What happened to Scar's Animal?
Chester shook the snow out of his fur, giving his human the stink eye as he did so. They were still holed up in the little run-down shack Scar, Mei and Xao-Mei had found once Al had managed to catch up to them, Doctor Marcoh, Jerso, Zampano, Yoki and Nova. He didn't blame Al for the snow falling but he did blame him for not using his alchemy to fix the shack so that not so much snow would make its way into their shelter. Al's argument had been that someone might see the alchemic light and come investigate it since there weren't really any alchemists this far north and both he and Ed were likely listed as missing now that his brother and Ayala had been injured and taken from Baschool in secret by the two chimeras.
Chester's counter argument had been that the fire they'd lit in the middle of the shack – on the opposite side of the room to lessen the chances that Scar's brother's research might catch fire from a stray ember – had only been countered by Al telling him that someone wouldn't think twice about a fire being lit near the northern mountains and that they would likely be mistaken for a Briggs patrol. Chester had made his displeasure known when Marcoh and the two chimeras had agreed with Al's points. He would admit that snarling at them like he had may have been over the top but he didn't regret it when both the chimeras had acted overly wary of him. It had been his entertainment up until the point where Al ruined it by telling the chimeras Chester had no intention of actually attacking them because of that argument.
"Have you spoken to Brother or Ayala today?" Al asked, ignoring Chester's glare with practised ease and Chester huffed in annoyance as he curled up next to the suit of armour, using it as a buffer for the worst of the wind and snow.
"I spoke to Ayala," Chester told him. "Ed's been sleeping most of the day but that's mainly because he stayed up last night to speak with Darius and Heinkel to try and figure out some kind of plan for when they were allowed to leave. Darius and Heinkel's decision to work for a construction crew for cash turned out to be a good idea. A lot of the labourers there came in from rural areas for the work so they've been able to pass on gossip from surrounding properties and towns. Their families keep them up to date with everything they've heard and they tell the men at the worksite. So far, no one has tracked them or Ed and Ayala to wherever they are holed up," Chester assured his human the moment he felt the spike of worry from Alphonse.
"I wish we were there with them," Al said and Chester sighed silently at the familiar words.
It had caused a massive argument between Al and Ed when Chester passed on the message that Ed and Ayala wouldn't tell him the name of the town they were in, which both Ed and Ayala claimed was for their protection more than theirs. If they had no knowledge of the town they were in, the military couldn't get it from them on the chance they were caught. Despite this, Al had vehemently been against the idea and it had resulted in Chester refusing to pass along any more messages from or to Ed since it was plainly obvious neither the blonde nor golden wolf were going to budge in their decision. Al hadn't appreciated that and he certainly hadn't appreciated Chester siding with the other two.
"You know why we can't be," Chester told him and Al let out one of his impossible sighs.
"I know," Al said morosely. Izumi, Sig, and their Animals would be meeting them soon at a slum Scar knew of and they couldn't risk missing that meeting with them. It didn't help that they had no clue where Ed and Ayala were so they had no idea how long it would take to get to them and they'd both agreed that Al wouldn't be spending any more time than absolutely necessary in the northern snow. They couldn't risk his seal more than they were and especially now that he'd blacked out twice, even if the first instance had only lasted a moment or two. "I still wish we were though," Al muttered, pulling his knees closer to his armoured chest as he hugged them. Chester butted his head against Al's thigh, making sure he hit it hard enough to make a dull thunk so Al would know what he was doing. A moment after resting his head back on his front paws, Chester felt a large, heavy metal glove rest on his back and he purred slightly at his human's attempt to both thank him and return the comforting gesture.
After a few minutes of silence, Chester found himself jerking out of the light doze he'd fallen in. A snarl caught in the back of his throat when he realised it had been the young Xingese princess who had unintentionally woken him from his nap. Keeping his eyes closed, he allowed himself to use his superior hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation Mei had started with Scar. After all, if he'd been woken up because of it, why shouldn't he get to know what it was about?
