Beneath the city, a Thomas joined a congregation of others like him. He and the rest of the people sat on rows of wooden benches. They all wore the same white cloth with a black mammoth on the chest. A priest stood in front of all of them giving the truly pious their sermon. Though, in actuality it was the opposite.
"The church and this kingdom have lied for the last time. First, they let in beastmen. Now, they let in vampires. Tell me you've seen it?"
Thomas watched another man from the audience raise his hand. "I've seen it," the man said, "I saw it with my own two eyes. Synnaria's covenants are being destroyed every second."
Havlar, the priest, nodded. "I am sure you've all seen it. Every day we stray further and further from our goddess. Those so-called pious nuns at the church have led our people a stray. How many times are we going to watch all of this play out? They even called into question my duties as a priest!" Havlar held up a book by the spine and waved it around. "They've disgraced our holy book!"
Thomas looked down at his own book in his lap. He never left his house without it, and there was no doubt in Havlar's words. The man still remembered when the new king passed the decree. It was not that long ago when dirty beastmen were banned from their streets. Not that long ago when creatures of the night were not allowed to walk freely.
In his long life, all Thomas ever wanted was to be recognized for his hard work by the goddess. Synnaria would not approve of any of this.
When he was just a boy, Thomas grew up with parents who were hunters. They lived in a frontier city close to the border of the wild forests. Thomas knew how vicious beastmen could be. His father was slain in cold blood by one of their kind.
It was during that Thomas found Father Havlar. The priest had been significantly younger then. He was around Thomas's current age, but now the father was getting on in his years. And it was all for worse. Father Havlar lost his priesthood in the church for sticking to tradition, but the rotten kingdom and church didn't realize those traditions were what made them all Synnaria's faithful.
Thomas opened his holy book and flipped to a page detailing the goddess's tenets to humans. There it was. Commandment 17: Do not let yourselves become tainted by the hands of monsters. Those who let monsters and beasts walk among you wish to uproot the foundation of your faith.
"What the kingdom has done is slowly degrade what it means to be Synnaria's faithful," Father Havlar said. "I have watched those dirty beasts walk into our temples as if they're tourists on Synnaria's holy grounds. This place, this holy place, where She gave Herself to the heavens, for the good of mankind, has been tainted!"
Murmurs of acknowledgment followed from the seats. Thomas himself nodded along.
"Will we let them pillage and rape our beautiful city? When do all of us plan to take it back? Idling is not justice. While we sit down here waiting, things on the surface continue to get worse. Though the streets are in good repair, it is only a matter of time before the dirty beasts degrade those as well."
"Do you want your streets degraded by the soles of cat men? What will happen when they start to mix with our women? Those bastards will do anything to keep our voices silent, but we are not few in number. There are many who wish to follow my leadership. They aren't only in the pews in front of me."
Priest Havlar's wrinkled lips curled into a smile, and he spread his arms out. "They are the silent men and women up above. I have already talked to a baron who agrees with me. There are guards who will stand by our side. They will support our cause! There will be an uprising! There will be a revolution! We will take back what was ours since the beginning!"
Thomas felt his heart pounding hard for the first time in a while. Recalling his father's bloodied corpse was enough to send his core ablaze. He glanced down at the hunter's bow resting beside him.
"There can be no peace while they still hold the power. Today is the day we will shatter the status quo."
The men cheered from their Holy Father's words. All of them had a similar story, and all of them wanted vengeance.
Thomas reached down and gripped his bow. Whether he lived or died, he vowed that his arrow would find the heart of one who'd stolen his kingdom.
///
Taliyana gripped her mother's hand. The two walked next to stands of vegetables. After a few years of living in the city, the little cat girl was already used to the odd stares. There were plenty of men and women that gave her and her mother sidelong glances. Either that, or they actually glared at the two. However, there were plenty that were more accepting.
A man behind a tomato stand smiled at the two. He was the same kind of working class that Taliyana's mother was, and the brown linens he wore made that fact clear. Though, his tomatoes always looked so juicy that Taliyana couldn't help staring at them.
"You look beautiful today as well, miss. Are you buying some tomatoes again today?"
Taliyana could only look up at her mother with a helpless expression when she saw that Reid's compliment actually worked on her. Malania's face heated, and she lowered her hood slightly.
"Good afternoon, Reid. My daughter and I were exploring the city a little today. She wanted to get out and stretch her legs, and I couldn't say no to such a cute little girl."
Reid chuckled and looked down at the now pouting Taliyana. He reached for a tomato on his stand. "You're right. I think the reason you keep bringing her here is so the two of you get free food."
Taliyana took the extended tomato. She wanted to protest that it was her mother who wanted to come out, but her earlier scolding gave her pause. Mother is so not fair!
The little cat girl's tail waved back and forth in agitation, but the sweet smelling tomato was enough to calm her.
Reid's face changed suddenly from smiling to serious. "Still, I wish the two of you would not walk around so boldly all of the time. I've seen the way that people here look at you. They've still not gotten over the concord."
"I appreciate your concern, but we cannot simply hide ourselves. I don't wish for that kind of life for Taliyana. Besides, there are plenty of nice people like yourself."
The man's face flushed red just like Taliyana's mother. Watching the sight made the little girl feel a strange mix of emotions. She wanted her mother to be the happiest person in the world, but she still missed her papa. In the end, Taliyana's heart settled on wanting the best for her and her mother.
Though she was still a kid, she understood better than anyone that the two of them needed protection. They were both extremely fortunate that the person who bought them had set them free. At the same time, being free came with its own complications. The two of them were poor, and they relied on her mother's work and the kindness of people like Reid.
Taliyana tugged on Malania's robes and smiled slyly. "Mommy, the two of you should just kiss already."
Malania's face went as red as the tomatoes in front of her, and Reid's face matched. The mother looked down at her kitten flustered. "Don't say such things! Reid is just being nice to us!"
Taliyana sighed and shook her head. "You always scold me for lying, but the two of you are lying to yourselves and each other every day."
Malania's eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Where did you learn such things?"
"Mommy, I was not only trying to find mages. I watch all of the time, and the two of you look like those two girls on the bench. If the two of you got together, we would be safer."
Her mother looked between the little girl and the man. Taliyana had no idea how Mom found him handsome with the battle scars on his hands and cheeks. But she didn't want to question her mother's tastes. The only thing Taliyana knew was that Reid was nice.
Malania didn't deny the girl's words. She shook her head in exasperation and placed a hand on Taliyana's head. "There are some things that you should not say, darling. Besides, I am sure that Reid has..."
Reid walked out from behind his stand. "That's not true at all. I—"
The only thing that Taliyana heard next was the sound of a taught string releasing, and then it was Reid that tackled her to the ground.
Confusion and shock were the first things the little cat girl felt, and then it was an immense amount of pain. A sharp stabbing sensation ran through her leg, and she yelped. She looked down in horror, finding an arrow sticking out of her leg. And blood. So much blood.