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Mystic Heart Odyssey

_Part

3: Highland Bunnies_

Chapter

11

_Woops,

another long one this time! But hey, when you're dealing with

wolpertinger shenanigans and chatting with a half-fae sorceress, I

guess that's to be expected._

-Llox

___________________________________________________________________________________

For the next hour or

two, the garden was a flurry of activity and colorful flashes of

light, as Lykou and Kuna chased the erratic wolpertinger around the

garden, being thrown off by various magical shenanigans. Plants

lashed out at them in a similar manner to those that they'd

encountered in the ruins- albeit fortunately without the teeth or any

real intent to harm them. The ground itself periodically changed its

texture and shape- sometimes springy and bouncy, and other times like

thick mud, without the moisture. Clouds of cool mist appeared in

various places throughout the garden, and on more than one occasion,

Lykou tried to tackle what looked like the tail-thief's silhouette,

only to end up tangled up in a sculpted hedge that hadn't been

there before.

Whatever had

affected Kuna's magic previously had subsided, so he conjured it up

to try and help catch her. He didn't encounter any resistance from

the Sylthean, but occasionally when he lashed out with some vines or

roots, another set would burst out and wrestle them back. And even

when they were uninhibited, he was too slow to catch the surprisingly

nimble feral beast. On one occasion, the sereva was tricked into

getting temporarily tangled up in his own vines, and Lykou

inadvertently ran into him, though fortunately neither was

particularly hurt. The 'tinger waited to make sure they were

alright, though she couldn't help giggling as the two disentangled

themselves from the vines and each other.

On and on the antics

went. Their clothing would suddenly come alive and try to flee their

bodies. The ground would randomly spin around as the tried to

traverse it, sending them back the way they came. Puffs of gas would

emit from certain flowers that would either tickle them or make them

dizzy when they passed through. And of course the bursts of light and

random color-changes of both the landscape and even their fur only

increased the occasional disorientation.

Finally, Lykou

pulled Kuna aside and the two had a secret whispered conversation.

Alter-Aelana eyed them with a curious look, watching them intently

for any indication of what they were planning. When the two

separated, Lykou again bolted for her. The moment she predictably

leaped into the air again, though, a massive, flexible root burst out

of the ground underneath him, lifting him in the air. He jumped up

off its end, managing to intercept her in mid-air. When she landed

with the konuul clinging to her side, she spun around and stumbled

backwards dramatically. "Ach, ah'm deid! Struck wi' a fuzzy

arrow! Woe, woe ah say!" she cried out, then finally fell over on

her back and rolled to her side, pinning the canid underneath her.

"Ghck- fuck!"

Lykou cried out as he tried to scrambled out from under her. "Get

off me!"

"Can't, ah'm

deid," she playfully responded.

Kuna rushed up and

knelt down to help, a mixture of concern and amusement on his face.

"You uh, you alright 'Kou?"

They both grunted as

they gradually pulled the canid out from under the large ball of

fluff and magic that was thankfully not quite as heavy as she looked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he groaned as he stood up and stretched. He

then turned to the wolpertinger and crossed his arms with a smirk.

"We caught you fair and square, now give me my tail back."

She rolled over and

grinned at the two. "A'right, fine," she replied, then waved a

paw around, conjuring a cloud of sparkles around herself and the

konuul. When it faded, the tail had been restored to its proper

owner, much to his relief.

With that out of the

way, Lykou and Kuna finally collapsed next to each other on the

ground to rest for a moment. "Well did you get enough energy out?"

Kuna asked the wolpertinger.

She snickered. "Nae

hardly, lad. But ah kin gie ye a moment if ye need it."

"That... would be

appreciated," Lykou said, then took a deep breath, fiddling with

the end of his tail.

"I was just

thinking," Kuna said, scratching his head thoughtfully. "If

you're kind of, you know... two people in one," he started, then

quickly waved off the objection the Sylthean began to make. "Or the

other way around, however you want to look at it- point is, there's

technically two of you, however you got that way- should one of you

adopt a second name or something?"

The 'tinger looked

thoughtful for a moment before responding. "Tae be honest, she wis

considerin' th' same thing, bit ah dinnae ken... ah mean, tis nah

right we're even sep'rate in th' first place, bit ah dinnae

think we kin go back together fully noo anyway."

"Yeah admittedly

I'm still not clear on how all that even works..." Lykou asked,

scratching his head. "You were both a bit vague about it."

"Ah'm jest

Lana's 'tinger side. Body, mind, 'n' soul. Th' bit she

pushed away. Th' bit tha' wis too 'inconvenient' fer her

rulin' Clovaria, ah guess," she explained, looking away with a

resentful expression. "Bit cus we're Sylthean wi' powerful

magic, ah split oof into a literal other bein', instead o' her

jest bein' plain ol' mortal crazy."

"Sounds...

complicated," Lykou hazarded.

"Ach, 'noof

haverin'. Save tha' fer later, th' night es still young," the

tinger said, standing back up. She looked at Kuna with a mischievous

expression. "Mibbie ah should steal somethin' o' yers next?"

Kuna yelped and

scrambled back a bit. "Noplease."

"Maybe something

besides just chasing each other around?" Lykou suggested.

The wolpertinger

considered some ideas for a minute, then grinned broadly once again.

"Ah ken ah have jest th' idea," she said, then suddenly hopped

over by the two and used her surprisingly flexible wings in

conjunction with her paws to scoop the boys up onto her back. "Hold

on tight, ah'm gonnae show ye somethin'."

"W-wait, what-"

Kuna began to object, before suddenly all three were launched high up

into the air.

Lykou hunkered down

and pulled Kuna down as well, using his other hand to hold on tight

to the wolpertinger's fur. The sereva immediately began to panic,

and the konuul was startled and anxious as well, but they both

managed to cling tightly to their unexpected mount. For added

stability, her fur magically animated itself and wrapped around their

limbs to help them stay in place as they climbed higher into the sky.

