Categories > Original > Fantasy > Of Beast and Man
Chapter Four - Lina/Shin
1 review"I'm not like those monsters. I wouldn't hurt a beautiful creature such as yourself."
1Moving
This portion of the story takes place on the same morning Zylus loses Mia
Chapter Four Lina/Shin
Lina awoke from her slumber, stretching her small arms high above her head. She glanced around her from the large tree branch she chose to sleep upon the night before. The morning sun barely glanced over the horizon at this time. She smiled at the sight, having always been one for beautiful landscapes. The young girl smoothed down her hair and straightened her antenna on her head. They stood out straight and pointy from about where a cat's ears would go. Her long purple hair fell freely down her back as she stood. Her intricately designed, purple and light blue butterfly wings stretched and fluttered a bit to shake the morning dew from them. Her pretty, human face made the butterfly-anthro appear much like a fairy like in the old legends and bed-time stories. With a cute yawn, she hopped down from the tree, letting her wings flutter and carry her safely to the ground. Lina began to hum a melodious tune, occasionally adding a skip or hop to her step to emphasize a note. The carefree girl ran her hands lightly along the tops of the flowers and other plants around her as she sang happily. "Oh, hello caterpillar" she said suddenly, stopping to lift a finger to the tiny creature. It crawled willingly onto her finger tip and circled the appendage. She giggled endlessly. "That tickles!" she said gleefully. The small, four foot, six inch girl took her newly found friend with her as she walked along the forest floor. Her deep green eyes gleemed happily in the sunlight that began peering through the trees, the light coming down in bright beams through the leaves. "Well mister caterpillar, I'm going to let you go play now" she said cheerfully as she set the small bug on a large petal of a bright white flower. She smiled at the small creature before walking away once more.
As Lina walked, she heard some voices up ahead. 'Oh, I wonder who that could be? New friends perhaps?' she thought to herself. Lina had grown up alone and having lived in the furthest part of the forest from the human city knew little of what was going on in other places. Her only friends have been the animals and plants around her. She wandered towards the voices, her lonely mind coming up with all sorts different types of people it could be. Since she was a small child, she hadn't met any other humanoids. She finally found where the voices came from. Curious, but slightly nervous she decided to watch them from afar for a short while. Her wings fluttered and carried her small body up to a high branch for a better look. What she saw perplexed her. There were people down in the area below but none of them had fur, or tails or wings or anything. They all seemed somewhat bare other than the clothing they wore. She thought for a moment. 'Are these what mother told me about? The humans?' she thought, trying hard to remember. All she had been told was that there were creatures much like themselves only without anything remarkable about their features. Their skin was a pinkish color, though they had varying hair colors. Most were brown or yellow. The men seemed to be talking about something. They were looking for someone or something. 'Maybe they're lost' Lina thought to herself. She fluttered down a little closer. The sound of her wings gained an upward glance from one of the humans. For a reason she didn't know, she hid behind a branch quickly. She didn't want to be seen yet. Being closer, their conversation was more easily heard. "We need to find something. If we go back and report having found no anthros, the boss'll get angry with us...again" one of the men said, sounding somewhat afraid.
