Never had time to wonder why she did what she did- was it a kind heart or did she recognize me? Lynx wondered, her head dark and cloudy, and then it all came to her at once- the bite of the cold against her cheek, the way her hair lay frozen in icy spirals against her cheeks- the young woman sat up, breathing raggedly, shallowly- pain ripped through her back, legs, and head as she forced herself up, to her knees, looking around. High over her head, the shone, but she couldn't feel it- even as she tried to speak, her lips clunked together, ice on ice. How am I alive...?
"Somebody suddenly grabbed her, and though alarm flared in her chest, Lynx had not the strength to protest, nor the self control. She was being picked up, and somebody nearby... there were a few of them, shouting, but the words seemed to reach her from beyond a haze, or rather, the voices- it was all an indistinguishable blur.
"Sorry-" Nara's voice, as clear as day, Lynx started, eyes opening, nostrils flaring. "I'm gonna have to do this- it's the only way, you'll forgive me later," Nara spoke again, and Lynx tried to scream with a voice that wouldn't obey as pain ripped through her, vision blurring again. She was being moved and yet completely unable to process where, everything becoming a blur, and ultimately going dark, again.
-
Who knows how much later, Lynx woke again, to the faint beeping of a heart monitor. She lay in a bed, scratchy and uncomfortable... as she opened her eyes, slowly, she found herself in a dark, unknown room- but there, in the corner, was a rectangular sliver of light. It must have been a hospital room... yeah, to her right, the glowing green lights of a heart monitor. Something seemed wrong though, maybe her eyes were blurry, but she couldn't make out the words on it...
"Where am I, now..." She shook her head, and, with some difficulty, body screaming in pain, she sat up, swallowing slowly. "N-Nara...?" There was, the ice... and then, a house... and a girl, with dark hair, named Nara... but that was all... "Where am, I...? Hello...?"
With a sense of rising apprehension, Lynx slowly swung her legs off the bed, groaning quietly, stretching and rolling her shoulders. The ice, the dark... a house... and a dark haired girl named Nara, that's all that she remembered. And now, here, the hospital bed- do I have friends? Family? Is anybody at all looking for me?
She wore, nothing but a hospital gown, and shuddered at the cold air of the room, the cold and unforgiving cold of the linoleum floor, stomach twisting in revulsion at the sensation. Swallowing, she went to stand and stopped- there was a needle in her arm, and some sort of pad. Hesitating, the young women ripped the pad off and slipped the needle out, dropping it into the bed as she stood, wincing in pain- her entire body ached, head to toe, but she made her way to the door and gripped it, lightheaded, yanking it inward and open. There was a gasp, when she left the room, and a nurse ran up to her- but the woman looked strange- or rather, different. There was something, inhuman about her, and Lynx staggered back, recoiling, into the chest of another nurse. They were speaking, but she couldn't focus, through the haze... nurses are around to help, calm down, listen, listen... Dizzy, overwhelmed, Lynx fell back, yelping as she crushed the base of her tail underneath her- tail- tail-?
Yelping, she grabbed the thing and yanked it around, into her lap- the thing was furry and bushy, but it wasn't a fox's, it was a cat's... I, I don't remember much but I'm pretty damn sure I didn't have a tail, what-
"Ma'am!!" One of the nurses finally got through to her, and Lynx looked up, swallowing slowly, thickly. "Ma'am, are you okay, can you hear me?"
"The lights- they're so bright," Lynx groaned and looked down again, away from the nurse- truly, the fluorescent ceiling lights were so damn bright, they hurt her eyes to glance up at. Clamping her eyes shut, she tried to focus, nostrils flaring. "Where, the hell am I...?"
"You're in a hospital, in the north of Ravenwood," The nurse began kindly, and Lynx shook her head, clamping her eyes shut. Is this home? I can't remember, I can't remember any countries, any cities, anything, damnit- "-you were brought here because there was a report of demonic activity. Though, the only thing we found is your corpse- you- I can't really explain, can you come back to bed? The director is already being called."
"The director?" Lynx groaned, trying and failing to gain any purchase to stand up. "What do you, even... I was dead...? Demonic, activity...?"
"Well, yes, you're a d-demon- not that I mean it as an insult! Come back to bed, please, somebody who knows a whole lot more than me will be able to explain soon, okay? Like you said, the lights aren't doing well for your eyes after they've been shut for so long, I just want you to be comfortable while you wait. If you don't want to come with me, you could also just sit here I g-guess, I dunno-?" Lynx didn't catch the helpless look that she threw another nurse, but one thing was painfully clear to the woman- this nurse was afraid. Of me? Why would you be afraid of me? I can't be a demon, I don't have any bloodthirsty urges, I'm not... I'm not a killer, or a monster...
