The Mimic in Monsterland

I held my hands at my sides, tugging on the hem of my shirt, hiding the Tigris form’s claws. I shifted into the form while the blindfold was being put on my face. The only trope changes this form came with were the green feline eyes and the claws. They hid the eyes for me already, so I just had to hide my wonderfully sharp claws. They probably won’t investigate them. I’m just a nervous, blinded dude holding on to my shirt in their eyes. I hoped.

I felt a small hand push on my lower back. Doubt any of these three guys have small lady hands like this, so Ingrid was to be my guide from the feels of it. She nudged me in the direction of the entrance of the shed. Once outside, I felt the presence of the other two men on each side of me. The third, officially recognized as Clubby for this point on, presumably was up front.

We took a sharp left turn. One. Then forward for a couple of paces, then left again. Two. We continued down what I imagined were the alleyways I ran past on the rooftops. The footsteps echoed off the cramped walls. I counted every left and right turn, in case things went south, and I needed to hightail it out of there. Getting back up to the rooftops was plan A, but on the off chance I can’t, then remembering which turns would be crucial. I wish I was smart enough to remember the number of steps as well, but the turns were about all I could handle.

Sometime during the silent journey, I felt the small hand shift a little lower down my back than it should have for a second. “Where?” She whispered to herself. She must have been looking for my magically disappearing tail. Let’s avoid that, shall we.

“Oi, dinner first lady.” I said aloud. “I’m not like the others. It takes work to get that.”

I heard a poorly concealed snicker from the man on my left. Then a thump and an apology. “Sorry Griddy.”

“Just move, Luu.”

Tutor decided to get in on the fun as well. Just at my expense. “You just can’t get away from the freaky girls, can you?” I sighed, knowing exactly where this was heading, and lamenting the fact that I could do nothing to stop her without looking suspicious. “First it's being tied up and now it blindfolds. When do the candles come out?” Tutor teased.

We continued on for another ten silent minutes. Silent for everybody else, at least. I got a few more dumb S and M jokes from my internal monologue. I could open my eyes and check the Apis timer, just nothing around me except through a small opening at the bottom. There was a Cobblestone path and my feet were all that was in view. Not very helpful. Yet in combination with Tutor’s barbs, my nerves had calmed down significantly. Though, I had Eternal Shade prepped the whole walk as well.

After a total of five lefts and four rights and about fifteen minutes of walking, we arrived. “Garl, give the signal.” With a grunt of affirmation, Clubby knocked on something wooden. I heard wood sliding together. An eye slit, presumably. “Garl. Who have you brought?”

Clubby answered with a simple, “Ingrid. Not me,” in a low, gruff voice.

The new voice responded in shock. “Ingrid. Ingrid brought somebody?”

Ingrid’s voice came from behind me. “Yes. He has my blessing.”

“Alright. Hmm. Guess there’s a first time for everything. Let me get the door. Garl push the handle down. You know the one, right—”

“Shooshh. Outsider, remember?” Another voice from the eye slit blurted out.

“Right, sorry.”

With a click, the sound of a door brushing against the ground went off in front of me. The delicate hand pushed me forward. Apprehension sat at the forefront of my brain. I tugged on my shirt some more, accidentally poking a hole with my claws this time. The door closed once we all got inside.

“Watch your step.” A voice coming in front of me said.

“Very funny.” I responded sarcastically, then followed the advice immediately by looking down the small opening in the blindfold. I stood in front of a flight of stairs.

“What do, oh right? Blindfold. Yep my bad. We could, probably.” Another voice cut him off. “Not yet Luu. Wait until we’re inside.”

“But we are inside. And I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Ingrid’s been groping him the whole way here. I don’t know about everybody else, but I was blushing like a schoolgirl that whole trip.” The man said with a laugh.

“Up yours, Luu.” Ingrid shouted behind me.

Tutor snickered in my head. “Like him already.”

There weren’t many stairs, just a dozen maybe, before another door opened up, and I was guided inside, this time with a shove rather than the gentle pushes from earlier. Looked like Ingrid wasn’t a fan of being the butt of the joke. Once the door shut behind us, the wool was pulled from my eyes.

