Elegy for a Star

Miren gripped Aku’s fur, propping herself up against his sides as he sped through the fields and barrelled through rocky foes, tearing them apart limb from stony limb. Miren had to shield herself from the rocky gravel that went flying in their wake. “Aku, right!” She shouted, and the wolfbeast pivoted on his front legs, catching himself, claws kicking up craters of dirt before he pounced on the next rock golem, taking him to the ground before crushing its head in his teeth.

“Couldn’t you have fought something with meat?!” Aku replied with a growl, “I’m getting tired of biting rock!”

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Miren called back, “Unfortunately I don’t have a choice in what tries to kill me.”

In the distance, Miren caught sight of Joyona with a towering rock beast swinging a club-like arm toward her back. Joyona caught the arm behind her and flipped the colossal monster over her shoulder and into the ground. The giantess brought a strong leg back and kicked the creature across the head, sending jagged, crumbling stones into the air.

Miren appreciated Joyona’s personality. Serious. Calm. Practical. Of course, that was all just a ruse. Miren could tell, as her own was a facade of sorts. Still, Joyona was the one that was the most like a companion to her. She still couldn’t hold a candle to Aku, though.

As they strode toward three more of these monsters, Aku sprinted headlong. He could take one easily enough, but it took time to crunch his teeth through the rock. They would certainly be struck within that time.

“Go around!” Miren shouted, planting her hands down upon the back of Aku’s neck. She felt her gift surging through her palms, granting her ally incredible speed. Like a blur, the two of them slid around the outside of the three monsters in an instant. To the creatures, they must have appeared to smear to the left, assuming they were visible at all.

Aku dove into the center golem, tearing it limb from limb with his powerful claws. The distraction gave them the time to crunch through the head of another, but not before the third monster swung its rocky arm.

Miren slid to the side, grabbing onto Aku’s fur as she balanced on the flank opposite where he would be struck. Power surged through her hands and a ghostly, golden suit of armor manifested around the wolf’s body, fitted to his animal shape. With a metallic thud, Aku went skidding to the side, relatively unharmed.

He knew not to waste this moment, lunging at the last remaining opponent and swiping at it so powerfully that its head broke free from its shoulders. The spectral armor faded and Miren climbed up to his back once more.

“Any left?” Miren asked.

“One,” Aku replied, turning around.

By the time Miren got a look at it, the armored Joyona uppercut it through the crotch, sending stones scattering through the air.

“Never mind,” Aku replied, slowing his stride and pacing toward Joyona.

When the two of them caught up to one another, Joyona’s helmet split in half and merged with her pauldrons, freeing her head. “How cute,” Miren thought, comparing her gift to the Evigkin’s.

Joyona inspected Aku, leaning left and right to get a good look at him. She expected questions. She expected outrage at the fact that she kept Aku hidden for so long.

What she didn’t expect was Joyona simply saying, “Thank you.”

“I did it for Miren, not for you,” Aku replied with his deep, growling voice.

Joyona nodded. She didn’t seem to mind. She looked up to Miren, who sat upon Aku’s back over twice as high as Joyona stood. “Are you ready to continue?” Joyona asked, “I doubt that was the last challenge.”

Miren nodded her head and Aku let out a huff of hot air through his nostrils that blew Joyona’s hair about. Joyona nodded, her helmet reforming around her head. “I’ll try to keep up,” Joyona replied, not even asking to ride upon Aku’s back, which Miren would have outright refused. She appreciated Joyona’s respectful restraint.

Aku began to run toward their destination while Joyona kept up behind them. She had to use those thrusts out of the back of her armor to propel herself fast enough to keep up with Aku, but it didn’t seem to tire her overly much. Still, it gave Miren some distance to speak privately to Aku.

“So how is this place?” Aku asked calmly, his voice a little smoother now that he wasn’t playing tough wolf for his new acquaintance.

Miren debated her answer but responded, “It’s good. It’s a tower. Might be cramped, but I saw a world outside the windows. Plains to run through. It’s… nice.”

“We have so many options,” Aku replied, “Are you sure this is the one?”

“I don’t want to wait longer.” Miren let out a little sigh, rubbing her forehead, “I am tired of losing you every time I go back.”

“We only met recently,” Aku responded, “You are my dear friend, and I feel the same. I do not want you to leave.”

“It isn’t right,” Miren let out a sigh.

Aku growled his agreement, but replied, “We could keep looking for my home.”

“The odds that we find it are…”

“I know,” Aku replied, “This place, then. It’ll do.”

Miren scratched Aku through his thick coat of fur, using both hands to dig into the wolf’s back. Afterward, she laid her head down upon her friend’s fur, hugging him, resting upon him during his gallop.

Half an hour later, Aku woke Miren with a bark and growled, “Miren, can you see what that is?”

The Winter Fey rubbed at her eyes and stood up, balancing on Aku’s back as it undulated with his expansive stride. The ground had shifted from grassy plains to rocky sands. She peered into the distance, focusing her sight upon a darkened sky. She heard the thunderous booms of Joyona’s armor launching her forward, until the armored woman came up beside her.

“Something we need to worry about?” Joyona asked above the rush of wind blowing past them.

“Yes,” Miren replied, “It’s a hurricane. I think our destination is within it. Maybe at the shoreline.”

“Can you see it?”

“No, but…”

“I can’t feel it anymore,” Joyona replied.

“Neither can I,” Miren replied with a frown, “This is the best bet that we have to go on.”

“Agreed,” Joyona grunted, “I should be fine. Will you?”

“We’ll be fine,” Miren spoke back, sounding a little snappier than she meant to, “Worry about yourself, Evigkin.”

Joyona didn’t reply. Nothing seemed to get past that giant’s thick skin. Armored in more ways than one.

“What’s the plan?” Aku called out.

Miren was wracking her brain, “I can shield you. I can hang onto your flank to block myself from the wind.”

“For how long?” The wolf replied.

“As long as I need to.”

“See you on the other side, Joyona,” Miren shouted, the wind picking up as it began to blow her hair and clothes violently.