The Red Rogue

       “Wow, this thing’s actually something else! Did you make this yourself, Nara?”

       Narati nodded silently, still unable to talk to the human. Raine, of course, noticed it and moved closer to the rat, in which he moved further.

       “Hey, don’t be scared, kiddo. I won’t gonna do anything to ya. Hey, I maybe Jek’s friend, but I’m not a predator.”

       “I heard that, you know,” said Jek while preparing some food.

       “I’m being honest here!” Raine returned to Narati. “So don’t be scared.”

       “Why are you two…so kind to me? I mean, Jek just shoved a bread down my throat, but he doesn’t want to kick me or take my things. And…aren’t humans supposed to hate rats?”

       Raine went silent for a moment, contemplating on what he would say next. Jek managed to convince the Fa’ar to follow him from intimidation and scare tactics, but that just it. It only made Narati scared of him. Raine couldn’t blame the wolf, though. It’s his racial characteristic for being harsh to others, even if his intention was kind.

       The human then sighed and said, “Well, you can talk and see reason, right? That’s enough for me to be convinced that you’re not an animal. Yes, I know Fa’ars are not accepted in settlements but not everyone hates your kind. I’ll be honest with you, Narati. If your race is so hated, then everyone will band together and push your race to extinction. It may look like genocide but this is a living hell we live in, so no one’s gonna complain. Rules and rights are non-existent. We fight for survival, or maybe help others like you to live.”

       Narati looked away sadly, which made Raine able to guess what the young Fa’ar was thinking about. For Narati, a lone Fa’ar living in a harsh world, cut from his pack, was depressing and troublesome. Fa’ars were known to live in packs, but Narati’s inability to contact other packs and his condition made Raine wanted to hug him, to at least make him feel better. Before he could do that, though, Narati sensed him and said, “I haven’t taken a bath for 5 days.”

       “So why are you sitting there? Go take some at that lake,” said Raine pointing to a nearby water source. “We are camping at an oasis for a reason.”

       “But before that, kiddo, let me take some of the water first. Don’t want you contaminating everything in it, right?” said Jek, who was given an annoyed look by Narati.

       While Narati was taking a bath, Raine walked towards Jek, who was burning some slab of meat by the fire. The human sat at the rock beside him and said, “That kid goes a long way, Jek. He can’t trust strangers.”

       “How far?”

       “I know he looks like a coward and was unable to even fight back, but he had lost all of it, even before he matured. Did you look all those whip scars? He must’ve pissed off the wrong guy.”

       “So?”

       “I suspected he lost his pack, too, and not because of betrayal. Jek, don’t push that young Fa’ar too much or you’ll end up breaking him. If he breaks, he will be an enemy you and I won’t like to fight.”

       “If that’s the case, then I won’t care about those worm-tails anymore,” said Jek. “They can die and blame us for being born as rats.”

       “Are you still hating them because of that job?”

       “No, I hate them because they’re weaklings and cowards. Look, I know Narati got it hard, but that doesn’t mean you just give up and becoming a recluse. That worm-tail I buried alive thought that I’m a bully and gang up on me. Guess what? They proved themselves right by provoking me.”

       “Well, suit yourself, then. For me, Nara is fine, except that he doesn’t trust humans.”

       “Well, your kind is the first to exile them and barred them from getting into settlements, so they treat you to same way. Call that worm-tail. We’re having charred meat tonight.”

       The dinner that night wasn’t all that lively, with Narati looking nervous all the time and Jek glaring at him like he’s doing everything wrong. Raine looked at the both of them with both amusement and annoyance. It was like seeing two lovers having a fight.

       He quickly thawed the whole situation by saying, “Hey, how about if we gather around the campfire and talk about our journey? It will be fun. You too, Nara.”

       Though it wasn’t what Raine was expecting. Because of Jek’s mostly violent adventures, all he did was causing Narati to become nervous. Not only that, the way he talked and his tone could be quite intimidating for the rat. Raine took pity of him by saying, “Well, now I guess it’s time to tell my story.”

       “Hey, it’s the best part!”

       “Nah, time’s up, buddy. Now, Nara, I did say I was once like Jek, right? C’mon, Jek, you can fill me up on this one. I don’t feel comfortable talking about it alone.”

       Jek sighed. “He was once known as the Red Rogue, but people still said that to his face even though he had not done bounty hunting for 5 months.”

