Merit looked tiny in front of Vim, which was funny since Vim was sitting on a rather small stool. It made him look uncomfortable, thanks to how low he was.

The two were talking, and I noted the way Merit stood. She had her hands on her hips, and her skinny arms were pointed oddly… as if she was trying to make herself appear as big as possible as to intimidate Vim.

She seemed to hate him in a way, even though her hate wasn’t a true hatred. She just seemed to not like him much.

Stepping back into Gerald’s office, I glanced at Brandy. She was the one sitting behind Gerald’s desk, and she was reading a report. Gerald was sitting in one of the chairs before his own desk, also reading a report. They were going over some kind of trade route log from the south. Something to do with the southern merchant guild that had declared an economic war against us.

Warring with coins. Such a strange thing.

“Is there really no way I can convince everyone? I’m more than willing to do it,” I said as I stepped back into the room.

Gerald shook his head as he lifted a paper, to look at something written on the other side. “Not going to happen Renn. The Society was formed exactly to stop such self-sacrifice. Before the Society existed, most of us had to sacrifice family and friends to those who ruled us. A few of us here remember that era, so the idea of using you as bait or sacrificing you is… well…” Gerald shivered, and I could tell it actually bothered him.

That meant he was one of the ones from that era. Like Brandy, and Merit.

I couldn’t imagine being so old, even though I should be able to. I was old myself, in human terms. If I was lucky enough to live long enough… would I too think back to today and speak of a time that no one remembered? Would the culture and world in the future be so different than it is today? What could it possibly be like? It was hard to imagine the world being… different. How did it happen? How did one adjust?

Or was that the entire point. Most couldn’t adjust. Thus our few numbers.

“Just give up on it Renn. Too many here like you too much, even if they’d be able to stomach it,” Brandy said.

“A few don’t seem to like me much,” I noted as I walked over to the couch as to sit down. It was a silly action, since I knew I’d stand up soon once again as to peak around the door to check on Vim and Merit.

“Yet they voted against sacrificing you. Anyone who would willingly vote to sacrifice someone doesn’t belong in our Society,” Gerald said.

Really?

Then why had Lughes and the rest so willingly given up on Amber?

Or was that not seen as sacrifice?

To me it somewhat had been.

They didn’t want to endanger themselves, so they let her die. They sacrificed her, to keep themselves safe.

Was it just because she had been human? Was that really the only deciding factor? Or was there more to it?

“Still… What if they never show themselves? Until I leave again?” I asked.

“Then that is what will happen. Really Renn, you act as if you’ve never been in danger before,” Brandy said with a small smile.

“It’s not myself I worry over,” I said. Danger? I’ve been hunted before, several times. I’d not tell them about it though.

“We know,” Brandy said with a small laugh.

I was going to complain further, but Merit walked into the office.

Smiling at her, I watched as she sighed and walked to the couch across from me. She sat in it with an odd plop, as if exhausted. Sometimes her actions matched her appearance. Was it natural to her, or did she act in such a way on purpose as to pretend to be what she looked like? To act like the child she appeared to be, at least in front of humans.

“Vim’s confident it won’t take long. He thinks in a few days they’ll come back,” Merit said.

“You disagree?” I asked her. She had a look that told me she did.

Merit shook her head. “He’s probably correct. Predators, normal ones not like you and Vim, are very instinctual. Very basic. They’re not too capable of planning in much depth. This woman is likely just like the many we’ve met before, since she ignored all the rest of us and focused on you,” Merit said.

“Undoubtedly,” Gerald nodded as he put the papers he had been reading onto his desk, and turned a little as to join us in the conversation.

“Do I uh… stink that badly, by the way?” I asked them.

Before I could get an answer, Brandy broke out into a guffaw of a laugh. Even Gerald looked away, as to hide his own chuckling. Merit however was the only one to only smile gently at me.

“You don’t stink Renn. You’re just… a real predator. And predators naturally give off a strong scent. It’s a different scent. One that’s actually not as strong as the rest of ours, but distinct enough to be noticed first,” Merit pointed upward as she explained it to me, all the while Brandy wheezed and laughed some more.

“Several of you aren’t prey, so why am I so different?” I asked, ignoring Brandy’s weird snorts as she tried to contain herself.

“Simple bloodlines. Plus Renn, think about it. We’ve all been living here for years. Decades. Our scents are settled. You’re a new addition. Your scent is the one that stands out, precisely because it is new,” Gerald said, he even raised his voice to talk over Brandy’s giggling and laughing.

Merit glared at Brandy, who was getting it under control finally. “Really Brandy, it’s not that funny.”

