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Columbina immediately understood that she was competing with Pierrot for Harlequin's attention.
She had joined the group shortly after a certain sea monster had helped her escape from hunters who were pursuing her for her horns.
At that time, she had been nervous. Throughout her life, she had only ever been with her flock: perhaps it was slowly dwindling, but at the end of the day, she had never been with any species outside her own. After the sudden ambush they had suffered, she hadn't seen her parents again.
It was strange living with three sea monsters and a giant spider.
Aside from the initial fear she felt for that darn spider ('Purple doesn't bite, Pink,' Blue had said with a smile while Purple looked at her curiously with his many eyes), she had gotten along relatively well with everyone.
Harlequin had captured her attention after a long time living together, a monster who was too quiet and disinterested at first, but who, once you gained his trust, couldn't stop chasing and bothering you.
Columbina loved that.
It was a competition, in a way.
Some time after joining the herd and spending time with the snake, Columbina knew the courtship was mutual when Harlequin didn't run from her blow, but instead returned it.
She hadn't noticed the doubt on his face, completely lost in her own fantasy, a fantasy that was shattered hours later.
"He's being courted by me, too," Pierrot said suddenly after spending hours and hours talking with Columbina.
The goat remained silent, then turned to look at him with a frown, crossing her arms. "Are you sure about that?" she muttered, her hooves clicking impulsively.
"Yes," a small smile appeared on his face. Columbina grunted when she recognized the mockery that was slowly creeping onto Pierrot's face. "Out of the water, Harlequin is the fastest of us all," he said proudly.
Columbina remained silent, not knowing what he meant by that, though she also didn't know that Harlequin was the fastest of them all.
Perhaps she could...
"Don't even think about it," Pierrot interrupted her train of thought. Columbina looked him straight in the eye, once again unconsciously clicking her hooves. "You share the blows with Harlequin, I prefer to chase him until I finally catch him," Pierrot said proudly.
Columbina understood that this was a competition.
"Red is the strongest of the group," said Blue, who was combing the tangle that was Purple's hair. "Perhaps you shouldn't try to prove yourself in front of him, whatever that means to your kind."
Ignoring Blue's good advice, Columbina kicked Pierrot. Both were dismayed by this. Columbina couldn't understand why her first impulse had been to kick when what she would have preferred was to headbutt the other.
Pierrot's mind, on the other hand, was receiving mixed signals: He didn't know whether to retaliate (Columbina was much more delicate than he was), be ecstatic that the blow had actually hurt him, or back away from her.
Columbina didn't give him any more time to think; she kicked him again, this time lunging at him. Pierrot met her with his horns as a shield. Columbina stumbled back slightly, her hooves digging into the ground in an attempt to slow her speed.
In the distance, two figures watched the scene with curiosity. Purple gently rubbed between Harlequin's horns as Harlequin stared, frozen.
"Are they courting?" murmured the snake, his mouth tasting acidic from the venom dripping from his glands. Purple hummed a reply, neither confirming nor denying what the other was saying. "Perhaps, though they could also be fighting over someone."
"It seems to me they're courting," murmured Harlequin, spitting venom into his hand and then rubbing it against Purple's spiderweb. The silk became more malleable, but otherwise remained just as firm around his neck. "They're definitely courting."
Purple chuckled softly. "Think what you want, we don't all share the same courtship rituals."
"I know, but I also know I share something with both of them..." Harlequin muttered through gritted teeth. Purple let out a heavy sigh, cutting the spiderweb he had woven. "Stop biting your tongue, it'll only make things worse for you," he said, then stepped back.
Harlequin watched the scene for a few more minutes, then moved away, feeling an oppressive sensation filling his chest.
Jealousy.
Jealousy, and he didn't know for whom.
Meanwhile, Pierrot had Columbina cornered on the ground; she was staring at him, reluctantly accepting...A crushing defeat.
Pierrot watched her expectantly, waiting for her to say something, to assert her position, to acknowledge her defeat. But she remained silent, neither denying nor accepting anything.
"I won," Pierrot emphasized, which made Columbina grunt slightly. "I won, and you should accept it," Pierrot repeated. Columbina strained and struck Pierrot in the face, which had little effect on him.
