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MHO Chapter 12. This was originally part of chapter 11, but it was growing so long I decided to cut it in half. More interaction with the now-friendly tauric peeps!

-Llox

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Inside the large hut- whose structure seemed to consist of a combination of wood, fabric, and some rather large bones from some massive dead animal, much to Kuna's discomfort- the other shakonu were seated around a fire. The smoke rose up and out a hole that'd been strategically left in the roof of the building.

Lykou stared in astonishment as he entered and saw Nauja. The two as-yet unnamed guards were chatting with Tashira while Nauja was tending to her wounds- in a very unusual way. There was a greenish glow coming from his hands, and whatever injury he held them over for a certain amount of time healed at a rapid rate. Even Kuna seemed impressed, though he gently tugged the canid's arm to keep him moving so he didn't block the entry.

Once the two were seated, one of the guards passed Lykou the cooked leg of some kind of large bird. Whatever it came from must have been a good bit bigger than the turkeys he was used to, judging from its size. He thanked the shakonu and took a bite. From the grin on his face, he was clearly a fan of whatever it was, and he wasted no time seriously digging in.

They started to hand some meat to Kuna, but Shiko waved them off and explained the situation. She then stepped away for a moment, then returned and handed Kuna a bowl full of some kind of juice, along with another one that seemed full of some kind of fruit he didn't recognize. After a moment, he realized the bowls themselves looked natural, and had a white, somewhat pulpy lining on the inside. After glancing around, he noticed Tashira eating from a similar bowl.

Shiko caught him looking around and chimed in, "Everything alright, Kuna?"

"Y-yes! Thank you, I'm g-good," he quickly responded with a nervous, but grateful smile. "I just... I'm not familiar w-with... whatever this is. Is the white stuff edible too?"

"Oh, I see," she responded with a slightly bemused expression. "Yes, its edible, though you might have to scrape it out a bit. I usually just like it because it adds more flavor to the nectar and other juices. I guess they don't have coconuts where you're from? They grow on some trees along the south river."

Kuna sheepishly shook his head, then experimentally sipped some of the juice from the one bowl. His face lit up. "Wow, this... this is fantastic!" he said, his shyness temporarily forgotten. He turned to Lykou and nudged him. "Lykou, give this a taste."

The canid finished his mouthful and wiped his mouth before taking the bowl and sipping a little. He handed it back and shrugged. "Yeah, not bad. Kind of has a warm aftertaste."

Shiko chuckled. "Just don't overdo it."

Kuna took another big sip before trying the fruit in the other bowl. For all his anxiety being around all the shakonu, he was, for the moment, quite enjoying himself. He made a mental note to ask them where they got those things, hoping to find some more along his and Lykou's journey.

Having finished patching up the now bandage-free Tashira, Nauja waved Shiko over and began working on her wounds. She sat and sipped on some of the nectar herself, then looked over at the two outsiders. "So Lykou, Kuna. Obviously you're not from around here, as you said. Where _are_you from?"

The other shakonu turned as well, clearly intrigued by the question as well- except for Nauja, who remained focused on Shiko's wounds. Still, he glanced over briefly, suggesting he was at least partially listening.

"Well... that's a bit of a long story that's not even got an easy answer," Lykou said, scratching his chin. "It's hard to say where we're from in comparison to here because, frankly, we don't even know where 'here' is. Suffice to say our encounter with, um... Tareq, was it? And the, um... ghost," he continued, shooting Tashira a sympathetic look as her face fell a bit. "Sorry. Um. Suffice to say that wasn't out first encounter with strange powers and whatnot."

"Oh really? Do tell," Nauja chimed in, briefly glancing up again.

"Well, as crazy as it sounds, Kuna and I were somehow... carried away from our homeland. We got caught in this freaky storm and took shelter in a cave for the night, and when we woke up, we were in some strange place we didn't recognize. We've been traveling ever since, trying to find our way back," he explained. "It's been... what, almost two weeks now?" he asked, looking over at Kuna.

