For Dereth the Knight
Ramji paced up and down the cell restlessly, his body buzzing with anxiety. He paused briefly to gnaw on the bars, ignoring the way the metal grinded on his teeth and gums, the taste of blood pooling in the back of his throat.
“That won’t help,” his acquaintance said testily, “you can’t chew your way out.”
The Trick of the Light let out an irritable growl, snapping a vicious glare at the faun watching him. Ramji wasn’t stupid; he knew he wouldn’t be able to break the bars, yet he couldn’t just sit idly by. Out there, where countless dragons screeched and roared as they watched the Arena, Ramji’s companion was being forced to fight. Not just any companion, either – the skydancer Jayce, who had taken care of Ramji and welcomed him as his familiar. Ramji was loyal – he had followed Jayce from region to region, had fought by his side, and had weathered heartbreak and loss in equal strides. The fact he wasn’t by the skydancer’s side now… it was killing him.
“Do you not understand me?” the faun snapped. “You can’t chew your way out,” he repeated, this time in Ramji’s native tongue.
Ramji snarled, resisting the urge to take a chunk out of the faun’s leg. He wanted to spit out that he could understand him just fine, and that the faun’s mammalian accent was awful, but just turned his back to him instead. If he wanted to just stand there, that was fine – but Ramji wasn’t about to give up.
A guardian dragon suddenly slammed his spear to the bars, making Ramji jump back and flatten his ears at the loud clang. “Well,” he said with a grin, “a Trick of the Light and Luminous Ambassador.”
“My name is Thomas,” the faun said defiantly. The guardian barked out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement.
“Doesn’t matter! In a couple minutes, you’ll just be meat for the Arena. You and this dumb mutt.”
Thomas paled, his hand clutching at his robes as Ramji snarled again. Still laughing, the guardian moved off, his voice fading until the roar of the Arena was all that could be heard.
“This isn’t good,” Thomas said faintly, “I’m not a fighter. I was a guide. A scholar!” Ramji resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it wouldn’t help. “I can’t die!” Thomas blurted. “What… what would happen to Cassiopeia?”
Ramji stopped his pacing, turning slowly to watch the faun bury his head in his hands, form shaking. Cassiopeia was Jayce’s half-sister… and she was Thomas’s companion just as Ramji was Jayce’s familiar. Behind that stick-up-his-butt attitude, Thomas loved her – had practically raised her, if the stories the two of them had told were true.
Ramji wasn’t the only one in this situation worried out of his mind. It was that knowledge that had him purring gently, creeping over to rub his head over the faun’s arm. Thomas startled, but accepted the gesture, running a steady hand over Ramji’s forehead in a way that was reminiscent of the way Jayce would stroke him.
“You need not worry,” Ramji said, speaking slowly so Thomas could understand. “I will fight, and we will escape, and we will return to those that need us. I promise.”
Ramji believed that.
Again, not sure if this prompt counts since it's less beastclans and more familiars? Either way, familiars play a large part in my lore, so I thought I'd write about my favourite, Ramji!
Ramji paced up and down the cell restlessly, his body buzzing with anxiety. He paused briefly to gnaw on the bars, ignoring the way the metal grinded on his teeth and gums, the taste of blood pooling in the back of his throat.
“That won’t help,” his acquaintance said testily, “you can’t chew your way out.”
The Trick of the Light let out an irritable growl, snapping a vicious glare at the faun watching him. Ramji wasn’t stupid; he knew he wouldn’t be able to break the bars, yet he couldn’t just sit idly by. Out there, where countless dragons screeched and roared as they watched the Arena, Ramji’s companion was being forced to fight. Not just any companion, either – the skydancer Jayce, who had taken care of Ramji and welcomed him as his familiar. Ramji was loyal – he had followed Jayce from region to region, had fought by his side, and had weathered heartbreak and loss in equal strides. The fact he wasn’t by the skydancer’s side now… it was killing him.
“Do you not understand me?” the faun snapped. “You can’t chew your way out,” he repeated, this time in Ramji’s native tongue.
Ramji snarled, resisting the urge to take a chunk out of the faun’s leg. He wanted to spit out that he could understand him just fine, and that the faun’s mammalian accent was awful, but just turned his back to him instead. If he wanted to just stand there, that was fine – but Ramji wasn’t about to give up.
A guardian dragon suddenly slammed his spear to the bars, making Ramji jump back and flatten his ears at the loud clang. “Well,” he said with a grin, “a Trick of the Light and Luminous Ambassador.”
“My name is Thomas,” the faun said defiantly. The guardian barked out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement.
“Doesn’t matter! In a couple minutes, you’ll just be meat for the Arena. You and this dumb mutt.”
Thomas paled, his hand clutching at his robes as Ramji snarled again. Still laughing, the guardian moved off, his voice fading until the roar of the Arena was all that could be heard.
“This isn’t good,” Thomas said faintly, “I’m not a fighter. I was a guide. A scholar!” Ramji resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it wouldn’t help. “I can’t die!” Thomas blurted. “What… what would happen to Cassiopeia?”
Ramji stopped his pacing, turning slowly to watch the faun bury his head in his hands, form shaking. Cassiopeia was Jayce’s half-sister… and she was Thomas’s companion just as Ramji was Jayce’s familiar. Behind that stick-up-his-butt attitude, Thomas loved her – had practically raised her, if the stories the two of them had told were true.
Ramji wasn’t the only one in this situation worried out of his mind. It was that knowledge that had him purring gently, creeping over to rub his head over the faun’s arm. Thomas startled, but accepted the gesture, running a steady hand over Ramji’s forehead in a way that was reminiscent of the way Jayce would stroke him.
“You need not worry,” Ramji said, speaking slowly so Thomas could understand. “I will fight, and we will escape, and we will return to those that need us. I promise.”
Ramji believed that.
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Again, not sure if this prompt counts since it's less beastclans and more familiars? Either way, familiars play a large part in my lore, so I thought I'd write about my favourite, Ramji!
