sixwordstories | (no subject)

What're you up to?

[Those wings might make her recognizable. They're the same brilliant orange from when she was in her bird form when you met her before.]

Sweetpea, where you heading?

[She stuck her head over the top of the duffel bag, just barely able to pull it off and her mismatched eyes lit up when she saw the wings. She knew those! The woman she was unfamiliar with however.]

I am going to help people, miss.

[Peering over the top of the large bag she was all business today, mostly.]

I am going to help people, Sam.

May I help you with that bag? Who are you going to help?

No, its alright, it may be too heavy for you.

I am going to help werewolves, if someone is nice enough they might stop hating us.

I promise you it's not.

Wait...what?

[Uh-oh.. She forgot about that.]

Um.. Well it is a long story. [She did not mean to let it slip as she started nibbling on the corner of her lip.] I am sorry, I was not supposed to say that.

[Sam squatted down in front of her.]

I want to tell you a secret. I'm a werewolf and I don't hate you. But, I really don't think you should be running off like this. Your parents will worry.

Are you? That's very noble, can I come too?

Yes, miss. You want to help too?

Well, I am not sure if you would like it.. It might be scary.

How come you have wings? I have seen them before.

[She studies him carefully over the bag.]

I knew a Lycan could be nice as well but not many people will believe me. How come you act differently?

My parents would not worry, they are always busy and I can take care of myself. I am coming right back afterwards.

I'd love to help. And don't you worry about scary, I've been around long enough to see some very frightening things.

Oh! I don't think I properly introduced myself last time, you saw them before when I was in my true form. Eliza, the phoenix. [She grinned and did a small curtsy as she introduced herself. She's older than old, but her attitude is eternally playful and cheerful, so she's often considered quite young by those who don't know better.]

You have? If you promise to keep a secret maybe but I am really not supposed to tell.

That was you!? [Eliza, you have managed to win several million cool points with this little vampire.] You can change from a bird to a pretty lady? [She had never seen that before but she was a very nice shape shifter, even as a phoenix.] That is how you could talk to me too?

[She stuck her small digits out over the bag politely, trying to remember her manners.] Eliza is a pretty name, mine is Aranka. You may call me Ara if you like. I have never met a phoenix before.

Oh goodness yes, I've been around a very long time. I can keep a secret though. I have secrets from the beginning of time.

It is, learning to talk in that form was tricky. I'm quite good at it now though.

[She takes the offered hand to shake, and she's warmer than one might think she should be, if they didn't know she was a fire being.] Ara is a good name too, I like it! And I think there's maybe four or five of us phoenixes around. Most of the others are arrogant jerkfaces though, you wouldn't like them much.

I've never been called a Lycan before. Maybe I'm not the same kind of wolf you know about.

They shouldn't be so busy then, someone should worry about you. How about we skip going looking for werewolves and go to the zoo instead?

[If she was different too, did it make it okay? No one had mentioned it was not so maybe it seemed logically sound.] You are very old, miss Eliza. If you are different too then I suppose it is okay.

How did you learn?

[She was slightly cooler then human children so the extra warmth was welcome as she gave her hand a good shake before letting go.] Thank you, miss! Why are they mean?

Oh I'm quite different. And I'd never betray a secret.

One of the others showed me how to do it, then I just had to practice. [She smiled at the question, though it was less bright this time.] They spent to long watching the cruelty of humans. They see no reason to be helpful to a race that only kills itself, and while kinder to non-humans, they still feel like they're better. They think I'm ridiculous for continuing to come play with other races, but I can still see the good that's here. Even humans have goodness. They're starting to remember that, watching me watch the others.

You may not be, you do not smell like one. I am not sure.. What do you look like when you change?

Gavin looks after me when I am not training but my brother was supposed to distract him for me. Why do that? Whose going to help them if I do?

Just a wolf. Like you'd see in the woods. You've got a good nose huh?

Because it's safer? Sounds like you might be getting yourself in a bit of trouble chasing down werewolves.

Good, you seem safe enough then. I am going to help Lycans.

That is very neat, I wish we could do interesting stuff like that. [Her own bright demeanor fell a peg or two as she resumed her more serious face.] We sound very similar, miss Eliza.

That is new. Do you have pack mates too? Well, sometimes. I could tell because you smell.. cleaner. They smell.. funny.

Sometimes you have to be brave if you want to do something important. It would not be so hard if more adults listened. [She did not stop and think about having been accustomed to being in trouble but..] I suppose I could come up with a better plan. This is really important though.

I did, yes. Most of them have passed away. [He smiled.] Good, I'd hate to smell dirty.

Maybe you need to find the right adult to talk to about this and then come up with a safer plan. I'd hate if anything happened to you. It sounds like very important business.

Oh.. I am sorry. Were they nice too? Do you take baths when you are a wolf too?