“Yes it is! She thought she stunk!” Brandy returned to laughing.

Merit shook her head, but I found myself smiling. I liked Brandy’s laugh, and the way she seemed to let it completely take her over.

“For reference Renn, you smell like the forest. A deep forest. One soaked from long storms,” Gerald said.

“Huh?” I perked up at that. Long storms? Forest? I did?

Merit nodded. “Yes. It’s a soothing scent.”

“Hm. It’s not bad, though I’ll admit I definitely notice it in passing when my mind is wandering. So it startles me, until I realize it’s you and not something or someone else,” Gerald said.

A long moment passed as I watched the three nodded in agreement; seemingly happy to say such things aloud and inform me it was the honest truth.

I had a smell that startled them? Until they realized it was me who they were smelling?

“Am I really… so different? I don’t think of myself as being that different than any of you,” I said.

“You’re a calm one. Most predators are more susceptible to their emotions. Did you have any siblings Renn? Were any quick to anger or did you ever consider them unwise or foolish sometimes?” Brandy asked, her laughing was done but she still had a wide smirk on her face.

Thinking of my siblings, and even the rest of my family, I wanted to nod… yet… “A few. Some were… very wise. The kind of wise that scared me, sometimes,” I said honestly.

“Oh? Interesting. Any of them still alive? They’d be perfect for our Society if they’re like you,” Gerald said.

I shook my head, and said nothing more.

The three went quiet, and I replayed memories in my mind.

The brothers who were brutes. The sisters who had been evil… yet I had pitied them for how they had suffered.

The moment I thought of my younger brother, and what I had found him doing, made me toss the memories away… blanking my mind for a moment.

That odd feeling of emptiness filled me, and I realized I had drifted in my head a little too long. I blinked, and glanced around. Looking around, I found that the room was still quiet. Only Merit was staring at me, and I realized I had probably just now had a very awkward expression on my face. Thanks to the memories that I had just re-lived.

“Vim’s gone three days now without a meal. Why not go ask if he’d like something to eat?” Merit then asked me, before I could say anything to break the odd silence myself.

Shifting on the couch, I recognized the very kind offer to excuse myself. Merit didn’t like Vim. She didn’t care if he starved or not… if Vim even could starve. She was simply offering me a chance to politely leave without being weird; since I probably just had a horrible expression and they were now concerned for me.

“Okay. Though he seems to not care much for my cooking,” I said as I stood from the couch. I really didn’t mind showing them all a sad look, but maybe it was best to accept her gentle offer.

“Ha!” Brandy went to giggling, but I ignored her and the rest as I left the office.

Walking into the hallway, I paused a moment when I found Vim was talking to another. I recognized the woman, dressed in the attire of an auditor who worked under Lawrence… but I wasn’t able to remember her name. Which bothered me. Maybe I hadn’t been told it, or overheard it. Yet her face was definitely familiar… the kind of familiar that made me feel as if I should know her name.

Slowly approaching, I listened intently to their conversation. She was asking about him. She wanted to know what department he worked at, and why she hadn’t seen him before. Vim was gently answering her questions, with a strangely kind tone. One I usually only heard him using when talking to one of us, those of us in the Society. It was odd to hear him use it for a human, especially one who undoubtedly didn’t belong to the Society since she didn’t know who he was.

“I see… Will you be sitting here long Vim? What about during dinner?” She asked.

“Dinner? Well I suppose she’ll be the one making it for me,” Vim said as he pointed at me.

Stopping once more, I froze when the woman turned and frowned at me. Then the realization of what he was implying dawned on her, and her pale face became a pink shade of red.

“I see! That’s good! I uh… um… Sorry, then!” she said and then turned, nearly tripping over her own feet as she hurried away. She ran down the hall to my right, passing me with her head hung low.

Feeling bad for her, I sighed as I walked up to Vim. “Why make me the bad guy?” I asked him.

“You’re a guy?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Frowning at him, I wondered if maybe he had simply been annoyed with her. He was definitely annoyed; I had seen it since he had sat down. He wasn’t fidgeting or looking around wildly… but it was there. In his face. In his eyes.

He didn’t look bothered or concerned, but he was.

But I knew the source of that frustration wasn’t the humans and workers bothering him. It was something much more serious. Something far more deadly, and important.

He seemed to believe he had failed already, somehow. Though I wasn’t entirely sure if he had or not. He likely could have grabbed my supposed stalker already, if he had been a little more active… but was that really the right thing to do? She hadn’t really seemed intent on hurting me…

“Who was she?” I asked him as I stood in front of him. I did my best to not turn around and glance at the human woman, even though I wanted to. I could still hear her mumbling. She was chastising at herself, in a way that worried me. She was degrading herself for actually trying to talk to a man again, and was swearing to never do it again.

