The door to our room slowly opens sometime later after we have all calmed down, the soldier responsible for guarding the room, peeking inside curiously.

She whistles, “Sheesh… you guys really wrecked this room. What’s with all these vines and flowers?”

The room is definitely in a state of disarray. The table and chairs are toppled over and thrown about, food scattered everywhere, a pillow and some clothes have been torn apart and now litter the place as strips of fabric and clumps of pillow stuffing. My own robes and pants -which I had worked really hard to make by the way – is now torn and discarded off the side in a sad pile. So, I stole one of Billybilly’s extra shirts and shorts to replace them because the humans had given her a couple pairs. The fabric of these clothes feels a lot better than my hide robes did, but they sadly don’t have long sleeves, so now my arms and legs are all exposed, leaving me feeling rather uncomfortable…

Aside from the rest of the mess, Vivviv had let loose with her magic and claimed this room as hers, growing vines and flowers everywhere. Every surface is now covered in green plants and colorful flowers. Moss covers the floor like a soft carpet and mushrooms are growing in the corners. I had Vivviv use her vines to grab the lantern from the corner and hang it up from the ceiling to better light the room after we all calmed down.

“You girls done fighting now? I’m not going to get stuff thrown at me, right?” The soldier asks, eyeing the smear of mash potatoes that is still stuck to the wall next to the door, the tray left discarded on the floor to be pushed aside by her foot as she slowly enters.

Billybilly and Vivviv look over at her, but don’t respond because they can’t understand English yet.

I really need to teach Vivviv how to use our other gift already…

Deciding that I have to be the one to talk for the group, I go ahead and respond from where I am snuggled up on a bed of moss with Vivviv. I had considered stealing Billybilly’s bed for us to use, but changed my mind because she is pregnant. That didn’t stop me from stealing one of her pillows though.

“Sorry about the mess we made. We had some issues to work out and it got a bit violent, we are done fighting now.” I tell her.

“Holy shit, you can actually talk!” The soldier exclaims with a startled look on her face. Realizing that she probably just said something rude, she quickly shifts her posture and apologizes.

“Oh, uh, sorry… I was told that you could speak English, but I wasn’t… expecting you to be so fluent.”

“You were expecting me to talk more, Goblin-like, right?”

“Uhm, yes…”

I shrug, not caring in the slightest. “Mmm, yeah, I already had this conversation with Lain, don’t worry about it. If it makes it easier to rationalize it, I am using magic to translate my words so you can understand me. Using Lain’s words, ‘Magic is bullshit, it just works.’ Does that help?”

“Oh, magic. Ok, that makes a lot more sense.” The soldier says with an understanding nod.

“Yeah, Lain said it would... Did you need something from us?” I ask, trying to be polite despite how tired I am now. Billybilly is looking at me with mild shock as I communicate in a foreign language, while Vivviv has long since stopped caring. She’s far too busy playing with a bundle of flowers, weaving them together into a crown of sorts.

“Not really, I’m just checking on you girls, checking to see if any of you need to visit the restroom or needed anything else.”

I blink and then give the room a quick look over.

Oh, yeah, there is no toilet. But it doesn’t look like Billybilly has been shitting in here…

“We could probably use the restroom; it’s been a while. Also, can I get some clothes that actually cover my arms and legs, please?” I ask nicely, though part of me wants to make demands and scream at the woman to hurry. My exposed legs are sort of driving me nuts and having a stranger look at them is not helping. I quickly grab my ruined robes and cover my legs with them.

“Oh, you’re so polite. And I’m sorry, it must be freezing in here! I don’t see any issue with getting you a jacket and some pants. We should have a few spares laying around in storage, not sure about anything in your size though... Going to need them anyways for when we get out of here. It’s freaking cold outside… Just let me grab another person to help out. Green over there likes to try and run away any chance she can get.”

“Hmm, oh, she won’t be an issue. I’ll keep her under control.” I reassure her, but she just frowns and shakes her head. Even showing her my contract doesn’t help.

“Sorry, but you guys have to be under guard at all times. Can’t take the risk, no matter what. I do appreciate the help though. That girl tries to run off every time we bring her out of this room. She even bit Steave the other day. And don’t get me started on trying to get her to take a shower, it was like trying to bathe a feral cat… Anyways, I’ll be right back with some warmer clothes, then we can do a bathroom break.”

She gives one last look at the messy room and then leaves, saying, “Glad I don’t have to clean this up, sheesh…”

Once the human is gone, Billybilly looks over from where she is huddled up on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest.

