Dark Stag Ch. 07

"They have scent hounds tracking Kijus down and I know the scent hounds will end up here. If you have anything that will let them know that Kijus was here I'd recommend you hand it to us before they come." I said. Mercury looked around, perplexed and frustrated by the news. He clenched his head, sighing heavily.

"So...?" He asked, unsure what this all meant.

"I'm going to an outpost just outside the walls of the city. Rejon and your other stag will be there... Canyon Miran." I said.

"Canyon Miran?" He asked.

"Yeah... have you heard from Kijus?" I asked.

"No, I've been waiting for him to write me but..I haven't gotten anything..."

"Me either."

"Well that isn't too good of a sign. Can Bazahra even sneak into the brothel?"

"I would ask her if I knew Illisian." I sighed.

"Yeah this is becoming difficult..." Mercury said, obviously having his issues with the plan.

"Yeah, but we'll take the two stags and bring them back to you when the coast is clear." I said.

"Well, Bastion has barely any training yet so you can't ride him out. Rejon is very unpredictable around horses." Mercury advised.

"I know how to handle Rejon." Roi chimed in. Mercury looked at him for a long while before responding.

"I hope so... I'm not having the best of luck with him..." Mercury sighed, full of disappointment.

"Things are pretty bad a home but I'll try to help you if I can... We're all in pretty hot water as is but... This needs to be done." I said. Mercury looked at me with a bit of skepticism and dislike. His honey colored eyes just could see through you, see your insides, what you were about. All and all, he was terrifying. I didn't know how I was able to maintain eye contact with him.

"If you can..." He responded, his tone dry and confrontational.

I untied Rejon and led him out of the stables. As soon as he saw the much larger plowing horse, he grew tense. However, this wasn't the same animal that it was a few months ago. That Rejon would have dug his horns right into the flank of this horse. This Rejon was...cautious and full of reluctance but not at all hostile.

Taking a risk, I released his reins. This creature could have charged the horse then and there, trampling over me in the process but he simply chuffed and turned his head. It was a testament to his level of understanding. Roi exited the stable after me, leading Bastion through the doors. Rejon, completely turned away at the sight of the younger stag. All it did was made me wonder...how did Rejon truly feel about these creatures? I'd never know...

Roi looked at me, utterly confused.

"How the hell are we going to get not only these two antelope to Canyon Miran, but these horses as well?"

"We can let my horse go. He'll go right back to the stable like we weren't even there. I'm mounting up Rejon. You will lead the young antelope by horseback and reins." I told him.

Mercury came out of the door, overhearing us.

"You don't have to do that. Whistle a quartet down scales and he'll follow. He's wired that way." He chimed in, holding Rejon's saddle. He handed it to me.

"Thanks." I responded before turning to Roi, "You heard him?"

"Yeah, whistle quartets and both stags 'll follow." He said. He extend out his hand to Brija, pulling her up on the back of the horse. As he began to ride forward, he turned to me, "Hey Ricky..."

"Yeah?"

"I don't think it's a good idea... Let the two stags follow us. Take the horse with you incase something goes wrong." He said.

"You may be right...but Mercury..." I said, turning to him, "Is there anything here that would get you caught? I need you to think long and hard. We're in some pretty steep shit."

"OH!" He said, rushing back up the stairs. A few seconds later, he returned with Kijus's satchel, "All of his journals and all of his money is in this."

"That's all?" I asked. He thought long and hard on it.

"That's all, really." He said, unable to remember much of anything. As for why he didn't go and look for certain was beyond me. The man obviously had a lot on his plate, was beyond stressed, and I didn't want to bother him any further. I nodded with a grin as I placed the small saddle on Rejon. I untied my horse, getting back on it, heading towards Roi. He faced the the antelope, whistling the quartet of down scales repetitiously.

The young stag gave a flat bugle in return, shaking its head, eager to follow. Rejon followed after him, holding his head parallel to the ground. I knew little of anything about these creatures but I was certain of one thing. Rejon was not very happy at this moment and it was rather terrifying having a creature around us we were rather ignorant about. It made him all the more unpredictable.

