Okay, soooo, I know I said I wasn't going to start another fanfiction before I finished my other one buuuut, this one has been dancing in my mind forever and we just went to NYC and the story just kind of laid itself out in front of me and I kind of had to write it.
So, I have a fascination with connections between animals and humans and have always liked the idea behind His Dark Materials, and I love stories about soulmates, so I kind of wanted to test it out.
This is definitely an AU where like in His Dark Materials a person's soul is seperate from them and takes form as an animal that represents the person. I changed it up a bit from HDM, but kind of the same thing too.
So, here's the trial chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it!
Anima: A creature that is a physical representation of a human's soul. The creature changes throughout a human's life. They say that when a human has found their soulmate, their creatures will take the same form together and will remain in that form forever.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or His Dark Materials.
June 7th, 1993
Her well worn white chucks scuff along the torrent streets of endless pavement. The pungent sewery smell of the city causes her to wrinkle her nose as she follows the fast paced movements of those around her as she passes each block. A million different sounds traverse around her, and she silently hates it. Someone who's talking loudly into their personal communicator just about knocks her into the streets, and she casts them a steely stare. They, of course don't pay no mind to her, and she rolled her eyes effortlessly as she awaits for the L.E.D red hand to turn into a white stick figure.
She despises New York city. And she has hated it since the moment she had to step foot into the bloated city. From the putrid stench that never seemed to fade, to the endless noise, and overcrowding, El could honestly pull her hair out. But, there was no other choice for her, and she sighed heavily at the thought as her rich amber eyes finally fell on the green sign that read: 15th avenue.
A puff of air escaped her nostrils, as she made a hasty left cut as she weaved her way through the sea of people before her. She shivered each time she had to make the briefest of contact with the people around her, it was too much for her, and that's why she barely left her home, which is where she was currently heading for now.
"El!" a squeaky, yet soft voice caught her attention, and pulled El out of her reverie. A tight pull knotted in her stomach, and El moved off to the side, as she turned towards the owner of the voice.
El's eyes flashed to the small creature that was tailing her. A small, brilliantly colored fox danced it's way between the crowds of people before finally getting closing in on El. And once the creature was close enough, it pounced effortlessly and landed squarely on El's shoulder. The weight was nothing El wasn't used to, and she couldn't help but give the small creature a quick smile, as she caressed it beneath it's chin.
"You know we can't be separated like that" the creature scolded her, El rolled her eyes teasingly as she turned and began to walk again.
"Vera, you worry too much" El scoffs as the feeling of her anima being so closely connected to her, makes El's body warm, her nerves seem to melt away. She never liked being around too many people.
El casts her sight forward, as she continues to go deeper into the city, moving further away from the large skyscrapers that surrounded her. A feeling of safety slowly began to wash over her as the buildings started to become smaller, less cleaner. But, El didn't care, she could feel her anxiety begin to lessen as she got closer and closer to her home.
Finally, El made a sharp turn to the right, walking down a dark alleyway. She eventually came to a stop in front of an old steel door that was once painted a bright red, but was now deeply scratched and covered in multiple layers of graffitti.
El lifted her hand and knocked out a secret code, however, she ended it with a swift kick to the door, the sound echoing through the alley. After waiting patiently for a couple of seconds, the steel door creaked open just a bit, and El slinked her small body through the hole.
"Geez, Shirley, sure did take you some time to get here,'' a disgruntled voice greeted her as she pulled her patched rucksack from across her shoulder, Veda maneuvering just so to avoid the strap, jumping down from El's shoulder. El huffed, rolling her eyes as she made her way into the old abandoned warehouse that she called home.
A group of four young adults sit about gazing at El as she walks in. "Shut it Axel, you know it takes time and skill to get what we need" El throws the mohawked individual a look as she sets her semi-full pack onto the decrepit wooden table that sits in the middle of the warehouse, where the rest of her friends sit. A large grey pitbull, sits by his side and eyes her just as wairily as Axel does.
The rest of the gang members eye the bag greedily, as El dumps out the contents. Multiple cans of various food land loudly against the table as they roll this way and that.
"Don't know how you're so good at it" a woman with crazy colored hair admires her work with a nod, her Anima, a female scarlet macaw sits perched on her shoulder, "Yes, well done El" she squaks and El gives a small smile "You just have to take your time is all" El answers tiredly as she turns on her feet and begins to head towards her room, Veda tailing her.
"Not even going to say 'hi' to your sister upon your return?" another voice bounces off the walls around the warehouse. A smile pulls at El's lips as she moves her head upwards to where she sees her 'sister' standing at the top of the stairwell.
Her black hair is flipped just perfectly to the side, as a large all black snake sits loosely wrapped around the girls neck. The snakes head lifts, it's beady eyes meets El's, and she can't help but feel a shiver down her spine. Even though an Anima is a figment of a person's soul, there's something about the reptilian ones that cause El slight discomfort. It doesn't help that her own sister's happens to be a large ratsnake.
