-1Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Fire Emblem or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfiction.
At the behest of Black Nights, I've made sure not to do any of my author's notes in the middle of the story.
…Actually, I don't think I made any author's notes in this chapter…
But they made a valid point that I totally hadn't thought of before, so I won't do any author's notes in the middle of the chapter! (Thanks, by the way.)
Naesala woke to singing the next morning. He looked around, slightly disoriented, until his gaze fell upon Leanne. Oh right, he thought. Visiting Serenes…
The raven closed his eyes again as he remembered (or rather, was overwhelmed by) the events of the previous night.
The singing stopped. "Naesala? I know you're awake," Leanne said.
Cloth rustled slightly, and when he opened his eyes a crack, he could see the heron princess doing something on the bedside table.
Orange…! He sat up quickly. "Wh-where did you get that, Leanne?" he demanded.
"I knew you were awake!" she said triumphantly. "Tell me what this word means," the heron ordered, completely ignoring his previous question. "I've never seen it before." Leanne held the book up, one delicate finger pointing to a word near the bottom of the page.
"…" Crap! How do I talk my way out of this?! he thought frantically. "W-well… See, Tibarn left it here. He was reading it last night, and I guess he forgot it. Maybe you should ask him?" Serves him right…
"Tibarn… Do you think he will know what… pro… state… means?"
Naesala felt his eyebrow twitch. "Well, he was the one reading it," he replied.
"I see… Well, I guess I'll go see him and ask him." The heron princess turned to leave, book still in hand.
"Wait--! Leanne, you're leaving me, to go see him? After you convinced me to come all the way here and visit, and now you're going to go see Tibarn? You see him everyday," Naesala said, searching his mind for a way to get the book away from her.
The heron gasped. "You're right! I'm so sorry, Naesala!" She glided back over to his side, looking distraught. "I can always just ask Reyson when he comes in, I suppose."
"…Are you sure? Maybe Tibarn would be a good person to ask."
Leanne looked at him, her expression… well, suspicious, an adjective Naesala had never thought he would ever use to describe her. Apparently he was wrong.
"…Are you sure you don't know what that word means?" she asked.
"Well, it's one of those words where you know what they mean, but you're not good at defining them," Naesala replied, lying.
"Oh… That happens to me all the time! Except I'm just learning the modern language."
"…Right. Well, it's sort of an obscure word. It's not something that just pops up randomly in conversation," the raven explained, feeling slightly guilty. That last sentence was truth, though. "Why don't you leave the book here? It, uh, looks interesting; you know how boring it is, lying in bed…"
"All right. If it'll make your time in bed more interesting," Leanne said, smiling. She lifted the glass of water - a new one that she must have brought when she came in - and placed the book beneath it.
He turned a slightly hysterical laugh into a cough at her words. Naesala felt even more guilty, but managed to shake the feeling off.
"What time is it?" he asked, picking the glass up. The raven watched the light streaming through the window refract as it hit the water in the clear glass, idly swishing it. He wasn't overly thirsty, despite the fact that he had a bad cold, and the pain in his throat was easing.
"About ten o'clock in the morning," Reyson answered. He'd just walked in, overhearing Naesala's question, but (the raven hoped) not the rest of their conversation.
"Oh, thanks," the former king replied quickly, not wanting to seem as if he wasn't paying attention. Because he most certainly was. And not thinking about Tibarn. Or prostates, for the matter. And definitely not Tibarn's--
"Nn," he groaned softly, rubbing his temples. Stupid hawk was giving him a headache, first with the book, and now… No, stop thinking about it! he ordered himself sternly.
"Naesala? Are you all right?" Leanne and Reyson were looking at him almost identical concerned expressions on their angelic faces.
"Y-yes. Sorry. I'm just feeling… I think I'm getting a headache," he explained.
"Do you want us to leave?" Reyson asked, studying the raven with a gaze reminiscent of Tibarn. Naesala shifted uncomfortably beneath the intense scrutiny, quickly looking to Leanne. She was much less… intimidating.
"No, but I just don't think I'll be very good company," Naesala mumbled, taking a sip of water. "And it must be boring hanging around someone has self-pitying as me."
