heart Chapter 11 heart
The entire group stood on the hill stunned at what lay before them. What had once been a bustling town was now just the charred remains of a great fire that had engulfed it and left it laying in rubble and disaster. As they slowly descended they realized the full extent of the fire. Mutilated bodies were strewn about in the debris and Kiro looked at Sana in concern. Instead he instantly found himself burning with jealousy when he saw that Takon was already helping her. Suddenly he noticed that Takon was actually trying to keep her with the rest of the group. When she finally managed t get away from him she bolted towards a nearby house that was still intact in some areas. Following her quickly she came to the realization that he could hear the weak cry of a small child. Running faster he found her coming out of the wreckage with a young boy, no older than the age of two, riding on her hip while another clung to her free hand. When the older boy first saw Kiro he hid in fear behind Sana’s legs. Kneeling down she talked to him in a soft soothing voice and watched as the boy cautiously came out a bit.
“Are you sure?” he asked in a small voice
She nodded, a kind smile on her face. The boy in her arms stared at Kiro in open curiosity. Patting his head gently he was surprised when the boy grabbed his hand and looked at it. A soft and warm chuckle passed Sana’s lips and watched as Kiro picked him up out of her arms and held him in his own.
“You wouldn’t happen to know what their names are, do you?” He asked
“Yes I do. The one you’re holding is Kinku and this one,” She said gently touching the top of the older boy’s head, “is Jacob. They’re three and six, by the way.”
“Onee-chan, are you sure we can go with you?” Jacob asked
“I promise you, I’ll never leave the two of you here alone.” Sana said, almost in a maternal tone.
“Yes I do. The one you’re holding is Kinku and this one,” She said gently touching the top of the older boy’s head, “is Jacob. They’re three and six, by the way.”
“Onee-chan, are you sure we can go with you?” Jacob asked
“I promise you, I’ll never leave the two of you here alone.” Sana said, almost in a maternal tone.
If Kiro hadn’t known of Sana’s past, he would have thought it was a hidden mother-like instinct held up within her. When their eyes connected for a brief second he noticed that her eyes had taken on a hard edge. Sitting back on her heels Sana looked at Jacob with kindness.
“Jacob, it’s safe for you to transform you and your brother back to your true form.” She said softly.
Both Kiro and Jacob looked at her stunned.
“H-how did you know?!” Jacob cried
“Because I’m like you Jacob, I too can transform.” She said with a smile. “Watch.”
Both Kiro and Jacob looked at her stunned.
“H-how did you know?!” Jacob cried
“Because I’m like you Jacob, I too can transform.” She said with a smile. “Watch.”
Right in front of the three of them Sana suddenly became consumed in a pale blue aura. When the aura broke she sat before them in a form Kiro had never seen before. Though she held the same features on her face, her eyes had taken on a soft gray hue to her blue eyes and her hair had a reddish tint as it flowed behind her. Two silver and blue bands held part of her hair away from her face and fully exposed her elven ears. From her back had sprouted large tan wings that opened with a silent grace. The clothes she had been wearing moments before were gown and she now wore a long loose ivory gown that was held on her shoulders by two small silver broaches. Around her waist was a pale brown belt that tied off to the side.
“You see, Jacob?” She said with a voice that seemed softer and deeper then before, “I am no different than you.”
Jacob’s eyes went wide with wonder and a smile lit up the small features of his face and his pale grey eyes. With a small nod he took a step back and was soon consumed with a gold aura. In Kiro’s arms Kinku also became consumed by the aura. Once the aura has dissipated Sana’s eyes became filled with unexpected tears. Jacob now stood before her, his skin a shade or two darker then before. His eyes remained the same pale grey but his short hair had changed from a soft brown to a black that tinted purple in the sunlight. He now wore a large t-shirt that matched the color of his eyes and dark blue jeans. Around his neck he wore a collar-like necklace with a big silver bell. However the part that had shocked Sana to the core was the fact that this young boy had small bobcat ears.
“Sana, are you alright?” Kiro asked softly
Looking up at him she noticed that Kinku also had his brother’s dark skin, but his hair was feather black that tinted grey, and his eyes were a brilliant blue that matched the color of the sky. He wore a small t-shirt of dark red, and tan shorts. Like Sana he had wings but they were much smaller and were a dark shade of silver.
Looking up at Kiro she took her necklace off and opened the circular locket. Inside was a picture of a picture of herself with Sinfuu laughing happily. Showing it to Kiro she sighed sadly.
“Jacob looks exactly like the younger version of my friend, Sinfuu.” She said looking away. “He’s the one who saved me from the night of the fire…and also the one who raised me…”
“No wonder you reacted the way you did when you saw his true form.”
“No wonder you reacted the way you did when you saw his true form.”
She nodded. Just then Takon walked up to them. When he saw Sana he stopped dead and stared at her with his mouth hanging open in shock.
“Hello Takon.” Sana said
“I see you’ve found two survivors…” He said still in a state of shock
“Yes. This is Jacob and his younger brother Kinku.” Kiro said
“I see…so is there any idea as to what happened here?” He asked as Sana transformed back to her elven form.
“I see you’ve found two survivors…” He said still in a state of shock
“Yes. This is Jacob and his younger brother Kinku.” Kiro said
“I see…so is there any idea as to what happened here?” He asked as Sana transformed back to her elven form.
Standing, Kiro noticed that her eyes were a hard shade of blue as she faced Takon. From the look in her eyes he could tell that she was trying to suppress the emotions she held from her past. With a heavy sigh she closed her eyes momentarily before responding.
“Guards from another town ambushed the village and torched it while the occupants were asleep in their bed.” Sana said quietly, “I figure that if we’re lucky we might find one or two more survivors, but no more than that.”
“With a fire of this proportion I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a miracle that these two survived.” Kiro said
“With a fire of this proportion I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a miracle that these two survived.” Kiro said
Out of the corner of his eyes Kiro caught Sana’s jaw clench for a moment before relaxing again.
“The best thing we can do right now is to split up the group and search for more survivors.” Takon said.
They agreed and started their search after the group had split up. Time passed and soon dusk had started to settle. When the group got back together they were unable to report anymore people were still alive. As Sana looked around at the disappointed faces she noticed that Moken and Anion had suddenly disappeared. Later, as they were setting up camp in the nearby woods, Sana watched as tents were quickly erected, and a large fire had been started. Kiro was taking care of the boys so Sana took her belongings into one of the larger tents and set up four beds, two for the boys and the other two for Kiro and herself. After unpacking her belongings and arranging them neatly she went outside in search for the boys. As soon as she walked out of the tent she looked around and soon spotted the three guys sitting with some of the older mercenaries.
“May I join you?” She asked politely as she walked up behind them.
It was already too late when she realized that they were bound and gagged and marked as prisoners for the mercenaries.