Hearing that made my heart hurt. It meant Vim’s rejection had been rather brutal for her… and likely not the first.

She hadn’t been ugly, not in the least, so why…?

“She works under Lawrence. She said her name was Blaire,” he said.

Blaire. I’d need to find her later. To talk to her. I wasn’t really sure what I’d talk to her about or why I wanted to do so… but…

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Vim tilted his head at me, and I realized we were almost eye level now. In fact I was probably a slightly bit taller, even without my ears. That stool he sat on really was small. “Was she a friend of yours? I’ll apologize if she was,” he offered to me.

“I’d like her to be one,” I said.

“Really?”

I nodded.

Vim tilted a little, as to look past me. His frown deepened, and I wondered if she was still in sight. Probably was. Humans couldn’t move very fast, especially the younger women while wearing those odd heel shoes. These hallways had thick rugs too, which made it even more difficult.

“May I ask why?” he asked.

“I feel responsible. You used me to hurt her heart,” I said.

“Hurt her heart… Renn, I had simply turned down her invitation to have dinner together. It happens often, it’s not that big a deal,” Vim said.

“For her it had been,” I said. Had he not heard her?

Vim’s shoulders lowered a little, as if he was suddenly dejected. “You heard her whispers,” he said, knowingly.

I nodded. “I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t been able to,” I said.

“She’ll get over it Renn. It’s not like I’m that charming in the first place, plus that was the first time we’ve ever talked. It’s not as if I was some ex-lover or something,” he said.

“I’m sure. But…” I wanted to argue with him, but wasn’t sure why. It was obvious she’d get over it. She’d try again, and would find someone. It was very rare for humans to not find partners. Yet…

“Does it bother you so much because I had used you as an excuse…?” Vim asked me.

“I think that’s most of the reason, yes,” I said as I thought deeper about it.

“And here I’d thought you’d smile and stick your chest out, or say something to cement it,” Vim said, and then sighed.

“Ah… well…” Honestly I probably would have, if she hadn’t gotten the hint. I would have definitely done something like it, had she not gotten so stung by the indirect rejection.

Vim smiled at me, and I realized he read my intentions clearly. Chances are they had been visible on my face since before he had even pointed at me. I had been upset to find him talking to her, after all.

“I think I’m possessive,” I said as I realized it. It was odd to realize that I was. I had never thought myself someone who would get upset over something so simple. But that was likely because I had never cherished something very deeply before.

Like my little blue box, that held my nail supplies. It was so silly and simple, but I cherished that thing with a strange level of affection. An almost worrying level.

Would I be the same way if Vim was mine? Was it my nature? A predator nature? Or my personality?

Was it something that would turn Vim off?

“Just now realizing it?” He smirked as he watched me process the realization.

Giving him, and myself, a shrug… I glanced around for another chair or stool. There of course wasn’t one… and I had a few places in mind where I could go and get one, but decided against it. I simply stepped a little closer to him and went ahead and sat down. Right in front of him.

“What are you doing Renn?” Vim asked as I sat down on the thick rug, right in front of Vim, right in the center of the intersection of hallways. The rug was actually a little worn down here, probably thanks to the increased foot traffic, but it was still thick enough and soft enough that sitting on the ground was actually not that bad at all.

“We need to talk,” I said to him.

“Take the stool, Renn. I can stand,” Vim said as he started to do so. But I stopped him with a wave and shake of my head.

He glared at me as I leaned back a little, as to relax. Yes… this rug would do.

“They won’t let me be used as bait as to lure the girl out,” I said.

“They voted on it. They said no. Each one did,” Vim nodded.

“Why can’t we just do it? I’m okay with it,” I said.

“They voted. Voted no. End of story,” Vim said, a little firmer this time.

“But Vim…”

“No buts. Not even your nice one can change what happened. You either accept the rules of the Society or you leave it. There’s no picking and choosing what rules you obey and don’t,” Vim said.

I rolled a little, as to cross my legs and sit a little more comfortably. Doing so, thanks to how I sat in front of Vim, made me remember of the long nights I had sat with my siblings listening to one of my grandparent's stories when younger. In that cave.

Maybe I should have taken the stool. The rug was soft, but for some reason it was starting to get uncomfortable.

“You like my butt?” I asked him. I have caught him staring at it sometimes, but it was hard to tell if he was staring at my rear or my tail when he did so.

“I’ll enjoy kicking it if you keep arguing with me or them about using you as bait,” Vim said.

Sighing, I nodded. “Fine. But I want you to know I’m not happy about it.”

