Chapter 1:The Red Thief

The beginning to everything...

           Chapter 1: The Red Thief

          

            “Brother! Brother!” The meek hollers were hard to hear among the howling of the frigid winter wind. Gusts of snow swirled in each direction to blind the untrained eye to the battle waging right in the midst of the storm…and he was no exception. The young boy, bordering on his adolescent years, scanned the snowy fields once more with his bones shivering terribly for any signs of his protector. 

                      

“BROTHER!” He yelled louder, hurting his already sore throat in the process. In a reply, a strong gust of blistering cold wind knocked him over into the snow as if to silence him. His messy red hair swayed with each blast and the edges of his eyes that held his tears of fear were already turning into small icicles.

'Brother…please…find me…’ The young boy pleaded mentally while trying to gather his strength to stand but his weary eyes spotted an eruption of fire within the storm not too far away. He felt some of the heat but not enough to bite back the cold.

They were still fighting…but his heart continued to race from the initial attack. Why did it have to happen? Why to them? He didn’t even get a good glance as to who would want to harm them. Small feline ears fanned back against his temple, flicking off bits of snow in the process at the thought of his father possibly in there fighting as well…but…he knew…his brother would come to his rescue…he just had to.

Scanning the ever-changing snowbanks once more, his ears suddenly perked when something was whispered on the wind. It sounded…almost like his name was being called…but it was hard to discern. 

“HERE!” He yelled back and took weak steps forward into the oncoming wind. Another voice made his furry ears point forward with his hopes flooding back into his heart and he grinned when he saw two figures trudging quickly through the snow towards him. One figure was about his height while the second was a tad bit taller. It…it had to be his brother…

“Saei!?” He called out to see if his eyes were playing tricks with him while his feline tail curled between his legs since there was still an ounce of fear that perhaps it was someone playing tricks on him to end his life. Thankfully, the wind pushed in another direction to allow the figures to be more visible. His heart hammered faster when the tallest figure showed to have the blackest head of hair with a few black scales on the sides of his cheekbones. Curved horns flowed over their pointed ears and crystal white eyes tried to discern their way through the storm.

His brother had made it safe! At his side, latched onto his arm was a much smaller girl, about a year younger than himself, with her pure white hair all in tassels due to the wind and her poor feline ears were twitching terribly due to the cold. It was clear she was seeking his brother for warmth and protection since he was the eldest.

“Saei, you made it!” The younger of the brothers pushed through the snow to finally meet up with the other two just as another explosion went off behind them, followed by the sound of something crumbling.

“Basil, listen to me,” Saei began, making sure his voice could be heard over the sound of the roaring wind once it had started to pick up again.

 “You need to take her and get far away from here…keep her safe at all cost,” he instructed and carefully detached the girl from his arm to gently push toward his brother. It seemed she didn’t like the thought of being away from his protection for she whimpered with tears brimming near the edges of her eyes. “Saei, don’t go…” she pleaded.

“…go?” The younger brother asked curiously and looked up at the older boy. “…where are you going?”

“…they took our home…it’s gone…nothing but rubble now…” he replied with a frown and looked back toward the ever-growing fire, the wind whipping his black hair to the side. “…they’ll be coming for us…for you and her…you both need to get out of here. Head to a safe place.”

“Saei, what do you plan on doing?” The younger boy questioned in a pleading voice, not wanting to think the worst but his brother gently gripped his forearm where more scales were present.

“…I’m going to distract them…I’m not important…it’ll give you both a chance.”

“WHAT?! No way!” He yelled in protest but there were more voices that could be heard coming their way. The young girl whimpered and shivered while looking back up to Saei with a desperate look. “…please…Saei…” she only managed in a whisper due to her cold body but the older brother looked back to her when he heard her plea and offered the smallest smile.

“…it was fun…but father told me to keep you two safe…no matter what…” It was his only answer before he turned in the snow to take a step forward toward the approaching soldiers.

“Saei, don’t!” Her voice raised in volume a bit but the feline brother brought her close to pull her back and away from the older boy. “We can’t get caught by them. We need to hide.”

“What about Saei?”

“…I…don’t know…” It wasn’t any form of comfort but it was all he had for now. The snow hid most of the surrounding areas from view but the younger brother pinpointed a small cave they could both squeeze into and hopefully allow of this to pass. “Get in, quick,” he ordered and gently pushed her in before he guarded her with his body near the entrance. Both had small visibility…but the swaying black hair of Saei stood out. It didn’t take long…for more figures to show up before Saei…and they were far taller.

