Chapter Text
No one was quite sure where the chocobos came from. Sightings went back as far as several generations, but a true origin was hard to pinpoint. It was fairly obvious that they were not native animals to the Elemental Nations.
They first began to appear in the Land of Rivers. The giant land bound birds were much better at traveling across rivers and through forests than horses. Obstacles were often easily hopped over or swam around.
Travelers began to rent them for convenience sake from a small ranch near the coast, on the border of River and Fire Countries. Renting came with strict guidelines- but easy to follow ones. Never tie a chocobo down. Do not harm your chocobo or it will leave and you will be blacklisted. Never lose your whistle. And if you lost track of your chocobo, use the whistle to bring them back.
To those who decided to not return their chocobos after the rental period, well. There were stories. Lots of them. No one knew how many were true. They ranged from the chocobos simply abandoning their riders when their time was up to the birds disappearing from their ropes in the middle of the night to golden spirits ushering vengeance upon those who decided to lay a cruel hand on the birds.
A properly trained chocobo was invaluable to the civilians who struggled to cross the many, many rivers across the aptly named country. Shinobi with their chakra magic could simply walk or run across. Common folk had to boat, ferry, or find a shallow crossing that could be risky depending on the current. Bridges were hard to maintain and often derelict.
Horses were useful, yes, but could not swim half as well as the much lighter chocobos. Chocobos could not haul very heavy loads, in turn, but could still be hooked up to harnesses and pull wagons.
No one in River Country truly questioned where the giant birds came from. They were too convenient and useful. When actually buying a bird became an option, things took a different route. A chocobo lived as long as a horse, ate much less, and scavenged a good portion of its food from nature when able. It ate greens and insects, along with any small animals it could snap its beak around. They were easily trained to avoid livestock and hunt down pests and rodents, along with dangerous snakes or larger predators.
One particular farmer, with a daughter who loved and adored their chocobo who was primarily for transport, told frequently the story of the time bandits attempted to break into his house while he was gone. His wife and three children were defended by a furious chocobo, all seven feet, eight hundred pounds, giant snapping beak, and eight sharp talons of it. The bandits were sent running, and the chocobo became a beloved family pet as well.
They also proved to be incredibly intelligent. Most people dismissed the ranch’s claims that the chocobos were as smart as any human. Then chocobos became more widespread across River and they began to realize the truth about that.
Chocobos could unlock doors, open containers, and solve children's puzzles. They understood spoken words and, many claimed, spoke back in their own strange way. They could even understand complex orders - though if they obeyed depended on the loyalty and fondness of the bird in question.
Some argued that meant chocobos were just about as smart as any dog or horse. Those who had particular birds of their own knew better. Perhaps chocobos did not have human intelligence. But they were very, very intelligent nonetheless.
The small town of Mutsumamoto was once just a small fishing town, like many in the Land of Rivers. They had the advantage of being on the coast but the disadvantage of being the smallest coastal town. They were barely worth being called a town, with a population of only sixty. Most of their youths left to the bigger cities for their fortunes.
Until the Caelum clan came, on chocobo back when chocobos had yet to truly make their mark. Their fancy leather saddles and elaborate medals on the chocobos said that they were likely nobles.
They did not have any local currency, spending weeks bargaining services and strange goods for money and a place to sleep. Any and all odd jobs around town were swept up as they worked and saved.
There was plenty of cheap land for rent nearby Mutsumamoto. Farming was rarely prosperous so close to the ocean and the constant overflowing rivers made what little subsistence farming there was risky. Farm animals were useful but hard to protect from bandits and wildlife for such a small town.
The Caelum clan changed that. They cleared out any and all bandits and kept them very firmly away, though one rarely saw them use a weapon. Wildlife was a similar issue- with someone free to hire for cheap to chase them away, most animals were not willing to risk it any longer.
The Caelum's right hand man came to town one day with all their savings and purchased as large a chunk of land as they could. When asked, he said they were building a chocobo ranch.
And they did. No one knew where that many birds had come from, but within weeks of the fences being built (by their own hands) there were yellow birds flocking across the pastures.
