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Feyrahl, SoFurry Edition

So it Begins, Ch 0.4

Not knowing what to expect of the Emperor, Mac decided to follow along obediently but his hesitance left him trailing at the back of the group. Khosk strode at the front of their small party with Rolin a half step behind and to his right. Directly behind Khosk and slightly behind and to the left of the Ranger was Vihas, who occasionally glanced behind himself, likely to ensure that Mac was still keeping pace; the Human was.

Having long since forgotten the path through the many winding hallways, Mac remained close to his escort, realizing that he was liable to get lost if he failed to keep up. Every chance he got, the Human glanced down a side passage, eager to see if he could see anything other than the seemingly endless corridors; sometimes he saw works of art, occasionally he caught sight of another animal person of various races, and mostly he saw more nondescript hallways leading to wherever they were going with any number of doors lining them.

Eventually his desire to break the silence overrode his need to avoid attention. "So... how many rooms are in this place? It's HUGE!"

It was Rolin who answered. "One hundred and twenty. Those who visit it all agree that it is the most magnificent structure in all of Feyrahl."

The clarifying inquiry was out of his mouth before Mac could stop it. "The Kingdom, or the Empire?"

Khosk barked out a straight-forward response in a low tone. "Don't ask stupid questions."

Rolin delayed a step, letting Mac almost catch up to him and the Bear-like-Cat offered calmly "Both. Residents of the Kingdom generally presume that everything here is better than any of the other vassal states."

Mac found himself blushing a little. "Oh... sorry. There aren't any empires where I'm from so I don't know the ins-and-outs of it all."

That comment was enough to get Khosk to stop. Turning about, he faced the Human. "No empires? Has no kingdom gained enough power to make others bend the knee and accept a role as a vassal state?"

Mac's specialty was Chemistry and not Politics, but he HAD taken a western civilization class in his sophomore year. "Well... there are SOME monarchies, though they're mostly just ceremonial positions. Most of the Empires dissolved a few hundred years ago. These days a lot of countries have become--"

Khosk snorted, interrupting him. "Empires, as in plural? No wonder they failed."

Vihas gave Khosk a gentle push on the shoulder before gesturing down the hall toward an enormous armored figure heading their way. "The Commander."

The individual identified as 'The Commander' was easily eight foot tall if not more, broad shouldered, and in all ways massive-- he was also a Rhino and, even though Mac had never seen a four legged one, he could only have imagined how imposing they would have been, since the two-legged variety was more than enough to make him sink back another step behind the Lions and the Cat-like-Bear.

Vihas moved to stand up beside Khosk and, in unison, they raised their right paws to their chests, striking their sternums twice with their balled digits, also speaking in unison "Commander Stonewall!"

The long-haired Lion immediately turned to Mac, motioning in deference to the Rhino. "May I present Lord Commander Joren 'Stonewall'."

Rolin leaned over, speaking in a quieter tone to the Human "Commander Stonewall is a perfect form of address outside of court. He doesn't stand on ceremony."

Vihas grunted. "Rolin, the Commander deserves--"

The Rhino held up a gloved hand and the Lion fell silent. Mac found his throat tightening as the Commander's dark eyes peered down at him; despite how intimidating the man was, his deep voice was smooth in its richness and somehow almost calming. "Be at peace, Vihas. This Human is obviously a stranger in our realm and, until we know more of his lineage, we must show him reasonable respect."

Both Lions struck their chests twice with their paws, acknowledging the direction in unison. "Sir!"

Mac had to crane his head to look up at the Rhino; there was something about his distinct pronunciation that immediately made the Human think of the multi-billion-dollar super hero movie franchise, and the fictional African nation's accent. It was almost distracting enough that Mac very nearly realized that all eyes were on him, and Vihas's gaze left the impression that it was the Human's turn to say something. He did the first thing he could think of, mimicking the bow that the Lions had taught him as he introduced himself. "Commander Stonewall, my name is MacKenzie Millman."

The Rhino offered a brief nod. "Then I shall introduce you accordingly, Master Millman. Word of your arrival has reached the throne room and the Emperor expects you. This way, if it pleases you."

The Commander was the first one of the beast folk who treated him with what seemed like deference, and it caught Mac by surprise. He was not stunned long, shaken out of it by Rolin's large paw coming to a rest on his shoulder and the Ranger noted in a quiet tone "This is where you follow after him, Mr. Millman."

As they walked forward, Rolin moved to walk at pace with the Lions; Mac was surprised however when Khosk glanced back at him and offered a succinct nod-- was that a sign of approval? That might have been going too far, Mac realized... at least it was a lack of disappointment, so that was an improvement.