Vim and I sat in silence for awhile, and that silence continued until a pair of workers entered the hallway from the depot. They stopped talking as they approached, and I ignored their weird stares as they walked past us, heading to the bank. It didn’t take them long until they started to whisper to each other, wondering what the heck we were doing.

“Not going to tell me to get up and stop attracting attention?” I asked Vim as the two depot workers left earshot.

“You attract attention just by breathing, Renn. I’ve learned to accept that,” he said.

Tilting my head at him, and the soft smile on his face, I decided to interpret his words as a compliment. That smile wasn’t the one he wore when he teased me, but instead when he was being serious.

“You’ve been attracting attention too, you know? The whole company is talking about the strange man on the stool,” I said. Most of the building was talking about him, in one form or another.

“I’m forgettable, Renn. You’re not,” he said, as if to argue with me.

“I’m not?” I asked. Really?

He sighed but said nothing as he glanced down the hallway that led to the bank. I turned just enough to glance down it out of the corner of my eye. Someone was approaching.

“Merit wanted me to ask what you wanted for dinner. I’ll cook it for you,” I said.

“I’ll eat once I’ve caught the one hunting you,” Vim said.

“What if it takes days?” I asked.

“It’s already been a few. What’s a couple more?” he said with a shrug.

“Even I can’t go too long without food,” I said. I wasn’t entirely sure how long I could go… but once I had starved when younger. It had only taken a few weeks and I had become weak. The pain had been enough to make me desperate.

“I’m a little sturdier than you, Renn,” Vim said gently as the one walking towards us approached. It was a woman; she wore a fancy suit similar to what Sofia wore.

“Do you remember me Vim?” the woman asked as she stepped up to us.

“No,” Vim said simply.

Glancing at him, and the eyes that stared straight at me and was ignoring the woman who now was smiling softly at him… I wondered if he had just lied.

“Figured. You saved my life, a long time ago. I work under Sofia. I heard you were making a spectacle of yourself, so I came to thank you… since I’m always busy when you show up and never get the chance to. You’ll probably forget it, but my name is Clair Lightenfoot. I’m married now, I have two children. Both will be working here at the Animalia Guild soon, and will hopefully do so their whole lives,” Clair said to him.

Glancing at her, I blinked softly as I realized what she was saying.

She knew who, or at least had an idea of what, Vim was. And she was trying to thank him, not just with words… but…

Vim turned a little to look at her. He studied her for a moment, and I held my breath… until he smiled softly.

“Clair Lightenfoot. I’ll make sure to check on you from now on when I visit. What’re your children’s names?” he asked.

She beamed him a happy smile as she stepped forward and held out her hand. He took it gently, and they shook hands. “Sing and Song. No… sadly they don’t sing very well at all, but they had screamed and cried something fierce when they had been babies,” Clair said.

Vim smirked and nodded. “Singsong. Introduce me to them next time,” he said.

“I will!” She blinked watery eyes as she nodded and stepped back… as if staring at her hero.

Well… maybe he was.

After a few moments she turned and looked at me and smiled. “I’m Renn,” I introduced myself. I simply waved at her, since I was sitting down.

“Yes. I saw you with Sofia the other day, learning the ropes. Will you be staying here or…?” she tilted her head at me.

So she was a member. At least, in a way.

“Not likely. I’ll be back though,” I said.

I ignored Vim’s look as she nodded, and then looked one last time at Vim. “Thank you again Vim… I know it probably doesn’t mean much, and you probably don’t even remember… but I really mean it. I promise I’ll continue earning the life you earned me,” she said to him.

Vim looked into her eyes, but only nodded. She nodded back, and then with one last nod to me she turned back around and headed back towards the bank. This time walking with a little more surety in her step as she did.

Once she was far enough away, I glanced at Vim.

“That was beautiful,” I told him.

“Yet no tears in your eyes,” he said.

“Weird huh?” I agreed, and rubbed my eyes. As I did, sure enough, a little bit of wetness was left on my hands.

Staring at the slight bit of gleam on my finger and hands, I smiled at them. Maybe I was maturing a little… something like that would have shocked me far more than it had not too long ago.

Or… maybe I was just being overwhelmed, by all the drama recently.

Lamp and her people. Vim leaving and coming back. The embassy… the many new friends, and city… the stalker…

I sighed at myself. Yes. A lot has happened, and was still happening.

“I don’t remember, by the way,” he then said.

“Hm?” I looked up at Vim.

He nodded to the hallway that led to the bank. “Clair. I don’t remember saving her.”

“Oh. Huh… really? It had to have been one of the last times you were here. She wasn’t that old,” I said. Maybe mid thirties?

