I wake up before the Sun sets, fresh and energised. I sit up, stretch and look around; there’s Nugund sleeping beside me and Pola on the opposite side of the campfire, now reduced just to incandescent embers. I observe them for a moment, fascinated by their glow; it reminds me of my own fur when I’m using my flame. I wonder if it is something intentionally designed by Alchemist – and if it is, then why? I cannot think of any practical reason for it… but I’m not exactly knowledgeable about designing and creating lifeforms, so I’m definitely missing something. Or, alternatively, it isn’t something that my creator could control. They are not omnipotent, nor omniscient, after all.
My musings are interrupted due to stirring by my side – my lover is waking up too. I feel a tinge of regret that I haven’t looked at his sleeping face – oh well, I will definitely have more chances in the future. I smile, partially to my own thoughts and partially to greet the Volkhlun. His eyes open soon and he sees me, immediately returning the smile; then he also sits up. I’m a little taken aback that there’s no sluggishness in his moves, but then I remember he is a hunter; I guess someone who spends a lot of time in dangerous wilderness will have light sleep.
“Hello” he greets me and I respond by kissing him. He’s initially reserved about it – I bet he didn’t expect that – but reciprocates after a moment. We share our lips with passion for a while, but have enough clarity of mind not to let our hands wander around our bodies and separate soon; there’s a time for work and a time for fun – and right now it is the former. We still need to clean ourselves… and – as I notice with growing embarrassment – the Wolfman’s sleeping bag, as it is covered by our – mostly mine – fluids.
“I-I’m so sorry! I should’ve be more careful…!” I start apologizing, but his hand quickly covers my mouth.
“Don’t” he says simply. “You tend to wrongly assume a lot” he notices as I calm down and he removes his hand. “It does not bother me – it is what I expected. So don’t worry about it – it’s less of a problem than you think” I quirk my head, curious. Nugund sighs. “We, the Beastkin, are generally quite active sexually. If we didn’t have methods to wash it off, we – and all of our belongings would soon be covered in filth” I can feel blush spreading throughout my face as my partner stands up and extends his hand towards me. “Let’s go and take care of that as long as the others are still asleep” I nod and take him up on his offer.
When we return we are greeted by smirking Pola and grumpy Olka; I guess tonight session didn’t go well too – I hope it’s not because of us. I open my mouth to ask, but she glares at me and shakes her head. I notice her eyes are red and she looks tired in general – does that mean she hasn’t slept the entire night?! But before I can ask her, she starts talking in a slightly irritated voice.
“Yes, I’m exhausted. No, not because of you two, that’s an expected side effect of the ritual. A ritual I performed two nights in a row. Yes, it succeeded this time, but your… Creator was right – The Great Oak is in slumber and we couldn’t communicate. Now, let me eat and rest.”
I did not expect such a loquacity from her – especially considering her state – but it is clear to me now that she just wanted to put it behind her, so that she can finally catch a break. A break she clearly deserves, considering her state and achievement.
“So what now?” I ask instead, more to the other two than the Risitha. “Are we going back to the Cave? Are you…” I swallow, a certain worry rising in my mind making my throat dry. “Are you going back to your Tribe?”
“Yes” affirms Pola calmly. Then she furrows her brow – I must look quite uneasy right now. Then she smiles, gently, to put me at ease as she figures me out. “And you are going with us, aren’t you?”
I feel relieved – but I think I won’t truly be at ease until we at least leave the Cave. I take a deep breath and smile, as enthusiasm fills my whole body. “It will take us some time, right? To reach your Tribe? Is it far? Is Zheryma far? What about other cities and tribes – are there many? What’s behind mountains? Where…”
“Calm down Kora!” Exclaims the Lisitha with a giggle. “That’s too many questions – you must be really excited! But let me finish preparing our breakfast” she then looks at the only man in our group. “Would you mind answering those questions, Nugund? You are the most travelled of us all, after all” I look at my DILF, thirsty for knowledge. He smiles.
“So, where do you want me to start, my Ember?”
“Wha…?!” I gasp and Pola squeals; I did not expect receive a term of endearment from him! There are butterflies in my stomach and I cannot contain my joy; is it how being in a relationship is like? Does it mean we are an official couple? But does it even work like this among Beastkin? Our previous interactions indicated something else…
“Would you like me to call you Sweetheart, Sweetheart?” The Foxwoman drops another bombshell as I am still struggling with a previous one. What have happened to cause such a development? I have no idea, but I must be visibly stupefied, since she laughs out loud. “See? You’re so sweet and your reactions are so cute!” I feel my blush deepen tremendously. “So, since we know how I and Nugund call you and I might have overheard how you call him – how will you call me?” I want to hide out of embarrassment, but luckily Olka grunts loudly and throws us a killing glare; teenagers, I guess? I’m really thankful for that, because the older woman drops the topic with a wink; I know she will get back to the topic tonight.