She inwardly tries to hold in her cringe, but she knows Veda, her own representation of her own soul struggles to do so. And El sighs as Kali slowly walks down the winding staircase, El's eyes follow her movements until she is directly in front of her.
Kali gives her a wide grin, "Still frightened of Ros are you?" she teases as the snake slinks off of the girls neck and dances directly in front of El's vision. El swallows nervously, she tries to feign interest, "You know I have a thing with reptiles" she attempts to pull her gaze away from the tantalizing snake, but fails to do so.
Ros flicks her tongue out at her, tickling El's nose as she tries to not flinch away "You never had a problem with me before" Ros hisses, a hint of a smile playing on her scaly mouth, almost easing El's anxiety.
"That was when you were a cute little bunny when we were little, I don't get the whole snake thing now" El digresses as Ros finally pulls away.
Kali juts out her neck as she strokes Ros affectionately, "Anima's change as a person does" she speaks to El as if she doesn't know this, and El finds herself slightly annoyed as she lifts an eyebrow in challenge.
"You'd think I didn't know that" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"El, careful", Veda's voice rings through her head, and El softens slightly, really not wanting to get into a confrontation now with Kali. El silently thanks her partner and shakes her head.
"Look, it's been a long day, I just want to turn in" El finally quips, her shoulder sagging as she does so. She peeks back up at Kali who nods and steps away from the bottom of the stairwell.
"As you wish, Jane" she says with a crooked grin and it takes everything in El to not bite back, but with a tight smile El bids the girl goodnight as she makes a beeline straight up the stairs and turns into her room, shutting the door behind her, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Kali and her relationship had become tenser in the last handful of years. They were once very close to one another, but something had changed between them since arriving in NYC almost five years ago.
El shakes her head though, not wanting to go into those thoughts right now.
So, with a flick of her head the one light that hangs dimely in the center of her room turns on, as her back remains on the closed door.
She feels Veda rub up against her legs, "Everything okay?" the small fox looks up at her, both of their matching amber eyes meet and El feels the annoyance of what just occurred melt away.
She smiles at her partner, nodding slowly, "Yeah, I think so" she states as she bends to remove her chucks from her feet, placing them next to her door as she pads the rest of the way into her room.
It's not much. But, to El it's her one of her few places of solace that she has found over the years. Thankfully, when she and Kali had first arrived in NYC they had stumbled upon the decrepit mattress warehouse, and had eventually met the others of their gang. The best part of the warehouse was the fact that they all managed to have their own very comfortable mattresses.
El had elected for a queen for her room, seeming that it was just herself and Veda, who always curled up at the end of the bed.
Over the years El had acquired a numerous amount of random items that lay scattered about her room. Her most prized possession was her ten inch television that sat next to her bed, and the barely workable VHS player.
El swiped movies here and there to add to her collection during her outings, it was the one thing that always drew her to steal, even though it was the one thing she dreaded doing most in her life.
"What should we watch tonight?" El turned to her companion who was already curled up on her usual spot on the bed. Her mouth widen in a yawn, and El couldn't help but do so in return.
"Hmm, whatever you want, I'm tired, and I know you are too" Veda spoke evenly to her. El huffed. It was the one thing about being able to talk to your own soul, it knew everything about you. Being connected in every way, Anima's knew when their companion was sick, angry, sad, tired, anything that their human felt. So, it made hiding feelings nearly impossible.
Not that El minded much, it was nice having one thing in this world to be able to talk to, you truly were never alone.
However, as El turned to her quite decent movie collection, ignoring her Anima, her eyes flicked through her stack and landed on her favorite movie. She smiled as she pulled it from her stack.
El stared at the well worn VHS box as she murmurs the title to herself, "The Princess Bride" she sighs as she flicks on her television, removes the movie from the box, and places it into her VHS player.
El moves about her room as she sheds her heavy black jacket from her shoulders and prepares herself for bed. Dressing in an oversized Star Wars t-shirt she had swiped a couple years ago from a clothing store, and a pair of sleeping shorts. She swipes her hand through her slicked back hair, and grimaces, making a mental note that she will need to shower in the morning. But, the exhaustion of the day eventually takes over, so she tucks herself under her sheets, reaches forwards and gives sleeping Veda a quick goodnight pet, as she turns her attention towards her television set.
A sigh escaped her mouth as she watches the movie plays out in front of her. She's seen it a hundred times, but, for El, who had never experienced anything like what Buttercup and Westley share, it secretly makes her heart sing.
She can feel the longing, the wanting that stirs in her chest as she tries to imagine what it would be like to have someone like that by her side. Someone she can cuddle close to, feel their warmth, maybe even kiss. The thought causes El to shut her eyes, trying to imagine exactly how it would feel, and without even realizing it, she stumbles into sleep.
Everything is white. The floors, the ceiling, the walls, an endless abyss that is her life. It's her everyday normal, she doesn't know that there is anything more than what she already knows.
She has her own room that matches everything else. However, the one thing that sticks out in the room is her only companion. Her young Anima is curled up at the foot of her bed. A very tiny brown mouse is curled up and it makes her smile.
