Fantasy Acceptance and Love (1x1)

[OnePunchKnockout]

rainywrites


You would expect a rational human being to wake up at least after sunrise, unless you're me or Jaylen Ross. Jaylen had a tight schedule, and the start of this schedule involved waking up at four am to get ready for the day- tending to the ranch she had inherited from her father, who had inherited it from his mother; it had been passed down through many generations, and now it was Jaylen's. Ross Ranch had been in operation since the early sixteenth century.

The mountainous, ranch-filled state of Montana offered competition for Jaylen, but she didn't care about becoming the biggest, most profitable ranch in the nation. She just wanted to amass a modest income and live a good life, after her work she could kick back, pop open a bottle of beer, and watch the sun set over the trees and mountains of the forest in front of her.

It was a good life for Jaylen- mainly because she wasn't one of those rejected by society.

In school, the girl had learned about changelings, and, as most textbooks put them in a negative context, she quickly gained a small interest in the topic- after all, she knew what it was like. She was an adult woman who was unmarried, attracted to both sexes, and dressed like a man. Of course, that wasn't the level of rejection they felt, but she at least could empthathize a small bit.

If she met one, she vowed, she would do everything in her power to show that she wasn't the kind of human they thought she was. She treated people with kindness and only got aggressive if you got aggressive with someone else, someone weaker. Of course, the forest by her ranch showed some opportunity, but of course, nothing much came out but bunnies, birds, and the occasional wolf or fox, which she would either shoot or shoo away to protect her chickens.

Jaylen got dressed in her usual t-shirt, overalls, and flannel jacket, and donned her straw farmers hat. She drank a big glass of orange juice before heading out to start her work. Her first task was to tend to the chickens and collect their eggs for breakfast.

 

[rainywrites]

They’d been hearing warnings for weeks. And sure, they got these messages from time to time. The government hated them, just like everybody else. The first rule of being a changeling was something every baby learned from the moment they were born in their animal form. Humans would never love you. Which meant the only people changelings had were each other, through and through. They bonded fiercely to themselves and to the land they were forced onto. Each reservation having its own way of life, although they all relied on the land for everything. There was a lake in Raven’s forest. They got fish from it, made lean-tos and Tepees from logs and twigs, mud and moss, and made clothing from pelts and whatever they could find. It was a simple life, cut off entirely from the world, but hey. The world hated them. And this land was their world. Everyone called everyone cousin, and they lived in quiet, unassuming peace.

then, a few weeks ago, the letters had started coming. Raven was amongst the many who hadn’t been taught to read, but she’d heard of their contents. Find another reserve or die. move or be moved. Yeah, right. The next reserve was hundreds of miles in any direction. They couldn’t impose on such a different way of life. and anyway, it wasn't like they could just pick up and travel somewhere else. they wouldn't be used to the weather, the area, or the traditions. they might not even speak the same dialect as the new tribe. they were only half-fluent in human as it was.

they'd laughed it off, deciding some eco friendly environmentalist humans would probably want to save the forest anyway. no need to worry, but stay away from the edges of their territory. the children, like Raven, had been told not to worry a thousand times. and Raven... she believed them. it was easy to believe that. she wanted to, and besides. their society had been in this forest for generations. not even the mean humans could make them move for anything. They stood tall like willows, unshakable in the breeze.

they'd forgotten about the guns.

tranqs, guns... there were shots in the forest that morning. Raven didn't even know the sound, it was so forign to her. she knew screams, though. and that was what caused her to drop her berry basket and run away. she didn't even realize she was running towarss the edge of the forest, away from their camp. but those were the screams of her friends, her loved ones, her family. the lions and wolves and foxes and bears who had raised her. animal form screams and if they couldn't fight off whatever was going on, what chance did a childish bird have of doing anything? she knew exactly what Blossom would tell her to do right now. run. so she did.

straight out of the safety of the trees, onto the property of a farm that she'd only seen from the sky before this. sometimes she flew over it in full bird form, enjoying the feeling of tretchery. those dumb humans never even noticed her. still, running at full heart-pounding speed, Raven neglected to remember that there was a steep grassy hill that led from the plain on which the forest was down to where the farm was. unable to slow down but desparately trying before the human (who was in eyesight!!!) saw her, she ended up tripping. and then she fell. down the hill.

yeah. it hurt.

she was okay, but now she knew she'd been spotted. she'd yelped more than a few times on her way down. now her best hope was that this human didn't murder her. or send her back into the woods with the gunshots... what could she even do?

