FA+
Shop
3160
Views
Views
109
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Artwork (Digital) / All
Species Lion
Size 750 x 1280
File Size 229.9 kB
Report this content
More from manolion
Art by:Raymond
Story by:Mano
Whitelion in the picture on the left is Dukade,right is me.
"Daddy, I can't sleep." The cub has been turning around in his bed for 20 minutes, stretching the fur quilt covering him.
I sit beside him, touching his pure white fur. "So, do you want to hear the story about how the beautiful god created this world?"
I put my palm over his head, feeling the body heat beneath the fur.
"Oh, pleeeeease. I've heard that one a thousand times. I want to hear something new!" The cub twitching his tail unsatisfied.
Suddenly he turned his focus to my shoulder, with the light from the fire place, he looked at the scar around my shoulder with interest.
"Where did that scar on your shoulder came from?" he asked.
"It's a very long story, and a bad one." I made a face to him.
"I wanna hear this one! Luna's still far away from my toes, we've got time!"the cub turned over, watching me with that face again, his eyes shining with a special yet familiar light
It's the light of curiosity and determination.
That stunned me, those eyes reminds me about someone else. I've been using excuses to avoid this topic for a while, seems like I can't hide forever.
"You really can't go to sleep?" I nuzzled the cub's forehead gently.
he nodded, assuring me that.
"Fine." I said with a sigh.
Raising my paw to touch the scar on my shoulder I turned to look at the window. The moon light shines through the window frame, slowly illuminated the room we were in.
"It's probably the worst night I've ever had." I grab the wooden flute hanging around my waist. The smooth surface of wood brings up old memories, I stopped my paws, and let my thought take me back in time.
The small one is waiting patiently.
"It was about eight years ago, I haven't moved here with your mother, and you weren't born of course. And everything was different."
"One night, I was on my way near Olaymega kingdom, It's a long and desolated road, I was almost out of the Thawmar wasteland. Luckily, I found an abandoned village to rest my paws." I paused, filtering the images in my head.
"It was raining heavily that night, and there was this smell coming from those houses. You know, as a lion, we are very sensitive to one certain smell, blood." I looked into the cubs eyes and continues.
"It was already night time when I entered the village, the ground was muddy and slippery, probably because of the rain. And then there was that smell, it's like a black mists haunting around all those ruins. I went into one of those houses, and I saw a body of some fur lying beneath collapsed walls and roof. He was killed in a terrible way, probably the worst way I have ever seen."
"Was he beheaded?" the cub pulled the quilt to cover his eyes instinctively.
"Oh, yes yes, It was that terrible." I made a face to him.
"Oh, by the mane of Aiheu, was it ogre? Or giant stone golem?"
"Neither, it's something far more terrible." I kept rubbing the flute, "The place was obviously not safe, I decided not to stay there for the night. But the condition was so bad that I couldn't even find any supplies in the ruins."
"By my tail, that was really bad. but, how was all this made that scar on your shoulder?" The cub was still on his prey.
"When I was looking for supplies, some of those dead bodies turned into ghouls, and before I noticed something odd was happening, one of them jumped at me and scratched my shoulder with its huge and poisonous claw!"
"Oh~Wah!~ That is terrifying! Okay ok, I don't wanna hear such a horrible story. You see, Luna is all over my paws!"
Then he hid himself completely under the furry quilt.
"Good night, you really should went to sleep earlier, I told you this is not a good story. Hey~ did you hear something out there?" I grinned playfully.
"Ha! I am not afraid! night daddy!"
"I will be at your side."
"......"
soon, his breath became stable. Everything seems quiet down around us.
I lied to him by telling him a non-existing story. I am sure he will be bugging me for the truth once he realized this. He is my son after all.
I stared at the flute in my paws, the surface had been rubbed too many times that has became very smooth, some part of the paint has peeled off, too.
It has been ...... eight years.
That night I will never forget.
*********************************************************
The gathering dark clouds over head tells me that I will certainly be caught in this rain. Weather in the wastelands changes fast, minutes later I am totally soaked by the downpour. The heavy rain makes it hard for me to even see my road ahead.
I hate the feeling of matted fur, all felines hate it, especially lions. It takes us forever to comb all of the furs and wait it to dry up.
The road ahead of me was going forever, I've been stumbling my way forward for a while now. The raging wind and rain makes breathing a pain in the ass, probably because of the low air pressure I guess. And it felt even worse because I was totally soaked.
After climbed to the top of a small hill, I saw some grey structure not too far ahead.
"Damn this rain." I cursed as rain water drop into my eyes. I walked toward that thing which looked like a grey wall, seems at least I got a roof to rest for the night. Hopefully an abandoned military stable, so there could be something left to make a fire.
I could see the structure gets clearer as I went nearer. It was a huge protection wall, collapsed already. There were fire arm damages all over it. I checked a few of those scars, they were made by powerful guns and canons.
My mercenary nature kicked in, I grabbed my lance on my back and got myself ready for any danger, then I moved forward, until I stopped in front of a large wooden gate.
The gate was squeaking loudly in the howling wind, I reached out my paws to push it, and the whole frame just gave away, the gates came down with a huge crash. Then the sound of the rain was the only thing I could hear, the gates lying on the ground silently, completely useless.
behind the gate was an abandoned village, collapsed walls and roofs, broken shelves and vases all over the place. I saw some of the structures looked like houses got blown up. the smell of burning and blood was still lingering in the atmosphere.
The soaking feeling on my back waked me up from my thought, The rain was getting heavier and there were loud thunders in the distances. Maybe I could find some place to stay here for the night, I thought to myself.
I followed one of the remaining road into the village and found a house which was still standing, I went through the front door and got into the it.
Of course nobody was home, the rain was leaking through the broken ceiling, the ground was covered in a thick layer of dust. It should have been a while since anyone was here. The house was in bad shape, but a roof is still a blessing in this rain, the touch of the wooden floor beneath my hind paws calmed some of my nerves.
Walking in the grass land the whole day fatigued my legs, I shook my body trying get rid some of the water from my fur. I put down my lance and bow to catch my breath, and started scanning the room I was in.
All of the outside walls of this house had holes in them, only this inner room I was in was still intact, it provides cover from the rain, which I am grateful.
The village maybe a casualty of war, I guess.
I walked around the house, the furniture all broken and burnt, there were several holes in the floor, looks like bombardment. I realized it's impossible to find supplies here.
After a fruitless search, my fatigue caught up to me. I sat sown against a wall, held my lance in my arms and fell asleep.
Sometime later, I was woke up by noises outside the house. I grabbed my lance immediately and peeked outside trying to figure out what was happening.
It was almost night time, and still raining.
I saw a white silhouette coming fast towards this village.
Human?
all my muscles tensed up.
Behind the white someone were some glowing red dots chasing after. I've seen too much of this during my time as a mercenary. Probably bandits, thieves or whatever were chasing by the human army. I draw an arrow and put it on my bow, then took aim at the moving white shadow.
