Xoph had read about amiran in books, but seeing one in person was another experience entirely. The giants lived in the collection of mountains known as the Shadows of the Titan and very rarely roamed across the land. Adult amiran took on the traits of whatever landscape they hybernated in, even going so far as to having entire sustained ecosystems on their bodies. Many Amiran could grow and shrink, but even the smallest easily reached ten feet tall, with the largest surpassing a hundred meters. They were known to collect the smaller races as pets, finding humans and wildkin to be particularly adorable.
And this amiran seemed especially pleased with itself.
Its booming voice gave the two a headache, “Beeeennnn lookinnngggg forrrr theee longesssttt! FINALLY!!!! Founnddd theee golldennn cubb.” By ‘golden cub’, it was easy to tell that the giant was referring to Ae’dron. For some inexplicable reason, the wildkin’s blood was the same hue as honey. It was a trait that Ae’dron had never seemed to share with any other wildkin, not even other Felini. Still, the fact that anyone had been looking for Ae’dron at all was news to them both.
Fear made Xoph’s heart thump in his chest. One glance to the side showed that there was no escape. They were suspended so high up in the air that they could barely make out details of the ground. What could his “chaos blasts” do against something like this? They couldn’t jump down, they couldn’t fight this thing, and they couldn’t-
Ae’dron roared and leapt at the amiran’s face.
“Huh!?” Both Xoph and the giant said in unison.
“WHAT!?” They also both said when Aedron’s swords plunged into the giant’s nose.
Xophorys wasted no time. His eyes and hands glowed, backlit with an inner power, and he pointed his palms at the amiran. Bolts of force blasted from both hands, rocketting towards the giant and striking it’s large eyes. Ae’dron braced, holding firmly when amiran’s head jerked backwards and it screamed in pain. The lion looked back to Xoph with an approving nod…
… and saw that the amiran had reflexively closed it’s hand.
Aedron’s eyes went wide in horror, but a shadow passed over him, blocking the sun. The amiran’s other hand rose up to swat Ae’dron like an insect, and the wildkin scrambled, grabbing firmly with his claws, leaping up onto the top of the giant’s head before he was caught. Ae’dron screamed in protest, unable to understand how and why his brother had just been killed so suddenly – so unfairly – right infront of him. He stabbed his swords into the giant forehead, as effective as fly biting viciously to avenge it’s fallen kin.
“XOPH! XOPPHHHH!” He roared, even as the amiran finally grabbed him. “NOOOOOO!!!” Even as the amiran held his arms pinned, and stared at him while slowly crushing him.
“Go.. Sleeep…. I brinnngg you hommmee….“
“My.. That…. you… My..” He pushed with all his might and more against the hold, but the amiran had him. Ae’dron’s heart was thumping in his ears, his anger fueling a strength he didn’t know he had. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t think. His strength had never failed him before. There had never been anything that could hold Ae’dron down before now. The amiran was saying something else, but in that moment, Ae’dron only knew two words:
“My. BROTHER!!”
Jaws open wide, fangs on full display, Ae’dron roared like he had never roared before. He roared and the sky roared along with him. A conical snap-blast of torrential wind thundered out from Ae’dron, hitting the amiran in the face hard enough to knock it over. Its hands opened, and the lionkin fell through the air, unsure what had just happened but too angry to care. Xoph was gone, his brother was-
“What the hells was THAT?!” Xophorys yelled, freefalling near his brother. Ae’dron looked at him wide-eyed, forgetting for a second about the fact that they were plunging to their deaths. But only a second.
“DO SOMETHING!!”
“YOU DO SOMETHING!!”
And then Xoph suddenly vanished in a flash of light, reappearing on Ae’dron’s other side. The wildkin looked at him confused, but Xoph just shrugged before explaining, “I dont know! Just happens!! ROAR AGAIN!”
“What?!” Ae’dron blinked.
“JUST DO IT!” Xoph yelled, beginning to panic as they were seconds from splattering on the rocks below. Aedron looked to the rapidly approaching ground, inhaled sharply, and roared again. Xophorys stuck his hand into the path of the blast, a glowing symbol etched itself into the back of his palm and the human used his other hand like a conductor to guide the wind. He waved circular motions with his arms, converting the wind from Ae’dron’s roar into a powerful updraft, and the two of them began to tumble like leaves in a storm. Their momentum shifted through the air as Xoph haphazardly tried to control his power and instead of falling to their deaths, they crashed ingloriously into the nearby woods.