“Yet I don’t. Sofia probably knows, however,” Vim said.

“I see…”

How odd. Vim changed people’s lives so easily, and because of how easily he did it… he barely noticed when he did.

It was like he some kind of giant. So big and massive, that even a single footstep could change the world.

The thought made me frown, but I found it very interesting. It was such an apt way to describe him. A surprisingly good way.

It wasn’t just his strength either. He did it with not just his strength, but even simple actions… or words. He changed people’s fates, their entire lives, with a whisper. Or at least, he could.

“Now what are you thinking?” Vim asked me.

“That you’re like a giant,” I said honestly.

“A… a giant?” Vim frowned at me.

I nodded. “A giant.”

“I see… well I’m not very tall. I’m barely any taller than you are, Renn,” he said.

“I know. It’s weird. You’re not much taller, yet when I think of you I feel as if you’re huge. Sometimes I feel like I have to really strain my neck to look at you,” I said.

“Well, you are sitting on the floor,” Vim suggested for a reason to explain it.

Smiling at him, I nodded. “I am huh!”

“You are. Why are you sitting there, Renn?”

Leaning back, I smiled up at my friend. Merit looked down at me, and I was surprised… or well not really… that she wasn’t much taller than me while I sat and leaned back as I was.

In fact…

Sitting back up straight, I smiled and did my best to not let the realization that I was still taller than she was while sitting down to not show on my face.

“You should know by now that she’s odd,” Vim said to Merit.

“Of course I do. But really… Get up Renn, the floor’s dirty here,” Merit said.

“It’s not that bad,” I said and glanced at the rug I sat on. It was worn down and a little darker in color than the rest… thanks to the dirt and grime, but it wasn’t that bad honestly. Nowhere near as bad as it really could have been, or should be. It was probably not too old. A year or so maybe?

Merit sighed and shook her head.

“You tell her,” Vim said.

“Why don’t you?” Merit asked.

Vim gestured at me, as if just by looking at me Merit could discern the reason for his inability to do so.

She gestured at me too, in a very similar fashion.

“Rude,” I said.

The two smiled, and I enjoyed the sight of it. Usually Merit was glaring or frowning at Vim, so it was nice to see her smiling near Vim in such a way.

“Everything’s fine by the way. I just spoke to Brom and Reatti. All’s well on all fronts,” Merit told Vim.

“So it is,” Vim said.

Merit stepped closer, and her finger she poked me in the shoulder. “You were supposed to get him food,” she said firmly. Or well, as firmly as her voice would allow.

“He said he isn’t hungry,” I said.

“I’m not,” Vim said.

“Just make him slop. Go find the oldest fruit you can, mash it up with dried leaves and old dirt and pour stale water in it too. That’ll be enough for him,” Merit said and nodded, crossing her arms and seeming pleased with her idea.

“Pickle that and let it ferment for a few hundred years and that’d be a tasty treat,” Vim said, also nodding and crossing his arms.

Merit’s eyebrows met as she frowned at him. Her frown quickly turned into a glare, just because she could do it.

“Do you like fruit drinks Merit? I’m in the mood for one,” I offered her a chance to permit me to go to the kitchens in the society houses to procure said drinks.

“Actually I don’t… but I’ll have some wine while you have your juice,” Merit said, smiling at me.

“A fair deal. What about you Vim? Not hungry, but surely a drink?” I asked him.

I expected him to either smirk and agree, or wave me off… but instead…

“Vim?” I said his name with a little bit of worry as I stared at the man who had a sudden look of confusion.

Then he turned his head, looking behind him.

Then Vim stood.

I sat up straight, and my ears also became firm as I realized something was wrong.

Merit turned, and both Vim and Merit looked towards the Society Housing. Down the hall past the stool, and… slightly…

Studying them as they both stared upward, I tried my best to hear or sense whatever it was they did.

I heard far off voices. Echoes of people. I could even near clanks and banging from the depot, although it was muddled greatly thanks to the distance. I could smell not just paper and ink, but the weird smell of the coins and money from the bank. I could smell people. Humans. Our kind. Merit. Food being cooked and prepared elsewhere… a baby not far from us, probably at the entrance lobby.

Yet I couldn’t hear, smell, or see anything wrong. Nothing to warrant the two of them acting the way they were.

Then without a word, Vim darted down the hallway. Running away so quickly, I actually flinched at the sudden burst of movement.

In a blink he was gone, rounding a hallway.

Hurriedly standing, I hesitated. What did I do? What do we do? Tell others? Follow after him?

“She’s here.” Merit turned around, hurrying behind us. Likely back to Gerald’s office.