Categories > Original > Fantasy > Of Beast and Man
Chapter Seven - Kairu/Lina
Lina snored quietly in the darkness, a small shaft of light still peaking through the viewing window in the large wooden door of her prison. Kairu's large, fox-like ears picked up the sound from across the way. He smiled a toothy grin with his foxish face, small black nose twitching slightly. He was happy she was getting some sleep finally, having been there for a full three days already. It was better to hear her snores than her sobs. The fox anthro leaned back against the cold wall of his own cell and sighed. In the short time he had been speaking with her, he grew somewhat attached to the girl and felt the need to offer whatever help he could if only someone to talk with in this dark place. The fur that lined most of his body was a dark red color. Along his chest and stomach and under his jaw, the fur was completely white. His long, fluffy tail curled slightly around his waist as he sat, the red fur leading to a white tip as was common with foxes. The two large fox ears poked out from a head of messy red hair that reached past his shoulders at the moment. Kairu stood and walked to the door once more and peered through the rectangle of light. He ducked as a guard walked by. They were still annoyed at his attempts to escape probably, and he didn't want to provoke them further than needed. They always brought an extra guard or two with his food to make sure he didn't slip past them...again. 'My day of freedom will come soon. Each time I fail, I get one step closer. I learn one little new bit of information that will help me eventually succeed' he thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes at a passing guard. He ducked swiftly once more as a spear-butt jabbed through the bars. "Haha, missed me!" he shouted at the man. He heard an indistinct howl of anger. "And you call us the animals? I don't think wolf-anthros howl like that you naked mole-rat!" the fox continued to taunt the man. Suddenly the human's angry eyes were peering right back through the space in the bars at Kairu.
The mischievious fox grinned and winked casually at the man. "What the hell did you say to me?! I'll tear open your chest and feed you your own heart you damned beast!" the man shouted. "You know what you look like? All you humans look like those really ugly, bare-ass hairless puppies that have such wrinkly skin they look like a weird brain!" Kairu shot back at him, never releasing his childish grin. The man's face could be seen turning red, even in the shade of his helmet. "That's it!! I'm gonna teach you some manners you flee-ridden mongrel!" he said. Kairu could hear the door being unlatched and fumbled. He backed away to the wall and leaned against it, propping one foot up behind him and crossing his arms casually over his chest. The door flew open and the man almost fell inward in his over-eagerness at harming the anthro before him. "Oooo, be careful. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself on MY account" Kairu said sarcastically, flashing yet another wide grin. The man stepped forward and jabbed the blunt end of his spear at the fox. Kairu merely stepped side to side, ducked and swayed out of the way of each attack. The man shouted in anger and spun the weapon around, stabbing with the spear-head this time. Kairu moved once more and the weapon burried itself into the stone a little. Without wasting time, the anthro struck his palm against the center of the wooden shaft and snapped it in two. The human charged foward and the nimble fox leapt over him, landed on his head, and shoved back off. The man launched forward to slam his head into the wall and Kairu landed lightly on his feet in front of the door. He gave an elegant bow. "Lovely dance my good man, but I fear I must take my leave of you now" he said in a cheerful, obviously forced and fake accent of some kind.
Kairu turned and ran out the door, pulling it shut behind him and latching it back. He went across the way and peered through the bars of Lina's cell window. "Psst! Hey! Wake up!" he called to her in a loud whisper. He started unlatching the door as she stirred. He yanked it open quickly and saw her cower away from instinct. He rushed forward, voice silent for fear of someone hearing that may be walking down the hall. She flinched and protectively shielded her face with her arms. She felt herself lifted easily from the ground but she didn't expect the soft warm embrace that followed. She opened her eyes and moved her arms away. She could feel the fur from his shirtless chest and arms. "Kairu?" she asked so quietly only Kairu's ears would have been able to ear it at that time. He nodded silently and smiled softly. Tears came to her eyes and at first he was afraid he had scared or hurt her. The smile that followed afterwards, however, assured him these were tears of joy. "Come, I'm getting us out of here" he whispered very quietly. She merely nodded as he took her hand and headed back for the door. He cautiously peeked out the door left and right. Seeing no one, he pulled her out after him and shut the door behind, latching it back to the way it was. "Ok, move quickly but quietly" he told her. Lina nodded once more and they started to jog down the corridor. Kairu made no noise whatsoever, but Lina's feet padded softly. Kairu stopped suddenly, his ears twitching at the voices around the corner. They were moving closer and quickly. "Damn" he whispered, turning to head back the other way. He looked down the corridor to see that a new guard just came around the corner on that end as well. He laughed to himself and shrugged. "Didn't think it would be easy" he said before bolting around the corner.