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen noticed the girl and immediately stopped what she was doing. She set the basket of eggs down as carefully as she could, running towards the girl who had just rolled down the hill coming out of the forest. Her property line ended at the forest, so if someone just came out of it, they were trespassing.

But Jaylen saw a child. A child would not have any malicious intention- unless, of course, an adult directed them to. They would have to know things. But, Jaylen knew that the girl would not try to steal or kill any of her animals. After all, she appeared fearful.

Hearing gunshots come from the woods, her protective nature came out. "Hey! Go inside my barn! You'll be safe!" she yells, drawing her gun towards the forest, aimed far away from Raven's body. "No one should try and shoot a child."

 

[rainywrites]

the first question that hit Raven's mind was probably a dumb one, but in her defense, she was only half fluent in human. what's a barn? the woman who had approached her seemed to be pointing towards a red wooden building, so she decided to just try her luck there. after all, the woman didn't appear to be in the mood for talking. more in the mood for pulling out some long weapon and aiming it towards the woods. was this the same kind of human weapon that made the thunderous noises that beat the wolves down? she didn't know. but she certainly didn't want to stay and find out.

heart beating fast, she heaved herself up. she was especially light due to her hollow bones, even in Human form. she ran into the red building, surprised to find it was warm inside. cozy. there were animals living here. human domesticated ones. she found a nice pile of what looked like the long dead grass they used for bedding when there wasn't enough pelt or moss, and she made herself cozy in it. she was so tired after all that running that she quickly fell asleep, even though her heart was still trying to calm and her thoughts were racing still.

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen's barn housed a few cows at the moment, as the weather had been bad the previous night. The cows surround Raven, seeming to form a protective barrier around her- they would only open up if Jaylen came along.

Which she did.

After a scuffle with the government officials, Jaylen managed to convince them that she had no idea where any of these changelings were. She made her way into the barn, seeing Raven was asleep. She had a minor bullet wound in her arm from a stray bullet, but she nonetheless was allowed in by the cow wall. She covered the girl with a blanket and left some warm milk from her cows, and some warm toast with butter and jelly. She sits on her milking stool and waits for her to wake.

Her work could wait.

 

[rainywrites]

when raven eventually woke up, it was not happy. she'd spent her entire rest dreaming of her siblings, her cousins, hearing their laughter punctuated by their screams. she didn't know what had happened, how they'd all been thrown in cages, seperated, even the newborns, and how anyone who fought had been killed. she didn't know she was the only one left. but she knew she was scared. she was rolling, fretting in her sleep.

waking up anywhere but home didn't help matters. neither did the face of the human, or the domesticated animals surrounding them. she whimpered, scooting farther away from her, trying to hide herself in the hey. she didn't like this at all.

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen saw she was scared. Figuring out from the officials she had encountered, she seemed in the right to be scared by Jaylen. Even the food she left didn't seem to help, and her gun was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey." she said in a soft voice. "Are you okay? That mustve been scary for a little one like you. I brought you some food...." she tried to be soft, to have this girl gain her trust, tell her what happened. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

 

[rainywrites]

she noticed the voice, and the woman reminded her a bit of blossom. Blossom, of course, being the wolf changeling who had raised Raven. she was around 25 now, so a bit older than Jaylen, but they still looked very similar in age. she didn't know every word that Jaylen was using, but she knew the gist. she sniffed at the food, poked at it, and she tasted a bit of the jelly first. licking it, she smiled. it was like the sweetest berry she'd ever tasted, but sweeter! taking a small bite, she was quickly gobbling the bread down.

what happened? she didn't even know. "there was..." she spoke in odd tones, but she was trying her best. "there was thunder. but no rain. ground thunder. and... the wolves. the bears. they're screaming. loud. so I run, because... Blossom screamed." and when Blossom screamed, something was wrong. "a-are they... okay?"