She sits in boredom, day after day, as she awaits her door to be open. Only leaving when he needs her.
Today is like no other, and as she sits curled up with fear, she can only imagine the torture that will come of today.
Eventually, she hears the locks becoming unlatched as two large men, also dressed in white approach her, stepping aside to let another man with frosty white hair to enter. But, he is dressed in black.
She feigns a smile when he approaches her, "Hello, Papa" she greets, and he gives her an icy smile in return.
"Good morning Eleven, it's time for your tests" he says disdainfully, his own partner, a steely white weasel sits curled around his neck and El feels the pit in her stomach grow.
Years. For years, this had become her normal. It sickened her each day.
Before she could even speak, the man reached forward and grabbed her companion. El watched in horror as she felt the panic rise within her, within Veda. It was almost an unspoken truth about the world: no one should ever touch their companion. But, for El, it was almost the norm, she had begun to go numb when she felt Veda being held in the hand of her captor.
She knew better than to say anything as the man grabbed the squealing mouse. El's eyes widened as she met her partners sad eyes. Both could feel the dark dreadeness that set in as he held tight to Veda. They both knew they couldn't do anything, so Veda settled.
"Come, Eleven" Papa ordered and El stood, her hospital gown flowing against her knees as she rose to her feet and somberley followed. Her socked feet meeting the cold tiled floor.
The pain is agonizing, as she writhes against the cool floor beneath her.
"Stop! STOP IT!" she bellows, her screams reaching nobody's ears as the immense shock wave hits her again and again.
Her breath is labored as the shocks do finally stop, as El tries to steady herself on the slick floor.
Beads of sweat trickle down her shaved head and move tepidly down her face. Her arms shake as she tries to push herself upwards. She barely stands to her feet as she casts a forlorn glance through the window to her left, where she can see Veda is panting as well. A man in white stands before her companion, a cattle prod held securely in his grasp.
El's shoulders rise and fall heavily as she glared at the man who had been torturing her companion, herself. For, it was one thing for a human to feel pain, and for their Anima to feel that same pain as well. But, when an Anima got hurt, the pain for the human was tenfold.
She turned to the man who stood before her. The man glowered at her, "Now, Eleven, we've been over this before, you can do what I ask or-" and as he turns to look at Veda he nods to the man standing over her companion, he brings the cattle prod close.
"NO! No!" she turns back to the man before him, she reaches out her hands, pleading for him to stop.
He gives her a look. "Then, do what I ask" his voice drips with venom as he bows over her. Even at fifteen, El still feels small for her age, and even more so in the presence of this man. The man she has grown to loath.
"Okay...okay" her words dying against her lips, tears streaming down her face as she turns to her right, another window, however, she knows this one is two way. She can see through it, but the scared girl on the other side can't.
"Alright Eleven, try it again, and this time-" he pauses and whispers into her ear, his breath against her, "Don't go easy on number Eight," he moves away and more tears stream out of Eleven's eyes as she turns to face the girl who had become like a sister to her as they lived out their lives in their own living Hell.
She can see that Eight is shaking terribly. She's tied to a chair, a cloth wrapped around her mouth, a small rabbit is held by restraints before her.
El can't help but shiver as she raises her hand and aims her powers at the rabbit before her. It begins to squeal, and in retrospect, so does Eight.
The screams reverberate over and over again.
El shoots up from her bed like a rocket, she's gasping for breath and in an instant, Veda is up and doing the same.
"El, are you okay?" she asks as she approaches her. El nods as she tries to calm her breathing, closing her eyes.
"It's just a dream...it's just a dream" she tries to settle herself, however, she knows the mantra is pointless because she knows the truth: her dream wasn't just a made up story her mind wanted to contort, but it was an actual memory, one she'd like to forget, but never can.
Veda moves and nudges El's hand and El welcomes her connection. Something about the reconnection always settling her.
"I'm right here" Veda coos to her, and El nods sighing as she settles back down.
"I just...I just want this to be over" El can feel the tears begin to prick at the corner of her eyes. And Veda moves to lick them away.
"It is over. We escaped the lab years ago" Veda tries to reassure El, who only nods, but there's something deep in her mind, something about the dream that silently haunts her.
'What if it isn't over?' her inner mind speaks. And El can only cry as she allows her fears to overwhelm her. Veda her only source of comfort.
June 12th, 1993
He's very late, and he's pretty sure that his boss is going to ream him out the second he walks through the door. Or, more so run through the door because that's what he's currently doing right now as he tries to fasten his tie as he ungracefully tries to weave through the busy streets of NYC.
"Mike come on!" his Anima before him barks back at him as Mike desperately tries to keep up with his four legged companion.
"You've...got...four legs...Pitch!" Mike struggles to bite back at the midnight black wolf that is ten paces ahead of them. Mike can feel their connection ebbing, being too far apart always causing uncertainty and panic to well up within him.
So, Mike picks up his pace and tries to keep a shorter distance between them.
"Hey watch it!" a disgruntled man who Mike almost takes out with his briefcase yells at him as he sprints by. "Sorry!" Mike calls back to the man, but puts his attention forward.
