Homeward Chapter 2: Tempered
A Tales of Tuomi short story
New to this story? Read Chapter 1: Forged
She woke to the clinking of glass and the now familiar mumbles of her kidnapper. She had no idea how long she had slept, but it had helped her energy immensely. It did not allow her freedom as even her new muscles were unable to budge the restraints holding her to the cart. She was flipped on her stomach this time and felt her back being prodded and examined.
“Quite the kitten now,” the madman noted with a chuckle, “I was not expecting such a large tail, but perhaps I should have…” His voice faded into his usual mutterings as she pondered his words. She waited as he administered more injections, mostly in her upper back, wondering if it was bushy like a snow leopard’s. They had been her favorite animal growing up and she loved learning everything she could about them. Her musings were interrupted as the cart began moving. Oddly, she was not taken in the direction she had grown accustomed to associating with her cell. A new enclosure greeted her, far larger than her previous one. She noticed dishes with the usual fare and dug in without hesitation.
Having finished her meal, she eagerly took in her new tail. It was indeed a bushy plume and was incredibly long. She snuggled into the silky purple fur and happily curled it around her. Controlling it took surprisingly little effort as if she had always had a tail to control. She was baffled by her new enclosure’s tall ceiling and studied the beams leading up beyond her view. Her new claws and tail did not require such accommodations and she wondered what further additions she would be given. Pain lanced her back as if in answer.
She lost count of the number of trips on the cart to the lab and back. The waves of agony had resumed, but seemed to focus more on her upper torso. Her shoulders, back, and ribs took the brunt of the abuse until just breathing was torture. Burying herself in the fur of her tail helped at first, but now the fur hung in sweat-drenched clumps. Swollen lumps repeatedly formed below her shoulder blades, but bursting them led only to temporary relief and the growing protrusions would not respond the way her tail did. Soon the protrusions thickened and were as long as her arms and had joints that folded them. They were covered only in skin which now looked odd to her. Her captor in contrast seemed incredibly pleased with them and would spend time folding and unfolding them every visit. She would practice making them do the same motions before the pain resumed and was getting better controlling the new muscles, but their use still eluded her.
She was in the middle of practice when it hit her. It had been a typical trip to the lab, but instead of the usual waves of pain, it was an itch much like when her fur sprouted. It was only her protrusions that itched mercilessly so she rubbed them each in turn. The skin had become dry and large scales had formed. Gently, she wiggled one off and gazed at the exposed section in wonder. Working excitedly, she carefully removed all the scales from one then quickly set to repeat her work with the other. Soon both of her protrusions were cleaned of scales. The itch eased, but did not stop. She paid it little mind as she looked at the revealed additions. There was no fur, but stubby little feathers in rich purple, lilac, blue, and black. Her baffling protrusions were wings which explained the extra height of her new enclosure.
Trips to the lab continued, but the injections stopped. Instead, she was instructed to flex her wings so that he could examine them. Her feathers had come in fully now which was a relief since the itch had made sleep difficult. No longer locked in a cycle of pain, she began exploring her enclosure. Her claws sank easily into the beams yet seemed to cause no lasting damage. Her wings were getting steadily stronger and could help her glide from beam to beam. She would climb until exhausted and lounge awhile before gliding back down to the floor. Meals seemed to come more frequently though she wasn’t sure if that was just her perception due to the lack of pain or not. For the first time in far too long she felt content and it worried her.
She was startled awake by the smell of smoke and her perch trembling beneath her. Frantic, she flew down to the door hoping it would open. It did, but instead of the familiar cart and doctor, four armed and armored figures hurried in and surrounded her. Weapons aimed threateningly at her, she was terrified. Instinct took over and she curled into a ball of fur and feathers.
“It’s not attacking,” she heard one comment. “The others were clearly threats, but this one seems… scared, sir.” She heard shifting and peeked through her tail. One had lowered their weapon. Hesitantly, she peered over her tail. They startled, but did not raise their weapon. She tried to speak, but disuse had made her voice scratchy. After a few attempts, she managed a single word.
“She.” The others shifted and also lowered their weapons. One chuckled beneath their helmet.
“Seems she doesn’t like being called an ‘it’, Jensen,” they quipped. Jensen rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved hand.
“Sorry,” he said sincerely then turned to his comrades, “what do we do with her?”
