"My name? My name is Adla Tufani. Who…what are you people?" the boy asked. "My name is Samuel Griffin, this is my little sister Catherina Griffin and these are my friends: Sylvester Miller, Sylvia Miller and Delgato Smith. We're…what you'd call metahumans. People with extraordinary abilities that the average human will never understand…just like you", Samuel introduced.
"What do you mean? There are people like me in the world?!" Adla asked surprised. "Not exactly like you but we are all different in a similar way. We deviate from the norm of the human society", Sylvia replied. "I …see", Adla said still confused. "Don't over think it. Just know that there are people in the world just as extraordinary as you", Sylvester added.
"Well…wait, how did you come to be here? I don't believe you came here just for sight-seeing. Are you part of those poachers", Adla asked suddenly, raising his guard. "Oh! You mean those people?" Samuel asked as he pointed to the people currently dangling from the branches of the tall trees around. "When we got here, they were trying to hunt down the animals so we interfered", Sylvia added.
"Did you kill them?" Adla asked warily. "Of course not, we're not murderers. They are just unconscious. We, as outsiders, can't pass judgement on them therefore, they must face this country's justice system", Sylvester explained.
"If that's the case, I'll like to apologize for jumping the gun and attacking you. I didn't even stop to judge the situation before I took action. You have my most heartfelt apology", Adla said as he bowed his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad we managed to get the whole misunderstanding sorted out", Samuel responded as he held out his hand for a handshake.
Adla took his hand and they shook for a few seconds. Before they could drop their hands, Adla's stomach rumbled suddenly and loudly for all to hear. His faced flushed with embarrassment as he turned his gaze away while the rest giggled in amusement. "I suspected as much so although it's long past noon, I'm preparing a late lunch. Should be ready in a few minutes, you should join us", Catherina said as she walked back to her station to check on the food.
As she raised a lid to check, the aroma of the food wafted through Adla's nose causing his mouth to water. "I've never smelled anything this good before", Adla commended as he wiped the drool from his mouth. "What do you normally eat here?" Delgato asked. "My diet mostly consists of fruits and berries. I only get to eat meat when the officers in charge of the reserve come by once a month", Adla responded.
"Why don't they stay here like you?" Sylvia asked. "Before any of this happened, no one ever thought it possible that some renegades would disregard the law and show up trying to hunt down the rhinos. The officers in charge got bored being here all the time and left for the city. They allowed me to stay here since my village used to be here. After people started disappearing in the area a few months ago, they stopped coming completely. They probably taught the animals were getting rowdy, not knowing these people were murdering innocent tourists in cold blood", Adla said as he gazed at the poachers with disdain.
"Why don't we put a pen in the conversation and have lunch. The food is ready. We can continue the conversation after", Catherina interrupted the conversation, drawing their attention to the set table. Adla's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the spread on the table. Catherina had really gone all out with the food preparation. There were plates filled with grilled steak and shrimp, salad dressings, Pasta, chicken pot pie, you name it. One might wonder if this was lunch or a fancy dinner. They all felt underdressed for the meal.
She led Adla to a seat and he obeyed her without a thought. His mouth was watering and his stomach growled earnestly but he forced himself to take steady breaths. It was all he could do to hold himself back from charging at the food and chowing down before the others took their seats.
"It looks like we have guests", Sylvester said as he took his seat. they all turned to the direction he was staring at and saw several animals, mostly predators, gazing at them with drool on their mouths. They dared not approach. They were obviously drawn here by the savory smell of the succulent pieces of beef.
"I'll get them to leave", Adla said as he tried to rise to his feet. "Don't worry about it. It's just a simple matter", Samuel said as he turned and faced all the animals. His eyes turned to slits as he commanded loudly, "LEAVE!!". Without a second thought, the animals bolted out of the vicinity heading back to their various territories. Adla sat still with shock on his face, "how did you do that? I always have to use my powers to get them to leave", he said.
"It's one of my abilities. As far as I know, no animal in existence can go against my commands", Samuel replied. "Amazing!", Adla praised. "Now that the distractions are gone, lets dig in", Catherina said and they commenced having their lunch. There were moments where Adla was in tears as he tasted a particular dish. This was a monumental moment for him.
After lunch, they all sat around their camp-like set up. the sun would be going down soon so they needed to be ready. Samuel exhaled a breath and a small tongue of crimson flame escaped his lips. He held the flame above his hand and guided it to the gathered logs. The flame flew through the air slowly till it reached the logs and lit it up. The flames roared as the log wer fully consumed, instantly warming the surrounding area.
"So…are you a fire user or something?" Adla asked Samuel after witnessing his demonstration of power and control. "Technically speaking, I am. I am a dragon-human hybrid who wields control over the elements of fire and ice", Samuel said as he produced a ball of flame on one hand and a shard of ice in the other.
"Dragon! You mean the famous beast of legend, there were a few mentions in my villages legends so I always thought they were just myth. How's this possible?" Adla asked. "Well things happened and I was born. It's the same for my sister. She is a dragon-human hybrid who has control over fire and water", Samuel said as he gestured to Catherina who created a ball of blue flames on her hand and collected a ball of water in her other hand.
"Sylvester and Sylvia are extraterrestrials", Samuel pointed at the twins. "What does that mean?" Adla asked confused. "They come from beyond the stars", Samuel said pointing towards the sky. "You mean they are aliens? But they look so human", Adla observed. "Don't worry about it. They, just like us dragons control an element of their own", Samuel said as Sylvester and Sylvia both released sparks of lightning around their hands.
"Last but not the least, Delgato, the brains of our group, is the only regular human in our midst, although, he far outclasses the average human", Samuel introduced and Delgato gave a nod. "This is simply amazing! If someone told me before today that I'll come across extraordinary beings like you, I'd have pegged them as insane" Adla said as he stared at the incredible people before him.
"Alright then, how about you tell us about yourself. I'm really interested in your past, if you don't mind", Samuel asked. "Well…my past is a little complicated. In order to fully understand it, I'll have to start from the beginning of everything", Adla said as he stared into the roaring flames.