front of Kenneth. In utter shock and disbelief, he was overcome with a sense of jubilation he’d never felt before. However, to his sudden confusion he could hear laughter.

  Suddenly feeling himself slumped over, Kenneth sat up and rubbed his eyes through his mask, alleviating some of the blurriness that filled his sight. ‘Guess I woke up. Still tired as hell, but it’s better sleep than I expected.’

  As everything came into focus, the first thing Kenneth noticed was Kila hunched over with a few people standing behind him. The second was something hairy in his mouth.

  Suddenly realizing what he was biting down on, Kenneth eased up on his bite at which point Kila pulled his finger out of his mouth and subsequently yelled. “By Akina, how can dull teeth hurt so much?!! What's wrong with You?!! You don’t just bite someone!”

  “What's wrong with me? Kenneth rhetorically asked. “Probably a lot, but at least I don’t go around putting my finger in people’s mouths while they sleep.”

  Stepping forward, Fenik padded Kila on the back while she barely held back her laughter. “Don’t be so angry; your idea to wake up Kenneth worked, you brilliant genius. Now, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask?”

  Groaning, Kila held up his other arm, showing Kenneth a decently deep wound. “Could you heal it?”

  At a glance, Kenneth could tell it needed stitches to be closed, which wasn’t a problem, but he was a bit taken aback since if he remembered correctly, this was the first time someone had approached him to be healed as opposed to Kica. “Sure, no problem.”

  Reaching into his bag, Kenneth got the tools he’d need. He was about to inject Kila with some local anesthesia when all of a sudden, he said. “Wait. I don’t want the pain to go away, pointy thingy.”

  Feeling tired, having a headache from just waking up, and tasting a few hairs in his mouth, Kenneth didn’t see any point in arguing. “Just don’t complain about the pain, and try not to move.”

  Getting to work, Kila made more facial expressions than he thought an Aki was able to while Kenneth’s mind had slowly begun the process of waking up.

  With his dull senses getting a bit sharper as time went on, Kenneth, for the first time since he woke, realized he wasn’t home but in the great hall. ‘Oh right, I’m here. Hmm… why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?

  ‘Let me think. I woke before the sun rose from Nokstella biting me in her sleep. Forced myself out of bed and went to the well to get some water to clean my clothes. On the way back exchanged pleasantries with Hali, who was on his way to the great hall to prepare breakfast.

  ‘Then I got back home and accidentally woke Nokstella and ended up giving her a bath before washing my clothes. Still tired, I tried to get some sleep, failing miserably. Then Nokstella’s stomach started to growl, and I thought, why not? And took her to the kitchen.’

  'I gave Hali a hand by cracking a few bones while telling him about how to smoke meat. We ate at which point the sun started to come up. Looking thirsty, I took Nokstella to the well to get her some water, where I met Selisio, who was bringing some to Jinki. We talked and walked while I tried to keep my eyes open.’

  ‘I don’t even think I remember what we talked about, but I’m pretty sure I ended up dropping Nokstella off at the nursery and then made my way back here before I fell asleep on the table. But then why do I still feel like I’m forgetting something…? Hmmmm… well, it couldn’t have been that important if I can’t remember it.’

  Tieing the final stitch, Kenneth cut the threat, at which point Kila, who looked about ready to cry, jumped up in celebration, showing off his stitches to the people behind him. “Ha! Who’s tougher now?! I got one, too!”

  Looking slightly pouty if Kenneth read the expression correctly, Fenik crossed her arms, turning her head away. “Fine, you are not a coward.”

  To Kenneth's slight bewilderment, when he was about to put away his tools, the Aki that accompanied Fenik and Kila suddenly stepped forward with wounds of their own.

  As any good doctor would, he stitched them right up, but just like Kila, they refused local anesthesia and celebrated when he was done.

  Looking more so annoyed than anything else, Fenik stared at Kenneth, asking, “Did you do something different with me when you healed my wound? Because I know that liar couldn’t handle that. Why not do that pain sound thing again and see who lasts longer without shielding their ears?”

