The Runner- Ch.VI Ruxe
"It's exactly as I thought. My Gerren is a bit rusty, but I think I can handle this." I remarked, reading over the orders from King Ferris I held in one paw, a large pouch of gold coins in the other. It was a lot of coin, but even with this much I knew I would have to forage for as much food as I could find if I was to get all the way to Gerr-Shtefen and back. Kahri had needed to stay up last night to watch over a patient, so, expecting I may have to leave the next morning, I had said my goodbyes to Kahri and Zach beforehand. Now I stood in the doorway to the clinic, Shane listening from a seat in the front room. Looking up from the letter at the same female Pantheran messenger who had come earlier while I was ill, I politely dismissed her, "Thank you for your patience in delivering this to me." She simply nodded and turned away, looking disappointed once more. After a moment's hesitation, I asked after her, "I'm sorry, but I never asked your name."As she stopped and turned to face me, I continued, "My name is Clad.""... I'm Ruxe." She replied, but instead of going on her way, she waited, looking at me expectantly with just that one eye, the other covered by her white silk headdress. I cocked my head, not understanding. She looked down at her feet. "You really don't remember me, do you?" I flattened one of my black ears in dismay, "We've met before?" I queried, and she nodded."We went through training together.""Oh! I'm sorry, I honestly don't remember you very well. I guess we didn't see much of each other since I got promoted to court runner..." I tried to explain awkwardly, scolding myself inwardly.Ruxe smiled cutely. "It's okay. I honestly didn't expect to see you again."We were both silent for a moment, but before I could bid her farewell, she spoke, "Listen... If it's not a problem, could I go with you?" I was taken aback until she went on, "You're heading to Gerr-Shtefen, right? That's a long way, so maybe I could just accompany you to the Liharan border?"When I hesitated, she looked away again. Was she blushing? I knew why she would want to come with me like this already. She went on, flustered, "I-It's just that it's been so long and I, uh..."I walked up to her and placed my paw on her shoulder, smiling. "Of course you can come with me." But when she looked up, I saw she was staring over my shoulder at something else. Following her gaze, I saw Shane standing some way off. He looked like he was leaving somewhere, the way he was dressed. We locked eyes for a moment before I tentatively asked, "What will you do now?"I heard him let out a breath. "What I came here to do. I'll be going my own way for a while now." When he saw me looking sad, he reassured, "Don't worry, we'll meet again. I'll find you." To this I nodded, then reached out one paw toward him for a hug, a kiss, something, but he just turned to one side and ran off down a path. I
lowered my arm in disappointment, then let it fall to my side again. Whenever we next meet, I hope it's soon.***It was hard to believe he would just leave like that, but there wasn't much I could do. I was a Runner, and I had a job to do. I convinced myself that I had to stay practical. I consoled myself with his promise that he would find me again, and then... "Hey, pay attention!" Ruxe's voice brought me back from my thoughts as I realized I was running her off the side of the road."Sorry!" I quickly straightened my path and focused on what was in front of my feet. At my side I heard Ruxe snicker, "Geez, and I thought you were one of the best. Loosing focus already?"I huffed, not phazed by her taunts. "Heh, you're just a tease."We ran onward to the northwest. The scenery of lush green jungle rushed by us in a green blur, and though she may be a panther, I wasn't disappointed by how well she kept up. Alternating speeds so that we could last without a break, I did eventually allow us to stop for one at midday, when it would be hottest. We sat side by side against a tree, and I realized how thirsty I was when I saw Ruxe drink from her water flask. I reached for my own, but Ruxe pushed hers into my paws."Here." She offered bluntly."Are you sure?" I asked. Water was an important resource, and I had my own.She looked at me from the side as she rested her head against the tree at our backs. "Go ahead. You save your own water; you've got a longer way to go than I do.""Right then, thanks." I gratefully drank from it, then passed it back to the pantheress. I thought back and recalled they way I remembered her from our training days and inquisitively asked, "You seem different.""Really? How? I mean, you say I'm the one who's changed, but you're the one covered in scars."I thought for a moment, avoiding the topic of my