First attempt at a short story. Oh lord, the horror….

May expand on this idea eventually. I plan on using the species in Never Home.

 

Intro

I be writing to save a friend. She be a good friend, but she be dying.

Me name be Syra, or they human way of saying it. In me tongue it mean poison. In they human word it mean free will.

Me people are the Cryme. You probably ain’t seen many of us around and less likely to see me subspecies, the Conservers. Conservers got they harder jaws and thicker scales and colder gems—the place that hold they babies. Conservers, well, our duty is that we protect they Founders, who look like us Conservers, but pretty.

You can laugh but it ain’t funny.

Founders and Pioneers be the better race. You be special being a Founder. Even better if you be a Pioneer. They look the same, though. Real pretty. They smile a lot, too. Don’t know what they got to be smiling about. Conservers only smile when we’ve gone and won something.

Them Pioneers are what populate them other planets. They carry a lot of little Souls in they gems. They Souls be babies, see. Tiny little Cryme. Life essence. We ain’t got no physical form until we’ve gone and survived the baby-growing process. That about one human week. After that, they baby Cryme just spill from the gem like pretty air. We form up all nice at about a foot. We can talk by then, too.

Depending on the gem, that what sort of Cryme you’ll be. Pioneers birth Pioneers. Founders birth Founders. Conservers birth Conservers, but we Conservers only get they Souls if we gone and done something special.

None of us have done nothing special in a long time. Longer then one of them human lives.

Now they Founders are they Cryme in the city. They be the politic Cryme. They like to confuse people, I think. They also don’t allow no Conservers to come into that pretty city, neither. They say we be looking too scary for the children. But they children just throw things at us, so that don’t make much sense to me.

They Founders be the reason the Cryme stay in order though, so I guess that a good thing. There be Founders called CouncilCryme. They C.C.’s make all they rules. Less than one human week ago, they make rule saying that Conservers no longer needed. We ain’t needed to protect no one since there be peace for several human centuries. So they say we ain’t allowed to have no Souls no more.

That’s okay, though. None of us thought we would.

 

Beginning

Instead of being sad, we Conservers be looking forward to a tournament. Out in they wilds, we get to fight all the time. We be getting strong doing that. We don’t waste no time with politics. We just bare our fangs and we fight until someone give up or lose a limb. It be a lot faster than waiting around for someone else to figure out how to settle the score.

This be where it be beginning, human. This is where it be starting, so you’d best pay attention. How many eyes you got? Two? Well, human, keep them two eyes on the page. Because us Cryme ain’t a social race. We ain’t talk to no one, humans included. We keep to ourselves and we populate other planets that ain’t got no one else living on them. We find that talking to them other races can get us into wars. We ain’t like wars. They Founders have to show Conservers off to the galaxy. They like to hide us like hay in that needle stack.

That be the right saying? I think so.

So I begin now, though Mania say many of Cryme words will not translate properly. We not even try to translate them Cryme jokes. It would be bad.

It be three days ago, right after them Founders say we Conservers can’t have no souls…

 

Me Report

I stand at that edge of the arena. Me two talons scratch at the dusty ground. It be the final round. Winner be the strongest in all the clans ‘cause me clan be the strongest of all the Conservers in the wilds, so don’t let no Cryme be telling you any different.

Me four fists clenched. Them nails dig into me soft hand skin. The pincers by me gem in me chest tap against me scales in anticipation. I kneel down and eye me opponent across the way. He look like me, but his face horns are longer. Mine be only past me jaw. His are like human bulls.

I don’t know his name. We don’t care much for names in they wilds. We ain’t need no names to stand out. We stand out by ourselves.

So No-Name, he stands across from me. It ain’t a long arena, barely a few paces across each way. There be a large crowd. They be hushed now as we stare each other down. Our double pupils lock on each other. We stare. It be a way of intimidation but neither of us be scared. From the crowd, the judge clicks his tongue. It be our way of saying: Ready! The judge hums: Set! The judge coos: Fight!

