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Feyrahl, SoFurry Edition

So it Begins, Ch 0.3

Mac was ready to shy away from the watchful gaze of two beast men standing on either side of the gate in the large wall that encircled the castle; the one on the left, a spotted-furred Hyena had what sounded like a pointed question for the Lions, but Khosk replied simply without so much as slowing down, urging Mac through the gate with a guiding shove. The guard on the left-hand side looked like a Coyote or Jackal of some kind, and said nothing, merely offering a curt nod to Vihas, who likewise nodded in return.

Once through the gate, Mac got a good look at the palace grounds. The walkway was finished cobblestone and there were numerous small buildings dotted around the entryway including what looked like a stable, though he saw no horses-- having to do a double-take, he realized that he did indeed see a Horse; the man was well over seven foot tall, bipedal like the Lions, and was using a wooden mallet to secure a fence post. Ahead of them was a large double-door leading into the keep but, rather than head toward that, Khosk urged Mac onto a side path leading to the right of the enormous building.

From there, the three of them followed the path around the palace, past a decorative fountain, and around to the back of the enormous building. Mac came to a stop, taking in the sight of an impressive collection of trees surrounded by a garden of various flowers, shrubs, and decorative plants. Khosk made a blunt statement, pointing to the trees, and gave Mac another guiding shove; the Human grumbled inwardly that the Lion didn't have to be so forceful, but at least the shoves were more insistent than aggressive.

As the three stepped off the path and into the trees, Mac realized they weren't alone when a voice called out. Although the Human couldn't understand the words, he could tell that the deep, smooth voice was more inquisitive than challenging. Khosk spoke back a reply. "Khosk oha Vihas."

A large, brown paw pushed a shaggy branch out of the way, bringing into view the individual who had hailed them, and the view caused Mac to pause. The speaker was more than a half foot shorter than the Lions, but he looked nearly their equal in weight. Although his build, fur color, and girth of his muzzle screamed 'bear', there were aspects to him such as the very fluffy cheek fur, pointed furry ear tufts emerging from the tips of his otherwise round ears, and the stripe-and-spotted markings on his fur that gave Mac the impression that he was looking at a Lynx; the combination of mixed appearance kept Mac guessing.

Vihas spoke up for the first time since arriving in town, giving Mac a gentle elbow. "Roon Rolin Nontaig."

Before Khosk could grab him and force him to bow, Mac decided to take the initiative, trying his best to imitate the courtly method that the Lions had both displayed before. Holding his left hand to his chest, the Human slowly extended his right parallel to the ground and bent his torso forward at the hip. "Roon Rolin Nontaig."

Neither Lion said anything, but the Cat-like Bear's muzzle scrunched up for a moment as if he'd eaten a lemon, bottom lip quivering, before he broke out in a deep-bellied laugh. A moment later Mac felt a large, firm grip on his shoulder, slowly straightening him back up. Rolin shook his head. "Iss iss iss... yoha Rolin. So Roon... mosi Rolin."

There was something about the new beast man that was as relaxing as Khosk was disconcerting, and his ready-smile and good-humored eyes almost helped put Mac at ease. Unfortunately, he was no easier to understand than the Lions. Sighing, Mac shook his head. "Sorry, Roon Rolin... I don't understand your language."

Khosk gestured to Mac and made a flat statement with obvious displeasure; Vihas added a few words in a much more neutral tone. Rolin glanced to the two of them, then back at Mac. Offering a smile, and reached out to pat the Human on the head before responding to the Lions; Vihas looked relieved and Khosk looked vindicated, but Mac's attention returned to Rolin when the Bear-like Cat raised a thick paw, turning it so that it was palm up, and began speaking in a rhythmic chant. The young man took a step back when the wind picked up, creating a small zephyr followed by a swirling vortex right in Rolin's paw; a moment later the wind tightened into a small, perfect ball, and became a glowing orb of light.

Mac had seen both Khosk and Vihas use magic, but he was still surprised to see yet more of it from Rolin, and he began to wonder if all of the beast men were able to wield such supernatural power. It only got stranger as the wisp of light rose up into the air and began to 'dance' across the distance between Rolin's paw and Mac. The Human took an inadvertent step back when the little glowing ball came within arm's length of him, but Khosk's arm kept him in position; a moment later the light thrust forward, completely engulfing Mac's vision. The Human felt a moment of icy heat, or perhaps warming cold, and then nothing... until Khosk spoke.

The Lion's voice came through clear and in English with what almost sounded like a South African accent. "How long will it take to work?"

The Human jumped in surprise. "Hey! I can understand you!"