When the white silhouette got close enough for me to make him, I heart almost stopped pounding. It was a White lion, just like me. That was the first time in my life I have ever met one of my own kind. I could barely contain myself and I almost shouted.
But my mercenary part got the best of me, reason kept my emotions in check.
Where did he come from? Who is he? Does he know where our kind stays? Why is he being chased by human army?
I kept watching him, my curiosity was burning inside. I wanted to call out to him but I know it would be a bad move, before I know more about him, especially in these situations, it could put me in danger.
So I kept watching from behind the wall.
He looked strong, pure white fur just as I am. His long soaked mane wrapped into a ponytail on his back.
He was gasping for air, this running in the rain could have exhausted him. He reached the house I was in, and hid behind an outside wall. There was an inner wall between us, so he didn't see me. He was holding a great sword, and that sword was glowing in some weird blue light.
Wait......magic? What a surprise.
Soon, those glowing red dots approached this village with clatters of horse hooves, they appears to be human soldiers with torches. one of the riders who looked like the commander, draw out his saber and yelled towards us "Get outta there quickly and surrender to us immediately, then I may consider to give you a quick death! All your beast rebels will soon be wiped out from the great Olaymega kingdom. Now get out! This little game of ours has stretched for far too long."
The commander kept yelling, his voice trembled with rage.
Apparently they've been chasing this one for a long time, the lion obviously haven't made their life easy.
And of course they didn't get any responses.
I looked at the lion silently, he murmured something and raised the great sword. moments later, two of the soldiers in the front got smashed into the ground along with their horses by a huge fire ball dropped from the sky.
I realized that was a spell.
"There! There! Fire on him!" The commander waved his saber toward this direction while trying to order his panicked ride to back up.
A wall of arrows raised from a distance.
I realized the lion will became a porcupine before he can cast his next spell but there was nothing I could do about it. A few arrows broke through the window, landed near my foot paws.
After the rain of arrow stopped, I stuck my head out to check on him, and surprised to see a glowing blue magical shield protected the feline from the arrows.
The white lion was on his knees, out of breath, I remembered hearing someone say casting spells drains your body energy.
He is a rebel? And the humans are hunting them? Does this mean there is a rebellion against the human emperor? Why haven't I heard any of this? The situation was too confusing to me, but I decided to save him from the certain death. He won't last longer in this fight. if he dies, so does my answer.
I didn't have time to plan, so I took out a stun bomb and strapped it to an arrow.
"Quick, in here!" I stand up, yelled to him.
He heard my voice and turned. When he saw me he froze, I swear I saw his jaws dropped to the floor.
I shoot the arrow towards the human army, it exploded near the them. The loud explosion and sudden brightness caused a chaos in their formation, this should keep them busy for a while.
"you, you... are white lion?!" he rushed towards me, still in shock.
"Yes, we are the same. But this isn't the time, we need to go."
The stun bomb can only give us a brief moment, Our location was compromised, and the humans were regrouping.
Another wave of arrows came, he raised one of his paws, used the magic shield to cover both of us.
He fell to the ground after the shield vanished, looks like he had reached his limits after all.
"Now!" I grabbed his arm and we both jumped out from the side door.
There was a large oat field not too far from the house, the abandoned plants had grown freely for quite some time, these wild plant had grown to about 5-6 feet tall, and can easily hide us if we lower our heads
I dragged him into the muddy oat field.
"Catch them! Or burn them!" We heard screams from behind, burning arrows landing constantly beside us. Those tall withered oat can hide us, but can't shield us.
I felt chill climbing up my spine, my fur standing on end. I gathered all my strength to run while dragging him with me deeper into the oat field. A wide river stopped us, we were trapped between the army and the roaring water.
I heard his groan and turned to look at him, he took an arrow in the back.
"Hang on, we need to cross the river." I said.
I pulled out the arrow and he roared because of the pain. May be he used some magic, the wound stopped bleeding almost instantly.
"Here goes nothing." I grabbed him, we both took a deep breath and jumped into the river.
The current was intense, I use all my strength to swim, but still couldn't reach the other side, we were washed downstream and I thought we were done for. Until a huge stone in the river which gave me some elevation, then I pushed him off shore and climbed off the river.
Just after I stood up, some arrows landed beside us, those soldiers have found us.
“Hurry, Run!” I shouted, helped him up and we run forward. I found another small hill before me, which can provide us some cover from the rangers. I recon the humans won’t cross the river because they have horses and all those equipment, so if we go over that hill, we should be safe.
The army was gathering on the other side of the river and arrows kept landing around us, we just run and dodge.
Just before I went over the hill, I felt piercing pain from my left shoulder, I turned to find an arrow head had went through. My legs gave out and I fell forward and rolled down the hill.
I can't remember much after that, just the smell of blood and dirt, and the bitter taste of rain in my mouth.
When I woke up, we were already safe and far away from the human army.
The fire crackling beside me woke me up. I sat up and rubbed my head to check for serious injuries. I looked around trying to find indications of human presence, I relaxed when I made sure there were no trace of humans around. I found the white lion kneeling in a corner of the cave scaling some fish.
Later he came to the fire, put those fish on sticks and stuck them into the ground near the fire. The smell of food made me hungry.
"Seems the river stopped them for now, we should be safe to stay here for tonight." He said.
I looked into his eyes, there were so many questions I wanted to ask and I just don't know where to start.
That makes the two of us.
Cold wind blew into the cave, the wound on my left shoulder made me wince in pain.
He came to me, wrapped his cape around my shoulder.
"I took the arrow out, you will be fine. We were lucky they were not using the poison ones, I checked with some spell."
"Thank you." I said with a smile.
"No need, actually I should be the one thanking you."
His tired face lit by fire light, he stared at the pit, and put some firewood in it.
I watched the fire quietly, the small embers brought up by the wind swirling into the sky looked like fire fairies dancing in this dark blue night.
After a sigh, He took out a wooden flute from a pocket around his waist and started to play, the hollow sound broke the silence of the night. The nocturne he played was familiar yet strange, the melody sounds like came from deep of his soul. It was sad and forgiving, it also cleared the doubt in my heart.
"So, what's your name, my fellow friend?" I asked first after he stopped.
"Dukade, you?"
"Mano."
Moment of silent.
"you..." we started simultaneously, than stopped all together.
......
That night, I asked him so much about us white lions, about our kind, where we live, how we live, etc. Especially those customs and beliefs in the tribes I've always curious about. And he, in turn, wanted to know everything about me, someone who's been living outside the tribes for so many years.
That night, I am glad he proves to be a friend, not an enemy.
But what makes me happier, was that I finally get to meet someone of my own kind after all.
