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Services No Longer Required: Chapter 3: Leaving Home.

The first thing Sandstone feels at the return of consciousness after falling asleep from the exhaustion of using hir skill the night before. Is hir ear twitching from the noise hir ‘roommate’ is making. Opening hir eyes, shi lifts hir upper torso into a sitting position, looking over to the Draco-Fox a few feet away in the darkened room, which was not long ago, a simple closet.

Magically powered candlelight streams in under and between the door and the frame, giving just enough light allowing both can see each other.

Standing in the small space between their two makeshift beds, Rohoka freezes upon seeing Sandstone’s awake.

“I was trying to not wake you. ‘Not a Chakat’.” Rubbing the talons on long clawed hand as he speaks. The cracks in his keratin claws aching from last night’s use of his Dragon’s Claw skill to counter Sandstone’s skill.

Made worse by the fact he didn’t sleep last night. All he could think about was his parents and everything they did up to the ‘incident’. ‘I should’ve been faster, if I had gotten this skill sooner…’

“Well you did. You finally got ‘that’ right too. I’m ‘not’ a Chakat.” Sandstone quips back, stretching out hir limbs on hir lower torso.

Rohoka flicks his ear as he stares at hir because to him Shi obviously is a Chakat.

Sighing audibly, he moves forward the couple of steps to the door. Sandstone, seeing him do this, quickly climbs down and stands behind him, showing shi’s just as ready to leave the cramped room. As well as being about a head smaller than Rohoka despite both being nine.

Stopping before grabbing the doorknob, Rohoka turns his head around to look at hir. “Why are you following me?”

Sandstone stares back at him, finding how he did that odd, mainly because shi hasn’t been around Draco-Foxes before. “I’m guessing the same reason you're leaving, food.”

Returning the stare for a few moments, Rohoka sighs. Turning his head to face the door he slumps his shoulders a bit as his tail touches the ground. “The priestess who dropped me off here, told you the same thing about getting food when she did the same to you?”

He reaches up a bit and opens the door, blinking a couple of times at the unobstructed magical candlelight. Rohoka leaves hir behind as he rushed over to a nearby window, looking outside at the sky to check the time by seeing if the horizon’s lit up and how bright it is if that was the case.

He doesn’t notice hir following him to the window.

“Good, it’s not too long before dawn.” Lightly saying to himself, as he sees a glow on the horizon.

Only to jump an inch or two into the air in surprise as Sandstone speaks up just behind him on his left side. “Yes she did. It looks like night though, how do you know dawn’s close?”

Swingeing his head to look at the Chakat who insists shi’s not a Chakat, he glares at hir for sneaking up on him. ‘How can shi walk so silently? Shi has twice as many legs as I do!’

“How can you ‘not’ know? Mom and Dad taught me when I was six how to tell what time of day and night it is. It’s ‘very’ simple once you learn the signs.”

Sandstone rolls hir eyes at how dumb what he just said sounds to hir. So she puts a bit of a ‘I’m smarter than you’ tone in hir voice for hir reply. “Clocks, that’s how! A little box that tells you the time down to the second. It even lights up when you press a button on top so you can see it in the dark. No need to look at the stars in the sky or whatever you used to tell what time it is.”

“Oh those.” He rolls his eyes at hir. “Sorry, must’ve left the ‘magically enchanted object that only the richest of our clan can afford’ back at home with my dead parents.” Rohoka snarks back as he moves away from the window before looking down the hall in the direction to the stairs down.

‘If I’m going to leave the town, I should stop by home and get my stuff. They won’t be able to deliver it to me if I don’t stay. Not to mention I can use the food in the store to keep myself fed on the way there.’

Without even looking to see if Sandstone’s following him, he retraces the route the Priestess took leading him up here, back downstairs to the first floor. Stopping only when he hears claws on wood as Sandstone follows him down the stairwell.

‘Oh NOW shi makes noise when walking. Not when I don’t know shi’s there!’ Rohokoa huffs as he traverses the stairs easily.

‘These stairs are too narrow!’ Sandstone carefully maneuvers hirself down them, following Rohoka. ‘I had no trouble going up, why is going down them so much harder?’

“So, um…?” Sandstone stops on the last couple of the stairs as Rohoka reaches the ground-floor. Stopping in his tracks, he turns his head again to look at hir standing behind him. The sight still creeps hir out.

“What is it, ‘Not a Chakat’?” A little annoyance seeping into his voice as he speaks to the Chakat behind him. Not to mention spending the entire night wondering what he could’ve done better isn’t helping his mood any.

“Yes, I’m not a Chakat, but my name is Sandstone so…”

Rohoka cuts hir off.

“Okay, Sandstone, you can call me Rohoka, What is it you want?” He moves to fully face hir rather than just have his head looking behind himself.

The young Chakat glares back at the stairs once shi reaches the bottom before looking back at Rohoka. “What are you going to do after we get some food?”

His posture deflates as his annoyance at the Chakat, which gave him a momentary distraction from everything that has happened the past day evaporates in the light of hir question.

‘To think… Yesterday I was waking up in my own bed, Mom and Dad alive… Willing to give me a contract to fulfill like an adult.’

Shaking his head and raising his ears he looks at hir. “The same thing you should be thinking about doing. That is, if you have issues about stealing food from the people who live here. Unlike the Chakats my parents used to deal with that is who seem to enjoy doing it. Then you should leave town and head for one in the opposite direction the ‘heroes’”

The last word from his mouth said with enough venom it drips off his tongue.

“Maybe an orphanage there will have room, and you won’t starve.” He looks around the dimly lit area that was when he arrived, filled with other kids and full of chaos. Now silent and bathed in magical candlelight.

“The priestess didn’t tell us where they would be serving food if we were early enough.”

Flattening hir ears back at the Young Draco-Fox Sandstone sneers out. “I said I’m NOT a Chakat!” Pointing down one of the nearby hallways, shi continues. “Your nose is as big as mine! Can’t you smell the scent of cooking food coming from there?”

Reaching up with his short clawed hand, Rohoka touches his own snout. “It’s not ‘that’ big, and, um, yea. Now that you mention it, I kinda do smell something?”

Sandstone’s about to open hir mouth to lob an insult at him, only to get interrupted by someone behind hir.

“You’re not going to get anything if you’re late to the dining room.” Both of them turn at the same time to see a young human boy, about their age. Ambling down the stairs in threadbare clothing while rubbing his eyes.

It irks the young Chakat that this human can navigate the stairs blind.

Both silently move out of the way of the human kid before looking at each other. Quickly deciding simultaneously to follow him down the hallway. Past other rooms whose occupants join their group as they walk down the corridor. Kids of various ages of no rhyme or reason of which of the three species they’d be as they enter the hallway soon make up the surrounding group.

Out of familiarity, Rohoka and Sandstone, just, stay next to each other rather than be separated as the door to a large ball-room converted into a kitchen and dining area funnels the group into a shoulder to shoulder line. Sitting at the far end they can see some magically enchanted cooking surfaces for heating pots or enchanted boxes for baking bread.

Along with a few adult female Draco-fox Priestesses dashing about between them.

Turning their head’s they see the rest of the room’s taken up by anything that can be made into furniture, was. So they can place food on them, and benches for seats. Boards of wood, old doors, etc. Each stacked on tree-stumps, cut up posts, or piles of mud-brick.

Looking back to the priestesses and cookware, they notice the group they’ve been following unconsciously forming a single file line in front of tables the cookware is on. Leaving the two of them the odd ones out standing side by side.

There’s a moment where the two of them stare at each other, neither one willing to let the other get in front of them. Only for Rohoka to get in front of Sandstone, least both of them lose their place in line as it starts moving forward. Annoying hir immensely, only to be quickly distracted by the ‘wtf is shi’ stares of the other Chakat cubs around them.

‘I don’t have an empathic talent, and they must sense it.’ Angrily glaring back at them and their odd clothing for their lower torso’s. Sandstone raises hir hand as shi feels the need to wipe the looks off their muzzles with a blast of air.

Only for one of the Priestesses to sternly speak loudly at hir before the incantation circle even forms.

“No Skill use in the kitchen! Or you go hungry this morning Shir!” The Priestess doesn’t even look down at hir, but Rohoka turns his head momentarily to look back at hir as shi lowers hir hand.

Moving his head between looking forward, so he can move when the line moves, and looking behind himself to look at Sandstone. “Why were you going to shoot them with that skill you used last night?”

Glaring back at him when his head is facing hir. “They were staring at me like they’ve never seen someone that looks like them but isn’t a Chakat before. I didn’t like it.”

Rohoka just rolls his eyes, not looking back at hir again while they’re in line. Eventually their turn comes at the table holding the enchanted cookware. Each of them get a crude iron-bark wood tray thrust into their hands by one of the Priestesses.

A rough bowl made from the same kind of wood’s dropped on it by her, along with a plate and a spoon. This is followed up by a slice of poor, yet, not moldy bread. The bowl gets something slightly thick, liquid, white, with stuff sandstone can’t recognize dumped into it as they’re urged along the line.

