For the first time, I didn't dream. I don't have good or bad dreams, only weird ones. Even then, I usually don't remember what they were, except that I had one. This time, there was nothing. The two of them kept me warm and awake as long as possible, but at some point we all fell asleep. I suddenly felt as if I was teleported from the shag carpet to the inside of a sleeping bag.

Later, I learned the two of them had fashioned a makeshift stretcher and carried me behind a supermarket. Bonus points for Autriel, since nobody had cleaned up the "mess" left by yesterday's events. Poor girl had a weak stomach and had to stop and retch a few times.

The sleeping bag I was in lied under a lean-to made from sheet metal, rebar, and a door that read "employees only". I noticed a brick wall next to me with an empty doorway, showing where they'd found the door. The power was still out. They'd also set up a campfire that burned cardboard, scrap wood, and other debris. Two cinderblocks were next to the fire and supported some metal grating, making a grill. A can of ravioli that looked like it had been opened with a dull hacksaw sat on top. The sun peeked over the horizon and dimly illuminated this oddly comforting scene. Autriel and Gusoyn were sitting nearby, looking at each other. They looked like they were waiting, but their posture was obvious. Sleep had removed the shock of the past events, but now trauma and anger were replacing it. Nobody was anywhere close to happy. I seemed to have caught them at the beginning of a conversation.

Gusoyn began."So, where was that dragon you talked about?"

Autriel asked, "What do you mean?"

The hellhound wasn't having it. "Don't play coy. I asked where the dragon was; the real one. You said you could do it, but I saw nothing. I think it would've been a lot of help back there."

"First of all, it is no more the 'real' dragon than I am. We're all equally real. Dragons just happen to have the ability to change states."

"I'm not going to argue with you. Not everyone can shift between the past and present. Where was the supposed 'stuff of legend'?"

"It just… didn't happen."

"I'd spend a little more time thinking on my answers if I were you, because I have no idea how you thought that was something even worth the breath it took to say."

"That's all there is to say! I know I said the option was there, but I was wrong. I couldn't do it."

"Couldn't or didn't? If you have something, you use it! If you can't, then it's useless. The fact that you told me it was in your very blood and you backed down from it makes me just even madder! He could have died! We all could have died! Everyone else might've not died!"

"Back off! I was scared, okay? I've never done it before! Nobody I know personally has! It's just not something we do often; only the kind of thing that your great-grandmother did once and you're pretty confident she was lying! I don't know anything about it and it scares me! I've always just known how to from the moment I was born, but I'm terrified if I do, I won't know how to turn back! I don't even know if I'll be able to control myself! Forgot not dying, I don't know if I'll kill you all myself!"

"Oh, I understand. Really, I do. However, that doesn't much matter when we're all gone regardless! Things may just get even worse from now on and we're all going to need to know our limits. Right now, it looks an awful lot like you're limiting yourself. I'm doing everything I can to keep us alive and together, and it's pretty insulting if someone else isn't doing the same. It certainly raises questions of devotion."

"Oh, you want a test of devotion? Do you also want another taste of what happened last time? Maybe this time I'll give you something more permanent to remember me by."

"Try me, you wannabe aristocratic lizard. All of that 'noble' blood and where does it get you when you don't use it? It'll be a lot different now that I've got something to fight for and a lesson to teach."

I had to stop this, but moving was a bad idea. Instead, I just said in a shaky voice, "Good morning."

They both glanced at each other and silently said, "Later." Gusoyn looked at me and said, "Hey sleepyhead." Autriel crawled over and put her hand over my head. It reminded me of a mother who was checking to make sure her child didn't have a fever.

Gusoyn said, "I thought I'd show off my survival skills a little bit. The roof over your head's mine. I… found a container of this stuff here." She fearlessly grabbed a can of steaming hot ravioli like it was nothing. "It was a pain to open, and the stuff inside was… passable. Still, I'm sure it tastes better warm. I mean, they went through all the trouble of locking it away; it has to be good." Oh, to be ignorant of the idea of modern food preservation. After I got up into a sitting position and ate some with a plastic fork. I concluded that it was the greatest can of ravioli I've ever had. Ever since then, Gusoyn has always cooked pasta.

Autriel continued, "Despite being able to cook my food whenever I want, the fire is of my design. This brown paper-like substance burns well, as do these boards." I crossed my fingers they weren't pressure-treated.

She grabbed a white boombox. The antenna was bent and it had claw marks on it as if a cat decided to use it as a scratching post. "I also… found this interesting music box. It took some fiddling and a few electric shocks, but I managed to figure it out. You humans' gadgets are so complicated, you should attach books to all of them, because I don't know how anyone remembers all this." I thought to myself, "Oh, you have no idea."