“老爸，我睡不着。”幼崽在床上辗转，反复拉动盖在身上的兽皮。
我坐在他的旁边，轻抚他白色的鬃毛，说：“要不，老爸给你讲讲美神创造万物的故事？”
我用爪轻抚他的额头，感受着幼崽的温度。
“噢，拜托，那故事我听过很多遍了！”幼崽不满地摇动尾巴。
忽然，他眼神一闪，望向我。小家伙借助火光，饶有兴致地打量我肩头那道颇有历史的疤痕。
“你肩膀上的伤疤是怎么来的？”他问。
“这是个老故事了，很长。”我皱了皱眉。
“今晚我想听这个。月光还没有照射到我的脚爪，时间还早！”小家伙翻了个身，让那张稚嫩的面庞对着我，蓝色的双瞳闪烁着特有的光辉。
那是好奇的眼神。
我愣了一下。之前他这样要求，我都是用各种理由搪塞过去，看来今天是躲不过去了。
“你真的不想睡吗？”我温柔地揉幼崽额头。
听到我的话，小家伙认真地点点头。
我叹一口气，说：“好吧。”
我用爪轻轻抚摸了一下左肩的疤痕，瞟一眼窗外，月光慢慢照射进来。
“那也许是我遇过的最糟糕的一个夜晚。”我掏出腰间的木笛，擦拭起来。一些思虑闯进我的脑海，我的动作停顿一下，随后注视爪里的木笛。
小家伙饶有兴趣的听着。
“大概八年前，我还未曾和你的母亲来到这里生活，你也没有出生，一切也不是现在的样子。”
“一个夜晚，我行进在前往公国奥莱玛格附近的路上，那是段很远的路，我从萨马尔罕途经荒原，在一座荒废的村落休息过夜。”我顿了一下，一些画面快速的闪过我的脑海。
“那一晚下着很大的雨，废村的空气里弥漫着一股特殊的味道，你知道的，作为狮族，我们对一种味道最为敏感，那就是血的味道。”我看着幼崽的眼睛，开始回忆过去。
“黑夜里的废村，地面泥泞，雨水疯狂的拍打着荒原上的一切。那种味道好似黑夜里的雾气，弥漫在废村的地面。我来到一座荒废的屋旁，在倒塌的残垣里，我看到了兽人的尸体。他死时候的模样很可怕，可以说是我见过的最可怕的尸体。”
“他被砍头了吗？”幼崽下意识拉了拉毛毡，遮住了眼睛。
“是的是的，非常吓人。”我吐了吐舌头。
“哦，天哪，难道是食人魔？还是巨大的岩石巨人杀掉了他？”
“都不是，是更可怕的东西”我继续擦拭着木笛，“发现不对的时候，我准备离开。我发现，这里简直是地狱。实在是太糟糕了，我甚至没有在废墟的屋里发现一点补给品。”
“天啊，是挺糟糕的。那，这些和你肩膀上的伤疤有什么关系呢？”幼崽问。
“当我意识到危险的时候，那些尸体变成了复活的食尸鬼，我的肩膀被他们中的一个狠狠地抓了一下！”
“哇！太可怕了，好了好了，我不想听你讲这么可怕的故事了，你看那月光，到我的脚爪了！”
小家伙说罢，把头彻底缩进了皮毛被的里面。
“晚安，我想你真的应该早点睡觉，我都说过这不是一个好故事了。你听外面是不是有什么声音？”我邪恶地笑了。
我撒了谎，给他讲述了一个并不存在的故事。我确定这小家伙在明白这不是真的之后还会纠缠着我问询真正的原因。
“哼！我不怕，晚安老爸！”
“我会守在你床边的。”
“……”
很快，平稳的呼吸声传来。一切归于平静。
我看着爪中的木笛，精致的漆面已经被擦的锃亮。
“已经，八年了”。
我再度回想起那个夜晚。
密布的乌云开始堆积起来的时候，我意识到自己已经无法躲过这场大雨。荒原的气候很反常，雨水很快伴随着呼号的狂风落下。密密麻麻的雨幕使我无法看清前面的路线。
我讨厌皮毛被打湿的感觉。毛发淋湿对狮族来说是件很麻烦的事情，因为要用很多时间去打理皮毛，并使它们干燥。
道路似乎没有尽头，我深一脚浅一脚地走在泥泞的草地上，强烈的风雨使得呼吸都感到有点困难。雨气中较低的气压有时候会让人觉得有一种窒息感，尤其是全身被淋湿之后，这种感觉更加让人不舒服。翻过一座不高的草坡后，一道灰色的阴影进入我的视野。
“该死的雨。”雨水进了眼，我咒骂了一句。随后迈开步子向那道看似墙壁的灰色走去。我认为这是今晚露宿的去处。
希望那是一个废弃的马场，至少可以留下点火取暖的东西。
当我走近的时候才看清楚，那是一道巨大的隔离墙，但是已经破损。墙壁上到处都是被火器打击过的痕迹，我用爪轻轻触摸那些痕迹，是威力不小的火器造成的斑痕。
雇佣兵的职业习惯让我把右爪压到了背后的长枪身上，准备随时战斗。我顺着墙壁慢慢向前走，来到一扇巨大的木门前。
左边残缺的门扇被狂风吹得仿佛要散架一般，发出凄惨的吱呀声，
我伸手去推门，没想到我一碰，这门就倒下了。弱不禁风的它彻底失去了自己的用处。
我来到一座被荒废的村落，四处是残垣断壁。我环顾四周，破败的农具，房屋被炸的支离破碎。我能闻到烧焦的气味，还有若隐若现的血腥味。
后背的浸湿感使我醒了醒神，雨下得更大了，远处传来雷声。看来今天得在这里躲一下才行。顺着村中的小路，我来到一所还算完整的房屋前，推开了屋门。
屋内空无一人，雨水透过损坏的泥瓦滴下，地板上一层尘土，看来很久没有人来过了。虽然看起来破破烂烂的，但是这里比外面要好的多。迈开步伐，在踩到木地板的一瞬间，一直悬着的心才踏实下来。
在泥泞的草地上行走已经让双腿疲惫不堪。我使劲抖了抖身上的雨水，将那些多余的水珠从皮毛上赶走。放下背后的长枪和手中的弓箭。我坐下来，调整着自己的呼吸，同时四下巡视起这所破旧的房子。
外间的围墙已经被炸烂了，只有这内厅的房屋还算完整，至少能躲雨。
这应该是战争所致。
我是这样猜测的。
我在屋里四处走动，这里的家具都已经残破不堪，地板上也全是被炸烂的痕迹，看着木地板附近的窟窿和焦黑的残砖断木，我觉得指望从这里找到什么补给品是没戏了。
绕了一会，强烈倦意向我袭来。我斜靠着墙坐下，将长枪抱在怀中打起盹来。
睡了一会，我被外面传来的声音惊醒。嘈杂的声音让我下意识地抓起长枪，偷偷趴在墙壁的角落向外看去。
现在已经快要入夜了，雨依旧在下着。
我看到了一个白色的身影在不断的加快速度，向着废村的方向跑来。
是人类吗？
我不由得紧张起来。
他背后的不远处似乎有红色光点在晃动。身为佣兵，在野外的时候遇到这种事情并不意外。或许是强盗，或许是山贼或者别的什么。但这身影背后那些红色的光点引起了我的注意。我抽出一支箭，将长弓搭起，对准那个白色的身影。