“You can speak their words?” She asks, looking mildly curious.

“Yes, you should be able to as well. Probably not as well as us magic wielding siblings, but you should be able to, nonetheless. Just focus on our Gift of Language, and try to push it towards the humans.” I try to explain.

“I don’t want to be able to speak to them…” She says grumpily before turning away.

Ignoring the pouting girl, I look down at Vivviv, who is still playing with her flowers. I guess she guesses my question, because she answers me before I can even speak it, leaning over to rest her head on my shoulder. “I don’t wanna, because then you won’t read to me anymore.”

“Ehh, but what if you need to talk to the humans?” I ask her.

“Then you can tell me what they are saying~” Vivviv replies happily, finishing up on her crown of flowers with a final blue one. Turning to give me a smile, she reaches up and places the crown atop my head, setting it right behind the horn that grows from the center of my crown.

While she is giving me a big happy smile, I reach down and flick her on the forehead.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t be lazy.”

“Not lazy! I just like listening to your voice. I think it is pretty.”

“Mmm! I…” I have to turn away from her as my face starts to blush, but it doesn’t help as she moves in to wrap me up in a hug, giggling into my chest. This shirt is a lot thinner than my robes were, so I can feel her pressed against me much more clearly than I normally would. With my heart pounding in my chest, I can’t help but start to freak out a little bit, flustered by the sudden compliment and contact. Part of me is screaming that I should return the hug, another part of me is screaming louder that I should do something much more drastic, that I should grab her and –

“If you two are going to start fucking, please let me know so I can look away and cover my ears…” Billybilly says as she is giving us the side-eye, looking like she wants to throw her pillow at us.

I immediately get control over myself and take a calming breath, ripping my eyes away from Vivviv’s freckle covered shoulders and her delicate neck and the lines of her collar bone and how they lead down to her...

Ahh, focus!!! Damn Devil girl keeps putting these thoughts in my head. Keeps teasing me about Vivviv. I’m not going to do anything to her. Nothing like… that… Damn it, Lain!

Trying to look as calm and composed as possible, I gently push Vivviv away from me and return my gaze to her, making it a point to keep my eyes only on her face. “Vivviv, if I promise to keep reading books to you, will you please try and learn how to use our gift?”

She seems sad to part from the hug, but smiles at my offer.

“You promise?” She asks sweetly.

“Yes, I promise that I will keep reading to you.”

She gives me a big smile and then goes in for another hug. “Alright then, I promise too.”

“Well, ain’t you two just so cute together…” Billybilly says sarcastically, but also sadly. I get the urge to curse her out, but I stop at just baring my teeth at her threateningly. She just lost her mate; I don’t want to be a bitch right now. Unrelated, but bitch is a fun word. Lain taught it to me along with a bunch of other human ‘curse’ words. I like them, they add a certain flavor to my words.

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

…

It doesn’t take much longer until the human woman returns, this time with two men who look to be a bit agitated, like they are waiting for something to happen. Every time the gunshots or explosions go off in the distance, they turn and look off in that direction, like they are waiting for something to happen.

She speaks as she comes walking in, “Ok girls, we have to make this quick. Just got orders that it is time to leave, and things are getting a bit spicy out there, so let’s get moving. Grab your stuff, and then we’re making a quick trip to the potty, let’s go. Also, I grabbed some jackets and pants from storage. They are probably a few sizes too big, especially for shorty over here, but they should be better than nothing.

Vivviv gets up for us and walks other to retrieve the clothes, knowing that I don’t like being near people if I can avoid it. She can probably also tell that I am rather uncomfortable in my current state.

Opening her mouth, Vivviv leaves me utterly shocked as she speaks in perfect English. “Thank you for the clothes.”

“Ehh!? Vivviv, for how long could you do that!?” I demand.

She just gives me a smile as she walks back over and gives me one of the black jackets, ARMY written in large letters on its back, and a pair of pants like what the humans are wearing. “A couple of days, but now I got that promise, so...”

