Citizen 1111 Daedalion

Water trickled down the cobbled streets of Themsby as the rumblings of the last storm passed overhead. Thick clouds blotted out the sun and the residents lit candles to guide their way or coaxed fireplaces to blaze and warm their homes. With windows locked to keep cozy, they could wait out the cold and return to their lives once the cool weather passed. They had the safety and luxury to avoid the chill.

Daedalion watched them hide away, curling his lip as they nestled into their comfort. He spotted a few glance a him, a scruffy and dirty teen on the streets, and slam their doors shut. The young Rex wasn’t the only one treated this way, he spotted others begging for shelter to no avail. Some were turned away kindly, with apologies and well wishes, whilst others were snapped at and threatened for daring to be so bold. Dae narrowed his eyes as he watched them be treated like criminals, simply for wanting to be free of the cold. It was commonplace, especially during winter months, but still made his skin crawl that Rexes could be so callous to their own kind.

Wandering down the street, Daedalion could only grimace at the state of the city. As lavish as some areas of Themsby were, it masked the parts of the city left neglected and the Rexes left to rot alongside it. Whilst merchants showed off hoards of silk and fine fabrics from their most recent splurge, the Rexes Dae knew clung to tattered rags that had been falling apart for years, just for something to warm them at night. The jewels and coins that they traded in were rotten food, and information of where more could be stolen. Friends could turn into foes in an instant when there was something to fight over, and an ally was only to be trusted whilst they had use. Many walked alone and suffered for it, as gangs would roam and pick off runts, but trust rarer than gold on the streets. Dae had witnessed so much cruelty yet so few ever tried to help.

As he walked through the alleyways, he counted the broken stones under his feet that dug into his palms, until the number climbed too high to continue. He hardly noticed the pricks anymore, as the callouses he’d built up over the years protected him, but he often spotted younger pups trailing blood from stepping on sharp fragments. Those pups either learned to quickly clean their wounds by whatever means necessary, or lost fingers and limbs to infection. The stones were always slick with something, be it dirt, water, sewage, or blood. It was better to avoid looking at the ground and keep moving forward, better to be oblivious than have the weight of knowing someone’s gore had soaked into his fur.

Still, it was impossible to avoid the stench of the streets. Unless the town was going through a dry spell, Dae’s usual haunts perpetually smelled of wet and decaying wood. The scents of other homeless Rexes mixed as they walked the streets, though it was often muddled by the running water between the stones or masked by a splash of blood. Dae shuddered as the metallic scent crossed his nose whilst he walked. It was unmistakable, no matter how much Dae wished he wasn’t familiar with it. He kept to himself, and his piercing gaze had warded off possible attackers before, but it didn’t spare him from coming across the gruesome aftermath of conflict. At least the frequent rains made it easy to wash unknown blood from his fur.

Daedalion couldn’t help despairing at the ruins of the streets he wandered. Dirt and grime smeared along the floors with no one to clean it up. Blood never dried on the stones from the rain, and older stains mixed with new ones as survivors fought over scraps. There was more to life than this place, he could hear the laughter and joy in the voices that echoed through the streets down to where he haunted but it was always overshadowed by the sobs of the injured and abandoned or by the screams of the chosen victim of more violence.

Someone’s sobs were near. Dae paused to listen as a young voice pleaded for mercy. He was close enough to hear the shake in their breathing and hear them slip and fall on some stones. He was also near enough to hear the deep chuckle of whoever was harming the Rex. Scowling, Dae crept closer and listened in to the conflict. He turned a corner and crouched in the shadows, now able to see the situation for himself.

A small, young Rex was cowering in front of two larger individuals, both almost adults. The armoured Rex, who almost disappeared into the shadows had it now been for his bright underbelly and white streaks, hung back, picking at his teeth, and leaned against the stone wall beside him. He ignored the terror of the young Rex, even rolling his eyes when they begged for mercy, and allowed the other to tower over them.

