They reminded me of Crane.

I sat at the dinner table with the two birds who had requested Vim’s aid, though we had long finished dinner. They were both calmly drinking the leftover after meal tea, and it seemed most of our conversations had come to an end.

They were a quiet, simple people. They lived in a modest two-story house, not far from the river the smaller village they belonged to was situated upon. They didn’t have any obvious non-human traits, such as feathers or anything, but they had that presence of… oldness, that our more older members got sometimes. I’d been sitting here with them for almost half an hour now, and not a word had been said between us… though not because they were being outright rude. They simply were at peace, with themselves and the world.

When Vim and I had arrived earlier, we had found them cooking lunch. I had been a little excited to meet new members, particularly ones that had sent a request to Vim during this time of drama, so I had been a little… bubbly when I first got here, as Vim would say. I had asked questions, been my typical self, only for me to realize that they were just… quiet people. They had not been talking when we had arrived, had only said a few words to Vim; telling him of their request and if he’d also check on their roof while he was here, then after introducing themselves to me had gone quiet again.

These birds were not the chatty type.

They answered my questions, when I asked them, but I had yet to get asked a single thing myself. Not just about me, either. They’ve not asked about the Society, Vim, any of the other members… not even about the weather!

I knew better than to actually feel offended, but it made me feel a little awkward all the same. Some people just… weren’t the types to really engage in conversation. Hopefully at least they didn’t feel uncomfortable because of me, or something…

Shifting a little, I glanced over to the corner of the room. A small dog was sleeping on a wooden bed with a fluffy cushion upon it. The thing had woken up to greet Vim and I when we arrived, but had lain back down and went back to sleep not long after. Even during our meal it hadn’t woken up, which was unusual for a dog. Didn’t they usual beg? It looked old, it had a lot of gray and white in its fur, so maybe it was simply at that age.

“He’s nearing his end,” Gary said softly.

Perking up a little, I nodded gently. “It doesn’t take long for them to do so, does it,” I said softly.

Gary’s wife glanced at the dog and nodded too. “No, it doesn’t,” she whispered.

“He wandered in years ago, soaking wet. We think he had either been dumped in the river, or fallen in, as a pup. Nearly died then, so he’s gotten far more life than he would have otherwise,” Gary said as he moved his cup of tea a little, moving it a few inches from where it had been sitting before, as if to distract himself.

Planci nodded. “A very long, lovely life,” she added.

I smiled at the two. They looked hurt, sad, that their pet was dying… yet at the same time looked proud. As if glad to know their simple kindness had given the creature a happy life.

I knew that feeling. Animals didn’t like me much, at least they hadn’t before my lack of smell, but I had still raised a few myself over my life. My hawk had been the one I had wept the hardest over, but that might have been thanks to the fact I had to put it down myself.

About to say something, to tell them of the hawk I had raised, a loud knock drew my attention. I glanced up, twitching my ears as to better focus… as I heard Vim begin to hammer on the roof above us.

We were on the first floor, so he was actually on the roof above me and the second floor, but he was being loud all of a sudden.

“Seems he’s getting busy,” I said gently, using him as an excuse to talk.

“There are quite a few leaks, yes,” Gary said simply.

My toes twitched as I tried to not be bothered by his tone. He had almost said such a thing in a way as if it was Vim’s fault, or something.

“Does the river flood? When it rains a lot?” I asked carefully.

“Occasionally,” Planci answered as she took a drink.

Gosh…!

I was almost half tempted to excuse myself and go help Vim. A part of me wished they’d just start to act bothered by my presence, just so I could do so without feeling bad about it.

Yet they obviously weren’t. Neither of them seemed bothered by me at all. They were just…

Picking up my cup, I took a small sip of its contents. The tea was good, at least. Even if growing cold.

Maybe it was me. Maybe I’d grown so used to people who were noisy and talkative, and thus became one myself. Maybe I needed to slow down a little, not that they needed to become more active.

I mean really, Renn! You used to go years and years without saying a single word to someone! Though, I suppose I did talk to myself a lot… and the trees and birds and stuff…

It was weird to realize that I was likely someone who really desired, and maybe even needed, friendship and community. Didn’t people always say cats were loners? And Vim had even said that I, a jaguar, was a great hunter who did so alone. He had even told me that they didn’t really partner and pair. He had teased me once that jaguar’s separated after doing the deed, as if to justify his lack of effort on his part. Although he had been teasing about it, I knew Vim’s teasing came from a semblance of truth. Just like he had once feared taking that next step with me would diminish his love, so too was it true that this so called jaguar cat was a solitary creature.