"Mr. Scar!" Mei's young voice said curiously. A soft grunt told her that the stoic Ishvalen was listening to her and willing to indulge her questioning for the moment. "Is your Animal with Doctor Marcoh's?" she asked and Chester almost flinched with how tense the room became in such a short time. "It's just that," Mei said, her voice a little slow and much more hesitant, showing she had noticed she'd said something wrong, "Doctor Marcoh told me that Carrie was in hiding so she could stay safe and I thought your Animal must be keeping her company," she explained, her voice barely audible, even to Chester's keen ears.
"Mei, you don't question someone so bluntly about their Animal!" Marcoh chided, a touch harshly. "Leave Mr. Scar alone. He doesn't have to tell you anything," he told the young girl.
"My Animal," Scar's gruff, normally emotionless voice drowned out the apology Mei had started stuttering out and the room once again fell deathly quiet, "died during the Ishvalen Civil War." Chester knew that Al was listening but neither he nor the leopard gave any indication they were listening, too afraid that Scar would clam up if he knew they were. "The Flame and Crimson Alchemists were destroying my village like it was nothing. My people and their Animals' corpses were strewn across the streets and roads of my village, their blood flooding the ground as it poured out of them. Those who fell to the Flame Alchemist were reduced to charred husks but the Crimson Alchemist, Solf. J. Kimblee –" the name was snarled with such viciousness that Chester nearly flinched – "took immense pleasure in killing my brothers and sisters as sadistically as he possibly could."
"My Animal, Nami, was a maned wolf," Scar went on to say. "We were fighting against the non-alchemist soldiers the military had tasked with aiding the Flame and Crimson Alchemists when Nami caught my brother's scent," he told them. The only warmth in the shelter was what was provided by the flames of the fire Yoki had lit but they did nothing to chase away the chill from their bones as Scar spoke. "When we got the opportunity to do so, we abandoned the fight to find him and his Animal. I knew my brother had been researching alchemy and I knew that if he'd discovered how to wield it, he might be able to take either state alchemist by surprise and turn the tide our way," Scar said.
"We found him in his home, his research papers strewn in a mess around him and his arm tattooed," Scar continued speaking. Chester could hear his voice shaking slightly but the Ishvalen managed to clamp down on his emotions until they were barely detectable. "His Animal was a Grey Parrot called Aliyah," Scar said and Chester caught a glimpse through slitted eyes of a barely-there grin as his lips tugged upwards in fond memory before he remembered himself and the expression disappeared, "and she was usually the voice of reason for my brother but this time she was frantically searching alongside him for something they thought was important," Scar told them.
"I am ashamed to say that I didn't listen to him or what he and Aliyah were doing until they told us they'd hidden their notes somewhere safe and that I was the only one who would know where to even look," Scar said and for the first time since Chester had known the man, he'd allowed his emotions to slip into his voice. The shame he'd admitted to was obvious enough that Chester could just about feel it. "I thought what he was saying was nonsense and I was trying to get him to fight alongside our people when Aliyah screeched a warning and Nami pushed both of us to the side just in time for the Crimson Alchemist's attack to hit my brother's home rather than us," Scar recounted, his voice hardening with anger the moment he uttered Kimblee's state alchemist title.
"The four of us fought as hard as we could against Kimblee but it took him only moments to strike me down, giving me this," Scar gestured to the large 'X' shape carved into his face that gave inspiration to the name given to him by the Amestrian military, "and to tear off my arm." This time he gripped his tattooed arm tight enough that Chester believed he'd bruise it. No one had so much as twitched during Scar's tale, not even Yoki and Nova and for once Chester found himself thinking positively of the man and his goldfish. "At the same time, Aliyah was killed by Kimblee's raven when she tried to attack Kimblee to buy me, my brother and Nami a few seconds to get away from him. Instead, she bought my brother the time he needed to transplant his arm where mine had been and save my life." Scar's tone was now a mixture of anger, grief, heartache and a sorrow so deep that Chester was sure it would still be there when Scar died.
"Kimblee tried to attack us while my brother was helping me but Nami got in his way, allowing my brother the last few seconds he needed to make sure his arm was fully connected to my stump," Scar said. "He slaughtered her," Scar said, voice back to being flat and emotionless. "The only solace I have is that she didn't have the time to process she was going to die when he used the same array on her that he used to carve open my face," Scar told them. "I was weakened after Kimblee's attack and the death of my Animal only worsened my condition but that didn't stop Kimblee from trying to finish the job. My brother stood in his way but Kimblee cut him down like he was nothing," Scar snarled and Chester felt his heart break in a way he never thought it would for the Ishvalen who had almost successfully killed Ed, Ayala and himself.