The Caelum clan opened up their ranch for renting birds and settled back into an easier life. They were still available for jobs, should the townsfolk wish to hire them, but they focused on their birds.
And fishing. The clan head (though none of them referred to each other as clan, it was implied) enjoyed fishing as a hobby to a level that the people of Mutsumamoto could respect. He was constantly making trips into town to use the main ocean dock, casting a strange metal rod into the water and sitting for hours next to the locals. He happily shared good fishing spots up and down the rivers with fellow fishers. When offered he happily joined their fishing boats to go out onto the ocean.
(He never went alone. Even on the most cramped dingy, at least one of his clan accompanied him. Often his husband or his bodyguard. Some scoffed at the impropriety of a male clan head with a husband. Who would produce the heir? Others knew that you did not move to such an isolated place as Mutsumamoto if you were not running from something. And propriety was a regular thing to run from, was it not?)
Within the first year the convenience of chocobo rentals was already spreading across River. By the second they were opening long term rentals for those who simply loved the birds that much, often merchants or travelers who enjoyed the company.
Each year they purchased more land to expand the ranch. By the third, they had a track that locals enjoyed racing and betting on birds. The Caelums let anyone with a kind hand ride their birds- but it took a special touch to get them to race around those tight corners just right.
By the fifth year of the Caelum's presence, Mutsumamoto was growing exponentially. A noble enchanted with the intelligent birds was making waves talking about building a casino nearby the ranch where guests could also bet on the chocobo races. He was in talks with the Caelums, and while rules and regulations were being hammered out things were looking bright.
Their little town was having to build new inns for the amount of tourists and travelers coming to see the “home of the chocobos”. Many people who had moved out to seek fortune or send money back to their families from better paying locales moved happily back home to be with loved ones in the booming economy.
They weren't rich, but they were certainly no longer a poor little fishing town. The people of Mutsumamoto embraced the changes with open arms. Nothing so exciting ever happened to little towns far from any shinobi clans. Especially not anything so lucrative.
The Caelum clan kept their tidy little house in the middle of their ranch. Surrounded by chocobos and regularly going fishing, the clan head seemed perfectly content with his lot in life.
It was by pure happenstance that a passing shinobi, curious about the new livestock that were all the rage with civilians in River, caught a glimpse of Caelum Noctis as he went fishing on the town pier one day. And did a double take.
He went back to his clan near instantly, bringing important information back to his clan head. Uchiha Izuna, or a civilian who looked dangerously like him, was living in the Land of Rivers. Investigation revealed that the Caelum clan head was in fact not Izuna, who was seen on the same dates in different countries entirely, but was so similar in appearance he could be his twin. Or elder brother, given he was in his thirties while Izuna was not yet twenty.
This was monumental news to anyone who was anyone in the world of shinobi. Lookalikes did not happen. Clan resemblance was strong, but not that strong. And to happen with the future Uchiha heir? It was unthinkable. Every shinobi clan tracked their bloodlines meticulously. The Uchiha took it to an extreme degree. To have someone with such a strong resemblance spoke of bloodline theft somewhere along the line. Especially when the Uchiha had never claimed the individual in question.
The news made its way along the grapevine of shinobi clans. It took some time for it to reach Fire Country, but the Uchiha were infamous enough for shinobi to recognize a possible clan heir from another country. It reached them eventually.
To say the Uchiha were not pleased to hear about potential bloodline theft was… putting it lightly. Uchiha Tajima ordered his sons to investigate the rumors personally. So Madara and Izuna left Fire Country to head to the small tourist town of Mutsumamoto.
Leaving Eos was probably one of the easiest hard things Noctis had ever done. When the pain faded and he saw the sunrise again, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
But he couldn't stay. It hurt. He was burned out, quite literally, and if he stayed… people would want him to lead. To be the King he'd been prophesized to be.
He couldn't do it. He'd done everything for his people, given everything for them. But when it came to living for them? He… couldn't do it.
He stayed in the throne room, chest a burning blue as he wondered if he would simply disintegrate from the heat in his veins. He watched the sky.