When they reached

the top of the arc of her absurdly high jump, she spun around and

unfolded her wings, making the boys dizzy for a moment. Once they

could see straight again, they could see that they were soaring high

ovear the hills of Clovaria, overlooking not only Whitlan, but much

of the surrounding landscape. Kuna shook with fear, but Lykou's

fear was quickly replaced with awe at the sight. The sprawling, hilly

landscape was barely lit by the moon and stars, but that just made

the torches and lanterns in Whitlan stand out even more. They looked

like the fireflies from the garden from up in the sky. As they flew

on, they could also see a few small campfires elsewhere across the

dark landscape, most likely other trade caravans stopped off for the

night, on the way to or from Whitlan.

"This is awesome!"

Lykou blurted out when he finally found his voice again.

"That's

certainly a word for it," Kuna responded as he shivered and clung

close to the Wolpertinger's back.

Lykou shot him a

sympathetic look. He would have grabbed him into a hug if his hands

were free, but under the circumstances that wasn't exactly an

option. So instead he settled for leaning over and nuzzling him

somewhat awkwardly. "Seriously, take a look out there. Don't

worry, we're safe."

"Aye, lad, trust

meh. Ah willnae let ye fall," their mount called back to him. "Ye'd

sooner fall off the top o' a mountain than meh drop ye."

Kuna shut his

eyes tightly and continued shivering. "We're in the sky. We're

not birds but we're in the fucking sky," he said, burying his

head in her fur.

"Tha's th'

idea! Watch thaes," she said, then swooped down towards the ground.

Though the fall was jarring, she slowed their descent near the bottom

with her wings, and as soon as she touched the ground, she

immediately leaped back up into the sky. Only this time, streams of

light trailed out behind her wings, gradually changing color as they

went along. She soared around in a wide arc, then spun in a tight

spiral for a short distance, making the boys dizzy again. Afterwards,

they went through a much larger, broader turn, allowing them to

recover.

When they finally

looked up, they saw the lingering bands of light painting the sky.

Shimmery, sparkling patches dripped down from the bands of light.

Even Kuna was taken aback by the sight, his fear momentarily fading a

bit as it stirred an old, forgotten memory from his childhood, before

he lost his parents.

The wolpertinger

turned around sharply, then suddenly landed on a puffy, low cloud as

if it were solid ground. Her fur released her passengers for the

moment. "Ye lads doin' a'right back there?"

"More than

alright," Lykou said, grinning as he experimentally stepped off and

found the cloud was just as solid to him. "This is amazing!"

"It's gorgeous

alright," Kuna agreed, his shivering subsiding somewhat. Still, he

refused to climb down himself, until Lykou came over and gently

tugged on his arm.

"C'mon, it's

safe. It's like soft ground," the konuul encouraged him.

"Goan then, Kuna.

Yer safe as lang as ah'm here. Jest mind th' edge- though ah kin

catch ye if anythin' happens."

The sereva

hesitantly started to get down, then clung to Lykou, both for support

and for warmth- even with his new robe, the windy air was chilly up

so high. But that just all the more contributed to the memory

creeping back into his mind. He found himself staring transfixed at

the lights in the distance. His hand reached out towards it for a

moment, before he snapped himself out of it and pulled it back with a

slightly sheepish look.

Lykou and the

'tinger shared a look, then the canid squeezed Kuna gently.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Just... those

lights remind me of something is all," Kuna said, folding his ears

down.

"Aye, that so? Do

tell!" their winged friend said, nudging him gently. "Noo ye got

meh damn curious!"

Kuna looked back and

forth at them, then took a deep breath before explaining. "W-when I

was little... my tribe got stuck way up north one winter. We usually

tried to move with the seasons, but an unexpected snowstorm came up

and we got stuck at the opening to this one narrow valley, hunkering

down for a while to wait it out. It was a rough time overall, but

then one night my parents brought me out late at night. Everyone else

was out, too- there were these lights, kind of like that, all across

the horizon. Everyone was talking about them and nobody could agree

exactly what they were, but the general idea was that it was

something to do with spirits in the distance," he said, shivering

slightly. "I remember it so clearly... It was cold, very cold,

which of course I was extra sensitive to at the time. But I was

bundled up pretty good and had my parents there with me. I felt

something strangely wonderful come over me... I didn't know what

it was at the time, but looking back, I think it was some kind of

magical energy in the air. I just remember suddenly feeling strangely

at peace and... happy. But also something else I still can't begin

to describe. I had the most wonderful dream that night, even though I

can never remember what it was about."

"Wow... do you

think...?" Lykou wondered aloud, looking over at the wolpertinger.

"Ah dinnae ken fer

sure, bit soonds lik' ye 'ad an experience wi' a stray

Sylthean's magic even afore ye met us," she commented, arching a

brow. "Wis th' light th' same, er jest similar?"

"...similar, I

guess. Colors were a bit more washed out and blurry, and it was

bigger overall. Filled a big chunk of the sky."

She slowly nodded.

"Nae one o' oor lost kin, then. Mibbie winter-folk..." she

trailed off, shuddering slightly. "Some Syltheans are playul 'n'

energetic like meh, bit then ye 'av some that are jest... strange.

Even ta us."

"Oh?" Kuna asked

curiously, turning to look at her. "Are... they dangerous?"

A few moments passed

in silence as she stared into the distance thoughtfully. "...tha's

hard tae answer. Nae much tha' anybody really ken aboot 'em. They

stay well away fra ether folk, 'n' vanish soon's anyone gets

claise- anyone tha' come back, anyway. Sometimes folk go missin'

wi' 'em though. Usually troubled folk that're... damaged, in

some way, if ye ken whit ah mean," she said, then tilted her head

as she glanced sidelong at the sereva. "Thir some o' the most

mysterious Syltheans of a'. Soonds lik' ye heard thir call, tho."

The sereva

shuddered, his eyes widening slightly. "You mean..."

"If ye'd gone ta

look into them lights claiser, ye might hae gone somewhere naebody

ye've met kin describe, 'n' ne'er come back. Whether tha's

guid or bad, es anyyin's guess."

"Well I for one am

very glad he didn't," Lykou said, squeezing Kuna tightly.

"S-same here,

heh," Kuna replied, nuzzling him lightly. "As... curious as I

might be, and as strangely nice as that felt, I think I'd rather

have met you anyway."