Rolin smirked, folding his thick arms across his ample chest. His deep voice's tone remained the same, but he also spoke in perfect English, but his accent was unlike anything Mac had ever heard, with rumbling consonants and deep, staccato-punctuated 't's, and rich vowels. "About that long."

Vihas' voice sounded just like Khosk's, minus the aggressive tone. "Good. We're already late."

Mac turned to the long-maned Lion. "Late? For what?"

Khosk grunted. "You need to be presented to the Emperor."

The Human froze. "Emperor?"

Vihas elaborated. "Emperor Caldif the Second, Sage King of the Feyrahlian Empire."

Mac was so surprised the next question emerged from him before he could second-guess the prudence of it. "So... is he an Emperor or a King?"

Khosk's scowl deepened; Rolin burst out in a belly-jiggling laughter; Vihas only sighed. It was the long-maned Lion who answered. "He is both. You will refer to him as 'Your Imperial Majesty'."

Rolin elaborated. "Emperor Caldif is the King of Feyrahl, which is the High Kingdom of the Feyrahlian Empire. If these two pulled you from the sea, you must be from the Eastern Islands then?"

Mac shook his head. "No. I'm from... uh... California."

The three beast man glanced to one another. Khosk stared at him with a growl. "Is that a city? A province? Where is this 'Kal-E-four-nyah'?"

Realizing he wasn't going to help much by answering, the Human responded simply. "The United States of America."

Rolin flicked an ear. "You may be right, Sir Khosk... this Human could very well be the one spoken of in the prophecy."

Mac had seen magic; he was experiencing the effect of some kind of spell that allowed him to talk to and understand the animal men surrounding him; he was in some strange world that was nothing like home; what was one more step than to accept that there was some kind of prophecy? It wasn't that much of a stretch, but that HE was somehow a part of it? Prophecy? "What do you mean, a prophecy?"

Vihas spoke flatly. "The Prophecy... potentially of 'the end times'. If you ARE part of it, the Emperor will want to meet you."

Mac was happy to admit he had zero faith in it. "That's crazy. Just because I'm a Human doesn't mean I'm THE Human."

Khosk's iron-grip came down on the young man's shoulder. "You are THE Human, Human. No one has seen a Human in Feyrahl in a long time."

Mac wasn't convinced, and made it a point to plead his case; he wasn't about to be the cause of some kind of 'end of the world' event. "It could just be coincidence. Those happen around me all the time. Correlation is no true indication of causation and the evidence is circumstantial at best."

Rather than address the comment, Khosk glanced past Mac to Vihas. "You see, Brother? I had a feeling this is exactly the kind of thing he was saying while we were traveling. For all of his blathering, we didn't miss much."

Rolin took a step closer. "Sir Khosk, with all due respect, this Human doesn't know our customs, and, until now, was unable to understand anything anyone around him said. Receiving the benefit of the doubt, and being provided with some background while we are on our way to see the Emperor, would be the least he should expect as a guest of the Empire."

Something about the word 'guest' was a great relief to Mac; he was right-- he WASN'T a prisoner. Khosk's retort, however, immediately destroyed that relief. "We cannot be certain he is a guest. If the Emperor decides he is a catalyst of the prophesied disaster, then he may not even be alive tomorrow."

If he hoped Rolin to come to his rescue, Mac was let down. "Be that as it may, until the Emperor decides he is a danger to the Empire, he should be considered a guest."

Vihas' response was just as pointed but much more brief. "To do otherwise would be dishonorable... especially if the Emperor decides he is an ally."

Khosk grunted, glancing at Mac. "Now that you can understand us, announce yourself, Human... the Sage King will expect a proper introduction."

Mac was still trying to come to grips with everything he'd learned; the Lion gave his shoulder a shake, and the Human quickly snapped out of it. "Oh... uh... my--my name is McKenzie... McMenzie Millman. I'm, uh-- usually I go by--"

Khosk spoke over him, staring at Rolin. "Alright, Rolin... so you think we should treat him respectfully, huh?"

The Bear-like Cat nodded. "Yes, Sir Khosk. Until we learn otherwise, he should be given some degree of courtesy. What if he IS a noble?"

Mac realized he probably could have milked their lack of understanding, but decided against it. "Oh... I'm not."

Khosk grunted. "We need to see the Emperor... this way.... Sir."

The 'sir' sounded just a little sarcastic, but it was far better than having the Lion continue to push him around without understanding him. Not really sure what was coming next, Mac followed after Khosk, and was trailed by Vihas. He was relieved to see that Rolin also joined them... but not TOO relieved, since he was apparently off to meet the Emperor.