"Well that's true," the heron prince replied dryly.
"Ah, your words never fail to lift my spirit, Reyson."
"I'm surprise your spirit can still be lifted."
"Were it not for your words…"
"All right Reyson, let's go find Tibarn," Leanne said, hustling her older brother out.
"This isn't over," the older heron promised, pausing in the doorway.
"I should hope not."
"Let'sgo!" Leanne said sternly. "Don't overexert yourself, Naesala!" she added sternly, before shutting the door quietly behind herself.
"…Thanks for the… concern…"
Naesala sighed and picked up the book, balancing it in one hand and taking another drink of the water. Despite the fact that he had just woken up, he was asleep less than fifteen minutes later.
---
"You don't have to do this you know," the Apostle told him. The fourteen year old didn't even come up to his shoulder, yet she held more authority than he ever had, and would ever hold in his lifetime, in spite of the fact that he would probably live to be three times the age she was when she died.
"Yeah, I keep hearing that," the raven replied. "Spare me, please, I've heard it all, and no offense, but I don't feel like hearing it from someone who's seventy-five years younger than me."
"…All right, if you're certain. I guess I can understand your conviction and dedication, to some extent," Sanaki sighed. "I'm not sure I even have such a position, but I guess I can make one… After all, it's the least I can do, especially after what happened-"
"Right, thanks," he said, a little more sharply than he had intended. Tanith glared at him, but the raven pointedly ignored her.
The Empress of Begnion sighed again. "I'll let you know in a few days if anything comes up," she told him. "It'll probably be sooner rather than later. I hope you're prepared to follow through with your commitment."
"Of course; I always honour an agreement."
"If you receive payment," Sanaki pointed out.
"…Yes, but the good feelings that come with a job well done will be payment enough," he replied sarcastically. "Really. Stop worrying. Empress," he added, as Tanith cleared her throat. He still didn't look at her though.
"Yes. Where will you be staying, so that I may contact you should something arise?"
"I've purchased a house about a mile north out from Sienne; I'd appreciate if you didn't discuss its location with too many people," he replied.
"I won't breathe a word to Nealuchi or Leanne," the Apostle promised, seeing his meaning immediately. That girl was far too perceptive for her age. He might have guessed she could read minds, like the herons or Micaiah, if he hadn't known that she wasn't actually the first-born daughter.
"…Thank you."
---
"Nestling! Nestling!"
Someone was shaking his shoulder rather violently. Why was someone shaking his shoulder rather violently? He had no idea, but it hurt like hell.
"Nn… What?" The raven cracked one eye open, squinting at the older raven who was so violently shaking him. "Nealuchi… I told you not to call me that," he groaned.
Nealuchi released him, glaring down at his former charge. "What is this?" he demanded.
"…Huh? What are you even doing here, Tibarn said you were in Cri…" He trailed off as something large and orange was smashed unceremoniously into his nose.
"Ow-- What was that for?!" snapped Naesala, jerking the novel out of the older raven's grasp.
"You… you read this junk, Nestling?!" exclaimed Nealuchi indignantly, as if Naesala's literature choices were a personal offense to him.
"What do you think? And stop calling me that," the blue-haired laguz growled back, shoving the book under the covers.
"I expected better of you, Nestling," the older raven said gravely, disapproval emanating from him in waves. Naesala glared.
"Well, given my history I'm not sure why you would," he retorted darkly, looking in the opposite direction of his mentor.
He didn't see the cane that suddenly whacked him over his head.
The younger raven's vision went white for a moment, and he flinched away, one hand raised to potentially fend off any more vicious blows, the other rubbing his suddenly aching head. "Goddess, what the hell is your problem?" he snarled at Nealuchi, who was watching him impassively through half-lidded eyes, his displeasure still evident. He was leaning on his cane as well. The old bird was faster than Naesala had given him credit for. "Why isn't anyone acting like they should?" he asked of no one in particular.
"Nestling, you make life harder than it should be for yourself," Nealuchi told him sadly.
"…Yeah? Well you seem to be making a good contribution to that as well," the other raven muttered, scowling. His hand was still raised, in case Nealuchi decided to get violent once more. "And stop calling me Nestling!!"
