The Shape of Travel

[Cassian Thander]

At long last, the caravan master raised his hand.

They were stopping.

Cass had been watching the former merchant. The way he consulted the maps and conferred with scouts and guards. Always quietly. It was the only entertainment he'd found in the past few hours, even if every hushed word only built the suspense.

The caravan had been crawling along for an eternity. He remembered seeing the river, but that felt like days ago. He liked bird watching, just not when it was the only thing to do. Not when the birds could take to the sky while he was stuck riding the wagon edge for hours.

At this rate, Fellsgard felt like it might as well be on another continent.

The people were nice enough, though he would have preferred indifference. There were too many friendly faces wanting to engage. Too many eyes that might notice a sleight of hand. Too much attention that made him want to vanish.

Sometimes he did. In the evening, when he thought nobody would notice, he shifted into a starling to enjoy just a moment of unbridled freedom. Sometimes, he even slept on one of the wagons as a bird, making a few wonder where he went before he'd magically reappear from the wilderness in the morning.

He wished they wouldn't notice his absence. Not even once.

Wagon wheels creaked as one by one, they turned into a clearing, the ground worn bare and sporting grooves from countless wheels that rested here in the past. A loose semi-circle for protection established, the people went about starting campfires and tending to the animals. Caravan guards, gruff looking men and women, swapped out to let comrades rest.

Far, far too many eyes.

Before long, people settled in. Some cooked, others sang and told stories. One bard in particular was rather new to his craft, his off-key singing making Cass' skin crawl. So much so, that he slipped away through the camp, past the goat that would not shut up, and past the loud caravaner that swore he just saw a fae in the woods. That one made him hurry along, pulling his drab cloak closer as if his wings might pop out on their own. He crossed all the way to the other end of the camp, to the edge of the forest, just to get away from it all.

His feet brought him to a tall maple tree, its leaves dancing with the first signs of yellow. For a moment, he didn't know where to begin. He hadn't climbed a tree in a while. Verdant Row certainly had some, but he never found them convenient when a nearby wall was far better. This... this felt more akin to home, distant years ago, when the little cabin in the woods had trees all but cradling it.

With an expelled breath, he sprang from the ground to catch a low branch. Up and up he climbed, until he was high enough in the canopy to see the mountain range in the distant north east. Looking down, he could see a decent portion of the camp, while he was obscured by the canopy. Perfect, just until dark.

He settled against the trunk with a small smile, letting the bark dig into his back as he lounged along a thick branch. Nimble fingers found his hunting knife and fished a piece of wood, a bird figurine in the making, from a pocket.

The youth bit his lip, focusing, putting the blade against wood. He'd finished the torso of the bird, and began working on the head and the beak. Flecks began flying towards the ground with awkward shwicks of the knife.

It wasn't going well. The lines were wrong. Too sharp in some places, too soft in others. He regretted etching wings into the torso, instead of forming them properly. Now it just looked like a stubby barrel with awkward squiggles pretending to be wings.

The wood proved stubborn to work with as well, requiring more strength. Cass grunted with one such effort, and his grip slipped. The knife jerked free and spun out of his hand. He winced, stomach dropping as he watched it tumble, catching branches on the way down.

The clatter of metal on branches was too loud in the quiet.

For a moment, he held still, hoping nobody saw or heard anything. "... Sorry!" Came his voice, light and uncertain. He was relatively sure nobody was there, but old apologetic habits die hard. The young man sighed, letting his head thud back against the tree.

Great. Now he had to go get it.

[Sedric Moonwhisper]

The organized groups civilized people traveled in reminded him of the packs wilder creatures formed. He often wondered why the parallel was overlooked. A while back he had decided to range farther than he ever had before. As if the Eidolons wished him to see the larger world they created. Ninraih was nice enough, but there was so much more to observe. He began his trek on foot alone as he was in the habit of doing. He was not comfortable enough with the massive metal device they called a train to take a supposedly faster path. Maybe one day after he understood more about machines the civilized folk relied upon.

