Ahh, sorry about posting this so late. Anyways, happy New Years to anyone who's reading at this ungodly hour. (Seriously, why am I still writing at 1 am?!)
"So, should we call the others back to explain the plan?" Skarloey asked.
"Nah, let's just wait for them to head back. Let them think I'm still sleeping. I want to see what they'll say if they think I'm not listening." Shale said.
"But wouldn't it be easier to just ask them?" asked Skarloey. Then a thought came to him. "Oh, you want to see if they'll be okay with you here."
"Please, do you think that any kind of direct answer would be genuine?" Shale said. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to lie to someone's face."
"Shale, you don't need to do this. Most of them would be willing to give you a chance." said Edward
"Most?"
"Well, I'm not to sure about Duncan, but he's always been somewhat difficult." Skarloey frowned. "But I'm sure the others will warm up to you in time."
"Alright, is he telling the truth Edward?" She asked.
"Yes Shale, you can trust him." Edward gave her another small smile.
"Okay." Shale started digging up dirt with the tips of her knife. "But what about you? What's your opinion on all this?" She gestured the blade to Skarloey.
"Me? Well..." Skarloey stuttered.
"C'mon, be honest. Don't bother trying to sugarcoat it. I'll smell it from a mile away." Shale rolled her eyes at his hesitance.
Skarloey tried to collect his thoughts but eventually just sighed into his hands. "It's- it's complicated. I'm scared, but it's not just for me. We're all in a position we never expected to be, we don't know anything about how to survive like this, we might have people hunting down and it's only been a few days."
He brushed some of his stray hairs from his face. "Is this what it's going to be like now? Constantly running?" Shale heard a self deprecating laugh. "In some ways, I kind of miss being a engine. At least then I knew what I'd be facing each day. Now...now I have no idea where to go from here."
He turned to face the street rat. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Shale just shrugged. "I have no idea." Skarloeys head hung low at this. "At least if your referring to long term, as for now, let's just focus on surviving today."
Skarloey sighed again. "Alright... alright, I can do that. Thank you, Shale."
"Yea, don't mention it." Shale combed her hand through her hair again. "I'm probably gonna need to move some of my stuff from my base soon."
This reminded Skarloey of something. "Shale, may I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Is your... home really in a tree?"
"Yea?" Shale raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not as weird as you think. She paused. "Well, from your point, it probably is pretty weird. But it's a good place. Good lookout point, keeps you away from other people, and I just like climbing trees."
"Oh."
There was a awkward silence between them before Shale hoisted herself up again. "Well, I'm gonna walk around now." She saw how both of the engines were gesturing back down. "Geez, I'll just be walking around the shed. I'll be fine, I just don't wanna stay here doing nothing all day."
Shale stepped up and draped the jacket over her shoulders. Walking out into the sunlight, she held up her hand to try and block out some of the afternoon sunlight. She turned around to see the shed she was brought to.
"Heh, wow. I wasn't sure what I expected." She said. She saw both of the engines walking out behind her.
"Shale, please just try to take it easy." Skarloey cautioned
"Scar, please, I told you I'd be fine and I am." Shale just brushed his concern of. Thinking for a moment, she walked over to a nearby bush, pulled out her knife, and started hacking parts of.
"What are you doing Shale?" Skarloey asked.
She picked up the branches and started walking back inside. "We can use these fore a temporary bedding. Or firewood, if I can find something to light it with."
The red head walked past them and started rearranging the pile of sweaters and shirts, replacing them with the branches. Edward kneeled beside her and gave her a comforting smile.
"Is there anything we can do?" Edward asked.
"Yea, mind gathering some more branches? The ones with lots of leaves."
"Alright." Edward nodded and started collecting more branches. Skarloey noticed this and followed his lead. Both of them gathering armfuls of leaves and placing them by the entrance. Occasional, Shale would pop out to take some from the pile and add them to the bedding.
"Oh also, make sure to choose all the same leaves. Some of them are poisonous." Shale yelled. "Actually, no, wait. I'll show you."
She stepped out of the shed, grabbed a leaf and called the two engines. "Oy, look at this." She held up the leaf beside the other. "Do you see the difference?"
Both engines looked to each other and then back to the plant. Then then shook their head. "No, sorry."
Shale frowned slightly. "Don't worry about that. It makes sense, neither of you would interact that much with plants. See how each of the stems have three leaves."
"Oh, now I do." Skarloeys eyes brightened. "Are they the poisonous ones?" He pointed towards them.
Shale suddenly grabbed his hand. He jumped and immediately jerked his hand back. "I'm sorry! What did I do wrong?"
"Woah, woah, calm down. I just didn't want you to touch it. We don't know what it'd do to you guys, since you aren't humans." Shale raised her hands in a calming motion. "Those are the ones you don't want to use. Just take the ones that look like this."