After a quick vision adjustment, I scanned my new location. It was a large basement/cellar type of room. A huge open area, with the only walls dividing it up being large cloth dangled from the ceiling. Different groups of people huddled around small fires, which seemed like a terrible idea indoors. I checked the room for smoke, but there was none, shockingly.

I investigated the closest group. An older man with gray hair and furred arms sat with a young elementary-aged boy who also had the same trope. He roasted two cuts of meat over the flame. The boy cheerfully poked at the fire with a stick. The flame itself moved unnaturally, evoking memories of Len’s flames. At the base of the flame, I noticed a symbol much like the ones on the training mannequins and the floor in the guild training room. Magic fire. Explains the lack of smoke.

I looked over at the rest of the groups, each one comprised of the same demographic as the first. Elders and youngsters crowded around magical campfires. This scene shattered the idea I’d formulated. I was expecting some secret Feral lair, filled with fighters or rebels. From the secrecy, I had assumed that’s what would be hidden down here. Not families. Not children. Why? Why are they locked down here? I felt a strange fury build up inside me. My fists clenched.

“That’s not the reaction I was expecting.” A calm feminine voice spoke from behind me. I turned around. A few wooden tables and chairs were scattered around, each held different sets of tools and other implements. In the back sat a long cleared off table, where a woman with light bluish skin and a simple dress sat. The hooded men who walked me in joined her at the backside of it. Except for Clubby, he never left my side. But I couldn’t blame him, not with what’s down here.

“Please sit.” She gestured to the chair set in front of her. I walked up and sat down. The woman was middle-aged. Somewhere in her forties if I had to guess. She had the long pointed ears of an elf. Her hair was black with a few streaks of white throughout. But it was her eyes that caused me pause. They were sky blue and nearly glowing.

The hooded men removed their cloaks. One was an elf with a whole ring of fur lining his neck like a lion's mane, the other was a human with large tusks protruding from his mouth. They shared one thing in common: both were skinny, gaunt almost. Those cloaks were doing them a whole lot of favors in the intimidation department. They looked frail without them. The elf walked over to the woman and placed his hand on her shoulder. She held it for a moment, her eyes never leaving me.

Ingrid walked up and nodded to the woman, then walked away. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She said, as she left. She turned, and she looked into my eyes as she walked away. Shock appeared on her face for a moment. Right, eyes changed.

“What is all this?” I asked, turning back to the giant room and away from Ingrid’s gaze.

“This is our home, or one of them I should say. We have a couple of shelters like this scattered around the Gloom. But before we get to that. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ranj Blethering. Would you please give me your name?”

“Right, I’m sorry. Liam. Liam Foster.” I answer. Her eyes traveled upwards for a second, as if she was trying to recall something.

“Foster. Hmm. I’ve not heard that name before. I take it you are not from Lostock then.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t even know what that is. Are all of you Feral?” As I asked the question, I felt a strange sensation cover my body. Nothing invasive or manipulative, more inquisitive if I had to put a word on it. Aura, probably. I shifted in my seat and looked around.

“You'll have to forgive us. That Aura you feel is just a precaution. It won’t harm or coerce you. It's for our own protection, in the event you become violent. You understand?”

I nodded. I didn’t have a full grasp on what exactly Aura could do but I guess this might sense violent intent. “It’s alright, I get it. And don’t worry, I would never do anything that might endanger children.”

She smiled softly. “Thank you. And as for your question. Yes and no. All of the children were born in Laurel. The elders however are not. They are some of the remnants of a time long past now.”

“And what of the children’s parents? They’re not all orphans, are they?” The fury bubbled inside me. Why am I so mad? Ranj’s striking eyes bore into me as the rage swelled, but her soft smile never faded. “Not all of them, many are out working. Others…are being foolish.” She answered with a solemn look.

“Working? This late? And how? I thought you needed citizenship to do anything like that.” I questioned.

The male elf answered. “Not for the jobs in the Gloom. Pfft. They are more than welcome to let us savages handle it.” I tilted my head at the answer.

“Not now.” She told the man while patting him. “That’s a discussion for another time. First, let me ask you something, Liam.” I nodded. “Why have you come? From what Ingrid has described, you are already set with a position. In the Legion, no less, the best any child of Kniyas could hope for.”

