There will be. The boy's words echoed in Callan's ears. He shook off the hanging ominence of the statement, sitting down before the kid. "What's your name?" he asked, preferring to focus on something that wouldn't terrorize the child.
"Sachi," the boy began softly, watching Callan nervously, "Sachi Crue."
"I'm Callan." He offered a gentle smile before easing himself up. "Say, Sachi, are you hungry?"
Sachi shifted his head to face the ground and mumbled, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Callan offered a hand down to him, Sachi eying it with an air of uncertainty.
"Because, well, even my own family didn't want me around them. They all-"
"They all ought to check themselves then," Callan finished with a grumble then wiggled his fingers at Sachi expectantly. "Come on. We have fruit, dried meats, bread, cheese- you can have whatever you like."
In Sachi's eyes, Callan seemed to shine like a gift sent from heaven, but the Grand Commander's son was oblivious to the look of admiration. "Really?"
"Really," he insisted as Sachi grabbed his outstretched hand. "If the grouchy blonde says anything mean to you, just ignore her," he leaned down and whispered to the boy, "She likes shiny metal swords much more than children."
"Oh, okay." Sachi walked shakily beside Callan, still weak from his immense hunger. Callan swept up the bag, the food buried in the bottom beneath the rest of their supplies.Phoena glanced at him for a brief moment before sighing and looking away again, distraught.
Callan's lips twitched slightly, and he shook his head. If only she would lighten up... "Here." He passes the bag over to Sachi, who had taken up residence on the ground once more. "Take your pick of whatever you want."
"We really should ration that. What if something goes awry?" Phoena piped from Brady's side.
"Let the kid eat, Miss Brineri," Brady spoke, his heat rested against the tree, eyes resting, "If it comes to that, we'll figure it out." Callan nodded in agreement, and Phoena remained silent while Sachi fumbled through the bag, taking some of everything in a rampant behavior and shoveling it into his mouth just as ferociously.
"Someone's hungry, huh?" Callan chided lightly, and Sachi blinked, gazing back sheepishly as his cheeks bulged from the roll he had wedged in his mouth.
"A little," the boy replied, but it sounded more like 'awishgul' with his mouth so utterly stuffed.
Once he'd finished his meal, washing it down with nearly an entire canteen of water, Sachi seemed somewhat satisfied, and Callan felt there would be no better time to question the boy again. "Where are you from, Sachi?" He hoped discovering more about the mysterious boy would put Phoena's distrusting mind at ease.
"My parents live in Mystaire. It's a small town a bit inland from the sea," he explained, "but I'm not welcome there anymore."
"Not welcome?" Phoena lifted a brow suspiciously. "Why is that?"
Sachi gulped, stuttering uncontrollably. "W-why?"
"Yes," she stated directly at him, watching, waiting, her gaze never waivering. "Why aren't you welcome at home? Why won't your family have you back? Even the town?
"That's enough," Callan hissed, feeling the sudden urge to intervene in Sachi's defense. "Can't you see you're making him uncomfortable?"
"I want to know what he has to be uncomfortable about!"
"That's really none of your business, now is it?"
"I'll make it my business if it so pleases me!"
"You think interrogating a kid is the way to go?"
"Guys..." Brady started wearily, but neither Phoena nor Callan paid him any mind.
"There has to be a reason that he's been thrown from his home and left here to rot!"
"Not every parent is a gem." Callan's anger bubbled underneath the surface. "Where is your heart, sword slinger? I've seen ice sculptures warmer than you-"
"Guys!" Brady's voice carried to them in a growl, and their heads whipped around in exasperation.
"What is so bloody important?" Callan huffed as the telepath pointed a shaky finger behind the two arguing Runeholders.
"Sachi," he whispered, barely making a sound.
"What about-" Callan's voice trailed off as he turned to see a large black creature looming where the small boy had sat only moments ago. "Did it eat him?"
"It is him." Brady pressed back against the tree, scrambling to his feet. "All in favor of getting the hell out of here?"
Callan glanced between Brady and the beastly Sachi. "But what about-"
"You're really thinking about that kid in a moment like this?" Phoena puffed, revealing one of her swords from its sheath in all its shining glory. "There's only one thing we can do for him now." She readied herself for an offensive attack. "End his misery and suffering before anyone gets hurt."
Callan's eyes drifted to the monster as it stalked near the tree line. Sachi was unrecognizable as this beast. The animal was enormous, rippling with muscle, and covered in shaggy black fur. Its shape reminded Callan of some jumbled mash-up of a jungle cat, a bull, and lizard: the horned face of a cat with slitted reptilian eyes, razor sharp talons on its scaled paws, and the build of a bull with a feline tail swaying around its hind legs. He couldn't place what it might be, but surely it was a threat with its remarkable size and undoubtedly paralleled power. Yet, he couldn't imagine a world where he'd allow Phoena to slay the boy, regardless of the danger Sachi posed to their group. "Put the sword away, Phoena."
