Status: This is an EXTREMELY slow story, so please bear with me!
Anarchy
Dogfight
“And what do we have here?”
A voice overflowing with both confidence and venom came from behind the door just as it was smashed opened with a bang. Jeremy, the only occupant of the room at the moment, however, did not even flinch or react as he continued to lean back in his chair, reading the pages of the book he was holding.
“Hey, human.” Although the words were normal enough, even one not well versed in language could pick up the hatred behind the word used to describe Jeremy. His accent wasn’t hard to decipher either. “I’m talking to you.”
Since he was now directly addressed, Jeremy decided to silently set down the book, looking up at the one who had rudely entered the room without permission with a bored expression on his face. “Did you need something, sir?” Jeremy said, sarcastically, subtly emphasizing the ‘sir’ in mock politeness.
It seemed that the one who had entered the room didn’t pick up on that, though, and smirked, believing that Jeremy had already considered him superior through the use of the word.
“I heard that there were humans that the clan had taken in as guests, and I had come to see how weak and useless they are.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, if you’re satisfied with what you see, then you can leave me in peace. Some of us have more important things to do, unlike certain people that I can see at the moment.”
Although the hybrid didn’t know it, he had unwittingly entered a battle of words with Jeremy. Even though the hybrid felt superiority in the situation, the one who couldn’t even notice the not-so-subtle digs would clearly end up the loser. But since the hybrid was unable to realize this, when he noticed that his words were unable to draw even a slight shift in Jeremy’s face, which had unfailingly shown boredom the entire time, he quickly became increasingly more infuriated.
Scowling while crossing his arms, he took to leaning against the threshold of the door, his long tail whipping around in an irritated manner. "And how did you come to be here, weak human? Are you a spy? Someone working for the Duke? Is that it?"
“Now, if I were a spy would I really waltz right in claiming to be a guest? Furthermore, if you asked a spy if he was a spy, there’s no way the spy would tell you.”
His tail, which was hitting the threshold with a steady beat, now began to hit it harder, though the blows were softer with the fur on the end of his tail. He gave no reply, and only narrowed his pale green eyes, his long ears flicking in annoyance. "I still can't believe that the Entra clan is so weak that they let in a human-- Oh! I know! It's because they have damaged warriors on their side-- especially that Rymothyia." He laughed cruelly, watching Jeremy's face.
Jeremy’s face didn’t even miss a beat, still unfailingly showing nothing but boredom without so much the slightest twitch. “Well, that’s an interesting way to put it. So, Rymothia is a ‘damaged warrior’, huh? I don’t know what you mean by that, but I couldn’t care less.”
Deciding that he couldn't annoy Jeremy through insults about his hosts and insults about Jeremy himself, he gave a small "Tch." before leaving, slamming the door as he left. A small bit of wood flew, shaking the door.
It was after the door closed when Jeremy’s expression finally broke, giving rise to a slight smile as he picked up his book again to continue his reading.
------
Adriyll had been walking for quite a while now, though she hadn’t found the building, she enjoyed the peace here. It was a better and different tone than the constant fighting on the way to Weis. While she was walking, she let her thoughts roam. Why had Yuki and Umren freaked out when she asked if Styn had needed to see the doctor? Was the doctor that bad at their job? Or was it something else?
And that was her job as of right now.
Of course, her thoughts had roamed back to when she was with Umren, and compared that mental image to Yuki’s face. The two had similar feature, but not as similar as she had once thought. Adriyll let out a breath, pushing the two girls out of her mind. Thinking was hard, and sometimes it hurt her head. Right now, she needed to focus on finding the doctor. Adriyll wandered throughout the village, humming quietly to herself before she knocked into someone, stumbling back and falling onto her bottom.
“Watch it, kid.” A rough voice said as Adriyll stood up. Surprised, Adriyll looked up to see a woman, though shorter than Yuki and taller than Umren, who seemed to be the tallest woman in the world with her glare. Her piercing orange eyes kept Adriyll in her place, the woman’s dark brown short hair shifting slightly with the gentle breeze. Something caught Adriyll’s eye, and she noticed it was a pair of dark brown ears, though it seemed that in the right light, the pair were lighter than her hair. Adriyll took a few steps back as the woman’s tail whipped the air in an annoyed manner, the near black tail nearly hitting Adriyll’s right thigh.
“I didn’t mean to run into you.” Adriyll replied, quickly adding as the woman began to walk away, “Are you a doctor?”
She turned, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Adriyll. “Yes... why?” She said slowly, as if Adriyll didn’t understand that by taking a glance at her.
“Styn needs help.”
“Styn’ll be fine with Umren and Yuki taking care of her.” She paused before frowning. “Wait, how do you know Styn and Umren?”
“I met them.” Adriyll replied simply, now staring back at the woman, matching her stare.
She was silent before letting out a noise of annoyance. “Tell them Rikojuu’ll be there in a bit.”
“Who are you?”
Rikojuu looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Who are you?” She repeated, tilting her head to the side.
Rikojuu thought for a moment, watching Adriyll. Adriyll shifted uncomfortably, disguising it behind a series of small fidgets. When Adriyll began to turn, Rikojuu’s rough voice stopped her. “I’m the village doctor. I’m also the guardian for Styn, Umren, and Rymøthyia-- or Yuki, as you know her.”
Adriyll didn’t turn around, nodding before running off to tell Yuki.
-----
Yuki relaxed in the front room, staring at the ceiling with her feet placed on the nearby table while her head lolled back. Yuki was forced to take off her old clothes and wash them, causing her to have to sit on the shallow banks of the river a few miles away. Exhausted from dodging the Rii’an and taking care of her sister, Yuki simply wore her travelling outfit since it had dried earlier that morning. Yuki stared at ceiling, sighing and letting questions rampage in her mind without an answer. Will Styn be okay if I leave? What will happen to Umren? Will they go under Rikojuu’s care? Where has Mesir been?
What did that Rii’an mean by my mother attempting to overthrow the Duke?
Something shuffled, shifting its weight between the bed sheets in the back, causing Yuki’s ears to prick up. If Styn was waking up, she’d have to get her another batch of herbs, and that was quite a ways away. Umren was asleep in the room that their parents used to have, sleeping peacefully. Yuki gave a glance to both rooms, straightening herself to look at her parents’ room. The home looked as if it were in a caught in a sepia image, the blacks replaced with a dark brown and the whites replaced with a pale brown. Streams of light filtered in through the blinds, small particles of dust catching the light and having a golden hue to them. Yuki sighed as she got up, her tail swinging lazily.
The recent days had been a blur of crying, memory jolts and fending people off so she could think. Her footsteps echoed quietly in the small home, and as Yuki walked to the threshold of each room, her heart gave a lurch. She could almost make out the faint, silvery image of her younger self playing in these rooms, the sounds of her mother cooking in the kitchen, and the smells of her father making his special tea. Yuki leaned against the threshold, watching the images as they passed her by.
Yuki continued watching, even though she already wanted to stop, her eyes following her younger self as she ran outside. Yuki gave a strangled cry before she realized she was here, and not at the scene of her parent's death day. Yuki took a few steps back, breathing harder than she was before. Silent tears fell down her face until she steeled herself, wiping them away with a single movement.
“Haha, look how weak Entra’s damaged warriors are. I thought I’d come to tell you about your interesting guest and companion, but I guess seeing your expression already made my day.”
A rude voice shook Yuki out of her nostalgia trip, her head whipping towards the voice. A young man stood in the middle of the hallway, his toned arms crossed as he watched her with a smug grin. His long pale green hair brushed the ground, and his long tail brushed the ground as it lazily moved. However, it was enough for Yuki to tell which clan he was from: Velryl, the clan of dragon hybrids.
The moment was gone as she looked at him. Yuki scowled, taking a few steps back. To see this-- this-- hybrid had gotten into her home to only throw insults sparked a dark rage in her. "Get-- get out." Her voice was a suppressed growl as she pointed towards the door. “You have no right to come in here without my permission.”
“But I did, and now I’m here. What are you going to do about it?” He asked with a leering smile.
Yuki resisted the temptation to tackle the smug hybrid and clean the floor with his face, but only sneered. "Get out before I make you get out, Verlyl." She spat out the last word as if it were a nasty aftertaste of something sweet. Her eyes flickered around the room, searching for something sharp to attack him with if need be... and she had a feeling that need would be soon.
“I'd like to see you try.”
Yuki gave a short, unkind laugh as she walked up to him and kicked his knees as hard as she could, pouncing on him once he was on the floor. She punched his face and chest as he returned the same powerful punches to her. With a single and fluid motion, Yuki's hand was now wrapped around a sharp object.
As Yuki raised her hand, the sound of a gun being cocked stopped her. "You're as stupid as they say." He gave a cruel bark as he raised it higher, and wrapped his finger around the trigger.
Yuki’s body had moved on its own, knocking the gun away just in time to have the bullet fire into the ceiling. The hybrid let out a roar as he began his assault on her, only to be attacked by a long, sharp object. Yuki didn't bother to aim at his chest, but instead aimed at his major joints as she danced around him, dodging attacks as best as she could.
The hybrid, unarmed and disorientated from her dodging, released a growl as he lunged. However, in a few seconds he was off the ground and being flung through the air, and it was as if time had slowed down while he was in the air.
The door shattered and broke open with a loud crash as the hybrid flew through it, splinters and wood pieces embedding themselves into his skin. Yuki stood at the doorway, her breathing hard and her eyes cold. "Didn't I tell you I'd make you get out? Not so tough now, are you?" She spat out, watching him as he got up and growled back at her.