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen had idly looked at her phone during the moment that Raven was asleep. She sighs. "I don't know if they're okay, that's all I can tell you." she sighs, sadness laced with anger was in her tone. "But the government was trying to force you guys out. That's bullshit. This is why I live alone in the country- to not deal with the bullshit of people who refuse to accept the fact that some people are different from them." She spoke with seriousness, that she was a person to trust.

 

[rainywrites]

"they're... they're... where are they?" she needed them to be okay. they were her family. her whole world. she stood up, quickly, ready to run back to the forest and check on them. every single one. lake, russet, bloom, blossom, forest, autumn, sky... they were hundreds in numbers. how could they all not be okay? she didn't yet know of the cages being hauled away as they spoke, of the bodies strewn about their village. "who... who are you? why did you help? you're... you're not like me...?" she switched over to their native dialect around here, the one she'd grown up speaking. "are you? why don't you live on the rez? why do you have human animals?"

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen felt a pang of sadness, of sympathy. "I don't know." she sighs, looking back at her. "My name's Jaylen. Jaylen Ross. I'm a human... I was not aware that my property line ended at a reservation." she nods. "The cows seem to like you, at least. Especially Bessie. She's a big momma."

 

[rainywrites]

"jay. like the bird!" they both had bird-themed names. that made her smile. she liked sterling jays and blue jays. maybe she'd like the lyn jay too. "they keep secret. nobody wants to live next to us." so nobody was told they were there, instead told that it was government protected wildlife reserves, illigal to enter. now, they were being told who was being erradicated, and the governer was reaping all the popularity of ridding the area of this problem.

"I'm scared..." she admitted, looking at the cow who was apparently called bessie.

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

"Hey. I will protect you." Jaylen held her arms out. "I promise I'm not a bad human. I want to help you." she sighs. "Look, why don't we go back in there? The guns are all gone now. Maybe we can find your friends." she smiles. "I'll protect you."

 

[rainywrites]

protect? humans don't protect changelings. everyone knew that. still... if the bird-named woman wanted to help, she would trust her. just until she could get home. what a crazy story. Blossom wouldn't believe this, would she? to be quite honest, neither did Raven. "o...okay." she said, decicively.

"can I go home?" she asked. "the... the humans are gone?" she wanted them to be gone. she wanted it all to be gone.

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

"I'll take you there, ok? Maybe your family is waiting for you." She smiles. "Here, stay close to me. Hold my hand." she held her hand out for Raven, which would prevent any chance of her being lost in the forest until they could find out what happened.

 

[rainywrites]

Raven nodded, although she still gave pause. That was a human hand. The last time she’d touched a human hand would’ve been when her parents abandoned her at the government facility, where she’d been taken to the Rez. Still, after a long moment, she touched it. And surprisingly... “you feel like me.” There were no claws, nothing. She didn’t seem like she was about to hurt raven. So raven took her hand and walked with her out of the barn and into her home. Humans weren’t supposed to be here.

It wasn’t like she could get lost in the forest she’d been raised in. But honestly she was worried about Jaylyn. “Stay close.” She urged, bare feet quickly getting in tune with the ground as she picked up the pace absentmindedly. She was clearly just heading home. There was no sounds of the thunder anymore. No more screams

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen made her way into the forest, her hand clutching Raven's. She carried a flashlight and a pocket knife in her pocket, knowing the presence of her rifle would scare Raven.

She'd already been scared enough today- Jaylen couldn't afford the possibility of her losing her trust as soon as it was earned.

She shined the flashlight around the forest, as it was fairly dense and dark at this time of day. The sun was just beginning to rise, since it was 5 am when Raven came tumbling out of the forest. What a cruel method, waking them up in the middle of the night.

 

[rainywrites]

“Put away. It hurts owls.” She said, pausing. The animals in the forest were trying to sleep. If you couldn’t see at this time, you didn’t go out. She waited until the flashlight was away before Continuing on. It would be safe to travel with her as a guide. She was quite adept at her navigation.

