Numbered and Factions

Chapter 18

 The next day, I get up and look around my dorm. A small box with a rune drawn on it sits on my desk. I get up and open the box, my necklace sits there glowing lightly, the whispers and voices come back to my head.

Bearer... have we been abandoned?... Endall? Where are you... Pixy... Can you hear us... Bearer! Bearer don't leave us! We don't want to be alone!... Fox of Arrows!!.. Someone! Come to our plain! We want someone to play with us!

I pick my necklace up as the whispers turn to cheering and laughter. It's natural to me at this point, everything blends together as my mind shuts thier voices away. One spirit in the form of a tabby cat forms from the gem and stares at me.

"Where did you go?" it asks with a spectral whisper,

"You took my body and tried to hurt people. Harmoninea took my necklace to stop you" I yawn,

"But I wasn't the one to do it, it was Tenebris and Dolorem" It meows,

"Which spirit did it I don't care." I growl,

"They aren't all of us, you should know not to judge them for all of us" It nuzzles my leg, its body is cold.

"You have a point but that doesn't mean i'm happy about it" I sigh,

"You still have much to learn Bearer, the Shadowborne can be tamed if you work at it" meows the spirit,

"When it happened I was falling into a sea of darkness, how am I supposed to control that?" I retort,

"Your answer will come to you at some point, the last bearer managed to control the Shadowborne, even under the control of Tenebris and Dolorem." it smiles with white teeth,

"And how old was this last bearer?" I ask,

"Older than you, and more experienced, I didn't say it'd come quickly" it stretches, I yawn and pat the spirit on the head. It meows and disappears.

I wonder what the last bearers were like, my dreams and few times with Endall have told me that the last one was around in the Elizabethan era of England. That's where my family comes from anyway. Bearingfox, from what Endall tells me we're one of many bearing families.

Bearing meaning these gems and realms they hold. It's confusing. Bearingfox is the shadowbearing family with this necklace. Then Spark's bracelets have to have come from a marriage. Maybe it was to settle something? Eh, question for another time.

The necklace radiates its familiar cold aura over my collarbones, it's nice to have that familiar touch there. Even if it means the spirits are back and pawing at me. Where did they even come from? Have they been around since the beginning of time? Are they spirits of the dead? I know some act more human than others. And those two that the cat brought up, Tenebris and Dolorem... The Latin words for Darkness and Sorrow... What a name. Fitting too. The last Shadowbearer was taunted by those two as well. Maybe there's a hint somewhere? I'll have to talk with Harmoninea maybe. Maybe she can get me in touch with Endall? God he'd rip my ear off about my behavior. Especially with the whole losing it thing. He'd know. What if Spark is under the same torment by a light counterpart of Tenebris and Dolorem. I know there's other elements of bearers. Are they on the Earth like me and Spark now? I wonder what their stories would be. Maybe they're like me and Spark. Or maybe they're completely different.

***

Anbu finds themself on the ground, crimson puddles surround them dying thier tails redder than normal. Any attempt to move is blocked by raging waves of pain in thier chest and leg. All they can do is lay there and hope someone comes, if anyone.

A mouse skitters up to them and sniffs at thier mask, its little paws clicking on the material. They cough and scare the rodent off. Then footsteps, a younger looking man with gray socks and black sandals walks up to them, his face and features are blocked by the darkness of the alleyway. A kind of wet hand takes their wrist, it feels kind of like a frog.

"Hey, ya conscious at all?" the figure asks, his voice is more androgynous but has a slight tone of a boston accent. Anbu coughs as a response.

"You want some help or ya want to die out here?" they ask. Anbu grabs the figure's hand.

"I'll take that as yes.'' The figure picks them up like it's nothing, Anbu holds thier arms over thier wounds. The figure starts walking off somewhere.

"Are you on the run or are you a part of a faction?" the figure asks, a streetlamp shows his face. Darker skin, large red eyes with some froggish skin around them,brown hair faded to a bright green chopped up into a chaotic fluffy mullet, dark gray sleeveless top.

"Fox...Fire..." Anbu chokes out, thier bell dings a little as they're moved.

"FoxFire? You're a bit far out from there now aren't you." the person states,

"Ring...ing... Bell..." Anbu coughs,

"Ringing Bell?... Are ya looking for them or somethin?" the person walks down a subway tunnel,

"No.. me.." Anbu shakes,

"You're Ringing Bell?" the person raises thier eyebrow.

"Yes.."

The person's jaw drops,

"The Ringing Bell. One of the most elusive Numbered assassins. Is in my arms right now."

"Yes.."

"So cool, was there anyone with you before this?"

"No.."

The person nods, they slip them by a terminal and get on the train. It's an older model with other Numbered. It's destination, a one way station out of Bireshire near the safehouse. Another Numbered built it recently, and it's only been in operation for a little bit. It ain't pretty but it serves its purpose. Anbu holds onto the person as they sit down in the car.

"Name..." Anbu touches the person's face,

"They call me Croaker. You may or may not have heard of me from pissing someone off" Croaker smiles with thier frogish face. Anbu nods and holds thier side.

"We'll get you looked at at the Safehouse. There's a doctor staying there right now." Croaker sits back. Anbu takes their hands off the wound, they shake.

"Do you sign?" Anbu signs,

"What are you doing?" Croaker responds,

"Damn.." Anbu sighs and coughs.

"What? Am I not gettin somethin?" questions Croaker,

"A..S..L.. hurts.. To speak.. With voice.." Anbu rasps, thier voice is a bit stronger,

"Oh, I'll have to start trying to pick up on that, may come in handy for other people." Croaker smiles, Anbu chuckles and starts coughing. A couple people look over at the injured fox, they seem concerned but it's pretty justified. The train slows to a stop as the doors open, Croaker takes Anbu from the train and starts up the dug out stairs.

It's dawn, the sun starts coming up through Bieshire's distant skyline. Rays of purples, pinks, yellows and oranges tint the air nicely. Croaker keeps thier strides careful and steady as he walks with Anbu. It's going to take awhile to get to the safehouse.