"I'll uh, I'll stay here," Lynx mumbled, sighing, shifting. "I feel, lightheaded... did you say somebody is coming to get me...? Who, why...?"
"Well, the director is the gentleman who dropped you off- that was the only name he gave us, but he works for Contracted Arms, and he said it was very important that you be treated- he had you transferred from another hospital- he's been called now that you're awake, so can you- can you just please, um, I don't even know..." Seemed, at least to Lynx, that this nurse would be much more at ease without her sitting in the middle of the hall, but the lights, they were just so bright, hard to adjust... she looked up again, with some difficulty, swallowing slowly. Making enemies, though, there was no reason... slowly, and very carefully, with an open palm, Lynx reached out.
"My head, it really fucking hurts- would you please guide me to the room?" Though it was hard, and she felt grimy, Lynx smiled, closing her eyes. There was quiet, but...
"A-Alright," The nurse spoke again, and a hand gently tangled itself with Lynx's, guiding her up and to her feet. The blonde's smile faltered- something about being touched felt wrong, but she allowed herself to be hauled up and walked, for a few moments, shuddering at the freezing chill of the linoleum until she was slowly, gently guided to sit down on the hospital bed.
"Thank you," Lynx whispered, feeling an odd twitch- her tail, starting to rattle along the sheets anxiously. Opening her eyes now, wincing at the wicked lights in the ceiling, she thought to ask; "-When I was brought here... I had this tail? I know it probably sounds like a dumb question, but, I... somehow, it doesn't feel right, it's not supposed to be there, I think-?"
"I'm sure that the Director will be able to answer any questions you might have," Spoke the nurse, waving, clearly not hearing Lynx. To her credit, though, she did flick the light off as she exited, shutting the door a bit too quickly behind her, leading Lynx to wince as she slowly leaned back, got somewhat comfortable- rather, as comfortable as one could in the scratchy sheets of a hospital bed. Sighing, closing her eyes, she leaned back, triyng to collect herself.
The ice. A flash of black and white, blinding white behind her eyes... a house... a girl with dark hair... what was her name, again...? It'd slipped away, at some point... and then, the hospital room. Everything felt crystal clear, now, though. The hospital room, waking up panicked, listening to the heart rate monitor, yanking the needle out... man, they didn't even come in to try and hook that up again... was it unneeded, or were the nurses that afraid to approach her...? She didn't really want to sleep anymore, but her head felt heavy, and surely getting some more rest couldn't hurt anything...
-
"Ahem, Ms... Lynx?" There was a soft, but deep, voice in the doorway, and she blinked an eye open, then both, wincing. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, her head hurt, and the world seemed to swim a bit as she sat up slowly. Standing in front of her at around six feet tall was a man with an odd countenance- he might have been 18 and he might have been 40. Scars riddled his face, along with a faint five o'clock shadow- a long horizontal gash across his forehead, and another on his right cheek. Down his arms, too, were numerous scars of varying shapes and sizes, making the skin seem almost to spiderweb in places. Gray-blue eyes framed by long, gorgeous lashes pierced into her soul so violently that Lynx gasped aloud, still slowly taking in the man. Tall, strong but not built like a body builder- he was lean and not very cut, this visible because of the tight gray top he wore above dark cargo pants. Curly, sandy blonde hair sat neatly at the back of his head, captured in a tight bun- but even so, it was rather large- how long must that hair be? When he raised an eyebrow, Lynx realized she was staring and glanced away, cheeks hot.
"Well, sorry, I didn't mean to stare, just, y'know..." She trailed off, sighing. It wasn't that he was attractive per se, but...
"No, I understand. You see somebody who looks like their face was cut apart, and you wonder what happened. My name is Aerendyl, and I am the Director of Ravenwood Contracted Arms. Are you familiar?" He stayed there, in the doorway, though he did allow the door to shut behind him. As he did, Lynx swallowed, mildly uncomfortable- in the dark, those gray-blue eyes still shone through as plain as day, the color seeming to swirl and pulse from beneath like an angry cloud surging with lightning. Another thing that she noticed- in spite of the dark, she was still able to see relatively well- like the colors had almost gone, but shapes were still visible, even down to the scars along his arms. The room was dark, with night sky visible in a window behind her, but regardless, she did not struggle to see clearly.