"And you'd call

me sappy if I said that," the konuul teased, then gently squeezed

him. "Not that I mind, of course."

Kuna poked his

tongue out at him playfully.

The wolpertinger

grinned at them and rolled her eyes slightly. "Oy, yer both sappy.

Now c'mon, quit bein' adorable fer a minute 'n' lets git off

thaes cloud. Ah see yer baith getting' chilly."

"Yeah, even for me

it's getting a bit much up here," Lykou admitted with a small

shiver. He and Kuna climbed back onto the wolpertinger, who then took

off and glided slowly down into the hills. They flicked past a

camped-out caravan. The few individuals sitting by the campfire

didn't seem to even notice them as they whisked by overhead.

Eventually, they set down on the top of a high hill with a good view

of the surrounding area.

"So uh, what do

you want to do now?" Kuna asked their mount. "Seems like you've

calmed down some."

"Yeah I expected

more, well, mischief by now," the konuul added, helping the sereva

down. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

She shrugged.

"Honestly right noo ah'm jest glad tae be oot, ye ken?" she

said, then frowned. "Jest tryin' ta enjoy some freedom afore ah

have tae spend another few decades cooped up in 'er heid."

Kuna and Lykou

exchanged a look, frowning. "We'll talk to her for you," Lykou

said. "Because that's just not right."

"Yeah, and

honestly, now that we're not running scared from you, you're

pretty easy to warm up to," Kuna admitted. "Which is a lot coming

from me, trust me," he added with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, really,"

the canid agreed. "As rambunctious as you were earlier, I can't

see you being some big danger to everyone."

A guilty expression

briefly crossed the Sylthean's face. "Weeeelllll," she said

sheepishly. "There wis... incidents, in the past."

"...oh?" Kuna

asked, arching a brow. "Like... what?"

"Ah dinnae want ta

go intae it tae much, bit... ah mayyyy 'av nearly caused a clan

feud or four, helped some wee bairn trick folk inta thinkin' he wis

a new druna fer a while, turned fields o' tatties intae dandelions,

turned a village's water intae booze fer a day withoot warnin'

anyyin, turned a few dozen farm tools intae wool, turned a few folk

intae sheep 'n' sheep intae folk, created a disease tha' made

people giggle instead o' sneeze, flipped some folk's houses

upside doon while they slept, turned an entire clan purple..." she

listed off, with a mixture of guilt and amusement. When she saw the

looks she was getting from the boys, she bristled a little. "Ach,

ah ken better noo! 'n' everyin' turned oot okay in th' end!

Honestly some folk liked th' dandelions better anyway. Ye kin mak'

tea wi' 'em! ...plus they're jest fun."

"Uh-huh..." Kuna

said dubiously, his eye twitching slightly.

"Errr. I mean,

there's no excuse for keeping you always locked away or anything,"

Lykou hazarded, trying to be diplomatic. "But, um..."

The 'tinger sighed

and rolled her eyes up. "Ah ken, ya dinnae need ta say it. Ah'm a

hoppin' harbinger o' mayhem," she said, then flopped down on

the ground. "Bit ah'm nae tha' bad ennymore, ah've learned

mah lesson! Doesnae help goin' tae th' opposite extreme o'

doin' nothin', tho, either. Ah still need tae be free- 'n' be

me!" She sighed and grumbled a bit. "Mah ether half jest dinnae

want tae risk gettin' claise enoof ta ennyone tha' she kin let

'em ken aboot me."

"Well like I said,

we can talk to her for you," the konuul reiterated, gently resting

a hand on her side.

After a moment, Kuna

came over and rubbed her head softly. "Yeah, chaotic mess or not,

it's obvious this isn't good for either of you."

She smiled a bit and

nuzzled into Kuna's hand. "Thanks ye two. Yer baith sweet lads,"

she said, sitting back up. "Hope ah didnae wear ye oot too much,

hehe."

"Eh, I'm getting

used to being kind of worn out lately," the sereva replied with a

shrug and a faint smirk. "After all the magic and fighting for

survival, it's nice to be worn out from something more

light-hearted for once."

"I'll second

that!" the canid chimed in. "And that stuff up in the sky was

pretty awesome, too! I never imagined I'd ever be up in the air

like a bird!"

Kuna shivered.

"Y-yeah, but some warning might've been nice, and I think I'll

pass on revisiting that experience. Although the lights were...

really nice."

"Weel, ye'll 'av

tae put up wi' it at least once mair, unless ye want tae walk all

the way back inta Whitlan fra here," the 'tinger pointed out with

an arched brow and a smirk. "Ah'll be gentler this time tho."

"Er, r-right,"

the sereva replied uneasily. "F-fair point I guess."

Lykou grinned. "I

have an idea. Go ahead and climb on," he said.

The wolpertinger

gave him a curious, but intrigued look and moved her wing down to

make it easier for the boys to climb on. Kuna looked at him

nervously, then hesitantly climbed onto her back and shifted over to

one side like before, so Lykou had room.

But the canid shook

his head. "Nah, towards the middle."

Kuna arched a brow

but shifted over towards the middle accordingly. Lykou then climbed

on behind him and wrapped his arms around the sereva, hunkering down

behind him as he grabbed hold of the wolpertinger's fur, which in

turn wound its way around both of their hands. The sereva blushed

intensely and folded his ears down as the konuul poked his head

around his neck and rested it on his shoulder, grinning.

"Better?"

Kuna nodded a little

with a flustered smile. "S-sure..."

Their mount giggled

in amusement, then hopped up into the air and spread her wings,

flying them back to Whitlan's core in a much calmer flight than

their exit had been. "Careful na tae git too frisky back there in

tha' position, lads," she suddenly teased. "Ah dinnae need Kuna

pokin' me, if ya ken whit ah mean."

Kuna's blush

intensified tenfold as he sputtered and tried to come up with a

snarky response, only to end up burying his head in her fur in

embarrassment and letting out a slightly high-pitched, muffled whine.

Even Lykou was flustered by the comment and blushed hotly. "Wh-what's

that supposed to mean?" he asked defensively, though he couldn't

help smirking as he looked away. "I s-swear, what's with people

today..."