Rohoka does, and it doesn’t improve his mood. It’s dried fruit and what the humans call vegetables. A group of plants humans brought with them when they were originally summoned to his world. Not that he knows that as they are commonplace now. He didn’t like them when his mom and dad served them, and he doubts they’ll taste any better here despite the ones his parents served being fresher.

The last thing dropped onto their plates is a wooden cup of water. The priestess who just placed it on their tray’s, just shoo’s them out of the line and towards the tables and benches. Said crude seating arrangements are quickly filling up with other orphans as Rohoka and Sandstone glance at each other.

So again, out of familiarity, and for Sandstone, with all the other Chakat’s still staring at hir. The two of them stick together, in finding a spot to. Well, Rohoka finds a spot to sit on a bench, Sandstone has to try to either lay hir lower torso length wise. Earning a glare from everyone else around them. Or rest one set of hir lower torso’s legs on the bench while keeping the other flat on the floor between the bench and table.

Hir hesitation in deciding forces hir into the latter position as both of them look down at the meager breakfast.

“This is your clan Rohoka! Why are they feeding us ‘this’ stuff?” Shi picks up the piece of bread. Sniffing it lightly and noting that while it’s not old. It’s not fresh either, while being hard and dry. It only takes hir a couple of bites to eat the whole thing along with enough water to soften it.

Meanwhile, Rohoka is grimacing as he forces the slightly pasty white stuff with all the dried things in it down his throat before replying. “For someone who came from the nation of Chakats…”

‘While insisting shi isn’t one…’ He wishes he could say, but the thought of being alone here, scares him into holding his tongue at the jab at Sandstone’s behavior he wants to make.

“Who have all those neat magical enchanted stuff and what not, you don’t know what’s going on. All the other ‘Chakats’ here were dumped like you were. While the humans and other Draco-foxes are orphans because of the war with the continuum. You know, those beings that kept trying to invade, and we had to ask our gods for help each time? Those guys.”

He too, once finished with the meager portion of what he finally recognizes as oatmeal, after dislodging a piece of oat from between his teeth with his tongue. Looks down at the meager piece of bread, the rest of this pitiful breakfast.

Eating it just as quickly as Sandstone as shi now forces hirself to eat the watered down oatmeal.

“I said I’m not a Chakat, so I’m not part of them…” Shi pauses for a second as hir lower stomach grumbles in protest at the lack of substance in the meal.

“I think I see why you said you don’t want to starve.” Saying upon finishing the bowl. Looking up, others who were sitting nearby the two of them are grabbing what little they have and are moving away from the both of them.

Flattening his ears in frustration at the faux paws that even ‘he’ knows not to do around orphans. Rohoka glares at Sandstone while standing. Leaving the tray and empty bowl on the makeshift table.

“Hey, where are you going?” Sandstone moves to follow him as he heads for the exit, not wanting to be left behind.

Both of them ignoring the looks of the other orphans ether fearful of their meager meal getting stolen, or curiosity at what’s going on. The Priestesses though, long since giving up past the bare minimum don’t even pay attention as they exit the dining hall. Not caring as long as they’re back before dusk.

Rohoka stops in his tracks, turning to look at the Chakat following him. “Why do you want to know? It’s not like we’re friends.”

Stopping in front of him, shi glares up at his face. “I know more about you than anyone else here. So I’d rather be with you because your friendlier than them.”

‘That and you aren’t looking at me like I’m a freak.’

Rohoka tilts his head realizing shi’s got a point there.

“You did try to attack me with your skill last night Sandstone. I wouldn’t call that being friendly in the least.” Pointing at hir with his short clawed hand an inch from the tip of hir nose.

Shi returns the gesture, claw tip extended from hir finger. “You kept calling me a Chakat last night when I’m not. Same with saying l’m like them too.”

“But we are…” Lowering his hand, he looks down at the floor. The death of his own parents fresh in his mind. “I mean, sure your parents abandoned you, but, that still makes us orphans.”

“They were made to do it by someone else!” Yelling out before shi lowers hir own hand as whatever anger shi had is replaced by the sadness that has been eating at hir since shi was left here.

The silence stretches on for a moment or two before shi speaks up again. “If you’re not staying here, where are you going then?”

Rohoka looks over at hir, getting tired of hir excuse of calling hirself not a chakat and what not. “How about this ‘not a Chakat’. ‘You’ tell me why despite looking exactly like all those other Chakats back there, you’re not one of them. THEN, I’ll tell you where I’m going!”

A retort to his challenge builds, then dies in hir throat. Realizing how shi handles this may decide if shi’ll be stuck here with the other Chakats. Or, if shi goes with him, away from them and their judgmental stares.

“I don’t have the empathic talent they do. I can’t feel what you’re feeling, and I can’t influence what others feel. I couldn’t feel what my parents felt either. I’m supposed to go crazy because of this, they said as much! The other Chakats who put me and my parents in that room, stuck me in another room to make me go crazy, yet I didn’t. No matter how long they kept me in there alone.”

Shi stares at him while feeling hir cheek fur dampen. ‘Why am I crying?’

“It’s why they were all staring at me back there. At this age, I’m supposed to develop it. Or gain control of it… I don’t know! All I know is I’m supposed to be able to feel their emotions, they mine, and what not. If I can’t, I’m not one of them! They know it too!”

Catox’s words echo through Rohoka’s mind about being kind and polite to others as he watches Sandstone cry. Mostly in admonishment of his recent actions, like she’s scolding him from beyond the grave.

His annoyance at hir over denying what looked to him as obvious turns to shame. Lowering his ears and letting his tail drag across the floor. He closes the distance between, placing his short-clawed hand on the left shoulder of hir upper torso.

“I’m heading home to get my stuff.” He looks down at himself. “My other set of clothes and some food from the store. Then heading north, the opposite direction the army…”

‘And the bastard who killed my parents…’

“Are going. Don’t know how far north. Just to the next town, hopefully. If their orphanage is also this crowded, I’ll keep going till I find one that isn’t, so I won’t starve till I come of age in a year or so.” He looks down at hir and shi’s forced hirself to stop crying.

“That’s not exactly a definite plan though Rohoka.” Shi pauses. “But I guess it’s better than staying here and starving. I’m still hungry and I won’t steal from people. Mom and dad would punish me.”

Letting go of Sandstone’s upper shoulder, Rohoka closes his eyes, then opens them a moment later. Making up his mind on the matter. “Why don’t you… Come with me then Sandstone? We both have skills, I have a class, though all I know is it is a combat one, no adult would tell me anything more. We’d be able to take care of ourselves.”

Raising hir ears Sandstone nods. “Alright. Um, Speaking of food?”

Rohoka stops mid-step as he was already heading for the entrance of the orphanage after letting go of Sandstone’s shoulder. “You can have some when we get there, but we have to get there before they lock the place up.”

“Thank you.” Shi smiling, then trotting forward to walk alongside Rohoka.

Only to look around and see they’re both being stared at from the other group of orphans here. The ones who pilfer food from those setting up their stalls in the pre-dawn light.

Saying nothing to them, they return the stare until they’re all off the orphanage grounds. Leaving Rohoka and Sandstone alone as the both of them head down a different street compared to the thieving kids.

“So, What kind of shop did your parents own?” Sandstone breaks the silence now they’re away from the others as far as shi can tell.

Rohoka lets out a sigh as he leads the both of them down the street, then around the corner. The normal surroundings, lights in windows of those who got up before dawn. Of stores preparing to open. Stand in stark contrast to his shattered worldview of just a day prior.

It kinda frustrates him that the death of his mother and father seems so, meaningless now. No one mourning, just the world continuing to move on. Like they weren’t even there.

“A General Goods store. Not for the town, but for those traveling and passing through.” He doesn’t even have to look around much to lead hir further through the maze of streets. Knowing all the ones near his home by heart.

‘I overheard they were there for supplies, but they couldn’t have taken everything. Too much for them to carry and I didn’t see them have any bags of holding with them.’

He stops to look at hir. “Speaking of, we’d better find something for you to wear too.”

Cocking hir ears to the side while returning Rohoka’s look, shi puts hir hands on hir the hips between hir upper and lower torso. “I thought that wasn’t an issue? You didn’t complain about ‘that’ back there in the orphanage. No one did.”

“Clan law, Sandstone. All residents need to be fully and appropriately clothed when outside ‘at all times’.” He tactfully doesn’t mention that he only knows this because when he was two years old, he gave his parents ‘trouble’ in staying fully clothed.

It hampered his ability to climb anything, like trees or the walls. Or so he thought in his mind when he was that age.

Sandstone ohs and looks down at hirself. Then hir lower half. “Even that part?” Shi points hir lower torso. Remembering how none of their kind covered their lower torso outside those who needed the protection from work or ‘very’ cold winters fill hir mind back home.

