Gull looked at Karabell. It had indeed expected him to say those words sooner or later. It wasn't that Gull didn't want to give him the answers he was seeking. Those answers, however, were linked to some terribly painful memories. Memories what would jurt both of them.
"It's a long story... It's fine. I won't run away anymore. Even if you two weren't related by blood, he was, nonetheless, your father. You have the right to know." Gull took a deep breath and tapped its foot. Karabell narrowed his eyes as he sat down on the cold floor. "But I'll do it my way," the creature continued, meeting his gaze. The Captain immediately understood what the creature was trying to do. It wanted to show him rather than tell him... Telepathy. He relaxed his mind, allowing Gull to take control.
The moon was almost entirely covered by clouds. Nighttime. Karabell couldn't move a muscle. Those were memories. But they weren't his. It was as if he was watching a movie. But he felt all that being directly transferred into his brain. They were on the outskirts of a small forest, right next to the Lower District. Gull sniffed the air. Its two teammates were injured. They'd run into a squad of fighters while searching for food, but they had managed to lose them. Gull helped the wounded Aberrations lie down... Pik and Arago. They were hungry. Gull needed to find food as quickly as possible. Their wounds wouldn't heal otherwise. After it warned them not to move around too much, the Superior dashed towards the city. There weren't any animals there. Still, there was a strange smell imbuing the air. Gull's body tensed. There was a man nearby. One of the soldiers? No, his scent was different. He was much younger. Gull cautiously followed the faint smell trace. Soon, the Superior found the source of the strange odor. There was a child in that building. And, as if that wasn't strange enough, the boy seemed to be asleep. Gull called out to him a few times, to no avail. Was he an apprentice? Had he passed out during a mission? But that kid was still alive.
"If I leave him here, that won't be the case for much longer." Gull clicked its tongue. Finding food came first, but it couldn't just abandon a child. No, that wasn't it. There was something weird about that boy. The Superior couldn't ignore that feeling.
The creature wrapped its large arm around the boy, lifting him off the ground. It had to take him to one of the human settlements. But the nearest one was the AAD's base. There was no way an Aberration would get out of there unharmed. Suddenly, Gull spotted a deer. The Aberration approached the animal with huge steps, before using its other arm to effortlessly snap its neck.
"May you find peace on the other side," it mumbled, closing its eyes for a brief moment. Whenever an animal died in front of it, Gull felt the need to do that. It didn't like to kill them, either. But it was infinitely better than killing humans. The other Superiors seemed to enjoy hunting the soldiers, but Gull couldn't understand why. Despite not being able to move, Karabell felt his eyes widen. So, that was how Gull truly felt about that senseless war.
The feathered Superior glanced at the abandoned city. It was obvious. those buildings hadn't been built for creatures like them. Those animals hadn't been born to be their prey. No, they'd stolen all those things from the humans. Aberrations had no place in that world. They were the ones who'd ruined it, who'd brought it to such a sorry state.
"Maybe I should give him a name, just like I gave my friends. Marno doesn't sound too bad. What do you think? No, that's just silly. He's probably got a name already. I'm sure his parents gave him one. What am I even doing?" Gull smiled, glancing at the child. "He's not like us, after all."
Pik let out a weak sound, seeing Gull returning with food. Why was their leader bringing a child with him? They weren't going to eat a human. It was probably another one of Gull's crazy ideas. The Gargling shrugged, pushing itself up to a sitting position. After letting the boy down, Gull quickly divided the deer into three parts. Arago's jaw was so roughed up it almost couldn't eat. But the two creatures weren't dead. The soldiers hadn't been able to hit their organs.
As soon as they swallowed the last bite, their regenerative abilities started to kick in, and the large wound on Pik's belly closed almost instantly. However, that process was just as painful as getting hurt. Perhaps even more. Both Pik and Arago squirmed in agony for a few seconds, until all their injuries disappeared. The furred creature looked at Gull, managing a faint smile.
"I'm sorry guys. Having to go through all that whenever we get hurt... It's truly horrible. All because of my selfish request to avoid killing humans. I'm glad you didn't die!" Gull almost shouted, hugging the Aberrations.
Suddenly, Pik starter swinging its arms around frantically, shock written all over its face. The boy had woken up and was staring at them intently. Startled by the creature's reaction, Gull stumbled backwards.
"Well... That's something new," the boy said. Neither his face, nor his voice revealed any emotion. He blinked a few times, trying to realize what had happened to him.
"Don't panic!" Gull yelled immediately, panicking. "No, seriously, don't panic. We're not going to hurt you."
The boy was baffled. He didn't understand. What was that strange creature trying to say? No. What even was that thing?
"I don't get it. Why would you want to hurt me? I mean, we don't really know each other," he replied, thumping his back.
It was the Aberrations' turn to stare at him. Maybe he'd hit his head or something. He should've been terrified, but he was talking to them as if there wasn't anything wrong about it. In fact, that entire situation was flawed.
"Don't take it the wrong way, but what's wrong with you?" Gull inquired, clenching its jaw. "No, before that, who're you? Why were you asleep in that house?" There were way too many questions running through its mind.
"I can't remember much, so I have no idea what you're talking about. I went home after school, fell asleep... Then I woke up here. It's like I'm in a game. I think my name is Ress. No, on second thought, maybe it's Marno? I'm not sure." The boy scratched his forehead, wrinkling his brow. Why in the world couldn't he recall his name?
Gull clutched his chest. It felt as if its heart had stopped. An odd sensation ran through the Superior's body.
"Why not go with both if you can't decide?" Gull suggested, absent-minded. "Marno Ress. It doesn't sound half bad."