Nonetheless, we galloped out as fast as the horses could run. The antelopes were barely breaking a trot, let alone putting forth any effort to maintain these thirty mile and hour speeds. In fact it appeared Rejon and Bastion were enjoying themselves, obviously the first time they got to extend their legs in a good long while. Both shook their heads, leapt and kicked, a sign of joy amongst bovines, cervines and equines. For these creatures, it was clear now. Running meant freedom. I could tell these dark stags were creatures of a lot of promise, far more intelligent than any bovine I've had the pleasure of meeting.

The only thing was that, Rejon was trained in Illisian, not English. In fact, half the time, Kijus would whistle at Rejon and Rejon would do something. From what I've seen, Bastion also responded to these whistles and as Mercury stated, these creatures are simply wired to do so. So maybe, if I could tap into this language of whistles, I'd have a better chance of understanding how these creatures worked. Surely Mercury would need as much help as he could get.

We reached the rear fence of Black Pastures and exited the Ion Sub Division. The Route we took was discreet, down alleys and back roads until we reached the main corridor. We passed into the lower ring without incident, only to see the streets were too jammed to maintain pace. I was not very familiar with these parts but I did know how to get out of here. We'd have to count on the incredibly powerful rear quarters of the plowing horse to get us up on the roof tops. We knew already the stags could make the distance.

I took the lead, veering around the congested streets looking for the shortest building.

"What are you doing?" Roi asked.

"Follow me!" I said as I saw an open trolley with several crates parked on the side of a vending stand. The horse galloped forward, people leaping out of the way, risking the brunt of those fearsome hooves. It ran up the open trolley, using the crates as steps to get on top of the vending stand. From there, the horse was able to make the forty feet of distance to the roof tops of the countless warehouses that lined these streets.

I stopped the horse as I stood on the roof top. The fact that a two thousand pound creature could leap nearly forty feet vertically was just super uncanny. Roi and Brija were close behind as well as the two antelope. From that point on, it was a straight shot to the the outermost perimeter. We ran the rooftops straight south, leaping from building to building. The outermost perimeter was getting closer and closer.

After a few minutes later, we reached it. We leapt the twenty feet of distance and before I could react, we were over the eighty feet of wall. I braced for the impact of the ground, fearing our end but the horses kept running. It went to show that compared to the normal quarter horses we rode, these giant plowing horses were extremely durable.

Roi, Brija and the two stags were close behind, Brija screaming the entire way to the ground.We continued to run as fast as the horses legs could carry for the next hour, eventually reaching Canyon Miran. It was a grand outpost in the middle of the White Badlands built into the valleyside. There, I had friends I knew could be trusted.

We entered the small town. It had one central road, cobbled with strange stones, ending at a sheer cliff face within the small canyon. On each side, were clay and tin buildings, some of them warehouses, some homes, some trading outposts. They ran up all throughout the height of the canyon, recessing more into the gorge wall the higher up the buildings got. It made this entire town, built in the smallest gulley within a massive canyon, look like the steps of a amphitheater. The entire town of Miran was so recessed that if one did not know this canyon well, they'd never find it.

In our discussion, Kijus and I decided that if things went wrong, this would be our junction. It was the safest place to interact with one another considering it was only twenty minutes from Temptation City. I doubt my father would want to venture into the Emerald Canyon Network. Creatures of your worst nightmares called the porous caves and deep cracks in the valleys home.

These thoughts were all on my mind as I led everyone to the rear of the Canyon to a long time trader I knew. He was our age, standing about five foot ten, and had a physique I'd kill or die for. However, you'd never know because all he'd wear were eastern robes that covered him from head to toe. His hair was black, slicked back into a neat low slung ponytail, showing off his bronzed skin and chiseled cheekbones. I couldn't say he was remarkably handsome but he was definitely...pretty... not to my taste though. Oh, and he was straight....

He came out of his outpost with a broad smile, both hands behind his back. He glided across the ground on the most airy of footsteps as we came near.

"Ricky!" He said. Roi who was right beside me, looked in confusion.

"You two know each other?"

"Yeah, he'd get my shipments for falconry equipment and ride them into town, handing them to me personally." I said, "He, Gou."
"What brings you to my parts?" He asked, seeming to float across the ground. His fluid movements caught both Roi and Brija off guard. They watched his feet, wondering how in this barren Earth, this boy could switch between both feet without his shoulders jostling in the slightest. It was all very funny but still, we had important matters at hand.

