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Seeds of Divinity, Ch 2

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The trip back to the Beast District was faster the second time that night, and not just because Raedryn made a direct trip rather than a round-about loop of the taverns in town. He kept to the main roads which remained well lit by the oil lamps at every street corner. Going from the wealthy quarter to the trade district didn't see much change in his surroundings, save for the fact that there were even fewer people out and about.

Usually most of the nightlife in Kashyr died around two in the morning and by Raedryn's best guess it was nearing three by the time he arrived at the archway connecting the Warehouse district with the Beast District. Originally the walls encircling the city ended at that archway, which once held a massive metal portcullis but some few-hundred-or-more years past the town had expanded and the walls were pushed further out.

The gate house leading southward out of the city was moved further to the west and the inner wall remained with a wooden fence replacing the portcullis; Raedryn had only ever heard of it being lowered once, and that was during a plague quarantine during the time his grandfather was young. With that thought on his mind, the young man stepped into the Beast Quarter, suddenly feeling much more ill at ease-- a feeling which was compounded further when he realized that the oil lamps there were only on every OTHER corner. The darkness felt almost oppressive.

Despite how foreboding the dilapidated section of town was, Raedryn pushed onward. His hands remained firmly in his pockets, overcoat pulled close to him and he kept his head facing forward, making excellent time as he practiced his speed-walking along the street toward where he remembered the tavern to be. Despite having few actual skills for dealing with city living, one thing Raedryn did have was an excellent sense of direction and memories for locations so it was not long before he arrived at his destination.

His heart sank further when he realized that he must have crossed over into an even poorer section of the already poverty-stricken Beast District and there was a mangy, grease-covered Varken moving about snuffing every other oil lamp, which meant that only one of every four corners had light. The end result was the human walking into twilight. The young man realized that any side street would be impossible to navigate and finding the beggar on a main thoroughfare would be next to impossible. Letting out a sigh, he was just about to give up when he caught sight of an alleyway lit by candle in a second story window.

It wasn't a lot of light but it was noticeably brighter than any other option and, for some reason, Ray felt more comfortable with heading that way than further into the darkness on the main road. It was a silly thought and he knew it, especially since candles burned out faster than oil lamps and provided so much less illumination. However, as he drew nearer, the Human saw that the alley took a turn to the right further down and near the corner was another candle, meaning that, again, the small roadway was better lit than anything else within two blocks. With few other options ahead of him, Ray continued along on the path.

Whether by happenstance or design, once Ray arrived at the L-turn he saw another candle in another window down the path. The illumination was shadowy at best but he knew well before leaving home that the beggar wouldn't be easy to find and if he was dedicated to uncovering the secret of the amulet he would have to push onward, and so he did. The back alley turned out to be looked down on my many windows, several of them also holding lit candles.

Raedryn remembered something in the history books about prayers to forgotten gods often being accompanied by candles in windows during the night-- how candles were said to help the souls of the departed find their way to an afterlife, or eternal reward, or to divine salvation-- the specifics escaped him, but, regardless he was glad for the light. He hit a snag, however, when he arrived at a crossroads in the alleyway and the internal city-map in his mind told him to go right, but the only lit direction out of his three choices was the one to the left.

Having come so far he was at something of an impasse; left would take him closer to the outer walls of Kashyr and what little he knew about the beggars and transients in the city suggested that they'd stick closer to the center of the quarters they call home. On the other hand, if he went to the right then he would be walking into a pitch black alleyway and that prospect didn't just unnerve him, it left him frightened. Already as he weighed his options he began to think that his senses were playing tricks on him; surely there weren't eyes on him, and no, those weren't shadowy Suneili, Rakken and Varken staring at him from the blackness.

Ultimately, when choosing between light and shadow, Ray went left. Even if he had to backtrack, the young man preferred to be able to see where he was going and, while the candles were leading him in the wrong direction in that moment there was always a chance he'd be able to loop back around further down the path. Besides, he reasoned as he turned to follow the candles, one direction really was as good as any when he was looking for a Varken beggar who could technically have lived just about anywhere.

