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In her life, Runa had seen a lot of warfare, a lot of bloodshed; she had witnessed a lot of anger and hatred. She often liked to think she had also been witness to a lot of love and kindness but at times, it was hard to remember that. At times like this, it was one of the only things keeping her calm.
Hephaestus shifted under her uncomfortably.
Correction-at times like this, it was one of the only things keeping her relatively calm.
Runa ran her hand over the soft fur of Hephaestus’s back apologetically and tried to relax. The humans and the gnawers were supposed to be at peace now. There was no reason for her to be nervous. All she had to do was deliver the message to them, hop back on Hephaestus’s back and hopefully never return.
As if he could hear her thoughts, Hephaestus made a rough, cough like noise deep in the back of his throat. He was laughing at her. Runa glared at the back of her bond’s head but didn’t bother saying anything to him. Hephaestus was mute and though they had developed a way to communicate, it didn’t work well when they were flying so he would probably just laugh at her again if she reprimanded him for laughing at her the first time.
Runa knew she and her bond made an odd pair. The daughter of two soldiers, Runa had only ever dreamed of being a warrior herself. Unfortunately, while she was an excellent fighter-confrontation was not her strong point and she would often end up on the losing side of a fight because she would wait too long to make a move. Hephaestus made her a little braver since they had bonded. He was one of the largest fliers she had ever seen and while she wasn’t so small herself, she still felt tiny next to him. Many who saw Hephaestus fly into battle-especially towards them-retreated or panicked long enough for Runa to build up the courage to strike first. However, Hephaestus was not much of a fighter himself. He was, to put it kindly, unmotivated and trying to get him to attend any type of training was a horrendous chore Runa dreaded every time.
Runa threaded her fingers through the thick fur at Hephaestus’s neck and tried to focus on his warmth, his steady strength to keep her calm. Perhaps she would try to sleep before they arrived. No she was too nervous. There was no way she would be able to rest. Even if she managed to fall asleep she would probably have a nightmare and thrash her way right off Hephaestus’s back. She smiled at the thought despite her nerves. When Runa and Hephaestus had first started spending time together, when they were considering the possibility of being bonds, Runa convinced Hephaestus to fly with her. He had never flown with a human before and was nervous about it. Runa had thought it was a silly fear at the time, but she quickly discovered he flew with an odd quirk which made it hard to stay seated on his back if you weren’t paying attention. He dropped her during that first flight, and though she wasn’t hurt, it took months before he would attempt it again.
Hephaestus craned his head back, letting her know he was changing directions, before he lifted further into the air for a curving turn. Runa shifted her weight and gripped onto him tightly to keep herself still as he turned. She could feel the change in temperature as they rose into the air and the breeze carried a sweet scent she hadn’t expected.
“Are we close?” Runa leant closer to Hephaestus’s head to voice her question. He dropped suddenly before shooting back up at a terrifying speed. Runa groaned, holding a hand over her stomach as her insides settled again. They really needed a new action for ‘yes.’
The low, coughing laugh came from Hephaestus again and she rolled her eyes. He wasn’t nearly as funny as he thought he was.
Runa sat back and looked around. This area of the Underland was unfamiliar to her. She had studied it, seen it on maps, but the farthest she had ever traveled alone was to the Fount. Hephaestus who was older than Runa didn’t share much about his past but he seemed quite comfortable in most places. Runa always assumed he wasn’t from the flier population near Regalia which was why he claimed no family there that she knew of.
There were many large outcroppings along the canyon walls where they were flying. Some appeared to have caves connected to them where creatures most likely lived but in other places the outcroppings looked like growths on the wall and were discolored. She wanted to ask Hephaestus if he knew why the canyon walls looked like that but figured even if her bond had an answer there was no way he would be able to communicate it while they were flying. A strange, pale mist had seemed to settle in the air ahead of them and Hephaestus was starting to sink closer to the ground to avoid it. Runa hoped the area was just known for odd weather patterns and the mist wasn’t a sign of something bad to come.
The odd weather was a good distraction, Runa realized as Hephaestus flew lower and lower until he was nearly brushing the ground. Now that they were to their destination she was nervous all over again. She hoped she could do this. It felt as if her teeth would begin chattering any second and if that happened she knew shaking would only be a moment behind. The humans and gnawers may supposedly be in a time of peace but she still did not trust these strange gnawers not to prey on a nervous human foot soldier; not that Hephaestus wouldn’t protect her to his best ability if that happened.
Runa took a few deep breaths as Hephaestus slowed to a landing. Runa climbed down, her hand held protectively over the satchel carrying the message she had to deliver. Which may have been next to her sword but that was just of convenience. By the time Runa had moved to stand next to Hephaestus, at least twenty gnawers had gathered before them. She staggered back in surprise and Hephaestus used a wing to steady her.
“Hello.” Runa cleared her throat and spoke as clearly as possible. She hoped her voice was shaking. The closest gnawer squinted its one eye at her and sniffed the air. Its fur was a pale grey, matted in some places while missing completely in others.
