The lights above cast a gentle light across the small room, as the soft crying of a newborn was heard. The woman held the child in her arms, her face streaked with sweat and tears. Though her dark hair was unruly and her mouth was agape, her eyes were filled with an indescribable happiness.
"He's got your horns," she whispered to her husband, looking up at him. The man had the horns of a ram, and so too did their child, though much, much smaller.
"…and your stripes," he uttered, smiling as he gently brushed aside the tears flowing down the baby's face. Sure enough, along the sides of the baby's dark brown cheeks… darker stripes. Just like his mother's.
She laughed, weakly. "Ah… I suppose you're right," she muttered, holding the infant close to her chest as he steadily calmed down. "What… Wh-What do we name him?"
Her husband gripped her free hand, squeezing it gently. "What would you want his name to be?"
She blinked. A few tears fell from her eyes, rolling off her cheeks as she looked back down at her newborn son. Her child, her little boy.
Red. In him, she saw red.
And with that, her lips parted in a small smile, and she spoke…
"ARUN!"
Sienna Khan's voice shot like a shaking roar across their small home. She was standing at the front door, her arms crossed, her long, dark hair flowing down her back. Her ears, which sat atop her head and were that of a bengal tiger's, were folded down, and in her arms were two folded up cloaks.
"COMING, MOOOOOOOOM!" Came the reply, and out ran Arun, a small, 5-year old Faunus boy, from his bedroom. He ran to her and leapt up, bursting out the door and to the outside.
Sienna's eyes widened, and she rushed after him. "A-Arun! Be more careful, will you!"
"You told me to hurry up!" Arun whined, facing her with his arms behind his back. His horns had grown just a bit, and there were now stripes along his arms and legs.
Sienna crouched down in front of him and unfolded the smaller cloak, wrapping it around him. She flipped the hood over his head, and Arun groaned.
"Mom! How come we always have to wear these?" He complained, pouting. "They're kinda ugly…"
"We have to hide ourselves a bit, Arun," Sienna answered as she put on her own cloak, putting on the hood. Underneath, she wore a large orange and red saree with drape-like sleeves, and on her forehead, a small, red bindi. "And they are not ugly! Your father made them for us."
"Papa could knit?"
"Not knit, but he could… make clothing," Sienna chuckled, taking Arun's small hand in her own as they began to walk. "and making clothing was one of the few jobs either of us could hope to get."
Sienna and Arun Khan both lived in the city of Mistral ever since Arun had been born. The city was divided in connected layers, and the most they could afford was a small, but suitable-for-two house on the middle layer. The city was a bustling, lively place, with beautiful architecture and a diverse group of human people… from a stolen culture. Mistral was infamous for it's mistreatment of the Faunus people; they were treated as less than dirt. Men and women were denied jobs. Children turned away from attending school. Medical care was impossible if you weren't rich, and it was rare for a Faunus to even get rich, as to get a place in the main market on the top level, you were required to be a human seller.
And authorities whom policed the city top to bottom could care less if one was beaten to death in the streets.
Half the time, they would be the ones doing the beating.
Sienna was lucky enough to have been given all sorts of clothing and furniture from her and her husband's families before they moved to Mistral. Otherwise, they'd be in rags. Dirty, dirty rags.
But she knew the difficulty of bringing food to the table. Knew the strain of having to watch your child live without a friend his age.
And she knew what the authorities were capable of.
But throughout it all, she had to stay silent. Keep her head down and be a good Faunus, or else she and Arun would be imprisoned, beaten… worse.
Arun. She did it for Arun.
Her son's safety was what kept her going, what drove her through it all.
Because without their father, he was all she had left.
As the two walked, Arun finally broke the silence. "How come Papa hasn't come home yet?"
"Hm?"
"He's been gone foreeeeeverrr …" Arun sighed, frowning. He looked back up at Sienna, his yellow eyes wide. "I miss him!"
"I…" Sienna faltered, swallowing. He didn't know yet. "…I miss him too, Arun. But he'll… be back at some point. I'm sure he will."
"You said that last year!"
"And I'll say it every year if I have to."
Arun giggled. He looked up at her, innocent love in his smile. "I know you will, mama! And I'm sure he misses us just as much!"
She laughed, gently. But while Arun couldn't see it, there was sadness in his mother's eyes.
But just as they neared the City's elevator… Sienna stopped dead in her tracks. Arun obliviously kept on walking, until he felt his mother's stationary arm tug him back. He looked up to see that she was looking up into the sky. That bright, blue sky…
…where up above, a group of white birds flew freely.