Coming to a sudden halt as the next intersection between 16th and 15th avenue is blocked by a crowd of people waiting for the cross walk sign to turn white.
Finally catching up to his Anima, Mike can feel their connection stitch back together, and he feels the anxiety melt away. He takes a minute to catch his breath, bending over slightly.
Pitch looks to him, he almost smiles, "You'd think with those long legs of yours you'd be able to keep up" he taunts and Mike rolls his eyes.
"Just because I have long legs doesn't mean I'm fast".
Pitch scoffs, "Whatever you say", and the moment the crosswalk light flashes white, he is off again.
Mike sighs as he once again streams a numerous amounts of apologies as he squeezes by other pedestrians.
Finally, a large grey building comes into view and Mike turns quickly towards it, Pitch right on his heels as they all but smash through the glass door.
Mike lets out a long breath as he collapses, placing his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. He casts a forlorn glance at his watch which reads 7:58, he just barely made it with two minutes to spare.
"Mike, come on, elevator!" Pitch barks at him and Mike slumps as he races towards the elevator, which is quickly filling with other people. Mike slinks in with Pitch, his co-workers eyed him warily, but Mike pays no mind to them as he reaches forward and pushes the button labeled 11, and the elevator shoots upwards.
When the elevator pings at floor number 11, Mike exits as if he didn't just race to work because his stupid alarm clock didn't go off like it was supposed to. And literally awakening thirty minutes before he needed to get to work. He tried to air out his now very sweaty business jacket, all while trying to dampen down his already outrageous curly hair. But, he could never get the black mop of hair to settle down, so he figured it wouldn't even matter.
Yet, he's still trying to flatten it as he walks into the office, where his two of his three best friends stood, talking aimlessly as they wait for him.
When Mike enters the office, his friends look at him with knowing looks.
"What?" Mike tries to feign innocence as he sets his briefcase down at one of the spots available at the long wooden table.
Lucas rolls his eyes as his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You were almost late" he states.
The other man beside him nods his very curly hair, "Yeah Mike, what were you out partying or something?" he teases.
Mike scoffs, "No, Dustin, I've been up late working on this stupid proposal and I didn't set my alarm".
"Yeah, I had to wake him, nearly licked him to death" Pitch jumps in and both Dustin and Lucas laugh at him.
"That sounds just like how I have to wake Dustin every morning", a gruff voice causes Mike to look up at Dustin's Anima, a Spanish water dog, who has placed his front paws up on the desk.
"Dart, seriously!" Dustin pushes at his companion slightly as the two get into a playful push and shove competition.
"Come on you two, don't you three have to get set up?" Lucas's much more rational Anima jumps onto the table with ease eyeing the three of them.
"Nam's right, let's get this bad boy set up" Lucas says clapping his hands together as he reaches for Nam, a red panda Anima, who climbs effortlessly onto his shoulder.
And with some shuffling and slight bickering, the three friends eventually get their proposal set up, and no sooner do they complete it, does their boss walk through the door.
Mike spins on his feet to get a look at his boss. Mr. Curo is a large thick man, who tends to have a no-nonsense attitude, he is followed closely by his companion, Tuso, a very large warthog. The Anima's stench alone could empty a room. But, Mike had become somewhat accustomed to the putrid stank. Pitch, not so much, as he tended to cower away to the furthest corner of the room to avoid the stench.
Mike, Lucas and Dustin had been working for him for almost two years now, and he had finally stopped referring to them as 'hey you', and had almost gotten their names down, but Mike still internally cringed each time he said-
"Mitchell, Luke, Dalton" Mr. Curo nods to the three of them, and Mike almost has to laugh. He's definitely getting closer, but he still finds it a bit ridiculous he couldn't get their names. But, with his very decent paycheck he received from the man, Mike chose not to complain.
"Mr. Curo" all three of them say together, bowing slightly as the man enters the room as he plops himself down on one of the available office chairs. The leather chair groans under his weight, but he forces it to tilt back as he eyes the three of them warily.
"Okay boys, let's see what you've got" he nods to them, waiting for them to begin.
At this Mike steps forward, loading the start of his presentation as he points towards the screen before him.
"So, this is what we have in mind" Mike begins and it's as if the rest of the world melts away.
It takes hours for Mike, Lucas and Dustin to explain their new product idea to Mr. Curo, who throws in his own remarks and questions along the way. All three of them jumping in at the correct times.
By the end, the work day is just about over, and Mike can feel his stomach growling with hunger. Mr. Curo was a well known figure, and this was why he didn't cut any edges and made sure everything was as perfect as possible. If that meant taking hours upon hours to do so, then that's what had to be done.
When all was said and done Mr. Curo nodded at the three of them. "Well, you boys definitely did some top notch work here. This new toy and product placement could be just what this company needs".
Mike flicks his eyes to Lucas and Dustin who seem to be holding back their excitement. Months of hardwork and dedication had gone into this plan. All three of them had attended business college together. Little did they know they would all get hired at the same company. It was a large toy manufacturing company and one of the first endeavors the three of them had been given was to try to come up with something new. Something that wasn't what every child had.
