Spirit Animal Ficlets

The False Fallen pt 1

Brigs sighed as he stretched. His mask and cloak hung on the wall of his makeshift room. It wasn't a new feeling when he stared at his mask, the animal face taunting him. What he did as a conqueror was a mistake and he was going to fix it.

Stead had called him and three others. Brigs smiled under his mask at seeing the other redcloaks' masks "Uza! Ess! Ji!" he hadn't seen his former teammates in forever.

Ess was a Amayan boy who had lived well but wanted more when he had joined, Uza was a Niloan girl that didn't care about consequences until she became a redcloak, Ji was a Zhongese trans-girl who could fight amazingly and still look beautiful. They had been teammates as conquerors but after the conquerors lost the war, none really cared about staying close and went their own ways; yet here they are, together again. Why had Stead gather them?

Briggs looked at the new leader "Stead, why did you bring us here?" he asked. The redcloak didn't say anything just stared at them 'The four biggest failures of the conquerors,' Briggs thought bitterly.

Stead sighed "I need you to follow the four fallen and their summoners," he said coolly.

Ess spread his feathered arms "You're crazy!" he said.

Ji tapped her former ally's arm "Ess, calm down," she commanded. Briggs watched as the feathers that had fluffed up on Ess' neck slowly flatten.

Uza nodded "Why would we do something like that? They'd get mad if they saw our masks," she said.

Briggs clenched his hands, they would get mad. The four kids who summoned great beasts seeing the masks of these four conquerors. Conor would be disappointed in him once he saw his face. Stead held up a hand "I trust you four enough with the mission, they're going to find out about the false four eventually and not like Worthy or Jolt," he replied.

Briggs sighed "We'll do it," he said.

Ess squawked angrily "Great! They'll hate us forever," he said.

Briggs growled "Shut up Digger, your not the only one who knew them." That was true. Ess had been friends with Rollan but the day he had summoned Essix was the same day he was supposed to helping his sick friend. They had their own stories about why they bonded to their animals but Ess was always desperate for revenge on the friend who left him to die. That anger had died out by now but he couldn't face Rollan again, not as a redcloak with feathers and a bird mask.

Ess shuffled, looking down at his talons. It wasn't just his arms growing feathers, his feet had morphed into talons which made it easy to climb trees.

Stead shook his head "Listen, you were friends with them at one point, you'll gain their trust again and help them out," he explained. Somehow the words felt slightly encouraging.

Briggs wished he had been partnered with three different people. Ess had perched himself in a tree and refused to come down unless it was time for them to eat. Ji didn't talk a lot since her voice ruined her perfect feminine image. Uza was impossible to locate whenever she walked because of how quiet she was. Despite all of this Briggs still cared about his friends. 

Ess had fallen out of his tree screeching one morning. A bird was attacking "GET HER OFF! GET HER OFF!" He screamed, the bird was clawing at his arms. Uza was quick, snatching the bird with her hands but struggled to keep it still. Briggs lifted his head, taking a deep breath in. People were coming this way "HIDE!" He warned.

Uza gave the bird to Briggs and vanished into a tree; Ess went back up to his own tree; Ji snuggled up into the shadows. Briggs hastily changed his mask into the fox one he carried, struggling as he held onto the bird. 

"Hey! Let her go!" 

Briggs kept his hold on the bird as his turned around. Four greencloaks, the summoner's of the four fallen. Briggs accidentally released Essix when he saw Conor. This boy wasn't the simple shepard son he once knew, this was a greencloak that summoned Briggan. This was not going to be easy. Briggs waved "Hello," he greeted.