Freely.
Freely.
"…Mama?" Arun whispered, squeezing Sienna's hand. Her face was blank, yet awe was in her eyes, and her hood had blown off, allowing her long hair to flow in the gentle breeze.
Finally, at the distant sound of a white bird's caw, she snapped out of it. "…Hm? Ah, I'm sorry… let's get going."
The two hurried onto the elevator, which they took up to the top level of Mistral. Sienna flipped her hood back on, took Arun's hand once again, and the two set off through the busy streets of the marketplace.
Vendors were set up on all ends of the path, and people were shoulder to shoulder.
"You remember what we're looking for, kiddo?" She whispered, smiling.
"Mhm! A… funny looking fruit!"
"A cantaloupe, Arun."
"That thing! Mhm!"
Thus, they set out on their hunt… together, of course. Sienna's grip on Arun's hand would surely break any other's, and she kept her face firmly forward, while her eyes did the scanning. Nothing, nothing… finally, she saw it.
"There! Over there," she muttered, pulling Arun in front of her as they slowly shuffled to the fruit vendor, where a larger, lightly-tanned woman stood working, holding a cutting knife.
But the moment she and Sienna made eye contact… her worst fears came true.
"What's a Faunus doing on this level?" She asked sharply, her eyes laced with a hidden malice. Sienna forced a smile on her face and bit back her nerves. "You're not allowed here."
"We… would like to buy some fruit from you, ma'am," she replied calmly, putting both hands on Arun's shoulders.
"Fruit? You want fruit ?" The woman began laughing. She set the knife down and faced them head on. "From the looks of you, I thought your kind only ate meat."
Sienna's eyes widened. "I… excuse you! I—"
"Listen, lady. Look around for a second." The woman's voice suddenly became serious, and she leaned over the booth. Sienna looked around herself, seeing the slight gap between her and the rest of the crowd. "I'd suggest you piss off, or you're just gonna drive off all my customers."
Sienna looked down.
"Or, I could just call the cops."
Sienna let out an audible breath and instantly spun around, grabbing Arun's hand in her left and tucking her cloak more about herself with her right. She kept her head low, and she clenched her teeth.
Arun watched his mother's expression helplessly. He wasn't old enough to truly understand all that was going on.
As they both made it to the elevator, they stepped on it silently, trying not to be seen too much by the humans that surrounded them. But then, Sienna felt a tug on her arm.
"…Hm?"
"Mom… guess what?" Arun dug under his cloak and, to Sienna's shock… pulled out a Cantaloupe. "I got the canalatope!"
"The… cantaloupe?" Sienna asked with a giggle… only to immediately know dread. "Did you steal from that lady!?"
"Mhm! She was being a real jerk to you, so…" Arun tilted his head and smirked, clearly feeling very proud. "She got what she deserved!"
"But…" Sienna sighed. A smile came to her face, and she pat him on the head. "…you know? I'm sure that woman won't care too much… it's just one "canalotope", after all."
When the two arrived back at their house, Sienna changed into something more suitable for cooking, while Arun sat at their dinner table. Technically this was their "linner", as they'd be gone a majority of the night.
"What're we making again, mom?" Arun asked.
"It's a dish my mother used to make," Sienna reminisced, taking out the last bowl from the pantry. Practically every bit of silverware and such they owned was passed down from her family when they moved. You could tell what they'd been given and what they'd bought; one was considerably fancier, often ordinated with gold or rubies. "I'm sure it won't be as good as when your grandmother would make it, but you and I will certainly give it a try!"
Arun got up and walked into the kitchen area. He tried to peak over to see what Sienna was doing, but found himself too short.
His mother looked down at him, and with a small "oh," quickly grabbed a stool for him to stand up on.
Laid out for them was the cantaloupe, a small pouch of spices, a small bowl of lettuce leaves, various nuts in a tiny container, and…
"Soup!?" Arun fretted, looking at the pre-made, boiling soup with utter dismay. "Mom…! This looks really gross…"
"Arun Khan! Don't judge it before we've even made it!" Sienna huffed, glaring at him angrily. With a sigh, she turned back to the counter, picking up a cutting knife. "…Alright. Grab a smaller knife, you're going to help me."
Arun picked up the meat cutter and lifted it up. "This?"
"Arun! P-Put that down!" Sienna grabbed his hand and gently placed the meat cutter back where it belonged. Then, she grabbed a small knife from the drawer and handed it to Arun. "This! This is what I meant. You will use… this knife."