"Are you mental?" she huffed, taking a step back as the monster roared angrily and paced nearer. "Do you want him to get close enough to gnaw our faces off!?"
"They've both lost it," Brady muttered to himself as the two stood only a few feet from the massive animal.
"Would you just trust me?" Callan grabbed her wrist tightly, peering down at her in his self-assured way. "I'll ask this just once. Trust me. Forget trying to be a hero and trust me to get this right."
Brady's voice broke Phoena from Callan's pleading. "Big black baddie at 12 o'clock!" he hollered, seeming to aggravate Sachi even more, his lizard eyes glittering with rage against the darkening sky.
Phoena's lips parted as she went to speak, but quickly closed them, rethinking what she meant to say. "I don't think I can-" Acting on instinct, she charged forward and raised her sword up to attack, determined to protect herself and her companions. The weapon scraped against its claws, and the animal reared back, pointing its horns at Phoena in fury.
"Why can't you listen?" Callan watched Phoena ready her sword to strike a blow when Sachi charged her. If he didn't intervene soon, the both of them could end up badly injured. The ear piercing grating of metal against nail continued, as Callan cursed under his breath, hoping to formulate some sort of plan. His face tightened and fists clenched into tightly as Sachi's creature form yelped. He lifted his gaze, his mouth dry as sand, to find blood trickling down the monster's chest and falling into puddles on the dirt. Sachi's eyes, burning like Amber colored embers, locked in on the blonde girl viciously. He pounded the forest floor with his paws and barreled at Phoena with savage determination. Before Sachi could get close enough to do damage and before Phoena could slice the beast to pieces, Callan shoved her out of the way, his hand held out before him. "He's scared... His emotions are what bring out the beast." Callan recalled the legend of the Manabe, shapeshifters whose forms resembled unnatural creatures rather than any known animal. He had always assumed it to be a myth, a horror story to keep Gwyran children safe in their beds at night, but Sachi proved that naive assumption wrong. "He just needs to calm down." It didn't take long for Sachi to refocus his rage on Callan, swinging his horns from side to side as he tried to land a hit against Cal.
"It's okay, Sachi," he spoke calmly as he could, dodging the monster's attacks when necessary as he wanted to stay close. "This isn't your fault, and you shouldn't blame yourself." The creature reared back, raking its claws over the rocky soil. "You aren't the beast, and you don't need to let it control you like this. It's-"
"Callan!" Phoena shrieked wildly, unwilling to stand by and do nothing as Sachi lunged for Callan's side. She rushed forward, her mind running through options in hyperdrive, but not before the beast started to slow its movements unexpectedly.
Callan placed his palm between Sachi' horns, speaking in a low breathy tone. "You can learn how to use your power. Manabe are really no different from shapeshifters." The monster's teeth, which had still been curled up in a snarl, disappeared from view, behind his lips. Slowly, his body began to change, the fur molting away as his form shrunk to that of a young boy once again.
"I'm so sorry," he bemoaned, collapsing at Callan's feet. "I didn't want to. I- I tried to warn you. I just thought that maybe you could help." His eyes were red rimmed, and the last of the beastly golden color faded as Callan dropped a hand softly on the boy's shoulder.
"It wouldn't have changed a thing," he promised, pulling Sachi off the floor. There might not be much he could do considering his lack of talent in the art of shapeshifting, but regardless of his own problems, Callan knew he would do everything in his power to help Sachi, as he had hoped someone might have done for him as a boy. Sachi's nose scrunched up as gritted his teeth in pain. "What is it?" Callan noticed how the boy wrapped his arm across his chest. "The cut," he puffed, "Let me see."
Phoena drew closer to the others timidly, Brady doing the same from the opposite direction, and they all converged at the center. "Is he-" Phoena cut herself off, knowing neither Callan nor Sachi would want to hear from her in all likelihood. Callan dragged Sachi's arm away from its resting place to find blood soaking into the boy's light colored cloak.
"It's a superficial cut and only hurts a bit," Sachi insisted. "I heal quickly because of- because of-" His voice trailed off. "Well, you know."
"Are you sure?" Callan was unconvinced, so Sachi lifted the hem above his rib cage to show the cut. To his surprise, while blood had stained the boy's clothing, the wound had already begun to scab over.
"See? Nothing to worry about."
"Advanced healing abilities," Phoena said without thinking, "What else does that form hide?"
Callan would have glowered at her if he hadn't been curious of what Sachi knew about his Manabe form as well. "If you're not comfortable with us yet-"
"No." Sachi shook his head. "Most people would have killed me without batting an eye." His eyes fluttered toward Phoena with a slight edge, but as he addressed Callan again, that glint faded. "But you didn't. You saved me, and I trust you. I'll tell you anything you want to know." The four, still standing in the center, gathered with Sachi in the center to listen to the happenings of a life that had caused a young boy unimaginable pain.