The Unknown Alchemist

Chapter 14 - Back from the dead

"Roedin! Roedin! Come on, open your eyes!"

It was Arctos yelling in his face. Roedin's eyes snapped open and he instantly reached for the bear's throat. Arctos' eyes bulged and he grabbed Roedin's forearm.

Hayden lunged between the two faunids, pushing them apart. The three males struggled but Roedin was too weak to put up much of a fight. Hayden and Arctos soon had him pinned to the bed.

"Roe! Look at me!" Hayden ordered. "Look at me, it's alright. It was a dream but you're here now. We're here."

Roedin was breathing hard and sweating. His scanned the room for any threat but saw only the concerned faces of his brothers leaning over him. Arctos' nose was bleeding down into his beard. Roedin deflated into the mattress; he groaned and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he panted. "I'm sorry. I thought...I was there and couldn't...but then the fox..."

Arctos and Hayden released Roedin and sat back.

"Don't worry about it, Roe. It was a dream," Hayden reassured.

There was a light rap on the door and Sari stepped into the room. Worry and sadness etched her face. There were dark circles under her eyes and she wrung her hands.

"Roedin, are you alright?" she asked.

Roedin nodded but didn't say anything. She hesitated and looked to Arctos and Hayden.

"The human girl--" she whispered.

Roedin eyed all three of them, panic growing in his chest.  "No. Please, no," he pleaded with her. She couldn't be dead. She had survived so much and was free now. She needed to live.

Sari shook her head and a smile came to her face.

"The fever broke."

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Roedin and Arctos wandered through the market, Roedin favouring his injured leg. The limp was minor but both the surgeon and the vet recommended walking to strengthen the muscles.

"But no long distances right out the gate. And certainly no cross-country!" Petra had ordered.

Roedin had nodded obediently, anxious to get out of the house. He had been cooped up for so long, would have agreed to crawl along the nasty boardwalks of The Delta if he had to.

Now he and his brother strolled between the market stalls, taking in the colourful diversity of both product and customer. The two half-faunids made an impressive pair. Arctos' Ursid blood gave him impressive height and strength. Not as a much as a full-blooded Ursid but his barrel-chest and powerful arms and legs made him fearsome in battle. Millennia ago, sorcerers were keen to add a vicious carnivore to their army but failed to understand the bear's true nature was laziness and good-natured fun. Ursids were incredibly dangerous when riled, particularly the females with cubs, but not the ferocious killers the sorcerers had expected. When it came to conflict Arctos preferred a pint and an arm-wrestle rather than a fight. Though he took his post as captain of the city guard seriously, citizens of Corinth had warmed to the jolly Ursid.

Roedin's dark exterior was harder to crack. Though still weak from his ordeal, he carried himself proudly, his pointed ears always tuned into the whispers around him. His muscled body was not as broad as Arctos, lighter so could easily take to the sky. His sensitive wings were his most vulnerable feature and he kept them tucked in tightly to his back. The clawed tips added to his height, creating an intimidating silhouette in the night. Though polite and thoughtful Roedin's smiles were reserved for only the very worthy. The brothers were a balance of light and dark that were popular in common sapien society.