"It looks so pitiful…"
"Just follow my lead, okay?" Sienna whispered, clearly growing a bit exasperated. She turned back to the cantaloupe and, swiftly, she sliced it in half. Both sides came apart with a quiet squelch, and the soft inside shined in the sunlight peaking through their window.
She pushed one of the halves to Arun, and held the other in place. "Alright. Watch me first," Sienna took a deep breath and, carefully, began to cut from the very end of the cantaloupe, slowly going across and cutting apart small, thin strips. Arun watched amazedly, more focused on "Wow! My mom's cutting that fruit, so cool…!" than "Wow! My mom's teaching me how to be safe… so cool…!"
Sienna looked down at her son and smiled. "Now you try, just like how I did."
"Okay!" Arun nodded, and he quickly began cutting the cantaloupe. Surprisingly, he was doing just fi
"Arun!" Sienna gasped as the knife slipped from Arun's small hand. She took the knife and held it up to him. "Do you see how I'm holding it?"
"Mhm."
"How my fingers are?"
"Yeah."
"Copy that." She gave him back the knife and, to his best ability, held the knife the correct way. Then, he resumed cutting; less quickly now, but more accurately.
"There you go. Good job!" Sienna cheered, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "That was the hardest part of the meal, I believe. Now, we carefully dump the strips into the soup…"
"Are you sure grandma made this for us?"
"I ate this while I was pregnant with you. That help?"
"EW!"
Sienna and Arun both laughed at that as they slid each strip of cantaloupe into the soup. Next, the leaves.
As they cut up the leaves, Arun asked a question, "Hey, momma… I think I forgot to ask. What's the thing we're going to tonight again?"
"Huh? Oh!" Sienna caught herself off guard, and she laughed at her own surprise. Clearing her throat, she continued, "…The Api Besar Festival. Your father and I used to go to them every year, but… since he's been gone, I haven't been able to go. But I figured," she gave Arun a giddy look, "I'd let my kiddo see the sights."
Arun giggled. "Is there gonna be a big feast there?!"
"Oh, yes! But a lot of it is stuff I don't know if you'll eat… which is another reason why we're eating an early dinner. I know how picky you are, Arun."
"Yeah…" Arun frowned. "Too bad dad couldn't be back to go with us… I-I wish he could come."
Sienna sighed. She tried to return her smile, but it faltered, and she simply looked down. "I'm sure your father wishes he could, too."
Once the meal was done, Sienna sat it out on the table. She poured it into two smaller bowls, one for her and one for him. Then, they sat on the floor.
"But first," Sienna began, holding up a hand to stop Arun from digging in, "as it is tradition with the night of Api Besar, we must pray before our meal."
"Pray? How come?"
"Ah… Tradition? I don't know," Sienna chided, bowing her head and clasping her hands together, closing her eyes. Softly, she whispered…
"Upon this night of firelight,
Let it's embers purge the night
Like burning birds lost in flight
Which keep our souls forever bright."
"It rhymes!" Arun whispered.
"Now you repeat it."
"Okay…" Arun cleared his throat. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together. "Upon this… night, of firelight…
Let it's embers purge the night…
Like burning birds, lost… I-In flight…
which keep our souls forever… bright…"
Suddenly, she heard whimpering. Sienna opened her eyes and looked around, but she didn't see anything until she looked down to see…
"Arun! Wh—Why are you crying…?" She gasped, scooting over to her weeping son, who was still hunched over in that praying position.
"I-I'm sorry, mommy…" he cried, wiping his eyes with his hands. "I… I miss papa…!"
Sienna's heart broke. "I know you do, sweetpea, I-I know…" She lifted him up and held him in her lap, hugging him against her. Arun cried into her shoulder.
"And I'm worried…" Arun's voice broke, and he choked on a sob. "…w-would you leave me, too?"
"Oh, Arun! Of course not," Sienna exclaimed, looking him in the eyes. "I… I would never leave you. You're my son, and I… cherish you far more than anything else."
"D-Do you promise that?"
"I do."
Arun meekly looked down at his own lap. "…You sure!"
"I do!"
"Then… me too!" Arun yelped, hugging Sienna back tightly. He let go with a small sniffle and turned back to his food.
With a deep breath, he took a bite of the soup, closed his eyes, and…
In only a few minutes, all of the soup was gone. Completely scraped clean.