Kuna looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe? I wasn't really keeping track."

The shakonu all were quite enraptured with the story so far. "Is it common for your peoples to travel together?" one asked.

Lykou grinned a bit sheepishly and rubbed his neck. "Uh, well, not exactly," the canid responded. "That's... kind of a funny story in itself. Truth is, the fact we even bumped into each other during that storm was... kind of a big deal. I may be the first konuul to ever officially encounter a sereva, at least up close, as far as I know."

Kuna gave him a sidelong look with a faint smirk. He felt unexpectedly more at ease as he'd been sipping at the nectar in the one bowl. "He thought I was a spirit."

The konuul chuckled in mild embarrassment. In response to the bemused looks of some of the shakonu, he reluctantly explained the whole 'aliki-ka' thing, and the way the two initially met. Then he grinned and gave Kuna a side-armed hug. "He was a grump at first, but we've become friends since then."

"Only because you wouldn't allow otherwise," the sereva responded with a small grin. "Not that I'm complaining."

"That's... very interesting," Tashira commented. "I wouldn't expect a first contact to go that way. But I suppose things must be different where you live."

"Well, I mean, at least as far as my tribe goes, the only other people we have any kind of close contact with are a clan of ursarans, and we're... not exactly friendly with them," the konuul went on. "My village is kind of isolated."

"Ursarans... I'm assuming the medallion translated that correctly. You mean the conquest-happy people with the stripes, yes?"

"Hm. 'People'," Kuna muttered, looking away with a dark expression. "Right."

Lykou winced at the comment and rubbed Kuna's back as he spoke up before anyone could respond to it. "Sorry, yeah. That's them. Touchy subject, though," he said with a small apologetic look.

Tashira shrugged. "They're brutes, it's understandable. Fierce warriors, but not exactly honorable," she said. "We've had run-ins with them."

"Is that who... you know," Lykou hesitantly asked, gesturing to the where Nauja was patching up the last of Shiko's wounds.

"No, nothing so grand," Tashira answered with a frown. "We ran into a big group of scavenging golzogs picking through the ashes of the east tribe. We taught them a lesson in blood, but they managed to make a decent fight of it with their numbers."

"That's, er... why we ended up tracking you two down," Shiko said with a somewhat sheepish look. "We thought you might've also been scavengers of some kind."

Lykou and Kuna exchanged a slightly worried look. "You tracked us pretty easy I guess," the canid commented as he turned back. "All the way from, er... our first meeting, I take it?"

"Well, from the east village, anyway. You did leave some tracks, and the firepits you left behind helped," Tashira said. "You should be more cautious traveling through unknown places."

Shiko nodded. "You are fortunate you've survived this long like that," she said, then smirked. "Although it sounds like some spirits have taken an interest in you." She paused a moment, then looked mildly uncomfortable and smiled apologetically. "By the way, sorry for, well... our first meeting."

"Our people have a bad track record with outsiders," Tashira explained nonchalantly, seemingly less abashed. "Many dangers roam these lands, so it's unusual to meet anyone trustworthy."

"Good to know," Lykou said with a slight frown. Kuna nodded and gave him the briefest 'told you so' look. "Um. What are 'golzogs' anyway?"

"Short, wiry little bastards," Tashira answered. "No fur, pointy joints and droopy faces. And a terrible nuisance. Not very strong, but they're quick, and usually come carrying nasty little bone blades. One on one they're easy to deal with, but they tend to travel in groups. More like gangs than proper tribes, though."

"So there's nothing left of the east village, then?" Nauja asked with a grave look, after finishing with the last of Shiko's wounds. She turned to him, then shook her head, eyes cast downward sadly.

"Not a scrap," Tashira said quietly, looking fairly defeated herself.