Which meant this deep rooted desire to mingle and talk was not something from my bloodline. Maybe instead of thinking I should be used to being quiet and alone, thanks to my long years before the Society, I should instead think it is precisely because of those solitary years that I now desired the opposite.

Yes. Surely.

As I pondered my own personality, and all its flaws, I took one of the last few drinks from my cup… and once again noticed it was cold.

“Hm…” Gary stood, reaching over to grab the bronze teapot we’d been pouring from. He wordlessly took it with him to the other room nearby, the kitchen.

Oh…? I wonder if my thoughts had been visible on my face?

Smiling softly, I decided to just… let it be. They weren’t upset with me, or bothered by me. They were just quiet, simple people. I needed to accept that sometimes those we visited would be like this.

Not everyone wanted to be involved in the great workings of the world, or hear stories of it. Some people were just… happy and content to live their lives.

I was too, in my own way, so I knew the feeling.

“So… you two want to build a new dock?” I asked as I heard Gary messing around in the kitchen.

Planci nodded. “Hopefully they’ll allow us to,” she said.

“Would they actually tell you not to?” I asked. Sure this river had a village upon it, but the river was of decent size. A small dock would not bother it at all, in my opinion. Up north many rivers had such things everywhere, sometimes even out in the middle of nowhere. There were even entire villages built not just around rivers, but upon them! Vim and I had passed through such a town a long time ago, which had been having a festival. They had floated little boats made of paper and wood, with candles upon them, down the river. The center of that village had been built on top of the very river itself, on bridges and docks.

“It is possible. Thus our request for Vim, he’s a good negotiator,” Planci said.

I nodded slowly. He was, sometimes.

“Who um… who do you negotiate with?” I asked as Vim banged on the roof again for a moment.

“This time it will be the local noble’s son. He’s to inherit his father’s position, so he’s been taking on more duties lately. A good lad, if young around the ears,” Planci said as she went to drink down the rest of her tea. Likely because she knew here in a moment her husband would be returning with a fresh pot.

I too went to do the same, quickly drinking the rest of the tea as I wondered what it would be like to live in such a town as this.

They had to ask the ruler of this town, the noble family that owned it I guess, for permission to build a dock…? And needed Vim to negotiate it?

Would we have to do the same up north with the orphanages? Was that why Vim had gathered up those boxes of coins? Would we have to pay such fortunes just to build a building?

If so how did people ever build anything…? Take a business for example, if it cost such money to even have the right to build the building, how did one start such a shop without the funds? Maybe that was why so many people desired to have such things, such as their own shops, yet didn’t do so. They couldn’t pay the fees.

Or maybe each town was different. Different towns had different taxes and such, after all…

“Do you plan on getting a boat or something?” I asked as Gary entered the room, carrying a now pot of hot tea.

“Our neighbors, those who live away from the river, wish to fish the river for food. Times are hard for them. But the river’s bank is not one easy to fish, since it’s so sleek and muddy,” Gary said as he filled up his wife’s cup first, and then offered me some more fresh tea too.

I accepted, and smiled gently at them. “Thank you,” I said as I studied the new tea.

Knew it. They weren’t bad people, I just felt awkward with them since they were so… distant, and quiet.

“That’s kind of you,” I added.

The two didn’t acknowledge my statement as Gary poured a new cup of tea for himself. And a new cup it was. It wasn’t the same cup he had been drinking from earlier.

I frowned at that, since I wasn’t sure why he’d done such a thing, but I didn’t comment on it as he went to sit back down at the table across from me.

“Anything other than the roof, then…? Vim sometimes doesn’t ask enough, so people forget to tell him before he runs off,” I asked as I sipped the new tea.

It was new and not just because it was a fresh batch. This tea had a different taste. A starker one. I liked it. Though I could still taste the lingering remnants of the previous tea, so it felt a little muddled.

Maybe that was why he had changed cups, so the previous tea’s flavor couldn’t taint this one?

“Not at the moment,” was all Gary said.

I nodded gently, and felt the uncomfortable silence arrive once more.

For a few long minutes we sat in silence again, nurturing our drinks… as Vim continued to bang and make loud noises up above.

He was making so much noise it sounded as if he was replacing the whole roof…! I wonder just how bad the leaks had been for him to need such repairs?