"I had no clue you could eat that fast," Sienna chuckled as Arun stood up, yawning.
"Do you have any more?"
"No... there'll be food at the festival, you know!"
"You said I'm picky!"
"Yes! But… I might find you something you'll like."
Arun gave a little bounce as Sienna stood up, dusting herself off.
"I'm going to get dressed, and I already have clothing laid out for you to wear…" Sienna looked out at the window. The sun was setting. "…But we'll need to leave in quick succession! Move, move, move!"
"Okay! Okay! Okaaay!" Arun cried, and they both hurried into their separate bedrooms.
But once Sienna shut her door… a hitched breath escaped her lips.
Her eyes filled with sadness.
She had no clue if her husband missed their son.
If her husband missed her.
If her husband…
No. She knew.
She… just wanted to forget.
For his sake. Arun's sake.
As the two left hand in hand, the cold breeze greeted them freshly. Sienna wore another saree dress, shorter, and her hair was in a low bun. Her sleeves were rolled up on one arm to show off the stripes that adorned there, and she wore three golden necklaces that had been passed down from her grandparents.
As they walked towards the elevator yet again, she could see other Faunus, whether in families or in singular pairs, walking as well, some chatting and holding lanterns or torches.
"Woah!" Arun exclaimed, looking up at Sienna. "So many Faunus… do you think there'll be a kid like me there?"
"Perhaps," Sienna smiled, ruffling his hair lightly. "Maybe you could make some friends."
"Where is this thing?"
"It's at the very bottom level of the city," Sienna explained, taking Arun's hand again as they grew closer. "Since it's night, a lot of that area is much more quiet."
"Isn't that the level that's super dangerous?"
We are Faunus, Arun. Nowhere isn't dangerous in Mistral.
"Usually… but, like I told you, I'm sure we'll be left quite alone," Sienna told him, as they boarded the elevator with dozens of other Faunus, all with different horns, fangs, ears, tails, wings and more, "And we'll have a big group down here. We've all got each other's backs."
The Api Besar Festival is a Faunus tradition that originated from their earliest ancestors, centuries ago. It is a night of celebration, love and lights, and a celebration of all they are, and the hope of what they may one day be.
It is held in celebration of the "Great Fire," which many believe to be the assumed creation of their world, and as such, the creation of the Faunus people. While the festival is not as practiced as it was decades ago, with many laws being put in place to keep the festival from "disturbing" any human who has the unfortunate experience of… hearing the festival drums at night, or… goodness gracious… smelling that "ghastly" food, many who celebrate it do it in the hopes that, one day, the Great Fire, the Api Besar, shall be lit again, and all Faunus shall be freed from the cruelty of man.
Within the festival itself, there are three phases. After introductions, there is the Great Flame Ceremony. All in attendance sit around a campfire and wait for the breeze to blow the embers towards a certain direction, and whomever the cinders fly towards is chosen as the "Chainbreaker", and is taken off to be dressed whilst the second phase, the feast, is prepared.
After the feast, the "Chainbreaker" prepares the grand event, and…
A ding. The elevator reached it's destination; the lowest level of Mistral.
It was dark, and the streets were all but empty. All but with the sound of drumbeat, the chanting of song, and that of bright lights.
Arun tightened his grip on Sienna's hand, and she returned a comforting squeeze. They both walked off of the platform and walked along with the crowd.
"Just stay with me, alright?" Sienna whispered.
"Uh-huh!" Arun replied.
There were likely a good hundred or so Faunus in attendance. There were some beating large, festive drums, while others stood and sang in deep, harrowing voices. From a bit farther, Sienna could see a couple preparing the feast table, as well as—
"FAUNUS!"
A sharp voice rang out across the streets. Everyone fell silent.
"Those in attendance, welcome!" The voice continued, and she saw it came from a tall, broad shouldered Faunus standing near the front. "Tonight is a night of great importance, for all Faunus kind. Thousands of years ago, the Great Fire of all life was lit… of our life was lit," he raised both arms up to his sides and rose his voice high, "and though this world may have tried to stifle it's flames, may we join each other tonight, for the chance that it's core may burn again!"
Cheers rang out. Arun began cheering, even if he had no clue what was going on. Meanwhile, Sienna… stood there. Smiling happily.
"To the fire!"
"The fire!"
Everyone in attendance began to walk towards the campfire, which flickered in the darkness, waving around with the gentle, cold breeze.
Sienna and Arun sat together, cross legged.