However, I was proud to see her very precisely turn the tuner knob, realize she needed to switch it on first, then find a music radio station. She confidently stated, "I hoped it would help improve the mood."

I laid there for a bit and listened to the soft music playing over the speakers and the morning noises of nature. "That it has. That it certainly has. We'll make humans of you both yet."

They sat down practically bathing in pride. I continued, "Didn't think about it, but I'm really proud of you guys for adapting so quickly, especially when things must be so different."

Gusoyn commented, "Yeah, things have really changed. Old stuff just doesn't…" Her eyes glassed over and she leaned backward. "...just doesn't work anymore." I tried to salvage as best as possible. "So Autriel, do you want to teach me some more on magic? I'm really interested." She didn't even turn my way and said, "You've lost quite a bit of energy and it's unstable. That, and I'm not feeling up to it right now."

This wasn't going well. It hadn't been going well at all recently. In fact, the past day had been pretty shitty. Now that I was bedridden and my mind wasn't having it's focus forced, I realized the past while had been a rollercoaster. Walked off my job, invaded by mythical creatures (sort of), befriended one via broken knee, grand theft auto, road trip, mauled by and then befriended another, more road trip, got laid, fought first mamano again, got laid another time, driven to near insanity, became a father twice, and then shot. I guess that was a fairly accurate summary.

But, my mind quickly shifted from myself to the others. I don't even want to begin to describe what they'd been through. It wasn't fair. Hell, if the same thing happened to me, I'd be screaming at the sky in rage. They had everything they'd relied upon pulled out from under them, and all they had to console with was some schmuck who wasn't sure if he could walk. Even in my sorry state, I knew I couldn't ignore theirs. Just because I had it worse didn't mean I shouldn't care for them.

"Hey Gusoyn."

She turned her head. "Yeah?"

"Tell me what your home was like."

"I've already told you."

"I want to hear it again."

She sighed and began, "Well, hellhounds often hang around areas with a lot of volcanic activity. We'd found this place in a mountain range just south of a…" Then she stopped and said, "No, I've got it wrong."

"Oh? Are the details fuzzy?"

"No, no. I'm just thinking of the wrong place. Let me start again. My home is in this medium-size human settlement."

I was incredulous. "Human town? They'd let you in?"

She continued, "Well, not really. They attacked me when I first arrived. My home is behind this brick building on the western side of town. It's been pretty tense around there recently, but I've managed to settle. I've set up a little lean-to there for my mate. He's a lot better than he thinks he is, but the little idiot got himself wounded and now I have to take care of him. I'm not planning on staying there long, and it's not a bad place to squat, but if he's around me, anywhere's fine."

Autriel added, "I may have said and believed that 'home is where the hoard is', but I also believe both of them can be moved and redefined."

I choked, "Dammit guys, I've already lost enough fluids. I don't want to add more to the tears category."

Autriel suddenly stood up and said, "That reminds me." She grabbed a bottle of water. "Drink"

I mockingly retorted, "Yes, mother."

Eventually, it started raining. The lean-to leaked a little, so we were forced inside. They told me to stay still, shoved a piece of board under me, and carried me inside that way. I thought to myself I should get shot more often. I'd be treated like a king. They also packed our stuff, and I was relieved to find they still had my clothes and the gun. Hopefully they also remembered to take the bullets.

It wasn't that dark inside. The skylights let more than enough light inside to see. Eventually, we came across the sporting section. However, Autriel spotted jewelry and decided to lay me down in the middle of the aisle. Unlike many other things in the store, gemstones weren't touched by looters. This shocked me a little. The dragon inspected the glass case, looking for a way to open it. Eventually, she lost patience, shrugged, and smashed through it with her armored fist.

She delicately reached her way inside, began removing each item one at a time, and looked at them with the eye of a professional. She was inspecting a diamond the size of which I could only dream of having when I asked, "So, I guess the stereotype is true?"

She replied, "Others may mock and generalize however they wish. Dragon's expertise and skill speak for themselves to whomever is willing to listen. Otherwise, there's no point in showing art to someone who doesn't appreciate it. Do you?" She puckered her lips and created a small pilot light to better inspect the stone.

I stumbled, "I mean, yeah. Of course. Rocks are pretty cool. I know a little, but I mostly choose them because of looks and I collect a few. Do you like diamonds?"

She suddenly increased the intensity of her flame, forming a sharp and blue point, like a blowtorch. The ring melted in her hand, but the gemstone simply vanished. The molten metal dropped and hissed on the linoleum tile. "Diamonds are certainly respected for their luster and hardness. That being said, if I wanted something clear, I would use glass. Another disappointing thing is that they're anything but permanent. A bit of concentrated heat and poof, they disappear."