            I leap off the ground with me strong legs. No-Name, well, he be doing the same thing. We meet in the middle. Our four hands grasp the other’s and our foreheads be pressing up against each other. His horns be on the side of me neck, but only the tips are sharp. Our head spikes rub against each other. We show are sharp teeth. We growl.

His right leg falters. I take that chance and push him with all me strength. He be staggering back and I let go of his hands. Instead, I grip one arm with two hands while me other two keep his hands away. I yank on his arm.

He shows his teeth again.

I pull harder. Pain be showing in his eyes.

I switch hands and leave one arm to fend off his scratching hands. Me third hands presses against his face and with me other two arms, I tug at his arm one more time.

It pops and that crowd screams with they cheers. No-Name be looking angry so I let go and step back. His top left arm be dangling and he clearly be hurting. I show me teeth again, but this time I be smiling. I won that battle over No-Name’s arm. No-Name be looking unpleasant.

No-Name lunges at me and be taking me to the ground. I scramble for a position on top but No-Name ain’t happy with me so he don’t budge. He sits on me stomach and puts his lower hands on my lower shoulders. Then he be hitting me with his good arm and me blocking with me upper arms. He pitch his head back then he drop it onto me chest. His head spikes hurt me ribs and his head horns dig into me lower shoulders. This time he be smiling and I be showing my teeth.

I reach up with me two upper hands and grab his head. He be expecting that, so he dig his head horns into me harder, digging right through me scales. But I let him. He can think he won.

I grasp the base of his head horns. He don’t realize what I be doing, so he just let me. I think he might think I be panicking. But I don’t panic.

Me arms start to pop with muscle and I begin to push his horns the other way ‘round, away from No-Name’s face. He be realizing what I be doing and starts to pull up and away from me, but it be too late. I yank at his horns and as the crowd be falling silent, his head horns break with the sound of bone. Our head horns have nerves in them, see. So No-Name, he starts screaming. I use his broken horns and I be pushing them into his chest. No-Name starts to panic and that there crowd knows that it be over.

The moment a Conserver panics is the moment that Conserver loses control.

So No-Name be scrambling and trying to pull the horns out and releases me lower limbs. Me freed arms reach up and wrap around his back. I dig me fingers into his back scales and push him closer to me. No-Name braces himself against the ground so I rise up and meet him. The horns break No-Name’s scales and dig into his soft flesh beneath. No-Name throws his hands up as a sign of surrender. I let go and show me teeth.

I be smiling.

I get to me feet and No-Name pulls his horns out from his chest. They be covered in dark purple blood and a few other Conservers come to help him to the medical bay. I lift me arms and brace them against each other, hand-to-hand. Me fingers interlock and I face the judge and bow. He be a tall Conserver and his purple-blue eyes stare at me, but it ain’t for intimidation. He be praising me.

The judge nods and purrs, “You do good, warrior. You be the strongest now.” I nod. The judge mimics me and bows.

“I be believing a Pioneer be needing a Conserver,” he hums. I nod because I know them Pioneers be too soft to go out to another world alone. Us Conservers got to be protecting Cryme from hostiles and be protecting Pioneers when they be going to unknown planets.

“I will send you to the edge of the city,” the judge say. “There you be meeting a few softies. Be sure to clean up and be sure to be telling them that you are the strongest of the clan.”

“Of all the clans,” I correct him. The judge laughs—it be a sound like wind-chimes to them human ears.

“I be liking your confidence, warrior. They hunters are back. Get your fresh-kill and then be getting to the city edge.”

I go do as I am told and I be eating one of the beasts the hunters caught in the middle of our clan camp. Camp be made of broken metals and things thrown out from that there city. We don’t mind though, because out in they wilds, we get freedom.

After eating I run to the city’s edge. The battle wounds ain’t hurt much ‘cause I didn’t bleed, so I make it to the edge right quick.