Towering Soldiers…riding on the back of beasts…that loomed over his helpless sibling. The sight made his throat tighten and even the young girl had to place a hand over her mouth to not shout out for him to run. Due to the distance, they couldn’t make out what was being said...for surely the soldiers weren’t just planning on standing before Saei all day.

It was then…everything seemed to slow down.

Saei pulled his hand away from his scaled covered arm to have it become incased fully in shadow. It licked at his palm like fire itself but this was far different from just normal embers. He had heard of what his brother could do…but…had never seen it before...

Like lightning, his brother roared over the might of the storm to strike out at the nearest soldier who was unfortunate to not be mounted. The soldier easily dodged but his brother continued to strike out with claws leaking with void like shadows and he couldn’t help but gasp when he witnessed Saei catching one of the slow-moving beast’s legs. The beast moaned out in distress and attempted to stomp on the smaller child.

“Saei, no…” the young girl whispered, his feline ears catching her plea but continued to watch his brother’s failed efforts to try and repel the invaders. With ease, the hilt of a sword came down on the back of his neck to send the boy face first into the snow. With an audible gasp, the young girl fought against the boy’s hold, wanting to go out and reach him.

“No! You can’t! They’ll find you!”

“I don’t care! Saei is hurt!” His hold on her only tightened with each struggle but he made sure to keep watching. A soldier leapt off the back of his beast to kneel, gripping the back of Saei’s collar to haul him up like some doll. He was motionless…possibly passed out due to the blow. It was then that the snow from the storm grew to block out their vision…just as he saw the soldier’s beginning to leave with his brother in their possession to do…who knew what to him…and here he was…afraid to step forward.

 

 

“Stop, Thief!” A deep, raspy voice yelled from within the heart of the bustling marketplace. It was hard at first to discern who was in distress due to the sheer number of residents wandering about to get their morning shopping done and over with but it became apparent when a tall man clothed in shimmering metal armor halted in the middle of the crowed to search with only his eyes.

Finding a single culprit within this multitude would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

The armored guard took a few more steps forward, looking for anything that would stand out.

Red…

That didn’t help. Some of the villagers wore red clothing or had red accessories on.

Perhaps something feline like…?

Still wasn’t the best option…not when he was in the midst of the “Feral” side if the city. There were a few humans who dared to venture to this disgusting part for…who knows what reason. Maybe some enjoyed the brothel, however sick that sounded, or just wanted to feel good about their own lives at seeing these Ferals at their lowest.

It mattered not. Why should he care about a single thief that stole from his own? As long as he kept his filthy claws to himself and out of their business, he wasn’t going to strain a nerve over it. It wouldn’t be long anyway until he ran into an “Imperial”.

It would be the thief’s last mistake.

Smirking at the idea, the guard took one last glance around before pushing aside an elderly Feral who happened to be accidentally in his way.

“Disgusting beast,” he muttered under his breath as he slowly vanished into the crowd. It was a terrible sight to see but not an uncommon one.

 The poor lady stumbled at being pushed, losing the hold on her cane to crumble to the ground. A soft gasp of pain escaped her lips but when she looked up for help, no one even casted her a glance out of fear that the guard could still be close and make matters worse for whoever was brave enough to assist her.

Her wrinkled fox ears fanned back with hopelessness at her situation but a tall shadow enveloped her. At first, her mind concluded that the guard had returned but when her fading eyes fearfully looked up, a soft smile adorned her lips.

“Basil? I should had guessed this charade was your doing,” her voice cracked a bit with pain as the young feline male knelt down before her but he couldn’t return her smile. Instead, it was a regretful frown.

“Endeis…I really didn’t think matters would pan out this way,” he spoke with regret and reached out with his clawed hand to help stabilize her. “I thought he’d keep coming after me.”

“Young cat, those guards are different each day, you know that,” she explained, putting most of her weight onto Basil as he helped her to a standing position but the feline couldn’t help but glare in the direction the guard left. Sure, he had seen many things done to Ferals from being harassed to public humiliation. It had been going on for…as long as he could remember and it didn’t help with their living conditions.