That's a few thousand dollars up in a puff of smoke. I asked, "Do you have a favorite?"

She winced, "Mmmmm, that's a corundum… conundrum… hah. I like opal, but sapphire is also good. Then there's emerald, but I'm not sure if it's just there because green's my color. Actually, no. If I was wearing it, you wouldn't be able to distinguish it over my scales. How about Amethyst? It's a bit darker than my hair. Wonder if they have any in here…"

She continued rambling on while stuck up to her shoulders inside the case. I felt like I was more than a bit underequipped to keep up to conversation. That being said, she seemed very happy to carry it herself, and continued to teach me all about precious and semi-precious stones. Occasionally, the lecture would be interrupted by her saying something like, "Someone should throw the artisan who made this off a cliff. Seriously, who looked at this piece of garbage and thought 'That's a fine piece of craftsmanship'?"

I commented, "What? We're in a Walmart. Of course the jewelry isn't going to be great. Is it some kind of sin to screw it up?"

At this point, she was down to her ass inside the case. Her legs had left the floor and she was awkwardly crawling her way across. Her head suddenly jerked up, shattering the glass. Unfazed by this, she looked at me and said, "Of a high caliber. I'm not saying punishable by death, but at least ten lashings."

"Fair enough. Hey, I have a question."

She continued with her inspection and asked, "What?"

"Can't you heal me with magic or something?"

Autriel stopped and said, "I… no, not really. Like I said before, I'm more adept at divination. Magic involving transforming or repairing the body really shouldn't be used by people who are not skilled at it. Failure in that school can have really unpleasant results. I'm as sorrowful as I can be, and I would instantly perform it if I could. Believe me, this does frustrate me to no end, though I'm sure it's far worse for you."

"Gotcha."

Gusoyn and I settled for a while as Autriel enjoyed herself. Eventually, I got up and said, "Any of these strike your fancy?"

She responded, "Like I said, it's difficult to say."

I found a necklace that caught my eye. It was covered in stones that each ranged from pink, to white, and then to green. Later, I found they were watermelon tourmaline. I said, "Fuck it. There's no power and cameras are off. I think this one suits you."

Autriel put her hand on her chest, batted her eyelashes and said, "For me?!" in an obviously over-acted way. "So, why this one?"

I said, "Well, you were talking a little about colors and this one's got all your colors on it. It's got the purple, the green, and… well I don't know where the clear bit is."

She replied, "That's very thoughtful of you. I agree. I feel it's a little too loose, though. It needs a bit of work."

I asked, "Can you work on it here?"

She looked almost insulted. "Of course. All I need are my hands and some fire."

The dragon created another blue pilot light and got to work. Her face was of intense concentration as she removed parts of the necklace's chain and used her claws to weld it back together and pick off extraneous bits. Lastly, she took a few drops from the water bottle to cool down the spot. She sat back, admired her work, then put it on.

For a few seconds, she sat on the case, swung her legs, and hummed a tune to herself with her eyes closed. Suddenly they opened and she asked me, "Do they keep foodstuffs in here?"

I incredulously said, "Yeah, why?" I pointed, "It's over there."

She leapt off the case and sped off in that direction. I asked Gusoyn what was going on. She had no idea and suggested maybe Autriel was just hungry. We heard scrounging noises, and then the dragon returned some time later. Her mouth and chin were white and she held an open carton of eggs. As she walked back to us, she grabbed eggs, cracked them open, let the yolk land on the floor, then ate the shells.

I did what any sane person would and asked, "Autriel, what the hell?"

She crunched on an eggshell and replied, "Cravings. I needed that stuff… whatever's in eggshells and milk."

"Calcium? Cravings? Isn't it just day two? Also, don't you react poorly to dairy anyway?"

"The answers to your questions, in order, are: Maybe, yes, yes, and yes. The only alternative I'm aware of is to eat chalk from stone formations, but I haven't seen any rocks in a long time. Therefore, these are my choices. I will probably be regretting them soon."

I groaned. "Wonderful."

Just then, we heard a banging noise coming from the front. It sounded like someone had walked into the front doors. Later, I learned that was true. Then, we heard the sound of the automatic doors manually being opened. Autriel quickly dropped the carton and rushed behind a corner. Gusoyn crouched behind a checkout isle and peered over.

We heard a male voice call out, "Hello? Anyone here? I don't want no trouble. I just uhhhhhh… got a message. My gun's in my pocket and I ain't gonna use it. There somebody here named Gusin?"

Gusoyn called out, "Walk out to where we can see you."

