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Feyrahl, FurAffinity Edition

So it Begins, Ch 0.1

Kenzie stepped away from the seated Raccoon and the Fox helped him up. The two exchanged a few words; the former seemed self-assure and bemused until a follow up comment from the latter, at which point the Raccoon reached up and brushed watery vomit off of his whiskers, following it up with what could only have been a very blatant, chagrined statement. For his own part, the Fox refrained from laughing at his companion's expense. Ultimately the two turned to regard her.

The young woman stood with two sets of eyes gazing at her: the Fox's bright yellow irises glimmered in the starlight while the Raccoon's black-as-night orbs seemed to peer through her. She took a step back. "Listen... I still don't know what's going on but, as you can see..." she gestured her hands toward the Raccoon, "I... I want to help. So... thank you for saving me, and I'm glad I was able to save him... um... Victor, right?"

The Raccoon's eyebrows raised in time with his ears when he obviously recognized his name. Smiling, he took a step closer, saying several words, the name included and, before Kenzie realized it, his black-furred paw had reached out to take gentle hold of her wrist. The words kept on coming out of his muzzle despite her inability to understand it, and his easy smile both at once put her at ease and also left her a little concerned... especially when he stepped even closer, pulling her captured hand to his chest where it squished his sodden tunic between her palm and his sternum.

She quickly slipped her hand free, realizing that, whatever the peoples' customs of the strange place in which she'd somehow found herself, his actions were still unreasonable in her own culture. "You're welcome, I'm sure... but that's NOT the right way to show your thanks. A simple 'thank you' will be fine."

The Raccoon glanced toward the Fox, saying a number of words in an almost bewildered manner; the one thing that Kenzie definitely understood was another proper noun-- she was fairly certain that he'd called the Fox 'Silas'. The Fox responded in kind, though his words sounded far more bored or detached than confused, but he did step between her and the Raccoon, much to her relief.

Still not sure where she stood in the scheme of things, Kenzie hoped that she'd be able to convey her position professionally by taking on the tone she strove to cultivate along with her peers who were training to become vet techs-- an authoritative manner that would hopefully even out the obviously mercurial Raccoon. "Listen... I'm sure you aspirated a lot of seawater, and, even though you're up and moving again, it doesn't mean that you can just keep carrying on. You need to rest, and should probably be seen by a physician to make sure that you aren't going to develop pneumonia."

Watching for their reactions, it was hard to see the Fox's since he was facing the Raccoon, but the Raccoon's expression suggested that he wasn't entirely understanding. In fact, his follow up statement made her certain that he considered 'Pneumonia' to be her name. Smiling in a debonair pose, the man offered a particularly graceful bow, stating "Roona Pneumonia..." at which point he rose, gesturing to himself. "Roon Victor..." and then to the Fox. "Roon Silas Coelumn."

The Fox stepped out from between the two of them and Kenzie saw him scowl, muttering under his breath. "Victor Korunsch, unah."

Looking between the two of them, Kenzie tried to make sure she understood, starting with the Fox. "Roon Silas Coelumn..."

The Fox quickly interjected, one ear back, one eye narrowed as if wincing. "Roon Silas, eh noh. Roon Silas."

She tried again. "Roon Silas?"

He inclined his head. "Roona, seah."

Although Kenzie had never really had a mind for languages, one thing she did understand was patterns, and something was starting to emerge; was 'Roon' an introduction, such as 'sir' or 'miss' or 'mister'? It seemed to be so. She looked to the Raccoon. "Um.. was it... Roon Victor... Korunsch?"

The Raccoon shot the Fox a dirty look, to which the Fox remained completely stoic, save for a faint flick from his tail in what almost appeared to be a mirthful non-verbal cue. Once he'd given his companion the 'stink eye' he looked back at Kenzie, words flowing out of his muzzle but, at the end, he offered that same formal bow from before, before looking up with a debonair smile. "Roon Victor, Roona, seah."

Figuring out that 'Roona' was probably the female version of the form of address, McKenzie tried her own introduction, pressing her hand against her soaked blouse as she stated "Roona McKenzie Fuller."

Both of the animal men in front of her lowered their heads, speaking in unison as they did so. "Roona Fuller."

It wasn't a lot of progress, but it was a small victory. Turning to each in turn, she attempted to repeat their own comments. "Roon, seah."

With introductions apparently out of the way, both the Fox and Raccoon went back to talking to one another in the language Kenzie could barely begin to understand. Although she couldn't figure out the words, she paid more attention to their body language, deciphering that they were both of a similar mind regarding a large view of things, but appeared to be nit-picking over specifics. Unfortunately she couldn't tell exactly what they agreed upon or where it was there was a disconnect.

