The BLAU warriors returned to the Land of Birds. With the help of the mysterious group of fighters, the Keanoans were able to win the fish land battle against the Zitonians. However, despite securing their first victory in the war, the Keanoan lands felt very uneasy about the interference from such a large group of incognito fighters. Upon the arrival of the surviving bird warriors, the BLAU held a meeting for the entire base to address the situation.
The speech that the major gave to the hundreds of warriors was a mixture of congratulating, pep-talking, and planning for the future. Then he got down to business. He explained how they were going to deal with the random fighters if they were to show up at any of the upcoming battles. The instructions to the men were clear. They were not to engage in any fighting with them unless they were given the signals or commands to do so, or for self-defense. They also were not allowed to team up with them for any reason or situation. The major concluded with a few more lines of motivation before dismissing them all.
Terias and Reni were talking to each other about their first taste of war as they walked to the dorms. They both had much to share about the chaos that they witnessed and experienced on the battlefield. The fact that Terias was there reliving the events with his friend made him feel grateful to have made it back alive with only a few minor cuts and bruises. The two of them made it about three-quarters of the way there when someone called Terias’s name. He looked back and saw Sona standing a few meters away and waving at him. Terias told Reni that he would meet up with him at the dorm, and he went over to Sona.
“You came back! I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“Of course I’m back. Those spineless wimps were no match for me. Did you prepare that bath like I told you to?”
“No. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t wasting water.”
“Ah, Sona. Have a little more faith in me. I am the next leader of the birds after all. There’s no way I could let myself be killed before my reign.”
“If you say so, your highness.”
They smiled at each other for a moment then Terias said, “I should get some rest. I’ll stop by the recovery room sometime tomorrow.”
Terias turned to walk away, but Sona gently grabbed his arm.
“Terias, about that kiss . . . I’m not sure why I did it. Everything was happening so fast and I didn’t know if I would see you again and I’m sorry if-“
“It’s fine.”
Sona was slow to respond. It seemed like she thought Terias would have more to say.
“Oh. Uh, okay. I guess I’ll let you go rest now.”
Terias nodded and began to walk to his dorm. When he got a few steps away, he turned around and said, “Let’s go for a flight together sometime soon, when we’re both free. That sound good to you?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
And with that, Terias continued to the dorms to get some rest.
# # #
The sun was setting by the time that Mory, Rubi, and Sylo arrived at the amphibian base. Earlier, the base was calm and quiet, but by nighttime, a big party was underway. As Mory watched the energetic people having a good time, he almost forgot that they were spora. He had never imagined seeing all of those spora together celebrating so happily. Judging by the amused look on Sylo’s face, he presumed that she had a similar thought. Rubi laid a hand on Sylo’s shoulder.
“Come with me, Sylo. I’ll take you to meet some other new members and we’ll help you get settled in.” Rubi turned towards Mory. “Thanks for tagging along and helping me. Go enjoy the rest of this night and make some friends while you’re at it.”
“Alright, I will.”
“When your skin starts to itch, you can find the looter bite ointment in the first aid shack. Catcha later, Mory.”
“See you around,” Sylo said to Mory with a sweet smile.
Mory was surprised to see that the crocodile girl had a little cuteness to her. He waved to them as they walked away.
Mory looked around at all of the action that surrounded him. He was in no hurry to make friends as Rubi told him to. The people around him may have been his comrades, but they were still strangers.
Instead of mingling with others, he went over to the nearest pond and sat in front of it. He allowed his mind to drift as he watched fireflies twinkle and shine over the water. The first thought that came to his mind was his mother and sister. He wondered if they had been doing okay ever since he left them. Then he thought about Marlon and if he was putting his knowledge of insects to good use. He realized that he never asked Marlon how entomology would help him make a living.
Soon, he thought about Sona. He could never forget when they flew together over the Hatchling Forest. She was the bird that showed him what it was like to truly fly. Sadly, she showed him what it was like to fall as well. The memory of her kissing Terias lingered in his mind like an unwelcome pest.
Why him?
Mory continued to dwell on his disappointment until he heard someone sit down near him. He turned his head to the right and saw that it was Thacris–the grasshopper that he tried to attack when they played sharks and minnows.