Rohoka nods. “Even that part. If you don’t, we could be caught by a town-guard and sent back to the orphanage. You saw the lower torso pants the Chakat cubs back there were wearing, right?”

Sandstone returns the nod and quickly trots after Rohoka as he continues on to his home without another word.

It’s still surreal to Rohoka as they approach his home and the storefront of the store his parents used to own. An empty street in contrast to the crowds he remembers from yesterday. Not even a stain on the cobblestone road where his parent’s bodies laid, covered in cloth.

He walks up to said spot, looking down at it and careful to not step on it. ‘The street cleaners did a good job, I can’t see nor smell blood.’

As he stands there, Sandstone stares at the front door of the building, and every window visible to hir. Invisible to Rohoka’s eyes, but swirling in an enticing, enchanting light to hir’s is the skill placed spell locking the building from unwanted entry.

Rainbows of reds and oranges reflect in hir eyes.

‘It’s pretty, wha.’ Shi tilts hir head as the swirls become structures, structures shi has never seen before but some part of hir knows the purpose of. That part of hir speaks to hir in hir mind clearly explaining their purpose to someone of hir age.

Not noticing the trance his companion is in. Rohoka finally tears his gaze away from the spot on the road where he last saw his parents. Flushing the mental image of their wrapped dead bodies from his minds eye, he approaches the front door of the building he grew up in. So familiar, yet now so alien to him.

A moment’s hesitation is all that passes as he raises his short-clawed hand to grab the door handle after staring at it.

Only to find the handle and the door won’t budge.

“They locked it?” Squeaking out in surprise, he tries opening it again and again the door refuses to open. “But this is my home!”

Raising his long clawed hand up in preparation of bashing it against the door to try to open it, he stops as Sandstone slowly, and methodically walks into his field of view.

The unfocused look in hir eyes and the fact shi has both hir hands out in front of hir stops him flat at the unusual sight. “Wha?”

The swirling reds and oranges have long since solidified into lines, writing in a language shi doesn’t know yet can somehow understand, along with intricate patterns. ‘Rohoka wants in. This is locking all entrances. Yet…’

Shi knows where it is before hir eyes see it. An error in the pattern, a glitch in a line, a spelling mistake in the language. Without this, only the caster with the key-spell would be able to unlock the building. Yet, that voice, that ‘something’ tells hir if shi…

Rohoka watches as Sandstone reaches out with one of hir hands and with a claw tip extended, taps to him what looks like a random part of the door. Every other part of hir shows shi’s in some kind of trance to him. So shocked at seeing hir like this, he doesn’t move to stop hir.

Sandstone touches the error, collapsing the spell on the building and to hir, it looks like stained-glass shatters all around hir. With each piece dissolving into thin air. To Rohoka though, the door and all the windows glow a dull red, only for a moment.

As shi lowers hir arm, the unfocused look in hir eyes goes away along with the stiffness in hir posture. Rohoka grabs hir shoulders and shakes hir once.

“What happened, what did you just do?!” Letting go of hir, he tries to open the door again and finds it now unlocked. So he pushes it open and enters.

“I…” Standstone squeaks as shi follows him into his home. “I don’t know.”

Only for both of them to come to a stop at the sight of the utter mess greeting them past the threshold.

The entire area behind the counter has been ransacked. Little remains on the shelving where it would normally sit. The door in the counter separating the customer and back area where they’re not allowed hangs ajar on a single hinge.

Then the scent of blood and death hits both of them as the stains from the blood of his parents still linger on the floor for his father, and the shelves that his mother got pinned to. Some of those daggers still sit embedded into the wood marking the exact place she died. Even the register, so heavy Rohoka remembers both his parents needing to work together to move it. Lies on its side, til ajar and empty, except for a few copper coins on the floor next to it.

With the memory so fresh in his mind, Rohoka squeezes tear filled eyes shut, and by muscle memory runs through the open doorway separating the two parts of the store. Then to the stairs that lead to his home on the second floor. Leaving Sandstone standing there dumbfounded for a moment.

“Hey! Wait for me.” Sandstone trots after, only to stop at the shelving edge where Catox was pinned. Hir eyes inexplicably drawn to the copied daggers. Shi doesn’t know why the sight entices hir, but shi just grabs one dagger by the handle. Pulling it free without any effort despite how deep into the wood it is. Then rushes after Rohoka. Holding it loosely in hir hand.

On the second floor, the place looks exactly like he remembers it. The kitchen is how Catox left it after the midday meal. The place is as clean as they can collectively keep it, but his eyes get drawn to a warping floor panel here. The thinning whitewash on a wall there.

Signs that while well-kept, they, as a den, weren’t well off. He almost expects to see her nearby, but a quick swivel of his head shows the place is empty, besides himself that is.

His feet take him from the kitchen to the living area in the same room. Cushions and the fireplace sit as they left it the day before. The few books their den owns sit on crude shelves. Memories of both Catox and Zarith reading them to him fill his minds eye.

“Rohoka, where are you?” Sandstone reaches the top of the stairs not designed for taurs like hir, much to hir frustration.

He only dimly recognizes the ‘not a chakat’s’ voice as he runs his short clawed hand over the spines of the books. ‘The bag of holding… Where is it?’

Snapping a bit out of his daze, he makes haste to his room. Pushing his door open, he sees it, laying on the floor. ‘It was on the bed the last time I was in here, when I changed out of my dirty clothes.’ Said shirt and slacks sit folded with care on a crude table next to the door into his room. Waiting for Catox to retrieve them for cleaning she’ll never be able to do.

‘I wonder who moved it, sigh, at least it’s still here… but first thing is first.’ Slowly he disrobes from his blood stained clothing. For the set that is just dirty with dust and street debris.

As he ties closed the loops on his shirt, Rohoka finally notices Sandstone. Shi stands there in the doorway to his room as he’s about to pick up the bag of holding. Not knowing shi’s been there the whole time while he changed his clothes with a saddened unfocused look on his muzzle.

“Right, clothing for you…” Leaving the bag on the floor, he watches as the Chakat cub finally move out of the doorway, allowing Rohoka out of his room. Sandstone having been unwilling to say or move at the sight of him acting this way. ‘Was that how I looked to him earlier?’

“I, don’t have any other clothes so…”

Sighing, he looks over to his parents room. The only other one in this second floor dwelling outside the combined kitchen-living area and his own. Opening his mouth in a false start to say something, it dies on his tongue. So he closes it before lowering his head a bit and finally saying to hir.

“Just follow me.” Leading Sandstone into his parent’s room.

Zarith and Catox’s room if anything is slightly smaller than his. Rohoka had never noticed this until now, it stands as a stark reminder of how much his parents loved him. It also makes the room crowded as he and Sandstone to stand there in its only open floor space. Making his parent’s lingering scents all the more painful for the young Draco-Fox.

Sandstone’s ears fall to their sides, while shi lacks the actual talent to feel what Rohoka is feeling. The Draco-Fox’s body language, along with everything shi’s learned about him makes it obvious even to hir that being in this room is emotionally painful to him.

Especially as shi watches him walk up to the only other piece of furniture in the room other than the nest like bed. Crude but sturdily made dresser and the drawers it contains.

Geared for an adult Draco-fox, Standing at his full height, Rohoka’s horn tips are barely level with the top of the dresser. Leaving the brushes and combs out of his reach even if they aren’t what he’s after.

‘I may be a year away from being considered an adult…’ Rohoka’s eyes linger upwards. ‘But I still have awhile to go before I’m my mom’s or dad’s size…’

Grabbing the wooden handle of the drawer with his short clawed hand. The sound of wood sliding on wood fills the room as he pulls it open before reaching inside.

The scent of Catox, his mother, hits him flat against his muzzle as he pulls out one of her few shirts. Having one more set of clothing that he and his father simply because said set was a birthday gift to her from his father and him not long ago.

Closing his eyes, and putting the shirt to his nostrils Rohoka takes a deep breath in. Flooding his mind with his mother’s scent. Trying to make sure he’ll never forget it, for he’ll never smell it again after today.

Lowering the garment, he glances over to Sandstone. Noticing shi has one of those accursed daggers held loosely in one of hir hands for the first time since shi followed him up here. His protest about hir having it dies before it can even reach his throat as a dark thought crosses his mind.

Approaching Sandstone he holds out the shirt with his long clawed hand, and points to the dagger with his short clawed hand.

Wordlessly shi accepts the trade and exchanges it for the shirt.

“It’s a bit big, but it will cover your upper torso. For the lower one though.” Rohoka quickly looks around the room for ‘something’ to use. None of the trousers from either his mother or father will fit Sandstone. Lacking a better option, he grabs one of the smaller and thin sheets off his parent’s bed, tossing it to hir to scramble in grabbing it.

“Wha? How am I supposed to wear these things?” Shi folds hir ears back a bit at hir tail twitches, Rohoka just shrugs at hir confusion.

“How should I know? I’m not the one with a whole extra torso and set of legs to deal with.” Glancing over hir whole body, then down at the dagger. His short-clawed hand tightening around its handle. The thought of using it to kill the human who killed his parents running in his mind.

