Precious cargo is safe and sound, and thriving in their new homes – E
The faces of all the children he had to leave behind on the ship with Cryptid Means flashed in his head, one face coming more clearly than the others—Zenny…
While Killian was glad to know that all of the kids were safe, he still wished he knew where the little boy had ended up. Even if he knew it was just because he’d talked and interacted with the Cupid the most out of all of them. Killian also knew it was better that he didn’t know—safer even…
Resting back in his chair, Killian softly rasped, “Wherever you are, Zenny, stay happy, kid…”
At the sound of shouting, and an all too familiar screeching, hissing noise in the distance, Soren’s hand froze on the tablet he’d been about to pick up. Sighing, as he heard the sound of running feet, he stood, following the noise to the commotion.
Kore stumbled out of the doors that led to Ender’s chicken coop. Blood trailing down the right side of the man’s temple, and there were feathers of various colors in his white-blond hair.
“It’s time, right?! Please!?” The Electric Elemental pleaded as he grasped onto his shoulders almost desperately, while others rushed out through the double doors.
Knocking the Cryptid’s hands off, Soren shooed Kore away without a word, before taking a deep breath and pushing pastthe doors into Ender’s chicken paradise. Inside, he could only stare in exasperation at Ender in all his horrifying glory.
His little brother was in his Gorgon form, which meant his snake coils were snapping and hissing in all directions, and his legs were gone, the lower half of the man’s body now a white snake tail. He knew for a fact that the scales continued up from his abdomen and along his sides, but the man’s chest was covered by a white T-shirt, with the bottom of it stretched around his rounded stomach. The jeans he was wearing had no doubt been destroyed when he’d transformed.
On Ender’s head, amongst the hissing snakes, stood Red Herring Jr., the…well, he wasn’t sure what the current count was. Either way, the Rhode Island Red was looking mighty fierce, as if she was a queen watching over her minions. Five of the menaces were currently chasing after Quill, who appeared to be doing all he could to avoid the fuckers. While the rest of the flock were pecking at the seven life-like statues, or rather the seven petrified members of Cryptid Means that Ender had decided to turn to stone. One of whom happened to be Kaisa, the youngest of the Manticore triplets.
Chickens and frozen people aside, what he found more concerning was the presence of Zenny. The eight-year-old was currently hugging Ender, his eyes wide, looking concerned, or possibly unsure of what he should be doing.
“ENDER, I AM NOT TRYING TO EAT YOUR CHICKENS!” Quill screamed.
“LIES!” Ender hissed. “ATTACK, MY CHILDREN, ATTACK!”
Soren’s gaze flicked down as a particularly ornery chicken named Billina neared. He made a warning chirp when the little shit went to peck him. The older hen wisely backed the fuck up. “That’s what I thought,” he said with a snort.
His eyes did a sweep of the scene once more, before he sighed again. Yep, it was time…but first… “Quill, stop playing with the chickens and get the fuck out of sight!” he snapped.
“PLAYING! WHO’S PLAYING?!” the young Fate dramatically screeched.
He rolled his eyes. “Kid, you are over seven feet tall, and more than two hundred pounds. One of them weighs probably as much as your foot. A little peck is not going to kill you!” Soren’s gaze flicked down to Zenny. “Zenny, come here, carefully.”
The Cupid grimaced. “I don’t think I should.”
“He’s not going to hurt you.”
Zenny frowned. “But he may hurt himself and others.”
“Kid, now is not the time to make yourself his shield. Come here.”
When Zenny slowly unwound himself from around Ender, the Gorgon’s gaze flicked down to him with a frown. But as the Cupid made his way over to him, Ender didn’t do a damn thing…until he ushered Zenny out the door and out of sight.
“ZEN-ZEN STEALER!” Ender burst into tears, pointing at him. “Attack, my children, attack!!”
Soren rubbed his temples with a groan, a headache sliding home as the chicken on Ender’s head hopped off, and took a collective step towards him with all of the others.
It’s going to be a long day, he thought as Quill used the moment to make his escape.
Cyrus lookedup from his paperwork, frowning as he listened to the sound of a phone ringing. It deepened when herealized it was his emergency phone. Pressing the index finger of his right hand to the front of the small box hanging from his neck, it unfolded into a full-sized cell phone.
Eyeing the unknown number on the screen for a moment, he answered, “Hello?”
“Long time too fucking soon.”
“Soren?” Cyrus blinked. “What is that noise?” There was an awful hissing, screeching sound, and was that clucking? His brow rose as the noise grew distant.
“Never you mind that. I am going to give you an address, and then you and that Siren of yours are going to pack a shit ton of your things, preferably soft things, and get your asses to said location, without ringing any alarms or informing any of your relatives of where you are going.”
