Under the blue moonlight, the sky islands of Agrima transformed into a cascade of neon colors across the nation. The vines and other vegetation in the buildings never seemed to hamper its glimmering beauty. If anything, Farkas had witnessed what it was like for a country mouse to set foot in a literal urban jungle. It was gorgeous, all possible to see through his ride in the high-speed cable system that operated above any skyscraper.
Farkas admitted to himself that the H.S.C had improved since his time. Taking one of the cable trains that could fit three ballrooms worth of passengers, they zipped through between holographic billboards selling them the new clothing trend and other products too many to count—all local and homegrown in a world always reaching closer to Heaven. What made it more worthwhile was the conductor’s immaculate taste in music.
NOW PLAYING All The Stars - Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA
Farkas, being hard-pressed not to lean on the window, continued to tap his finger to the beat. Perhaps home sweet home was enough to satisfy his past excitement for going on a reality trip with Hajime. He wanted to save this occasion once they returned, but Paulie insisted on celebrating their relief of living another day in a restaurant revered like no other: the Hungry Salmon.
He could already glimpse their desired location, built within a larger-than-life rock formation that served as the “mountains” teeming with palm trees leading to the establishment. He never thought a fish-themed restaurant would appear so enticing on the horizon, with its animatronic entrance shaped like a salmon’s mouth that opened and closed for every guest arriving. His taste buds already tingled for their famed sashimi rolls.
Farkas yawned with a lengthy stretch on his seat and checked each of his retractable, five-inch claws for the slightest dirt. “Life is good, ain’t it, Paulie?” he said, cleaning his teeth with the natural toothpicks. “I wish our dude was here. I only hope the mission will go smoothly.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Paulie replied, forced to sit on the floor lest the cable train tilted to an unimaginable disaster. “Mr. Hajime is the first student I had who leaned into the madness of [Way of the Thunder] since… Well, you know who I’m talking about. All the others failed, thinking they were invincible, but not these two. They learned how to be truly insane.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. I never met Maria, but it’s quite a coincidence that both love discussing fun in almost any situation. Maybe that’s why Clovis hates his guts.”
“Or maybe he now sees something in Mr. Hajime that we’ve yet to realize. Like, he should’ve broken out of his cell days ago.”
Farkas scratched the back of his neck, recalling when a Singing Flutes member caught wind of their friend’s whereabouts. He never knew how they could’ve known about the mission. All he cared about now was removing a stubborn black spot under his pinky fingernail.
“Well, whatever the case, we better look presentable in the place we’re going,” he continued. “You better despawn your ax, too. I know it’s your pride and joy, but we gotta—”
Before Farkas could finish his concerns about dress codes in fine dining, the cable train screeched to a complete stop. His mouth would’ve tasted something else on the floor without his seatbelt. On the other hand, he witnessed Paulie remaining unmovable like the towering behemoth he was. It must’ve been neat.
Amidst a cacophony of protests and anger from the passengers, he noticed several billboards emerging around the cable train, shining red like the blood coursing through his Lupinian veins. In fact, his instincts brought upon a sense of familiarity as soon as he witnessed the yellow symbol on the billboards. Without a doubt, it was a cat’s paw or that of a mighty tiger, depending on the person.
It didn’t take long for Farkas and the others on the train to meet with a very ominous message through the billboards, almost as though it threatened their lives if they didn’t comply. Even the initial paragraph of demands had a fiery tone in the name of justice:
Dear Lupinian settlers and their protectors,
The Hungry Salmon is now rightfully and legally the property of our elders for the rest of your days. If you wish to engage with our culture and other landmarks of Felidine history, you must pay double the invitation. It is to help keep our so-called “ghettos” afloat that your state has abandoned long ago in favor of our oppressors.
As for any Lupinian settler naive enough to forget the past, we advise them to leave the premises at once before the situation escalates with our people. Any retaliation against our right to a space of our own shall incur the wrath of our tired voices and aching fists. We will forever keep our word until actual reparations and formal apologies finally come to the table.
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Glory to Felidane, Death to Lupis
Farkas bit his lip the more thoroughly he read the message. It forced his mind to play a memory he had buried since his teenage years, wrought with the sounds of gunfire and napalm from his nation’s state-of-the-art technology, whose name he refused to remember for the sake of his sanity. He preferred another Lantek Supreme from Dougland Bites than confront the new owners of this restaurant.