And for the three of them, who grew up with all the nerdiest toys and games possible, they seemed perfect for this job.
So, with a praise from Mr. Curo, it was like all their hard work had finally paid off.
"I really like where you were going with this" he nods his head once again. And at this Mike lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"But-" and this is where Mike internally cringed, he really didn't like that word.
"There's something missing" he taps his large finger on his chin. "You've got the standpoint, a direction to go and a promoting factor".
"But?" Dustin speaks, not being left on the edge. Mr. Curo raises and eyebrow at the three of them.
"But, you need more depth, more angle, you boys are almost there. I'll give you another week and I'm sure you'll get it figured out by them" he gives them a bright smile, and Mike's pretty sure his mouth drops open to the floor in shock.
Mr. Curo looks at his wrist watch, "Well, look at the time, I've got to go, same time next week gentlemen?" he gives them all a look and the three of them barely manage to nod.
"Good!" Mr. Curo chirps as he heads out of the conference room, Tuso following close by. The second the elevator doors shut, Dustin turns to Mike and Lucas.
"You've got to be shitting me!" he cries out in desperation flopping down onto the table before him. Mike flumps into another seat, feeling exactly the same way.
"What the hell guys, this is crazy" Lucas groans into his hands.
"This first design took us months. Months!" Dustin stresses. "Now he expects us to have a new angle by a week!?"
Mike sighs and ruffles his disheveled hair. He's completely frustrated by the turn of events, and he's not really sure what to do. But, Mr. Curo had liked their idea, he just wanted more, so that's what they're going to have to give him.
So, with bated breath, Mike stands and turns to his friends. "We're just going to have to stay and plan things out" he sighs, Lucas and Dustin give him incredulous looks.
"Dude, I've got to meet up with Max. We're supposed to be checking out a venue" Lucas stresses.
Mike nods at this. Max was their fiery redheaded friend that they had met in their college days and was currently Lucas's fiance. She and Lucas hadn't hit it off immediately, but within a couple months things changed between them and they were almost inseparable. She, like Lucas, had an Anima in the form of a red panda. Mike had always had some jealous towards them because they were soulmates.
Nobody knew why, but for some reason when soulmates met, their Anima's would take their forever form. For, since Mike had known Lucas since childhood, he had watched his friend's Anima change multiple times, just as Pitch had.
When Lucas met Max, his Anima had taken the form of a large black panther. While hers was a brilliant red tabby. However, the more time they spent together, their Anima's eventually settled on their form of a red panda.
Honestly, no one really knew why it happened, or how to tell if someone is your soulmate. Because Mike remembers one day Max and Lucas's Anima's had been their usual forms, and the next day they had settled. Truthfully, it had surprised them as well.
But, when Mike saw the two together, he could see how different they were, yet how they uniquely balanced each other out. It was pretty rare to see a couple who had matching Anima's. And most didn't really seem to care that their Anima's didn't settle, that truthfully they weren't soulmates.
It was a truth that many lived with and were okay with. For Mike, it was something he truly wanted. He didn't want some frivolous relationships that didn't mean anything. The guys had always ragged on him that he had to get to know someone before their Anima's would settle anyways, so why not get out there?
He had tried going out on a couple of dates, to pacify his friends, but they never went past the first one. He never felt that connection he was looking for, the one that would be there when he knew he found his true soulmate. And if that meant looking forever, then so be it.
Shaking his head from his thoughts, Mike nods to his friend, "It's okay Lucas, Dustin and I will start and we will catch up tomorrow".
Lucas seems relieved by Mike's statement, while Dustin falters. "Why does he get to leave?" he whines, and Mike sees Dart pull the same sad, pathetic face.
Mike rolls his eyes, "It's just for tonight, we have to come up with something" he stresses. Dustin sighs and slumps his shoulders.
"Fine. But we need sustenance first!" he all but yells as he heads to his bag and ruffles for his wallet and heads to the door, right behind Lucas.
"Where are you going?" Mike asks dejectedly and Dustin wiggles his wallet in the air, "Going to get us some food, be right back!" he yells over his shoulder as Mike watches both of his friends go, shaking his head.
"Well, that went well" Pitch states looking up at him, Mike huffs at him as he turns to settle into his seat, looking over their proposal one last time before running a hand through his hair. "It's going to be a long night".
June 12th, 1993
El can't seem to shake the feeling that has settled like a pit in her stomach after her vivid dream the other night. She feels as if she's on edge no matter where she is. Whether she's tucked safely in her room, or out roaming the streets, there's a small nagging that sits in the back of her mind, and it won't go away.
She eventually decides to approach Kali about the situation. But, as always she merely scoffs at El's fears.
"Jane, we escaped the lab six years ago" Kali stresses to her as she lazes about in one of the chairs. Funshine and Mick sit beside her, each smoking a cigarette.
El rolls her eyes at her, "I've told you not to call me Jane".
