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Under Moon and Sun

Prologue

For ArrowQuivershaft

By Draconicon

Thenyr alighted on the plateau where Hashinshira lay, his wings folding in close to keep the mountain wind from blowing him back down. The late-day sun beamed down on his feathers, warming him after the long flight from the base of the mountain. The few villagers that hadn't quite made their way back to their houses looked at him, nodding in greeting, then looked away. He did the same, then turned his attention to the structure at the rear of the village as he made his way toward it.

The Thordani had been away for months, but the rounded structure of the towering Temple of Faenya had never faded from his mind. If anything, it looked better in person than it did in his memory, a pristine egg-white building that jutted out from the slope like an egg laid by the mountain itself. Wind did not mark it, rain did not make it fade. It was blessed by the goddess, and it showed.

The village around it was small, populated by other Thordani, winged creatures like himself with beaks and feathers, more bird than human, save for the fact that they could walk rather than just hop about. Here and there, other villagers glanced at him from the doors of their houses as he walked along, seeing the amulet that he wore around his neck and then nodding in respect before going about their lives. Thenyr always returned the nod, happy to give them their greeting so long as they gave him his.

As he approached the temple proper, walking up the slow rise that led to the base of the egg-like structure, two of the temple guards approached. Wearing blue armor that looked like scales, one of the Thordani held up a hand.

"Your amulet?"

Thenyr nodded, lifting his from his neck. It gleamed in proximity to the temple, and the guard nodded.

"Welcome home, brother."

"Cousin," he corrected.

The guard blinked, looking closer. Thenyr continued to hold the amulet up until the guard had the chance to see it better, and the winged guardian nodded slowly.

"So you are. I apologize."

"No harm done."

"Wait, are you..." The other guard looked from the amulet to his face. "Are you him? Thenyr?"

"I'd like to freshen up," Thenyr said, dodging the question.

"As you will, cousin. There are many rooms free. Take one and nest."

He nodded, walking between them. The other guard immediately whipped his head around, muttering as if he thought he couldn't be heard.

"That was him, right? The legendary hunter?"

"Yes, that was him."

"I thought he was never coming back."

"He must have just finished a mission."

"What - you mean, he really -"

"He can hear you, you know."

Thenyr hid his amusement as he looked over his shoulder, seeing the new guard stiffening and deliberately looking away. They were so easy to embarrass when they were young like that. He hoped that there were others just starting their time in the temple. It honestly made it feel more comfortable, more of the world when they still had that innocence and excitement.

He found a room on the second floor, well into the mountain-side of the temple structure. The difference between one and the other was that the mountain-side had torches that were blessed to burn eternally, while the village-side relied on light from the outside for half a day. The structure of the egg allowed for easy reflections, bouncing light from the outside from shell-piece to shell-piece, and it meant that the daylight hours favored the village-side with that natural light. During the night, however, it was more comfortable on the mountain-side.

Thenyr spread his belongings through the small chamber. Though comfortably appointed with a soft blue-gold blanket across the bed, with tapestries of similar colors along the walls that depicted the beauty of the sunrise, it was still a small chamber, suitable for a young monk that was still earning his status. He remembered the years that he had spent in rooms far less plush than this, and was grateful for the gentle blankets. The long weeks of sleeping on rocks and empty earth had taken their toll, after all.

His belongings, from weapons to tools, were laid out at the base of the bed. Small knives for throwing and levering things; pebbles that had been polished and smoothed over for proper throwing; cloth wraps that would muffle or gag, as needed; and, of course, the pieces of the latest target. All were laid out, but only the last held his attention for that moment.

It was a broken shield, something that had been held in a fortress off to the north. The precise function of the shield had been lost to most historical records, but the monks and clerics of the temple had decided that it was dangerous enough to be collected after they found reports of soldiers dying after touching it. He'd been dispatched, and that had been the end of it, as far as he had been able to tell. They relied on him to get it done, and he got it done.