“Ahem” the huntsman coughs to catch my attention back. “So, back to the topic we were talking about… you want to know more about the world, right?”
“Ah! That’s right!” I agree enthusiastically. “There’s so much I want to know about the world!”
“So where should we begin, my Ember?” He enquires with a smile and I can feel my blush deepen; I have to get used to being called like that – and to be honest, it does make me feel a pleasant titillation.
“Umm… can you draw something like a map?” He looks at me confused, so I hurry to explain. “I-I don’t mean you have to be precise, a rough sketch on sand will do… I just want to know, more or less, how the world looks like. You know, where the places like Kutembe, Zheryma or Belungdos are” Nugund considers my words for a moment and shrugs. I feel a sense of anticipation as I watch him pick up a fallen branch and sit near the patch of uncovered dirt; I hurriedly take the place beside him and urge him to start.
“Hmmm… let’s say we are here and the Halls of The Tyrant Under the Mountains are here” he marks them with crosses, then connects them with a single line. “They are about 2 days apart. Now, the place where our Tribe is currently hiding in is somewhere around here, to the South-West from us” he marks another place, to the left and below the other two, then connects it with the closer one. “It took us about two weeks to get there, but the return should be faster and we may reach the camp in a single week.”
“Why?” I ask quickly since it doesn’t make any sense to me. Unless there is a river and we are going downstream.
“That’s because we probably won’t need to hide from monsters, as you’ve scared most of them already” ah! I’ve already forgotten about it! “Anyway, if everything goes right we should arrive back by the New Moon. Or in the week after. But back to the map” he draws an oval shape around all the crosses. “These are our – Kolokolan – lands. They are full of mountains, valleys and forests. In fact, our lands are everywhere where there are mountains… except the ones to the West” he draws another shape, close to oval, quite large and extending beyond the first one in the North and in the South. “We call them the White Mountains, as they are extremely tall and covered in snow all the year. The Kin who live there are varied and as different to us as to each other; there are also many Harpies and other Species there.”
“And how are these called?” I gesture towards our surroundings.
“The ones to the North are the Kola Mountains, the ones to the South – Kolo Mountains” I look at him with incredulity, but Pola chimes in.
“They are named after Kola and Kolo, the Twin God and Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Mountains – who are also the Ancestors of all Kolokolans” she explains with glee. “If you want to hear about…”
“Later” the Volkhlun cuts her off and continues his lecture, as he draws a semicircle around Kolokolan lands, beginning with the northern tip of the White Mountains region and ending near their southern tip. “To the North from here, the lands are mostly flat and forested. They are claimed by Zheryma, but the city itself lies on another continent – Snezemj” then he draws a circle. A circle! Then he marks it with a cross and connects it to the camp. “This journey would take between two and five months, depending on your luck and the season.”
“Yes, okay, but why is it a circle?” I complain – which amuses my Darling who chuckles. “There’s no way it looks like that!”
“Of course it doesn’t” to my surprise he agrees with me. “But you wanted to just have an idea, right? You said it does not need to be precise” he is right and I feel my cheeks burn a little from embarrassment. Luckily, he pays it little mind, if any.
“Then, to the East, the terrain is mountainous and hilly, however there are many lakes, bogs and marches by the coast” he continues. “There are all kinds of Beastkin living there – along with many other Species, especially Vodyakin” I nod in acknowledgement, encouraging him to continue. “Further to the East, beyond the sea, are continents of Thaluga” a small circle up North. “And Kutembe” a slightly bigger circle down South. “As you know, Dwarves, Humans and other Barekin call them their homeland, but you can find many Beastkin there too.”
“Was your mother a Beastkin from Kutembe? In her previous life, I mean” I vocalise a thought that came to my mind.
“No. She was a Human” he tilts his head. “Didn’t I tell you that?”
“I… I might have forgotten. I’m sorry” I apologise, but he just waves his hand.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s already been reborn” I’m curious about that but refrain from asking. “So, going back to Orezemj – this part in the South, covered in forested hills and fertile valleys is where Tamarans build their towns” Nugund smiles with some nostalgia. “I think they are more beautiful than the ones Zherymans build… and the closest one – Zakopca – is not only about three weeks from the camp” he marks another location and connects it to the central one. “It’s Chief is our Chief’s brother!” I nod, but then it strikes me.
