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Feyrahl, FurAffinity Edition

So it Begins, Ch 0.3

With two strange lizard mounts to choose from to choose from, Kenzie moves to accept Silas' paw. Even though the lizard's saddle lacks stirrups, the Fox let her use his knee as a step up and had no trouble hoisting her up into the seat. After that, Silas sprang up onto the thing's back behind her with adroit grace. He was almost a foot taller than her, meaning he could have easily rested his muzzle on her head if he wanted, but the Fox made absolutely no attempt to draw any closer to her than he needed to in their place upon the lizard's saddle.

He was, by all means, a complete gentleman as he used non-verbal communication to ensure she was seated evenly and, at that point, he adjusted his legs ever-so-slightly before grabbing the reins, creating an almost form-fitting cover around her, helping Kenzie to stay in position before he gave the reins a flick and the lizard moved forward with surprising speed. Kenzie had been on horseback a few times, but the strange lateral 'slither' of the lizard's body felt far different from the cantor or gallop of an equine. Still, with Silas positioned around her she wasn't concerned by the experience since she had no fear of falling off.

Victor had urged his mount on ahead but stuck close by, calling over his shoulder to the two of them with a sense of light chiding. Silas responded calmly, his voice raised to cross the distance rather than due to frustration, but Kenzie paid it no mind since she couldn't understand them anyway. The Fox did speak to her occasionally, usually accompanying the words by providing a gesture with fingers or by delicately pressing on one of her shoulders; although she couldn't understand him she was quickly able to piece together his directions: he was attempting to help her move in time with the mount.

The young woman remembered having to learn that herself on horseback and the soreness it created the next day, so she worked hard to follow Silas' directions. They turned out to be incredibly accurate. It wasn't long before her body started to anticipate the shifting of her weight as the lizard slithered on down the road and it ultimately became second nature; although the ride had been relatively stable before that, once she got the knack for riding the lizard it was even smoother.

She didn't realize quite how relaxing the movement was until she was ever-so-gently shaken awake. Kenzie opened her eyes as Silas spoke behind her in a neutral-but-insistent tone, at which point she jumped with a start, realizing that they had come to a stop and their surroundings were drastically different than when she'd dozed off on the road. Victor, who was already on the ground and standing beside the lizard was one big grin, and whatever comment he made was doubtlessly at her expense. Fortunately Silas objected without Kenzie needing to say even a word.

She still did so anyway. "Whatever you're insinuating, I'm sure I wouldn't appreciate it if I could understand you."

Regardless, she still accepted the Raccoon's offered paw. He, along with some assistance from Silas, helped take Kenzie down from the saddle. Rather than lower her directly to the ground, he instead eased her off of the lizard laterally until he was carrying her with one arm around her back and the other cradling her legs behind the knees, maintaining his hold on her for several seconds in a classical 'princess' hold. He added another grin, along with a statement that was likely at her expense, at which point she shuffled her weight until he set her on her feet, at which point she stepped away from him with a frown; that only seemed to make him smile wider.

Silas slid freely down the side of the lizard, using the curve of its rib cage as if it were a ramp, and landed effortlessly on his foot paws. He offered what sounded like a dismissive statement to Victor before turning to Kenzie, inclining his head and presenting himself with the faintest of a bow. "Roona'noi." at which point he turned, grabbed the reins of each lizard mount, and headed off across a large stretch of grassy field toward what looked like a stable with several other lizard mounts mulling about in a fenced field beside it.

Victor called to her. "Roona Fuller."

Turning to regard the Raccoon, Kenzie was pleased that his mischievous, lecherous expression had changed to something more neutral, and he gestured toward a large stone building looming before them; it looked to her like some kind of castle keep or manor. He took a step toward it and, gesturing for her to follow, began striding to the double door where a pair of armored Wolves stood-- one on either side.

Both Wolves snapped to attention as they approached, striking their chests twice with their left paws and speaking in unison "Roon Victor."

Victor responded with a double-tap of his own paw against his chest before offering up a quick sentence or two in the strange language. They each opened up their side of the double-door, providing entrance to them without another word. As Kenzie followed after the Raccoon she did see out of the corner of her eyes that the Wolves both stared as they passed; they were definitely looking at her, in much the way she presumed she'd stared at Silas and Victor when she'd first seen then.

Victor's entire demeanor changed significantly after entering the double doors. He strode down the long hallway beyond with a much more 'official' gait, ears up, tail moving with a strange grace that had been missing on the road. When he glanced back to her his expression was also somehow more proper, and lacked the previous leering interest. He began speaking to her slowly, calmly, and without the prior chiding tone she'd come to expect of him. It didn't help that she still couldn't understand him.

