Chapter Text
I'm out hunting, trying to get food for the day at the least, since it's not good to keep meat for so long when I'm not sure how long I can stay in the area. After a while of walking, I think I see a big red piece of what could be fabric but it's hard to tell from such a distance, especially in the woods. I keep my eyes focused on the area around it as I approach, the faint smell of water catching my attention. This is definitely a settlement with humans at the least.
Sneaking around, I notice that this is definitely a settlement at the least. This has humans near it... food food food... where... quickly.. I start rushing around the grounds, looking for the kitchen obsessively. There has to be something worth taking seeing as a lot of people seem to live here. As I wander around everything that I've seen points to this being a circus. Oddly shaped tents, bright colors, men. Putting that last one aside for my own piece of mind, I look for the food storage place.
I find it but I also hear what is most likely the animal cages. They sound weak and upset. It's making me upset to hear how unhappy they are. They are animals. In no way did they agree to any of this. I walk over to the animal food and notice that it smells like human blood. that's unsavory. I grab a lot anyway and head to the animal cages as fast as possible. If I get caught, I could be food, or worse, at the hands of whatever man pays the best.
Luckily, I look androgynous in my current dress. I'm in men's clothes and a mask and short cloak to keep the rain from getting me sick while I'm hunting. I walk in and the cages feel alive. I feel as though I'm being watched. As I look around, I notice that these are no normal animals, but monsters of some sort, at least by human standards. One of them is small, almost human in how it..she?.. looked. her eyes were bright pink and her skin and fur were black and a little red in some places. There are 5 more and they are mostly, clearly all men. I look around and then approach her slowly, careful not to frighten her, as I'm sure many humans have. I immediately hear a growl from one of the other cages and look around. I know my voice is rather androgynous so that wouldn't help my situation. I notice they are looking at me with some very unsettling awareness if they were animal in conscience.
I look at them and then notice one of the other monsters, resembling a chimera, but completely black and with white hair on the top of his head. I slowly walk up to his cage, his yellow eyes watching my every move. He must be her mate. I get close enough to make sure he can see small details but not close enough to be attacked. I pull my clothes tight to my skin and whisper to him "She's safe. I've brought your food. From the storage tent." I whisper and let my clothes fall loose again. The one with the yellow eyes relaxes and I hold up the human meat to him "Feel free to take a bite if you don't believe me."
He snatches it from me and i hear 2 men approaching and pull out my knives. They approach the cage of the monster with pink eyes and all the monsters notice how I look heart broken for her. I spring at them and my hoodie falls off, revealing a long braid. I proceed to tear both of the men apart with the knives and when one of them is near death, I stand up and jump on their ribs, shoving my feet down and hearing the cracking of bones under me.
They all stare as I finish killing the men, I look to all of them and step off the bodies. "Um.. Care for a snack anyone?.. obviously i'm probably not going to feed you the part I stepped on but.."
The one with the pink eyes look at me, then at my braid and then back at me. She whispers to me, confirming that they are sentient. "You're a woman.."
I put my hair back into my clothes and pull my hood up. "And you all seem like you need some help." My voice could be mistaken for either a man or a woman with how deep it is. "Would you like mine? I have no permanent home but I don't mind helping you guys."
The one with yellow eyes talks, I can tell from the direction of the voice "How would you help us, my lady?"
I pause for a second and then mutter "I could get you all food... set you free... help you with the circus staff.." I look at them with a bit of an awkward face "Take your pick."
They all just stare at you and the one in the corner, that you now know has purple eyes speaks up "And do you know how pick locks, foolish human?"