The wolpertinger

just snickered as they descended towards the gardens.

*****

"Thanks fer

spendin' time wi' me, ye two," the wolpertinger said as she

landed back in the garden.

Lykou and Kuna

quickly hopped off and avoided one anothers' gaze, blushing still

but smiling regardless. "M-mhmm, sure, n'problem," Kuna

mumbled.

"Yeah, it was

fun," Lykou replied, looking around for a minute, then realized

they were near a reflecting pool and decided it was time to confront

something- partly out of revenge and partly because it was needed

anyway. He cleared his throat and nudged the wolpertinger. "C'mere

for a moment, will ya?"

She sighed. "Aye,

ah git it," she grumbled and stalked over and looked down into the

water. "A'right, you, ye kin come back oot. Ah've-"

"I dinnae hate

ye," the reflection mumbled, looking away sadly.

"...eh? Whit?"

The reflection

sighed. "Ah said, I dinnae hate ye. Far fra it. Ah ken yer were

thinkin' it. Ah miss bein' you sometimes. Ah feel... really bad

fer pushin ye away, to tae point ye 'ad ta become yer own separate

bein', only ta then nae give ye yer fair chance oot," she

explained, then finally looked up with a guilty expression at her

other half. "Ah fergot how much fun all that could be, 'n' got

too wrapped up in... well, whit am ah sayin', ye ken whit ah mean."

The wolpertinger

looked surprised for a moment, then looked away with a mixed

expression. "Wull... ah ken ah kin be... a lot tae deal wi',"

she said, then perked up slightly. "Bit ah hope tonight proves ah

kin 'av fun withoot messin' tae much up, aye?"

"Aye, ah already

ken that, ta be honest. Ah jest..."

"You don't know

who to trust with knowing about the two of you," Kuna suggested as

he walked over with his hands in his robe's pockets, grateful to

have the attention pulled away from him and Lykou for the moment.

"Believe me, I know about trust issues."

"Yeah, and I don't

pretend to know what it's like in your exact situation, but it's

obvious you two need more real friends, however tricky it may be,"

Lykou said, gently petting the wolpertinger.

"Aye, we do,"

the 'tinger agreed, looking back down at the reflection. "'n'

much as ah wish ah could help wi' tha', ye gotta be th' one ta...

y'ken, ease folk intae... us."

"Aye, ah ken..."

"Okay, time out,

we should get one thing sorted out first," Lykou said, rubbing his

head a bit. "So, just to clarify, you were one person but then

because... I don't know, magic meets a bit of crazy, mixed in with

the fact that you're half-Sylthean, and poof! You're technically

two people in one, now, right? Or one person in two or whatever you

want to insist on calling it."

"Aye, thas aboot

th' size o' it."

"Technically, aye.

We still share th' same experiences 'n' memories 'n' shite,

bit etherwise we're sep'rate, 'n' we jest trade oot who's

oot there in th' physical world runnin' things."

"Mostly you,"

the 'tinger snarked.

"...ah ken. Ah wis

cruel tae ye," the reflection agreed softly, looking away sadly.

"...nae, nah

cruel, ah ken ye didnae mean it tha' way," the tinger replied

with a heavy sigh.

"Still..."

"Right, well,

before we continue this conversation... I think one of you needs to

come up with another name," the konuul suggested. "I know you're

connected, but it sounds like you're technically two individuals,

or at least one and a half, or... something. So for the sake of

clarity for me, Kuna, and any other friends you make, it'd probably

help to give one of you a new name- a nickname, at least."

"Ach, ah dinnae

ken, she 'as every right ta mah name as ah dae-" the reflection

began, but the wolpertinger cut her off.

"Nah, tha'

soonds fair," the wolpertinger agreed, then looked back down at the

water. "Ah appreciate yer sentiment, bit ah'm fine wi' it.

'Aelana' wis alwis more a typical mortal name ennyway."

"Any ideas?"

Kuna asked.

There was silence

for a moment as the 'tinger contemplated the notion. "...ah jest

realized somethin'."

"Oh?"

"Aye?"

"What's that?"

"....much as ah

represent yer Sylthean side... ah dinnae remember a single pure,

proper Sylthean name," she said with a slightly dumbfounded look.

Lykou and Kuna both

face-palmed. Aelana- the one in the water, that is- looked thoughtful

for a moment, then arched a brow. "Aye, me either, now tha' ye

say it. Ah guess most o' th' others took mortal names while they

were here, too. Nabody ever tellt us thir Sylthean ones, mibbie even

Da'."

"Ah s'pose ah

could jest tak' a name efter somethin' nice fra th' garden,"

the wolpertinger said, looking around the somewhat ransacked garden.

"Some flower er somethin'. Ah ken a few o' th' others did

sim'lar fer thir mortal names."

"Yeah, how about

Buttercup?" Lykou suggested.

She stuck her tongue

out. "Bleh... ah dinnae ken, somethin' feel off aboot that."

"Whit aboot

Daisy?"

"Hmm, mibbie..."

"How about...

Myrtle?" Kuna suggested, then shrugged when they all gave him a

look. "I dunno, I always thought it was an under-appreciated

flower, I guess."

"Nae bad,

actually," the tinger said, mulling it over. She then smirked.

"Mibbie ah should go wi' Thistle, seein' howfer ah'm such a

prickly nuisance."

"...ah'd rather

call ye somethin' nicer," Aelana said with a frown.

The wolpertinger

looked at her with mild surprise. "Ah gave yer a free pass tae call

me a pain in th' arse, 'n' ye pass it up? Aye, ye really dae

feel bad, don't ye?" she remarked with a faint smirk. "...ach,

Daisy es fine fer now, ah suppose."

"Soonds guid,"

Aelana replied with a small smile. "Daisy, ah realleh am sorreh fer

th' neglect. If we could be in the same side a' th' same time,

ah'd hug ye, ye ken. Ah never meant ta make ye think ah disliked,

much less hated ye. Ah jest... ah worry aboot things goin' wrong

when yer oot. 'n' nah jest cus o' yer antics, bit 'cus folk

dinnae ken how ta deal wi' ye. You remember whit some o' them kin

be like..."

