"Cooro, I don't think this is a very good idea." I said to my curious best friend Cooro, a crow +anima. You see +anima are a special kind of people that have the power of animals. They even have a birthmark. I'm a cat +anima. When I use my powers I get cat paws and cat ears. My human ears disappear for them. +Animas aren't exactly welcome in most places, so Cooro and me travel in search of more +anima. I'm sixteen and Cooro is thirteen (I had to change his age! Husky's will be changed too.) Anyway, we are currently standing outside of a tent of a traveling circus. You see, inside this tent is the mermaid princess tank. Apparently, she is a real mermaid and for some reason Cooro wants to see her, but we don't have any money to get in.
"Why not Ruby? No one is going to notice. We'll be gone in no time." Cooro assured me. I sighed and Cooro stuck his head in a rip in the tent. I did the same next to him.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The ringmaster shouted over everyone's voice. The large crowd slowly grew quiet. The ringmaster was standing on a stage and he was holding a curtain. The mermaid princess must be behind there.
"Thank you. A strange creature, half human, half covered in silver scales. A fearsome creature." The ringmaster said. How can a princess be fearsome? That's what I would like to know.
"I will now present the mermaid princess!" The ringmaster shouted, pulling the curtain. Cooro gasped. The mermaid princess was real after all. She had long silver hair adjourned with pearls. The mermaid was in a small tank with come seaweed, coral, and small fish. She smiled at everyone, but then stopped Cooro and me. The ringmaster noticed and turned around as some other guy was trying to get everyone out of the tent. "Ah, he found us!" Cooro shouted and people looked over at us. I pulled my head out and Cooro tried to do the same, but is didn't work.
"Huh, I can't get out! Ruby, help me!" Cooro shouted, trying to pull his head out.
"I told you this wouldn't work!" I said, transforming to being part cat. I slashed the strings under Cooro's head, but at the same time a worker pulled Cooro inside.
"We can't have you looking for free." He said, dropping Cooro. I lunged through the hole and next to Cooro. "
Catch them now. I'll deal with them later." The ringmaster ordered. The mermaid princess watched curiously.
Then, the ringmaster noticed that my hands were paws and I had cat ears.
"She's an +anima!" He gasped. Cooro then transformed and grew out his black crow wings.
"Wha? What is this?" The worker said in horror. Cooro grabbed my hand and lifted into the air.
"We are sorry for not paying!" Cooro said sincerely. Another worker came over.
"Catch them and don't let them get away!" The ringmaster shouted. Cooro flew a little higher and grabbed onto the tent.
"Ah!" I shouted as the tent started to collapse. Cooro went crashing to the ground and the tent was completely down on top of us. We managed to find out way out.
"Wow, that was crazy!" Cooro exclaimed.
"Oh really? That was so dangerous!" I scolded my best friend. I looked up and a boy or girl, I can't really tell, stood above us dripping wet with a rake behind his/her back. "Aren't you-" I started to say, but then he/she hit both Cooro and me in the head with the rake.
"Good job Husky!" The ringmaster called. Husky, huh. I guess that means he/she is a boy. I then blacked out.
When I woke up, I was sitting on a padded chair and Cooro was lying on a bed across the room completely knocked out. The ringmaster was sitting next to him. I pretended to be asleep. Then Husky walked in.
"Ringmaster, is ha a… +Anima?" Husky asked slowly.
"Looks like it. See? He even has a birthmark. The girl over there does too. But both look different then yours." The ringmaster told husky. I guess Husky is a +anima too. Wait is he the mermaid princess?
"Maybe I could you them in the show. What a catch." The ringmaster told husky while noticing a bump on Cooro's head. Husky then got mad.
"You've already made a killing off the mermaid princess! Isn't that enough for you?" Husky said, slamming his fist on the mermaid princess poster on the door. I guess he really is the mermaid. Then Husky got into a big fight with the ringmaster about how his pearls were cheap, how he wanted money, and that if he didn't give him that, Husky would leave.
"Husky, what brought this on so suddenly? Wait is it these kids? You're planning to leave with them because you are all +anima?" The Ringmaster asked.
"That's not why!" Husky shouted.
"Hmph. well, you can't leave anyway. Right Husky?" The ringmaster smirked, holding up and thing on his necklace. Husky glared.
Cooro still hasn't woken up yet and no one knows I'm awake either. Husky tried to grab the necklace, but the evil, only in my opinion, man turned away.
"Just keep still and do as I say and I'll think about the money." The ringmaster said, walking out.
"You cheat! Stupid old man!" Husky shouted, throwing a stuffed bear at the closed door. "So, you name is Husky?" Cooro suddenly asked. He must have been listening too. Husky quickly turned around. Cooro stood up. I did the came.
