Chapter Text
Xayah could still smell the putrid stench of blood in the air. It had been years since the war had ended, yet the stench persisted. Arms folded, eyes focused, Xayah trailed behind Rakan, scanning the dense forest around them. Her mind was elsewhere. Ever since the invasion, there had been a feeling at the back of her mind that maybe the Noxians were just the beginning. Perhaps the land still hungered for more bloodshed. She knew she did. Today, that feeling was especially strong, nagging at her constantly. Rakan glanced back, and noticed her slowing pace.
“You’ve got the face again,” He said with a smirk.
Xayah rolled her eyes with playful annoyance, “Pfft, what face?”
Rakan slowed down to match her pace, walking alongside her. “Oh, you know,” he said, smirk widening into a grin. “The face.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xayah said.
The yellow peacock gestured wildly, framing his face with his palms. “Cmon, you know the face. It’s the one you make when you’re thinking too hard,” He explained.
“Well if I didn’t have to think for the both of us, maybe I wouldn’t be making the face,” Xayah sneered cheerfully.
Rakan play gasped. “Hm. You should try not thinking. It’s pretty fun,” He said, skipping ahead of her once again.
“It’s all fun and games until someone gets a shuriken to skull, Rakan.” Xayah called from behind.
She sighed. It really was tough work having to think for Rakan, but it was worth the extra energy. Rakan just wasn’t Rakan without his… impulsivity.
As they walked, the forest around them began to thin, and the leaves became more and more wilted. They were on their way to the Yondlu Valley, just north of Navori, to investigate the high concentration of corrupting magic in the area. Normally, Xayah would avoid being so close to Navori, with its dense population of humans, but she had vowed to revive her land years before, and wasn’t planning on breaking promises any time soon.
Rakan looked back at her again.
“Let’s get some rest. The sun's setting. We'll get there tomorrow,” He said.
Xayah shook her head. “You clearly have plenty of energy. We can muster a few more paces,” She responded, placing her hand firmly at her hips.
Rakan shook his head and chuckled, “No. I think you need the rest. You’re eyes are dark. Cmon, sit. I will find a place to sleep.”
“But-,” Xayah protested.
“Shhh. Don’t worry,” He said, “We need all the energy we can get as we approach the spooky magic.”
Xayah silently acquiesced. She knew he was right, but inside, she was still fuming. Something inside her was pulling her into the valley. It was as if a thread had connected her to the place ever since she was born, but only now did she feel it tugging at her heel. It was silly, really. Xayah had never even been to Yondlu, only heard of it in human folktales. They said it was a paradise, hidden between two towering mountains. If only they could see it now, presumably leveled by their human brethren’s insidious use of magic. Tragic.
Her heart sank a bit the moment Rakan left to find shelter. She couldn’t stand being without him, even if for a moment. He filled a void within her that she hadn’t known was there. Her heartfire.
Looking up again, Xayah continued scanning the area, but the corruption dulled her senses. She could barely see a few paces into the dark without squinting.
“Alright, darling!” Rakan called from behind a large tree. “I think I found us one sweet crib.”
Xayah rolled her eyes.
“Xayah?” He said. “You there? Xayah?”
“Okay fine,” she answered, amused at his cluelessness.
The other side of the tree trunk was a sight to behold. Rakan bowed in arrogance as Xayah took in their new roost.
He had plucked out his own feathers and enchanted them to glow, hanging them from a few branches above. Below, the base of the tree trunk, which had previously housed a Beast-toothed Wood Snout, was hollowed out, a perfect place to lay down for the night. Who knows, maybe it was good for a little something else. Rakan had used dried grasses and some of his own feathers to cushion the bottom of the nest. And to finish it off, he had carved a heart in the weathered wood above it.
How he did this so fast, Xayah had no idea, but she swooned nevertheless.
“You’re adorable,” She said.
Rakan finally raised his head from his bow. “Oh, I know.”
As the two of them sank into the soft hollow, Rakan swiftly maneuvered his cloak to wrap around her as he peered into her deep, honeygold eyes, leaning in for a kiss, but suddenly, he stopped, his face hovering just above hers.
“Something’s up. What’s wrong?” Rakan asked, his head tilting ever-so-slightly.
“What?” Xayah said, flustered. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m ready to… you know,” Xayah paused. “Get down?”
Rakan smirked and unfurled himself from her, laying down next to his lover. “No. You aren’t,” He said firmly, before his eyes lit up with a realization. “You’ve got the face again, don’t you!” He accused playfully.
“Yeah… I’ve got the face again,” Xayah admitted with exasperation, sinking further into the the grass and feathers beneath them.
Rakan tensed up a bit. Xayah never admitted to having the face. Ever. Xayah could tell by the change in his breathing that he had caught on to her uncharacteristic behavior. He was worried.
“Miella,” He said. He paused for a short moment before leading her to another subject. “Aren’t the stars beautiful tonight?”
Xayah’s eyes drifted to the skies. He was right. Even from one of the most corrupted and broken places she had ever been, she could still see the beauty of the heavens. The stars, scattered between the clouds like paint strokes, seemed to pulsate with light and energy. There was only one other time she saw a night sky as bright as this.
“It reminds me of Aphea Falls,” She whispered.
“Those were better days,” Rakan said wistfully.
Xayah shook her head. “Were they? Just think of all of the tragedies surrounding those moments back then. We exchanged vows in a…” Xayah paused, finding her words. “We exchanged our vows at Aphea, in a deep, deep valley between two towering mounds of bloodshed and death.”