"I don't know why but once he'd killed my brother, Kimblee decided not to bother making sure I died where I laid. Perhaps he thought I wasn't worth the effort or that my injuries and the death of my last remaining family would ensure I wouldn't survive much longer but I remember him looking down at me and grinning at me before he and his raven left. What I saw in that smile and his eyes was nothing less than pure evil and my only regret is that I wasn't able to get my revenge on the train carrying us north," Scar told them, his tone telling them that he was now done talking and that he wouldn't be discussing what he'd just revealed.
"I – I'm so – so sorry, Mr. Scar!" Mei sobbed, having finally allowed herself to give into the emotions she'd been holding back while Scar was talking. "Wh – what hap-pened to your Nami is – is awful and I – I'm so sorry I m-made you relive th-that horrible moment!" she cried, sobbing into her hands as she and Xao-Mei bowed their heads. Chester heard Al's armour creak softly as his human moved as though he was going to get up and comfort the Xingese princess but stopped himself last moment.
The two adult Amestrians and two chimeras were silent, as was everyone else, leaving only Mei's sobs and the crackling from the fire to fill the ramshackle cabin. Chester felt a hollow amusement fill him at the sight of Scar looking extremely uncomfortable with Mei's crying but that amusement was quick to vanish when he remembered the reason for why Mei was crying. He'd opened his eyes by now, too invested in Scar's tale to keep up the charade of him napping but neither he nor Al moved to comfort Mei or spoke to offer their condolences. They knew that their presence would likely not be tolerable to the one man who had more reason than most others to hate Amestrians and who was now likely feeling raw and vulnerable and their words of sympathy would be rejected or ignored without hesitation. The only thing they could do was to keep their distance and allow the Ishvalen time to pull himself together. They weren't friends, after all, and Chester knew that even Al wouldn't react well to someone like Scar offering their sympathy if their situations had been reversed.
"It's late," Scar murmured as he awkwardly hovered his hand over Mei's shoulder that wasn't currently occupied by Xao-Mei. "You should all get some rest. I'll take first watch," Scar said, standing before anyone could stop him or protest his orders. All they could do was watch the man disappear out the back of the shelter.
"Yoki, stoke and feed the fire. I think we'll all need the warmth tonight," Marcoh ordered softly. For once, the disgraced lieutenant-colonel didn't bother arguing and just did as he was asked. "We should listen to Scar. We need to get as much rest as we can while we're still safe," he said. "Come on, Mei. Go and wash your face off then get yourself to bed," Marcoh said softly.
"Okay, Doctor Marcoh," Mei said, her voice still wobbly and Chester knew there were still tears flowing down her cheeks as she made her way to the pot of melted snow near the fire so she could do as Marcoh had said.
Everyone else was arranging the ratty, half-frozen blankets they'd found in the shelter's second room into what Chester could only charitably call mattresses. No one had raised a fuss about their bedding as they chose spots close enough to the fire that they'd stay warm enough not to freeze. Marcoh set Mei's up for her while she was calming herself down and was rewarded with a trembling but grateful smile from the princess when she saw what he'd done for her. Jerso handed out the last of the blankets, leaving two for Scar to make use of when he decided to get some sleep but Chester knew that everyone else was well aware that the Ishvalen likely wouldn't be back until morning.
"Good night, everyone," Al said, speaking loud enough to be heard by those in the room still but not loud enough that it seemed out of place in the subdued shelter. There were goodnights murmured back by near everyone and Chester allowed himself to resume his previous position and rest his head on his front paws as he listened as one by one, everyone fell asleep. "I know we theorised that Scar's Animal was dead but to hear that story…" Al's voice in Chester's mind trailed off as the armour struggled to find the words he needed.
