Chapter 4: "Good Morning, Sunshine"

Caseus awoke the next morning to the sounds of the forest: birds chirping, pterosaurs calling, insects buzzing. Early morning sunlight filtered through the trees, and he felt a mild breeze on his bare skin.

He sat up, and examined where he and Shawk had apparently stopped for the night. It was on the edge of a small clearing covered in clover, surrounded by the dense forest of beech, cypress and juniper trees that covered the northern slopes of the Dumaz Mountains. The forest sloped down for miles toward the capital city of Dargišus. From up here, Caseus could see the long, graceful necks of a Brachiosaurus herd poking through the treetops.

So we made it through the pass, he thought. While he no longer totally blacked out during his nightly… episodes, he still had a hard time remembering everything.

Caseus looked down beside him. His clothes lay nearly folded beside him. Well, as neatly as a creature without opposable thumbs could manage.

Good old Shawk.

The young man stood to get dressed. He'd grown used to this, waking up naked and with little memory of the night before. Of course, since he usually ended up spending his nights away from civilization, there was no concern of being seen.

Gods, I could really go for a pint of ale today, Caseus thought. Money was definitely a little tight with the pay cut he’d just taken in Zab, but he could probably afford at least one cup. And after that debacle, a drink would be a welcome distraction.

He began to dress, examining his kaunakes as he pulled them on. The skirt-like, sheep skin garment was truly approaching the end, frayed and deteriorating at the edges, and-

A high-pitched shriek from behind made Caseus spin around. He saw nobody, but heard the sound of shuffling behind a cypress stump. For a moment, he cursed himself for having left his khopesh sheathed and in the cart, but then what need did a Beast have for a weapon?

“Hello? Is someone there?” he called out. It hadn't sounded like the shriek of an animal or Beast.

“Yes!” a female voice responded from behind the stump.

Caseus sighed in relief. Then he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: embarrassment. After all, the girl had likely gotten a good look at his rear.

“Are you decent now?” the voice called.

Oh yes, she saw. His face was flushed thoroughly red.

“Y-yes!” he responded as he pulled his vest on. He had forgotten what it felt like to be so flustered.

The voice's owner emerged from her hiding place. “Striking” was the first word that came to Caseus’s mind when he saw her. “Foreigner” was the second.

The girl was probably 17 or 18 years old, maybe a little older or younger if he had to guess. Freckles dotted her currently blushing cheeks, while luscious red hair fell past her shoulders. She wore a simple cloth dress dyed a vibrant teal color. A necklace adorned with feathers, twigs and shells seemed to be the only bit of jewelry she wore.

A traveler from up north, or across the sea? he wondered. Simple, yet also gaudy. Enoménos was not completely closed off to outsiders, but they typically stayed close to the coastal port towns. Not to mention, such a vibrant dress was not commonly seen on immigrants and visitors, apart from foreign nobility.

“Who are you?” Caseus asked sternly. “What do you want?” The girl had now piqued his suspicion; his embarrassment had faded, and his guard was up.

“Who are you to be so demanding?” came the girl's reply. She too seemed to have moved past her embarrassment, putting her hands on her hips.

“After all, which of us was indecent in the presence of a fair maiden? Honestly, how am I ever to be married now?”

“Apologies, I thought I was alone. But if I may ask, how long was such a supposedly fair maiden watching? I did not hear you approach.”

Again her cheeks flared red. She clenched her fists at her side.

“Why you boarish-”

“Is everything alright, my lord? I heard a voice and-” Shawk's voice interrupted. The pachycephalosaur emerged from around a boulder, the berry juice dripping from his beak indicating he'd been helping himself to breakfast.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Caseus felt unsure what to say. Was this strange girl as opposed to Beasts as some of those Zab villagers? What would she think if he spoke to Shawk in front of her?

The silence was mercifully broken when the girl collapsed to her side with a yelp. She clutched her right ankle, which Caseus only now noticed was purple and swollen.