"Nestling, I believe we've been through this several times, and I don't think anyone reading this needs to read that little mantra again," Nealuchi said sternly.
Naesala blinked. "Why are you even here? Tibarn said you were in Crimea on diplomatic business!"
The old raven nodded. "I was, but when I heard that you had decided to visit Serenes… Well, Queen Elincia understood immediately, and I left as soon as I could to come see you."
The former king felt his eyebrow twitch. He wondered if he was developing a nervous tic. "Well… Thanks," he muttered awkwardly, lowering his hands. "I guess I'm just… really bad at appreciating other people's concern for me…"
Out of the corner of his eye, Naesala saw Nealuchi raise his hand again and he flinched instinctively, but the old crow just patted him on the head. "Yes," the old raven agreed simply, sitting in the stool. It seemed to be getting a lot more use than the other positioned around the room.
"…Although it doesn't help that you were hitting me," Naesala added after several moments.
"Well, if you're reduced to reading… that sort of thing, then you need some sense beaten into you," Nealuchi replied calmly, unfazed.
"Wha-Tibarn brought it," the raven snapped, conveniently omitting the fact that the hawk king had taken it from his house.
"…Somehow I don't believe you, Nestling."
"What? What?! Why does everyone have this… this chaste, goody-two-shoes impression of him? He's… Nngh… I've had enough of this supposed vacation…!"
"Now, now, Nestling. It's not that bad, and you know it."
"…Stop calling me that, you senile old crow."
"You will always be…" And he launched into the whole explanation of why he constantly referred to Naesala as 'Nestling'.
"…" Naesala was on the verge of interrupting him when the older raven started in on some embarrassing childhood tale when Ulki suddenly burst in.
At least Naesala thought it was Ulki. He was one of the two who were considered to be Tibarn's right and left hands, and he was fairly certain that the short, blond-haired one was Janaff, so by process of elimination this one must be Ulki.
"Oh, Ulki! What's with the worried expression?" Nealuchi asked, breaking off mid-way through the 'amusing' story of Naesala's youth.
The hawk gave Naesala a nod before turning to the older raven. "Nealuchi… When did you get back?"
Well, at least he acknowledged me, Naesala thought dryly, listening with half an ear as the hawk described some sort of domestic disagreement that had arisen between a hawk and a raven.
"Oh? Well, Nes- Naesala looks like he needs some sort of activity. We'll both go solve this dispute," Nealuchi decided. "Right, Nestling?"
"…Yeah, sure," Naesala said distractedly. Ulki hurried out of the room, looking relieved.
"Wait, what? What did I just agree to?" the raven asked.
"You do it everyday, or nearly every," Nealuchi replied. "At least that is what the Apostle divulged. It was surprisingly hard to get any information out of her about you; usually she answers any questions Leanne happens to ask."
"…I didn't know there were beorc here," Naesala remarked, ignoring the older raven's implication. "Apart from those like the great general Ike-" he said the words with heavy sarcasm; despite the beorc's acceptance of laguz, the raven had never really liked him, "-Zihark, Elincia… People like them, who are tolerant of laguz."
"Stop stalling, Nestling," Nealuchi ordered. "If you had been listening, you would have known that some sort of dispute had arisen between a hawk and a raven!"
"I was just… Making sure you had been paying attention," Naesala said with as much dignity as he could muster.
The look Nealuchi gave him told the younger raven that he wasn't fooling anyone.
"Up!" the older raven snapped, banging his cane against the floor. "Hurry up, Nestling!" He walked out before Naesala had time to react.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" the former king snarled. "And stop calling me that!"
He flipped the covers back, tucking the orange novel under his pillow, and stepped onto the cold floor, which made him realise he wasn't wearing any boots. "…" He looked around, but his typical knee-high boots were no where to be found.
"NESTLING!" Nealuchi's call could probably have been heard throughout the entire forest.
His face crimson with embarrassment and annoyance, he quickly walked to the door, bare feet making an annoying slapping noise on the flagstones. Just as Naesala was about to leave, he cast a glance back in, and noticed that his boots were sitting beside the dresser, hidden from his previous position beside the bed.