“They could have at least sent us some pretty ones.” The gnawer said suddenly. Runa was pretty sure the gnawer was female but the voice was so gravely it was hard to tell. “Or is this the new face of peace?”
Runa shifted her weight. She was used to humans, and even some fliers discriminating against or talking about her and Hephaestus when they thought they couldn’t be heard but having a gnawer that was both balding and matted, and blind in one eye feel the need to make a comment about them was a new experience.
One of the things that had drawn Runa and Hephaestus together was their deformities. As a child, Runa had gotten separated from the family she was staying with as her parents fought in the war, and was found by a pack of gnawers that had made it into the city. A soldier and his bond found and saved her life but not before the gnawers had left her a nice reminder of their visit that crossed over her face and down most of her chest in horrible, jagged scars. Scars or birth deformities crossed over the deep, rust colored fur of Hephaestus’s face and chest in an almost identical pattern. How he received the marks was another part of his past that he would not share with her but in the past year he had opened up about them a little more.
Runa found herself stepping in front of Hephaestus in an almost protective manner. She didn’t expect him to take a gnawer’s words to heart but she still did not like how the gnawer spoke of them.
“I could say the same to you, gnawer.” Runa looked down her nose at the mangy creature and hoped it would not see though her false bravado. “Where is the one called Redclaw?”
“I’m Redclaw.” The same gnawer said in a fake, high pitched voice. “What do you want?”
“Be quiet, Shred.” A voice came from the back of the crowd and one of the gnawers hit Shred with a thick tail across the back of its head. Shred growled but moved to allow the one who spoke from the back to step forward. A large gnawer with red-brown fur around its face and front paws stepped forward.
“I am Redclaw. And you are the one called?”
“I am Runa and I am accompanied by my bond Hephaestus.” Runa was used to introducing Hephaestus to those they met. There were not many willing to learn how to communicate with Hephaestus.
“What is the message you have brought to us?” The gnawer had a much more pleasant voice than other gnawers Runa had encountered but it was almost much larger.
Runa fumbled to undo the clasp on her satchel, and tried to ignore the snickering laughter she heard from the gathered gnawers. The faster she could deliver the message, the sooner they could leave. Runa produced the parchment a moment later and presented it Redclaw. The gnawer gave her a dull look.
“Ah.” Runa realized her mistake a moment later and withdrew her hand. After untying the knot keeping the message sealed and unrolling it, Runa laid the parchment out before Redclaw. Redclaw stepped forward to hold the paper still as he read. The message, Runa had been told, contained the details of the end of the war, including the fight with the rediscovered diggers who had sided with The Bane. It also explained the treaty and trade goods Regalia was offering to the gnawer population this side of the Fount in hopes of good relations in the future.
Redclaw looked up from the parchment after a few tense moments and studied Runa.
“Is that all?” Redclaw asked calmly. Runa blinked a few times in surprise.
“Ah yes.” Did they want or expect more? She hoped not. She wasn’t sure what she would do if that happened. Redclaw nodded.
“We accept these terms.”
An instant hush went through the crowd which, Runa realized, had grown since she had arrived.
Shred made a scandalized noise, opening their mouth to say something and with a quick flick, Redclaw raised his tail and swiped Shred across the face. A few beads of blood sprouted across Shred’s muzzle and they shut their mouth once again.
“Any who disagree with my decision are choosing to do so of their own accord and will not be supported.”
Almost instantly the crowd of gnawers erupted into chaos. Runa took a step back, nearly into Hephaestus as the gnawers made noise and thrashed about at the new decision of the supposed leader. Redclaw seemed unmoved by the uproar as he rerolled the message and nodded to Runa.
“I am tired of the fighting and, reluctantly, agree with the decisions made by Ripred so far in this fight. Tell your people they have our cooperation.”
Runa nodded. “Thank you.” She moved to clamber onto Hephaestus’s back. “Thank you.” She said again. “I hope this will be a prosperous union for both peoples.”
Redclaw nodded to them as Hephaestus rose a few feet into the air. “Run like the river, Runa.”
Runa paused, surprised by the farewell. Times are changing she realized, threading her fingers through Hephaestus’s fur at the thought. It was pleasant and surprising and her nerves were completely gone as the calm gnawer leader bid her farewell despite the disarray the new agreement apparently caused with their people.
“Fly you high, Redclaw.” Runa replied.
Hephaestus rose higher yet, flying just beneath the hovering mist. The gnawer crowd spread out much farther than Runa had expected. Twenty gnawers had turned into two hundred in their short visit.
“Amazing.” Runa whispered as Hephaestus turned to leave. He made a trilling noise of agreement, followed by his signature rough laughter.
In her life, Runa had seen a lot of warfare and a lot of bloodshed; she had witnessed a lot of anger and hatred but she often liked to think she had also been witness to a lot of love and kindness.
And finally, someday soon, she might see peace.