The second grinned as her victim pleaded. A sick joy glistened in her green eyes as she slammed a foot down next to the adolescent and they yelped and flinched despite not being hit. Had it not been for her bright eyes and green magic, this rex could have melted into the darkness of the alleyway and dragged her target away, never to be seen again. Yet she circled the little Rex, her fur rippling with muscle and strength, like a hunter about to tear into her prey.

“Come on now, you street rats always have your ear to the ground. You must know something.” The second snarled and lunged to block off the road to escape, blocking the smaller Rex from Dae’s view. “Just give me a name and you can run along home.”

“I don’t! I don’t know who that is- I’m sorry!” They yelped as she slammed her foot down again, this time directly onto their tail. Dae flinched as they sobbed, and he looked around for anyone to help them. He caught the sad eyes of a few observers but all turned away, not daring to cross the path of this violent Rex.

Fury welled up in him. How dare they abandon this child? How dare they turn and let this happen? Maybe Daedalion shouldn’t have been surprised, he’d seen how unsympathetic this city had been to Rexes down on their luck, but to turn away from a child? The two bigger Rexes were intimidating but the cowardice of the city to turn its back on someone so weak, so vulnerable, made Daedalion sick. He bared his teeth as he stood up and stepped out of his hiding spot. He refused to be like the rest of the damned city, uncaring towards anyone who needed help. His mind flashed through the harm he’d seen, the neglect and abuse that Rexes like him had suffered, and he could not stand by any longer. Without thinking of his own safety, Dae charged forward and yelled out.

“Hey!” All three Rexes turned to look at Dae as he scowled at them, his lip curling as he snarled. “Leave ‘em alone. They don’t have what you want.”

The green-eyed Rex lifted her head, snarling as she was interrupted. She could already see Dae’s determined stance and knew he wasn’t leaving without a fight. She kicked the smaller Rex behind her, sending them tumbling into her partner’s hands, as she stepped forward. The other Rex stood up and the plates of his armour flexed as he glared at her. “Abyssal, we don’t have time for this-”

“Shut it, Thresher, I’ll handle it. Just keep hold of the brat.” Abyssal turned back to Daedalion as the fur down her neck bristled. “You need to mind your own business, runt. This doesn’t concern you, so leave whilst you have the chance.” She flexed her claws, dragging them over the stones under her and leaving gouges in their wake.

“They’re just a kid! How could they possibly have what you want!” Daedalion stood his ground even as Abyssal stepped closer. She was a little smaller than him, despite clearly being older, but he could tell she would be difficult for him to fight. He watched her eyes rake over his weaker form, eyeing him up for places to attack. His eyes flicked to the young Rex, the poor thing trembling as they watched with wide eyes, and steeled his resolve. Despite his racing heart, he met Abyssal’s eyes and bared his teeth at her. “I will not leave until that kid is free from you.”

Abyssal grinned. “Good. I was hoping to draw blood today.”

Abyssal struck first, hitting him hard and fast, and Dae was on the floor before he registered that he’d been hit. Pain bloomed from his throat and he coughed, winded, when claws raked down his shoulder, flooding his body with more agony than he’d felt in his life. Abyssal’s paws came slamming down and he rolled aside just in time before her tail lashed across his eyes. Daedalion stumbled back, shaking his head, and stepped to the side to avoid Abyssal charging at him.

Though Abyssal was now after him, the little Rex was still in dangerous claws. Taking the opportunity of Abyssal’s miss, he took his chance and turned to lunge at Thresher, who squawked at the sudden attack. Dae knew he would not win the fight, he was inexperienced and outnumbered, but he needed to give the poor kid a chance to escape. As he was slammed on his back by Thresher shoving him away, he yelled over to them. “Get out of here kid! Now! Don’t waste this-”