He continued to work up his confidence and maintain a will to stick to the search, all the while following the back alleys of the Beast Quarter. Just as he was approaching what he felt was probably the one hour mark of his investigation, bordering on the thought of giving up, the alley he was walking suddenly opened up into a small courtyard tucked in behind several large tenement buildings. There were candles in all of the windows facing the courtyard and, on the far side of the open street Ray caught sight of a building that seemed entirely out of place amidst the rest of the architecture.

Nestled in the corner just inside of the city walls was an old, run-down, dilapidated temple, most likely the very one that Raedryn had read about in the past. Unlike the rest of the buildings facing the courtyard, the temple's windows were empty of candles but, instead, a set of three stone steps led up to a double-door entrance were lit by two small brass braziers which, surprisingly, appeared to had been freshly fueled with coal. The illumination cast by them provided ample light and, despite the temple being horribly antiquated and in immeasurable disrepair, it seemed almost welcoming compared to the near-darkness through which he'd been required to travel.

Moreover, Ray saw that he was not alone in the courtyard; kneeling at the base of the steps as if they were an altar was the Varken beggar that the young man had met earlier in the day. He was so surprised by his good fortune that he had almost walked all the way up to the dog man before he realized that he hadn't bothered announcing himself. "H-- hello?"

The destitute Varken raised his head and slowly turned to regard Raedryn. "You happen ta be out-an'- about pretty late, m'lord."

The casual comment caught the young man by surprise. "I... what?"

The mangy dog man cocked his head to the side, pausing for a moment. "Not so many people on th' street so late in th' night that it's closer t' mornin'... ah was sayin' that ahm surprised t' see you here at this hour, m'lord."

The Varken's mumbled words would have been mistaken by most affluent members of society as him being drunk, but Ray had heard drunkards talk often enough to know that, rather than being inebriated, the dog man was simply uneducated and suffering from poor-man's diction. Something about that realization struck the young man in such a way that he couldn't feel the fear he knew he should have at being so close to a low-born beggar. His father always said that the poor were dangerous because they had little to lose but, in that moment, all Ray could feel was curiosity. He had so many questions aside from the amulet that it was lost as a different one took its place. "What are you doing here?"

The Varken blinked, cocking his head the other way before looking back over his shoulder toward the temple then toward Raedryn once again. "Here, m'lord? Prayin'."

It was as the Human had thought, but that only brought more questions. "Why here? If you pray at the church you can get a meal."

A craggily smile spread across the mongrel's muzzle, revealing several missing teeth. "Well.. I dunno 'bout you, m'lord, but when ah pray ah pray cuz ah believe... not cuz someone'll give me food fer closin' mah eyes an' pretendin' t' believe."

The Varken's statement echoed ones Raedryn's father had spouted on more than one occasion. His father firmly believed that the church was wasting time offering handouts to the poor because, exactly as the beggar implied, most of them were just putting on a show. Somehow hearing that statement from a stranger was both uplifting and discourging at the same time. Wishing fondly to get that thought out of his head he pushed forward. "Well.. what DO you believe in then? What this temple stands for?"

The mongrel's ears raised for a moment and his tail, which had been ever-so-slowly swaying back and forth froze in place. His response started with a slight wilt to his ears, and then his tail drooped as he responded quietly. "Ah don't remember."

The statement seemed out of place to Ray. "What do you mean, you don't remember? You don't remember what you believe in? If not in whatever this temple stands for, then why bother praying here?"

The Varken's posture and tone changed immediately, snapping into an almost manic presentation as he gestured back toward the steps, voice coming forth louder, and with verve. "This was where ah first awoke from a sleep that took all mah memories... mah earliest one is of th' stairs here an' wakin' up on em, m'lord... so ah guess ah could say ah pray here cuz it feels closest ah got t' a home."

Living on the streets was nothing special for one of the beast folk, at least, that was the general consensus among most Humans in Kashyr, but there was something that felt exceptionally unfair about not having even a memory of a home or, presumably, a family. Ray followed up that thought with the question "What about your family?"

