She awoke suddenly from a pleasant, black dream and sat straight up in bed, the warm leather book still clutched to her chest. It had still been a little light out when she had lay down, but now the moonlight filtering through her window was bright and blue.
The girl rose and tip-toed over to it, peeking out. All was quiet, and the garden was bathed in the soft but steady light of the waxing moons. If she crouched down, she could see a mole guard walking over the wall, torch in hand, but that was all.
She closed her eyes and listened, and faintly, she could hear four snores from the sleeping Guardians. So, carefully, the girl grabbed the gloves and face cover out of the wicker chest at the end of the bed and padded cautiously down the hall. She peeked into the Guardians' rooms, but they were all sound asleep.
Managing to not run face-first into Cyril this time, the child stepped down the stairs–they were made of marble, so no creaking–and headed for the front door.
Exploring at night would be better, right? During the day, walking around by herself, there would be more people, more chances to be discovered. And it's not like there was crime; she noted as she opened the large front doors that they hadn't even locked them.
She'd learned better the first time she'd snuck off, but the girl honestly didn't think that the Guardians would protest this time. She was perfectly safe here in Warfang. The worst that would happen is she'd get mugged or something, but then, her sword was slung over her chest and she was certain she could defend herself. More than likely, anyway, she'd not encounter anyone–and it's not like they expected to keep her locked in that house forever!
The girl found herself on a wide, magnificent street dotted with the occasional house, all as grandiose as her own. The little irrigated river danced down next to the sandstone streets, a handsome bridge leading to each abode. Only a few candles burned in the windows; the rest were dark and silent.
It certainly wasn't as bright and dazzling as it had been during the day, but Warfang had its own sort of quiet beauty at night.
She looked around as she walked down the street, careful to memorize where she was going–the last thing she needed was to get lost and wander around 'til daylight waiting for someone to find her. But the city was designed uniquely, and there were quite a few landmarks.
The girl had noticed, coming here, that the city was crisscrossed by smaller walls that were seemingly used for guard patrols, and separated the neighborhoods and districts. Finding herself coming upon one, she vaulted up the stairs, grinning. She needed a vantage point to see the city, and all the better, she was in a place she wasn't supposed to be!
She spent a few minutes walking towards the wall, trying to get a peek into the other houses' backyards and see what their gardens looked like. She was leaning on the little guard-wall, looking dreamily at a pretty moonbathed garden overflowing with flowers, when she looked up and realized someone else was there.
No... lots of people, actually, sitting up on the great wall. They were mere shadows in the night, indistinguishable, though she could hear them chatting and laughing voraciously. One of them was looking at her, a dragon–a kid, probably not much older than she was. Feeling a bit awkward, the girl turned to leave.
"Hey–hey, wait!" Definitely a teenager. She stiffened, but the boy's voice was excited, so she turned around. "You–you're the one who helped my brother earlier today, aren't you?"
At that moment, the moons came out from behind a cloud, and the dragon's purple chestplate flashed in the light. She could see his face now. He was grinning, so hesitantly, she called up, "The kid that was being bullied by those cheetahs?"
Now the entire group was interested, and they had all turned to face her. There were just a few, but it was a diverse group; dragons, cheetahs, and moles all looked down at her.
"That's Tyren," the boy said, beaming. "Hey, wanna come up here?"
The girl blinked. She was feeling a bit shy, but she was curious as to how they'd all gotten up there. "How?"
"Just come over here and give me your paw."
Reluctantly, she did, taking the ice dragon's outstretched paw. She had to grab her hood on the way up, as it nearly fell down, but in a moment she found herself sitting among the group. She looked around. A bit of food was laid out on a blanket, along with a lantern covered by a translucent cloth. And among the others here, all teenagers, there was the boy, a serious-looking shadow dragon, an ice blue cheetah with wide eyes, and a mole with cracked glasses and a goofy grin.
Tyren's brother was already chatting away some more. "My brother hasn't stopped talking about you, so I knew you as soon as I saw you. A cheetah dressed in all black? Who could miss you?"
Good to know I'm so noticeable... the girl thought in exasperation. She really needed to avoid calling attention to herself from now on...
"Well..." the dragon said, calling the girl's attention back to him. He was smiling brightly. "Welcome to the Meeting of Misfits."
"Hear, hear," the mole said, raising his glass.
She smiled, though no one could see it. He reminds me of... She blinked, and the images flickered in, memories. Dancing, the faded lights in the distance, nothing else but them... The dreams of running away; no, flying away, into the sky, into the stars.
