Most carvatians don’t know how dangerous the humans really are. Most people just find them cute, like big squirrels. Me though? I know what they are. Monsters, that’s what. They see you and the first thing on their mind is how they’re going to pick you apart as neatly as possible before putting you back together. I’ve been forced to live among them for years, and it’s the only thing that hasn’t changed. Who am I though? The story of my life isn’t happy, that’s for sure.

From the moment I was born I was considered to be an outcast, even among my horn-growing, wing-wearing magic people. If you asked me, the others were jealous. Hardly anyone was born like me, a chimera. A combination of two animals put into one carvatian, and there was more. I was hardly able to learn the basic magic I was taught. My mother thought I had defective magic in me, but the doctors said otherwise; I just couldn’t learn.

When I grew into an adult, I learned how to do my own magic. Something the others hadn’t seen before. I don’t know how, but I learned to let the animal inside me free with my magic, and it was a whole new experience. That’s when I also took my first trip down to the human realm. I wasn’t fond of covering up who I was, but I did it so there wasn’t a target on my back. When I was there though, five humans tried to beat me in a back alley. Five humans and a carvatian went in, and one carvatian came out with bloody hands.

When people found out about that little incident in the village, I had to go face The Temple. I don’t know why we still worship that piece of outdated architecture, but the thing stripped me of my immortality and banished me to the human world or else. Said if I tried to come back I would face the consequences. 

So that leaves us at the present day. Without immortality my face has turned old, and my once black hair has streaks of gray in it now. Since that day, I’ve been wandering the earth and looking for something. Maybe it’s more carvatians, which I find and help from time to time from these horrible monsters we live with. Maybe it’s some kind of redemption. I don’t know, but I can feel it’s close.

I walked through the small town. Not much green, but not much of anything really. The streets were mostly empty, making me one of the only ones walking around. I wasn’t exactly here for sightseeing though. I caught wind of a carvatian being held captive in this little town, so here I am.

My human disguise was horrible to stay in, but necessary so I wasn’t swarmed with people who wanted to skin me. At least not before I found my guy. I had a long trench coat wrapped around me and a hat to cover myself up; even in the summer heat such temperatures didn’t phase my kind. Who knows what they were doing to him wherever he was. Deep in my thoughts, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I reactively grabbed the wrist of the man.

“Hey buddy, calm down!” the man said, trying to yank his arm back. I let him have it. “Just wanted to give you this, got it?”

The man handed me a flier for a circus in town. It apparently wasn’t a traveling one, which didn’t seem too economical, but humans aren’t the brightest creatures like we are. The most advertised thing on there was their “Half-Demon Dame” in the freakshow. That was all I needed.

“Thanks,” I growled, reluctant to show gratitude to a person. “Do yourself a favor and stay away from that place.”

“What?” he asked, confused.

“If you’re a smart one, stay away today,” I repeated. “Tell that to everyone else too. When I go to a performance, nobody’s going to want to stick around ‘till the end.”

I left the still confused man behind me and set off towards where the circus was supposed to be. It had been a while since I’d been to a big top, but I wasn’t going for pleasure. Not that I ever did.