Chương 49: [Pink Ribbons]

The walk down Murry Street was filled with the sound of boots on tarmac and different voices as people marvelled at the street. With the town meeting in full swing at the Civic Centre, there were no onlookers to watch the group as they made their way further into the heart of Monkhaven. Leo led the way with Shai. He glanced at her, noticing how she was watching her people. They weren't just curious; they looked genuinely overwhelmed. Shai caught Leo watching.

"They only just found out about the town and the situation your people are facing yesterday. It's still a huge shock to them. At least when we came here we knew about the town and your situation for a few days beforehand."

"Yeah that makes sense. They look amazed like." He smiled.

"Everyone's at the Civic Centre at the minute, Mike's telling the town about the border and the empire. In case you were wondering why Agnes hasn't shown up to creep on Torren again." Shai grinned. A few paces behind, Luka was trying to keep Growlie from vanishing under a parked car. The little dragon was darting back and forth, his claws clicking on the tarmac as he chased a rogue crisp packet that had blown beneath.

"He's curious, isn't he?" Luka said to Mars.

"Yeah. I mean, he usually is but I can kind of understand why at the moment." Mars was staring at the windows of the houses, his head tilted back.

"There's so much glass. How do you have so much, it must be in every building, isn't that expensive?"

"We found ways to mass-produce it," Luka explained.

"Since the knowledge of how it's made is shared, there are plenty of suppliers to buy from. That competition drives the price down. Over time, glass windows became the norm rather than a luxury, so the cost is way less than you'd think." Phil and Sam were walking a bit further back, flanking Bram. The bear-kin was taking long, slow strides, his eyes moving from the pavement to the rooftops and back again. He looked like he was trying to calculate how much weight the road could actually take.

"You're very quiet, Bram," Sam said.

"Everything alright?"

"It is a lot of stone," Bram rumbled.

"In the village, if we build this high, it is for defense. Here, everything is so high. Do people live in all of these?"

"Every single one," Phil said, nodding at a terrace.

"Well, they did. At the minute most of the ones on this street are empty because they're too close to the edge of town. We've got most of your lot staying in the blocks near our flat closer to the center of town, it's safer." Bram looked at a front door, squinting at the letterbox.

"How do you keep them warm? There is no wood stacked by the doors."

"We'll show you the radiators later," Sam said.

"They don't work now the gas is cut off, but that's how we used to do it. Now we're just back to blankets and huddling together like everyone else. It's ok for now - it's warm enough at night but it's something people are looking into fixing before the weather gets colder."

"At least the roofs don't leak," Phil added.

"Mostly." Further back, the atmosphere was less about glass or keeping warm and more about wagons. Davan and Sara were walking side-by-side, having a hushed, heated debate about the cars lined up along the kerb.

"If they're wagons then how are they supposed to move?" Davan whispered, gesturing vaguely at a Ford Fiesta.

"Look at them, there's no way a horse could pull one of those for long. There's nowhere to hitch them."

"Well they obviously have something else or use more than a few horses. They have wheels, look, what else could they be?" Sara snapped.

"You always think you know everything." Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! Parmo nudged Rika and leaned in.

"They really do just go at it constantly, huh? It's no wonder people haven't noticed."

"I know," Rika chirped, wiggling an eyebrow at Sara.

"Pretty clever really. There's no getting past me, though. I know they get on a lot more than they like to make out." Parmo snorted at the words 'make out'. Sara froze for a second before catching herself and staring straight ahead.

"What are you talking about, Rika? You've probably forgotten what you had for breakfast, don't go acting like you're some genius just because you've got a new friend to show off for." Parmo laughed. Rika leaned in closer, dropping her voice.

"You know... I saw the two of you sneaking off behind the barracks the other day. I must say, I didn't expect to see th—" Sara's hand shot out, covering Rika's mouth. She gave the bird-kin a look that was halfway between a glare and sheer panic, her eyes darting toward the other guards. Davan, meanwhile, had gone remarkably pale.

"Don't worry man, your secret's safe with us," Parmo grinned. Phil dropped back a few paces, glancing over his shoulder. Kai was still twenty yards behind, a silent shadow keeping watch on the rear. The massive hilt of his Sarren poked up over his shoulder, the weight of the heavy scabbard shifting slightly with every long stride he took. His eyes were constantly moving, scanning the rooftops and the empty alleyways between the houses.

"Is he ever gunna say owt?" Phil whispered to Rika.

"He's been on mute since the gate."

"He's just on guard," Rika said, her voice dropping.

"He was a guard captain for years, it's just his nature. He's basically Shai's foster father. He's raised her since she was little, taught her everything she knows. He was best friends with her parents before... anyway, he made a promise to them and he's been there for her ever since.

"As for him being quiet, he's always been like that, the silent type." She smiled.

"He calls her 'cub' when there's nobody else around to hear it. She finds it annoying." Phil snorted.

"Does he? He looks like he'd headbutt a wall just to see which one broke first."

"I'm serious," Rika hissed, her wings giving a small, fond flutter.

"He's a big softy underneath it all. Shai's a bit older than me so this is one of my oldest memories but I remember him sat in the dirt for hours letting her braid his hair. Pink ribbons, Phil. Everywhere. He just sat there looking like a very grumpy flower bed while she 'made him look pretty'." Parmo, who had been listening in, let out a sharp, muffled bark of a laugh.

"Ribbons? You're joking."

"Pink ones," Phil added, a massive, shit-eating grin spreading across his face. Rika's expression went from warm to sheer panic in half a second. She looked back at Kai, then hissed at them both.

"Shut up! Both of you! If he hears you, I'm genuinely dead. He'll bury me in the woods and nobody will ever find the body. You didn't hear anything. Swear it now."

"Don't worry," Parmo whispered, still grinning.

"Our lips are sealed. Mostly."

"Mostly isn't a swear! Phil, tell him!" Phil just shook his head, looking back at the terrifying, seven-foot-tall wolf-man. The idea of him covered in pink bows was the best thing he'd heard all week.

"Your secret's safe with us, Rika. We wouldn't want to get you in his bad books."

"You better not," Rika muttered, her face still pale as she checked to make sure Kai hadn't moved any closer. Up ahead, the junction with the lads flat on the corner came into view. the group could see buildings in different directions that looks a lot different to the rows of houses they had passed so far. Nightclubs, shops, takeaway lined the roads around the junction, the signs with their names and logos standing out to those of the group visiting Monkhaven for the first time.

Leo stopped outside the flat and looked next door at the houses the group would be living in for the foreseeable future.

"Right," Leo said, looking back at the group.

"This is us. Home sweet home." Leo held up the heavy ring of keys, the metal jangling in the quiet street.

"Right, we're going to split up into groups of three or four for these six houses. Me, Phil, Sam, Luka, and Parmo will each take a group through to show you the ropes. If you're in the last house, just follow one of us for the tour for now." Rika's eyes darted between Davan and Sara, a wicked glint appearing as she noticed them both scanning the row of doors.

"You two should take the house on the end," Rika chirped, nodding toward the far terrace.

"That way no one has to listen to you argue constantly. We'd all like a bit of sleep tonight." She gave them a quick eyebrow wiggle that went completely unnoticed by the rest of the guards, who were already nodding in agreement. Davan opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the collective relief on his squadmates' faces, he just went pale and stared at the pavement.

"Fine," Sara snapped "but if he starts moaning I'm kicking him out, then he's someone elses problem."

"You're the one who's always moaning, not me." Parmo stifled a grin.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the thing you're both worried about." Leo smiled.

"Shai, Rika, Torren, you're with me. Let's get you lot inside."