"I need your help." I said. Gou looked at the stags, growing interest.

"Want me to sell them?" He asked.

"No, I want you to keep them for a while...If...if it won't be too big of a deal." I said. Gou looked at us all for a long time, assessing us from head to toe. The concerns were growing as the boy stood, void of any emotion. Even Rejon and Bastion could pick up on the uncertainty, tensions riding completely on Gou.

The Boy turned and walked straight towards the outcrop he stood in front of. He looked around before kicking the clay wall. The wall began to split as though there was a small earthquake. it continued to do so, revealing a tall metal door. He turned to us.

"Come on..." He said, walking in. Roi and I looked at each other before following him in. Roi whistled, the stags following after us.

This secret tunnel was strange, carved out by giant drilling machines and supported by woven titanium mesh. He led us through this expansive compound to an underground pin. He opened the gate, letting me and Roi pass through with the horses and stags. He then closed the gate behind him.

"Now tell me," He said turning to face us all, "How the hell did you manage to get two black stags?"

"They are not mine... I'm holding them for someone but don't have anywhere to put them. This is the first place that came to mine...you..know what they are?" I asked.

"Of course I know what they are. I used to live in the Lower Blessed Lands by Tanzania. Black Stag are all the African's ride there. You'll get laughed at if you ride in town with a horse.." He said, "How'd whoever you're holding these things for get ahold of them?"

"They are Illisians..." I explained.

"Wow," Gou chuckled, "And what exactly have you gotten yourself in..." He stopped mid sentence as two silver bolts shot into the pin. It was Bazahra and Silver.

"They are with us too." I laughed, "Do you know what these are?"

"I have no idea... Never saw a raptor that sized before except Haast Eagle's from New Zealand...but Haast Eagles are not really...silver." He said, mesmerized by the beauty of Bazahra and Silver, "Anyways, what's going on?"

"My father is searching for someone I'm trying to hide and these stags have a crucial tie into the situation so I'm...I've been given the duty to protect them...as well as the raptor." I said, trying to be as vague as possible.

"The smaller raptor is mine..." Roi said.

"Well don't you all look exhausted... Come up stairs so we can sort this matter out more." Gou said, pitying us. I hopped off of the plowing hose, the creature wincing in pain. Inspecting it, seeing that it wasn't completely unscathed from the eighty foot drop. It's leg was injured, but I couldn't tell how serious it was. I led the horse through the caral to a tie up post, noticing the slightest limp to it. This was by no means a good sign.

Roi and Brija did the same, their horse limping even more than mine. Roi looked at his horse's knee, seeing that it's left knee was swollen badly.

"Fuck..." He sighed.

"Let's...let's rally up Rejon and Bastion..." I sighed, this being an unsuspected thorn in the mission's side. As I approached Rejon, he whistled and trotted away.

"Rejon!" I called out. The stag continued to be evasive.

"I'm going after Bastion." Roi said, as he approached the young antelope. Bastion shook his head wildly kicking into the air. He fled from Roi, obviosuly thinking this was a game. Roi simply stopped not even bothering. The speedy animal, then burst out into a sprint, stopping just in front of Rejon. The dissipation of momentum was so great Bastion skidded across the ground, rolling onto his side with a huge thud. Rejon stood in full alert.

The playful Bastion, got onto his wrists and ankles crawling towards Rejon in a wriggling fashion. He acted like an antelope fawn, ridiculously cute and playful. He continued inching towards the powerful Rejon, before the two reared up onto their hind legs, trading powerful blows with their hooves. The scuffle looked rather serious and considering their size and strength I did not want to be near it. I backed away as Rejon began to dominate the slightly smaller and less vicious Bastion.

"This isn't good..." I said, unsure how to break up the two from fighting. All I could do was hope that Rejon wouldn't drop those five foot long horns and skewer the poor Bastion.