The city be tall and I can’t see the tip of the tallest building without staring straight up. I stand at the corner where the trees stop growing and I wait in they shadows. I know the rules. I know I ain’t supposed to be seen. It only be when two other Cryme—them pretty types—exit from the gates and stand several paces away from they trees. One is male and he can’t be the Pioneer. They Pioneers have to be female, because they can carry they souls to new planets.

The Cryme next to the male is female, though. She be mighty pretty and don’t have no face horns or head spikes or even pincers over her gem. As she be talking, I notice she ain’t even got pointed teeth. I start to wonder how she can even eat any meat like that when the male looks hesitantly into trees. He lets out a soft coo.

They pretty types always sound nicer than us Conservers. This one be saying, You be there?

I step from the trees and that’s when I notice another thing. With me four arms crossed, me two eyes settle on the lack of four arms. They Founders and Pioneers only have they two arms. Me be wondering how they do anything with two arms. I put me lower hands on me hips and stare they two down. It is supposed to be a greeting, but the male shifts uncomfortably under me gaze. The female doesn’t seem to notice me as she continues to hum with her magical voice to the male:

“…you don’t be understanding, Deshyr. They not be lesser than us. Deshyr, they be our future. We just be needing to show them our world. They can be having their own sectors. But they ain’t be less than us. They just be different!” The female’s eyes be shifting and they settle on me with her double-pupil gaze. The female smiles and I show me teeth. What has she won, I be wondering.

“You must be the Conserver we be sending for,” she be saying. I dip me head in respect and she be smiling still. I tilt me head to the side in confusion and me pincers tap me small gem in me chest in confusion. The Pioneer laughs softly.

“You be a girl,” she says as if she be surprised. I straighten then and I show me teeth again.

“I be the strongest of me clan,” I reply, the tone of me voice much crueler than hers.

“I be Mania,” she tells me. In our tongue it means lover. In your tongue it means the goddess of hell. “I be the Pioneer.” She taps her gem which is quite large. Skin be stretched over it and it be glowing like mad. She be smiling again as she looks at it. “I be carrying six children of different homes. Six different families.” She be looking up at me again and I grunt—a sound that mimics human whistling. “You understand the process of baby transferring?” she asks.

“Of course,” I chime, “your gem is filled with them other families’ souls. They ain’t going to be yours, but they be growing up to be Pioneers because of that there gem on your chest.”

“I told you,” Mania hisses to the male to her left. “They be smart like the rest of us.”

“I ain’t asking you, the vote be cast already.” the male responds. I take several steps forward and I be towering over him.

“She be me Pioneer,” I say to him, me eyes narrowed. “You be treating her with respect. She be under me protection now.”

The male looks at me challengingly. I grip his throat and toss him to the left, my lower hands still on me hips. He flies across the ground and slides over the dirt. I show me teeth in a smile.

“You see,” he spits, getting up. “They be ruthless.”

“She just be protective,” Mania defends, stepping in front of me and placing one arm on me. “That ain’t so bad, is it?”

The male dusts himself off and grunts. “Just be getting to your ship, Mania. Them co-ordinates be in there already.” He turns and walks back to that there city. Mania smiles up at me and I tilt me head to the side in confusion. What has she won? I wonder once more.

Mania takes me hand in her two hands and leads me around the pretty city. We come to a docking bay where a small ship be waiting, the engines running and the ramp down leading to the door inside. Mania motions to that there ship.

“Have you ever been in one?” she be inquiring. I shake me head.

“I be living in the wilds. We only leave when we be called.”

“That reminds me,” she says as we enter the small ship. “What be your name?”

I grunt again and shake me head once more. “Conservers don’t need no names.”

“Oh, but surely you have one!” she exclaims, looking quite distressed with her pretty little face, cover in layers of softer scales. She sits down on that there pilot seat and gestures for me to be sitting next to her. I sit, but the seat is clearly made for the smaller Cryme and not for me subspecies of Conservers. I show me teeth in frustration.