scars. "Well, you used to be more... fiesty. But you seem subdued."She huffed, looking up at the sky as she handed the flask back to me. "I guess all my extra practice is getting to me.""Extra practice?" I asked further before taking a modest drink.Ruxe nodded. "I've been training extra hard to try and get promoted to court runner, like you. Then, maybe I'll finally catch up to you. I'll head to the capitol and-""Don't." A shadow fell across my face.Needless to say, Ruxe was taken aback by my response. "...Huh? Why not?" She questioned hotly.I replied without so much as moving. The initiation was full of memories I would rather forget. "You know I can't talk about the initiation.""I know it takes an entire year, but I'm set on it." She reasoned."No." I insisted. "Please just trust me. Promise me that you won't ever try to go through the initiation."Ruxe's ears were flattened as she was taken aback by my seriousness. "But, I...""Promise me!" I almost snarled. There was no way I would let
her go through that."Okay, fine!" She flinched visibly, clearly unhappy. I didn't want to snap at her like that, but I'd much rather her dislike me than try something so dangerous. We may have been out of contact for a while, but she was still an old friend, and I knew that she was much softer beneath her rough exterior. It was all the more reason why I was sure she wouldn't be able to handle initiation.Far more than a simple title separates court runners from messengers. Runners are messengers, but also serve as diplomats and spies, and operate for the most part outside of the country. When a messenger looks to get promoted, they apply for it first, and if your record is impressive or outstanding enough, then you might get accepted into initiation. "Initiation" is just a euphemism. You are tortured in any way possible that wouldn't cause permanent damage to your body. They say it's completely necessary, should a runner be captured and interrogated, to prevent any information from being given away even at the cost of the runner's life. It's to let you be able to withstand any interrogation "methods" without giving in and forfeiting information. You're put in complete isolation, sometimes for as long as several months. You're starved of food and water, deprived of sleep, and if you make it through all of that, then the real torture begins. They beat you and cut you until you aren't sure if you're even alive anymore. Once all that's said and done, you're instructed never to speak of it to anyone, and after what you've just been through, you're more than willing to comply fully with the additional threat of execution.***Through the next week it was obvious that Ruxe was more than just a little disappointed that I had asked her not to try to become a runner. It was like I had crushed one of her aspirations, and I felt bad for it of course, but it was for her own safety. All I could do is will her to understand. Just as there were more panthers to the south east and snow leopards to the north, there were more lions to the west as we neared the Liharan border. Trees became more of the forest kind and thinned out. Abovehead, the stars were shining in a black night sky as Clad and Ruxe walked down a path, slowing down to come to a stop in a sheltered area. "Sleeping out in the open again?" Ruxe questioned with exhaustion as she let herself collapse onto the grass.I sat down next to her, relaxing myself. "Yeah, sorry but getting some extra distance is usually worth not staying at an inn. Besides, we should be safe from bandits this close to the border; guards patrol here often." Ruxe laid down on her back with her paws behind her head as she sighed, "Well, I don't really mind. It's only late Summer so it isn't too cold yet, and the jungle canopy is so thick you can't really see the sky, but just look at it here."I laid down as well and looked up at the night sky. The stars were a
lot prettier than I had thought before and I had to agree. "I've got to admit, it is beautiful."Some time passed, with only the sound of a small breeze rustling the leaves, it was peaceful. I almost thought Ruxe had fallen asleep until I heard her voice. "Clad? I... Want to show you something." She sat up and I copied her movement with inquiry."Does it have to do with why you've been covering that side of your face? I don't remember you wearing headdresses."Ruxe turned away, and I could tell how tense she was from how she was sinking her claws into the dirt. I slowly reached out toward her with one paw, but hesitated until she nodded for me to continue. Tentatively, I uncovered the left side of her face, revealing a terrible-looking scar over a permanently closed eyelid where fur didn't grow anymore."Oh God... How did that happen?" I