Atop the slope outside the city, Sem and Tatalia were locked together in a quiet embrace.
After Sem had returned from the city, the life he had risked everything for was gone. It was a sacrifice that seemed to end in vain, and Sem had expressed a great sadness in the loss.
Now it was time for Sem to get it together, for as far as he knew, their struggle hadn't ended just yet.
Tatalia didn't do much; she wasn't caressing Sem or anything of the sort—she just held him, though her eyes had been closed. After Sem cried into her shoulder for a time, Tatalia had adjusted herself to be more interlocked with him. Still on their knees, Sem and Tatalia now sat flushed together in a state of complete trust and mourning. Her head hung just barely over Sem's shoulder; the side of it gently resting against his, and her arms were wrapped around the backs of his shoulders. It was evident of her feelings resonating with Sem's, as the rims of her eyelids were moist in her lashes.
Sem's arms were wrapped around Tatalia's midsection, his sharp-nailed hands carefully gripping the back of her blouse. As Sem's breath shuddered, he took a deep breath, and his grip soon slowly released. Sem exhaled soft and slow, as he soon rose his head and pulled away. As he did, Tatalia own body reacted naturally, as she let Sem slip away. They were no longer locked together, as both of them rested back on their ankles. Tatalia kept a tender, saddened gaze locked on Sem's face. She knew the essence of mourning hadn't yet left him, but she remained silently watching.
Though Sem's body was still facing Tatalia, his head was turned—his gaze looking upon the lifeless woman he had carried out of the city in a sad expression that almost felt numb.
"We can't leave her like this..." Sem said softly, "...but I don't think it's right for us to just take her from her people either."
"What are we going to do?" Tatalia asked. "And... what about sir Ken?"
Boom!
A crash had stormed over the city. Sem and Tatalia both immediately reacted to the sudden disruption, whipping their heads over to witness the dispersion of fire as buildings crumbled within an instant. The both of them had rushed to their feet.
"What was that?!" Tatalia asked in surprise.
Sem looked on as his mourning was instantly replaced by a troubled intensity—gritting his teeth.
"There's only one thing that it could be... It has to be Kenrir! I have to go back and help!"
As Sem turned a shoulder, he whipped his gaze upon Tatalia as he prepared to rush in.
"Tatalia! I need you to wait just a little longer! I promise you that I'll be right back!"
"But Sem, you're already injured, and you've barely had time to rest—" she began to argue, but her words had been cut off, as something evident had caught her by surprise. "Sem, look!"
As Sem turned his head to look in the same direction as Tatalia, the two of them could soon see a distant silhouette of Kenrir carrying something out of the intense flames.
"Ken?!" Sem exclaimed, and the two of them soon began to rush down the hillside to join up with him.
When the three of them got closer to meeting up again just outside the city, Sem and Tatalia could see more clearly that Kenrir was carrying out none other than a small, recognizable feature.
"Is that...?" Sem began to wonder, and as the distance was closed, he knew that it was so.
Sem's eyes soon spread upon Kenrir, the acquaintance which he had rushed into the burning city with, and soon looked upon him in an even greater shock than what he had before.
"One of our kind in a human city...?" Tatalia asked in a widened curiosity, "...but why?"
Kenrir knelt down, as he carefully laid down the small girl and rolled her onto her side.
Sem soon reached over the girl and grabbed Kenrir by the collar of his clothes, as he lifted Kenrir to his usual standing height over himself in frustration.
"You idiot! What have you done to yourself Ken?! Did you really just sacrifice a huge chunk off all your lives?! Why?!" The sight of Kenrir going from two to four tails had stirred up a burning concern for the equal life before him. It wouldn't mean much now, but he didn't want anyone to be lost to such tragedies in one form or the next anymore.
As Kenrir was lifted to his upright position, and shouted at while practically being held by the scruff of his neck, his expression had turned to one of mild annoyance.
"It was necessary... One of our own was desecrating the city. They are the reason all these lives have been lost... and I wasn't strong enough to stop him..."
Kenrir had given his explanation.
