The Esurian Islands - magic is alive and well. Those that can use it are able to mold the world around them; given they have the skill to do so.

Kelkera is a Vulpine stuck within a Esurian town. For years she has looked through the small window in her closet room, wondering where the travelers who frequent her town are from and where they are going. She's finally getting some more responsibility, to actually stand behind the bar for once! But things did not go well and now heavy thoughts weigh on her. Also it seems that there are some plots being planned against her...and all other beasts.

Kicit is an Avian Caster apprenticed under one of the Nine Masters; the black corvid Master Elacce. Eight long years under the Master's talon have him wondering when he'll finally join the ranks within Rukiem's Order and to select his own Apprentice. Instead of advancing Kicit, Master Elacce tells him they have a mission off of the Risen Isle and Kicit finds himself aboard a Canine vessel sailing to the Esurian Island Accaran without any idea of why.

Follow Kicit as he is confronted with a new world that is far different than the one he knew on his small Island. Filled with new people, species, spells, plots, histories and secrets desperately wanting to be seen. But after all, Kicit is a Caster, he can deal with it...can't he?

Illustrated by: https://bsky.app/profile/freddy1565.bsky.social

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To put it as simply and courtly as possible, Elnora was not happy. She had returned to the Tavern about an hour after the incident, her attitude and color of her face not dissimilar to red hot burning coals. She demanded that Antony take over the still empty counter and grabbed Kelkera, dragging her by the tail to the back room.
“So, there I was coming back from the Magistrate after a very successful meeting and who do I run into but Tobias.” The words flew out of her mouth like bits of flame and Kelkera pulled back trying to avoid their heat. “Now the Day’s End is an Esurian hating, Beast’s only Tavern huh? What in the name of all the Gates did you do?” Elnora was not even trying to hide her raised voice and it absolutely carried not only to the Tavern but outside and even to the rooms.
“It’s not my fault an Esurian insulted that Cervine! How was I supposed to stop it?” Kelkera protested but Elnora was like an immovable mountain, her jowl firmed up and her eyes raged with anger.
“Do you know that this will ruin my chances to get that new place? No one will want to come to a place where they’ll be attacked by animals or what now! I’ll still be stuck with those who can’t find another place sooner.” Her eyes glared into Kelkera’s and she just stayed quiet knowing that nothing she said would sooth Elnora’s rage. “And here I thought letting you have a room and working here would set you straight. Yeah, that’s a laugh. I swear no matter how much effort I put in you animals always chew up my kindness and shit it out.”
Kelkera desperately wanted to try to get her side in, as the way Tobias most likely explained it, she had probably hurt the poor innocent Esurian just trying to get a drink.“You know Tobias! Do you really trust anything he says?” She cried back. Elnora crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
“You’re saying that a man didn’t get stuck in the counter and two birds didn’t do it?” She asked. She was technically right but the tone of her voice showed she was not fishing for a different story and Kelkera dropped her eyes.
“Yeah that’s what I thought.” Elnora said and reached for the iron coin box that sat on the shelf in the back room. “How much did they pay?” At this Kelkera drew in a sharp breath. She’d forgotten! How could she have! He’d even offered her the gold piece! Why had she turned it down! What was even going through her head?
“How much?” Elnora pressed. At this Kelkera’s stomach dropped out of her body, through the floor and deep into the ground. She stood in stunned silence trying to come up with some sort of excuse. Anything that could explain why the iron money box stood empty.
“How much?” Elnora asked again, this time picking up the box. Elnora knew every bit of that box, and could just about tell you how much was inside from just the weight. The moment she did her face grew white and it tensed.
“Well, I…I kind of forgot.” Her voice had sunk to a whisper but Elnora had heard it loud and clear. Her face twitched for a moment and she seemed to disconnect, but once the words aligned in her head something definitely snapped.
“You stupid animal!” She screamed. Her hand raised and Kelkera knew what was coming. She raised her own arms to protect her face and much to her surprise a white line, very similar to the ones that had been drawn by Kicit and his Master, streaked through the air following her motion to protect herself. It caught Kelkera so much by surprise that she stopped thinking about protecting herself and the slap connected right on the side of her muzzle. It sent her stumbling back and collapsing onto the floor where Elnora stood over her.
“Well you’d outta be worth something. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.” Her words were like stones being thrown at her and Kelkera bit her tongue to avoid the growl that tried to make its way out of her stomach.
“Just ask the Avians to pay more! I mean I know that they have-” Kelkera tried to argue but was cut short by Elnora.
“And gain a reputation for asking guests to pay more after they’ve already paid? Even if they are some weird animals, asking that kind of thing would sour my reputation. A reputation spreads quicker than any sort of fight.” Elnora massaged her brow with a hand. “You Animals aren’t bright. No. You’re paying it off with your own tail if it kills ya. Now get out of here.”
Kelkera collected herself, rubbing the now throbbing side of her muzzle and swiftly left the room. The Day’s End did not live up to its name and stood empty in the waning hours of the day. Elnora was right, word did travel fast and with each empty seat Kelkera felt the weight of that coin on her. It would be her responsibility to make up for any losses. Her responsibility to fix it all up. Her responsibility to somehow make it right. A sigh left her as she made her way back up the rickety stairs to her little room.