当我能分辨出那道白色的身影的时候，我感觉自己的心脏在疯狂地敲打自己胸腔。那是一头白狮族的兽人。这是我第一次，有生以来第一次见到同族。我几乎无法抑制住自己的情绪，差点惊讶得叫出声来。
但是作为佣兵的理性让我的警戒心压制了我内心的好奇。
他从哪里来？他是谁？他知道我的同族都在哪里吗？为什么他在这里会被人类发现？
我定了定神，把注意力转移到他身上，警戒心占据了上风。我想和他进行接触，可不知道对方的来历就贸然行动，对自己非常不利。
我在墙后小心翼翼地注视着他。
他的背影很强壮，和我一样白色的皮毛，一头鬃毛被雨水打湿，长长的鬃辫留在背后。
他大口喘着气，长时间的奔跑耗尽了他的体力。他持着大剑严阵以待，躲在了我这间废屋的外层，就与我一墙之隔。
手中的大剑发出一种异样的蓝色光辉。
魔……魔法？我惊讶了一下。
很快，那些追来的光点随着马蹄声接近了废村。高大的马匹上坐的是一名人类。他拔出军刀，喊起话来：“不想死就老老实实的跟我们走，兽人！没有路证出现在奥莱玛格公国的边界是违法的，遇到我们巡逻队还逃跑你简直是自寻死路！”
为首的一名人类向着那名同族喊着话，显得很暴躁。
他们似乎追捕这只狮子很长时间。
人类的喊话并没有得到回应。
我窥视着那名同族，他缓缓举起大剑，嘴里念动着什么。过一会，最前面的两名人类士兵连人带马被从天而降的火球砸的稀烂。
我这时才意识到，那是一句咒语。
“快！快！给我射死他！”那名人类拉住自己受惊的坐骑，紧张地往后退去，同时挥动着自己的军刀指向这边。
无数箭矢飞来。
我猜，这位同族在念出下一句咒语之前就会被射成筛子。几支箭打破窗户，从外面飞进来，落在我脚爪附近。
等到箭雨停息，我探头往外看去，发现淡蓝色的魔法护盾将箭全部挡了下来。
白狮半跪着，气喘吁吁。他看起来快要体力不支了。
莫名其妙地被人类追杀，这说明他应该是一名没有身份的兽人。我定了定神，暗中想出一个计划，将炸药箭搭上弓弦。
“快躲到屋里来！”我探出头去，冲着他喊道。
他听到我的声音，身体颤了一下。他回头的时候，我看清他的模样，他眼里写满惊讶，长大嘴巴，似乎被我的突然出现吓得不轻。
我毫不犹豫地将爆炸箭向着人类军队的方向射出去，准确在马群附近落地，炸出了一片巨大的火花，爆炸暂时逼退了对方的士兵。
“你？你？你是白狮族？！”他快速跑到我身边，惊讶得语无伦次。
“是的，和你一样，没时间聊天了，快跟我走。”
敌人在暂时的慌乱之后重新排列阵型，我和他的位置已经暴露，这里已经不能再用来躲避了。
乱箭再次飞来，他回手升起护盾，挡下这一波攻击。
挡下这一波攻势后，他呼吸很明显的乱了。
“快走！”我拉起他的臂膀，一起从内屋的侧门跳了下去。
这所屋外不远处是一片荒废的农耕土地，耕种的农作还没来得及收割，这个村落就被战火摧毁了，土地里留下不少农作物的疯长，无人管理的蒿草和野生燕麦长得有半人高，刚好可以遮住我们的身影。
我拉着他从泥泞的燕麦土地间快速的穿过。
“给我抓住他们！”背后丧心病狂的喊叫声传来。冰冷的箭矢不停地落在我们身旁，那些枯黄的燕麦丛虽然高大,但是没法成为我们的护盾。
我感到自己背后发凉，头皮发麻，拼命拉着他的手向麦田深处逃去。一条河流横在我们前进的道路上，我们没有退路了。他的呻吟在我耳旁想起，我发现，他的后背中了一箭。
“忍着点，我们必须通过这条河。”
我为他拔出箭，他吃痛地大吼一声。似乎是因为魔法的关系，箭刚刚离开身体，伤口的血就止住了。
我咬咬牙，背起他跳了下去。
水流湍急，我平尽全力地力气向对岸游过去。我以为我们俩今天都要在这河里喂鱼，直到河流附近一块巨石让我的脚爪有了支点，我把他托上河岸去。
当我准备爬上河岸的时候，几只利箭插到岸上，追兵到了。
“快！快跑！”我吼叫着，架起他的肩膀。前方是个小山坡，我们踉踉跄跄向前疾步逃去。
河对岸的马蹄声越来越密集，不断有弓箭落在我们附近。
在即将到达山坡边界的一刹那，我的左肩一阵刺痛。箭头从我的左肩穿出，摇晃了几下。膝盖不听使唤的一软，我和他就势翻滚下了小土坡。
后来的事情，我记不太清楚了。只记得翻滚中我闻到了血的气味，泥土的腥味，还有雨水流入嘴里的苦涩。
当我醒来的时候，我和他已经脱离了险境。
篝火在身旁劈啪作响，我坐起来，揉了揉脑袋，确认没被摔成脑震荡。警惕地打量四周，确认没有人类追兵之后，我松了一口气。视线在山洞里的某一处停下，我看到那头狮子在刮几条鱼的鱼鳞。
他走了过来，把几条鱼插在篝火旁烤了起来。
“他们没有追过来，我们在这里过夜，应该是安全的。”
我看着他的双眼，沉默不语。我心里冒出了很多问题，一瞬间竟然让我不知道该说什么。
而他似乎也是如此。
一阵冷风吹入洞中，左肩上的伤口遇冷后隐隐作痛。
他走过来，将身上的披风给我裹紧，
“箭取出来了，你伤得不重，箭头是没有毒性的，我用魔法确认过了”。
他说。
“谢谢”
我笑着向他道谢。
“不，我应该谢谢你才对。”
火堆映出他疲惫的脸，他注视火堆，向里面添了一些柴火。
我静静的看着篝火堆，夜风带走篝火中的燃星，点缀暗蓝色的夜空，宛如顽皮的火精灵在戏舞。
他深吸一口气，从腰间取出一只木笛吹起来，空灵的笛声打破夜的寂静。
他轻声着吹奏着熟悉的夜曲 似乎把纠葛的内心交给了夜笛声，那笛声悲伤，淡漠，随声渐渐飘散在风中。
“你叫什么？我的同族？”
“度卡德，你呢？”
“麦诺。”
“……”
“你……”我们异口同声地发话，但欲言又止。
……
那个夜晚，我问了他很多关于同族的问题，族群的定居点，还有那些我曾经迷惑好久的同族之间的习俗和信仰，而他也一样，他好奇我这个离开族群生活这么久的白狮族的一切。
至少，这一天，他证明了一件事，他不是坏人。
而我，幸运的遇到了同族。
Story by:Mano
Whitelion in the picture on the left is Dukade,right is me.