Kali eyes her, "It's what your mother called you", her voice is cool, El tightens her stare. "I don't care, I go by El" she states firmly, folding her arms over her chest.
The older girl rolls her eyes at her, "Whatever, but either way, there's no one looking for us, how would Brenner have even found us? We ran away from Indiana, now we're here" she states firmly.
El lets out a breath, "You know he'll never stop looking for us" her voice is firm.
Kali shakes her head, rising from her seat as she begins to remove Ros from around her neck and sets her onto the table. She moves around the object and comes to stand before El, their eyes meeting.
Even though El was a couple years younger than Kali, she was still a half inch taller, which El was secretly happy about.
The woman before El fixed her with a steely look as she points a dirty finger into her face, "Nothing...is going...to happen" she wags her finger in the middle of El's face. But El doesn't focus on the finger, instead she doesn't take her eyes off of Kali's.
El smacks Kali's hand away from her face and moves past her, heading towards her room.
"What are you going to do, run away!?" Kali yells to El's retreating form, who half hears her, all she wants to do is curl up in her room and wished she had a normal life. A life where she wasn't raised in a lab, where she wasn't used like some weapon, one where she had actual friends. Love, her heart whispered, but she pushed that deep down.
For now, El slammed her room shut with a wave of her hand, her powers allowing for a much more residual 'THUD' that echoed throughout the warehouse. El's back to the door, she slid down the metal object and tucked her knees up to her chest and allowed the tears to come.
Eventually Veda's soft voice broke through her sadness, "El", her companion whispered. And when El looked up to see Veda, she could see the tears sparkling in her eyes as well. So, El dropped her knees and held out her arms, Veda pouncing into her embrace immediately, as they both comforted one another, trying to forget the sadness that enveloped them.
Night had eventually settled through the warehouse and El had tucked herself into her bed, falling asleep once again to watch another one of her favorite movies, 'Star Wars'. She never understood her fascination by the movies, but she loved to watch them anyways.
After spending a couple of hours curled into a ball and trying to contain her tears, sleep eventually took her. She hoped far away from the things around her. But, she had not expected to be awaken by Veda forecefully pawing at her.
"El, El, wake-up, NOW!" her small companion cried, and El, her eyes heavy with sleep rose slowly from her bed. "Veda, what's going on?" she said through half closed eyes.
"Shh, listen," she said, as her radar like ears flicked this way and that.
El wasn't sure if it was because her Anima had taken the form of a fox, but for some reason, just like Veda, El's hearing was much more adept than an average human. So, closing her eyes, El listened and that's when she heard the screams echoing through the warehouse.
The hair on El's neck stood on edge, she moved her head quickly to Veda, "We need to go, NOW!" she yelled as she managed to grab her rucksack as she began to move around her room as she began to stuff her worn bag with a handful of clothes. She knew she needed to only take the necessities, but something wouldn't let her leave without snagging her copy of 'The Princess Bride' from her nearby night stand.
"Come on" she whispered hastily as she ducked down by her door and slowly opened it using her powers.
She slowly poked her head out from the space and looked about, it was very dark in the warehouse, and El couldn't see anything. So, timidly she tiptoed out from around the door, she peeked down and around the staircase. But, just as she does so, a hand goes across her mouth.
El wants to scream, but she immediately sees that it's Kali, and she's giving her a look. Even though El's heart is pounding against her ribcage, she relaxes slightly.
"What was that screaming?" El whispered and Kali shook her head, "Don't know, but it sounded like Dottie".
El nods in agreement. Kali begins to move towards the staircase, the only way out of the warehouse and El follows slowly.
Each sound that echoes makes them look this way and that. They finally make it down the stairs, when out of the corner of her eye, El sees something flash. She's not sure what it is, but it makes her yell out, "GET DOWN!" as she grabs onto Kali and pulls her down.
And no sooner did they duck, does the sound of bullets fill the warehouse.
"It's them, I TOLD you!" El cries as she and Kali begins to move. "Where is everyone else?" El cries and Kali shakes her head. "I don't know, they sleep on the bottom floor maybe they-" Kali freezes the moment they exit the warehouse, because to El's utter shock, they're surrounded by multiple men, all pointing guns at them.
"Freeze!" one of them yells.
El's pretty sure her stomach sinks at this moment. "No", her heart whimpers, and that's when Kali steps in front of her. El turns to look at her, "Kali" El whispers but the girl shakes her head, "Get out of here, I'll hold them off," she says a determined look on her face.
El places her hand on Kali's shoulder, "No...no, I can help, I can-" but then Kali looks at her square in the face and she gives her a tender smile, "I need to help the others, you need to be kept safe, one of us does" she pleads.
She feels herself shaking her head at Kali's words, "No...Kali" she can feel the tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.
"We've got you surrounded!" one of the gunman cries as the guns are all pointed at them.
El watches as Kali concentrates, she's not sure what's she's making the gunman see, but all of their heads go upwards, looking high above them. Some of them shooting off their guns.
"RUN!" Kali yells at her, and even though El wants to stay, wants to help fight, she knows she can't. So, with one last look at her sister, El moves away and takes off on a run, Veda at her heels.
