Unknown Society

The Sages

It didn't take long for them to arrive so far from the building where Shivers was found to Martinez's den. Shivers hopped off the motorbike and stuck his head inside the den first. "Hey!" Martinez growls, pulling him by the neck, "Those who own a den goes first—not anybody else. Understand?"

Shivers nods, stepping back. Martinez steps in first, then with her tail, signals Shivers to follow her. He does, and so they sit down. Martinez rummaged through her bag and pulls out the new mask. "Take this."

Shivers looked reluctant to take it from her, but considering that she was already violent and frustrated with him enough, he takes it, putting it on almost instantly. He looks at her, smiling underneath. "Thank you." He says softly.

Martinez sighs, turning her back on him. "You have your stuff needed for survival, you may leave," she tells him.

"Wh-what? I can't stay with you?"

"No. Leave."

"I-I have nowhere else to go, Martinez," he says with his arms out.

"You can find shelter on your own. That's how I survive," she says quickly, "Leave, Shivers."

"B-but—"

"Leave, now."

"Please—"

"I won't say it again. Leave." Despite getting increasingly frustrated, she remained calm.

"Please! The Sages—they'll—"

"Do what?" At this point, Martinez had gritted teeth.

"Kill me!" He blurts, "They're hunting me down! They'll kill me if I'm alone!"

"I thought you said you were apart of The Sages once? Why would they hunt you down?" Martinez turns around.

Shivers chuckles nervously. "I-I-I may have lied about being with The Sages...but I can explain!"

Martinez growls, "This better be good, Shivers, because you're one step away from becoming pure flesh and bones."

"I-I was on a mission with another group to spy on The Sages! They c-caught me and killed my group! Then, they captured me, tortured me for hours until I escaped, and now they're looking for me." Shivers began to cry, "I have nowhere else to go, Martinez! Please, let me stay with you! I promise to do anything you ask me to do!"

Martinez becomes quiet for a moment. It took her a bit to realize that a tribe of Humans notorious for killing others was not only after Shivers, but her as well. This was very, very dangerous. There wasn't any possible way Martinez would say yes to this—after all, being tracked down was one of her biggest fears. She was hesitant at first. Despite only meeting Shivers today, she felt the need to protect him. She hangs her head low and sighs. "You gave me your reasons, and I'll give you my answer, Shivers."

Shivers gulped.

"You can stay."

"I—I can?" He widens his eyes, surprised.

"Only if you promise that The Sages will not follow you to this exact location," she continues.

No one could guarantee that. Shivers gulped, but nodded as a result of pure fear. "I'll try to keep them at bay."

At this point, Martinez was walking on eggshells, she hated this feeling. It wasn't like she could do anything about it, though...

Many will say that, because of Shivers being with Martinez, The Sages would stay at their base undetected until they make their first move—that was not the case. A rather small spy was on the move; she had the speed of a centipede and cheetah into one, she had long brown hair, short stature, black hooves, brown paws, small horns, a black shirt, and a clown mask. She went by the name of Spy. Her duties of espionage proved to be essential, as she immediately fled the scene to report back.

The Sages' headquarters weren't too far from Martinez's territory, convenient for Spy at least. The headquarters was a tall, abandoned building with claw marks all over its face. Inside was a throne of bones, a cage to the side, skulls of former enemies hanging on the walls, and blood and other bones scattered all over the floor. Spy had jumped down from the ceiling, landing in front of the throne of bones where the leader sat. The leader was a Human of curved horns, long, black hair, muscular, tall, black hooves, a devilish mask, and gray eyes.

Spy kneeled down, "Apologies, Sandy."

She was silent for a moment. "Go on."

"Shivers, we found him not too far from here," Spy continues hesitantly, "thought we'd never see him again after all the stuff we've put him through."

"So," Sandy begins, "he is found?"

Spy nods, "Yes, and from what I could tell, he's not alone either."

"Not alone?"

"Yes, in fact, he is with this female with long hair—"

"I don't need such a description," Sandy interrupts, "Find him. Bring him to me either alive or dead—I want his skull along with the rest of our godforsaken enemies."

Spy stands up, "Anybody I should bring with?"

"Take Reign with you," Sandy says, "In fact, wake her up. Now."

Spy trots over to the sleeping Human. Reign was a Human with a gas mask covering her entire face, a Mohawk, brown hooves, curved horns, and a large build. She was tall compared to most of her tribe-mates. Spy doesn't hesitate to step on Reign's tail—it immediately awaking her from a deep sleep with an intense growl. Reign slowly stands up straight, breathing heavily.

Sandy stands from her throne, sauntering over to the tank. "Bring me Shivers. Turns out he's alive. And kill whoever is alongside with him. I want their skull as well."

Reign nods, then picks up Spy and puts her on her shoulders. Reign jumps high, and just like that, they were on and set on one objective: kill Shivers.