Daisy sighed. "Aye,

ah remember," she said, then huffed. "Bit we cannae keep hidin'

oot o' fear. Tis nah jest unfair ta me, bit you, too."

"She's right,

you know. You two really just need to make more friends," Lykou

chimed in, then smirked at Kuna, pulling him in for a hug. "Like

I've been telling Kuna, not everyone's an asshole. You've just

got to accept that you might have to risk finding the ones that are,

to find the ones that aren't. And most people usually aren't,

most of the time."

Kuna smirked back

and returned the hug. "You're bit of a sap, but I guess you're

not wrong," he replied, then turns back to the reflection in the

water. "You know, come to think of it, you should give Moyra and

Faergus a chance. They're already used to, er, being secretive

about things."

"And pretty used

to bucking normalcy, too," Lykou agreed, though Kuna quickly

shushed him with mild panic.

"I was talking

about the bandit investigations," he quickly pointed out under his

breath.

"Whit's this

then?" Daisy asked, intrigued.

"Oh come on, it's

sort of public anyway. And even if it wasn't, you know they won't

be able to keep it secret from these two."

"Well..." Kuna

began to argue, then sighed. "Yeah, fair point I guess."

"Moyra and Faergus

from Kerney are, well... officially together now. As in, you know,

mates," Lykou explained to the two. "They were already seeing

each other secretly for who-knows how long, but they just recently

made it official."

Aelana arched a

brow. "Kerney's druna 'n' tha' night watcher?" she mused

aloud. "Ah alwyis ken tha' lass wis different..."

Daisy grinned and

shot a look to her counterpart. "Ah tellt ye them two wis sweet on

each ether."

"Still... a druna

gettin' involved wi' someone-"

"Ah shu-... hush,"

Daisy chided, softening her reaction part-way through. "Ye ken ye

only made them rules- na even official, mind ye- aboot druna bein'

aloof 'n' detached 'cus ye were jealous."

"Oy, tha's nae

true!" Aelana bristled. "Ah jest didnae want druna-dom tae become

some lineage shite bein' passed doon tae thir descendants 'n'

whatnae. Nepotism 'n' corruption 'n' a' tha' mess," she

insisted.

Daisy gave her a

look. "Riiiight."

After a minute,

Aelana looked away with a sheepish pout. "...a'right, mibbie ah

wis a wee bit jealous. Bit mah point still stands."

"Er, it's not

going to be a problem, right?" Lykou warily asked, worried he'd

made a big mistake.

"Nae, lad, dinnae

worry," Aelana assured him. "Might need ta 'av a chat wi' 'em

aboot a few things, bit ah willnae interfere wi' love. Far be it

fer me ta tak' someone's happiness."

"That's good,"

Kuna said with a relieved sigh. "They're good people and

definitely deserve each other."

"Ach, she ken ah'd

never let 'er 'av another night's peaceful sleep if she tried

ta interfere wi' tha'," Daisy assured them, arching a brow at

her alter ego.

Aelana rolled her

eyes and smirked. "Nae, ah really wouldnae ennyway. Ah'm nae

monster," she said. "Bit aye, we should talk tae them, ah

suppose. Jest let 'em ken tae be careful."

"And mak'

friends, dammit," Daisy reminded her.

"...aye, 'n'

try tha' too ah suppose."

"...mibbie even

halp 'em suss oot enny lingerin' bandit problems in th' hills,"

the wolpertinger suggested with a narrow-eyed grin. "Ah'm sure

there's still a few oot there."

"You jest want an

excuse tae mess wi' someone withoot holdin' back," Aelana said

with a smirk.

"...aye," The

feral form's borderline predatory expression sent a shiver down

Kuna's spine.

Lykou couldn't

help but snicker, though. "I can only imagine they'll be eager to

re-think their life choices afterward," he said, then scratched his

chin thoughtfully for a minute. "You know, maybe you should

befriend the Dunnyhill folks, too. They seem pretty open-minded and

nice."

"Ooo, aye! Caravan

folk usually are!"

"Weel, mibbie,"

Aelana said. "Bit let's just tak' it one step a' a time fer

noo."

"I wish Lakefire

was closer, because I'd definitely visit you regularly, too," he

said, then gently rubbed Kuna's back. "Both of us would, I'm

sure." The sereva smiled and nodded.

"We'd love tae

see ye anytime ye kin mak' it."

"...distance

dinnae need tae be a problem, ye ken," Daisy pointed out, grinning

down at Aelana.

Aelana arched a

brow, then looked thoughtful for a moment. Suddenly she smacked her

forhead. "Oh fer... ah cannae believe ah forgot tha'!"

"Ye still 'av at

least a dozen o' 'em sittin' in th' sanctum unused."

"What are you two

talking about?" Lykou asked curiously.

"Ye'll see!"

Daisy said as she prepared to bolt off.

"Wait!" Aelana

called out to her alter ego. "Ye willnae fit through the sanctum

halls, ye daft twit!"

"...ach, right,"

Daisy said, her wings and ears drooping a bit. "Damn, guess we'll

'av ta switch back noo..."

"Aye," Aelana

said, then smiled sympathetically. "Bit ah promise ah willnae keep

ye stuck on t'ether side fer years thaes time."

Daisy stared at her

for a minute. "...ye better keep that promise."

"Ah'd swear a

geas to it if we could do that tae one another, ye ken."

"...we kin alwis

meet in th' astral realm. Tis awkward jest ridin' in yer heid in

silence 'till we happen across a reflection, ye ken."

Aelana looked

thoughtful for a minute. "...aye, we should try sometime.

Especially if we're gonnae start usin' tha' place more often

ennyway."

"So wait, if you

two are still connected and experience the same things, why can't

you... I dunno, talk to each other mentally or something?" Lykou

asked curiously.

The wolpertinger and

lepne shared a look. "Weel... tis a bit awkward."

"Hard tae explain

in enny way tha' makes sense," Aelana said. "Jest suffice ta

say it helps ta see th' person yer talkin' ta."

Daisy took a breath

and straightened up a bit. "A'right, back ah go, ah s'pose."

