A Toxic Fate [Tyrian Callows Origin Story]

Chapter 3

This place felt so very different from my previous home. It was far more open, and those walking the streets did so with a sense of pride rather than that of a tense nature. As I brushed against each wondering body, I did not feel scales nor fur. What if the faunus in this village had been sent far away just as our ancestors had? What if these humans hadn't even any knowledge of those with tails or gills? Perhaps they were more blind than I without even knowing it. My tail was becoming sore, having been coiled up for hours as I walked. Would the humans go running if I were to let it sway freely? Would it begin to puncture them indiscriminately just as it had when I fled from my home? I had so many questions and no one to answer them but time itself. Sooner or later, they would inevitably know of my presence.

After a while of wandering, a hint of music joined into the chorus of voices and footsteps. Laughter, more shouting, the sound of a whip clapping against an unknown body. What was this strange ensemble? Despite my poor sight, I could make out a shape in the distance with bright red and white stripes. It was larger and more colorful than the empty desert huts, but what was it? The noises became louder and louder as if to beckon me closer and closer until I passed through the red and white barrier. I had never been able to see so much. Vast arrays of bright colors and lights were sprawled out across the large tent, allowing me to see the shadows and silhouettes of people and Faunus alike performing in the middle of the ring. Large black and white beasts flew along the walls, fully submissive of the man in the very center of the chaos. I would soon find out that this was something called a circus, and that was its ringleader.

Peering out from behind the large benches, I sat on the dusty floor and enjoyed the show. The spotlights allowed for more vision than the desert sun ever could, and I could nearly make out every performance. It was comforting to see a faunus clambering along the trapeze. He was a peacock with bright blue, green, and silver face paint, whose tail would gracefully open to reveal its colors on every jump. His partner, temporarily seated on the other mast, wore a bright pink wig and a shimmering white leotard. A few more colorful humans danced and howled along the ground, while much less colorful humans cheered from the benches. Amongst the cheering, I heard a thud beside me from the booths. It smelled like the fresh bread my neighbors would make for their shops, and the warmth radiated onto my skin despite it being inches away. Starving, I hungrily grasped it in my hands but immediately heard a woman shriek, "STOP THEIF!"