"Am I half cat or something?" She asked suddenly, angling her head. "I mean. I've got this ear and tail and- and I feel like I can't control the thing-!" She huffed, irritated as the tail again began to beat, but instead of listening as she wanted, it seemed only to thrash harder, and she frowned up at the man. "Plus I can see in the dark? What the hell am I- I don't remember anything nothing is clear nothing at all and I just woke up here and- ugh-"
"Lynx, breathe, please," Aerendyl spoke gently and slowly sat down, with his back against the wall, beside the room's door. "You're beginning to panic. I will answer every question that I can, including, I am sure, why you were brought here, saved."
"What the HELL am I?? I feel like, this isn't right, something is wrong with my body- and not that I'm a woman, or my hair color it's these ears, this tail!!" Aware of her ears pasting back, Lynx faltered, breaths shallow, fast. "I- It's weird, I can't control the tail, and sometimes I can feel my ears rotating and twitching, but others it feels like I just don't have ears, like they aren't mine- like they're... disconnected? I don't know what it is but it's so wrong, the way I, have this stupid tail," She sighed, confused, shaking her head and finally falling quiet.
"Miss Lynx, what you are is a demon- are you telling me you don't know the term?" Aerendyl raised an eyebrow, speaking cordially but not judgmentally.
"That- I mean look, I know what a toilet is and I could tell you how to make macaroni and cheese, or what a school is- but I don't remember anything, or know anything about myself, or people, or places- it's like I can only tell you things I've watched on TV, don't know anything about the real world! It, ugh-!!"
"Miss Lynx, don't worry," He spoke again, gently, waving his hands slowly and emphatically in a gesture of peace. "The parts of your brain that hold function and routine are very separate from those that hold memories- it's entirely understandable that you might understand how to drive a car but not know if you've ever owned one. I'm here to answer you, not judge. So, a demon... hm... do you know about the bonded, and the contracted?"
"I know nothing- none of this angel and demon teenaged highschool smut-fiction nonsense, okay?" Lynx spoke vehemently, wincing. "Sorry, I'm just so confused, I'm not, I'm, I'm not, I'm, I'm being a bitch, I'm sorry, I just, I'm so confused, it's, it's a lot right now I don't even know who I am what if people are looking for me-"
"Miss Lynx-"
"Yeah, sorry, doing the thing- Lynx is fine by the way- is my name even Lynx or did I just see my tail and go OH, LIKE A LYNX?? When I was waking up, or something..." She sighed, falling back, looking up at the ceiling, then closing her eyes slowly. "Ugh... what is a demon...? Like, a scary monster or something, right?"
"Yes and no," Aerendyl laughed quietly. "Truly, a great many violent crimes have been committed by demons and this is their image, but when are things ever truly so black and white? There are two kinds of demon- hellborn and risen." A pause, a swallow. "You're familiar with the concept of magic, right?"
"Yeah," Lynx nodded, watching the backs of her eyelids. She felt so cold, defeated... memories of a snowy flurry came to mind, but they faded as quickly as they arrived.
"Right, so, magic is the human soul, and vice versa. Your soul is a concentration of magical energy, though most humans never learn how to manipulate it externally. When they do, there's your mages; they all manifest differently, but these things can range from manipulation of the elements to reading minds, and so forth. Mages, though, are wildly rare- one has not been seen in hundreds upon hundreds of years."
"Ah yes, and let me guess, I'm the lost mage from the wild seas of Avalor...?" Lynx laughed dryly, referencing nothing in particular.
"No, nothing so cliché as that," Aerendyl replied softly, laughing softly. "So again, hellborn and risen, to come full circle. When your body fades, all that's left is the soul- and there is the afterlife, the heaven and the hell, where your soul goes. Despite popular belief, you are not judged- your afterlife is decided by your deepest and most intimate beliefs of yourself. I have watched drug lords and murderers who truly believed their cause to be just ascend to heaven- and so too have I seen the most pure souls descend unto hell because they believed it to be their home. In such cases, angels and demons are formed."
"Okay...?" Lynx yawned, sitting up, again, opening her eyes slightly, tail flicking around on the sheets. Huffing, she grabbed it, holding the thing still- damn, it was soft... "What do you mean, you've seen them...?"
"I am an angel," Aerendyl explained. "I will get there, so please be patient for me, Miss Lynx."
"Alright, sorry," She nodded, listening raptly now.
"That is a hellborn- a soul in hell that manifests a new physical form there. An arisen, on the other hand, is rather common- maybe one in one thousand people. It happens when your fear of death, and your drive to hang onto your life are so strong that the soul burns away the body around it, accelerating the process."
"The, process-?"