"I see," Nauja said thoughtfully. He sighed and turned to the guards. "Verrin, Skaith, when you're done eating, head home and let the council know. I'll stay and work on finding the wardstone in the meantime."

The two guards nodded. "Of course," one said, then looked over at Kuna and Lykou with a small smile. "We'll spread word about these two, as well. So there won't be any misunderstandings."

"Good idea," Shiko said.

Kuna smiled appreciatively. "Th-thanks."

"Yeah, we appreciate it," Lykou agreed, then turned back to Nauja. "Wardstone?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. Somewhere around here, there's a lost wardstone that can help keep all manner of devils at bay, which would help prevent what happened to the east village from happening to our home in the northwest," Nauja explained. "We just finished setting up this outpost yesterday so we could begin a thorough search."

"We'd be glad to help look, if you like," Lykou offered.

"That is very kind of you. But only those with the nack for magic would be possibly be able to track it," Nuaja went on. "Do either of you possess such skill?"

Kuna shook his head and averted his gaze. "No. Some of my people can do that stuff, but definitely not me."

Lykou rubbed the sereva's head lightly. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. You touched a ghost, remember? You just haven't been given a decent chance."

"Your friend has a point," Nauja said with a somewhat intrigued smile. "Touching a spirit's ether-form is no small feat. You may have untapped potential, Kuna."

Kuna blushed slightly and raised an eyebrow dubiously. "Really? I... kind of doubt it, but thank you for saying so."

"Stop being so down on yourself, Kuna," Lykou said, embracing him again.

"He's right, you know," Tashira chimed in. "It is foolish to deny your inner strength. Why do you doubt yourself?"

Kuna just kept his gaze down and leaned against Lykou, shrugging wordlessly.

Lykou just smiled apologetically at the shakonu and gave the sereva a gentle squeeze. "It's a long story. Let's just say he's working through some things."

Tashira slowly nodded. "I understand. I hope you slay your demons, Kuna. Show them no mercy."

Kuna glanced up and smiled weakly for a brief moment. "Thanks." He then sighed and dug back into the remaining fruit in his bowl, partly to avoid talking.

The group ate in silence for a few minutes. Verrin and Skaith finished their food and stood up to leave, bidding everyone farewell before exiting the building. "And on that note, I think I'll go meditate a while to recover my strength," Nauja announced after finishing the last scrap of his own food. "Feel free to stay the night. Anyone worthy of Tareq's favor is a welcome guest here."

Lykou and Kuna both thanked him as he walked out.

"So are you hunters, warriors...?" Lykou asked Shiko and Tashira.

"Yes," Tashira said simply, then took another bite of her food.

"What she means is that most shakonu are warriors to some extent," Shiko explained, then shrugged. "You kind of have to be, around here."

"Sorry to hear that," Lykou responded. "Er, about the need for it, I mean."

"Your people have warriors, don't they?" Tashira asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, our hunters double as warriors when the need arises. Fortunately, that's not very often," Lykou said, then grinned. "My sister is actually one of the hunt-leaders."

"And very enthusiastic about it, from what you told me," Kuna quietly chimed in, before sipping some more juice.

Lykou chuckled a bit. "Yeah, you could say that."

Tashira grinned slightly. "Sounds like your sister would fit in well here."

"Yeah, she might. I'm getting the feeling we're still a long way from home though," Lykou said with a sigh.

Shiko smiled sympathetically and thought for a moment. "You were heading west- were you going to the Seer's Mountain?"

Lykou shrugged. "I guess? Tareq seemed to think we should go that way, and it's not like we had any other leads to go off of."

"Well, it would make sense. If the old stories are true, anyone going there looking for important answers will find them. If nothing else, you should be able to get a better view from the peak."

"That's what we figured. Are you saying there's a lot of spirit activity there, too?" the canid asked, becoming a little more excited at the idea.

"Something like that, I guess," Tashira answered, shrugging. "Or so they say, anyway. I've never been."