The girl shook her head. Not now. "What is that?"
"Ah," the boy said, gesturing to his friends, "only the meeting of the best Warfang has to offer..."
"Shut up, Auren," the mole boy said, slapping the ice dragon on his side and grinning.
Auren pushed him back with a silly grin, though he quickly took on a serious manner. "Anyone care to do an introduction for the new member? Strider?"
The shadow dragon was so dark that she seemed to blend right into the night. Perched elegantly on the edge of the wall, she looked silently at Auren, a queen-like air surrounding her.
Meanwhile, the mole had shuffled over, pouring the girl an unlabeled drink into a cracked glass. "Strider's a mute," he explained in a soft voice, handing her the cup. His voice had a tinge of an accent, and it sounded more like 'Strida'. "No one knows where she comes from, but she fits right in with us. Just don't expect much in the way of conversation from her!"
"What's this?" she whispered back, looking at the clear drink.
The mole winked, beaming. "Don't ask."
"Ah, Cedric!" Auren popped up from seemingly out of nowhere, laying a heavy arm around the mole's shoulder and pulling him over. "What about you, buddy? Care to introduce yourself to your new girlfriend?"
Rolling his eyes, Cedric stood dramatically, putting a hand over his heart. "Me? I'm just a nomad, an unwanted child who has wandered all across the world and finally settled in Warfang. I've walked across scorching deserts, climbed tall, freezing mountains..."
"That's not true!" the cheetah girl cried, laughing.
"Shush, shush!" Cedric exclaimed. "After all these years of hard, long journeying, ever since I was just a toddler, I now reside in Warfang. Even now, no one will take me in, so I must steal my food every day to survive!"
Auren rolled his eyes. "If you don't just mooch off our pantries, that is."
Cedric's glasses glinted as he sat down with a huff. "Let a mole tell his story, sir!"
The girl laughed, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. She was beginning to get used to this odd group. Though maybe it was just the drink getting to her–she'd carefully taken a sip, and, screwing up her face, realized that dragons must take their alcohol bitter.
The girl turned as someone tapped on her shoulder. Auren was there, smiling. His eyes were as ice blue as a husky's, and his scales were more solid-coloured, but she could see Tyren's face in his. "Want some?"
She realized he was holding an orange as big as her fist. "Oh, it's okay," she said, thinking of Cedric's story. "I live with the Guardians, so there's a ton of food at home–"
"Ah, just bring some next time, don't worry!" She just barely stopped the orange from tumbling down the wall as he tossed it at her. Auren tossed a fruit at Strider too, who caught it effortlessly. "Serena?" he asked, turning to the pale blue cheetah.
"Oh, me?" She laughed shyly. "Nothin' special about me. I'm just an orphan. My parents brought me to live with my aunt before they went off to fight in the war, but then..." She shrugged. "They died, and the money ran out. Auntie still comes to visit me every day, but she can't take me back. The headmistress is a horrible lady, so I sneak out whenever I can."
Serena paused sadly for a moment, then smiled and practically tackled Auren, pulling Strider and Cedric over. "I was really sad for a while, but then I found you guys!"
Auren grinned and cleared his throat. "And me," he said regally, "I'm just a social outcast, banished for the colour of my scales, cursed with that wretched colour purple!"
"Oh, woe is you," Cedric called, leaning carelessly against Strider, who promptly pushed him off. The apple he was holding flew over the wall and into someone's backyard.
The ice dragon rolled his eyes. "To be honest, I didn't have a friend in the world for the longest time. But now, I've formed the most illustrious group known to dragonkind–and molekind, and cheetahkind–and our numbers grow every day!"
Serena snorted. "More like every year."
"Shhh. So," Auren turned to the girl, sitting with his tail curled around him, "What's your story?"
The girl laughed, suddenly feeling self-conscious again. "Well, I'm–"
"–only the coolest kid in all of Warfang!" Serena interrupted, eyes sparkling. "I saw your fight from the orphanage. That was super brave. I would never have done that. What's your secret?"
Blinking, the child smiled lightly. "I guess I've just seen too much injustice to let something like that go." She opened her mouth to tell the fabricated tale, to make it into a funny story like they had, but something stopped her. Instead, it tumbled out: "My mom and dad used to fight a lot. After she ran off, Dad started drinking more, and then..."
