Chapter Text
“There’s something very important that I need you to start investigating, Cyno.”
“What is it?”
“We heard that there’s a smuggling ring.”
“There’s always a smuggling ring, Alhaitham.”
“Yes…but this one isn’t for canned knowledge. It’s for …exotics.”
“Exotics. Like animals?”
“Not quite.”
“I’m not going to go out to the desert for fruit-”
“Something worse than exotic animals.”
“What could be worse than exotic animal smuggling?”
Cyno sighed. He looked down over the dunes, watching the caravan in the distance. It had only been a few weeks since Alhaitham came to him with this rather … unique assignment. As the General Mahamatra, he usually didn’t deal with cases that had no bearing in the Akademiya. He took a deep breath as he shifted, stalking over the dunes. If anyone spotted him from the group, he’d appear to be just another scorpion against the sand. His years of training had taught him how to move in plain sight, not being able to rely on cover in the desert. He just had to keep them in his sights for now. With a group this big, even with sumpter beasts, they’d have to rest soon. Once they stopped, he’d catch up to them. Then, he could infiltrate and see what the rumors amounted to. There was a chance that this caravan wasn’t part of the smuggling ring he was after. His conversation with Alhaitham had been brief, and lacked many details, after all. However, something inside him said that this was it. That this caravan was doing something unsavory based on the route they took. They were far past the wall of Samiel now, even further than Aaru village. Hell, he was pretty sure that they were edging in on the Mausoleum of Deshret, really avoiding normal trade routes to Natlan or to Fontaine. It was unsettling, to say the least.
“Explain.”
“We received word that a new smuggling ring has started to move through the Sumeru desert and into Natlan. Our informant isn’t sure what they have- his job was to stop the poachers from his nation selling to smugglers from ours. The only hint that he had was that a man named Ororon was on the list he acquired. Ororon is unique because of his traits- he has the ears of Iktomasuarus. He said there was something unique about his spiritual being in regards to Natlan as well.”
“So he’s a hybrid?”
“Yes, it seems that way.”
“So people are being smuggled.”
“Yes- the ring has been going on for quite some time now. A man named Kinich was being called in to track saurians leaving the borders for illegal trade. He didn’t find any saurians leaving, only cages coming in and not staying for long.”
“So you want me to-?”
“Yes, track them down. I know this is outside of your normal line of work, but Lesser Lord Kusanali believes that there's a protected class getting poached.”
“A protected class?”
“Valuka Shuna.”
Protected class could mean a lot of things, Cyno thought as he kept his distance at the ridge of the next dune. However, Valuka Shuna were special even by that definition. They had been chosen by multiple deities in Sumeran history as chosen ones. Companions, consorts, messengers, and conduits alike, were now part of communities that were protected, and none could enter in their communal villages without permission from within. It made sense that the Lesser Lord would take issue if they were truly being poached. He laid down flat on the sand, watching the horizon again. The caravan he was targeting had finally reached an oasis, and made camp for the night. Good. He could catch up with them and sneak in under the cover of darkness. The first part of this plan hinged on finding proof that the smuggling ring was actually transporting illegal objects. The phrasing made his blood boil, but that was the definition. He had heard no other rumors about the cargo they carried, if he could even call it that. He let out a sigh, deciding to take out his cloak and rest for as long as possible, balancing his jackal helmet on his heels as he covered up, waiting for time to pass, and think about all the evidence he had gathered so far, scarce as it was.
Outside of Sumeru’s borders, he had started to look at missing persons reports, specifically those considered non-human or part human. A mint haired girl with fennec like ears was missing from Mondstadt, along with a bard and a cat-eared girl. A man from Inazuma with a thick fluffy tail and ears. A tall man with horns. Another Inazuman woman with wings was missing as well. Two women with dragon horns had gone missing from Liyue, and there was a smattering of valuka shuna missing, though he couldn’t be sure of the number. Most refused to get help outside of the community, after all. Poaching them for their body parts was still a lucrative business on the black market, as disgusting as it was. Cyno had returned several bodies to their people, in various states that left his blood boiling just thinking about it. If they managed to capture unique ones, they’d use them to breed more, from what he had heard. The best future they could hope for was being bought as a pet and held at parties against their will as part of the entertainment. Many of those would be subjected to breeding, hoping their children would inherit valuka shuna traits and be sold off as babies. The worst fate was to be sold for their tails and their bones, hoping that by ingesting them they could gain the favor of gods.