“Them other fighters call me poison,” I reply, the word poison in me tongue being, of course, Syra. “I be beating them and they be saying I be a poison to them health.”

Mania laughs and pokes at the ship’s controls. We start to take off of me planet. I momentarily wonder if I be seeing it again but know me fate now lay with Mania. She be me Pioneer and I need to protect her with me life. I stop wondering if I be seeing me homeworld ever again.

“I guess that’s what we be calling you,” she pipes. “Syra seems to be fitting you.”

I nod and wonder if I’ll need reminding of me name later on. We exit the atmosphere. Mania looks at the co-ordinates and starts to punch them into the ship’s controls when that there homeplanet starts making sounds quite unmusical. Mania looks at the radar and gasps.

“The guns are aiming at us!” she curses—a word I will not be translating into them human tongue—and hits the controls frantically. “They must want me out of the game for wanting you Conservers to be an unrestricted race,” she say, whatever that mean. I can tell she be frightened though and I look at them controls in front of me. I ain’t familiar with ship controls, you see, so I hesitate before pushing a single button. Mania screams with horror.

“Syra! You just brought down our shields!”

I don’t know what that be meaning, but from the look on her face I ain’t doing a good job protecting her. Something hits us and our ship starts spinning in space. Mania screams and slams her hands against the controls. Our ship jerks forward and the stars in the main window start to fly past us. Mania’s face looks distressed and I turn me eyes to her.

“They actually fired on us!” she mutters over and over. I reach over and put me two upper hands on her shoulders. She calms down a bit but continues rambling.

“They didn’t like me suggestions,” she say, “but resorting to murder?” She touch her gem in her chest and close her eyes for a moment. I grip her shoulders tighter.

“We be okay now,” I tell her calmly. She open her eyes and smiles sadly at me.

“It is not, Syra,” she hums in that beautiful voice of hers. The console starts to beep and I pull me hands away. She turns to look at controls and frowns. Her eyes be tired even though we just started our journey.

“We be damaged,” she whispers. “We won’t make it to that there planet we be sent to. We have to land to get them repairs.” She look at me. “Them C.C. won’t want me alive to tell them Souls about me ideas.”

“They don’t kill souls,” I protest in me harsh voice. “They be the CouncilCryme. They be good.”

She stare at me long and hard until I look away, feeling foolish, though I not know why. She reach over and pat me arm.

“They be taking your Souls from you.” she coos.

“They just say we can’t have none,” I reply, glancing at Mania. “They ain’t taking what we don’t have.”

“They be taking your rights. You be letting them.”

“We be loyal,” I growl, quite unlike her musical voice. I puff up me chest and sit tall, staring at her, “We Conservers do what them pretty ones say. That be the way of things and there ain’t no way ‘round it.” I repeat the words I hear so many times in me tribe on me homeplanet. The elders say it a lot. They say it to themselves, too, but I think that’s a little silly. Why say something you already know?

Mania shakes her head and turns back to the controls. “That be your fault,” she whisper, “that be what will kill you: your blind obedience.”

I pause for a moment and think on her words. Is she suggesting I don’t obey them pretty ones? But then she be saying I don’t need to obey her. She can’t say that, can she?

“You know Conservers be the only Cryme ain’t allowed in the C.C.?” she asks.

“Of course I be knowing that,” I answer. What a silly question. Everyone knows that. Mania doesn’t say no more and just stares out the window for a long time while the console beeps its warning of the damaged systems. I look at her and tilt me head.

“What’s it like to have a Soul?” I say. She look at me and smile.

“You want a Soul?”

“No—no, of course not,” I say hastily, “them C.C. said I can’t have none. I ain’t disobeying no orders.”

Mania frowns. “Answer me.”

I fidget with me hands and glance away. I hear about what happens to Conservers who don’t do what they been told. They don’t come back to our tribes.

I swallow hard. I remember what me mother tell me, they day she disappear. She grab me by the shoulders and stare into me eyes fiercely. You ain’t got to be afraid of no one. You ain’t got to do what no one asks you. You strong. You continue to be strong, me little Soul.

