Crimson

Shelter,fortress or City?

Vita was at a loss.

His horse that had been with him since he was a child and had been trained to be smarter than other horses had carried a criminal and raced off without so much as a backward glance.

How was he going to explain that he had seen the thief they had all devoted time to look for and he had been unable to apprehend him because his horse had run off with him ?

Not only had they underestimated the thief ,they had disgraced not only theirselves ,but ,the entire seventh brigade.

Nero's loud snickering interrupted his silent rant , he turned to observe Nero.

Nero was probably the most embarrassed ,the thief had taken him down without a struggle and kept him in a lock.

Vita watched as different emotions rolled around Nero's red face. He did not look very okay.

" Can you move ?"

Vita nodded at Nero's legs , he had seen the force the thief had used to swipe at his legs.

Nero's face became stormy , probably remembering the leg swipe all over again.

" Yes , they're just a little numb from the cold and positioning but I can move just fine ".

Vita nodded in response. He knew Nero had more ,in fact a lot to say but, he really was not in the mood for a chat.

He unfolded the map again and tried to understand the already simplified markings .

They had to move fast ,the sun was already setting .They could not spend the night out on such a cold night.

He looked over at Nero ," Can you read this ?"

Nero turned the glare on his face to the piece of paper ,he kept glaring at it for a while.

" I know you're pissed , but , by the goddesses ,we do not even have time to ponder our failure ".

As if to emphasize their bereft situation ,Vita put his palms together ,rubbing them to create a little heat.

He thought of Fabia once again and briefly wondered if the disloyal horse was warm and safe.

Nero exhaled ," This way "...

He began to move in the direction the driver had taken the carriage earlier .

Vita grimaced at the sight ahead of them , there was no sign of life whatever ,even the trees in the forest had taken a bleak look.

It was going to be a long walk.

" Why do you think he left the map? "

Vita blanked for a moment , surprised by how normal Nero's voice sounded.

" Do you really not know? ",Vita asked.

He had worked long enough with Nero ,the man never stopped. Nero had once charged into a burning building to save a child he had not known.

When the thief had gotten on his horse ,he had expected to have to yell profanities while emphasizing how pointless it was to chase after the thief at Nero to stop him from chasing after them.

But , strangely, after the thief had stuck his face in the cold, hard ground ,he had come up with an expression that Vita could not quite understand .

He could not even tell what Nero's face looked like now, since he was walking ahead .

" The whole swipe and shove to the ground looked harder than it felt ".

Nero commented again.

Vita was really not in the mood for what he had suspected was going on with Nero.

He stopped walking abruptly.

" Do you really still think that the thief is doing something right? Being a righteous criminal? "

Nero stopped too .

He turned slightly ,the late daylight reflecting on his face ,the confusing look had cleared off . Now, he had a purely anguished look on his face .

" Of all people , I know what it is like to live as only part Vermillion ,what about those that are full Vermillions ? ".

He did not stop, slamming his fist on his chest ,he continued.

" I thought everything was much more difficult for me just because my blood produces a different hue , yet, I live a life that most of the people here would find enviable ".

He bowed his head ,his shoulders shaking slightly , barely audible he continued.

" I do not think I have the right or conviction to arrest someone that lives by the reality I abandoned the second my situation changed".

He turned and began to walk again.

Vita followed quietly , pondering over what Nero had confessed .He had known Nero occasionally thought about it ,it seemed to have blossomed to more than just thoughts . Nero had begun to feel guilt for the situation the Vermillions in the Utopia were being put through .

This was the time to deliver a heartfelt speech to his friend that had always been the one to cheer him and bear with his grumpy attitude.

He considered his options for a while and then cleared his throat noisily.

Nero stopped and turned back around ,he was smiling.

Vita faltered , stuttering.

" You...you're smiling...how? You were just..."

Nero interrupted him with a small laugh.

" Were you perhaps about to give me an enlightening speech ?"

Vita narrowed his eyes.

" Eiii...you don't have to deny it ,I know how much you love me ,at least ,more than your runaway horse ".

Nero laughed loudly.

Vita sent him a deathly glare before looking around ,the forest had been bleak before but it had suddenly taken on an eerie look.

He put a finger to his lips , motioning for Nero to keep quiet.

Holding his breath ,he began to study the forest . He had memorized little details as they walked.

He heard it again , a snap.

Nero had gotten closer to him ,his sword unsheathed ,they took on a defensive stance.

Vita put one hand on the hilt of his sword while using his second hand to motion Nero back,it was better if their attacker thought it was just one person .

Another snap ,the path cleared and a large ,hairy wolf flew out from behind the trees.

It jumped at them and Vita's sword turned towards it instinctively ,slashing from it's neck through it's guts. Hot blood sprayed.

It fell in a heap behind them ,Nero whistled softly.

Through the path that the wolf had cleared ,Vita could make out the shape of a smaller animal , probably the dead wolf's dinner. The animal came forward ,it was also a wolf.

A really small one , probably still a cub ,it also happened to look a lot like the dead wolf behind them.

It looked at each of the men ,then at the heap by their feet, it took a small step back and then raised it's head releasing a long howl.

Nero sheathed his sword.

"We should leave ".

Vita nodded , agreeing. They heard it then, a howl , a response to the cubs. Another one from another part of the forest , another one from a different part. Soon,the forest was bathed in howls , each sounding more ferocious than the last.

They both turned and ran.

Nero screaming his head off ,at times like this ,Vita truly wondered how Nero was still a brigadier.

****

As they ran ,Vita cursed.

He could not see the map with Nero anymore.

Finally ,when they could not hear the howls again ,they stopped to catch their breaths.

Nero grabbed his arm to support himself as he took deep breaths.