breathed, taken aback.Ruxe was quiet for a moment before answering. "A chance stike from one of my parents' fights. You know how I left Panthera as a cub because my parents were always fighting? And I lived off the streets as a petty thief until I finally got caught and was given the opportunity to train to be a messenger? Well, a little while after you left to become a Court Runner, they found out where I had gone. They acted like it was some sort of miracle and spread the word around. After that, I was almost forced to visit them regularly, out of obligation, so that my family name could remain honorable. But even then, they still fought. One particularly violent time I tried to get in between them and break it up. That's when my father turned his claws against me and... gave me this to remember him by." The pantheress sighed. "I thought you might think... I was ugly."I shook my head. "No, of course not. I mean, we may have drifted apart since then, but I still remember how close we were, and I still care about you." I gently stroked her cheek with my left paw on the scarred side of her face before laying back down."But now you have Shane... Right?" Her voice trembled a bit."...Yes... I'm sorry, but I want to be loyal to only one." I replied, and unexpectedly, she moved over top of me on all fours, looking down at me with something like desperation. She wanted something, anything, but I couldn't... So I just pulled her head down to rest on my chest and murmured, "Please understand."Ruxe sobbed quietly, "It's just... I waited so long to find you and... I've run across the entire country over and over again, just to have this chance... But now that I'm finally here, with you... There's nothing I can say that will ever be good enough..."She gradually relaxed and layed down over top of me, her paws on my shoulders as I just ran my paw over her head over again to try to comfort her. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, and then I allowed myself to do the same. I'm sorry I forgot about you.The next morning, I woke up
and realized I was all alone. Ruxe was nowhere to be seen. "Ruxe?" I asked out loud, but was met with silence.Then, I spotted a piece of paper under a small stone on the ground, not far off. I picked it up and unfolded it. It was from Ruxe. She must have left early in the morning, but the way it read, it was like the old Ruxe that I remembered from training. It read:Hey sleepyhead, I figured I'd tagged along far enough and decided to head back to the capitol for my next assignment before the stewards begin to think I've been slacking off. Anyway, I hope you don't let the stench of dog get to you in Gerr-Shtefen. Best of luck with that! -Ruxe"Heh." I could only hope that she really did take my rejection that well. ***Lihara is a country that encompasses all of the savanna of the feline continent. History has it that Cheerha and Lihara both shared the savanna, but then some time before the Great War, the lions who inhabited Lihara felt pressured by Gerren military presence to the west and used this to justify their takeover of the entire territory. They also tried to use the excuse that the jungles to the east of the savanna were unclaimed, though it was known to be home to clans of leopards and jaguars. In reality, the lions were simply obsessed with their own strength and couldn't appreciate the cheetah's agility, so they decided that the cheetahs were weaker and could be oppressed and taken advantage of. Cheerha was relatively peaceful, though there was some violence in the exchange of territory, the cheetahs were more concerned with the Tiharans- the tigers- to the south, and for good reason, because only a few decades later the Great War began.I made stops in several villages which even still retained Cheerhan names, and noticed a decent population of cheetahs whose bloodlines must be deeply rooted in this area. There were easily more cheetahs in eastern Lihara than there were lions in western Cheerha. Unfortunately there were still quite a few fairly racist lions who looked down on cheetahs, but there were likewise more open minded lions, even some that think Lihara should return the stolen territory, and it seemed relatively common for some lions to have cheetahs as mates. Still, a cheetah taking a lion for a mate isn't quite as out there as one taking a cougar for a mate...I stopped myself before I started to space out thinking of Shane. I could imagine Kahri making fun of me, saying that I need to stop mooning over him before I trip over myself. Then I wondered what Shane was up to, and why he always avoided questions like that, but I was sure it was nothing important. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.It was around a few weeks to travel most of the way across Lihara. I marvelled as I ran across the savanna. Imagine this whole place as Cheerha... How different things would be. In all honesty, I enjoyed the travel. It was delightful; the wind and the sun,