She walks over to give some to Billybilly and then returns to me to help with putting mine on, the cast on my right arm making the process a bit of a bother. I just stand there, flustered and confused that I could be tricked by Vivviv, but also feeling a little flutter at the thought that she went through all that trouble just so that I would keep reading to her…

…

Dressed in big jackets and pants, the three of us look a bit funny next to the human soldiers. The jackets hang down to Billybilly and my knees, the sleeves going well past our hands while the pants had to be rolled up to accommodate our shorter legs, and belts used to keep the pants from falling down. On Vivviv, who had taken some convincing to dress, the jacket covers most of her body, hanging down almost to her ankles. The humans said it looked like she is wearing a dress. With the hood on, you can’t even see her face under the thick clothes. Vivviv didn’t even bother trying to put on any pants or shorts, instead choosing to just stick with her vines as underclothes still, despite my pleading for her to at the least wear some shorts. Even just the jacket took some convincing for her to wear… I had to throw a glare at the humans when they laughed at her appearance. Personally, I think she look amazing like this…

As for my new jacket, I love it! It covers my body so much and the material is just so smooth to the touch, plus the hood, being able to cover my head whenever I want is just amazing. It took a bit to figure out the zipper, but if I can learn to tie my boots, then a zipper is no problem at all. And everything else aside, the best part is all the pockets. So many pockets! I am never giving this thing back! And pants! Holy shit, pants! My legs have never felt more covered and protected than this and I am in love! It’s a bit awkward to wear because it isn’t my size, but the belt is definitely helping a lot with that. And more pockets, I can’t forget the pockets! These things are great, and I can even put my hands in them!

Why couldn’t I have been born a human, their clothing is fucking amazing! My old robes are practically garbage compared to this!

With the sleeves of my new jacket hanging past my hands, I can’t help but want to flap them, waving my hands up and down as quickly as possible so that they will keep going slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, smiling as I watch them. Though, I make myself stop when I realize that everyone is watching me…

The soldier woman walks over and asks, “Is everyone ready to get going? We have time for a quick trip to the restroom, but we should hurry up. Please make sure that you have all your stuff before we go, because we ain’t coming back.”

Our stuff basically translates to my backpack. So, just because I can, I quickly move to snatch up the rest of the clothes that the soldiers had given to Billybilly, the pillows, and the blankets, stuffing them all into my bag before throwing the absolutely stuffed thing on my back. This human stuff is of a much higher quality than anything I can make, so I’m not giving up any of it. Especially not the pillows. Those are mine now.

We are quickly escorted out of the room by the soldiers, leaving the messy room behind us once I tell them that we are ready to go. Billybilly is looking like she wants to try and bolt, but I give her a stern look, silently letting her know that I will stop her if she tries, so she quickly gives up on running away. I have every intention of keeping her around, even if I have to tie her up and force her to stay. If she were to run off and get herself and her baby killed, I don’t think I would be able to forgive myself…

A quick trip to the restroom later and we are heading deeper into the human’s large building, following the soldiers as dozens of humans are rushing about, moving things around and packing stuff up. We are eventually brought to a large area with shelves everywhere, filled with boxes of random stuff. Soldiers are gathering here by the dozens, prepping their gear and looking ready for a fight.

We are ushered off to the side, directed to wait patiently for everyone to gather. More and more people show up, filling into the large room until it is nearly full. It takes some time until seemingly everyone is here, though I don’t see any of Lain’s Demons. The sound of fighting is still going on in the distance though, so they are probably still fighting over there. I try my best to push aside the thoughts of my people dying to those horned Demons and their scary strength…

Eventually, an older looking human shows up and walks to the front of the room, getting everyone’s attention as he yells.

“Alright everyone, it’s time to get moving. I want eyes on every side, and rifles at the ready. We aren’t stopping until we get home, and be sure to remember that we have three guests in our midst. So, make sure not to shoot our prisoners. If you do, I’m not going to stop Lain from ripping your limbs off when she finds out.”

Many of the gathered men and women suddenly look rather tense at hearing this. They look over their shoulders to give us a worried look. Vivviv smiles and gives them a happy wave with both arms in the air, her long sleeves flapping about as she yells for everyone to hear, “Hello humans, I am Vivviv!”

Some of the humans awkwardly wave back and say hello, clearly confused.

I turn to our escort and ask, “Would she actually do that?”

“Maybe? We’ve seen what she is capable of though, so we ain’t stupid enough to risk it. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands. Just please be sure to behave and do as we tell you.”

“We will. Trust me, I don’t want to piss off Lain any more than you do. She scares me…”

The old man starts to speak again and gets everyone’s attention back from gawking at the three of us in human clothes.

“I’m not going to waste any time on giving a speech or trying to raise moral. What we are about to do is simple. We move south and return home, and when we get there, we strike the enemy right in their side before heading inside. I don’t want to see any casualties, you understand me!? Cover your neighbor and fight like your life depends on it, because it does! That is all, now get moving!”