The beggar shook his head. "Never had one, m'lord... just th' folks ah met on the street since wakin' up here awhile ago... maybe... um..." he paused, reaching up to scratch his head through the hood he wore, "ah... guess ah can't remember how long ago... but it's been awhile..."

Raedryn remembered something he'd overheard Bird say at one time about how being on the street for long enough made people lose track of time. Considering that, however, the young man had always figured it was more a matter of time-of-day, not a matter of what sounded like months or years. Slowly taking a seat on the second step leading up to the temple, Ray looked to the Varken, who mirrored his action and sat near him. "Well... what's the first major event in town you can remember?"

Apparently content to play along with Raedryn's interrogation, the dog man raised a finger to the end of his muzzle, tapping his chin before he answered. "That woulda been the Wescott family announcin' th' birth uva daughter... Vanessa, ah think."

The answer struck Ray dumb. If the beggar had been on the street since his sister had been born, that meant that poor Varken had been living without a memory of what came prior for over seventeen years! He almost blurted out that Vanessa was his sister, but, remembering his father's warnings about revealing his lineage to commoners he managed to reel in his knee-jerk reaction into a much more neutral one. "Are you sure? I- I mean... Vanessa Wescott is a teenager!"

It wasn't that the Varken frightened him or that the beggar was even a concern; something about the dog man actually made Ray at ease in his presence, but he'd already made enough mistakes dealing with the low born folk for one night and he decided to play it safe. If the dog man noticed, he didn't let it show. "Beggin yer pardon, m'lord, but ah DID say ah didn't remember how long. If'n ya think it's been that long, ah guess it's been that long."

Raedryn realized that the beggar did have a point. "Oh... well... I suppose so." Silence prevailed for many seconds before the young man remembered his manners. "I just realized, I don't know your name. I'm... Ray."

Having almost given a full introduction, Raedryn chose in that moment to quickly shift gears and provide a much less well known name, and left it at that, without surname. Once again, if the beggar noticed the hesitation there wa sno real clue in his response. "Ah... well, m'lord... that's another thing ah don't rightly know... most folk here'n th' Beast Quarter've taken t' callin' me Harold."

The Human fought hard to maintain his composure; Harold was such a mundane it almost seemed out of place-- or, rather, so perfect that it couldn't have been more contrived. Something about a beggar named 'Harold' felt as though it were a cosmic joke. Somehow, however, Raedryn managed to keep it together. "Harold? And you are alright with that name?"

Harold shrugged. "Seemed... I dunno, m'lord, fitting, in some way ah can't place. Anyway, it's as good as any... and better'n lots of others ah've been called."

Raedryn couldn't argue with that. Exhaling a breath slowly, he let the conversation lull as he slid a hand into his pocket, fingers encircling the amulet he'd brought with him. Pleasantries over, the young man realized it was time to find out the MAIN answer. "Harold... I wanted to know about--"

The Varken interrupted him. "Th' amulet?"

The young man could have been frustrated that the dog man was able to guess what was on his mind but, truth be told, he was glad that the subject was so easy to address. "Yes. I mean, I figured it was from you, and I--"

Harold thrust a thumb over his shoulder. "It's from th' temple."

Raedryn glanced back. "From inside it?"

The Varken shrugged. "Ah think so... never been inside m'self."

The answer was beyond confusing. "You've never been inside the temple, but you THINK the amulet is from inside, or you KNOW the amulet is from inside?"

The beggar's next response didn't help a lot. "Ah BELIEVE it's from inside, m'lord."

Things weren't adding up, and that realization finally brought Raedryn back to the focus on why he was in the Beast Quarter so early in the pre-dawn hours. "You mean you don't know where the amulet is from? Weren't you the one who put it my pocket?"

The Varken finally stood, his joints popping as he did so. "Aye, m'lord, ah did, cuz you're supposed t'have it... an' ah think--"

The Human's follow-up question came out so quickly that he interrupted the beggar. "Why?"

The dog man blinked, ears up as he stared at Raedryn. "Cuz it's supposed ta be yours, m'lord... that's why."

