v8c10: Kindred Spirits (Patreon)

The crow of a rooster echoed through the Grand Ravine, bouncing off the walls and amplifying the song until it sounded like there were at least ten roosters, all voicing their morning worship at the same time.

Bi De listened intently to the way his voice reverberated, considering the pitch, the resonance, and the way the notes lingered. It at first had been an unconscious thing, evaluating his own singing, but as he traveled, he had started to consider the location of his song more seriously; for each new place he had ventured to had its own character. 

There were many stages that left a lasting impact in his memories. The Gutter’s unique way it thundered his voice to the bottom of the hill. The mountains of the Howling Fangs made his voice sharp and clear, piercing far into the distance. The Ice Heart Forest drank in his tune, the quiet of that hallowed grove undisturbed by his vigour. The ice plains of the Sea of Snow were the worst for his morning ritual, for his voice oft brought uninvited guests who wished to eat the chicken who dared to do his duty.

The Shrouded Mountain Sect had been the one that had eluded him for months, until he finally managed to properly sing when they revisited the sect last year. It just wasn’t the same singing as a human, and had proved worth the wait… though less from how his voice sounded, and more from the amused looks Ri Zu and Yushang sent him as he crowed from the window.

Of course, the hills of Fa Ram were his favourite. That was without doubt or question. The way the hills resonated with his voice was perfection itself.

The Grand Ravine was a wonderful stage, though, he could not deny. It was most certainly in the top ten, perhaps the top five.

His voice was, as always, the call to wake, and his little brother shouted out as well. Little De tried his best, but he only got a few echoes before his voice faded. When he was old enough, Bi De would have to teach his little brother how to pitch his voice correctly to produce the proper resonance!

“You tell ‘em, Bi De!” his Master called a few moments later, and Bi De sighed with contentment. He hopped from his perch, and entered the yurt, wherein his little brother toddled over to him, a wide smile on his face. His brother sat, and Bi De took over the duty of watching over him, his sibling burying his fingers and face into Bi De’s feathers.

It was fascinating to watch Zhuye’s coordination improve as the days went past. The pats that were more light slaps, and the vigorous grasping of his fingers, were smoothing out into something that actually felt nice.

It was a wonderfully relaxing morning.

It was so different, travelling with his Master, compared to the journeys he had thus far undertaken. He would not say more peaceful, for his family delighted in causing petty chaos amongst each other, but it was… calming.

He had no overriding mission. There was no ancient secret to uncover, there was no threat of demons, he could simply take the world in with his Master as they travelled together, stopping at whatever caught their eye.

And it was utterly delightful.

He had to admit, he had missed out on his first tour of the Hills, back when he had met Yin and Miantiao. The landscape was much more fascinating than he realised, especially after visiting another province. While the Howling Fang Mountains were spectacular… there was only so much rock and snow one could look at before it started blending together.

And while the same argument could be made for the Grass Sea, there were places like this that broke up that monotony.

Soon enough, the others were ready for the day, and with a pop, Bi De was in his human form, carrying his little brother out of the yurt so they could have breakfast with the people of the Grand Ravine. He caught a few glances as he played with Zhuye, the older folk giving him warm smiles, and several of the younger ladies looking on with pink cheeks.

Ri Zu sat beside them both, looking amused.

Breakfast was an interesting affair, with many people seated around a central fire, eating hearty, filling meals and drinking butter tea. It was a warm arrangement, and surprisingly unstructured. People would come and sit, not just important Elders, but the ordinary folk of the camp would join their fire, listening in to the old tales of the Ravine that were told at meal times. 

Tales Bi De found himself rather invested in, because as he listened to them… he found an appreciation for their outlook.

“I know many who would have conquered the surrounding lands, if they had the might of the Ravine,” Bi De said to Ulagan Baatar, as the man finished speaking about the formation of their sect; the compromise that had every tribe under one banner against the world outside.

The Patriarch of the Grand Ravine turned to Bi De. “The Ravine in our home. We sally forth to strike down threats to it, but no other place can compare. When one breathes this air, when one sees the sun over the trees, how could they consider living anywhere else?”

His words were full of fierce pride, and below that, a love of the Ravine that resonated with Bi De.

“I understand,” was all Bi De could say to that. And he did. Where else would he live but Fa Ram? How could anyone, after experiencing it, not want to live there? They were kindred spirits, in a sense. He guarded Fa Ram. They guarded their Ravine.

Baatar and the other elders turned to look fully at Bi De. Their eyes settled upon him, weighing the words he spoke. Then Baatar smiled.

“So you do,” Baatar said, inclining his head. “I will not test Master Rou’s patience. But just once, I would like to see the place that you know as home. If you understand, it can only be wonderful.”

“It is,” Bi De said.

