Chained With Scales Of Change

Volume 2, Chapter 2 - Sob Stories

(Warning may include Gorey topics such as death, and violence. Chapter may be a trigger to sensitive audiences. Read at your own risk)

Vienna.

Anxiety. Fear. Guilt.

All three seemed to snake under my skin like parasites. Each one only causing me to regret what I've done even more, it didn't help that now I had two runaways in my hands. Speaking of them, they were an interesting bunch.

The Atari was polite, rational, protective, and was generally easy going. The foxlet however, was stubborn, mischievous, and sneaky. The taller of the two, was easier to adjust to the situation mentally, but did occasionally get worried.

It was obvious he had some form of anxiety just like everyone else. The foxlet came from a forest planet, like earth but with more trees instead of flat plains. We were currently waiting within a small park near tyrone's house, about maybe five to ten blocks away.

We planned on waiting until night to get to tyrone's house, going with the plan of all huddling together to try to look like one shape in the dark. It was almost evening and the Atari was standing beneath a tree, looking around as the odd feather like appendages on the sides of his face moved.

They moved in an odd pattern, sometimes swaying like gentle waves, or other times waving them back and forth like gentle flapping. His thin tail swayed slowly, sometimes curling around his ankles.

The foxlet was just sitting in the tree above him, propping her elbow on her leg as she stared around boredly, her ears sometimes twitching as she heard something I couldn't. I was sitting on a low branch, unconsciously scratching at the bark.

We were quiet, no one really needing to say anything. There were a few more seconds before the female sighed and rolled off the branch, hanging upside down by her legs.

"Ugh," she groaned, yawning and showing off her white pointed teeth, "what are we even doing on this planet Axis?" The male in question glanced over at her, almost pitying.

"Do you really not remember? Or are you just asking me so you can have something else to listen to?" She nodded, grinning and she tilted her head to stare at him properly and not upside down.

"I'm kinda bored and maybe I like to hear you talk. You've got a nice voice, all the other guys I hear from with nice voices are the sinister ones or the young ones." I muffled a snicker, these two reminded me so much of my younger self when I was a young adult.

Axis sighed, narrowing his eyes at her,

"You do realize that reason we're here was because of my stupid mistake?"

"Oh no," she waved her hands, "please tell me all about your sob story! Oh woe is me!" The back of her hand was pressed against her forehead as she faked sadness, I huffed a laugh, momentarily forgetting my fears with their antics.

"My god fern," he face palmed, gritting his teeth. "We're here because I murdered my brother! Or did you forget that?" I blinked, he did what now? Why?

"You murdered your brother? Why?" I asked slowly, he turned to me, frowning.

"Sagittarius was always the rowdy, annoying, self confident, airhead of the family, it was a wonder how he even managed to worm his way into the royal family, never mind marrying the princess." Royal family? So he wasn't royal blood?

"Sagittarius was a doof, I wasn't sure he even knew how to run a lemonade stand never mind a kingdom" Fern added, snickering. Axis continued, staring to pace,

"One of my friends, Siezer, stole a major part of the government's work from right under my idiot brother's nose. A small vial of raw, pure quintessence." At my questioning glance, he clarified, "quintessence is the life from something, like animals or plants, soil, planets.

"It makes a person immortal, or is supposed to. When my brother finally caught seizer, instead of turning immortal, he was corrupted. Then told me about his plan to take the quintessence from everything, to become a god.

"I was disgusted, my brother was idiotic but something had changed inside him, I knew it. So I took my blade and stabbed it into his throat, he didn't die immediately. What killed him was choking on his own blood."

I was silent, wow, he must regret that. Before anyone could say anything, he continued.

"His body was found an hour later, apparently evidence of my crime was left there, a single, blood soaked strand of hair. We had to evacuate before we were caught." The Atari shifted, visibly uncomfortable. Fern dropped down from the tree, faking a sad look as she patted his shoulder.

"That's so sad," she wiped fake tears from her eyes, she looked over at me, "Alexa play despacito." I laughed, that meme was old and unfunny but an alien saying it got me good. Axis only cringed.

"What's your story?" I asked the female, they both turned grim suddenly, the atmosphere dropping to a tense one.

"Oh, um.. I'm the last of my kind.."

"Oh, sorry.. You don't have to tell me why or how" fern nodded, looking up at the sky, Axis followed suite, then me

"It's late anyway," He said looking at me, "We should start to get to your kymari friend's house"

I nod, standing up and flying over to land on his arm which he had outstretched for me. We started to make our way out of the forest, the darkness falling.

We're coming. I thought as my excitement grew.