The half-statements and vague answers were getting Raedryn no closer to understanding the situation. "If you had it then you should know where it came from, right?"

The Varken shook his head, ears lowering as he offered up in apology. "Beggin' pardon, m'lord, but ah only know that it led me t'you, an' led us both here."

It was, once again, an evasion of a real answer, but Raedryn's patience somehow held, mostly because something the beggar said held an eerie ring of truth to it. While the young man would hardly have said he was 'led' to the temple there HAD been something that caused him to end up in the Beast Quarter at an ungodly hour and somewhere far away from the main thoroughfare. But the amulet? He found that thought hard to swallow. At that point all he could do was try to get clarification. "What do you mean 'It led us here.'?"

The Varken stepped forward, inching closer to the yawning blackness beyond the open doorway leading into the temple. "Ah find where ah can t'sleep, but it's not on this side a th' district, m'lord... an' I'm thinkin' you have a home far away from here too. We're meant t'be here, m'lord... sure as th' sun rises."

Raedryn took another step forward. "It could be a coincidence."

Despite having said the words, the young man could no longer believe them as ardently as he knew he should. Misgivings aside, he found himself stepping closer to the temple, moving after the Varken. Although he had a thousand other questions banging around in his skull and countless thoughts jumbled together, the one sole constant consideration was that giving up at that point would have been a waste, and moving forward was the only possible solution to his lack of understanding.

That insight remained on his mind as neither he nor the Varken said a thing, moving into the abandoned temple. The darkness, which seemed complete and all encompassing outside the building turned out to be far less imposing once within; not only did a few holes in the ceiling provide space for a small amount of moonlight to cascade into the chamber but there were numerous, fully-stocked candle holders positioned near the broken altar situated at the back of the main gathering chamber. The candles were lit, creating a small sea of stars and illuminating the far side of the hall clearly.

Only as the beggar ahead of him approached the cracked altar did Raedryn finally find his voice again. "Hey--" he paused for a second, trying to remember the name that the Varken had said. "Hey-- Harold. What's all this? Is someone tending the temple?"

The beast man didn't respond for a moment, taking the final steps until he stopped directly in front of the raised dais. "Nay, m'lord... ah never seen anyone come in, but this 's a divine house... maybe the owner's bein' a good host?"

The Varken's turn of phrase confused Raedryn for a moment; the church was owned by the priesthood, or otherwise the city. Temples were owned by private parties, which meant that if nobody entered or left then the place was abandoned and nobody owned it. His brain jumped forward in thought-- nobody MORTAL owned it. "You mean a god?"

He hadn't even noticed that he'd continued walking forward while pondering Harold's meaning and, only once the question escaped him did he realize that he was standing right beside the beast man, right in front of the steps leading up to the dais and the broken altar. The Varken turned to regard him, cocking his head to the side as he smiled his toothy grin. "Ah couldn't say, m'lord... but ah know that stranger things have happened... but we ARE here... and ah'd be willin' t'say it's fer a reason."

There was a heaviness to the air, one that weighed down on the young man in a way that made it difficult for him to shrug off the Varken's words. Still, Raedryn's father had said numerous times that the poor and destitute were superstitious; they believed in magic because it was one of the few things that could give their life meaning; they believed in religion because it was the easiest way for them to seek salvation without actually putting in any effort. Something about his father's words somehow, in that moment, felt profane.

It was then that Raedryn's eyes fell on the small inset relief on the front of the dais; it looked like the mirror image of the detailed work of the amulet he carried. "What's this? It looks like the amulet!"

He and the Varken moved together as on, the beast man kneeling beside him as the human ran a hand across the symbol carved into the stone. Even as Raedryn pondered the meaning, Harold murmured "The Sundered One..."

The whisper seemed almost as loud as the slamming of a door; not only that, but the statement jumpstarted the Human's memory of the book he'd reviewed. It WAS the symbol for The Sundered One, but that information was rare among even scholars. How would a beggar know about such an esoteric figure from an old religion. "What?"

