Chapter Text
Thalleous smiled as he finished reading the stone words in front of him; despite the ties the Walls of Time had to the past he would rather forget, he still held the records in fond memory, and the fact that it paralleled a story from his childhood helped immensely.
He turned, the fur and leather cloak he always wore billowing as he did.
“Now Hawken, why exactly did you want me to see this? Ah-”
His two companions had both fallen asleep. He pinched the bridge of his catlike nose in exasperation, sighing.
Hawken had at least had the grace and decency to fall asleep standing- he must have heard at least part of the tale. And Thalleous knew he didn’t sleep well in the cold wilderness outside; it was no wonder he had fallen asleep in the first warm(er) place he found.
But his (mentally and physically, not chronologically) younger companion had no such shame at all; his adopted son had curled up in his cloak, and was snoring away as a little ball on the stone floor. His broad fluffy tail had curled around his padded feet, and he had pulled his pawed hands close to his chest. His deerlike ears fluttered peacefully next to his short glowing moon-white horns- clearly enjoying whatever dreams were going through his head.
Thalleous sighed, and stared toward the ceiling for a moment.
I swear it’s like I have to look out for two kits instead of one, he thought, very tired. Oh First Gifted, why are they like this?
“Hawken! Senn!” Thalleous barked, and Hawken shot awake, immediately trying to seem as though he hadn’t taken an accidental nap.
Senn meanwhile, only lifted his head sleepily, letting out a tired mrrrp? (a sound he had once heard some human children refer to as a cat/felina/ardoni activation sound). He blinked his red/blue eyes blearily, before turning away from his foster father with the sound of claws scraping on stone.
“Senn!” Thalleous tried again. “Wake up for Herobrine’s sake!” Hawken flinched at the name. Superstitions… I’ve never understood why it matters. He rolled his eyes.
“Noooooooo, lemme sleeeeeeep…” Senn groaned. “... You two… do your… adult… talks… “
“Curses of the First Gods; why did he have to get that nocturnal gene…” Thalleous groaned. He walked over to his fostered child, and with the grace only a tired father could have, picked him up by the scruff of his neck, depositing him on his paws as he yelped and came fully awake.
Thalleous had to stifle an amused chuckle; Senn still had his kit-down fur, and he puffed up like a walking cotton ball when startled.
Turning back towards Hawken, Thalleous noticed that his human friend was starting to bounce from foot to foot in an impatient manner, a habit Thalleous knew meant he had a theory that he was dying to tell him.
“Well?” Thalleous queried him.
“So, I know you used to make a career out of hunting the Voltaris up in Northwind,” Hawkens eyes were on the Wall, and didn't notice how both Thalleous and Senn flinched at those words. “And I had a thought. I decided to look at the records of Mount Velgrin; no one has come back from the mountain since the War ended- the same mountain where the Voltaris made their last last stand against the forces of Ardonia.”
Thalleous paused, thinking, “You think there are Voltaris on Mount Velgrin.” he said. “Exactly!” Hawken exclaimed. Thalleous thought about it for a moment, “It would make sense- and some researcher friends of mine have been getting some strange energy readings from that area; if there are ardoni there, that would be the reason- where there are ardoni, there will surely be songs as well.”
It… wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t exactly a lie either. Behind them, Senn had become unusually quiet, staring at his feet with an anxious expression.
“Did you send any scouts to investigate?” Thalleous asked.
“Y-yes, but uh… none returned; the entire patrol went missing, not a word from them.” Hawken said, concerned. “I sent them three weeks ago. They should have sent a report by now.”
Thalleous tapped his paw on the ground, incredibly concerned at this news. He no longer wanted anything to do with raids or the primes or hunting the Voltaris, not for the last forty seven years, not since… that day…
Standing among the dead bodies of those he once thought to be his sworn enemies, their ruby red blood coating his paws.
Hearing the sound of a kittling crying, a miniscule ardoni, no older than a year, with moon-white markings and dual colored eyes- one blue, one red, and curled into the still-warm body of his mother, crying out in terror.
Staring down at his blood-soaked claws, the reality of what he had done, what he was doing, hitting him like an avalanche.
Comforting the tiny kit, tending to his wounds, silently promising him that he would never have to fear this fate again. Burying the dead, an apology- and a promise- carved into a monument of stone.
