Savior

The Sacrafice

Walking outside and hearing roars in the distance wasn't an uncommon occurrence in these days. Sudden explosions that caused many to fall silent were the only sights to see when all it seemed to do was snow.

Blizzards raked the area, and freezing wind ripped at the cloaks of anyone who walked outside.

'Remember' grew colder and flew less often, while 'Savior' could barely walk around without frost gathering on its body.

Nobody came to the markets anymore. Not a single white cloak updated the news board. No one sung or danced in the sun or played with the carpet fish or played with friends.

Where 'Guardian' had fallen was a single gravestone. The council had visited the city after the events occurred and buried the fallen member. They had officially declared war on the southern kingdom: this was at least what 'Savior' had assumed, because their eyes were narrowed with pure hatred.

That, and the fact that war machines constantly battered the walls of the city fortress, which had been modified into basically a military base.

One evening a squad of white and red cloaks rode into the city plaza. They left their perches on the war machine and stepped out into the snow, heads lifted high. The machine rumbled and then went quiet, leaving only the light of its mask as a signal that it was still on.

A red cloak let out a huge chirp, and a caretaker stuck their head out of a nursery. The protector shuffled into the cold and began chirping up a conversation with the soldiers. After a few moments, they ducked their head with worry and let out a call to everyone in the city.

'Bring them'

White cloaks gathered around the entrances of their homes as the young red cloaks were herded out of their homes. 'Savior' chirped in alarm as it was shoved along. 'Remember' frantically flew after it, landing on its shoulder and warbling weakly.

They were lined up in front of the soldiers, and a white cloak bent down to examine all of them.

To 'Savior', it looked like it was assessing them. Some were sent back to their nurseries, while others were allowed to stay put.

The white cloak's eyes fell onto 'Savior', and instantly it beckoned the little red cloak closer. It peered at 'Remember' on its shoulder, then nodded and continued sending others back home.

Once it was finished, 'Savior' looked around. Only about a third of the original red cloaks remained. There were about 7, not including itself. The white cloak swept the children foreword, attaching them to its cloak. Flurries of trills filled the air as they were dragged onto the war machine. 'Savior' chirped with terror, trying to wiggle away from the white cloak's grasp. It was a useless action, and the war machine roared to life and hovered off of the ground.

The protector who had given the red cloaks away hung their head with shame. They let out a few soft chirps that 'Savior' could barely hear.

'Sorry'.

'Remember' clung to 'Savior's shoulder, going quiet as the machine surged into the air, making mechanical noises as it went.

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It was freezing.

'Savior' couldn't feel its feet. Even with the white cloak warming it, the cold still seeped through its cloak.

'Remember' gave chirps of encouragement, though it shivered as well. They watched the city disappear in the distance as they flew onward.

The war machine broke into a dive towards the snow after an order from a red cloaked soldier, and 'Savior' began to feel faint. This winter wasn't something a child could handle.

The machine stopped near the ground and hovered, waiting for its next instruction. The white cloak let out a ping.

'Refuel'

The mask on the machine lifted, revealing a huge glowing eye. A spotlight flickered into existence and fixed on the snow.

The war machine slowly began slithering through the air, searching the ground for anything it could use. It twisted and began to look elsewhere, when it suddenly halted.

The spotlight aimed at something strange flapping through the air. With 'Savior' losing consciousness quickly, all it could see was a long, waving ribbon before it blacked out.

It turned out to be another red cloak, skittering along the snow. The spotlight did not turn red, however. The machine flew down beside the cloaked figure, and the white cloak operating began to chirp back and fourth with the wanderer. The red cloak handed over a bag of wriggling carpet fish, and the white cloak exchanged with a glowing object. It resembled a symbol, and upon touch swirled around the red cloak, making its scarf longer. With trills of farewell, the white cloak opened the sack in front of the war machine.

Carpet fish poured out in a panic before regrouping in a tiny school. Their moment of freedom lasted only a few moments, as the spotlight on the machine turned red.

It shot foreword, swallowing the carpets whole with a battle cry. It twisted into the air and resumed its original path.

'Savior' woke with feeling in its legs. It had been carried somewhere far warmer than the city. It sat up, shaking its head. Sand fell from its cloak, and as 'Savior's eyes adjusted it could make out the form of 'Remember' trilling and flying in circles. 'Savior' let out a small chirp.

'Awake'

'Remember' heard the noise and surged towards the source, flying around 'Savior's head while warbling with delight thats its friend was okay. The carpet dolphin was much more lively now that it was nice and cozy, which 'Savior' noted.

Looking around the environment, 'Savior' could see a light filtering in from a window high above its head. Standing up, 'Savior' shuffled through the sand and searched for an exit. It found a small hole in the wall and crawled through, wriggling with all its might.

It was met with a blaring sun on its face, and it let out an excited chirp. 'Remember' followed after it, diving under the sand and twirling into the air. 'Savior' looked upwards.

What appeared to be a temple loomed overhead, casting a shadow along the ground. 'Savior' trudged up a sand dune and saw what had previously been blocked by the temple.

Hundreds of white and red cloaks were lined up, listening to a very tall white cloak with blue eyes. Before 'Savior' could get closer to hear what it was saying, a loud chirp from behind it made it halt.

'Return!'

A red cloak scurried foreword and swept 'Savior' off its feet, then proceeded to push it back to the temple. 'Remember' angrily rammed its body into the soldier, though it did nothing to stop it.

'Savior' was taken back inside and plopped onto the floor. After a brief scolding from the red cloak, it went and sat in front of the hole in the wall, blocking 'Savior's only escape route.

Realizing that this could be a prison, 'Savior' began to tremble. It was unsure what it had done wrong to deserve this treatment. The red cloaked soldier began to make anxious chirps and hurried over, bending down to talk to the child.

'Safe', 'Sleeping Quarters', 'Calm'

Slowly, 'Savior' began to relax. This wasn't a prison at all. Rather, it was a holding place for it, possibly until it could be returned to the city. 'Savior' hoped that it could go back to the city, despite the harsh conditions. Perhaps the soldiers were going to fix the city back up!

But this thought slowly turned to dust as the red cloak talking.

'War', 'Training', 'Strength'

It sounded proud with itself, but 'Savior' felt quite the opposite.

It wasn't going back to the city. It was going to be trained to fight in a war it didn't even know about.