  “Why so angry? Kila smugly asked. “It isn’t his fault. I’m just able to handle pain better than you.”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “Oh, I’ll show you pain, Fenik replied with a rather angry and annoyed look in her eyes. “You! Me! Sparring arena! Now!”

  Before Kila even had a chance to reply, Fenik grabbed him by his neck hairs and dragged him away while he muttere “ow” over and over again.

  “Guess I’m a way of proving your toughness now… It’s a step in the right direction, at least,” Kenneth muttered as he noticed Kica walking passed the small group toward him.

  Sitting down right across from him, it was clear she looked just as tired as Kenneth felt. “I see you finally managed to give those three the slip. It must be annoying having…”

  Looking at Kenneth, her eyelids halfway closed, Kica reached over and gently grabbed his hand. “Before you say anything more, I want to say thank you.

  “I don’t remember much of what happened, but I know that without you, I’d be dead or worse. For that, you have my eternal gratitude… and my deepest apologies for putting you in danger.”

  While her soothing words comforted him Kenneth couldn’t stop feeling a pang of guilt for what she had to endure by healing him. “Listen, that Nok just appeared out of the blue and took you. I might have taken a beating, but--”

  “No, Kica interrupted, lowering her head and growing a bit teary. “It was after the Nok when I woke up. I told everyone I had lost my ability to heal, and Kiki started talking about killing you, calling you a traitor who worked for the Nok, and I said nothing.

  “If Commander Jinki hadn’t appeared when he did, I don’t know what would have happened.”

  “Woah… woah… woah,” Kenenth said gently, caressing Kica’s hand, trying to calm her down. “Listen, a lot of things happened one right after the other, and you can’t blame yourself; I certainly don’t. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for giving you that caffeine pill.”

  “What do you mean you are to blame? Kica questioned as she raised her head and dried her eyes. “That little white thing made me far better at healing. I was almost done with everyone before you returned.”

  “I only realized this when I was lying in bed, and my head wasn’t filled with a thousand thoughts, but the caffeine must have kept you energized and awake; Kenneth explained, “You always fall unconscious when you heal too much, but the caffeine must have prevented that.

  “And if I had to guess, the reason you couldn’t heal while still being awake was because you just reached your natural limit or at least as close as you can come to it. At that point, you probably just needed time to rest like always before you could start healing again.”

  “Time and rest, Kica repeated in disbelief. “Was that really all I needed? Did I make everyone worry, put you in danger, and make Zilika hurt herself over and over all because I couldn’t wait? By Akina, how stupid can I be?”

  “Kica, you shouldn’t call yourself stupid, Kenneth said in a reassuring tone of voice. “How could you have known this when every time you’ve approached your limit, you just passed out? This was new territory for both of us in the fields of medicine and magic.”

  Looking at him, Kica gave a slight chuckle and smiled halfheartedly.“You sound so hap--"

  “There you are!” Pilu yelled as she stomped across the room over to their table with her entourage in tow. “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten healer, but the commander’s orders were for us to escort you and ensure your safety!”

  “Oh dear lord above, Kenneth sighed in pained frustration as he rubbed his head to reduce the Pilu-sized migraine he’d just gained. “Haven't your duties been made redundant after I fought off a Nok to save Kica?”

  “Lie as much as you want; the commander is going to punish you eventually, Pilu replied with a smug expression. One which quickly faded into disbelief when one of the Aki standing beside her whispered into her ear. “Even so, that only proves we need to protect her at all times! Who knows what you’d do if given the opportunity.”

  Wishing a mute button for people existed, Kenneth got to his feet. “I do think I’ve been given a fair few of those opportunities to do a lot, but hey, if you want to justify your lazy and redundant duties, be my guest.”

  Growling, Pilu stomped over to the back room, kicked the door open while looking at Kenneth, and pointed inside. “I do my work, so go do yours right… YIiiiip!!!”

  Jumping away in shock, Pilu drew one of her daggers and threw it into the back room. Landing on the wooden floor panting, her eyes lingered on what was inside as her tail stood standing twice its normal size.