The sky erupted with the sounds of the frustrated amiran’s frustrated wails, and the ground trembled as it picked itself up off the floor. Its emergence from beneath the ground and subsequent crash had devastated the landscape that the brothers had been hunting in, leaving a massive crater and scattered stones where grass and trees once were. The brothers didn’t know where they were, but they wasted no time getting up and scrambling away as far and fast as they could.
When they finally had to stop and rest, Ae’dron asked, “How did you survive?”
Xoph looked at the wildkin and suddenly squeezed his eyes shut. In a flash, he was standing next to him. Ae’dron reflexively snarled as he recoiled, “What the-?!”
Xoph smiled awkwardly and shrugged. “I.. Don’t really know. I closed my eyes when the giant’s hand closed and then next thing I knew I was ontop of its shoulder. You were all yelling like, ‘Wahh, wahh! My brotherrr!’ and I was waving my hands like, ‘I’m right here you curr!’ but you were too caught up freaking out.” He explained. “But yeah, I don’t know what this is. Its like when I look at a place I want to be and blink hard I just… Appear there? It feels a bit like when I am launching my energy bolts, but instead it’s like I’m… launching myself? Sort of?” The mage reasoned. “Its happened in the past, but it was always so sudden and random that I never understood what was going on. I think …um, almost dying helped inspire some clarity. I’m gonna call it ‘Blinking.'”
Ae’dron shook his head, incredulous that any of that even made sense to Xoph. “I hate mages…” He uttered, making Xoph laugh moments before his mirth was cut off by another wail from the amiran; one that sounded much closer than the last.
The two looked at each other and ran.
Days later, they were still running.
“You have to eat… We gotta go.” Ae’dron said to his brother, looking over his shoulder to see if they were still being pursued. They definitely were, but the nightime favored the feline wildkin.
“I .. I can’t.” Xophorys responded, sitting with his back to a large rock. The two of them were in a forest miles ahead of their pursuer but could see the giant approaching from a day away.
“Xoph! Now’s not the time to be picky about flavor!” Ae’dron argued, holding the bloody deer carcass closer to the human. Xoph recoiled from the messy “meal.”
“No, fool, I actually cannot eat that! Its raw, you just killed it.” He explained.
“So what?” Ae’dron said, taking a large, squishy bite as if the dead animal a big was a big loaf of bread. He spoke through a mouthful of food, “We don’t have the time to cook, we shouldn’t even be stopping!” He said, taking another look at the direction they came from. The amiran that was following them was still walking, though it didn’t seem like it knew exactly where the two brothers were. Thousand foot tall hunter had been chasing the brothers relentlessly for a week. The giant’s plan was a simple hunting tactic: running their prey to exhaustion. The week-long chase had left Xophorys and Ae’dron with no food or supplies… And nowhere to hide. They were running out of ideas and out of hope quickly, but whenever they stopped to rest eventually the ground would inexorably begin to shake with hundred ton footsteps from miles away. It was time for some tough decisions, and Ae’dron was the first to bring it up.
“They not looking for you, they want me.. So I just gotta hurry up and get you to a human village and-“
“Nope,” Xophorys argued. “not viable, try again.” The curt response made Ae’dron snarl, his hackles raising with his annoyance. Xoph was too tired to explain his reasoning, but human colonies would never accept a wildkin, and he would never leave Ae’dron to be alone and hunted for the rest of his life.
“DON’T BE AN IDIOT!” Ae’dron yelled, the sudden noise making Xoph wince and look around in paranoia. The boy knew that his brother was afraid, Ae’dron was quick to mask fear with anger. That anger also tended to make Ae’dron say terrible things without thinking, “Don’t you see how this is all your fault!?” The wildkin exclaimed, “You’re so damn fragile that you keep slowing me down. This is why humans are supposed to stay in their shelter-camps and play pretend! The world is too dangerous for you, I should’ve never let you come with me.”
Wow. The words struck Xoph right in the gut, “Oh,” was all he could muster in response. He looked down at the antelope remains, its juices spilling all over the grass.
“You always say stuff like ‘no.’ ‘I can’t’ ‘Its too much.’ but what CAN you even do? Do you even know? You’re always so quick to say you can’t. To doubt yourself. You always have an excuse or reason for why you CAN’T do something but you never try half as hard to figure out how you CAN do it!”