Barbaric.
Once the sun had started to set, he started to move. First, he took his jackal helm and got it back on his head. Second, he shook the sand out of his cloak before putting it away. His tan skin was easier to blend in with the dunes and shadows. Third, he took a long drink of water. He might not get the chance to hydrate again anytime soon, and he needed to be careful. Finally, he had his spear out, and he was thrumming with the spirit of Hermanubis. It made sense. If Shuna were being threatened, after all, the ancient spirit in him would protest as well. The other in him wasn’t always active, but today, Hermanubis had been whispering almost non stop, telling him to abandon stealth and attack. Cyno wished he could, but without knowing the exact number of hybrids or guards, he couldn’t be sure he could save them before they were hurt or killed.
He hushed the spirit within as he scuttled his way down the dunes, edging closer to the camp. He got his polearm out as he walked, making sure to stick to outcroppings from nearby cliffs to help hide him. He took a wide berth around the outside of the camp, far away from the fires where eremites watched side by side with treasure hoarders. Cyno thinks he likes that even less- maybe he should get his mercenary friends to help out in the long run as well. He swallowed, making his way quicker to the cages. He finally gets near one, and stills, looking in. Lamplight eyes are glowing at him, and calico ears twitch, taking in his appearance. The pink haired girl blinks at him warily, pressing back against the back of the cage, lightly hissing.
They had a fucking child.
Cyno felt his blood boil, but he did his best not to look scary or let Hermanubis take charge. He bit his lip, sitting down near the cage. The catlike eyes watch him, taking in his appearance. She turns slightly, looking at someone behind her, in another cage. He keeps out of arms reach, waiting.
Cyno looks up finally, following her eyes. His heart stopped for a moment. There, in the cage, was definitely a Valuka Shuna, but unlike any he had ever seen. His fur was dark as night, ears blending in with the shadows except for the soft pink of the inner shell. The hybrid looked in rough shape, but offered Cyno a tired smile.
“Take her, please. I can manage,” he mumbles. “If you can save any of us, save her. She’s the youngest,” he explains softly.
“Mister-”
“Diona,” the Valuka Shuna said, voice firm. “You can trust this man with your life. You need to go with him, before it's too late.”
Cyno blinked.
“Are you sure?” Cyno asked.
The man in front of him hummed. He took off his glove, and Cyno watched those darkened nails reach up and take off his necklace. Trisharite caught the light from the far away fire and he tossed it out to the other. Cyno caught it with one hand.
“My family is… my family is in the commune outside of Caravan Ribat, on the edge of the forest. You’ll find my parents there- look for the one obsessed with scarabs. That’s my father.” he tells him. “I’m staying-” he took a moment, ears flicking, putting his finger to his mouth. He slinks back in his cage, motioning for the other to get down behind the cage for a moment.
Cyno drops, hiding behind him. An eremite walks by, checking the cages. Tighnari watches him go, and Cyno watches him watch. He waits for a few minutes, ears flicking as people move nearby. He glances back down at Cyno.
“He’s the only one who bothers checking the cages. Take Diona- the heat’s getting too much for her as a cryo user,” he tells him once the coast is clear.
Cyno bites his lip. He doesn’t like the idea of just leaving others behind.
“They won’t hurt me,” the fox-like being says, sure of himself. “I’m going to be sold to a collector,” he comments. “Fontaine, probably.” he adds. “You can take down the whole ring, can’t you, Cyno?” he murmurs.
Cyno looks up at him, confused.
