R U [ I ] N E D

Pastries and Bad Jokes for Death Himself

With three pairs of inquisitive eyes trained on him, Sachi, though only for a brief moment, seemed stunned into silence by their intensity. He let out a soft tremoring breath, meeting Callan's eyes for support. It didn't take a telepath to know that Sachi had certainly been through more than any boy of his age should have. "Take your time," Callan insisted, "We're in no hurry." Phoena's form stiffened at the comforting comment, but even she knew it to be true. Now that they'd discovered that Sachi's Manabe form was the dark presence they'd observed, spending the night there as they had planned posed no threat.

Sachi's bottom lip quivered, but he looked up at Callan with such admiration, as if the older boy was a beacon of hope in even-consuming darkness. Callan had only done the decent humane thing, yet Sachi was so appreciative. "I don't remember much from before I started shifting and that was when all the problems started. The townspeople were terrified of me, even my own parents, and they wanted nothing to do with me," he explained in a quiet voice, "My brother, Orin, was the only one who was willing to stand by my side through it all. When I first woke up, you reminded me so much of him that it scared me." The boy's eyes started to fill with tears, and he choked back a sob.

"He killed him," Brady whispered, his tone low and sullen. It was pretty evident that Sachi wouldn't have been able to say it himself, but Callan was frustrated all the same by Braedyn's probing.

"It- it was an accident! I didn't mean to! I would never want to hurt Orin," he stumbled over his words in desperation.

Callan squeezed his shoulder, nodding knowingly, "Tell us what happened?"

Sachi kept his eyes lowered, his lip puffed out and his gaze clouded by the waves of sorrow that rolled in as he recalled one of the worst days in his young life. "A shifter's first turning is a pretty big deal in Gwyrholm, a rite of passage of sorts," the boy started softly, focusing on Callan as much as he could, rather than facing the other two. "So, on my fifth birthday, my family was anxiously waiting for me to shift, but they never expected me to be a Manabe. I was chased out of Mystaire, and the only person who dared to come after me was Orin. He warned me that the villagers were building a hunting party, determined to scour the woods and kill me. He wanted to protect me, and I was stupid enough to let him try... When the men from the village came for us, my fear got the better of me." His voice wavered, and silent tears spilled from his eyes. "The beast went on a rampage... friend, foe, it didn't matter who. I killed them all." The boy choked back another painful sob. "Even Orin... Seeing him lifeless on the ground like that and knowing that I was the reason why it happened, I'll never be able to forget it."

"And still the people send more hunters out after you?" Phoena asked, her voice surprisingly gentle considering her distrust of the boy.

Sachi nodded weakly. "It's been three years of running and hiding, uhh and..." Killing, they could only assume, considering Sachi's own life hadn't been taken. "That net was one of their traps, imbued with magic so my claws couldn't cut it. They found me caught up in it, sliced me over and over again with their knives, then left me there to starve and rot." The matter-of-fact way in which he spoke of such disgusting behavior brought a deep scowl to Callan's lip. Sachi couldn't control his Manabe nature any more than Brady, Cal, and Phoena could control being Runeholders. It was beyond their abilities to alter their fate.

Callan brushed away his lingering frustration, taking a softer expression as he peered over at Sachi thoughtfully. "Three years is a long time to be on your own..."

The boy shrugged, lips twisting up in a forced smile. "I didn't really have a choice."

"Then I'll give you a choice now..." Cal stood up abruptly, drawing a sharp gasp from Phoena, three sets of eyes all falling on the Grand Commander's son as they awaited his declaration. "Come with us and we'll do everything we can to help you." He offered his hand out to Sachi with a confident smile. "We can help you figure out your curse and where you belong if you'll let us. I promise not to let you down."