"I did, once. My parents and I joined a group headed there when I was little. I was too young to really appreciate it though," Shiko said. "I don't remember much about it. I think I did see some strange lights at night, but at that age, who knows?"

"Just be careful up there. Wisdom doesn't come without its trials," Tashira warned.

Lykou nodded and stared at the ground thoughtfully for a minute, then decided to shift the subject. "Back when we first saw you two, one of you was playing that, er-"

"Windsinger," Shiko said with a nod. She smiled, but it quickly faded to a frown. "Sadly, those damn scavengers broke it in the fight."

"That and your bow," Tashira grumbled. "Little bastards." She angrily bit into her last piece of meat and tore it with renewed vigor.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lykou said.

Shiko shrugged. "They can be replaced. These things happen when you're out on the roam."

Kuna looked up. "Your music was very pretty."

"Oh, thank you," Shiko responded with a smile. It then shifted to a playful grin and she nudged Tashira in the side lightly. "It's one of the few guaranteed ways to make this grumpy kitty purr."

"Hey!" Tashira snapped indignantly, actually blushing faintly as she turned to face Shiko, gesturing to Kuna and Lykou. "In front of outsiders, really??"

Shiko chuckled as she was pelted with a discarded bone that the other shakonu tossed at her. "Lighten up, Tash."

"After everything we've been through recently, forgive me if I'm not in the mood for farting rainbows and cheer," Tashira snarked, crossing her arms and shooting the other shakonu a small glare.

"That's my point, you need to smile before you forget how, gloomy girl," Shiko responded, unphased, and wrapped an arm around her. Her playful grin faded to a more sympathetic look. "Seriously though, I know it hurts, but you know what she would've said."

Tashira stared hard at her for a moment, then rolled her eyes slightly. "Yeah, fine," she sighed. "Sorry. Just... still processing it." She returned the embrace, then suddenly seemed to remember their guests and became slightly flustered. "Again, though, in front of them?"

Lykou couldn't help but grin and chuckle, glad for the shift in atmosphere. Everything had been relatively serious, even occasionally somber up to that point. "No worries," he said, then glanced sidelong at Kuna. Seeing the sereva had finished his food and set the bowls aside, he suddenly pulled his companion over into a lap-cuddle. "I know how it is."

Kuna let out a surprised yelp and blushed as he was tugged over. "Hey!" Several emotions battled each other in his mind over the turn of events- surprise, embarrassment, mild indignation... but ultimately he couldn't help but smile bashfully in spite of himself. After all, part of him delighted in the embrace, even if the context was a bit embarrassing. Plus, he was feeling unusually warm, fuzzy, and, frankly, content.

Shiko chuckled, and even Tashira couldn't help but grin a little.

"So I take it you two are close?" Lykou asked as the sereva settled, with mild playful indignation, into his arms.

"We're mates," Shiko answered simply, then playfully licked Tashira's cheek, making the other shakonu blush again.

"I swear I'm going to toss you in the next river we cross," Tashira groused, albeit not without a small smirk.

Shiko snickered. "I'll pull you in with me and you know it," she replied, then turned back to Lykou and Kuna. "And you? Given how long you said you've known each other, it looks like you grew close pretty quick."

"Yeah, well, what can I say, some friendships bloom fast," Lykou responded with a smile, resting his head on top of Kuna's. "Even if he fought it hard early on."

The sereva smiled up at him, still blushing slightly, then looked away with a content sigh as he rubbed the arms wrapped around him. "This goofball is the most aggressively sweet ball of fluff you'll meet. My demons didn't stand a chance against him."

The two shakonu shared a dubious look and a faint smirk. "Right," Tashira said. "Quite a special... friendship."

"Anyway," Shiko cut in, before her partner could make any potentially uncomfortable jokes or insinuations. "Tell us a bit more about your people."

