{"sf1_id":1986076,"sf2_id":"rna7BDJe","title":"Mystic Heart Odyssey - Chapter 32","author":"Lloxie","words":6013,"posted_at":"2023-05-15T20:15:00.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Alcohol","Bunny","Canine","Cervidae","Cervine","Cuddling","Custom Species Names","Deer","Fantasy","Husky","Hybrid","Inebriation","Intoxication","Konuul","Lepne","Magic","Male","Rabbit","Sereva","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1986076-mystic-heart-odyssey-chapter-32","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rna7BDJe","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/3b/9e/3b9ee16d-44b8-4249-987d-d99c5fd610f0","description":"#32 of Mystic Heart Odyssey\n\nHere's chapter 32! I decided to dial down the accent slightly. Totally not because the tool I was using to help translate things into that accent in the previous chapter randomly started working, ahaha. Anyway, yeah, a bit more relaxation for the boys before we start getting into some action again. Hope you've enjoyed this pleasant reprieve from their recent troubles as much as they have!\n\nPosted using PostyBirb","content":"_MHO Chapter 32! Still kind  \nof a chill chapter, for the most part. Don't worry, there's  \naction coming soon. At least the boys are getting a nice  \nwell-deserved break. Oh and yes, you may have noticed I dialed down  \nthe accent a little. It was getting a bit much, so I decided to  \nmoderate it a little more._\n\n  \n\n_-Llox_\n\n  \n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n  \n\n  \n\nAfter leaving  \nMoyra's home, Kuna was faced with the fact that he'd have to  \nnavigate the village alone as it was approaching sunset. Fortunately,  \nhe had his magic to guide him to Lykou. The drawback was that it'd  \nbe tricky to do so without drawing even more attention to himself  \nthan he already was getting for being a very different looking  \noutsider in a village full of lepne, most of whom were around a foot  \nor so shorter than him, on average. It wasn't that he felt  \nparticularly in danger at that point, but he still didn't like the  \nattention.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nHe took a deep  \nbreath and began walking, trying to avoid meeting anyone's gaze  \nwhile doing the best to hide the glowing mark on his hand. Even so,  \nand even trying to use the least-busy paths to get to where he was  \ngoing, he still encountered many fascinated villagers who stopped to  \nogle him and whisper to each other. A few actually waved to him or  \ngreeted him, to which he made some effort to return a friendly wave  \nwhile still trying to avoid getting caught up in a conversation. On  \nthe one hand, it was refreshing being around so many people that were  \nso nice to him for once; but on the other, the attention was a little  \nmuch, and he wanted to be back with Lykou as soon as possible.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nFinally, he arrived  \nat another larger building, with a higher roof than most of the  \nothers in the village. But as he approached the double doorway at the  \nfront, it flew open and Lykou, Grey, and a few other lepne came  \nwalking out, laughing and carrying on. A couple of the lepne were  \nleaning on one another for support, clearly inebriated.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Spark Night  \nsoonds -hic- lik' a right crackin' time!\" the chieftan said,  \nleaning on one of his least-intoxicated companions, then looked up to  \nsee Kuna. \"Ach, Kuna laddie, guid tae see ye. Ah hawp -hic- th'  \ndruna bu'ness went weel?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna nodded and  \nlooked at the assorted bunch with a mixture of amusement and mild  \nconcern. \"It was very ni-\" he started to say, then paused and  \nthought for a moment before continuing, remembering Moyra's comment  \nabout 'keeping up appearances'. \"Er, very enlightening, yes.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou wasted no time  \nwalking over and wrapping his arms around the sereva. \"Miss'd ya,  \nbud,\" he said, squeezing him gently. Despite the awkwardness of the  \nobvious drunkenness, Kuna smirked and hugged him back, just glad to  \nbe reunited with him.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Guid tae hear  \nit,\" the chieftan said, then clapped Lykou lightly on the back,  \nalbeit only after missing twice. \"'n' it wis brilliant -hic-  \nbanterin' wi' ye, Lykou.\" He paused to wave over Rhagnaid, who  \nKuna hadn't noticed standing by another building nearby.  \n\"Rha-hic-gnaid 'ere wull take ye back tae th' lodge, ah best  \n'av dinner 'n' git tae kip mysel'. G'night lads!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"G'night, chief  \n-hic- Grey!\" Lykou replied. \"Thanks again, it's been fun!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nRaghnaid began  \nleading them back to the lodge, and glanced at Lykou. \"Dae ye need  \nany halp?\" she asked the two, as Kuna helped the konuul keep  \nsteady, with one of the canid's arms draped over his shoulder.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I've got it,\"  \nthe sereva replied.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou chuckled. \"I'm  \n-hic- fine, really, I'm not _that_ drunk,\" he insisted, then  \ngrinned at the guard. \"He's just using this as an excuse to -hic-  \nhold onto me.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna smirked and  \nrolled his eyes, blushing slightly.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yer pure  \nsteamin',\" the guard replied with a smirk. \"Some dinner 'n'  \nwater should halp, though.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Really, I'm  \njust -hic- tispy!\" Lykou said, then thought for a moment before  \ngiggling. \"Tispy... tipsy... okay maybe -hic- m-more than I  \nthought...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, you're  \nready to 'tisp' right over, you goofball,\" Kuna teased.