A Wing of Compassion

Chapter 3: A Kinder Home

"You're taking us to our new master, right? You said she's super nice, right?" nagged a turquoise-colored kobold.

"What does she need us to do? Wash clothes? Sort pots and pans? Sweep the floors? I'm real good at sweeping floors," exclaimed a yellow one.

"How long 'til we get there? I miss having a master to serve..." mumbled a purple kobold. Pelleas wasn't entirely pleased with the incessant bugging from the twenty-something kobolds he was stewarding, but his training as a cleric had taught him a great deal of patience. Besides, he couldn't ever be mad at the adorable group of multi-colored lizards.

"Where are we going, anyway?" asked Naknak, who had been following Pelleas under the assumption that he knew where he was going.

"Well, I figure the best thing to do is to return to Lastia. Lady Leila will know what to do with all of your little friends," explained the heron. He and his new friends trudged along the lonely dirt paths of Ohm, eager to finally escape the dreadful scenery of Orya's territory. After many hours of walking and impatient quips from the horde of kobolds, Pelleas decided to set up camp before nightfall.

"We're almost to Lastia, but we'll have to stay here for the night. I don't suppose you all have anything to eat, do you? I'm getting kind of hungry, and I assume you are too..." he said, rubbing a wing over his grumbling stomach.

"Oh! We don't right now, but we're real good at making food! Just you wait, we'll have something whipped up before you know it!" exclaimed Naknak, who turned to his friends and rallied their attention.

Indeed, before he knew it, the gang of kobolds had scampered away in every direction, each performing a different task. Two or three gathered firewood from some nearby dead trees, another few grabbed flint and other rocks, yet more chased around small beasts and skewered them with sticks they had found, and still more gathered mushrooms and tubers. Pelleas watched in awe as the kobolds worked as a unit, and in no time flat had all gathered at the makeshift camp with a fire, pots and pans he had no idea where they had managed to procure, and a vast array of ingredients to cook with.

"They're such resourceful creatures... I weep at how little respect they receive from the other cliques..." he muttered. Despite everything he had learned about the kobolds, he was still astonished by their amazing skill and resourcefulness. Naknak led a group of 5 or so other kobolds in cooking, using cookware they must have brought with them from Orya's kitchens to stew, grill, braise, and roast the various ingredients they had procured. In no time at all they had made a variety of home-cooked dishes and passed them around the camp, leaving Naknak to present Pelleas with a bowl of hearty stew.

"Mistress Orya usually has us prepare nicer dishes, but us kobolds aren't too picky, so we make this when we're cooking for ourselves. I hope you're okay with kobold food!" he exclaimed. Pelleas smiled through his beak and accepted the bowl, enjoying every bit of the kobold-made stew.

Another day had passed and Pelleas and his party had finally reached Lem, the capital of Lastia. Its shining white buildings were a beacon to its avian citizens, a sign of their progress and their passion. As they entered the city, the squad of kobolds was in awe at the sight of the beautiful alabaster structures, the fountains and waterways, and the acceptance they were receiving from the citizens of Lem. While one might expect a society of clerics and philosophers to be snooty and judging of the comparably dirty and out-of-place kobolds, they instead found themselves receiving smiles and waves from the variety of birds that passed the group by. Eventually, Pelleas and the kobolds reached Leila's temple, where all were welcome. They passed through the towering ivory pillars into the great hall and into the graces of Leila, the Fragment of Compassion. Taking the appearance of a swan in a flowing white and gold dress, she was quite tall, yet had no aura of intimidation. As he entered her presence, Pelleas kneeled before the goddess, sorrowful for his failure to offer aid to the citizens of Felgrim.