Kitsune in the Shadows

Chapter 64 – Wagon Buddies

It just keeps going…

The rain was loud against the canvas roof of the wagon. Looking out the back, all I could see were endless fields of grass stretching as far as I could see, with only the occasional line of trees to break it up.

The whole time, I had my eyes fixed on the walls of Casgolau, watching as they began to shrink. The only place I had known gradually got smaller and smaller before eventually disappearing completely under the horizon. All that was left in its place was the path we had travelled on and the mud that was starting to form on top of it.

Somehow, nothing about it made sense to me…

Even though I knew that there was a world out there, actually seeing just how far I could go really put into perspective just how small my own world was up to that point… Yet, something about it felt a little hollow… like something was missing…

…

This… is really it…

…

*Thud*

All of a sudden, the wagon bounced, throwing me up off the bench before quickly slamming back down. Thankfully, I didn’t land on my tail, but that didn’t stop me from feeling the after-effects pulsing through my back.

Owwwww

I leaned back slightly in an attempt to readjust myself to maybe relieve some of the pain in my back, but just as I did-

*Thud*

The wagon bounced again. The bare wooden bench did not help the situation in any way.

No one else is flying into the air…

Am I doing something wrong?

“You seem to be having a rough time there,” The taller person opposite me suddenly spoke up.

Why are you talking to me?

…

Do you want something from me?

Did I bother you in some way?

Despite all the questions that raced through my mind, I didn’t dare say a single word to them.

“Did I say something that offended you? I’m sorry if I did. It truly wasn’t my intention,” They said.

“She’s just a little shy,” Ava said as she lifted me up and placed me in her lap.

She wrapped one arm around my waist while putting the other up against my back. As soon as her hand met my back, the lingering pain instantly washed away.

Healing magic is convenient…

…

What would I do without Ava?

“Oh, of course. I’m terribly sorry for spooking you then. I was just a little worried after seeing your reaction to those last two bumps. You were looking a little worse for wear, for lack of a better expression.”

“Well, I’ll say thank you for your concern in her stead,” Ava took her hand off my back before wrapping it around the other side of me, “I care quite a lot for her, you see.”

“I’m just glad we could clear up that little misunderstanding. I’ll do my best to be considerate in the future, and so will the big fella next to me. Though, I imagine he would only talk to you if you spoke to him first, being a man of few words and all that,” The taller man gave his companion a playful jab.

“Man of few words,” The larger man said mockingly, “You just talk too much. Don’t hold me to that standard.”

“Oh, don’t be like that; it wouldn’t be all that fun to spend the next two weeks riding this wagon in silence. Especially on this route, you know there’s almost nothing to see until the last few days.” The taller person then turned to face me, “Plus, after seeing these two going through the inspection, I became very curious about this ‘wolf’ we have here. Aren’t you?”

Why did they say it like that?!

Does he know something?!

I felt my hair start to stand on end as I thought through all the possible scenarios that might play out.

What do I do if they know?

Would they try to take me back?!

Do I jump out?!

“What do you mean by that?” Ava spoke for me, her tone much more serious than just moments before.

“I don’t mean anything bad by it… it was just… I had never seen a wolf with ears like yours. A wolf’s ears are normally a little shorter, a little smaller and a little more rounded. They normally look like…” Then, without any warning, they pulled down their companion’s hood, “this.”

My eyes were immediately drawn to the top of the man’s head, where two ears, exactly like the taller man described, were perched.

A… wolf beastkin?

An actual wolf beastkin?

He had messy light grey hair and tired amber eyes. On his chin, there was some slight stubble, though his hair colour made it a little hard to notice, along with two scars that made a cross on his left cheek.

“You didn’t have to do that,” As he spoke, I could see his surprisingly large canines catch the light, “I always tell you to ask first.”

“Oh come on, look at who’s with us,” The taller person gestured over to Ava and me, “Nothing’s going to happen just because they saw your ears.”

I eventually stopped paying attention to their bickering as a realisation began to dawn on me.

If he was inspected after me… then… the guard definitely knew I was lying…

I knew I could pass off my ears as being wolf ears to someone who didn’t know any better, but seeing both of us back to back… there was no way someone wouldn’t notice the difference.

‘Why… did he let me go?…’

‘A-Ah!’ Ovia responded, surprising me.

‘Sorry,’ I responded immediately, ‘I must have been thinking… out loud… or… um… I don’t know a better to say it… it was an accident…’

It’s been two weeks, and I’m still making the same mistakes…

There has to be a trick to it… Ovia never makes that mistake…

‘I know! It was because-’ She stopped herself mid-sentence, ‘I-I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you…’

‘That’s-’

‘I can explain what happened if you’re that curious,’ Aria joined in, ‘I did have a hand in it after all.’

…

Knowing that there was an answer only made me that much more curious.

‘Mhm… I… would like to know…’

‘Well, it was quite simple, really. That guard who did your inspection cares an awful lot for his family, so much so that he puts them before anything else.’

