Despond

Ten

The coughing subsided and Hopper managed to shakily lift himself into an sitting position, not thinking about the sodden flesh beneath him.

"That's not going to happen," Hopper said through gritted teeth.

The merchant laughed. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"Well..." he replied, slowly getting to his feet. "First I'm going to-"

He cried out against the pain as he lashed out his leg as hard as he could. His care foot connected with the merchant's crotch with a sickening, fleshy whack which brought tears to the eyes of every male in the vicinity.

The merchant gasped a shallow and agonising breath as his hands flew to his groin, dropping the creature without a second thought. It was at this time the guards in the crowd began to advance on the blood-soaked figure, and Hopper wasted no time in scooping up his golden companion and turning on his heels.

The guards pushed past the toppling merchant, giving chase just a few steps behind the fleeing peasant. Hopper grew up in these streets, he'd watch them evolve, decay and transform into a maze of passageways and dead-ends. The guards were ladened with armour, swords and a life of long shifts. He darted through alley after alley; threw himself over a short wall, and ran into what was once a bakery. It was dark, deserted and ignored. It was perfect.

The chase had pushed him towards the city gate where the continuing celebrations had transformed the usually busy courtyard into a maddening horde. Hopper considered losing himself amongst them, but he soon spotted the usual collection of pick pockets and other such parasites working the scene.

He took one look at the creature nestled in the crook of his arm. It had grabbed its tale between its fore-paws and was biting and licking the ball of fur at its tip, purring innocently. The colour of its fur alone would attract ever thief like a tiding of magpies.

"We'll just hide out here," he said, more to himself than to his witless pet.

"Good idea," came a muffled, feminine voice from somewhere over his shoulder, freezing what blood he had left.

Hopper simultaneously span around and yet remained frozen to the spot, resulting in an awkward twist which audibly popped his spine. He whimpered, falling to his knees as the repressed agony of his numerous injuries stampeded on his nervous system.

"You're hurt!" the muffled voice said, hurrying forward and gingerly resting two tiny hands on his shoulder.

The hooded figure ran her fingertips over his back and down his arms discovering deep cuts and tender bones alike. She tutted to herself, picking a splinter out of his elbow.

"What happened to you?" She asked as he weakly moved away.

"I fell," he said as his arms trembled under the strain. "And I think I killed a donkey."

She hummed a response absent-mindedly as she worked over the prone and broken figure. Hopper could do nothing but watch as the child-like, robe-clad humanoid fussed around him. Her homely looking attire was littered with colourful flowers tucked into the woven fabric. She smelled sweet, like the city's great gardens.

She spat into her hand and immediately rubbed the disgusting, phlegm-filled gob, straight into an open wound on his shoulder.

Hopper cried out in protest and threw his limp body away from her, landing in a heap in a particularly dusty corner. A small, golden ball of fur rolled out from his torn shirt and plopped to the floor between his knees.

He couldn't see the figure's eyes within the shadow of her flowery hood, but the wide grin of sharp, glistening teeth was horrifyingly unmistakable. Hopper instinctively scooped up the creature, sending arcs of crimson lightning through his tortured arms.

"It's safe!" she shouted gleefully, running over and falling to her own knees and bowing before the curious newborn. "And it hatched! Where did you find it? How did y-"

"It found me." Hopper replied cautiously. "What's the big deal?"

"What's the..." she trailed off, mouth agape as she rose from her bow. "You don't have any idea what this Jarken is, do you?"

"It's fucking annoying, that's what it is." Hopper snapped, holding the creature up so they were face to face.

It wiggled its legs happily and attempted to bite his finger.

"Annoying? You're holding a honest to gods... uh, rare creature."

Hopper arched an eyebrow as the golden nuisance stretched forward to bat at his nose.

"Like, endangered or something?"

She nodded vigorously, the large hood flapping back and forth but never betraying the features within.

"It's very, very, important that we get it back into the forest." She said, recovering somewhat from her shock and acquiring a much sterner tone.

"Knock yourself out," Hopper said and tossed the creature towards her, smirking as sheer panic propelled her scrambling limbs as she caught it.

"You demon!" She seethed, holding the Jarken like one would hold a priceless, crystal bowl.

Its large eyes left Hopper's gaze as it turned towards its new keeper. Three silent seconds cruised by as innocence stared into the abyss which lay beneath the hood. The Jarken's eyes screwed shut and it began to wriggle within her grasp, letting out the slightest of cries and other such unhappy noises.

The robed figure stood motionless and horrified as the clearly distressed creature began to wail as only newborns can. Unsure of what else to do, she lowered it to the floor and it immediately turned away and waddled the short distance back to Hopper. The creature flopped into his lap, burying its face into something painful and possibly bleeding.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, picking it up and holding it in a less hazardous position. The Jarken sniffed back tears and pawed at his shirt.

"I, I don't know," she said, deflated. "But it seems to have attached itself to you."

"You think?" Hopper glared at her as the Jarken climbed up to his shoulder and chewed his ear.

"Well it's obvious!" she started, but Hopper's unrelenting stare washed away her defiance.

"And how do I get it unattached to me?" He asked.

The hooded humanoid tapped at where Hopper suspected her chin to be as she thought. The hand lowered slowly.

"If you take it back to its mother," she began, "In the forest. That could trigger some sort of instinct, you know? Remind it where it belongs?"

"And you want to take it back?" Hopper rose to his feet, gritting his teeth through the pain. "Well I hope you like the sound of crying."

He plucked the Jarken from its perch and dropped it into her unsuspecting arms. She caught it with a huff, and within seconds the creature was whimpering once more.

"You're not coming?" She asked with a mouth full of fur.

"That little piss-dispenser has already gotten me beaten, half-drowned, and then somehow convinced me to throw myself off a tower. It's your problem now."

"But..." she began, struggling to control the Jarken as it squirmed within her limited grasp.

"But nothing. I'm done." He turned his back, ignoring the conflicting instincts within him and forced himself to walk out of the building.

It was when the creatures cries faded completely from ear shot, that he swore to himself and span back around.

"Fine!" He said stomping back into the old bakery, his body cooling with a terrifying sense of loss as he spoke to the empty room.

Between the boards of the window, he caught the last glance of a fluttering, flowery robe as the tiny figure vanished into the crowded courtyard.