“Wait what do you-”
“How did I let myself be happy? I’m so numb to death that it didn’t even matter,” Xayah said through silent tears. She didn't know why she was suddenly so worked up. Her inner voice felt garbled and unsure.
Rakan sighed. “You don’t need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, my Wu`ta.”
Xayah began to protest but Rakan interrupted her, “Just stop thinking for a moment and look at the stars. Tell me they don’t make you happy. I mean look at ‘em! It doesn’t matter who-knows-how-many bodies lie in our past and what dangers stands in our future, sometimes happiness doesn’t need to be justified.”
Xayah chuckled. Rakan was never this deep. Or maybe he was.
Maybe they were both acting weird.
“Maybe,” She said, her eyes still glued to the stars. The rhythm of their light entranced her, making Xayah feel as if she were woven to something much bigger. Something that had been waiting, hiding for millenia.
Shhk!
Both vatsaya jumped. Slowly, Xayah looked up from her spot in the hollow. Inches from the top of her head, a shuriken was now wedged into the thick tree bark behind her. Rakan noticed it too, panic rising within both of them.
Xayah elbowed him. “Rakan!” She hissed, “The lights!”
“Oh,” Rakan said. “Riggght.”
With a flick of his hand, the glowing essence returned to him from his enchanted feathers that hung above. The two lovebirds were plunged into darkness. All Xayah could see were red, glowing eyes, at least twenty paces away, intently watching them. She recognized them instantly. It was the Order of the Shadow. Maybe they were behind all of this.
Rakan gasped quietly. “There’s gotta be like twenty of them,” He said, puffing out his feathers. “I didn’t know we were worth so many soldiers.”
“Maybe they learned a thing or two from last time,” Xayah said, carefully plucking some of her feathers and gathering them in her hand, fanning them out like a deck of cards. She could only hope the odds were in their favor.
Shhk!
Another Shuriken landed just beside Rakan.
“We need to find better cover,” Rakan said. “Are we running or fighting, m’lady?”
Xayah squinted her eyes. “Fighting.”
The two darted behind another nearby tree, out of sight, giving Xayah time to formulate.
Peeking out from behind the thick wood, Rakan became even more anxious. He always got so giddy during the worst times.
“What’s the plan?”
“Oh… The plan?” Xayah asked.
“You always have a plan. Always.”
“Uh,” Xayah hesitated. She knew they were outnumbered. She also knew that Rakan’s usual tricks wouldn’t work this time, since the soldiers were too close together. It was too easy to get caught. They’d have to get creative. “We’re outnumbered… So the only way we’re getting out of this is if we lead them into a trap.”
“A Trap?” Rakan said, tapping his talons with anticipation. “Okay I’ll distract them!”
Rakan began dashing out from their spot behind the tree, but Xayah held him back.
“No,” She said. “This time I’m doing the distracting. Here, take these.” Xayah held out her hands, in them were at least 3 dozen feathers that she had plucked.
“Woah,” Whispered Rakan. “That’s a lot of feathers.”
Xayah nodded. “I’m going to need you to sneak-”
Rakan gasped, “Sneak? Me? I do not sneak.”
Xayah rolled her eyes once again, “Well you’re going to. Just get behind them, on the opposite side of the soldiers. While I distract them, you will stick the feathers in the mud in a line.”
Rakan was practically shaking with anticipation. “And then I punch them?”
“No, you get me into position to catch our prey. And then I pluck out all of their eyes and eat them like blueberries.”
Before Xayah could finish her twisted metaphor, Rakan was already off into the dark, twisting forest. He’d be back.
Xayah crept through the vines until she could make out the Soldiers of the Order lying in wait, just a few paces away. They were gathered in a small clearing, crouching behind bushes. She could just make out their whispers.
“Where’d they go?” One asked.
“They can’t be far,” said another, deeper voice. “The vastaya are bloodthirsty, they wouldn’t just run.”
He isn’t wrong, Xayah thought. Before she could listen in on more of their conversation, she spotted the glowing line of feathers Rakan was beginning to make behind them. So far, he wasn’t noticed. Time to distract. Quickly and silently, she climbed up to the treeline, peering down at the clearing.
“Hey. Eyes up here, stupid,” Xayah called. The soldiers turned in unison to look up at the trees. She heard more chatter, but couldn’t make any of it out. With a flick of her wrist, she sent two feather daggers into the group, she hit one, but also gave away her location.
“They came from there!” One soldier Called, pointing up towards her. Xayah flitted down to the mud without a sound, and began lurking away from where he had signaled.
“The feathers! Break them!” Said the deeper voice. Two of the smaller soldiers scuttled to the glowing daggers and each pulled a feather from the mud, snapping them in half. Xayah could almost feel them break.
What? Xayah thought, They know me. Why else would they know not to leave the feathers behind them? Xayah was stunned. Maybe she had underestimated them, the humans. She didn’t know why she was so upset about two simple feathers, but something deep within her was stirring.
The humans approached the tree where she had been perched, peering into the dark. Xayah, still reeling, slowly stepped back, keeping her eyes on the soldiers’ red eyes floating in the darkness, searching for her up in the treeline.
Suddenly, a loud snapping sound rang out through the forest. Pain fanned out from Xayah’s leg, and the feeling of warm blood ran down her ankle to her talons.
“Shit!” She exclaimed. A thornbrush had caught on her. The pain was unbearable.
But more importantly, each and every one of the scarlet eyes turned to stare directly at her.
“Oh.”