Throwing his bloodied sword into the depths of the sea as he held the kit; swearing a silent but unbreakable oath that he would never kill, no, never harm another living being again unless he had no other choice, thunder rumbling through the sky as he did so.
The regret- at not seeing the harm in his actions, at falling for the Masters lies, at his blindness for never ONCE seeing past his own ambitions and anger- following him, haunting him. Every. Single. Day. Since.
A small paw touched his shoulder, snapping him out of his memories. He turned to see Senn looking at him with a sad but kind expression, an unspoken I don’t blame you on his open face.
He turned back toward Hawken, who was now looking through his notes.
“If there are any Voltaris on Mount Velgrin, they won’t take too kindly to me, even with Senn- we’ll need to be prepared to fight.”
“Ah, but this time, I am prepared should we meet a fight!” Hawken said, and excitedly pulled out… a fish… he looked around, as puzzled as Thalleous was concerned.
“I could have sworn I had a stone sword here somewhere! Where is it? Where is it?!” Hawken muttered as he rummaged through his pack, beginning to sound nervous.
Behind the two, Senn was beginning to sound like a dying whale; he could barely hold in his laughter. He walked over to his pack, cackling evilly as he pulled out Hawkens sword, who gave him a dumbfounded look as Senn handed it to him
“That was so worth the hassle of catching a fish!” Senn gasped out as he dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, “Your faces- priceless!”
Thalleous pressed a paw to his forehead, suddenly feeling extremely tired. Figures- even in the northernmost tip of Ardonia, Senn will still find ways to pull his pranks.
“Senn, what have I told you about stealing other peoples’ weapons as part of a prank?”
“...To not do it unless they have a backup on hand…” he muttered, scraping his pawed feet on the ground.
“Yes, and does Hawken have a backup weapon?”
“No…”
“Remember next time; for as amusing as it was, if Hawken hadn’t noticed until we were in the middle of a battle, it would be a danger to all three of us. I can only do so much on my own.” Thalleous chastised him sternly. “Now, do you have your weapons?”
Senn turned back towards his pack, pulling out his netherite dagger, bow, and a quiver of arrows. “I do now.”
“Good, let's be off then."
Noticing that Senn was still downcast from his earlier lecture, and that Hawken was out of earshot, studying an earlier Wall, Thalleous took the chance to whisper to his son; “Just between you and me, that was a genius prank, definitely one of your best- and that’s saying something considering your track record.” Senn grinned, sharp canines catching the lantern light. Under the cloak, his tail wagged happily.
Still, Senn was uncharacteristically quiet as they packed up their camp, even his horse, Tiderider, seemed to notice, and began nibbling at his masters’ longer fluffy head fur in an attempt to cheer him up. Senn batted the stormy-gray-blue equine away in mock annoyance, smiling. Thalleous decided to let him be; he would say what was on his mind soon enough if it truly bothered him as much as it seemed.
The sun was setting on their camp by the time Senn spoke about what worried him, the last rays of the sunset glowing on the Northwind snow. Hawken had somehow fallen asleep already, despite his intolerance to the cold (perhaps it had something to do with that extra fluffy blanket he had purchased when they passed through Hailstone.)
“Dad, if there are Voltaris on Mount Velgrin, do- do you think that they’ll be like, well, what the clans say?” He asked, his voice quiet and small.
Thalleous sighed; it was hard to remember that, despite where he had come from, Senn had never once met a Voltaris born and raised in the main clan, not that he could remember at least. And the few Voltaris refugees who lived in Ataraxia had all been raised there- most left by desperate parents trying to bring their children to safety- and who had little to no knowledge of their own clan's culture.
“I… do not know. They will likely be hostile- and with good reason; the other clans hunt them like beasts.” I used to hunt them like beasts… “But I doubt they are the cursed devil-spawn the other clans claim they are. And remember; a cornered tiger will always fight- the Voltaris are only more hostile and brutal because their survival depends on it. If we do find Voltaris on the mountain, just remember that even for what they may do, they are still people, don’t give up hope in your birth clan, Senn.” Thalleous turned to look at the twilight sky. “And remember, even should we meet hostile encounters, I will still hold to my oath- not that I could break it if I wanted to.”
Senn relaxed, visibly comforted by his words.