All Ferals had to live on the outskirts of the city…where there was little protection from bandits or the occasional wandering beast. He was an exception, in his eyes anyway. No harm came to the sellers. Whenever they turned a blind eye to his position, he would simply steal a fruit or two just to sustain himself, perhaps even some jerky…but he never raised a fist to his fellow Ferals. For one it was unheard of…but then again there had been battles in the past due to arguing and bickering which involved the same species sometimes.

‘Just like back then…’ he thought to himself but gave his attention back to Endeis.

“All those guards care about is pleasing the king,” she huffed and steadied herself with her cane. “Some king…I’ll be glad once I pass just to be out from under his rule.”

“Don’t say such morbid things,” Basil replied and patted her shoulder in comfort. “One day…things will change.”

“They can’t change soon enough, sweetheart,” she softly smiled. “But I best be on my way. I got sidetracked from heading to the chapel.”

Before the elderly lady could depart, a soft and large hand touched her arm to draw her attention back to Basil.

“I was saving this for a rainy day…buuuuttt I believe you need it more than I do.”

Taking her hand in his, Basil placed in her palm ten gold coins. Her eyesight might had bad but apparently not so much for she nearly fainted at the sight.

“B-Basil…where did-“

“Let’s just say a few days ago I stumbled upon a guard who could afford to do without some money,” he smirked with pride as Endeis quickly hid the gold in her coin purse.

“You may be a scoundrel, young Basil, but your heart is right.”

“Eh, you know I don’t like flattery,” his feline ears twitched with embarrassment.

“As long as you don’t get in trouble with any Imperials…” she warned and left her words at that as she used her cane to help guide her toward the chapel. It would still be a walk but the more distance she put between herself and the center of the city, the better.

Basil watched her leave before blending back into the shadows of the alleyway with her words replaying in his mind.

“…I’ve never even seen an Imperial…” he whispered to himself. Rumors were always a thing that no one would be able to get rid of…but this one…was sticking around like a bad taste in his mouth. It all started with someone saying the King had more than just guards…he had elite soldiers named Imperials that would deathly frightening and wouldn’t hesitate to kill on command if provoked. No one had seen one yet or he would had heard it. With so much gossip and his ears hearing everything from each corner of the Feral district, nothing would go by his senses.

With a sigh at how his day started, he ruffled his messy red locks with a groan.

“Now I have no money for food or a brothel…and I highly doubt a girl would let me spend the night for free,” he grumbled but it would still be worth a shot since after his encounter with the guard, he didn’t wish to get anyone else in trouble with the guards, especially if they were roaming about today.

“I could…always take my chances…Hanne really likes my company…maybe she’ll accept a payment for later.” His plan was settled and surely it would help his morning perk up a bit more. With a wide fanged grin on his face, Basil glanced both ways before exiting the alleyway to make his way toward his destination. Even though he was leaving the market area, the streets still had Ferals walking about. Most were ducking into shops or just spreading more gossip by standing on the sides of the pathways. It probably wasn’t anything of importance but if it helped them pass the time, more power to them. The feline hid a yawn behind his hand at feeling the sun beating down on him which felt nice for once. The start of spring meant produce to at least get them by and hopefully prepare for the harsh winters to come. It’s not as if the King gave them a hand. Hell, he wouldn’t even lift a finger if they were in need.

‘I really wish I could see the guy’s face to give him a good pounding…or perhaps just burn his skin off.’ A bit gruesome but it only angered Basil to know that they were stuck in his city with no means of being provided for. There were those who were fed up with the King’s rule and decided to try and find a life elsewhere…but words came back that within a week, they were killed by the wilderness outside the gates. It was a good chance that it was those who didn’t know how to fight or at least fend for themselves. He certainly could…but even then, where would he go? It’s not like he had a home to return to…not anymore…or family…

Basil frowned with his head lowering when a quick flash of his brother’s face appeared in his mind. It was only for a split second but it made his heart clench with pain. What happened to his older kin?

 Surely…the soldiers he bravely went up against…ended him. The last memory he had was Saei being knocked out cold and carried away. Was he food for their beasts? It made his jaw clench to know the same people who possibly murdered his brother burnt down his home…killed his father…his friends…and even made him lose track of…

His feet slowly came to a halt when he had to clench his eyes with force when another memory resurfaced.

The snow storm was terrible…and grew worse by the second.

The cold was unbearable…

All he felt was her small hand in his…getting colder and colder…

It shivered…trying to hang onto him for dear life…

His lack of energy made it all seem like a blur…and before he knew it…there was no hand in his…

Saei told him to watch over her…

Basil deeply inhaled and slowly exhaled while reopening his eyes with a frown.

