Bird of a Wing - Chapter 44: Chapter 44

The urge to hit his head on a tree came strongly to Ryraso. Instead, he kept walking, trusting that if he wandered too far someone would appear to show him the way back. The guardians of the forest were more active because of the war now. Ryraso wasn't worried about that. All he could feel at the moment was anger towards Tai'ray and the entire race at the moment. Tai'ray for personal reasons, the race for insisting on the brand for those related to the caw as well as the caw themselves.
The talk with Eyeri had not been fun. The Winglord had been very gentle with the boy at least for him, explaining it as firmly but softly as possible. It had been an odd thing to watch as the Winglord chose his words carefully for once. After all, Eyeri wasn't one of Tai'ray's and never would be if Ryraso could just get things together and work out now to get him out. Still, because of the lack of a link, the Winglord could not explain the full emotions behind such an act.
Jak had helped somewhat but Ryraso doubted much. The man had explained everything in clear simple terms but Ryraso doubted the boy would understand. Both Jak and he were too k'nairi already and influenced by the bloody link. The will of a people was hard to fight when it was in the back of your mind. Ryraso had forgotten how much it could change things, even now as he cursed them, the link whispered promises of keeping Eyeri safe and giving him a family again. Ryraso wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He needed to get Eyeri away from here. He would never be able to escape, but Eyeri could.
That reassurance was little help at the moment, though. Eyeri had panicked. It had taken the combined efforts of Ryraso, Tai'ray and Jak to calm him down. Something Ryraso had not helped with at all by starting an argument with Tai'ray and storming off like a child.
Letting out a noise of despair and frustration, Ryraso did hit his head on a tree that time. The jolt was painful but he deserved it. How either Aw'endo or Eyeri thought of him as a father he would never know. He was a terrible guardian. He already had one charge with abandonment issues because of his own actions, and he had just left Eyeri alone too. Ryraso closed his eyes and ignored the whispers of the link. He already knew that Nel'os and Dyn'ad could cake care of his little charge but Eyeri was still nervous and uncomfortable around them.
For a moment, he stayed there, eyes closed trying to calm himself down. The sounds of the forest surrounding him, the wind through the trees, the dampness in the air and the rough texture against his forehead.
What did Tai'ray expect from him? That he would be happy that he was going to be forced into the royal nest and courted? For him to swoon at Tai'ray's feet and declared his undying love and that he was sorry for leaving just because Tai'ray had admitted they had been interested in him for a long time. That was never going to happen, not in a million years! If they had truly loved him or wanted him before all this had happened, Tai'ray should never have joined the side of the war who had caused the deaths of his family.
The next sound Ryraso let out was an angry growl and pushed off the tree. He walked through the muddy undergrowth, glad he was still wearing his travelling gear at the moment. The villagers had offered some clothes but they had been too traditional for Ryraso's tastes. He needed to calm down and think rationally. Being angry around K'nairi was a recipe for disaster. They tended to get angry too and that's how fights got bad, Tai'ray being case and point.
Eventually, Ryraso came across the river, the silvery water rushing along in the moonlight. Sighing as he felt something shift inside of him, anger cooling into exhaustion, he looked around for a place to rest. It was a peaceful night but the dampness and the cold wind revealed that yet another storm was coming. The moon was shining brightly in the black night sky, the stars shining brightly and they reflected on the large flowing river. Ryraso watched the river run as he walked along it, not really thinking much.
Sitting on a rock next to the river was a k'nairi. A lonely figure in the night, his brown wings glimmering in the light his legs curled closer to his chest. The creature looked up at him. His yellow eyes glowing in the dark gloom, the moonlight showing the tear traces on his young face. Ryraso blinked as he realised he knew who it was. It was Ran'mosy, Herymi's wayward suitor.
"What are you doing here?" Ran'mosy growled, his wings raised threateningly. The look on Ran'mosy's face was clear that he wanted to be alone.
"Running away," Ryraso commented dryly, gesturing at the border river. "Not collared yet after all," he added, looking at the river. It would be a bad place to try if he could just shake the Royals of Eyeri. Tai'ray had barely let Eyeri leave his sight the entire evening.
"I doubt that," Ran'mosy murmured, looking up and down at Ryraso clearly taking him in. "You wouldn't admit it so easily even if you were," the male looked suspiciously at Ryraso, not trusting the Royal hopeful. Ryraso had a reputation that he knew. The one who had made it acceptable for a k'nairi to leave and join the D'mar, the reason Herymi had left Tayagwe.
