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Feyrahl, FurAffinity Edition

So it Begins, Ch 0.2

With her two travelling companions continuing down the road, Kenzie realizes that she still relied on them for help navigating the wilderness and so, tightening the leather traps, she slowly got back to her feet; she was pleased when her raw foot was merely 'uncomfortable'. Determined to avoid laming herself at all cost, she started after Victor and Silas, using a branch she found for support to favor her wounded heel.

The two beast men kept the same pace they'd had before Kenzie stopped and, erring on the side of caution, she was not able to keep up. Still tired, she pushed a little harder to try and maintain a reasonable walking speed but they continued to pull further ahead. Once they were a few dozen yards further up the road than she was, Kenzie came to a stop and called out to the two of them. "Hey!"

Both stopped, turning back to regard her; each responded differently to the distance between them and the young woman. Silas rotated his head, an unreadable expression on his muzzle as he spoke in a monotone voice to Victor. The Raccoon, however, scowled slightly, elbowed the Fox, and strode back toward Kenzie. Standing in front of her, he looked the Human woman up and down, eyes ultimately going to the walking stick she'd managed to appropriate for herself. The faintest hint of a scowl appeared on his muzzle; he clicked his tongue in consternation. Although Victor seemed displeased, something about the way he talked to himself gave her the impression that his frustration was focused internally.

Kenzie adjusted her grip on the branch she was using for support. "It's not that bad, really; I just wish there was another option than walking. I'd love a car... or even a bicycle would be an improvement."

Victor cocked his head to the side, still obviously not familiar with her words, but it didn't stop him from making changes. He stepped up, took hold of the branch she'd found, and tossed it to the side of the path. Before she could object, the Raccoon had slipped around to her bad side, took her arm, and folded it around behind his neck. He then looked at her and said a handful of words in a surprisingly gentle manner, offering her a reassuring smile that, for just a moment, looked almost genuinely pleasant... before it altered to having a more lurid edge to it. He wriggled his eyebrows and his tone changed as he added a few extra words, accompanied by a wink.

Her knee-jerk reaction would have been to shove the Raccoon away from her but, she realized, he was helping her walk and she had to admit that it was easier with him supporting a good portion of her weight. From further up the road Silas called back to them. Victor responded, his voice was full of levity and, if Kenzie wasn't mistaken, perhaps a hint of flirtatious glee-- she resolved to impart the significance of the term 'sexual harassment' on the Raccoon once she could figure out how to correctly create a dialogue. It was nice that he was thankful that she saved his life, but his advances were a little too much.

Once they established a rhythm to their movement, Kenzie was pleased to realize that Victor, despite all of his posturing, machismo, and blunt advances, was very adept at providing aid-- he was surprisingly skilled at reading her movements, helping to maintain a good forward speed without causing her any extensive discomfort. If the situation were different and he had been assigned to her as a lab partner or a vet tech, she would have been more than thankful for someone so astute and capable of anticipating her needs. Then again, she reminded herself, she'd dealt with plenty of guys in class who were carbon copies of Victor: they were usually much more interested in getting into her pants than helping her in lab assignments.

She almost missed a step when she considered what'd just gone through her head. Victor was definitely (presumably?) male, but they were completely different species. Sure, it was possible that they had 'compatible' physiologies, but she was doubtful that his advances were anything more than male posturing or rampant machismo; he was a Raccoon and his opinion of beauty was most likely a far cry from a Human's-- he probably liked girls with big fluffy tales, and thick, luscious fur, and.... and why was she even thinking about the kinds of things Victor would look for? Kenzie let out a frustrated sigh; she was definitely over-tired if her mind were launching out on various tangents like what a Raccoon man would be looking for in a potential mate.

Whether Silas had slowed down, or Victor's assistance had helped her to significantly speed up, it wasn't long before the three of them were walking line-abreast-- at that point, Silas, stoically, had taken Kenzie's other arm, holding it in the crook of his. It was a far cry from supporting most of her weight around his shoulders like Victor was, but there was something almost courtly about the way the Fox provided support... enough that it almost made Kenzie blush, until she reminded herself that he was a Fox and not a Human, and her over-tired mind was really overdoing its random thoughts.

Another twenty minutes or so passed and, at that point, Silas was speaking up periodically, talking past Kenzie to say a few words to Victor. Rather than maintain any lengthy dialogue with the Fox, however, once he'd answered whatever question Silas had, the Raccoon invariably went back to talking to Kenzie. He didn't make any more sense after having spent most of the night together, but it didn't stop him from chatting with her-- at least it seemed to be harmless small talk rather than what she took to be his initial suggestive statements back by the water.