“Perhaps, but now that we’re all out here, what will you do? Surely you won’t make a fool of yourself an attack an unarmed guest of the Entra clan in front of everybody.”
Yuki only growled, but stood by the door as if it held a cure to Styn’s illness. “I didn’t say I’d further the attack. I said that I’d get you out of the house.” Her knuckles had turned white and her hand felt numb, but she didn’t care. Something told her, deep inside her gut, that he was someone to be cautious of.
And she didn’t mean being cautious of him breaking into a home.
“And speaking of guests, there was rather interesting human guest here that I suppose was your travelling companion, and he was the one who called you a damaged warrior. We had a very interesting talk about how weak you and your clan were. He might be weak and useless, as all humans are, but he certainly got it right.” He sneered, facing her.
“That’s bullshit-- He doesn’t think of anyone that way!”
“How can you be so sure? What people say about you may be completely different than what they say behind your back.”
“I-I just know it! Even though he has a cynical and sarcastic attitude about the world, he’s kind and caring! He doesn’t do that! He isn’t the person that you’re making him out to be!”
“Ohh? Looks like someone has grown rather attached a filthy human. You really were a damaged warrior from the start.”
“Enough!” Yuki bellowed, throwing the sharp object in her hand as hard as she could at him. He easily dodged it, though, while casually reloading the matchlock pistol in his hand.
However, he didn’t raise the pistol, but instead turned towards the audience that had turned up.
“As you can see, this girl recklessly attacked me, so I fought in self defense. It would do you well if you could control such cases like these when you have a guest, and perhaps even do away with her. Your clan doesn’t need such weaknesses.”
Yuki growled. An audience? When did they attract so much attention? But of course. Who wouldn’t come running if they heard a loud gunshot just earlier? Yuki bit her tongue and took a few deep breaths, watching as the man's attempts to instigate a fight rolled off of her. Be civil, She told herself. "I would suggest that you all take in both sides of the story." She said, looking at the crowd, almost daring them to speak up.
The Velryl glared at her, slowly backing away. “Even if they did, no matter how anyone looks at it anyone can clearly tell you had attacked first.”
“Yes, yes, that is clearly the case. Especially I, who had been seen this fight break out.”
A new voice rang through the clearing, giving support to the Verlyl. Everyone turned towards the voice to see a tall wolf hybrid wearing a long, flowing silver robe over the royal color of dark blue. Indeed, if one didn’t notice the ears and tails on his person it would be easy to mistake him as human nobility with the way he carried himself.
“Kail'n." Yuki grounded out the name, glaring past the hybrid on the ground and at the man. "What are you doing out of your hole now?"
"Oh, so now you're disrespecting an elder after coming back to your home? What a way to start the day, huh? Anyway," Kail’n said, ignoring her growls and waving over to the audience, "I will take care of this... problem. Continue as you would any other day."
“I am not a problem, you--!” Yuki stopped herself when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She whipped around only to find Umren there, shaking her head in a solemn fashion, mouthing the words, “Not now.” Yuki only growled, turning back to the Verlyl and Kail’n, shooting them a look of rage. Yuki turned, pushing past Umren, leaving the door open. Don’t touch anything, don’t touch anything, you will break it and that would not help the situation. Go sit yourself in your bedroom. Yuki commanded herself, attempting to calm herself.
Kail’n only smirked as he watched her stomp away, and watched with increasing glee as her sister quietly shut the door, her head bowed and ears flattened. He knew her weakness was with words, especially at critical moments, and this was no exception. “While she may be a brute and an aid in fighting, she is far, too far behind for her own good.” Kail’n muttered to himself as he studied the house for a long second before turning to the Verlyl., Kail’n gave him an open and friendly smile, gesturing to the home as he spoke. “I’m sorry about that, let me show you the better parts of the village.” The two shared a dark grin before walking away as if they were old friends, a dark shadow passing their faces as they walked.
Yuki would fall, and it wouldn’t be from a wound; no, it’d be from her words.
-----
Umren and Styn knocked on the door to Yuki’s room at the same time, the wooden door rattling from the force. “Rimmy,” Umren started, using Yuki’s old nickname, “come on out, you need to eat. Its been a few hours since the argument, and you need to come out.” Umren pleaded, hearing nothing but silence from Yuki. The two sisters had been at it for roughly an hour at this point, pleading with their older sister to come out of the room, but to no avail. Styn opened her mouth to plead some more, raising her hand to knock on the door when Yuki opened it suddenly, causing the two to back away quickly.
“Do you know what I’ve just done for myself? For you two? Because of my idiocy, I have a higher chance of being banished, even exiled from Weis until I die! I have a higher chance of never seeing you two again!” Yuki stared at the both of them, scanning the pair for any solutions that they might have, a solemn silence hanging between the sisters before Yuki sunk to the ground, her head in her hands. “I can’t let that happen to you again, not with what happened before. I can’t...” Yuki let out a strangled sob as memories rushed over her and tears fell down her face, slipping through her fingers and onto the floor. Yuki let out a shaky breath followed by a whimper, clutching at her bangs, as if to pull them down and swallow herself whole with it. Her heart hurt, and as she gave a small whimper, she released her bangs and clutched at her heart, as if she could rip it out and stop the pain.
Umren stepped forward, gently dropping to her knees as she watched her sister crumble apart. To Umren, her older sister had always seemed unbreakable, untouchable, and to see Yuki like this was a shock. How much had she changed since she had buried their mother? How much how had she changed since she had left home? How did she become like this, a child in an older girls body?
What happened during her travels?
Umren pushed it away from her mind, deciding to ask her sister later as she pulled Yuki into her arms, quietly rubbing her back and muttering “sh-sh-shh”s under her breath. Umren nodded at Styn to get something ready for her; comfort food was what the two agreed on before hand. Styn slipped out of the room, disappearing to the kitchen. The only sound in the room were the younger’s tail quietly brushing over the floor and the older’s hiccups, whimpers and strangled “I’m so sorry”s.Yuki's hiccups ricocheted through her body, her quiet sobs finding their way in between. Umren continued to mutter "sh-sh-shh"s, and eventually, Yuki began to calm down, her tear stained face and shaking body still under her sister’s arms.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Styn asked softly, stepping forward. Umren didn’t realize she had come back, and the two shared a glance. Styn mouthed a quick, “There’s nothing to make what Rikojuu made for us, and I don’t want to leave you two.” Umren gave a nod, and rubbed slow circles on her sister’s back.
“I guess.” Yuki gently pushed Umren off, but still held onto her hand for a long second, letting go after. “But not now.” She muttered something, shaking her head. “I’m going to preoccupy myself.” She got up and walked away from them, sighing, her footsteps barely reaching the pairs ears. An angry buzzing started behind her ears and inside her head, resonating and ricocheting off the walls in her mind. Flicking her ears in a frustrated manner, Yuki clawed at her head, attempting to get her mind off the noise. Noticing the girls were still there, Yuki managed to hide it behind a simple scratching, pulling a fake smile. She looked at the table and decided against it to sit down; she had been sitting on her floor for hours. Moving to the kitchen silently, Yuki started to make food, getting an inkling that when she wasn’t around, it was around dinner time with Rikojuu and the girls.
The two sisters looked at each other, bewildered. They could hear the clattering of different tools being used, and metal clinking against metal as she shuffled in the kitchen, and the few curse words that slipped when Yuki had done something wrong. “Did she just tell us no in a cryptic way?” Styn asked, pulling a face.
Umren nodded, sighing and shaking her head. “I guess.” Styn frowned, giving a small snort before getting up and following after her, Umren following in suit. Umren gave a sigh, and a small glance back to Yuki’s room. She only saw a sliver of the mess in her room, and frowned. The canvas that once held her painting of the scenery around the home was in tatters, the cloth hanging limply against the easel. Paint had dropped to the floor, all of the colors had been smeared into an angry black, and at the end of it was a red X. It wasn’t difficult to remember, even though the two sisters hadn’t been living on their own for a long time, that Yuki’s room had its own bathroom, but Umren still frowned.
What is going on with her?
-----
Kail’n had to admit, Yuki wasn’t exactly toppled last time, but it was a start. He was beginning to doubt the Verlyl, only spitting his name out when Kail’n simply couldn’t handle the idiocy from him anymore. Sighing, he had to acknowledge that the hybrid was resourceful at times, but sometimes was as dumb as a pile of Verlyl poop. "You know what? Not even Verlyl poop. Just poop in general." Kail'n gave a grumble before rolling his shoulders. He settled into a chair, basking in the sunlight as it hit his face, chest and shoulders.
“Astriiiiiiid!” Kail’n yelled, growling as he glared out of his window at the chirping birds outside. God, how he hated those annoying birds that woke up at the crack of dawn. Kail’n could see them all, and to boot he memorized what the birds looked like. He continued to glare at those damn birds, until he heard a small shuffle of feet and the quiet noise of a long tail sweeping over wood. Kail’n looked out of the corner of his eye, noticing Astrid was standing at the threshold silently, Astrid’s dark red eyes watching his master.
Kail’n looked back, waving Astrid forward. “What is it, Master?” Astrid asked in a quiet, polite voice, bowing his head as he walked in. Though they looked like partners outside and on trips to the cities, it was not the same when they stepped into the privacy of Kail’n’s home. Though it wasn’t what it used to be, not since they had to relocate with the clan, it was certainly nicer than the others. The wooden floors were salvaged from the old home, and Astrid chuckled on the inside as he remembered, as Kail’n had refused to give up the floors. The glass cabinets and the exotic rugs were all that linked Kail’n back to the old home, and his old territory.
