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Feyrahl, SoFurry Edition Change of Scenery, Ch 4.1 In the time Mac had been within Feyrahl, being surrounded by talking humanoid animals took some getting used to. By the time he had an intimate night with Rolin he felt like he was finally starting to get a grasp on his life there; he had what seemed to be a stable foundation upon which to increase his knowledge and start looking on how he could possibly get home. He considered the palace of the Sage King to be his base of operations and Rolin to be one of his greatest allies; it was most unfortunate, therefore, that he would lose both of them in one fell swoop. Mac grabbed a heavy sweater-like tunic that Khosk was stuffing into a knapsack. "Hold on a minute... what do you mean I'm leaving?" The lion shrugged him off. "The Emperor is sending an advance party to the coast to study signs of the possible disaster. Since your appearance here may be one of several omens foretelling of its approach, the Sage King requested that you attend the scholars, so you need to be made ready to leave." The Human fidgeted, watching as the Lion continued working. "You're throwing everything together like we're leaving immediately." Khosk snorted. "WE are not leaving, but, yes, you are leaving tomorrow first thing in the morning. The Emperor is sending many guards northward to inspect a second possible omen, and that includes me-- we leave the day after." Mac hadn't realized just how used to having the dour guardsman around. "So... you're going north? Does that mean it's just Vihas guarding me then?" The Lion slid the Human's boots over to him. "Get dressed. No. Vihas is coming with my group. We've been tasked with providing extra manpower to the Lord Ranger." That statement caught Mac with particular discomfort; he had been looking forward to having Rolin around more. After their time together the prior night had made the young man aware more than ever before just how much he enjoyed having someone with whom to be close, both physically and emotionally. "Rolin is leaving?" Khosk tied off the rucksack he had filled. "Flat-Paw is going north, Millman, like I said. We'll be gone at least a fortnight, but you should be focusing more on your own trip. Your responsibility is to your own party. Mac had a hard time accepting the statement. "My responsibility? I don't even know what my role is, Khosk!" The Lion snorted dismissively. "Probably something to do with belly aching, whining, and being a general nussiance." The Human scowled. "That isn't helping." Shrugging, his body guard put the three loaded packs to the right, just inside Mac's chamber door. "Neither is your whinging. Commander Jorn will hold a briefing tomorrow morning and you'll learn what's expected of you at that time." Mac took a moment to consider what Khosk had just told him. "So... is the Commander telling us what we'll be doing, or is he giving us a briefing becase he--" Khosk groaned, rubbing his face as he murmured "The Commander will be leading the group heading to the shoreline. Since he'll be there to keep an eye on you he determined that you wouldn't need another bodyguard and the Emperor signed off on it." The young man wasn't done seeking more information. "So what am I supposed to--" The Lion opened the door, speaking over him. "Get some sleep. Someone will be by to wake you up before the sun rises. You'll need your rest." Providing no more opportunities to speak, Khosk closed the door behind himself, leaving Mac alone in his room. Sighing, the Human flopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He always knew that any kind of medieval setting had the capacity to limit personal freedoms, but being told suddenly that the Emperor had planned out a trip for him and that he was going to go on it regardless of his own personal preferences was not reassuring. His mind continued moving a mile a minute and he was certain he'd be unable to get even a wink of sleep but ended up falling asleep before he'd even bothered to smother the candle at his bedside. * * * * * A pair of deep, silky smooth voices awoke him in the morning, calling alternatingly. "Neonate... it is time to awaken." spoke the first. The second joined in. "You are going to make us late, Initiate." A third voice, a much more raspy tenor proposed "Perhaps the Human is dead. Check to see if it is breathing." The second voice countered the third. "Of course he's alive, Zaph... we can hear his heartbeat." The first voice, seemingly bored with the disagreement, addressed Mac directly. "Neonate, we do not have a lot of time. Unless you wish to miss breakfast you should be up now." Rousing himself, Mac sat up. Standing at the foot of his bed was the court Mystic... or court Mystics? He wasn't sure how to refer to a two-headed being. He started, rather than by addressing that question, by pointing out the obvious. "It's still dark." The right head, Lor, if Mac rememberd properly smiled wide. "That's the best time to be up if we're leaving when the sun rises." The left head, Lehig, stared at Mac. "Firemane should have prepared traveling garb for you. Get dressed, and meet us in the hallway." Sliding out of bed, Mac glanced toward them as they left. "Hey... I'm pretty sure I heard three voices. Who was the third--" For the second time in less than ten hours, his conversation was cut short by a door closing. "--person?" Mac dressed quickly, choosing the only set of clothes Khosk had pulled out and not packed. They were not the same kind of clothes he wore around court; they felt rugged and sturdy, but still surprisingly comfortable. While he was securing his boots, Mac was certain he heard three people talking outside his door; someone must have come to join the Mystic. Once his boots were on and tied off, the Human went to the door and opened it; the discussion stopped and Mac exited into the hall, surprised when he saw nobody but the two-headed Dog waiting for him. "Okay... what's going on?" Lor's head cocked to the side. "What do you mean, Initiate? We are about to leave on a trip. We were told that you had been informed." Shaking his head, Mac pointed out "When you guys woke me up I heard three voices in the room and, just now, while I was getting ready, I heard three voices out here too. Two heads make two voices... I get that... but how come I heard three vo--" The tenor that Mac had heard earlier spoke up again. "Try counting again, Monkey. You missed one." The Human jumped in surprise, spinning around despite knowing that was not where the voice came from. Looking back to the Mystic again, Mac saw nothing strange-- well, nothing more strange than a two headed Rottweiler-like Dog with a snake for a tail. The snake tail, in fact, was staring at him. Mac's brow furrowed, looking at the snake he asked "Um... Lehig? Lord? Does your tail--?" Yet again, he was denied the opportunity to finish a question, interrupted when the snake opened its maw, and then clearly enunciated. "Don't call me 'snake', Monkey. Use your manners if you have them. My name is Zaph." Surprised and mortified, Mac tried several times to figure out what to say, his mouth moving but no words coming out. Lehig spoke first. "He rarely speaks around others, Neonate, and is often blunt and to the point." Lor was much more upbeat. "If he talks to you it means he likes you." Mac could only sigh; it was way too early in the morning to deal with something like a snake tail being a third sapient addition to a single body. "Sure. Yeah... cool."