I look at Mania. “Yes.” Me voice is firm and hard. “I want a Soul of me own. I want to birth a Soul.”

“Why?” she ask.

“Because why not?” I answer, because I have no better excuse. She smile at me.

“I can give you one of the Souls I carry.”

“But you be the Pioneer—I can find a mate—”

She cuts me off with: “We can’t go back. You know that, don’t you?”

I do not know that. I suppose it make sense though, seeing how they Founders try to kill us. So I nod and look back out that big window ahead of me. Mania glances at that there radar and gestures to a blimp on it.

“That be a planet,” she say, “we land there. We should be able to get them repairs and leave soon.”

I shrug. I ain’t know much ‘bout repairing spaceships, but if she say so, I think I’d better listen.

“We only have one engine,” Mania informs me, “so we ain’t going to go in smooth. We have two engines for a reason, and now that we have one, that mean we ain’t going to be able to land proper-like.” She look at me. “So hang on tight.”

Mania clicks a few buttons and the stars out the window slow until a massive planet rears up before us. I wonder if we were going to hit it before.

The planet be big and round, but I suppose it suppose to be big and round. It look like a sheet of metal and some of it gleams from the sun that it orbits around. I don’t see no green or blue on it. It don’t look nothing like Home.

Mania steers us into the atmosphere and that’s when the other engine starts to fail. Mania starts to panic. I don’t know what to do so I just grip onto me chair and hope for the best.

A big city grows before us and soon Mania be weaving us between buildings as we start falling towards the streets. It look like layers of cities on top of each other as we fall, going under parks and around homes. Me stomach lurch and that be when the fear sets in. Mania has gone real silent and that scare me, too. We keep going deeper into the planet, layer under city layer, Mania trying to stop us from crashing into anything. I hear a whirring sound and Mania jerk the controls and we go flying to the right. The side of a metal building scrapes the side of our ship and something clatters off. Mania curses. We start spinning.

Then we crash.

I come to some time later. Something be touching me and pulling me across the cold ground. I don’t like the cold. Me eyes open and me double vision slowly turns normal as I focus on our crashed ship. It be on fire. There be creatures I ain’t ever seen scrambling over it, with four legs and two arms and six big eyes on their tiny heads. I tilt me head towards whoever be dragging me. That when me blood run cold.

Back Home, them Elders always warn us little Conservers about the beasts called Bullbrogs.

“They fat and they always eat. When us Cryme be a social race, we got into a big war with them Bullbrogs. Them Bullbrogs eat everything—even each other. But they particularly like the taste of us Cryme and would eat our dead on the battle field. Even now we not know how many we lost in that there war, because there weren’t bodies to tell if them soldiers die or just run off.”

Some of the Elders be ex-soldiers. When I ask why Bullbrogs eat us, one look at me with cold eyes.

“They be liking the taste of our bones,” he say.

Why I tell you this? Because the thing carrying me away now, liking his lips, be a Bullbrog. He burp and I think about Mania. How long I be out, I wonder. If he gone and ate her already…

I don’t think about it and I dig me heels into the ground and throw meself forward, out of the Bullbrog’s grip. He turn his squinty eyes to me and scratch under his several chins. He be both taller and larger than me and have two tusks growing straight up from his jaw. He belch again and say something in a language I don’t understand. I point to me chest, where me gem sit.

“Did you take Mania?” I ask. The Bullbrog laugh. I get the feeling he think I say something else. I turn away and look to the ship on fire. Four pudgy fingers wrap around me arm and I see the Bullbrog close to me. I wonder how he be so stealthy being so big.

He mutters something else and jerks me upper arm towards his mouth and open his jaws. His tongue be long and fat like the rest of him and touch me scales. I shiver and turn to face him, jerking me knee into his stomach and me lower elbows into his ribs. He let go after that and wince with pain. I run to the ship.

