It wasn’t a bad decision, sticking with two experienced bounty hunters. The Fa’ar kid already knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive after being freed. Neither would he survive if he stayed a slave. For a Fa’ar, it was a lose-lose situation, and for anyone else, that sounded unfair.
But no one cared if a Fa’ar suffered like such. Having not one, but two people who cared about him already felt unreal. Jacques did not care, though Raine did, and that’s good enough for him. At least the wolf man wasn’t actively trying to make his life miserable. Maybe, in time, he might start mellowing out and they could start understanding each other.
Only time would tell. For now, he better make himself useful. They considered him part of the partnership. He might as well begin proving himself.
Due to being a Fa’ar, he was forbidden to enter most settlements, especially havens. Some settlements permitted Fa’ars only on a limited basis and only for business purposes like trading or to set up a stall. They were not allowed to enter many public buildings so if they needed something in the building, such as food or things, Fa’ars would usually ask someone to help them. Of course, that, too, was not always a guarantee. Some people, especially those who hated Fa’ars, would not even service anyone associated with the ratfolks. The Fa’ars literally had no basic rights. While it was frustrating and unfair, no one would come to their side, as the Fa’ars were already notorious for being thieves, bandits, and spreader of diseases. The last part sounded ridiculous, but only when they had never experienced it. Thankfully, it was very rare. Otherwise, the Fa’ars would not even be allowed to interact with the rest of the world.
It was also the reason why a Fa’ar bounty hunter was a rarity, and this was pointed out by the sheriff of a town Raine, Jacques, and the kid visited. The town tolerated Fa’ars as they were quite helpful and did not attempt anything criminal. A young Fa’ar in the company of a human and a Loup would not merit the attention.
But then, one entered the sheriff’s office, and everyone stopped to look at them. The office was small and there weren’t a lot of people inside. The kid could see two Loups and one Felinari woman working behind some desks. There were two human visitors, and they were the first to notice. The sheriff, an older Loup with graying hair, was the only one who did not look surprised.
“It’s rude to stare, you know,” said the sheriff to his staff, and by extension, the visitors. “If you don’t like it, just leave. I ain’t gonna turn them away.”
They didn’t. Instead, they returned to their previous activities.
The Loup sheriff tipped down his fedora, greeting the three as he stood.
“Don’t worry about it, kid,” said the sheriff to the young Fa’ar. “I know you’re smart enough not to mess around in a sheriff’s office.”
The kid nodded, completely understanding what he was implying.
“So.” The sheriff looked at the Fa’ar’s two companions. He quickly knew what their jobs were. “Need some quick cash?”
“Got someone?” asked Raine.
“They’re on your left.”
Raine and Jacques turned to the left, followed by the kid. Five wanted posters, all with different bounties, were posted on the wanted list board. Their mugshot was clear enough for them identify.
“Pick one or two, just not all of them,” said the sheriff. “It’s for your own safety and for fairness’s sake. You ain’t the only bounty hunters in the area.”
“Thanks, sheriff,” said Raine. “Now, then. Who’s the lucky guy we’re gonna pick? How about you pick one, Jacques? You took us to this town, so you might have a sense of who’s your target is.”
Jacques nodded. That was always his intention. Raine could pick someone or a group from the chart and get them the best deal, but Jacques, knowing the town’s reputation and the way settlements outside of havens work, knew that the most obvious choice wasn’t always the best one. A particularly nasty experience, fueled by desperation and greed, cost him more than he should.
So, the lupine hunter looked at the posters carefully. There was a Fa’ar who was high on bounty, but his crime was suspiciously light. Anyone would think of this as an easy target, but anyone who’s not blinded by greed would know that the high bounty could come not from how troublesome he was, but because he pissed someone off or he was targeted by some groups that Jacques preferred not to be associated with.
Good thing for Jacques, he was quick to decide and had all the information he needed. Once he found the bounty poster with the name ‘Armon DeCroce’ he did not hesitate to rip it off the nail and walked out of the station, without even saying any words. Jacques, a Loup of a few words, did not feel like explaining his choice, already forgetting that he was supposed to be part of a team.
Thus, Raine, the only other person with a voice, decided to be the more diplomatic of the two. As Jacques walked out of the building, the cat-eared man turned to the Loup sheriff and said, “Sorry about him. He’s not exactly the kind of Loup with a loose tongue.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said the sheriff. “I’ve met worse.” He then remembered something and said, “Wait, Fa’ar.”
The kid stopped, knowing that he was the only Fa’ar in the building. The sheriff took his time walking out behind his counter and put a clawed hand on his shoulder. The wolf person slightly unsettled the kid, mostly due to his height and due to a Fa’ar’s skittish nature.
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“You might want to take off that head harness…and maybe the collar,” said the sheriff. “I don’t mind if it’s what you like to wear, but it makes you look…you know what I mean.”
Raine, hearing this, came to the kid’s side and said, “It’s something he chose to wear. And before you start making assumptions, he can’t speak.”
The kid, confirming what Raine said, simply nodded and made gestures to explain why. The sheriff simply tipped his hat and said, “While I’m glad to know that, not everyone has the same idea. Town’s not a place to sell people.”
“We got it. Come on, kid. Let’s go.”
The kid simply waved goodbye at the sheriff. When the duo disappeared behind the door, the sheriff started contemplating on his words.
“Oh shit,” he said, mortified.
Maybe it wasn’t for his best interest pointing out someone’s choice to express themselves.
***
“Kid, that wolf’s right,” said Raine. “That might not be a muzzle, but you don’t walk around wearing…whatever it is you’re wearing on your head. That, and the collar, too.”
