Shadows in the Circus [SquishyPanther] - COMPLETE

Fion blinked in surprise when he heard Arifa call out his name. It took him a while to realise she was speaking, as he had been staring at the thing at her feet, completely fascinated by it. She sounded... anxious? Was there something wrong? Did she hear something or someone coming? He strained his ears, but he only heard her call out and the soft creature at her feet making an odd, rumbling sound.

When she kept looking around, as if searching for him, the Twili frowned. There was no one else here, but if the woman kept making noises there soon would be. And he did not want to give up his hiding place here, not until he figured out a way to get out of the tent unseen.

Without making any sound, Fion shifted in his spot, reaching out a hand to tap Arifa on the arm. He tilted his head and gave her a confused look, as if to ask 'what are you doing?'.

Seeing the troupe outside send a wave of panic through Fion. He had not thought they would find out he had gone so quickly. With a whimpering sound, he shrank back to the shadow of the crates, cowering behind Arifa. But the woman was much, much braver than the Twili.

She spoke to him, trying to reassure him. Or at least that's what Fion thought. He picked up the word 'out', and another one he had heard before. She would help him. This time, he would not be on his own.

Panic made place for determination. The Twili rose up and nodded at Arifa.

"Fight."

Fion remained in the shadows, looking at the creature Arifa had pointed out. It looked similar to the small furry thing that had followed them outside the tent, he noticed, though much bigger. The Twili looked from its striped fur to it's glowing eyes and big teeth, unsure if he dared to come closer.

A shout nearby from one of the troupe members, the leader's wife Fion realised, shook him from his thoughts. Arifa wanted the creature out. Was it part of her plan? Why had she told him to fight and now told him to free the creature? A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but he quickly shook it off. No, he had to trust the woman. She was his only hope of getting out of here, it would be silly if she went through all this trouble only to mock him and catch him again.

The moon was throwing long shadows across the ground, which was precisely what the Twili needed. The tent's shadow even almost reached the cage with the striped creature... Fion knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, he dove forward, disappearing into the shadow on the ground.

Only to surface at the far end of it, climbing out of the darkness, right next to the cage. It appeared that no one was capable of seeing throw the shadows, something which Fion was immensely glad for. He set to looking for something to break open the lock with, nervously glancing back at the creature inside. It had noticed the Twili fumbling around, eyeing him with its large glowing eyes, though that was all it did.

"Hey, you! I found him!"

Fion froze, his fingers tightly clenched around a rock he had picked up from the ground. A large shadow loomed over him from behind. He had to move if he did not want to end up in a cage again. Hands moved towards him, but he struck them with the rock, drawing a sharp cry of pain from the owner, before clambering up on the cage. The creature inside was now wide awake, growling and pacing around. It frightened Fion, but not as much as the thought of being captured did, and he struck open the lock, releasing the roaring beast.

Things were suddenly happening very, very fast. Fion had been perched on the cage, staring at Arifa in a mix of fear and awe. Whatever she was, it was not like the other pale being, judging from the fact she had stalks growing out of her head and she could fly. He was so gobsmacked he did not even notice the jolt going through his arm when she grabbed him. Though the impact with the ground, as Arifa had dragged him down with her when she was blown over, brought him back to his senses.

His first instinct was to cower at the man's voice. But Fion managed to overcome his fear, biting it down as he struggled up, looking the pale one straight in the eyes. Strangely enough, he did not feel fear anymore. Instead, anger was rising in him, bubbling up and making his face burn.

"No. Out."

The Twili raised his hands. He had come this far now, giving up was not an option anymore, come what may. The very air between his hands seemed to swirl and darken, slowly creating an orb of shifting shadows.

"Are you listening to me, freak? I said back." The man said, impatiently tapping his wand on his hand. "Don't make me use this thing on you again. You know the boss doesn't like his showpieces damaged."

But Fion ignored the man. He let out what sounded like a string of curses, or perhaps an incantation in his own native, alien tongue, moving his arms back, the swirling shadows still between his hands.

"OUT!"

Without warning, he flung the shadows at the man, knocking him off his feet and sending him crashing onto the ground. While the man was writhing on the ground, crying out in what sounded like pure terror, Fion grabbed Arifa by the arm, desperately trying to pull her to her feet.

Fion held on tightly, his eyes and ears focused on the chaos they had left behind. He heard people scream, the man with the staff still wailing loudly. But suddenly the wails were cut off, another roar coming from the striped creature. The Twili shuddered, trying not to think of what that meant.

The forest was eerily quiet, compared to the circus grounds. But quiet also meant that no one had followed the two yet. Fion dared to look back, and seeing nothing that could indicate anyone chasing them, let himself slide from Arifa's back, dropping on the forest floor. He simply sat there for a few moments, trying to catch his breath and stop trembling. But as the worry of being followed ebbed away, a new problem arose. What was he supposed to do now? Fion had been desperate to escape, but he had never really thought about what he would do if he would actually succeed in it. There was still the chance the circus members might try to track him down and catch him again, even if he ran far away from here, and who could promise him others would not try the same?

The Twili turned to Arifa, giving her a doubtful look. Strange as she was, the woman had done so much to help him. Without her, he would never have succeeded in his escape. He wanted to thank her somehow, but he had figured out that touching her was unpleasant for the both of them, and he did not know the words to show gratitude.

"Arifa?" He called out softly, trying to catch the woman's attention. And then, not knowing what else to do, Fion tried to give her a wide, if maybe somewhat shaky smile.

He was free now.

Fion followed after Arifa. Was she going to take him somewhere safe?

She spoke to him in a gentle, comforting tone, and though he did not understand her words, it gave him a sense of hope. Eventually he would find his place in this strange, alien world. He would always hope to be able to return home, but there always the lingering doubt if he would ever be able to do so. No one here had yet shown any signs that they knew where he had come from or how to return, and Fion himself did not even know how he had arrived here in the first place. But still, at least he was now free from the circus.

The forest was dark, though to the Twili's sensitive eyes it appeared as what he considered normal. Every now and then, strange creatures rustling through the foliage startled him, but they seemed to disappear almost immediately again. Other than that they did not run into any company, the circus far behind them and possibly still troubled with the roaring beast, or perhaps, as unlikely has it seemed, they had simply given up trying to retrieve him. Though Fion severely doubted it.