Finally, they got to the clearing, and Raven stopped just a few feet short of it. “Humans can’t be here. Hide... they’ll be scared.” She didn’t want such a kind human to be hurt because her people didn’t understand. She’d speak to them first. They’d understand where she was coming from and welcome the human who saved her. when Raven entered the clearing... it was clear she wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone.

everyone was dead.

there were bodies. bodies everywhere. they were all the fighters of their community, the ones who would protect the changelings from packs of wolves or foxes or big cats or bears who would sometimes try to take over their areas. she could see so many bodies, all strewn about. but where were the others? the mothers, the children... she could see the body of one of their elders, but where were the other two? she was trying to reconcile the wreckage before her... the burned down homes... when she saw it. right where her home was, just in front of it. and she w a i l e d. she screamed, uncaring who heard her and who didn't. because there, in her wolf form with her lovely marble grey fur... there was blossom, lying in a pool of red. Raven ran to her big sister/mother figure, the closest thing she'd ever have to family in the world. Blossom who had done her hair the night before, and said that if she woke up too early she was to go outside and find something to do. Blossom who hadn't wanted to be woken up by Raven's early bird tendencies. blossom who couldn't be dead.

she didn't care if she got shot right there, cuddling her sister, pestering her form. she wanted to wake her up. why wasn't she waking up? she couldn't be dead, she couldn't!

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen was heartbroken when they came upon the strew of bodies. Seeing Raven's grief was heart-shattering to her. She didn't know Raven, or any of her family, for that matter. She felt grief. The same pang of sadness that came about when she found out her father had been killed in a protest to end the mistreatment of her kind. Jaylen remembered that.

She ran towards Raven and put a comforting arm around her. "Hey..." her voice was laced with just as much sadness as hers. "Come here."

 

[rainywrites]

Raven abandoned her attempt to push blossom awake after a few more tries. she could barely see, the tears were streaming down her face. everyone she knew. everyone she loved, and even those who she might not have gotten on so well with... they were all gone. gone, gone, gone. changelings only had each other. and everyone but Raven was gone.

she didn't lean into the arm, because it wasn't Blossom's. it wasn't a changeling arm. she transformed into her bird form, snuggling herself under one of Blossom's motionless limbs and squeezing into the hug one last time. she ignored the blood beginning to cover her. she didn't care. she just... she couldn't give up on Blossom. she couldn't.

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen's sadness became mixed with anger. "Well, wouldn't they at least bury the bodies?! That's bullshit!" she sounded more sad than angry, and let Raven cope as best as she could. That wolf must have been very special to Raven. She sighs, looking at the massacre. Innocent blood had been shed right next to her barn. It made her blood boil with rage.

 

[rainywrites]

she didn't really hear Jaylen's words, honestly, but if she had, she would've been more glad than angry. at least raven could ensure the bodies were dealt with properly. she laid with her only family for what felt like hours, until she was done shaking and sobbing. she couldn't see, still, but she slowly unfurled into human form, still under her sister's forepaw. she muttered something to blossom in their native language, a typical farewell to a warrior who died in battle. it was all she could get out, really, before she curled into herself, alone, and realized just how alone she was.

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen slowly made her way over to Raven, seeing as she now had no home, no family. It panged at her heart. It was so terrible to lose your family. She knew how that felt.

"Hey. You're going to live with me now. You'll be safe and you won't lose me." she said gently

 

[rainywrites]

"we need..." she said, looking across all of the bodies. it felt like a sea. an ocean. some were as young as her. she even saw rainbow, a 5 year old bunny changeling with blonde hair who always had a penchent for disobeying what she was told. and now... oh no.

"we need a fire." she said, decicively. they needed to burn the bodies, so their souls could go to the sky, and put the ash in the sea. water was a cycle, water was life. that way they could return and live again. she needed to ensure that happened. "please. please. fire."

 

[OnePunchKnockout]

Jaylen nods. She was a country girl. Given the right tools, she could start a fire just about anywhere.

She managed to find a good pile of sticks, setting them up, and starting a fire with the flint and steel she always carried into ventures like these. A fire was burning within seconds.