“I’ll let you figure it out, I need to get a few things from my room.”

He doesn’t even wait for Sandstones reply of ‘how’, leaving hir in his parents room as he returns to his own, closing his door behind himself.

Walking over, he picks up the bag of holding in his short clawed hand and sits down on his bed. Quickly stuffing the dagger inside and that dark idea to the back of his mind. Even with its minimal magical enchantment from the person who made it, the cloth’s protected from the sharp edge of the blade.

Not even a moment later, he lowers his head, and lets the tears fall from his eyes.

Every part of the rooms up here brings back its own memory of his mother and father. Let alone the memories made in here, his own bedroom. From one side of his bed to the other, he slowly sweeps his neck and head. The mind’s eye playing them back as he cries. That is until his gaze lands on something utterly personal to him.

Sitting on the only other table like surface in his room, a much smaller and even cruder looking two drawer dresser. A piece of furniture his father made because he had to have at least ‘something’ to put one of his two outfits in as he wears the other. Is a doll made from worn out fabric and stuffed even more cloth that can’t serve its purpose even as a dishcloth anymore.

Other than his parents, it’s the only thing constant in his memories. A companion with him in and out of bed, and all his adventures when he was younger. Only when he was six or so, did Catox tell him she made it because he seemed lonely being the only one to hatch, out of the only clutch she’s been able to lay.

Standing, he walks over. Switching the bag of holding to his long clawed hand, Rohoka gently lifts it with his short clawed one as the early morning sun bathes it, and him from the tiny window in here. The stuffed fabric arms, legs, neck, head and wings flop about as he holds it. The darker fabric eye patches look lifelessly back at him, and he stares back at it for a moment.

Then gently and carefully he places it into the bag of holding. Turning, and with tear dampened cheek fur. It finally hits him this can’t be his home, not any longer. No matter how much he wants it to be.

‘So I’ll just have to take what I can with me…’

Strength renewed and purpose in mind besides ‘leaving town’. Rohoka grabs his single straw stuffed pillow, then feeds it to the bag. This is followed by a blanket from his nest like bed. From there, he quickly walks over to a corner of the room. Kneeling down and sticking the tip of one of his longer claws into a small hole in the floor that just looked like just some random defect in the wood.

Lifting the floor plank shows his allowance stash, or horde. A human term, that much he knows. One his species adopted like those beasts of burden and such. He knows many other Draco-Foxes do this. Hide away things for safe keeping. The glass jar of many copper pieces and the hand full of silver coins he ‘just’ earned yesterday’s pulled from the empty space between the floorboards of this floor and ceiling of the first floor.

It, too is fed to the bag of holding before he stands. Not even bothering on putting the floor plank back in place. ‘No use hiding anything here anymore…’ The weak magic candle, used to just barely light his room at night’s the next thing he grabs. From there he makes a second pass through his small room for anything he may have missed.

It ends up being the last personal object he stores in the bag of holding before exiting what was his room.

---

Meanwhile, in what was Catox’s and Zarith’s room.

---

Watching him leave, then close the door to his room behind himself, Sandstone looks down at the shirt and thin blanket.

‘How ‘am’ I supposed to wear these things?’ Shi drops the blanket onto the floor, holding up the shirt that seems big enough hir parents can wear it. Maybe, unlike the shirts shi’s seen them wear, this garment lacks the extra fabric in the front needed for those things.

Not that shi has to worry about that because shi’s not yet grown any, not that shi’s too far off. ‘They said another year and mine will start to grow in. Still, where are the buttons on this?’

Eyeing the loops and strips of cloth, shi sighs and opens the shirt up before putting it on.

‘No way the town guards won’t notice me looking like this.’ Pinning hir ears back shi looks at hir arms, which don’t even poke out of the long sleeves. Shi can feel most of the back of the shirt laying in the small of where hir upper and lower torso backs meet while the front of the shirt drapes all the way down to about the knees on hir fore-legs. It just looks overall comically large on hir.

Pulling the sleeves back so hir hands can poke through shi spends the next several minutes trying to tie each cloth strip and loop together to close the shirt. With each attempt failing just as bad as the last one.

‘agh!’ Shi cries out mentally at the ceiling after yet another attempt at tying the strip of cloth inside the loop fails to secure it. Hir tail lashes about in frustration before trying again, only for the knot to tighten with the shirt not fully closed this time.

“Why can’t they have buttons or velcro like everyone else!?” Sandstone grumbles at the shirt, then glares at the blanket. ‘No clue on how I’m going to wear that!’

Shi nearly jumps out of hir fur as in response to hir thought’s, both the shirt and blanket float upwards. Catox’s shirt slips up and off of hir like it wasn’t even on hir. Both suddenly swirling with bright blue and green wisps of light, similar to, yet shi can tell it’s somehow different from the red and orange ones that shi saw earlier.

Sandstone’s jaw hangs open as the blue light sucks itself into the shirt, Shrinking to hir size. Excess fabric from this is put to use restoring the thickness of the rest of the fabric to like new. Seemingly not satisfied, the blue wisp also shrinks, and hardens the cloth loops into buttons. Slits for the buttons replace the cloth strips on the other side of the shirt. Next, it adds a bit of loose fabric to the front of the shirt for future growth and long term use of the garment.

It’s then dropped back onto hir upper torso while whatever force is doing this gently pulls Sandstone’s arms up, so they can be inserted into the sleeves. With it settled on hir frame, the buttons work themselves through the slits, closing up the front of the shirt and showing it’s a perfect fit.

Shi has no time to think on this though as now the green wisps get to work on the blanket. Simultaneously, it cuts, sews, and molds it using the excess to restore the fabric of the now full set of taur pants to like new.

Said pants are the kind shi has to put each of hir four legs into the corresponding pants legs, before pulling them up. Joining both halves over the spine of hir lower torso, allowing hir to button it closed. Which happens to hir a moment later as the green whisp finishes them, because both colored wisps suddenly lift hir up, and like the shirt. They dress hir rather than letting Sandstone dress hirself.

It actually reminds hir of hir parents doing it when shi was slightly younger…

When the final button’s secured at the small of hir back between hir two torsos, the wisp’s gently lower hir back onto hir feet. Disappearing whence they came, their task done.

“What the he…” Sandstone stops hirself, remembering too well the taste of soap in hir mouth for saying that swear word in front of hir Dame and Sire.

“What was that?” Looking at the now well, if not a bit loose in the front shirt. Then the taur pants, which feel a bit restrictive since shi’s ‘never’ worn a pair before.

‘I hope I don’t have to wear these long enough to get used to the feeling of it…’ Shaking hir head, shi walks over to the doorway and looks over to the closed door to Rohoka’s room just in time for him to open it. Dressed in cleaner but still scuffed clothes, the fur on his muzzle is damp enough shi can see the red and copper colored scales underneath the fur.

Looking into his eyes a moment after eyeing the bag in his long clawed hand as he stares back at hir eyeing hir now properly fitting clothing.

“Where did you get those… Wait, those are the same colors and patterns as the shirt I gave you and the blanket. How did you make them fit you?” He points at hir clothing while shi just shrugs in return.

“No clue. Strange lights made them after I got frustrated at trying to tie the shirt closed.” Lifting a bit of the fabric the shirt’s made of idly. Only Rohoka’s attention’s drawn to the buttons.

“What are these?” He taps a claw tip on one of them. Making him even more curious as they feel neither metal nor bone.

“Wait.” Sandstone pushes his short clawed hand back. “You’ve never seen buttons before? Seriously, they’re like on every piece of clothing where I’m from.” Tilting hir head a bit at how he doesn’t know this.

Rohoka shakes his head. “Looks like something some rich member of our clan would have on their clothing.”

Sandstone just looks at Rohoka like he’s weird before pointing to the bag he’s holding. “What’s in the bag?” Changing the subject before it gets to Zippers. Shi doesn’t know how shi would explain ‘that’ to this draco-fox.

He just holds it up a bit. “A couple of personal items, a blanket and a pillow.”

It’s now Sandstone’s to look at confused. “That bag is too small to fit a blanket and a pillow along with anything else.” Shi stares at him like he’s lying.

Rohoka holds it up for hir to look inside it. “You looked at me weird for not knowing what buttons are, yet you’ve never seen a bag of holding?”

Somehow inside is a wadded up blanket and a pillow, a magic candle lies on said pillow and all three cover the cloth doll and jar of coins. Which is good because he wouldn’t know how to explain it to hir without hir laughing. Not that Rohoka wants hir to see it.

“I mean it’s not a fancy one, so it can’t hold a lot of stuff. Doesn’t remove most of the weight of the items inside either. It was useful for me though yesterday in getting all the groceries mom and dad wanted though…”

Taking a breath, he has to stop his ears from lowering at the thought of his parents.

Stepping back, hir tail twitches curiously. ‘Wonder why we didn’t have nice things like this even though we lived close to what’s left of the ship?’