Harold leaned forward, running a single finger around the outside of the impression. "It's like a memory, m'lord... somethin' ah should know... or shoulda known. Somethin' lost, but still with me... just... hidden."

Pulling the amulet out of his pocket, the young man froze; the twelve points of the starburst that represented The Sundered One were no longer empty-- they had within them a soft glow. Turning his attention to the dais, Raedryn was surprised to see that the equivalent locations on the impression were likewise glowing. He wasn't sure how, or why, but within him there was an overwhelming sense of anticipation. Something was about to happen... and HE was the one who was delaying it.

Raedryn had spent his life as a member of an important family. His father was an important man who did important things. His father ran an important business and made important decisions for a city. His father held an important position within the governance of that city. His mother was married to an important man. She did important things for the sake of her husband's aspirations. His sister was being groomed for an important position. Nothing Raedryn had ever done held any real importance. Suddenly, something changed, and he felt that something significant was about to happen.

Taking a deep breath, he connected the amulet to the dais; something important happened.

* * * * *

The blackness that had consumed Raedryn in an instant took its time leaving. The inky nothing slowly gave way to an eerie twilight, which finally surrendered to a shadowy veil of haze. A voice finally pulled him out of it-- it was a familiar voice, but not too familiar. It was the Varken. "My Lord?"

Sitting up slowly, the young man realized that, despite recognizing the voice, there was a distinct difference in how the beast man sounded. Raedryn rubbed his face, remaining seated on the cold stone floor as he slowly looked up and opened his eyes again. Light flooded into them and he was nearly blinded by the golden aura that suffused the room. In front of him stood the Varken, but he was far different than he had been.

The world-weary beggar was gone, replaced by a massive, white-furred Varken. No longer appearing as a mongrel, he was a pure Wolf. The beast man's once leaky, wet, bloodshot eyes were replaced by gleaming orbs of vibrant green which seemed to glow far more than the mere torchlight would afford them on its own. Strangely enough, the vast majority of the light filling the room was coming directly from him and, as Raedryn watched, that luminosity fused with the Wolf's fur.

The beggar's emaciated, wiry form had become stalwart, reminiscent of one of the king's guardsmen in not only physique, but in pure chiseled artistry. Most of all, it was completely on display because, while the beggar had worn rags, the new, noble-looking Wolf standing before him was dressed in nothing more than the fur in which the gods had created him. What had once been a shaky, hesitant voice was replaced with confidence and command as he spoke. "I remember now, My Lord. I remember... everything."

Even as he stood transfixed by the sight before him, the Human had to force himself to draw in breath and, somehow, he stood. The beggar had been easily a head shorter than Raedryn but the new being shimmering with celestial light standing in front of him was a good head and a half taller. There was enough height difference that the Wolf had to bend his legs slightly, lowering his muzzle so he could look the Human in the eyes. He could only gape, barely managing to push out the name "Harold?"

The Varken laughed, a deep, rich sound. "Herald indeed... I know my name now, My Lord, and I know my purpose. I am THE Herald."

Raedryn paused at that, but he spoke before he could fully process what he'd heard. "The Herald of what?"

Herald smiled. "Of Whom."

The Human could only guess. "The... Sundered One?"

The Varken stepped closer as he spoke. His voice was rich and pure, like a hunting horn, and he was free with it in exuberance. "My Lord... You have shown a kindness unto me that I have not seen among the mortals of this city in over two hundred years. It is something that cannot be repaid to You in words alone."

Before the Human could respond the Varken's muzzle closed the short distance between it and Raedryn's lips; the young man was given his first kiss. In all of the Human's dreams he had always been the initiator-- he had made the first move and it was his own desires that led the intimate exchange but reality was far different. Incidentally, those kisses in his mind had always been with females... and humans. Still, the motion meant something-- the feeling behind it. There was an intimacy to it; a desire that was born from some drive other than physical need.

