Haethir village was in an uproar.
The people had no clue what to do once that thing came crawling back.
Homes were being flooded with residents too scared to bother finding their own.
Meanwhile, Dylan and Rhys were just finishing up their trip, without a care in the world.
At around 10:00 AM, Mr.
Reygan spotted both of them from inside the village.
Mr.
Reygan: [Oh thank God you’re back Dylan.
Wait, why is it naked?]
Rhys was standing behind Dylan, with his naked body almost exposed to the entire world.
Dylan: [Don’t worry about that.
Anyways, can you open the gate again?]
Mr.
Reygan: [First you gotta tell me why he’s naked.]
Rhys: [My clothes are all wet.
And I don’t have any other ones to wear.]
Mr.
Reygan looked pretty annoyed by this thing’s anti-socialist views.
They all wore clothes for a reason.
Mr.
Reygan: [Alright.
Just go find some clothes as fast as possible.]
He reluctantly pulled the lever down, and they all watched as the gate slowly crept open.
The townsfolk were horrified by the thing walking with Dylan a little while back inside.
Disapproving faces were shattering Rhys’s soul from the inside.
To the point of a single hypothetical tear.
Almost showing.
Keeping it together.
All that matters.
Rhys noticed how bright the sky was at this time of day.
Making him guess this area takes place during the summer, around July.
It was hypnotizing…
Dylan: [Hey!
Take a look at my house!]
Snapping back to reality, Rhys looks up to see the house Dylan lived in.
The abode was moderately big, with the design being what he would imagine a medieval house to look like.
Now to wonder what the inside would feel like.
Dylan: [Hey guys!
I’m back!]
The two of them stepped inside the house.
Rhys feels the warmth and ambiance of the fireplace over in the living room.
Elya and Silvya both came running over to greet Dylan cheerfully.
A sadness fell onto Rhys’s chest when they hugged him from either side.
Elya & Silvya: [We missed you sooooo much big bro!]
Dylan hugs them back gently, almost like a mom would do to their kid.
Dylan: [I missed you both too!]
Rhys just stands there, awkward like all hell, until the sisters lock eyes with him by accident.
Elya: [Hi monkey man!]
Silvya: [Hello!]
He gives them a little wave of gratitude.
Mr.
Starless: [Good grief!
What’s all that noise over here—]
The dad stops right in his tracks when he sees Rhys.
Then he points at him with a flaccid finger.
Mr.
Starless: [What the fuck is it doing, in my house?]
He looks down.
Mr.
Starless: [And why is it naked?!]
Dylan hurriedly scurries over to his dad and whispers something in his ear.
The dad’s face switched between a bunch of vastly different emotions in that minute time span.
Some may include: anger, sadness, intrigue, and so many more.
Mr.
Starless: [Fuckin’ hell… alright!
Come with me, Mogi.
I’ll give you some new clothes…]
Rhys: Mogi??
He slowly steps closer and closer to Mr.
Starless.
Feeling the judgement, a;most like a laser beam scarring his flesh.
Once Rhys got close enough, Mr.
Starless snatched the wet and damp clothes.
Mr.
Starless: [Just follow Dylan to the dinner table.
There we can have a chat…]
He walks away, wet clothes in hand; all the way to the back.
Leaving Rhys more and more confused by the minute.
That’s interrupted when he feels the breath of Elya and Silvya on his tail.
Spinning around to see them mesmerized by it.
Rhys: [Uhhh.
Can I help you…?]
Elya & Silvya: [Can we touch it, Mogi?]
They both poked his tail with their long nails.
The jab made it wiggle away like a snake on instinct.
Rhys leans into Dylan’s ear, who was just behind him.
Rhys: [Why do they keep calling me Mogi?]
Dylan: [U-um, ask me that later when we’re alone again… I can’t tell you why right now.]
Rhys: The hell do you mean by that?!
The dinner table that the dad said was there; seemed to just be some picnic pulled from the outside and sloppily thrown in the middle of the room.
The four of them filed themselves in.
Starting with Dylan and Rhys, and ending with the twins.
Rhys: [W-where should I sit?]
Dylan: [Um, at the very end, right there!]
He points to the end of the left bench.
Right next to the window.
Rhys strides over there and plops a squat.
Dylan and the twins follow suit right beside him.
Mr.
Starless: [Hey Dylan, I’m back—]
He looks at his other two daughters staring at Rhys like crazy.
Mr.
Starless: [Elya, Silvya.
Can you give us a moment?]
Elya: [Aww c’mon papa!]
Silvya: [Yeah we want to stay with Mogi!]
Mr.
Starless: [I know, you can annoy him later.
Right now, he and I have to have a conversation about something serious…]
The twins whined and begged a little while longer before finally getting bored and going off to their rooms to play.
That just left Dylan, Rhys, and Mr.
Starless all alone.
Mr.
Starless: [So.
What are you and where did you come from.]
The tone shift was jarring for the two of them.
Going from a loving father to this was
Rhys: [I-I don’t, and you wouldn’t know.]
Dylan was shifting in his seat beside Rhys, not knowing what to do or say.
The stare coming from Mr.
Starless also made him fold immediately.
Rhys: [I was transported here, and this isn’t my actual body.]
Mr.
Starless: [What do you mean “not actual body”?]
Rhys: [Before I got here, I looked like you guys.
Now that I am here, I don’t.
That’s about as much as I know.]
Mr.
Starless: [R-really?
Nothing about “Ridding this filthy world of animals” or something like that?]
Rhys immediately shook his head.
Mr.
Starless: [Y-you know what?
Forget I asked; It’s none of your concern.]
Dylan and Rhys looked confused at the tonal shifts that kept flowing.
Rhys: [W-was their; someone like that—]
Mr.
Starless: [I-I said, to forget I asked.
This doesn’t concern you.
You both can go to Dylan’s room, I’ve laid out some clothes for you in there.]
He shoos both of them off to their rooms, and they both scurry away like rats.
After their departure, Mr.
Starless rested his face in his hands and let out a deep sigh.
Mr.
Starless: We should be fine… I think…
Rhys: [What’s wrong with your pops?]
He was trying on the brown-stained t-shirt that Mr.
Starless gave him.
Feeling, though, that it was a bit too loose.
Dylan: [Don’t worry about him too much, he’s just a little jumpy and protective whenever me or my sisters meet new people.
He even did it with Mr.
Reygan!]
He lets out a cheeky chuckle as he lies on his bed, trying to make snow angels.
Rhys: [S-so… um… what are we going to do now?]
Dylan: [Well, I was thinking you could tag along with me as I go around town and talk to different people.
You down for that?]
Rhys gives a little smirk and turns around slightly.
Rhys: [Sure!
I’m down for anything with you!]