Everything he cared for…had been stolen…leaving a massive chunk of his heart missing that he knew nothing could fill.

Sighing once more, Basil raised his head to continue his way while tucking away those horrid memories in the back of his mind to hopefully never resurface…except for in a nightmare.

“P-p-please! I beg of you! I haven’t heard anything!” A voice cried out from the street adjacent to where he currently was and the tone made even his heart skip a beat in fear. This man was absolutely terrified of something…as if he was at death’s door. Basil pressed his back to a nearby building where some citizens were hiding in after hearing the bone chilling yell as well, unsure what was causing the commotion but the feline managed to get a peek at the scene around the corner. A few villagers were backing up from two individuals who obviously the center of attention. The one Feral, who Basil knew as the know-it-all of the district, was on his knees, trembling in complete horror with a few wounds on his body that were already starting to bruise over while the other man…stood over him but…Basil had never seen the likes of his gentleman before. He was a Feral…just like they were…with two blonde fox tails swaying behind him and long ears that were swiveled forward to continue to listen to the pleading man. The taller Feral wore a silken top that seemed to close together at his side that was held closed with a sash around his waist and a long skirt flowed down to his bare clawed feet. In his hand was a long pipe with a bit of smoke rising from the end.

“…you are the town crier…surely you have heard rumors…anything of the sort…” the mystery Feral rested his right elbow in the palm of his left hand, the end of the pipe resting against the corner of his mouth.

“I told you, I don’t know anything! Please! Let me go!” The crier begged with tears now forming in his eyes but his attacker sighed and closed his gleaming amber eyes.

“…you are making my job difficult…one simple lead and you would be going home a free man…but seems you need to be reminded just who is in control of this…delightful situation,” the unknown Feral opened his eyes slowly, his pupils turning into slits as he took a small inhale of his pipe to blow out dark red smoke. The oddity only made Basil narrow his eyes when the fox Feral approached the cowering crier who whimpered and guarded his face the best he could.

Why was a Feral attacking another one?! It made no sense. Even if it was a small squabble they never turned this lethal and something in Basil’s gut told him that he shouldn’t stand by and just watch. Gritting his fangs hard enough to make his gums white, Basil rushed out from his hiding spot to confront the fox with his fist raised in the air to land him a good one but in the blink of an eye, Basil only hit air where the fox used to stand. The villagers that still formed the small circle around him gasped softly at his entrance while Basil looked confused with his ears folding back. The town crier lowered his shaking arms to look up at his rescuer but it was short lived when Basil whipped around at feeling a presence behind him to see the fox terribly close, easily towering over him. Out of instinct, Basil took a step back to put some distance between the two of them but growled lowly and assumed a fighting stance. His knuckles started to light up with subtle flames while the fox didn’t seem all that interested. If anything, he appeared annoyed.

“…awfully brave of you…little cat,” he mocked and lazily held his pipe up to his lips again, only earning a deeper growl out of frustration from Basil.

“Why are you attacking another Feral?!” He demanded to know but at seeing the disinterested look in the fox’s eyes only made the hair on his body stand on end.

“Another…Feral…? You say it as if I am one of you.”

“You are or are you blind?!” The fox lowered his pipe a little and his lips tightened a bit. Feeling tension rising between the two, the dwindling crowd of spectators backed up even more. Some decided to hide within the confines of nearby shops to watch from the safety of the buildings while others hid behind street carts.

“If you are so intent on finding out what I am…what is stopping you from figuring it out?” The fox asked in a taunt, blowing out more smoke between his parted lips as his twin tails curled behind him.

“If that’s a challenge I’ll take it!” Basil bit out and sprung forward with his powerful legs to try and uppercut the mystery man but just like last time, he only cut through air. Unsure where the fox had vanished to, Basil’s knuckles sparked with more fire that started to engulf his entire hands.

“A Feral and a Caster…not odd to see…but you are still very foolish to even cross my path,” the fox’s voice whispered right into his ear from behind and Basil gasped loudly in pain when a shock went through his system from his spine. The attack ended in the blink of an eye and forced Basil to the ground in a fetal position, quivering in agony. The fox Feral stood over him once more with his pipe held loosely.

