“Willing to Listen”

The old passenger car rattled as the train climbed the steep mountain slope. Caden was lost in his thoughts; staring out the window, so the human didn’t notice the large bear shifter approaching until Dekar spoke up.

“I’m not here to cause trouble, Caden.” The furry humanoid squeezed into the chair across from the human, so they were facing each other – assuming Caden would stop looking out the window.

“I will admit, Dekar, my pulse raised a little when I saw your reflection in the window - but then I realized I don’t care. Go ahead and rob the train blind. You don’t have to fight me or distract me. Just take care of your business and leave before your brother shows up.”

“Despite using the sky-bike to intercept and board the train, I’m not here on a mercenary mission.”

“Sure. As scenic as the view out this window is, you don’t waste resources or go on joy rides. You’re here for something and you don’t work alone. When did the rest of your crew come on, Dekar? Or are they late?”

“They have the night off. They don’t even know I’m here, so no one can let the information slip to my brother. I don’t want Lavin interrupting tonight.”

“Well then, it shouldn’t take you long at all. I meant what I said. I don’t care what you do. Grab what you want and go. I’m not going to stop you.”

“Caden. I was completely honest when I said that I am not here on mercenary work. The only thing I value on this train is you.”

The human let out an incredulous huff and turned back to the window. “So, nothing valuable on the train but you came anyway. What’s your real game tonight?”

The bear leaned forward in the chair, large hand-paws on his knees. “I know we’ve been on opposite teams since my brother took you in. But I have always respected you. You’ve kicked my ass too many times for me to think you’re a weak person. Over the past eight years, you have always made sure the members of both your team and mine survived, despite your boss and I letting our rivalry take away our common sense.”

“Like when you threatened to eat me?” Caden asked the large bear.

“Bah. That was me trying to shake you off your game, like you usually shook me off mine. You were better at channeling your frustration than I was. My point is, even when fighting me and fraying my last nerve, you have consistently shown me more respect than my brother. In that way, you may well have helped me learn better self-control, and kept the competition between my brother and I from escalating to the point our people started dying.”

“Dekar, how does any of this answer the question I asked?”

“The respect I have for you has meant I have looked into your past, as well as kept tabs on what you do.”

“I’m aware you spy on me, I wasn’t aware that was a sign of respect.”

“I only do it because I care. And I did not pry into your medical records. I am aware you went to see a new doctor twice. Though I am unaware of what she found, I know you left the first visit showing a lot of stress. The second time you were angry and scared.”

Caden folded his arms in front of himself, sitting back in his chair and glared at the large bear shifter.

“I am aware you are no longer with my brother’s mercenary unit, though I do not yet have any of the details of that split. And, obviously, I knew you were on this train; leaving the Border Kingdoms that have been your home for most of the past decade.”

“Why didn’t you dig deeper into the doctor’s visit, Dekar?” Caden asked, glaring at the larger male. “You’re usually more thorough.”

“Mostly it’s out of respect. My brother has two combat medics on staff who you could have seen for battle wounds and anything sexually transmitted, so it had to be something more personal than those.”

“Just mostly out of respect?” Caden asked turning back to look out the window.

“That doctor doesn’t use magic. In all honesty, I never thought I needed to have a contact in her staff. After your second visit, you went straight to my brother and had whatever conversation led not only to you leaving his team, but then buying a one-way ticket on this train. You seem to be trying to get as far away as possible from something. Maybe you’re running from my brother, maybe something else. There has been no chance to dig deeper.”

“So, you thought what? You’d come get the answers out of me?”

“I’m not going to force you to do anything, Caden. I just thought you might need to speak with a friend before you got too far away from everyone you know. I am curious, but also concerned. You only ever run to get to a better position to deal with what is chasing you.”

“Usually, it’s you chasing me.”

“I suppose. But I am not sure how leaving everyone and everything you know can better your position to deal with whatever you are running from. I worry that you are running to protect us, not yourself, when we would prefer to help and support you.”

“You think you can say something to change my mind? I’m not leaving to protect your brother. Lavin couldn’t remove me from his team fast enough when he found out what’s wrong with me. There was no discussion, no examining other options. No hint of support”

“My brother can be very bad at listening sometimes. He’s too driven to try and fix things as soon as possible. Despite how much I’ve already said, I’m not here to talk at you about whatever is causing you to run. I’m here to listen without judgement.”

Caden turned from the window and looked at Dekar for a while. Neither said anything until the human let out a heavy breath, while shaking his head. “I’m not sure if he’s more pissed at the situation or that there’s no fix for it,” he muttered.

The bear didn’t respond, waiting to see if Caden would say more. Eventually, the human slumped back in the chair, “I have Multiple Sclerosis, which is an auto immune disease that shifters evidently don’t get, so it’s almost unheard of in the Border Empires.”

When Caden didn’t go further, Dekar spoke up again, “I am unfamiliar with the disease as well. Would being gifted into a shifter family help?”

“My immune system is attacking the insulating sheaths around the nerves in my spine and brain, which is bad on its own, causing them to have trouble communicating like they are supposed to. Gifting me with becoming a shifter would ramp up my immune system, making the attacks more rapid and severe. I can’t turn to magic to cure me because no practitioner can tell what the magical rune that was tattooed to my chest is, after someone with magic-shielded claws ripped through it.”

“I am sorry about that, Caden.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.  Taking the classes on what becoming a shifter would mean helped me get rid of some of the false propaganda the orphanage taught me. I may not have changed into a shifter, but I became a less terrible human.”

“Then what is your plan, Caden?”

The human sighed. “I … I don’t know. I just… can’t be a mercenary and it’s hard to be around shifters I know and like and … want to be intimate with when doing so could … make me turn furry and damage the nerves in my brain and spine.”

“May I offer some ideas and assistance that might give you a direction, if not hopefully lead to some better help?” Dekar asked.

Caden nodded. “I can’t guarantee I’ll follow your advice, but since you were willing to listen, I can too.”