“I don’t blame you, you know.” He said. “You had the option to go back to that life- even if your conscience wouldn’t let you kill a child, you could have just left me for dead and been done with it. But you didn’t, you took the hard option and turned your back on that life. Now I get to live my life with an awesome dad, and now you’re devoting your life to protecting the Voltaris and the clans. You had a bad start, but you made the hard choice to take the right path in the end. I can’t- and won’t- approve of your past, nor condone your actions, but I can’t hate you, I could never hate you. Even… even if you were the one who killed my parents- I can be mad at you, I have felt that anger before- but I can’t hate you. You are my father, even if not by blood.”
Thalleous smiled, but it felt fake, fragile.
“Get some sleep Senn, I’ll take the first watch.”
“You make sure you get some sleep too- I’m better at staying in the saddle while napping, you know.”
Thalleous chuckled, but didn’t deny it.
He turned to stare up at the moonless sky as the snores of his companions broke the otherwise silent night.
What did I ever do to deserve you? I’ve never hid the truth of my past from you, yet you refuse to blame me, you refuse to hate me…
Thalleous looked toward the sleeping form of his adopted son, then back towards the starry sky. He could see the shimmering form of Draco, the Guardian Dragon, in the stars; it had always been a comfort to him that he could always see it no matter where he was in Ardonia. He could almost hear his mother’s voice, telling him stories of the Lost Isles, reciting the ancestral poem that had been in their family for generations- a poem she never let him forget. And promising him that so long as he kept the poem in his heart, and Draco in his sights, he would never be lost- that he would always be able to find his way home- even if it wasn't the home he expected.
Oh how right you were… He thought sadly.
Now Draco was a reminder, of his failures, of his crimes. A reminder that he could not save those he had slaughtered. That the protector of the Overworld, the Great Serpent-of-Sky-and-Sea, knew of his crimes and still let him wander free, not punished as he should have been, and left wondering why?
Under the starry gaze of Draco, Thalleous felt small and alone. He looked back at Senn.
You don’t hate me, even after all I’ve done to your clan, to you. He sighed.
You don’t hate me like you should…
Thalleous frowned as he inspected the prints in the snow; they had led to a cave full of supplies.
Digitigrade, with visible fur patterns, similar in shape to a cougar’s paws. Definitely ardoni then.
Long claw divots, with trails of snow after each paw print, as though the snow had been hooked on the claws more than normal. Thalleous frowned, only one clan of ardoni had the long serrated claws necessary to make prints like these.
Sendaris had more splayed prints, with noticeable webs in between; adapted to swimming in the swamps, rivers, and lakes of their homeland.
Kaltaris tended to have more pronounced paw-pads, for running along pine-needle coated ground unaffected.
Nestoris had large snowshoe-like paws, both to advance mobility on Nestoria’s sandy beaches, and to prevent sinking in winter's harsh snowfall, the seaside location making the clan take the brunt of the season.
Mendoris had smaller nimbler paws, for dashing through temperate forests as quickly and effectively as possible. A similar adaptation to the deer they hunted.
Only the Voltaris had serrated claws, adapted from centuries of warfare in order to do maximum damage, and to help grip the icy, slick terrain of the Barrier Mountains. (Ironically for their reputation, they also had the densest and softest fur of any clan, which remained kit-down soft their entire lives. A better adaptation for the freezing hellscape that was the Barrier Mountains.)
Thalleous walked back to Hawken, who was now examining the strange obsidian structure.
“You were right; there were supplies in that cave- and I’d recognize Voltaris paw prints anywhere.”
“That’s… odd, why would they leave their belongings where others might find them?” He asked, looking at his hooded friend, the cloak hiding his face and markings.
Thalleous paused, hearing footsteps behind him. He turned, drawing his sword, a silvery blue longsword that radiated cold and glimmered as though made of ice, leaning on its hilt as he stuck the tip in the ground.
“Because, our friends are still here.” He replied chipperly, observing the Voltaris before him, who was now staring at him in confusion- very much perplexed by his cheerful remark and lax attitude.
The Voltaris was maybe two and a half decades younger than himself, judging by the length of his glowing ruby red horns. Old enough to be a serious threat to Hawken or Senn, but if necessary Thalleous was sure he could handle him. He was holding a sharp and heavy looking iron broadsword, definitely a formidable weapon; even if the weapon was of lower quality material, the weight of his sword would be a serious advantage against Thalleous’ own lighter steel longsword.