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After their meal, the topic switched to clothing, amusingly enough. The Healing Sage had asked about fabrics, and one thing led to another until the Ravine Folk asked if they wanted to wear some of their styles. Bi De’s Master seemed slightly surprised by the offer, but it was enthusiastically supported by the people around them, who seemed just as surprised that they would consider wearing their clothes.

And so Bi De and his family were swiftly whisked off and were settled in for a “makeover”.

The clothes of the Ravine were fine. Bi De was truthfully ambivalent about most human clothing, and preferred his vests and jackets in his natural form, but it wasn’t anything offensive. Though… he was amused at how insistent they were on certain things.

“And the traditional way is to wear it like this?” Bi De asked.

“Yes, to show off your tattoos!” the ladies all agreed, nodding rapidly.

The garment was pulled down on his right side, exposing half his chest down to his waist… nevermind that Bi De didn’t have any tattoos, and the ladies' eyes weren’t on his shoulders but his abdominal muscles.

His Master, not too far away, was getting the same treatment.

“You wear it well,” the leader of the ladies, a cultivator named Enkhtuya said to Bi De, her eyes roving over his body. “But the most important piece is yet to come. Your oroi.”

Enkhtuya pulled out one of the bandannas that every man Bi De had seen was wearing. Most of them were a bright, sky blue compared to the Nezin Tribe’s darker blue.

“Oroi?” Bi De asked.

“Yes, your crest, in Imperial. It is the symbol of your clan and allegiance. I think the blue will go great with your hair—” she began, her eyes sparkling.

“Wait, it's not blank. Those are your clan’s markings,” another woman cut in, her tone accusatory.

Enkhtuya’s face immediately coloured. “What of it? I am merely being a good host!” she shot back.

“Well, we are good hosts too! Bi De, I would be honoured if you would wear our clan’s colours!” Another woman stepped forward, pulling out a cloth of her own.

“Ah, our family would be happy to have you!” another piped up.

All of them were glancing at Bi De with pink cheeks.

Hmm. What to do before there was an incident…? Bi De glanced around, looking to let them all down gently

It was then he noticed his Master and Yun Ren speaking to each other. Yun Ren put his hand on a blank sky blue cloth, and a design started forming on it.

“I am sorry, but I already have an oroi,” Bi De said, his tone apologetic. Every eye turned to him.

“What, whose?” Enkhtuya asked.

Bi De pointed.

All of the squabbling immediately ceased, as Bi De’s Master tied the bandanna around his hair. Their eyes widened at the simple geometric design.

And then Bi De noticed everyone staring. The Elders around Bi De’s Master looked shocked for a moment, before all of them started nodding.

“That’s real old style,” somebody muttered.

“Old style?! That's the great Ancestor’s clan, stupid.”

“They’re allowed to wear that?” somebody whispered.

“The Elders are fine with it…”

Enkhtuya suddenly looked unsure of herself. She coughed into her fist.

“...if you have an Oroi it can’t be helped,” she said, with as great a dignity as she could muster. “But, uh, if you want something to remember your time here?”

She offered the cloth anyway. Bi De was honestly impressed at the audacity… as were the rest of the ladies around him, who instantly copied the line of thinking.

Bi De ended up with more bandanas than he knew what to do with.

Ri Zu snorted at the sight, then tied a bandanna Yun Ren handed her around his hair for him.

“They were right. It does go well with your hair,” Ri Zu declared. She too looked rather fetching in her red cap and dress. It had an interesting geometric design on the front, and Ri Zu was getting more than a few admiring glances, as she should be. She was stunning.

“Looking fine, Bi De,” his Master declared; when he saw Bi De’s outfit.

“It suits you as well, Master,” Bi De replied. Tigu would have loved to see their Master like this. The bandanna, shadowing his eyes, lent him a dangerous air. Half his torso was exposed, and Yun Ren had illusioned the same design his bandanna had onto his shoulder, mimicking the Ravine’s tattoos.

His Master was always a pillar of strength, but this made him look fiercer, adding some almost bandit-like aggression to his bearing… which was, apparently, the entire point.

Yun Ren, naturally, had it handled, his crystal chiming, but the Healing Sage was doing the same, the family’s larger crystal recording the scene in full.

The Healing Sage was dressed much the same as Ri Zu, and she seemed to find the clothes most agreeable. With such similar clothes they really did look like sisters.

The Xong brothers were dressed like Jin, while Xianghua and Biyu were more like Ri Zu. Only Wa Shi and Bei Be didn’t have a set of clothes: Wa Shi had instead received another jar to lounge in, and instead of clothes, Bei Be had colourful flags tied to his harness. He seemed to like them. They went quite well with his yellow plow. He looked almost festive.

“What do you say we go for a walk?” his Master asked.

And so they did.

It was no Fa Ram, but Bi De was glad he was here to see it.

Bi De let the peace he had fought for wash over him.

There would come a time when he would have to go forth again… but the moments like this made it all worth it.

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Big D still breaking hearts wherever he goes.

Edited by:  BargleNawdleZouss, Plasma Regulators