Xoph opened his mouth to argue, and also to ask where this tirade was coming from, but Ae’dron continued.
“And then you wanna go on about how humans are great! Humans can do this and that and blah blah blah… but you can’t even get outta your head long enough to DO any of those things you like to take credit for! What good is that big brain if you’re always overthinking or using it against yourself? Ar was right, it really does come down to the individual… And I got stuck protecting a shitty one!” He enunciated his anger by kicking down a tree – an entire tree! The noise from the crash sent birds fleeing into the sky. Xoph didn’t know what to say, Ae’dron’s words left a tangible pain in his chest that he couldn’t speak around.
“Oh…” Was all that came out.
The two passed the rest of the night in silence, Ae’dron felt bad for what he had said but didn’t feel like he was wrong. Xophorys felt bad because he had already been thinking those very same things that Ae’dron had said. The wildkin’s words had amplified the negative thoughts, and Xoph could feel his mood sinking. Ae’dron was correct of course, Xoph considered himself weak and useless and only held everyone back. He couldn’t even eat food without having to go through the trouble of cooking it. Pathetic!
As his thoughts spiraled, Xophorys realized it would be better if he was gone…
No! With a deep breath, the boy steadied himself and tried to refuse his despair. He approached the deer remains and took a warm handful. Feeling its lifeblood dripping down his fingers, seeing the lifeless eyes, and feeling the non-torn parts of its flesh made him drop the thing immediately, and the sound drew Ae’dron’s attention. Xoph didn’t make eye-contact, he didn’t look up from his task at all as he reached in and took the handful again. The sight and scent inspired a quick retch, but he tried to mask it. His mind raced as he thought about all the reasons why he shouldn’t be doing this or why it was wrong. He pushed all the thought away, forced his arms (which suddenly seemed to be fighting him) to lift the food, opened his mouth…
Hesitated.
Looked at the food. Retched again.
And then took a bite.
And then spit it out!
…. It was going to be a long night.
The next day was saturated with cloudy skies and the expected awkward tension. Ae’dron pretended to ignore how sick Xoph looked after trying to eat the raw food (and throwing up more than he could keep in) and Xoph pretended that he wasn’t still bothered about their argument. In truth, the wildkin was proud of the human for eating what he could of the antelope. Ae’dron had seen how much strength it took for Xoph to overcome his mental hurdles to try to take nutrients from the fresh kill, and at the end of the day that’s all he wanted: for Xophorys to at least TRY before saying he couldn’t.
Also, seeing him throw up like that was hilarious.
Ae’dron knew he had more faith in his brother’s strength than Xoph had in himself, and that’s why he refused to apologize. On the other hand, Xoph didn’t expect an apology from his brother. He was content to bottle his feelings up and keep moving forward if that would make the situation seem better; the beginnings of a habit that would make his life much harder than it needed to be. The human couldn’t help but dwell on their conversation, and none of the conclusions he’d drawn were positive. No matter how Xophorys looked at it, or how hard he tried to deny it, he was both a nuisance and a risk to Ae’dron. There was only one painfully obvious solution to that.
Since Xophorys’s eyes were more effective during the day, and Ae’dron’s better suited to night, the brothers easily took turns keeping lookout. The amiran hadn’t followed them into the forest, but their oldest brother hadn’t returned yet either. Ae’dron woke up from his nap with a yawn and stretch… and then immediately snapped to his feet in alarm. The wildkin’s “yawn” was followed by his lips curling back and a deep flehmen inhale that immediately alerted him that Xophorys was missing.
Ae’dron’s first instinct was to chase after Xoph’s scent trail. The feline wasted no time bolting up the nearest tree trunk and springing swiftly across the branches. He knew he could catch up to Xoph even if the human was running full speed through the woods, but Ae’dron started to falter the more he considered the situation. The Leo didn’t know why the giants were hunting him specifically, but he had a strong feeling it had something to do with his family. Xoph was definitely safer without him around. Plus, Ae’dron had already said what he said and refused to allow himself to regret it. Since he’d done it, he couldn’t go back. As he walked away, Ae’dron was regretting his decision, but knew it was the right one.