"What's a boss? He doesn't sound very nice" Lina said suddenly, dropping near the group. The men jumped, drawing their weapons at what startled them. She eyed the blades curiously, not sure what they were used for. "Oooo, are those toys? Can I have one?" she asked happily. She reached her hand out and the closest man flicked his sword up, slicing the girl's hand. "Ah!! That hurt you meany!!" she shouted at him, retracting her hand quickly. Blood seeped onto her pale blue shirt as she held her injury close to her. She suddenly felt like these men truly wanted to harm her. "Well what do ya know, here we are thinking we'd never find something to kill, and prey drops from the sky!" one of the men said. The three of them started advancing on her. Her flight instinct took place and she turned and jumped, pumping her wings hard to fly away as quickly as possible. One of the men pulled out a crossbow and shot a bolt at her. The wooden shaft tore through one of her wings before burying itself into her shoulder. She screamed out in pain and spiraled down to the earth. She crash landed amidst the trees, her head striking a rock and rendering her unconcious. The men stalked, looking for their downed prey. They soon found her, lying completely still with the exception of her small chest moving with breath. The neared her body, blades ready, when the sound of a snapping twig caused them to stop in their tracks. "There may be more of them" a human whispered. They glanced around. Suddenly, a figure flashed in front of them and a blade was unsheathed with blinding speed, disarming the nearest human and slashing across his chest. "What the hell was that?!" one of the other two shouted as their friend writhed in agony beside them. Standing between them and the small girl was another human. He had bright red, long hair and wore a long robe. In his right hand he held a katana, blade pointing at them. His left hand was closed around its sheath that was slid into his sash that wrapped his waist. "You're going to protect this beast?! And kill your own kind?!" one of the men shouted. "The way you treat her, it is you who are the beasts" he responded simply. They advanced and he dashed between them, his sword flashing so swiftly the untrained eye would miss it completely. In a matter of seconds the two lay dead at his feet.
The young warrior walked over to the young girl's body and knelt beside her. He put two fingers to a place just under her jaw-line. Her pulse was still strong, she just appeared unconcious. He paused for a moment to look over her small form. "How could someone want to harm something so beautiful?" he questioned aloud. He slipped his arms under her seemingly frail form, one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, and lifted her gently. It wasn't until now he saw the bright blood on the grass that was beneath her. He turned her a bit in his arms, not a hard thing considering she was light as a feather. He frowned at what he saw. A crossbow bolt jutted from her shoulder. It wasn't a lethal wound, not yet at least, but it needed to be treated immediately. "Don't worry little one, I'll make sure you fly again" he said quietly as he started to walk off with the girl in his arms. The young man carried her a fairly long ways before finding what he had been searching for, a system of caves he had discovered a long time ago and often used himself when passing through this area. His belongings still littered the stone floor of the cave he entered. He took her to a small bed made of straw and cloth in the back of the cave and laid her down on her side. He looked at the wound on her back. It wasn't too deep, but the damage to her wing he wasn't sure would be reperable. That notion saddened him deeply for some reason. His hand hovered over the bolt in her back for a moment. He grasped it firmly and placed another hand lower on her back. He gave the shaft a sudden jerk and it came free of her flesh. The sudden pain shocked her awake and she let out a shrill yelp of pain before leaping to her feet and pressing herself against the wall. She stared at the human before her, terrifed. "I'm sorry, I'm sure that hurt. I'm Shin...are you ok?" the red-head asked her in a soft, kind voice. She didn't answer, her breathing quick and panicked. "S-stay away from me you monster! I remember, my mother told me to never trust a human!" she shouted, her mother's words echoing in her mind.
Shin looked hurt at her words. He took a few steps back. "I'm not like those monsters. I wouldn't hurt a beautiful creature such as yourself." he said quietly. She paused at his words, but her eyes told she still feared him greatly right now. "Those who harmed you are gone now..I saved you from them. Now, will you please let me treat that wound on your back? It could get infected and get worse" he told the girl. He said, his voice sounding concerned. "Why do you want to help me?" she asked in a shaky voice, her pitch quite high as she sobbed with fear and pain. "Because...you don't deserve what happened...and I wish to see you fly again" he answered sincerely. The look in Shin's eyes told Lina that she should at least trust him to tend to her wound. She glanced back and new tears welled up in her eyes at the tear in her beautiful wings. She moved away from the wall and sat down on the bedding. "Ok...T-thank you for saving me..." she said in a hushed voice. Shin could see she still didn't actually trust him, but that she felt she had no choice. He sighed, hating his species for the way they viewed what he thought were wonderous beings. He moved to sit behind her, reaching to grab a few items. "This may sting a little at first, but I promise it will feel better in a moment" he said softly. Pulling the shoulder of her shirt down low enough to clearly see the wound, he picked up a rag soaked in a liquid of some kind and pressed it to the small hole in her shoulder. She stifled a cry, wincing at the sting. "The stinging means it's cleaning the wound...don't worry" he assured her. After a moment, the stinging was over and he started wiping away any left-over dried blood and such. His hands, though rough, were gentle and precise as he dressed and bandaged the wound. He paused for a moment, finding himself somewhat distracted by her slender shoulders. He shook his head and finished the bandage, pulling her shirt back up to cover her shoulder once again.