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nSoon they arrived at  \nthe lodge. When they stepped inside, they were greeted with the smell  \nof hot, fresh food, and Clara was bringing some cups of some kind of  \nmurky brown liquid over to the tables. \"Welcome back, lads,\" she  \ngreeted them. \"Ah'll bring ye each a plate in a minute. Wull ye  \nbe jynin' us, too, Ragh?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Na, ah shou-\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ach, c'mon,\"  \nClara insisted. \"Yer always hidin' at hame wen yer aff duty.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Weel...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, c'mon,\"  \nLykou chimed in. \"We'll be telling everyone our -hic- story.\"  \nHe wavered a little bit as Kuna helped him into an empty stool by the  \ntable, bracing him against a wall carefully before sitting down next  \nto him. \"Well, mostly him for -hic- now, I think,\" he added,  \nshooting an apologetic, yet playful grin to the sereva.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna tensed up and  \nfolded his ears as he sat down. \"Really?\" he mumbled quietly,  \nshooting him a small glare.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nRhagnaid shrugged,  \nthen found herself a seat at the other table. \"A'right, ah  \nsuppose ah kin stay a li'l while. Grey wis callin' it a night  \nanyway.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Great!\" Clara  \nsaid, then went to grab some plates for the three.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Seems lik'  \nsomeone's been tae the brewhall wi' the chief,\" Gavin said with  \na chuckle. \"Mak' sure 'e gets water, Clara.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, wull dae.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"'n' how wis  \nyere day, Kuna?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"N-nice,\" Kuna  \nreplied quietly, scooting close to his inebriated friend.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ye dinnae need to  \nbe sae shy wi' us, ye ken,\" Ealar told the sereva with a friendly  \nsmile, after taking a sip from his cup. \"We dinnae bite.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna looked up  \nbriefly with a faint smile and rubbed his arm. \"I know, just...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nEffie, who was  \nsitting next to the sereva, leaned over and rubbed his shoulder  \nsoftly. \"Es a'right. Ah wis alwis a bit quiet, tae,\" she said  \nsoftly. \"Anyone gies ye trouble, ah'll skelp 'em fer ye.\" She  \nwinked at him.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I-I'm sure that  \nwon't be necessary,\" Kuna replied appreciatively. \"But thanks.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Some scran wull  \nprobably halp ye relax, tae,\" Gavin suggested.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nOn cue, Clara  \nreturned and set a plate in front of Kuna and Lykou. They both  \nthanked her, then began eating. After some of the lepne had finished  \ntheir food, Gavin turned to one of the others that hadn't been  \nintroduced yet. \"Oy, Finlay, wid ye mind gi'en us some choons?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe other lepne  \nsmiled and got up. \"Nae problem, wis jest thinkin' aboot that,\"  \nhe said as he stepped over to one of the piles of boxes and bags on  \nthe edge of the large common area, then began digging around for a  \nmoment. Soon he returned with a stringed instrument and began tuning  \nit after sitting back down. Before long, he began filling the air  \nwith soft, but cheerful music, much to everyone's delight. Another  \nindividual pulled out a small flute-like instrument and joined in.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe music wasn't  \nvery loud, but it helped everyone, including Kuna, relax a little  \nmore. In fact, along with the food and the comforting warmth and glow  \nfrom the fireplace, he was starting to feel somewhat at ease by the  \ntime he finished his plate. Lykou's tail was flicking and twitching  \nalong with the music. At one point, Bhaltair arrived and joined the  \ngroup, greeting the boys as he set his bag down near the far wall.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Bit o' bad  \nnews, folks,\" the trade leader announced. \"Ginnae hae tae delay  \nanither day. Soomhow, a stack o' blankets bound fer Whitlan were  \nmisplaced, sae they're makin' a few more tomorrae.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Mibbie Effie jest  \nmiscounted,\" Dougal suggested, earning a glare from the smallest  \nlepne in response.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah'll help ye  \ncount yer teeth, ye mawkit bawbag!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oy, settle doon  \nye two,\" Bhaltair said. \"Nae sense arguin', whas done es done.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe casual chatter  \nin the room carried on for a bit. After making sure Kuna was done  \nwith his food, Lykou re-positioned himself to the floor, and  \nplayfully pulled the sereva along with him. He'd started to sober  \nup a bit, but was still pleasantly buzzed. Kuna let out a small yelp,  \nbut couldn't stop himself from grinning as he was pulled into their  \nusual cuddle position. \"For the dozenth time, you can just use  \nwords,\" he playfully complained, blushing and trying not to focus  \non the attention they'd drawn from some of the lepne.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Nah,\" the canid  \nreplied with a grin. \"Speaking of which though,\" he added, then  \nbooped his friend's nose. \"Story time!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna groaned and  \nfolded his ears down again.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Come on, it's  \nonly fair after they've been so nice to us,\" Lykou half-whispered  \nin his ear. \"Besides, I'm right here with you. I can even go grab  \nmy blanket if you want.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"N-no, I don't  \nneed to look even more like a baby, thanks,\" the sereva retorted  \nwith a slight eye-roll.