With that, the large doors on the far wall are quickly opened and the humans begin streaming out of the building, running out into the cold white snow of winter. The three of us are ushered along, told to move quick as everyone exits the building.

The humans move like a single living organism, fanning out in every direction with weapons raised, calling out orders and confirmations in a blur of motion. Before we know it, we are in their midst, surrounded on all sides by the human soldiers, snow crushing under my boots as I run to keep up, Vivviv’s hand held in mine and Billybilly reluctantly staying by my side.

I can hardly see what is going on out here, what with the humans being a couple heads taller than us, but there is gunfire here and there as we move. Most of the noise of combat is still coming from back near the massive building, but it seems that some of our forces were over here as well. It doesn’t take long until I am running over bloodied snow, the occasional corpse of a little one getting kicked aside by the hundreds of boots stomping through the snow.

We don’t stop moving until we are far from the human’s building, not until we are in the woods.

Trying to figure out what is going on, I carefully make a platform of ice grow under our feet, letting the three of us get some height to look over the heads of the surrounding humans. Our guards initially panic a bit at the sight of the magic, but quickly calm down when they see that I’m not throwing ice spears around or anything and am just looking around.

Looking around, some people are talking into some of those devices that Lain’s Demons were carrying around, while others are killing any of my people that get too close to the humans. I don’t see any of my Brothers or Sisters though. I don’t think any of them are near yet.

Movement from the crowd draws our attention back towards the building and I soon find what it is everyone is looking at.

Jumping from the higher levels of the building, Lain’s Demons come crashing out of the place and take off sprinting towards us, their large frames growing bigger and bigger as they cover ground with monstrous speed. Back towards the building, looking towards where they had jumped from, I spot the little ones filling the place to the brim, some even falling out of the windows as those behind them push them in their hurry, screaming before they smack the ground outside and die.

The humans cheer as the Demons arrive, so many voices calling out and over lapping that I can’t even pick out a single sentence, my spell still trying its hardest to translate everything regardless, even if it all ends up as noise.

My eyes get drawn away from the Demon and back towards the building as I find that almost everyone seems to be looking that way, some feeling of anticipation filling the group as if they are waiting for something big to happen. Even the Demons have turned to watch, the crazy Demon woman that looks at Lain’s butt all the time, even cheering over the crowd as she counts down from ten.

Feeling that it is important, I order Vivviv and Billybilly to watch, the feeling that something big is about to happen filling me as the countdown reaches zero.

…

The building suddenly explodes. There is a loud blast that has us moving to cover our ears, Billybilly screaming in fright as she watches the building explode. The roof blasts out and upward with force, walls collapse, fire spreads, and wind rushes in every direction and over us as the building is decimated and destroyed in a single instant, every single living thing inside or nearby, now most assuredly dead or dying as flaming debris falls from the sky and rains down on the surroundings, the dancing lights of the fires making the red stained snow and ice glow and shifting shadows spread.

I hold down my fear at seeing the sudden death of who knows how many of my people, knowing that more will soon follow in the coming battles. Pointing towards the building, I turn to Billybilly and speak to her, her face full of fright, the distant fires casting shifting lights on her paled green face.

“This is what you wanted to fight, Billybilly. This is what you would have had to look forward to if you fought them! There is no victory here for us, no honor, no great sacrifice, only death, sudden and violent. Don’t fight them, Billybilly, stay with us and live.”

Billybilly, shaking like a leaf in the wind, eventually tears her eyes away from the destruction, hundreds of the little ones running around and screaming in the distance. Her eyes go to me, full of fear.

“You would have me live as a coward? To run away?”

I nod slowly, my face serious. “Against a foe we can’t possibly defeat? Yes. It’s better to be a coward and live, than be a fool and die. Come with me, Billybilly, we can find a safe place after everything is over. But for now, we have to survive Father’s mistake. Those that are smart will join us when the dust settles.”

Billybilly gives one last look towards the human’s devastation before looking back towards me, her hands protectively holding her belly. Slowly, she reaches out a hand towards me and nods, tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Gov’es… I can’t do it. I can’t risk our baby; it’s all I have left of you…”

I reach my arm towards her, offering the sleeve of my jacket for her to hold as that is the best I can do. She takes it and hold tight, crying as I lower our platform of ice and return us to within the midst of the cheering humans.

We leave after that, the humans guiding us south at a quick pace as I hold Vivviv’s hand, and lend Billybilly my sleeve.

In the distance, far to the north, dark clouds are slowly approaching, a powerful presence carried by their winds.