“She’s not insane like the others true,” one behind her said, “but she’s not human anymore and with those claws she is dangerous regardless of her temperament. She will need to go beyond the wall.” Dread pooled in her stomach. She had grown up with stories of what lay beyond the wall, none of them pleasant. One of them tentatively approached with chained manacles. A part of her wanted to fight, but she had no idea what lay beyond her enclosure and with smoke steadily making it hard to breathe she had no time to waste being lost. Raising herself up slowly, she offered her wrists and the metal bands were snapped closed around them.
The decision proved wise within moments of following the band out of her enclosure as she found herself unable to tell one corridor from the next. Each wall was smooth unadorned metal with no markings or windows. After winding through a dozen such corridors they reached the remains of a hatch, its metal twisted and blackened. Stepping carefully over the hatch she exited what had been her prison for countless days.
The night air felt cool, but nowhere near the frigid bluster she felt the night she was kidnapped. The Ishogg surrounded them, their snow-covered peaks aglow in the moonlight. Glancing around for another landmark, she spied the soft lights of Reidun, her home. She shook her head, determined not to see the town that had turned its back on her after the accident claimed both her parents as home anymore. Instead, she turned her gaze out towards the wall, its windmills barely visible in the dark. A soft tug on her manacles brought her attention back to the group around her and she followed them into the back of a van.
The trip was uneventful, the maglevs turning the bumpy trail into a smooth glide. Jensen and the others were surprisingly curious about her, asking her everything from her name to how she had been taken.
“Mika,” she had replied, “Mika Brynjar.” It had been a bit of a shock to learn she had been missing not for months, but years. Jensen went on to explain they had been hunting her kidnapper well before she was taken and more were taken after.
“All were homeless, most orphans like you,” he explained, “easier to make them disappear, especially with the winter weather.” Mika noticed his jaw clenched in anger even though his voice was steady.
“You knew one of them,” she guessed. His eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded.
“She was my girlfriend,” he admitted, “I was saving up for a place since my parents didn’t approve. She was…” He buried his face in his hands.
“She was one of the ones we found tonight,” another finished. “It wasn’t easy for him, but it was a mercy for her.”
The van stopped and Mika was herded gently outside. They were atop the wall now, the windmills quietly beating the air around them. They moved to one of the service elevators and began the descent towards the Floating Isles beyond. Mika had been puzzled by the name as they were neither islands nor actually floating. Her father had taken her up to the wall after she’d first questioned the name and she had seen how the tree-laden spires of shattered stone had seemed like islands drifting in a sea of fog. It had been beautiful, seated atop her father’s shoulders, the mists a soft blanket of pinks and gold in the early morning light. Even the tales of monsters lurking beneath the mists ready to devour naughty children couldn’t change the splendor.
The view was shrouded in night, the ever-present mists lit by the moon. The elevator hit the mists causing them to swirl and eddy around them. Once below the veil, the world came alive. Flowers glowed in deep crimson, honeyed amber, and rich amethyst amidst leaves of emerald and sapphire. Winged creatures zipped about, in an endless hurry to visit each flower before their companions. Mika was unsure if they were birds or insects, but they sparkled like diamonds, reflecting the colors of each flower they visited. Animal trills and hoots could be heard above the thrum of the jeweled swarms. Her companions held their weapons ready, on alert for danger, as she stood mesmerized by the beauty of this new world. She was so taken by the beauty around her she barely felt her manacles fall away.
“Here,” Jensen prompted, handing her a pack like the one on his back. “There’s enough food and water in there for about a week. A fire starter, some rope, various tools you might need, and a med kit.” Mika was surprised by the gift. Thanking him shyly, she tentatively opened her arms for a hug and was further surprised when he accepted. “The name’s Alex by the way, Alex Jensen.” Mika gazed into his eyes as the hug ended, searching for some answer to why he wasn’t at all nervous about her claws or put off by her fur. His companions certainly were, but she found herself hoping this would somehow not be the last she saw of her new friend. Stepping off the elevator, she spun to watch as her group of rescuers rose back up beyond the mist. Once they were out of sight, she turned her attention to the forest around her. The night awaited her and she was eager to explore her new home.
Continue Reading: Chapter 3: Sharpened
Things are getting rather interesting for our little Mika, yes? What’s your opinion on delaying her name so long? It felt a bit more natural to introduce it this way, but I’d love to hear your thoughts so comment away!
Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already, you don’t want to miss what happens in Chapter 3: Sharpened.
I like the sense of mystery being built here, and I think delaying the name reveal works with that :-)