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@emberynus-the-dragonslayer Aurwen-starial @esmeralda-gramilton @naiya-dyani @dakota @kayla-skywriter

 

Hey peoples! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated, and I’m super super sorry for being away from this story for so long.

Quarantine messed a lot of stuff up for a bit, and for the last couple weeks, my brain has imploded with so much information for my WIP, and we had a lot of dance stuff to do since we were allowed back at the studio FINALLY!!!

 

So, awhile ago I talked about maybe putting my charrie, Tamarin, in here, which I’m glad was well-received, so here is his first part! Hope you enjoy <3

 

 

Tamarin huddled closer to the wall as the biting winds blew again. Wherever he’d ended up, it was definitely cold. For all the layers of bullet and stun protection he had, it didn’t seem to do much against the wind.

He looked around at the unfamiliar city again, noting the dirtiness and age of all the buildings. Down the street there was a lot of commotion and torchlight, but Tamarin was nervous to go find out who it was. He wasn’t sure if he could trust whoever was causing so much drama.

The big question weighed on Tamarin’s mind like a deadweight. How was he getting home? 

He’d fallen into this city through a spacial gateway that was permanently closed now, and he couldn’t just will one to appear.

There was a sudden tap on his shoulder. Tamarin flinched, hand instinctively going for his pistol like he’d been trained, but he managed not to grab it. If it was a random civilian, he didn’t want to scare them and then get reported for possession of firearms.

A boy with orange-ish hair and luminous golden eyes looked down at him, hand hovering in the air. He seemed out of breath, and he cocked his head to the side, taking in Tamarin’s appearance.

“Hey, do you need some help?” he asked. He kept glancing towards the entrance to the alleyway anxiously, but he seemed sincere. “I know a place where you can go and warm up, and maybe get something to eat, too.”

Tamarin’s stomach growled at the mention of food, and he and the boy shivered when another cold wind blew through. He decided to go against his training and trust the boy blindly.

“Um, sure. That would be really nice, thank you.”

The boy nodded and helped him up. “Okay. We should probably keep our voices down though, or the government guys might hea-”

“Check the alleys, now!” an order rang out over the cobbled streets and an alarmed expression crossed the orange-haired boy’s face.

“We have to go, now.” he said urgently “Are you a fast runner?”

“Tamarin nodded apprehensively. “Yes. But why do we need to run- ahh!”

The other boy pulled him out of the alley, rushing down the street. There was a shout behind them, and heavy footsteps. The boy released his grip on Tamarin’s wrist so they could run easier and called to him over his shoulder. “Follow me!”

Tamarin’s survival instincts and escape training kicked in, and he recalled beside the boy with ease, throwing his head back and enjoying the exercise for a moment. They lost the people chasing them fairly quickly, and ran in silence.

Eventually they slowed and approached a house on the corner of a dark street, and Tamarin jogged in place calmly until his heart rate went down.

“How- how are you not out of breath?” the boy huffed, winded.

Tamarin shrugged. “Um, I run a lot to practice.”

The boy laughed breathily. “Huh, that’s cool.” he straightened up. “I forgot to introduce myself.” he held out a hand. “Kenma Lee.”

Tamarin shook the hand held up to him. “Tamarin Kell.” he replied.

He didn’t usually give his full name out to strangers, but Kenma had gotten him out of what seemed like could have been a bad situation, and he just seemed to be innocent and trustworthy. Of course, appearances were almost never fact and rarely gave the full picture, but Tamarin decided to let it go just this once.

Kenma smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in happiness. “Nice to meet you.” he said. “Hey, uh, where are you from, though? I haven’t seen you around this district before.”

Tamarin cringed.

What was he supposed to say to that? 

“Um, not around here?” he tried.

Kenma seemed to accept that and nodded thoughtfully, heading for the door of the dark house. “Well, I’m glad I was able to get you out of there.”

“Yeah, what was going on?” Tamarin asked.

Kenma flinched. “Well, do you have anything against the Sparrows?” he asked.

“Like, the birds?”

“No! Like the group of people that the government assumes are an unruly group of rebels when they’re really just trying to save Outopía from ruin!”

“I can’t recall having ever heard of them.”

Outopía? Is that the name of the city he was in? 

Kenma shook his head in disbelief. “You really aren’t from around here, are you?” his eyes lit up in recognition. “Maybe… maybe you’re like some of us…” he coughed. “Um, anyway, the government was raiding a house that the Sparrows use to help the sick and things like that. We had to evacuate it to keep the people safe.”

Kenma knocked on the door softly in quick succession then pressed his ear to the solid wood.

“We?” Tamarin asked, trying to process the information he’d just been given. “Are you part of the Sparrows, then?”

Kenma whispered something then looked up and nodded back at him. “Yes I am. And can offer you a place to stay if you need it. You can trust us, I promise.”

Tamarin mulled it over in his mind for a moment. It would be a good thing if he had a place to stay until he could find a way to get home. At least he’d be warm and have food. He blew out a breath into the chilly night air and took Kenma’s outstretched hand again.

“Okay.”