“Other than some food, if we can find any among that mess downstairs, is that all we came here for Rohoka?”

He shakes his head. “Gonna grab whatever is left in the register too… Mother and Father… won’t need it anymore.” Now he doesn’t bother stopping his ears from drooping.

Seeing this, Sandstone takes another small step back, letting out a sigh. Shi can’t feel his sadness, but shi can tell when his ears look like that. Shi knows he’s sad. Causing hir to feel guilty over even asking.

“Sorry about bringing up something that would remind you of your parents.”

This causes Rohoka to look at her in surprise. Body tensing at, to him, the indication Sandstone was lying about not being able to feel his emotions. “I thought you said you couldn’t….”

Sandstone quickly holds hir hands up. “Whoa, I wasn’t lying. I can’t ‘FEEL’ what you’re feeling.” Shi lowers them as her own posture deflates. “It doesn’t mean I can’t ‘TELL’ that you’re feeling sad when you lower those large ears of yours. I mean they’re bigger than mine, and you’re not a mammal like the teachers said.”

He relaxes his posture, ears drooping again. “No clue what a ‘mammal’ is. Still, we should get moving. I think, if we can get food from the one stall that I know should be open this early to go with whatever we can find downstairs. We can reach the next town north from here before nightfall.”

Looking into the living / kitchen area and to the stairs down to the ground-floor, he sighs and starts walking. Grabbing the books off the shelf and stuffing them into the bag as he goes without a second thought. More for the memories of his parents than any practical reason.

Shi quickly follows behind him. The room giving off an impression shi’s not welcome here anymore. Shi’s too young to place it, but to anyone else older than hir. It’s the feeling of walking on someone’s grave. So much so the aggravation of going ‘down’ stairs not designed for taurs is preferable to staying. Not that shi would want to be left behind either.

Rohoka waits for hir at the bottom of the stairs, staring out at the absolute mess of the place. Looking back at hir, Rohoka flicks an ear while shrugging a shoulder before wading into the mess to try to find something usable. Following right behind him, sandstone stays quiet for lack of anything to say to him.

Both walk carefully to avoid broken glass from jars or bottles as they weave between the shelving. Only stopping if Rohoka finds something that’s intact, and is something he thinks could be of use to them. A jar of skill preserved flour here. A small tent there, left because it’s too small for an adult.

Even with the limited amount of body language shi knows of the Draco-fox in front of hir. Shi can tell that this is hard for him, but bearable. That is until they reach the front, and facing the register laying on its side. Money til open and contents spilled, where shi takes a step back at him going completely still.

“Whoever did this took almost everything and smashed what was left.” Letting out the words shi was holding in the whole time before shi can stop hirself.

“It was those fucking humans and a gods dammit hero with them!” Rohoka clenches his long clawed hand as his ears stand straight up with tail deadly still. The fur on it on end making the scales underneath visible. Sandstone can just barely see a hint of a red glow in his long clawed fist before it fades as Rohoka’s ears lower back down to their neutral position.

“They wouldn’t take that we were closed for an answer. Broke in, and he killed my parents as they rightfully tried to defend what little we had.” He stomps up to the register, and with more strength that shi would think a kid like them should have. Rips the til out of the register causing a handful of copper and silver coins to scatter on the floor between the register and the til.

Rohoka drops the til as more cracks appear on the claws on his long clawed hand. Ignoring the pain, he kneels. Picking up the scattered currency with his short clawed hand. ‘Thank you mom, dad, for continuing to keep your stash behind the til.’

Sandstone opens hir mouth, but then closes it. The school classroom shi was in well before their ‘test for their empathy talent’ covered a bit on how humans with skills can act like they can do anything. Yet shi has nothing to say to Rohoka till shi squeaks out.

“Hero?”

He doesn’t pause as he counts the amount of coin in the stash before stuffing it too into the bag, his short clawed hand finding his own jar of coins inside and adding them to it.

“Those we asked our ‘gods’ to give us from other worlds to help defeat the continuum, again. Only this one is no gods damn hero and when I’m older I’ll prove it to everyone!”

He visibly strains as he lifts the bag as it’s starting to get heavy for him with everything he’s put in it so far.

Before even thinking about it, Sandstone hops to his side, and in a feat of strength that amazes the young Draco-fox. Considering he doesn’t know Chakat muscles are far stronger than their leanness would indicate, all by design of their human creators, lifts the bag of holding onto hir lower back. The top of the sack held over hir shoulder with one hand helping keeping it in place.

“You’re stronger than you look.” Rohoka just stares at the feat.

Sandstone just glares at him. “I’ll take that as a thank you for helping your furry and scaly tail.” Lowering hir gaze and hir own ears.

“So where is this stall you want to stop by before we leave this town?” Shi more or less can sense they’re done here.

Breaking his gaze from Sandstone, he looks over at the door and the full light of dawn streaming in. “Follow me.”

Leading her out of the building, Rohoka takes one look back at it, the only home he’s known so far in his nine years of life. ‘One day…’ Shaking his head to stop himself from bringing up more memories, he leads Sandstone away from the building set between identical ones. The only one of the row lacking activity and life.

“My father was, addicted, to the stuff she sold, he and mother were actually planning on having a supply contract made with her, so we could sell some of it too.”

Flicking an ear idly Sandstone follows him down the street. “What does she sell?”

“You’ll see.” Is all he says as he leads them through the streets that are a bit less empty than the hour, or so, they spent in the building. Early risers, early bird shoppers, and those who have contracted work to get to join them on the town’s streets. Brining life to the town.

Few paying them heed outside those weary of unaccompanied minors considering the rash of child slip-purses recently.

Even those who are wary of them end up being few and far between. The neatness and professional looking cut of Sandstone’s ‘clothes’ place hir in many observer's eyes as a child of high class parents. Despite the sack shi’s carrying and lack of adults around hir and Rohoka.

Throughout their walk, it’s the distraction of ‘people’ watching that stops Sandstone from pressing the issue of who this person is. Until Rohoka stops as they enter the human part of town at the edge of the town square. The nondescript stall standing apart, but not away from the daily market is their destination as it’s the only one on this street.

‘Well, we’re not first, but that human priestess shouldn’t buy much. Never seen them do so when I’ve seen them in our store…’ Only for the minor skill he has, that made him notice the box Sandstone’s parents talked into when he saw them from the roof of the honor board. Draws his attention to the outline of a large sword under the priestess’s robes nearly the size of the human’s entire height. It tells him its of great value.

“I recognize that shade of tan. The only person I’ve seen here so far wearing that was the human lady who convinced my parents to at least take the effort to drop me at the orphanage, and not just on the street in the middle of that crowd yesterday.” Sandstone pads up next to Rohoka as he stands there watching the robed woman and the lady running the stall converse with each other.

“Oh.” He looks at Sandstone, then back to the priestess. “Come to think of it, I thought I saw a priestess wearing something similar talking to your parents when I was on the roof of the honor board yesterday.” Then back at the stall before approaching the two.

Trotting to keep up, Sandstone tilts an ear. “So you were in that giant crowd yesterday? What was it for?”

“Welcoming the ‘hero’s’ to our town.” He spits out as he hears the tail end of the conversation between the priestess and the milk lady when they get closer.

“… Can’t sell that to you for any less than five copper Ms.” Said Milk Lady points to a half wheel of yellow cheese sitting between her and the priestess before her eyebrows raise. Catching the sight of Rohoka and Sandstone approaching, though she doesn’t know who the latter is. Her heart skips a beat at the former, considering what she’s heard through the rumor mill.

Her reaction also makes the priestess turn and look behind herself. Just like when Sandstone saw her earlier. She’s covered head to toe in tan robes, gloves, boots and even has a veil across her face. Leaving only her eyes and a bit forehead exposed.

Her attention goes to Sandstone upon seeing hir. “Oh it’s you, did the orphanage give you those clothes shir Sandstone?”

Rohoka and Sandstone just look at each other, the former motions for the bag, while the latter looks to the Draco-Fox to answer since shi thinks it might not be a good idea to say ‘magic lights made them’ and shi has no other answer to give the lady. Rohoka just returns the look with one saying, ‘it’s your problem, not mine’.

“Not exactly.” Shi replies nervously as shi hands Rohoka the bag. He strains his arms to carry it over, placing it on the counter of the stall. “Hello…” Only to eep in surprise as the milk lady vaults over her counter, kneels, and bear-hugs the young Draco-Fox in one swift motion.

“You’re such a nice kid, I feared for the worst when I heard the gossip that your parents killed each other over your class.” Rohoka stops himself from correcting her. They’re here to get food to go with the jar of flour, and trying to convince her that it was one of the ‘human’ hero’s would take time and possibly cause her to not sell to them.

So, instead he just pats at her arm when she gets a little too tight in hugging him, and she eventually gets the message. Letting him go, and letting him breath.

“Sorry.” Standing and dusting her dress off, she turns to the Priestess. “Would you mind holding on for a minute Ms. Ryine.”