As he and Lina rounded thr corner, the two guards that had been talking seemed stunned to see them. Kairu wasted none of the time the guards' confusion bought him. He released Lina's hand and dashed forward. Before either man could draw their weapon, He leaped up between them and kicked one in the head. Using the momentum from the force of the first kick, he delivered a second kick to the other's head and they both hit the walls, slumping to the floor. He turned and motioned for Lina to follow. He kneeled down and took the knives from each of the guards' belts. He twirled them expertly in his fingers as he moved down the hall further. "Lina, I want you to look away if I'm moving towards some humans. I don't like killing and I wouldn't want you to have to watch ok?" he said quietly, turning back to her. She nodded, gripping his arms tightly as she followed. Kairu dug deep into his memory to recall the layout of the dungeon they were in. The pair followed the corridor until they heard voices and could smell clean air. Kairu pressed Lina against the wall, followed by himself. "Look away" he whispered to her. She nodded and turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Kairu waited, knives held up and ready as he pressed himself to the wall at the corner. The voices moved within range and before anything could be said, the two knives flashed out with a spinning red figure attached to them. The blades cut cleanly across the throats of the humans, who fell to the ground gargling and drowning in their own blood. Lina squeaked when Kairu suddenly grabbed her elbow and pulled her along. The rounded the corner quickly, and the fox could tell Lina was trying to avoid looking at the newly killed bodies. They found the stone stairs that led upwards and took them two at a time.
Kairu paused for a moment, letting Lina rest, as they reached the door at the top of the ascension. "Are you alright so far?" he asked her quietly. She nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment to support her words. He nodded back and pressed an ear against the wooden door. Silence was all that greeted him. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the door open at an almost painfully slow pace. When he was sure the area was clear, they darted out into the cold night air. He glanced upward. No moon, perfect for sneaking away. Morning wasn't far away and he knew they needed to hurry. As he rushed away, he swept up a large piece of cloth from a clothes-line and swung it around himself in a make-shift cloak, hiding his heritage as best as possible. Lina took a hint and flattened down her wings as much as possible and laid her antennae back. The two moved quickly through the dark city. Despite the hour, there were people about, making Kairu glad for grabbing his disguise. The two turned down an alleyway just as they heard an alarm sound. "Damn..I was hoping that'd take longer" he cursed to himself. They continued down the dark alley, checking behind them everyonce in a while. Kairu rounded the corner and nearly knocked Lina down as he jumped back quickly from the person who was waiting in front of them. Kairu glared dangerously at the hooded figure. "Move...I will kill you if I must but I just want to go home" Kairu said in a pained, but dead serious tone. Lina could hear in his voice that he hated killing, even if it meant protecting himself. "Follow me, I know a secret way out of here" said a woman's voice from under the hood. Kairu paused for a moment, unsure of what to make of this new person. Lina though would not trust a human again. "No, Kairu don't listen to her. It's a trick I know it is!" she started saying frantically.
Kairu turned and took her arms in his hands to steady her. "Hey hey hey, calm down. I told you I'm getting you out of here, and I'm going to do just that" he assured her, she went silent but the fear was evident in her eyes. He turned to the person in front of them. "Why should I trust you?" he asked, a protective arm finding it's way around Lina's shoulders. "Because you have no choice. The alarm has been raised and you won't be able to escape any other way than mine. If they find you, they'll likely kill YOU on sight...and I'd hate to think what they'd do to the girl" the woman said. Kairu sighed and looked to Lina, his eyes staring into hers for a moment. "Alright, show us" he said to the woman, his gaze falling back onto the dark area where her face was hidden behind the hood. The faint gleam of white showed she had smiled, and the woman nodded, motioning with her hand. "Follow me" she said simply as she walked away. The two cautiously followed the figure through a series of alleyways that led towards the city walls. Lina's eyes told Kairu that she didn't think this was a good idea. "Why are you helping us?" Lina asked through the darkness. Even without light it was obvious the woman shook with silent laughter. "Because I'm bored" she answered simply. The two anthros looked to one another for a moment and decided to not question it any further. They could hear the soldiers moving through out the city, looking for the two escapees. "Quickly now" the woman urged them and they moved along at a quicker pace. They soon reached the wall and saw the woman's plan immediately. A grating covered a large circular hole in the wall the reached the other side. "Storm drain" she explained simply. Kairu didn't wait for another second before moving to the heavy piece of iron, using one of his knives to pry the bolts loose. Lina stood before the woman, her head held down in shame and her hands holding one another in front of her. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you" she said. The woman laughed. "I would've been the same way. Don't worry child, just go quickly before someone finds what has happened" the woman responded. Lina nodded and gave a half smile as Kairu came back and took her hand. He nodded a silent thank you to the woman before he and Lina successfully escaped the human city into the wide fields, still under the cover of the soon to end night.
To be continued...
