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Feyrahl, SoFurry Edition

Strengthening Bonds, Ch 3.3

Mac's meandering through the palace grounds ultimately took him toward the orchard, and his wandering gained a much more distinct purpose the moment he heard the sound of a stringed instrument being played with a degree of skills. It was more than strumming but less than a song to his untrained ears, but it was enough to catch his attention and so he followed after it. His ears ultimately led him to the middle of the orchard where Rolin sat, a mandolin held in his paws, large, thick fingers still managing to work the strings with dexterous skill as he plucked them with his curled, feline claws.

The Human was content to sit quietly and listen to the Ranger strum his mandolin but Khosk put an end to that by audibly clearing his throat. The Lynx-Bear looked up from the instrument, offering a pleasant-if-distant smile, and set it down and nodded to each of them in turn as he spoke their names. "Ah. Pleasant day to you, Mac. Firemane."

Khosk's statement was flat. "I wasn't aware you still had that thing."

Rolin's response was much more animated. "Of course I do. Not only was it a gift, but having something to focus on when I'm away in the woodlands for weeks on end helps me maintain my sanity."

Accentuating the matter-of-fact tone with a playful wink in Mac's direction the Lynx-Bear stroked the neck of the instrument lovingly. Mac didn't play any musical instruments but he'd always found them intriguing. "Do you know any songs?'

The Ranger smiled politely. "I know some of the more common ones... mostly tavern songs, children's songs, and the ballads more popular among the commoners. Courtly music has never been a strength of mine."

Khosk groaned, rolling his eyes. "Come, Millman. Flat-Paw doesn't play music for an audience. You're interrupting him."

Rolin interjected. "In truth, Firemane, I did not mind in the least. I can imagine court must be getting quite stuffy for a Human. The orchard is my chosen safe space, and my foot-cousin is welcome to remain with me if he likes."

Under the impression that his bodyguard didn't much relish the idea of hanging out with the trees, Mac decided the best thing he could do was to release the Lion from his commitment. "You don't have to stay, Khosk. Rolin is here with me so I should be fine... right?"

His bodyguard stood passively for several long moments; Mac could tell he was torn between duty and freedom. In the end, the latter won out. "Flat-Paw, return him to me before you depart if it's before sundown, otherwise deliver him to Vihas. Understood?"

The Lynx-Bear nodded his head. "Of course. I'd be glad for the company, and I am certain a little freetime would do you some good."

The Lion snorted, heading off with a brief wave over his shoulder. "It's for his benefit, not for mine."

Mac watched Khosk go. "Well... that was definitely a thing."

Rolin chuckled softly, picking up his mandolin again. "Don't worry about it, Mac... he's like that with just about everyone except the Emperor or the Commander or his brother. Chasing after rank is a lonely existence."

The Human chuckled. "Says the guy who spends all his time out in the woods."

The Ranger smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "There is a difference between being alone and being lonely."

Mac took a seat on the stone bench that Rolin was using, chiding his companion. "Oh? Which one are you?"

The Lynx-Bear's smile remained like an imperfect mask on his muzzle. "That would depend on the day."

Suddenly feeling a moment of awkwardness, Mac cleared his throat and looked down to his hands. "So... uh... I really liked that melody you were playing, Rolin. Is that from a song or something?"

His large, furry companion began to idly pluck at the stings once again, the seemingly random notes slowly materializing into the same half-tune Mac had heard when approaching. "Of sorts. I spent the last several weeks working on an original song. It isn't done yet, but I've been enjoying the process.

The Human was surprised. "Really? You write music?"

Rolin chuckled, offering a half-shrug in reply. "I am hardly a bard, but it helps pass the time when I am alone... which is most time on most days, so I decided that I could use that time in the act of creation."

When the Lynx-Bear accentuated his last word with a strum of his strings, Mac felt a little tingle run up the back of his spine; that chord did not feel random. Invested in the moment, the Human inched a little closer. "Would you play it for me?"