“Then where did you get them Shir Sandstone?” Raising her hand and giving a thumbs up to the stall owner as her answer, she doesn’t look away from Sandstone and how curious hir actions are. ‘While I need to get out of the town soon, the fact this Chakat’s clothes reek of mana is more interesting than trying to haggle for cheese.’

Turning her attention back to Rohoko, the Milk Lady smiles. “Come with me.” The fact she nearly drags the young Draco-Fox into her stall shows his compliance isn’t strictly necessary in this matter.

She eyes the cheap bag of holding, then looks to the young Draco-Fox. “You must be here for food, right Rohoka?” Smiling at him while moving the half wheel of cheese on the table into his bag of holding, not even waiting for his answer from him to do so.

Followed by several wrapped blocks of cheese.

Watching each one going in makes Rohoka’s ears to twitch. ‘I know we need food, but I don’t know if I have enough coin to pay for all this.’

Sandstone ‘uhms’ a couple of times as shi racks hir brain to make up an excuse. ‘Will this priestess take me away somewhere else if I tell her blue and green wisps of light made them and dressed me in them?’

“I used a skill?” Hir statement coming out more questioningly rather than what shi wanted, as a statement of fact. Hir body tense as shi looks back at the priestess trying to gauge if she bought it. All the while said priestess stares down at Hir.

‘Hmm. While it’s true the Neo Chakona republic considers skills illegal, it’s hard for them to prove if anyone uses a skill or even has one, outside displaying it publicly. Shi would’ve been taught by this age from hir parents to not so brazenly admit shi has one in public. So, ‘that’ wouldn’t be the reason shi’s here. My own skills aren’t alerting me of hir manipulating my emotions either, weird.’ Her right eye twitches at the fact the merchant just ‘gave’ the young Draco-Fox the half wheel of cheese she was trying to buy, only to mentally sigh.

‘I’ll let it go. I can buy something else later.’

“A tailor’s or I guess seamstresses skill?” She motions to Sandstone’s clothes.

Seeing a way out of this conversation presented by the Human woman, Sandstone nods, grabbing a hold of the exit. “Yes, yes it is. Didn’t think it would do this though.”

The priestess just nods, hir doing so confirms something she’s suspected of the Chakat cub.

Gathering the courage to stop the milk lady from stuffing his bag of holding full of cheese. Rohoka gently places his short clawed hand on her forearm when she’s about to place a sixth block of cheese inside. “I. Um, I don’t think I have enough coin to pay for all this food you’re giving me.”

Gently laying said block onto the table, The Milk Lady turns, kneeling in front of Rohoka, so she and him are eye level. “Considering it’s pretty obvious you and that Chakat…”

Hearing the word causes Sandstone’s ear to twitch, but shi has the wherewithal to stay quiet least shi make the Priestess even more suspicious of hirself from the look in her eyes.

“Are heading out of town. I mean, you could stay here. You’ll starve though, since I know for a fact you’re not the kind of person to steal. Even for food, since the orphanage doesn’t get enough to feed all the children unfairly dumped on them.” She places her hands on his shoulders, smiling at him while speaking.

Swiveling his head, he looks at his bag of holding then the block of cheese before looking back at the milk lady. “What about the informal contract between my den and you? Can’t I just um pay for that amount? I mean that’s a lot of cheese, and a lot of money you could’ve earned selling it to someone else.”

Not letting go of him, she shakes her head lightly. “That agreement was between me and your parents. With them no longer around I’m free to do what I want, and I want to give all this to you because I also don’t want you to go hungry. You’re too good of a kid for that.”

Letting him go, she stands and puts the block of cheese with the others, inside the bag of holding.

‘Mainly because of your clan rules I can’t adopt you. No interspecies families. I’d be beating down the door of that sorry excuse of an orphanage to take you home if they did.’ Musing as she then turns to look at the young Draco-Fox.

Rohoka opens his mouth, but then closes it. Unable to think of a retort to the logic of the situation she’s presented to him about this. They ‘do’ need food, they ‘don’t’ have a lot of funds, and they ‘do’ need to get out of the town, so they can get to the one to the north of here before it gets dark.

So he lowers his ears in defeat, and gives a small smile to her. “Thank you.”

Letting the ‘Chakat’ comment slide from the Human lady running the stall, shi looks up at the nearly fully covered one in front of hir. “Um, why did you do that? Convince…” Shi’s about to say ‘hir parents’ but stops hirself.

“Them to take the time to drop me off at the orphanage rather than right there on the street, in that large crowd like they were planning on doing?”

Ryine would smile under the veil. “If I couldn’t convince them to keep their cub. Yea I could tell you’re their cub…”

‘Like all chakats they’re bad lairs, being so unable to do so to others of their kind easily due to their talent, they have no practice or skill for when it’s needed. Not to mention relying on said talent to convince non Chakat’s that they’re telling the truth rather than lying.’

“I would convince them to dump their child at an orphanage. So they wouldn’t end up prey to the nar do well’s of a town this size.” Not dropping her smile as she watches Sandstone’s ears flatten, having guessed right the two adults were hir parents.

‘It’s no secret the neo-chakona republic culls undesirable talented cubs. So no one else other than their parents would be willing to abandon their children rather than see them die.’

Ryine gestures to politely to both Sandstone and Rohoka. “What are two cubs gathering supplies for? Doubt you’d be able to keep other orphans out of them, so I know you’re not going back to this clan’s orphanage.”

Rohoka looks to Sandstone, who looks back at Rohoka both trying to come up with an answer while hoping the other does it for them. Only for the other adult in the group to speak up.

“Ms. Ryine, I think it’s obvious why they’re doing this. They’re heading north to the neighboring town of Toullac. After all, if they stay here they’ll either starve on the meager rations the orphanage has, or have to steal food like the rest of the orphans due to the war.”

She does frown while saying this and looking down at the young Rohoka, mainly because she would never want to see him resort to such a thing. He in turn, only looks up at her sheepishly a bit embarrassed she guessed right before opening his mouth.

“I’m hoping clan shiny-metal’s orphanage is less crowded… Mom and Dad… Would be angry if I stole things.” His ears lower upon mention of his parents. Even if they’re now dead, he could just imagine them coming back to life to scold and punish him for stealing from other merchants.

After all, how would he like it if someone, like that human ‘hero’ stole from his parents.

“We’ll be fine!” Sandstone pipes up with hir ears and tail standing straight up. Sensing the adults will object to this plan, thus keeping them here.

“Rohoka has a class and a skill, I have, um, another skill other than a seamstress one. We just needed food and that’s why we came here. To get some food.”

“Yea.” Rohoka joins in though his confidence falters a little at the stern face of the Milk Lady, and the stern eyes of Ms, Ryine as both adults look at the two nine-year-old kids skeptically. Similar to how an adult would look at a kid if they said they could do something even they as adults would have a hard time with.

Both turn their gaze to each other, the Milk Lady’s stern look slowly morphing into a smile sensing an opportunity to be had here. “Ms. Ryine, I think I have a deal for you.”

With strength running counter to her size, she pulls out a larger wheel of cheese from a box in the back of her stall and places it on the table with a thud. Big enough it dwarfs the half wheel the priestess was haggling over a few minutes ago.

“If you, a Battle priestess. Yes, I know your robes convey that station, of the order of Victoria. Let alone the great sword you’ve got strapped across your back under that robe. Would be as so kind to escort these two kids to Shiny-Metal’s Orphanage in Toullac, I think, I could part with this.” She pats the wheel of cheese.

“One of my finer wheels of Cheddar cheese. Easily six silver worth of food, all for you. What do you say?” That smile turns near predatory.

‘After all, If I can’t adopt Rohoka and help him with the poor hand he has been dealt. I’ll do my best to make sure he’ll get to a place where he can.’

Ryine’s eyes meet the Milk Lady’s as she mulls this over. ‘By their insistence, I can tell these two would go regardless of what we’d say on the matter. Sigh, not to mention I don’t ‘have’ six silver to buy what she’s offering normally.’ Only to hold out her hand to the Milk Lady.

“Deal.” Pulling out a much finer and high quality bag of holding, Ryine watches as the Milk Lady slips the wheel inside. The bag, no heavier than before is placed back under her robes, attached to her belt where it goes back to rubbing against her ‘condition’ on her hip.

Rohoka looks between the two again, sensing they’re being left out of the decision. “But we can handle ourselves!” Walking back around to the front of the stall, Sandstone joins him as the both of them grab Rohoka’s much lower quality bag of holding off the table.

Placing it back onto Sandstone’s lower back, shi grunts with how heavy it is. Only for hir to eep as Ryine lifts it with a single hand, slinging it across her shoulder with ease.

“Having a skill and actually facing combat with it against some nar do well are two different things Rohoka and Sandstone. Or if you’re unlucky. You’ll run into one of the Continuum’s reject alchemy experiments. They like to dump them ahead of their army to weaken their foes.”