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aww!\" Clara  \ncooed at the two along with one or two other lepne, then covered her  \nmouth and giggled as Raghnaid nudged her. \"Sorry, sorry! Please,  \ndae goan then, Kuna.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, we're  \nitchin' tae hear yer story, lad!\" Gavin agreed.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Tell ye whit,  \ngoan git started, ah'll fetch ye some liquid courage, aye?\" Clara  \noffered.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna wasn't sure  \nit was a good idea, but at that point, he'd be up for anything to  \nhelp ease his nerves. Finally, he sighed and settled back into the  \nkonuul's arms. \"F-fine,\" he said, then looked around a bit,  \nblushing from increasing attention. \"I... guess I should s-start at  \nthe beginning.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, tis how it  \nusually works,\" one of the other lepne responded with a chuckle,  \nearning a light slap from Effie.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Well... L-Lykou  \nand I actually didn't e-even know each other w-when we first m-met.  \nI'll skip how w-we got into the situation,\" he said, shooting a  \nlook back towards the konuul behind him before continuing. \"But  \nbasically we... got caught in a weird f-freaky storm and took shelter  \nin the s-same cave. We ended up s-spending the n-night there and woke  \nup... in some weird place f-far away. Turns out the s-storm was a  \nmagical one.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oy, soonds lik'  \npowerful magic!\" one lepne replied.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Must'a bin a  \nspirit!\" another added.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"We're... still  \na little unclear on that,\" Kuna said, his eye twitching.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oh I'm pretty  \nsure she was a hounaka,\" Lykou said, looking a bit nonplussed at  \nthe thought.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Er, trickster  \nspirit,\" the sereva explained, upon seeing the confused expressions  \non some of the lapines. \"And we r-really don't know, but anyway  \nthat's s-skipping way ahead.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Certainly soonds  \nlik' a trickster thin' tae dae,\" Gavin said.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shrugged a bit.  \n\"Maybe. But anyway, w-we woke up in this strange forest that w-was  \ndifferent than we were used to. First couple of days were rough. We  \nonly h-had Lykou's knife and the f-few things he had in his pack to  \nsurvive w-with. S-so we spent the first day mostly just trying to  \nf-find food for ourselves. Not exactly exciting.\" He rubbed his arm  \na bit and looked away, clearly trying to dance around certain  \ndetails. \"Eventually Lykou made a n-needle I could use to make the  \nbags we used to c-carry our food in, and l-later on a... mat-thing we  \ncould lay on s-so we wouldn't have to sleep on the h-hard ground.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"And your clothes,  \ntoo! Not a good idea to wander a strange forest naked. You did a  \ngreat job, too, considering what little there was to work with,\" he  \ncomplimented, then immediately realized his mistake and smiled  \nsheepishly when he felt the sereva tense up. \"Er, right, sorry Ku...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ye wis naked??\"  \none of the lepne asked. A few others snickered.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Were ye oot  \nbathin' or somethin' afore the storm?\" another asked.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna's eye  \ntwitched as his blush returned more intensely than before. Luckily,  \nClara showed up at that moment with a cup full of 'liquid courage'  \nand handed it to him with a sympathetic smile. The sereva quickly  \nbrought it to his mouth and gulped down more than half of it in one  \ngo before shooting a glare back at his friend. \"Yeah.  \nS'gowiththat.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah'll... fetch  \nye a second, then,\" she said, stepping away again for a moment.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Th-thanks,\"  \nKuna said and sighed. \"A-anyway. After that we just s-sort of...  \npicked a direction and started walking. We passed this h-huge gorge  \nwith these weird tortoise-looking things that h-had shiny colorful  \nshells and breathed fire, of all things. There were a c-couple  \nenormous ones down in the gorge f-fighting each other.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"It was amazing!\"  \nLykou chimed in. \"They kept bashing each other and making these  \ncolorful sparks and blasting each other with fire!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Breathin'  \nfire?\" one lepne asked incredulously. \"Ye sure they wasnae  \nspirits?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I... somehow  \ndidn't even think of that,\" the konuul said and looked down at  \nthe sereva in his lap.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shook his head.  \n\"I don't think s-so. There w-were too many in one place, and I  \ndon't think s-spirits usually fight like that. Plus, one s-started  \nto bleed, remember?\" he pointed out to the canid.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oh, right,\" the  \ncanid responded. \"Good point.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"A-after that,  \nthis w-weird spiny thing... which apparently is c-called a  \n'devilhorn' or s-something? Attacked us- well, me- when we were  \ndistracted,\" the sereva said, folding his ears down and looking  \naway.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, it charged  \nup and flipped him over itself. It had a big horn on its ugly face  \nand all these spines on its back. Poked all over poor Kuna's back,\"  \nthe canid said, frowning.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna smirked up at  \nhim. \"And then you saved our asses.