Wierin. This was the second time someone had mentioned the term. Was I one, though?

"I d-don't know, Ria," I said, my voice quivering as I wiped away the happy, hot tears. Annoyingly, no matter how hard I tried, they didn't stop flowing. It sure was stupid, but I just couldn't help myself. After so long of having nothing but dirt covering me, I finally found myself dressed in clothes. For the first time since Earth, I felt like an actual human and not like a beast in a cage.

"You don't know?" the little kitare asked, her eyes wide, the question obvious: How could anyone not know what they were?

"I'm sorry, Ria. I really don't. Perhaps if you tell me what Wierin is...," I breathed, marveling at myself in my domain. The knee-length skirt might not have been my thing, but I couldn't help loving the piece of fabric covering my legs now.

"Everybody knows, though, right?" argued Ria, looking to the Scoresby couple for confirmation.

"I'm afraid most humans don't care about Terr'den legends, little one." The old man smiled sadly, looking me over for the umpteenth time. "But no doubt, Korra is like no Terr'den I have ever seen, and more than anything else, fits what I have heard about Wierin."

"Right?" Ria beamed, not giving up hope that I could be this...

"Hold on." I tore myself away from admiring my new outfit and the freedom it brought to my wings and tail. "Is Wierin a race? Because my grid says that… that I'm human."

For all I knew, Wierin could have been a term for a crossbreed of several species of Terr'den. The confusion with me, a human mutant of seven beasts, would then make sense.

"Wierin is Wierin," the little kitare explained after a brief thought.

"I don't think anyone really knows," Scoresby added, scratching his beard in thought. "It's a legend after all. You look good, by the way."

"But it's going to need some fixing up," Mrs Scoresby pointed out, already circling me and checking out the clothes she had given me. "You can't wear a skirt like this tied under your tail, girl. Half of your ass is out. And the shirt - either we shorten the whole thing, or I'll cut holes in the back for the wings."

"I… if you..."

"Don't mention it," Mrs. Scoresby retorted, stopping me from saying more. "I work with hides all day; I won't even break a sweat fixing this. Better tell me if you want a hole in your skirt, too, or if you'll keep your tail tucked under it."

"NO! Don't hide your tail" Ria blurted out, startling everyone with her horrified plea and the way she clutched Lia to her chest. "It's awful."

'Was it?'

But there was no need to think hard about the reason for her distress.

"I s-see. Thank you, Ria." Unable to help myself, I ruffled her hair, grateful, while disgust at myself ripped through my body. For a moment, I considered locking my loyal friend in the darkness under my skirt. A simple solution requiring no adjustment to the garment from Mrs. Scoresby, but no different from what that deranged asshole did when he locked me in the cellar.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

'I'm so sorry, Sage.'

The heartfelt, spontaneous, silent apology to my tail was then the slap in the face I needed. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, I wasn't just a human anymore.

What was I, though?

Not a beast, or so I believed.

"Ria, w-why do you think I'm this Wierin?"

"Oh, oh… because you look like one."

"Really?"

"Um-hmm." The little kitare nodded eagerly. "My mom read me stories about them. They are beings of great strength and a generous heart. They are beautiful creatures with horns, wings, and tails. They help people. Are you really not one of them, Korra?"

"Sorry, Ria, I don't think so," I said, hating to disappoint the little girl. "I’m neither strong nor beautiful."

"You are stronger than you think," Scoresby argued. "I may not know the details, but I can tell you that few Slaves with your number of sigils would stand here as confidently as you do now."

'Me confident? Was he serious?'

"It takes most of them months to get over their distrust of people," Mrs Scoresby agreed, still inspecting my new clothes.

"Yes, you are strong." Ria nodded, more than happy the old couple sided with her. "...and beautiful. You are just..."

"Filthy," Mrs. Scoresby finished as the little kitsune hesitated, searching for the right word. "You, girl, need a bath real bad."

"Y-yeah. I've already been told that. Actually, do you know where I could take one? Is there anything like a public bathhouse? A cheap one, though?"

"Well, there's the Willow Waters Bathhouse where Liam and I go," Mrs. Scoresby said thoughtfully. "But that's six silvers."

'Damn! That was a lot - too much, in fact.'

Not so surprising, though. Welkes had warned me that the ten silver coins now in my spatial storage would last me barely one night.

"Oh-oh, I know of a place," Ria chimed in, nibbling on another sweet bun. "They'll let you wash for two silver coins, but you have to bring your own soap and towel."

'Shi… well, fuck me! So stupid.' Of course, it wasn't just clothes I needed to buy if I wanted to lead a somewhat normal life. Soap, towel, comb, fur brush, and a bloody toothbrush - if there was even such a thing. Not to mention food and a place to sleep.

'Things sure were much simpler back in Esulmore.'

"And do you know where to get the stuff cheap… or where I could find a job?"

"Yes, I know where you can shop for cheap," the little kitsune beamed, but then lowered her ears. "Not about any work."

"That's not the guides' job," Mrs Scoresby clarified, looking at her husband. "Liam?"

"Yes, yes, I'll ask around."

"Don't worry, girl. It won't be that bad. You can stay with us for a few days. Now, take off that skirt."

"Huh?"

"It's gonna take less fixing than the shirt."

─◇─◇─◇─

"You have really nice friends, Korra," Ria chimed, once again doing her backward walk through the busy street.

"Y-yeah, I got… lucky."

As hard as it was to believe, luck actually appeared to smile on me for once. Thanks to the Scoresbys, I no longer had to walk around bare-assed with no place to lay my head. If it weren't for that nasty prickle on the back of my neck, I'd think I must be dreaming.

Unfortunately, I wasn't. Making it barely a block on Crooked Street, the tingling got worse, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Could you give us a moment?" The man to my right addressed me, matching my stride.

"You won't regret it," the Terr'den woman to my left added, doing the same.