Studying the two birds, I wondered why they like so many seemed to not be able to fix their own little problems. It didn’t bother me that they asked Vim for help in such ways of course, not at all, but… I mean…

A roof? A leaky roof? Even I could patch such a thing. I’ve done it before many times. The hut Nory and I had lived in, had needed such repairs often, though to be honest I had never done a very good job… half the time when I did so, it wasn’t me fixing a leak but rather a previous fix that had not lasted the wear and tear because I wasn’t very good at it.

Though maybe they had simply asked Vim since they knew he’d be here anyway, having requested him for the negotiations with this village’s lord. Two birds with one stone kind of thing…

Actually a lot of our members asked him to handle things that weren’t very important. Some were like Kaley, who he helped without her requesting it since she never had anything to ask of him and he felt bad for her… while others were like these two birds here. It did make it feel like Vim was more carpenter and builder than protector, honestly.

Though as Vim would say, this was better than the alternative. He preferred them to ask such favors instead of actually needing him because their lives were in danger.

While I slowly nursed my tea, time passed. Minutes of silence turned into an hour. Then another.

Occasionally I tried to ask a question, or make small talk, but each time I gave up. They answered questions, and were not rude about it, but being the only one to engage at all felt… lonely, somehow.

Then, when night finally came and the married couple went to prepare for dinner… I heard Vim enter the house.

I perked up a little, relieved for an odd reason I couldn’t explain properly, as he stepped into the room and glanced at me.

He studied me for a moment, and I noticed he didn’t look very dirty or grimy, which was odd. He’d been working all day, and although he didn’t sweat like a normal person he usually got filthy all the time… I complained often about how he didn’t take care of his clothes, yet it looked like he’d not just worked around the house for a moment. Maybe the roof had been clean? It did seem to rain a lot in this region.

“Oh my, done already? Will you be joining us for dinner then, Vim?” Planci noticed Vim, and I was a little surprised to not just hear a question from her… but see a smile too.

“Your roof should now last you a few decades more. And I’ve prepared the area by the river for your dock. I plan to go shortly into the nearby forest to find suitable trees… So…” Vim then looked at me, and gestured lightly at me. “I came to see if my wife would be willing to help me. You don’t mind if I steal her from you, do you?” he asked.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“To think you’d be the kind of husband to steal your wife, Vim. Really now. Go ahead, I’ll make sure to put away her meal for her later,” Planci said as she nodded and turned away, without even glancing at me. As if she either knew I’d never deny Vim’s request for help… though I knew in truth it was likely because she didn’t care at all if I did or not.

Slowly standing, I nodded gently at Vim who turned and stepped out of the room, heading back outside. I followed him, though making sure to grab my hat at least. I didn’t grab any of my other outer-wear, even though it was cold. It wasn’t raining, and if Vim really did need help with something I didn’t want my heavier attire to get in the way.

Grabbing Vim’s spear, which I had leaned against the coat rack where my outerwear was all situated, I nodded and went to follow him.

Leaving the house, I found the sky still had a faint tint of blue to it. The sun was setting, and it’d be long dark by the time Vim and I got to the nearby forest, but it was still bright enough that I was glad I had grabbed my hat. This was a small village, but I’d seen people coming and going. Most of them worked the river, or around it, so I knew better than to think I’d be safe with my ears out around here.

“This way Renn,” Vim said gently as he led me towards the river nearby.

I followed, and noticed the ladder and tools he had been using earlier were gone now. Most likely put back into the shed behind the house.

“Was the roof bad? You were banging a lot,” I asked.

“The holes were rotted. They’re lucky they put leather over the holes else I’d be replacing far more than just the roof,” Vim said.

I smiled at that, and the way he had spoken.

He sounded tired, but not annoyed. I liked that about him, even if it upset me sometimes over his lack of getting frustrated with people.

I really liked how he was so… gentle with everyone. Even though he could be everything but.

“They’re a quiet people,” I said softly.

“They are, but they’re even quieter today,” Vim said as the sound of the river became louder.

“Really…?” I asked. Was I the real reason then…? And here I had been trying to convince myself this whole day that it hadn’t been me!

“It’s not you, Renn. This time… it’s actually me,” Vim said.

Frowning at that, Vim and I came to a stop a little before the riverbank. He pointed at a section of freshly cut grass and foliage. “You’re going to build the dock there?” I asked.

“That’s my plan. They want a elongated one, that will let dozens of people fish off and multiple boats dock at, so I’ll make two sections, so that people can dock boats right up against the bank too, in-between them,” he explained.