The Ranger froze, his claws striking a dischordant note in response and his tufted ears fell downward. He looked away, raising a paw to rub his furry cheek in embarrassment. "Well... as I said, I am no bard. It is mostly just for my own amusement. I can't imagine that it'd really be of interest... especially not when you get to hear all of the musicians all day in the palace."

Mac shrugged. "I really don't listen to them all that much. To be honest, I don't spend a lot of time around the court. Besides, I don't know any of them, but I know you, and I'd really like to hear it... if you're okay sharing."

Rolin's ears rose slowly, their insides bright red. Clearing his throat, the Lynx-Bear returned his paw to the strings of his mandolin and he strummed it a few times until he found the cord he was looking for. "Very well... just be gentle on your critique."

The Ranger repeated the strumming Mac had heard as he'd approached the orchard and then he switched it up with a flourish before repeating it again, at which point it transitioned into a proper song, and Mac was surprised when he heard Rolin's singing voice; not only was it pleasant, it was clear, melodious, and enchanting. The mandolin's strumming transitioned to a series of soft chords as the Lynx/Bear sang.

"A Ranger I, by duty and by name. The Emperor's woods I guard, a lonely game.

Yet in my heart a minstrel's fire burns,for in the court, my spirit always yearns.

The gentle touch of friendship, or the ease of laughter shared: a comfort I can't seize.

My face, a blend of bear and of feline, does set me far from calling someone mine.

A whispered curse in every judging eye which keeps me on the road, passing by and by.

Thus in the wilds, beneath the open sky, I keep myself in amidst an eagle's cry.

I make my home, where trees my fellows are, and silent streams reflect each lonely scar.

Lord Ranger I, in forest green arrayed, through wild paths my lonely steps are laid.

My heart concealed; my story yet untold. For love and peace, my hollow soul is sold.

I want the One, a yearning deep inside: a gentle paw to walk with, side by side,

To find a heart that sees beyond the pelt, and know the warmth where true affection's felt.

But how fear holds me in its icy grip, lest scornful words from some fair noble's lip

should wound me deep, and leave a lasting pain. So I hide deep in the forest's reign.

Poor Ranger I, as shadows cling to me. And in that quest, my spirit shall be free,

to find at last the solace of a song. I seek a light, a place where I belong,

A solo figure, and I walk alone and dream of love, a treasure yet unknown.

Perhaps one day, a kindred soul I'll find, And leave this aching loneliness behind."

Mac had been forced to take a music theory class to fill up his elective credits for his degree and he learned very few things he considered 'usable' in his standard life, but he was able to appreciate the song's composition, the way that the break between each stanza was punctuated with a flourish of that same melody with which the song had started but, most of all, he found himself quickly lost to the song, enraptured by Rolin's voice, and the overall relization of what it was he was hearing.

Once the song came to an end, Mac waited for the vibration of the last chord to fall silent before he offered his critique. "...wow."

Rolin's expressive ears wilted, then rose, then fell flat again. "Well... as I said, it is still in process."

Mac blinked, staring at his companion. "Are you kidding? It sounds like it's complete as it is, Rolin."

The Lynx-Bear's skin beneath his fur blushed visibly. "Well... to be honest, The last two stanzas I just put together... I really wasn't sure how to end the song until now. I suppose having someone to play for gave me the extra incentive to find a way to conclude it and close out the song."

The Human laughed lightly. "It worked."

Rolin's own laughter seemed lighter, and less forced. "In that case, I should thank you for being my muse then, my friend."

There was something incredibly warm in the way the Ranger used the title-- hearing the words 'my friend' from him felt almost magical, and left Mac smiling even wider. "Happy to help, Rolin."

Human was surprised when the Ranger set his mandolin off to the side and then placed one of his enormous paws on the backof his hand. "In all honesty, Mac, if it was anyone else, I cannot help but think that I would have been unable to play, but you are unlike everyone else here. In that we're alike."

Mac found himself blushing, and he offered a nervous laugh. "Right. We're foot-cousins, aren't we?"

Rolin leaned closer.. a lot closer. "That is not what I meant, my friend."