Redemption Earth

Home

They placed her in quarantine. Her cage was as lightly furnished as Alex's cell. Irena rests her forehead against the glass cage as she sits. She stands up and walks to the center of the room and clasps her hands behind her back. She makes an odd noise a sort of warble. She walks around the room with her tail wrapped around herself for hours.

Irena's ear twitches she unravels her tail and slows her pacing. The scientists enter in orange space suits. They open the cage door and place a collar around her neck. Then, the group starts the slow tedious journey into the jungle.

After a while they stop.

"I bet it's glad to be back."

They take collar off and clap waiting for her to prance off in the woods like a good scared, wild creature. To run 'free' like all the others.

Irena narrows her eyes in a glare, "She is not glad to be back."

The creaking of the collar's hinges is now the loudest thing among them. Irena abruptly turns flexes her leg muscles and jumps into the nearby vegetation. She finds she can't jump as far as she used to. She pounces off into the thick jungle. The lack of sun on her back makes her shiver.

She wanders for hours, sticking to the thicker foliage, till she finally smells familiar scents, till she finally notices familiar trees, till she finally spots the giant knotted mass that is the black demon's nest.

Irena feels the tension in her jaw as her eyes dart around the unconcealed doorway of her former home. She extends and retracts her claws repeatedly. Irena picks her way around the building till she finds the small exit she used the night she left and crawls inside. It drops her off near the food stores. Irena realizing, she only has a limited amount of time before the others realize she is back making her way down to the memorial hall within the records chambers. The area smelled like rot and dust. It was rather homey.

There is her youngest brother bowing before the body of an insect and a set of tail spikes for battle. She recognizes them. Irena pauses in the entrance of the room careful of Riari but, ultimately takes her place next to him and bows to the artifact from her father. He jerks his head up in shock.

The hours... Are you really here?

Irena shoots him an odd look. He flattens his ears to his head. Irena turns her attention to the spikes.

How did... What did... Dad left us?

Riari combs his gaze over her with suspicion, ...That's what they said.

What?

They never let me see the body. Who knows who it was they were dragging back.

Irena scans his face. Riari stares her down.

The door the predators everything. Suspicious.

I've been gone.

Yeah.

He spread them didn't he? Just please let me have a few minutes here before you call them down, Rianri-tsut. I won't run.

They circle the room in silence for a few moments.

Where were you?

Irena searches for the words, Away.

Yes, we are all very aware of that. Would you care to be more specific?

A metallic wasteland, watery depths, ... some place with sparse plants.

Rianri takes her words in, Rrathersth-tsut.