"You didn't win, because he's also courting me, isn't he?" Columbina said with a small, mocking smile. Pierrot thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded. "That makes sense... I'm still stronger than you," Pierrot said mockingly and Columbina rolled her eyes.
"Whatever you say. Anyway, what do you think is better? Sparring or chasing your crush like a maniac? Hmm?" Columbina smiled. Pierrot moved away from her, leaving her on the ground. She grunted slightly and then got up.
"You're too competitive," Pierrot changed the subject. Columbina nudged him with her elbow as she offered a smile. "Well, that's what Harlequin likes, isn't it?"
They stared at each other, the tension palpable. Pierrot smiled and grabbed her arm, starting to walk in another direction. "Well, who am I to deny you anything?" Columbina remained silent. She didn't fully understand the situation she'd gotten herself into, but she understood one thing: Competition.
Columbina loved competing with Pierrot.
Ever since this little situation with Harlequin had begun, things had become more entertaining: Pierrot would chase Harlequin, she would fight him, and, momentarily, she would spar with Pierrot.
It was humiliating and fun at the same time: she didn't have Pierrot's physical strength, nor Harlequin's speed, so she wasn't much of a match for him. She supposed it was her competitive nature that kept her going against Pierrot every time they fought, even if she always ended up on the ground. She managed to hold out long enough for Pierrot to let go of his inhibitions on certain occasions.
Perhaps she also loved Pierrot.
Even with the ongoing competition, Pierrot was very kind to her. And to some extent, she understood that they were both courting each other, and that she had initiated it with the first blow. Each sparring session, each competition, brought them closer together, although another factor that kept them together was their mutual liking for Harlequin.
However, there was something that didn't quite convince her: Harlequin's lack of an appropriate response.
At first, she thought Harlequin was reciprocating their advances, but as time passed, she noticed the discomfort the snake displayed every time one of them made another move.
According to Columbina's knowledge, the three of them shared some courtship rituals; they had differences, but one thing they shared was the competitiveness surrounding courtship.
So why was Harlequin looking at her with such hatred? How had the situation gone from a typical courtship to Harlequin being aggressive toward them?
"What does he have that I don't?" Harlequin asked.
Columbina, still leaning on Pierrot's arm, looked at him in confusion, her ears twitching back as if she were being scolded.
"What are you talking about, Harlequin?" Columbina murmured, her voice trailing off as she realized the implications. She turned to Pierrot, who was also looking at her with the same confusion and concern.
She felt a tendril lightly entwine around her leg, pressing gently. Instinctively, she shook her leg, a part of her scolding herself for what she had done. She tried to say something, but Harlequin had already pulled Pierrot away.
"And you... Why aren't you looking at me?" Harlequin said through gritted teeth. Neither of them had a chance to reply before he fled the scene, jealousy simmering.
"...Weren't we courting?" Columbina asked, worried. Pierrot nodded, gently rubbing the area where Harlequin had gripped him tightly. "I thought we shared courtship rituals?" Pierrot said doubtfully, then added, "I've been courting you well, haven't I?"
"Yes, don't worry about that," Columbina replied affectionately, but Harlequin's words still haunted her. "Perhaps Harlequin misunderstood something? Were we too rough?" she began to mutter, instinctively rubbing her hooves together, which made a loud noise that irritated Pierrot.
"Mi Rosa, please don't do that," he said through gritted teeth. Columbina apologized, embarrassed by how instinct had gotten the better of her, but it was almost inevitable. She was worried about the situation; she had long thought they were also courting Harlequin.
Several times, he had accepted the progress with both of them.
"Perhaps we don't share courtship rituals?" Pierrot murmured. The need to go after Harlequin, corner him, and explain the whole situation was starting to overwhelm him. He and Columbina had spent so much time on courtship rituals only for them not to be considered as such in the other’s eyes.
Pierrot turned around, but Columbina stopped him, shaking her head and applying some pressure to his arm. "We need to think things through. Maybe we can ask Cyan? He's the closest... to Harlequin," she said with a hint of bitterness. Pierrot gave her a light tap on the head, to which Columbina only growled in response, "Stop being so jealous, and let's do that."
Only they didn't have time for that.
