To Butterfly: And there it is! But what is it?
To Lyger 0: That would be a good guess! Any in particular come to mind?
To yellow 14: You figured there was more to Popo, or did you figure out what he is?
What is that thing? That was the only question running through Abdi's mind as he stared into the darkness where Popo had been. The miraculous users had lit up the night with the flashlights on their tools, and in the wavering lights Abdi caught the occasional glimpse of milk-white skin, of scraggly hair, of leathery wings. One miraculous user – Roqonsa Saada, he thought – grappled with the Bulguu off to one side. Nearby energy pulses flashed where a handful of Goota-Lolaa's lieutenants were mounting a last stand, burning Abdi's eyes and spoiling his night vision with the unexpected flares of light. A stray beam struck a tent which caught fire, the light bathing the scene and giving it a surreal quality. In its glow he could see Sent-Bee dodging around Goota-Lolaa's energy shots, firing her own streams of a golden liquid at him. Hunda Beekaa meanwhile had found the top half of his staff and was attempting to fight Maroodiga Cawlan with it.
In the light of the fire, however, Popo was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Aisha.
Abdi swallowed hard: after everything that had happened, he would be damned if he left her in that monster's clutches for a moment longer. So many obstacles lay between him and the tent, and he was virtually defenseless. A guttural scream pierced the night, one that Abdi recognized. He couldn't sit and watch.
Abdi raced out of the comparative safety of the tent and ran across the battlefield, leaping over the immobilized bodies of his former "allies." A leg jutted out and tripped him up. Abdi stumbled to the ground and rolled over onto his back. A face glared down at him.
"Where have you been, traitor?" the man hissed. His eyes suddenly widened in shock, and he collapsed.
"He doesn't owe you anything," Growll declared, phasing out of the man's chest. The Kwami flew over to Abdi and nuzzled his cheek.
"Thank you." Abdi swallowed. "I was afraid I would never see you again."
"I wouldn't leave you like that," Growll assured him. "You're the best holder I've had in at least a millennium, kid!" He dropped the clawed ring into Abdi's hand. Abdi stared at the miraculous in shock. "This is yours."
Abdi frowned. So much power in his hand. "What should I do?" he wondered. With this ring – with Goota-Lolaa and the others distracted by the heroes – he could do anything he wanted! He could escape with Aisha. He could fight the heroes and hope that was enough to prove his loyalty to Popo. Or he could turn on Popo.
The Kwami shrugged. "It's your choice, kiddo. You could do almost anything with this. But I trust you to make the choice."
Abdi furrowed his brows and stared down at the ring. For the first time in a year, he was in control. "Growll," he began, "Unleash the hounds." With a nod of Satisfaction, Cadaabta Ey raced across the assembly field, whip in hand. He sidestepped to avoid Roqonsa Saada as the Bulguu hurled her across the camp. He spun his whip in a tight circle to block an errant spray of Sent-Bee's synth-Venom. Finally he reached Popo's tent and dove straight through the flap.
Aisha lay curled up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest and weeping softly. Cadaabta Ey hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched. He could see the red marks on her arms and neck where Popo had grabbed her. "Don't worry, sister," he whispered. "It's only me."
Aisha's shoulders tensed. "I thought you had failed," she whispered. "I thought you failed and died and I was going to die next."
"I'm here," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug and placing a kiss on her forehead. "And I did sort-of fail," he admitted. "But I'm here because these other miraculous users agreed to help me rescue you. And I'm not going to let that thing hurt you anymore." He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Now let's get out of here."
Aisha nodded in resignation and allowed him to pick her up. He placed her on his back with her arms clasped around his neck to carry her piggyback style, and she hugged him tightly. Cadaabta Ey turned and gave her a reassuring smile before slipping out the back of the tent and turning to loop around the assembly field to pick his way back to the entrance, bending low to avoid notice, searching the darkness for a hint of the milky-white monster. However, he hadn't made it past more than a handful of tents before Aisha tensed and squeezed his neck. Another moan pierced the night. "Wait!" she called. "We need to help Hoda!"