"It makes you realise he wasn't always a heartless serial killer," Chester finished for him and Al silently hummed in agreement. "When Mustang first explained why Scar being an Ishvalen made sense after he almost killed us the first time, I remember thinking that it was awful what he and his people had gone through at our hands but I didn't think it was a strong enough reason to justify his going after state alchemists," Chester admitted. "Part of that could have been simply because he'd gone after us and your brother was barely nine when the war ended with Ishval but I truly didn't think his actions could be explained only because state alchemists were the ones to turn the war in Amestris' favour," Chester said and he felt Al shift slightly as his human listened intently to him. "But after hearing what Kimblee did to his family – slaughtering them without second thought and enjoying the pain he'd inflicted – now I understand his motivation to bring down every state alchemist he can get his hands on," Chester confessed.
"I think the same thing too," Al admitted quietly, something Chester found slightly amusing considering they were speaking through their bond so as to not disturb those sleeping only a few feet away. "I'm still so angry with him for going after Brother when Ed had absolutely nothing to do with the Ishvalen Civil War but knowing what we know now, I can't find it in myself to blame him for his actions," Al said. "I couldn't even say with confidence that if you, Ayala and Ed were killed in the same manner by someone just as psychopathic as Kimblee that I wouldn't get my revenge in a similar way," he divulged.
Chester was silent for a few moments as he allowed everything to sink in a little more. "Should we tell Ed and Ayala what Scar just told everyone?" he asked, deciding not to touch the topic of what Al would've done in Scar's place.
"I think we should," Al said after a second or so of contemplation. "I think Brother and Ayala need to know about this, if only so they can understand Scar's motivations a little better," Al said.
"I'll tell Ed tomorrow when he's awake," Chester promised and Al gave him a mental nod. "What is it?" Chester asked when he realised Al was contemplating on whether to say something or to keep it to himself.
"I was just thinking," Al said a little slowly as he chose his words carefully, "that it's nice to know that Scar wasn't always so violent or cold," he confessed. "His brother was studying alchemy and alkahestry and I can't believe that he didn't share what he'd learned with Scar and if Scar was accepting enough of his brother's research to listen to him without judgement and to use it now, maybe he's always been open to the idea that alchemy isn't all that bad," Al said, a touch of hopefulness in his voice.
Chester caught what Al hadn't said though and he could admit to himself it was an intriguing idea. "You think that if what you said is true than maybe you could somehow convince Scar that his path of vengeance might be flawed, at least where it concerns Ed and us," Chester said and Al nodded through their bond. "It would be tricky. He's spent over half a decade burning for vengeance and he's only been encouraged by the fact that he's managed to kill so many state alchemists without anything stopping him, be it his God or us," Chester mused. "If you're too obvious, he'll see it as a manipulation tactic and he won't respond well to that. If you're too subtle, you won't get through to him at all," Chester told him. His heart warmed as he felt the familiar Elric stubbornness rise in his human.
"Then I'll have to make sure neither happens," Al said. "I could tell the others about our childhood and some of Ed's missions when the opportunity presents itself so that it doesn't seem forced or obvious. I could even bring up seeing our soldiers and the few Ishvalen refugees who braved showing themselves in Resembool coming through for medical treatment," Al said, his mind going a hundred miles an hour as he plotted out his plan with the same intensity and detail he did when trying to make Ed get a full night's sleep.
Chester chuckled to himself as he realised he'd lost Al to his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he decided to utilise his ears to take in their surroundings once more. He heard the fire crackling cheerfully and the warmth was enough to reach Chester so he didn't have to drain his energy supply in Ed to keep himself warm as much as he had been. He could hear the three humans, two chimeras and the panda breathing evenly as they slept soundly. Nova was too small and silent for even his hearing to pick up on her breathing but since Yoki was still asleep, Chester doubted anything was wrong with the goldfish. The last thing he searched for was any sign of Scar and only once he'd heard the slight shuffling as Scar moved against the wall he sat against did Chester give into sleep completely.
A/N - this one is set just after Ed and Ayala told the Animals Ed's bonded to about his injury but before Al, Chester, and co. get to the northern slums to meet up with Izumi, Sig, and their Animals. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I only have one more drabble prewritten for next week then I'll be moving on to the what if...? scenarios I've got written up! See you next week!