You might be right. I am going to talk to Gavin and ask him to help me. Thank you for listening because it is important, Sam. [She finally smiles.]

What is the zoo like?

They were the best. Of course. In a lake though.

Anytime, sweetpea, anytime.

Fun. A lot of fun. Do you want to go?

Good, there should be more nice friends like that. Splashing in a lake sounds better then a bath tub. Do you like being wolf or human more?

Yes, please! [The prospect of an interesting adventure was hard to pass up at her height after all.]

That's easy. I like being human. I'm trying to make sure I always stay this way.

Then let's go. You sure there is no one you need to tell first?

How come?

I can text Gavin so he will know. He always finds me anyway. [Holds up her phone after setting the big bag down.]

When I'm not me I don't think like me and I don't like that.

Of course you can text. [He laughed.]

Oh, are you! I'm so glad. The Lycans get such a bad reputation. They get jumpy because they get treated bad too, but most of them are not so bad. Although I did meet one once who tried to eat me once, I'm fairly certain he was a little insane though...

[...someone who's as old as the world itself has such interesting stories.]

Do we? I bet your family has similar problems. It does seem to be a thing with us supernatural creatures.

You do understand! [It was a small weight off of the six year old's shoulders to find someone who really understood her.] Well, my family kept them as slaves a long time ago and they both hate one another. I want to help them so they will stop hating us.

He tried to eat you? Why? [And someone as small as her would ask for story after story.]

They do, miss Eliza. If we continue trying we can help fix them.

Going to help them is definitely a good step. I'm glad they don't keep the Lycans as slaves now, a cage like that is terrible.

Oh goodness, yes. I mean, to be fair I had been teasing a group of them, but it was a game I played with the tribe. I'd bait them into chasing me. I got to fly, they got to run. I didn't really try to get away, and they didn't really want to catch me. But there was this one who was young, a little unstable. Maybe it was too close to the full moon, but after a while he really wanted to catch me. It was close a few times, he even yanked out a couple tail feathers. But I got away.

Me as well, it sounds very horrible. I wish I understood why people want to be cruel to one another. [Unless her brother was being mean then she was not above fighting with him, she was still six after all and they were bitter rivals.. sort of.]

That sounds like a lot of fun, I wish I could fly or run everywhere too. Maybe he did not mean too? Werewolves who are young have difficulty with their full moons until they get older. Did he ever apologize?

It took some time, but he did yes. I rather expect it was the full moon, I'm still friends with that tribe after all.

Old grudges, people hold on to them too long. [She'd witnessed it time and again after all. That happens when you've been around long enough to see everything.]

I am happy to hear that, I would like to make friends like that. Are there other ..tribes like that? [Tribe was an odd word for her, she was used to hearing pack.]

People should learn to apologize, miss Eliza. Even I do when Andy and I fight.

[It's an old group, they're more of a tribe than a pack, though she knows many packs as well.]

Tribes and packs and lone wolves, yes. All over! But they hide what they are from most. I bet I could introduce you to some of them some time!

[She was more then eager to learn about them, Ara could not help herself.]

I know all about packs but I have never heard of a tribe. We have to as well so our family remains safe.

[Her eyes lit up again at the prospect, for a lonely child it sounded really good.] Could you? I would love to meet them, please! [Perhaps seeing wolf children would make her night, she would like more friends she could have free time with.]

Oh goodness. The tribes are old Huge groups of lycans and other types of weres who live away from cities usually. Sometimes a tribe is made up of two or more packs that have agreed to work together.

It's usually humans that are such a threat too, they don't like realizing they aren't the top of the food chain. I think if they could accept the existance of things like you and me, and the lycans, they could have much better lives. But the silly creatures let fear rule them instead.

Oh, absolutely! I'm sure they'd love to meet you too.

I have never heard of wolves doing that now, they sound like us! I like that! [...And now she was excited all the more as she set her duffel bag down.]

They should be afraid of us, my family has laws that help keep them and us safe. If we could get along, perhaps we could help one another. I am stronger then a human, I could do all sorts of things for them. [That little notion in her brain was alive and well.]

Can we go? Maybe someone there can be helped too.

It's not nearly as common among wolves anymore, but I still know of a couple wolf tribes.

Now see, it's young vampires like you that give me hope. You truly could do so much for them. Now I just hope that enough of them will see that, and maybe something resembling peace could happen.

[She's watched for a long time. There have been pockets of that peace before, even if the war has gone on for so long. But the phoenix knows it's possible. It's making it happen that's the challenge.]

[She was going to scribble this down on her iPad for later as part of her notes as she did with a lot of things she learned.]

Really? I am going to somehow but I have to make the adults listen first. I do not know any other children besides my brother and he wants to help too. We will do our best.

[Ara tilts her head once more and offers her a determined smile in place of the serious face. This little vampiress meant business.] I promised my friend we would try to stop hatred and a good soldier keeps her word.

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I found it!

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