       “Wow, that’s fast,” said Narati, now gaining more confidence to speak with the two of them.

       “Things around these parts tend to die out easily. I bet you haven’t even heard the title, huh, Nara? So apparently I was a rebel of my own merit, only doing things my own and even take other peoples’ target whenever I wanted to. Of course, that’s the way I got to meet Jek here, which was one of my target-stealing moves.

       “Like the others, Jek didn’t approve. Now, Narati, I know you feel nervous about this, but we weren’t going to kill each other. He was bloodthirsty, however.”

       “Are you trying to scare the kid off or what? I don’t appreciate being called a bloodthirsty wolf.”

       “I am just being honest, buddy. Now, where was I? Well, that fight ended up quicker than I thought, with him winning, of course. I was too focused on enchanting my weapons to realize that he was behind me and tackling me down. Well, being crafty with those weapons worked on me. Of course he treated me with a drink later on and we become friends. End of story.”

       “But why didn’t he just…” Narati gulped.

       “He may look like a hungry wolf, but even he has his own conscience, right? Besides, we shared the muns anyway, so no hard feelings.”

       Jek finished early and turned towards the open desert, he grumbled as he said, “I’ll be first watch” and looked near the camp. Raine invited Narati to the lake and he illuminated the place with a light ball made from magic. This caught Narati’s attention and he was astonished by it.

       “You’ve never seen magic before?” asked Raine.

       “I have, but…I’ve never thought it has that kind of application.”

       “Oh, but it is. You see, my brand of magic is ‘enchantment’. I enchant objects to make it stronger and sharper, so I can go in with one swift kill. I can do that to bullets, though, but it won’t feel the same as using sharp things.”

       Narati looked towards him and let out a nervous laugh.

       “Nah, I won’t gonna do it to ya. Anyway, Narati…just don’t let Jek get into your life like that, okay? I know you don’t trust anyone, but that doesn’t mean someone can force you to trust them with a little violence. Fear can be your friend and your enemy at the same time, so use it wisely. Just…don’t whimper and cry every time something bad threatens you. Be a big boy.”

       Narati nodded, unsure on what Raine said until he realized that Jek was talking to the human about him.

       “Well, anyway, good night, Nara,” said Raine while yawning. “Get some rest. We’ll travel to another settlement tomorrow to fetch something to eat.”

       Narati nodded and walked towards the fire and sat there, watching the flickering flame. Even if he couldn’t get into major settlements, he could still feel warmth and coziness of the fire he carved for so long. Or was it just 5 days? He didn’t care, as long as he had reliable companions with him…

       “Friends? I never thought I’d say this to myself, but…it’s good to have new allies that’s not my own race,” thought Narati as he went to sleep. “I’m through with dealing with them…”

       As Narati and Raine went to sleep, Jek pondered on his own life, looking at the desert wasteland. He was well aware that fighting alone in this god-forsaken place would be a suicide. Even if you could massacre a whole bandit camp and coming out unscathed, there would be those better than him, and any other guys. Even Raine, once called the ‘Red Rogue’, readily leave that title to become a simple mercenary. Would Jek take that choice? He knew he had no one that depended on him.

       That was before Narati.

       Somehow, seeing the weak rat person made him sympathize with the plights he must suffer to survive. Looking at the whip lashes on his back, his ragged clothing, and his personality, the wolf concluded that Narati survived on pure luck and sympathy. But, dealing with Fa’ars before made Jek unable to trust that Narati’s intention was genuine. He could be acting up for the best chance, something that Jek didn’t want to repeat.

       But, despite of having a spear made from scraps, he couldn’t think that he could even fight any sentient creatures. The world they lived in was harsh and have no rules governing them. In fact, no government ever existed anymore. True, some settlements did impose some rules and work incredibly well, but nothing could make it spread outside the area.

       Just as Jek wanted to walk to the fire to reignite it, he saw Raine already sitting by the fire. He noticed the wolf and said, “It’s time for a switch.”

       “Yeah, I guess I need some shutters,” said Jek yawning.

       “Hey, whatever happens, don’t blame Narati on everything,” said Raine. “You can’t judge them by their appearance.”

       “I wish I can do that. That last Fa’ar was the last straw.”

       “Hey, I had Fa’ars betraying me before, Jek, and I know they were money-driven, just like me. Nara…well, he’s miserable.”

       “And you still think he’s a good companion?”

       “Well, it isn’t your job, but it’s my job now. I find better muns taking care of people than killing them.”