and how open everything seemed. It felt free, and it felt good.In the far west of Lihara, the savanna fades into rocky badlands where the border stops. Beyond that is a desert which connects the two continents, and separates Lihara from Gerr-Shtefen. It is unclaimed territory, and home to a nomadic canine race of jackals. The only other way to Gerr-Shtefen is by boat through the sea to the north or to the south. The desert is unclaimed territory, since the jackal nomads aren't technically an official country, but neither Lihara nor Gerr-Shtefen have ever shown interest in it. The desert was more wide than it was long, but it was still a dangerous place to travel through. The jackals were known to steal from caravans or raid them, and being alone, I figured I'd better be prepared to defend myself should my route lead me to contact with them. I kept careful check of the wind and far off clouds; getting caught in a sandstorm would likely mean death. However, the winds were calm, and so too were the sands. I considered myself lucky that I didn't catch a single whiff of a jackal the whole way through. I was able to ration my supply of water well enough to last me through the four day journey across the desert without running out.Canines in general weren't known to be very fond of felines, so I knew there was no point trying to cross the border at a checkpoint. The Gerrens in particular were known to be aggressively territorial. I made my way to the stream I had marked on my map to regain my strength after trekking through the desert, and also to evaluate my infiltration. If I was going to get past the border into Gerr-Shtefen, I would have to spend a few days watching the guard patrol rotations, identify an opening, and exploit it.The terrain grew more forested as I was nearing the stream, and I perked my ears to check my surroundings. Noticing something faint, I focused in on it, but was taken by surprise when something slammed into me from the back and pushed me up against a tree. I grunted at the impact and felt my arms being held behind my back, as well as the feeling of two cold, steel blades forming an X at my throat. I was unable to reach for my sword and I stuggled to turn my head and see who was restraining me, but stopped when I felt pain and knew my assailant had cut my neck lightly."...Clad?" Spoke a familiar voice from behind me. The attacker let go of me and backed off. I turned around cautiously to see a cougar that I had met before, though wielding twin long-knives. "Shane." I breathed. Had he... had he really almost killed me? I could feel small drips of blood from the two cuts on my neck and reached my paw up to them, looking away from Shane uneasily. "Clad, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" He sounded as genuine as he looked, and he sheathed his weapons in a holster on the inside of his jacket which easily concealed them, but I was already holding a roll of plant fiber gauze ready
to dress the wounds. There was no way I was in danger of bleeding out from such shallow injuries, but the gauze would prevent infection. My paw was shaking as I held the gauze, not knowing what to make of what just happened. Was it really just an accident Shane had made? "Here, let me." Shane offered, closing the distance between us and taking the gauze out of my palm. I just stared blankly as he licked the cuts on my neck clean and applied the gauze before hugging me gently. Slowly I let myself relax and rest my head on his shoulder, raising my arms to hug him back. "Do you forgive me?" He asked, and I nodded. I could tell he was relieved by my response."What are you doing here?" I had to ask. The only way he could have gotten here first was if he took a boat across the sea, and he wasn't dressed in any of the silk garments that were required for traveling through the desert as I was. Shane seemed to hesitate, but only for a moment. "Waiting for you."I knew it didn't add up. I knew that if Shane had been heading to the same place as I then he could have simply travelled with me. I knew that he didn't know I was travelling to Gerr-Shtefen, and that he must have had his own reasons for coming here. But I didn't care. I was just glad to be with him, so I disregarded all of my insights and reasonings. I didn't think about what any of this could mean, or what kind of person Shane could really be simply because I wanted to love him and for no other reason. I made myself overlook what he had just done that could have been fatal to me, and I kissed him.