32 Luke

"There it is" I heard Danev tell me. "Same time as yesterday."

I saw it. It came through the grain gate. Watching the solid metal gate rise, accompanied by the screeching of metal meant a different thing wherever you were in the city. Yet here we were. On this street however, it meant one thing. Life. As dramatic as it sounded, that plain and simple was how it was. Others who knew by heart what the ear wrenching sound of metal on metal meant were already gathered around the cart, only to parted by what I counted to be 12 Fire Nation soldiers and some strange men and women wearing white robes that I didn't recognize.

The unusual street urchin who got too close to the bounty would be shoved back by the muscle of the caravan. After an idiot kid tried to jump on the cart was quite literally picked up and thrown a block down the street, there wasn't much interference. Nobody left in Citadel's slums were particularly fit anymore. Even Danev who had used to be well built was somewhat boney now. His muscle mass had died down and much like myself, his ribs were becoming exposed. It wasn't exactly morale boosting to see that happening to yourself especially when fucking Trap had his damn ideas about drawing in more Rats by letting the big ones go. Aden nearly strangled him when he saw what Trap was doing, but Danev stopped him. Said "food might not be an issue for long." I saw what he was talking about now.

"How do you know there's food inside?" The cart was covered by a white tarp. Nothing could really be seen underneath it.

"I saw some fruit beneath the tarp. We're going to see if we can follow it and confirm."

I nodded my head. The plan meant we'd be close to food which meant I'd have a chance to grab something if I was lucky. It was a chance that sounded good to me.

We stayed on the rooftop where we were. The small abandoned church bell tower was the only structure left in Citadel with 3 stories. Luckily enough, It was right by the grain so it made for a good vantage point.

We followed the cart with our eyes as it moved through the alleys, Fire Nation soldiers guarding the entrance to the alleyway. It didn't stop the urchin here and there from taking different routes. Some even took the lower rooftops. When Danev saw the carts where I assumed he had lost them last time, he dropped down from where he was to the top of the 2 story church and slid down the remaining shingles on the roof, jumping across an alley onto a 1 story slum house roof.

I followed suit. Being agile was a good help especially considering my previous occupations relied on me moving around quickly whether it was running to or from theft victims, or to hear whatever important information I could from around the city. While I missed the ease of life in being an information broker, there was no doubt that my current position brought certain insurance and benefits. Especially considering the Hornets and Miro's gang had entered an armistice of sorts, and by armistice, I meant they were too busy finding food to be fighting each other, information would be lacking and I would probably be a corpse in an alley somewhere. That would definitely draw rats. Maybe Trap should start using dead bodies. You know what? Fuck that. Trap's already got enough sadistic imaginations in his little head.

I followed Danev along the rooftops, close enough to the center that we could slightly make out the caravan without being seen by them. When Danev was still able to see them past where he had lost sight of them 3 days ago, the look of glee on his face was obvious. That ended when some idiot kid, maybe about 8 years old crawled up the rooftop where we were sat and set himself next to us.

"You're the Hornets, right?"

"Fuck off" answered Danev.

"You going to steal something today?"

"No." I replied. "Now do us a favor and fuck off"

"I'm sure the Fire Nation will believe me if I told them the Hornets were out again to steal some food from them. They might even give me some food, unless of course, you have something to offer me."

"Do we look exactly well fed, dumbass?" I asked.

"Why would the Fire Nation give 2 fucks about what a little shit like you has to say?"

The kid paused, and then smiled. "Let's find out."

He stood up to run, but Danev was quicker. He grabbed the kid by his rags of a shirt, turned him around to the road opposite the building we were at where the Fire Nation wasn't moving goods, and shoved the kid off the roof, planting a kick on his chest for good measure.

I had my head turned in time to watch the kid flail of the roof with a small yelp before falling. I turned back around to make sure we hadn't lost the convoy. Fucking dumbass kid.

"He'll live. Probably just has a broken bone or too. Unless, of course, he fell on his neck."

I shrugged. "Guess that's for him to figure out."

Danev chucked. "Ha. Yeah."

We saw the caravan make another turn in the alley and followed. Most of the other urchins who were following had either turned back now either because the caravan was going too far for their tastes or they weren't in the mood to be thrown off a roof.

We saw, well, rather heard, the cart come to a stop. Going prone on the apartment roof, we crawled to the edge, poking only our heads out to see the scene below us.

Right where the old clinic used to be, food was being brought in in open crates with the tarp on the cart now rolled back. The bounty below us was enough to get my mouth watering and my member hard. It was love at first sight.

Next to the clinics doors and above were signs reading "Relief" and "Free Food and Medicine" accompanied by "Come Inside!"

"Fucking Hell" I whispered to Danev. "They could have a trail of jelly beans leading into a metal cage and it would be less conspicuous."

"Do they think we're fucking retarded? What shit are they playing at?"

"Could be cannibals." I offered.

"Why would they be fucking cannibals when they have all this food coming in? No. I think it's one of those child sex rings. Or maybe just your average slavery."

"There a fetish for skin coated bone children that I'm unaware of?"

"There an appetite for coated bone children that I'm unaware of?"

"Fair point."

"They stopped the recruitment drive. Could be forced conscription now."

"We're not exactly fit for service and besides, I think they'd get more voluntary recruits now more than ever if it meant getting fed."

We resumed our watch for around another minute as they brought in more food until Danev spoke up saying "Alright. I'm going back to the Hive to tell Riu.

"You leaving me here alone?"

"Thought you said forced conscription sounded pretty good right now?"

"Yeah, but not cannibalism or sex slavery."

"Oh I'm sure you'll be fine." And with that, he left, and I settled down for what I assumed would be the rest of my day.