The World Walkers: Taithmarin: Einar: Stepping onto Taithmarin

[k_a_webb]

All Einar could do was run. It was all any Alati Felis could do when they realised they’d made a mistake and hope that they would live to see another day. There were many that didn’t. He had known some of them, meeting them during his travels only to find out that they had made a fatal mistake from someone who had also met them. It didn’t help to think about them, to remember those who were lost when he might end up being one of them, but he couldn’t stop himself, and it almost seemed to help him run faster.

Turning a corner Einar found himself almost running into a much younger Felis, who didn’t look like he should be alone. Of course that was something that happened to many Felis kittens and all he could do was grab it with a wing as he ran. Most of the Felis he had known would probably have left the kitten to stop the hunters from chasing them, but he remembered being a kitten without a parent, so he couldn’t just leave it. Carrying a passenger did cause his energy to fade faster, making it much more likely that they would both be captured, and yet he was still happy that he had given the kitten the same chance he’d once been given.

Feeling the pain in his paws more Einar turned another corner and found himself running into a wall. As he rebounded off it, the kitten yelping, he tried to work out where the wall had come from, where the hunters were, and how he was going to get them both safely away. Then he realised the wall he was staring at wasn’t a wall he recognised, even though he was certain he’d taken enough time to know the whole town just in case he ended up running from hunters. Slowly he stepped backwards, wincing slightly, looking carefully at his surroundings, his mind yelling that he should keep going.

A corridor was not where he thought he would be. Einar took another step backwards, hit his hip on the kitten, and tried not to let his fear get the better of him. He looked to one side and then the other, scented the air, and came to the only conclusion he could. Somehow they must have found a secret way into a building, so they would be safe from the hunters for at least a short time. The only problem was the building he was in didn’t smell like any of the buildings he had explored.

“Where are we?” the kitten asked, fear filling its voice.

Einar looked at it, thought seriously about lying so the kitten wouldn’t keep being scared, and then decided on telling it the truth. “I don’t know. This isn’t where I thought I would find myself after taking that turning and…” He scented the air again.

“And wherever we are doesn’t smell right,” the kitten finished, also scenting the air.

“I’m Einar,” Einar said, looking at the kitten more closely.

“I’m Arvid.”

“What were you doing in the street?”

The tip of Arvid’s tail twitched, betraying his feelings. “I was looking for food. Mother was ill and my sister needed food, so I was going to hunt.”

Sympathy filled Einar’s voice. “I’m sure they’ll be able to survive without you.”

Arvid shook his head. “Mother is…” He trailed off, staring at the wall next to Einar for a few moments. “Mother was close to death, we had already lost three of my litter, and I know that my sister wasn’t ready to go out hunting.”

“Neither were you.”

“I was the eldest. It was my job to look after them and I failed.”

“No, you didn’t. You never had a chance to fail. Under normal circumstances you may well have been a capable hunter, but I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and now we’re here.”

“Where is here?”

Sniffing the air, Einar thought about what his next step should be, because they really did need to find out where they were, why they were there, and how to get back to where they had been. “Cats…” a voice said from behind him, more loudly than they really needed to, made him jump.

“Alati Felis,” Arvid replied, before Einar could stop him.

“Okay.” The creature in front of them nodded. “We weren’t sure what to expect, but we knew a new race was coming through the door.”

Einar stared at it, wondering what the four-legged creature in front of them was, and knew what it meant. “Where are we?” he asked, twitching his tail.

“You’re on Taithmarin. I don’t know where you came from, I don’t know why the door chose you, but you’re safe here.” There was a moment of silence. “Are you hurt in some way?”

For the first time Einar looked down at his paws, and the floor, so he could see the bloody paw prints he’d left. “I was running and it appears to have…” He shook his head. “I’m not sure of the damage, but they hurt.”
“We have healers here who can look at it and I’m pretty certain they can fix it, but…” The creature lifted one of its paws and looked at it. “I think our paws are different, so they’ll be able to tell you more.”

“Who are you?” Arvid asked.

“Sorry, I should be more organised with this whole introduction thing. I just…” It wagged its tail. “I’ve never seen anything like you before.”

“We’ve never seen anything like you, either,” Einar said.

“I’m a Nox Gadael. My name is Carys and I’ve been on Taithmarin for nearly seven years now.”

“You mentioned a door.” Einar’s tail twitched again. “I don’t remember a door.”

“That’s normal. It’s made of magic and I don’t know of anyone who actually remembers stepping through the door, although they may remember a door.” The Nox Gadael shrugged. “We should get your paws seen to and then find you somewhere to stay.”

“How do I get home?” Arvid looked at Einar and it was easy to see the desperation in the kitten’s eyes. “My family needs me.”

“I’m sorry. There’s no way back to your home world

“Why not?”

“That’s simply the way the magic works.” The Nox Gadael looked at them both. “We’ve had many new arrivals who just wanted to go home, but this world is safe and I think right now that’s something you should both be thankful for. I hope that your family finds the door, little Alati Felis.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

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No typos spotted.

I really like this one too, getting inside the characters' heads as they connect with each other.