I hummed at that as I envisioned it in my mind. Oddly I had expected something different. Vim was going to make… an actual dock. A large one, it seemed. Many long feet of grass riverbank had already been cleared and prepared. There was even a tree that he had trimmed down, though had not cut down completely. It was likely what he meant by two separate docks, since the tree was close enough to the river itself that it would have gotten in the way. He likely planned to use that as the section that would open up, to separate them.

But… why? Vim could remove that tree rather easily. He had the strength to do so with his bare hands. And I knew better than to think he wasn’t doing it just because he was being lazy or something. Vim was many things, but lazy was really not one of them.

Pointing at the tree, I felt my tail twitch beneath my clothes. “Why not remove the tree completely?” I asked.

“It and its roots are what will hold the foundation of the riverbank together. Removing it would work for a bit, but over years the roots will then wither and decay. Then so too would the bank,” he explained.

I nodded, finding that to make perfect sense.

Another point I liked about him. He thought not of the today and now but the future. The long future, even.

Even I found that difficult to do… I wonder how he did it so easily?

Though to be honest I feel like part of the reason I’ve been so focused on the today and now, is because of how much fun I’ve been having. It was hard to think of years in the future, let alone decades, when every day was such a wondrous new journey for me.

“So… what’d you mean by it’s your fault?” I asked, going back to topic.

“Their letter of request also included their vote. It was not in my favor,” he said simply as he studied the river, as if judging if his choice of placement for the bridge was correct.

I gulped as I closed my eyes and understood now the odd atmosphere.

“They’re ashamed,” I whispered.

“No. Not really. Just unsure of what to say or do,” Vim said.

Taking a deep breath, I felt my chest and neck get a little hot. “Yet they have the nerve to ask you for help? To fix a roof and build a bridge?” I asked.

Vim chuckled at me. “Please Renn. Don’t be petty.”

“It’s not being petty! I wasn’t saying you can’t, or shouldn’t, nor that they should either… but really!” I turned, to glare at the house.

Vim was quiet for a moment as I stared at the first floor windows. They had drapes over them, but the light from within made them glow a little. You couldn’t make out shadows, but you could see there was movement. And not just from the dancing shadows of lamps and candles.

“You should have told me before we got here,” I said. It would have saved me the many hours of trying to be their friend.

“There’s no reason to get worked up over it Renn. Their vote was not to banish me, just to voice in favor for a change in my agreements. Basically they want the Society as a whole to restructure, with me being the focal point of it. Out of the many votes against me I’ve read so far theirs has been rather agreeable. I wasn’t offended,” Vim said as he gestured and turned, telling me to join him in walking again.

Hurrying to keep up with him, I walked on the side of him that put him between me and the river. Not because I feared it, or falling in or something, but rather the opposite. I was interested in it, and right now I wanted to focus on him. Not the river.

“I’m not getting worked up!” I complained… but then begrudgingly admitted, “Not very much, at least.”

He chuckled at me as we headed along the river, following it downstream. Not far in the distance, past a few other farmstead looking houses and ranches, was a large patch of trees. The beginnings of a dense forest that ran up and into the mountain range in the distance. The same mountain range Lellip’s home was located in, and Lumen beyond.

For a few moments I simmered in my emotions, but eventually decided it wasn’t worth getting too angry over. Vim was right. There was a reason he was calm and collected, and not bothered by their obvious audacity.

Vim believed everyone had a right to their own beliefs and choices. Even if they were stupid ones. And lately it sure did seem like most of our members were stupid.

He had once said a part of him hated, or at least was disgusted, by our members. Because of how they are, and how they act. I had not thought it was as bad as this, but it was starting to become obvious that it was. These birds weren’t the first to act so, and wouldn’t be the last.

Vim’s choice of stepping down, to avoid further conflict… even if the drama concerning the vote and Light and her people ended up fizzling out and not being very important, was becoming more and more the most likely result of this. And not just because it was what they wanted too.

Even if there was a point in protecting people who didn’t want said protection… he wouldn’t force his will on them now as is, how could he do such a thing in future when they outright deny him the right to even check up on them? Like Sheilla?

Vim had told me to find a solution. To fix it. But I now was starting to believe that he had only done so out of compassion. To give me the opportunity… and also to keep the door open in the off chance I succeeded.

But lately…

Shaking my head, I groaned as I realized I had been about to admit it, and I didn’t want to do that.

I didn’t want to agree with him, even though they kept proving him right.

“Vim I’m getting upset… can I change topics before I actually start to cry or something?” I asked.

“Hm? Of course you can,” he turned a little to look at me, looking suddenly worried. For me.