"He was too different from us. He shouldn't even exist, and without a way to stop him, I had no other choice. Now if you would please, quiet down your tone."
"Her ears... They're bleeding..." Tatalia's soft voice spoke, as she dropped to her knees between them.
Her words caught the attention of the two, and Sem loosened his grip as they both looked down upon the sight.
Tatalia ran her hand gently around the base opening of the small girl's ear, leaning over her with a face of pained concern. "Why are her ears bleeding, and why has one of our kind been living within the human city?" Tatalia's voice remained soft, falling quiet with caution. "What could have caused this?"
Tatalia soon brushed the hair from her face, and judging by the girl's tail, she knew that her suspicions were true. Moving the bottom of the small girl's dress carefully, Tatalia could see it—there were two.
"Oh this poor thing... She looks so young, and it looks as if... something had cut one of her tails short..."
Both Sem and Kenrir's expressions widened in shock, as they saw that Tatalia's words were true.
To crop one's tail was of the greatest dishonor among their raise. It was a symbol of being cast away, and disposed of by their race.
"Did she... come from a colony?" Sem questioned. "...But look at her. Who would do such a thing?"
Kenrir lowered himself back down, as he soon scooped his hand underneath the small girl's head—turning her face to look at her.
"Whatever has happened, I think it is best that we remain quiet around her for the time being. Something about her feels incredibly weak, and I get the feeling our voices won't help in that matter."
Kenrir's own tone had dropped significantly, becoming all the more quiet.
"'Our voices?" Sem asked in confusion, but his voice too was lowered, as if on instinct.
That's when the three of them were taken aback, flinching as something inexplicable began to happen.
"My darling daughter. I want you to have a name before we depart... a name that will reflect how much you mean to me... my dearest breath of life..."
The small girl's cheek shimmered over a fine line—the same place where Kenrir's tail fur had fallen, and within moments, the small girl's tails began to glow. One of her tails began to multiply, as the cropped tail began to grow.
The three of them watched in sudden amazement, left entirely speechless as a small miracle occurred right before their eyes—the shine of the small girl's tails refracting off of their eyes. Their surroundings were slightly illuminated, as the touch of her glow could be seen lighting up across each face.
As the girl's tails continued to grow and heal, the division of tails lit up every particle, and soon there were three as the light began to fade. A faint, translucent light rippled from the glowing strand on her cheek—the blood from her ears lit up in a brighter, soft glow, and as it all faded away.
"Did she just...?" Sem began to ask, but his thought was soon cut off, as the small girl slowly began to open her eyes.
"Remember that I will always be with you, wherever you are... and carry this name.
Variann... I love you..."
As the small girl opened her eyes, she was immediately greeted with stunned faces all around her, and she felt tired no more.
"Uhh...? Where am I...?" her soft, subtle, yet almost gravely voice asked. It only took her a second to realize her surroundings, as she froze briefly at the eyes watching her. Soon after, she noticed something else quite different; it was a feeling she hadn't had before. As she turned over to look—leaving Kenrir's hand—she jolted in shock, and quickly reached over in a panic as she gripped each of her tails within the hands of her own.
"My tails...!! What happened to them? Why are there three...?!"
Her voice was quiet, almost silent even, but it was clear she spoke in a panicked tone.
Variann turned to look upon each of the faces staring at her one after the other, in her own state of shock.
"Who... Who are you?" she asked quite softly, as her small body trembled before them.
"We—" Tatalia began, but her words were immediately cut off as yet another occurrence took her by surprise.
Variann jolted, her hands instantly racing to her ears as she gripped them and trembled, her eyes equally tearing up in a surge of pain.
"Please... not so loud..." the small girl complained, "The other noises are almost too much already..."
Tatalia hadn't been speaking loudly at all. Actually, her voice was still rather quiet, but to someone as special as Vari—her voice did indeed feel quite loud—as the intense shock waves surged through her very ears.
Since she awoke, Variann had completely forgotten about her troubles from within the city, as her mind had been greatly overworked by the sheer intensity of every vicious stimulation. It left her lost—out of place from her very mind, and yet, she was here.
