Moving on from the square, he starts to wander the city. There really are a lot of people. Luckily, the further from his hole in the ground, the fewer glares he receives. Instead of the frequent "Witch Spawn" it turns into "Is that a Witch Spawn?" and eventually "Why is he covered in dirt?" Apart from his clothing, he doesn't look too out of place. If anything, he looks so uninteresting it makes him stand out.
-I can understand what people are saying. But... I can't read any of this.
He stands in front of a sign attached to a square building. It is painted in white foreign symbols. Under the symbols is an image in the relative shape of a bed. Considering the sign, and judging from what he sees through the window, it's an inn. Thinking logically, it would be best to find a place to stay for now.
He steps under the small arch acting as a doorway, entering the building. There isn't a door strangely. Come to think of it, there aren't many doors on the outside of any buildings. Only a select few have wooden ones contrasting their stone buildings. The inhabitants here are either very trusting or very stupid. Or, of course, it could just be their culture.
A hairy man with a stubby snout sits behind a counter. Sirius slowly approaches, getting in line behind a stranger. The interior is comfortable. Off to the right is a long hallway; about half a dozen doors line the wall. A staircase to the left crosses over the desk and leads into another hallway on top of the previous.
The lighting is dim. Candles are dotted throughout the room, blanketing it with a strange warmth. One on the counter, one next to the sofa by the entrance, and many also spread across the walls of the hallways. It almost feels... romantic.
-I look so suspicious right now.
The person in front of him finishes their business and steps aside. Their tail is wagging happily. "Next," the hairy fellow behind the counter pronounces. Sirius steps up awkwardly.
"Hi... is this an inn?"
"A what?"
"An inn. Like a place to stay overnight?"
"That's one way to put it," it seems like he's about to laugh. Does the term inn not hold meaning in this world? He rests his cheek onto a hand, clearly very amused. "Uh, look, you got money?"
-Shit.
"Oh, no I'm broke-"
"Then you should probably get out of here, kid. You seem a little young anyway." The guy in front of Sirius earlier is seductively grabbed by a slender woman with a tail. She wears a very revealing outfit, leading the man into a dark room. They both enter and close the door behind them.
"Ah, you're probably right..."
*****
The sky is blue with scattered clouds. Even in a presumably different world, weather seems to work the same. It's hot. The sun's rays beat down on Sirius and his matted hair. No one else along the street seems to be hot.
-I'm hot. I'm broke. Does money even work the same here? I can't read. I'll probably need to learn a new language. Though, I guess I can already speak it... What should-
Splash
A huge pail of water pours onto Sirius' head. His hair drapes and covers most of his eyes. It's cold. Despite now being soaked, at least he isn't hot anymore. Now he's freezing. He purses his lips and turns around.
"Sorry friend, you looked a little tousled."
It's a younger lad, with loose-fitting clothing and sharp eyes. Two others stand behind him, one holds in a laugh, and the other scratches their head. They don't exactly carry themselves as mean-spirited people.
"I don't even know what that means but...thanks... I guess." Sirius gives them a shallow thumbs-up. They are confused by his gratitude but continue smiling anyway. Sirius turns around ready to continue walking but stops and veers back towards the group. It's a good chance to get some more information. "Random question, where are we?"
The three of them stop smiling and look at each other. One of them whispers, "What did you put in that water?"
"I didn't do anything to the water!" The guy inspects his bucket. "Uh, hey did you like... hit your head or something earlier? Your brain seems a little tousled too."
-What does tousled even mean?!
Sirius bears a blank expression. "Never mind, I'll just... go." He waddles away and continues walking about. Now very wet.
*****
Sirius drags his feet and hangs his head. He leaves a trail of water behind him, further increasing the gazes of others. Sounds of coughing make their way to his ears.
-I'm cold. I'm wet. I need to find a place to stay so I can gather my bearings. I'm going to need food too, but I'm still broke. Which means I need money, so I need to find a job-
Bonk
His lowered hair collides with someone, making him stumble back a little.
"I'm sorry, I-"
-Woah...
It's a girl, a beautiful one.
It's as if the universe crafted her from Sirius' idea of beauty.