"Daddy, I can't sleep." The cub has been turning around in his bed for 20 minutes, stretching the fur quilt covering him.
I sit beside him, touching his pure white fur. "So, do you want to hear the story about how the beautiful god created this world?"
I put my palm over his head, feeling the body heat beneath the fur.
"Oh, pleeeeease. I've heard that one a thousand times. I want to hear something new!" The cub twitching his tail unsatisfied.
Suddenly he turned his focus to my shoulder, with the light from the fire place, he looked at the scar around my shoulder with interest.
"Where did that scar on your shoulder came from?" he asked.
"It's a very long story, and a bad one." I made a face to him.
"I wanna hear this one! Luna's still far away from my toes, we've got time!"the cub turned over, watching me with that face again, his eyes shining with a special yet familiar light
It's the light of curiosity and determination.
That stunned me, those eyes reminds me about someone else. I've been using excuses to avoid this topic for a while, seems like I can't hide forever.
"You really can't go to sleep?" I nuzzled the cub's forehead gently.
he nodded, assuring me that.
"Fine." I said with a sigh.
Raising my paw to touch the scar on my shoulder I turned to look at the window. The moon light shines through the window frame, slowly illuminated the room we were in.
"It's probably the worst night I've ever had." I grab the wooden flute hanging around my waist. The smooth surface of wood brings up old memories, I stopped my paws, and let my thought take me back in time.
The small one is waiting patiently.
"It was about eight years ago, I haven't moved here with your mother, and you weren't born of course. And everything was different."
"One night, I was on my way near Olaymega kingdom, It's a long and desolated road, I was almost out of the Thawmar wasteland. Luckily, I found an abandoned village to rest my paws." I paused, filtering the images in my head.
"It was raining heavily that night, and there was this smell coming from those houses. You know, as a lion, we are very sensitive to one certain smell, blood." I looked into the cubs eyes and continues.
"It was already night time when I entered the village, the ground was muddy and slippery, probably because of the rain. And then there was that smell, it's like a black mists haunting around all those ruins. I went into one of those houses, and I saw a body of some fur lying beneath collapsed walls and roof. He was killed in a terrible way, probably the worst way I have ever seen."
"Was he beheaded?" the cub pulled the quilt to cover his eyes instinctively.
"Oh, yes yes, It was that terrible." I made a face to him.
"Oh, by the mane of Aiheu, was it ogre? Or giant stone golem?"
"Neither, it's something far more terrible." I kept rubbing the flute, "The place was obviously not safe, I decided not to stay there for the night. But the condition was so bad that I couldn't even find any supplies in the ruins."
"By my tail, that was really bad. but, how was all this made that scar on your shoulder?" The cub was still on his prey.
"When I was looking for supplies, some of those dead bodies turned into ghouls, and before I noticed something odd was happening, one of them jumped at me and scratched my shoulder with its huge and poisonous claw!"
"Oh~Wah!~ That is terrifying! Okay ok, I don't wanna hear such a horrible story. You see, Luna is all over my paws!"
Then he hid himself completely under the furry quilt.
"Good night, you really should went to sleep earlier, I told you this is not a good story. Hey~ did you hear something out there?" I grinned playfully.
"Ha! I am not afraid! night daddy!"
"I will be at your side."
"......"
soon, his breath became stable. Everything seems quiet down around us.
I lied to him by telling him a non-existing story. I am sure he will be bugging me for the truth once he realized this. He is my son after all.
I stared at the flute in my paws, the surface had been rubbed too many times that has became very smooth, some part of the paint has peeled off, too.
It has been ...... eight years.
That night I will never forget.
*********************************************************
The gathering dark clouds over head tells me that I will certainly be caught in this rain. Weather in the wastelands changes fast, minutes later I am totally soaked by the downpour. The heavy rain makes it hard for me to even see my road ahead.
I hate the feeling of matted fur, all felines hate it, especially lions. It takes us forever to comb all of the furs and wait it to dry up.
The road ahead of me was going forever, I've been stumbling my way forward for a while now. The raging wind and rain makes breathing a pain in the ass, probably because of the low air pressure I guess. And it felt even worse because I was totally soaked.
After climbed to the top of a small hill, I saw some grey structure not too far ahead.
"Damn this rain." I cursed as rain water drop into my eyes. I walked toward that thing which looked like a grey wall, seems at least I got a roof to rest for the night. Hopefully an abandoned military stable, so there could be something left to make a fire.
I could see the structure gets clearer as I went nearer. It was a huge protection wall, collapsed already. There were fire arm damages all over it. I checked a few of those scars, they were made by powerful guns and canons.
My mercenary nature kicked in, I grabbed my lance on my back and got myself ready for any danger, then I moved forward, until I stopped in front of a large wooden gate.
The gate was squeaking loudly in the howling wind, I reached out my paws to push it, and the whole frame just gave away, the gates came down with a huge crash. Then the sound of the rain was the only thing I could hear, the gates lying on the ground silently, completely useless.
behind the gate was an abandoned village, collapsed walls and roofs, broken shelves and vases all over the place. I saw some of the structures looked like houses got blown up. the smell of burning and blood was still lingering in the atmosphere.
The soaking feeling on my back waked me up from my thought, The rain was getting heavier and there were loud thunders in the distances. Maybe I could find some place to stay here for the night, I thought to myself.
I followed one of the remaining road into the village and found a house which was still standing, I went through the front door and got into the it.
Of course nobody was home, the rain was leaking through the broken ceiling, the ground was covered in a thick layer of dust. It should have been a while since anyone was here. The house was in bad shape, but a roof is still a blessing in this rain, the touch of the wooden floor beneath my hind paws calmed some of my nerves.
Walking in the grass land the whole day fatigued my legs, I shook my body trying get rid some of the water from my fur. I put down my lance and bow to catch my breath, and started scanning the room I was in.
All of the outside walls of this house had holes in them, only this inner room I was in was still intact, it provides cover from the rain, which I am grateful.
The village maybe a casualty of war, I guess.
I walked around the house, the furniture all broken and burnt, there were several holes in the floor, looks like bombardment. I realized it's impossible to find supplies here.
After a fruitless search, my fatigue caught up to me. I sat sown against a wall, held my lance in my arms and fell asleep.
Sometime later, I was woke up by noises outside the house. I grabbed my lance immediately and peeked outside trying to figure out what was happening.
It was almost night time, and still raining.
I saw a white silhouette coming fast towards this village.
Human?
all my muscles tensed up.
Behind the white someone were some glowing red dots chasing after. I've seen too much of this during my time as a mercenary. Probably bandits, thieves or whatever were chasing by the human army. I draw an arrow and put it on my bow, then took aim at the moving white shadow.
When the white silhouette got close enough for me to make him, I heart almost stopped pounding. It was a White lion, just like me. That was the first time in my life I have ever met one of my own kind. I could barely contain myself and I almost shouted.