"What!?" he demanded in disbelief.
"We have to help her!" Aisha insisted. "She's my friend, and she needs help!"
"I didn't do all of this for an alien!" Cadaabta Ey insisted, shaking his head. "I didn't do it to play hero! I came here to rescue you, sister!"
She squeezed his neck tightly and told him, "He's hurting her just like he hurt me! I can't escape and not help her!"
Cadaabta Ey groaned in annoyance. Nevertheless, he turned away from the camp entrance and ran toward the sound of screaming and moaning coming from the paddock where Popo had kept Hoda imprisoned. The darkness was even deeper on this side of the camp, far from the flames consuming the tents and hidden in the shadow of the nearby shipping containers. Another string of whimpers came from the darker shape indicating the location of the paddock. Cadaabta Ey placed Aisha on the ground, leaning with her back against the shipping container, and crept closer. Two men stood within the enclosure, rifles raised and pointing down at the alien, hogtied and lying on her side in the thick mud.
"Let's see what happens here, monster," one of the men said with a callous laugh. "Popo was none too happy when the other one came back empty-handed."
"You think maybe he'll let me keep a piece for a trophy?" the other asked, kneeling over her and grabbing her jaw.
"You're tough when I'm tied up like this," Hoda retorted, spitting in his face. "But try that again with my arms free and then let's see what happens!"
Cadaabta Ey frowned. He had hoped to avoid confrontations. But he couldn't just leave now… Silently he sprang over the wooden fence and into the paddock, grabbing the two soldiers by the neck and riding them down into the squishy mud. One yelped in surprise, trying to bring his rifle to bear, and Cadaabta Ey stomped his chest. Neither man moved again. He turned to the alien. "Hey," he whispered hoarsely, "I am here to rescue you!"
The darker shape made a sound like a sigh of relief. "I feared I might never be able to leave," she whispered.
"Well, don't count your chickens before they've hatched," he retorted, speaking hurriedly. "We still need to actually get out of here." He sloshed through the mud to her side, knelt behind her, and made quick work of the rope with his claws before helping her to her feet.
Hoda turned and looked at Cadaabta Ey, a look of gratitude in her eyes. That look, however, was short-lived; the moment she caught sight of Cadaabta Ey, her entire attitude changed. "You!" she hissed, springing on top of him and pinning him into the mud, her eyes flaring menacingly. Her talons found his throat. "You beat me! Why are you here!?"
Cadaabta Ey couldn't breathe with the alien's knee pressing down on his chest. His legs couldn't find purchase in the mud. He grabbed her hands with his own, pulling her claws away from his throat. With effort he managed to pull in a gasping breath and glared up at the alien. He growled. "Because I came to save my sister, and for some reason she decided you two needed to escape as a package deal," he answered brusquely. "Now get off!"
The alien let out a high-pitched croaking laugh, her mouth opening ominously and showing off two rows of razor-sharp pointed teeth. Her lips pulled back and she leaned forward, her breath hot on Cadaabta Ey's face. "I should rip your throat out," she whispered, her mouth a hair's breadth from his throat. "It's no more than you deserve."
Cadaabta Ey stared up at the alien wide-eyed, his hand tightening on the handle of his whip. Hoda shifted her position, and Cadaabta Ey seized his chance. His drove his knee between her legs, and she grunted, pitching forward fractionally. Again he kneed her, and her grip on his throat loosened. Cadaabta Ey pulled one hand away, released it, and punched her in the face. Hoda fell off of him to the side, spitting out a couple broken teeth, and Cadaabta Ey kipped to his feet, cracking his whip above her head. Hoda stared up at him, eyes wide, mouth open in terror. He raised the whip–
But he hesitated.
Why? Why should he hurt this creature now? He had hurt her before – no differently than Popo had hurt Aisha, even if not in the same way. But those times he had done it to protect Aisha from Popo's wrath, because Popo would have done something worse to her if he hadn't. But now? Would it be right to whip her again, and only to save his own life, only because she had lashed out at him? He wasn't protecting Aisha now; if he did this, it would only be for his own benefit.
