I'd think the scene before me was one of the cutest things I'd ever seen if not for the very worried, terror-marred, expression on Fly's face.
She was hiding behind some crates, ones bigger than her, and was peering at me from behind them. She kept looking around, worriedly, and flinched occasionally from the loud sounds and bangs here in the depot.
We were hidden behind some wagons and stacks of barrels and crates. The only reason I had found her was because she had waved me over and whispered as to guide me.
How had she even snuck in here? The only bay doors to the depot that were open were currently very busy. Lines of wagons and carts were stacked and packed in front of each one.
"Did he follow you?" Fly worriedly asked as I got closer.
"Vim? He knows you're here Fly, but I don't think he's too nearby," I said honestly.
She cowed a little, and hid behind the crate a little more.
The poor girl was shivering even though it wasn't that cold... and even if it had been cold, it wouldn't have mattered to her. Not only was she inhuman like myself, she was also covered in those many layers of dirty clothes and jackets. She was probably hot if anything.
"How have you been Fly? I was starting to worry about you," I stepped closer to her, as to peer a little around the crate.
I found Fly back against another crate... kneeling as she hid herself to her best of her ability. There was no reason for her to act so terrified... there was no way anyone could see us here, surrounded by crates and wagons. Nor hear us, thanks to the loud banging and yelling of all the workers.
"Scared. I'm sorry," Fly whispered.
"Scared of who? Vim?" I asked.
Her nod told me yes, but the way her eyes hesitated told me there was more to it than just her fear of Vim.
"You were worried about me?" Fly asked softly.
"Of course I was. It's been several days," I said.
I stepped into the crevice between the large crates... and knelt down too. As I kneeled down into the small section she was hiding in, Fly seemed to study me.
In-between the crates, the world became a little quieter. Yet it was still a little noisy. Men shouting. Wagon wheels rolling along stone. Boxes and barrels being banged around. Horses' hooves and their neighs.
"The Master ate Pulti," Fly whispered.
My jaw clenched, and I slowly leaned to the side. My shoulder hit the crate I was kneeling against, and I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I wondered what to think.
"She was already dead. She didn't feel it," Fly said. Although her voice didn't have much emotion in her tone, I could still hear her worry. Worry for not just herself, but me.
"I see..." I opened my eyes and watched the way she nodded, seemingly glad I understood her.
She died from Vim's wounds... and had been eaten all the same.
I knew Vim had likely heard her words, but I kind of wish he hadn't.
"She was my friend," Fly whispered.
I nodded, and didn't know what else to say or do. What could I say? She looked about ready to break.
"Is he your friend?" Fly then asked.
"Vim...? Yes... I cherish him. Probably in a similar way you cherished Pulti," I said.
Fly blinked at me, and then leaned forward a little. "You can be friends, even though you're both...?" She stopped talking as she gestured at me.
"Both what?" I frowned as I glanced down at myself. I was wearing the Animalia Guild's office dress... and it did look a little silly, since I was crouched down in such an odd way. It wasn't made for this kind of movement.
Fly opened her mouth to tell me, to explain what she meant... but instead went silent. Her tense shoulders softened a little, and she actually smiled at me. In a way only an estranged child could.
Did she mean predators? At the moment I really couldn't think of what else she was trying to imply.
"Would you come? To talk?" Fly then asked.
"We can talk here, Fly. We can go inside," I said with a small point behind me.
Fly shivered and quickly shook her head. As she did her hood fell off her head, revealing her feathers. "I can't! If I go in there I'll never come out!"
"Fly, I promise you that wouldn't happen. You'll not be harmed," I said.
"You can't make that promise for him," she whispered and shook her head again. Her feathers folded downward.
"For who? Vim? Yes I can, Fly. Vim invited you into the Society, Fly, he will not harm you. If anything he'll protect you," I said gently.
Fly's eyes narrowed. "What's a society?"
"The Society is a group of people who support one another. There are many of us, all over the place. This is just one of our locations. You could belong to it too, if you'd allow it," I explained.
As I told her about the Society, I realized something amazing.
