Chapter Text
The forest does not forget.
Tighnari, having lived under the grand canopy of trees, amongst the ferns and moss and shade-dwelling flowers, did not forget either.
Part of this was due to his connection with the dendro life force that ebbed and flowed through the Avidya like a rushing river. The other part was simply his incredible hearing. His large fox ears, while cumbersome and over-sensitized in the city, served as near perfect radars for sensing things happening around the forest. Living here for a couple years, Tighnari could differentiate the footsteps of different Forest Watchers back at camp. If he focused, he could hear the scritch scritch scritch of Collei’s pen as she practiced her writing. Somewhere, more distantly, a group of explorers began to make their way into the vast canopy. It was a lot to take in, but Tighnari was nothing if not adaptable, and the familiar noises blended into the usual hum of the forest.
In any case, Tighnari was more than happy with his intimate knowledge of his surroundings, if not for doing his job than for the immense amount of things he could learn while staying out here. Today, he had set his sights on exploring some of the caves on the Western border of the Avidya. It was a prime location for the discovery of new species, the proximity to the Chasm meant that less adventurers made their way to this area and improved the chances that some odd sorts of mutated flora had sprung up. He was deep in his research, kneeling on the grassy entrance of a large cavern and marking the area on his map, adding details and hypotheses about the lifeforms he would encounter inside. The murmur of sounds around him served as a pleasant backing track to his work.
Crunch, crunch, thud.
Tighnari’s left ear twitched. That was a new sound. He hastily put away his notebook and turned to face the noise.
Thud. Thud. Crunch. Slide.
At first, he pondered the possibility of an animal making it’s way into the area, but none of the creatures in the forest sounded like this. The patterns of noises were too irregular to be machinery. Human, then. But the footfalls weren’t recognizable as any of the Forest Watchers, nor the merchants that passed through the area every so often. More importantly, the sound of walking wasn’t its normal, predictable rhythm. The uneven, weighted steps made that much obvious. Whoever this was, they were hurt.
Tighnari quickly made his way in the direction of the noise. Bandit or Scholar, it was the Forest Watchers’ job to protect this area, and that included anyone who had made their way into it’s borders. It wouldn’t be the first time that an unknowing traveler had accidentally fallen into the canopy, the slew of caverns and roots making anyone not paying close attention to their surroundings and easy target for accidents.
Thud.
Tighnari stopped at the larger sound, ears twitching as they listened for more. Nothing. Tighnari’s nose twitched as a tangy, metallic scent wafted through the air. Blood.
Wasting no time, he sped up the pace, now following the smell as a more direct trail to whoever this unlucky soul was. The scent grew stronger, eventually becoming near overwhelming as Tighnari closed in on a small cave covered by vines and branches. Some of them lay broken. Tighnari could make out the sound of labored breathing coming from inside. Alright then.
Although notably small (calling it a full cave was a bit of an overstatement, it was more of a sizeable crack between two boulders) the cave was extremely dark, Tighnari’s vision casting a green glow over the smooth stone. Slowly he padded further in. Whoever was in here was hurt- and badly so at that. They definitely didn’t need any added shock to their system, and it wasn’t uncommon for hurt individuals to become more aggressive due to the adrenaline taking over their system.
A cough, followed by more heavy breathing. Tighnari turned, peering behind a large rock in the corner of the cave.
A wolf. No, that wasn’t right. A human who looked and felt like a wolf. Perhaps that was more accurate. Tighnari cleared his throat.
“How can I be of assistance?” The words echoed off the walls, filling the cavern.
Red eyes glanced up, meeting his own. A low growl began to rumble through the space. The figure didn’t speak, but the message was clear from their eyes alone. Back off.
The fiery gaze would certainly be enough to intimidate the most experienced knights. There was something animal about it- a feral, unpredictable feeling that regular humans couldn’t quite comprehend. Tighnari, luckily, was not a regular human. He rounded the rock and crouched down in front of the huddled being. He let his ears relax slightly, tail swishing slowly behind him.
“I won’t hurt you. I want to help.” Tighnari’s voice was calm, inviting. “My job is to protect the forest and everything in it. You’re in the forest, so that means my job is to protect you as well.” He tried to keep his explanation more concise and less flowery than he might usually make it- whoever this was clearly wasn’t bothered with typical human Teyvat formalities.
The growl trailed off, and the fierce look lost some of its intent. Instead, the eyes looked more curious. They glanced up, clearly taking in the sight of Tighnari’s ears. Tighnari waited calmly for the figure to familiarize themselves.
“... you … protect forest?” Tighnari found himself surprised. For all the ferocious energy coming off of them earlier, their voice was soft, if not a bit unpracticed.
“I am a Forest Watcher, that is my duty. I can sense that you are injured, please allow me to help you.”
The figure unfurled a bit, revealing a young, scarred face. His unruly silver hair- so long that Tighnari had initially thought it as fur- flowed over his shoulder and around his body. A large gash made itself apparent on his exposed torso, a gloved hand pressed to it in a way that made it impossible for Tighnari to assess the damage.
“You… are good. Razor will let you help.” The boy coughed again, took a long breath, and then abruptly passed out.
Well, shit.