  Everyone rushed over with their weapons drawn, equally as shocked as Pilu to see a Nok lying inside the back room. All except Kenneth.

  “Ohhhhh… that’s what I forgot, Kenneth said out loud in realization as everyone turned their eyes to him. “Honestly, how could I forget something like this? I must have been really tired.”

  “What is this?! Pilu screamed, pointing at the Nok with her dagger. “Why have you brought a heretic inside these walls?!”

  “Well, as you may remember, Kica and Aloko both expressed concern regarding their inexperience with anatomy. Kenneth replied. “And well, that was the most put-together cadaver I could find for today’s lesson.”

  ***

  While Kenneth was being yelled at some more by Pilu for unintentionally scaring her half to death, something interesting was happening passed the thick foliage of the forest and a vast distance of land.

  With gleeful excitement that only a child could ever experience, Kolu ran around inside the bumping wagon on all fours, yelling. “We are almost home! We are almost home!”

  With a good eye and quick movements, Solk caught his son. “I know you are excited son, but only newborns still learning how to stand and beast traverse in such a manner.

  “It’s important that you do not do something like that in front of anyone. We may be of the lowest standing among royals, but we must still present ourselves in a dignified manner.”

  Still looking excited but also a bit saddened, Kolu replied. “Yes, Father, I won’t do it again.”

  “That’s good, my son,” Solk smiled as he placed Kolu down on the wooden floor. Just as he did, the wagon went from bumping up and down to rolling smoothly. Overcome with excitement, Kolu started running around like before, this time on his feet. “We are here! We are here! The capital road!”

  While he wasn’t being perfectly dignified, Solk couldn’t help but share his excitement, knowing they were so close to home. It wasn’t long before the wagon came to a complete halt, and Solk knew they’d reached the gate.

  Stepping outside, he looked back at the line of wagons behind his. Of course, as per his instruction, the supplier wagons were just behind his, while the inventor and discovery guild’s wagon was all the way in the back.

  Satisfied, Solk finally allowed himself to marvel at the gigantic wall that surrounded the capital. It was a feat of construction that had endured the test of time, spanning centuries before the war with the heretics.

  Its stature was only rivaled by the king's castle as the only other construction tall enough to block the view of Ki when one stood before it.

  As a child, he’d often wonder how many wagons he’d have to stack on top of each other to see above it, and even as an adult, each time he made it home, he couldn’t help but ponder that very same question.

  “So you made it back in one piece again!” The green-furred and red-spotted city guard at the gate yelled. Like every other city guard, he wore a helmet with holes big enough for his ears to move around, along with a breastplate and two sets of Vambraces and Cuisses.

  Meeting him with a friendly smile, Solk walked over to Heebee and exchanged the standard greeting, a formality more than anything between the pair. “And I see you are still guarding the gate. I’ll sleep far easier knowing you are still in charge.”

  Heebee gestured for his surrounding men to move ahead and inspect the wagons. “I’m guessing you must have a few stories to tell. If I remember correctly, you used to have one more wagon and that Qsiosija wasn’t with you when you left.”

  Chuckling, Solk glanced back at the massive creature pulling the wagon, feeling a slight bit of pride. “It was my son's idea. He somehow made friends with it and managed to convince it to pull one of our wagons.

  “But would you believe it if I told you that was only the least interesting thing I’ve experienced on this journey?”

  Raising an intrigued eyebrow, Heebee wiggled his nose. “Now, this I must hear.”

  Gesturing for him to come closer, Solk whispered into his ear. “I met a man that had nipples.”

  Pulling back in slight surprise, Heebee gauged Solk’s facial and tail expressions before he had to ask. “Like a woman?”

  Reminiscing, Solk kept going. “He was quite the strange one and very slow to anger, but it was quite a sight to see him fight after being challenged to combat in the name of Giga’s blood.”

  Going from surprised to shocked, Heebee exclaimed. “The goddess’s blood! You are not pulling my tail right now, are you?!”

