Manifesto Ch. 2

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your positive reviews on the first chapter. I would like to say that everything I discuss in this story is unembellished and true. The feelings that I display are things that follow me through my life, and so whenever I narrate a part of my past, I'd ask that you be considerate if commenting on it. As always, I greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts and feelings on the story, so enjoy. -Kiba

Lamb watched in contemplative silence as the human held his arm out to the plant woman. "What a foolish creature." Wolf snarled. "We gave him a gift and he squanders it not even a day later."

"Do not be so hasty to judge, Wolf." She replied softly, slowly creeping closer to him. Time had all but stopped, such was the life of Lamb. For her every second was both an instant and an eternity. As she pressed her black mask closer to view the human's eyes, she took a sharp breath. "It is so beautiful." She muttered.

Wolf lazily rolled over in the air. "Yes, yes. Words, words, words. Beauty this, graceful that."

"I mean it, Wolf." She huffed. "In his eyes, I don't sense fear of death. I sense concern for the feline." A soft smile crept upon her lips beneath the carved visage. "He saw us, and yet is unafraid."

"Lamb, are you well?" Wolf finally asked. "You are behaving...oddly."

She paused, taking a step back from the human to regard her partner. "Do not be silly Wolf. We can not act oddly. It is not in our nature." The shadowy spectre scratched himself behind the ears with a phantom limb in thought.

"And yet...you are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"I am not." Lamb finally asserted, stomping her foot on the ground. "How can you not stand to be curious Wolf? A human who has never been born and does not fear death. How can you explain this, hmmm?"

"Stupidity." He muttered, swirling around Lamb. "It seems we will get to ask the question sooner than anticipated with this one."

The white furred girl paused. "Perhaps." She agreed, though her tone conveyed an air of reluctance. "But then again…"

"No." Wolf interrupted. "Absolutely not."

"What?" She asked innocently.

"You will not grant him respite once more. You have already done so once, which I must remind you is against the rules."

She knew that Wolf was right, but even still she responded bitterly. "There is only one rule Wolf: everyone must face us eventually." Her eyes resonated with her partners as the two glared at one another. They often had disagreements about their role in the universe. It was to be expected of course. They were identical, and yet, at the same time complete opposites. "I may grant him respite as often as I wish, so long as he eventually makes his choice."

"How many times will he die before you finally force him to choose?" Wolf demanded. "I do not like the thought of this whelp being granted your respite, but if you choose to give it to him that is your decision. I will, however, demand that you give me a limit. We must not allow him to alter fate too greatly."

Lamb shook her head. "Have faith in me, Wolf. Have I yet to fail in my duties?"

"There is a first time for everything." He snarled. Walking to his side, she gently stroked the Wolf's large head, causing him to nuzzle back against her. "This is not an opinion Lamb. I am merely concerned about your behavior."

"You have no need for concern, Wolf. I shan't grant him respite again...after this next time."

"I hope that you remember this oath, Lamb. Remember it well, for I will not forget." He replied, turning away from the group while she continued to sit perched on a stone, watching in eager anticipation.

"I don't understand." Nidalee muttered. "You said you 'made' Kiba. What do you mean?"

I fell silent once more. "None of this is real." I finally explained. "This world, your world, it's all fake. It's just a silly game that was made by a team of designers."

"I think you may be feverish." She argued, turning on Zyra and thrusting her spear in her face. "Release him from your spell you monster, or else I will not hesitate to slay you."

I quickly placed my hand on the tip of her spear lowering it. "I'm serious, Nidalee. This isn't real. It's just some weird demented fantasy in my head. I'm sorry." Turning on me, she swung hard enough to knock me to the ground. "What the hell Nid?!"

She pointed her weapon towards where I lay on the ground. "Did that hurt?"

"Of course it hurt!"

"Then that should be proof enough that this is real!" She shouted. "This is not a game! You are not some sort of God that can just create things on a whim. I believe that you're not Kiba, because Kiba would never be so inconsiderate to tell someone they didn't exist."

Zyra smirked, watching the interaction with an amused interest. "For someone who moments ago thought he was sick, you sure are being harsh on him now." She pointed out. It took a lot of will to not jump on the opportunity to hide behind her protection.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "It wasn't meant to be an insult. It's just...maybe this is real, but in my reality, there is no such place as Runeterra."