He hurried back and pulled them on, tucking his tight black pants in. This prompted thoughts of how scruffy he must look, so he quickly redid his ponytail, splashed some water on his face, tried to smooth out his rumpled clothes (why hadn't he thought to bring some from his home?!) and trotted after his mentor, who was waiting for him at the end of the hall.
"Where are we anyway?" Naesala asked, looking around. He had only been in the castle at Serenes once, and then only briefly, so he had no idea where the heck anything was, or how to get there. The hall he was in had rooms on one side, three evenly spaced doors marking their entrances; his was the one in the middle. The hall ended in a balcony, the other end connecting to another hall that led deeper into the castle.
"The western wing. This way," Nealuchi said, starting to walk left. They turned right at the end of that hall, then turned right again. It looked exactly like the corridor leading to Naesala's room, and the raven was thoroughly lost, even though he'd probably only been out of his room for five minutes. They turned left, entering a passage identical to the one where his room was located, only the rooms were on the other side of the hall.
"…Eastern wing?" Naesala guessed.
"Yes," Nealuchi agreed, nodding. He walked out onto the balcony and pulled a laguz stone out of his pocket, using its power to transform.
"So, where are we going?" The younger raven could still transform at will, something he had retained from his tenure as a laguz ruler. Tibarn had never asked for the Formshift back, and Naesala didn't offer, so he'd simply kept it.
"It's hard to explain, you'll just have to follow, Nestling," Nealuchi said. "Just like when you were a little nestling…" He cackled at his own joke, which Naesala didn't think was very funny.
"Yeah?" He flew after his mentor. "At the speed you're going, we won't get there until next year."
The older raven cackled all the more and sped up. He was actually going quite fast, again exhibiting speed that Naesala hadn't thought he possessed. The former king kept up easily, the pace comfortable. He felt refreshed to be out in the sun, even if he'd only been stuck in bed for two days, and as the sun's rays warmed his ebon wings, he once again found himself marvelling at Serenes' beauty, wondering what it would have been like if he'd chosen to stay.
They crossed paths with several hawks, and two ravens, who recognized their former king immediately. The duo changed course and joined them, flying several feet away from Naesala.
"It's been quite a while, King Naesala," remarked the nearest.
"I'm no longer your king, Miacis," he reminded her.
The other raven gave a shrug, if the gesture was possible given the fact that she was using her wings/shoulders for flying.
"Even if you bear no such title, we will still regard you as our king," the other raven, a male named Danyl said.
"Tibarn's your king now," Naesala said gruffly, but he was touched by his subjects' loyalty to him. Then again, it may just have been because Tibarn was a hawk. He shooed that thought away. "Besides, he treats your fairly and even-handedly; what more can you ask for?"
"…True," Miacis agreed reluctantly. "But he lacks your understanding of our kind."
"We are all birds," Nealuchi said sternly. "Now, if you're going to keep bothering Naesala, I suggest you leave immediately; we're on official business."
"Are you now?" asked Danyl. "Already putting King Naesala to work, I see."
"Silence, youngster! Nestling agreed to it."
"Don't call me that," Naesala growled. "Both of you. I'm no longer your king, as I said before, and I'd appreciate if you'd remember that. I'm also fully grown, so you can just stop calling me Nestling too, Nealuchi."
"…Fine. But it doesn't sound right to refer to you by your first name," Danyl replied.
"We're almost there. See that ruin up ahead? Land there," Nealuchi directed, starting to descend. The other three ravens followed suit, Nealuchi and Naesala reverting to their beorc-like form as they landed. There were several lean-tos and several more free-standing huts around it, and an assortment of ravens and hawks were wandering around, doing whatever it is they should be doing at that moment.
"…So, what are we here for again, Nealuchi?" asked Naesala, looking around with mild curiosity. The cold attitude that the ravens and the hawks usually held between each other was non-existent in this small community, and the former king was unsure of why he had been brought here. He looked back to Nealuchi for an explanation, but the old raven had wandered off and was speaking to a pair of hawks.
