Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

GAHRYE – Human World

Gahrye straightened to his full height, still on the balls of his feet, as the man started towards him in short, quick steps, his feet sinking into the grass as if it were wet, or the ground beneath it damp.

He wore a stiff shirt with an even stiffer collar, a vest over the shirt that covered his shoulders and soft, protruding stomach, and strange, almost shiny trousers that were far too light to withstand any real wear. And… even stranger leather sheaths over his feet.

Elia had told Gahrye about the things humans called shoes. And he'd heard rumors that there were pairs somewhere in Anima. But he'd only ever seen the "high heels" she wore, which were little more than straps tied to a shaped plate, with a wicked spike on the back.

These were quite different, and nothing like he'd imagined when they were described to him.

This man wore heavy leather that had been buffed to a shine. Though the leather didn't smell like leather—more of that tangy stench that this world seemed full of—and the bottom of the shoe was flat and black.

Shaw approached cautiously, but smiling, his hands up and palms facing Gahrye.

"I won't hurt you," he said softly. "I'm here to help."

"Stop there," Gahrye commanded him warily.

Shaw, about ten feet away, stopped abruptly and nodded. "I'll do what you want. But please believe me, I'm one of the Guardians you're looking for. I want to help you, not hurt you." He smiled, and seemed genuinely pleased.

Gahrye eyed him. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I'm one of only a handful of people who know about the Portal," he said with a smile. "We check every day, just in case. You're the fourth in less than a year! It's been a very exciting time!"

They watched each other for a moment, Gahrye still working to distinguish the man's scent from the overwhelming stench of this place. The man was too far away—which put a pit in his stomach. If he couldn't scent people in this world unless they were already within reach—

"The stink will get less over time," Shaw said, his brows high and face like he wanted to appease Gahrye. "They all comment on it, how hard it is to smell anything else when they arrive. It's all the tar and cement—and plastic, I guess. But don't worry, you'll begin to filter through it soon. They all say that."

Gahrye nodded. "Thank you. That's… good to know."

"Can I… help you?" Shaw asked politely, his hands clasped at his belly in a way that left him far too defenseless. Did no one teach these humans how to guard themselves? At his age, it should have been instinctive. "I can show you into the house and feed you. You can tell me what you need. I know this is unnerving, but I assure you, my entire life has been dedicated to helping you and your… family. I wish you no harm. At all."

"I am waiting for… my companion."

"Oh! There's another coming? Wonderful! Is it Reth? I haven't seen Reth for years—"

"It is not Reth," Gahrye said, his stomach flipping over in relief. If this man knew the King then he likely was who he said he was. He opened his mouth to tell Shaw that the female coming was Reth's mate, but something held him back. Too many unknowns in this world. Too many uncertainties about this man, this place. He would wait until Elia came through, then let her decide how to proceed. "It is a female. She may need help—"

"That's fine, that's fine! The more the merrier! And we always have a female Guardian here too, in case there are any… specific needs. Though you lot seem a lot less concerned with those things than we are, ha ha!"

Gahrye frowned. "Elia is… quite concerned with those things. I'm sure she'll appreciate having a female to help her with any needs she might have."

"Elia?" the man said, blinking. "Did you say, Elia?"

"Yes, I—"

A cry and a thump sounded behind him and Gahrye whirled.

Elia was on all fours in the dirt, her hair falling out of her braid, tears tracking down the dust on her cheeks, eyes wide and fingers clawing. Her nails were broken off and her fingertips were bloodied, as if she'd been trying to pry her way through rock. She stank of blood, was covered in it—and not just her own.

A chill slid down Gahrye's spine as he recognized Reth's scent.

"It's not true," she whispered, her entire body shaking along with her head. "It's not true. It can't be true. It can't be true. It's not true!"

"What, Elia?" Gahrye gasped, sliding to the dirt to pull her into his chest, but she was already climbing to her feet, her hands gripping his arms and her eyes too wide.

"It's not true! They can't do that to him. They don't have that… they can't!"

"Elia, it's okay. The voices are liars. It's not true. You're right. It's not true. Just relax and breathe. You made it."

But her fingers dug into his biceps and she snarled through her teeth. "They can't do that. They can't. They can't. They can't. No…." her voice shook and her face crumpled. Gahrye pulled her into his chest, stroking her hair the way he'd seen Reth do it, shushing her.

"I know that was scary, but they're liars," he murmured in her ear as she shook and kept whispering, insisting. "Let it go, Elia. It wasn't real."

"Actually…" Shaw piped up from behind him. Gahrye whirled, pushing Elia behind him, as he faced the man who'd approached and stood right behind him now. "Oh! Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you! I just thought you should know… there are many who believe the voices do have power in our world. Not everything they say comes true. But… much of it does. When you're feeling better, we will add your testimonies to the historical logs. We gather every promise and prediction they make, then wait to see if they're right. You'd be surprised—" Gahrye could scent him from there, and there was nothing in his scent—rank as it was—to indicate the man was lying. Which made it even worse.

"Shut. Up," Gahrye spat through his teeth.

"NO!" Elia cried from behind him. "THEY CAN'T KILL HIM!" Then she sagged against his back and he barely caught her before she hit the dirt.