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou grinned.  \n\"True.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ach, details! Gie  \nus th' details!\" one member of the audience insisted eagerly.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"You tell 'em,  \nit was... kind of a blur for me,\" Kuna told the konuul.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Well... I kind of  \ndanced around it a bit, until I was next to Kuna again. Then I took  \noff one of its big pinchy claw-arms with my knife.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Jest a knife?!\"  \nEalar asked incredulously.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oh he can be a  \ns-scary good fighter, believe me,\" Kuna said, rubbing the konuul's  \narm.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe konuul blushed  \nand smirked. \"Yeah, but that only pissed it off, so I grabbed Kuna  \nup and ran over to the edge of the cliff, then tricked it into  \ncharging us and running off the edge.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"He grabbed a vine  \nand s-swung us out over the edge to do it, too,\" the sereva added  \nwith a grin, then reached up and tussled the canid's hair. \"This  \nguy's crazy in the best way sometimes.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Soonds lik'  \nit!\" Gavin said with a chuckle.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Quick thinkin'  \nlad!\" another lepne chimed in. Several others echoed the sentiment.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou grinned and  \nsqueezed the sereva gently.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"After that we  \ns-set up camp for the night so h-he could patch me up. Luckily I  \nwasn't hurt too bad.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Physically,  \nanyway.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Shh! 'Kou!\"  \nKuna quickly shushed his friend, his face flushing a bit.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Right,  \nsorrysorry!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, pride hurts  \nbad when et's injured, dunnit?\" Ealar commented with a  \nsympathetic smile. \"We all bin there.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna sighed and  \nrolled his eyes up for a moment. \"Yeah...\" He paused to think,  \nthen took another sip of his somewhat bitter, but comforting drink.  \nHe could feel it starting to take effect after having gulped down so  \nmuch so quickly to start with. \"...and it wasn't exactly healthy  \nto begin with, I guess,\" he finally admitted, then sighed. \"When  \nLykou first found me, I... had a lot of, um...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Demons in your  \nhead,\" Lykou interjected.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"...yeah, that,\"  \nKuna replied. He smiled up at the konuul. \"Let's just say this  \nfluffball saved me in more ways than one that day.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThere was a faint  \nround of 'aww's from a few of the lepne, including from Clara,  \nwho'd just returned with a second cup. She set it on the floor next  \nto him, then sat down nearby. Lykou smiled down at the sereva.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Tis nae wonder  \nyer sae claise, then,\" Ealar noted with a smile.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, he's a  \ngood demon hunter,\" Kuna replied, nuzzling back against the canid  \nlightly. Lykou just smiled and squeezed him in return. \"Anyway,  \nafter that we met these two strangers...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nHe went on to  \ndescribe their first awkward encounter with the shakonu, then the  \nburned village and the ghosts. The latter fascinated the lepne, and  \nLykou chimed in a few times to talk up just how brave Kuna had been,  \nand how it was the first time there was a hint that he could have  \nmagical abilities. The sereva grew a bit flustered but was happy to  \nlet the canid take over the story for a minute while he started on  \nthe second cup of... whatever it was. It didn't taste nearly as  \ngood as the gourd juice, but it was quickly washing away his nerves.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"But yeah, anyway,  \nafter the echo guy-\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Tareq,\" Kuna  \nchimed in.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Right, we later  \nfound out his name was Tareq. After he faded away, we kept going  \nuntil we found this really pretty camping spot behind a waterfall and  \nended up staying there a couple days so we could resupply again.  \nHonestly I wish it was closer to home, because it'd be a great spot  \nto visit again now and then.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Other than the  \ncreepy lizard thing,\" the sereva said with a shiver.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Hey, he just  \nspooked us a little. I don't think he was dangerous in the end.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"A lizard ye say?\"  \nGavin asked curiously. \"Ah tak' it t'wasnae wee one?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shook his head.  \n\"Nope,\" he said, then gestured with his arms. \"About this big.  \nAnd six legs. We were swimming in the water near the base of the  \nfalls and suddenly he came out of the depths and popped up next to  \nus.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou snickered. \"We  \nboth got out of the water so fast I think it took our shadows a  \nminute to catch up. Luckily, the thing didn't seem hostile in the  \nend. It just crawled onto the other shore and started basking in the  \nsun.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"We don't go  \nnear water that deep anymore, though.