"I'm Cooro!" My best friend told Husky.
"And I'm Ruby. It's nice to meet you Husky." I introduced myself.
"If you're leaving, then come with us!" Cooro suggested.
"You're a fish +anima and I'm a crow right?" Cooro asked. "Yeah." Husky answered. Where is Cooro going with this?
"Well, if you can swim then you can catch fish. I bet they taste good!" Cooro exclaimed. What the heck?
"So, let's go together! We've been searching for other +anima. It would be fun!" Cooro tried to assure Husky. He looked unsure.
"Yeah, it would be pretty fun. We haven't met any +anima in a long time." I added.
"Don't be ridiculous! You two are going to take my place in the circus!" Husky shouted and at that he walked out and slammed the door.
"Take his place…" Cooro muttered. Then Husky quickly walked back in.
"Just so you know, I don't dress up like a girl because I like it! It's for the money!" Husky told us and left again.
"So he was a boy." Cooro commented.
"You just realized that?" I asked, smacking him in the head. We laughed.
"So, what should we do now?" I asked. It was really quiet.
"Maybe we should get some sleep for tomorrow. Who knows what going to happen now?" Cooro suggested. I agreed and Cooro got back on the bed and I took my chair. It was hard to fall asleep, but I finally did like an hour later.
"A job?" I asked madly. I do not want to have a job. The ringmaster even gave Cooro this weird outfit to put over his normal clothes.
"Well, since you watched without paying you'll have to work it off. It's only fair." He told us. I had a strong urge to transform and scratch the evil man in the face, but that would get me in even more trouble. When we walked into the tent that was put back up, Husky was in his +anima form and tied to a pole in his small tent. He had the whole costume on, even the funny wig.
"What happened Husky? Did you do something?" Cooro asked, standing in front of the tank.
"It's all apart of the show. The black-winged messenger of death come and takes away the beautiful mermaid princess with the cat guardian for protection." The ringmaster explained.
"So, I'm the cat guardian and Cooro is the black-winged messenger?" I asked. The ringmaster nodded. He told Cooro to spread his crow wings and stand to the left of the tank and me to change to being cat-like and sit protectively in front of the tank. Cooro looked at Husky.
"This isn't an act!" Husky said to my best friend. Then Husky looked doubtfully at Cooro. Soon, people started filling into the tent.
"Everyone, These are the black wings that bring death and the claws that bring pain. The messenger of death and the cat guardian have captured the mermaid princess of the blue sea!" The ringmaster announced. Cooro's expression was odd. Wait, that's the face Cooro wears when he has a plan.
"Mr. Ringmaster sir?" Cooro asked, looking down. The evil man turned from the audience. Cooro then suddenly burst out fake crying, but everyone else thought it was real.
"What on earth are you doing?" The evil man exclaimed. Husky looked surprised. He obviously didn't have faith in Cooro.
"I feel so sorry for Husky! It's mean to tie him up like that!" Cooro sobbed.
"That's so mean!" A guy from the crowd called out. Other's agreed with him.
"Wait! It's all just a misunderstanding!" The ringmaster pleaded. Then, Cooro walked over and bit off the compact looking thing from the evil man's necklace. I stood up. There was no need to stay down anyway. Cooro's plan most likely involves us escaping. He flew up to the top of the tent where the pole in Husky's tank started.
"You see, there's more to the story. The messenger of death falls in love with the mermaid princess and decided to escape with her along with the cat guardian." Cooro announced. Husky looked up at Cooro in disbelief that he pulled that off. Cooro pulled on the pole. The tank spilled over and rolled away to not be squished. This caused the tent to fall down and Husky to fall out of the tank.
Cooro and I went over to Husky, who was still tied to the pole.
"That went pretty well." Cooro commented about his own plan.
"Yeah, it sure did!" I said, high fiving him.
"Will you hurry up and untie the rope!" Husky asked in a hurry.
"If I do, will you come with us?" Cooro smiled at his sudden idea.
"By the way, what is this? Is it important to you?" Cooro asked, holding up the thing that was on the ringmaster's necklace.
"I'll tell you later! Just untie me!" Husky shouted. I smiled and untied the rope while Cooro examined the object.
"How dare you trick me!" The evil man shouted, coming out from under the fallen tent. "We'll be surrounded if we don't hurry!" Husky informed us.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." I said sarcastically.
"But don't worry about that. I'm here!" Cooro said optimistically, grabbing Husky and then me. Cooro flew into the sky.
"We are taking the mermaid princess now!" Cooro shouted happily.
"You little demons!" The ringmaster shouted as we flew away. Yay, I won't have to hear his annoying voice ever again!