Columbina struck her cage harder. Of the entire group, she had always been the weakest, but that didn't mean she wasn't a threat to a normal human. And that's what the humans in the circus were: simple, pathetic, and disgusting.
Although at the end of the day, her efforts had no real effect on the situation: hunger kept them at bay. Little by little, they had stopped feeding them until Pierrot had lost most of his strength. Columbina screamed in frustration, taking it out on her cage, which trembled slightly from the heavy blow.
Columbina's eyes lit up slightly at the result. She struck again, and once more, the cage trembled. Frustration returned the moment she realized that the most she could do was make her cage (and consequently, those around it) tremble, but other than that, she hadn't caused any dents.
"Pink, your attempts only give me a headache," Purple muttered. Columbina felt embarrassed, remembering the delicate situation the other was in. "I'm sorry, Purple..." she murmured timidly. Purple simply hummed a tune and continued what he was doing: writhing in the excess webbing his body had generated in an attempt to disappear from sight.
Columbina couldn't help but look at Purple with pity. She didn't understand the Ringmaster's fondness for the spider. At the end of the day, the spider wasn't her type; he was more of a friend, almost a brother, whom she cared for deeply. But seeing him writhing after... whatever they had done to him made Columbina uncomfortable.
Because that was probably what they were doing to Harlequin at that very moment.
She turned to look at Pierrot, who was unconscious in a pool of his own blood. The only good thing they had for now was that their regeneration was still intact, that their body still had the energy for it.
Perhaps later they wouldn't have it anymore.
Columbina stared for several minutes at the empty cage that belonged to Harlequin. Her jealous side was angry that his cage was closer to Purple's than to either of them.
Her more rational side realized it was to separate them further from the group, perhaps to give them space to 'heal' as Purple was trying to do at that moment, but she had known him long enough to understand that Purple was doing everything but healing.
“Pink..." Blue murmured. Columbina turned to look at him curiously, and he pointed to the door. "They're coming back."
Her body tensed in response, leaning more against the bars, watching expectantly at the still-closed door. Minutes passed, and the door still didn't open, and Columbina began to grow impatient. One thing she hated about marine animals was their heightened hearing, because she couldn't be sure if the people were nearby or even within range.
When the door finally opened, she leaned closer to the bars, as if wanting to pass through them to reach her potential mate (if they even had time). Unlike the others, her night vision wasn't as advanced, so she only saw Harlequin being thrown into a cage.
She didn't hear a sound coming from Harlequin, which made her more anxious as the minutes ticked by. It was maddening to hear the curses uttered by the man who had dragged him out, and maddening to hear the laughter of the other man with him.
Humans were disgusting.
Columbina tried to make out Harlequin's figure in the darkness shortly after the men left. Everyone was silent, and she didn't understand why.
She was determined that they had to keep going (even though she herself was exhausted and afraid of what those men might do), no matter what. Seeing the deplorable state the others were in was slowly killing her forced optimism: one was being beaten almost daily, two were being starved, and the other two were...
She didn't know it, but she did know that a similar fate likely awaited her.
She gave up trying to gauge Harlequin’s condition; her senses weren’t up to it. If Pierrot were conscious, he’d probably tell her the other’s state, but now she relied solely on her limited abilities, which frustrated her more than it should.
She’d been a sickly lamb her whole life, a blow to both her ego and her competitive nature. The fact that she was weak was gnawing at her in these moments of pure darkness.
Columbina heard a muffled sob. Her ears twitched slightly, and she turned toward the source of the sound. Once again, she couldn’t see anything.
But she knew it was Harlequin.
“Pink,” Blue’s voice murmured. She glanced at him for a few moments, then looked back into the darkness. “Don’t overthink it,” Blue continued, even after being ignored by the goat. “Purple is already taking care of him.”
She fought back her tears.
The walks were both commonplace and uncomfortable.
They were paraded to bolster the ego of the man in whom Purple had once placed his trust, displayed in their most deplorable state simply to satisfy the morbid curiosity of humans.
She hated them all, yet she continued to feign a smile and kindness, even when she longed to rip the heads off each and every one of them.