Once everyone was sat, a single rock was tossed into the flames. It briefly combusted, and a few "oohs" came from the crowd.
At this, the fire began to move, swerving and twisting, dancing about madly, cinders and embers flying up and away to twinkle among the stars.
But slowly, slowly… the breeze was pushing these embers towards someone.
Someone very particular.
The fire blew towards Sienna Khan.
And somewhere else, screaming.
"The Chainbreaker has been chosen!" One person announced, as everyone began standing up. "The Chainbreaker has been chosen!"
Sienna's eyes widened. She… was the Chainbreaker? But…
She was pulled up from the ground by two other Faunus, who began to walk her off. She had one last good look at Arun, whose expression was a mixture of excitement and worry, before she could no longer make out his face within the crowd.
Years ago, she saw him here. The man who would be her husband.
The woman was enamored by him, as was he with her. Their first interaction was awkward, but… to the two of them, all made sense.
All was right with their world in just those moments.
While everyone else sat and ate at the feast, Sienna was taken behind a nearby tree. Her hair was taken out of its bun, and slowly, she was stripped down. They then put a black ghaghra skirt and sleeveless choli over her, before then pulling two long, black gloves up to her forearms. They then adorned her wrists, ankles and neck with golden bracelets and necklaces, and to top it all off…
A black cloth was taken, and Sienna closed her eyes as it was wrapped around them.
After a veil was placed atop her head, she felt two hands pat her on the back.
She couldn't yet tell a whole hour had passed. Now… the real event had to begin.
She was walked by the other Faunus until she could feel the heat of the fire near her legs. Sienna held her breath as she heard the sounds of Faunus sitting around her.
Embers flickered and cinders fell. The moon was high, and the stars twinkled.
Somewhere else, there were only half as usual.
But then, she felt someone place something in her hand. The chain. A long, thin chain, one easy to move around with.
And once all has gone silent… the drums began to play.
And Sienna Khan would dance.
The dance of the Chainbreaker is one many consider to be a one in a lifetime experience. As she danced, the chain she held swung about in the air, and Faunus in the surrounding crowd tossed stones into the fire. Still, Sienna Khan danced.
It was a dance that involved the most movement from the arms and the chest, with very little from the legs. A series of spinning, waving, leaping and bowing forward and back, everything so mesmerizing to the eye. Her hair flipped back and forth, side to side, whilst her hands waved in the air in circles, then straight lines, then something in between. She kicked her legs up and over and arched her back forward, then back, then leapt into the air and spun the chain twice about herself. She unraveled the chain, and the dance resumed.
But as she danced, she couldn't hear the commotion that was growing. Somehow, the Faunus had been a disturbance. Authorities had arrived.
She heard not what they argued about. She couldn't tell she needed to stop, or to stop least take off the blindfold concealing her vision. She had no idea they were armed.
But tonight was the night of her people's freedom. She was the chainbreaker.
She was meant to break the chain.
Finally, Sienna stopped. She held her head high, her legs spread at shoulder length, and towards the sky she held the chain up. Taking it with both hands she twisted, and then, just as a little Faunus boy lifted up a rock to throw into the fire, a g
The lights above cast a gentle light across the small room, as the soft crying of a newborn was heard. Sienna Khan held the child in her arms, her face streaked with sweat and tears. Though her dark hair was unruly and her mouth was agape, her eyes were filled with an indescribable happiness.
"He's got your horns," Sienna whispered to her husband, looking up at him. The man had the horns of a ram, and so too did their child, though much, much smaller.
"…and your stripes," he uttered, smiling as he gently brushed aside the tears flowing down the baby's face. Sure enough, along the sides of the baby's dark brown cheeks… darker stripes. Just like Sienna's.
Sienna laughed, weakly. "Ah… I suppose you're right," she muttered, holding the infant close to her chest as he steadily calmed down. "What… Wh-What do we name him?"
Her husband gripped her free hand, squeezing it gently.
"What would you want his name to be, Sienna?"
Sienna blinked. A few tears fell from her eyes, rolling off her cheeks as she looked back down at her newborn son. Her child, her little boy.
Red. In him, she saw red.
And with that, her lips parted in a small smile, and Sienna spoke certainly, "Arun. I… want to name him Arun."
Her husband was quiet for about five seconds, before a smile came to his face. He let out a small laugh, before giving Sienna a gentle hug.
"What a wonderful name," he whispered, kissing the child gently on the forehead. "Arun. Our sweet, sweet little boy."