Shin stood and moved away, wiping his hands off with another rag before tossing it aside into a pile of things to be disposed. "Ok..that should be good. It wasn't that bad a wound, but it was dirty. You...can leave now if you want though I'd prefer you stay for a day so I can check the wound and make sure it heals properly" he said half-heartedly. As he expected, Lina jumped up and headed for the entrance of the cave. She didn't trust him, he knew, and with good reason. He sighed, turning to head to the back of the cave when the soft patter of her feet halted. The warrior turned to see the girl standing with her back to him at the mouth of the cave. She turned slowly. "Um...maybe...I can stay for a little while longer. My wing will take a long time to heal" she admitted, stepping slowly back into the cave. "Are you sure?" he asked, stepping towards her. She retreated from him slightly, obviously wary of how close he gets to her. "Y-yes..." she answered quietly. He smiled warmly to her, trying to seem as nice as possible. "Well then, let's eat some food. I'm sure you're hungry after what you've been through" he offered. She nodded silently and he walked past her. "Ok, I'll be back in just a minute. I keep the food in a different cave" he told her, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. "You can trust me" he said as she flinched away from his touch. He nodded in understanding, heading out of the cave and leaving her alone with her thoughts. 'He seems nice...not like those others. And his eyes show he has compassion...but...what if it's a lie?' she thought to herself. She didn't have long with her thoughts before he returned with a number of different things to eat. "I didn't really know what you liked, so I thought I would just make a bunch of different stuff. You can pick what you like" he said to her with a genuine smile.
Shin cooked a number of meals, just like he has said he would. The two ate mostly in silence, Shin occasionally asking Lina about herself. They learned one another's names. She told him how she had lived up until then. He smiled, nodding in understanding. "I understand being alone. I'm a traveler, a wanderer. I'm not even from this valley originally. I came here about a year ago, funny story how too. I fell down that mountain that surrounds this place. Never could make it back up" he said with a laugh. His eyes stared into the fire for a moment. "I guess it's good I had no one to miss me, otherwise they'd be frantic right now" he added. Lina's eyes stared at him with sympathy for a moment. After talking for so long, she found herself always looking at him. This man who loved all things beautiful and who stood against injustice, regardless of the reason of it's passing. "Um..Shin...why did you save me again?" she asked for the fourth time that night. He smiled, knowing that for some reason she just liked hearing the words. "No one deserved to be treated that way, and nothing as beautiful as you should be hurt just for being" he answered once more. She smiled brightly, the first time in the night part of her usual demeanor had returned. "Why are you so different?" she asked him. He paused for a moment, thinking about that question. "Hm..I suppose it's because I've travelled many places and seen many things. And in my travels I learned to never judge things, especially just because they're different. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with other people to tell me what or why I should hate. It doesn't really matter...just know that I mean you no harm and would protect you any time you should need it" he answered. She nodded before yawning loudly. He smiled softly. "Here, you go ahead and sleep here" he said, pointing to the bed. At first she protested against taking the place where he should sleep. But eventually she was talked into it. She drifted to sleep not long after lying down and Shin moved against the wall next to her, his blade leaning against his shoulder, his hands secured around the sheath and hilt. He fell asleep like this, much like he had in the many years previous to this. Lina awoke to find him sleeping next to her, sitting up. She sat up and scooted over next to him, tossing the blanket around both of their shoulders. She felt more safe this way. At the touch, Shin's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, but relaxed when a half-opened eye told him who was next to him. The two drifted into unconciousness once more, propped against one another and the wall behind them.
To be continued...