Still, what was in the past was in the past.
“We’re setting the plan into phase two. It’s been far too long for this... quiet to settle in and become comfortable. All we need is a spark... something to get this war finally started.” Kail’n’s eyes flashed, the sudden change of mood giving Astrid a jolt. It always unnerved him to see his master act that way, especially when he was just getting used to the silence of the room he stood in. Astrid came to learn that silence was often better than white noise.
Instead of the usual tactic, Astrid nodded and muttered quietly, “Yes, of course. Whom shall I contact and whom shall I strike a deal with?” before stopping his urge to cringe when the wolf hybrid shuffled in his chair. He was new to the business, and there was no way of telling when the older man would hit him next. So, he stayed obedient.
“I will contact the dealers, and strike the deals when ready. For now, you are dismissed. Remember that you are not allowed to step foot outside this home unless I am with you. Is that clear?” Kail’n glanced back at him, a scowl etched deep into his features.
Astrid held back a groan. He had heard this already, and didn’t need it every time they talked. “Yes.” He said, turning and leaving the room as he shut the door quietly. He had seen what happened to his fellow clan member earlier today; pushed into a tree and half beaten to death with a stone. Astrid shuddered, scurrying to his room and closing the door, his long tail now curled around one of his legs. He slipped quietly into his bed, curling into a ball and practiced his breathing exercises, staring intently at the wall.
Astrid, though his features betrayed him, was in all reality an adolescent; he was only sixteen. He never wanted this, and never wanted to be dragged into this war, or with Kail’n. Astrid, being the klutz he was at the time, was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. He often wondered if he was ever going to be let to go outside, and if he was, there was the aching, chafing question that hid behind his lips; When?
For now, he focused on breathing and staring at the wall.
-----
Adriyll was just ecstastic. Today had been the most interesting day of her life; with so many new and different people to meet that all treated her kindly, there wasn’t much more she could ask for.
Although she never knew that Yuki had sisters before today, she had quickly became good friends with them. She had even found the doctor Jeremy had told her to look for when she learned about Styn’s illness, but she was quite mean. Maybe the doctor didn’t like her very much. But even then, she still got to have a lot of fun with Yuki’s sisters. Later on they had even invited her to eat a delicious lunch with them, with which she had accepted.
Later in the day when she was wandering about and gotten lost in the outskirts of the village, it wasn’t long before a sentry had found her, and had even kindly given her a ride back. It was the most thrilling experience she had ever had in her life! Although, it probably could have been better since the sentry smelled pretty bad.
But it was still worth it when she saw a snake try to catch a rabbit on the way back and was allowed to stop it with a stick.
But now that she had gotten back, her wanderings had led her to a strange sight; through one of the windows of one of the houses, she saw a male hybrid. He looked like really sad, as he stared at the wall doing what seemed to be breathing exercises.
Adriyll wondered why the male hybrid was so sad. Did something happen? Adriyll wanted to call out, but she too had felt that way before, many years ago, before Jeremy and Yuki showed up.
A time when she was abandoned, ignored, treated like trash that nobody wanted.
Adriyll shook her head. She didn’t want bad thoughts to ruin her day! She looked back inside the house, finding the male hybrid exactly the same as before; staring sadly at the wall, doing breathing exercises.
Adriyll wanted to call out, but she knew that he probably wanted to be left alone, just like she did.
Maybe, when he was feeling better, she could get Jeremy to help. He would definitely know what to do. Yuki only knew how to fight, after all. But Jeremy...
For some strange reason, she felt that Jeremy, despite being there for her later, was the first one she truly felt comforted by.
There was just something, some aura surrounding him, that made her feel safer, more comfortable...
Suddenly, she had the sudden urge to be comforted and spoiled by Jeremy again. She could kill two birds with one stone by going back, too.
So she made her way back to Jeremy’s room, running as fast as she could.
------
“Jeremyyyyyyyyy!!!”
The door to his room smashed open with a bang. With a sigh, Jeremy set his book down, looking at the young girl panting hard at the doorway.
“Adriyll. Did you need something?” Jeremy asked, standing as he watched Adriyll catch her breath.
Finally, taking a deep breath, Adriyl ran in and tackled Jeremy, who did not attempt to avoid her bear hug. The force of the tackle caused him to stumble back until he found himself sitting on the bed.
“H-hey! Calm down already!” Jeremy cried out as Adriyll started rubbed her cheek against his chest, humming with happiness. What did he ever do to warrant these kinds of actions?
“Hey, Jeremy.” Adriyll finally said, looking up at his face, her eyes sparkling. “Can you rub my head again like you did after you rescued me?”
“Eh?” Jeremy looked back at her, surprised. “I... Well...Er, sure, I don’t see why not.” he sighed, capitulating to her demands.
“Ehehehe.” Adriyll grinned widely, closing her eyes as Jeremy patted her head again. “You know, Jeremy?”
“Hm?”
“Today, I got to ride on a sentry, and I also got to meet a doctor, and then I went to go see Yuki and her sisters and we had lunch together! Oh, and there was this weird guy who was in a room with a loooooooong tail, and he wasn’t happy, I wonder why?” Adriyll took a large gulp of air, still grinning as Jeremy patted her head. “Well, and also the sentry didn’t smell good, and he was really stinky and there was this big snake thing that tried to eat a rabbit, but I stopped it with a stick and it hissed at me. The doctor is mean, and I don’t think she likes me or anyone, and I realllly think that she doesn’t like anyone.” Adriyll spoke rapidly, not pausing for a breath until the end of each sentence.
“I see.” Jeremy finally said after pausing to make sure Adriyll didn’t have any more to say. Although he was able to catch everything she said, it didn’t mean that it had to make complete sense to him. Best thing to do was to divert her attention. “Well, now that you’ve told me, why don’t you find Yuki and talk to her next? I’m sure she’ll appreciate your company.”
Adriyll smiled and continued to hug him before grinning up at him. “I’m going to Yuki, I’ll be back later!” She let go of him, still grinning before turning, not even realizing that she had forgotten the most important reason why she had came here.
As he watched Adriyll run out of the room, Jeremy sighed. Jeremy wasn’t ignorant about the situation; he had heard the gunshot earlier, the sounds of fighting. Or more accurately, a quarrel, and just from listening to the voices he could tell who had participated: the rude person from before, and Yuki. However, it was nothing he should interfere with. On the other hand, Adriyll probably would have been supporting Yuki at the moment if she wasn’t out and about doing whatever else he asked her to do. Yuki and Adriyll were friends, and friends were there for a reason. As someone who was only a figment of everyone’s imagination, he had no right to push them apart.
And if anyone asked him if they were his friends, however, he would immediately reply no.
And thus he went back to his book.
-----
Yuki had finally calmed down enough to compose herself properly after her outburst against that Verlyl and Kail’n.
Staring at the wall and damaged painting, it was easy enough why she did it; because she was distressed. And she didn’t have the heart to damage anything else; hypocritical? Yes. But did that change what she had done? No. Yuki had made sure that she closed the door, not knowing if her emotions would betray her again. Her tail moved slowly, hitting the desk she was leaning against slowly.
Hah. She didn’t even like the painting now that she thought about it...
“Yuki, are you there?”
Yuki whipped around to see Rikojuu peering in, her head cocked to the side. I didn't hear her come in... Damn, I must not have the door closed all the way. "What is it?" Yuki asked, her head turning away from Rikojuu and her ears flicking lazily. She heard a gasp escape from Rikojuu, and then silence. The only sounds that passed between the two was a soft white noise, but Yuki wasn’t bothered to figure out where the source was.
“So, what did you want?” Yuki asked again, exasperated. “If you don’t need anything, then just leave. As much as I like you, this isn’t the time for stalling.”
Rikojuu gave a sigh before shifting and frowning. “Mesir wants to see you.”
“Anything else?”
“Mesir did say something about Jeremy as well.”
“Alright.” Yuki made a waving motion, looking at the paint on the ground. “Tell him I’ll be there soon.” When Yuki heard silence, she looked up and saw Rikojuu still standing there, staring with a worried expression. “What is it?” Yuki sighed, watching Rikojuu’s expression deepen.
“You're pulling this brave face, this mask over what happened. I've noticed, even when it was days after the death of your parents, that you've blocked the memories; to an extent, of course. You know that they're dead. But you're running... no, you're sprinting as fast and hard as you can, all because you're all because you are afraid... though, afraid of what? What is keeping you from overcoming that?” Rikojuu spoke softly, stepping forward and reaching for Yuki’s hand.
A flash of anger and...fear? Nonetheless, it passed Yuki's face and past her eyes as she whipped her face towards Rikojuu, scurrying to the other side of the desk. "Don't.. Don't. Go. Just, just, go." Yuki clutched onto the desk, watching Rikojuu as if she held a poisoned sword that was pointed to her. A long second passed between the two before Yuki frowned and growled, her tail swaying before rising up, her lips curling. “GO!” She roared, and Rikojuu walked out of the room, the door swinging shut behind her.
She paced the room, watching the door for a long while before letting her guard drop. Sighing, Yuki let herself drop next to the bed and laid her head against the quilt that hung over the side, taking in her room as if it were her first time seeing it. The bed was against the wall, though not in the right hand corner. In the corner was her nightstand, a lonely candle holder on its side. The window, placed above the nightstand, was opened to let in the night air.
