Fan Fiction ❯ Strings of Fate ❯ Stage Two ( Chapter 2 )

Stage Two

Ardent stuck out her tongue as he left; feeling a bit abandoned when she had tried to be so loving.

"Brazen!" Ardent quickly exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet and scuttled along the floor on her very small legs, taking the longest strides she could as she hustled.

She followed the porch that lined the whole house, the small frames at each corner holding up the roof that hung over her. Her face was flushed from the embarrassment. If no one would listen to her she would find someone. From her thoughts, she didn't see when the one she was looking for was before her. She tripped over the body of the immense tiger, tumbling over his body, but quickly recovering to her knees. She inched over, grabbing the tiger's ears before it had a chance to turn away. The tiger snorted, but stayed staring at her eye to eye.

"Brazen!" She whimpered holding the tiger's furry ear, "I know…I know you can hear me." She said rather loudly and stretched out as if she was talking to a young child. "Optical won't listen to me and Minaret is gone and, and…!"

The tiger tore back, murmuring gruffly, "okay…" The tiger inched back, his whole body and fur sagged as he leaned back, symbols upon his forehead glowing. The tiger reached up a paw, the fur falling off as if someone was simply wearing it and revealed a callused hand.

The tiger pulled at his jaw, the fur falling off. His whole body of fur sagged off, retreating back behind him into his pores. It seemed almost as if the tiger had pulled the fur from himself altogether, the fur drooping now as if it didn't fit. His features slowly changed delicately into a human face, until all that remained was a swift tail and a few stripes. He was lying upon the floor, as he had before, except in a partially human-like form. He sprawled upon the wooden floor, one hand used to support his head, the rest of his body lying on his side.

"Minaret had gone missing…most like him…" He muttered mostly to himself than to Ardent, his voice drifting as he changed to sit in a cat-like manner. He seemed noble, proud, and graceful, all at the same time as he leaned against the wall behind him. His tail twitched behind him as he tapped his chin lightly, his short, spiky orange hair blew in the wind before him. "Damnit…" he muttered rising to his shoeless feet, his feet clawed the wooden floor as he stood upon his toes rather than on his heels.

Ardent rose as he did, rising only to his chest as she did so. His chest seemed heavy, his eyes furrowed in thought, once again Minaret had left them without a sight. He was free to come and go…but not at this hour, not so early in the morning. Brazen stared into the forest for a moment, his eyes wide, dark and heavy, though he then glanced back at Ardent, folding his arms. Ardent wrinkled her nose as she glanced at her cousin in dismay, wishing she hadn't said a word for now his anger had spread. He tightened his fist, wanting to punch something, was this the seventh time? What was he doing out there? "He'll be back…" Brazen murmured to cease his anger, "he's always back by sunset…"

"Oh… by the way…" A young child with deep brown hair walked in upon shoeless feet, in the middle of their conversation. His eyes were a strange shade of brown, seemed to have been mixed with green to form a strange hue. The kid around age twelve was munching an apple, his cheeks full as he spit out as he spoke, "Parvenu, Charisma and Sanguine are gone, just thought I'd tell you…"

Brazen cocked an eyebrow at the obnoxious little boy, who seemed to speak his mind. He wore a long red pole on his back, tipped with gold at one end and a small monkey tail rounded around him cautiously. His eyebrows furrowed and Ardent slightly cowered back from the rage that the tiger held. "They're going to have to explain to Illusion- or if I can help it, me." He murmured his eyes distant as he stared at the sun that began to rise at the peaks of the trees.

"But-" The seven-year-old clung to her extremely large sweater that dropped to her knees, but the tiger had already begun to walk away, pushing past the chewing, spitting monkey, almost as if it were in disgust.

"Shouldn't let him bother you…" The monkey-kid murmured, his cheeks still bursting as he spat bits of fragment on the little girl as he rubbed her head, petting her. "You know Brazen's a little cranky addict. Always trying to take over Illusion's job because-"

"SHUTUP!" Ardent exclaimed pushing him to the side and off the small porch and into the forest grounds. Her eyes were fumed, obviously she was angry at the fact she had even brought this upon Brazen, but then he had to come in and make it worse. Though the porch was slightly elevated from the forest floor the monkey was able to catch himself from the swift attack by throwing his apple in the air and catching himself with his hands. Afterwards stable, he caught the falling, half chewed able in the back of his hand, which appeared to only annoy Ardent further. She stuck out her tongue, crossing her eyes as she did so before stomping away just as Brazen did.

"What'd I do…?" He asked walking back up to the porch, dusting his hands on his long shorts that went down to his knees. Ardent was sitting only at the next corner of porches that ran along the house when he rounded the corner. She dangled her small legs off the side, when the monkey sat down beside her. Making sure to swallow his food before he did so, he placed a hand on her shoulder. The little girl threw herself on him, bursting into tears in dismay and anguish.

"Ardent…it's okay…really…" He murmured placing the apple down and rubbing the back of the young colt.


"…Parvenu where have you been! We've- oh my god, what happened to you three!?"