“Wait! Are you saying that your Chief is not Kolokolan?!”
“Yes!” All three of them answer in unison. Each of them also adds a small opinion about the guy.
“He’s really kind and helpful” states Olka with a soft smile.
“He’s the best hunter and warrior in the Tribe” acknowledges Nugund with respect.
“He’s humongous!” Exclaims Pola lasciviously and I know exactly what she means. And I’m not the only one, as the Risitha bonks her and tells her to cook faster.
“So” starts my Darling to get the conversation back on track. “That’s the close lands and most of the distant ones; most but not all” as he speaks he draws a sort of an angled triangle South of Tamaran area and connected to the White Mountains – it makes the sea that divides them look like jaws of a giant beast. “Across the sea called The Maw” called it! “Lies the Kingdom of Lion Kings.”
“Aslammisr” interjects Pola smugly. “That’s the name of the country and the whole landmass! Even if it’s not fully controlled by the Lion Kings as the South is the land of Scalekin…”
“Oh! And how did you get to know it?” I ask, and – to my surprise – a look of nostalgia manifests on her face.
“My son’s father was from there. In fact” she beams the smuggest smile I’ve ever seen. “His grandfather is a Lion King!”
My jaw drops, but Olka is more sceptical. “Oh really? Are you sure it isn’t just something every Lvithun tells a naive girl he wants to impress?”
“Maybe” the Foxwoman shrugs. “But who can check that, really? And it makes the story more interesting, don’t you think?” She fires back and her remark stuns the young Lynxgirl; she shakes her head and drops the topic, visibly too tired to argue.
“Anyway” Nugund continues before I can ask any questions about Pola’s story – oh well, I can do that later… when we are alone. “Aslamis” he butchers the pronunciation, but who cares. “is where many exotic spices that Zherymans love using come from” Exotic spices!? I have to try them in the future – and I now know where to find them; he, however, shrugs and shakes his head. “I tried some years ago – I don’t understand what the fuss is about. You can get something similar here, if you know what to look for” as I take a mental note to ask him about it later, I notice the final part missing: where’s Belungdos?
As I am about to ask about it, I notice another thing. When I last met with my maker, they mentioned a place called ‘Bao Lung Do Shi’… which sounds oddly similar to Belungdos. Remembering the case of the Kingdom of Lion Kings, I wonder if something like this happened there. And so, I decide to make an experiment. “Have you heard about Bao Lung Do Shi? Is it close to Belungdos?”
They heads tilt in confusion – until Olka answers and the other two nod. “It sounds the same?” Interesting. I assume that Alchemist uses native pronunciation and their version is just a corruption of the original. I’ll have to keep that in mind when interacting with people from different parts of Yavea in the future.
In the meantime Nugund clears his throat once again. “I assume you are asking about Belungdos – if so, it is to the Far West. But it’s nearly impossible to travel there by land” as he speaks he finally finishes sketching the outline of Orezemj. Then he draws another oval behind the White Mountains. “The way is blocked by the Steppes of Blood” that’s a sick name! Sadly, it must mean they’re terrible – probably overrun with dangerous monsters using blood magic. “It’s controlled by tribes of cruel, nomadic slavers and raiders” so it’s even worse. Fuck.
“And beyond that – Belungdos?” I get a nod as an answer and I look at the map of the world by my Darling. It looks weird and the scale is total whack; heck, most of the continents – continents! - are represented by what can be generously called a circle! But what can I expect in a world without satellite images, right? And so, I take a good look at it and commit it to the memory – I finally have a barest idea of the shape of the world.
The World by Nugund
“So what’s the plan now?” I ask after a moment of silence.
“We will leave tomorrow” the hunter says authoritatively. “Today we will finish the harvesting of materials. Then, packing everything back in the Halls of The Tyrant Under the Mountains should take us another day and we will leave in the following morning. If we set a good pace, we will arrive at the camp before the New Moon” I nod. I hope it works out.
On a morning five days later we are indeed at the beginning of our new journey. Everything went smoothly – so I am pretty optimistic about reaching our destination by the date we set as a goal. As we leave the caves, a wave of nostalgia overwhelms me – and I hesitate. I look back into the darkness. It strikes me that it was the first place in my new life I could reluctantly call home – regardless of how spartan it was.
I shake the feeling off; after all, I have the whole world of Yavea to explore! I’m not a hermit to spend my whole life in wilderness and solitude. A sense of excitement and wonder washes all the other feelings aside – I have so many places to visit! So many people to meet! So much fun to have!
And so I turn to my friends – and set out towards a new adventure!
good holidays