It was not unlike the way Raedryn had seen the most devout provide a gentle kiss to the statue of Yoba, the Father God during the pagan festivals held sometimes in the common quarter. But, then again, those celebrants hadn't kissed the statue on the lips. Having never been kissed before, the young man had not expected it to be so-- a tingle ran up his spine, and then in the pit of his stomach when his brain reminded him that he'd been kissed not only by a male, but by a beast man. The tingle migrated again and his pants became tight; the realization that he wasn't disgusted like he should have been struck him. "Oh god..."

Herald nodded, apparently misunderstanding the murmur. "Mmm... Praise be to Him."

Not even missing a beat, the Varken pulled Rhadryn closer and, before the young man knew what was happening, the two of them were on the ground; Raedryn had his back on the stone, and Herald was on top of him, weight supported by his paws and knees, straddling the Human. There was something frightening, not only about the sudden change in position, but in how easily the best man had accomplished it. "What-- what's going on, Herald? What are.... what are you doing?"

Herald, except for his fur, was bare naked, and any amount nudity was not something Raedryn was used to seeing, let alone a Varken. The human was brought up in a household where nudity was an affront to good manners and humility bade all respectful individuals to remain clothed at all times. It was readily apparent that the Varken didn't share such an opinion. Herald supported his own weight, naked body pressed against the Human's as the enormous Wolf lay atop him. The beast man's muzzle snuffled against his neck, teeth gently nibbling along his collar bone as they grazed their way down his chest, snuffling down into the collar of his shirt as one, then a second button popped free. Raedryn repeated his question. "What are you doing?"

A warm tongue washed over his nipple, the saliva simultaneously warmed and cooled by the Wolf's hot breath. His answer was directly indirect. "Knowing you."

"...knowing me?"

The answer rumbled from the Varken's chest. "You have blessed me with Your many gifts, My Lord. May I give You something in return?"

The feel of the beast man's heavy sheath grinding into his abdomen was almost more than the Human could bear. How had he gotten into the situation? How had things gone so incredibly crazy? Why was he so excited? Despite his misgivings and uncertainty, he wanted nothing more than... what DID he want? The feeling of the thick sheath rubbing against the front of his slacks answered it for him and, swallowing his hesitation and banishing his mind's eagerness to try and rationalize what was happening, all he could manage to do was hiss out the word "Yesssss."

Raedryn jumped in surprise when the Wolf raised his muzzle; his teeth sank into the Human's flesh yet, to his amazement, he felt no pain. A warm feeling spread through his sternum and his head swam in giddiness. Herald pulled his muzzle back, broad tongue swiping across a wound that had never been, revealing instead of blood, an intricate tattoo that had fused with the flesh of his shoulder.

The beast man lowered himself more firmly onto the Human, pinning him in place as glimmering green predatory eyes gazed down at him. "Oh... so wondrous a thing are You, my Master, that to touch You I can once again feel closer to the divine."

The young man's entire body shivered at the sensation of a firm, furless length slip free of the Wolf's sheath and glide softly across his abdomen beneath his shirt, rolling it up his torso as the Varken's hips moved with purposeful motion. "I... uh— wow."

The smooth, pure tone of Herald's voice was disrupted by a powerful, reverberating growl from deep in his chest as he spoke. "I must feel more of you... give me leave, oh Prophet, my Lord, that we might become that much closer to whole."

The statement was vague but the feel of the Wolf's body trembling in desire left no question as to what the Varken meant. Raedryn had never been more afraid... or more eager. "Y-yes."

Gently, almost reverently, Herald began to disrobe him. It was an odd angle, and the human had to wriggle out of his trousers even as the Varken slid them free but, somehow, he was finally as naked as the wolf man, laying with his discarded cloak beneath him and kept warm by the furry body atop him. Herald, looming over him, held himself up with his elbow and forearm as his paw gently cradled the back of Raedryn's head. "My Lord... in this holy place, we shall become one."

The Varken's head lowered down to the Human's and for their second kiss Raedryn was much more of a participant. His head swam at the feel of the furred muzzle against his lips and, to his surprise, his mouth opened; as if anticipating the invitation, Herald's broad, flat tongue invaded it. A moment later, another length of flesh also entered the Human. It was only the beginning, but it was euphoric.