He ran his fingers across the shattered metal, feeling the hints of grave-ice that still tried to grow below the surface. The shield had been cursed, alright, and cursed by a powerful corrupted magician. Whether it had been made that way or not, he couldn't say, but once he touched it and felt the grave-ice trying to freeze his blood, he'd known that there was no bringing it back in one piece.

You delayed me for a very long time, he thought, slowly cracking the different pieces apart again. Regenerating every few hours like this. Whoever made you certainly didn't want you to break.

The clerics could decide how to finish the job. He had done his by bringing it back. They'd come for it soon enough, and after that -

A wave of exhaustion pressed at the back of his mind, and Thenyr steadied himself with one hand over the bed. The other pressed against his forehead, pinching just at the bridge of his beak and face, and he waited for the wave of tiredness to pass. It did after a few seconds, and he shook his head before looking down at his exposed chest.

Under the feathers were a number of scars, most of them fresh. The shield had not taken kindly to the regular shattering, and some of the pieces of grave-ice had tried to embed themselves beneath his skin, tried to stop him by killing him. The shield itself had saved him more than once, which suggested that there was an original enchantment below the curse, but that was, again, for the clerics. He had almost died more than once keeping it from reforming, was the point, and he had been unable to find a healer on the way home.

Tonight, he decided.

As he stood back up, someone knocked on the entryway to his little chamber. Thenyr turned.

"Come in," he said, and another Thordani stepped under the cascading scale-shells of the same color as the temple-egg. He wore a wrapped-around robe of blue and gold, with blue along the sleeves and sides, and gold down the center leading up to a golden circle at the chest. "Cousin," he said with a nod.

"Cousin," the cleric responded. "I come to offer healing."

"A little formal, aren't you?"

"It is courtesy, Cousin Thenyr. One must respect the hunters of the temple."

"If you must."

The cleric nodded, and Thenyr restrained himself from shaking his head at the stiff reaction. He would have preferred one of the younger clerics, but he knew that they were still training, still building their craft. Just as the guard out front was still learning how to fight and conduct himself, most of the younger clerics wouldn't quite know how to heal the wounds that he'd taken on.

"How bad is it, cousin?" the cleric asked.

"Not as bad as it could be."

"I have your leave?"

Thenyr nodded, spreading his arms out. His feathers shifted, and the damage that had been taken was a little more obvious. There were streaks through the under-coat where certain feathers had been completely severed, and other places where blood had flowed a little more than he'd thought. Little speckles of red here and there that marked his feathers, but nothing life-threatening.

At least, not for the moment.

The cleric leaned in, running his hands carefully through the damaged areas. He clicked his beak softly.

"It is a wonder that you ever return to us if this is how you tend to your body."

"I have limited tools in the field."

"With respect, cousin, there is a thing called a medical kit. I would suggest that you take one next time. Then -"

The cleric plucked one of the shards still half-buried in Thenyr's flesh free, and he barely managed to restrain the squawk that threatened to push past his beak. A piece of ice remained between the cleric's fingers for a moment, then faded away, melting once his body no longer sustained it.

"Then you would be able to remove those yourself."

"You are not wrong," he said, nodding. "I will consider it. For now, would you heal me?"

"After we have removed the rest of the shards."

That took perhaps thirty minutes of intense searching, and there were times when the shards were reluctant to be removed. However, they were all eventually taken out, and the healing spell that followed restored his flesh and feathers to their proper place. Thenyr came out of it shaking, but the cleric helped him remain on his talons.

That lasted for all of a minute before a novice came running. The robed Thordani bowed.

"Sir, the high priest sends for you."

"Another mission already, hmm?" Thenyr chuckled. "Well, I suppose that was to be expected."

"You should rest, cousin," the cleric said.

"No rest for the wicked, and thus, no rest for us."

"Five minutes. Then you can go."

"Fine, cousin, fine. Five minutes."

The End

Summary: Thenyr, a winged agent of the church of Faenya, returns home after a successful hunt for a dangerous artifact.

Tags: No sex, high fantasy, bird, avian, thordani, D&D, series, prologue, healing, magic, worldbuilding,