"This settlement is one of the more… integrated, let's say," Miacis explained. "All of the laguz living in this area are fairly comfortable with each other. They've forgiven and mostly forgotten past wrongs done, and have agreed to live peacefully beside the other tribe. But other areas of the forest are inhabited solely by hawks, and what's left is for the ravens. Members of the other clans can go to those areas, but it's intensely uncomfortable."
"And what faction do you belong to?" Naesala asked mildly, as if he had little interest in the answer.
"…" The two other ravens exchanged glances.
He wondered if they would tell him the truth. Miacis was devious, while Danyl was more honest and open.
"Well, we try not to associate with hawks," Danyl said at last, and as far as Naesala could tell, he wasn't lying.
Naesala nodded. "I see." He hadn't actually thought that the two tribes would accept each other immediately, but it had been a nice fantasy. "What about the herons?"
"Oh, they're fine, although it is a little nerve-wracking to think that they can read your thoughts," Danyl replied. "Everyone likes them, and we all try to be nice to King Lorazieh."
The former king nodded again. "Good. Although… Nealuchi said we were here to break up a dispute that had arisen between a raven and a hawk, but you say that this area of Serenes is home to both hawks and ravens, who live together without any qualms," he remarked.
"Well… sometimes hawks or ravens who think their tribe should have nothing to do with the other come here and try to persuade their fellows to leave this area," Danyl explained.
"You don't do that, I hope," Naesala said sharply, staring the other two down. He was a bit surprised at his own reaction, but he didn't let it show; a king didn't show his own insecurity to his people, and he had yet to shake that particular habit - not that he had any intention of doing so.
"No, of course not. They made their choice," Miacis agreed, but Danyl wouldn't meet his eyes.
So… Naesala thought. He remembered that Danyl was more of a follower, well Miacis was more dominant, and he had always supported her when the situation had arisen. "I see," he replied, carefully filing the information away.
"Nest- Naesala," Nealuchi said, returning to them. He had his cane in hand once again, and Naesala wondered how that worked while shifting and reverting. The clothes… well, the fact that they were there when a laguz reverted was somewhat fishy in it of itself, but what about the old raven's cane? Where did that go? "Corwyth has agreed to take us to the raven that was stirring up trouble." He nodded to one of the hawks, who had followed him there.
The hawk nodded to Naesala, but said nothing. He was muscled, about the same height as Naesala, with dirty blond hair that was cut around his ears. His eyes were light gray, and his face was blank as he studied the former raven king.
"Itwas a raven then," Miacis remarked, glaring at the hawk with thinly veiled hostility.
"Yes," Corwyth replied indifferently. "And the idiot that came here before that was hawk."
Miacis shrugged, turning away. "Well, it was good seeing you, King Naesala," she said. "But we were on our way to visit some friends, and they'll be a bit annoyed if we're late." She and Danyl flew off, in the opposite direction of the way they'd been going when they'd met up with Naesala and Nealuchi.
…Weren't they going the other way? Naesala thought, watching their gradually shrinking forms.
"…They still refer to you as king," the hawk remarked, his voice as bland as ever, but now the gray eyes were watching him, intent upon his reaction. Nealuchi opened his mouth, but Naesala waved him off.
"I've asked them not to," the raven replied. "I think she just said that to annoy you."
"…As you say." The hawk spread his wings, shifting into an average-sized bird. "We should hurry if you want to catch up to the raven, which left about fifteen minutes ago."
The two ravens nodded and took to the air, following the hawk as he led them back in the direction they'd come.
"Great," Naesala complained. "We just came from here. We probably passed him."
"Him? It was female; one of the ravens referred to her as Miacis, if I recall correctly," the hawk said.
"What?! Stop, wait," Naesala said, pulling up short.
"What is it?" the hawk asked, sounding a little vexed.
"Miacis… Are you sure?"
"Yes; she was with another, who I think was called… Danyl."
"We were just with them! Who would have thought they'd sink so low… Hurry, we're still faster than them," Nealuchi said, turning. He starting flapping in the direction the other two ravens had gone.
"What? Are you serious?" Corwyth hurried after, several feet behind Naesala, who overtook Nealuchi in a matter of moments. The raven hid his surprise. This hawk was faster than most, if he could keep up with the former king.