“How do you know that? I met Ingrid this afternoon.”

“Child, do you not know what happens under your own roof? She’s been staying with Wynn for the entire week. She has been aware of you for quite some time. She is just shy, that’s why it took so long before she made contact. She already gave me some basic information about you. Nothing in depth, just what Wynn has told her about you.”

I mulled the name Wynn in my mind for a moment before realizing she referred to Mrs. Warbler. I’ve never actually used her first name before, or heard others for that matter. It’s just Gran or Mrs. Warbler. And I had no idea Ingrid was staying at the shop. But it's not like I spend that much time there. Mostly for sleep and meals. I shook my head, that wasn’t important. Annoying, but not important. I looked into the woman’s eyes.

“I’m here because I want to learn about Ferals.”

The elf to her right scoffed. “You wish to learn of your own kind. If that doesn’t sound like a pile of Tusxic dung, I don’t know what does. It was a terrible idea bringing him here. He’ll just run to his masters…”

She spun her head at the elf. “Dear, if you don’t quit with the outbursts, I will have Garl escort you home and put you to bed. Do I make myself clear, my baby boy?” She pinched his cheek. The human on her other side, who was currently sipping from a cup, nearly choked. He put the cup down and laughed. Think that narrows down which one was the jokester.

She turned back to me and released the elf’s now red cheek. “Sorry, please continue.”

I inhaled. “I want to learn about the Forest Ferals. I am Feral, but I’m not from this part of the world. And no, I won’t say where I’m from. All that matters is that it’s not here. I’ve been treated like subhuman scum by everyone here that Leonard Ainsworth did not introduce me to. They say Ferals are violent, that they pillage, steal, and attack the citizenry. And now there are rumors that the recent attack on the wall was caused by them? And I’m getting flak for that. And the truly frustrating thing is that no one actually explains why. It’s like some strange taboo. So I wanted to see it for myself. And get some answers for myself.”

The woman closed her eyes, contemplating my spiel. I looked over at the guys beside her. Rage burned in the elf’s eyes, not surprising. The human just stared at me, his eyes running up and down me. The woman opened her eyes and she exhaled.

“Those…accusations aren’t false.” Her brow furled as she spoke. “Many of us have been doing some very untoward actions of late. Nothing violent from my group, I assure you. But the robbery, that’s all true. Ingrid who brought you here happen to be one of our best thieves.” No pride rang out from Ranj’s words. “As you can well see, we have mouths to feed, and the majority of them can’t work for themselves.”

“And I’m guessing the lack of citizenship means the pay isn’t great for those that do.” I interjected.

“Yes. So we must do some…extra labor to ensure that we have ample medicine, food, and other necessities. But as I said before, we don’t use force. I strictly prohibit it.” She finished.

But I caught on to what she was implying. “But there are Ferals that do commit violence on Laurelhaven.”

She turned her head away. “Sadly, yes. There are many of our brethren who have taken a more forceful approach to gathering means. I don’t approve of it at all. Our position is barely tolerated as is by the Laurel government. They are aware of the need for the Gloom, and we are the perfect workforce to maintain it.”

“And why is the Gloom so vital? It just seems like a pleasure district from the looks of it.”

“To prevent morphosis, surely you understand that.” She answered, confusion filling her face. Morphowhat. I have no clue what that is, but from the look she is giving me, it's something I should know. I contemplated on whether I will ask about it, but seeing as it's not really Feral focused, I can just ask Len later.

“Yes of course. So these other Ferals aren’t with you?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation back.

“Yes, and their ideology is what led to our precarious state in the first place. If they hadn’t struck those twenty years ago.” Her soft smile disappeared as she spoke, turning to a sullen frown.

“What happened twenty years ago?” I asked.

Tears welled up in her eyes as painful memories seemed to rain down on her. She wiped them away. “The Fountain Massacre, the day Ferals lost everything.”

“Massacre?” I repeated after her. But just as I was going to ask more. A woman burst through the door leading to the stairs. “Ma’am. A large group of soldiers are heading this way. And they don’t look pleased.”