But my mercenary part got the best of me, reason kept my emotions in check.
Where did he come from? Who is he? Does he know where our kind stays? Why is he being chased by human army?
I kept watching him, my curiosity was burning inside. I wanted to call out to him but I know it would be a bad move, before I know more about him, especially in these situations, it could put me in danger.
So I kept watching from behind the wall.
He looked strong, pure white fur just as I am. His long soaked mane wrapped into a ponytail on his back.
He was gasping for air, this running in the rain could have exhausted him. He reached the house I was in, and hid behind an outside wall. There was an inner wall between us, so he didn't see me. He was holding a great sword, and that sword was glowing in some weird blue light.
Wait......magic? What a surprise.
Soon, those glowing red dots approached this village with clatters of horse hooves, they appears to be human soldiers with torches. one of the riders who looked like the commander, draw out his saber and yelled towards us "Get outta there quickly and surrender to us immediately, then I may consider to give you a quick death! All your beast rebels will soon be wiped out from the great Olaymega kingdom. Now get out! This little game of ours has stretched for far too long."
The commander kept yelling, his voice trembled with rage.
Apparently they've been chasing this one for a long time, the lion obviously haven't made their life easy.
And of course they didn't get any responses.
I looked at the lion silently, he murmured something and raised the great sword. moments later, two of the soldiers in the front got smashed into the ground along with their horses by a huge fire ball dropped from the sky.
I realized that was a spell.
"There! There! Fire on him!" The commander waved his saber toward this direction while trying to order his panicked ride to back up.
A wall of arrows raised from a distance.
I realized the lion will became a porcupine before he can cast his next spell but there was nothing I could do about it. A few arrows broke through the window, landed near my foot paws.
After the rain of arrow stopped, I stuck my head out to check on him, and surprised to see a glowing blue magical shield protected the feline from the arrows.
The white lion was on his knees, out of breath, I remembered hearing someone say casting spells drains your body energy.
He is a rebel? And the humans are hunting them? Does this mean there is a rebellion against the human emperor? Why haven't I heard any of this? The situation was too confusing to me, but I decided to save him from the certain death. He won't last longer in this fight. if he dies, so does my answer.
I didn't have time to plan, so I took out a stun bomb and strapped it to an arrow.
"Quick, in here!" I stand up, yelled to him.
He heard my voice and turned. When he saw me he froze, I swear I saw his jaws dropped to the floor.
I shoot the arrow towards the human army, it exploded near the them. The loud explosion and sudden brightness caused a chaos in their formation, this should keep them busy for a while.
"you, you... are white lion?!" he rushed towards me, still in shock.
"Yes, we are the same. But this isn't the time, we need to go."
The stun bomb can only give us a brief moment, Our location was compromised, and the humans were regrouping.
Another wave of arrows came, he raised one of his paws, used the magic shield to cover both of us.
He fell to the ground after the shield vanished, looks like he had reached his limits after all.
"Now!" I grabbed his arm and we both jumped out from the side door.
There was a large oat field not too far from the house, the abandoned plants had grown freely for quite some time, these wild plant had grown to about 5-6 feet tall, and can easily hide us if we lower our heads
I dragged him into the muddy oat field.
"Catch them! Or burn them!" We heard screams from behind, burning arrows landing constantly beside us. Those tall withered oat can hide us, but can't shield us.
I felt chill climbing up my spine, my fur standing on end. I gathered all my strength to run while dragging him with me deeper into the oat field. A wide river stopped us, we were trapped between the army and the roaring water.
I heard his groan and turned to look at him, he took an arrow in the back.
"Hang on, we need to cross the river." I said.
I pulled out the arrow and he roared because of the pain. May be he used some magic, the wound stopped bleeding almost instantly.
"Here goes nothing." I grabbed him, we both took a deep breath and jumped into the river.
The current was intense, I use all my strength to swim, but still couldn't reach the other side, we were washed downstream and I thought we were done for. Until a huge stone in the river which gave me some elevation, then I pushed him off shore and climbed off the river.
Just after I stood up, some arrows landed beside us, those soldiers have found us.
“Hurry, Run!” I shouted, helped him up and we run forward. I found another small hill before me, which can provide us some cover from the rangers. I recon the humans won’t cross the river because they have horses and all those equipment, so if we go over that hill, we should be safe.
The army was gathering on the other side of the river and arrows kept landing around us, we just run and dodge.
Just before I went over the hill, I felt piercing pain from my left shoulder, I turned to find an arrow head had went through. My legs gave out and I fell forward and rolled down the hill.
I can't remember much after that, just the smell of blood and dirt, and the bitter taste of rain in my mouth.
When I woke up, we were already safe and far away from the human army.
The fire crackling beside me woke me up. I sat up and rubbed my head to check for serious injuries. I looked around trying to find indications of human presence, I relaxed when I made sure there were no trace of humans around. I found the white lion kneeling in a corner of the cave scaling some fish.
Later he came to the fire, put those fish on sticks and stuck them into the ground near the fire. The smell of food made me hungry.
"Seems the river stopped them for now, we should be safe to stay here for tonight." He said.
I looked into his eyes, there were so many questions I wanted to ask and I just don't know where to start.
That makes the two of us.
Cold wind blew into the cave, the wound on my left shoulder made me wince in pain.
He came to me, wrapped his cape around my shoulder.
"I took the arrow out, you will be fine. We were lucky they were not using the poison ones, I checked with some spell."
"Thank you." I said with a smile.
"No need, actually I should be the one thanking you."
His tired face lit by fire light, he stared at the pit, and put some firewood in it.
I watched the fire quietly, the small embers brought up by the wind swirling into the sky looked like fire fairies dancing in this dark blue night.
After a sigh, He took out a wooden flute from a pocket around his waist and started to play, the hollow sound broke the silence of the night. The nocturne he played was familiar yet strange, the melody sounds like came from deep of his soul. It was sad and forgiving, it also cleared the doubt in my heart.
"So, what's your name, my fellow friend?" I asked first after he stopped.
"Dukade, you?"
"Mano."
Moment of silent.
"you..." we started simultaneously, than stopped all together.
......
That night, I asked him so much about us white lions, about our kind, where we live, how we live, etc. Especially those customs and beliefs in the tribes I've always curious about. And he, in turn, wanted to know everything about me, someone who's been living outside the tribes for so many years.
That night, I am glad he proves to be a friend, not an enemy.
But what makes me happier, was that I finally get to meet someone of my own kind after all.