"…Yes," Naesala said shortly. "I knew all of my subordinates by name."
"Knock their heads together for me, Nestling!!" he heard Nealuchi call from behind him.
"Yeah, yeah, I intend to," the other raven muttered, overlooking Nealuchi's pet name for him; he had more important things to attend to at the moment.
"…Nestling."
"Shut your beak!" Naesala snapped, casting a glare at the hawk, who had pulled up along side him. "He's… a senile old fool."
"I see. We hawks have great respect for Sir Nealuchi," Corwyth replied.
"…He does have that effect on most people," the raven conceded.
"You… are not like I had expected," the hawk confessed, sounding a little guilty.
"Oh?" Naesala asked, in what he hoped was a mildly interested voice. He was actually quite curious about how he had measured up to the hawk's expectations.
"The ravens… Those I live with show great loyalty to you, even if your rule was flawed. You were one of the few things we in the community disagreed about; they were adamant that you were a good king, despite the blood pact, while we hated you for the slaughter of our wives and children." Naesala winced. Did that have to be brought up in every other conversation he participated in?
"…That's understandable. I…I cannot begrudge you that sentiment; I would feel the same in your place," the raven said, keeping his voice emotionless. At least this hawk has his priorities right, he thought. Isn't spouting nonsense like Tibarn…
"There, you did it again. Your attitude is completely different from what I had expected."
"Then what had you expected?" Naesala asked.
"…Arrogance. It was the common opinion of the hawks that you had left Serenes to avoid being torn apart by us. Also, we had thought you unrepentant," Corwyth explained.
"Well… Usually I am more arrogant than this, but I've been a bit under the weather lately," the raven replied. "And thinking back… I guess I left Serenes for more than one reason, although my primary concern was because I felt my presence would ruin the fragile peace-"
Without warning, eight ravens suddenly flew up from the trees, surrounding Naesala and Corwyth, Miacis and Danyl among them. They were arrayed in a loose circle around the two. He recognized all of them, and could put a name to almost all of them. None were within attacking range though.
"King Naesala," Miacis said, daring to fly closer. The two ravens on either side moved closer, to fill in the gap. "You've changed."
"…Have I?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "Or maybe it's you who've changed."
"What happened to working for the advancement of Kilvas?" she asked. "What happened to not caring about what others thought of you?"
"…You saw how far my attitude got us," he replied, looking around without turning his head. The ravens around him were all followers, but there were at least three behind him that he couldn't see.
"Regardless," she snapped, "Kilvas experienced growth and power previously unheard of while you ruled!"
"Then why aren't you happy now? With the combined power of the ravens and the hawks-"
" 'And the hawks' - don't feed me that shit. We were strong enough by ourselves; why did you have to leave? Why did you let that hawk rule us?!"
There were murmurs of agreement from the other ravens, but Naesala ignored them.
"Listen to yourself," he snapped, becoming angry. "You're babbling on about hawks; has he done anything to you? He rules fairly, doesn't he? Are you so obsessed with fighting that you can't just relax and be content with the peace that you've been given, at such a high cost?!"
"…You certainly have changed, Naesala. What a shame."
The former king heard the soft displacement of air as one of the ravens behind him dove for him. He turned quickly, wheeling sharply…
…just in time to see the hawk Corwyth meet the raven in the air. Their talons locked, and the two plummeted, tearing at each other with their beaks.
The other ravens darted after them.
"Damn!" Naesala cursed, slashing a raven's wing with a talon as it foolishly passed within range. The raven, disabled, fell, desperately flapping it's other wing in an attempt to slow his fall, but Naesala didn't see; he was already bearing down on another, which was flying lower than him.
He smashed into him, slamming him squarely between the wings and digging his talons in, tearing at the muscles. With a pained caw, it fell to the forest floor. He looked over to where Corwyth was trying to fend off five other ravens; Naesala couldn't tell if his original opponent was there or not. Two other ravens were flying towards him - Miacis and Danyl.
He beat his wings, speeding up to meet them. Miacis was weaker, while Danyl was slower, but they complemented each other well, and were a devastating team when in a fight.
But they were no match for a laguz ruler.