He made his way in a north westerly direction. Not really knowing what was ahead. Other than he wouldn't be reaching a seaside coast anytime soon. He would also be crossing a river on the path he had chosen. He debated on calling on one of his boon companions for escort. However, he decided to preserve his spiritual power instead. His sense of unease at not knowing what was ahead filled him with fear and joy mixed. He had never left the jungles of his home. Ajteire was the only city he had ever been to. He eagerly imagined what other places the civilized peoples built for their shelters. Eventually, the jungle gave way to grassland. Opening up the sky wider than he could have imagined before. Such a view would normally involve an enduring climb to the thick canopy above his head. Already he was looking forward to the next surprise. Soon he passed the menacing home where the great steel beast known as a train rested. The locals called it Ninraih Station he believed. The warrior simply wasn't ready
to face that particular challenge yet. His own strength carried him past and beyond to whatever was ahead.

After, many days he reached the edge of a mountain range. He decided to skirt it in favor of an easier looking path. His keen nose brought the smell of the sea to him from the south. This made him curious about seeing it in this part of the world. However, he decided to see more of the land instead. So onward he traveled into the great unknown ahead of him. Until he reached one of those civilized packs he had mused over at the beginning of his lengthy journey.

They had loosely circled their wagons as some kind of security measure he presumed. The beast of burden sniffed him out long before the rest of the camp even noticed. Regardless, of his attempts to be peaceful in the civilized world. He was born of a people that were definitely predatory in nature. Fortunately, some of the other travelers took note and called him out.

"Halt, who goes there! Whoever you are! We have several ranged weapons trained on you! So, make your case or gain several new holes!"

Sedric understood what he must do to appear well intentioned. He was privately glad for all his exposure to civilized behaviors in recent times. He raised both his hands a spoke kindly. "Just a weary traveler seeking a fire and food. I have little coin but am willing to balance any debt I incur with labor."

A couple of armed caravan guards approached and looked him over. "You're a long way out to be traveling alone. Got any friends waiting out in the dark to rob us?"

"No, my friends are far from here. I seek only company and the necessities as I already stated. As you said it's a lonely road to travel." The summoner displayed his most disarming smile.

After padding him down and peace binding his spear. The guards allowed him entry into the caravan. Though they did caution him that their good will was limited by his compliance. Nodding he took in the lively camps atmosphere delighting in the civilized folk's energy. He thought of asking for a bite to eat when the terrible music began. His sensitive ears brought him nearly to tears at the broken rhythm. He quickened his steps trying to get as far away from to horrific droning. Soon he passed a noisy goat that might be some kind of alarm system. He paused for a moment. Had the creature been making noise before he arrived? He shrugged his shoulders. It mattered little he could defend himself if necessary. He continued on hearing someone claiming to have seen a fae in the woods as if that was unusual. Then he reached the edge of the clearing the caravan camped in. He saw a tall tree he had never seen before with yellowing leaves of all things. An urge to change and climb to it's very top pressured him briefly. He managed to subdue it. He had no way of knowing how the nearby civilized people would react.

Suddenly, a hunting knife narrowly missed him as it stuck in the ground. The concerned apology above him made him look up. "It's no problem, blood wasn't drawn. I shall return it to you. Wait a moment." The fighter placed his spear on the ground careful of the peace binding. At first, he was going to put the blade in his teeth. Then he realized that might seem unsanitary to the owner. So, he tied it in place at his waist and climbed. He saw a rather distraught young man above and held out the long knife handle toward the smaller guy. The branch Sedric was on noticeably bowed under his weight. So, he braced himself with his free arm on another branch above him. As he held out the knife for the other person to take. The tiny script on his forearm caught the moonlight becoming quite visible for a few moments. Before a passing cloud obscured it once more. "Greetings, fellow traveler I am Sedric." The shapeshifter noticed the small wooden figure. "That is fairly done sir. Is it a totemic or artistic?"