She pressed a leaf into both Edward and Skarloeys hand. "Do you think you can do that?"
Skarloey calmed down imminently. "Yes... yes we can. I'm sorry for that unseemly outburst."
"Dude, quit saying sorry." Shale rolled her eyes. "None of you know anything about surviving like this. And that's why you have me here." She smiled at them and went back to organizing the shed.
"Right, thank you."
"C'mon, hurry up or Edward's gonna beat your branch count."
That motivated them. Skarloey and Edward smiled and imminently started breaking of other branches, occasionally stopping to glance at there leaves again.
Shale went back to adding branches to makeshift bed. She didn't expect them to suddenly be so competitive. She assumed it was part of their lives as engines to please someone. At first it was the Fat Controller. But now that he was gone - that position would shift to her.
The realization hit her harder then she expected. The engines never had a chance to learn to be independent - always relying on someone else for instructions. In a way, she had a kind of power over them. She could show then what to do and they would do it. How would they know any better?
Shale imminently slapped herself for that thought. She knew what that felt like; unknowingly being forced to do something without knowing what you were doing.
She hated that.
But realizing how much control she had also scared her to some degree. In a way, the engines were almost akin to children. Granted - they were almost a century older than her - but still children. They might know certain parts about being human, but not enough to stay hidden forever. Their mindset was a weird mix of wisdom gained from longevity and ignorance to the finer points in life.
So now it fell to Shale to fill in the gaps. Great.
Though on a more positive note; she didn't feel any kind of side effects from whatever Skarloey and Edward put in the bandages. Curiously, she pulled out another vial from her bag. Sitting cross-legged on the bed of leaves, she uncorked the vial. The liquid was surprisingly clear. She didn't expect that from something kept inside a dusty lab.
Perhaps something to look through in the future.
:===========:
"Skarloey! Edward! We're back!"
Both engines looked up to see Peter Sam running ahead of the other narrow gauge engines, who - other than Peter and Falcon - looked slightly shaken.
Peter ran up to Skarloey and rocked excitedly on his heels. "It's amazing! Almost nothing's changed since me and Falcon left! There's even the old gift shops! I never quite understood why the passengers would always want to stop there, but now I see why. It's so interesting. We got to look inside but the doors were locked. Duncan tried to pick it, but he couldn't get it open after a his twig snapped so he just kicked the door down!"
"Completely unnecessary, might I add." Renneas mumbled
"Oy, not like anyone'll be stopin' by any time soon." Duncan said
"And I think you could've left out the story about Doger." Rusty added.
"It was worth it to see your faces." Falcon smirked.
"I hear voices! The fact that you aren't screaming for help tells me they aren't humans. Are the others back now?" Shale yelled from inside the shed. She stepped outside and imminently all the other engines had their eyes on her.
"Shale! You're awake." Renneas smiled. "I hope you've been feeling better."
The red head just leaned against the wall of the shed. "Right, of course I'd feel leagues better a few hours after I was just beat unconscious." She drawled. She meant it as a sarcastic joke but she saw how some of them seemed to shrink back.
"Of course, sor-"
"Geez, that was a joke!" She cried. She walked up to the group and looked up to Renneas, who seemed torn between confusion or submission. "I get that you guys were all conditioned to be polite and shit, but this is just ridiculous." She paused. Then stepped back and laughed. "Geez, look at me. Some street rat givin' out orders to a bunch of eighty-somethin' year old steamers. Any of you gonna stand for that?"
Each of the engines looked to each other, but none of them stepped forward. Duncan saw the others standing still and threw his hands up into the air, appalled.
"For the love of - seriously!?" He yelled. He stepped forward to stare down Shale. "I get that we're completely clueless, but that doesn't mean ya get to push us around like donkeys!" He turned to look at the rest of the engines. "Where's ya sence of pride! Or did the Fat Controller beat it out of you lot?"
At the sound of his old Controller, Edward started rubbing his temples again. Skarloey was imminently at his side, one arm around his shoulder and the other holding his hand. After a beat, the elder engine looked up and glared at the younger.
"I don't know where this is coming from Duncan, but it is unacceptable. Apologize to Shale this instant." He said calmly, though it was clear he was trying to restrain himself from yelling.
"Alright, both you old kettles calm down." Shale said, stepping between them. "I'm not mad, and I don't want an apology."
She turned to point at Duncan. "I like you. Standing up for yourself, that's good. Your all gonna need to learn that if you want survive. Don't take other people's crap lying down. If you think something's wrong, then say it."
Said engine looked surprised, but then placed a hand on his hip and smiled coyly. "Ha, see that. She said you lot need to learn from me."
