Chapter four- Intolerance
No one, and I mean no one, talked to the knights in a polite, gentle way. All the Talons in their cells hissed responses as if the Atmosian people were evil. I said nothing to them, keeping my eyes far away from theirs to avoid confrontation. Or consequences.
But nevertheless, some instigated a fight with us, and some of us were left with wounds that would soon be lost to infection. We knew this, yet the still loyal talons did not let disease stop them from claiming loyalty at any chance. One of the faithful ones was Dunlin, a close friend of mine. I had had few friends, and hoped that more than just Dunlin had survived. He had taken a liking to me a while ago, flirting with me behind Snipe's back, which was an easy thing to do. I showed interest, but my feelings were crushed after the defeat. His hadn't, I guessed, just because that's the king of guy he is. He was now just as important to me as Willet or the other people I cared for, and the thought of seeing him and Willet again as a free person was one of my slim hopes. However, his fiery spirit and sharp tongue kept my hopes on eggshells.
"Down with Atmos!" Dunlin's cry was still ringing in my ears when he shouted to a male sky knight who had just told him his lunch was here. Various shouts of 'Shut up!' and 'Zip it, talon!' followed. I pushed forward a little, my eyes just able to see Dunlin and the knight. The knight dropped Dunlin's lunch, the slop of whatever they were feeding us now at his feet. His green hair was back in a ponytail, and his dark eyes glinted with anger and amusement.
"Don't start, Talon!" He warned, the keys at his belt shining momentarily in a patch of sun. I sucked in a breath, seeing Dunlin emerge from the shadows of his cell. His grey eyes looked hollow, yet held that feeble strength of loyalty I knew meant nothing here. He did not head the knight's warning, to my dismay.
"Cyclonia's coming back, you dumb a-" Dunlin's face was close to being cut off as the Sky Knight's blade was blocked by the cell bars, the heat surprising my friend. A light burn decorated the tip of his nose, but he continued to shout profanity at the clearly bigger man. I had my face barely peeking over the edge of my stone cell, and as the knight fumbled for the keys, I used all my willpower to keep from crying out. He whipped open Dunlin's door and stepped inside, Dunlin disappearing into the darkness. A couple more knights swarmed around, making sure that Dunlin wouldn't escape. I head his grunts and little cries of pain, and I turned the other way, staring at the opposite wall. A loud crash, ping, crunch, and cheer forced me to look back. Apparently, the knight had hurled him out of the cell, making him crash against the cell bars on the other side of the aisle. The few others that were there landed swift kicks to his side as the green haired knight presumed his fight with Dunlin. I said nothing, anxiously watching the man beat my friend senseless.
"Down with Atmos!" He weakly cried between hits. "Cyclonia forever!" Another kick. My breath left my lungs when I saw the knight grab for his crystal sword, pulling it out of the holder. I knew what he was going to do. I trembled, fighting back tears. I screamed.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Their attention shifted dramatically, the closest one striding to me. He leaned at my cell, and I tried to retreat. He flung my door aside, and got a good hold of my hair, holding me up so high my feet could not hit the ground. My scalp was erupting in sharp, endless pain. Dunlin was caught under the knight, his grey eyes lost in the bruises on his face.
"Still loyal like this one, eh?" He mocked, his friends laughing as well. I was tired of my old alliance.
"No." I scowled, surprising them. Dunlin's eyes went wide, and I realized what I had just said. Disappointment, disgust, and hate began to swell in his beaten face.
"Really?" The green haired knight lifted Dunlin up, noticing my friend's scornful glance to me. "Well gentlemen, it appears to be true. Even this Talon seems to be surprised." He shook Dunlin. "Maybe we should let them figure out how loyal a talon should be."
No...Oh no... Please. They were going to make us fight.
"What are you doing?" An accented voice filtered through my ringing ears. It was a younger woman, her purple hair short and olive eyes glaring at the lot of us. "Put them down. The council wouldn't like it, you know." She crossed her arms, looking at me and Dunlin with the very, very, very slightest hint of sympathy. It shocked me.
My arm took the fall this time, the shoulder armor I had kept keeping my joints together. My cell door slammed behind me, the rowdy group of knights grumbling about their ended fun. I scampered for the far corner like a frightened rabbit, huddling against the cool stone wall. After my fears subsided, my head dropped into my hands, circled around my knees. I cried. I cried not for my friend's pain, not for my fear, but my loss. I had lost Dunlin, all because I had lost my loyalty. So I cried, the sunlight from my window not able to comfort me.
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The next chapter will be more, if not all, about the Storm Hawks. I just wanted to run a little bit with the intolerance issue in this war.