“These fireflies are pretty dope,” he said. “You mind if I watch them with you?”
Mory shook his head. Neither of them said anything for the next few minutes. Even though Mory was never really fond of insects, he was fascinated by the glowing creatures in front of him. He thought that perhaps not all insects were a nuisance. He turned towards Thacris again.
“Listen, I’m sorry about what I did earlier. I got the wrong idea when I saw your manek form, and I just rushed in like an idiot.”
“No worries. Sannis tod me that you had a rough situation with some arthropods.”
“Yeah. They killed my father.”
“Was it that attack on the BLAU?”
Mory nodded. “I’ll make them pay for what they did.”
“So you plan to get revenge? What will you do after that?”
Mory was stumped by the question. He honestly hadn’t put much thought into life after the war.
“That’s not what’s important right now. Killing those bastard bugs is the only thing that matters.”
“Well, I hope everything works out for you in the end.”
“What’s your story?” Mory asked. “Why were you in the Land of Birds if you’re from the Land of Reptiles?”
Thacris rubbed his hand over his short, brown hair. It took a moment for him to answer.
“If you thought life as a spora was hard, try being an insect spora in Keanos. When I was a kid, my parents wanted to make sure that absolutely no one knew about my manek. I had to pretend to be a manekless vora in order to survive. We were able to keep my power hidden until I was thirteen. Five years ago, after a day at the academy, I saw five guys beating up on some guy with a pig manek. I switched into grasshopper mode and opened up a can of whoop-ass on those losers.”
“You took on five guys and won? Your classmate was lucky you came along.”
“Indeed. The kid was saved, but the feudal lord and the reptilian high council found out about me. The bullies got off free while I was accused of being a terrorist who snuck into the continent. I was put in prison and eventually sentenced to death. Just before my execution, Sannis showed up at my cell and plucked those metal bars out of place with his crazy wolf strength. We fought off the prison guards and booked it out of the Land of Reptiles. From then on, I had been traveling from land to land with Sannis until the war started.”
“That’s insane. I can’t believe your own people would treat you like that, even if you are a spora.”
“In their eyes, I was something worse than a spora.”
“That feudal lord sounds like a real scumbag. They should’ve been the one getting executed.”
“I had that same thought for years after my escape. I wanted nothing more than the chance to kill him in front of every reptile in the land, but then I started to meet people who had been through struggles and pains. Just like me. I felt much better when I let go of my hatred towards the reptiles and focused on connecting with other spora. Besides, that old fool is no longer the feudal lord anyway.”
Thacris looked around at the festive group of people. “You see all of these people here? At some point, they all wanted to give up, or run away, or get even with someone. When I met them, that’s when I realized that there’s more to fight for than just myself. I have to fight so that the kids that come after me don’t have to go through the same mess that I went through.”
Mory rubbed his fingertips along the sheathed sword at his side. “So should we just let those who harmed us to continue living as if nothing happened, or do we fight them to make the world a better place?”
“You have to make the decision that is for the sake of those who you love. If you’re gonna defeat the arthropods, don’t do it to avenge your dad’s death. Do it so you can save those who are still living.”
Mory gave himself a moment to let that idea sink through. For some reason, the final words from his father began to replay in his mind. Fight for your freedom. Maybe those words were somehow related to what Thacris was saying.
“Sorry if I sound preachy,” said Thacris. “I swear, I don’t normally say these kinds of things.”
“It’s fine. I kinda have a feeling this was something that I needed to hear.”
The sun had finished setting and the fireflies shone their light even brighter than before.
“So what happened to your parents, if you don’t mind me asking?” said Mory.
“I have no idea. I haven’t been back to that village ever since I left. I’m gonna do everything I can to be with them again . . . If they’re even still alive. Sometimes, I wonder if leaving them like that was the right thing to do. Who knows what the reptiles could’ve done to them.”
“You didn’t have much of a choice.”
“I know.”
They sat there, listening to the tune of crickets, croaking frogs, and chattering people. After a while, Mory stood up.
“Come on, Thacris. Let’s go make some friends.”
Thacris smiled and hopped up to his feet. The two of them made their way toward the party to meet the people who would one day become as close to them as family.
Fantasy