I felt a shiver run up my spine as my mind started to come up with all manner of things that Aria might have done to the guard.

‘His wife and daughter were… a little under the weather, to put it lightly… He might have then gotten himself a personal visit from Celica.’

My worries were, thankfully, immediately dispelled. Even I could read between the lines and understand what Aria had done.

‘Thank you.’

‘You know it’s no issue for either of us to do something simple like this. Celica enjoyed it too; it gave her an excuse to leave the temple for a bit. So don’t worry about it.’

‘I’ve been saying thank you a lot lately…’

‘And that’s a good thing,’ Aria responded, ‘It means you’ve been getting a lot of help, which is what you need right now.’

…

But I can never do anything for you two…

…

*Thud*

The wagon ran over another bump, forcefully pulling me away from my thoughts. Thankfully, Ava’s lap did a lot to soften the blow this time.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that the two of you don’t need to worry about us saying anything about whether you’re a wolf or not. We all have our own secrets after all,” Even though his hood was still up, I could tell that the taller person was now staring directly at me, “If it helps make you feel any better, I can share a secret of my own with you.”

Without waiting for a response, they slowly lifted their hood, revealing these long chestnut locks and brilliant blue eyes. However, it seemed they weren’t quite done yet. They carefully pulled their hair back to reveal their ears.

They’re… pointy?

“I know that you’re not a wolf, and you two now know that I’m a half-elf. I hope that makes us even Ms…” They froze up for a moment but quickly recomposed themselves, “Oh, silly me. I never asked for your names… and at the same time, I never gave you ours. I’ve been awfully rude this whole time. My name is Elwyn, and the big guy’s is Joran. May I now belatedly ask for yours?”

“You can just call me Ava, and this here is-”

I squeezed her arm to stop her from saying anything more.

I don’t know if I want to tell them.

“Well then, Ms Ava, Ms… Wolf, It’s a pleasure to meet the two of you, and I hope we’ll be able to get along for the next two weeks. I imagine it will be a little hard not to run into each other being in the same wagon and all,” Elwyn said with a slight chuckle.

“Likewise,” Ava responded, although a little more guarded than before.

“Now that our introductions are out of the way, it would probably be a good idea for the four of us to get some shut-eye,” They clapped their hands.

Sleep? Now?

I couldn’t figure out why we would ever want to sleep now. We had only left a little while ago, and while it was admittedly a little dark, it was because of the rain clouds overhead rather than it being late.

“Are you two new to this?” This time, it was Joran who spoke up, “I guess that would make sense. ‘Ms. Wolf’ at least seemed a little green from the get-go with the way she was watching the road behind us.”

…

It was that obvious?

“Well, I guess I should give you some pointers then,” He leaned forward so that his eyes were level with mine, “Whenever either you or I take on an escort like this, we’ll be stuck on night duty. It’s pretty much a universal rule that beastkin like us end up with it due to our better senses. So it’s a good idea to get some sleep while we’re on the move like this.”

“Night duty? But I’m… a little… not helpful in the dark…” Ava added sheepishly.

“Doesn’t matter; your companion gets put on night duty, so you’re stuck with it too,” His expression suddenly soured, “To be honest with you though, when it comes to doing this in human territory, it’s more of a boon than anything… at least from my experience… Means we don’t really have to interact with ‘em all that much. Cause, as I’m sure you know, even when they don’t say anything to you, you sometimes get those looks. Better to just avoid ‘em entirely.”

Mm…

Even if I didn’t say anything at that moment, there was no way I couldn’t understand what he was talking about.

“But don’t worry about it too much,” He lightened up again, “Nothing ever happens around here. The most you’ll get is a wild animal, and they’ll normally back off when they see a group of this size. Well… I guess you might get some bandits if you’re unlucky, but they’re easy enough to deal with. Doesn’t really happen as this route’s pretty well maintained with how often it’s travelled and the kind of cargo going back and forth.”

“I told you he was the sweetest thing,” Elwyn decided to chime in again, “He might be a little rough around the edges, but that’s just on the outside.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

“You’re the one who suggested we get some sleep, so why don’t you set an example for these two,” Joran was clearly a bit annoyed at this point.

“Oh, gladly!” They shouted as they closed their eyes and leaned up against Joran’s shoulder.

“You two should probably do the same now that we’ve got some peace and quiet,” Joran then closed his own eyes, seemingly falling asleep instantly.

Is that something he’s learnt to do?

…

It… seems like a useful skill…

“Kierra,” Ava whispered directly into my ear, “You can get some sleep. I’ll stay awake to make sure nothing happens, alright?”

…

“Mm,” I responded with a short hum.

“Good, I’ll wake you if anything happens,” She ran her fingers through my hair while pulling me back into her chest with her free arm, “Sleep well.”

Her words were almost like magic to me. Well, it was either that or I was just very tired from everything that already happened that day, as I drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

“Good night… Ava…”