"Souls... they need a container, a vessel. That much magic- it can't stay together, it would rip you apart. A human who can channel it has been said to move mountains, in some stories- another body will form. It is the souls most basic of instinct- no knowledge of spell casting is required, because having a vessel is as important as breathing." Lynx became acutely aware of her ears swiveling forward and felt an inward tick of annoyance. I'm not a damn cat...
"Do you understand, Miss Lynx?" Aerendyl angled his head, smiling lazily.
"I-I think I do. When somebody dies their own emotions and beliefs dictate where they go rather than some sort of judge. Soul has to be housed, so when the body decays or whatever, the soul forms a new one. That it?"
"Yes- and as the soul is the most deep, genuine view of yourself, this new body will reflect you as you think you ought to be, on some level. Which leads to the stories of many types of demons- men who hate themselves for their perversion becoming imps while those who saw it as something to boast about, incubi. The baphomets often being of military or political backgrounds, and so forth." Lynx nodded, understanding.
"And then, a risen is... when..." She tried to finish the sentence, but fumbled, and so Aerendyl cut in.
"When your desire to live, comes from so deep in your soul that the physical body is burned away and replaced, thus repairing whatever caused your death enough for a second shot at life. Memory loss is not a side effect of this- however, if your brain was damaged, and then repaired, your memories could have been lost for that reason."
"Hold on, does that mean..." Lynx looked down at herself, swallowing slowly. "My inner beliefs... are that I'm a cat?"
"Who can say. Maybe you were freaky- or maybe you were a thief. Maybe you loved the nighttime, or maybe you just loved high places and sunbathing. I cannot say why your soul associated itself with a cat and a human both, but you could have returned as a three-tailed cat, as well. That is what it means to be risen, regardless- a demon formed before the soul can travel to hell, because you were too stubborn to die."
"You said, one in five hundred...?" Lynx asked quietly, thinking, pulling her tail up and into her lap.
"About one in a thousand, but that's just a loose statistic," Aerendyl agreed, nodding, leaning his head back against the wall, squashing the bun his hair had been tied into. "Years old, too. You'd think more people have a drive to live, but unfortunately, taxes and the formation of the middle class did a number on the world," He sighed quietly, shrugging, eyes drifting up to the ceiling. "I am just one angel, not much I can do in that regard."
"Does that mean angels can't have... horns, and cat ears, and red skin?" Lynx asked softly, angling her head. The noise in her head had quieted now, and there was only a genuine curiosity.
"No, it doesn't," Aerendyl shook his head. "However, the existence of heaven and hell has been confirmed, and so angel motifs became much more popular. Most often, the people who believe they will become angels also see themselves as pure beings of golden blood and eyes, maybe some big feathery wings, or a halo. I mean you could say 'I'd make such a cute angel with big fuzzy ears and a massive butt', but really, most people's wants do not form their beliefs." Lynx was following, but still... it was just, so much.
"I-I see, so um... I'm risen because... wait so you make it sound like angels look how they believe they should, and demons are... I'm confused..."
"There is a stereotype, for angels, that many conform to without realizing. But most stories claim demons can take any form... under the sun. That's the one. That's why those who unconsciously believe they belong to hell also tend to have a much wider scope of what they could and should be- but there are angels of other varieties, as well. Actually," He added, snickering softly. "-About three hundred and forty years ago, there was a mass burning of some religious texts- people kept coming back as golden rings with five thousand eyeballs, and wild stuff like that, the mass panic was real. The paintings that some people created... those things are made for heaven, NOT anywhere humans live."
"I-I see," Lynx spoke, only kind of lying. "B-But um, I have a question- if angels belong to heaven, and demons to hell... why are some of them here? Are you, an arisen angel?" Aerendyl laughed, waving a hand dismissively.
"Constraints such as that are monitored and controlled, but long ago were they invented. It used to be that the realms stayed separate, and only the risen found themselves here, but demons, they kept tearing through, and some of them went on rampages too awful to control. So, rather than focus on covering up the holes in reality, we simply control passage. Heaven and hell both, mind you- one too many angels came down in years hundreds gone, thinking they had a right to build temples in their name and demand worship."
"I-I see, that's so morally gray, but..." Something sounded wrong, here. "Is it possible that I'm... not from this world? A place that doesn't follow those beliefs? It all sounds so, alien..."
"Hm..." Aerendyl sat up slowly, nodding. "No, it's not possible simply because you're risen- you never left this world. However, it is possible that you may have been transported here from another part of the world that tells their stories a bit differently- the soul is capable of many things, and it is not unheard of that to remove you from danger, your soul may have flung you to another part of the world in a final act of desperation to survive. This nation is called Ravenwood, but there are many others across the world."