“Mania!” I cry, scurrying past them other species pulling metal from our ship. I duck into the fire-filled hull and cough at the fumes.

“Mania!” I call again, cupping me upper hands around me mouth. I hear someone cough and I start towards the sound. I also hear heavy footsteps and angry muttering behind me. It must be the Bullbrog. It be here for me bones.

I make me way through the fire and keep me hands around me mouth. I stay as low as I can but the smoke be making me eyes water and I keep coughing. I know I be giving me position away to that Bullbrog but I ain’t able to help it.

“Syra?” Mania’s voice be weak. I approach the seat she was sitting in and walk around it to see Mania stuck through by a metal beam. She be bleeding heavily from her stomach. Her eyes look at me weakly.

“I guess them Founders got they wish. They finally killed me. They finally shut me up.”

I grit me teeth. “No,” I hum in me rough yet musical voice, “I be your Conserver. You ain’t dying.”

“There ain’t no way to save me now,” she say. “Not unless…” She trail off and start coughing up blood.

There be a way to save her, I know. It be forbidden, though. It be the act of transferring all them Souls, including Mania, into me gem. But you see, that way be forbidden for a reason. Our gems make the Souls who they be when they born, be that Conserver or the pretty kind of Cryme. This would make all them Souls turn into a Conserver if they be staying in me gem for too long. But for Mania, the risk be much greater. Though she wouldn’t die from the wound she possess now—in fact, it be healed if she stay in me gem for a least a day—Mania could be killed by me gem. Conserver’s gems be cold as a blizzard and though it morphs Souls just fine, Mania already a pretty Cryme and can’t be changed. The changing cold of me gem would kill her in under a human week.

I ain’t got much choice, though, if she going to live. So I press me hand against her gem and I grind me teeth. Mania exhale and steps start towards us louder in the hull. I hear another growl and spare a glance. The Bullbrog charging at us as fast as his pudgy legs could carry him.

Mania glow a deep blue and her body start to turn into pretty wisps of air. Her pretty air dives into me gem and I feel a heavy warmth overtake me chest. I hear her consciousness in me head and she sigh with relief.

“Thank you,” she coos softly in me head. It startle me, since I didn’t know she could talk to me, but it be okay. I don’t mind her company.

Two large hands grip me lower left arm and teeth dig into me scales. I whip me head to the Bullbrog and wrench me arm free. It start bleeding and the scales where he bit me be bent in unnatural ways. I ain’t got time to think ‘bout that, though, so I back up the little bit I can. I ain’t got time to fight him ‘cause I’m on a ticking clock. In me head, I hear Mania mutter about the cold.

I ain’t good with politics, but I am good with fighting. The Bullbrog grunts something at me. Then he charges again.

I throw meself to the left, over the seat I been sitting in before. The Bullbrog rams into the sparking controls and squeals with anger. I pick meself up and run to the exit. Something from above breaks and falls before me. More fire spews and blocks the way I came in. I consider risking the flames when Mania’s voice whispers in me head.

“There’s an emergency hatch in the hallway. It exist out to the top of the ship. Brrrr. It’s freezing, Syra.”

I don’t respond and keep moving, me pincers tapping the gem with anxiety. Me gem is small compared the a Pioneer’s. As is, I won’t be able to sustain both the Souls and Mania. If the cold don’t go and kill her, the lack of sustenance will.

The Bullbrog scream at me. He must be saying something real awful by how his face scrunch up like that. He run at me again and I charge towards the hatch—Mania keeps telling me where to go.

A beam fall and I manage to almost dodge. Me bleeding arm, the one the Bullbrog bit, get caught right under. Mania fall silent in me head and that worry me. I yank at me arm but it be good and stuck. Fire ain’t yet blocked the way to me so the Bullbrog bound right over graceful-like. He grip me pinned arm. He open his mouth.

I have a choice here. I can fight him and possibly win. But me arm would still be stuck and I ain’t got nothing sharp to cut it off with. Then Mania not be able to be safe.

