The Non-Human Society

Chapter Fifty Five - Renn - A Burden Twice Carried

      Dark clouds loomed in front of us, and seemed to be drawing closer every minute.

They were being brought in from the ocean. I couldn't see the ocean yet, since we were surrounded by hills covered in trees... but I could smell the sea on the breeze. The scent of the sea had begun to mix into the air's scent a few hours ago. Not long after we had separated from the apple caravan.

I was walking not too far behind Vim, but not because he was walking quickly. Nor because the road was busy... in fact, it's been a good amount of time since we had passed or seen anyone else.

Rather the reason was somewhat simple... "Who are we going to meet Vim?" I asked him.

"A nun," he said.

"She's one of us right?" I asked.

"She is. She's a bird, but doesn't know what kind she is. I think she's a peafowl," he said.

"Peafowl?" I asked. What was that?

"You might know them as peacocks," he said.

I increased my pace a little, so he could see me shake my head at him. "Don't know them either," I said.

He studied me for a moment before answering. "They're birds that have massive feathers. And they're usually very colorful. They're not common here but down south they're seen as good luck so aren't hunted. Kept as pets," he explained.

Hmm...

"Is she colorful then?" I asked.

"Rapti is a calm woman. She looks rather human. She used to have feathers that grew on the back of her head, and neck, but she plucked them so often that they stopped growing," Vim said.

"Oh..." I didn't like that at all.

"But yes. Her feathers had been colorful. And long," he said.

Studying Vim as he nodded, since I knew he was remembering those feathers... I wondered if he realized he seemed to find non-human features interesting. Beautiful even.

It made his earlier comments about my own features a little less... important, to a degree. Especially since it meant he probably thought such things for everyone... But I still found myself cherishing them.

Common compliments to him... but valuably precious rarities for me.

"Is that what you did, Vim?" I asked.

"What did I do?" he asked, glancing at me.

"Pluck your features off?" I asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "No. I've not done anything like that."

I nodded, since I had expected such an answer. It'd have made sense, since it would explain why he looked so human... but yet at the same time, something told me he wasn't the type to do such a thing.

"She's a nun, so does that mean she's part of... that Cathedral you were talking about?" I asked.

"No. She's simply a devout member of the northern faith. Technically it is the same branch as the Cathedral, but she's not a necessarily a part of it," Vim said.

"Oh..."

"What? You thought she was some kind of saboteur? A spy?" he asked, amused.

Shrugging, I wasn't sure what I had thought.

"Or is it that you are displeased to hear of one of our own kind being a devout believer in the faith that hunts us?" he asked.

"I know better than to judge each human just by the symbol they pray to," I said quickly.