Since he’d done it, he couldn’t go back. As he walked away, Xophorys was regretting his decision, but knew it was the right one. Eating that raw food had made him sicker and even hungrier than he was before, he didn’t have very much energy to magically defend himself, and ontop of that his surroundings were completely unfamiliar to him. Before their falling out, the brothers already had no idea where they were going, but now that Xoph was alone he truly felt … lost. It didn’t matter much though, as he was certain that without Ae’dron around he’d soon be killed. Life in Jiran had never been easy. Xoph could never climb fast enough, jump high enough, or hit hard enough to be anything but potential prey. A hunger pang like a hole in his belly made Xoph lean against a tree, before slumping down into a sitting position.
He was sick, tired, and hopeless. It was a terrible way to die.
Sick, tired, hopeless… and suddenly splashed with orange juice.
The liquid citrus rained down on the human from up above, and a startled Xoph fell to the side, wiping his face. “Ah! What!?” He couldn’t see, but he could hear laughter. As adrenaline and fear took over, Xoph forgot about his physical pains and willed energy into his hands. Light eminated from his palms as glowing symbols began to etch themselves into his skin. He wanted to yell ‘Whos there!?’ but he quickly realized that only one person would attack him out of nowhere with an orange. Anxiety gave way to relief, even a bit of joy, “Attacking me with fruit, Ae’dron? Really? You’re insufferable but at least-” as Xoph’s vision cleared, he could see who it was above him.
It was not Ae’dron.
“Who was that?!”
“My king…”
“Who-” Khoma found his vision returning to the dungeon chambers. Ilyak was standing before him with his head bowed, patiently waiting and yet had also been the one to coax Khoma out of Xoph’s memories. Iyak spoke quickly, before Khoma’s anger at being interrupted could manifest. “I apologize for the interruption, but the man is fading from life. If you still wish to keep him alive, he needs to rest.”
Xophorys had lost consciousness, and his body was occasionally twitching from the mental invasion. Ilyak had him laid on the ground with a coarse blanket beneath him, looking hardly invested in his well being. Khoma shook his head, fists clenched, “No. Get him up! I want to see more!” The king demanded, and the disenchanter nodded. “Certainly, my lord, but I warn that he will absolutely perish if you proceed.”
“T-then give him a- What are they called…? Those red concotions! Health potions.” Khoma said, and Ilyak did well to hide his reflexive grimace. ‘Health potions’ were Khoma’s blanket term for the various types of regenerative medical salves and elixirs that Ilyak regularly imported into Valmun. They were only meant to assist medical care, not replace it, but many citizens of Valmun had developed an overdependance on health potions to cure everything from amputations to headaches. The side-effects of such a lifestyle led to their bodys being unable to fight off most infections or naturally heal itself without said potions, made worse as their tolerance grew.
“Sire, I used many of such potions during his operation. They will be ineffective until his tolerance goes down.”
“FINE!” Khoma roared, throwing his arms up in disgust. He glared around the room, searching for an outlet for his frustration. He pointed to one of the attendants. “YOU! Kill yourself. But I want to watch, so come with us.” He sneered. The attendant, to their credit, kept a straight face and simply nodded respectfully, following beside the king as Khoma departed. Ilyak shook his head, chuckling because the only other option was to scream, and looked at Xoph as they were leaving. “Even unconscious, you’re nothing but a headache. This is a mistake..”
While they spoke, Ae’dron was staring at Xoph until they removed him. He had seen the memories as clearly as if they were his own … but it weren’t his own. Before a day ago, he had never met this human in his life and was positive that he would remember someone he grew up with for so long. It had to be some sort of trick, or lie. Maybe Xoph grew up with a wildkin that he THOUGHT was Ae’dron and that was why mistaked them to be family.
Family.
Who was his family? Ae’dron couldn’t remember any of his life before becoming a gladiator. He had always assumed that was because he was born here, that his father must’ve been a champion before him. He had never given it much thought, because it had never seemed to matter before. As far as he was concerned, the arena was his past, present, and future, so why bother worrying about anything else? But Xoph’s words echoed in his memory,
“Why do I feel like… There’s so much more to life than this?”
The thought was like a splinter in his brain that he couldn’t pull out. The new collar around his neck beeped, deleting the thought… or so it tried to. Ae’dron still couldn’t help but wonder about if he could’ve possibly had a life outside of the arena. If so, how had he come here? His collar beeped. Who gave birth to him, where was his family? His collar beeped. Where did he learn to fight? Why was his blood golden? What was that titanic roar he performed that turned the wind into a hurricane? What was the strange symbol he had been inspired to imprint on his waistcloth?
His collar beeped.