So I choose the other option and the Bullbrog’s teeth be snapping through my arm just above me elbow. It hurt right bad, but ain’t nothing I can’t handle. He yank the arm no longer attached to me and pull it right out from under that beam, all smashed and mangled.

Me lower arm grip the wound to try and slow that bleeding, though it feel weird. I think I still feel me fingers moving.

The Bullbrog start to push the arm down his throat and I turn away to run toward that there hatch.

“You be okay?” Mania ask in a low voice, worrying ‘bout me.

“Of course,” I answer aloud. “I still got me three arms.” I know that if the blood keep rushing out of me like this, it ain’t going to matter how many arms I got. I’d be dead. I got to find something to stop that bleeding else no one but that Bullbrog going to live through this.

I loudly curse our luck and start to head up the ladder to the hatch. The Bullbrog be done feasting and head at me with hungry eyes. He reach for me, but I too high by now so he start climbing the ladder. He ain’t going to get seconds today, though.

I be keeping all me limbs close and push against the hatch, but it be stuck on something. The Bullbrog keep climbing. I push against the hatch again.

“Syra,” Mania warns, “Syra, he’s starting up the ladder!” Indeed, I can see him from the corner of me eye climbing at me, licking me blood from his lips.

“Syra!” Mania scream, making it hard to think. “Syra, hurry!”

I figure she heard the stories about them Bullbrogs and don’t want to be food. I don’t blame her. I don’t want to be food, neither.

I ram me shoulder against the hatch and it budge a bit. The Bullbrog get closer and he start reaching form me again. I ain’t got no time left. I hit the hatch once more.

It give way as the Bullbrog grab me leg. I kick and show me teeth.

“Not today,” I hiss and land me claws right into his eye, where he reel back and be screeching and fall right off that there ladder. I don’t wait to see him land and climb right out of that ship. The fresher air makes me show me teeth in a smile and take a bit lungful of it. I turn back to the hatch and close it again. The beam that had fallen onto it slid back over the hatch. It going to keep him for a while, I think, but that don’t mean I stay to see. I turn and run from the ship and into the crowds further away, still bleeding.

The sun don’t shine here, under the layers of cities above us. It all shadow and I don’t like it much, not feeling the sun and not seeing no grass ‘round. In the distance, me see some tall creatures with no scales and lots of weird fur falling from they heads. I approach them, still bleeding and becoming awful dizzy. They look at me with a look of horror and distrust.

“I ain’t like you,” I say first, until Mania say they don’t understand me language. She say she know a bit of Human. Unlike most Pioneers, she gone and learnt lots of other tongues. So she tell me to repeat them words after her:

“I be in danger,” I slur to them, “I ain’t got no home to go to no more.”

The two pale things look at each other and the darker-pale one look at me arm. He say something and Mania tell me he said, What wrong with you? She help me reply:

“Got nothing wrong with me. Just got to get somewhere safe.”

The two things look at each other again then the real-pale one say, “There be a little colony we going to. They letting people in. Maybe they go and let you in.”

Behind me, something starts to part the crowd with massive footsteps. Mania tell me to nod and I do, because I ain’t really understanding what be going on. I follow the two pale things away from the crowd but I keep looking over me shoulder. Can’t be too careful.

I climb aboard they ship and they hand me a square thing with symbols on it. They motion to it and Mania translates:

“It be a writing pad, they say, Syra. You got to write a letter to the head of that colony if they be letting you in. Got to make sure you ain’t dangerous.”

But I be feeling real bad now, like I can’t stand to well and sit down. Another pale creature comes out from a room on they ship and it have a weird curvy chest unlike the other two pale things. It look at me arm and tell me to write later.

“She going to take care of you,” Mania whisper in a shivering voice.

 

When I done and wake up, I write a letter. Mania doesn’t talk too much no more. I be scared for her, you see. That why I write this here letter. For her.

You got to let us in.

Otherwise, Mania going to die.

Otherwise, that Bullbrog ship following us going to board.