I liked that look, even if it bothered me to know I likely looked like a mess right now for him to have it on his face.

Tapping the spear against the soft grass beneath us, I gestured at it. “This was made by your mother, right?” I asked.

“Was wondering how long it was going to take you to ask about it,” he said gently.

“I was trying to be considerate, but now I really need something very interesting to distract my heart or else it’ll break. So here it is,” I said as I gripped the spear tighter.

He smiled at me and nodded. “Yes. My mother made it. Remember how I told you I only have a few things left from them? That’s one of them. The funny thing is I’ve lost that thing several times. I found it during the wars, in a soldier’s hands. Imagine my shock. I took it from her and put it in Celine’s tomb since no one knows where it is, and it’s somewhere I visited often,” Vim explained.

Absorbing all the information, I smiled gently at him. He was being so open! I wonder if he was doing so out of concern for my well-being, or if he genuinely wanted to talk about it?

“Other’s mentioned that no one else knows where Celine’s buried… like Meriah asking for her tomb’s location. Why is that? I thought she was special?” I asked.

“She is. Was. That’s why her body is kept guarded. There are many who believe a saint’s body, even the long decrepit corpse of one, hold power or can grant it,” he said.

“Then… why keep it secret from our people? I mean most don’t even know about those underground tombs in the first place,” I said. I had shocked Angie with them when I took her down there, to wait for Vim.

“Because they’re some of the ones she had worried about. She was an odd woman; she hadn’t wanted anyone to defile her corpse. I don’t blame her, I guess, though I wouldn’t be bothered if my corpse was used after I was gone. Not like I’d need it anymore,” Vim said.

I walked quietly for a moment as I studied the man I called husband, and noticed the faint smile on his face.

He was remembering her.

My heart hurt for a different reason all of a sudden, and I gripped the spear tighter once more. Gosh, Renn! Don’t be jealous!

Especially since I knew I did the same when I thought of Nory or the kids… or Witch!

“Quite the hypocrite considering how many corpses she had defiled. But anyway… the only other person who knows where it is Nebl. He helped me build it,” Vim said.

“Nebl…? Really? Not Randle, or Hands, or anyone else?” I asked.

“Why does Nebl surprise you?” he asked.

I shrugged lightly. “I’m not sure. He’s your friend, so it makes sense… and you can trust him, and he’s good at building stuff, I just… found it odd for some reason,” I admitted.

“Hm…”

We had to step a bit away from the river, since a large patch of thorny bushes had appeared on its bank. They were half my height, and didn’t even look like they had berries or anything on them to justify their existence.

“Why did your mother make you a spear, Vim…?” I asked carefully since he had gone a little quiet.

Vim for a moment didn’t answer, but before I could panic and think of another question to pose he glanced at me… or rather the spear I held.

“Because I had needed it, Renn. The world I had been born into had not been a good one. Look at the world today… all its troubles and dangers… and I feel like it’s far more tame and safe than it’s been in a long time, to be honest. Compared to the one I had been into, it’s a daycare honestly,” he said.

“Daycare…?” I asked. What a weird word.

He chuckled at me. “A place for little kids to play during the day. Imagine a place for people to drop their kids off, kind of like a school, where you know they’ll be watched over and kept safe… while also entertaining them and stuff. Basically a place meticulously prepared to be so safe even a young child could be left unattended and you wouldn’t have to worry about them,” he explained.

I laughed at that. “So like the orphanages! Hm… I suppose to you this world would be seen in such a way, what with you being basically immortal,” I said.

Vim frowned at that, then after a moment he nodded. “Yes. I suppose you could say that.”

Right…

Honestly I’d never thought of it. What the world looked like through his eyes. I’ve thought of how he loved the world, or the world loved him. I’ve imagined being him, traveling around and helping people and such… but I’ve never considered to look at the world through his perspective in such a way.

“You probably don’t really fear anything, do you?” I asked softly as I realized it.

“Please, Renn. I fear more things than you can imagine.”

I’m sure he did… but he likely meant things more… deeper than how I would perceive them.

Like losing me, or losing the Society. He likely feared things he couldn’t control no matter what he did or how strong he was. Stuff that would break anyone, not just him.

Me though…? I worried over humans seeing my ears and tail. I worried that I’d wake up one day and find myself back in that pit, young and at home again… finding that this had all been some crazy dream. Or even simple things like drowning, or falling into a well, or losing the precious things I’ve collected over the years… just to name a few.

Vim sighed softly at me. “I was born when the world was a different place. It was a world of gods. Where magic permeated the air, fantasy was reality, and there were rules I couldn’t comprehend… and they were getting broken constantly,” Vim said as he slowed.