I was inviting someone into the society. Me. Someone who not long ago had been trying to earn her place in it.
"Who's your master? Is it you? Or him?" Fly asked.
Although I wanted to frown, I smiled instead. "No one, Fly. We're all equal in the society. Each member is allowed a vote, and no one singular vote is worth more than any other," I said.
"Vote?" her feathers softened a little, raising back up. Did she not understand the word?
"Each member is allowed to vote on what happens in the society. For instance we all voted if we'd accept you, Fly. Everyone voted yes," I said.
"What did he vote for...?" Fly asked softly.
"Vim? Vim is the protector. He doesn't vote," I said, speaking carefully.
"So he's the master, then," she nodded, as if she confirmed it.
"No. He protects us. He's a guardian. What happened on the roof that night, Fly, was a horrible mistake. He had simply been protecting us, he would not have harmed Pulti so badly had he known your circumstances," I said.
Fly's eyes became blurry. They flickered as they became watery, while she stared into my own.
I did my best to not join her in crying as I nodded. "I swear it, Fly," I furthered.
"Our master doesn't protect us," she whispered.
I gulped and nodded. "I figured..."
"The others. They want to meet you. Talk to you," Fly then said.
I nodded. "I'd like to meet them too. Can they come here?" I asked her.
Fly shook her head quickly. "Too scared. Too different."
Different? Did she mean in appearance or something else?
"Why not on the roof? At night?" I suggested.
Another shake of the head of feathers.
"Where do you want me to go Fly?" I asked her.
"Underground. To the sewers."
I took a small breath and stopped myself from shaking my head and telling her no. I needed to. I even kind of felt like I wanted to... but...
"What about your Master, Fly? Are you still trying to make me fight him?" I asked her.
Fly frowned at me. "No. They're worried you'll get eaten. At least you can talk," she said.
At least I can talk? "At least I can talk?"
"Master can't talk."
I blinked at that, and tried to imagine what that meant. Did they not talk because they can't, couldn't, or wouldn't?
Or did she mean not talking as in literal speech, but instead reason. Maybe they simply cannot reason with their master.
Before I could find the next words to speak, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.
Turning just enough to see what it was, I hurriedly looked away from Vim.
He was sitting on the top of the crate that Fly was curled up next to. How he had gotten up there without either of us hearing him was astounding, but he had done it. He had a strange look on his face, but I didn't have the time to study it... since I worried she'd notice him if I stared up at him.
His leg was even hanging over the crate a little, his foot only a few inches from where Fly's feathers would be if she stood up fully.
Vim was either very confident she'd not notice him, or didn't care if she did.
"I'm willing to meet your friends, Fly... but I need to know I'll be safe," I told her gently. Hopefully Vim would at least let me say that.
Fly's watery eyes stared long and hard at me... and she looked almost as if she was surprised. Her feathers had softened again, with them rising upward. They made odd noises as they brushed against her hood and jackets.
"Safe?" she whispered.
I nodded. "You want me to be safe, right Fly? I want you to be safe," I said to her gently.
"But you're..."
"I'm?" I asked, since she had gone silent.
Fly then shivered and shook her head. "I'll come back tonight... I'm not supposed to be out during the day," she hurriedly said.
"Wait," I started to stand, but couldn't do it in time. Fly actually stood, and hurried past me. I felt her thick coats and jackets brush against me and the crate nearby as she squeezed between me.
Hurriedly standing, I turned to grab her. To stop her... but I was too slow. She hurried between two of the wagons, running out of sight.
I stepped forward, to hurry and follow her, but there was no point. By the time I reached the wagons, to stare in-between them, I could only watch as Fly ran out of the depot. She had pulled her hood up over her head again, and ran out of the depot without caring about the workers and employees who stared at her as she ran by.
Sighing, I wondered if maybe she had sensed Vim. Why else would she have run away so promptly?
Stepping up next to me, Vim hummed lightly. "A child. That's all she is."
I nodded. "Seems so. She reminds me of Lomi," I said.
"It is interesting to hear that her master does not talk. Maybe it's an older ancestor? One not human at all," Vim wondered.