The man did so. Although I couldn't see him, I'll describe him anyway. He was a man that looked in his early thirties. He also had the appearance of a stereotypical trucker, sporting a red flannel shirt, green t-shirt, jeans, brown boots, and a little bit of a beer belly. On his head was a red ballcap that he removed as he walked in the building. Autriel said quietly that she could feel no open hostility from his aura. Gusoyn felt that was enough for her, and instructed the man to walk toward us. He did so.

The man tentatively approached us, noticing the mamano first and then me in the sleeping bag. He nervously said, "Mornin' folks. My name's Oscar Mackay. I'm assumin' the black and fuzzy one is miss…" He then noticed the ring. "(Oh, missus. I apologize.) missus Gusin? My wife's just like you. The green one I haven't met before; pleasure. And it's also good to meet you too, sir."

Autriel said nothing. I replied, "Good to see another human around. I'd get up and shake hands, but this wound of mine's forced me down." He replied, "Oh, I understand. That's actually why I'm here."

Gusoyn chimed in, "Go on."

He continued, "Well, my wife's been looking for you and your (I'm going to assume husband) for a while now. She mentioned something about a pack and that you were the leader, but now she's leader. Something of that nature. Does the name Dechala ring any bells?"

A variety of emotions went across Gusoyn's face. She responded, "It does."

"Oh, great. Well, she's been wantin' to talk to you. Trouble is, she was right there when that fight went down inside town. Don't worry, she isn't hurt, but she took a rather nasty shock. She just… doesn't want to get out of bed. I'm not some kind of therapist, but I think she's got PTSD or somethin' like it. Either way, I don't know what kind of terms you two are on, but the way she talked about you, I figured you were friends. I was hopin' her seeing a friend would cheer her up and pull her out of the thing she's in."

I asked, "Are the rest of us invited?"

He said, "Of course. We've actually got a few trucks and a bus' worth of people lookin' to meet you. See, we were all actually followin' you, but Dechala wouldn't tell the rest of us why. In fact, I was gonna call Bobby to bring one of the trucks over and take you to our camp we set up in a church southwest of here. I also wanted to confess that it was actually us who punctured your fuel tank."

The rest of us glowered, but he hung his head and continued. "It wasn't my decision, and a lot of poor ones were made last night. That's why we wanted to take you back to our place, and hopefully go from there. I'm gonna call Bobby now and we'll get you an actual medic to look at that wound you've got." Autriel seemed mildly offended.

The man set his phone to the speaker. He gestured toward it, but I had no idea what message he was trying to convey. After a few rings, the phone answered with some background static. "Hello?"

"Bobby? It's Oscar. Where you at?"

"I'm driving down Kelp avenue looking for that guy we're looking for"

"Dammit Bobby, what the hell are you doing up there? We stopped the search hours ago. Look, I need you to stop by the Walmart to the south of here and pick me and a few others up."

"All right, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"See ya."

He turned and asked the mamano, "So, can we move him?"

Autriel said, "We will move him. Where?"

Oscar replied, "Just outside. Bobby'll be here in a little bit."

I was moved and we sat outside. The rain had cleared up and the sun was still behind the trees. That being said, the air felt different. It wasn't the post-rainshower humidity. The atmosphere was heavier, thicker, and had the slightest hint of sweetness to it. Oscar coughed, but I knew what this was. I started looking around for other signs. The moon, partially hidden by clouds, took on a faint pink hue. Tree bark looked darker than it should be and their leaves took on a slightly bluer hue. Even the lighting itself seemed just a little darker than it should be. It wasn't a full conversion like had been described to me, and it was most likely temporary. However, it was still unnerving and I still hadn't got used to seeing terraformed land.

A few minutes passed, then twenty. Oscar became impatient, then called another number.

"Gabe? This is Oscar. Where's Bobby's truck?"

Again, the phone was set to speaker. "Bobby's been gone for a while, sir."

Oscar was incredulous. "What do you mean? I just called him."

"Did you call the right number? Their truck got hit by a shell last night; blew them all to hell."

"'Course I called the right number. I just had a conversation with him. If that isn't him, then who'd I just call?"

"I dunno, sir. We're sending Sandra with the bus. She'll be there in five." The man then hung up.

A collective chill ran down everyone's spine. Oscar slowly put his phone back in his pocket, squatted on the ground, and covered his mouth with his hands. The mamano adopted more anxious postures and Autriel commented, "This world's ghosts are a lot more unnerving than mine." I replied, "You ever feel like the world broke a little bit recently?"