What would it make him if he did this?
With a frustrated grunt he hurled his whip down in the mud in front of Hoda. "I am finished!" he shouted into the night. "I am done hurting the helpless!" He met her gaze. "And I'm done hurting you. My sister decided you're her friend, so I can't and won't hurt you again."
The alien stared at him in shock, blinking her eyes slowly, before her gaze dropped to the whip by her hand. Her clawed hand closed around the handle and she rose to her feet, swinging the tip awkwardly into the ground. She glared at Cadaabta Ey predatorily, and he met her gaze without flinching. She swung the whip around again and cracked it satisfyingly in the air. Cadaabta Ey didn't move. "This is no less than I owe you for this morning," Hoda observed darkly, raising the whip over her head.
Cadaabta Ey nodded.
"Can you both stop it!?" demanded Aisha, hobbling over from the shipping container. "We're all together in this. And we all need to leave!"
Hoda's lips turned down in a frown and she stared at Aisha. "Why should I trust him?"
Aisha sighed, tears in her eyes. "Because he's my brother. Because I trust him, even after everything that happened to both of us this year. Because you're my friend and I don't want to see you get hurt anymore – or see you hurt each other. Please."
Hoda stared at Cadaabta Ey through narrowed eyes, her head tilting suspiciously. Finally she shrugged in resignation coiled the whip before handing it back to him. "Don't make me regret this," she warned.
Cadaabta Ey nodded firmly and vaulted over the paddock fence before holding his hand out to the alien. She looked at the hand with a frown, placed her foot on the lowest rung, and swung herself over the fence, nearly stumbling backward into the paddock as she did so. Cadaabta Ey caught her with a hand on her back to hold her steady, and she made it over. Hoda leaned heavily on his shoulder.
"I… have not been able to move for so long," the alien panted, chest heaving. "My strength is not where it was…" She stretched her arms and legs, twisted her neck, and nodded that she was ready.
Cadaabta Ey swept Aisha up in his arms, holding her close, and set a brisk pace down the path, skirting around the center of the camp where he could still hear the heroes fighting Popo's last holdouts – Goota-Lolaa, Hunda Beekaa, and the Bulguu, it sounded like. Hoda followed him closely, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. Cries of pain and terror pierced the night from the far side of the camp. In the slim moonlight the path stood out clearly to Cadaabta Ey's miraculous-enhanced vision. "Can you see?" he whispered.
Aisha wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and shook her head. Hoda let out a wheezing laugh. "Your people consider this poor visibility?" she asked. "Mine can see in far less than this."
Cadaabta Ey turned down another deserted lane, eyes and ears attuned for any sign of nearby soldiers. "Watch our back, then," he ordered the alien, feeling a growing sense of unease. They were only a handful of meters from their escape, but still anything could happen. Finally they reached the gap, and Cadaabta Ey pushed the boards a little further apart to accommodate Hoda's larger frame. Hoda crawled through first, then turned around to help Aisha. Cadaabta Ey dropped to the ground and started through.
A horrifying shriek overhead sent a chill running down Cadaabta Ey's spine. On the other side of the fence Aisha flinched, covered her mouth with both hands, clenched her eyes shut, and shook in quiet terror, her muffled cries still audible to his miraculous-enhanced senses. A milk-white form darted above them, aiming back toward the center of the camp. Cadaabta Ey froze as it passed. This was what his sister had endured for the last year. This was what had destroyed his village and forced him to perform such horrors. And if it wasn't stopped now, it would continue on and do this again, to other Aishas.
With a heavy heart he pushed back through the fence and into the camp.
"Abdi?" whispered Aisha, panic in her voice, reaching out for him. "What are you doing?"
Cadaabta Ey met Hoda's eye through the opening. "Keep her safe," he told her. The alien nodded firmly and placed her hand on Aisha's shoulder, pulling her close. Inside the camp, Cadaabta Ey surged to his feet, fury in his eyes, and charged back toward the flickering lights near the center of the compound, barreling straight through the tents. His whip cracked the silence with a vengeance.