A beak pressed against one shoulder. A cool hand against the next.
The largest chocobo he'd ever seen in his life stood next to him, golden and round with a massive beak that looked like it could break a car in half. Ten feet of golden feathers towered over him.
On his other side, when he glanced, was Gentiana. Without the signs of Shiva's presence.
“Hello, Chosen King.” Gentiana spoke softly.
“Greetings, Hero of the Dawn.” The giant chocobo somehow said, eyes squinted lightly.
“...hello.” Noctis said after a minute of compartmentalizing that.
Gentiana watched him through closed eyes with a peaceful expression. “You do not wish to stay, do you?”
“...no.” Noctis was tired. He wanted to stay with his Retinue. With his family. But…
It hurt.
“We have a proposition for you, Bringer of the Dawn.” The chocobo gave a soft wark. “Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am the forgotten Messenger of Messengers, Father of Chocobos. I am Dromornis. It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
Noctis found himself smiling faintly. “Father of Chocobos, huh? Prompto would love to meet you.”
This would not be the first forgotten Messenger he'd come across. At least this one remembered his own name.
“And I would enjoy meeting the man who adores my children so greatly.” Giant blue eyes squinted happily.
“...what's your proposal?” Noctis asked, tired, wanting it to just end.
He didn't want to die. But if dying meant he could finally rest…
“Dromornis seeks a new place for his children.” Gentiana murmured quietly.
“I have rescued as many as I could, during the Long Night, when all other animals have near died off.” Dromornis churred mournfully. “But there is no place left on this star for them. Precious few survived the Darkness. Not enough to regrow a population, even were the honorable Wiz Forlane still alive to shepherd them.” His great beak clacked and it sounded like a gunshot. “But there is a new place, on another star, where they are beginning to run safely. I have been allowing them to leave their safe places slowly and the native peoples are accepting.”
Noctis felt a little bit of hope. He'd been told how few animals and plants had survived ten years of no sun and the onslaught of daemons. He hadn't seen the worst of the damage himself, in the limited time he'd been freed from the crystal. But he'd seen some of it.
Knowing old Wiz had been one of the casualties… decades of conservation work trying to save the chocobos from extinction and poaching all for what? Daemons and starvation to kill them off? It was… awful.
A part of Noctis wondered if Burrito had made it, that chocobo he'd grown so fond of during their travels. Whenever they'd gone where roads couldn't take them, there she was showing up in her silver dyed glory. Four colorfully dyed chocobos who'd become overly fond of Noctis and his Retinue to the point that Wiz laughed and said they didn't need to pay a rental fee, the chocobos would show up on their own when needed.
He'd always wondered if that was a chocobo thing or a Lucis Caelum magic thing. Maybe both. Burrito had become startlingly adept at kicking daemons that got too close and had way too uplifting a cry for a normal animal. He was pretty sure she'd healed some of his back pain once. Surely there was some magic at play.
Maybe it was a Dromornis thing. Noctis didn't know.
At least somewhere chocobos were running wild again. Even if they would just die out in Eos. It was nice to think that they would survive somewhere else.
“I don't see where I come into it.” Noctis admitted.
“This new star has its own corruption.” Gentiana spoke. “Not the starscourge, but something that keeps the gods and spirits of the realm from properly interacting with the mortal plane. It requires one of heavy faith or a deep connection to allow the gods to speak to mortal ears, much less interact.”
“A deep connection such as, perhaps, a Covenant with a godslayer whose power eclipses the corruption.” Dromornis said oddly cheerfully.
“Ah, I get it.” Noctis huffed. “You want a godly mouthpiece?”
All in all, it didn't sound so bad compared to the last godly given task he'd done. That one involved being stabbed by over a hundred magical ancestral weapons. And dying.
Man he was really glossing over the fact that he'd died. He was definitely going to panic about that later.
“A mouthpiece would be unnecessary. Merely any spokesperson to speak of my children and care for them will work. You need do nothing but find them a home to return to should they need human assistance. Or thumbs.” Giant eyes sparkled with amusement despite the gravity of his words. “Any further assistance I can provide them myself with a Covenant providing me traction in the physical plane.”