Paulie walked past him, smiling like a daunting warrior facing a wondrous challenge. “Say, do you wanna enter this joint the ‘fun’ way like Mr. Hajime? I’ll order a Shop Copter for some cat ears and a tail if you want. All it takes is one button from our phones, and we’re good to go.”
“No, don’t!” pleaded Farkas, grabbing his shoulder tightly from behind.
“Why not? It’s just a bunch of Felidines acting out again.”
“Yes, and that’s exactly why you shouldn’t say such things!” He sighed, calming his nerves while adjusting the wolf-themed headgear that defined his lineage since he learned to walk. “I’m telling you this not just because their senses are too keen for cheap costumes, but I suppose even a toddler could see through that. Whatever the case, I don’t want anything to do with them.”
Paulie lowered his smile slightly until it became a face that told a thousand stories of friendship and understanding. “Look, if it’s up to you, I’m with you either way,” he said on his knees. “I don’t agree with this, but my father used to say these Felidines are just exploiting the system to reap social benefits.”
“That’s not true! How is any of that true!?”
“Hey, calm down. I didn’t say that. I know you’re the enemy in their eyes, but why are you so worked up about this? They have a home to come back to, unlike you.”
“No, they don’t because… because…” Farkas continued fumbling his words, with many more horrific noises whirling in his thoughts. Luckily, he spilled the beans in this third attempt, uttering, “Their home is gone, gone without a trace.”
He froze in place, as did his friend. In truth, he refused to explain in a place full of enraged citizens starving for expensive seafood, especially when he noticed several of them calling Felidines welfare leeches and even violent criminals. Meanwhile, the “worst” he could get from his Lupinian self were kids wanting to see how sharp his claws were. It was too much.
Coming to an understanding, they pulled out their Insta-Warp cards to arrive at the most familiar yet most dangerous place for a player.
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Even at night, the grass field where the horde waited for their flesh remained lush with morning dew. Farkas suggested they do a bit of stargazing before visiting another restaurant filled with the customs of Trom, Paulie’s small yet bright green planet just above their heads, billions of lightyears away. He appreciated him pointing where it was in an ocean of constellations, making him seem like a gnat in a jar. Perhaps his home was out there, too.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t be more depressed at the idea, finally deciding to reveal more of what haunted his entire existence. “War is war, as they say, but what happened between my people and theirs was anything but. It was a slaughter, raining down on them like the last fireflies they’ll ever see. And for what? Because they nibbled back at us with whatever petty resources they had? Disgusting.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” said Paulie, turning to him with another smile. “I’m a Tromian, you know? We fought so many countries even before my great, great-grandfather was born. But I learned to apologize when I could, and eventually, we all learned to forgive.”
“Well, that’s easy to say when your enemies still exist. Throughout my youth, everyone taught me that Felidane was a myth, that their people never existed outside of folktales about a ‘primitive’ society who climbed trees all day. And as you know, it’s not like I’m welcome in my own home anymore.”
“Yeah, but the past must move on. I wasn’t there to make friends in your world. I only wanted to know if you were safe.”
“Dude, they chucked rocks at you and your students and even threatened to cut your legs off to an ‘average height,’” Farkas added. “And yet, we’re supposed to be the civilized ones. I hate it so much, but I can’t make amends with something beyond my control. It’s better to recognize the atrocities and keep them to myself.”
He gazed at the stars again, his soul entering a land of regrets out of the blood that might as well be in his hands. That was the life he chose, unloved and unwanted by all. But even through his regrets, it still wouldn’t compare to a Felidine hiding in the shadows of a foreign country that merely tolerated them.
Paulie stopped his share of the moment and hopped out of the boulder with his ax appearing in a cloud of “pixie dust.” The act triggered the one screen that kept the average player alert for weeks.
{Welcome to Beware the Horde} WARNING Slime Wave Incoming
“Don’t mind me. Just killing some time,” said Paulie, twirling his ax with the same ease as a hollow cane. “We don’t have to fight together. You can watch me mow them down in seconds alongside the goblins. Look.”
No matter what, Farkas observed in pure amazement how someone five times his size could be so nimble in battle. After the slime massacre within thirty seconds and the goblin execution within a minute, his soul exited the land of regrets and into a new realm that his best friend Hajime loved with every bone in his body—the land of fun.
WARNING Orc Wave Incoming Continue? YES NO