"Now if only you would learn to shut up for once." Falcon mumbled, though it was loud enough for Duncan to hear.
"What did you say!" He was about to stomp towards him when Shale stepped in again.
"And you Mr. Cynic Mc Sass. Tone it down a little. Quit being so negative, or I'll give you something worth complaining about. Life ain't fair, get over it."
Falcon was going to retort again but another hard glare from Skarloey stopped him. "Fine, but I still don't like you."
"Falcon!"
"Simmer down, Scar." She waved away. "I'm not here to win anyone's praises. Anyways, " Shale looked over to Peter. " you said something about a gift shop?"
"Oh, oh!" Peter lit up at this. "But it's a bit of a walk. Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"Got it , mind if you could show me where it is?" Shale asked
"Okay." He nodded, his mouth opened again, but then he shut it again quickly.
"C'mon, Greenie, spit it out. I know you've got somethin' else to say." Shale said
"W...well, um. I'm just not sure that... your still...um."
Shale sighed "Peter, please, just say it."
The engine took a deep breath. "I'm sorry but I don't think you'd be safe exploring because you're still damaged!" He ducked his head and started shuffling his feet.
Shale rolled her eyes at this. "See, was that so hard - and besides, it's a valid concern - but I'll be fine, I've got you guys as my tour guides."
Peter looked up. He saw Shale stretching out her arm in the direction they came from. "Well, are we going or what?"
They started walking again. Though Edward began to flank beside Shale while they walked. She noticed, but didn't mind. Somewhere down the line, she felt someone tap her shoulder.
She tuned and saw Duncan behind her. "What's it with you callin' Scarloey 'Scar'? Makes 'im sound like a tough guy. And callin' Peter 'Greenie', though that kinda makes sense."
"Well if you guys decide to go out in public again then your gonna need some kind of code name to try and throw of whoever might be hunting you." She explained.
"Alright, but I get to choose mine." Duncan said. But then he added. "Though I think 'Skunk Tail' would've been more fittin' for Peter."
"Hey!"
"Oh yea, I wanted to ask you about that. What's with your hair? Y'know, that random white streak." Shale pointed.
"This?" Peter picked up a part of his hair and almost went cross-eyes trying to look at it. "You mean this isn't normal? I though humans had white hair to."
"That's only if your a few decades old. But none of your friends have white hair either."
"Perhaps it was from your funnel?" Renneas guessed
Falcons eyes widened at this and he glanced at Peter with a cheeky expression. Peter saw this and knew what was coming.
"No, Falcon don't you dare."
"Peter Sam said again and again, his new funnel will put us to shame. Went through a tunnel and lost his old funnel. Now his famous new funnel's a drain!" Falcon sang. Not even halfway through, the others started laughing and Peter Sam blushed.
As for Shale, she was just left confused. Skarloey took notice of this and stopped laughing for a moment to compose himself again.
"Ahem, I apologize if you feel left out. It's just a joke we used to share on our old line about Peter Sams old funnel." He said.
"I though we got over that." Peter mumbled.
"Yea. But it's still kinda funny, Skunk Tail." Falcon said.
"And what about you, Steamroller?" Renneas added.
Falcon shut up after that.
"But I don't want that to be my code name." Peter said. "Can I choose another one?"
"Sure, nobody here stoppin' you." said Shale.
"Alright." Peter took a moment to think. "I'll tell you when I have an idea."
The group kept walking, trading stories about their old railway. They made sure to keep it light since Edward would start getting headaches at the mention of certain names or places. Peter Sam and Falcon spoke mostly of Duke, or as they knew him, 'Grandpuff'.
Eventually when they made it to the small gift shop, Shale told them to wait outside while she explored the interior. This left the others outside to continue recalling old memories.
"He really was splendid!" Peter Sam said. "Remember when he saved you, Falcon? From the cliff while you were learning the line."
"Yea, but what about the time he tricked the passengers into thinking you had broken down and he had to push you back all on his own." Falcon countered.
They all laughed quietly as the two went back and forth with their stories.
"I don't remember seeing Duke around your railway. Was he still there?" Edward asked
Both Peter and Falcon were saddened at the question. Skarloey stepped in.
"No, Edward. Speaking of, what did happen to Duke?" He asked
"We're not sure." said Falcon "I don't think he came with us - don't bother asking why - but we haven't heard of him since."
"I just hope they haven't found him yet." Peter Sam whispered.
Renneas sat down beside them on the platform and smiled kindly "Well, I'm sure he'd be proud to see how far you two have come."
Also, I tried to find a good mix between show cannon and the Engines comic so sorry in advance for any continuity errors. Comes with writing Fanfuction for a show with at least 20+ Seasons. 😂