She made that point very clear, not that it was needed. "I still can't understand you, Roon Victor."

The Raccoon's quick pace slowly came to a stop, at which point he paused, tapping one paw foot on the ground. After a moment he snapped his fingers and his face lit up, both ears raising and he reached out to take hold of her wrist. She was going to object at his obvious 'handsy' nature, but he didn't give her a chance, taking off like a shot down the hall with her in tow. The Human woman was still fatigued from lack of sleep coupled with a long journey, but, fortunately, they weren't hurried for long, and Victor opened a small, simple wooden door and led her into the room beyond.

Kenzie took in a breath out of surprise when she saw a good-sized room filled with all sorts of artwork. The walls were adorned with paintings, there were stands with statues and reliefs, the furniture present looked to have been crafted with aesthetics in mind, and even the book shelves were carved with care. She realized it was some kind of museum or display room right away but it took her a moment to realize why Victor would lead her there-- things became clear when the Raccoon waved to get her attention.

He pointed to himself, then to Kenzie, and then gestured to a large portrait of a refined-looking Bat. The woman took a moment to admire the artwork, and stand astounded at the strange way the Bat's dark-brown fur turned almost golden atop his head, not unlike seeing a dark skinned Human with blonde hair. Considering the small, platinum crown upon his head and the regalia with which he was adorned, the Bat looked like someone important.

A moment later Victor's reason for pointing it out with accompanying gestures finally sank in. "Wait... you're... bringing me to see him? He... he looks like some kind of lord or duke or baron or king or something." She then gestured to him then herself then the painting, emphasizing words with each motion "YOU are taking ME to see HIM?"

Victor nodded with a smile, offering only a single word response. "Seah."

The thought of meeting nobility or royalty, or really just about anyone in clothing that had been soaked in saltwater, wearing makeshift hide sandals, sweaty, and overtired was the exact opposite of any daydream Kenzie might have ever had, and every fiber of her being stood in opposition. Not only was she not sure she could make a good impression in the BEST of times, the last thing she wanted was to was appear in front of some foreign ruler dressed like a dirty, unwashed vagrant.

Quickly and desperately looking around the room, her eyes settled on something and she quickly pointed it out to Victor: a picture of a tastefully nude rabbit woman bathing. "There. How about that first?"

Victor's eyes went to the proposed painting; she hoped the Raccoon would understand her request. He nodded thoughtfully, raising Kenzie's hopes that he'd take that into consideration. He, however, proposed an alternative. Smiling, Victor gestured to her, then himself, then the picture... and then rested a paw atop a statute situated atop a mini table beside him; it depicted two otter people in the throes of what could only be 'intimate interaction'. He followed it up with a suggestive wink.

Any thought that the Raccoon might have changed enough to stop hitting on her after arriving at the castle left in that moment, and she let out a long, exhausted sigh. Kenzie was about to tell Victor off but, before she could figure out the words to use (not that it would matter since he couldn't understand her anyway), she was stunned into silence at the sound of a muted 'thump' from somewhere outside in the hall, followed by the last thing she ever expected to hear: a voice cursing in English.

"Oh damn it! Why do these tomes have to have such smooth binding? How in the name of the Two Moons..." and the voice trailed off.

Still stunned by what she heard, Kenzie's brain had to reboot, obsessing over the voice. The accent reminded her of Sebastian, one of her classmates back at the University-- the tone was entirely different but the similarity was in the accent: Sebastian was from Greece, and, even though she'd only just barely caught the comment, she was almost certain that she heard the familiar enunciation of a foreigner speaking English. She turned to look at Victor, asking him immediately. "Who's that? Why do they speak English?"

The Raccoon seemed to be unimpressed, but at least he provided an answer, apparently understanding her well enough to do that much. Mixed in with several other words she didn't understand, Kenzie definitely heard the name 'Gregor'. Victor then smoothed out his horribly ruffled and dirty traveling clothes, his expression darkening as he glanced toward the picture of the Rabbit woman cleaning herself; he also surreptitiously raised one of his arms, stuffing his muzzle underneath it before taking in a double-whiff. His scowl deepened even more after that and he mumbled to himself.

Relieved that Victor's apparent one-track mind was finally able to let go of the idea of some kind of seduction attempt, Kenzie looked back at him. She didn't have the slightest idea of how to navigate the large stone building in which she found herself and there was no doubt in her mind that she needed some help getting to where she ultimately needed to go. With that in mind, she did her best to indicate to Victor her intentions, hoping the Raccoon would be willing to see things her way.