“Well, don’t just stand there, my friend, introduce yourself! Not to judge or anything but most Voltaris I’ve met either attack on sight or have an entire menacing speech prepared for when they meet another ardoni.” Hawken stared at his laid-back attitude, the Voltaris met the human’s eyes for a moment, and Hawken shrugged, just as confused as the red ardoni. Thalleous chuckled at the chaos he had caused.
The Volteris jerked, as though reminded of what he was there for.
“Well, if you insist,” the mysterious ardoni pointed his sword at the duo. “My name is Tygren Voltaris. I-”
“Yeahhhhh, kinda gathered that from the red markings. Tygren huh? Makes sense- your patterns do resemble a tiger a bit.” Thalleous cut him off. “Oh wait, did I interrupt your carefully prepared menacing speech? I’m sorry, carry on.” Thalleous waved him on.
Tygren glowered angrily at him, a low growl sounding from his throat. “Not many ardoni wear a cloak, Sendaris, why don’t you let that hood down and tell me who I’m fighting.”
Thalleous sighed, staring up at the dark, cloudy sky. “Alright, but before you get all trigger-happy and attack me, my companions and I come in peace- Not that you’ll believe me.”
Thalleous lowered his hood, seeing the moment Tygren realized who he was.
“Champion,” He hissed. “When will it be enough for you?” absolutely spitting mad.
“It was enough for me forty seven years ago,” He retorted. “The Masters think I am dead, and I have abandoned the ways of my past entirely. And were you even paying attention? For one, I expressly told you I come in peace. For another, I said companions, plural, not just this human here. My kid is probably somewhere in the trees here- don’t ask me where; when he hides you will never find him until he decides to let you- or he has somehow found your camp, crazy kid said something about ‘Christmas colored ardoni’, so he’s probably gonna spike your soap with lime green fur dye- might want to check that out when you get home.”
Tygren, if the look on his face was anything to go off, had no idea whether to believe him or not.
Thalleous turned towards the large obsidian structure, “I was told to investigate reports of strange magic readings; you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as Tygren snapped, anger returning in full force.
“You never should have come here, Thalleous Sendaris, the plans of the Voltaris are not for outsiders to know! And do not pretend that you are innocent of your crimes against my clan. I will have my revenge for my fallen clanmates tonight, and when I kill you, I will take your sword and slaughter twice as many of your brothers as you have mine!” He snarled, sword held tightly in his grip as he advanced.
“Fine,” Thalleous said tiredly, “But even if you fight to kill, I will not do the same; the blade I used to spill your brothers’ blood is long gone- I have no intention or desire to bloody another with yours.”
He advanced towards Tygren, sword no longer lax in his grip. He took care to remain between Hawken and Tygren, and noted the at least six other Voltaris warriors among the trees.
“Fair warning, however, do not mistake my blade for ordinary iron, and I have abilities beyond my songs that you wouldn’t understand.”
On that note, Thalleous noticed something he was surprised he missed before.
Every living thing radiated a signature aura, an aura that those with magical sensitivity could read, including magical beings, wizards, enchanters, and secretly, Thalleous himself. This aura could be used to give readers a sense of what sort of magical powers or abilities the subject may have, this aura could also give readers a sense of the source of the subject's powers.
Tygren’s aura felt like Thalleous’ own.
Not nearly similar enough for him to possibly have the same powers as Thalleous; his aura felt like a raging wildfire- heavily contrasted with Thalleous’ own aura that shifted between a gentle breeze and a raging blizzard depending on the situation, but close enough that he knew exactly what it meant.
Thalleous narrowed his eyes, the situation had suddenly become far more serious.
Tygren scoffed, “I wouldn’t, would I? Well, I guess I’ll just have to find out.”
And he charged.
He was far better than Thalleous gave him credit for, that was for sure- he parried every move Thalleous made with little visible effort, and counterattacked easily.
But Thalleous was holding back; he wanted no more Voltaris blood on his hands than there already was. Not even Tygren, who was, in all honesty, very annoying. Thalleous had no trouble fending him off, and had seen multiple opportunities to kill Tygren had that been his intent.
“You wouldn’t happen to get hallucinations, would you?” Thalleous asked cheerfully, parrying another blow.
Tygren startled, and glared at him suspiciously. Thalleous smirked, seeing the confirmation on his face.
He dodged another stab; “More specifically, have you ever seen images or scenes in the flames of a fire? Ones too clear to just be a coincidence?”
