*Julius Comet*
I shivered. Not only physically but somewhat emotionally as well. This 'Ryone Royal Phoenix Nursery' had a way of sending chills up my spine. The warmness of freedom felt to have disappeared from my body entirely. The icy feeling of isolation returning with a wrath. Why did I feel like this all of a sudden?
"Coming inside?" Said a voice nearby. Catching me off guard. The voice felt incredibly close. I looked to my left and then right. No one. Not a soul. I hesitantly looked behind me bumping the alluring cat from its perch at my feet. Stopping it's purring. No one. I felt a smidge of relief followed by an overwhelming panic. Had I just hallucinated it? Still, I was curious to make sure.
"Hello? Who was that? Anybody there?" I asked recalling all the horror movies I'd seen over the years instantaneously. The shiver down my spine becoming colder. Looking around to see if anyone would emerge. No one again.
"Yeah down here buddy," The voice said again causing me to jump a little. After calming myself I looked down to see the cat staring at me wide-eyed, it's tail swerving on the ground. Sweeping left and right, left and right, left and right. Great. Just great. I'm going insane. First I follow a cat down several streets and now I'm hallucinating a conversation between the cat and me. Was this the danger my Father had warned me about when he spoke about the outside world? I felt sick in my gut. I pressed my hand to my head. My face feeling hot. This was embarrassing.
"I said are you coming inside or not?" It spoke again. I jumped a little more. What if I wasn't hallucinating this? What would this mean? Had the screws that I had loose become to many?
"Um..sure why not?" I replied in disbelief. Trying to process what was happening. Was this really happening? Maybe I was dreaming. Having said that the cat enthusiastically took to it's feet and pranced to the door. It's tail whisking through the air as it pranced. I followed the cat to where it was pawing at the door. The cat really was talking to me and could understand me. I exchanged another look with the cat before reluctantly opening the door. Preparing myself as I did for what was behind. I don't know what I was expecting. A scene from a horror movie, maybe?
I was rather disappointed when I opened the door to find an open hall with a white two-way staircase and a reception tucked neatly where the staircase split. The walls painted a pastel pink. The hall was half full of people of many different types. Some people looking like me. Some much shorter. Some much taller. Some with pointy ears and some without. I was marvelling at the diversity of people at the centre of the hall. I hadn't ever seen anybody like the people here in the confines of my Father's estate.
"Move." A black-haired boy who was carrying a cage with a strangely radiant orange bird demanded. Without thinking twice I stepped back. Like that I was brought back to reality. The boy was shorter than me. With a slim frame and assertive eyes. He looked younger than me. Almost resembling a child. The rude boy walked past me without a second word. The cat bounded onto my shoulder. Stretching before lying lazily on me. Brushing its head up against my neck. It's fur tingling up against the crook of my neck.
"What's his problem? Mommy yell at him? Ha!" The cat teased. A smile began forming across my face at the cat's comment. Without any notice the rude boy rapidly turned around. His face forming a snarling expression with his face crinkling from his furrowed eyebrows down to his nose.
"Excuse me?" The rude boy interrogated. He slowly bent down with the cage holding the radiant bird. Gently placing it on the ground before standing up again. Stretching his arms as he did. His expression remained unchanged. I tried to suppress a giggle from coming out my mouth. Failing epically to do so. The giggle had only built-up in my chest and projected more off the walls of the hall when it slipped out. Making the giggle a little painful. The expression on his face looked too forced. He reminded me too much of a pouty child. His expression was almost cute. I would've thought he was cute had it not been for the hostile energy he was exuding. I wasn't the only one who noticed either. A crowd of bystanders turned their heads towards us.
If I wasn't careful this could very easily turn into a fight. My palms began to sweat. I never gotten into a fight outside of my Father's estate. I had trained alongside the guards and my Father in combat everyday while growing up. I had become rather good at combat over the years but I wasn't sure if it would be good enough in the outside world. I didn't want a fight. Not tonight.
Tonight I just wanted to see the outside world. I had to stop a fight from happening. Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak— Squawk! The radiant bird sitting pompously in the cage interrupted flaring it's wings. Sending glowing sparks through the air surrounding it's wings. The rude boy's expression changed completely as he turned over his glance to the gleaming bird. His expression had softened. The boy maintained eye contact with the gleaming bird, saying nothing, before nodding and picking the caged bird back up in his arms again. Walking away. What just happened? What a strange boy.
"And I thought the tuna I ate last night tasted funny," The cat meowed. I rolled my eyes while grinning. This cat really did have a mouth on it. I couldn't help but laugh. It felt good. It'd been years since I'd laughed like this. "What's his problem? Mommy yell at him? Ha!" The cat gleefully continued.