We Could Go Anywhere (Nimona)

Part 9

There was a tense silence that followed as Nimona released the boy. The tribe all oggled her. She took down their Chief's son and told both him and the chief off for disrespecting her boundaries. Upon further inspection, she did look like she could be related to them.

Nimona: (rolls eyes) Can't say that I'm not used to being gawked at. Seriously, though, am I supposed to mean something to you? Or you to me?

Chief: You honestly don't remember us, do you?

Nimona: You already asked that and no. Are you gonna tell me who you are, or do I have to fish for answers?

Chief: Nimona, it's me, your father!

Nimona: Father? You must be mistaken, I have a dad. An adoptive one. I assumed that my birth one was killed by evil humans, or else that means that you abandoned me and never came back.

Chief: Okay, I thought that they'd killed you. Otherwise, I would have gone back. Humans aren't above killing young shapeshifters.

Nimona: Not most that I've encountered in the last millennium, no. I'll give you that. However, not all of them are like that. Did no one think to check? When they didn't find me where you left me, was that just the assumption? I mean, I could've been found and had to flee. If you are my birth father, not saying that you are, then (points to boy she face-planted) who the fuck is that?! Where is my mother, then?

Chief: Well, he is your older brother. Your mom...I know for sure that she didn't make it. I'm surprised that you don't remember him. You two were inseparable when you were younger.

Nimona: Keep in mind that it's been a thousand years. I've had...other things on my mind, like survival.

Boy: I bet. (brushing himself off) Out there all alone. Nice strength, by the way.

Nimona: Thanks. Almost makes me feel bad about face-planting you.

Boy: (shrugs) I'll take what I can get.

Nimona: So, if you've been here all this time, why didn't I see you the first--and only other time I ever came to the base of this mountain? Before the wall was built. I thought I was all alone after that. I didn't even know that there was anybody else like me. Until I met my adoptive dad a few months ago, I'd been on my own for that millenia.

Chief: Oh, Nimona.

Boy: Wall? What wall?

Nimona: It's quite a ways south. Took us quite a few weeks to get this far north. Basically, Gloreth and her psycho village joined up with others to form a kingdom and all this other horseshit. I got stuck inside the kingdom behind the wall. Me and my adoptive dad recently just left. Before him, I thought that all humans were bad. In a thousand years, he was the first one to surprise me. All of Gloreth's descendants followed in her footsteps, of course. The latest one, her direct descendant, Ambrosius is a spitting image of her as far as 'values' go.

Chief: You're fraterinzing with a human?!?!

Nimona: Hard not to when you've always been surrounded by them. (groans)

The boy who'd brought her in had scurried off.

Meanwhile, With Ballister...

Ballister: (mentally) Now that I think about it, she didn't say when she'd be b--!

He's startled by the rustling of the brush. All of the sudden, Kayden jumps out, raising his hands.

Kayden: It's just me, I promise. Nimona said that she'd rip my throat out if anything happened to you, and considering that I now know that she's the child of our chief, I really don't want to make her a shifter of her word on that. Especially after she face-planted his son, her brother.

Ballister: (chuckles) Sounds like Nimona. She'd have killed a lot more people if her main concern wasn't getting us out of the kingdom. (eyes wide) She found her family...her father? That's...(face falls) great.

Kayden: Oh, don't give up. She made sure that he knew that she had an adoptive dad and that she loves you. Doesn't even remember him or her birth family, actually.

Ballister: Hmm...I had no idea. All she told me was that she was drawn to this mountain. We really didn't have a particular destination in mind, just trying to get as far north as we possibly could. The kingdom's far south from here, so they shouldn't come up this far after us, but better to be safe than sorry.

Kayden: Are you like fugitives, or something?

Ballister: Shouldn't be anymore. We made sure that the proof of our innocence was in the hands of the people who needed to know and could prove it. Just because they can, doesn't mean that they did, though. (sees him staring) What?

Kayden: You really care about her, don't you?

Ballister: Of course. Nimona was the only one there for me at the lowest point of my life. Even my boyfriend--or do you call them 'mates'? Whatever you refer to them as, even he turned against me, but that's when I met Nimona. She didn't care about who I'd been before all of it went down. All she cared about was helping me once I'd somehow proved to her that I was different from other humans. Before I knew it, one thing led to another, and even though I never imagined myself having kids, I started thinking of her as my child. She called me 'dad' when you found us and I was so happy. If she decides to stay here and uncover her past, I won't stand in the way of that.

Kayden: (sighs) Look, she may be strong, but I think that if you want to see her again, you two may want to leave. The chief...wasn't thrilled when he found out that her adoptive dad is a human, not gonna lie. She stood her ground, verbally, but the Chief's had a lot more battle experience.

Ballister: More than being shot at and swung at with a sword and other weapons basically her whole life by other, more hateful humans? Watching as weapons became so advanced to fight you that you had to learn to dodge the energy blasts and electricity from handheld weapons?

Kingdom...

Ambrosius: I don't get it. Why would he want to leave?

Tech 1: I don't know, sir, but judging from the video, he's not under any duress. He left with her willingly.