To Yuki, it was a bland room. But it also happened be the place she called her home.
“Well, I might as well see Mesir. Can’t keep an Elder waiting, else it’ll be hell when I get there.” She mumbled to herself, standing up and frowning at the room. “Like I haven’t gone down to it today.” Scoffing and smiling wryly at her comment, Yuki swiftly walked out of the room, not bothering to shut the door as she left.
“Rimmy?” Styn’s voice caught her off guard as Yuki turned toward her sister.
“What is it?” Yuki said, watching her sister as she fumbled for words. Those three words are getting tasteless at this point.
“Are.. are you really going to have to leave us again?”
“No. I’ll make sure of that.” Yuki turned, striding out of the house and towards one of the houses that resided in the distance, watching over the villagers with a careful eye.
This was going to be a longer day than she expected.
-----
"Jeremy, an Elder needs the both of us." Yuki knocked at his door in a tired fashion. She hadn't expected the walk to be that tiring, but considering her mood the past day, it wasn't surprising.
“I see,” came a muffled voice from behind the door. “I’ll be out in a moment.”
Yuki didn’t have to wait long. Seconds later the door opened, Jeremy appearing behind it. “Shall we get going, then?” He asked.
Yuki gave a nod and led him towards the Elders homes, silent the entire way there. For once, Yuki was actually glad to have a silent companion, even if he wasn't actually reading at the moment; for now, it was a constant noise and she needed the white noise to keep her mind from straying.
Mesir was waiting for them as he stood outside his home, his arms crossed and light brown tail swaying gently. He had a hooked nose, though from his age, it looked like it had gotten the rougher side of life. His face was chiseled, accompanied by a square jaw. He wore an outfit similar to Kail'n, though he could easily take off the bottom of the robe and reveal a pair of trousers. His eyes shined and caught the light as it passed his eyes, the light making his unnaturally light, almost pale, brown eyes stand out of a crowd in an instant. His hair and ears were the same as his tail; a light brown with a few strips of dark brown highlights. His skin was a darker tan, darker than Yuki's.
“Welcome to my humble abode. Rymothyia, it’s good to see you again.” He said, dipping his head slightly as she walked forward. “And Jeremy, hello.”
“I don’t recall introducing myself,” Jeremy replied bluntly. “You are...?”
“Mesir, the second Elder at your service.”
“Well then, second Elder Mesir. Was there anything you needed?”
Mesir, not fazed by Jeremy's business-like approach, opened the door for the pair. "I need to talk to you two about something. It happens to be of utmost importance."
“Oh? Is it really okay to talk with a stranger like me about something of the utmost importance?”
“Considering you’re part of this, yes.”
“Very well. I honestly don’t see how I could be a part of anything, but lead the way.”
Mesir waited until the pair had entered his home, watching them with a close eye. The home was simple enough, with a few glass items here and there, but the furniture had an otherworldly appearance, clearly not made by either human nor hybrid. "So," Yuki said, turning towards Mesir once she had reached a chair that resided near a corner of the room, "What is it now? Another uproar from the other clans?"
Mesir nodded, and looked at Yuki with a frown. “Exactly. Especially from you bringing a human back to your clan when you didn’t complete your trail.” Raising a hand as Yuki opened her mouth, he shook his head and the frown on his face deepened. “You know the rules, and to ignore them is pure idiocy.”
“Oh will you stop with the generic punishment speech? I’ve heard it from Rikojuu and Kail’n, the slimy bastard.” Yuki scowled, crossing her arms. “Anything new? Or should I stay and listen like a good girl?” Yuki growled, leaning against the chair and watching Mesir with cold eyes.
Mesir wasn’t fazed by her angry comments, and turned to Jeremy, who was eyeing them both with a bored expression. "Even though you were the second human Rymothyia brought along, the other clans are in an uproar. We, being constantly attacked from the Duke and his troops, are being "overly cautious" as you might call it. But the clans demand that you and the girl who came to leave, and unfortunately, I don't have much power in the meetings." Mesir gave him a grim expression.
Yuki looked at Mesir with an eyebrow raised. “That’s bull. You and the others have enough power in the meetings to knock over Nyx, Rii’an, and Swerol. Or is there something else behind this that I’m not getting?”
Mesir paused, unsure of what to say, when Jeremy sighed and stepped in. “I take it she knows nothing about politics?” he said, addressing Mesir.
He gave a sigh and rubbed a temple. “Exactly...” Mesir mumbled under his breath.
“Well, if you need me to leave, I’m perfectly fine with that. I never intended to cause you trouble. I only needed a day to rest and refill my supplies, and then I would have been on my way, as if I had never been here. As for that girl, however, she has nothing to do with me, as she is currently under Yuki’s jurisdiction. In any case,” Jeremy continued. “If you don’t need anything else from me, I shall take my leave. I’ll be gone from the village long before the day ends. Have a good day.” With that, Jeremy, slightly bowed before making his way back out.
"Wait!" Yuki said, but paused. What was she about the say? "I'll.. I'll walk you out when you need to leave.”
Jeremy paused, looking back at her. “I don’t believe that would be necessary.”
Yuki gave a small smile. “It’s what friends do, even if we didn’t have a long trip together.”
At that, Jeremy stopped completely, his voice growing cold. “Friends? I don’t recall being friends with you. We only happened to have the same destination, and thus we agreed to travel together temporarily. Since you have reached your destination, there is no need for us to associate ourselves with each other any longer.”
Dropping her small smile, she nodded. “Fine. Have a good trip back, or to wherever you’re headed.”
“Me?” Jeremy asked. “I'm going to pay the Duke a visit. So long.”
An icy chill ran down both Mesir's and Yuki's spines, and they both looked at Jeremy as if he had just stabbed one of the clans members in cold blood. "You.. you can't be serious." Yuki muttered, shocked at his seemingly casual statement.
“What? Did it sound like I was joking?”
“No.” Mesir piped up. “So, you really were a spy all along, is that what you are saying?”
“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. I’m not interested at all with your petty squabbles with the Duke. But as a human country, there are probably resources there that would be useful for my own purposes, and for that reason I am paying him a visit.” Jeremy replied flippantly, before leaving the room.
Mesir and Yuki stared at the door from where Jeremy left. “Can what he just said really be trusted?” Mesir asked to no one in particular.
“I think... he can still be trusted.” Yuki said slowly. Yuki was suddenly reminded of what had happened at the village they had first encountered. She recalled that he did say things along the lines of choosing to stay neutral and seeing things for himself before making his decisions. With that memory, Yuki felt a sliver of hope pass through her. At least he didn't want to be a part of the conflict.. and I do remember him reading books upon books.
“You’re not saying that because you want to trust him, are you?” Mesir asked sarcastically.
Yuki gave a snort and raised an eyebrow. “No. Why do you ask that?”
“Because you travelled together, and considered him a friend at some point.”
“During our travels, he had always been asserting his neutrality no matter the situation.” Yuki gave a grimace, remembering the destruction she had done for a village. “But... I still think he’s a good guy in the end. Maybe for one reason or another, he can’t openly admit to actually being a good person.” Yuki said, recalling the time when Adriyll had been taken hostage. Despite the fact that he constantly insisted that he didn’t know what she was talking about, he had still thrown her a knife to help fight off the remaining bandits.
“And how did you come to that conclusion?” Mesir asked.
“Well...” Yuki started as she began explaining everything that had happened during their travels and the thought process she had just gone through.
“I see.” Mesir finally said when she was done. “It looks like you actually thought seriously about it rather than stubbornly believe in your emotions.”
She gave a snort. “Since when am I like that?” She protested.
“Rymothyia. For Alois’s sake, seriously. I know you well enough by now.”
“But I could have changed from since back then. I didn’t go through the coming of age trial for no reason, even if I came back early.” Yuki looked at him, shooting him a look. “What, didn’t think that I could have grown and learned things?”
“Now you’re just putting words in my mouth.” Mesir shot back, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “But, enough of these pleasantries.” Yuki gave a grumble, but Mesir ignored it. “While you did come home early, Rikojuu filled me in and gave her own opinions about why we should keep you here.” Yuki watched him as he paced around the room. “But.”
“Why the but?”
“I’m throwing my vote for you, but, I’m not sure about Kail’n or Raqios.” Mesir pointed at Yuki, his expression serious. “Don’t do anything stupid. Got it?”
“Got it.” Yuki walked over, giving him a pat on his head before being dragged back by her top, choking for a second. She was pulled into a noogie, laughing and clawing at Mesir's arms. "Off of me old man!"
“Not until you say that you won’t do anything stupid!” Mesir gave a chuckle, rubbing her head harder.
“I already diiiid! Come on old man, let me go!”
“Say it!”
“Fine, fine! I promise not to do anything stupid!” Mesir released her with a chuckle, watching her stumble before laughing and throwing him a pseudo glare before leaving his house. Knowing that at least one Elder was throwing his vote for her was definitely making her day. She decided to push the other thoughts out of the way and focus on the positive, for now...
Only to pause to see Jeremy already making his way towards the village entrance. He wasn’t carrying much, but it seemed like he was already leaving
Yuki knew it was no use to talk him out of his actions or attempt to put in a suggestion. He said he didn’t need anyone to walk him out, anyways. Turning, she calmly walked past Mesir’s home and found refuge in a tall tree, climbing it with some difficulty. Her back was to the village entrance, and as she watched the birds fly past her, she vaguely remembered that Adriyll would ask about Jeremy.