Slowing alongside him, I grabbed the spear with my other hand too, just in case I needed something to support me… as I stared apprehensively at him.

He was staring at the nearby river, but I could tell he was lost in his thoughts. Likely thinking of his youth. Of this world of gods and magic.

“It lasted a long time, but to me it was a blink of an eye. Then the wars came. Chaos. It was a world of death and destruction. If a god wasn’t wreaking havoc, their creations were. If not divine then natural. The world had been… distorted. Wronged. Tainted. That too had lasted a long time, though it had not passed quickly in my perspective,” Vim continued.

My breathing grew quicker, and I tried to not move. To not even flinch. I didn’t allow even a single twitch of an ear or tail, as I waited for him to continue.

“That spear… amongst other things my parents had prepared for me, was how I had survived. It took tools like that to survive back then. Or at least, survive in the way I had done,” he said as he pointed at it.

Glancing at the spear, and the red cloth dangling not far above me, I wondered if that meant I was holding something… well…

Those in the church would call it a holy relic.

Others, like the pagans I knew, would consider it a magical artifact.

But was it really…? It was obviously a special kind of metal, since it was so light and sharp, but what if that was all it was?

Before I could ask anything, Vim continued as he sighed and shrugged. “Then the gods fell. Their creations took over. Some ruled, like kings, others hid away. Most continued on the warpath their creators sent them on, slaughtering and destroying everything and anything. I spent a long time hunting them, and as I did I watched the civilizations come and go. Mostly because of the destruction, though. Not so much time alone. There had been humans then, but they had been fewer. Imagine the numbers reversed, with the humans being the ones needing to hide themselves. It had been like that for a long time,” Vim said.

Oh…? Must be the time my elders spoke of. When my ancestors had hunted humans, if not for sport then by order of the god who made us.

“Eventually non-humans started to wage war. Amongst themselves, with and or for monarchs, or against the humans. I tried not to get too involved in those, unless it was too one sided. For instance I stepped in a few times when non-humans had been needlessly cruel. Then, before I even realized how or why… I blinked and,” Vim gestured around us, though I didn’t look away from him. I knew what he was implying.

“The humans took over,” I said softly.

He nodded. “In the blink of an eye. At first though it hadn’t been completely. Back then there had been just as many of you as them. Somewhere along the way… that just all went wrong. I think it’s a combination of many things, but in reality it’s destiny,” he said.

“Destiny…? You’re talking about the fact we all end up giving birth to humans eventually,” I said. He’s mentioned such things before.

Vim frowned as he glanced at me and nodded. “Isn’t it amusing? So many try to remain pure, but it seems to be the inevitable end. The goal. The result that was intended from the beginning,” he said gently.

“Is… is that why you’re giving up so readily…? Because you’ve expected this? That we, our kind, was going to… just disappear anyway one day?” I asked. If so that made a lot of sense.

Vim nodded softly at me. “Yes, Renn. I mean… I’m not saying non-humans will cease to exist completely. But one day, maybe even not long from now, it might get to the point where only a few dozen bloodlines remain. And even then they will be muddled… like your little fox friend, or our owls… or them,” Vim said as he gestured behind us, to the house of our members nearby.

Taking a small breath, I nodded. I knew where he was coming from. Understood it. After all… it was obvious. Even I had to admit it, and could see it clearly too.

Even the places like the Summit were becoming… pretty much human entirely. Most of the people there had no non-human traits at all.

Really even I was proof of it. My siblings, my parents and grandparents, had far more traits than I. They had pads on their hands and feet. They had fur all over. They had sharper, pointier teeth and nails and so on and so forth.

“I… hear where you’re coming from, Vim… but I don’t like the idea of giving up. Even if inevitable. Even if it is destiny, as you say. I… love them,” I said softly.

Even those birds. The ones I had just been furious over, for having insulted Vim so blatantly.

They were our people. Members of our Society. People who even though disagreed with us… still invited me into their home. Offered me meal and drink. Even now I had a meal waiting for me!

Such a thing was so precious. So important. The dozens, if not hundreds, of years I’ve lived without such a welcome was proof of that.

That deserved some form of respect and compassion. At least.

Vim softly nodded as he held my eyes. “I know, Renn. I’ll… try. I promise.”

Sniffing softly, I nodded back. “Please do Vim. If not for them… for me,” I said.

Holding his gaze, I watched him become slightly blurry. “For you,” he agreed.

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