He took out Danyl first, using his superior speed to outmanoeuvre the male, tearing a large chunk of his left wing muscle out. He spiralled down, slamming into the ground; Miacis thought to attack him from behind while he was off-balance.
A mistake - Naesala was only faking, and he turned sharply, this time relying on his strength to overpower his opponent.
Nealuchi had caught up by that time, and the ravens attacking Corwyth had dwindled to two with the older raven's arrival. Seeing that they were outnumbered, the duo fled.
Naesala quickly flew over to them. The hawk's wing beats were laboured, and he was bleeding heavily from a gash across his stomach, as well as various cuts on his wings and back.
"Revert to your beorc form," Nealuchi was saying. "I have a vulnerary, but I don't think it will be enough to heal you completely… Nestling will carry you back."
"I will?" Naesala asked, pulling up beside him. "Nealuchi, do you remember Laniel?"
"Yes… that boy was always trouble. Why do you ask? I didn't see him among those here."
"He was the one who spoke; was that the one who attacked me first, Corwyth?"
"…Yes," the hawk agreed, accepting the vulnerary Nealuchi handed him. He swallowed some, and the bleeding slowed almost immediately.
"He's probably the leader; he and Miacis. See if you can find him, please."
"He fell over there," the hawk added, indicating an area several hundred feet away.
Nealuchi nodded and flew in that direction.
"Can you fly without help?" Naesala asked. "I guess I can carry you back, if the need arises."
"I'll be fine," the hawk replied, taking another mouthful of the vulnerary.
"All right."
Nealuchi returned a few minutes later. "Not there," he reported. "I didn't see any other ravens."
Naesala nodded. "Of course. Some were probably on the ground…"
"Weare in raven territory," Corwyth remarked. "The area surrounding the castle is considered neutral, and all of the mixed communities are around there."
"Ah… Makes sense," the younger raven agreed.
"We'll have to go back and report this… I don't think there have been any actual fights between ravens and hawks before this," Nealuchi said, sounding sad.
"Yes… We'll have to try and keep it quiet; there are hawks who are of the same opinion as the ravens, and they won't differentiate between ravens who live in my community and the ravens like the ones here," Corwyth remarked. He was completely healed now, despite Nealuchi's words, but his clothes were blood-stained.
"Definitely. What are we going to say about the blood though?" the older raven asked.
"…I'll make something up," the hawk replied. "You go back to the castle. It will probably be better if I return to the community by myself."
"…Are you sure? Won't everyone be a little suspicious if you return blood-stained and alone?" Naesala asked.
"I will explain the situation," the hawk replied.
"Well… If you're sure. Thanks, you know, for back there," the raven added awkwardly. For him, it went against the grain to thank anybody, so he wasn't very practiced at it.
Corwyth shrugged, as if a hawk standing up for a raven was no big deal. "It was to our mutual benefit; they would have gone after me eventually."
"…Yes," Naesala agreed.
Beside him, Nealuchi was nodding and smiling; not a good sign. Naesala scowled at his mentor. "Well? Let's go. We have to report this to… whoever these matters get reported to!"
"Yes yes, Nestling," the older raven agreed.
"And stop calling me that!"
"You will always be-"
The two were startled by a chuckle from Corwyth.
"…Whatever," Naesala muttered, embarrassed. "Let's just go, all right?"
"Yes Nestling."
"…"
Naesala could feel his cheeks heating as he flew away from the softly laughing hawk. Fortunately, he was still transformed, so no one could see.
---
They ran into Janaff (not literally) just as the castle came into sight. The hawk was flying towards them, and pulled up short, turning to fly alongside Nealuchi.
"What happened? Ulki said he heard fighting, but then he was called away," Janaff asked, sounding concerned. Naesala he ignored, again. Well, two could play at that game. "Did you find the raven who was at the settlement?"
"Yes, but she got away. I think the problem may be larger than we initially thought," Nealuchi told the hawk gravely. "She seemed to be part of a larger group, under the direction of Laniel…"
Janaff nodded. "I'll inform the king; thanks," he said, quickly flying ahead of them.
Naesala frowned. He had wanted to inform the king! "No!" he snapped aloud, irritated by his rebellious thoughts. He couldn't control how those… things just randomly popped into his head.