“老爸，我睡不着。”幼崽在床上辗转，反复拉动盖在身上的兽皮。
我坐在他的旁边，轻抚他白色的鬃毛，说：“要不，老爸给你讲讲美神创造万物的故事？”
我用爪轻抚他的额头，感受着幼崽的温度。
“噢，拜托，那故事我听过很多遍了！”幼崽不满地摇动尾巴。
忽然，他眼神一闪，望向我。小家伙借助火光，饶有兴致地打量我肩头那道颇有历史的疤痕。
“你肩膀上的伤疤是怎么来的？”他问。
“这是个老故事了，很长。”我皱了皱眉。
“今晚我想听这个。月光还没有照射到我的脚爪，时间还早！”小家伙翻了个身，让那张稚嫩的面庞对着我，蓝色的双瞳闪烁着特有的光辉。
那是好奇的眼神。
我愣了一下。之前他这样要求，我都是用各种理由搪塞过去，看来今天是躲不过去了。
“你真的不想睡吗？”我温柔地揉幼崽额头。
听到我的话，小家伙认真地点点头。
我叹一口气，说：“好吧。”
我用爪轻轻抚摸了一下左肩的疤痕，瞟一眼窗外，月光慢慢照射进来。
“那也许是我遇过的最糟糕的一个夜晚。”我掏出腰间的木笛，擦拭起来。一些思虑闯进我的脑海，我的动作停顿一下，随后注视爪里的木笛。
小家伙饶有兴趣的听着。
“大概八年前，我还未曾和你的母亲来到这里生活，你也没有出生，一切也不是现在的样子。”
“一个夜晚，我行进在前往公国奥莱玛格附近的路上，那是段很远的路，我从萨马尔罕途经荒原，在一座荒废的村落休息过夜。”我顿了一下，一些画面快速的闪过我的脑海。
“那一晚下着很大的雨，废村的空气里弥漫着一股特殊的味道，你知道的，作为狮族，我们对一种味道最为敏感，那就是血的味道。”我看着幼崽的眼睛，开始回忆过去。
“黑夜里的废村，地面泥泞，雨水疯狂的拍打着荒原上的一切。那种味道好似黑夜里的雾气，弥漫在废村的地面。我来到一座荒废的屋旁，在倒塌的残垣里，我看到了兽人的尸体。他死时候的模样很可怕，可以说是我见过的最可怕的尸体。”
“他被砍头了吗？”幼崽下意识拉了拉毛毡，遮住了眼睛。
“是的是的，非常吓人。”我吐了吐舌头。
“哦，天哪，难道是食人魔？还是巨大的岩石巨人杀掉了他？”
“都不是，是更可怕的东西”我继续擦拭着木笛，“发现不对的时候，我准备离开。我发现，这里简直是地狱。实在是太糟糕了，我甚至没有在废墟的屋里发现一点补给品。”
“天啊，是挺糟糕的。那，这些和你肩膀上的伤疤有什么关系呢？”幼崽问。
“当我意识到危险的时候，那些尸体变成了复活的食尸鬼，我的肩膀被他们中的一个狠狠地抓了一下！”
“哇！太可怕了，好了好了，我不想听你讲这么可怕的故事了，你看那月光，到我的脚爪了！”
小家伙说罢，把头彻底缩进了皮毛被的里面。
“晚安，我想你真的应该早点睡觉，我都说过这不是一个好故事了。你听外面是不是有什么声音？”我邪恶地笑了。
我撒了谎，给他讲述了一个并不存在的故事。我确定这小家伙在明白这不是真的之后还会纠缠着我问询真正的原因。
“哼！我不怕，晚安老爸！”
“我会守在你床边的。”
“……”
很快，平稳的呼吸声传来。一切归于平静。
我看着爪中的木笛，精致的漆面已经被擦的锃亮。
“已经，八年了”。
我再度回想起那个夜晚。
密布的乌云开始堆积起来的时候，我意识到自己已经无法躲过这场大雨。荒原的气候很反常，雨水很快伴随着呼号的狂风落下。密密麻麻的雨幕使我无法看清前面的路线。
我讨厌皮毛被打湿的感觉。毛发淋湿对狮族来说是件很麻烦的事情，因为要用很多时间去打理皮毛，并使它们干燥。
道路似乎没有尽头，我深一脚浅一脚地走在泥泞的草地上，强烈的风雨使得呼吸都感到有点困难。雨气中较低的气压有时候会让人觉得有一种窒息感，尤其是全身被淋湿之后，这种感觉更加让人不舒服。翻过一座不高的草坡后，一道灰色的阴影进入我的视野。
“该死的雨。”雨水进了眼，我咒骂了一句。随后迈开步子向那道看似墙壁的灰色走去。我认为这是今晚露宿的去处。
希望那是一个废弃的马场，至少可以留下点火取暖的东西。
当我走近的时候才看清楚，那是一道巨大的隔离墙，但是已经破损。墙壁上到处都是被火器打击过的痕迹，我用爪轻轻触摸那些痕迹，是威力不小的火器造成的斑痕。
雇佣兵的职业习惯让我把右爪压到了背后的长枪身上，准备随时战斗。我顺着墙壁慢慢向前走，来到一扇巨大的木门前。
左边残缺的门扇被狂风吹得仿佛要散架一般，发出凄惨的吱呀声，
我伸手去推门，没想到我一碰，这门就倒下了。弱不禁风的它彻底失去了自己的用处。
我来到一座被荒废的村落，四处是残垣断壁。我环顾四周，破败的农具，房屋被炸的支离破碎。我能闻到烧焦的气味，还有若隐若现的血腥味。
后背的浸湿感使我醒了醒神，雨下得更大了，远处传来雷声。看来今天得在这里躲一下才行。顺着村中的小路，我来到一所还算完整的房屋前，推开了屋门。
屋内空无一人，雨水透过损坏的泥瓦滴下，地板上一层尘土，看来很久没有人来过了。虽然看起来破破烂烂的，但是这里比外面要好的多。迈开步伐，在踩到木地板的一瞬间，一直悬着的心才踏实下来。
在泥泞的草地上行走已经让双腿疲惫不堪。我使劲抖了抖身上的雨水，将那些多余的水珠从皮毛上赶走。放下背后的长枪和手中的弓箭。我坐下来，调整着自己的呼吸，同时四下巡视起这所破旧的房子。
外间的围墙已经被炸烂了，只有这内厅的房屋还算完整，至少能躲雨。
这应该是战争所致。
我是这样猜测的。
我在屋里四处走动，这里的家具都已经残破不堪，地板上也全是被炸烂的痕迹，看着木地板附近的窟窿和焦黑的残砖断木，我觉得指望从这里找到什么补给品是没戏了。
绕了一会，强烈倦意向我袭来。我斜靠着墙坐下，将长枪抱在怀中打起盹来。
睡了一会，我被外面传来的声音惊醒。嘈杂的声音让我下意识地抓起长枪，偷偷趴在墙壁的角落向外看去。
现在已经快要入夜了，雨依旧在下着。
我看到了一个白色的身影在不断的加快速度，向着废村的方向跑来。
是人类吗？
我不由得紧张起来。
他背后的不远处似乎有红色光点在晃动。身为佣兵，在野外的时候遇到这种事情并不意外。或许是强盗，或许是山贼或者别的什么。但这身影背后那些红色的光点引起了我的注意。我抽出一支箭，将长弓搭起，对准那个白色的身影。