"Well in our reality there is no such thing as you." Nidalee shot back, causing me to take a sharp breath. "It doesn't feel good, does it? Being told that you don't matter, that you don't exist."

"That's not what I meant."

"Well then what did you mean?" She snapped.

My eyes fell to my feet. Despite being over a foot taller than her, the way she lectured me made me feel small like a child. This was my social anxiety bubbling up to the surface once again. "I don't know." I finally admitted. "But I wouldn't lay my life down for you if I didn't think it was important. Because even if I don't know if this is real or not, I won't let someone die in front of me."

She grinned as Zyra rolled her eyes. "Now that sounds like something Kiba would say." Nid assured me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "As for you," she continued, turning on Zyra. "We're leaving. You'll have to trap something else to make it your prey."

"I think not." She chuckled raising her hand as vines lashed upwards towards us. Nidalee dove out of the way, but I was immediately trapped by the spiky thorns. I felt them embed into my flesh, causing me to let out a pained hiss as it began to drain the blood from my body.

The bestial huntress snarled, slashing forward with her spear in an upward arc. Zyra managed to sidestep her attacks, time and time again. "Release him. He is under my protection." Nidalee growled, twirling her weapon skillfully.

The thorn queen let out a pleasured gasp as I attempted to wriggle free of my bonds, only serving to spill more of my blood into the hungering plants. "Mmm, I don't think so. His life essence is absolutely delicious. It is much tastier than the last human who wondered into my grasp."

Taking advantage of her distraction, the amazoness leapt forward with an aerial spike towards her foe's abdomen. Zyra barely noticed in time, dodging once more only to leave an emerald green gash across her midriff. As it slowly began to patch itself up, the scent of blossoms flooded my senses, making me dizzier by the second. "Nid." I coughed, trying to hold my breath as flowers began to sprout around me. I knew all too well what would happen if she were to grow these seeds. "The buds, smash the buds."

Zyra looked shocked that I had recognized her plan. Nidalee hurled her Javelin at the Rise of Thorns before transforming and pouncing on to the buds nearby, sending them scattering a cloud of floral dust. "No!" Zyra screeched as Nidalee began to tear at the vines with her fangs.

"I'll have you out in a moment." Her voice echoed in my mind. "Just say calm." When she'd managed to free my left arm, I could feel the rumbling beneath me and immediately my thoughts went to Zyra's plants again.

I quickly shoved Nidalee away, just as sharp twisting nettles burst upwards, lancing me through multiple places on my body. As they sank back beneath the earth, as quickly as they'd come, I collapsed on the ground. The vines I had been bound in were torn to shreds by her attack as well, but I lacked the strength to move.

For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of a white figure, perched on a rock, but the moment I blinked it was gone. Lamb? Already, I was about to die again. I couldn't even try to protect Nidalee. I wasn't a fighter, Zyra was far more powerful than I could ever hope to be.

Despite the pain that lanced through my body, I managed to clamber to my feet, swaying weakly. I'd felt worse pain than this, I reminded myself. My mind flashed back to the memories of my childhood. Heart surgery was hard, but it was simple enough to overcome. Kidney stones started to afflict me regularly since I was only twelve years old, but I could endure that too. I wasn't about to let a bunch of stupid plants cause me to give up.

As Zyra's thorns began to sprout around Nidalee, I knew I didn't have much time. My guardian let out a roar as I quickly scooped up her spear. Zyra approached the downed champion with a grin. "This will be the last time you interfere with my meal, whelp." She whispered to her. A surge of magic caused her to revert back to her human form as the plant woman leaned down to place her lips over hers. She was going to drain her the same way she drained me!

Nidalee struggled pitifully as Zyra began to suck the life from her, just as I crept behind her and with all the strength I had left, pierced the spear through her body. The huntress was shocked as her enemy crumpled to her side, the vines slowly releasing their captive from their grasp.

