Realism Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Desperate Times, Desperate Measures ❯ Judgement ( Chapter 4 )

Judgment

 

People are afraid of what they don't understand; we all knew that. Angel was the one most worried about the fact. Osadyro became more and more indifferent about what people might think or say. I knew that people would never accept us, but I hoped they'd ignore us. They didn't. The smell of fear gagged us; the look in their eyes was almost too much.

We all knew this would be our life until the day we died.

~*~

“Does anyone know where the hell we are?!” Angel snarled, throwing his hands into the air.

Darkfire looked around the barren area. “I'd venture a guess that we're in the middle of nowhere.”

Osadyro rolled her eyes and sat in the wild flower-covered field. “Must've hit farm country. Remember that barbed wire fence we had to climb?”

“Yea, now that you mention it. Some farm this is, though. Full of weeds and wild flowers.”

Angel went rigid. “And badgers,” he whispered.

“Huh? Well, probably,” Darkfire said, shrugging.

The tiger looked back at the wolf, following his gaze. “D, I don't think that's what he meant.”

Confused, the fox turned to see what they were talking about. Staring back at them was a large, burly badger, upper lip curled to show its sharp fangs.

“If I thought we could outrun it,” she said, “I'd say we should run. But my dad said that's the worst thing you could do because it will catch us.”

“Ok, so, did he ever tell you what to do?” Angel murmured.

She shook her head. “Unfortunately.”

The badger edged forward, snarling and drooling, but none dared move. Then it twitched a bit. And then it fell dead. Sticking out of its thigh was a thin pin with a green head.

“You demons are pathetic!” a voice laughed.

The three tensed and looked around.

“Wait…demons?” Darkfire said, relaxing a bit. She sniffed the air. “It's a…cat.”

“Can't even handle a stupid badger! How the hell do you think you'll beat that monster after you?” the voice taunted.

“Who are you?” Osadyro called, also relaxing.

“I'm called Pucchi.”

The hair on the back of Darkfire's neck rose and a tingling feeling ran down her spine, a feeling she only felt when something was close to her neck. Whipping around, she was met with a smirking a face and a hand covering her mouth. Another hand came behind her and pulled her against the body in front of her, and together they disappeared into the tall grass.

Neither of her friends noticed.

“Don't be afraid,” he whispered, pressing her to the ground. “I'm saving your lives.”

“What do you want?” Osadyro questioned, tail flicking nervously.

Pucchi smirked, orange eyes still focused on Darkfire, and replied, “You'll know soon enough.” He stretched out on the right side of the fox, still holding her mouth. Narrowing his eyes mischievously, his free hand traveled up under her hoodie a ways before she began to squirm. He paused and held her tightly. “Don't be stupid,” he hissed softly, “you don't want to die. It'll only hurt for a moment. Trust me.”

Darkfire stared into his gentle eyes, studying them carefully. Unable to find anything that would defy his word, she closed her eyes and nodded.

“That's a good fox.” His hand traveled a little farther up, stopping just before her floating rib. He tapped the spot with his finger for good measure. Making sure the shirt didn't move, he pulled out a knife and pressed the cold steel to her skin. He turned his left hand sideways so the fat part was touching her lips. “Here, bite this.”

Darkfire shook her head.

Frowning, Pucchi dug the point of the blade into her skin. Her eyes snapped open and her teeth latched onto the boy's hand. He grimaced, but continued to delve into her side. Getting the blade tip fairly deep, he flicked it skillfully, tearing away the skin. In pain, Darkfire's canines broke his flesh and blood gushed into her mouth. But she didn't let go and he didn't pull away.

Osadyro, following the scent of blood, stumbled upon the two. “What the hell are you doing?” she shrieked, moving to pull the cat away.

“Saving your lives!” he hissed, glaring at her. Then he turned back to his work, putting the bloody knife on the ground. “She consented; you have no say.” His fingers skillfully worked through remaining tissue and gripped a small chip. With a sharp twist, he pulled it out and crushed it in his fist.

“What was that?”

“A tracking chip. The monster after you can find you with it. It beeps when he's close…but then it's too late. Now he's in the same boat as you.” He dabbed Darkfire's wound with the corner of his soft green vest. Slowly, her grip loosened so that he could remove his hand.

Osadyro pulled a bandana from her pocket and knelt by Pucchi's side. “Let me see.” She took his bleeding hand, resisting the urge to lap up the blood, and wrapped the cloth over his wound. “There.”

The cat nodded his thanks and turned to stroke Darkfire's sweating forehead. “See?” he whispered. “That wasn't so bad.”

A tear slipped from her eye. She opened her green eyes, looked around, and turned her head towards the grass.

Osadyro looked about too. Angel wasn't there. She closed her eyes and hung her head. “Don't worry, Darkfire. He just doesn't want you to see his sad eyes,” she lied.

“I know,” Darkfire whispered, letting her eyes lose focus. “I know.”

“Are you guys hungry?” Pucchi questioned, trying to break the tension.

The fox clenched her jaw, swallowing the burning tears. She wiped the blood from her mouth with a quivering hand. Sitting up, she stared at Osadyro and tried to smile. Suddenly and reluctantly, she burst into tears and great sobs, falling into her friend's lap. Osadyro held her tenderly.

“Hey, it's all right. You know how he is. Don't worry about him. That's what you always tell me. Everything's going to be just fine, D,” she soothed, rubbing the fox's back. She closed her blue eyes and thought of the way things used to be. Back when they were all still friends and nothing could part them. And then Angel changed. They all did.

~*~

Osadyro and Pucchi sat beside the small fire. Darkfire was lying in the dark, having cried herself into a dreamless slumber. Angel had run off somewhere. The cicadas chirped from the shadows. The moon peered from behind her gray veil. Thunder rolled off in the distance.

“It's not like her,” Osadyro sighed quietly.

“What?” Pucchi questioned just as soft.

“D doesn't cry, especially not in front of strangers. She hides behind a carefully placed mask.” She closed her eyes. “Sometimes I think she even wears a mask around me.”

The cat nodded. “Stuff like this changes a person. You might find a lot of things different about her.”

“No, not D. She's been dreaming of this moment her whole life. For once, her fantasy has become a reality.”

“What elements does she control?”

Osadyro looked at him.

He pointed to the “fire” kanji on his left breast and the “shadow” kanji on the right side of his abdomen.

“Oh, fire”—she pointed to the left side of her neck—“and wind”—she rested her hand on her left forearm.

“And you?”

“Ice and fire.”

“Angel?”

“Shadow.” She looked off into the dark. “He didn't even want to be there. He didn't want to pretend. He didn't want anything to do with her. If I hadn't dragged him there, he wouldn't have to face this. He could go on with his life. He's already afraid people judge him. Now he's got a tail and different hair. Now, he'll always be judged. We all will.”