Tygren shook his head, but not in denial, but as though he was trying to clear his head and make sense of what was going on. His face showed a hint of fear, even though he tried to hide it. His blade clanged against Thalleous’ own, “What mind games are you trying to play?!” He snarled.
Thalleous shrugged, lazily flipping his opponent's blade to the side yet again. “No games, genuinely curious.” He said casually. “Your magical aura is familiar- tell me, have your hallucinations, whether they be from the flames or no, shown you things that actually happened- before they actually took place?”
This seemed to finally break him; his eyes widening in shock and quickly suppressed terror. He backed away from Thalleous, a death grip on his sword’s hilt and bristling in fear. (Is the puffing-up-like-a-cotton-ball thing just a Voltaris thing? He’s doing it now too… huh.)
Thalleous chuckled, amused, “I’m no mind reader, if that's what you’re thinking- I’ve meet others like you before, Tygren, you’re a Fireseer.”
Tygren finally regained his composure, swinging his sword back into a ready stance. “I don’t know how you learned of my abilities, nor do I really care, y-”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m your sworn enemy I know, yadda, yadda, all that jazz.” Thalleous cut him off. “You are a Fireseer, aren’t you? Most Fireseers have some level of pyrokinesis. Show me what you got.”
Tygren’s outraged expression shifted to disbelief, before shifting to anger once again.
“You want to see my firepower? Fine. I’ll show you.” He hissed.
He snapped his fingers, a sparking shower of embers breaking the night with the noise.
Tygren ran two fingers along the edge of his blade, trailing a shower of embers along its length. The moment his fingers left the metal, the blade burst into a brilliant blaze of white fire.
Behind Thalleous, Hawken gasped and clapped excitedly, enthralled in giddy awe at the feat of magic he had just witnessed.
Thalleous nodded, “Impressive, a little unoriginal in functionality and use, but the white fire more than makes up for that- it’s apparently the hardest to summon. I give it a solid eight out of ten for the flashy display- good fear factor.” He readied his sword. “Alright, c’mon, you still want to kill me, yes? WHOA-”
Thalleous quickly dodged out of the way of the blazing Aggrosphere, rolling over his shoulder to land on his feet. Behind him, Hawken ducked behind the obsidian frame with a yelp.
That was way too fast to be a normal Aggrosphere, Thalleous thought in confusion, before turning to see Tygren glaring at him, sword at the ready. His markings were glowing far brighter than before, now a deep flame red rather than the ruby red from before. Oh, he’s using his powers to fuel his songs; to make them stronger and more effective. Never seen that done before…
“Powering up Aggresium songs, hah… hah…” Thalleous panted, “Never thought to try that myself, genius idea though, kudos to you. Must try that myself sometime…”
If Tygren was at all confused by his strange speech, he didn’t show it. Ok, he's clearly tired of this if he’s no longer phased by that. “Alright…” Thalleous muttered, “No more playing around.”
He readied himself again as Tygren advanced, sword still burning. “Hey, uhhhh, since I gave you the OK to use your powers and songs, you mind at all if I use mine? No? OK, great!”
He didn’t give Tygren any more warning; with barely a thought, he activated the power of his sword, an icy beam of energy shooting from the tip. Tygren yelped in surprise and barely managed to duck out of the way.
“What, never seen ice dragonsteel before?” Thalleous laughed. “When the metal is forged it is fused with ice dragon blood, making it perpetually cold. When its power is activated, any wound it makes will become frostbitten- the longer it makes contact the worse it will be. And in colder biomes, well, you just saw what it can do.” He leveled his sword at Tygren. “Still want to fight me?”
Tygren narrowed his eyes, clearly done with the Ex-Champion’s antics.
They continued to battle for the next ten minutes, the sound of steel and iron blades clashing loudly.
Tygren sent two more charged Aggrospheres at him, both times Thalleous had to use his own (now powered up, thanks for the idea, Tygren) Mobilliflash to avoid them. He was charging up a third when Thalleous sent a painful gust of freezing wind directly at his eyes.
I don’t care if I have to explain to Hawken why I suddenly have aerokinetic powers, or what a Fireseer is, or even why I have a freezing magic ice sword made with dragon’s blood. This fight is getting to be VERY annoying… and tiring, I need to end it quickly.
Tygren cursed loudly as he staggered back, one paw pressed to his now closed eyes in pain, all the while shouting profanities that would have had Thalleous slamming his paws over Senn’s ears had he been nearby. Tygren’s control must have slipped somewhat, as his sword was no longer blazing
“First Gods forbid, watch your mouth; my kid is probably done spiking your camp’s supply of soap with fur dye, and is likely listening in by now.” Another swing at his head and a “Shut UP.” was his only answer.
