Wind Walkers # 4

After days of walking through the forest listening to his brother’s constant babbling complaints Nico had had enough. “How hard do you think it will be if once we get to the next village if I publicly sell you off to the first wiling person that wants you?” He growled as he rounded on Crimson. “Do you ever shut up?”

“It is not my fault is these people could be leading us to our deaths,” Crimson pouted a hurt look filled his eyes and Nico knew it was because Nico had never really ever yelled at him before.

Sighing Nico took a deep breath. “They are not trying to get us killed, Vayne and Arron are searching for their mate. Dominic was ordered to follow and help. He is my mate, so where he goes, I will go.” Touching his brother’s arm he continued. “You can go back home if you want, I won’t force you to come with us.”

Crimson did a whole body shiver before answering. “I can’t go by myself. Dad told me I had to follow you.” He pointed to where Vayne, Arron and Dominic had stopped and were watching them. “If they were really interested in finding their Simian, then you think they would at least be heading in the right direction. Instead they are just wandering around and getting us all lost, or worse, eaten by the Grimmask people.”

“We are going the right way.” Arron said menacingly as he strode towards them. “How is it that you know all of this? What makes you so sure that we are going the wrong way?”

Nico stepped between his brother and the angered warrior. Crimson’s hands trembled as he held his waist and Nico wasn’t sure whether it was from fright, or anger. Knowing Crimson the latter would be the right guess. His suspicion was confirmed when his brother stepped around him and stood toe to toe with Arron. Their size difference was almost laughable.

“I know all this because I am not an idiot. Any fool knows where Tondran would be taking Simian - if he is the final great one. Even I know Tondran wouldn’t have headed in this direction.” He gestured in the direction they had been heading.

“If you are so smart then what direction would he have headed?”

Everyone watched as Crimson closed his eyes and turned in a circle, his arm held out in front of him. “Tondran went there. He will be taking the great one to monument of Mount Varnuse.”

Nico heard Vayne snort. “Little one, Mount Varnuse is this way.” He pointed back in the direction they had originally been moving.

“Yes, Mount Varnuse is that way, but the monument isn’t actually at the Mountain. It is near Scarsian, it lies beneath the ruins of the original castle of our first kings.

What the hell are you talking about? The castle of our kings is in the High City of Panthea ~ it is where King Quinlan now lives.” Dominic said as he stepped up beside Arron.

**~*~**

Crimson glared and slammed his hands down onto his hips in frustration. “I swear to the great ones that you people are as dumb as rocks. Did any of you even open the books you had in the years of learning? Everything I have been telling you is written down. It is part of our histories.”

When it looked like no one – except for maybe Nico, knew what the hell he was talking about he started again slowly.

“In the age of the great ones at the beginning of time, our king – Scarsian Varnuse Degart the first built his castle, it was near the small village that was of course named after him. So if Tondran knows just who he has in his hands he will be heading for the alter of Scarsian.”

When Arron turned towards Nico and spoke it made crimson see red. “Is he always like this? Does he believe the crap that is coming out of his mouth? All he does is bitch and complain about everything.”

Crimson snapped slamming both palms into the centre of Arron’s chest, not that it even caused him to stumble. “Now you listen to me you big bone-head,” he fumed, “I may complain a lot about walking through this damn forest. But do not – and I mean do not ever - tell me I don’t know what I am talking about when it comes into our histories. It is something that has been drummed into my head since I was a nestling. I know all of this because our grandmother believed in remembering where we came from. Our ancestors, and our histories are important.”

Nico finally spoke. “Crim is right, Grandmother taught us everything. What he isn’t telling you is that Grandmother made Crim in particular learn everything to memory; she believed he was destined to be what our people would have once called The Queran – the mate of the first bird shifter’s descendant.”

“The who?” Arron sneered.

“The one person who is a direct descended from Jaradeen Aarondyte. It is said this descendent is the only one of all bird shifters who can take the form we were first gifted with. He is the only one among us who can take the form of a crow.” Nico answered.

Crimson snorted. “It is never going to happen because as much as I believe in the histories, I think that our bloodlines are too polluted for there to truly be a pre descendent.”

“What makes you so sure?” Dominic asked.

Crimson blushed, “I believe if there was a true descendent still living, then I would feel them here.” He placed his hand over his aching heart.

Thinking about the mate he would never have - hurt like a bitch.