[Soooo...I thought this made for an interesting change of pace. Kinda sweet I thought. Can't seem to decide if I want the next chapter to be about these two again, or go back to Zylus and the new guys. Hmm...any suggestions/requests? Haha]
Chapter Four Lina/Shin
Lina awoke from her slumber, stretching her small arms high above her head. She glanced around her from the large tree branch she chose to sleep upon the night before. The morning sun barely glanced over the horizon at this time. She smiled at the sight, having always been one for beautiful landscapes. The young girl smoothed down her hair and straightened her antenna on her head. They stood out straight and pointy from about where a cat's ears would go. Her long purple hair fell freely down her back as she stood. Her intricately designed, purple and light blue butterfly wings stretched and fluttered a bit to shake the morning dew from them. Her pretty, human face made the butterfly-anthro appear much like a fairy like in the old legends and bed-time stories. With a cute yawn, she hopped down from the tree, letting her wings flutter and carry her safely to the ground. Lina began to hum a melodious tune, occasionally adding a skip or hop to her step to emphasize a note. The carefree girl ran her hands lightly along the tops of the flowers and other plants around her as she sang happily. "Oh, hello caterpillar" she said suddenly, stopping to lift a finger to the tiny creature. It crawled willingly onto her finger tip and circled the appendage. She giggled endlessly. "That tickles!" she said gleefully. The small, four foot, six inch girl took her newly found friend with her as she walked along the forest floor. Her deep green eyes gleemed happily in the sunlight that began peering through the trees, the light coming down in bright beams through the leaves. "Well mister caterpillar, I'm going to let you go play now" she said cheerfully as she set the small bug on a large petal of a bright white flower. She smiled at the small creature before walking away once more.
As Lina walked, she heard some voices up ahead. 'Oh, I wonder who that could be? New friends perhaps?' she thought to herself. Lina had grown up alone and having lived in the furthest part of the forest from the human city knew little of what was going on in other places. Her only friends have been the animals and plants around her. She wandered towards the voices, her lonely mind coming up with all sorts different types of people it could be. Since she was a small child, she hadn't met any other humanoids. She finally found where the voices came from. Curious, but slightly nervous she decided to watch them from afar for a short while. Her wings fluttered and carried her small body up to a high branch for a better look. What she saw perplexed her. There were people down in the area below but none of them had fur, or tails or wings or anything. They all seemed somewhat bare other than the clothing they wore. She thought for a moment. 'Are these what mother told me about? The humans?' she thought, trying hard to remember. All she had been told was that there were creatures much like themselves only without anything remarkable about their features. Their skin was a pinkish color, though they had varying hair colors. Most were brown or yellow. The men seemed to be talking about something. They were looking for someone or something. 'Maybe they're lost' Lina thought to herself. She fluttered down a little closer. The sound of her wings gained an upward glance from one of the humans. For a reason she didn't know, she hid behind a branch quickly. She didn't want to be seen yet. Being closer, their conversation was more easily heard. "We need to find something. If we go back and report having found no anthros, the boss'll get angry with us...again" one of the men said, sounding somewhat afraid.
"What's a boss? He doesn't sound very nice" Lina said suddenly, dropping near the group. The men jumped, drawing their weapons at what startled them. She eyed the blades curiously, not sure what they were used for. "Oooo, are those toys? Can I have one?" she asked happily. She reached her hand out and the closest man flicked his sword up, slicing the girl's hand. "Ah!! That hurt you meany!!" she shouted at him, retracting her hand quickly. Blood seeped onto her pale blue shirt as she held her injury close to her. She suddenly felt like these men truly wanted to harm her. "Well what do ya know, here we are thinking we'd never find something to kill, and prey drops from the sky!" one of the men said. The three of them started advancing on her. Her flight instinct took place and she turned and jumped, pumping her wings hard to fly away as quickly as possible. One of the men pulled out a crossbow and shot a bolt at her. The wooden shaft tore through one of her wings before burying itself into her shoulder. She screamed out in pain and spiraled down to the earth. She crash landed amidst the trees, her head striking a rock and rendering her unconcious. The men stalked, looking for their downed prey. They soon found her, lying completely still with the exception of her small chest moving with breath. The neared her body, blades ready, when the sound of a snapping twig caused them to stop in their tracks. "There may be more of them" a human whispered. They glanced around. Suddenly, a figure flashed in front of them and a blade was unsheathed with blinding speed, disarming the nearest human and slashing across his chest. "What the hell was that?!" one of the other two shouted as their friend writhed in agony beside them. Standing between them and the small girl was another human. He had bright red, long hair and wore a long robe. In his right hand he held a katana, blade pointing at them. His left hand was closed around its sheath that was slid into his sash that wrapped his waist. "You're going to protect this beast?! And kill your own kind?!" one of the men shouted. "The way you treat her, it is you who are the beasts" he responded simply. They advanced and he dashed between them, his sword flashing so swiftly the untrained eye would miss it completely. In a matter of seconds the two lay dead at his feet.