Sandra arrived on time and we all piled on the bus. Well, I was just carried. The drive was fairly silent, and ended outside of a church. There, we spotted one more semi truck outside. We were all instructed to come inside. The building had a lot of natural light, especially in the sanctuary, and very few lamps were needed. The interior was fairly busy with humans moving about. The large front lobby looked like it had been converted to a cargo depot. There were cardboard boxes of various goods scattered about, some large containers of water, and a crate of weapons in the corner with a guard nearby. The operation seemed very hurried, but also very organized. Stuff was getting done, albeit I had no idea what it was. Oscar turned to me and asked, "Can you walk?"

I replied, "Probably, but I'd rather sit. Do you guys have a wheelchair in here?"

He said, "We could probably find one." and motioned to one of his flunkies to do that.

As the underling was looking, one of the hellhounds approached us. She noticed me first and said, "Hey, it's the human! All of this trouble and you walk right in our front door. Well, looks like you got carried. Why?"

I said, "Got wounded yesterday."

She scoffed, "Well, you're good enough to speak. If you've got any worries, we've got a doctor around here somewhere." She turned to Gusoyn and her expression shifted to neutrality. "Hey boss. Good to have you back. Gonna stay this time?" She didn't give the opportunity for a response and walked off. Gusoyn ears visibly lowered and she hunched over a little. In a rare feat of social awareness, I figured that her spontaneously leaving her group would probably have created some kind of angst between them and her. I also realized that pointing to the tallest hellhound in the group, declaring her to be the new leader, and then telling them all to go be pirates may not have been the best of ideas.

Our group walked (I was wheeled) to a conference room with sunlight coming through the large windows. Everyone took a seat, while Autriel commented on how the chair's design let her tail go through the back. Over the course of a few minutes, four more hellhounds trickled in and sat down. Oscar took the seat across from me, while Gusoyn and Autriel flanked me in their seats.

Oscar began the meeting. "So, I'm sure you know by now that this's been a long time comin' for a lot of us."

I responded, "Yeah, seems everyone wants a piece of us these days."

"Well, not just you. Your hellhound girl over here's the old boss of this group before she just suddenly left. Now, I've got nothin' against you lady. Just want to make that clear right now. However, since you left, my wife's taken up the reins and it's been going… well it's been going pretty bad these past few days. Lord knows we need a break. Can I say that here? It's a church."

He continued, "Point is, she's got a lot of emotions runnin' through her right now, and none of 'em are real good. Ever since that battle yesterday, she doesn't even want to get out of bed, and a lot of what she says and does revolves around you. I've done everything I can, but I think what she needs right now is a longtime friend, assumin' you're still friends." He leaned forward. "After this meeting, I'd really appreciate it if you'd go visit her for a while." Gusoyn remained silent, but nodded.

"Now that's out of the way, let's get to it. All of us've been basically following you guys these past few days. No idea why, but Dechala kept saying it was important and I believed her. So… here we are; Here you are."

There was an awkward silence, then I said, "And….?"

He shrugged. "Well, I was hopin' you guys would know. I mean, we've picked up some radio chatter and social media posts of people looking to stick your head on a pole. Then there's the army of monsters after you, but that could be coincidence. Point is, you're important and now that we've met, I wanna know why."

I stammered, "Well, I really don't know." Autriel chimed in and said, "I believe I could answer that." Oscar said, "I'm all ears."

One bit of exposition later and he responded, "So you're telling me all of this trouble is because he's fuckin' magical?"

Autriel gestured, "Everyone's magical. He just happens to be… several degrees more so."

Oscar was obviously doubtful. "So, can I ask him to go 'hocus pocus' and summon me some fried flounder? I haven't had any in months."

Autriel raised her finger and said optimistically, "We're working on it! Fundamentals first."

He responded, "That was sarcasm, ma'am."

The cheeky dragon retorted, "I know, I just chose to ignore it."

The man groaned, rested his forehead on two of his knuckles, sighed, and then continued, "Right. Look, as far as we could tell, you guys weren't running away from us. Judging by how we've been talking, I don't think you even knew about us. So, if you weren't running from us and you were already moving before that monster army, just where are you guys going?"

Gusoyn and Autriel slowly turned towards me. The other hellhounds remained in their relaxed positions, but their ears turned toward me and twitched in anticipation. I sat in the chair with the posture of a man who didn't really have a clear answer. I said so. "I really don't have a satisfying answer. We're heading east, our goal being Virginia."

He asked, "What's there?"

I said, "I'm not from the midwest or the rockies. My family's in Virginia, and I want to be at least in the state nowadays. And… I think I've found a little bit more stability and I think with that, it's time to head home."

He scoffed, "You think your family's gonna approve of your life choices?"

I replied, "We're still working on that, but what about you? I think you've made the same choice as me."