Studying him, I wondered how he hid himself so well. He must have been right next to me the whole time... waiting... watching.
Protecting.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked him.
"The Society wants to give them a chance to be accepted. Fly especially, being so young. We need to give them that chance. We must endure and be patient, and even risk ourselves as needed, as to grant them that opportunity... But neither will I, or them, let you go to their lair alone. Many of those here would be willing to sacrifice themselves to save them, but they will not let you do such a thing," Vim said calmly.
"No we will not."
I turned, and found Merit sitting on a wagon. She smirked at me, her arms crossed.
How long had she been there? She was sitting in plain view... Fly would have seen her, at least when she had been peering around the crates earlier...
Vim nodded. "It's too bad she's so scared of me," Vim said.
"That's neither a surprise, nor new. Plus that makes her wise, far beyond her years," Merit said.
Vim sighed.
"Did I do anything wrong, Merit?" I asked her, since Vim likely wouldn't tell me.
"No. You did fine. You probably feel like you should have pushed her a little, but the truth is this must be taken slowly. Carefully. Gently. Too strong of a push, if we try to coerce her to join she'll just end up running away. But I will say this; I'll not let you go into their lair alone. I'll only let you go if Vim and I go with you," Merit said.
I smiled at the small woman's strange protectiveness of me.
Vim stepped over to a nearby barrel. He leaned against it, and the way he did so made him look like many of the workers here in the depot. He was resting up against it like most of them did when they were on break. "Chances are the older members are too inhuman to come up here safely. Even at night," Vim said.
"Indeed. Fly might be one of the more human ones. The man who attacked you, Vim... he had scales," Merit mentioned.
Had he? I hadn't noticed. Vim though nodded.
"She's traumatized. Afraid. Scared. Yet although in a pack, seems to feel as if she's alone," Vim said as he described his thoughts on Fly.
"You killed her friend, Vim. She's just scared," I said.
His eyes glanced at me in a way that told me I had hurt him with my words, but they had been the truth.
Merit giggled. "Painful when it comes from you. He hadn't even flinched when Fly had said it," she said.
"It hurt then too. But I needed to focus, just in case," Vim defended himself.
Merit scoffed and waved him away, some sparks flew out of her fingers as she did so.
Vim glared at her for a moment, then huffed and looked away from her.
I smiled at the two of them, and the origin of their little spat.
So even Merit could see that my words had such a deep impact upon him. So it wasn't just me.
Though Merit was probably just teasing him, I knew the reason that teasing worked so well was because of how much truth it was born from.
"Nevertheless, they'll not be able to stay here. Not for long," Merit said, changing the subject.
I nodded. Too inhuman for this place, which was full of humans.
"The villages will be fine. We'll separate those that need to be, and send the younger ones to Tor's village," Vim said.
"Tor," Merit scowled as she said his name with an odd tone. Did she not like Tor?
"I expect several to not agree to become members. Remember the Peaks, Merit," Vim said.
Merit's scowl softened, becoming a sad expression... after a long moment she nodded.
"The peaks?" I asked.
"A disgusting moment of failure, Renn. Don't desire to know its story, let it be forgotten," Merit whispered.
"Ah..." I nodded.
"Not everyone chooses the Society, Renn. Most didn't," Vim said gently.
"Oh..." I glanced at him as I realized what he meant.
He nodded. "I expect several to choose their Master over us. Even if the rest of the society doesn't, or won't willingly, agree. It is normal. Expected. They'll choose their tyrant over us, be it because of fear or respect it doesn't matter. Some choose their oppressors, even while under the heel of a boot," Vim explained.
"Won't they choose us once we remove that boot?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"They won't Renn. He's right. Most don't," Merit said softly.
Glancing between the two, and their sad expressions... I realized they were being serious. Both of them.
I wanted to argue with them, but knew better. Not only were both of them older than me, they were far more experienced in this than I was.
Plus...
I had my own experience with such a thing before too.
My own family had been the same, after all.
"I hope we can save enough," I whispered.
Especially since I hadn't been able to save any last time.