The Fa’ar kid’s choice of clothing certainly did not make Raine comfortable, especially not after the sheriff pointed out that slavery was forbidden in the settlement. Good thing he was the only one with keen eyes. Still, the kid might not realize it, but the sheriff was acting rude when he pointed out the Fa’ar’s clothes.
The Fa’ar kid, for some reason or another, decided to wear clothes that one either associate with a slave or a raider. He was wearing a loincloth that, while better than nothing, did not matter much. The leather collar he fashioned from a belt he salvaged near Maslania, along with the halter he found along the way, only made it worse. Raine did not understand what went through the kid’s head when he chose those things to wear, but he seemed comfortable in it. Raine wasn’t sure if that was a statement or a Fa’ar style, but at least it wouldn’t get them into more trouble than bringing a Fa’ar into a settlement.
The kid, on the other hand, chose to wear them because he wasn’t ready to move on from them yet. Somehow, along the way, during his slavery, he taught himself to ‘like’ these things. It took him five years to make peace with it. It might take the same amount of time to move on. He wanted to say this to Raine, but all he could say was an unintelligible croak. The kid started to wonder if one of the punishments he suffered in the past damaged his vocal cords. He wished that wasn’t the case. He really wanted to say what he had in mind, and to explain his decisions.
But that’s for another time. For now, he wanted to know what Jacques had in mind when he chose their target. Fortunately, Raine, too, was curious. So, on behalf of the kid, the cat-eared man approached the wolf man, walking with him side-by-side.
“So, what’s your take on that one?” said Raine while glancing at the rolled up wanted poster on Jacques left hand.
“Armon DeCroce. Wanted for being a suspect of many disappearances around the area. Had been caught before on major offenses, including kidnapping. After he was caught murdering someone, he had been on the run since, but the disappearances continued. Bounty’s pretty high, but that’s reasonable for his crimes. The highest one on the board’s not worth it.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t put a petty theft’s bounty higher than a serial kidnapper/serial killer. There must be a catch to it, and I don’t want to be involved. At least we give a peace of mind to this settlement once DeCroce’s dead.”
“Dead? Shouldn’t we catch him alive or something?”
“Either we kill him, or the townsfolk will,” said Jacques. “No one’s going to forgive him after everything he did.”
“Or maybe there is a chance that they don't.”
“Wouldn’t bet on it. Too much hassle and none of the usual shtick. No ransoms.”
“Ah,” said Raine, understanding what Jacques was talking about. “Guess so. Still, at least we get more if we take him in alive. Do they do that around here, or they don’t care?”
“They do. I guess they want him to suffer as much as his victims are.”
“And…do we have any idea where he is right now?”
“We don’t. But luckily for us, I got this crafty thing. Also, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For the expenses.”
Jacques moved to get the item he mentioned while Raine tried to make sense of what he was talking about until the man realized it.
“You used my share of the bounty?!” he exclaimed. “Come on, buddy! That’s not cool!”
“Your fault for not counting your share,” said Jacques. “I used up mine for the food, and we’re a team now, so that’s our share.”
Raine let out an annoyed groan as Jacques nonchalantly pulled out an amulet with a glowing, green crystal that took most of the amulet’s space.
“That thing better be worth it, Jacques.”
“It is,” said Jacques. “I know enough magic to know it’s functions.”
“Let me see.”
Jacques gave Raine the amulet and he examined it. It glowed as he rubbed the crystal and when he held it on both hands.
“Yup. Works as it should,” said Raine. “So, what’s the trigger?”
“We’ll have to find one of the victims’ relatives,” said Jacques. “Let me start from here.”
He approached a missing person poster of what looked like a vulpine beast person named Taira Gusara, who had been listed missing for a while. There was no date on which they could find the exact time, but at least they knew who to find.
The Gusara home was close to the sheriff’s office and was home to a family of fennec fox people, who were not as big or as tall as the red fox. In fact, they were as tall as a Fa’ar. Jacques found the person he was looking for: the mother of the kits, who was trying her best to keep her energetic and rowdy kits under control when she saw Jacques, Raine, and the Fa’ar kid approaching them. She, however, quickly turned her gaze towards the Fa’ar kid. She tried to be subtle, but both Raine and Jacques knew why she stared at the kid. Raine then stopped the kid from following Jacques and said, “We can wait for Jacques someplace else. Come on, kid.”
The Fa’ar kid nodded and followed Raine, leaving Jacques and the mother alone while she asked her other children to get inside her modest house, which like many of the buildings in the settlement was made from whatever scrap they could find from the wasteland.
“Is this about Taira?” asked the mother.
“I’m not the first one here, am I?” said the Loup.
“The second one, in fact. The first bailed out after I told him that the monster might be involved.”
“DeCroce?”
“The same one. Yet, I can tell that you’re not gonna bail. You said that monster’s name without hesitation, so you either know what you’re doing or you’re just stating the fact.” The mother sighed and, with a sad expression (complete with drooped ears), continued. “She’s a good kid, Taira. She helped everyone, regardless of who they were. I bet he took advantage of this kindness and took her away. I heard that Taira’s not the first, and not the last after the news of more disappearances. I…I don’t want to believe it, but she’s…she might no longer…”
Jacques did not wish to let her wallow in sadness. It was good that she did not keep hoping a false hope. By this point, she might have known that her daughter was already dead. Of course, unless there was a body, Jacques would not be so sure about it yet, though he was leaning towards the daughter being dead.
Because if she did not, her mother would be heartbroken.