Notto
Kaida tracks the scent of the pod the next morning as soon as we set out. Since Rainer was the only one who slept last night, I don’t think the appearance of the pod’s scent was because they’d gotten close. I think the wind shifted.
Then again, we don’t know that they’re still active. It’s been many years since Rainer has been here. He left as soon as his parents were killed and has wandered the country since. Has it been two years? Ten? More?
I don’t ask. Time is easier to track in the North where there is a distinct passing of seasons.
You don’t miss the snow on the ground. In the South, there’s a change in weather, but it’s not anywhere near as distinct as it is in the North.
We found Rainer far enough south that he was no longer in obvious weather-changing territory. How long had he been that far south?
None of it matters. We know that at one point, they’d been hunting humans. That’s enough that we should keep our guards up.
We follow Kaida through the trees. At the edges of the city, trees continue to creep in.
They’re pushing their way up through the expansive concrete parking lots, growing over short buildings and vehicles.
Perhaps one of the most striking trees we pass is growing straight up through the engine block of a truck.
It pushed the hood open and dislodged the engine.
Parts of the engine have been swallowed by the trunk and now stick out of the tree like a disease.
I stare at it, smirking. Humans always thought they tamed the wild, but wherever humans struggle to maintain their grip on the world, nature is actively undoing what they created and swallowing it whole. It’s beautiful.
Kaida follows along the edges of the city. She doesn’t pause or waver as she follows a trail that only she sees or smells. She veers south again at one point, leading us into the trees once more.
When she stops abruptly, I think that she’s lost. Rainer digs his fingers into the back of her neck as Kaida stares straight into the trees.
“That way?” Keary asks.
Kaida bows her head and picks it up again. Her stare doesn’t waver from the direction she’s facing.
“I’m going to check it out,” Keary says, glancing at the sky.
I follow his gaze, knowing he’s determining the strength of the sun. How long will it be out? Should he travel through it or walk?
The sun’s light brightens over us, making me squint, and Keary disappears into it.
Rainer shakes his head. “I’m never going to get used to that,” he murmurs, leaning his hip against Kaida. “Good job, girl,” he murmurs, burying his face into her fur-feathers.
Hmm. “When did you find Kaida?” I ask.
“A couple days after my parents were killed,” he answers. “Right after I dropped my little cousins off with the closest human colony.”
I examine the lut. We both know that she could have led him right to the pod back then.
There’s a challenge in her eyes as she watches me.
Am I going to share that information with Rainer?
We both also know she didn’t lead him there because it would have meant his certain death.
Even worse, it meant a shortened life filled with torture so awful that he’d beg for death.
No, I’m not going to tell him that she might have purposefully steered him wrong.
“Clever girl,” Drystan murmurs, likely coming to the same conclusion I did.
Kaida huffs and turns her attention to Rainer.
Minutes pass. Many, many minutes. So many that Rainer becomes restless. We’re not in the position we were last week when we could watch Keary’s examination of the pod operation. We can’t see him at all.
The most I can see is the arm of sunlight that looks far more tangible than anything else in the sky. It’s distinct enough that it almost looks like I could reach out and touch it if I were close enough to do so.
“How long do we wait before we should be concerned?” Rainer asks after a while.
I glance up at the sun again. As long as the sun is out, I’m willing to wait a bit longer. It’s not impossible to catch Keary, but it is almost impossible to catch him. Less likely to kill him. But… if he’s caught, he’s able to be tortured like anyone else. He’s not infallible.
“A little longer,” Drystan says.
Rainer nods, his eyes drifting in the direction that Kaida is still watching.
Drystan and I have followed Keary around for a long time. Decades. Had we understood why he refused to let himself get involved with us, we’d have fixed that years ago. But that’s besides the point.
All these years, and we never understood why he wandered. What he was looking for. We’d always said he was restless. Searching for something that he didn’t even know.
I think maybe that was all true. He was running from me and Drystan, but he was also looking for a purpose that was beyond “playing house” in the confines of a base. He never fit into that lifestyle. I’m not sure where he got the idea that we’d require or even want that.
Keary has always been happy to wander, but this Keary is happy.
He enjoys facing the constant threat that the beasts pose.
He loves fucking with the pods. He’s always been drawn to violence.
What I think makes him truly thrive now isn’t just that he’s finally allowed himself to be with us after fighting it for so long but also that he’s doing something for Rainer. Something that’s important to him.
This is how he communicates his love, and it makes him shine. It makes him stronger.
I imagine this might have a bit of the opposite effect on Rainer, who jumps when Keary reappears. Then his shoulders relax, relieved. He lost everyone he loved once, and now he’s always going to be afraid of it happening again.
We’re not going anywhere, pet.
“Okay,” Keary says. “There’s only seven of them from what I can see. However, they have a handful of victims that they’re currently toying with. More… uh, threatening are the beasts they have chained—angry and in pain.”
Rainer shivers. “What do we do?”
“Seven is a number we can handle, so how about we find somewhere safe for you and Kaida, then we’ll go take care of it?” Keary offers.
Our pet chews his lip as he looks between the three of us. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can see the fear in his eyes. I grip the nape of his neck and pull him close so we all surround him.
“I promise we’ll be back for you. Nothing will ever keep us away from you, pet,” I tell him.
He inhales and closes his eyes.
“You won’t lose anyone else again,” Drystan says, nuzzling into the side of his head. “You’ll never get rid of us until the end of time.”
“You sound sure,” he murmurs.
“More than sure,” I promise. “Kaida will keep you safe while we’re gone, just as she’s done before us, and we will be back.”
He nods. “I just don’t want to see what they’re doing to the people they’re hurting. I have no problem killing them,” he says, and I can hear the defensive tone he tries to hide.
“We know,” Keary says.
