L [o/i] ve is a journey

Change of Season | Moron

Lunaris sat exhausted within the rock formation that was part of the wall. The guards had finally dragged him down here, after they had ordered him a mulitude of times to get a break. His anxiety kept him up, running, ignoring his own exhaustion, even if he to Nerivie promised to take it slow, he just couldn't.

So many thoughts have been racing through his head, and they didn't stand still, why should he?

But now, he was not only ordered to get some rest, but also, forced to. And so he sat with a bunch of food from the vendor stands that either hid here or have been always and a big cup of juice nearby the entrance they called „the zoo" and stuffed his face in a very hungry manner.

The zoo was just an area, where the rescued animals where kept. It really was everything: A good sized fire salamander they named Urstan, that was big enough to be saddled and ridden into whatever battle one wouldn't expect a mount like that.

Hedgie, the Fairy-eared hedgehog he healed earlier, that grunted, and seemed to smell his presence- and the food. His spiky friend had a curious colour, beige, white, and yellow to brown coloured spikes, with big ears Lunaris suspected the species got their name from.

Cassandra, the Sandnatter, that smelled all her usual prey animals, but pretented not to care, and was sleeping the whole time, only now and then waking up to see if they delivered an unfortunate cow for a snack. Because man, that snake was big enough to eat a cow. At least this was Lunaris' impression the first time he saw it.

Chucky, the Red Bald-Rock Squirrel. Lunaris hadn't figured out how such a fluffy animal was called bald and rock, but maybe it wasn't about the animal itself, but the place it lived. Well, it was a small, nearly two meter large ball of floof with big ears, big eyes, and a long, extremly fluffy tail. His fur had a white and black stripe going down its neck to the tip of the tail. Really small creature, compared with Cassandra and the three toad sisters, that shadowed Urstan in comparsion, and made Lunaris feel strangely happy snakes like Cassandra existed.

Yes, they also fished three giant toads from the waters. Because they came from different areas, North, West and South, this is what their names was: Norani, Wabi and Sutre. These animals, for whose beauty was indeed in the view of the beholder, had been lying in a hollow filled with mud and water since their arrival. The sheer size of the toad sisters was already a questionable matter, their bright colors and frighteningly delicate and detailed patterning would make them, with an appropriate saddle and other riding equipment, truly fabulous war "horses".

If they didn't prefer to sit around muddy dirt and move as little as possible.

There were a lot more animals: mice that were better in jumping than running, hamsters, rabbits, a few ground birds- all animals that he only had know to fit in his hands previously, but never expected them to be the size of a large dog or even larger.

Isn't it fascinating how nature sat in this desert and thought: „fuck it, make it bigger!"? he thought, while sipping of his cup. Usually, scarces food resources make animals smaller. Doesn't it mean that there is loads of food out there and people just don't know?

He pondered over it, and didn't come to a conclusion. Sure, he had read over the fauna and flora, but how could a fat cheeked hamster the size of a large dog exist? How did this work out? Was the oasis so vast, and they just didn't know it? Was it connected to the same magic Nerivie and he found in the labyrinth, that created the slimes? The magic that might have been part of the old, sunken kingdom?

He was so sunken in thoughts, he didn't notice the arrival of the newbie.

„Hey man, sorry to distrub you, where did you get the snacks?" a voice asked him and he snapped out of the question his mind threw at him and looked up.

It was him.

The magician Nerivie talked to. Suddenly, the whispering voice of his mind returned, and he disliked it, really much. Lunaris suddenly felt the urge to just point into a random direction, to get rid of the unwanted visitor, but then remembered that the stranger also was hired for a service, and they might require his help.

Lunaris pointed at his throat and shook his head, like he was already used to. No need to let him know he could only studder single words.

„Aw, man, you can't talk!? That sucks!" he said.

Lunaris stuffed the last piece of the sandwich into his mouth and cleaned his hands. Well, back to writing.

Lunaris pulled the notebook and the pencil from his back, when he was stopped by the newcomer: „That's no use. I cannot read. Nor can I write."

WHAT?! Lunaris stared the man down, eyes wide open, How did you learn your spells then??How did you learnt anything?!

„I know, that's a weird thing to say from a magician who are supposed to read a lot of books, but my family soley consists of magician with water affiliation. Call it fate. So, all the spells come down orally. We are only supposed to leave when we know them all. And to come back when we created 5 new ones."

WHAT? Are you gonna tell me you don't read any book on your travels, and just come up with new ones? Who the fuck are you?!

„Well, the basic elements are so easy to master anyway, I am sure Nerivie also has no issue with that."

Lunaris gasped, as he has been offended. What is this moron talking about? Nerivie worked very hard, and she was just great! She learnt reading, writing, and reads EVERY book that just has the potential to teach her a new spell, even if she can't use it. She even learnt how to handle water, which is her total opposite of affiliation! She tries so hard to master and understand magic as a whole, fuck, she even tries to understand light magic, just to help me out! And you moron pretent it's some kid's play? Are you fucking serious?

The smug look on the face of this moron infuriated him even more. Like, he was so used to be praised for his illiteracy and all. Like the only thing he knew wasn't the achievement of his anchestors, and his anchestors alone! Lunaris wanted to yell at him, to take his egocentric ass and take it somewhere else, but the damn word never left his throat, like always.

Was I really jealous of a moron like him? The only way Neri replaces me for him would be as her apprentice, because she pities his stupidity so much, that she teaches him to be humble and modest! I am secondary to his arrogance and stupidity! I can't believe that!

Lunaris eyebrow twitched, and he just showed him into the direction he got his food from. There were plenty places to get food from.

„Thanks man!" the water magician said, and turned to leave, then stopped and turned around: „I am sorry for chewing your ear off! Your name is Lunaris, right? Nerivie told me earlier. I am Corsa."

Yes, yes, leave me alone, moron! Lunaris just nodded approvingly and waved.

Corsa smiled and left the area around „the zoo".

Lunaris listened to the silence, broken with the occasional animal sound. The gurgling water thundered against the outside wall of the rock, and the sounds of the angry water echoed in the hollowed-out rock.

An unpleasant feeling.

But not as unpleasant as being jealous at a moron.