Six Fates

Chapter Five

Tanned and hairy paws grazed against the shiny, encrusted surface of a dark, blue garnet. The werejagguar's fingers were not thin, flexible or even small enough to unlock the locket's tight hold. Denzel's disappearance made the situation worse. Both the brothers looked wearily down at the ground. Their limps struggled to support them, but something about that story seemed too real. It was real enough to explain why Alcinder would leave. Asher's eyes stared back at Azrail's old, troll body. The lips on his face quivered, as he tried to forget what he saw. The bloodied eyes and the stabbed chest danced around their minds, challenging their fears. They could both feel that this was no game.

It was irritating, irresponsible and frustrating. Aife felt like hot cabbage soup cooking inside a pot. Nothing made any sense. She pulled her arms harder and kicked her legs into the pile of sand, which landed in heaps on Rainey's face.

"This is stupid and I was wrong to think that this was a joke",Aife shouted as the vines tied around her hands loosened its grip. She carefully rubbed her arms to help soothe the pain from the blisters caused by the plant's prickly thorns. At the surge of anger she felt, she outstretched her hand to the werejagguar.

"Get up!", she commanded. The spit from her mouth landed on his coat of furry skin. Her sisters watched her dumbfounded and neither dared to stop her. Mirai held Rainey from moving closer. Disgusted at her behaviour, Asher's eyes stared at her small hands and he resisted the urge to pull out her long and luscious hair or permanently amputate her fingers.

"We didn't ask for your help" he said and stared down at her hand. "Take your dirty hands away from me", the werejagguar shouted as his paws raised mid air ready to latch onto her. A toothy smile filled his face as his sharp nails tugged onto her hair, warning her. Aife smashed her teeth, gripping onto and removing the beast's hand. She backed away to gain a full view of both the creatures. Her arms were folded and her mouth hid her angry teeth stealthily. The werejagguar's feet were the first things that Aife could smell, regardless of the distance. It was so disgusting to a point that it smelt like sludge and rotten eggs mixed as a bath wash for an ogre. Unfortunately, the owner of the smell didn't notice it.

Sensing the discomfort, Azrail announced:"Let's go". He didn't want to cause any problems or deviate from their main goal. Unfortunately, his feet were swollen  and he struggled to stand up. Mirai came forward to help the troll, but he stood up by himself and grabbed his bow. Asher spared them one last look, before tossing his hooked blade inside Azrail's bag.

"Ohh wait", Asher said. Azrail turned back to find his brother at the same spot.

"You don't have a house. I feel sorry for you. It's too bad that you couldn't accompany us", he said and insulted them openly. If Asher didn't do that, his ego would never feel satisfied.

"We don't want anything from you. Prince or not, I'm starting to think your beast form is how you really look. A tough exterior, but a weak attitude", Aife responded, jabbing at his nerves. She smiled at him slyly, expecting a little tantrum from the jagguar.
"So, you really want to play that way?", the jagguar asked, flaming his teeth. Looking at both of them, Rainey could bite her own nails off at the tension between the two.

Azrail looked at the scene in front of him, but did not have the energy to restrain his brother.

He tried to slap his cheeks repeatedly to stop himself from falling asleep. The weight of his bag made his feet feel like bags of rock and his eyes kept drooping. The odd swelling on his right foot made him dependant on his other foot. It looked like he was walking on a thin stick, barely keeping an upright posture. A few dusk lighters from afar laughed at the troll's desperate attempts to walk. Their cheeks blushed red and they clutched their tummys, hoping that it wouldn't burst from all their laughter. "Stupid freaks", Azrail thought. He knelt down for a few seconds. Asher's useless bickering made Azrail want to lunge at his throat. Upon thinking of that, he felt someone stand behind him. His bag that pushed him down was lifted from its position. Azrail stretched his neck both sides to ease the pain that  it left.