A cloud of

sparkling, glittery light and dust appeared and swirled around the

wolpertinger until it fully engulfed her. After a minute, it

dissipated, leaving a slightly dizzy lepne stumbling about for a

moment.

"Welcome back, I

guess," Kuna said, helping her steady herself. "So what was this

thing you wanted from the sanctum?"

She grinned. "Right,

wait here, ah'll be right back," she said, then bolted off.

"Er... alright,"

Kuna replied. He and Lykou sat down on a nearby root-bench and

awkwardly awaited her return. The konuul glanced down at the

reflecting pool again, half expecting to see the wolpertinger on its

surface, but she wasn't there.

"Sure has been an

odd experience," he finally said as the silence dragged on.

"You can say that

again," Kuna said, then yawned a bit. "We'll definitely be

starting late tomorrow, though."

"Heh, yeah,"

Lykou agreed, then starting looking over one of his bracers idly.

"Wonder what she- er, they, have in mind. Do you think we should

tell them about... you know?"

Kuna fidgeted a bit

in uncertainty. "I... don't know. Maybe only if it happens to

come up?"

"They deserve to

know. And I wouldn't want them to resent us for keeping it secret

from them, especially when they've entrusted us with their own huge

secrets."

The sereva sighed.

"Yeah, that's a good point. I guess we should, then. I... just

hope it goes well."

"Why wouldn't

it? They might be able to see some old Sylthean friends again. The

ones that got 'stuck on the other side' or whatever."

"True. I just

don't know how she'll feel about us wrecking an old Sylthean

village and messing with their stuff."

"I mean, for one

thing, like she said, it belonged to some 'elnyrs', whatever they

are, not wolpertingers. And they'd abandoned it anyway," the

konuul said. "And she didn't seem bothered by us having these

bracers."

"Fair point."

After a short while,

Aelana came hurrying back. "A'right, sorry tha' took a minute,"

she said after catching her breath for a moment.

"Heh, it's

understandable. I remember how big and complicated that place is,"

Kuna replied.

"Aye. Ah try ta

keep mah own room near th' bottom, bit th' place ah keep these

'n' ether special things is near th' top," she pointed out,

pulling something out of her pocket. "Hauld oot yer hands, lads."

Lykou and Kuna did

as instructed, and she placed something like a large marble in each

of their hands, then grabbed them gently with her own so that they

didn't pull back right away. "A'right, gimme a moment, havnae

used enny o' these in a lang while noo."

"Ye remember th'

incantation, right?" Daisy chimed in from the water nearby.

"Aye, jest gimme a

moment," Aelana replied, then turned up her eyes as she ran through

the words in her mind.

"Incantation?"

Lykou asked, then glanced over at Kuna. "Isn't that one of those

things Inkari mentioned in your last lesson with her?"

Kuna nodded. "You

uh... definitely have my attention," the sereva said to the lepne.

"Tha' loon

mentioned incantation?" Daisy asked. "Interestin'..."

"Wh-" Lykou

began to ask, but Aelana shushed the three.

"Shh, ah need tae

concentrate, you three."

"Right, sorry,"

the konuul said with a sheepish grin.

She took a breath,

then several strands of sparkling white light began to swirl around

their hands as she began to speak in a slightly rhythmic cadence.

"'neath th'

moon's soft glow, when dreams tak' flight,

Within thaes orbs, a

sparklin' bridge o' light,

Linkin' thought

'n' mind, fra one soul t'another,

Distance ban us not,

fra seein' each other!"

Her hair and every

bit of her fur began to raise as strange energies flowed through her

and surrounding the trio. A wind whipped up around them, buffeting

their clothing from multiple directions. The glow in her eyes

gradually grew brighter with each passing phrase, eventually masking

them entirely in shimmering light. Her voice resonated with an

ethereal echo as she continued,

"By th' gift o'

Sylthea's arcane might,

Upon which ah now

call wi' this sacred rite,

Grant us a shared

magic link unbreakable,

Tae be forged by

great powers unshakeable!"

After she uttered

the last word, a bright flash temporarily blinded the boys, and they

felt some part of themselves being pulled into the small marble-like

crystal objects in their hands for a moment. Kuna recognized it as

the flow of soul energy flowing from the spirit world into and

through them, though he could feel something else coursing through

and mingling with it as well- from somewhere that was definitely not

the spirit world. A mixture of powerful feelings washed over them one

after another- awe, horror, giddiness, excitement, sorrow, pining,

and various others, including some they couldn't even put a name

to.

Afterwards, they

were briefly hit with a strong wave of dizziness, though the magic

somehow kept them from falling over or pulling away. Finally, their

vision gradually returned, and the wind and energies subsided.

"Woah," Lykou

said, clutching his head with his other hand. "That was...

intense."

"I'll say,"

Kuna agreed, doing similar.

Aelana pulled her

hands away, revealing what looked like two marble-like crystalline

spheres in their hands, swirling with colors and faintly shimmering

lights. "There ye go then, lads," she said with a grin. "Thaes

astral charms are bonded ta ye now."

"Thank you!"

Lykou said, looking it over. "Er, what does it do?"

"It lets us kip

'n' touch, in a way. Jest whisper mah name tae it- or Daisy's,

or even each other's, fer tha' matter- then hold it in yer hand

when ye go tae sleep. Th' other person wull become aware o' yer

call, 'n' as lang as they agree, they'll meet ye in yer corner

o' th' astral realm when they git tae sleep er etherwise enter

th' astral realm themselves."

"Also has th'

bonny effect o' lettin' ye astral project withoot bein'

familiar wi' soul magic in th' first place," Daisy added.

"Woah," the

konuul said, eyeing the small object with awe. "I... can visit the

astral realm now, too?"

"I mean...

technically in a way you always have, since that's where dreams

come from, right?"

"Weel, mair er

less," Aelana answered with a shrug. "But aye, now ye kin visit

while bein' aware o' it. Jest dinnae git addicted," she warned

with a smirk. "Remember, when yer projectin', ye willnae git as

much rest as when ye sleep normally."

"'n' ye'll

be limited in whit ye kin dae there by yer familiarity wi' soul

magic," Daisy added.