  Stroking the underside of his jaw, Solk smirked. “I dare not say any names, but it’s true, and I might tell you the whole story when the light of Ki leaves us at one of the local establishments.

  “Of course, the more time I spend waiting here, the sooner the light will leave us, and who might know when my mate will let me out of her clutches? It might only be when Di trades places with Ki.”

  “That eager to see that mate of yours again, even after mating season? Heebee chuckled as he called his men back mid-inspection and yelled with bellowing might.“OPEN THE GATE!!!”

  Watching as the massive wooden gate slowly opened, letting the light of Ki shine through the slowly growing crack, Solk let out a little relaxed sigh. “I’ll see you at the Sharp Fang Tavern then.”

  “Afraid not. Heebee replied. “Someone burned it to the ground during mating season.”

  “Really?! Solk responded in shock. “I know the only reason anyone put up with the barkeep was because he had the best floor juice, but even so, I don’t see anyone wanting to burn that place to the ground.”

  “From what I know, it’s much more than someone finally having had enough of the old barkeep or some simple accident, Heebee replied with a solemn expression. “I was guarding the gate like always when I heard yelling and saw the flames. By the time I arrived, the fire was already out of control, and all we could do was make sure it didn’t spread.

  “Afterward, we searched through the rubble since no one had seen the barkeep or his family. All we found was a body so badly burned we couldn’t even tell if it was a man or woman with a dagger through their chest.

  “Of course, we tried to investigate, but whatever clues there might have been were destroyed by the flames. For some time, it was the talk of the capital, and everyone had heard a rumor or had a few to tell themselves.

  “Most seemed made-up, like the barkeep's mate and his oldest son having a love affair and running away after killing the old barkeep. However, one particular… well, not rumor, but whisper caught my attention.

  “Some down in Underfoot are saying that heretic cultists are responsible for the fire and the disappearance of the barkeep and his family.”

  With a slight expression of unease, Solk took a moment to digest everything he’d just heard. “Heretic cultists…? Are you certain…? I thought all of them had been killed decades ago.”

  “They were, Heebee replied as his tail went limp. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring back old ghosts. The disappearance of the barkeep and his family, the dead body, and all those rumors. All of it has been weighing on my mind.”

  “Sounds like you need to drink some floor juice and forget your troubles, Solk suggested. “As a thanks for letting me through so quickly, why don’t I buy the first few mugs.”

  “Only the first few,” Heebee smirked as his tail slowly swayed from side to side.

  “I know you, Hibi, Solk laughed. “If I paid for it all, you’d drink until I was poverty-stricken?”

  As the gate finally opened, the wagons started to move; Solk bit Heebee goodbye until later as he made his way back into his wagon and sat down on his bed just as it started to move.

  “We are finally going home! I can’t wait to see mother and sisters!” Kolu yelled with gleeful excitement as he once again ran around.

  Grabbing Kolu again, Solk lifted him up in the air. His fur was rugged and unruly, with tuffs going everywhere as he was swung around. “Is this what you called Ero-sykansis?”

  “Areodynamis father. Kolu corrected while giggling. “Kenneth taught me it. He’s so smart and wise and a great healer. Father, do you really think Kenneth will be the next great healer?!”

  “Only the king can decide that, but I’m certain that once he’s made aware, Kenneth's standing will be greatly elevated,” Solk replied as he placed Kolu in his lab and reached for a brush. “Now I know you are excited, son, but we have to make two stops before we return home.

  “And in the meantime, that unruly and rugged fur of yours is in need of some brushing. We can’t let you meet your mother looking like a wild child raised solely by nature.”

  Excitement slightly dimmed, Kolu allowed his father to brush him, evening out the rugged and unruly fur, making him look as presentable as any high-born should.

  Removing his son’s shirt and brushing his back for some time, Solk couldn’t help but think. ‘Kolu, I hope you never have to see the true ugliness of this world.’

  Just as he finished his thought, the wagon came to a stop. Placing Kolu on the bed and getting up, Solk redied his friendly smile and stepped out in front of the inventor and discovery guild.