He snapped back, "My bastard of a daddy didn't even bother lovin' me and mother was too busy filling the emptiness left by him with male hookers to raise me right. I don't give a damn what they think of me and I don't think much higher of humanity either. At least these 'monsters' have a sense of commitment about 'em."

"That's uhhhh… well said."

"Appreciate it. Anyways, so you're headed to Virginia."

"Yes."

"Had a rough time of it?"

I considered the lack of our food, water, transportation, and occasionally, clothing. I answered honestly, "Yes."

He clasped his hands together. "Welp, then I have an official request from my wife, the boss of this crew, Dechala. In exchange for the meeting with Gusoyn I mentioned earlier, we are all willing to take you all in as passengers in our happy little caravan. Your destination is our destination."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "If I were you, I'd take it. You seem like a bunch in desperate times, and this is a really, almost ridiculously, charitable deal. I wouldn't have made it if I were in Dechala's shoes, but she's much nicer than me."

Intimidation check succeeded. The three of us looked at each other. It really was an offer we shouldn't refuse. The two mamano looked at me for a decision, while the other hellhounds got out of their relaxed postures and sat forward, waiting for an answer. Eventually, I said, "Sure. I still don't know why you're all doing this for us."

Oscar shrugged, "Neither do I, but it's what the boss wanted. Speaking of…" He gestured to Gusoyn. "She's waiting for you. Down the hall, take a left, and it's the third door that says 'Band Room'. At the risk of insult, can you read?"

Gusoyn said on her way out, "I can."

Oscar's voice droned on, "Great. Movin' on, we just added three more people to our caravan. Problem is, we're down to one truck, one bus, and about three-quarters of a tank of diesel between them. First thing we're gonna need is gas, and who knows how we're gonna find another…" The voice faded away as Gusoyn walked the halls.

Okay, it's my bit again, with some help from Richard. It's been a long time since I made a part. I'm really doubting if I want to put it here in the first place. What happened between me and Dechala I feel was our thing, and I'm wondering if I should keep it that way. Either way, I made my way to the room and stood there for a few seconds with my hand on the knob.

I gently opened the door.

Get it? Because I'm entering the room of somebody who's been through some hard times recently and I'm referencing… oh nevermind. Richards says I tend to have a lot of… gallows humor. Wow, I'm really gonna ruin this thing's chances of getting published or we're gonna get an angry mob of people outside our door, especially how things are nowadays.

The room was dimly lit by sunlight coming through closed curtains. I saw Dechala lying in bed. She didn't react much when I walked through the door. I grabbed a folding chair and tried to get it to work, but failed for about half a minute. I only saw someone use one once before. She chuckled at this, so I took it as a good sign she wasn't a vegetable. Eventually, I said, "I haven't eaten in more than twelve hours, so let's get going."

[Editor's note: The next conversation is ghost written by Richard. Gusoyn has some hesitations about putting this to text, but felt it would help her and others who were in similar situations.]

Dechala responded bitterly, "And where we've gone in those past hours."

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess you deserve some explanations."

"That and some help. Boss, I can't get it off me."

"Get what off?"

"The blood. I've bathed until it irritated my skin, but I can't get it off my fur and skin. I've never seen it before. It won't come off."

My voice was almost as shaky as hers. "I… come on, we've hunted game before and there's always been plenty of guts around. You never had any trouble."

"No, I mean ours; our guts. I've never seen any of us die from more than old age. I've never seen the inside of somebody before. I've never lost it that bad before. I only started going mad after we met that man of yours. As soon as he came in, I started noticing things. I don't get along with anyone anymore. I don't like the other mamano; I don't even know if I like myself. I've been looking back and wondering if my entire life's been a fever dream and I've done all sorts of horrible things."

"Yeah, I think we've all had to do a little waking up recently. Look, I think it'd be best to put the past behind us."

"It's his fault, you know. I felt them. They were after him. They wanted him so much I wanted him too."

"Yeah, I knew you were more sensitive to energy than the rest of us."

"You knew?"

I nodded.

"Then why didn't you help me? The moment I would start using magic they'd pick on me until there'd be nothing left! Oh, and then you just up and decided to leave us! You left us! You left me, and now I really don't have anything left! Nothing but a handful of serfs, a husband, and a bunch of corpses north of here!"

With every word, I lowered my head a little more. Eventually, I said, "What happened wasn't any of our fault. It was going to happen, and there wasn't anything we could do about it."

