In Trias

Chapter Six

Talons clicked along concrete as a figure fled towards the shadows. Her skin glowed brightly, chasing away any place she might hide. The shadows fled with her presence; her glow giving her away in an instant.

One particular shadow didn't flee her.

It took the form of a large wolf-like animal, with six legs and four bat-like wings. Its six blood red eyes regarded her curiously. It opened its jaws, revealing a glowing red maw and tongue.

"Come with us, sister"

She was confused for a moment. Another like her was in the area? Who even were they? A boy? A girl? Their voice was less of a voice and more of the words appearing inside her skull. 

The shadow turned on its heel and bounded off, so she followed it. It led her to an abandoned sector on the edge of Trias. Gang wars had long ago cleared the area, so nobody came here anymore.

The place was basically deleted from Trias.

The wolf-like shadow bounded up the fire escape with little problem, stopping and waiting for the girl. Her new form could clamber up the metal frames much faster than her human form.

The shadow melted off its host, a young boy with pitch black hair and doe-like blackish-brown eyes. He wore a black hoodie and black, knee length jean shorts.

He sat down, holding a smaller version of his shadow form in his lap and scratching it behind its ears.

"I'm guessing you don't know what or even who you are"

She shook her head, still trapped in her glowing form.

"Just imagine your human body"

She did so, and to her surprise the watery form she'd been in melted off her. A smaller version of her twelve legged, finned form darted across the platform to sniff at and then play with the shadow boy's formling.

He handed her a pale blue tank top, dark navy sports bra and underwear, as well as dark bluish black jeans.

"Didn't know your clothing size so I grabbed what I thought would fit"

"I saw your form on the streets so I figured you'd like blue"

She changed quickly, confused by his blase reaction.

"How come you weren't remotely embarrassed?"

"I'm gay so I don't really care"

She nodded. The wind rushed through her hair, unbalancing her, so she sat down like the boy had.

"Yea, you might wanna stay sitting down"

"We're close to some of the top floors, so the wind is pretty vicious up here"

She just nodded again.

"What are they?"

She asked, gesturing to the little creatures playing and chasing each other on the metal.

"Ancient Ones"

The boy responded.

She blinked, looking from the creatures to the boy then back again.

"Ancient Ones? As in the myths, the stories we were told as children?"

He nodded calmly in response.

"From how your form took over the way it did, I'd guess you were one of the ones who were sealed away"

"If it had partially manifested I wouldn't have given a damn because you wouldn't be one of us, not really"

She blinked.

"One of us?"

She echoed.

"An Ancient One"

"The persecuted creatures from our past, called myths by fearful tyrants"