It Pours

Arweanne & Attacker (It Pours, image by James Goudie)

“Ugh, it never rains.” Arweanne complained from beneath her hood, her Inarian ears poking out from slits on the sides. Her words came through the breathing apparatus she had to wear outside on Sorbis V. She held her books tightly to her chest.

And she was right. It NEVER rained on Sorbis V. The last time she’d felt rain on her head had to have been months ago.

“Of course, the one day I bring everything to work.” She huffed and sighed.

She abruptly stopped underneath the front entrance of a bar and looked around, thinking for a moment. She spotted the alleyway across the street, something that would save her an incredible amount of time. Bright neon lights showed in the distance beyond the alley, dulled by the rain and what little light penetrated the clouds.

Such a dreary day, she thought.

“It’s okay.” She reassured herself, gripping her books tight to her chest, “these will make up for it.” She said, beaming down at them.

Arweanne started a brisk walk across the street. There was very little traffic here aside for foot traffic. Sorbis V was known for being somewhere you could live and happily walk wherever you needed to go no matter where you lived there.

“Aye!” Arweanne heard someone shout from behind her. She looked back to see a figure through the rain at the entrance of the alley.

Arweanne turned back to face in front of her and put her head down as she rushed forward through the rain, stopping for no one.

“Nope,” she said. “Just keep going.”

Sorbis V was unfortunately known for an abundance of crime. Despite the many happy citizens who lived there, it being a frequent stop for voyagers brought a constant flow of first timers and those who could easily slip through the cracks. Sadly, this brought about a rather large group of people who dwelled on Sorbis V solely to prey on others.

And Arweanne knew a predator when she saw one.

She slowed as she looked up to see another figure up ahead of her at the other end of the alley.

“No…” her heart sank as she frantically tried to find a way to escape.

“Where you goin’?” the person taunted behind her as she looked to see them slowly getting closer.

“Yeah, you lost?” the other asked with a chuckle, filtered through a breathing apparatus like Arweanne's. Behind it, she recognized eyes like her own too- Inarian, but sharp, focused... cold. They looked back to ensure no one was coming their way and continued toward her.

Arweanne breathed and backed herself against the wall. She held her books in one hand as she used the other to reach inside her coat pocket.

The predators leapt forward toward her, now believing she may have something to defend herself with.

She screamed as they came up on her and her books fell to the ground. She felt a pain race across her arm and she pulled her hand out of her pocket in pain, empty-handed. She held the cut and looked up to see the two of them. One was Gervian, his hand over her mouth and a knife dripping a small amount of blood in the other. He held the blade to her neck. The other was an Inarian, like her, and she had a haunting grin strewn across her face. Arweanne looked at them and felt an awful feeling radiate from them, one she was unfamiliar with. One that frightened her deeply.

I’m going to die, she thought.

“Let’s see what’s in that pocket of yours.”

“Hey!” A booming voice shouted in the distance, rumbling through the alley like thunder.

The two captors looked back to see a large figure walking toward them through the rain. They looked to each other and the Gervian nodded the Inarian off to take care of it.

The Gervian looked back to Arweanne who stared intently at him. He grinned and scoffed at her. “Just a moment, darling. This’ll be short.”

The figure continued toward them, taking their cloak off. Somehow, instead of shrinking their stature, it almost seemed to instead reveal it even more. The Inarian gave a good chuckle and took out a small handgun. “If you know what’s good for ya, you’ll get-”

The figure threw their cloak at the Inarian. She quickly raised her gun and began to fire toward the cloak. As it fell to the ground, she watched as the figure was running on four legs across the wall. She shot at them as the beast leapt toward her, tackling her to the ground, the shot almost silent. Another shot went off as they tumbled for a moment.

“Lennie!” the Gervian yelled. “You- UGH.”

The Gervian took a couple steps back as he reached for his groin in agony. Arweanne then took off down the alleyway.

The Gervian laughed through a groan as he pointed his knife out toward her. “Ooo, you are going to pay for that…” A flame erupted, enveloping the blade.

