The Nightscape

The Start Of The Community

Lyra poked miserably at the soil. She was currently trying to plant the seed of some stupid tree Zidros had told her to find, not that she thought it would work. The soil here, even after the rift was healed, was still dusty and dry, utterly arid. How would anything grow here, she wondered. Still, she was obeying him for the time being. The other day, he had snapped while in a meeting, shown a glimpse of his true colours. It had served as a harsh reminder to his entire 'council' about who exactly they were dealing with. No more arguments had broken out between them, and they were obeying Zidros without question. There were unspoken rules, a wariness over the small town ever since that happened, even though the boy had reverted to his sunny, innocent demeanour. 

Guy had tried to put off going for his people after the outburst, but Zidros had been rather insistent. After a while, Anya had stepped in to make him go before the boy lost his temper again. Which meant that Lyra had to get to work stockpiling food and starting an orchard and a garden. At the very least, the others who didn't have their own jobs were stepping in to help, though Anya's assistance stopped at her wandering around and looking for seeds. Zidros was working closely with Lyra now, much to her distaste.

"Everyone is acting very strange around me recently." Zidros stated, coming to stand over where Lyra was stood trying to turn up the soil. She grunted. He had been fishing for reasons all week, and no one had given him one. Too afraid of angering him again. 

"We're all hard at work." She said him, trying to keep her frustration from her tone. Zidros knelt down in front of her, taking over her work and doing a much better job at it. 

"I know, but even at night when it's too dark to work, no one wants to talk to me." Lyra almost told him they were all always tired, but they didn't get tired anymore. She just decided to stay mute, shoving the seed into the hole in the soil and kicking the dust back over it. Zidros was staring at her expectantly, but she had nothing to say to him. Just as it was clear he was about to press the issue, there was a shout from one edge of the little town. Thanking whatever the distraction was, Lyra leapt to her feet and went to investigate, Zidros teleporting his way over immediately. He'd also suddenly become a little stingy with teaching them how to use their powers, which Lyra personally thought was just a way to control them. 

As she reached the outskirts, she saw a ragged bunch of people approaching, with Guy leading them. They were going very slowly, everyone looking gaunt and exhausted and scared, Guy carrying two small children. Anyone who looked like they had even a flicker of strength was carrying either a child or a box of supplies. Lyra raised a brow as Guy traipsed close enough to see the slapshod welcome committee, and he shook his head ever so slightly. 

"Here they all are. All tired and hungry and thirsty." He said by way of greeting, looking tired in a very different way. Lyra winced. 

"I have some food, but rations are still running low." She told him honestly. Glancing around at them, they had enough to feed them all for a little under a week. She couldn't see any of this ending well. 

"But, we've started a garden, and soon I'll teach Lyra how to help plants grow!" Zidros piped up, his voice uselessly optimistic. The others all looked at him, their expressions ranging from wary to angry to hopeful. One of the men shortly behind Guy, with a woman walking next to him and twin children in his arms, regarded him carefully. 

"Is this the boy- person- creature you were telling us about?" He asked Guy bluntly, scanning Zidros up and down. Lyra took a small step back, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes to read Zidros's expression. He didn't seem phased. 

"Yes, I'm Zidros, the leader of this settlement! I'm very happy to welcome you all, and ask that you all come to the library so we can talk everything over!" He said loudly, clapping his hands together in excitement and gesturing for them all to follow him.