More Than One Side 3/3

More Than One Side
Chapter 3: The Unusual Pair

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They were a strange brought together under strange circumstances.  By all accounts, the two should've never met each other to begin with.  Bringing these beings together must've had a touch of destiny.  How long can these two stay together?  Only time can tell that to us.

The first being in this pair is a human, one of average stature for its kind.  Living in these post-apocalyptic environments is no easy task for humans, but they have managed to attain footholds in the ruins left behind.  This human in particular has a unique difference to the others it lives with: it has a love for books.

It collected as many as it could find and stored them in a secret cave away from the eyes of its fellows.  On the human's latest venture to the cave, an accident occurred.  A freak sandstorm appeared and chased after the human.  And before they could get to the cave, a few rocks had come loose and fell upon the being, knocking them unconscious and badly beating its left leg.

If it wasn't for the actions of the second being of this pair, the human may not have survived the experience.  The second being refers to itself as a 'chio'.  Chios and humans of this era have little to no contact with each other, thus resulting in each side having faint, if any, knowledge about them.  Compared to humans, chios are about the same size.  They resemble the creature know as a 'kangaroo' and live in nomadic tribes.

In most senses, chios are physically superior to humans in every way, being stronger, faster, and have better senses of smell and hearing.  As to who is superior in intellect, that will remain a mystery till there is communication between the two species.  Being nomadic, chios must hunt for whatever food they can find to sustain their omnivorous diet.  And that is what this particular chio was doing when a sandstorm arose and a scream of desperation could be heard just before it subsided.

Curious, yet cautious, the chio went to investigate the sound.  It found the human on the ground near the cave.  Feeling sympathetic for the unconscious creature it found, the chio took it into the nearby cave for shelter.  When the human awoke, it startled the chio who then ran out of the cave in surprise.  Taking a moment to catch its breath outside the cave, the chio gathered up its courage and returned to the cave.

Over the next period of days, the human and the chio spent their time together.  The chio would keep watch over the human as it recovered.  And the human would sometimes read some of the books to the chio.  Though neither could understand the other, the chio enjoyed the sound of poetry more.  And while the human slept, the chio would go out to scavenge for food.  It was hard to find much in the rugged area, but fortunately the human had a small stockpile of food for itself in the cave.
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Three days after the incident, the human began to walk again.  It was hard for it to do, but the chio did its best to help support where it could.  On the fifth day, the human still had some trouble walking, but it was determined to get back to the ruined city it came from.  The chio protested this, but the human was adamant.  "I must return, or the others will begin to worry about me," the human had said.

Despite being unable to communicate in a practical manner, the chio still could understand the determination in the other creature's voice.  "If you wish to go, then I will help you," it said, more to itself than to the human.

The two set out mid-morning.  Both walking together with the human keeping its left arm on the chio's shoulders to take strain off the left leg.  As they went, the human kept on rambling about various things.  Somehow, talking made it feel calmer.  The chio, on the other hand, was thinking something else though all the chatter: "Please, just shut up.  My ears feel like they will fall off."

As the chio began to realize where they were heading, it began to get nervous.  It could tell they strange creatures lived in those places, and they might be very dangerous.  The chio did its best to maintain its courage, thinking, "I'm a brave chio," all the way.

But once they got about a hundred yards to the edge of the city, the chio could not go further.  "I can't go anymore, it's dangerous in there," it tried to explain.  But the words were indistinguishable to the human's ears.

"What's wrong?" the human tried to ask.

But with a sorrowful look, the chio gently let go of the human and took a few steps away.  "I'm sorry," it said before fleeing the outskirts on all fours.

The human managed to walk the rest of the way into the city.  Once the other humans were found, they were able to take care of the injured leg better.  The final assessment was that the injuries were minor.  However, for the rest of the human's life, a dull pain would shoot through the length of the leg from time to time.

As for the kind chio, the human never saw it again.

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40 years later…

Sometime after the accident, the human left the city and traveled to a new area.  The human just couldn't stand to live in that city anymore and decided to explore.  Eventually, the human ended up in a city called Metro.

For the rest of the human's time there, it had a fair life.  With a knack for find useful objects, honed from the years of book-hunting, this human maintains a good niche in the society there.  All was well, till one day a stranger appeared.

Hidden off to the side, the human watched as a girl with blue-streaked hair was escorted further into the city.  But what was strangest was the girl's companion.  It was a chio.  After forty years, the human has finally glimpsed another one of the species that saved it.

"Strange," the human said to itself.  Tilting its head, the human wondered out loud, "that creature looks almost exactly like the one that saved me, only younger."

As the pair was escorted further in, the human continued to ponder this, "it couldn't be the same one, that was decades ago.  Perhaps this is a descendant of that creature?  It would be too fantastic, yet… I almost wish it were so.  I never really got to thank the creature for all its help."

With the girl and the creature out of sight, the human returned to foraging for materials, though not with the same amount of concentration.  Its mind weighed heavily on the memories of so long ago.  Perhaps, if this newcomer was going to stay, the human could find out more about the creature.  Maybe there was a connection.

I hope there is, the human thought.