"Well, my tribe lives by this really pretty lake under a ridge covered in exposed sunstone," Lykou explained. "The whole valley shimmers at certain times of day in the right times of year. And-"

"Sunstone?" Shiko asked, curiously. "What's that?"

"Oh! Let me show you," Lykou said, briefly removing one arm from around Kuna to pull his knife out. "See the shiny yellowish stuff? That's sunstone. Er, not quite how it looks naturally though. Some members of my tribe figured out how to work it into stuff like this."

Both shakonu seemed suitably impressed. "May I?" Tashira asked, leaning over and extending a hand.

"Sure, just be careful," Lykou said, handing over the knife. "The blade's pretty sharp. They say sunstone is blessed by spirits of the mountain. Can make it sharper than any normal stone, and it keeps its edge a long time."

"Huh," Kuna said, raising an eyebrow and glancing up at the konuul. "Is that why you never seem to sharpen it? I thought I'd just missed when you did it somehow."

"Yep, it's special stuff. There's the reasons the ursarans used to try and raid us all the time," Lykou said, smirking. "They gave up after being on the business end too much though."

The shakonu were fascinated by the knife, turning and examining it between them. Eventually, almost reluctantly, Tashira handed it back to Lykou, who re-sheathed it. "That's quite impressive. I wish we had something like that."

"I wish you were close enough to us that you could visit. We do trade some of it with a tribe way up north from us sometimes, I'm sure we could do the same with you. Especially given the problems you apparently have to deal with," Lykou said, then frowned. "Speaking of which, er... sorry to bring up the subject, but do you have any idea what happened to the other village...?"

Both Shiko and Tashira frowned. Shiko took a deep breath. "Most likely devil-bound of some kind. Possibly a large creature, or just a band of some other people that gave into corruption."

"Devil-bound?" Lykou asked.

Kuna's eyes widened. "You m-mean... shit, that would explain it..."

Lykou glanced down. "Huh?"

"Demons, Lykou. Corrupt spirits," Kuna explained, shuddering a bit. "Some of the scariest stories I remember. Sometimes people or animals get fused with one and... it's bad."

"And some do so willingly, in exchange for power," Tashira added, then took a deep breath. "It tends to give them an insatiable hunger and an endless thirst for violence."

Lykou looked thoughtful for a moment. "I wonder if that's what makes rav-" he started, then quickly cut himself off as he felt Kuna tense up. "Er, anyway. That sounds terrifying. Is that a common problem here?"

"Somewhat, unfortunately," Shiko said. "This area has had a history of wars between tribes, and other random acts of violence. Even our own people once feuded among ourselves before Tareq helped unite us. And then you have the golzogs, the ursarans, the banjel... just to name a few. And some get desperate enough for any advantage they can get, so they turn to dark rituals and magics to help them conquer territory."

The boys frowned. "That's awful," Lykou said. "I hope you find peace eventually."

Tashira shrugged. "It's life, we're used to it."

"Still, it _would_be nice to not have to be used to it someday," Shiko said with a sigh. "So we could just spend our days on more... pleasant pursuits." She smiled over at Tashira as she embraced her again. After a moment, she turned back to Lykou and Kuna. "So what about your people, Kuna? You haven't sai-"

Kuna tensed up and looked away. Lykou shot her an apologetic look. "Suffice to say they move around a lot, rather than staying in one place. Otherwise, it's a bit of a sensitive subject," the canid explained, squeezing the sereva gently.

The shakonu looked a bit confused, but decided not to press it further. "Alright then," Shiko responded. "Well, I guess back to you, then."

Lykou happily told them about his tribe for a while- the different roles, Spark Night, various tribe members including his family and Naira, and various other things. The shakonu filled them in on some background of their own. Though Tashira's sister lived in the destroyed village, their family mainly resided in the northwest village, with herself and Shiko often going on extended trips in the areas around both villages to scout for signs of trouble- and sometimes just to spend some alone time together.