The young warrior walked over to the young girl's body and knelt beside her. He put two fingers to a place just under her jaw-line. Her pulse was still strong, she just appeared unconcious. He paused for a moment to look over her small form. "How could someone want to harm something so beautiful?" he questioned aloud. He slipped his arms under her seemingly frail form, one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, and lifted her gently. It wasn't until now he saw the bright blood on the grass that was beneath her. He turned her a bit in his arms, not a hard thing considering she was light as a feather. He frowned at what he saw. A crossbow bolt jutted from her shoulder. It wasn't a lethal wound, not yet at least, but it needed to be treated immediately. "Don't worry little one, I'll make sure you fly again" he said quietly as he started to walk off with the girl in his arms. The young man carried her a fairly long ways before finding what he had been searching for, a system of caves he had discovered a long time ago and often used himself when passing through this area. His belongings still littered the stone floor of the cave he entered. He took her to a small bed made of straw and cloth in the back of the cave and laid her down on her side. He looked at the wound on her back. It wasn't too deep, but the damage to her wing he wasn't sure would be reperable. That notion saddened him deeply for some reason. His hand hovered over the bolt in her back for a moment. He grasped it firmly and placed another hand lower on her back. He gave the shaft a sudden jerk and it came free of her flesh. The sudden pain shocked her awake and she let out a shrill yelp of pain before leaping to her feet and pressing herself against the wall. She stared at the human before her, terrifed. "I'm sorry, I'm sure that hurt. I'm Shin...are you ok?" the red-head asked her in a soft, kind voice. She didn't answer, her breathing quick and panicked. "S-stay away from me you monster! I remember, my mother told me to never trust a human!" she shouted, her mother's words echoing in her mind.
Shin looked hurt at her words. He took a few steps back. "I'm not like those monsters. I wouldn't hurt a beautiful creature such as yourself." he said quietly. She paused at his words, but her eyes told she still feared him greatly right now. "Those who harmed you are gone now..I saved you from them. Now, will you please let me treat that wound on your back? It could get infected and get worse" he told the girl. He said, his voice sounding concerned. "Why do you want to help me?" she asked in a shaky voice, her pitch quite high as she sobbed with fear and pain. "Because...you don't deserve what happened...and I wish to see you fly again" he answered sincerely. The look in Shin's eyes told Lina that she should at least trust him to tend to her wound. She glanced back and new tears welled up in her eyes at the tear in her beautiful wings. She moved away from the wall and sat down on the bedding. "Ok...T-thank you for saving me..." she said in a hushed voice. Shin could see she still didn't actually trust him, but that she felt she had no choice. He sighed, hating his species for the way they viewed what he thought were wonderous beings. He moved to sit behind her, reaching to grab a few items. "This may sting a little at first, but I promise it will feel better in a moment" he said softly. Pulling the shoulder of her shirt down low enough to clearly see the wound, he picked up a rag soaked in a liquid of some kind and pressed it to the small hole in her shoulder. She stifled a cry, wincing at the sting. "The stinging means it's cleaning the wound...don't worry" he assured her. After a moment, the stinging was over and he started wiping away any left-over dried blood and such. His hands, though rough, were gentle and precise as he dressed and bandaged the wound. He paused for a moment, finding himself somewhat distracted by her slender shoulders. He shook his head and finished the bandage, pulling her shirt back up to cover her shoulder once again.
