The Marked People

"New Horizons"

Indigo

I suck in a breath, eyes widening as I look at the three who stand before us. Beside me Phoenix is slowly shaking his head, disbelief and surprise flickering over his face. They want to change the DNA of Marked People?

Huh, and here I was hoping for a solution to our problem, not some mad scientist idea. A growl escapes from my mouth "And you think this is a better solution? No one would accept this. You really think you can make an entire species decide to have their DNA altered." New Horizons is crazier than I thought.

The look Winter gives me is pure disgust, noting my yellow markings and twitching tail. "It speaks after all. I didn't think you paid them to do that."

Now Phoenix frowns "I'd be careful with your words. I pay her to protect me, I don't pay her to protect you though."

Summer speaks, but this time to me. "It doesn't matter if our people want this. The truth is that it could solve all our problems. If we could have offspring without dying, the need for humans would no longer exist. Which means the problem stopping us from living peacefully alongside humans would vanish."

Winter nods "It would open the way for peace treaties."

Except they're wrong. I shoot Winter a glare, how did this moron ever think this was a good idea. "So you're telling me that if this solution worked, if people actually could have their own children without dying they'd be happy to give humans back their freedom." My markings glow yellow, almost gold with the amount of rage that fills me, "I don't know about you, but humans are used for a lot more than incubation tanks." I motion around me "The whole economy relies heavily on slave labour. You really think people will let that all fall away?"

Winter frowns but it's Spring who answers "No, but it will open the way up for a possibility of peace. At the moment there is no chance of that. Humans are a necessary resource. But once we take the need for them to keep our species alive... The debate can finally happen."

Phoenix isn't impressed and he slides a look at the humans that stand around us "I'm surprised you're all on board with this. This plan doesn't mean freeing humans, it just means making them no longer necessary for my own people to breed. It doesn't stop the fact that our society has them ingrained into its culture as nothing more than slaves."

Summer nods "You're right. But until we can find a solution to our own kinds problem, humans will never have a chance at being anything more than a resource."

She's right. Certain steps have to be taken in order to achieve any kind of change. But I don't like it. There's no assurance that humans will actually be better off after this. Sure we won't be killed anymore for Marked People to have children, but we'll still be in work farms, still be traded and sold. I shiver, humans will still be given to people like Gywdo to be used as nothing more than canvases for 'art'.

"My bodyguard," Phoenix looks at me for a moment "Brings up a very good point. Even if this is possible, people won't accept it. How many people do you think would be happy to undergo a painful transformation just so that humans are no longer needed." Phoenix raises an eyebrow "Because I have the feeling many would rather slaves go through the pain than have themselves turned into walking science experiments."

Summer smiles now, colder than before "You forget, not everyone is as concerned with blood purity as those who walk in your social circles."

Phoenix doesn't back down "You're right, but then again it's people in my social circle that make the rules, that pass laws and decide what should happen. I doubt you'd have much luck convincing them that our species should change." He's shaking his head now "My mother refused to let a human carry her children. She preferred dying over letting us be born from a human. You really think people so obsessed with purity would allow our entire species to undergo genetic modification?"