“Why have you come?” I asked rudely. “What made you think you’d have a place here?”
Miki glanced back at me. “Master…”
“We…” He cleared his throat as his wife gabbed his coat from behind. “We don’t have anywhere else to go. After you left, we realized that the catkin would likely send someone to wipe us out to keep their secrets. Our people are sick and dying. We were barely able to make this journey.”
I looked at Miki’s Mother, who was holding her Father’s shirt in a way that wasn’t much different than how Miki clung to me. However, just because they were her parents didn’t mean they were her family. My expression stiffened.
“How is it my problem?” I demanded, causing him to flinch.
“A-are the children alright?” Miki asked.
I didn’t mind her cutting in, but her voice that was still filled with concern only caused my heart to ache. These people weren’t deserving of any of her kindness or sympathy.
“T-they still live.” He responded after a moment when he was sure I was allowing her to speak. “The rest of us carried them… but many died on the way. We resurrected those we still could, but we’ve reached a point where the able-bodied were fewer than the immobile. If we turn back… I’m afraid no one will reach Dioshin alive.”
I crossed my arms. “Oh, I’m sure some of you will survive. You’ll just abandon the weak so those better off survive. It’s what you do.”
He bit his lip, and the others were either too tired or knew their place too well to muster any rebuttal. Every eye was looking down at the floor. They had lost what little part of their home they had left. Without knowing what they would find, they braved the wilderness and came to their enemy in the hopes of mercy. It was a bit like the time that Chalm was upset by ghosts and fled to Dioshin for shelter. Then again, when that happened, Dioshin had closed their doors on them, denying the animalkin a home. I saw no reason to offer one either.
“We… won’t abandon others anymore. We’ve lived our entire lives suppressed by Dioshin, treated as outcasts because of the fear of souls and spirits. We… won’t make the same mistake again.”
“Good for you.” I sneered. “Now, go away.”
He shook but didn’t respond. “I will leave…”
Miki reached out her hand, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her from stepping toward them, and then spun her so she faced away from him. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears, her body shaking. It was filled with fear, confusion, and regret.
Her father hadn’t turned away yet, opening his mouth once again as he glanced at Miki’s back. “I know I no longer have the right to call you my daughter.”
“That’s one thing we can both agree on!” I responded, looking at Miki, not him.
“I can only ask, no… beg…The children… they have done nothing. Can you… can you please take the children? Can you cure… no… can you raise them, to be strong like you? We were… all too weak.”
My eyes continued to stare at Miki unblinking while her eyes grew red and her lips trembled. After a few moments of silence, I sighed, still not looking in their direction.
I heard a small exhale of breath, and the foxkin slowly moved forward. They only walked halfway to us, dragging behind small, bundled forms on makeshift carts. For a village of a couple hundred, there were only about twenty children in all remaining. They were left in front of us. The mothers and fathers who had to abandon their children let out wails and cries. The children weren’t even conscious at this point. After a few moments to say their farewells, they slowly got back up and started heading into the forest.
Throughout this time, my eyes were still on Miki. She didn’t tell them to stop. Even with the tears running down her cheeks, she smiled at me and nodded. She was telling me this was the right thing to do.
It’s too bad I knew Miki better than that. I had been inside Miki’s mind. I had seen the real person. She had worn a mask of acceptance her entire life. She always accepted what came to her. She masked some of it behind a mischievous and teasing demeanor, but at the end of it all, Miki was infinitely kind and generous. She wouldn’t say anything, because this was too hard for her to decide. She wanted me to make the decision, and she’d stand beside that decision.
However, I knew my Miki. I knew that deep down; she would be in pain. I knew she would suffer every day in silence and regret. She would never resent me, but she would blame herself forever. I reached out and scratched the back of my neck.
“Ahhh… god, what a bother!” Her eyes widened at my words, and the people who had just reached the forest slowed slightly. “I don’t want to have to deal with a bunch of stinking children. I guess I’ll just sell them into slavery. That’ll make some gold, I bet.”
My words were loud, and they were heard by the foxkin. The Father spun around, just a bit of heat in his eyes.
“Slavery… n-now see here! These are our children. We didn’t leave them to you to sell as slaves?”
“Eh?” I picked my ear. “Are you still here? Aren’t you the guys just telling me you wouldn’t leave your kind behind, all while leaving all of your children behind? That’s real rich coming from you guys.”
Several of the foxkin looked up with an offended expression.
“It’s not like that! It’s just, our lives don’t matter. We will gladly give them to save our children. Why can’t you see that?”
“All I see is you all taking the easy way out. Again.” I responded. “If I’m going to deal with these kids, I need to be properly compensated.”
“C-compensated?” He sputtered. “We don’t have anything left? All we have is ourselves!”
I raised an eyebrow. “A bunch of spirit foxkin, huh?”
He stiffened as the realization started to cross his face.
“I need some slaves to take care of these foxkin children, and for the rest, I’ll find a way to put you all to work.”
I didn’t have a church in Chalm. Franky, I found the church’s I had encountered to this date a bit too wonky to want them around. We had gained a few priests who had remained in town, but it wasn’t enough for a growing population. However, priests weren’t the only ones that could resurrect people. Spiritualists seemed to have the best resurrection, especially if they were a multi-tailed foxkin! This wasn’t a matter of altruism, this was just good business.