Shin stood and moved away, wiping his hands off with another rag before tossing it aside into a pile of things to be disposed. "Ok..that should be good. It wasn't that bad a wound, but it was dirty. You...can leave now if you want though I'd prefer you stay for a day so I can check the wound and make sure it heals properly" he said half-heartedly. As he expected, Lina jumped up and headed for the entrance of the cave. She didn't trust him, he knew, and with good reason. He sighed, turning to head to the back of the cave when the soft patter of her feet halted. The warrior turned to see the girl standing with her back to him at the mouth of the cave. She turned slowly. "Um...maybe...I can stay for a little while longer. My wing will take a long time to heal" she admitted, stepping slowly back into the cave. "Are you sure?" he asked, stepping towards her. She retreated from him slightly, obviously wary of how close he gets to her. "Y-yes..." she answered quietly. He smiled warmly to her, trying to seem as nice as possible. "Well then, let's eat some food. I'm sure you're hungry after what you've been through" he offered. She nodded silently and he walked past her. "Ok, I'll be back in just a minute. I keep the food in a different cave" he told her, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. "You can trust me" he said as she flinched away from his touch. He nodded in understanding, heading out of the cave and leaving her alone with her thoughts. 'He seems nice...not like those others. And his eyes show he has compassion...but...what if it's a lie?' she thought to herself. She didn't have long with her thoughts before he returned with a number of different things to eat. "I didn't really know what you liked, so I thought I would just make a bunch of different stuff. You can pick what you like" he said to her with a genuine smile.
Shin cooked a number of meals, just like he has said he would. The two ate mostly in silence, Shin occasionally asking Lina about herself. They learned one another's names. She told him how she had lived up until then. He smiled, nodding in understanding. "I understand being alone. I'm a traveler, a wanderer. I'm not even from this valley originally. I came here about a year ago, funny story how too. I fell down that mountain that surrounds this place. Never could make it back up" he said with a laugh. His eyes stared into the fire for a moment. "I guess it's good I had no one to miss me, otherwise they'd be frantic right now" he added. Lina's eyes stared at him with sympathy for a moment. After talking for so long, she found herself always looking at him. This man who loved all things beautiful and who stood against injustice, regardless of the reason of it's passing. "Um..Shin...why did you save me again?" she asked for the fourth time that night. He smiled, knowing that for some reason she just liked hearing the words. "No one deserved to be treated that way, and nothing as beautiful as you should be hurt just for being" he answered once more. She smiled brightly, the first time in the night part of her usual demeanor had returned. "Why are you so different?" she asked him. He paused for a moment, thinking about that question. "Hm..I suppose it's because I've travelled many places and seen many things. And in my travels I learned to never judge things, especially just because they're different. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with other people to tell me what or why I should hate. It doesn't really matter...just know that I mean you no harm and would protect you any time you should need it" he answered. She nodded before yawning loudly. He smiled softly. "Here, you go ahead and sleep here" he said, pointing to the bed. At first she protested against taking the place where he should sleep. But eventually she was talked into it. She drifted to sleep not long after lying down and Shin moved against the wall next to her, his blade leaning against his shoulder, his hands secured around the sheath and hilt. He fell asleep like this, much like he had in the many years previous to this. Lina awoke to find him sleeping next to her, sitting up. She sat up and scooted over next to him, tossing the blanket around both of their shoulders. She felt more safe this way. At the touch, Shin's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, but relaxed when a half-opened eye told him who was next to him. The two drifted into unconciousness once more, propped against one another and the wall behind them.
To be continued...
[Soooo...I thought this made for an interesting change of pace. Kinda sweet I thought. Can't seem to decide if I want the next chapter to be about these two again, or go back to Zylus and the new guys. Hmm...any suggestions/requests? Haha]
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