The group of five continued onward with the Rhino at the lead. They approached an enormous throne room with two guards: a Giraffe on the left and an African Buffalo on the right. At the Commander's nod, the two opened one door each, the Buffalo bellowing out "Lord Commander Joren Stonewall presenting brothers Khosk and Vihas, Ranger Rolin Flat-paw, and the prophesied Human!"

Mac wasn't really sure what to think of the title introducing him but, for once, he chose to keep his mouth shut, especially once he saw the huge collection of various beast folk gathered in the enormous room. The floors, walls, and columns appeared to be made of a multi-colored marble, polished smooth, with various rugs and carpets laid about. Each occupant of the room sat on a rug, all their own amidst a collection of pillows, save for the Elephant at the far end of the room on a raised section of flooring; there was no doubt in Mac's mind that the man was definitely the Emperor. It was confirmed a moment later when what looked like a Meerkat standing beside 'the throne' loudly proclaimed "His Imperial Majesty, Emperor of the Feyrahlian Empire, The Sage King Caldif the Second!"

The Commander strode forward ahead of the rest of the group and offered the one-hand-to-chest-one-arm-out bow. "Your Imperial Majesty."

The Emperor was easily as massive as the Commander, if not more so. He was adorned in several layers of flowing cloth wrapped around him like a robe and had a broad, flat, circular hat atop his massive head between his huge ears, golden caps at the end of his large tusks, and was situated on what looked like a broad, squat chair, which he sat on with his legs half-crossed, ankles resting against the floor a short distance beneath the padded seat. The Elephant raised one large hand upward, palm out before he began speaking. "Firemane, Icebrand. We welcome you back from your journey to the coastline. Present yourselves before us."

The Elephant had a distinct accent, one that Mac knew well because of some of the movies he'd watched that focused on the English rule of India; it sounded unmistakably like an Indian English accent. Even as he considered the familiarity, Mac watched as both Khosk and Vihas moved to stand beside the Commander. Each offered the familiar courtly bow, and the short-maned Lion spoke for the both of them. "It was as you suggested, your Imperial Majesty... we made camp along the Red Coast, and early on as the second night turned to morning, Vihas fished this Human out of the surf."

The longer-maned Lion stood up a little straighter, turning to gesture to Mac with his right arm. "Your Imperial Majesty, we present to you the Human MacKenzie Millman."

Mac quickly hopped to and moved to step up, standing just behind Vihas, and attempted his best impression of the bow he'd seen his companions use. "Your Imperial Majesty, MacKenzie Millman, at your service."

The 'at your service' made him feel silly, but he couldn't think of anything more to say. Slowly straightening up, he paused, seeing every single eye in the throne room on him. Rather than address him directly, the Emperor looked over his shoulder to two what looked like Rottweilers standing closely together behind him. "Lehig? Lor? What is your opinion of this Human... is he indeed the Human of prophecy?"

Mac's first impression of the Dogs was immediately dashed as they stepped out from behind the throne, revealing that it was not so much as two separate Dogs, as they were two heads on a single body. Lehig and Lor were apparently the names of the heads, and the body they shared was reasonably large, but nowhere near as bulky as the Emperor or Commander, and was dressed in a fine, deep-blue robe with silver threading along its seams; Mac did a double-take when he saw that a snake was peeking out from beneath of the hem of the robe, but the Dog (Dogs?) either didn't seem to notice, or didn't care.

The two heads regarded the Human long enough that he saw that each head had different colored eyes: the left head had a right black eye with what looked like a reptilian pupil while the right head had a left eye that was likewise peculiar-- together it almost made Mac think that there were three sets of eyes looking at him; the entire impression was surreal... doubly so since the snake's eyes resembled the non-serpentine, Dog-like ones of the Dog heads. Mac didn't have any longer to consider what he was looking at when the left head spoke up. "The prophecy is vague, Emperor Caldif, but he does appear to meet all of the qualifications spoken of in the text."

The right head casually licked at his top right fang while the left spoke, speaking up only when its companion went silent. "Also, this is the first Human anyone in the Feyrahlian Empire has reported seeing in over two centuries... so there is that as well."

The left head gave the right a displeased glare, but the right was more focused to pay his companion any mind. Mac stared right back, trying to make sense of a two headed Dog speaking English with an Italian accent. His contemplation ended when the Emperor spoke with the tone of finality. "The Mystic has spoken. The results are inconclusive. We have decided until the truth can be determined that the Human MacKenzie Millman is a guest of this court. He will be provided quarters in the palace, a salary, and a retainer in the form of a bodyguard during his stay. You will show him due respect."

Mac had a LOT of questions he wanted to ask, not the least of which being whether or not he had a choice in the matter but, judging from the finality of the Emperor's tone, he had a very strong impression that he indeed did not. Fortunately, that afternoon, he was given SOME choice in how his introduction to the Empire would play out.