El's not sure what time it is, but the streets are nearly bare, but that doesn't stop her from running with all her might. She hears more gunshots and her tears fall quickly, trailing behind her as she runs.
"Come on El!" Veda cries as her small four legs carry her as if she's flying.
El swallows her tears and doesn't stop, she barely looks to cross the intersection, knowing that she just needs to get out of there. Away from the bad men.
She can't help but take a sparing look over her shoulder, a bit of relief rushes through her as she doesn't see anyone coming after her. But, it causes her to not pay attention to what's ahead of her.
And just as she's turning to face forward again, she knocks into something, hard, she has no idea what it is, but she knocks into it forcefully. A swirl of emotions hit her as she catapults over the object and lands roughly onto the pavement.
Someone cries out, a howl echoed through the night, and a shooting pain rises up through El's leg, she can't move.
Mike rubs at his tired eyes as the light from a nearby lamp flickers slightly. He turns to gaze at the lamp and sees the clock that lingers above it.
12:38, he reads and he sighs pushing himself away from the table and the scattered papers that litter it. Dustin and Dart had left nearly two hours ago, he had encouraged Mike to do so as well, but Mike felt that he needed to make sure their new idea was more concrete than the last.
He'd rather spend one entire night thinking it over than trying to spend days ailing over it. So, Mike elected to stay, and he felt more comfortable with what he and Dustin had come up with. He could feel his eyes drooping, trying to stay awake.
He turned his head over to Pitch, who was curled up in a tight ball, snoring slightly.
Mike lets out a puff of air, chuckling at his companion. "He's got the right idea" Mike mutters under his breath.
So, reluctantly, and with his bed calling out to him three blocks away, Mike packs up all of his papers and shuffles them into his brief case. Once he has it closed he turns back to Pitch, "Hey, sleeping beauty, let's go".
And as if on command, Pitch raises his head quickly, their matching dark eyes meet one another. Pitch lets out a long yawn as he rises to his feet and stretches out his front paws, "Finally, thought you were going to pull an all nighter" he says sleepily.
Mike rolls his eyes, "Yeah, I thought so too, but I can barely keep my eyes open, let's head home".
Pitch merely nods and follows Mike obediently out from the office door as they head to the elevator. Mike presses the button for the ground floor and the machine comes to life.
Mike lets out a breath of relief as they step out of the elevator and head towards the door. He can see through the glass windows that the streets seem pretty bare, which isn't a surprise, but he's silently happy, not enjoying the usual hustle and bustle that is NYC.
What Mike doesn't expect though is that the second he pushes open the glass door, allowing Pitch to exit first is to hear a peculiar noise that sounds like popping. Mike steps outside the door, freezing, listening to the noise.
But, as Pitch continues forward, Mike doesn't even register someone who's barreling down the street.
Mike barely has time to register what happens when, quite quickly, he feels a jolt of panic rise through him. He flicks his head quickly to Pitch, but as he does so, a figure just about steamrolls into his companion.
The wind was knocked out of him in an instant as he crumples to the concrete beneath him, his briefcase skittering out of his grasp. He hears someone cry out and land roughly, and, he can feel a deep pain resonating from Pitch.
It wasn't something that happened often. But, Mike like the rest of the population knew that the pain an Anima experienced, was experienced ten times that by their human. And even though Mike believes that the figure didn't knock into Pitch too harshly, it still hurt like hell.
Mike looks over to Pitch who is laying on the pavement, and he can feel his companion trying to catch his breath in which Mike was currently trying to do as well.
After a moment he hastily stands to his feet and makes his way over to Pitch, he places a gentle hand on his dark fur. "You okay?" he asks and Pitch nods, "Yeah, nothing worse than wear" he almost chuckles and then turns his head, in which Mike follows.
Both of their eyes land on the figure who is about ten feet away, Mike can see that they are writing in pain.
"Go see if they're okay" Pitch turns his head to look Mike directly in his eye, Mike has to laugh because that was exactly what he was planning on doing, but was hesitant. Pitch always knew this and was his voice of reassurance.
So, with shaky legs Mike lifts himself from his kneeling position and makes his way over to the figure. His pain slowly fading.
He makes his way over to the figure and bends down, they're trying to sit up, but they cry out in pain.
Mike reaches a gentle hand out and places it on the person's shoulder. The person nearly jumped out of their skin when they realize he is behind them.
They, or should he say she, cries out in pain as she reaches down to her leg.
"Hey, hey, it's okay I'm not going to hurt you" Mike tries to sympathize with the very scared woman in front of him.
The woman hesitantly looks at him, in the dim glow of the streetlights he can see tears streaming down her face, and his heart breaks.
She turns away hastily, and Mike looks down at her leg, he can't help but grimace.
He can see that her black jeans are torn, and there's blood stains starting to appear. He huffs moving towards her, she flinches again.
"No" she says, sniffling. And then he notices a growling beside him. He turns and sees the girls Anima, a beautiful fox, who although isn't bleeding like the girl, is limping with the same leg as the girls that is injured.