“Then I’ll pay for this.” A voice growled from behind the Gervian. He looked back to see a white-furred Maratasen towering over him. He took a couple of steps back, now holding the blade toward him, the light of its flame revealing the mad snarl of the Maratasen.

“Lennie?” the Gervian cried out from around the Maratasen.

“Lennie’s gone.” the Maratasen’s voice rumbled.

“Y-you’re gonna get it, man. I’m- I’m not k-” his voice left him as the Maratasen gripped his neck with absolute speed.

The Gervian stabbed at the arm holding his throat, but the Maratasen caught it and stopped him dead in his tracks. The Gervian felt a squeeze course through his arm harder and harder, the knife involuntarily releasing from his hand as it fell to the ground, its flame fading.

The Gervian felt the weight of his body leave his legs as he lifted from the ground. He desperately reached for his throat and tried to pry the Maratasen’s fingers from it but to no avail. The Maratasen watched as the Gervian’s eyes watered and pled for forgiveness.

The Maratasen looked upon the Gervian as he gently set him back down to the ground. He was reminded of someone he’d once spared… someone he should’ve never let go. A face he saw through embers plea the same plea. He pictured his face, and the scar across his eye burned at the thought.

The Gervian smiled for a moment between gapes for air as the Maratasen’s grip became weaker. “Th-thank y-”

“No.” the Maratasen whispered as he closed his eyes, slowly squeezing more and more until he heard a snap.

The rain was the only thing that moved for a moment.

The Maratasen wasn’t quite back to reality, something he sometimes struggled with. He looked up to the rain, feeling it beat on his face. Presence. He was here. He felt the rain and felt the puddle soaking his feet. He took a deep breath and tossed the Gervian’s lifeless body to the side.

He picked up his cloak to leave but stopped at the sight of Arweanne at the entrance of the alley. He looked to see her books laying on the ground, soaking wet at this point. He picked them up and carried them to her. She seemed reluctant at first like she might run, but she stood her ground in the rain as she let the beast hand her the books she’d been working hard to protect.

“Here,” his voice rumbled again, but to a more soothing tune.

“Th-thank you.” She said, her eyes seeming to blink endlessly.

“I overheard them talking about you outside the bar after you left. I knew it had to be trouble.”

“I don’t know what to say…”

“It’s okay. Just go where you were going and get there safe.”

She took a step back almost instinctually, still processing.

“First, tell me your name.”

He looked at her intently for a moment, rain dripping from his brow. “Bogys, they call me.”

“Well, you’re anything but.”

He smiled a slight smile.

“Thank you. Now, go already. Be careful.” He waved her off.

She nodded and walked away.

He looked to the sky as the rain began to beat down harder.

“What about you?”

He looked to see she’d come back.

“Where were you heading?”

He shook his head, still feeling reality evade him right now, still seeing the embers. He blinked at the rain. It felt colder than before. “I wasn’t.”

“Come with me.” She said, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

He smiled and nodded. “I’d like th-”

BANG.

The sound rang throughout his ear, penetrating his very core. His breath escaped him from the shock of it, or was it something else? He watched as Arweanne covered her tucked ears and her eyes grew wide like the moons of his home.

“Bogys...? Arweanne asked.

She looked to Bogys as he touched his chest and held his hand out in front of him, blood dripping from his fingers.

“That’s what you get for being a hero!” A voice shouted from across the street.

Arweanne looked to see a figure running off into another alley. She took a few steps in their direction and heard Bogys collapse.

She rushed to him instead as he laid on the ground, looking up at the rain.

“Bogys!? Hang on, I’m gonna get help!” she put his giant paw tightly over his wound and took off into the rain.

Her words rang through his ears in such a jumbled mess that he didn’t even bother to try putting them together. His vision darkened and he gave in, closing his eyes as he simply listened to the rain.

“Don’t cry.” He whispered to the sky.

“I found it.”

Home.

by Chet Delano