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, I guess it  \nmade us realize we weren't being as careful as we should have,\"  \nthe canid admitted with a sheepish smile. \"Not much else to say  \nabout that place, I guess, but-\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I mean, we found  \na salt cave, which was nice,\" Kuna continued. \"And you helped me  \nwith... you know.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou raised an  \neyebrow, mildly surprised, then smirked. \"Oh _now_ you're  \nnot avoiding it, huh?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shrugged.  \n\"Maybe it's just this stuff,\" he said, gesturing to the cup in  \nhis hand before taking another sip.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Whit are ye  \ntalkin' aboot?\" Ealar asked.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I've... had  \nthis bad, recurring nightmare I've dealt with for years,\" Kuna  \nanswered with a frown. \"And it woke me up the first night we were  \nthere. I won't go into details, but it basically forced me to  \nfinally tell Lykou some... painful things about why I had those  \nhead-demons.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye?\" Clara  \nasked with a concerned expression. \"Ye dinnae 'av tae tell us if  \nye nae want ta, bit ah'm sure we're aye curious.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna glanced around  \nat the small crowd for a moment, then sighed as he looked down at his  \ncup. \"Like I said, I won't go into the details, but...\" he  \ntrailed off and took another big gulp from the cup. Then he took a  \ndeep breath before continuing. \"I s-saw my parents get... killed...  \nsavagely... by a berserk monster, w-when I was still a kid.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nA flurry of gasps  \nand soft consolations erupted from the audience. Effie hopped over  \nand gave Kuna a brief hug, making him smile bashfully in response.  \n\"Ye poor dear...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou gently  \nsqueezed the sereva. \"And to make matters worse, his worthless,  \ncowardly tribe eventually just abandoned him when he got older.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Nae, really??\"  \nGavin interjected in disbelief.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, that too,\"  \nKuna said after a moment, then took another moderate-sized sip of his  \ndrink, his eyes just starting to get a little glassy.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"How wid they dae  \nsuch a thing?!\" Finlay asked from the back, having paused his  \nmusic.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shrugged. \"They  \nthought I was cursed. And to be f-\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Hey! None of  \nthat,\" Lykou interrrupted, squeezing him again.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe sereva smiled  \nvery faintly and leaned back into the cuddly canid. \"I'm not  \nexcusing it, I'm just explaining their stupid logic, okay?\" he  \nsaid, then turned back to the lepne. \"I was always real sick as a  \nkid, I've always been on the weak side, and I think some of them  \nblamed me for the... attack. Plus another one later on. And then  \nthere's this,\" he explained, waving a slightly unsteady hand over  \nthe bumps on his head. \"My people are supposed to have antlers when  \nwe become adults, but mine never grew.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Es tha' all?!\"  \nEalar demanded. \"Thas how they ken ye 'ad a curse 'n' ditched  \nye?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shrugged.  \n\"Pretty much, as far as I can tell anyway,\" he said, cuddling  \ninto the konuul's arms.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Whit a buncha  \nglaikit fookin' feartie bastards!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"My thoughts  \nexactly,\" Lykou said with a mild scowl.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Hey, I've got  \nmuch better company now at least,\" Kuna said, rubbing the canid's  \narm.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe canid's  \nexpression shifted to a smile as he squeezed his friend again. \"And  \na new home to go back to.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe sereva smiled as  \nwell and took another big sip from the cup before continuing. \"So  \nyeah, I just kind of... told him everything after that nightmare and  \nhe helped me, well...\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Realize they were  \ndead wrong about you and that you're worth something?\" the konuul  \nsuggested with a smirk. \"Although I keep having to remind you every  \nso often.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yer a real class  \nlad, Lykou,\" Bhaltair said and raised his cup to the canid,  \nprompting a chorus of agreement from the other lepne.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou blushed and  \nsmiled, resting his head on top of Kuna's. \"Thanks, I try,\" he  \nsaid, then playfully tickled Kuna's side very briefly, making him  \nsquirm and giggle. \"Not like I could let this guy suffer alone,  \nanyway.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Alright, alright,  \nenough with the sappy shit, let me get back to the story while this  \nstuff is still workin',\" Kuna said with a flushed, bashful grin,  \nholding up the cup before taking another big sip.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah'm not  \ncomplainin',\" Clara teased. \"Lemme ken if ye need more.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"At this rate,  \nprobably so, if that's alright,\" Kuna replied.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, nae problem.  \nJest be careful na tae overdo it. Ah'll bring ye some water, tae.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna continued the  \nstory and ended up splitting the third cup with Lykou, as it started  \ngetting more tipsy. Together they told the lepne about their next  \nrun-in with the shakonu and Kuna's worm-dodging adventure. Lykou  \nthen brought up Kuna's first experience with being drunk, and  \nplayfully teased him about maybe having a repeat, much to the  \nsereva's chagrin.