I stood over Zyra, again and again stabbing her with the weapon as tears streamed through my cheeks. Her viridian blood began to pool from her mouth as I screamed my anger and frustration into my attack, until finally, Nidalee's hand caught my wrist. "It's over." She whispered, causing me to look up at her with my glistening eyes. I slowly climbed off of Zyra's corpse, releasing my grip on the weapon as Nid banished it back into the wilds.

My entire body trembled as I threw my arms around Nidalee, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry." I wept. "I'm so, so sorry!" The huntress gave a knowing smile as she embraced me in return nuzzling against my cheek.

"It's alright now. The threat's gone."

I could hear the sound of plants once more bursting forth. Zyra's passive! I immediately threw all my weight against Nidalee, sending her to the ground before the large thorn harpoon slammed through my back. It'd burst through my chest, a large gaping hole through my sternum as I collapsed. I only had a few seconds before I would bleed out. This was truly the end.

"Oh no." My friend gasped, placing her hands on my shoulder. I could feel her magic lancing through my body, healing my wounds, but I also knew it was too late.

"That was good work." A soft voice complimented. Sure enough, just as I'd thought, Lamb was perched where I'd seen her figure. "Have you found an answer for the question yet?" Her words sounded almost hopeful, but as I looked at her, I could see in her eyes that she already knew my response.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I know I have no right to ask you. But please, I need more time."

Wolf let out an impatient huff, as Lamb crouched down over me beside Nidalee. "You wish to get home. Is that not so?"

"Yes."

There was a sense of sadness around her as she turned to look at the woman beside her. "Can I ask you a personal question?" She inquired, her sapphire blue gaze returning to me. "Why are you so desperate to return? You do not seem happy."

I wasn't sure how to explain to her. Would she, an immortal entity, even understand the problems I faced? "In the real world; in my world," I corrected myself, "I am many things to many people. I don't have many friends, to be honest. Those I do have, most likely wouldn't care if I were to disappear. For all I know, they're not even aware I'm gone now."

"Then why go back?"

"A long time ago," I began, "I felt...empty. My life wasn't important to me. I went to school, came home, played games, and slept. Every day, I'd do the same thing, again, and again, and again. There was only one person I cared about, very deeply. She hurt me very badly, to the point where I just stopped caring anymore. People weren't important, they were just selfish creatures out for themselves, and to me I thought, why should I be any different?"

As I spoke, she seemed to listen intently, the frozen amazoness a stark contrast to the snow white fur of the Lamb. "You don't seem that way now. I've met many who are selfish, whose hearts are ruled by greed and desire."

"Do not be mistaken spirit." I whispered. "I am indeed such a foul thing. Behind what appears to be kindness and compassion is a heart as black as your mask. I met a man by the name of Mr. Kennedy. He was one of my teachers in school. I didn't think much of him at first, but one day he accused me of cheating on a test. The person who sat beside me had turned in the same answers that I did. I assured him that I didn't, and rather than being distrustful of me, like everyone else had, he gave me a chance to prove myself." I chuckled weakly as I remembered the look on his face after turning in the next test. "The next time we had an exam, I wrote down all the wrong answers first. The student stood up and turned in her paper, then I changed my answers and turned mine in as well. From that day on, we became close. He helped me to understand all of the questions that I had about my world. When I left the school, I knew that he'd changed my life forever."

Lamb's soft hand rested on my own, and I could feel her smiling down at me. "Keep going." She urged, though Wolf's silence unnerved me greatly.

"I realized then, my life wouldn't be complete until I managed to change someone else's life the way he changed mine. That's why I became a teacher in the first place. But…" I paused. "I'm not like him. I can't be a mentor to someone else because doing so would mean being better than I am now. As of now, I'm constantly assaulted by lust, greed, desire, and all the other vices that plague me, despite how I may act. So, to answer your question, Lamb: I need to go home, because I haven't finished my obligation yet."

She considered my answer for a moment before once more gazing deep into my eyes. "One last question," she promised, "do you fear death?"

"No." I admitted. "I fear being forgotten."

"If it helps, I doubt that I will ever forget you." She replied. I said nothing in response, the Lamb looking expectantly at the wolf who simply sighed. "I shall grant you respite once more." She informed me. "But it shall be the final time. Do not waste your life again human, otherwise you will be forced to make a choice. Remember, we are always watching."

