Brisk cool breeze of the summer evening sky, Grusha sat perched atop a tall tree near the edge of a forest atop a high hill. Overlooking the small valley below, a small city bustling with the carefree life of regular people that took no note of the beastly presence that lurked amongst them. Not that any of that was a concern to begin with, for the beasts among them mean no harm, in fact desire the same life that humans blessedly lived themselves. This was the conclusion Grusha had come to on her own, and was genuinely taken aback of the sheer volume of demis that existed. She considered for a moment that she desired to be alone, that all life never was anything beyond a shameful existence from the byproduct of nature.

Grusha’s hair tensed and quilled up as she spasmed her back to subside an itch, a sensation that became something somewhat difficult to adapt to, since she presently had no arms to scratch herself. Glancing briefly at her stubbed arms, she longed for them to grow back sooner.

Funny, I can generate a brand new organ to translate energy into mass, but my limbs wouldn’t bother growing any faster if I tried any harder.

A rustling from beneath her caught her by complete surprise, never before anything, and much less anyone, ever became successful in sneaking up on her. Pouncing from the limb that she was perched on, she growled like a wild cougar falling down. Pinning her quarry to the ground, she caught a young man beneath wide toed feet. Upon sniffing him, he demonstrated the slightest sense of fear, neither hostility for that matter.

“Wildebeest?” He asked. There was nothing but innocence and trust in his expression, she could see compassion in his eyes not much unlike that of Aput.

Even though she knew in every fiber of her being that he was harmless to her, the fact he was able to sneak up so close to her made him inherently dangerous.

“Who are you? Another demi?” Leaning closer, she took another waft of his odor. “No, you do not possess the marking of a demi. A member of the Foundation, perhaps?”

“Whoa-whoa-whoa!” He exclaimed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I didn’t mean to startle you. You’d just avoided me altogether if you sensed me coming at all.”

“Ok then.” She said. Pressing her weight harder on, just to make sure he was not up to any funny business. “Explain what you want from me, and I warn you, the subtlest lie forfeits your pitiful life.”

“Fair enough.” He winced from the pressure on his chest. “Can I get some breathing room, I promise I come here with honest intentions.”

Grusha huffed. Gently releasing her pressing grip on him, daring him to give her an excuse to dispose of him. He coughed from having his lungs released, catching his breath to even out his breathing. When he finished his coughing bout, he slapped the dirt off of his pants. She could not help but notice that not the faintest hint of sound came from his clothes, and his order was clearly distinguishable up close but quickly diminished just feets from him. In a way, it was as if he were a ghost, she felt unsettled by this man, he gave an air to be benign but powerful, parallels she never thought to see in another human.

“Speak.” She ordered.

Clearing his throat. “Yes. Name’s Maximillian Hawkins.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I cautioned you about lying to me.”

“And here I am standing in one piece, which means you know I am telling the truth.” He countered.

“Just because I can’t tell doesn’t you’re not telling the truth, I am not all-knowing.”

“Fair point, but I must admit your senses are a hell of a force to reckon with. That’s not even mentioning that I have no clue what your abilities actually are or what your upper limits are.”

A brief pause. “You seem to know me well enough. Let’s say I am willing to entertain the thought you really are the legendary hawk, because few lived to ever know my true nature and you are someone I’ve never had any dealings with. That still doesn’t answer my question, what do you want with me?”

He stared blankly back at her, there was a calculating aura that rubbed off on her, but not necessarily in a negative way. She did find it frustrating for encountering another human that she struggled to comprehend in some small way.

Maximilian walked closer to the edge of the tall hill, taking in the full scenery of the valley and city below. Grusha followed closely behind, watching him from behind.

“In a way, I wanted to scout you out, actually, more like take a risk with you.” He started.

“Risk how?”

A somewhat sarcastic and mocking facial expression. “That you’d kill me.”

“Fair enough. Go on.” She was becoming rather impatient with this idle and rather roundabout conversation.

“Honestly, at first I was considering terminating you because of your volatile nature and existence, an unnecessary social danger that can cause more than just physical damage.” He explained. “But you dropped from the face of the earth, vanished without a trace for so many years. Then low and behold, you come back with as much explosivity as your disappearance.”

Grusha was understanding the narrative he was setting. “But instead, you came to talk to me in person. Why? To satisfy your curiosity of the surrounding mysteries over my actions?”

“No, not at all.” He said. Giving an almost childish smirk.

She tilted her head sideways, confused. “I’m not following.”

“I already know, all the pieces of the puzzle were right there, it was just a matter of putting all together. There are some things I am curious about, but the why does not matter in the least bit, your actions now speak volumes in itself.” Turning his head back at the city below, he pointed his finger accurately at what she had been watching over all evening. “I don’t know what your relationship is with the man Aput, Lady Hammer and the girl, but they mean the world to you.”

Her hair quilled and vibrated angrily and skin tightened, the beautiful white skin became coarse and hard like sandpaper. Standing tall above this so-called Maximillian, she used every feature to intimidate him.

“Are you here to threaten them?” She demanded.

His composure did not even as much as flinch, remaining completely calm. “On the contrary. I want to protect them.”

Grusha’s hair softened and rolled back down her back, taken by surprise for the second time tonight.

“I’m afraid that I still don’t understand.” She said. Her voice softened and muttered sheepishly, her eyes trailed downwards as she processed the info.

“It’s simple really, to put it bluntly, I want to ask you to join my team. I think it is about time to bring about a genuine and true coexistence between humans and demis.”

She took a couple steps back, suspicious of what he was saying. “No one is selfless in this world, what do you have to get out of it.”

A pause. “In a word, atonement. Everything that has happened in this world was not by accident, so I took it upon to balance the unequal scales, creating balance in a grossly unbalanced world.”

“I don’t know.” Grusha murmured.

Resting a hand on her shoulder, he provided warmth that she had not felt with another human. He was in fact the second person in her life to provide a sense of humanity in herself, there was no fear or authority in his actions. Here and now, all she felt from him was an equal standing as another being, a connection that only that could be shared through that of compassion.

“I am not expecting an answer from you now, but the offer stands as long as you and I live. Fair deal?” He offered.

“Very well.” She accepted.

“Excellent.” He began to walk and disappear back into the forest, melting into the background as some sort of a wisp.

“Wait!” She called after him before he was completely gone, he stopped in his tracks with hands in pockets. “How would you know when the time comes?”

He reassured her. “Don’t worry about that, consider all the details worked out by me. Take care and best wishes to you and your friends.” Looking up at the clear night sky. “I suggest you join them, there’ll be a splendid meteor shower tonight.” Saluting with a finger, he disappeared completely.

Grusha stood silently and looked up as one meteor after another streaked across the night sky. She was completely confused about what all of that was about, but she was intrigued about the whole idea. For the time being, she was happy to simply watch over those she considered to be family. Her vision zoned in on Lady Hammer and Aput playing with their little girl, they all paused from their playful activity and shared a couch outside to watch the meteors too. Grusha smiled. Even though they remained separated, she felt as if she were right there sharing with them.

She shuffled uneasily when she noticed Lady Hammer and her daughter stare straight back at her in the eyes, she skulked silently backwards into the woods. Their attention trailed across the sky, which allowed her to breath a relieving sigh. The rest of the evening went on uneventfully, and she wished this bliss of an evening were eternal.

She nestled her body on the cold and soft grounding, resting on her belly and head pointed at her family. No better way to prove to the world at being at the top of the predatory chain than to bring about change, and protect everyone beneath me all at once. Perhaps, Max, just perhaps I would take on your offer, but as for here and now, I am happy.