Hunters On The Move

When it was time to go, she pulled on her pack and headed for the door. “Come on, you two.” She said calmly.

Mee collected the bugs Klaire rejected, then jumped onto her backpack. He flicked his tail.

Klaire swatted at Mee. “No!” She ordered.

Altus looked at the lizard “I'm not that knowledgeable about women but I know about survival and for your sake you might want to give her space” he told the lizard while following Klaire.

“It’s too wet for Mee to walk on the ground!” Mee scurried around Klaire’s backpack to avoid getting swatted.

Annoyed, Klaire grabbed a small bag and reached for Mee. “Then get in the bag I always carry you with, brat!” She seethed.

“If Klaire ate the right bugs she wouldn’t get so grumpy and bleed.” Mee grumbled, crawling into the bag.

“Bleeding is a natural part of human female biology!” Klaire pointed out as she let the bag hang at her hip. It was set up in a way that Mee was able to crawl in through a flap that closed up, keeping him dry and safe from the rain. “Just because I’m considered non-human due to my ears and tail does not mean I’m not human. I am human. I always have been…I was just born with…differences.”

“Klaire needs bugs and to breed so she can have eggs instead of bleeding. Klaire would be less crampy and grumpy.” Mee muttered, nibbling on some bugs like popcorn.

“Well of course you're human” Altus replied “o if anything your ears and tail while on top of being cute provide advantages over baseline humans.”

“You’ve never been to Earth…” Klaire commented with an eye roll before she started leading them through the forest. Rain fell lightly on them all, the trees barely keeping it away. The only other sounds aside from the trio were creaks and crunches of things following them…

Mee made small scared sounds at the sound of the rain on the bag. At least he was safe and dry.

“No but I know what it's like to be persecuted. Dark elves are not popular among most races in my world.” He replied as his red eyes scanned the surroundings. “You know I've read books about people allegedly from my world who have walked different planes of reality. Never thought I'd get to experience it myself.”

“I suppose, but Earth is where my kind are persecuted just for existing. When born, we often end up locked in facilities that torture us and experiment on us just to see what they can do. If they can’t get us to obey…” Klaire shook her head and gently pat the pouch where Mee was. “It’s okay, little one.” She told the alien creature.

Shadows around them would peer from behind trees, but never moved in close.

“Ignore the shadows…they want you to go near them.” The dog eared woman warned as they followed the trail.

“Mee is on a terrible planet that’s too wet.” Mee weeped from inside the pouch.

“I've felt more comfortable in underground tombs with the undead” Altus shuddered while looking at the shadows “has anyone ever tried to study this place?”

“Yes, but most die or go back to the city with PTSD,” Klaire commented and ignored Mee’s complaining.

Mee curled into a tiny ball, making little squeaking cry sounds. He was very scared.

“Noted” the dark elf replied “I wonder what's bringing us all here though is it just random or are we specifically chosen?”

“I don’t know,” Klaire said in a stern tone. “Most of us don’t and anyone with answers is most likely dead, but I intend to find some answers. It’s why I live in the forests and wilds.” She kept leading the way, following the long trail and getting to where a city limit stop could be seen. A booth waited there that she walked up to.

After a knock on the window by the dog eared woman, they were greeted by a green creature with too many eyes. “Yes? Oh, hello, Miss Roth. Here for more trading?” The strange creature asked.

“No, I’m here to help him get registered as part of this world.” Klaire said, gesturing to Atlus.

Those many eyes turned to the dark elf. “Ah, a newcomer. Welcome to Converge!”

“Nice to meet you I’m Altus” he replied to the creature “I was lucky to be found by Klaire.”

“A lot of people are,” The man said with a chuckle. “She’s saved a lot of people from the forest.” He stamped a few papers and handed over a pass to Atlus. “Take this. It’ll get you around until you’ve got your registration done.”

“Thanks,” Klaire said calmly. “I’ll be heading back out soon. Anyone else show up?”

“Just some wild woman with a guy that had cat ears. They’re registered as far as I know, but I’m unsure. They left with Miss Umbral.”

“I see…is Whisp available?” She asked.

“Yes, she’s working today.” The guard answered.

“Okay, we’ll have her do the registration. Can you call her, please?” Klaire asked.

With a nod, the man sent them on their way.

“Everyone here seems pretty friendly” Altus said as they waited.

“We have to be friendly with each other,” Klaire replied as they made their way toward a tall building just as a van landed. “All we have are the people living in this city and those things in the forests that come out at night. The city is well lit at night, but They can sneak in sometimes and cause outages in sectors.”

“Sounds like quite the hassle” Altus replied scratching his chin “have you had any success discovering any more weaknesses of them?”

“Not yet,” Klaire said, sniffing the air and looking right toward Colt, Piritta and the others.