As the warm glow began to circle under me, my eyes looked up into the sockets of her mask. "Thank you." I muttered, causing her to blink in surprise. Lamb had never been thanked before, not even when one requested her arrow.

She hesitated momentarily before finally whispering, "You're welcome." Her hand grasped mine, as if not wishing to release it before I sat up with a gasp, the wound in my chest gone, save a nasty scar that rested there.

Looking around myself, Lamb and Wolf were nowhere to be found, though Nidalee looked at me in shock. "You're alive!" She cheered, throwing her arms around me tightly and hugging me close. "Thank Gods, I was so concerned."

"Why?" I asked. "Did something happen to me?"

Nidalee furrowed her brow, trying to formulate a response. "You...do not recall?" She questioned. I shook my head. "Perhaps it is for the best. Come, let us get you to Bandle City. Where do you intend to go from there?"

"Piltover. I think I know of someone who may have some information about what's happening to me."

She beamed brightly. "So you've changed your mind? You will visit my friend?"

"No." I answered, causing her to sink in disappointment. I knew my answer would upset her, but the truth was I couldn't look Kiba in the eye. I feared it would hurt far too greatly. "The one I'm looking for is a younger man. He's the Grand Master Explorer in Piltover. I haven't written of him often, but if anyone has knowledge over visiting new worlds, it would be him."

"So, we have returned to this once again." She huffed. "Another moment of you denying my existence."

"Nidalee, I wish I could make you understand. I don't deny your existence. Even now, I can sense your feelings in my own heart. Just as I'm sure you can sense my fear and apprehension." I frowned, her upset expression still not having left her face. "If you are not convinced, look at what occurred. I genuinely care, Nidalee. In my world, people think I am mad for the feelings I have over others. However, existence or not, this is not my world. I do not belong here. Even Kindred can recognize that."

"Kindred?" She gasped in disbelief. "You have met Kindred?"

"Twice, I'm afraid." I mumbled. "Twice now, Lamb has given me respite, but she told me that she is not able to do so again. To be honest, I don't deserve respite...but I get the feeling that she is giving it to me for a reason. I won't betray it, whatever that reason may be."

Nidalee came closer to me, placing her hand on my forehead. "Perhaps Zyra was right. You may have a fever. Don't worry, I'm sure there are doctors in Piltover that can help you." She assured me, but I pushed her hand away.

"I don't need a doctor." I protested. "I need a way home. Just...humor me. If Ezreal cannot find me a way back to my world, then you may judge me."

She seemed hesitant to comply, but finally she nodded in agreement. "Very well, but before we go any further, can you tell me your name?"

"Ki-" I paused. If I wasn't careful, I'd cause even more problem than I intended. "Joshua. Everyone calls me Josh, though."

"Josh." She tested, examining how it felt on her tongue. "What an odd name."

"Funny." I muttered. If anyone had an odd name it was Nidalee. "Let's get to Bandle City. Don't take offense, but I think I've had enough of the jungle for one lifetime."

She just giggled and nodded, leading me through the brush. As she walked, a slight sway in her hips mesmerised me until I realized I was staring. The lust was getting worse. I had to learn to control myself. Unfortunately, without my medication, I had no idea what may happen.

As the two of them followed along through the brush, Lamb stared at Wolf in silent contemplation. "You are awfully quiet." She commented. "Normally, it's all chase this, eat that. Are you feeling well, dearest Wolf?"

"I'm sick to my stomach." He growled. "Your respite is one thing, but did you have to remove his pain as well?" He shook his nose in annoyance. "You are worrying me, sweet Lamb."

For a moment, Lamb said nothing. It was true, the removal of the man's pain was not necessary, more rather an action that she found quite curious. She'd never done such a thing before, yet when she granted him respite, she just felt a sudden urge to shelter him from his pain. "It was necessary." She lied. "This way, he will remember the pact far more easily."

Her companion licked his chops, considering her statement. "I feel that he would remember it more if he were suffering from the ill effects as a reminder." He muttered beneath his breath. "But I trust you, sweet Lamb, so I will take your word for it. Though I feel wiping his memory of the event also served to cushion the blow of death."