"What's wrong, Nestling?" Nealuchi asked, concerned.
"Er, nothing," Naesala lied. "Let's just hurry, my headache's coming back," he added, which wasn't a lie.
"You're right, Nestling! I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd be involved in a fight…"
"Don't sound so guilty, it's not your fault, Nealuchi," the younger raven said, just managing to keep his irritation out of his voice. He wasn't mad at the older raven, after all, although Nealuchi's stubborn refusal to refer to him by his real name certainly wasn't helping matters.
"We should slow down," Nealuchi decided. "Flying fast only worsens a headache, believe me."
"I do."
"…Actually, I think I got a bit mixed up there. Flying fast just tends to worsen the aching in my joints."
"…"
---
And so, somehow Naesala found himself in his room once more, tucked back into bed by his infuriating mentor, who insisted on securing the covers, in case Nestling got cold or developed a fever.
"It's just a headache!" Naesala snapped testily, scowling.
Nealuchi looked at him, his gaze piercing. "Well, it's not often I get to pretend you're still the little nestling I once raised…" he said wistfully, which only served to make the younger crow embarrassed. Naesala looked away, trying to tell himself that his cheeks were not bright red at the moment.
"Get well soon, Nestling!" Nealuchi added brightly. "I have other matters to attend to now, though…" He prodded the other raven in the shoulder, and not very gently either. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Nestling!" he ordered sternly.
"All right! Just settle down," Naesala muttered, his scowl deepening.
"I will see you soon," the older raven promised gravely.
"…Yeah, okay," the former king replied, a bit perturbed. "Talk to you then," he added pointedly, when Nealuchi made no attempt to leave.
"Of course! We will discuss how much worry you've caused myself and Leanne during your absence," the older raven agreed cheerfully. "I'd forgotten about that, but the initial joy of seeing you has worn off now."
"…Right. Thanks for the sentiment," Naesala said, making a mental note to make himself scarce should he be warned of Nealuchi's arrival beforehand.
The older raven smiled in an ominous fashion that the younger raven didnot like at all, and practically skipped out, which was also rather freaky.
Naesala wondered why his mentor was suddenly developing a tendency of mood swings, then decided he was done thinking about the older raven, and ready to take a bit of a nap. Even if he hadn't received any real damage from the fight, it had tired him out considerably, despite the abnormal amount of sleep he had had for the past two days.
He leaned back, closing his eyes, but was a little surprised to find that his pillow was harder than he had expected. Blinking, the raven reached beneath it and pulled out the orange-covered novel.
For a moment, he couldn't quite remember how it had come into his possession.
And then he did remember, and also realised that Tibarn, the one who had brought it, had not come to visit him for the entire day.
Oh, I guess I do have some Author's Notes, or something to that effect.
Sorry about the introduction of OC's, but they will be necessary, later on. I hope they weren't too irritating though. Any opinions on them?
The writing in this chapter may be inconsistent, since I was reading a parody of POR about half-way through, and then a serious AU-ish Naruto fic near the end. Is it obvious?
Um. Anything else? I'll probably think of something after posting this. XD Oh- This is the longest chapter yet… It's almost nine and a half pages long! Yay.
So… Constructive criticism? Suggestions-slash-ideas? Any reviews are appreciated. Thanks.
And I just thought I'd rant a bit about my English teacher. Cuz I'm really mad. I wrote this essay on the Outsiders, which I (surprisingly) put a lot of time and effort into, and it was a lot longer than we were required to have it. On the very first page, she told me I used too many paragraphs, because it was just the opening paragraph. Well, I'm sorry but I do recall her telling us that paragraphs only focused on one idea. (Because apparently a ninth grade class wouldn't know that already. But whatever.) Anyway, who cares how many stupid paragraphs I used? It made sense, just not to her. Anyway, she wrote a couple of other comments and such, but was there any sort of grammar or spelling error? No. And what did I get for all my effort and crap? A measly 85 percent. I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't put any more effort in for school than is strictly required, since I end up without anything to show for it in the end.
...Yes. The Actual End. Of this chapter, that is.