Soft, flowing hair, tinted teal, is tied into a wavy ponytail. Bangs not quite reaching her dazzling eyes, compliment the shining jewels. A cute button nose rests in between the gems. She stands about half a head shorter than him, carrying herself with a subtle elegance. The tops of her ears are pointed like an elf. A casual, long-sleeved dress wraps itself around her pale skin.
He blinks and composes himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?" She speaks tenderly, her presence overwhelmingly comforting. Her voice is soft, it's like being soothed by a lullaby.
"Yeah, I'm okay..." His words drift off. For the first time in his life, someone has captured his full attention. He can't remember ever finding someone so attractive to him.
All of sudden, the world is a little more colorful.
-What is this feeling?
"Good," she smiles cordially. She examines him a moment. Glistening irises shift behind long, dark eyelashes. Her eyes form a gradient of deep indigo fading up into a blissful sky color. Her manner muddles. "Why are you all wet? Are you sick?"
Sirius scratches his head, "I don't even really know-"
"Aww, dang it. My dress is wet..." She places her delicate hands over her chest, feeling the dampened mark on the dress. She's pouting a little.
Guilt creeps into his mind, it's a very pretty dress. Lightly colored, draping down just before her knees, the sleeves have slits exposing her slender arms.
"Sorry-"
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAUUUGH
A high-pitched shriek tears through the street, if not the whole city. The whole area freezes. Pedestrians slowly turn to the source of the disturbance.
A winged monstrosity soars down from the top of a tall building. It holds the form of a large, mutated bat, owning an extra pair of wings and extensive claws. Its wings cut through the air, barreling towards the girl. Her gradient eyes shrink in dismay.
"Watch out!"
As if instinctively, Sirius shoves the girl out of the way. In return, the monster latches its talons into his arm, digging through his flesh.
The girl tumbles and skids across the stone surface. She gazes up and observes the assault. "A wailian!? Why here-?"
Sirius holds back a screech of his own. The monster's claws act like jagged knives carving his skin. It doesn't cut cleanly at all. The inside of his arm feels like it's being sawed open. The bare wings of the beast smack his head around violently. Blood pours profusely from his arm. His once-decently muscular forearm is being mangled beyond recognition, twisting it into a disfigured entanglement of meat.
The bat abruptly stops its assault and snaps its fixation onto the fallen girl. Its pitch-black eyes lock onto her as it releases itself from Sirius' wrist. The boy collapses to the pavement, his arm a mauled and maimed mess. His pain tolerance has always been high, but this is unbearable. It doesn't even feel like it let go. He attempts to cradle the butchered limb.
-Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck that hurts. It hurts so bad.
The girl cries out as the beast clasps onto her wrist. Saliva expels from its vile mouth as it shrieks into her ears. She attempts to cast it off, but its wings beat down into her skull. Black talons rake themselves into her flesh. It shreds the sleeve of her dress, making her gouged skin poke through. Her free hand tries to remove the inserted claws, but to no avail. Her teeth grind together, twisting her face in agony.
Sirius uncurls himself, only to witness the horror. His mouth hangs open, fear refuses to let him move. All he can do is watch.
The oversized bat seems to only be aiming for her left arm. It unlatches an arm and raises its talons, appearing as if it's about to take off her hand. Sirius closes his eyes; he can't bear to watch.
It strikes down and the girl expels a ragged scream. She bites her tongue to try and hold back the immense pain. The monster retreats its blood-stained hand and begins flapping its wings. Its claws unlatch from her wrist and forearm. Something shiny rests in its talons.
The girl crumbles to the ground. Thankfully, her arm is still intact, albeit in a gory disarray. She's holding back tears, though not very well. Pain fills every part of her expression.
The avian nightmare begins to rise, its wings propelling it skyward.
Foreign feelings taking hold, Sirius stumbles to his feet. He can't let it get away with this. Before the monster can get out of reach, Sirius, almost tripping over, grasps one of its naked wings.