At the end of the day, they needed a glimmer of hope to endure this torture. And if they could no longer rely on Blue or Purple to guide them (one because he was on the verge of starvation and the other for reasons Columbina still didn’t understand), then at least they needed an angel.
Or at least that’s what the men told her she was: an angel, someone who resembled both a human and a ‘beast.’ Descended from the heavens to guide a group of such clumsy monsters.
She didn’t quite grasp the concept: First, she was a purely terrestrial animal; she couldn’t fly like Cyan (whose wings had been clipped), nor did she possess the aquatic abilities of most of the group (Blue could no longer camouflage, Pierrot had lost much of his hearing, and Harlequin had been stripped of several of his glands). Second, she thought that, as a group, they had made it clear that Blue, being the oldest, was the one who made the important decisions (Purple or Cyan rarely helped with decisions. Purple’s impulsiveness had brought them to this hell, after all).
Initially, that had slightly inflated her ego; she didn’t stand out in the group, and she didn’t fully understand the concept of ‘human.’
Now, she felt repulsed by the mere idea of being the ‘perfect angel,’ because that associated her with humans.
But clinging to that concept was the only thing keeping her sane, the only thing preventing her from succumbing to frustration or pain.
“She…”
Columbina stopped, staring at the humans who had halted the group’s advance. The looks they were giving her were the same ones the workers used with Harlequin, and, on the few occasions she’d seen the man, the Ringmaster had used on Purple.
It was repulsive.
The urge to break something of their fragile little bodies surged through her. Perhaps she could spit at them, but that would shatter her ‘angelic’ image in the eyes of the others, and she couldn’t allow that.
Pierrot suddenly stepped in front of her, shielding her from their predatory gaze.
‘Pierrot…’ she thought, feeling a tendril entwine around her arm and gently pull her back. She let herself be drawn and fell into Blue’s arms, who squeezed her hand with concern. She just forced a smile and continued watching the scene unfold.
“That’s a problem…” the other human said.
She really wanted to snap their necks, maybe use their flesh to feed Harlequin or Pierrot.
Columbina glanced at Harlequin, who still had a tendril wrapped around her arm. His face showed only disgust, mockery, and…
Excitement?
She decided not to dwell on it, not when Purple was tightening a web around Harlequin’s neck. She turned her gaze back to Pierrot, trying to ignore her own jealousy at the interaction between the other two.
“Return them to their positions,” a new voice suddenly said, and everyone tensed. The Ringmaster had arrived on the scene with more men. The people who had been talking laughed quietly and then left.
Columbina was afraid.
They were planning to transfer her.
Columbina had put on a show to buy time and eavesdrop on a private conversation between the Ringmaster and his closest employees. Pierrot had helped her, which had earned him several stab wounds.
Lately, the circus members had become more aggressive toward them as a group; she only knew that Purple had done something savage enough to put them all on high alert.
She didn’t blame him; little by little, she too was beginning to lose her composure.
It was tough, especially since Harlequin had completely stopped speaking to anyone other than Purple, and even then, she rarely saw him talking to the spider.
She watched Pierrot on the floor of his cage; it was a normal sight to see him bleeding out. It struck her as odd how, over time, she’d grown accustomed to seeing these things, from Pierrot on the verge of death (but never actually dying) to Cyan eating parts of his own body to stay stable.
Cannibalistic tendencies were part of both Purple and Cyan, but they were all at their breaking point. They didn’t have enough strength to escape, nor enough to endure any longer.
She dreaded the day Pierrot stopped breathing, the day Pierrot would lose his life for continuing to support her unconditionally.
She dreaded the day they would move her, because it would mean the others would be left to their fate; perhaps they would all die, and only she would remain alive.
She feared even more what they planned to do to her when she was far from her support network.
The night dragged on; she wanted to sleep, but the tension kept her awake. The mere thought of closing her eyes and never seeing them again terrified her.
The only things keeping her awake were Cyan tearing off his dead skin to eat it, Blue’s wails, Pierrot’s ragged breathing…
The sound of cobwebs being moved and tightly wrapped around—
Crack
The sound of bone breaking filled the room. Columbina snapped out of her drowsy state and automatically turned toward the sudden noise.
The noise had come from Harlequin’s cell.
