| Mercure followed Featau to some of the places she wanted to show him, evermore impressed by the world he was visiting. If only his people could see some of these things! He'd have to recommend that some of the youths make a trip to come here when they were ranked; he'd love to see more dragons come to Malnev. And even if the ones who visited didn't bond, or didn't want to, the experiences available on this world were well worth the trip. "Do you really think your people should come here, Mercure?" Featau proved that she didn't mind "eavesdropping" on his thoughts on occasion. "Are things really that different?" "Some things are," he answered, after a moment. He stopped to look at the Cathedral they were passing. "For one thing, we, at least the continental tribes, don't worship anyone. As far as I know, there isn't even a god associated with our world. The island people may know differently, but I know my tribe doesn't speak of any deity. Though after seeing how things work here, I wonder if there may be one, but we've forgotten." Featau looked a bit puzzled. "If you have all forgotten, how will you find the god again? I doubt he or she will just show up one day and announce "I am your god." I don't think many people would believe it." She shook her head; at least she knew her goddess was real! Otherwise, she wouldn't exist. They wandered back to the bonding complex, talking about random things as they went. When they got there, they noticed a new novo had arrived and was being greeted by some of the kits. Featau looked, but didn't see her brother, and wondered if he hadn't noticed the new arrival yet. "Mercure, I'm going to look for Tenaso. I don't know if he's met this new novo yet, and I think he should meet all of them, so he has the best chance of finding the right person to bond. You want to come with me? I bet Talve would like to see my brother again." "I'll come; I'd like to see your brother again. He had some interesting ideas about the hunting cats." Mercure followed Featau to the rooms she and her brother had been using. "Tenaso? Are you in here? There's a new novo, just arrived. I thought you might want to meet him," Featau called as she entered his room. Mercure noticed she hadn't bothered to knock, so she must be sure he was still using this room. The male Askan looked up from the couch he was curled up on. "I know; I met him already. He's not for me," Tenaso looked a little down as he said this. "Well, since there are so few novos, you could come exploring with us. If new novos come, you could get to know them then. But until then, we can still have fun. We're gonna stick around for a little while," Featau tried to cheer her brother up. The offer seemed to perk him up a little, so Mercure added to the offer. "If there's anything you want to see or try with us, feel free to suggest it. I'm sure we could use a few more suggestions." Tenaso definitely looked happier now, so Mercure guessed he had been feeling a little lonely. "I'd like that, as long as I wouldn't be in the way. There are a few places I would like to go with some friends." "Great! Now we can have even more fun exploring," Featau replied cheerily. "We'll start tomorrow! Good night, Tenaso." She gave her brother a quick hug. "Good night, we'll see you in the morning," Mercure added before he and his bond headed back to their rooms, Featau bouncing most of the way. The wolv hoped she would wear herself out and not stay up giggling all night. Luckily, it seemed she was so eager to begin exploring with Tenaso that she went straight to sleep. Once he had settled Talve into his little bed, he too went right to sleep.
For the next several days, the trio spent most of the daylight hours exploring the nearby city. They went shopping, finding presents for some of Mercure's family and friends back on Malnev. They investigated other things, even heading to a further city once. They came back one evening to the most recent novo's bonding ceremony. A bold Niteshan had chosen to this novo, and Mercure went to him after the bonding to congratulate him. Across the room, Tenaso approached the bonding mistress. "Lady Aloia? I was wondering; since there aren't many bonders right now, and I've made friends with Mercure, would it be okay if I went to Malnev with him?"
Continued... |