“Are you okay?” he rushed to her side, crouching down beside her.

“Yes, only, I think my ankle is hurt.” The girl winced as she attempted to move her foot.

Caseus chuckled, a little incredulous at that understatement. Now that he was beside her, he could see that it was more than just her ankle: her feet were bare, and covered in dozens of small cuts and bruises. One of her toenails looked to be splintered, while her calves were likewise criss-crossed with red streaks.

“Where did you come from? This is hardly the kind of country to trek barefoot in your nightie.”

“My lord, I would advise being cautious,” Shawk said as he trotted over. “After all, she is clearly from across the sea…”

The girl eyed Shawk as he took his spot beside Caseus, though she showed no fear.

“Is this your Stone Head then?” she asked. She looked him up and down as if appraising him.

“Yes, you could say that,” Caseus said as he gently probed her ankle. She winced at the touch. Shawk said nothing more, but gave a low guttural rumble, which he sometimes did to show discomfort. He had also wrapped the end of his tail around Caseus's waist.

“Well, he seems very protective of his… master,” the girl said.

Shawk didn't speak, but snorted.

“Yes, he certainly can be,” Caseus said. In the back of his mind, he wondered if perhaps she could understand Shawk. He glanced at the smashed toe nail.

“How did you manage to hurt yourself so?”

“I was running to get help, when I came to a fast creek. My foot got stuck under a rock, and I slipped.”

“Help?” Caseus felt his suspicion aroused again. “What manner of help do you need?”

Suddenly, it was as if a switch had flipped, and the cautious face the girl had put on vanished.

“Yes! Help! It’s my mother, she’s in danger!”

“What kind of danger?”

“It is… complicated,” the girl said. “There was a fight with a Venator and a Beast, and mother was caught up in it! I am on my way to Padtū to seek help.”

Caseus sighed, stroking his chin as he stood. So much for getting a drink today.

“Well, you are quite lucky, m’lady. I am a Venator from Soledad. Harada, at your service.”

The girl gave him an odd look, fidgeting. Her demeanor had shifted slightly, as if she was suddenly nervous.

“I have never heard of Soledad, nor of you. The situation is more… complex than it sounds. I do not mean to be rude, but how do I know I can trust you?”

Shawk snorted. “I do not like this, sir.” He shook his head, a lot like an agitated horse. “I would advise against this.”

Caseus sighed, rubbing his temples. Both of them clearly didn’t want him to get involved, and yet… When he looked at the girl, he was intrigued. There was clearly more going on than she was telling, and if there was a way to diffuse a fight between a Beast and a Venator…

Without another word, he bent down and scooped the girl up, cradling her princess-style.

“H-HEY! What do you think you are doing?!” the girl shouted. She began swatting and hitting Caseus as he turned towards Shawk.

“You should hardly be walking with such an injury. You may not know me, but you should consider yourself lucky it was me you met.” With that, he sat her on Shawk’s back.

The elder pachycephalosaur was just as shocked as his new passenger.

“My lord!” he bellowed. “Please I must advise against this-”

“Why should I consider myself lucky? How conceited can one be?! What kind of-”

“QUIET! Both of you!” Caseus snapped. Then, he softened his voice. “True, you do not know me. This meeting has been… hardly dignified.”

The girl blushed, as if images of his body were flashing through her mind again.

“But.” Caseus’s voice was firm again. “I am not the kind of man to turn his eye to the fighting of Venators and Beasts, nor to the plight of a fair maiden. Whatever the situation may be, I shall save your mother. I give you my word.”

His words were as much directed at Shawk as they were to the girl. Shawk gave a sigh. The girl looked him over, her expression softening as if sincerely reconsidering. Then, she nodded.

“Very well, I accept your hand in aid, Harada of Soledad. I am Arabella Talita.” She added, “And know that I intend to hold you to your word.”