“You’d do best to not meddle in the business of an Imperial,” he warned and looked back to the town crier who was still in the state of shock at what he had just witnessed. Basil was laying right before him; his fire had gone out as he tried to calm down the shocks in his system.

“Now, where were we? Ah yes…surely you must know something about the mender who seems to be hiding away in this city. The king would very much like to speak with them,” the fox smiled almost dangerously with his fangs showing but the attacked feral lowered his head until his forehead touched the dirt road.

“I s-swear I know nothing of it…” his voice was broken and came out in whispers, still exhausted from his beating with the Imperial.

“…tis a shame…oh well…maybe you do not know anything…I’m sure your life is more precious than that of someone else’s right?” The fox shrugged and felt like he wasn’t going to get anywhere with interrogating this feral so he turned to leave but stopped in mid step when he felt a harsh hand gripping the hairs on his fluffy tail. Looking back over his shoulder with a hum in curiosity, he noticed the feline glaring up at him with a few droplets of blood leaking from the corners of his mouth and gripping his tail hard.

“Y-you…b*****d…” Basil managed to say but the fox swung his tails to release himself from the hold.

“I would watch your tongue, little cat. One more attack from me would stop your heart…if anything…I am being terribly generous in allowing you to breathe. So for now, do not raise my anger,” the fox smiled wider and with one last puff of his pipe, he turned away from the crowd to wander down the street. Villagers made way for him, not wanting to become the next victim to an Imperial but Basil continued to watch his backside. He couldn’t believe what he had just went through…and his body paid the price for it. His head grew heavy and his vision started to blur.

‘…all this…from one attack…?’ He asked himself and allowed his head to rest on the cooling dirt. ‘…it hurts so much…’ His red eyes slowly closed with a weak groan but his keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps…growing further away. Were they ignoring him…even the feral he just saved…or at least pulled the attention off of? Each second made him feel closer to losing consciousness and no one seemed to want to lift a finger to at least get himself inside safely.

‘I was…reckless…’

The sounds around grew quiet…except for a few conversations that was muffled and probably talking about how idiotic he was but to his surprise, he heard footsteps once more. Except…this time they were coming closer to him. Was someone passing by? Wanting to sidestep him?

“…these wounds are bad…it’s going to be alright,” whispered a tender voice from above him. Basil moaned a bit when he felt a warm blanket being placed along his injured spine. “You can sleep. These will heal up soon.”

With his consciousness failing, so did his senses. The voice…sounded very feminine…and he felt a small hand touch the wound on his back, suddenly making it bloom with warmth and the pain subsided.

‘…who is doing this to me…?’ He wanted to open his eyes but he was far too tired to even care before he slowly succumbed to his body’s tiredness.

 

 

His head felt like it was swimming…drifting endlessly on rocky waves and he could stay like that forever if time allowed him but he felt his ears twitch slightly when a soft voice came near, humming. The song sounded…dare he say sad…but…

Basil moaned softly as his consciousness started to bring him back to the world of the living just in time to begin to hear words.

*Seasons have gone and left

Blistering summers

Frigid winters

But I am still lost*

The voice…was peaceful and he just wanted to go back to sleep. Whether it was out of being lazy and feeling rested or his body was still exhausted from that fox. Either way, his tail curled around his ankle when he felt a wool blanket being placed over him. He never felt something so nice. All he had back at his rundown home, which was basically just an abandoned building, was a torn-up mattress and a blanket with holes in it. Here…wherever he was…it was a real bed with pillows.

*Fire and shadow

Two halves of a whole

One day we will meet again

When the seasons have come and gone*

‘…keep singing…’ he asked them softly, his clawed fingers curling around the edge of the blanket to snuggle more into it but to his dismay, the woman’s voice stopped.

“…I can’t stay any longer.”

‘No…wait…’ There was rustling near him and despite his body wanting to remain like this for some time, he forced his eyes to open just slightly. He was facing a wall of an unknown place.

“Your wounds have been healed so just rest…goodbye,” the lady whispered and made her way to the door just as Basil willed his neck to turn to try and get a glance at her to hopefully give his thanks later but his felt his heart leap out of his chest when his hazy vision spotted a white feline tail vanishing past the door frame.

It couldn’t…

His mind had to be playing tricks on him…but why was his heart suddenly speeding up at the possible thought?

The man’s lips formed a name as flashes of a small shivering girl who clung to his arm as they fled from their attackers surfaced in his mind.