As always, she’d make a simple, easy to understand version of what happened.
A voice overflowing with both confidence and venom came from behind the door just as it was smashed opened with a bang. Jeremy, the only occupant of the room at the moment, however, did not even flinch or react as he continued to lean back in his chair, reading the pages of the book he was holding.
“Hey, human.” Although the words were normal enough, even one not well versed in language could pick up the hatred behind the word used to describe Jeremy. His accent wasn’t hard to decipher either. “I’m talking to you.”
Since he was now directly addressed, Jeremy decided to silently set down the book, looking up at the one who had rudely entered the room without permission with a bored expression on his face. “Did you need something, sir?” Jeremy said, sarcastically, subtly emphasizing the ‘sir’ in mock politeness.
It seemed that the one who had entered the room didn’t pick up on that, though, and smirked, believing that Jeremy had already considered him superior through the use of the word.
“I heard that there were humans that the clan had taken in as guests, and I had come to see how weak and useless they are.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, if you’re satisfied with what you see, then you can leave me in peace. Some of us have more important things to do, unlike certain people that I can see at the moment.”
Although the hybrid didn’t know it, he had unwittingly entered a battle of words with Jeremy. Even though the hybrid felt superiority in the situation, the one who couldn’t even notice the not-so-subtle digs would clearly end up the loser. But since the hybrid was unable to realize this, when he noticed that his words were unable to draw even a slight shift in Jeremy’s face, which had unfailingly shown boredom the entire time, he quickly became increasingly more infuriated.
Scowling while crossing his arms, he took to leaning against the threshold of the door, his long tail whipping around in an irritated manner. "And how did you come to be here, weak human? Are you a spy? Someone working for the Duke? Is that it?"
“Now, if I were a spy would I really waltz right in claiming to be a guest? Furthermore, if you asked a spy if he was a spy, there’s no way the spy would tell you.”
His tail, which was hitting the threshold with a steady beat, now began to hit it harder, though the blows were softer with the fur on the end of his tail. He gave no reply, and only narrowed his pale green eyes, his long ears flicking in annoyance. "I still can't believe that the Entra clan is so weak that they let in a human-- Oh! I know! It's because they have damaged warriors on their side-- especially that Rymothyia." He laughed cruelly, watching Jeremy's face.
Jeremy’s face didn’t even miss a beat, still unfailingly showing nothing but boredom without so much the slightest twitch. “Well, that’s an interesting way to put it. So, Rymothia is a ‘damaged warrior’, huh? I don’t know what you mean by that, but I couldn’t care less.”
Deciding that he couldn't annoy Jeremy through insults about his hosts and insults about Jeremy himself, he gave a small "Tch." before leaving, slamming the door as he left. A small bit of wood flew, shaking the door.
It was after the door closed when Jeremy’s expression finally broke, giving rise to a slight smile as he picked up his book again to continue his reading.
------
Adriyll had been walking for quite a while now, though she hadn’t found the building, she enjoyed the peace here. It was a better and different tone than the constant fighting on the way to Weis. While she was walking, she let her thoughts roam. Why had Yuki and Umren freaked out when she asked if Styn had needed to see the doctor? Was the doctor that bad at their job? Or was it something else?
And that was her job as of right now.
Of course, her thoughts had roamed back to when she was with Umren, and compared that mental image to Yuki’s face. The two had similar feature, but not as similar as she had once thought. Adriyll let out a breath, pushing the two girls out of her mind. Thinking was hard, and sometimes it hurt her head. Right now, she needed to focus on finding the doctor. Adriyll wandered throughout the village, humming quietly to herself before she knocked into someone, stumbling back and falling onto her bottom.
“Watch it, kid.” A rough voice said as Adriyll stood up. Surprised, Adriyll looked up to see a woman, though shorter than Yuki and taller than Umren, who seemed to be the tallest woman in the world with her glare. Her piercing orange eyes kept Adriyll in her place, the woman’s dark brown short hair shifting slightly with the gentle breeze. Something caught Adriyll’s eye, and she noticed it was a pair of dark brown ears, though it seemed that in the right light, the pair were lighter than her hair. Adriyll took a few steps back as the woman’s tail whipped the air in an annoyed manner, the near black tail nearly hitting Adriyll’s right thigh.
“I didn’t mean to run into you.” Adriyll replied, quickly adding as the woman began to walk away, “Are you a doctor?”
She turned, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Adriyll. “Yes... why?” She said slowly, as if Adriyll didn’t understand that by taking a glance at her.
“Styn needs help.”
“Styn’ll be fine with Umren and Yuki taking care of her.” She paused before frowning. “Wait, how do you know Styn and Umren?”
“I met them.” Adriyll replied simply, now staring back at the woman, matching her stare.
She was silent before letting out a noise of annoyance. “Tell them Rikojuu’ll be there in a bit.”
“Who are you?”
Rikojuu looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Who are you?” She repeated, tilting her head to the side.
Rikojuu thought for a moment, watching Adriyll. Adriyll shifted uncomfortably, disguising it behind a series of small fidgets. When Adriyll began to turn, Rikojuu’s rough voice stopped her. “I’m the village doctor. I’m also the guardian for Styn, Umren, and Rymøthyia-- or Yuki, as you know her.”
Adriyll didn’t turn around, nodding before running off to tell Yuki.
-----
Yuki relaxed in the front room, staring at the ceiling with her feet placed on the nearby table while her head lolled back. Yuki was forced to take off her old clothes and wash them, causing her to have to sit on the shallow banks of the river a few miles away. Exhausted from dodging the Rii’an and taking care of her sister, Yuki simply wore her travelling outfit since it had dried earlier that morning. Yuki stared at ceiling, sighing and letting questions rampage in her mind without an answer. Will Styn be okay if I leave? What will happen to Umren? Will they go under Rikojuu’s care? Where has Mesir been?
What did that Rii’an mean by my mother attempting to overthrow the Duke?
Something shuffled, shifting its weight between the bed sheets in the back, causing Yuki’s ears to prick up. If Styn was waking up, she’d have to get her another batch of herbs, and that was quite a ways away. Umren was asleep in the room that their parents used to have, sleeping peacefully. Yuki gave a glance to both rooms, straightening herself to look at her parents’ room. The home looked as if it were in a caught in a sepia image, the blacks replaced with a dark brown and the whites replaced with a pale brown. Streams of light filtered in through the blinds, small particles of dust catching the light and having a golden hue to them. Yuki sighed as she got up, her tail swinging lazily.
The recent days had been a blur of crying, memory jolts and fending people off so she could think. Her footsteps echoed quietly in the small home, and as Yuki walked to the threshold of each room, her heart gave a lurch. She could almost make out the faint, silvery image of her younger self playing in these rooms, the sounds of her mother cooking in the kitchen, and the smells of her father making his special tea. Yuki leaned against the threshold, watching the images as they passed her by.
Yuki continued watching, even though she already wanted to stop, her eyes following her younger self as she ran outside. Yuki gave a strangled cry before she realized she was here, and not at the scene of her parent's death day. Yuki took a few steps back, breathing harder than she was before. Silent tears fell down her face until she steeled herself, wiping them away with a single movement.
“Haha, look how weak Entra’s damaged warriors are. I thought I’d come to tell you about your interesting guest and companion, but I guess seeing your expression already made my day.”
A rude voice shook Yuki out of her nostalgia trip, her head whipping towards the voice. A young man stood in the middle of the hallway, his toned arms crossed as he watched her with a smug grin. His long pale green hair brushed the ground, and his long tail brushed the ground as it lazily moved. However, it was enough for Yuki to tell which clan he was from: Velryl, the clan of dragon hybrids.
The moment was gone as she looked at him. Yuki scowled, taking a few steps back. To see this-- this-- hybrid had gotten into her home to only throw insults sparked a dark rage in her. "Get-- get out." Her voice was a suppressed growl as she pointed towards the door. “You have no right to come in here without my permission.”
“But I did, and now I’m here. What are you going to do about it?” He asked with a leering smile.
Yuki resisted the temptation to tackle the smug hybrid and clean the floor with his face, but only sneered. "Get out before I make you get out, Verlyl." She spat out the last word as if it were a nasty aftertaste of something sweet. Her eyes flickered around the room, searching for something sharp to attack him with if need be... and she had a feeling that need would be soon.
“I'd like to see you try.”
Yuki gave a short, unkind laugh as she walked up to him and kicked his knees as hard as she could, pouncing on him once he was on the floor. She punched his face and chest as he returned the same powerful punches to her. With a single and fluid motion, Yuki's hand was now wrapped around a sharp object.
As Yuki raised her hand, the sound of a gun being cocked stopped her. "You're as stupid as they say." He gave a cruel bark as he raised it higher, and wrapped his finger around the trigger.
Yuki’s body had moved on its own, knocking the gun away just in time to have the bullet fire into the ceiling. The hybrid let out a roar as he began his assault on her, only to be attacked by a long, sharp object. Yuki didn't bother to aim at his chest, but instead aimed at his major joints as she danced around him, dodging attacks as best as she could.
The hybrid, unarmed and disorientated from her dodging, released a growl as he lunged. However, in a few seconds he was off the ground and being flung through the air, and it was as if time had slowed down while he was in the air.
The door shattered and broke open with a loud crash as the hybrid flew through it, splinters and wood pieces embedding themselves into his skin. Yuki stood at the doorway, her breathing hard and her eyes cold. "Didn't I tell you I'd make you get out? Not so tough now, are you?" She spat out, watching him as he got up and growled back at her.