"It would've been much nicer if you hadn't just left a massive hole where you'd been! I can't lead; I don't know how, but suddenly everyone's looking at me! Ever thought about what I wanted? Ever wondered why I'd disappear for a while every now and then? No, because you were too busy being the 'boss of the pack' to notice! Oh wait, you did notice, but didn't do anything about it when I could've used some help, and that makes it twice as bad! You ignored me. You ignored all of us, dumped everything on me, and followed your stupid instincts. You're just as bad as those voices in my head yesterday!"

I responded, "If you want to hear me say it, then here it is. I am sorry. I am sorry for doing all of the things you just said. But, things have changed. I've changed. Believe me, I remember when we came last in that competition and were exiled. We all stuck together, formed a bond, and swore revenge on the authority of Lescate. No idea if they're still here, but I haven't heard anything about a teleported city. I've left some destruction and burned bridges in my wake, but I had to do this. I've got some regrets and I'm sorry I ended up hurting you, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

We both digested this for a while. Dechala calmed down and said, "So, are you back, for good this time? You aren't gonna leave again are you? Because I… we all need a good boss again. I can't keep doing this."

I said, "We'll see what the others say, but I want to stick with the rest of you. You guys are the few mamano and humans that aren't trying to kill/rape all of us. I thought we were doing fine just the three of us, but we've really stumbled. Our recent cart was sabotaged."

She blushed. "That was actually us. I believed if we broke your horseless carriage, you'd come to us. I was really trying to send out my energy, but I don't think it got through all the interference."

I smiled and said, "I know. I ought to burn this place down with you in it."

"You know that wouldn't do a thing to me. That being said, the humans here certainly have come up with some amazing pieces of artifice. Shame they break so easily."

"Some more than others. You sound better, though. You… feeling like getting up?"

She sighed, "No, I'm very tired and I think I need a little more time. You can go if you want, but leave the door open. Tell Oscar I'm fine."

"I'll do that." I left the room.

Soon after Gusoyn left, Autriel tapped me on the shoulder. She had a look of urgency on her face. 'Honey, I have to excuse myself for a minute."

I instinctively grimaced a little. "Really? 'Honey'? Man, I'm just not that sappy. It feels… gross."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll warm to it in time. Either way, I must go."

"Fine. I'll let you know if anything important is said."

"Wonderful." She then got out of her chair and flung herself through the glass window headfirst. We could already hear her running away before the glass even finished falling on the floor.

Oscar stared out the broken window for a few seconds, then looked at me. "Is she gonna be okay?"

I shrugged. "Probably. It was an emergency of some sort."

"If she just wanted to take a dump, the bathroom's down the hall."

"She's the dramatic type."

He threw up his hands. "Fuck it. Let's just get on with it."

He said, "Now that you're up to speed on our operations, let's get to the point. Our only real goal was to follow and hopefully meet up with you. Now that this is gone, we're going to need to find another one. You're planning on heading back to the east coast states; where you're from. That's fine and all, but we're going to need something more than that."

I clasped my hands together and put them toward my face. I inhaled and said, "I've actually been thinking about that. From what I've gathered, these mamano are used to late-medieval technologies and ideas. They're far from home and they're stuck here. They're also not really keen on organizing, and a lot of them seem absolutely batshit insane. They've got nobody supporting them and they're not even supporting themselves."

Oscar leaned back with his arms crossed and stayed silent, but attentive.

I continued, "I don't know how close you were to the battle, but I'm sure you heard of it."

He said, "I was there, same as you."

"Right. After that experience, I can only think one thing: That shit can't happen again. Now, that's a big statement. Humanity's view of mamano is pretty low right now, and neither side is really working to help that image. Therefore, if we want to change the situation, we're going to have to do it ourselves. We seem to be the only ones capable, and I think we have a moral obligation to try."

Oscar grunted. "So, what are you suggestin'? A big ol' advertisement campaign?"

I continued, "Humanity very easily fights a one-dimensional and easily recognizable enemy: zombies, nazis, aliens, nazi zombies, all that sort of stuff. What we need to do is show everyone we are complex, thoughtful, and most importantly, governable."

Oscar asked, "Referrin' to yourself as one of them, I see. I thought they had a government or leader, or something back at their home. Even then, how do you think we can do that? Not all of (actually, most) of them are pretty crazy and aren't gonna go along with this."

I replied, "First, just because you're on top of a clusterfuck doesn't mean you're leading it. Second, we don't need to unite all of them. All we need to do is change humanity's perception. They might hate me right now, but if we twist the narrative around, my actions might seem like someone oppressed and just trying to be free.(Which I was) We need them to realize they aren't just fighting mindless hordes of drones. They're fighting multidimensional sentient beings and show them that, for the first time, there's someone else out there who can observe and enjoy the beauty of the universe with us. We need to let them know that we're not alone anymore and ending that would be one of the worst mistakes we've ever made as a species. I... wow…"

"Are you cryin'?"