[Hmm...I'm not sure I really liked where this chapter went...but it's the way it left my brain so for now, it stays. Hope you all enjoyed ^.^]
Lina snored quietly in the darkness, a small shaft of light still peaking through the viewing window in the large wooden door of her prison. Kairu's large, fox-like ears picked up the sound from across the way. He smiled a toothy grin with his foxish face, small black nose twitching slightly. He was happy she was getting some sleep finally, having been there for a full three days already. It was better to hear her snores than her sobs. The fox anthro leaned back against the cold wall of his own cell and sighed. In the short time he had been speaking with her, he grew somewhat attached to the girl and felt the need to offer whatever help he could if only someone to talk with in this dark place. The fur that lined most of his body was a dark red color. Along his chest and stomach and under his jaw, the fur was completely white. His long, fluffy tail curled slightly around his waist as he sat, the red fur leading to a white tip as was common with foxes. The two large fox ears poked out from a head of messy red hair that reached past his shoulders at the moment. Kairu stood and walked to the door once more and peered through the rectangle of light. He ducked as a guard walked by. They were still annoyed at his attempts to escape probably, and he didn't want to provoke them further than needed. They always brought an extra guard or two with his food to make sure he didn't slip past them...again. 'My day of freedom will come soon. Each time I fail, I get one step closer. I learn one little new bit of information that will help me eventually succeed' he thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes at a passing guard. He ducked swiftly once more as a spear-butt jabbed through the bars. "Haha, missed me!" he shouted at the man. He heard an indistinct howl of anger. "And you call us the animals? I don't think wolf-anthros howl like that you naked mole-rat!" the fox continued to taunt the man. Suddenly the human's angry eyes were peering right back through the space in the bars at Kairu.
The mischievious fox grinned and winked casually at the man. "What the hell did you say to me?! I'll tear open your chest and feed you your own heart you damned beast!" the man shouted. "You know what you look like? All you humans look like those really ugly, bare-ass hairless puppies that have such wrinkly skin they look like a weird brain!" Kairu shot back at him, never releasing his childish grin. The man's face could be seen turning red, even in the shade of his helmet. "That's it!! I'm gonna teach you some manners you flee-ridden mongrel!" he said. Kairu could hear the door being unlatched and fumbled. He backed away to the wall and leaned against it, propping one foot up behind him and crossing his arms casually over his chest. The door flew open and the man almost fell inward in his over-eagerness at harming the anthro before him. "Oooo, be careful. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself on MY account" Kairu said sarcastically, flashing yet another wide grin. The man stepped forward and jabbed the blunt end of his spear at the fox. Kairu merely stepped side to side, ducked and swayed out of the way of each attack. The man shouted in anger and spun the weapon around, stabbing with the spear-head this time. Kairu moved once more and the weapon burried itself into the stone a little. Without wasting time, the anthro struck his palm against the center of the wooden shaft and snapped it in two. The human charged foward and the nimble fox leapt over him, landed on his head, and shoved back off. The man launched forward to slam his head into the wall and Kairu landed lightly on his feet in front of the door. He gave an elegant bow. "Lovely dance my good man, but I fear I must take my leave of you now" he said in a cheerful, obviously forced and fake accent of some kind.
Kairu turned and ran out the door, pulling it shut behind him and latching it back. He went across the way and peered through the bars of Lina's cell window. "Psst! Hey! Wake up!" he called to her in a loud whisper. He started unlatching the door as she stirred. He yanked it open quickly and saw her cower away from instinct. He rushed forward, voice silent for fear of someone hearing that may be walking down the hall. She flinched and protectively shielded her face with her arms. She felt herself lifted easily from the ground but she didn't expect the soft warm embrace that followed. She opened her eyes and moved her arms away. She could feel the fur from his shirtless chest and arms. "Kairu?" she asked so quietly only Kairu's ears would have been able to ear it at that time. He nodded silently and smiled softly. Tears came to her eyes and at first he was afraid he had scared or hurt her. The smile that followed afterwards, however, assured him these were tears of joy. "Come, I'm getting us out of here" he whispered very quietly. She merely nodded as he took her hand and headed back for the door. He cautiously peeked out the door left and right. Seeing no one, he pulled her out after him and shut the door behind, latching it back to the way it was. "Ok, move quickly but quietly" he told her. Lina nodded once more and they started to jog down the corridor. Kairu made no noise whatsoever, but Lina's feet padded softly. Kairu stopped suddenly, his ears twitching at the voices around the corner. They were moving closer and quickly. "Damn" he whispered, turning to head back the other way. He looked down the corridor to see that a new guard just came around the corner on that end as well. He laughed to himself and shrugged. "Didn't think it would be easy" he said before bolting around the corner.