当我能分辨出那道白色的身影的时候，我感觉自己的心脏在疯狂地敲打自己胸腔。那是一头白狮族的兽人。这是我第一次，有生以来第一次见到同族。我几乎无法抑制住自己的情绪，差点惊讶得叫出声来。
但是作为佣兵的理性让我的警戒心压制了我内心的好奇。
他从哪里来？他是谁？他知道我的同族都在哪里吗？为什么他在这里会被人类发现？
我定了定神，把注意力转移到他身上，警戒心占据了上风。我想和他进行接触，可不知道对方的来历就贸然行动，对自己非常不利。
我在墙后小心翼翼地注视着他。
他的背影很强壮，和我一样白色的皮毛，一头鬃毛被雨水打湿，长长的鬃辫留在背后。
他大口喘着气，长时间的奔跑耗尽了他的体力。他持着大剑严阵以待，躲在了我这间废屋的外层，就与我一墙之隔。
手中的大剑发出一种异样的蓝色光辉。
魔……魔法？我惊讶了一下。
很快，那些追来的光点随着马蹄声接近了废村。高大的马匹上坐的是一名人类。他拔出军刀，喊起话来：“不想死就老老实实的跟我们走，兽人！没有路证出现在奥莱玛格公国的边界是违法的，遇到我们巡逻队还逃跑你简直是自寻死路！”
为首的一名人类向着那名同族喊着话，显得很暴躁。
他们似乎追捕这只狮子很长时间。
人类的喊话并没有得到回应。
我窥视着那名同族，他缓缓举起大剑，嘴里念动着什么。过一会，最前面的两名人类士兵连人带马被从天而降的火球砸的稀烂。
我这时才意识到，那是一句咒语。
“快！快！给我射死他！”那名人类拉住自己受惊的坐骑，紧张地往后退去，同时挥动着自己的军刀指向这边。
无数箭矢飞来。
我猜，这位同族在念出下一句咒语之前就会被射成筛子。几支箭打破窗户，从外面飞进来，落在我脚爪附近。
等到箭雨停息，我探头往外看去，发现淡蓝色的魔法护盾将箭全部挡了下来。
白狮半跪着，气喘吁吁。他看起来快要体力不支了。
莫名其妙地被人类追杀，这说明他应该是一名没有身份的兽人。我定了定神，暗中想出一个计划，将炸药箭搭上弓弦。
“快躲到屋里来！”我探出头去，冲着他喊道。
他听到我的声音，身体颤了一下。他回头的时候，我看清他的模样，他眼里写满惊讶，长大嘴巴，似乎被我的突然出现吓得不轻。
我毫不犹豫地将爆炸箭向着人类军队的方向射出去，准确在马群附近落地，炸出了一片巨大的火花，爆炸暂时逼退了对方的士兵。
“你？你？你是白狮族？！”他快速跑到我身边，惊讶得语无伦次。
“是的，和你一样，没时间聊天了，快跟我走。”
敌人在暂时的慌乱之后重新排列阵型，我和他的位置已经暴露，这里已经不能再用来躲避了。
乱箭再次飞来，他回手升起护盾，挡下这一波攻击。
挡下这一波攻势后，他呼吸很明显的乱了。
“快走！”我拉起他的臂膀，一起从内屋的侧门跳了下去。
这所屋外不远处是一片荒废的农耕土地，耕种的农作还没来得及收割，这个村落就被战火摧毁了，土地里留下不少农作物的疯长，无人管理的蒿草和野生燕麦长得有半人高，刚好可以遮住我们的身影。
我拉着他从泥泞的燕麦土地间快速的穿过。
“给我抓住他们！”背后丧心病狂的喊叫声传来。冰冷的箭矢不停地落在我们身旁，那些枯黄的燕麦丛虽然高大,但是没法成为我们的护盾。
我感到自己背后发凉，头皮发麻，拼命拉着他的手向麦田深处逃去。一条河流横在我们前进的道路上，我们没有退路了。他的呻吟在我耳旁想起，我发现，他的后背中了一箭。
“忍着点，我们必须通过这条河。”
我为他拔出箭，他吃痛地大吼一声。似乎是因为魔法的关系，箭刚刚离开身体，伤口的血就止住了。
我咬咬牙，背起他跳了下去。
水流湍急，我平尽全力地力气向对岸游过去。我以为我们俩今天都要在这河里喂鱼，直到河流附近一块巨石让我的脚爪有了支点，我把他托上河岸去。
当我准备爬上河岸的时候，几只利箭插到岸上，追兵到了。
“快！快跑！”我吼叫着，架起他的肩膀。前方是个小山坡，我们踉踉跄跄向前疾步逃去。
河对岸的马蹄声越来越密集，不断有弓箭落在我们附近。
在即将到达山坡边界的一刹那，我的左肩一阵刺痛。箭头从我的左肩穿出，摇晃了几下。膝盖不听使唤的一软，我和他就势翻滚下了小土坡。
后来的事情，我记不太清楚了。只记得翻滚中我闻到了血的气味，泥土的腥味，还有雨水流入嘴里的苦涩。
当我醒来的时候，我和他已经脱离了险境。
篝火在身旁劈啪作响，我坐起来，揉了揉脑袋，确认没被摔成脑震荡。警惕地打量四周，确认没有人类追兵之后，我松了一口气。视线在山洞里的某一处停下，我看到那头狮子在刮几条鱼的鱼鳞。
他走了过来，把几条鱼插在篝火旁烤了起来。
“他们没有追过来，我们在这里过夜，应该是安全的。”
我看着他的双眼，沉默不语。我心里冒出了很多问题，一瞬间竟然让我不知道该说什么。
而他似乎也是如此。
一阵冷风吹入洞中，左肩上的伤口遇冷后隐隐作痛。
他走过来，将身上的披风给我裹紧，
“箭取出来了，你伤得不重，箭头是没有毒性的，我用魔法确认过了”。
他说。
“谢谢”
我笑着向他道谢。
“不，我应该谢谢你才对。”
火堆映出他疲惫的脸，他注视火堆，向里面添了一些柴火。
我静静的看着篝火堆，夜风带走篝火中的燃星，点缀暗蓝色的夜空，宛如顽皮的火精灵在戏舞。
他深吸一口气，从腰间取出一只木笛吹起来，空灵的笛声打破夜的寂静。
他轻声着吹奏着熟悉的夜曲 似乎把纠葛的内心交给了夜笛声，那笛声悲伤，淡漠，随声渐渐飘散在风中。
“你叫什么？我的同族？”
“度卡德，你呢？”
“麦诺。”
“……”
“你……”我们异口同声地发话，但欲言又止。
……
那个夜晚，我问了他很多关于同族的问题，族群的定居点，还有那些我曾经迷惑好久的同族之间的习俗和信仰，而他也一样，他好奇我这个离开族群生活这么久的白狮族的一切。
至少，这一天，他证明了一件事，他不是坏人。
而我，幸运的遇到了同族。
Category Artwork (Digital) / All
Species Lion
Size 750 x 1280px
File Size 229.9 kB
Comments