"Aw. Still

awesome, though," the canid said. "And hey, it means we can talk

regardless of distance!"

"And they're

real pretty, too," Kuna said with a smile. "We'll have to be

careful not to lose them, though. I wonder if we can somehow make a

second pair of necklaces to hold them..."

"Ye kin dae tha'

so lang as it doesnae involve tryin' ta pierce it er somethin'.

Bit thir's no need, strictly speakin'," Daisy pointed out. "Tis

bound ta ye in a way tha' it'll alwis show up agin' by th'

next time ye sleep, even if ye lose it."

"Still a guid idea

ta keep it secure, tho," Aelana added. "Tis potentially another

strong sympathetic connection, tho its magic limits whit someone else

kin dae wi' it. Still, alwyis smart tae be careful."

"Thank you both so

much," Kuna said, holding the charm tightly in his hand.

"Tis nae problem.

Jest think o' it as thanks fer helpin' Clovaria... 'n' us

pers'nally, o'course," Aelana said, shooting a smile over to

Daisy. "Enny time ye 'av a question aboot somethin' mystical,

feel free ta ask us, 'n' wi'll halp if we ken th' answer."

"I really

appreciate it," Kuna replied. After a brief pause, he stuck the

charm in his pocket and smiled up at her. "I, uh... I know we just

met, but I'm glad we'll be able to talk more in the future, and

not just for questions like that."

"Yeah, I hope some

day we can introduce you to some other folks, too. I can't promise

I know how everyone in my tribe would react, but I think at the very

least Naira would be excited to get to know you, too."

"We'll see, lad,

we'll see," Aelana replied with a faint smile. "One step at a

time."

"Aye, efter ye

leave Clovaria, wi'll be payin' Moyra 'n' her love a visit,

right?"

"Right," Aelana

said with a slightly uncertain expression.

"Hey, you'll

see, they'll be good friends, too," Lykou assured her. He thought

for a moment, then pulled out his knife and cut off a small chunk of

his hair and offered it to her. "Just let them know we sent you,"

he added with a smirk. "Doubt they'd mistake who that came from."

Kuna arched a brow in mild amusement but chose not to comment.

Aelana looked at him

with surprise and hesitantly took the offered lock of hair. "...thank

ye?"

"Ach, tha's

sweet o' ye lad, and smart!" Daisy said.

Eventually the

half-lepne smirked back. "Jest so ye ken, thi-"

"Let me guess,

'sympathetic link'?" Lykou remarked.

"...aye. Lucky

guess," Aelana responded with a grin.

"Well it was just

part of me a minute ago, so it makes sense if I'm understanding how

that stuff works," Lykou said, then shrugged. "Don't care.

We're all trading signs of trust tonight and honestly I really like

you two, so I trust you not to let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Aw, lad,"

Aelana replied, then immediately pulled him into a brief hug, which

he happily returned.

Kuna leaned over

towards the reflecting pool. "See, he's the sappier one. Big ball

of sweet fluff," he commented with a smirk.

Daisy giggled.

"Dinnae sell yerself short, lad. Yer a softy as weel, 'n' don't

ye try 'n' deny it."

The sereva rolled

his eyes slightly. "Only 'cus he's rubbing off on me."

"Nah, you were

always a softy, even when we first met. Just covered up with a hard,

cold disguise," the konuul said, pulling the sereva into another

embrace after separating from Aelana. "I'll never forget how you

melted the first time I held you."

Kuna blushed and

folded his ears down. "Lykouuuu," he whined, rolling his eyes a

bit.

"Ach, tha'

soonds lik' a story we definitely need tae hear sometime," Daisy

remarked with a grin.

"Aye, bit we've

kept thaes two up long enoof," Aelana said. "Time ta get ye lads

back ta th' lodge so ye kin get some sleep."

"Er, yeah, but,"

Kuna replied, looking around at the garden, which was still

thoroughly wrecked from their shenanigans with the wolpertinger

earlier. "...will you need help cleaning all this up?"

The lepne glanced

around with an amused expression. "Ach, ye really did a right

number on thaes place this time, eh Daisy?"

"Price o' havin'

fun, 'Lana," the wolpertinger said, crossing her forelegs with a

smug grin.

Aelana chuckled.

"Fair enoof. Ah'm glad ye got tae run amuck withoot causin'

issues," she said, then snapped her fingers. All of the sudden, in

a whirlwind of activity and motion, the garden began rapidly cleaning

itself up and restoring itself to its former state. After a minute or

so, there was no sign that there had been any significant activity

within its walls that night. "Need ah remind ye th' garden tis

th' core o' my-" she started, then glanced at the water again.

"...rather, our domain. Cleanup tis nothin'."

Kuna and Lykou

looked around with startled and impressed expressions. "Right...

should have known."

"I take it

'domain' means something more specific for you?" Lykou asked

curiously.

"Aye, fer a

Sylthean- including most o' us halfies- when we settle doon in a

particular place ta claim as oor own, everythin' within it

gradually becomes an extension o' ourselves, in a way," Aelana

explained. "Anyway, let's get ye both tae th' lodge."

"Sounds good,"

Kuna replied, yawning again.

"Y- wait!" Lykou

said, suddenly remembering what he and Kuna had discussed. He looked

over to the sereva and gestured to one of his bracers. "We were

gonna tell them, remember?"

"Tell us aboot

whit now?" Aelana asked curiously.

"Riiight," Kuna

said with a slightly anxious smile. "Um. You know how we said we

got these in some old ruins?"

"Aye?" she

asked, then suddenly narrowed her eyes and turned to Lykou with an

inscrutable look. "...whit kind of ruins?"

"Ehhh, wellll,"

the canid began with some uncertainty. "...some kind of Sylthean

ones, apparently. There were all these moving plants, with teeth and

poison needles and so on that kept trying to attack us..."

"Aye, soonds lik'

typical Elnyr nonsense," Daisy said with a mildly bemused smirk.

"Love fer gardens are common tae a lot o' Syltheans, bit they

lik' thirs tae be challengin' fer some reason."

"No kidding,"

Kuna said with a small shiver at the memory. "I don't like my

vegetables trying to bite me back, thanks."