Ultimately, however, they both seemed to focus more on where their thoughts aligned. Looking back at her, the two animal men gestured for her to follow them-- at least, that's what it seemed like. When they started off in what Kenzie thought was a northwesterly direction then paused to glance back at her, she was much more confident that she'd been right. Lamenting the loss of her shoes in the water, but thankful that the night was warm enough that she didn't feel incredibly cold soaked to the bone, she followed after them.

* * * * *

Kenzie lost track of how much time they'd been walking, but it was still dark. She'd long since passed the point of being over-tired and everything hurt-- especially the bottom of her feet. She wasn't out of shape by any means, but the pace Silas and Victor had set had worn her out several hills past, and she was barely able to keep up with them. Despite both of them glancing back her way every-so-often, their pace didn't slow... at least, not until she had stopped.

A large rock, the size of a footstool was the place Kenzie had chosen as where she was going to halt. Unable to go any further with her feet aching, the young woman sat down on the rock, wincing as she went to pull the sock off of one of her feet, gritting her teeth as it stuck to her; she felt a burning pain as she pulled it away only to realize that the first layer skin on her heel came with it. By that point the Raccoon and Fox circled back around to rejoin her; neither seemed pleased with the prospect of stopping, but neither did they object.

As she took stock of her raw foot, Kenzie tried explaining. "I lost my shoes. I... I don't think I can go much farther without giving my foot time to heal. Perhaps if I had a crutch or something, maybe... but it's only a matter of time until my other foot develops blisters or starts to peel as well. Walking on hard ground in socks isn't exactly a--"

Her words came to an end as the Victor took hold of her foot, hefting it up a little higher, and he began to examine it. Smirking, he made a statement sidelong at Silas, who just rolled his eyes and appeared to try and ignore him. Still holding Kenzie's foot, the Raccoon asked her something; the question sounded innocent enough based on the tone, but she didn't appreciate the way his other paw cradled her calf... then slid up higher toward the back of her knee. Her foot lashed out in reflex, catching Victor in the chest and sending the Raccoon onto his back. At THAT point, the Fox chuckled a little, and made a brief, obviously admonishing statement.

Kenzie was almost certain Victor would object to being kicked over from his crouched position, but the Raccoon surprised her when he laughed while on his back, laying there for several seconds before finally sitting up. When he glanced toward her, he had a good-natured smirk on his muzzle, said a few words, and held his palm out in her direction, saying a few more words as he pointed toward the brownish-black paw pads on his palm and digits. Victor then motioned toward his foot paws, which had strange leather slip-on sandals, then motioned to Kenzie's feet before speaking again.

It took a few seconds before she realized what he meant, then showed him her hand. "No... I don't have paw pads... that's why I need shoes. Nothing here..." she pointed to her hand, "...and nothing down there." she pointed to her foot.

Victor grinned again, tossing a small clod of earth at Silas while speaking at him. The Fox didn't respond to the comment, apparently lost in thought as he looked down at his own upturned paw. His tail lashed back and forth for several seconds before, in an apparently spark of inspiration, reached into one of the several pouches at his hip, and pulled out what looked like some kind of dried hide. The Fox then turned to Kenzie and set it on the ground next to her rock. He gestured to it, then her foot, then to the hide again before saying a few brief words.

It only took a moment before she realized what he had in mind and, in short order, she placed her wounded foot on the hide. Silas pulled out a knife and, before Kenzie could get the wrong idea, had scored the dried skin. He gestured her away and she obediently removed her foot, allowing the Fox to take the hide back-- he immediately began cutting it to shape and, in surprisingly little time had punched holes in it and worked several leather strips through it. Kenzie recognized the makeshift shoes immediately. Even before Silas tried to explain what they were for, once she got them from him she started tying off the worked hide around her less-wounded foot. The second 'shoe', however, the Fox handed to Victor.

The Raccoon winked at Kenzie as he reached into one of his pouches and pulled out what looked like a wax-paper envelope. He unfolded it and shook some powder out onto the hide before handing it to her, smiling confidently as he made a lengthy explanation using a ton of words she didn't know and, thusly, ended up explaining nothing. She stared at him blankly and, sighing, he pulled out a belt knife and drew it in a quick, clean motion across one of his fingers. The young woman recoiled at it but he didn't seem bothered at all, rather, he grabbed a pinch of powder out of the wax paper envelope and sprinkled it onto his wound.

She leveled a condemning stare at him. "Hurting yourself in order to explain how medicine works isn't exactly the most sane way of going about doing things."

If he could tell that she was displeased with his display the Raccoon certainly didn't let it show-- in fact, he seemed to smile wider. Letting out a deep breath, the young woman looked down at her hurt foot and the powdered make-shift shoe. Realizing she was in the middle of nowhere with an escort that didn't seemed inclined to wait for her to heal, Kenzie placed the sole of her foot down and started lacing the 'shoe' up. The pain had already ceased by the time it was tied off.

She was dumbfounded, but had little time to dwell on it as Victor and Silas had already started walking again. Glancing one more time down at her foot, Kenzie...