In addition to those two villages, they said there were about three or four others scattered further south, all in the plains. They explained that the shakonu preferred wide open areas usually, because it was easier to see for long distances, and provided fewer obstacles for running- and racing was a common competitive pastime for many of them. The villages were mostly independently run, but kept strong ties in case of another war with outsiders, with family members occasionally moving to another village for one reason or another- usually after finding a mate there.

As the day grew on, everyone eventually settled in for the evening, had dinner, and prepared for sleep. Nauja joined them for dinner, but then retired to his own small, private hut for the night. Shiko said they'd probably have to share the main building for sleeping in, since the third was used for storage. Lykou and Kuna didn't seem to mind- Kuna in particular was too tired to care.

With the light mostly gone and the fire reduced to faintly glowing coals, the sereva took little time to fall asleep in Lykou's lap. The two shakonu seemed to have dozed off as well. But just as Lykou was contemplating stretching out himself, he saw Shiko's head lift up as she stretched a bit.

"Can't sleep?" he idly asked in a quiet voice.

"Mm. Was always a late sleeper. Nighttime has a certain poetic appeal to it," she responded. "You?"

Lykou shrugged. "It varies. I guess it was just such an exciting day, my head isn't ready to settle down just yet. Honestly surprised Kuna conked out so early."

Shiko chuckled quietly. "The nectar probably helped. It does have that effect," she said, gesturing slightly down at the other shakonu by her side. "Always helps Tash relax."

The canid raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I guess there's more to it than just being some kind of juice."

"Yeah, there's a reason we cut it with water," Shiko said. "Though if I don't stop her, she'll go for the raw stuff sometimes. You should see her get loopy."

Lykou chuckled a little. "I can only imagine."

"So, uh," Shiko continued, hesitating for a moment. "Not to pry, but... what's Kuna's, you know... story?"

The konuul frowned as he glanced down and gently stroked his friend's head gently. "The saddest I know," he said with a sigh. "His tribe treated him badly, he saw his parents slaughtered by a ravager, and then they..." he trailed off, gritting his teeth as he took a breath and paused a moment to calm himself. "They just... abandoned him."

Shiko's eyes shot wide open and she covered her mouth to keep from blurting something out. After a moment she lowered her hand and furrowed her brow. "They_what_??" she said in a quiet hiss. "What kind of gutless, pathetic..."

"Yeah. They better hope I never cross paths with them," Lykou said, gritting his teeth again.

The shakonu's expression fell as she looked down at the sereva. "The poor thing. It's good that you found him."

Lykou nodded, gently cradling Kuna in his arms as he calmed back down. "Yeah, I'm glad I finally got past his walls, too," he said quietly, with a faint, brief smile. "It's funny, when we first met in that cave, I felt something in the air... I can't really explain it, but it was like the world itself was telling me he needed someone to look out for him. Heh, must have been whatever powerful spirit threw us across the world."

"Could be," Shiko said with a faint smile. "Certainly sounds like something about you two draws them to you."

"It's funny, that encounter in the ruins was the first time I've ever actually seen real spirits," the konuul went on. "Apparently he's a little more familiar with them though. Supposedly they're not too shy around his people."

"That's interesting," Shiko said, looking at Kuna again with some intrigue. She grinned slightly. "Sometimes they're said to look out for lost souls with a good heart. Maybe they just took a shine to him."

Lykou grinned as well. "I apparently don't know enough about them to say for sure, but I like that idea. So I say we just go with that."

The two chatted a little more, but eventually Lykou felt sleepy enough and bid Shiko goodnight, then laid down next to Kuna and dozed off himself. The shakonu watched them for a short bit, smiling softly. Tashira's eyes fluttered open slightly and she glanced up at her partner. "You think they'll ever-?" she asked quietly, with a faint smirk.

"Don't be presumptuous," Shiko interrupted, but returned the smirk after a moment and shrugged as she looked back over at the two sleeping outsiders. "But... yeah, I have a feeling they will, eventually."