He tugs at the beast with his good arm, the other lying limp at his side. The beast lashes violently in circles. Its head whips around and attempts to bite his hand. Sirius swiftly shoves the wing into its mouth; causing its sharp fangs to pierce the wing. With teeth around the limb, he tugs harder, the horrific sound of skin ripping assaults his ears. Mustering all his strength, half the pierced wing tears off of the body. Sirius topples backward with the wing in his grasp.
A frenzied shriek cries from the monster's throat. Dark glops of blood drop from the severed wing. It struggles to stay in the air, thrashing itself from side to side. Sirius and the girl connect their shocked gazes.
Never in his life has he ever done something so dangerous and stupid. Adrenaline pulses through his veins.
The girl snaps out of her daze. Pain swallows her thoughts once more. She doesn't want to see the wound. Holding her breath, she peeks at her mauled wrist. The sight is nearly as painful. She studies it for a moment before her eyes widen.
"My wristlet!"
She scrambles onto her feet and starts chasing the now escaping beast. Sirius sits on his butt bewildered. He snaps out of his own daze and pursues the girl.
-What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What am I doing??
On her trail, he realizes the girl has wings. Two small, maybe half-an-arm-length, black feathery wings stick out from her shoulder blades. They protrude through tiny holes in the back of her wrinkled dress.
He catches up to the girl. She's clearly in a lot of pain. Despite that, she is determined.
"What did it take?" He can barely get out the question.
"My wristlet-" her voice is strained. "I need it- as my qualification."
Her concern for the object is written all over her. Sirius decides not to ask further questions. Not the time.
They continue sprinting after the impaired monster together. They dash through alleys and busy streets. Strangely, most people they pass seem excited by the creature's presence. A small child points at the beast, telling his mother to look at it. Un-strangely, the same people who are excited quickly become concerned when they see two bloody teenagers running after it.
For an injured animal, the thing is fast. It flaps its three other wings swiftly, thankfully not gaining any height.
Sirius charges forward at full speed, reaching out to clasp the beast. The gap between them closes considerably.
With a violent jolt, the bat flips around and swipes its bloody talons. Sirius ducks the assault with only a few strands of hair as casualties.
Upon missing, the demon focuses its sight on the weary girl. With a deafening screech, it swoops at her legs.
It misses, luckily the girl is nimble enough to jump. Her feet land on the slithering tail of her assailant.
A beast roars with a frequency unmatched before.
Its wings fold and beat upon the poor girl, smacking her across the face and limbs. Call it an act of self-defense, or pure desperation, the girl plunges her teeth into a wing.
Another ear-shattering scream.
Liquid crimson pours from the bare wing and girl's mouth. Her teeth sink deep into the skin, almost coming out the other end.
Sirius regains his ability to maneuver and rushes towards the abomination. Leaping off the ground, he shouts to the girl.
"Let go!"
She does as instructed, retracting her perfect teeth from the imperfect.
Sirius descends the arch of his jump, balling his fist. With the momentum of his fall, he lands a heavy blow into the creature's skull.
The beast scatters to the floor, flailing like a ragdoll tumbling down a flight of stairs.
The bat tames its movements and shakes vigorously. Blood sprays and soaks the surroundings. It scrambles to its feet. Retreating its body, it begins flapping its wings in escape.
Sirius shakes off his knuckles and looks for the girl. She is already in pursuit.
Sirius regains his breath and then follows suit once more. What am I doing? Why am I doing this?
They run.
Run after the fleeting beast.
A violent monstrosity fleeing after attacking them... Why?
While Sirius has always been fast, his endurance is not the greatest. Sirius and the girl have been sprinting for what feels like an eternity. They are out of breath, both covered in blood and sweat. The girl is about the faint.
Eventually, they enter a square with an elegant fountain in the center. It looks akin to the square he emerged in, except with a working fountain and no bustling market.
The beast is losing a lot of blood, it too seems to be getting woozy. Due to fatigue, the bat's flight path veers off. The creature rams into the fountain, toppling into the water, stalling its advance.
Sirius is about to throw up, he can't go much further. He needs to do something now while it's down.
With a final burst of energy, Sirius barrels towards the beast. He vaults into the fountain and takes hold of the beast's back claws containing the wristlet. Flailing its wings, it repeatedly strikes the boy's fatigued body. The beast wails and slams a kick into Sirius' nose, making him release his grip.