Obviously worked up, I said, "No, I've just got a piece of dust in my eye. The three of us have gone by ourselves and it's been working for a while, but it won't anymore. The whole situation's bigger than us now. We can't just make a run for it by ourselves. I really do feel that we need to cluster together and we can't just wait and hope somebody else does. What I think we should do is start an ever-growing caravan. You know, legitimize and make ourselves something organized and recognizable; something memorable. We need…" I pounded my fist on the table "to nationalize."

"That's… a pretty tall order. It's gonna have to be more than a Facebook group. You suggestin' we just keep piling on people and vehicles until we can't be ignored?"

"Yeah. We'll make sure we look like an organized group that can be engaged in diplomacy. I guess we'll need a leader, or at least a spokesperson to push to the public."

"Monster girl grassroots campaign. I love it. And yeah, we're gonna need to decide on a leader. Any ideas?"

"Gusoyn's pretty good. I mean, she led a group before, so she's got some experience. We'll have to ask her."

"What about you? You're the only one of us that people know anything about."

"Don't they still think I'm still to blame for that one town getting sacked?"

"You were talking about twistin' that around anyway. Plus, it'd probably be a lot easier for people to hear one of us humans do the talkin'."

I'm not saying the other hellhounds at the table were stupid, but they were all kind of there for obligatory reasons as the original crew(and effectively nobles of our newly-founded little nation). They mostly stayed silent for the conversation and tried their best to understand what the two humans were talking about. Again, nothing against them. Their species just hadn't been through the same history we had.

Cut to me asking Gusoyn when she returned if she wanted to be leader.

"No."

"Fuck. What about… advisor?"

"Sure."

Eventually, the others left the room and Autriel returned (through the window again instead of the front door like a normal person). It was just the three of us together, and we all unspokenly decided to sit on the floor and talk amongst ourselves. I filled in the other two on the plan.

"Look, we've got friends now. We're not alone anymore. I really think these guys are good and I think Oscar's a good guy to stick with. We got to talking and… we're gonna do our best to make sure what happened doesn't happen again. We're gonna survive this, and not just that, make a world where you'll thrive or cut a chunk out where you can. We're gonna see if we can organize, actually start a dialogue, and maybe get people to accept you guys for who you are(the right way) or die trying. I make no promises other than I'll spend the rest of my life on this if I have to. If you feel any doubts about this, or you need something, let me know."

Autriel quietly said, "You… would do this for us? I doubt we deserve-"

I cut her off. "Yes you do. You can't convince me otherwise. Look, I was waiting for you and you really weren't waiting for me. We've been through hell and heaven these past few days. Let me tell you something, and I think I'm ready. You two are the only people outside my family that have made my happy. You're the ones I want to marry, damn tradition. I doubt you'll tell me no, but I really couldn't bear it if you went. I enjoy waking up to both of your faces and I can't fathom not doing it now. I'll see what we can set up, if you want anything at all. I really don't care about ceremony as long as I know I won't be alone anymore."

Gusoyn made a few choking noises, then said, "Pffft. Sure. You already knew anyway. I don't know much about human traditions, but white really isn't my color." Autriel shuddered and said, "Yes. Absolutely, and you mentioned if I wanted something. Then, I want... I want a hug. I haven't had one in a decade. I know it sounds childish and beneath me, but please?"

"Sure. Come here. Gusoyn, you want some, too?"

"All of this sappy stuff just makes me gag."

"Aw come on. Me neither, but just go along with it."

"Fine."

Big ol' sappy group hug. I have to agree with Gusoyn on this part, but I feel it was something we all needed. After a few minutes, Autriel began humming something. I didn't recognize the tune, even as she increased in volume. Gusoyn seemed to recognize and followed along. Eventually, they both broke away and stood up as I watched dumbfounded. They then simultaneously broke into song, looking at each other and swaying, also pretending they had a drink in their hand. I know there was magical translation and all that, but I had no idea what they were saying. The song was in another language I'd never heard before, yet I innately knew the words were infused with pure joy. Down the hall, I heard another voice join in. Despite not knowing the words, the song sounded ancient and undeniably human, like a sea shanty. Eventually, I found myself swaying to the tune. Eventually, a few other faint voices from around the church joined in and resonated with one another. Gusoyn led at top volume, and damn if she couldn't carry a tune.

Later, I learned the song actually was a human sea shanty older than some nations back in their world that had gotten popular among the mamano. It told the story of a dread pirate who was famous for sailing with only one ship, until he married a woman who was more ruthless than he was, then sailed with two ships. I thought it was very appropriate.