“Perhaps, but now that we’re all out here, what will you do? Surely you won’t make a fool of yourself an attack an unarmed guest of the Entra clan in front of everybody.”
Yuki only growled, but stood by the door as if it held a cure to Styn’s illness. “I didn’t say I’d further the attack. I said that I’d get you out of the house.” Her knuckles had turned white and her hand felt numb, but she didn’t care. Something told her, deep inside her gut, that he was someone to be cautious of.
And she didn’t mean being cautious of him breaking into a home.
“And speaking of guests, there was rather interesting human guest here that I suppose was your travelling companion, and he was the one who called you a damaged warrior. We had a very interesting talk about how weak you and your clan were. He might be weak and useless, as all humans are, but he certainly got it right.” He sneered, facing her.
“That’s bullshit-- He doesn’t think of anyone that way!”
“How can you be so sure? What people say about you may be completely different than what they say behind your back.”
“I-I just know it! Even though he has a cynical and sarcastic attitude about the world, he’s kind and caring! He doesn’t do that! He isn’t the person that you’re making him out to be!”
“Ohh? Looks like someone has grown rather attached a filthy human. You really were a damaged warrior from the start.”
“Enough!” Yuki bellowed, throwing the sharp object in her hand as hard as she could at him. He easily dodged it, though, while casually reloading the matchlock pistol in his hand.
However, he didn’t raise the pistol, but instead turned towards the audience that had turned up.
“As you can see, this girl recklessly attacked me, so I fought in self defense. It would do you well if you could control such cases like these when you have a guest, and perhaps even do away with her. Your clan doesn’t need such weaknesses.”
Yuki growled. An audience? When did they attract so much attention? But of course. Who wouldn’t come running if they heard a loud gunshot just earlier? Yuki bit her tongue and took a few deep breaths, watching as the man's attempts to instigate a fight rolled off of her. Be civil, She told herself. "I would suggest that you all take in both sides of the story." She said, looking at the crowd, almost daring them to speak up.
The Velryl glared at her, slowly backing away. “Even if they did, no matter how anyone looks at it anyone can clearly tell you had attacked first.”
“Yes, yes, that is clearly the case. Especially I, who had been seen this fight break out.”
A new voice rang through the clearing, giving support to the Verlyl. Everyone turned towards the voice to see a tall wolf hybrid wearing a long, flowing silver robe over the royal color of dark blue. Indeed, if one didn’t notice the ears and tails on his person it would be easy to mistake him as human nobility with the way he carried himself.
“Kail'n." Yuki grounded out the name, glaring past the hybrid on the ground and at the man. "What are you doing out of your hole now?"
"Oh, so now you're disrespecting an elder after coming back to your home? What a way to start the day, huh? Anyway," Kail’n said, ignoring her growls and waving over to the audience, "I will take care of this... problem. Continue as you would any other day."
“I am not a problem, you--!” Yuki stopped herself when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She whipped around only to find Umren there, shaking her head in a solemn fashion, mouthing the words, “Not now.” Yuki only growled, turning back to the Verlyl and Kail’n, shooting them a look of rage. Yuki turned, pushing past Umren, leaving the door open. Don’t touch anything, don’t touch anything, you will break it and that would not help the situation. Go sit yourself in your bedroom. Yuki commanded herself, attempting to calm herself.
Kail’n only smirked as he watched her stomp away, and watched with increasing glee as her sister quietly shut the door, her head bowed and ears flattened. He knew her weakness was with words, especially at critical moments, and this was no exception. “While she may be a brute and an aid in fighting, she is far, too far behind for her own good.” Kail’n muttered to himself as he studied the house for a long second before turning to the Verlyl., Kail’n gave him an open and friendly smile, gesturing to the home as he spoke. “I’m sorry about that, let me show you the better parts of the village.” The two shared a dark grin before walking away as if they were old friends, a dark shadow passing their faces as they walked.
Yuki would fall, and it wouldn’t be from a wound; no, it’d be from her words.
-----
Umren and Styn knocked on the door to Yuki’s room at the same time, the wooden door rattling from the force. “Rimmy,” Umren started, using Yuki’s old nickname, “come on out, you need to eat. Its been a few hours since the argument, and you need to come out.” Umren pleaded, hearing nothing but silence from Yuki. The two sisters had been at it for roughly an hour at this point, pleading with their older sister to come out of the room, but to no avail. Styn opened her mouth to plead some more, raising her hand to knock on the door when Yuki opened it suddenly, causing the two to back away quickly.
“Do you know what I’ve just done for myself? For you two? Because of my idiocy, I have a higher chance of being banished, even exiled from Weis until I die! I have a higher chance of never seeing you two again!” Yuki stared at the both of them, scanning the pair for any solutions that they might have, a solemn silence hanging between the sisters before Yuki sunk to the ground, her head in her hands. “I can’t let that happen to you again, not with what happened before. I can’t...” Yuki let out a strangled sob as memories rushed over her and tears fell down her face, slipping through her fingers and onto the floor. Yuki let out a shaky breath followed by a whimper, clutching at her bangs, as if to pull them down and swallow herself whole with it. Her heart hurt, and as she gave a small whimper, she released her bangs and clutched at her heart, as if she could rip it out and stop the pain.
Umren stepped forward, gently dropping to her knees as she watched her sister crumble apart. To Umren, her older sister had always seemed unbreakable, untouchable, and to see Yuki like this was a shock. How much had she changed since she had buried their mother? How much how had she changed since she had left home? How did she become like this, a child in an older girls body?
What happened during her travels?
Umren pushed it away from her mind, deciding to ask her sister later as she pulled Yuki into her arms, quietly rubbing her back and muttering “sh-sh-shh”s under her breath. Umren nodded at Styn to get something ready for her; comfort food was what the two agreed on before hand. Styn slipped out of the room, disappearing to the kitchen. The only sound in the room were the younger’s tail quietly brushing over the floor and the older’s hiccups, whimpers and strangled “I’m so sorry”s.Yuki's hiccups ricocheted through her body, her quiet sobs finding their way in between. Umren continued to mutter "sh-sh-shh"s, and eventually, Yuki began to calm down, her tear stained face and shaking body still under her sister’s arms.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Styn asked softly, stepping forward. Umren didn’t realize she had come back, and the two shared a glance. Styn mouthed a quick, “There’s nothing to make what Rikojuu made for us, and I don’t want to leave you two.” Umren gave a nod, and rubbed slow circles on her sister’s back.
“I guess.” Yuki gently pushed Umren off, but still held onto her hand for a long second, letting go after. “But not now.” She muttered something, shaking her head. “I’m going to preoccupy myself.” She got up and walked away from them, sighing, her footsteps barely reaching the pairs ears. An angry buzzing started behind her ears and inside her head, resonating and ricocheting off the walls in her mind. Flicking her ears in a frustrated manner, Yuki clawed at her head, attempting to get her mind off the noise. Noticing the girls were still there, Yuki managed to hide it behind a simple scratching, pulling a fake smile. She looked at the table and decided against it to sit down; she had been sitting on her floor for hours. Moving to the kitchen silently, Yuki started to make food, getting an inkling that when she wasn’t around, it was around dinner time with Rikojuu and the girls.
The two sisters looked at each other, bewildered. They could hear the clattering of different tools being used, and metal clinking against metal as she shuffled in the kitchen, and the few curse words that slipped when Yuki had done something wrong. “Did she just tell us no in a cryptic way?” Styn asked, pulling a face.
Umren nodded, sighing and shaking her head. “I guess.” Styn frowned, giving a small snort before getting up and following after her, Umren following in suit. Umren gave a sigh, and a small glance back to Yuki’s room. She only saw a sliver of the mess in her room, and frowned. The canvas that once held her painting of the scenery around the home was in tatters, the cloth hanging limply against the easel. Paint had dropped to the floor, all of the colors had been smeared into an angry black, and at the end of it was a red X. It wasn’t difficult to remember, even though the two sisters hadn’t been living on their own for a long time, that Yuki’s room had its own bathroom, but Umren still frowned.
What is going on with her?
-----
Kail’n had to admit, Yuki wasn’t exactly toppled last time, but it was a start. He was beginning to doubt the Verlyl, only spitting his name out when Kail’n simply couldn’t handle the idiocy from him anymore. Sighing, he had to acknowledge that the hybrid was resourceful at times, but sometimes was as dumb as a pile of Verlyl poop. "You know what? Not even Verlyl poop. Just poop in general." Kail'n gave a grumble before rolling his shoulders. He settled into a chair, basking in the sunlight as it hit his face, chest and shoulders.
“Astriiiiiiid!” Kail’n yelled, growling as he glared out of his window at the chirping birds outside. God, how he hated those annoying birds that woke up at the crack of dawn. Kail’n could see them all, and to boot he memorized what the birds looked like. He continued to glare at those damn birds, until he heard a small shuffle of feet and the quiet noise of a long tail sweeping over wood. Kail’n looked out of the corner of his eye, noticing Astrid was standing at the threshold silently, Astrid’s dark red eyes watching his master.
Kail’n looked back, waving Astrid forward. “What is it, Master?” Astrid asked in a quiet, polite voice, bowing his head as he walked in. Though they looked like partners outside and on trips to the cities, it was not the same when they stepped into the privacy of Kail’n’s home. Though it wasn’t what it used to be, not since they had to relocate with the clan, it was certainly nicer than the others. The wooden floors were salvaged from the old home, and Astrid chuckled on the inside as he remembered, as Kail’n had refused to give up the floors. The glass cabinets and the exotic rugs were all that linked Kail’n back to the old home, and his old territory.