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"On that note, I  \nthink I should -hic- go easy on this stuff,\" Kuna said, his hand  \nalready wavering ever so slightly as he set the cup back down.  \n\"Unless you want to take over the story.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aww, it's fun  \nwatching you get silly though.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna rolled his eyes  \nand continued with the story, bringing up the attacks from the  \narmored beast and the golzogs. Kuna described the galdra after  \nseveral lepne mentioned not knowing what one was, and it was revealed  \nthat few of them ever saw any elemental spirits in the highlands.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, thas druna  \nbusiness, anyway,\" one of them said. \"Nae wonder et showed itself  \ntae ye.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Och, thas right,  \nye do magic, right? When did ye start tha'?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I was just -hic-  \ngetting to that, actually,\" Kuna said, then went on to describe his  \nfirst encounter with 'Mentor', and his little 'initiation',  \nmuch to everyone's fascination, despite occasionally stumbling over  \nhis words. Lykou chimed in to describe their encounter with the  \ngiant, but Kuna made sure to describe the mudslide-ride in as much  \ndetail as he could, making the konuul blush a bit at some of the  \nthings his cuddle-buddy opted to focus on. Ultimately, when it was  \nclear he was going off on a gushy, somewhat playful tangent about the  \nkonuul in general, Clara give him another cup of water to hush him,  \nsnickering in amusement. Lykou mouthed a silent thank you to her.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"A'right, ah  \nthink thae lad es pure blootered. The rest of th' story kin wait  \nfer noo,\" she said, much to the audible dismay of several of the  \nother lepne. Luckily, several others agreed with her and shushed  \ntheir compatriots. She bent down and booped the sereva's nose  \nplayfully. \"Ye jest tak' it easy, aye?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna giggled as the  \ncrowd gradually shifted away to chatting among themselves, though  \nfrom the sound of it, their story featured in all the various  \nconversations starting up. \"W's I really -hic- getting that bad?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"A bit,\" Lykou  \nsaid behind him with a chuckle. \"If I didn't know any better, I'd  \nsay you were trying to get back at me for making you the center of  \nattention.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Mmmaaaybe,\" the  \nsereva teased, then reached for the cup that still had a bit of  \nliquor left in it.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou quickly  \nscooped it up before he could reach it. \"I think you've had  \nenough silly-juice, goofball.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Nuh-uh!\" Kuna  \nprotested, tugging at the canid's arm playfully.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"If you have any  \nmore you might do things that'll kill you of embarrassment  \ntomorrow,\" the canid warned with a smirk.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"S'future Kuna's  \n-hic- problem. Gimme!\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Mmmno. Trust me,  \nyou'll thank me tomorrow,\" Lykou said, then, after a moment's  \nthought, downed the rest of it himself. \"There, all gone anyway.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aww,\" Kuna  \ncomplained, then slumped back against the konuul and pouted. He  \nlooked around for a moment, then blushed and tilted his head back to  \nlook up at the konuul. \"Hey. Thanks for -hic- everything as usual,  \n'Kou. S-sorry if I made you -hic- feel awkward at the end,\" he  \nsaid with a sheepish grin.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"You're fine,\"  \nLykou replied, then chuckled and squeezed him gently.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna thought for a  \nmoment then unsteadily started to sit up. \"Lets go lay down, I'm  \n-hic- tired.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Mm? Sure, that  \nsounds good.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe two bid everyone  \ngoodnight, then slipped off to the storage area they'd been  \nsleeping in.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe somewhat cooler  \nnight air coming through the upper gaps in the wall helped the two  \nsober up, but only slightly. They quickly cuddled up under the  \nblanket together, but right away Kuna propped his head up and poked  \nthe konuul lightly in the side. \"Seriously though, I didn't -hic-  \nmake you uncomfortable, right?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I told you,  \nyou're fine,\" Lykou said, rubbing the sereva's head softly.  \n\"...as much as you tried to get a rise out of me with all that  \nflattery back there,\" he added with a blushing grin.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"S'not... ah,  \nnevermind. Thanks -hic- for helpin' me tell th' story though,\"  \nKuna said, then sighed and slumped over, laying his head on the  \nkonuul's chest. \"These lepne are n-nice -hic- people. I know I  \nneed to work on not being so -hic- shy.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou gently rubbed  \nthe sereva's back. \"Hey, you're making good progress.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, s'long as  \nI got some giggle-water,\" Kuna pointed out with a smirk.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe canid snickered.  \n\"Well, yeah, I guess that always helps. But even still, you're  \ngetting better. And hey, there's nothing wrong with still being a  \nbit shy in the end anyway,\" he assured the sereva. \"How did  \nthings go with that... druna-lady, anyway?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oh yeah, Moyra,\"  \nKuna said, perking up a little. \"Really -hic- well, honestly. She's  \nactually super friendly and laid back wh'n she's not, uh...  \n'keeping up appearances'. I gather -hic- druna have to keep a  \ncertain reputation around here.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Heh, yeah, I  \nnoticed how the chief acted around her. So, is she really...?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna snickered.  \n\"Like she told me, 'The chief is in charge... because -hic- the  \ndruna says so'.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou chuckled.  \n\"Sounds about right. So what did you two talk about?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"A buncha stuff.  \nShe -hic- actually taught me somethin' Ink didn't, and I managed  \nto help her start learning -hic- sta-... err, soul magic, too.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Oh really? That's  \ngreat!\" Lykou said, rubbing the sereva's head softly. \"What'd  \nshe teach you?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"How to make  \nplants -hic- move around, n'stead of just grow n' change in  \ndifferen' directions. Uses -hic- less energy,\" he explained. \"I'd  \nshow you, b'there's no plants in here. Plus I prolly couldn't  \nanyway, 'm too -hic-... that,\" he added with a giggle.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"At least you're  \nnot as wasted as last time,\" Lykou pointed out with a smirk.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, thanks for  \n-hic- keeping me from overdoing it. Even if I really wanted to for a  \nminute there,\" the sereva said, poking his tongue out playfully.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Believe me, it  \nwas tempting to watch you get adorably silly again. But I didn't  \nwant you to be utterly miserable tomorrow,\" the konuul said,  \nsnickering. \"So did you two talk about anything else?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Sure, plenty.  \nTold her a bit of -hic- our story, too,\" he said, then sighed.  \n\"Including some of... you know. She kind of picked up -hic- on it  \nearly on, to be fair. Apparently she's pretty good at figuring  \npeople out.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Really? Guess  \nyou're getting more used to spilling things, hmm?\" the canid  \nsaid, giving him a gentle squeeze. \"Proud of you.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nKuna shrugged. \"She  \nw's pretty comforting about it. And -hic- as for the crowd tonight...  \ndrink helped. I'll prolly -hic- feel awkward about it tomorrow.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Maybe, but you  \ndon't have to. Not like anyone's going to hold it against you.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Not everyone  \nneeds to -hic- know my whole sob story.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"True, but you  \ndon't have to keep it hidden either. It shows what you've  \novercome. And hey, at least you can talk about it now without-\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Drink, remember?  \nWould've been -hic- harder normally,\" Kuna pointed out, then  \nsighed. \"Thank goodness Moyra was so sweet -hic- and patient about  \nit.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Well, still.  \nYou're improving,\" Lykou reiterated, hugging him.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"I guess,\" the  \nsereva replied, smiling up at the konuul. Then he yawned and nuzzled  \ninto the canid's fur. \"Mmm, lets do that whole -hic- sleep thing  \nfor real now, though.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLykou chuckled.  \n\"Sounds good. G'night Kuna.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Nini, 'Kou,\"  \nthe sereva replied contently before quickly dozing off in his  \nfriend's arms.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n\n  \n\nLate that night, a  \nfigure slipped out of the travel lodge. He darted between buildings  \nsilently, keeping an eye out for the guards on the night watch  \npatrolling the village. Once he reached a crack in the outside wall,  \nhe waited for a short while. Soon, he was joined by a second  \nindividual. One of them peeked through and waited for the nearest  \nguard to turn and begin patrolling the other way, then they both  \nslipped through the nearby farm's fields. Once they passed the end  \nof the fields surrounding the village and began entering open  \ncountryside, they dipped down around a particularly large hill and  \nwaited in a dug-out hollow in its base, facing away from the nearest  \nroad. Soon, several other individuals approached, with a few of them  \nholding small, crude lanterns putting off just enough light to  \nconfirm each individuals' identity to the others.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Dougal, Caelan,  \nwhit's th' word?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah bought us an  \nextra day, bit ah dinnae think they'll hauld oof enny lainger,\"  \nDougal replied. \"Ah hawp thas lang enough.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Should be plenny  \ntae mak' sure everyin's in place,\" the first shadowy figure  \nsaid, then turned to the second figure. \"'n' the guard?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah'll keep Rhag  \nn' Lachlan hoachin'. Jock 'n' Barabel wull hae a distraction  \nt'lead th' others astray south efter the caravan es goan. By time  \nthey gi' back, it'll be tae late.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ye git whit ye  \nneed fra Tannil?\" another asked the first.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye. 'nuff  \ntatty banners n' broken shite tae mak' it convincin'. Even some  \nguard claithes tae wear.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Not tha' wi'll  \nleave witnesses, aye?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"S'jest an extra  \nprecaution.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Whit aboot th'  \noutsiders? Th' plan didnae involve them,\" Caelan chimed in.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"One or twa extra  \nbodies wull be nae problem. Wi'll still outnumber 'em.