"Yeah, and they

had all these weird puzzles, too, and secret passages," Lykou

continued.

"Not uncommon fer

some Sylthean places, bit usually thas tae hide somethin'

important," Aelana commented, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Seems

a wee bit much fer them bracer, tho..."

"Wellll...."

Lykou said with a big sheepish grin, averting his gaze. "There was,

uh... d-definitely something else..."

"Y-yeah... we fell

down s-some secret hatch on the floor i-into some weird dark room

with glyphs all over the place, and uh...." Kuna trailed off,

unable to bring himself to say it.

Aelana glanced back

and forth between the two warily, then adopted a flat look. "Th'

damn tree's back, innit," she said with the faintest sardonic

smirk.

"...isn't that a

good thing?" Lykou asked hopefully. "You'll finally see more

Syltheans around again! Maybe even some of your old friends that, uh,

got stuck on the... 'other side'?"

In the reflection

nearby, Daisy was emitting a faint, high-pitched squeal and

practically vibrating with excitement and an enormous, wide-eyed

grin. Aelana, on the other hand, seemed to be taking it a bit

differently. She conjured up a large root to lean back on and rolled

her eyes up thoughtfully. "...tis a mixed blessin', ah s'pose."

"Oh?" Kuna asked

nervously. "...did we massively fuck up?"

The lepne turned to

him with an arched brow and thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I

wouldnae put it tha' way, prolly no way ye could've ken whit ye

wis doin' at th' time anyway," she said, then sighed. "'n'

ah suspect Inkari prolly aimed ye there with tha' specifically in

mind anyway, even if ye didnae realize it at th' time."

"So... is that a

'yes' or a 'no'?"

"Definitely NO!"

Daisy finally cried out, then started hopping around in the

reflection with such fervor that the water actually began to ripple a

bit as she began rambling on and on to herself, somewhat

incoherently, about various ideas for old friends to look up and

shenanigans to get up to with them.

Aelana rolled her

eyes but couldn't help but smile a bit. "Lik' ah said, tis a

mixed blessin'. It'll be nice in some ways fer us, bit over time

ye kin expect th' world tae git... weel, mighty interestin', ta

say th' least. Ye ken how playful this radge twit is?" she said,

gesturing to the wolpertinger that was too preoccupied with her own

excited musings to notice. "...or how fookt in th' heid ah am tae

be lik' this in th' first place, fer that matter," she added

with a more self aware sheepish grin. "Remember th' two o' us

are only half-Sylthean. Imagine how rambunctious some o' oor

full-blooded cousin are."

Kuna's eyes

widened a bit and he twitched. "...oh."

"That... sounds...

interesting, alright," Lykou said with a somewhat uncertain grin.

"I uh. I hope the world can handle all that..."

Aelana chuckled and

shook her head. "Ach, it'll be fine. It survived us afore th'

disjunction, it'll survive Sylthea's return. It'll be a while

afore many kin start crossin' over again anyway," she said,

crossing her arms. "Remember, Syltheans on the whole kin be

chaotic, bit that don't mean they're all evil. Ye jest... have

tae be on yer toes aroond a lot o' 'em. Bit thir's no more

sleekit 'n' cunnin' bastard aroond than fae folk tryin' ta

pull yin over on ye. Word o' advise- pay very, very close attention

tae words when yer aroond full Syltheans. Always assume thir always

talkin' lit'rally, even- nae, especially when they use

common turns o' phrase."

"Good to know,"

Kuna replied with a wary look. "Any examples?"

"Weel, ye ken when

ah said ta gimme yer hands fer tha' geas?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's jest say

some o' th' more dreich fae might'a kept 'em," Aelana said

with a dark smirk. "If yer lucky it might be temporary, fer a goof,

like Daisy did wi' yer tail. Th' truly wicked ones though... ye

ken where ah'm goin wi' this."

Kuna blanched and

Lykou shuddered. "Duly noted..."

"Aye, jest keep

tha' in mind. Demons might be infamous for tricky deals wi'

unsuspectin' mortals, bit th' smart ones learn thir dirtiest

tricks frae Sylthea's finest."

Kuna gave her a wary

look. "You uh... you wouldn't-"

The lepne snickered.

"Nae, ah'm only a halfie, 'n' anyway 'tingers are mair er

less lik' Daisy 'ere, jest zany goofballs wi' tae much energy,"

she assured him. "'n' fer the record, elnyr kin be sly

sometimes, bit usually onleh if thir genuinely efter somethin' they

want. Etherwise, thir a wee bit stuck up thir oon arses. Ah'm jest

givin' ye a general warnin' cus tis safer tae assume a Sylthean's

upty somethin' till ye get ta ken 'em better."

"We appreciate the

warning, heh," Lykou said, then yawned. "We probably should get

back to the lodge, though. We just thought it was only right to let

you two know about the tree."

"Thank ye thank ye

thank ye!" Daisy repeated, bouncing in place. "Yer mah heroes,

lads!"

"Aye, th' tree's

a mixed surprise, bit ah generalleh still agree. Yer pure decent 'n'

a hawp ye dae return tae these hills some day," Aelana said,

walking over to embrace the two. "Lets git ye tae bed, so ye kin

get ready fer tomorrae, however late ye start oof."

Lykou and Kuna both

returned the hug, then followed her out of the garden as she led them

to the lodge again. "Um... hey Aelana," Kuna spoke up as they

passed through the gate.

"Please, call me

'Lana if ye want."

"Right, Lana...

um, do you think you could, uh..."

"...want me tae

sing again?" the lepne asked with a grin. "That it?"

Kuna nodded with a

sheepish smile. "It'd be... nice..."

Lykou smiled and

pulled the sereva into a side-embrace. "You're too adorable

sometimes, you know that?"

"Hush, you,"

Kuna replied, blushing.

Aelana chuckled.

"Ah'd be happy tae, lad."

The three strolled

through the streets back to the lodge as she began singing again. A

few patrolling night guard, oblivious to the trio thanks to her

magic, nonetheless found themselves oddly at peace on their rounds

that night, with the faint echoes of a strange tune popping into

their mind on occasion.