She stopped, and realized they were all looking at her with curiosity. Blushing, she continued, "I've always had to raise my sister, but at least Dad usually went after me instead. No one would really help me, so I was on my own. And then..." I died. "They died. Apes raided our village, set everything on fire, burned me. The Guardians found me, and..." She shrugged. "Here I am."
"As for Tyren," she mumbled, "I've been in his position more than a few times. I didn't want anyone else to have to feel that way..." She smirked. "Even if they're destined to be a misfit like me."
"Like all of us." It was quiet for a bit, and Auren solemnly raised his glass. "A toast," he said, the drink sparkling in the moonlight. His eyes were smiling, but his voice was serious. "Life sucks."
The others raised their drinks too, nodding. "Life sucks."
The solemnity passed, and soon the group was laughing and drinking again (though the girl poured her drink over the edge when no one was looking). The moons were ambling towards the horizon, and the sky was beginning to get light. Even the candle in the lantern was burned down to almost just the wick.
Suddenly, a sharp voice cried out. "Hey, you kids! What're you doing up here?!"
"Crap, we forgot the rotation!" Auren whispered, jumping to his feet. On the right, a mole in shiny armour was running towards them.
Four pairs of hands shot out. Food disappeared, glasses and bottles were shoved into a bag, the cloth was whipped up, someone grabbed the lantern. In a moment, they were all gone. Auren grabbed the girl's hand, and the two off them jumped off the wall, slung themselves over the shorter wall, and hit the ground with a thud.
The mole guard was still up there, leaning down and shouting, but the duo ran off into the neighborhood, cutting through backyard gardens. They didn't stop until they'd gotten to the end of the street, hiding in the shadow of a house as they panted and laughed.
"Well," Auren said, standing with a chuckle, "Here is where we must part, m'lady."
Catching on, the girl bowed deeply with a smirk. "When shall I see you again, good sir?"
"Any night you'd like. You know where to find us. Just keep it top..." The ice dragon slunk over and tapped the cloth where her nose was, grinning. "...secret." Smiling broadly, he disappeared into the shadows. "Farewell, Fighter Girl."
She opened her mouth to ask about the nickname, but he was gone. She looked up and saw a shadow blocking out the stars, soon gone.
The girl was still smiling as she slid into her house and pulled her hood off, but she jumped as she saw a looming shadow standing in the living room. Realizing it was just a Guardian, she exhaled heavily and shut the door with a click.
The girl gazed into the living room, recognizing the heavy form. "Terrador? You startled me." She grabbed a candle that lay on a shelf in the entrance hall and lit it, holding it up. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Yes," the dragon rumbled. "I heard you leave, so I was waiting to be sure you came back safely before dawn."
She squinted into the dark. "You're not mad, are you? I mean, I'm only sneaking because I didn't want to wake anyone up, I really thought it would be okay–"
"It's alright," the green dragon interrupted, holding up a paw. "I just wanted to be sure you returned safely."
The girl's apprehension faded. She walked over to the stairs and hopped up to sit on the banister. "Well, don't fuss over me. I was just taking a walk. Anyway, I made a friend... a lot of friends." She smiled. "As long as I'm out, I'll be with them. So don't worry."
The Guardian nodded. "Just be careful."
The girl, preparing to leave, had slid around the banister and hopped up the stairs. She paused for a moment, looking down on him. "Being careful is all I know." He didn't say anything, so she continued her ascent. "Goodnight!"
The girl, upon reaching her room, threw herself into bed and rolled over to look up at the ceiling, snuggling into the cool blankets as she giggled with euphoria. She was making a life for herself here, not to mention... It was an odd feeling, but it was nice to be worried over, to have people who would notice when she had gone, and wonder for her safety. Like a family.
It was times like this, when she was alone, when her mind would wander back to the past. Once, she could leave the house, night or day, and only her sister would notice. She could hide in the cliffs and caves on the beach, but nobody would come looking for her. She could wait for hours in the bathroom at school, but no teachers or students would miss her.
Often, she felt like she wasn't even real. Like, if her existence just faded away, nothing in the world would change at all.
The girl whispered in her mind that now, here, it was time to look to the future. She had touched this world, if only in small ways. She had forever changed some of its inhabitants. Silly as it was, this fantasy world was where she was truly grounded in reality, where she felt like her life had made the smallest, tiniest difference. It was something tangible. It was something real.
Smiling as she drifted off to sleep, the girl thought to herself, This is now.