Mystic or Scientific?: Chapter 1

Between Skalaness and Bardr sat the smooth lake of Reisa. The tide had chased the moon and now laid the lakebed bare; the fish flopped precariously, struggling towards their saltwater sanctuary, but having no luck whatsoever. During the day, the clouds offered little respite; The summer sun shone through them and baked the mud until it cracked. Now it was early evening, and a few scant clouds and a soft breeze blew over the flats. The sun grew closer to the horizon, and the glistening scales of stranded wildlife glowed gold.

Raoul traveled with three of his familiars today; The first was the wide-winged Veronika, her brown plumage shining in the evening light as she snapped up anything that flopped in front of her. Fish were a favorite, and the reason she decided to tag along. Next, Kaam Ya’tak trudged through the lakebed, his heavy paws sinking into the mud as he went along. He looked all the part of a big brown dog, if you looked past his huge size. He was growing older, now, and wanted to prove himself as an adult. Naturally, that meant providing, and providing meant fishing, and fishing meant...swimming. A plum-colored vayron brought up the rear, her head hung low as she glowered at her own party. Mirabelle hadn’t revealed her intentions, but Raoul could at least guess. She was still suspicious of his magic and wanted to observe. He decided to ride Veronika, since she was the most accustomed to him, and the other two were hesitant to help him for one reason or another. Especially Mirabelle.

After ten minutes or so of walking on the muddy bed, they finally reached the waterline. Veronika crooned happily, spreading her talons wide and stamping her feet in delight. She was ready for a good meal. Raoul dismounted and pulled a rod out of his saddlebag. He did his best to construct it, though it got stuck in a few places. Kaam looked at the water nervously and Mirabelle was as inscrutable as ever. Eventually, Raoul got frustrated enough that he brought out his elm wand, whispered a spell, and fixed the rod up. Mirabelle growled, “Do you do everything with magic?”

“Naturally,” replied the wizard, pretending not to notice her hostility. Veronika tilted her head, weighing the vayron up and down, then decided she was not being a threat at the moment. She waddled into the water, followed by Kaam. The water reached up to their ankles before Raoul stopped them. “Before everyone gets distracted, remember what we’re here for. Kaam is learning to swim, Veronika and I are going to sort out this fishing thing, and Mirabelle--” he paused, inspecting the vayron, “Mirabelle, you make sure Kaam doesn’t drown.”

The vayron huffed, but seemed content with her duty. She sat down in a solid-looking patch of mud, trying not to get her fur dirty. She motioned towards Kaam. “I’m watching, so get started.” Kaam nodded and tentatively took a step further into the water. Veronika watched him for a moment, then grew impatient and nudged him head-first into the deeper waters. He yelped and flailed in the water while Veronika chirped in amusement. “Nika, please don’t drown Kaam. He’s learning.” Kaam righted himself and paddled in the area, resting on his hind legs whenever he felt tired. This wasn’t turning out so bad, after all.

Raoul flicked the fishing rod back and then let the line fly forward. The reel whirred until the hook finally hit water with a plop. He glanced nervously at the Felvarg, wondering if he had cast too close to him. Beside him, Mirabelle sighed. “If he gets too close to the line, I’ll push him out of the way.”

“Thanks,” he replied. Veronika stopped teasing Kaam and spread her wings to lift off. The harpia easily took off from the water, soaring across the river and then circling around to gain altitude. The sun hid behind the horizon now, but everyone present was quite comfortable in the near-darkness. It was prime time for fishing. The tide started rising and with it the fish began to move. He stood there, staring at the line, waiting for his bobber to dip below the water.

Mirabelle huffed again. “Reel it in and keep casting. If it’s not moving, it’s not appetizing to the fish.”

“Thanks.” He didn’t need to pretend this time. He appreciated any help the vayron felt like giving him. He had learned something important, living among the cities--people needed money. Breeding beasts was beyond him, but hunting and gathering and salvaging...and perhaps a little stealing...that was a profession that suited him. If anything, learning how to fish properly would get him fewer judgemental looks from Mirabelle.

Veronika dived into the water and came up with a huge salmon in her talons. As she ascended, they both saw the dim light of an aurora dancing. It grew brighter as the sun hid further behind the horizon, its soft green and pink colors lighting up their fishing trip. Raoul spotted Mirabelle watching it, entranced. “Enjoying the view?” he asked her, petting her on the head.

She snapped at him, her teeth missing his hands by millimeters. “Not well enough to let you treat me like a dog. I’m not as patient as Brinjal.” She went back to her usual grumpy face, though her eyes were still fixed to the skies.

“About Brinjal...you like him, don’t you? You look at him the same way you look at that.” Raoul tried to focus on casting the line in and out while he waited for an answer; He wanted to catch more than Veronika, but wasn’t doing very well at all. The harpia had formed a sizable pile next to him--and that pile didn’t include anything she gulped down. Meanwhile he only had two small morsels.

“And if I do?” came her reply.

“Well...I wish you luck. You two would be cute together. I wonder if I’d get a bunch of cute familiars if you two--”

“You have a distorted view of love and friendship, you know?” Mirabelle interrupted. She basked in the glow of the aurora. “Can’t you appreciate something for what it is? Something simple, something beautiful, something without any purpose except to be? Relationships are just as ephemeral as the aurora, you know. You’d do well to remember that.”

Raoul smiled as he reeled in his third catch. “Alright, miss poet.” He still felt a bit excited about the prospect of a dozen mini-Brinjals running around. How big was a litter of vayrons, anyways? Ten? Fifteen?

A yelp brought everyone’s attention back to the water. Kaam barely had his nose above the surface. He wasn’t making any splashing noises, but that was only because all four of his legs were flailing frantically underneath the water. Mirabelle leapt into the lake, easily reaching the Felvarg and pulling him up by the nape of his neck. The direwolf panted and relaxed his legs, his body exhausted from the task of just staying alive. He felt like jelly as he was pulled ashore. The tide rose high enough that his legs lost purchase of the lakebed; From there, he struggled. So much for learning how to swim.

Mirabelle set him down and inspected him head-to-toe for any injuries. Veronika landed and joined her, then Raoul. All they found was a scraggly mess that was just happy to be on solid ground, and a bit cramped from all the attention. “Don’t swim too deep when you’re learning,” she hissed.

“Sorry,” mumbled the Felvarg, “I didn’t mean to.” He barely talked, so the admission carried extra weight.

Mirabelle’s expression softened and she licked some of his fur back into place. “Well, mistakes happen. That’s why everyone’s here to help you and watch over you. Let’s just get somewhere dry and enjoy the view for the rest of the night. We can enjoy a good meal caught by--”

They all turned to glance at the piles--or, at least, where the piles used to be. They were swallowed by the tides and swimming freely. What was the lucky day for those fish turned into a hungry evening for the rest of them. Still, once they reached the regular lakeshore and set up a fire, Raoul couldn’t help but feel lucky himself. He was surrounded by kindness, crankiness, and curiosity. What more could he ask for? The lights above them danced and he felt closer to the sky than ever before.