Both of them look at Ryine, then each other. Neither thought about that, only thinking they’d have to deal with a wild animal. Not to mention, her having their stuff more or less has makes their decision for them contrary to whatever they want.

“Fine.” Both say at the same time before looking at each other. Causing the Milk Lady to giggle lightly at their antics.

“Rohoka.” She says, causing him to swivel his head over to her. “Stay safe, and come back when you’re older. This place won’t be the same without you.”

He tilts it and then one of his ears. “I, um, do plan on coming back once I’m an adult.” Before smiling at her. ‘In a year…’

“Be sure you do then.” The Milk Lady returning the smile and adding warmth to it.

Tapping his shoulder, Ryine speaks up. “Rohoka.” She then looks at the Chakat next to him. “Sandstone, If you two want to get to Toullac before nightfall, we need to get moving. They should be opening the city gates soon.”

With the both of them walking next to her, Ryine leads the way to the town square. Leaving the Milk Lady behind.

She lets out a small sigh as she watches them go. “Gods speed Rohoka, and stay safe…”

Crowds of both human and Draco-fox gather as the group enters the town square, approaching the front gate. Many of the Draco-Foxes gather around the Honor Board updating their status with completed, or failed contracts or checking on the status of another. The rest are with the humans in the town square’s market setting up their stalls or being early birds trying to catch good deals before the general populace shows up.

Nearing the gate-house of the town, the three of them find themselves among the crowd of travelers, all ready to leave. Waiting for the town-guard to raise the gates for them. Ryine quickly spots Sandstone’s parents among the group. Standing right in front of the gate and looking a bit too eager to get out of the town. Slowing their group down, She tries to make it so the three of them will be in the back of the crowd. All so the mass of the delayed by a day travelers stands between them and Sandstone’s parents.

Ryine glances down, catching movement in her lower peripheral vision seeing Sandstone shifting hir weight from one side of paws to another. As Rohoka, standing next to hir, is trying to shift his weight onto the tips of his feet as he stretches his neck upwards. Attempting to look over the mass of the crowd to see what has everyone stuck here.

“This is stupid! We should be out of the town by now. Why did they close everyone in yesterday?” Rohoka quips as he and Sandstone look at each other, then Ryine. Sandstone just shrugs in response while Ryine thins her lips behind the veil while keeping the two in her sight.

‘Most likely to keep rowdy and ‘lonely’ soldiers from causing havoc in the town. How to frame it for these two, so they could understand it? It’s not like I can wait for a few years, and they’d get it because puberty would’ve hit them. I’d rather ‘not’ try to explain that to a male Draco-Fox and a Chakat who has both.’

“For protection. It is your Skulk’s army, and we are in a war. So in case the enemy attacked while they’re camped here overnight it would help protect the town allowing them to direct all resources to fighting the enemy.” Making eye contact with the two as she speaks seems to do the trick in convincing them. So Rohoka stops trying to see over the crowd, settling down onto his feet while Sandstone short-sits, the crowd waiting to leave only getting bigger by the moment behind them.

Not too much later they can see a couple of the towns-guardsmen leisurely walking along the top of the town wall. Between the crenelations, then into the top of the gate-house. Deliberately ignoring calls for them to hurry up.

A few minutes after the door closes behind them, the inner and outer gate slowly ratchets upwards silencing the calls from within the crowd. Their voices replaced by all the noise of people picking up their packs and otherwise getting ready to move now the wait is over.

Unheard by the three, are the slurs directed to Draco-Fox Town-Guardsmen by Sandstone’s parents.

Ryine, quickly takes up her position in leading the three, soon find themselves outside the city proper. The sheer mass of the crowd behind them forcing them forward.

Said crowd spontaneously thins once outside the town. Dissolving quickly as everyone else has their own destination or direction different from the three. Theirs has them taking the road going north, with no one else following them northward. Many though pass them heading south toward the town. The road, still cobblestone for now, making it an easy walk. Ryine glances at her two young charges and wonders, how well they’ll handle it when cobblestone transitions to dirt a few miles north?

She slows the pace of their walk as they approach the army encampment, off to the side of the road. Sitting several yards into the clearing between the town wall and the agricultural fields with the forest not to far off in the distance near the horizon.

Both Rohoka and Sandstone divide their attention between the road in front of them, so they don’t trip, and looking over at the spectacle of such a large encampment. Row upon row of canvas tents fill up the field with fire-pits spaced about every dozen or so. The top of a larger tent rises above the rest not to far into the camp with the flags of the Skulk ruling these lands, the local Clan flag of the town, Elysengrad’s flag, and a smaller flag of the Neo-Chakona republic. All of them fluttering in the light breeze of the morning.

Moving and mulling about in between all the tents, mostly walking down the rows to the various fire-pits, or sitting around said pits loiter the bulk of the encamped army compared the few who entered the town the previous day. All out of their gear and wearing the bare minimum for decency by law.

The fact that the human army, and the Draco-Fox army keep to themselves. Neither of them venturing into the other’s segments of tents. Even if the former seems to have better gear and food than the latter. Goes ignored by both Rohoka and Sandstone. Both more awed by their sheer presence than the subtleties of those going about inside it.

Flicking an ear, Rohoka looks over to Ryine, then folds them back and looks away. Wondering if she came here with all of them, before going back to watching the encampment as he follows them. Sandstone though speaks up before Rohoka could gather his courage to ask the human lady first, breaking the silence. “Did you come with all of them? My… My Dame and Sire arrived just hours before they did.”

Ryine lightly shakes her head. “I arrived a couple of days beforehand.” ‘Don’t know why they’re here though, there’s a quicker road south, which doesn’t pass through as many towns as this one.’

Sandstone ohs lightly, and is about to ask why she came here. Except a loud mechanical whine silences hir and draws the attention of everyone walking on the road. Shi just looks in the direction it’s coming from with a lite sigh, realizing what it is. Rohoka and Ryine join in with the few others near them looking around for the cause rather than stopping out of fright.

Doesn’t take the two of them long to notice the army encampments not phased by the sound, as if they’ve heard similar ones before.

“That’s… Just the piece Ancestor Tech my parents brought me in.” Sandstone grabs a hold of both Rohoka’s and Ryine’s hands to stop them from moving. The latter of which for some reason unknown to the young Chakat, was reaching for a long object tied to her back under her robes.

A deep, fast-paced thumping sound replaces the mechanical whine. A sound they also feel in their chests as much as their ears. Causing everyone and finally a few in the army encampment to drop what they’re doing and look in direction of the sound.

Which only nets them a face or muzzle full of dust and grass as a blast of wind radiates from the source of the noise and over all of them.

Slowly from not far off behind the army encampment rises a peculiar amalgamation of advanced technology while at the same time a copy of an historical craft, to the Chakats. Mainly because they lack the infrastructure to make, to them, the modern replacement craft.

Much to their ruler’s frustration.

In the front, one set of incredibly fast spinning blades like the longest swords both Rohoka and Ryine have ever seen sit attached on a small pillar. Bellow that is a stub-nosed front with some kind of clear material through which they can see two Chakats. Both sitting calmly as they grab something in front of them in one hand and touch flat oddly lit surfaces around them with another.

Said stub-nose is attached to a rectangular body with rounded corners. The lower two corners on each side a semi-circular bulge running along the entire length of the craft. Bellow, which oddly shaped and colored wheel seem with the help of no hands, are pulled into the body of the craft.

Their eyes follow along the shape of it to the much larger pillar in the rear of the thing and on top of it, another set of those fast spinning blades, spinning in the opposite direction.

“What kind of magical beast is that?!” Rohoka yells, pointing to what he wouldn’t knows called a helicopter. A similar reaction’s observed from both the human and Draco-Fox soldiers, only to get scolded by their fellow officers. Those being the first of the army to arrive and to witness its initial landing.

“That’s Chakat magic Rohoka. Amazing, isn’t it? If they’d just share how to summon these constructs, the current continuum war would’ve ended months ago when the first gates opened in the northern continent between Elysengrad and Skulk Reynard.” Ryine moves her hand away from her sword.

‘If they were actually going to attack, they’d have the advantage with a flying construct like that. Even if you could hear it for miles away.’

Sandstone sighs and stares at Ryine. “No, that’s what… My parents would call ancestor technology. We could use it in the inner ring of the capital because my Dame and Sire had strong enough empathic talent…”

They all watch as the helicopter gains altitude, slowly becoming quieter, and smaller, but the thumping noise not going away fully til it takes off in a southern direction, towards the Neo-Chakona Republic at a speed many feel impossible. Including Rohoka and Ryine.

“Technolo what?” Rohoka tilts an ear, looking over to Sandstone from the odd occurrence.

Said Chakat glares back at hir similarly aged Draco-Fox companion. “Technology. Don’t know how it works but our ancestors had them back in the world we came from.”

Putting her hands on their shoulder’s Ryine slowly urges the two of them to continue on down the road. They have a schedule to keep after all.