Still, what was in the past was in the past.
“We’re setting the plan into phase two. It’s been far too long for this... quiet to settle in and become comfortable. All we need is a spark... something to get this war finally started.” Kail’n’s eyes flashed, the sudden change of mood giving Astrid a jolt. It always unnerved him to see his master act that way, especially when he was just getting used to the silence of the room he stood in. Astrid came to learn that silence was often better than white noise.
Instead of the usual tactic, Astrid nodded and muttered quietly, “Yes, of course. Whom shall I contact and whom shall I strike a deal with?” before stopping his urge to cringe when the wolf hybrid shuffled in his chair. He was new to the business, and there was no way of telling when the older man would hit him next. So, he stayed obedient.
“I will contact the dealers, and strike the deals when ready. For now, you are dismissed. Remember that you are not allowed to step foot outside this home unless I am with you. Is that clear?” Kail’n glanced back at him, a scowl etched deep into his features.
Astrid held back a groan. He had heard this already, and didn’t need it every time they talked. “Yes.” He said, turning and leaving the room as he shut the door quietly. He had seen what happened to his fellow clan member earlier today; pushed into a tree and half beaten to death with a stone. Astrid shuddered, scurrying to his room and closing the door, his long tail now curled around one of his legs. He slipped quietly into his bed, curling into a ball and practiced his breathing exercises, staring intently at the wall.
Astrid, though his features betrayed him, was in all reality an adolescent; he was only sixteen. He never wanted this, and never wanted to be dragged into this war, or with Kail’n. Astrid, being the klutz he was at the time, was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. He often wondered if he was ever going to be let to go outside, and if he was, there was the aching, chafing question that hid behind his lips; When?
For now, he focused on breathing and staring at the wall.
-----
Adriyll was just ecstastic. Today had been the most interesting day of her life; with so many new and different people to meet that all treated her kindly, there wasn’t much more she could ask for.
Although she never knew that Yuki had sisters before today, she had quickly became good friends with them. She had even found the doctor Jeremy had told her to look for when she learned about Styn’s illness, but she was quite mean. Maybe the doctor didn’t like her very much. But even then, she still got to have a lot of fun with Yuki’s sisters. Later on they had even invited her to eat a delicious lunch with them, with which she had accepted.
Later in the day when she was wandering about and gotten lost in the outskirts of the village, it wasn’t long before a sentry had found her, and had even kindly given her a ride back. It was the most thrilling experience she had ever had in her life! Although, it probably could have been better since the sentry smelled pretty bad.
But it was still worth it when she saw a snake try to catch a rabbit on the way back and was allowed to stop it with a stick.
But now that she had gotten back, her wanderings had led her to a strange sight; through one of the windows of one of the houses, she saw a male hybrid. He looked like really sad, as he stared at the wall doing what seemed to be breathing exercises.
Adriyll wondered why the male hybrid was so sad. Did something happen? Adriyll wanted to call out, but she too had felt that way before, many years ago, before Jeremy and Yuki showed up.
A time when she was abandoned, ignored, treated like trash that nobody wanted.
Adriyll shook her head. She didn’t want bad thoughts to ruin her day! She looked back inside the house, finding the male hybrid exactly the same as before; staring sadly at the wall, doing breathing exercises.
Adriyll wanted to call out, but she knew that he probably wanted to be left alone, just like she did.
Maybe, when he was feeling better, she could get Jeremy to help. He would definitely know what to do. Yuki only knew how to fight, after all. But Jeremy...
For some strange reason, she felt that Jeremy, despite being there for her later, was the first one she truly felt comforted by.
There was just something, some aura surrounding him, that made her feel safer, more comfortable...
Suddenly, she had the sudden urge to be comforted and spoiled by Jeremy again. She could kill two birds with one stone by going back, too.
So she made her way back to Jeremy’s room, running as fast as she could.
------
“Jeremyyyyyyyyy!!!”
The door to his room smashed open with a bang. With a sigh, Jeremy set his book down, looking at the young girl panting hard at the doorway.
“Adriyll. Did you need something?” Jeremy asked, standing as he watched Adriyll catch her breath.
Finally, taking a deep breath, Adriyl ran in and tackled Jeremy, who did not attempt to avoid her bear hug. The force of the tackle caused him to stumble back until he found himself sitting on the bed.
“H-hey! Calm down already!” Jeremy cried out as Adriyll started rubbed her cheek against his chest, humming with happiness. What did he ever do to warrant these kinds of actions?
“Hey, Jeremy.” Adriyll finally said, looking up at his face, her eyes sparkling. “Can you rub my head again like you did after you rescued me?”
“Eh?” Jeremy looked back at her, surprised. “I... Well...Er, sure, I don’t see why not.” he sighed, capitulating to her demands.
“Ehehehe.” Adriyll grinned widely, closing her eyes as Jeremy patted her head again. “You know, Jeremy?”
“Hm?”
“Today, I got to ride on a sentry, and I also got to meet a doctor, and then I went to go see Yuki and her sisters and we had lunch together! Oh, and there was this weird guy who was in a room with a loooooooong tail, and he wasn’t happy, I wonder why?” Adriyll took a large gulp of air, still grinning as Jeremy patted her head. “Well, and also the sentry didn’t smell good, and he was really stinky and there was this big snake thing that tried to eat a rabbit, but I stopped it with a stick and it hissed at me. The doctor is mean, and I don’t think she likes me or anyone, and I realllly think that she doesn’t like anyone.” Adriyll spoke rapidly, not pausing for a breath until the end of each sentence.
“I see.” Jeremy finally said after pausing to make sure Adriyll didn’t have any more to say. Although he was able to catch everything she said, it didn’t mean that it had to make complete sense to him. Best thing to do was to divert her attention. “Well, now that you’ve told me, why don’t you find Yuki and talk to her next? I’m sure she’ll appreciate your company.”
Adriyll smiled and continued to hug him before grinning up at him. “I’m going to Yuki, I’ll be back later!” She let go of him, still grinning before turning, not even realizing that she had forgotten the most important reason why she had came here.
As he watched Adriyll run out of the room, Jeremy sighed. Jeremy wasn’t ignorant about the situation; he had heard the gunshot earlier, the sounds of fighting. Or more accurately, a quarrel, and just from listening to the voices he could tell who had participated: the rude person from before, and Yuki. However, it was nothing he should interfere with. On the other hand, Adriyll probably would have been supporting Yuki at the moment if she wasn’t out and about doing whatever else he asked her to do. Yuki and Adriyll were friends, and friends were there for a reason. As someone who was only a figment of everyone’s imagination, he had no right to push them apart.
And if anyone asked him if they were his friends, however, he would immediately reply no.
And thus he went back to his book.
-----
Yuki had finally calmed down enough to compose herself properly after her outburst against that Verlyl and Kail’n.
Staring at the wall and damaged painting, it was easy enough why she did it; because she was distressed. And she didn’t have the heart to damage anything else; hypocritical? Yes. But did that change what she had done? No. Yuki had made sure that she closed the door, not knowing if her emotions would betray her again. Her tail moved slowly, hitting the desk she was leaning against slowly.
Hah. She didn’t even like the painting now that she thought about it...
“Yuki, are you there?”
Yuki whipped around to see Rikojuu peering in, her head cocked to the side. I didn't hear her come in... Damn, I must not have the door closed all the way. "What is it?" Yuki asked, her head turning away from Rikojuu and her ears flicking lazily. She heard a gasp escape from Rikojuu, and then silence. The only sounds that passed between the two was a soft white noise, but Yuki wasn’t bothered to figure out where the source was.
“So, what did you want?” Yuki asked again, exasperated. “If you don’t need anything, then just leave. As much as I like you, this isn’t the time for stalling.”
Rikojuu gave a sigh before shifting and frowning. “Mesir wants to see you.”
“Anything else?”
“Mesir did say something about Jeremy as well.”
“Alright.” Yuki made a waving motion, looking at the paint on the ground. “Tell him I’ll be there soon.” When Yuki heard silence, she looked up and saw Rikojuu still standing there, staring with a worried expression. “What is it?” Yuki sighed, watching Rikojuu’s expression deepen.
“You're pulling this brave face, this mask over what happened. I've noticed, even when it was days after the death of your parents, that you've blocked the memories; to an extent, of course. You know that they're dead. But you're running... no, you're sprinting as fast and hard as you can, all because you're all because you are afraid... though, afraid of what? What is keeping you from overcoming that?” Rikojuu spoke softly, stepping forward and reaching for Yuki’s hand.
A flash of anger and...fear? Nonetheless, it passed Yuki's face and past her eyes as she whipped her face towards Rikojuu, scurrying to the other side of the desk. "Don't.. Don't. Go. Just, just, go." Yuki clutched onto the desk, watching Rikojuu as if she held a poisoned sword that was pointed to her. A long second passed between the two before Yuki frowned and growled, her tail swaying before rising up, her lips curling. “GO!” She roared, and Rikojuu walked out of the room, the door swinging shut behind her.
She paced the room, watching the door for a long while before letting her guard drop. Sighing, Yuki let herself drop next to the bed and laid her head against the quilt that hung over the side, taking in her room as if it were her first time seeing it. The bed was against the wall, though not in the right hand corner. In the corner was her nightstand, a lonely candle holder on its side. The window, placed above the nightstand, was opened to let in the night air.