“Y’know, you never actually told me what you guys are doing h- ACK!” He cut off with strangled yelp; Tygren had seized his hood, pulling on it in an attempt to choke him.
Acting quickly, he hooked his sharp claws under the clasp; an ouroboros that resembled a teal-and-purple serpent-of-sky-and-sea and crowned with the horns of an elk, and cut free the thread that held it together.
Using the momentum from Tygren pulling on his cloak, he rolled backwards, tripping his adversary into face planting in the snow as he did so.
He turned to face Tygren, who was already standing up, only for him to freeze the moment he saw what Thalleous had been hiding under the cloak the entire time. Behind him, Hawken let out a gasp of shock and staggered back.
Huge feathered wings stretched out from Thalleous’ shoulder blades, finally free of their cloth prison.
Short and broad, they were solid black on the top and shot through with his signature light sky blue rune-like markings, on their underside, they were white striped with horizontal bars of black and no markings at all.
His tail too, came into full view, fanning out completely and unusually long. Broad feathers splayed out into a shape better suited for flight, and patterned just like his wings.
Thalleous twirled his blade, looking back at Tygren, who had already recovered from his shock. “Well?” He asked tiredly.
Tygren rushed back at him and their battle resumed as before.
Hawken just sat in the snow behind the two, completely shell shocked by the turns the night had taken.
Thalleous held control of the duel for some time, even though Tygren resumed using that nasty charged Aggrosphere, and despite the fact that his blows landed with more force than before.
Probably using his powers to give himself more energy and power… Thalleous thought.
Then, Tygren pulled a nasty trick Thalleous never saw coming.
Just as Thalleous moved to make an easily blocked stab, Tygren, instead of parrying it like he had expected, pivoted on one foot. Thalleous, who had been expecting resistance on his blade, overbalanced.
In his moment of vulnerability, Tygren seized Thalleous’ right wing, and threw him over his shoulder at full force.
An audible crack rang through the night air, and Thalleous screamed as blazing agony shot through his shoulder.
Thalleous shakily sat up, leaning on one paw and breathing heavily. His wing was definitely dislocated, badly, and probably fractured too.
He looked up from where he sat in the snow, and was met with an iron blade two inches from his nose.
Tygren smirked, knowing he had the former Champion cornered; his own sword had fallen well out of arm's reach, and even if he used his power to speed up his Mobiliflash- something he was far too exhausted to do- Tygren could still attack well before he moved.
Thalleous was completely at Tygren’s mercy.
He didn’t dare move, didn’t bother to mask the fear on his face- It had never really mattered much to him- just sat there, frozen, as he realized just how helpless he was.
Was this how they felt? Was this helplessness and fear their last sensation? Oh First Gods curse me I hope not…
“I’ve waited a long time for this.” Chuckled Tygren, raising his sword.
Thalleous closed his eyes, waiting for the blow to come.
Fweee-THUNK!
“OH CURSED NETHER SPAWN- WHAT THE (Insert loud and continuous bleeping) WAS THAT?!?!”
Thalleous looked up, startled, and saw Tygren standing a few meters away from him, cradling the paw that had held his sword, which was lying harmlessly next to Thalleous.
The white snow between them was splattered with a few drops of ruby-red blood, and an arrow, one with a strange serrated tip and pale ivory colored, was stuck at an angle in the ground, covered in the same blood and a strange pink liquid.
Thalleous would recognize that type of arrow anywhere, a dragonbone arrow, tipped with a sea dragon's serrated fang. Only one ardoni he knew of used those arrows with that level of accuracy.
In the tallest pine tree, a small shape flickered into view, winged form silhouetted against the moon.
Senn glided down on his own whisper-quiet wings, not once bothering to flap them as he landed beside a terrified Hawken. In his right paw he held an enchanted dragonbone bow, his infinity quiver was strapped to his back in place of his cloak.
“Hello, Tygren Voltaris.” He said coldly, “I wish I could say I was glad to finally meet a Voltaris part of the main clan, but I don’t exactly love it when people try to kill my father.”
Tygren stared, shocked. “Y-your eye, you’re- wait- father?!” His gaze snapped towards Thalleous.
