Mohinder - 8

I've had this setting around on my computer for almost a year. I figured it was time to finish it. I didn't feel like re-doing it with my tablet so it has the original pen lines. The line art was made before I had my tablet. 

 Story Time

    Rhodesna watched Ali gently swinging upside-down in the breeze as she hung from the old beech tree, reading a book. Most of the bark had been destroyed over the years from the wind and sea and its leaves had become threadbare. But growing from its roots was a new sapling. Her ear flicked back as she heard someone walking up behind her. 

    "Punctual as ever, Mohinder," the pard leader observed.

    The young Ecathi came up beside her, his gray coat standing out against the bright sand. He looked quizzically at Ali but did not comment on her unusual reading position.

    "You summoned me."

    "Yes, I have a mission for you, but you will have to decide for yourself if you want to take it on."

    "Does this somehow involve Alexandra? I would assume her presence here is not a coincidence."

    He doesn't miss a thing, Rhodesna thought. "No, it is not. You see, my ambassadors in Bisgard have told me the number of humans in Suria and the capital are growing. And I don't foresee that growth stopping anytime in the near future. They present a new opportunity for trade and commerce."
    
    "You wish to trade with the humans?"

    "Yes, but not here. In the capital. That's where Ali comes in. She's close to mastering her human form. Quite remarkable for someone her age. She's eager to learn about the human culture, and she has some trading skills from working with her cousin. I know I can trust her loyalty to the pard."

    Mohinder looked back over to Alexandra dangling from the tree. "But her methods are --"
    
    "--unorthodox. Yes, I know. But they work."

    "And what's my job?"

    "I know it was your greatest desire to become a royal guard in Bisgard," Rhodesna said gently. "I hate to see your talents wasted as a hunter for the pard. I'm giving you the opportunity to be Ali's bodyguard in Bisgard and my eyes and ears in the human world."

    "But, with all due respect, you know the reason why I failed the tests for the royal guard was because my human form was too weak. I'm not going to blend into the human world well with giant ears and a tail."

    "It may be years before Ali is ready to go to Bisgard. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to study the human culture with Ali as well as train with her in your human form. And then, if you're ready, you will go to Bisgard with her."

    Mohinder stood in silence, his wide eyes hopeful.

    "You don't have to give me an answer now. Just promise me you'll think about it."

    Mohinder bowed his head in respect. "Yes Rhodesna."

    "Ali can open up the doors to a future you thought was long ago closed to you. You only have to unlock it. She will make you smile again."

    "I smile," Mohinder said, slightly puzzled by Rhodesna's comment as she began to walk away.

    "Not as much as you used to Mohinder. Not as much as you used to."




If you read the whole thing, kudos to you. Sorry if there's any typos, spelling or grammar mistakes. I'm typing this at 1:00 in the morning and sleep is calling.


For more information on the Ecathi species 
Current Ecathi point count: 38

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Art and Mohinder (c) Me 
Rhodesna (c)

Ecathi (c)