To Yuki, it was a bland room. But it also happened be the place she called her home.
“Well, I might as well see Mesir. Can’t keep an Elder waiting, else it’ll be hell when I get there.” She mumbled to herself, standing up and frowning at the room. “Like I haven’t gone down to it today.” Scoffing and smiling wryly at her comment, Yuki swiftly walked out of the room, not bothering to shut the door as she left.
“Rimmy?” Styn’s voice caught her off guard as Yuki turned toward her sister.
“What is it?” Yuki said, watching her sister as she fumbled for words. Those three words are getting tasteless at this point.
“Are.. are you really going to have to leave us again?”
“No. I’ll make sure of that.” Yuki turned, striding out of the house and towards one of the houses that resided in the distance, watching over the villagers with a careful eye.
This was going to be a longer day than she expected.
-----
"Jeremy, an Elder needs the both of us." Yuki knocked at his door in a tired fashion. She hadn't expected the walk to be that tiring, but considering her mood the past day, it wasn't surprising.
“I see,” came a muffled voice from behind the door. “I’ll be out in a moment.”
Yuki didn’t have to wait long. Seconds later the door opened, Jeremy appearing behind it. “Shall we get going, then?” He asked.
Yuki gave a nod and led him towards the Elders homes, silent the entire way there. For once, Yuki was actually glad to have a silent companion, even if he wasn't actually reading at the moment; for now, it was a constant noise and she needed the white noise to keep her mind from straying.
Mesir was waiting for them as he stood outside his home, his arms crossed and light brown tail swaying gently. He had a hooked nose, though from his age, it looked like it had gotten the rougher side of life. His face was chiseled, accompanied by a square jaw. He wore an outfit similar to Kail'n, though he could easily take off the bottom of the robe and reveal a pair of trousers. His eyes shined and caught the light as it passed his eyes, the light making his unnaturally light, almost pale, brown eyes stand out of a crowd in an instant. His hair and ears were the same as his tail; a light brown with a few strips of dark brown highlights. His skin was a darker tan, darker than Yuki's.
“Welcome to my humble abode. Rymothyia, it’s good to see you again.” He said, dipping his head slightly as she walked forward. “And Jeremy, hello.”
“I don’t recall introducing myself,” Jeremy replied bluntly. “You are...?”
“Mesir, the second Elder at your service.”
“Well then, second Elder Mesir. Was there anything you needed?”
Mesir, not fazed by Jeremy's business-like approach, opened the door for the pair. "I need to talk to you two about something. It happens to be of utmost importance."
“Oh? Is it really okay to talk with a stranger like me about something of the utmost importance?”
“Considering you’re part of this, yes.”
“Very well. I honestly don’t see how I could be a part of anything, but lead the way.”
Mesir waited until the pair had entered his home, watching them with a close eye. The home was simple enough, with a few glass items here and there, but the furniture had an otherworldly appearance, clearly not made by either human nor hybrid. "So," Yuki said, turning towards Mesir once she had reached a chair that resided near a corner of the room, "What is it now? Another uproar from the other clans?"
Mesir nodded, and looked at Yuki with a frown. “Exactly. Especially from you bringing a human back to your clan when you didn’t complete your trail.” Raising a hand as Yuki opened her mouth, he shook his head and the frown on his face deepened. “You know the rules, and to ignore them is pure idiocy.”
“Oh will you stop with the generic punishment speech? I’ve heard it from Rikojuu and Kail’n, the slimy bastard.” Yuki scowled, crossing her arms. “Anything new? Or should I stay and listen like a good girl?” Yuki growled, leaning against the chair and watching Mesir with cold eyes.
Mesir wasn’t fazed by her angry comments, and turned to Jeremy, who was eyeing them both with a bored expression. "Even though you were the second human Rymothyia brought along, the other clans are in an uproar. We, being constantly attacked from the Duke and his troops, are being "overly cautious" as you might call it. But the clans demand that you and the girl who came to leave, and unfortunately, I don't have much power in the meetings." Mesir gave him a grim expression.
Yuki looked at Mesir with an eyebrow raised. “That’s bull. You and the others have enough power in the meetings to knock over Nyx, Rii’an, and Swerol. Or is there something else behind this that I’m not getting?”
Mesir paused, unsure of what to say, when Jeremy sighed and stepped in. “I take it she knows nothing about politics?” he said, addressing Mesir.
He gave a sigh and rubbed a temple. “Exactly...” Mesir mumbled under his breath.
“Well, if you need me to leave, I’m perfectly fine with that. I never intended to cause you trouble. I only needed a day to rest and refill my supplies, and then I would have been on my way, as if I had never been here. As for that girl, however, she has nothing to do with me, as she is currently under Yuki’s jurisdiction. In any case,” Jeremy continued. “If you don’t need anything else from me, I shall take my leave. I’ll be gone from the village long before the day ends. Have a good day.” With that, Jeremy, slightly bowed before making his way back out.
"Wait!" Yuki said, but paused. What was she about the say? "I'll.. I'll walk you out when you need to leave.”
Jeremy paused, looking back at her. “I don’t believe that would be necessary.”
Yuki gave a small smile. “It’s what friends do, even if we didn’t have a long trip together.”
At that, Jeremy stopped completely, his voice growing cold. “Friends? I don’t recall being friends with you. We only happened to have the same destination, and thus we agreed to travel together temporarily. Since you have reached your destination, there is no need for us to associate ourselves with each other any longer.”
Dropping her small smile, she nodded. “Fine. Have a good trip back, or to wherever you’re headed.”
“Me?” Jeremy asked. “I'm going to pay the Duke a visit. So long.”
An icy chill ran down both Mesir's and Yuki's spines, and they both looked at Jeremy as if he had just stabbed one of the clans members in cold blood. "You.. you can't be serious." Yuki muttered, shocked at his seemingly casual statement.
“What? Did it sound like I was joking?”
“No.” Mesir piped up. “So, you really were a spy all along, is that what you are saying?”
“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. I’m not interested at all with your petty squabbles with the Duke. But as a human country, there are probably resources there that would be useful for my own purposes, and for that reason I am paying him a visit.” Jeremy replied flippantly, before leaving the room.
Mesir and Yuki stared at the door from where Jeremy left. “Can what he just said really be trusted?” Mesir asked to no one in particular.
“I think... he can still be trusted.” Yuki said slowly. Yuki was suddenly reminded of what had happened at the village they had first encountered. She recalled that he did say things along the lines of choosing to stay neutral and seeing things for himself before making his decisions. With that memory, Yuki felt a sliver of hope pass through her. At least he didn't want to be a part of the conflict.. and I do remember him reading books upon books.
“You’re not saying that because you want to trust him, are you?” Mesir asked sarcastically.
Yuki gave a snort and raised an eyebrow. “No. Why do you ask that?”
“Because you travelled together, and considered him a friend at some point.”
“During our travels, he had always been asserting his neutrality no matter the situation.” Yuki gave a grimace, remembering the destruction she had done for a village. “But... I still think he’s a good guy in the end. Maybe for one reason or another, he can’t openly admit to actually being a good person.” Yuki said, recalling the time when Adriyll had been taken hostage. Despite the fact that he constantly insisted that he didn’t know what she was talking about, he had still thrown her a knife to help fight off the remaining bandits.
“And how did you come to that conclusion?” Mesir asked.
“Well...” Yuki started as she began explaining everything that had happened during their travels and the thought process she had just gone through.
“I see.” Mesir finally said when she was done. “It looks like you actually thought seriously about it rather than stubbornly believe in your emotions.”
She gave a snort. “Since when am I like that?” She protested.
“Rymothyia. For Alois’s sake, seriously. I know you well enough by now.”
“But I could have changed from since back then. I didn’t go through the coming of age trial for no reason, even if I came back early.” Yuki looked at him, shooting him a look. “What, didn’t think that I could have grown and learned things?”
“Now you’re just putting words in my mouth.” Mesir shot back, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “But, enough of these pleasantries.” Yuki gave a grumble, but Mesir ignored it. “While you did come home early, Rikojuu filled me in and gave her own opinions about why we should keep you here.” Yuki watched him as he paced around the room. “But.”
“Why the but?”
“I’m throwing my vote for you, but, I’m not sure about Kail’n or Raqios.” Mesir pointed at Yuki, his expression serious. “Don’t do anything stupid. Got it?”
“Got it.” Yuki walked over, giving him a pat on his head before being dragged back by her top, choking for a second. She was pulled into a noogie, laughing and clawing at Mesir's arms. "Off of me old man!"
“Not until you say that you won’t do anything stupid!” Mesir gave a chuckle, rubbing her head harder.
“I already diiiid! Come on old man, let me go!”
“Say it!”
“Fine, fine! I promise not to do anything stupid!” Mesir released her with a chuckle, watching her stumble before laughing and throwing him a pseudo glare before leaving his house. Knowing that at least one Elder was throwing his vote for her was definitely making her day. She decided to push the other thoughts out of the way and focus on the positive, for now...
Only to pause to see Jeremy already making his way towards the village entrance. He wasn’t carrying much, but it seemed like he was already leaving
Yuki knew it was no use to talk him out of his actions or attempt to put in a suggestion. He said he didn’t need anyone to walk him out, anyways. Turning, she calmly walked past Mesir’s home and found refuge in a tall tree, climbing it with some difficulty. Her back was to the village entrance, and as she watched the birds fly past her, she vaguely remembered that Adriyll would ask about Jeremy.
As always, she’d make a simple, easy to understand version of what happened.