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The Human has learned that the only way to survive The Shadowlands is to be grateful for the small instances of fortune, and to find such instances wherever possible.
The Human is grateful for the sun, for giving them warmth. The Human is grateful for the unexplored caves that The Shadow Lord never thought to use, for giving them shelter. The Human is grateful for the beatles and stingers, for giving them food. The Human is even grateful for the grey guards, for their mounds give cloth and food.
Sometimes, The Human considers setting the mounds alight. It would be mercy, after all. However, the guards beg them not to, and doing such a thing would draw The Shadow Lord’s attention. That is not something The Human will ever want.
No, The Human will simply visit the mounds for food and cloth, and let the grey guards rot. It is a fitting fate for them.
Of course, the cloth is flea covered, as the mounds are, but that is why The Human is grateful to the sun. It is easy to leave such things out for a few days, and then have dry rags from themself and The Others.
The Human is very grateful for The Others. Without them, The Human would be dead by now. The Human knows they are, or were, human. Humans who were taken and pulled apart, then stitched together wrong. The Others cannot remember their past, or if they can, it hurts too much to remember. All The Other’s remember is that they have lost something.
The Human cannot give them back what they have lost. The Human cannot change the moon in the sky.
The Human can give them comfort. That is the least they can do.
So The Human heats the food they collect, and gives it to The Others. The Human tears and stitches the cloth until they are blankets. The Human makes sure to whistle to The Others, so the ones who cannot see or smell them know that The Human is not a threat.
The human shows The Others the caves, so they can have shelter from the cruel moon’s rays.
The Others deserve that, at least.
It seems even if they cannot remember, The Others still have not forgotten the comfort of a- somewhat- soft blanket, and a warm meal.
The Others develop a taste for grey guard.
That is fine, so long as they do not attack too many squads. That is fine, because The Others know better than to attack squads.
The Others also know better than to attack The Human, because they are the one giving them the comfort. The Human brings them the food. The Human is not prey, or an enemy, or a predator.
The Human is grateful for The Others, as The Others protect them, and while many cannot speak back, The Human appreciates having others to talk to.
The Human knows they will never have their old life back, and The Others will never have their humanity resolved. While it is not fine, or even okay, it is something The Human must live with. The Human can do that. The Human has long since come to terms with their new home, that is more like a den than anything else.
Then, one day, the King of Deltora comes.
Come with me, The King, younger than expected, says, All the other former slaves are home.
The King says 'home' but means 'Deltora'. It will not be home for all of them.
There are other humans here now, but it takes too much effort to focus on any others. The Human has spent so long with The Others that it is almost difficult to recognise humans.
I cannot, The Human replies, The Others are here. I will not leave them.
There is nothing left for you! The Wild Ones have lost all that they were! One of the humans- The Human does not know- softly yells, maybe, Your family or friends may be in Del!
I have none left, The Human says. It is another thing they are grateful for. Better for them to be dead than here, And any I might have were taken to the factory. I will not leave them. They deserve comfort, after everything.
The King’s expression changes, and it is so strange to see expression on a human face. None of the prisoners had any expressions on their faces. Only despair.
I understand, The King speaks with a kind voice, but also one that sounds like it is in pain, They may come too.
The Others do not like strangers, The Human responds, voice feeling sharp, And the Deltorans will not like The Others.
They will not be in a city, The King’s voice is soft, like the tone The Human uses on The Others, There is a place called Hira. It has been empty for some time. It is similar to here. So long as the- The Others do not leave and attack people, they will not be harmed, and will be free to live in peace.
The Human considers it. It would be nice, to see the colours of the sky, to see the moon without terror.
Will there be food? And cloth? The Human asks, They will not say if there is none. They deserve food and cloth.
There will be more than there is here, another one of the humans tells them, The plain has rats, even if their numbers are less now. If there is still a shortage, we will have some delivered. It is even surrounded by fresh water.
The Human blinks. Fresh water sounds very nice. It might even be clean.
They will not cross water, The Human assures The King, If they will not be hurt, then I will go to Deltora.
It passes in a blink. One moment, The Human is in The Shadowlands, the next, they are not. The King is right. Hira is like The Shadowlands, but the air is different. The Others are disoriented, and scared, but The Human is here for them. There are ruins nearby- The Human should have asked about caves, but it is too late now- that The Human guides The Others towards.
The ruins are dry and still. The ruins are burned and grey. The ruins are crumbled and strange, but they are shelter. The Human will need to leave soon, because The Others will be hungry, but that is fine. The Human can hear the water in the distance, and there is no smell of rot.
The Human is grateful for the water, for the smell it does not carry.
Clean water means food is near, so The Human does not have to worry. Instead, The Human whistles a familiar tune, and calms The Others as they all find something comfortable within their new home.
They deserve that, at least.