Noctis stared up at the lightening morning sky. “So you just… want a Covenant to look after chocobos. Maybe start a little farm.”
“Yes.”
“That sounds too easy.” Compared to the last series of quests the gods sent him on… that sounded like retirement.
“My children require little but an occasional guiding hand. They are very self-sufficient.” Dromornis very clearly bragged.
Noctis couldn't stop a smile. “It sounds like a great retirement plan. Or the plot to a cartoon.” He shielded his eyes from the bright sun. “My retirement in another world on a chocobo farm. Crazy stuff.”
Dromornis gave a rolling chortle, feathers rustling.
“We bring you an offer to remove you from this star, to another where there are no prophecies in your name. Where you may rest with none knowing your legacy.” Gentiana said softly.
“...can I say goodbye first?” Noctis asked quietly.
“Of course.” She smiled.
“Or you may bring your flock.” Dromornis's massive beak prodded his head, preening his dark hair.
“I can?” Noctis blinked. He'd sort of figured that however they planned to get him to “another star” would be a one person deal. “But I… don't know if I can ask them to come with.” He didn't want to make them choose that.
“You have but to ask your Retinue, Your Majesty. They would follow you anywhere.”
Noctis knew that. But should he put that weight on their shoulders?
“Noct?!” The throne room's door bust down. He wondered if they'd been running up the stairs this whole time or if the elevator was inexplicably working again.
“Prompto…” He turned to see his boyfriend with an exhaustion he couldn't hide.
Prompto swept him into a hug. Ignis followed and Gladio pulled them all into his arms as best as he could. Many tears were shed. Many whispered apologies and prayers.
“What do you need to ask us?” Ignis asked softly, twenty minutes later when Noctis’s head ached from crying.
Noctis huffed faintly before it turned into a full-blown laugh. He shuddered and rested his head on Ignis's shoulder.
“Do you guys wanna go to another star and start a chocobo ranch for the god of chocobos?” Noctis managed to giggle out in between laughs.
“Would I?!” Prompto burst out.
Noctis kept laughing and Prompto joined him.
“I would follow you to the depths of the hells if you wanted to go lava fishing.” Ignis said, sounding exasperated but so, so fond.
“Not leaving you again. Weird shit keeps happening when I leave you.” Gladio said, voice tight. “At the very least I can be there for the weird shit.”
“You guys wouldn't want… to stay?” Noctis said when the hysteria calmed a bit. “It's a whole different star. I don't know exactly what they mean by that but it's… probably a one way trip.”
“Can I leave a note for Iris?” Gladio asked immediately. “Cause if not, she'll probably find a way to cross worlds and uppercut me. But if so, I've got no problems with it.”
“I think you've done enough for this world.” Ignis said quietly. “You deserve a chance to live a normal life.”
“Iggy, you've done enough for this world too.” Prompto scoffed. “You've pretty much spearheaded organizing the remnants of humanity for the past five years.”
“As if you have not done the same.”
“May I assume,” Gentiana interrupted them gently. “That you are all in agreement then?”
Gladio scrambled to find something to leave a note on. Noctis handed over the photo he had of everyone back in Cape Caem. Gladio paused, softening. He flipped it over and began to write on Prompto's shoulder.
“I think that's a yes.” Noctis said, choked up.
“Never leaving you behind again, buddy.” Prompto said with a teary smile. “And I'm never letting you leave us behind again. We're in this together, jerk.”
“From one star to another.” Ignis breathed.
“Right.” Gladio paused seeing the blood across the throne, but set the photo on the arm and turned around. “Good to go, Majesty.”
“Where we're going, I'm not going to be your King.” Noctis said. “I don't want to be. I just… want to be your friend.”
“And maybe more?” Prompto bumped his shoulder and twined their hands together making Noctis laughed.
“Yeah. And more.” He smiled stupidly before turning to Gentiana and Dromornis. “Okay. I'm ready.”
His boyfriend and his brothers stood next to him. He felt a little less exhausted with them by his side.