“How do you know-”
“Please, we all know the General Mahamatra. Especially one from the desert. You opened up the doors for us to go to the Akedemiya, you know.” he told him. “I’m in Amurta. I got snatched outside of my dorm,” he adds softly.
“You’re a-”
“Tighnari. Please call me Tighnari,” he said quietly. “We don’t have much time if you want to get out of sight by sunrise. I’ve been thinking a lot. I’ve had nothing but time, but you can help me,” Tighnari tells him with a big smile.
“What can I do?” Cyno asked.
“Diona is going to freeze her bars off tonight,” Tighnari told him. “She’s going to go back with you to the matra as proof, then you can get her home to Mondstadt and to her father,” Tighnari told him. “Then, you’re going to come back for me,” he told him with certainty. “I’m glad that you’re here- she was going to escape at an oasis sooner or later, but this will make sure she can get home safe. To her dad.”
“And you just assume that you’ll be okay?” Cyno asked.
Tighnari let out a snort.
“I’m most likely the only Valuka Shuna alive with a genetic defect that colored my fur dark. I’m basically the opposite of albinism, but still just as rare.” He points out. “They’ll want to sell me off to someone who wants to display me or breed me,” he tells him. “So I’m going to figure out how to mark my path. I can use my vision- dendro- to help mark the path they take us on.” he told him. He taps his sari that he’s wearing. “I’ll use the red and blue and gold threads. Red for camps, blue for trades, gold for when they had to change paths.” he told him.
Cyno listens. Red, Blue, Gold. He repeats the colors and their meanings as he watches Diona gather up her little bit of strength and break a couple brittle bars, enough for the thin calico girl to slip through.
“Mister Tighnari.”
“I’ll be okay,” he promises, voice firm. “Cyno will save me,” he states, with such conviction that Cyno’s convinced himself.
She nods her head, climbing through. Cyno helps collect her in his arms. She clings to him, and he pulls out his cloak out of his bag, covering her. Tighnari flashes him a smile.
“I wanted to thank you- one of the shuna you brought back recently was my little sister,” he told him. Cyno watches as those gorgeous ears droop down, and he looks back at the other’s face. “You didn’t get to her in time, but…not many would bring her home,” he admits. “She got to be placed in the caves, delivered back to earth,” he tells him. “So I know you care,” Tighnari admits. “You cried for her that day after all,” he said softly. His ears flick again, and he glances.
“Diona, you have to go now. You know what we talked about, right?” Tighnari tells her.
She nods her head.
“Yes. I know what to tell them.”
“Good. Hopefully you can get back before I cross the border, Cyno,” he told him. “I can try leaving clues about others of us here, but…. You need to be prepared to take them all out. This operation has hundreds involved, from many nations. We’re talking big targets too- adepti, archons…” he explains.
Cyno grits his teeth.
“Come with us-”
“No.”
Tighnari says it with such finality, he stops. Tighnari gives him a small smile.
“They’ll give up on a small girl on her own for dead in the desert,” he said softly, sadly. “But for a creature made for the dunes? They’ll hunt me down so I won’t raise the alarm.” he explains quietly.
Cyno hears the logic, even if he hates it. Diona comes over to Tighnari, bumping into his hand.
“Come see me, so I can pay you back,” she murmurs.
He nods.
“Goodbye, Diona. And, see you later, Cyno,” he tells him.
“You mean Cynonari,” Cyno tells him.
Tighnari blinks at him.
“What?”
You know. Since it sounds like Siyonara? Cynonari, see you later?”
Tighnari blinks at him, ears flicking.
“Go before it's too late, and…cynonari, I guess,” he told him, trying to look amused.
He doesn’t, but Cyno doesn’t dare waste anymore time, hitching Diona up on his hip, and starting off towards the dunes with an uncertainty he hated, and something worming its way into his core, tangled up like the necklace in his hand. Vulpes Zerda shone overhead, flickering. Lupus Aureus followed behind, leading him back to Sumeru City.
He’d save Tighnari, he swore to himself.
He’d make sure Tighnari’s parents wouldn’t lose a second child to these monsters.