Just as Rejon began to plow through Bastion with his powerful hoof blows, he stopped. His hind legs kicked high into the air, almost flipping over entirely. He began shaking his head wildly, as Bastion took advantage of the added leverage he gained against Rejon. Bastion reared up, kicking wildly, not as precise as Rejon's deliberate blows. Still though, Rejon took off in a sprint, in the opposite direction to the scuffle. Bastion was close behind. The opposite direction was directly at us. Roi, Brija and I had to run to avoid the three thousand pounds of sheer muscle careening towards us. Just as we got ready to brace for the impact, the two stags changed direction running tight circles around the carel, both kicking joyfully, leaping and bounding with loud bugles and head shakes. This was all just a game, a dangerous game...

We followed Gou up the stairs to his accommodations. He took off his silent slippers placing them just at the door way. We did the same. He opened his door letting us in first. His grandmother sat in the center of the living space on pillows, siping scalding tea. His home was very open from the kitchen, to the living space, to the dining room. The floors were eastern bamboo and the walls were a gorgeous matte plaster. There were water color trims on the wall as well as intricate vertical artwork, again an Eastern thing.

Gou led us up the stairs to his room. He slid open his door, waiting for us to venture in. His room traded the gorgeous bamboo flooring for ebony flooring. He also had West African prints on his wall, prints from thousands of years ago. His room layout was open, just like the downstairs living space. His bed was made of ebony, his comforter set orange and black, painting this gorgeous mural of some kind.

His bed though, was so far away. Also, his bathroom was combined with his room, having no walls separating it. It took up the entire left side of his room. His wardrobe also wasn't a disjointed room. They were modular closets, swiveling victorian themed storages on the far right edge of the room, still a considerable distance from his bed. They had a panoramic vanity illuminated with sun lamps. Just in front of us though, were very modern and sophisticated lounge sectionals and something rare in these times... television. Roi flocked to the seat.

"Your room is awesome..." Brija said, looking at how well his wardrobe was integrated into his vanity. Gou looked at Brija from head to toe, taken aback by her beauty.

She wore a simple dress that stopped above the knee and ankle boots. It showed off her girly frame well enough, I guess. Her long auburn hair was pulled back into a loose low slung ponytail. Gou locked onto her face, seeing her delicate rounded head, light freckles, small bulbous nose and green eyes obviously stricken by her. He suddenly looked away, walking towards the lounging set.

"Thank you." He responded. Brija herself, was oblivious to the fact that Gou had thoroughly checked her out. I couldn't help but smile. Brija continued to stand, looking at every square inch of the room.

"So," Gou began.

"How'd you get ahold of one of these?" Roi interrupted, warranting a displeased reaction from Gou, "Oh, sorry."

"So," Gou sighed, "What exactly did you get yourself involved with?"

"A nobleman brought us a slave, this slave was rather brilliant, too brilliant to be treated as anything less than what he was. So I took it upon myself to help him out no matter the cost...turns out, he has a family member in the brothels and he plans on busting her out so... I'm covering from him no matter how far I have to go..." I explained.

"You trusted a slave... Richard, you can't fall for that type of bullshit. Sounds like to me you're dealing with a sex fanatic..." Gou sighed.

"You have to meet him to understand him. He was the sole reason my family got along for the first time in years. Now that he's left we all fell apart." Roi chimed in.

"Damn all of you got in on the action?" Gou laughed.

"No, he was an animal trainer..." I said, trying to hide my building agitation.

"Well, explain the dynamic..." Gou said, obviously confused.

"He helped us without asking for help in return...I poked and prodded a bit too much and saw that he needed help of his own and considering the lengths he went to help us given the choices he had, because to be honest... A person like him, he could have escaped without incident but...he chose to stay. I'm just saying, if I wouldn't have insisted on helping him, things would have taken a different turn." I explained.

"Well he sounds like an interesting person but I'm still not getting where things went wrong."

"Things went wrong when," Roi started, "When my father found out that Kijus would leave the upper wall to do...whatever and banned him from leaving. It was the final thing that sent him over the edge. That same night he was gone..."

"Kijus?" Gou jumped, "A five foot nineish Illisian, very long hair.... kind of banal?" Everyone looked at each other.

"You know him?" I asked.

"How the fuck did he manage to get captured by slavers. Do his uncles know? They are Tanzanian Warlords... My grandmother and I used to trade with both his father and his uncles when we stayed in The Rift! That boy is royalty!" Gou said, completely shocked.