The Pathfinder

0.1

Kruskal, or more commonly known as 'Kro', sat at the railing of the lighthouse that stood tall at the edge of the small town he found home. Sadly, he would be leaving here soon. He took a deep breath, and tipped towards the edge. His hands left the railings. As he fell, he closed his eyes. He opened them again. He spread his wings, catching the current, and circled the light house. He was what people called 'Suine'. A boy that inherited a spirit of a bird. It granted them the power to shift into the species of the spirit. For example, Kruskal was a crow right now. Hence his nickname.

He flew towards his house. As he did, he caught a glimpse of a girl looking at him fly. She had blond hair that was almost white, with one streak of black on the side of her temple. She was wearing a black oversized hoodie with the hood on and a black skirt. He noted she wasn't from this town. The people of his town wore more sinister clothes. Then he noticed a squad of five people walking towards her. He recognized them. Mafia. Mostly working for money, outlaws of the continent. One of their ways of business was ransom. And he didn't like what he was seeing right now. The girl noticed the men. She clearly didn't know what was going to happen. The mafia walked closer. They threw some kind of rope at her, which quickly entangled her legs. She fell down, yelping. She attempted to untangle her legs. Kruskal swooped down, landing between them in his human form. Both sides looked surprised. Though the mafia recovered quickly, before charging at him.

"Idiots." Kruskal muttered before he pulled his hand back. A six-inch blade slid out from his wrist, stabbing the first mafia. He grabbed his dying body and used it as a shield against an incoming javelin from another mafia. He threw the body down, and lunged at the second. he quickly repeated the process, until everybody was dead. The blade slid back into his arm. He turned around, facing the girl. She was still on the ground, the rope still pinning her in place. He walked towards her. Terrified, she backed off.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you." He came closer. She stayed. He squatted down next to her legs and sliced the rope open. "Can you move?"

Shakily, she stood up. She nodded. "Thank you."

Kruskal looked away. "I think I might have to apologize, not accept a thanks. I know people outside this town doesn't like killing that much and..." He glanced at the pile of dead people. "I'm sorry I had to do that in front of you."

The girl shuddered. "It's okay I guess... do you have something against them... a-ah!" She backed up, yelping as his expression changed to absolute rage. But it soon went away.

"Sorry I just..." He shook his head. "What's your name?"

She steadied her breathing before she answered. "I-I'm Aurora."

He offered her a hand. "Kruskal."

She seemed surprised, then took his hand. He helped her up. "Kruskal the... path finder?"

"I guess that's me."

She nodded her head shakily. She seemed like she was in a loss of words.

"Are you still there?"

"Ah!" She turned away and started running away from him, covering her face. She made about five feet before tripping on a vine and falling down.

"By the way, towns that way." He helped her up again.

"S-sorry..." She moved her hair out of her face. "Umm... this might sound weird but I'm actually here to see you... Also I'm a giant fan of you" she muttered.

"Oh. That's nice." He started walking downhill, where the town was. "Come on. Its getting dark. I dont know about me but you need some rest."

She hurried after him. "I didn't tell you something!"

"Tomorrow. You know where to find me."

"I don't!"

"What is it, are you half human and half some other creature?"

She stopped dead in her tracks. "How did you know?"

He turned around. "Isn't it obvious? You're an outsider, you have your hood on a sunny day, meaning you're hiding some ears, and if you haven't noticed, your tail is making a giant bulge right behind your waist."

She blushed and took the tail out of her hoodie. He recognized it. "You're-"

Kruskal hesitated. "A neko."

"I know, people don't like us because are weird and-"

He smirked. "Cute."

"Wha-"

"Come on, it's getting really dark now."

"But-"

"I don't mind that you're a neko. Seriously, I'm a crow. Am I in a position to judge?"

Aurora blushed. "Won't the town people hate me?"

Kruskal groaned. "For your information, this town doesn't have normal humans. Most of them are hybrids. Some neko, some suine, some werewolf. The only humans are rogues, assassins, and wizards. As you know, they are never racist. And that's why they come here. Is your question answered?"

She nodded. "Alright. Let's go."