“He’s adopted.” Thalleous said nonchalantly.
Tygren didn’t seem to notice; his expression suggested that his brain was having a hard time processing this new information.
Senn went over and picked up his arrow. “That arrow was tipped in a healing potion specifically attuned to work on ardoni; your hand will heal completely in just a few moments.”
He turned towards his father, “I assume we're done here?”
“Y-yes, let's go Senn.” Thalleous said, and then looked back at Hawken, who ran up to walk beside his two strange friends.
They were a good ways away when they heard Tygren come back to himself, if the outraged shouts of “WELL DON’T JUST STAND THERE! AFTER THEM!” were anything to go by.
The trio, by unspoken agreement, began to run as fast as they could, only to stop as they came across a huge chasm, but the furious shouts were too close behind them to take another route to their camp further down the mountain.
“H-how am I going to get across?” Hawken stammered. “I c-can’t- aaaAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-!”
Hawken’s question turned into a scream of fear as Senn grabbed him and glided across the gap.
I can’t make that jump, not with my wing being busted up. Thalleous thought, and then turned to see their pursuers coming into view. No time, Mobiliflash it is… this is gonna hurt…
Making a running jump, Thalleous pushed the last of his energy into his mobillium song. Even then, he still felt claws grab for his tail, but he teleported out of their reach just in time.
Thalleous crash-landed in the snow, letting out a yell of pain as it stressed his injured limb. Senn quickly ran over to him and helped him shakily stand up.
Over the gap, Tygren was fuming, but safely out of reach.
“Until we meet again, my friend.” Thalleous said, giving him a quick two-fingered salute and a smile.
Tygren clearly didn’t know what to think of this.
When father got home that night, he was furious. And not just because he had learned that half his warriors were suddenly dyed a bright lime green.
Theia looked up from the firepit she was tending to as her father walked in, he slammed his sword down next to the stone counter.
“He got away.” It wasn’t a question.
“You knew he was coming, didn’t you?” Tygren asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He was no threat to the clan.”
“He was a Champion!”
“I know you’re angry at him, but he truly only wishes to make up for his past actions against the clan.”
“That doesn’t matter!”
“And the fact that our clan is doomed to die, should you kill him in this war, does not matter either?”
Tygren froze, and turned towards his daughter. For all their fights about what she shared of her far more frequent and powerful visions, they both loved each other as only father and daughter could.
“What do you mean…?”
“I don’t know how, or why, but should the Champion Thalleous die before his natural time, our clan is doomed to extinction. You can’t kill him- we need him alive. That is why I did not tell you he was coming tonight.”
She sighed, and turned towards the fire once more. There must be a reason why I keep getting these visions… I just wish I knew why… I wish I could do more to save my clan...
Senn, Thalleous, and Hawken sat around the campfire, out of breath and exhausted from their escape from the Voltaris.
Senn suddenly stood up and walked over to his father, “Let me see your wing, it looks like it's hurting you. Badly.”
Thalleous sighed, but turned so that Senn could see his busted wing, hissing in pain as he did so.
“Definitely dislocated, I’m gonna have to move it back into place. Bite down on this; it’s gonna hurt.” He handed Thalleous a thick strip of leather.
He gratefully bit down on the leather, but still let out a muffled yelp of pain as Senn re-set the bone. He flexed the limb carefully.
“No flying for a couple weeks; it’ll need time to heal, and flying will only make it worse.” He picked up a small bag of rice that was sitting on one of the stones around the fire. “Here, this should help.”
Thalleous took the makeshift hot pack gratefully, and sighed as the pain in his wing abated.
Hawken, who had been staring into the fire for a few minutes, finally looked up. “I’m not even gonna question it; clearly a lot of this is your own secrets- so I won’t tell anyone, but the explanation would probably make me even more confused, so I’m not even gonna question it.”
“Good choice,” chuckled Senn. “It honestly makes my head hurt thinking about it- and I grew up knowing this whole thing.”
Thalleous sighed, gingerly leaning back against a tree. “Well, at least we know what we’re doing next.”
Both Hawken and Senn turned to look at him in confusion.
“First, we’re going to go to take you home to Crown Peak, Hawken, I don’t want you involved in what’s coming- it's going to be very dangerous.”
Hawken frowned, but didn’t protest.
“What are we going to do then, dad?”
Thalleous smiled.
“Well, it seems our summer vacation to Sendaria just came a little early this year.”