"That strike pierced his heart, dear Wolf. He'd have not had memory of it anyway. That is where his memories are kept after all." This was unusual for Lamb. One lie to the Wolf was insane, but a second was completely unheard of. Now, even she was growing concerned with her behavior.

"I see." Wolf replied. "I suppose that makes some sense. Sorry for accusing you."

"All is forgiven, sweet Wolf. We are Kindred, thus we shall never part from one another." As he brushed against her, she softly stroked his neck. She hummed to herself as they carefully navigated the brush together, like an eerie dance that only they knew the steps to.

Despite her comforting words, however, Wolf could still feel that his sister seemed to be growing further away from him. In the history of all things, this had never happened before. Countless souls have taken the arrow or the chase. Kings and peasants alike, each were visited one by one. To be certain, Wolf was not intentionally cruel towards the living. He enjoyed the chase, just as his namesake did, but it was not because of the pain the living felt at the end of the hunt.

Just as Lamb thrived on the courage of those who faced her arrow, he found the fear and hope intoxicating to behold. By this point in life, he'd become swift enough that he could even match the speed of Lamb's arrow, but for him it wasn't about catching the human. It was about giving them that last glimmer of hope of escape. He would run them down, sometimes for nights on end, all until the point where that hope, that aversion to death, was worn out of them. Then, when they finally accepted their fate, that was when he'd end their lives and release their souls to...wherever.

Truthfully, Wolf had no idea where the souls went after his chase, and he was almost certain that Lamb was unaware either. However, this was the natural order of things. Just as the Gods sowed the seeds of life, it was up to Kindred to reap them when they'd become ripe for the harvest. That was what disturbed him now about Lamb's reluctance to end the human. While she assured him that he was a special case, Wolf could sense nothing different about him. He was simply another blade of grass, waiting to be plucked from the mortal coil. "Little Lamb?"

"Yes, dear Wolf?"

"What is it that interests you so?"

Lamb turned to regard the Wolf, unsure of how to respond in a way he'd understand. "His soul is like a poem I read once. One of my favorites." Wolf was unsure how he felt about that answer, something his sister could sense in his expression. "Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here, To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer, To stop without a farmhouse near, Between the woods and frozen lake, The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake, To ask if there is some only other sound's the sweep, Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." She recited in perfect iambic pentameter.

Such things, she knew, would go over the Wolf's head, but she had always felt that poetry was meant to be read aloud. If one should read it, then it should be read correctly. "I like the dark and deep part." Wolf commented. "However, I do not understand little Lamb."

"His is the Narrator, dearest Wolf. He gazes upon us, and rather than hurrying on his way, be it through arrow or fang, he hesitates. Indeed, dearest Wolf, he has stopped in our woods, and while it may confuse him greatly, he still does not feel fear, but a yearning for the day we take him." She attempted to explain. "How often, dearest Wolf, do we have one who is unable to make a decision? We often get ones who choose the arrow, feeling Death is like a bandage that is to be ripped quickly to avoid as little pain as possible. Others still flee to their heart's content, desperately attempting to escape their inevitable fate."

"Those ones are my favorite." Wolf snarled in delight, doing a cheerful twirl in the air.

"The point is, dearest Wolf, they all have their choice prepared. And yet..." her words trailed off as her eyes went to Josh where he was being led by the other woman. "He has not made his choice. He is eager to make it, yearns for it even, but he also feels the weight of his responsibilities and uses that to keep him alive. It interests me, dear Wolf, because he is the first one to have ever thanked us for our visit." She smiled softly for a moment. "Or, if that is too difficult to understand, think of it like this. By releasing his spirit back to the mortal world, it is my way of chasing him."

That was not something that had ever occurred to Wolf before. He often attempted to make Lamb excited about the chase as he was. Perhaps he was finally starting to succeed. Lamb, he knew, was far more intelligent than he was. This, he concluded, meant that her chase would of course be different. "You do know," he reminded her, "that eventually, sweet Lamb, all chases must come to an end."

"Of course, dear Wolf. I have no interest in playing this game forever. I know that it may seem odd at first, but I humbly beseech you; please, allow me to have this one soul to play with."

This time, Wolf actually agreed.

To be continued...