He was a jovial sort, easy to laugh, and quick to smile. Despite him coming on strong initially, Kenzie couldn't help but start to smile a little as well. Victor's attitude seemed to be infectious and she would have lied if she wasn't willing to admit that she found the trip a little more bearable thanks to his chatter. She also didn't miss the polite way he'd taken to calling her "Roona Fuller", which was a far cry from the original way her name almost sounded suggestive when coming from his muzzle. When he wasn't trying so hard, Victor came across as quite pleasant.

The lightly forested path ultimately gave way to open sky and, shortly thereafter, a cobblestone road-- far wider and much more civilized than the dirt path they'd been following. Glancing skyward, Kenzie saw that the worst of the clouds had faded, providing a clear view of the night's sky, and her jaw dropped when she saw something completely unbelievable: there were two moons. Her attention was so stuck on what she was seeing that she missed the transition from dirt to cobblestone and she very nearly tripped, and likely would have if not for the fact that she had two companions holding her up.

Silas had a few words that sounded like blunt admonishment, but Victor seemed much more relaxed, even going so far as to grin, offer up a few words in a playfully chiding tone, and he laughed. Kenzie was still so focused on the sky that the humor washed over her without making any lasting impression. Leaning a little more fully on the Raccoon, she freed her hand from the Fox's arm and pointed toward the sky, gesturing as she tried to convey what she meant. "There are two moons... two... moons?"

Silas took hold of her arm and rotated the three of them so that they were facing right along the cobblestone road, and he continued moving them along. "Xul, oha Shad."

As the two walked on, Kenzie tried to figure out the significance of what the Fox had said but, fortunately, Victor was apparently able to read her expression and he moved his head a little closer to hers. At first she was going to recoil in anticipation of him trying to kiss her, or lick her, or nuzzle her, or whatever he might do, but he didn't try anything, instead, he pointed with his free arm, gesturing to the sky. "Xul... oha Shad." He then repeated the gesture, slower, starting with the right one "Xul..." then moving to the smaller left moon. "Shad."

Kenzie realized what he was explaining. "Oh... the moons... they have names. Xul and Shad? The large one is Xul, and the smaller one is Shad."

Although there was no way Victor could have completely understand her, he seemed to believe that she comprehended what he was trying to convey. Offering a pleasant smile, he ceased invading her personal space. "Seah, Roona'noi."

Kenzie had figured out that 'seah' was an affirmative, and she presumed 'Roona' was the equivalent of 'miss' or 'lady' as a title, but she didn't understand the added syllable. Nevertheless, she appreciated his (appropriate) input and interactions. "Um... thanks, Roon Victor."

They continued walking the road, Victor continuing to speak amicably to her with only occasional input from Silas. Kenzie found herself gazing skyward every few minutes, not just to take in the sight of the two moons, but also to gauge the passage of time; by her estimate it was very early morning... likely 3 or 4, presuming the days were consistent with her understanding of what to expect, unlike the celestial bodies. It was after that most-recent glance that Silas finally came to a stop.

The Fox spoke to Victor, gesturing ahead on the road. Kenzie glanced in that direction surprised to see a two story building situated beside the highway. It looked to be made of stone and wood with a brick chimney attached to the side; a merry stream of smoke rose up out of the chimney and the two foggy-glass windows facing the road cast warm, flickering light across the path. A sign out front had a simplified bed icon carved into it, leading Kenzie to believe that it was some kind of motel or inn. There was a smaller, simpler building next to it with what looked like some kind of fenced yard attached to it, but it was still dark and she couldn't make out more.

Victor nodded, slowly steadying Kenzie as he slipped out from beneath her arm. He spoke calmly to her, and to Silas, who shrugged and took more of her weight onto himself. The Raccoon smiled reassuringly, raised his paw in regard, and then jogged ahead toward the building. The Human glanced to the Fox, "Any idea what this is about?h He's still recovering from drowning and he really shouldn't be running around... not that I'm in much better condition with my foot still healing from--"

Her comments came to an end as Victor came back into view, gone for less than a handful of minutes, and he didn't come back alone; the Raccoon had one paw clenched around two leads and behind him were two large, broad, stocky reptiles wearing saddles and bridles. Aside from the fact that they were huge lizards they almost reminded her of horses equipped for riding. That thought sank in when Victor hopped up onto one with a debonair smile and held his free paw out to her. She remained where she was beside Silas. "I've ridden horses before... but I've NEVER been this close to a giant lizard before."

The Raccoon gestured up with his paw, reaching down toward Kenzie; Silas took a step back bringing her with him as he made a flat statement. Victor scowled in response, responding in a bland, almost insulted tone. The Fox shrugged and gave Kenzie a gentle pull as he gestured at the second 'steed'. Based on what she was seeing, there were two mounts for three riders, and each thought that she'd be better suited to to traveling with them and not the other. Fortunately, they did not seem about to force her, which meant that the decision was hers. Not one to hesitate, Kenzie had already made up her mind.