Unlikely Friends: Volume Two

Chapter Twenty

Before

"You know... you can do so much more," the tiny kitten spoke with chattering teeth on one particularly cold night. She had transformed into her animal form, hoping her fur would be enough to keep her warm throughout the night. However, it wasn't long until she began shivering once again. The strong wind blew against the curtained windows, slightly rattling the glass in their frame. The ground outside was covered in a thick layer of snow, shielding the city of all the horror that hid beneath. Pando laid on the ground with one arm behind his head, seemingly unaffected by the harsh temperature. He was comfortable, his body heat radiated a gentle red glow around him. "Isn't raising the dead enough?" he responded, glancing at the small kitten on his chest. He noticed the freezing animal's constant shivering and spread his long, wings around the both of them.

The kitten purred, cuddling against the demon boy's chest. "You could repair the world," she encouraged, looking up at him with her glowing eyes. "You could rule the world," the dark voice said. Pando squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. The kitten mewed softly in concern.Besides, the demon boy thought to himself as he stared at the back of his lids, just raising the dead was time consuming enough. He had flown from street to street across the city, reviving as many corpses as he could find on the street. He hadn't even started searching in vanalized houses or buildings. His tired wings oftened ached by the end of the day as he struggled to fly back home.

His good deeds had very little reward as well. In fact, Pando often times had to sacrifice his own peace for the clingy citizens. The more people he raised, the more bustling the city became. And as the population grew, the more people wandered the streets searching for their savior, their itch urging them towards him. He wished they would stop following him and just leave him alone. Still, some had even went as far as finding his dwelling and surrounding him. They'd fall to his feet with outstrerched hands and begged their lord to heal them. Pando always winced at the unfortunate side effects no matter how often he'd seen them.

He had recoiled in horror the first time an infected group found him. The former dead rushed him, grabbing at him as they cried out for help. Each suffering person's skin, from head to toe, was covered in giant oozing sores. Yellowish-green pus leaked from the open wounds that they had clawed through their now bloody flesh in a desperate attempt to satisfy their relentless itch. Most had large bald patches across their heads; handfuls of hair ripped away as they obsessively tore at their irritating skin. Some had even dug out chunks of muscle from their bleeding limbs, frantically clawing all the way down to the bone. Pando stared wide eyed at the crimson stained hands reaching out for him before immediately blinking, blocking them from existence. When he opened his eyes, he was alone.

"I don't think I'm as great as you think I am," Pando finally spoke in a low, defeated voice. The orange kitten's ears perked up at his sudden reply and she lifted her head. "You can make things better," she argued while staring the demon down and silently willing him to open his eyes and look at her. Pando simply grunted, eyes still closed. The small animal stood and scoffed before jumping from his chest to atop his face. Pando squeezed his eyes shut tighter from the sudden impact, slightly annoyed at the fluffy paws now pressing into his sunken cheeks. "Imagine if you turned the world back into normal...with just a single blink!" she stubbornly insisted.

"That would take forever," the boy argued as he picked the kitten off his face with two fingers, "cleaning everything up is just as time consuming as waking everyone up." He blindly dropped the kitten back on his chest and pat her tiny head. "I appreciate the ego boost though," he teased and scratched her behind the ears.

"Take control," the dark voice said just as the stubborn cat persisted. "You could always take control of your follower's devotion," she purred, nuzzling her soft fur against his chest. Pando exhaled a heavy sigh and felt his body slowly relax. The kitten's affection was comforting; a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. Pictures of his mother's face flashed through his mind as he recalled all the times she had held him close. The demon squeezed his eyes tighter, forcing away the tears threatening to fall.

"You can save her," the dark voice reasoned and for once Pando allowed himself to imagine it. The followers could work on cleaning up the city and deliver him any corpses they find; maybe eventually even his family. He'd revive them and send them to do just the same. But would that even work? And what about the mutants?

How was he supposed to bring both violent monsters and oozing zombies together and create any form of society? Pando didn't like the idea of threatening everyone out of existence if they didn't pick up a broom. He didn't want to be a dictator, he just wanted to help. And most of all: find his family. But was his help even something worth offering? Everyone he had helped seemed to continue suffering either way.

"You could bargain," the dark voice suggested and Pando slowly began to consider the idea. Laying on his back with a shivering kitten purring upon his chest, the demon boy began to actually plan. He could offer to blink people's sufferings out of existence if they chose to contribute to rebuilding society. Anyone who is a risk could be removed.

"What would we do?" Pando whispered, humoring her. The tiny kitten raised her head, stood, and immediately leaped in the air. She allowed herself to return to her human form, landing on Pando with a heavy thud. "Oof," he grunted upon impact, surprised by the sudden weight. The small girl pounced on Pando, lifting her thin arms and dropping them on both sides of his horned head. She leaned her face close to the demon's, her nose barely hovering over his and her long whiskers tickling his cheeks. Her wild orange hair rained down around him like a long curtain.

"Practice," she urged in a whisper as she searched his face, willing him once again to open his eyes and look at her. Pando could feel her breath from the proximity and swallowed nervously. "You can do it," the girl began to purr encouragingly, "practice by making me warmer." The demon laughed, eyes still closed, as he felt the small girl dramatically shiver in an attempt to guilt trip him.

She patiently waited, her green eyes trained on his face. With a small chuckle followed by a long defeated sigh, Pando finally opened his eyes and met the gaze of the small girl smiling proudly above him, now wearing a fluffy green sweater.