A rough life for a human pet

The preparation

I guess everyone agrees with Felix now that they think I nearly got kidnapped. Even Melda, who's been strictly against this, is sitting eagerly at the table as they plan.

"Valor, are you alright? You should come with us while we discuss this." Melda calls over to me from my spot in a different part of the room.

I reluctantly move over and take a seat. There's a map on the table showing the layout of the city. The Flita sector in the middle of the city cut off from the outside or away waterways but the tall thick walls that surround the area.

"The only way in or out is through the guard stations, we really have no choice but to go through one of them" Heth states, pointing to the station I traveled through to get here and even to used to use when I worked.

His finger moves back towards the Flita sector and moves over the now empty business sector and through the residential areas. Right back to where we are now.

"We will need numbers to get through the station with any success. There are already several groups who support us and would offer their help with our cause." Heth continues with the group listening closely, but I just feel worried about how this will go.

Forcing our way through a guard station sounds like a bad idea.

"Isn't that dangerous, people could get hurt?" I mumble, Scarlet placing a hand over my shoulder as she notices my worry and pulls me in for a side hug as though to try and comfort me.

Felix has a slight look of annoyance on his face for a moment, but it fades as we make eye contact.

"Us Flita are already suffering and dying... we have to try something Valor," Felix retorts, but it's not as snappy as I thought I'd be.

They all know I've had bad experiences with the Franus. That I was harmed before... then the assumed kidnapping attempt. I guess even Felix can understand my apprehension even if it does annoy him.

"Yeah, I know, but couldn't there be another way besides something so outright rebellious... maybe something that won't risk angering them so much," I mumble, but I don't really get much of a response as they go back to looking at the map.

"The east gate is closest to the capital building. There, we will take our stand as a group. What are they going to do lock us all up, kill us? I doubt they would do something so dramatic." Melda continues, and I feel like there's really nothing I can do to prevent this now.

All I can really do is try and make sure things don't get too out of hand. It's one thing if we go to the capital building to present our issues and another if we go there aiming to cause damage or destruction.

"I would say we should be able to rally several thousand to join if we can get people from all over the Flita sector to join us. Our numbers have dropped, but we just need enough to have a presence there." Heth says this time pointing to several areas of the Flita sector we need to go to as we travel.

Our sector of the city is small. We only have less of a fifth of the land, but our population is much larger. It's like we are being packed in the smallest area they could put us in, and we have no way to expand. We can't even upgrade our buildings as the Franus are in charge of infrastructure, and we don't have the money to afford it anyway.

"How will they all fit through the guard station?" I ask genuinely curious at this point since it's designed to control the movement of us Flita and limit how many can travel through at once.

It's quiet as they think, and then I look confused as Scarlet puts some buttons by each of the four guard stations.

"We can get through if we set up diversions at the other gates. They will have to put more guards at those ones, and we could more easily get through the one we want. Once we have a few people through, we can control the station we want to get through," Scarlet states excitedly as she pushes some buttons through at the gate we want.

It would require they either underestimate our ability to strategize or that they don't see what it is we are doing. It could work, but we will only have one chance at it.

"So then, once we are through, we just have to go straight to the capital building. The roads should be clear of snow at that point, so moving should be easier and faster." Melda continues, and I can see some merit in the plan even if I don't like how badly it could go wrong.

I wonder what Draino would think or do if he saw me there... among the protestors. He already knows I'm hiding out somewhere in the Flita sector.

And what if it goes wrong, what might happen. The last thing I want to do is return to him... but I suppose at least it's some kind of backup for me. Not that these Flita have something like that.

My hand moves to my neck for a moment. I had forgotten the metal of the collar was there, but it's still sitting there between my neck and the scarf.

Even if I can manage to stay away from Draino, it's not like I'm ever going to be able to get this off. Not without revealing my background as a pet after all.

Maybe if I can stick with these guys long enough, they might eventually be able to help me to get it off. Especially if we can succeed in this plan of getting our concerns heard and our needs addressed. Then I won't even need to go back to Draino.

1008 words

Written 31/12/23

Published 31/12/23