"I think... that has to be it, all of this seems so, strange..." She shook her head, closing her eyes again slowly. "So, got it, I'm a risen demon, and you're an angel... wait does that mean that there's like, an angelic border patrol??" She snorted, covering her mouth. "Back over the border, dirty demon!!"
"N-No, nothing like that??" Aerendyl laughed, seemingly incredulous. "I mean, I suppose, sort of, there are inbound and outbound offices along with portals under government control in some major cities around the world. But, there is no border- only the rifts to pass through."
"I see," Lynx nodded softly. "Do humans visit heaven and hell??"
"No, the raw magic would tear them apart- it's in the air."
"I see- so- so we have no idea who I am really, and what happened to me, or why I'm here. That it?"
"We have an idea who you are, yes. In your very soul... you're a kitty," Aerendyl winked, and Lynx, who'd perked up instantly, snorted, raising a middle finger.
"No, no," Aerendyl continued, as he and Lynx shared a tired laugh. "Before I tell you why you're here, you need to know what Contracted Arms is. It's an organization that stands to serve an example to humans- and no, not that we want to scare them, or prove that we're better. Humans far outnumber us, and for millenia their fear of us caused war with many losses on both sides- not just the demons but the angels too. Pure or not, not all of us have done good things or made good names for ourselves."
"Mhm, mhm, build me a temple, polish my toes, all that," Lynx nodded attentively.
"So, contracted arms are pairs of police officers formed of humans, and an angel or a demon. A police force like any other where only one is human to set the example of our species working together." Aerendyl nodded softly. "Run, of course, by a council of four humans, angels, and demons, at the very top of the ladder."
"Okay, I get that, but you said this had something to do with my being here? Sounds more like you just fell out of a novel and you're forcing exposition."
"No, nothing like that- see lately, there have been a number of incidents in Ravenwood- tensions are rising between demons and humans. When you were found, you were missing half your skull, not yet risen- the wounds were magical, and your soul was struggling to reform a body, or burn the old one away to start fresh. You were taken to a local hospital, and my branch of CA was called, asked for advice. At first, it seemed we had to let you die."
"Then...?" Lynx prompted, angling her head.
"I don't like the thought of people dying. Not if it can be helped," He replied, still sitting on the floor, smiling almost shyly. "So I had a bright idea, because of the rising tensions and because of what Contracted Arms stands for- to save your life. It's simple, really- one of our teams, a field medic, the human, and a demonic grimoire in human form, combining their skills and magic to save a human and keep her alive through the process of becoming arisen."
"I don't follow," Lynx whispered, angling her head, tail curling slowly.
"That's not what happened, but it was the only idea I had to save you," Aerendyl explained. "You were transported here to a private hospital for government and police officials and treated for days by a team of angels."
"Ahhh," Lynx nodded, understanding dawning on her. "And in exchange, in a time of rising tensions, I'm a shining example of what teamwork between a genius human and a demon can accomplish."
"Precisely." Aerendyl nodded. "Now, I don't want to push anything on you, but I understand you don't have a place to return to, yet- you had a cell phone on you, but it was smashed to bits and the broken glass shattered the IMEI number, so there was no reverse searching it. You've done nothing wrong, and aside from the fact that a few people may try to ambush you for an interview, you're free to leave here when you feel better. But, I'd like to give you this, to keep in mind." Standing at last, Aerendyl drew from his pocket a small flier, dropping it on Lynx's lap.
Contracted Arms Academy- where demons, humans, and angels work together to prove the world wrong! Conflict isn't necessary, let's forge a brighter future, together!
"An... academy for... a police academy?" Lynx blinked quietly up, at Aerendyl.
"Yes. I am called the director because I run Ravenwood's academy. There's free room and board- and I know of somebody," He added, walking to the door now, opening it. "-Who would put in a good word for your acceptance." With a wink, he turned, smiling. "Tell the nurses if you decide to accept this invitation, and I'll come back to get you, okay? If I never hear from you again, then I can only assume that you have a plan, and I am happy for you. Good bye, Miss Lynx." He smiled and left, once more closing the door behind him a bit too loudly- or maybe, Lynx realized, her ears were too sensitive.
Alone, in the dark, she slowly fell back again, yawning, thinking. I've been given a new life... but why do I feel like... the old one shouldn't be missing... something is wrong, but... that academy would mean shelter, food... seems like a smart starting point... can't find out who I was if I'm dead... man, I'm so tired... need more naps... maybe I really am a cat... recovering from surgery who...