There was a quiet squelch of the splatter of blood as something fell to the ground. The other Faunus in attendance began to run, screaming on their way. The policemen stepped away, and Sienna tore the blindfold from her eyes…
…which fell upon him.
Arun.
Arun, laying there.
Arun, on the ground…
…his lifeless corpse.
Her eyes widened. Her face was a blank, hollow gaze, her lips just barely parted. She dropped the chains to the floor.
"…A-Ar…un…?" she choked, staggering forward. All strength left her as Sienna collapsed to her knees, crawling the rest of the way to him. She pawed at his body until she'd brought him close enough to be scooped up into her arms, and held against her chest.
"A… ah… what… wh—what happened…?" Her voice was strangled, confused. In contrast, her eyes were as wide as the full moon above them.
As Arun laid in her lap, his blood stained her dress. The black fabric of Sienna's skirt began to grow red, and as she brought her hand back up to her face…
…blood dripped across her cheek. And fell down with her tears.
"My son… m-my sweet…" her voice broke, and her sobs came in waves, "…s-sweet boy…!"
Her greatest fears had come true.
Her own son
taken
by the very people
who took his own father,
all those years ago.
Sienna began to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks, hitting Arun's still face and rolling down his chin. Her face scrunched into itself as she shook her head back and forth.
Then, Sienna sobbed. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against his. Blood stained her hands and face, his blood.
Sienna screamed. Screamed for the world to hear. Screamed with tears flowing fast from her wide, furious eyes. Screamed with her hands gripping her son's own corpse tightly, her sharp claws inadvertently digging into his skin. Screamed for the cruel, cruel world that had made her, her son, her husband, and every Faunus to be born and ever be born's life an endless, painful and eternal hell.
The great fire would never burn again.
The chain would never be broken.
And her people would never be free.
Sienna Khan lifted her head from her son's. "Wh-who… who would do this…? To a child…?!"
She jerked her head towards the policemen standing by, her eyes wild with rage, fury lacing her voice as she roared a final cry;
"TO A LITTLE BOY!?"
She scrambled to her feet and ran at the men, who aimed their guns at her.
"I'LL KILL YOU! EVERY LAST ONE, I'LL…!"
Another bang. Another squelch, splatter of blood, and Sienna's breath hitched.
A bullet had gone straight through her upper arm. Instantly she collapsed to the ground, slamming her head against the cobble flooring. Sienna grabbed at her arm, wailing in pain as blood gushed forward, pooling along the ground.
"I'll kill… y-you… I'll kill you… I-I'll… kill you…" she cried through gritted teeth, tears and blood pouring down her face as two of the policemen grabbed her off the ground and handcuffed her. She was then slammed back down and dragged by both her arms, one still freely bleeding. "I'll kill you… I'll kill you… I'll kill you… I'll kill you…
I'LL KILL YOU…
I'LL KILL YOU…
I'LL KILL YOU!
I'LL KILL YOU!
I'LL KILL YOU!
I'LL KILL YOU!
I'LL KILL YOU…!"
Sienna Khan had no idea how long she had been on the boat. The waves of the Shallow Sea made her feel sick, and none paid attention to her.
She'd grown thin. Thinner than she already was. Bags were dark beneath her eyes, and a single, thin rope was tied around the arm she'd been shot in.
Perhaps it had been weeks since everything she ever knew was stripped from her. Months. Or maybe, just yesterday.
But after… some period of time, during a rainy storm, they arrived somewhere. But Sienna wasn't dropped off where everyone else left.
She was dumped near the shoreline, as rain poured down on the sand.
She barely had the strength to lift herself up, but she managed to lift up her head.
Who knows where she was. If she would die, if she was already dead. If she would wake up to Arun, her sweet son, shaking her awake, telling her they could make that cantaloupe soup again with father. That everything was okay.
She prayed she was dead. Deep in her mind, she prayed so earnestly she was dead.
Perhaps the only place a Faunus like her belongs is within death itself.
No.
A shadow was cast over her. It was a large, broad shouldered and muscular shadow, and from it, she saw a man offer his hand to her.
"You've been sent here."
Silence.
"…I have somewhere you can stay until this storm is over. In the morning, we can see if you wish to remain or not… I can provide you shelter, food… and medical help, if needed."
Silence.
A sigh.
"…Please, let me help you."
Sienna looked up at him. In her eyes, no light remained.
Her arm was held out in front of her, on the sand. And with the strength she'd kept all this time,
Sienna Khan clenched her fist.