Ryraso gave a short laugh unable to keep a broken sound from it. "You don't know me very well," he chuckled sadly before walking towards the k'nairi. "Mind if I sit with you?" he asked softly, the man might reject his presence after all. He wasn't a royal consort yet.
"Go ahead human," Ran'mosy shrugged uncaringly, knowing better than to refuse the Winglord's chosen. It didn't mean he was going to be polite to Ryraso either. Ran'mosy was a little angry and frustrated with humans in general at that moment. Just as Ryraso was a little angry and frustrated with the K'nairi.
Sliding to sit on the ground, Ryraso leant against the rock instead of sitting next to Ran'mosy on it. He watched the water and the animals running about in the night. It was oddly peaceful. "So how come you are out here?" Ryraso murmured.
"If you are going to sit by me, be quiet" Ran'mosy snarled, not wanting to discuss his personal problems with Ryraso. Consort or not, Ryraso was not friends with Ran'mosy and he did not want a heart to heart.
Ryraso nodded in understanding and let himself lie back, looking up at the stars while there were no clouds. A memory came to him from when he had been a child. Before his mum died leaving his dad with him and his brothers. It was strange looking back. He had been fascinated with the stars from a young age. His dad had told him the stories behind the constellations. Not that he could remember them all now, but still. It was one of the few happy memories Ryraso had of his father.
As Ryraso had gotten older, they had grown apart. His dad had dreams of him living a normal but fruitful life. Working on the farm, finding a nice girl to marry and having a big family but as he got older it became apparent early on that wasn't going to happen. Ryraso had tried so hard to make that dream come true and tried to find a good girl who would make a good wife, all the way up to the point when an older boy kissed him and had taken him like a girl. He had been fifteen. He had mixed feelings after that.
It wasn't long after that the same boy tried to blackmail Ryraso into having sex with him again. Luckily for Ryraso, Isst discovered what was going on and put a stop to it. The boy still told everyone in the village that Ryraso had no intention of 'turning' straight though. Sleeping with other boys while a teenager was seen as fooling around. As a man, it was a different matter even if Ryraso had still been a teenager when the knowledge was spread. Isst had protected him from the villages who saw that as wrong. After a while, things calmed down and people grew more accepting of who he was. By the time he had left to go to the guild to study medicine at sixteen, he was more comfortable with who he was.
It was that confidence which led to him being headhunted to work in the Navat exchange program. It was the most difficult and rigorous program available. If a person could even get on it, it gave them bragging rights for the rest of their career. If a candidate could actually survive it and pass, they were set for life. They could choose any hospital in the known world and they would have you.
The last time Ryraso saw his father was shortly before he left for Navat. His father had said more to him that night than he had since telling Ryraso about the stars as a child. Ryraso pushed those memories away. It was hard to think about that night at times.
The first impression Ryraso had of the K'nairi was true. That they were hard to impress. They demanded perfection in everything. The apprentices were expected to get things done perfect second time over or they were out. The healer board allowed few mistakes. On top of this learning how to deal with the k'nairi culture was no joke, especially the fact they viewed humans as little more than nothing. Of the few chosen each semester, half would normally drop out and of the remaining candidates, only a fifth would normally pass but even failures were highly looked upon for succeeding in surviving the full term.
Ryraso had gone to Navat like so many young minds before him, not knowing what to expect. He ended up falling in love with the city. He grew fond of the winged maniacs who lived there as well, not afraid to yell back at them or challenge them when they were doing something wrong. He caught a lot of people's eyes. The handsome young human who was skilled at his work and who could deal with the k'nairi, including his infamous mentor.
Healer Umin had been much older than him, older than he had known at the time. His mentor had taught him everything he had needed to know about the K'nairi. From how their relationships worked and why they believed the things they did, not to mention everything he needed to know about K'nairi physiology. Ryraso had cared very much for him.
Ryraso had been young and still naive. He had not realised the warning signs for what they were. Not realising just how old his mentor was. By the end of his internship, his mentor had passed away, leaving Navat one clinic short. Barely a week later, Ryraso lost his father too. Ryraso had left Navat with the reminder of those who had made it all the way through the course and not received an invite to stay. He had gone to work for the best hospital in the country but life was dull. He missed the green city and its people.
He had wanted to go back so badly but with Healer Umin dead, there was no way to get a new invite. Ryraso could feel a dark feeling of amusement about how things had changed. Ryraso had once been desperate to return but had been unable to, and now he didn't want to but was being forced to. He was able to return the first time for the same reason he couldn't leave this time. A year after leaving Navat, he met Tai'ray and the royal consorts.