Otus's Journeys

"but how did you get here?"

You ask the question in a well meaning way but he still takes a while to respond, and when he does it's with a look of slight confusion. "How do you mean? The full story? From the beginning? Well that's a tale that's going to take a while. Are you sure you have the time?"

. When you reply in the positive, he frowns, looks down for a moment to think, and then nods once. A short, decisive movement. "Fine. Fine. Might as well sit down... and I'll tell you about my journeys."

- - - -

Life began for Otus in Moonrise's capital. A dark, mysterious kingdom, as he was told during his early years. His father was the captain of the royal guard, a stern fellow with bushy eyebrows and a long sweeping tail. His piercing yellow eyes and strong voice meant that when Ventus said something, everyone listened. And the green cape he wore that fluttered in the breeze showed his high standing. In short, he was young Otus's hero. 

. The people of Moonrise were prided on being brave warriors and gallant adventurers. Otus wanted to be both. He was learning how to swing a sword by the time he was five, and at the same age his antlers started to grow in. Tiny little nubs on the top of his head, they were barely noticeable... until he poked you with them.

. Younger Otus was a reckless, ever-curious child. He'd try to ambush members of the guard just for fun (and to practice his skills). His father encouraged this, and even gave him a gift to help him on his way - a set of armor just his size. "They can be extended to fit you as you grow older," he told him.

. "How?" asked Otus.

. "Magic," was the reply, and Otus wore the armor even when he slept, he was so excited to recieve such a precious gift. Ventus was a very encouraging father, even going so far out of his way as to teach his son how to spar, how to sneak past the other Moonrise guards, and many other important skills needed of a future guardsman. And, as the months went by, Otus grew up.

"You ready?" father asked son. Otus, at 8, was still proudly wearing the armor, and he nodded quickly. The two were standing about a mile out from the capital - the huge, imposing domes surrounded by the desert sands were quite the sight. But they weren't here for sightseeing.

. "Got your sword and everything?"

. "Mhm!"

. Ventus's yellow eyes shone bright as he stared towards the city ahead. "Very good. You know the route - try to get past all the guards. We'll see how much better you've gotten since the last time, eh?"

. Otus grinned a sharp-toothed grin. The hunt was on.

He had never gotten very far before. Trying to be quiet while lugging around a giant sword was no easy task. So this time, he was prepared to do his very best. In his excitement, he ran straight for the oasis. Time to see what he could do. Ventus watched him go, and Otus didn’t look back.

. Otus ran for quite a while, sand tripping up his paws. At last, however, the walls of the city loomed high above, casting a tall shadow over him. He knew the guards already knew he was there. Two of them were watching at that very moment. He looked around with a sly grin as he took a break, sitting in the sand as he scanned the surrounding desert for the thing he was looking for. He spotted it after only a few minutes. The one palm tree that led to his little secret.

. The child jumped back up, filled with energy once more, and trekked back away from the city, towards a sand dune. Only when he was out of sight from the guards did he sneak his way over to the lone tree in the middle of nowhere. A tree that would do a lot of good things for Otus.

. After his last failed attempt, he had gone wandering around the town’s surrounding desert, and had stumbled across a thing that gave him quite the advantage. Sand had been swept over it again, but he brushed it off - and revealed a stone door with a lock that Otus had the key for. He’d gotten it from a sleeping guard two weeks ago. The door creaked open, and he jumped down into the dark tunnel below.

. Step one? Done.

He had to feel his way through the darkness - the tunnel was dark as night once he closed the door behind him, but that was okay. Otus was a kid who didn’t mind accidentally touching spiders or tripping a few times. And luckily, he wasn’t prone to stumble. He made his way through and finally, finally! saw a crack of light. This door led into an abandoned hallway, rarely used, he knew. So it would probably be safe to open the door. One ear up to the stone, he listened. After hearing nothing, he took his key...

...and pried the door open...

...and came face to face with his father.

. “Key?” Ventus said simply, holding out a paw, and Otus, with a sigh, placed the silver object in his hand.

. “You knew about the secret tunnel?” Otus said with a sad sigh. He clambered out of the grey corridor and into the regal (but dusty) hallway.

. “Of course I knew. I found that passageway myself as a kid. That one lone palm tree, in the middle of nowhere like that... my younger self was drawn to it.” Ventus chuckled, and it was a wonderful sound. “I’m impressed, though. This,” he held up the key, “shows me that you’ve been thinking recently. You’re getting better at this, Otus. Don’t give up.”

And Ventus went back to his duties of leadership, and Otus went to talk to mother.

- - - -

Otus's mother Violet was a far more reserved woman, one who wasn't too fond of her husband and son's fighting but was willing to listen about all her son's adventures anyway. "Mom!" he said cheerily, barging into her room, his far too big sword scraping the ground behind him. "Guess what I did!"

. She looked up, smiled that smile of deep concern, and simply said, "What, dear?"

. That was all it took for him to launch into an hour of excited rambling about his little adventure, about how great his dad was and how cool it had been to sneak through the passage. He was so full of joy for the world, and so happy with what he had. Mother listened quietly, nodding along and sometimes making small sounds of concern, but in the end she really loved her child. And she was glad that Otus was having fun.

. At last he ran off to play with his friends and Violet watched him go with fondness in her heart. Kids sure do grow up fast.