Feral Heart by Duron Crejaro (distant reading .TXT) 📕

our end and attack from within. Between Bobby and I, we had most of the Wylder on our side. I was hopeful that when the fighting began, the rest would side on the idea of freedom over imprisonment. I was still not quite sure which side Rees was on, but it was to late to worry about that now. They were coming, and win or lose we were going to try.

 

I lay in my bunk, trying to sleep, a few hours rest would do me good I thought. Yet, try as I might, sleep would simply not come to me. I tossed in the bed, my mind racing a million thoughts a second, I wondered why. Why if I was Wylder as everyone kept claiming, didn’t I have any abilities? I did manage after some effort to fall into a fitful slumber, filled with dreams of Wylder.

 

Something woke me, maybe my dreams, but I didn’t think so. It was just a feeling, a sense of foreboding that brought me to instant wakefulness. Then it happened, the blaring of alarms in the distance. It was to early I knew, some kind of warning system had been tripped, and now the enforcers knew they were coming for us. The door crackled with mechanical life as it slid open and a small group of enforcers shuffled in to stand guard before the door clicked shut, locking. Tarin and the others were walking into a trap. I started to panic, filled with trepidation. What do I do now? Another ambush on them would spell disaster, but it was to late to turn back. As stealthily as I could I worked my way over to Cami.

 

“Send Nali, warn Tarin and the others, they have to know they’ve been spotted or they’ll walk into a kill zone.” I hissed under my breath at her.

 

With nothing more than a nod, she closed her eyes, speaking to Nali as only she could. I looked over to Bobby who nodded. He already knew what the alarms meant, and seeing me with Cami, knew what I was up to. His flesh rippled, and suddenly I realized why they called him the wise one. He had grown to nearly seven feet in height, his entire form changed; he now looked like something from a fairytale, or perhaps a nightmare. I knew the creature from my history lessons; he was some sort of Owl. Later I might laugh at the notion, for they were considered a wise animal. A high-pitched screech reverberated through the room as he took flight towards the closest guard. That was when all hell broke loose.

Chapter 21: Revolt

Bobby landed on the nearest guard, his outstretched talon-like feet catching him in both shoulders as he rode him to the ground. The man had no time to react, not even a half-assed attempt to bring his weapon to bear. A well-placed blow to the head with his large vicious curved beak ended any noise he might have made in the terror of his last moments. Almost all of the Wylder in the room brought their extravagant powers out. Time slowed as I looked around, Gloria rushing a guard, with a snarl dripping saliva on her snout, claws extended. Across the room a flitter of movement, as a young man I knew only as Wind, who never spoke, danced in and out of reality as a guard try to pin him down with a tazer, only to fail miserably and end up laid out on the floor writhing in pain, all the air forcibly removed from his lungs.

 

It took less than a minute to subdue the guards posted in our area. We were still locked in but a bull of a man named Bruno alleviated that. After the battle he changed from his half man form into something wondrous, a humongous albino Rhino, complete with its horn. We cleared space for him, and I thought Bruno was such a fitting name as he charged across the room and smashed into the door. The metal hinged and reinforced frame groaned under the onslaught before exploding outward, taking the door and quite a bit of the wall with it. Before leaving the immediate area, I stopped those that were in charge of the groups we had broken into, urging them to remember that there may be other holding areas with Wylder, and to make sure to free them if they could. One Wylder I didn’t recognize by name asked about the enforcers, I gave her a shrug. “If they resist, end them.” I felt distant from myself as I said it. If I had been thinking instead of moving forward under the pressure of sweet freedom and the danger’s those coming to save us faced, I might have shuddered at my own callousness.

 

Everyone split up as we left the common area. I was followed by Cami, a young Wylder girl named Mikoi, and a small group of men of various tribes. We ran into little opposition as we made our way through the compound. Those we did run into were so hopelessly outnumbered that they turned tail and ran, or were dealt with in quick fashion. The screams of those that refused to run would forever be etched in my mind. Along the way, we liberated a handful of other’s that had deemed to dangerous and were locked away in solitary confinement. They were astonished to be freed from captivity by a group of their own kind, and joined us right away. It took longer than expected to make it to the outside, the entire complex was mazelike in its design. Soon enough, Mikoi spotted a sign and we were pointed towards the exit.