His words were cut off by Thresher slamming down on his stomach. Dae coughed, wheezing for air as he attempted to crawl away from the larger Rex’s attack. He wasn’t done yet, he needed to buy the young one more time, but he needed a moment to breathe. However, luck was not on his side and, as he got to his feet, he spotted Abyssal in the corner of his eye running off in the direction the little Rex had fled.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward and managed to catch the tip of her tail in his teeth and bit down with all his might. She let out a screech as he felt something under his teeth crack. Bile crawled up his throat but Dae pressed on, tugging her backwards despite her furious thrashing. The metallic taste of her blood hit his tongue and he recoiled to spit it out, only to be struck across the face by Abyssal’s claws. Red covered his vision and he tried to rub it away but more blood gushed as he agitated the wound. He could hear footfalls near him of someone charging and a heavy, armoured head struck him in the side. Dae was left gasping for air on the ground as tears grew in his eyes, which began to clear his vision.

“What a waste. All for a little brat you don’t even know.” Abyssal stepped forward and held Dae down by his throat, claws digging into his throat armour. He glared up at the ruthless Rex. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of giving up, despite his tearful and pitiful state. With a final spiteful, and maybe desperate, move, he lunged up and bit into her arm. She hissed and released his throat before shoving him back down. Murder and fury burned in her gaze, and cold fear ran down Dae’s spine as he realised she was not letting him go. The pressure built as she leaned all her weight onto his neck, drawing more blood as she tore into his throat plates, and lifted her other hand to strike again.

“Abyssal.” Thresher’s voice cut her off, his low voice coming from somewhere behind Dae’s attacker. “We’re wasting time and daylight. Let’s go find someone who actually knows our target.” Abyssal remained silent, ignoring him, until Thresher shoved her shoulder. The green eyed Rex whirled around and bit the air by the armoured Rex’s throat before she shoved past him, releasing Dae in the process, and mumbled something about his cowardice. Thresher just rolled his eyes before looking down at Daedalion. “Next time. Stay out of the way. She doesn’t care about getting blood on her hands, no matter how young you are.”

The pair finally left and Daedalion took deep breaths as he laid on the ground. The stones were now slick with his blood, trickling down the pathway. He could feel it trickling down his face, throat and sides, and some becoming congealed in his fur. His throat felt the worst, clawed and bruised and torn. Even if they healed, he wondered if scars would remain, a mark to remind him of this fight. Drops of rain began to splatter against his face, and he sighed and closed hie eyes. Though he’d lost, the little Rex had gotten away. Perhaps they were scared beyond belief, but they were alive and unscathed. That was victory enough, pain be damned. With a groan, he heaved himself to his feet as the clouds released their downpour, then he paused as a familiar little face stood in front of him.

Daedalion huffed. “I told you to run.” His voice felt rough, and he hoped they weren’t afraid of him now.

The small Rex shuffled on their feet, looking down at the blood under Dae’s feet with wide eyes. “I.. I did run.”

“Then why are you here?” Dae tilted his head, then winced at the pressure that put on the marks down his neck.

The little Rex looked up at him. Their expression was pitiful, tears rimming their eyes as they spoke. “Because you’re hurt.. And… and someone else might come and hurt you again. So… I thought I’d take you somewhere to hide.”

Dae paused, then nodded. He was exhausted and in pain, he couldn’t wander the streets trailing blood for anyone to follow. Besides, they had no one help them when Abyssal and Thresher attacked so, even if they had been in a group that could harm Dae, they were abandoned and alone now. So, if this kid had somewhere to hide and recover, he didn’t want to pass up the chance.

The trek was agony. Every step burned his wounds and agitated his bruises, but he gritted his teeth and continued on. By the time they reached the shelter, Dae was limping with the little Rex by his side to support him. He flopped to the ground as soon as he was clear from the rain and curled up to cover some of his wounds. The shelter wasn’t anything pretty, just a little corner that wasn’t littered was trash hidden under an archway. It was dry and warmer than out in the main streets and enough for Dae to rest peacefully. As Dae let his eyes close, his newfound ally trotted over and sat by his side, watching over him as he slipped off into sleep.

Perhaps the streets didn’t have to be so cruel, when Daedalion was there to watch out for others.

~ paradoxspir1t