Seth and the Prometheus Guild

A Job

(Gore Warning)

Seth had no idea where the stables were, but he knew it was the name of the place where the humans kept the animals they didn't intend on eating - a waste in his opinion, but not the pinnacle of their strange behaviors.

So he simply wandered around the different buildings until he picked up the smell of warm fur, hay and manure. The sun had fully set by now and darkness was blanketing the world around him but he still found his way with sure steps, relying on his night-vision and sense of smell.

Pity that he wasn't the only one. As soon as the horses caught a whiff of his scent they started neighing and pacing in their small boxes, causing an unnecessary racket. Seth amused himself while he was waiting for Gregory, stepping closer to one of the horses and hissing at it.

Wide-eyed, the animal snorted wetly and started bobbing its head in panic. Its big heart was thundering, creating an enticing rhythm.

It made Seth want to chase it down. It would surely be a challenge, fast and big, but breaking just one of its thin legs would make it go down in a matter of seconds.

The urge sang through his veins, but he didn't lose control over it. He'd get to hunt something else today.

Heavy boots crunching on the gravel outside the stables announced Gregory's arrival. Seth stepped away from the horse, but the creature didn't calm down, trying to rear without the necessary space.

Gregory entered the stable, decked out completely in black, his trusty rifle slung across his shoulder.

His eyes darted to the spooked horse before landing on Seth, but as usual, he didn't comment.

Seth was still wearing the white hospital gown that someone had used to replace his blood-soaked school uniform after the fight. He didn't really mind the garment, as it offered quite unlimited freedom of movement, but Gregory didn't seem to share his opinion. Wordlessly, he threw a black bundle toward Seth who caught it out of the air. It was the same set of clothes the Guard was wearing, a long-sleeved fitted shirt and wide pants, only smaller in size.

The man still hadn't uttered a word. Seth shrugged and pulled the gown over his head - but not without straining his ears for any movement from Gregory. It wouldn't do to be caught unaware now.

The pants presented a problem though, his shackled feet making it impossible to put them on. Gregory stepped closer and drew a small key from his pocket. Instead of kneeling at Seth's feet and unlocking them himself, like he had with Seth's old manacle, he just threw the key, like he had the clothes.

It landed in the dirty hay at Seth's feet, forcing him to pick it up. He struggled a bit with the mechanism, but in the end managed to insert the key the right way and turn it in the intended direction. The chain clattered to the floor in a silver heap. Gregory didn't comment.

What finally forced the Guard to break his vow of silence was a statement from Seth that threw out their plans.

"You don't know how to ride?" he repeated the boy's words.

Seth shook his head, not trying to hide his amusement. How the humans always forgot that he hadn't grown up in their environment continued to surprise him.

In the end Gregory was forced to attach a small, open cart that was usually used to transport goods to one of the horses. And then he had to change the horse because the black gelding he'd first chosen tried to take off as soon as Seth so much as breathed in its direction.

All those factors amounted to an unforeseen delay in their departure. Neither Gregory nor The Director had told Seth where they were headed, but he didn't really care, content to settle down in the cart and let the horse do all the work for him. The night sky spread above him, still starless but the moon was already up, bathing his surroundings in pale, ethereal light.