“As I said. Chakat Magic. They use some arcane method of summoning it. From what I read in the old scrolls, they, in return for it to complete the tasks they ask of it, have to feed it special fluids or some intangible thing called elec, something. As well as care for it when or if it gets injured. It will otherwise either refuse to work or come apart after it leaves the shell you see.”

“I don’t think it works like that Ms. Ryine.” Sandstone counters as best shi can as they continue on down the road. Few people stay still staring in the direction of the helicopter went, and they’re moved around by the rest of the traffic while they try to process what they just saw.

Smiling under her veil, Ryine glances at the Chakat cub as they walk. Soon they become the only people on the road as others take side paths or forks in other directions. “Then do you know how they work Shir Sandstone?”

Laying hir ears back at being caught unprepared. All shi knows is that it’s ‘not’ magic. Because some part of hir somehow knows that if it was. Shi’d know how it works. “I know it’s not magic. Um, there’s metal, and electricity, fuel too. Kero something.”

“As I said special fluids, and yea it’s electricity, I just couldn’t recall how it was pronounced because it’s been several years since I’ve read those scrolls.” She pats Sandstone on the head causing hir to playfully swipe at the hand to stop.

‘In hindsight, I should’ve copied those scrolls when I had the chance.’

Both Rohoka and Sandstone go silent, focused more on keeping pace with Ryine as the sun slowly rises higher into the sky. Warming the day further, and turning dawn to late morning, just before noon. That’s when she starts noticing her Draco-Fox charge is lagging behind, if the yawn he just gave wasn’t indication enough they need to take a rest.

Sandstone yawns a moment later. Cementing the decision to stop.

“Alright, time for a rest. You two seem tired.” Ryine looks between the two. ‘I shouldn’t be pushing nine-year-old kids so hard, but we do need to make good time to get to Toullac before dark. The roads aren’t safe at night even when there ‘isn’t’ a war going on…’

“I’m not tired!” Both say at the same time, causing the two of them to ‘again’ glare at the other.

“Hey, not my fault! Your clan barely gave us anything to eat! That wouldn’t even count as a snack back home!” Sandstone points at Rohoka, who in turn points back at the Chakat.

“Your crying kept me up all night!” Not that he would admit to the real reason, not in front of hir let alone a ‘human’.

“You were crying too!” Sandstone pads closer to the Draco-Fox puffing up hir fur and standing as tall as shi can. Only to realize shi’s still shorter than Rohoka.

In turn, he arches his neck a little to look down at Sandstone.

Recognizing the aggressive body language from both of them Ryine quickly moves in. “Okay you two, calm down. We’ll take a break, have some food and then continue on. Does that sound good?”

Sandstone’s stomach’s, mainly hir lower one answers before shi can speak. Disarming the situation fast enough to cause Rohoka to yawn again as the small adrenaline spike in his system leaves as fast as it came.

“There’s a spot for travelers to take a rest up ahead.” Ryine points to an area with a frequently used fire-pit is shielded by some trees and a few hills up ahead of them. Causing both Rohoka and Sandstone to speed up a little to get to the campsite. Each trying to get there first for some reason that escapes Ryine considering from what she can tell, the two only ‘just’ met.

Only for both kids to remember Ryine is carrying ‘their’ bag of holding and with it all ‘their’ stuff. So rather than caring who got to it first, they just end up standing there for a few minutes, waiting for her to catch up with them.

Both hungry. Except Sandstone one more thing bugging hir.

Hir eyes see the traces of multiple fire spells used in the past to light the fire-pit. Causing an idea pop into hir head on how to start a fire hirself. Despite it not being cold enough to need one. ‘It’s like when I saw the locking spell on Rohoka’s house. It calls for me to touch it, but, I also see there’s something strange about Ms. Ryine. So maybe I shouldn’t show that I can do this…’

Entering the campsite, Ryine shrugs off the cheaper bag of holding, placing it down in front of the two of them. “Here’s your gear.”

She then pulls out her own from under her robes as Rohoka sweeps away detritus from the magic shaped stone under them. Watching curiously as he pulls out a clean but a bit threadbare blanket from his bag of holding.

Which both he and Sandstone quickly occupy as she takes a seat on one of the many blocks of stones around the fire-pit shaped for such an activity. Gently placing her own bag of holding in her lap as to not aggravate what she’s been suffering from. Ryine watches the two kids lay themselves out onto the blanket as Rohoka pulls out a block of cheese from his bag of holding.

‘They seem to get along pretty well, even if they butt heads. I get the feeling they only recently come to know each other though. So time will tell if this continues.’ Ryine silently observes as the young Draco-Fox uses his long clawed hand, ignoring the cracks in his talons. To cut the block of cheese into pieces, handing some of them to Sandstone. Eating the rest himself just as eagerly.

Turning her attention to her own bag of holding, Ryine pulls out a piece of the cheese from the wheel she got as payment. Followed by some hard-tack bread she got in the previous town. Placing both on her lap next to the bag, she lifts pieces of her meal carefully under her veil to not reveal what’s underneath to the children.

‘They wouldn’t understand if they saw it, and to be frank, they shouldn’t know.’

Glancing in the direction they came from, she sighs. ‘I find it rather suspicious they chose Draguilliers to stop by rather than out away from any town.’ Her mind mulls over this and where to go after completing this little side quest as she eats.

Finishing her meal, she’s about to call over to her charges to get ready to continue on, only to let out a sigh at the sight that greets her. The block of cheese’s gone, obviously, but both nine-year-old kids are out cold. Rohoka’s neck’s curled slightly so his head rests on his folded arms with is feet and tail sprawled out.

Sandstone meanwhile lies on hir side, head laying in the crook of hir elbow of one arm. The other’s draped across hir upper torso lazily as hir legs sprawl out towards Rohoka and hir tail tip twitches as shi dreams.

Muttering to herself. “Sigh, kids… So much for getting to Toullac before dark. Still…. This does give me an opportunity to settle some questions about the Chakat cub.” Laying her bag of holding on the ground next to the rock, Ryine silently makes her way over to the two.

Kneeling down on the ground near their heads, she pulls off her gloves. Laying them on the ground before looking at her hands as if she’s trying to determine if anything is new about them. Her left hand looks normal till about a bit bellow the wrist where the skin looks red and irritated, so she sighs in relief at that.

Ryine’s robe hides the reason even if she fully knows the cause.

The right hand though, fully encompassing her wrist, but ending a bit before her thumb protrudes Albino white Draco-Fox Scale and fur. The boundary between this and her Caucasian skin ‘s red and inflamed like one would have with poison ivy or oak and it has moved about a millimeter up her hand since a few days ago.

Shaking her head Ryine sighs. ‘Itches like hell, though only minuscule growth. It might even be stopping for now. I would like that actually. Sigh.’ Tearing her gaze away from her hands. She then holds them over the heads of Rohoka and Sandstone.

‘Alright. Let’s see who they are.’ Closing her eyes for a moment. Ryine uses the same, yet more advanced version of the skill Guardsman-healer Anther used the day before on Rohoka.

Larger blue windows with white text appear above both of them. She ignores their names. Does note Rohoka’s lists his parents as dead, while Sandstone’s are not. Then glosses over their conditions and statistics till she sees their classes and skills.

‘They both have classes. Rohoka only said he was the one with a class. So either Sandstone doesn’t know or…’ Ryine then uses the skill to show information about their classes.

Rohoka:

Class: The Vulpine Dragon.

The name of your species has been lost to the sands of time, to the name those from another world have called you, Draco-Fox(Ryuu-Kitsune). A combination of two mythic beasts of Human mythology and power. This class can draw on the aspects of both, for a cost to the user if not balanced between the two wisely.

Skills General: Dash, Mercantile Eye

Class Skills; Dragon: Dragon’s Claw[Uses:3], Kitsune: None

Nature: Leaning Kitsune.

Ryine stares at Rohoka’s information, never has she seen such a class on a Draco-Fox. Nor has she seen this complex a class in the historical scrolls outside the recorded information on past. Or even current summoned beings by the gods. It also slightly worries her about the ‘nature’ part, knowing some of the more powerful classes are double-edged swords to the bearer if they nurture them incorrectly.

‘If he has this, then what does the Chakat have?’ She turns her attention to Sandstone’s window.

Sandstone:

Class: Child of magic.

One who was conceived over a leyline when it’s at its magical maximum. Any skill or talent the child would normally be born with is replaced with an innate mana sense, this class can consciously and unconsciously shape mana and cast spells. Similar to a sorcerer, who needs no preparation to cast, but the mana they call may not come or follow their will in a way they desire.

Skills General: None

Class Skills: Mana Sense-Visual, Innate Arcane Knowledge Minor(patterns,glyphs,text), Mana Disruption Minor(touch only).

Spells:

Element Air: Air-shot

Element Water: Minor Alteration(clothes)

Element Fire: Flame(75% learned)

Element Earth: Minor Creation(clothes)

Element Nature: None

Element Holy: None

Element Darkness: None

Ryine falls onto her rear in surprise. ‘Just who the fuck are your two?’