As he and Lina rounded thr corner, the two guards that had been talking seemed stunned to see them. Kairu wasted none of the time the guards' confusion bought him. He released Lina's hand and dashed forward. Before either man could draw their weapon, He leaped up between them and kicked one in the head. Using the momentum from the force of the first kick, he delivered a second kick to the other's head and they both hit the walls, slumping to the floor. He turned and motioned for Lina to follow. He kneeled down and took the knives from each of the guards' belts. He twirled them expertly in his fingers as he moved down the hall further. "Lina, I want you to look away if I'm moving towards some humans. I don't like killing and I wouldn't want you to have to watch ok?" he said quietly, turning back to her. She nodded, gripping his arms tightly as she followed. Kairu dug deep into his memory to recall the layout of the dungeon they were in. The pair followed the corridor until they heard voices and could smell clean air. Kairu pressed Lina against the wall, followed by himself. "Look away" he whispered to her. She nodded and turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Kairu waited, knives held up and ready as he pressed himself to the wall at the corner. The voices moved within range and before anything could be said, the two knives flashed out with a spinning red figure attached to them. The blades cut cleanly across the throats of the humans, who fell to the ground gargling and drowning in their own blood. Lina squeaked when Kairu suddenly grabbed her elbow and pulled her along. The rounded the corner quickly, and the fox could tell Lina was trying to avoid looking at the newly killed bodies. They found the stone stairs that led upwards and took them two at a time.
Kairu paused for a moment, letting Lina rest, as they reached the door at the top of the ascension. "Are you alright so far?" he asked her quietly. She nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment to support her words. He nodded back and pressed an ear against the wooden door. Silence was all that greeted him. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the door open at an almost painfully slow pace. When he was sure the area was clear, they darted out into the cold night air. He glanced upward. No moon, perfect for sneaking away. Morning wasn't far away and he knew they needed to hurry. As he rushed away, he swept up a large piece of cloth from a clothes-line and swung it around himself in a make-shift cloak, hiding his heritage as best as possible. Lina took a hint and flattened down her wings as much as possible and laid her antennae back. The two moved quickly through the dark city. Despite the hour, there were people about, making Kairu glad for grabbing his disguise. The two turned down an alleyway just as they heard an alarm sound. "Damn..I was hoping that'd take longer" he cursed to himself. They continued down the dark alley, checking behind them everyonce in a while. Kairu rounded the corner and nearly knocked Lina down as he jumped back quickly from the person who was waiting in front of them. Kairu glared dangerously at the hooded figure. "Move...I will kill you if I must but I just want to go home" Kairu said in a pained, but dead serious tone. Lina could hear in his voice that he hated killing, even if it meant protecting himself. "Follow me, I know a secret way out of here" said a woman's voice from under the hood. Kairu paused for a moment, unsure of what to make of this new person. Lina though would not trust a human again. "No, Kairu don't listen to her. It's a trick I know it is!" she started saying frantically.
Kairu turned and took her arms in his hands to steady her. "Hey hey hey, calm down. I told you I'm getting you out of here, and I'm going to do just that" he assured her, she went silent but the fear was evident in her eyes. He turned to the person in front of them. "Why should I trust you?" he asked, a protective arm finding it's way around Lina's shoulders. "Because you have no choice. The alarm has been raised and you won't be able to escape any other way than mine. If they find you, they'll likely kill YOU on sight...and I'd hate to think what they'd do to the girl" the woman said. Kairu sighed and looked to Lina, his eyes staring into hers for a moment. "Alright, show us" he said to the woman, his gaze falling back onto the dark area where her face was hidden behind the hood. The faint gleam of white showed she had smiled, and the woman nodded, motioning with her hand. "Follow me" she said simply as she walked away. The two cautiously followed the figure through a series of alleyways that led towards the city walls. Lina's eyes told Kairu that she didn't think this was a good idea. "Why are you helping us?" Lina asked through the darkness. Even without light it was obvious the woman shook with silent laughter. "Because I'm bored" she answered simply. The two anthros looked to one another for a moment and decided to not question it any further. They could hear the soldiers moving through out the city, looking for the two escapees. "Quickly now" the woman urged them and they moved along at a quicker pace. They soon reached the wall and saw the woman's plan immediately. A grating covered a large circular hole in the wall the reached the other side. "Storm drain" she explained simply. Kairu didn't wait for another second before moving to the heavy piece of iron, using one of his knives to pry the bolts loose. Lina stood before the woman, her head held down in shame and her hands holding one another in front of her. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you" she said. The woman laughed. "I would've been the same way. Don't worry child, just go quickly before someone finds what has happened" the woman responded. Lina nodded and gave a half smile as Kairu came back and took her hand. He nodded a silent thank you to the woman before he and Lina successfully escaped the human city into the wide fields, still under the cover of the soon to end night.
To be continued...
[Hmm...I'm not sure I really liked where this chapter went...but it's the way it left my brain so for now, it stays. Hope you all enjoyed ^.^]
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