Sem, Tatalia and Kenrir all gazed upon the young girl—stunned by all that had happened before them, and Sem himself felt a warmth brewing in his chest.
"We didn't fail... It wasn't all for nothing..."
It was a thought deep within his subconscious.
"I'm sorry..." Tatalia spoke quieter than she ever had before. It didn't sound like a whisper, as there was no whistle in her voice. It was simply quiet, and almost completely unheard. It was noted by both Sem and Kenrir just how quiet she was, as Kenrir looked up to Tatalia's lips in disbelief as just how quiet she was—and Sem looked upon the side of Tatalia's face, feeling the same.
"...We don't mean to cause you harm."
Tatalia found it difficult to speak so quietly, as being this quiet, was a practiced tone in which she lacked. "How do you feel?"
The young Variann hadn't unshielded her ears, but when she saw that the older, young woman was speaking softly enough, she soon removed her hands from her ears.
"I understand, and I'm sorry. I don't usually have to be this quiet, but it's my ears... I have... a sort of condition..."
Variann had indeed been quite confused, but while she spoke those words, memories began to come back to her little by little as her brainwaves gradually fell into place.
"Are you here with my mo—"
Variann froze, as the troubled memories gradually began flooding back.
"Mo—"
Tatalia could see the horror in the little girl's eyes, and she could easily determine at what cause and effect it would be.
"I'm sorry..." she tried to redirect, "...but what's your name?"
A familiar sense of emotions stormed over little Variann, as even the sheer mention of a name had enveloped misery upon her mind. She soon gripped her ears tight, as she attempted to simultaneously cover her eyes with her arms as she began to cry, but they were too far apart. It was impossible to wrap them over her face.
Variann cried out hard—almost suddenly—but in justifiable cause, as tears welled up heavily, and soon ran down her face. Her sounds of dismay were sharp, and it even slightly hurt her ears, but it was an inner pain more powerful than the one she was feeling in her ears. Her physical pain mattered not.
Sem, Tatalia, and Kenrir each doubled forward ever slightly, as they were each understandably so worried for the child-like girl before them.
The young Variann would go on to cry for some time, but soon Tatalia reached up to pull down at Sem's shoulder—bringing him bent over to whisper ever faintly into his ear.
"You see this miracle... Let's not forget what else we have. Please take Ken with you—I'll look after her."
Sem understood completely, and the reminder 'caused him to immediately tear up, though this time it did not fall. He knew what had to be done.
With that, Sem placed a hand on Kenrir's shoulder and turned his own suggestively while looking upon him, and Kenrir understood. There was something they needed to talk about in private.
Kenrir looked upon the small girl once more, and placed his hand on the back of her head for a moment, which caused a momentary shock for the small girl and caught her tear-soaked eyes.
Her breath shuddered, evident by the shake in her shoulders, and soon Kenrir stood up as him and Sem began to walk away.
Variann continued to cry amongst herself, while Tatalia remained closely beside her.
Every strain of Tatalia's instincts told her to latch onto the small girl, to comfort her however necessary—but she knew, or rather thought by the count of the small girl's tails that she should leave this broken heart untouched. Yet she stayed knelt by her side, not budging an inch. Tatalia continued watching over Variann with much the same expression she had towards Sem—empathizing with her completely.
Time had passed, and the city was now more in smolders.
Tatalia still hadn't moved an inch, and soon Variann began subconsciously looking at her in a different light. As Tatalia sat on her knees, resting on her ankles barely inches away, Variann soon removed her hands from her ears as she leaned over into Tatalia and buried her gripping hands and face.
Tatalia's eyes fell lower as she watched this social change, and soon placed her hand almost motherly like on the back of the small girl's head—barely caressing in the slightest as she wrapped her arm around Vari in security. Unlike with Sem, Tatalia knew it wouldn't be alright.
Many tears had been shed this day, but none enough to measure up to the fallen.
"My darling daughter... please go now... and remember me..."