Mike knows this happens sometimes. It seemed that when a human got hurt, their Anima would feel the same pain as them and sometimes exhibit similar pain. Where, when an Anima was hurt, it was quite different.
"Stay away!" the Anima growled at him, and Mike held up his hands in defense.
"I'm not going to hurt either of you, but she's definitely hurt and in a lot of pain" Mike says gesturing to the girl. "Let me call an ambulance or-"
"NO!" both the girl and Anima growl at him and Mike's more confused than ever.
Then, a pregnant silence falls upon them, but it doesn't last long as another stream of popping is heard.
Mike turns his head towards the sound, slightly confused.
And then, he hears shuffling behind him. He spins on his feet and sees the panic in the girls eyes as she desperately tries to stand, her small little Anima trying desperately to help, but she's failing to.
"We need to go" she tries to get to her feet, but Mike can see that her leg is nowhere near useful.
So, Mike hurries to the girls side once again. And she flinches when he reaches out towards him, he huffs, "Look, I don't know what's going on, or why you're so scared, but I'm just trying to help, I'm not going to hurt you" he pleads to the girl.
He can see her slicked back hair is starting to fall from it's held place as it sticks to her sweaty face. And then, their eyes meet, and even in the dim glow of light around them, Mike can't help but be mesmerized by the amber glow they have.
And, there's almost something there, and Mike tries to show her that he's someone who's safe.
She hesitates, but another loud popping noise comes from behind them. She huffs, "Okay" she says and Mike relaxes.
He moves, bending down to the girls side as he gently reaches for her right arm, tossing it over his shoulder, while he uses his left arm to wrap it gingerly around her waist. He then hoists her from the ground with all his might.
She lets out a muffled scream.
"Sorry, sorry, I know it's going to hurt" he tries to reassure the girl as he adjusts her so that he can bare the brunt of the weight between them.
He turns, "I'm taking you to the hospital it's-" he starts but the girl frantically shakes her head, "No...no hospital" her breath is tight.
Mike sighs, 'Then where's he supposed to bring her?!' he thinks to himself, and that's when Pitch arrives at his side.
He looks down at his companion, and the wolf look him directly in the eyes as he does so. Mike knows exactly what he's thinking and he huffs.
"Mike, we have to" Pitch states firmly.
And even though Mike wants to protest, he knows his Anima is right. So with a sigh he turns his head towards the girl.
"Okay, no hospital. My apartment is three blocks away, I'll bring you there" he states firmly, getting ready to not take 'no' for an answer.
He can feel the girl tense beside him, but then she looks down at her Anima. And as if they have their own private conversation as well. The girl softens in his grasp.
"Okay" she whispers and Mike lets out a breath of relief.
He adjusts them slightly, "Alright then, this isn't going to be easy, but we'll take it slow".
The girl only nods, he can see the pain etched across her face, and his heart breaks for her.
He starts to move, Pitch right by his side, they only make it a couple paces, when the girl yelps, "Wait, stop!" and she turns her head slightly, and Mike follows her motion.
His eyes fall on her Anima, who is limping, and isn't making any progress in walking. Mike immediately turns to Pitch, who is already on it he stoops low, "Here, climb on" he says gesturing to his back.
The foxes eyes go wide, and this didn't surprise Mike in the slightest. When Anima's touched, a connection forms between them. The only problem is, no one knows if the connection will be good or bad. So, most Anima's kept their distances from one another, just as humans try to keep their distance from other people's Anima's.
Mike can feel the girl he's holding up shudder lightly, and he gets it, Pitch has never touched another Anima before, other than his sisters and parents, but that's different. This girl is a total stranger, he has no idea what could happen.
And before the fox can say anything, Pitch makes the decision and moves his large muzzle and grabs ahold of the foxes scruff gently and places her behind his back.
An intense feeling surges through him, it's something he's never experienced before. And he's pretty sure the girl feels it too. It's indescribable, the feeling that overwhelms him. It's almost as if he can sense the girls emotions.
There's fear, dancing with sadness and uncertainty. But, what catches him, is that there's something buried deep beneath, an inviting warmth, almost like a moth drawn to a flame.
However, Mike feels like the moth as he for some reason has a new urge to get closer to this girl. But then she looks at him and their eyes meet. He's not sure if she's feeling exactly what he is, but he can see a blush forming on her soft cheeks.
She's a stranger, he reminds himself. So, while placing these new feelings aside he shifts once again.
"Alright, let's get moving" and without another spoken breath between any of them. Mike teeters forward and heads towards his apartment.
Okay, what do you guys think? Should I continue this, because honestly it will probably be shorter than my other fics, so I could get it done on the "quicker" side and I have an idea where I want to go.
Also, what did you think of the animal pairings? I really enjoyed researching that XD
But, I'd like you're honest opinions on this and I don't want people to get mad at me for not updating Watching Her Fall In Love, but I kinda need a little break from it and I love fantasy, so this is right up my alley.
So, as always please review and thanks for reading!