“You know,” Drystan says, “there’s no reason you can’t be close enough to get involved if they come your way or try to run. I’m sure there’s somewhere that will lend to you having the satisfaction of killing the monsters who killed your parents and keep you from seeing what they’re doing.”
“I know just the place,” Keary says. He takes Rainer’s hand and begins pulling us in the direction of the pod. “Let’s go.”
Kaida leads the way once more. She trots ahead of us, her footfalls silent as if she’s running on the air. We’re not quite as silent, but we also don’t come barging through like elephants. She slows as we get closer, but our approach is drowned out by the beasts behind the building.
The building was once a gas station. Some pumps are broken, while others are missing entirely. The building is still solid, though several of the front windows have been blown out.
“Here,” Keary says, keeping us just beyond the perimeter within the overgrowth. “You and Kaida stay here. If they come out the front door, they’re yours.” He kisses Rainer’s cheek.
Rainer nods. He pulls his blade out and stares at the building.
Grinning, the three of us walk away. There’s no goodbye. Not even temporarily.
“Drys and I can take out the assholes inside. You want to see about releasing the beasts?” Keary asks.
I nod. “If you need help, just holler.” I part ways with them and head around the back of the building. As I round the first corner, I feel the sizzle of electricity thick in the air. It makes the hair all over my body stand on end.
What I see is troubling. There’s five of them, all different, with massive electric collars around their necks. One has a thick harness strapped and wrapped around its torso. I can visibly see the electricity moving over it.
As soon as they see me, they’re rearing up. Angry. Afraid.
This is exactly what Drystan lived through. He is the stronger monster by leagues, far stronger than his creators, but living in fear of horrible, merciless pain makes you compliant.
The one closest to me rears back on its hind legs, a loud roar-click sound fills the air. All five of them become restless.
Beasts were not created to trust. They aren’t cooperative animals. But in my experience, they’re very intelligent. They learn by watching.
I approach until I’m just out of its reach then offer my hand up. It’s still trying to pull away, whipping its head from side to side to get loose. The electricity coursing over its body gets brighter, responding to the way they’re fighting against it.
“Easy,” I murmur. “I’m going to let you go, but you need to let me close. Can you do that? Can you trust me?”
This one doesn’t want to, but the one held a dozen feet away does. It hunkers down, resting its massive head on the ground, and watches me with one giant eye.
“You want a chance, do you?” I ask, turning my attention to this one. The others immediately quiet as they watch me move to this one.
“I won’t hurt you,” I say, keeping my voice calm and quiet. “I’m going to find the source of the electricity, so I need to walk around you. You can watch me, okay?”
There isn’t a clear response like Kaida would give, but I’m convinced that they understand me well enough. I continue to talk to them, telling them what I’m doing and where I am. Its head shifts so it can see me everywhere, but it doesn’t move.
“You’re being very brave,” I tell them. “I know it’s hard to trust someone when everyone like them has done nothing but give you reasons not to trust. Ah. I think I found it.”
The beast makes a clicking sound in its throat and shifts. Yep. This is it. I can feel their fear tick up.
“I won’t hurt you. I’m going to try to turn it off, then I’ll get the collar off you.” I point around my neck, then to theirs, making sure they understand.
All of the beasts continue to watch me, bodies tense, as I circle the electrically charged pole sticking up through the ground, collecting information I’ll have to store for later.
It’s not good that they’re able to gather this much electricity.
It means that they’re able to work on the technology we cut them off from.
Are they able to reach it?
There isn’t an obvious switch. I pause when a shrill scream comes from the building. The beasts become restless for a moment, and we all look at the building. Not going to lie, my heart races a little but I know it's not one of my men.
I know in my gut.
“It’s okay,” I tell the beasts. “My guys are killing the monsters who hurt you right now. I don’t see how to turn this off, so I’m going to use strength. It might hurt a little, but it’ll turn off once I get it disconnected. Are you ready?”
I swear, this big thing tenses. Their claws dig into the ground as they get ready.
“So brave,” I tell them.
I grip the pole and wince. Yep. This is the source of electricity for this one at least. I shudder at the sizzle that makes my teeth chatter. “Ready?”
They tense further.
I grip it with both my arms and let my body fill with the strength of my monster until my skin feels tight, then I yank the pole. The beast snarls, wriggles. The electricity over them flares to the point where I smell burning fur. The beasts around this one make distress sounds.
I pull harder until I rip it from the ground. It comes away with a loud snap and surge of electricity before it dies down, going out entirely. The beast is panting. Hell, so am I. That was a lot.
“You okay?” I ask as I drop the pole to the ground.
It shudders. I approach its head again and stop where it can see me clearly. “Ready for me to take the collar off?” They blink. “I’m going to touch you, okay?” They close their eyes.
“So brave, sweetheart. Almost over. Then you’re free. This one shouldn’t hurt, but I don’t know how it’s attached to you. Don’t bite me.”
There’s a big sigh before I rest my hand on the collar. When they don’t move, I reach up, trying to find the buckle. Failing that, I run my hand on the underside between the collar and its neck, looking for anything directly attached to their skin.
Finding nothing, I determine that I’m going to pull it apart. With both hands and a tight grip, I tug until it crumbles. I think I might have fried it with the surge of electricity.
It falls away, and the beast opens its eyes. I smile. “Good job, sweetheart. You’re free. No more collar. No more pain. Stay away from the pods, okay?”
When it gets to its feet, it towers over me, but it bends its head and rests its big muzzle on my head in a gesture that feels distinctly like a thank you. I gently rub its chin. “You’re welcome.”
It turns, looks at the beastly prisoners that had shared their time of torture, and bounds off. We all watch it go, and then they’re all looking at me.
“Who’s next?” I ask.
All four of them lie on the ground, ready and asking for their freedom.