" I can't believe the long distance relay trainings we hated so much finally had a usefulness ", he said.

Vita pushed his hands off .

" There is no we. Only you hated it".

He sighed as he remembered the bigger issue they had to deal with.

" Did you really throw away the map ?"

Nero lifted his hands to stare at his palms as though they were new additions to his body.

He looked up with a sheepish expression.

" I must have been really scared ,I don't remember losing it ".

Times like this were the reason Vita had always kept his hair really low ,there was nothing to pull , yelling would only alert their pursuers to their location.

He opted for reciting .

When he was done reciting all the defense moves of the Krav maga ,he had significantly calmed down.

Pulling his coat tighter around him ,he trudged ahead .

He missed last night already ,this time yesterday ,he was watching Juno play.

He wondered what Juno was doing ,was he in different clothes from earlier today?

He thought of Juno going to the Haze later in the night and putting on Jewellery again ,cursing under his breath ,for the first time he hated his responsibility as a brigadier.

Would Juno also be a supporter of the thief?

He had seemed like the type to hate the government.

Something brushed against him ,he turned glaring at Nero .

Nero blinked , avoiding his gaze.

" I called out to you but you didn't hear ".

Vita sighed ," So ? What? "

Nero gulped ," I think i saw a light ".

He pointed ahead .

Vita turned , looking ahead ,there was nothing.

He was about to turn when he noticed it.

A brief flicker ,he waited a moment and he saw it again.

He turned to Nero forgetting his previous anger.

"Let's get there ".

The light had been down the hill they were on .On getting closer ,Vita realized just how much effort had gone into the building , calling it a shelter had been humble.

It was a fortress surrounded by hills that hid it completely.

The light they had seen was from the torches the watchmen were using for patrols.

Vita and Nero crouched by a small mound watching the patrols.

" The walls are too high to climb without being noticed ".

Vita mentally applauded Nero for stating the obvious.

"The issue isn't how to get in."

Nero turned to him ," What's the issue then? "

Vita dragged a palm across his face.

" Everyone in Agrippa that cares to know probably already knows what we look like and even if these people don't, the pick up man from earlier saw us too".

Nero ahhhed.

" We can just take off our jackets...

Nero was interrupted by a third person.

"That would not really help ,we might not be as smart as folks from Caeso ,but, a simple cloth change won't make us suddenly forget our enemies".

They both turned to face the man behind them.

He wasn't alone ,three other men stood behind him ,all armed with axes.

He was a bear of a man ,with gray hair everywhere. He was currently smiling , showing crooked teeth.

The other men were all also seemingly large.

The gray haired man extended his hand.

"We been expecting you ,Gray is the name,you don't need to know the rest of them names".

Vita took his hand, surprising Nero and himself.

Gray smiled again and gestured forward, taking the lead he went straight ahead to the huge gate .

Gray knocked once with his axe ,the gate swung open revealing men with torches.

They all exchanged looks. One of the men stepped forward .

" I'll take it from here," he stated.

Gray turned around to them ,smiled and walked off with his bear gang.

The man that had offered to take them turned around.

"Follow me".

They began to walk.The building wasn't just a fortress ,it was like a small City.

From the little Vita could see ,it didn't look like the people here intended to Leave for a long time.

There were small stands that looked like stalls,they traded.

Vita noticed that they were keeping them close to the wall,away from the centre of the fortress.

He could hear children playing and laughing somewhere ahead.

They finally reached their destination,the man opened the door and gestured for them to go in.

Nero turned giving him an uneasy look before he went in , Vita went in and the door slammed shut behind him.

They had entered a large,well lit place ,a kitchen. It had everything he had seen in the finest of kitchens at Caeso.

" They are here".

Vita turned to find an old lady by a large stove ,she carried a pot off the stove and placed it on the long table before her.

She was old but still very large,her hair was hidden with a netcap.

" Come over here,it's warmer ",she beckoned.

They walked over. She pointed at chairs.

" Were they rude to you?",she asked.

Up close ,Vita could see the faint green marks that lined her arms ,chest and the side of her face.

She smiled ,"When he told us to get you folks ,no one wanted to do it. I forced my husband to go".

Nero answered,"Gray is your husband?"

She nodded.

"You can call me Adah".

"He?",Vita watched her closely.

" Yes ,the one that borrowed your horse", she supplied.

Nero coughed loudly.

"He told you to come for us?"

Adah chuckled.

" He seemed to think you would still not find us with the map he left".

Vita turned to glare at Nero , embarrassed for some weird reasons.

She brought out two plates and began to serve the contents of the pot.

"We had to clear this side of the shelter ,we didn't want any of the others running into you folks".

She put out two spoons and passed a tray of bread to Nero who immediately began to eat.

Vita sighed and joined him.

Adah looked at them with an almost motherly smile.

"I'll show you to your rooms for tonight but you must be gone by dawn".

Nero nodded.

She pulled out a piece of paper from her apron and gave it to Vita.

"I will be over there cleaning up,call me if you need anything".

Vita nodded,he didn't know how to express his gratitude.

He opened the paper,it was a note.

"I wanted to ride him from the moment I saw him,he's my dream horse. I only borrowed him ,I was going to leave him at the shelter for you but we couldn't stand being apart , so,I'll leave him somewhere else for you. Have a nice night.

And yes,I sent you to the shelter on purpose"

Vita scoffed, his feelings of gratitude forgotten.

He was going to catch this criminal that had no respect for the government and it's workers.

He looked over at Nero who was currently dipping his bread in the soup and lapping up the disgusting mixture.

He definitely couldn't count on help from Nero to catch him.

Tearing off a piece of the bread, he put it in his mouth.

He would gather enough information and find out who the thief was.