The Bride of the Fire Fox God

Chapter Four: A God and his Village

Underneath the various foxes, strange symbols were etched into the material. Even with the firelights (as I had now taken to calling the spheres), I struggled to understand or make them out. "Hey Reven? What are these symbols?" I gestured to the red structure. I know he said there was no warning, but I hope it's not some weird ritual or something.

"It is written Nevrithilese," Reven answered leaning his head back slightly to look, "it reads 'Orim, Village of the Fire Fox God'". Well that's a relief.

"So no weird thing we have to do to pass? We can just walk right in?"

Reven's golden eyes appraised me with amusement. "Unfortunately. I apologise for any disappointment Nyla."

"Well, while a strange ceremony to pass into Orim would have topped off my night, I think I can live without it," I grinned back.

"That is reassuring" Reven responded, his tails flexing as he spoke. Steadily he stepped towards the red structure and passed under the magnificent carvings, before turning to me. "Will you come Nyla?" My eyes swept over the pillars and firelights as the night air gently caressed my form. Whatever was waiting for me in Orim couldn't be worse then what I'd already had to face in the forests of Nevrithil. Besides, Reven did say his village was a place of safety. Before I knew it, my feet had crossed underneath the structure so that once again, I stood with Reven. "Yes, I think I will."

****

Why does everywhere in Nevrithil take so long to get to? Once again, we had been walking for an unnecessarily long time. "I thought that was the entrance?" I called to Reven, who was a little way in front of me.

"It is," he called back, ears flicking.

"Then where is Orim? In my world, an entrance usually means whatever you're entering, is there directly after stepping through it." Not walking for another five miles.

"Perhaps your world is safer than this one," Reven pondered.

"What do you mean?"

"You recall we passed under the entrance with ease?" Reven turned to face me, slowing his steps so I could easily catch up.

"Yes, so?"

"The villagers can come and go as they please, along with any visitors. There is no great protection magic or wards. If someone needed to return to Orim urgently, protection incants would take too long to undo and allow them to pass. It could cost them their life."

"So if they were being chased by a molcrom for example?"

"Precisely," Reven confirmed, "it is a risk I am not willing to take." The gold of his eyes seemed to harden as his mouth pressed into a firm line, his expression a strange mix of serious and distant at the same time. It was obvious he cared about those in his village and any potential visitors. The responsibility must be quite a weight to bear.

"Hey, I may not have much experience with gods, having never met one before today, but I think the people of Orim are very fortunate to have you as theirs." I smiled as Reven met my eyes.

"And why would that be?" he asked, confusion settling over his tone.

"Well, if I was a villager, I'd want a god that cared for my village and all the people in it. Whether they were young or old, short or tall, rich or poor. A god that would take into consideration that while protection things may seem like a good idea, they would be impractical in a life or death situation. A god that creates incredible things so people can find their way in the dark. You know, a god like you." I shrugged as though it was evident to everyone. It probably is obvious to everyone but him. The shock spreading across Reven's face further supported my theory.

"I had not thought of it like that before," he muttered.

"Maybe no one thought to point it out before," I murmured back, the impression starting to form in my mind that Reven was perhaps seen as a guarantee. He certainly seemed underappreciated. "Anyway," I continued hoping to draw the conversation back to a lighter topic, "I thought you said the firelights keep Orim safe? If that's true, then why the need for this exceedingly long dirt path?"

"Firelights?" Reven questioned with half a grin.

"That's what I'm calling them,"

"Very well. To answer your question Nyla, they do provide some degree of safety. Molcroms fear fire and the lights serve as a deterrent. They will not approach what they fear. However, if they are in a determined pursuit, a molcrom will disregard its own safety in favour of food, depending on how desperate it is."

The memory of Reven throwing fireballs at the disgusting creature before it became blackened ash danced in the forefront of my mind. "Do you think they fear fire because you keep annihilating them with it?"

A grin that could only be described as "devilish" worked its way onto Reven's face. "It's a possibility."

"Ok, well if I could just pull you out of your molcrom killing revelry for a minute, what does this path do if one ignores the fire?"

"Molcroms may be determined, but they do not have much endurance. A long path such as this would exhaust it before the creature even made it to the village. They then determine that the pursuit is not worth the effort and return to the forests for an easier meal."

"Huh," was all I could muster to say while I digested the information. Looks like I've got a lot to learn about Nevrithil. "And what about exhausting mere mortals such as me?"

"You are doing much better than a molcrom Nyla,"

"Really? How can you tell?" I gasped out as we continued up a hill incline, the added effort of walking at an angle causing my lungs to cry for mercy. Reven on the other hand, was unruffled. Stupid god stamina.

"Because you've made it to Orim." He gestured in front with one clawed hand as his tails curled around his back.

"Seriously?" I panted, my eyes following the movement of his claws. Just through the various shrubbery and tree lines, I could make out lighter wooden structures. Each one seemed fairly large, with straw like roofs. However, the straw material was mottled green and yellow, having the strange effect of both blending in and standing out from the surrounding forests. There were some structures that were higher than others, and my eyes detected stilt like foundations underneath these. There were some red constructions as well, one what appeared to be the centre and a bigger one further away, thought I couldn't tell what they were. Flicking my eyes to Reven, his face held a hint of pride as he gazed in the same direction at Orim. He really loves this place my mind whispered.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We didn't come all this way just to look at it!" I grinned causing Reven to smile back.

"Very true," Reven began, walking a few more paces before turning his head to look at me, still rooted in place and trying to catch my breath. "Do you think you'll be able to keep up?"

"Of course I will!" Unless there's some sort of pitfall trap that he's forgotten to mention. "Just watch!" I continued forcing my legs to move, albeit not at great speed. Reven shook his head, hiding half a grin under his messy fox coloured hair. "It's this robe thing that's slowing me down, nothing to do with the fact I don't exercise!"

"Of course Nyla, of course."

"Just because you have god endurance doesn't mean the rest of us do. Mere mortals vary from Olympic standard to semi-nothing. I just happen to be in the semi-nothing category."

"I shall bear that in mind. I am to assume "Olympic standard" is good in your world?"

"Yeah, the Olympics are an international athletic and sports competition where competitors train for years in their specific field to be the best of the best. Do you have anything like that in Nevrithil?"

"Not in sports."

"Oh? Then what..." my words drifted off as we stepped through a large opening between two entwined trees and straight into the centre of Orim. Where every villager just happened to be staring at us.