***

As she laid down in her uncomfortable bed made of a roughly sewn sack of soft hay, thoughts kept bouncing in her head, thoughts that she couldn’t calm. Sleep was not going to come quickly and after only a few moments of a fitful try at it she sat up and moved to the small window in order to get some fresh air. Outside, night had fallen and the dull flickering light of fires and the moons bounced off of the walls of buildings, casting dancing shadows upon them.
“Something’s to be done with ‘em, been hearing what's coming from the west and I think we should get a jump start on it.” The voice carried on the wind well. It was coming from the street that was below her. She couldn’t see exactly but she knew who. In fact, Tobais might as well have been shouting his voice was so clear.
“You say that but… Kera never really bothered me. She takes the brunt of everything and I get to lay back.” Another voice responded, but she knew that one too, Antony. Kelkera ducked under the sill and kept her ears perked.
“She’s trouble I tell ya, gotta nip ‘em in the tail before it gets worse. If you still want a bitch to pawn your troubles off too, I’ll introduce you to my sister. At least she ain’t got fur.” Tobias scoffed. “Fur…I’d like her pelt.”
“Pelt? That’s much you think?”
“It’s a thought.” He paused and Kelkera covered her chest with her pads, scared that the beats of her heart would give her away. “But I don’t just mean her, those damn birds too. Anyone in this town who ain’t us.”
“What happened again?” Antony asked and Tobias recounted what had happened with the Avians, though very much from his own perspective and embellished to make him the paragon in the whole thing.
“The whole lot gotta go I tell ya.” He finished.
“Tobias, I’ve known Kera for years, she’s a pain but wouldn’t do anything. My Mom’s had her under her thumb for years. Whatever she says Kera will do.” Antony said. Kelkera sunk to the ground and let a small growl echo from her stomach, quickly suppressing it to avoid any more noise. But, Antony was right.
“I’m gunna talk to some others of the Watch, see if I can get a posse goin’.” Tobais sneered and Kelkera’s heart continued to thump in her chest. Her claws showed themselves against her will.
“Say something, Antony, come on.” She whispered.
“Tobias, give it till tomorrow. Talk to the Magistrate at the very least. If you get his blessing I know a few others who might wanna join.” A long pause and Kelkera squeezed her pads to her chest until Tobias finally spoke.
“Fine, I won’t do anything serious tonight but I do want to check around to see if anyone else feels the same.”
“What was that about your sister?” Antony asked, trying to change the subject.
“I’ll introduce ya, come on.” The sounds of their voices gradually grew quieter and quieter until they were out of reach of even her ears. Yet Kelkera kept deathly still, trying to slow her racing heart. Tobias was really going for it, the thorn in her side had just turned poisonous.
Her thoughts raced, her body froze with indecision. Could she go fight him? No, he was much too big for her and had friends. Could she run? Leave Carran’s rest? The thought sounded good, it rang with a clear tone like a bell. Yes! But it soon soured, she couldn’t leave Luka. Not with the likes of them! Her mind circled around back to fighting, she could maybe ask Luka to stand with her! But no, as far as Kelkera knew Luka didn’t have an ounce of fight within her; solving her problems a different way.
Then it hit her! Of course! The Avians, they could wield Magic! They could hold themselves in a fight for sure. How could they refuse a Beast like themselves in mortal danger! So she crept out of her small room at the end of the hall and stood in front of one of the doors. She hesitated for a moment before knocking wondering if she’d get the younger of the two, Kicit.
No answer.
She tried again but still, no answer came.
Taking in a few breaths she made up her mind, grabbed the rickety handle and forced it open with all her might. The door flew open to an empty room, strewn about with various pieces of parchment.
“They’re gone?” She said to herself, her blood running cold. But the papers caught her eye and Kelkera reached for one. On it was a rough, scratchy handwriting that she couldn’t make out. Around her the small bed had been undone, the thin blankets roughly thrown to the floor in an apparent hurry. Instinctively Kelkera reached for them but as she did something tumbled out from the folds. Once she pulled it closer she could see it was a book. Perhaps it had where they were going!
The cover was an incredibly aged and faded red leather. It was blank except for five embossed shapes, a square in each corner and a diamond in the middle. The binding was old and weathered and with it in her hands she could feel the cording that held the spine and pages together. The back was blank except stains that only years can provide.
Upon opening it, Kelkera was met with a musty odor reminiscent of an old house that had stood for centuries. Its pages were a weathered yellow and even just a quick thumbing through them found many tears and rips in the old print. A very deliberate swirled script was etched into the pages with a faded gray ink that at one time had probably a deep black. The book was old, very old.
She opened the book to the front page and studied the script. She recognized some of the letters that made up its many words and tried to sound some of them together. Though this was not like Bo the Bovidae and other Children’s Tales that she had learned from and sat on the shelf in her room. This was an elaborate, exceptionally crafted script that required focus on each different word. She narrowed on the top ones.

Tome of the Beasts Body

Kelkera could only put together part of the title. Even though she recognized the letters, they were written in an old dialect that made it incredibly difficult to parse. Frankly, she was amazed that she had been able to even make out a single word of it because as her eyes went further down the page it dissolved into a mess of lines. Single words like Release, death, path and difficult all jumped out to her but it’s full meaning was lost.
Her eyes looked back about the room when she heard what sounded like shouts far away.
“Oh no!” She breathed through her teeth. Then, without putting a second thought into it raced out of the room and after the Avians.