Sirius crashes into the bed of the fountain, soaking himself with the blood-infested water.
The beast slowly begins hovering away.
Unable to move, the monster disappears around a distant corner.
-It got away...
Lying in the fountain water, Sirius catches his breath. He can barely comprehend what just happened.
He heaves himself up with one arm and scans for the girl, she had fallen to her knees at some point. She coughs violently into her elbow. He carefully climbs out of the fountain and trails water in his approach to her. He gets to her side and plops down onto the wet grass.
"It... got away."
Her pained mien turns sorrowful. "I see..."
She's on the verge of tears, her voice crackling as a result. She shifts into a seated position and curls into a ball. Her lips are quivering.
"I did manage... to grab this though."
Sirius dangles a shiny band, embedded with a tiny emblem in its center, from his hand. Her face lights up. She uncurls herself and closes her eyes. A relieved smile spreads across her face.
"Thank you," she turns to face him. Warm tears roll down her flushed cheeks. Even in a withered state, she radiates with beauty and kindness.
At the sight of her, Sirius smiles.
A genuine, heartfelt smile.
The first one in years.
"No problem-" A shot of pain rushes across his tangled right arm. He places the wristlet in her hand.
"Is your arm alright?! Actually, that's a stupid question, forget I asked." She glances down towards their mangled arms. Her left and his right are side by side. She lets out a little giggle. "We match." She grins, slightly raising her left arm. It causes her to wince.
Sirius chuckles weakly, "I guess we do." They both look to the floor smiling. "What was that thing anyway?"
"I believe it was a wailian. But, I'm not sure why one was actually in the capital. They're usually rather docile too, I don't know why it would randomly attack us." Concerned curiosity scribes her thoughts, somehow ignoring the immense discomfort throughout her body. "Unless..." her face distorts into one of worry.
"A wailian..." Sirius repeats. "In the capital... We're in a capitol?"
She turns to him again, smiling, but with a confused look. "Yes... we're in Auretta. Are you sure you're alright? You know, besides the arm."
Sirius lets out a little sigh. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just kind of woke up here and then this happened. I wasn't quite sure where I was."
Her confused expression returns to one of concern. "You just woke up here? Like you were kidnapped and brought here or something?"
"No, nothing like that- actually, kind of... Anyways, I'm alright, no need to worry."
"Hmm, alright..." She doesn't believe him whatsoever. "By the way, what's with your clothes?"
"Are they really that weird? People have been saying that all day."
"They are a little strange, look comfortable though, besides you being soaked. Are you like a water magnet or something?"
"Something like that."
They both giggle together. Their bleeding has ended for the most part.
The whites of her eyes widen. "Oh! I completely forgot! I need to go meet with the nobles." Juddering, she stands up and shimmies the wristlet onto her right wrist. "Are you sure you'll be alright? Do you need help finding a healer or anything? Or money to pay for treatment?"
Sirius gets to feet and brushes off his butt. "Well, I do need both of those... but I can't ask for that from you-"
"No! Please, let me thank you!" She rummages around her buttoned pocket that miraculously stayed closed. "You got me my wristlet back; I don't think I can thank you enough. Here, take this." She places seven purple gems shaped like coins into his palm. "That should be more than enough," she seems content with herself. "There should be a clinic due south of here about three blocks down."
"I- uh, thank you. Truly." Words can't express how he feels.
"Don't mention it, if I ever see you again, I'd like to thank you properly." She shines with tenderness. "Alright, I have to go, bye!" She waves her healthy arm and starts running off.
"Wait!" He shouts. Something inside of him begs him not to let her go so easily. She stops at the word and pivots back around. "What's your name?"
She almost looks puzzled, then smiles warmly.
"Aureole, what's yours?"
-That's a pretty name.
Sirius is spellbound, her smile alone makes his wounded body feel healed. "Oh-" he's been staring too long. "Right, I'm Sirius."
Her smile widens one last time. Sunlight bouncing off her cheeks, she absolutely beams.
And then, the luminous angel wanes away.
For the first time in forever, a sparkle of life shines in his eyes.