       “Oh, so now you’re a babysitter?”

       “A throat-cutting one, of course.”

       Jek smiled. “No wonder you don’t have those crazy eyes now.”

       “You noticed, huh? Well, I will kill if it is required. Just get some sleep.”

       Jek then walked back to the camp and laid on a soft layer, closing his eyes and sleep.

       The next morning, or may be some hours after he went to sleep, Jek’s reflexes saved him from a spear thrown at him. His ears flicked, trying to find a source of voice that could be identified as an enemy. He quickly turned and pulled out his gun, unloading it towards an unsuspecting bandit.

       After ensuring that he was dead, he looked towards where he heard simultaneous scream and panic sounds, and he heard Raine, using his red-hilted dagger, cut a bandit in two and slit the throat of another, both on almost the same time. Jek then shot one in the head where Raine didn’t see.

       “Thanks!” said Raine.

       “Enhancing your shoes?”

       “New tricks everyday. That’s my motto. Get to Nara and help him!”

       “Wait, that rat is fighting?!”

       “At least he needs to protect himself, right?”

       Jek sighed and groaned, then walked towards where he could hear a squeaky noise. He then saw two bandits ganging up on Narati while he harmlessly swinged his spear around. Jek just stood there and watch the Fa’ar, who noticed the wolf and tried to find a way to gain help.

       “Well, kiddo, it’s best for you to learn how to fight for yourself,” said Jek slowly.

       Narati noticed that Jek wasn’t going to help him, but he knew that Jek would cause problem anyway. Problem is, he needed a distraction. Narati wasn’t always that helpless, but in many occasions, he couldn’t do anything except cower in fear.

       He then threw rocks towards the two bandits trying to get them away. Just as they were distracted by the rocks, Narati ran away from them. Jek looked at him in amusement.

       “Clever,” said Jek grinning. “I feel like this is some good enter…”

       Suddenly a bomb exploded by the two bandit, yet it wasn’t strong enough. It was, however, able to stun them and cause one of them to lose his hand. He roared loudly while holding the part that was cut off. The other was confused and looked at Narati in anger. In rage, he quickly ran towards Narati, but the rat had something in mind when Jek saw his face became determined to kill the bandit. Something was wrong.

       Then Narati pushed something Jek couldn’t see under his pinkish hand, but the Lup could hear it as a ‘click. All of the sudden, the other bandit was blown by a mine hidden under the sand. Half of his body was blown apart and his corpse was flying upward. Narati covered himself and cowered in fear of the falling guts and flesh. Jek looked at him while blindly shooting the other bandit. He was completely out of words.

       “What the fuck is going on?” said Jek. He then walked towards Narati, but the rat noticed him and, in panic, exclaimed, “Whoa, wait, don’t come closer!”

       “What?”

       “I’ve planted a mine some steps in front of you. I’m gonna disarm it,” said Narati while trying his best to walk towards Jek. He quickly pulled out a scrap metal cylindrical object and turned something that turned it off. He felt relieved.

       “A little closer and you might lose your legs.” But upon noticing Jek, his relieved face turned into fear and he moved back slowly before trying to run away. Jek, anticipating this, tackled him to the ground.

       “You planted bombs around our camps? Fucking bombs?!” exclaimed Jek.

       “That’s the only way that I can ensure safety! I’ve no intention to cause you two harm!”

       “No, on the contrary, I think I was wrong about you,” said Jek. “Now I know why you’re one miserable rat. You can’t even do anything except blowing things up, isn’t it?”

       Narati looked at the wolf and nodded with a worried look. Raine came towards them with a blood-splattered face and a head of one of the bandits on his hand. He was panting after an intense fight, but that wasn’t Narati’s focus. Looking at how Raine looked after killing so many people made him shiver. If that was what he looked like when he was a Red Rogue, it could give Narati nightmares.

       “So, still thinking that’s he’s one useless fa’ar?” said Raine dropping the head near Narati. Upon seeing Narati’s reaction, however, he sighed and said, “I thought you’re fine maiming people with explosives. Oh…it’s me, isn’t it?”

       Jek looked at Narati’s worried and scared expression and he sighed.

       “I spoke too soon,” he thought.

       But even so, Jek had found a new reason to let the young Fa’ar follow them, and to at least be useful as a support. No longer did he thought the rat as a burden, but at least someone equal.

       That, however, would soon change.