The Beginning

Chapter 28

Carlos felt really bad for Riley.

She started to feel really, REALLY down, almost depressed. She didn't really want to do anything, and she spent every day sulking in the den. Crystal, Marissa, and Tommy came to visit her.

"What happened?" Tommy asked.

"That blue and white Catwing broke his tail, dislocated his wing, and broke his paw," Sam said.

"Oh my god," Tommy said. "No wonder." Marissa gasped, but Crystal snorted with satisfaction. "Serves him right. That'll teach him not to slaughter all those poor people."

"What?" Tommy and Marissa said. Sam glared at her. "What do you mean? That's literally what he's supposed to do, idiot."

Riley looked up and glared at Crystal. Carlos could tell that she was pissed off. "Last time I recall, you're not that much better."

"Yeah, but he has killed who knows how many people every year," Crystal said, crossing her arms.

"He's literally a creature. He's not a person, so he won't get in trouble for what he does every year," Riley snapped at her.

"Come on, Crystal, that's not fair," Marissa said. "She's right. He's basically a giant animal, and he's doing what he usually does, except that he can talk and think."

"So you're on her side now," Crystal snapped. "That's just great. Even my own friends are against me."

"If you keep doing that, then we probably won't be your friends," Marissa snapped back.

Carlos was suspicious of Marissa, but he dug deep into her thoughts and found out that she had no resentment towards any of them. All the resentment burned toward Crystal. She hates her as much as we do, maybe even more, Carlos realized.

"Crystal, she has a point," Tommy said. "Just because he's a creature that has feelings and can talk doesn't mean that he's a human. If a dog suddenly started talking, would you consider it a human?"

"Well... no, but-"

"Exactly," Tommy interrupted. "So do the same for those creatures. They can do things that humans can do, but they are not humans. I'm telling you this for the last time."

Crystal scoffed. "I see. Well, when you get slaughtered by all of them, don't come to me saying sorry. Oh wait, you'll be dead by then."

Carlos noticed Riley clenching her hands. Before any of them could say anything, Riley flew at Crystal and started throwing punches at her. Crystal and Riley rolled around on the ground, yelling at each other. Carlos was waiting for the perfect moment to leap in and pull Riley out.

A thundering of footsteps came as Lhrioun skidded in, glaring at the fighting. He raised his tail and slapped Crystal away from Riley, and she crash landed into the nearby bushes.

Riley got up, breathing heavily. Carlos could see that she was glowing with a blue aura. Looks like Jhaufyther's power helped her, he noticed. No wonder she isn't hurt.

"WHAT is going on here?" Lhrioun roared.

"Crystal started insulting you guys," Riley growled. "She was being a dickhead, and it made me so mad. So I launched myself at her."

"She was what?"

"She said that your brother deserves all the pain that he got," Sam said. "Because he kills so many humans every year."

Lhrioun narrowed his eyes. Carlos knew that he was grinding his teeth. "I see. Are you okay, Riley?"

Riley nodded. "I'm fine. I felt a sense of power just... surge through me."