 

Once outside we heard the gunfire, and the faint echo of screams. The group stopped at my command to regroup and take count. All told there were fourteen of us, myself, Cami, Mikoi and our honor guard, plus the extras we had picked up. As we regrouped, Bobby and Rees’ groups joined us, followed a minute later by Gloria’s. Many were still resplendent in their shifted forms, making our combined group look fearsome. Together we numbered near fifty. I didn’t take the time to count. A large pack of ferocious beasts, all tooth and claw, with a few that looked normal but were just as dangerous if not more so than the other’s. I smiled to myself as I looked at them. All these Wylder, following me, following a plan I cooked up. They say I’m Wylder to, but I feel like the most human of the bunch. Was I wrong?

 

My inner contemplations were put on hold as more gunfire rang out in the distance. No doubt, when the perimeter alarms sounded, the majority of the enforcers were called to the walls to defend against the approaching enemy. So far it had worked out to our advantage, but that meant that Tarin and those with him were bearing the brunt of the enforcers power. I felt something then, deep within myself, calling to me. I didn’t quite understand it, but ignoring it wasn’t an option. I let loose a guttural yell that surprised me, and went charging off to the southeast. The others, either inspired or confused by my actions, followed without delay.

 

We came upon them from behind. They were all focused on the encroaching enemy before them that they never saw us coming. I stopped some twenty feet from the wall. Going in myself would be pointless. I had no weapons to bring to bare on them. I stood back, apart, a spectator in the carnage that followed.

 

Wylder after Wylder, of all breeds and designs leapt upon the wall from behind, claws, tooth and nail digging into concrete as they scaled the wall. Enforcers all upon the ramparts, weapons aimed ahead. After the fall of mankind nature had begun to reclaim everything, and the once concrete construct of man ahead was now a riddled wasteland of debris and natures regrowth, giving Tarin and the others ample cover. Blood was what I most recalled of the event. blood and sadness, my own in particular. The needless waste of human life, the suffering of the Wylder. Were we not all of the same world? Did we all not descend from the earth itself? I was sure the answer was yes. I knew that the killing and animosity bred by unknowing hate and distrust had to end. But how?

Chapter 22: Unexpected Surprise

The fighting ended in minutes, surprised and overcome from behind, the defenders on the wall turned to the new onslaught with fierce determination. The overwhelming numbers and firepower at their disposal availed them little. The Wylder were organized and in their element. They had already gotten a taste of blood and revenge and were more than ready for more.

 

After the carnage had ended, I made them bury the dead. The humans deserved a proper burial I thought. The Wylder we had lost would be carried back to Springwell and given their own burials with family and friends nearby. Cami had spent much of the aftermath crying and inconsolable. She was such a kind heart, and all the violence had taken its toll on her. It hurt me to see how easily crushed she was, being a member of the Wylder was going to be hard on her I was sure.

 

Tarin was a sweaty bloody mess when I found him. I hoped none of it was his. He was walking with a slight limp, one of his injuries from the previous ambush no doubt. It was strange, as I stood apart watching him. In such a short time, I found myself thinking about him more and more. He had risked his life multiple times for me. I fascinated him. How did I feel about him? I wasn’t sure yet. He smiled at me when he caught me staring at him, a broad toothy smile that said I see you. I looked away, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. Maybe there was something there after all.

 

Several days later, I was wandering aimlessly about Springwell. Everything had started to settle into a normal routine. The new Wylder had been given lodgings. The dead were buried. Life was moving on as if nothing extraordinary had happened. It was peaceful. I had been called by Aeolia to come see Bobby at his house, it didn’t seem odd really, Bobby and I often spent a great deal of time talking. He was a wealth of information