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, bit one's  \na druna.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"'es freish,  \ntho, fram whit ah unnerstan,\" Dougal commented. \"Wouldnae  \nunnerestimate thais twa, tho. They bin through a lot, at least if  \nthir stories are half true.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ye'll just 'av  \ntae keep 'em separate, then. As fer th' druna,\" the first  \nshadowy figure said, then smirked in the dim light. \"Ah'm sure  \nKerr kin handle him.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe group scattered  \nafter a few other matters were discussed, agreeing to meet one more  \ntime the next night. As Dougal and Caelan made their way back towards  \nKerney, however, they weren't alone. Another, even stealthier  \nindividual slipped away from the shadows near the top of the hill the  \ngroup had been meeting under. After Dougal and his accomplice were  \nthrough the wall, they whispered something to one another, then went  \ntheir separate directions. The secret third individual slipped  \nthrough shortly afterward, then made their way across the village,  \nending up at Moyra's house. They slipped around back, lifted a  \nthick patch of moss hanging like a mat over the back fence, then  \nslipped through a hidden gap behind it.\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe druna was  \nstanding in the garden, waiting for them, and sighed with mild relief  \nwhen Faergus joined her in the moonlight. \"Weel? Wis ah right?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"As usual, aye.  \nTis nae simple banditry noo. Thir upty somethin' big. Ah ken  \nthey're plannin' tae ambush the caravan, 'n' tryin' ta pin  \net oan Tannil. Ta make matters worse, they hae eyes in' the guard.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Damn. Cannae go  \ntae them, then. The rest wull scatter afore they kin be caught,\"  \nshe said, then rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She then bent down and  \nsketched a symbol in the dirt, before concentrating in silence for a  \nfew minutes, holding her hand over it. Eventually, she manifested the  \npale blue glow and tried to push energy into the symbol.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Och! When did ye  \nlearn that??\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Kuna taught meh  \njest todae. Bin practicin' sin' he left,\" she replied. She  \nsmiled up at him briefly before returning her focus to the symbol.  \nBut after a few minutes, she sighed and dismissed the magic.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Whis tha?\"  \nFaergus asked curiously, pointing to the drawing.\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah wis tryin'  \nsomethin' Kuna showed me. Lets me find th' way tae things.  \nUnfortunately, ah s'pose ah need some kind o' connection to whit  \nah'm tryin' tae find.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye? Whit wis ye  \ntryin' to fin'?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Th' bandit  \ncamp. Fer a conspiracy lik thae, they must hae one out in th' hills  \nsomewheres.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ah kin follow 'em  \nnext time, find thir camp. They wis gonnae meet agin tomorrae.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Tis too dangerous  \nby yersel',\" Moyra said, standing again and placing a hand on the  \nother lepne's shoulder. \"Dinnae dae anythin' rash, Faergus.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ha! Ye ken ah'm  \na sleekit bastard. They'll ne'er ken ah wis there.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Still, ye  \nshouldnae go alone, jest in case.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Yer worryin'  \ntoo m-\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Please, Faergus,\"  \nMoyra insisted, concern painting her face. \"Bad enough ye insist on  \nstayin' on the watch, ah'm already worried ah'll lose ye one  \nday.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nFaergus sighed and  \nembraced her. \"Ah ken. Mibbie if we kin stop thae bastards, it'll  \nturn more folk away frae tha' banditry shite altogether.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe druna returned  \nthe hug and rubbed his back. \"Aye, but ye dinnae need tae jump at  \nit heid-first. We need tae think o' a better wey.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"...whit if ah get  \nhulp? Someone tae watch mah back?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Guard's oot.  \nThey 'av moles, aye? 'n' ah wilnae hae ye tak' someone tha'  \ncannae fight.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Ye ken who ah'm  \ntalkin' aboot.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nMoyra sighed. \"Aye,  \nah ken. Bit ah hate tae drag 'em intae our problems, especially  \nefter how many they already had o' thir own. They're such nice  \nlads.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Aye, bit thas how  \nwe should ask 'em. Them mawkit bandits wilnae ken what tae expect  \nfrom 'em. Ah 'av a guid feelin' about 'em, 'n' if ah kin  \nfeel it, then ah ken ye definitely dae.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\nThe druna smirked.  \n\"Aye. A'right, if we kin get them to hulp ye oot, ah s'pose  \nthat'll ease mah worries a smidge. Ah'll talk tae Kuna tomorrae.  \nIf they agree, ah'll 'av 'em meet ye 'ere. Unnerstan' they  \nkin say nae, though.\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"'course,\"  \nFaergus replied, then smirked. \"Bit ye tell me. Wull they?\"\n\n  \n\n  \n\n\"Unless ah'v  \nlost mah edge fer kennin' folk, nae,\" Moyra admitted, grinning  \nback. \"Lik' ye said, they're decent lads.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Mystic Heart Odyssey","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1984447-mystic-heart-odyssey-chapter-31.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1986733-mystic-heart-odyssey-chapter-33.json"}}