The noise had been Harlequin’s neck.
Columbina stared as Purple began to eat a piece of Harlequin’s neck. The snake’s blood began to seep into the cell. Purple had ripped out the other man’s jugular vein, killing him instantly.
Purple consumed Harlequin’s flesh with chilling calm. No one said a word because of how sudden it had all been. Columbina began to tremble when Morado threw her an arm. “Eat,” he said as he continued tearing off each part of Harlequin’s body, discarding some and keeping others with him. “We need to regain enough strength to destroy this place. Maybe we could burn it all down…” Purple murmured.
She gripped the arm tightly. She didn’t know where to look, didn’t know what to do.
Purple’s lack of emotion was driving her crazy; the nonchalant way he handled the body of what was hers, the way he passed each piece of meat around, the way he pulled out the intestines, the way he slowly began to entangle the heart in his web.
“GIVE ME THAT!” Columbina screamed, crawling toward Purple’s open cage (when had he opened the bars of his cage?) and pulling the already wrapped heart away from the other. Purple stared at her for a few moments. Columbina didn’t recognize his gaze; it wasn’t the kindness he had always shown her and Pierrot, nor was it the suppressed pain that had surfaced recently.
It was disgust.
“You only had to ask nicely,” Purple said through gritted teeth, turning away from her as he began to divide the meat, as if that meat hadn’t been her mate.
“Why?” Columbina said, clutching the wrapped heart. She felt the dampness of blood stain her skin, but she paid it no mind; her mind was focused on something else: answers.
“Purple, why?” Columbina asked again. The place was silent for a long time; the only sounds were Columbina’s ragged breathing and Purple’s slow but steady movements around the cages.
“Because he was the weakest of the group,” Purple finally answered. Columbina groaned, getting up and approaching him, but she was held back by the chains that still bound her to the wall. Purple continued, “Because he lost his regenerative abilities, because he was dead weight, because his body was barely holding on, because he became even weaker than you.”
“Pink,” Purple said, still focused on opening each cage. Blue’s gaze was firmly fixed on Columbina, watching her with pain and sorrow at her instability. Cyan, on the other hand, stared at the bloody wreck that once had been Harlequin. His hands were hidden among his feathers, but it was obvious to either of them that he was trembling. Columbina shook her chains again, beginning to scream with rage and despair. “It was him or you, and he wasn’t worth it anymore.”
Columbina broke her chains and lunged at Purple.
“I should eat you,” Purple muttered, rubbing Harlequin’s tail through the gap between the cages. Harlequin let out a groan of pain and pulled his tail out of reach. “You’re weaker than Pink. How could your regeneration be so damaged?”
“You should know, oh, the owner's little darling," Harlequin grunted, then thought about it and shook his head. "I didn't mean it that way."
"I understand, I'm not exactly cooperating either," said Purple. Once again, he grabbed Harlequin's tail, and this time Harlequin let himself be pulled along. Purple hummed as he drew Harlequin closer and closer to his cell.
"Where are Columbina and Pierrot?" Harlequin murmured when he was close enough. "They've left, just like the others... You've been unconscious for a long time, and they can't separate me from my web, so they decided to leave us here," Purple said with a grin. Harlequin stared at the web and then nodded. "Clever... I guess," he replied, and Purple just laughed.
Harlequin fell silent when he realized the other was laughing. He stopped turning his back on him and faced him, a glint of excitement appearing in his eyes. "It's been a while since I heard your laugh," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly as he reached for the other's cage bar.
"Really? I remember laughing at your state several times while we shared a cage," Purple said mockingly. Harlequin shook his head and grabbed the hand that was squeezing his tail, startling Purple with the sudden contact. "It's not the same... Your laughs are different: The one you have now is what the Ringmaster did to you, the one you just did is like in the old days..." Harlequin said. Purple stared at him, then offered a small smile.
"Are you trying to flatter me just to avoid the topic of how you're even more useless than Pink now?" Purple said mockingly, intertwining his hand with Harlequin's for comfort. The other didn't pull away, but instead squeezed his hand tightly. "Maybe, maybe not, I just know you've been planning something for a while now."
"Mhm? And may I ask what that something is?" he said with a smile that sent chills down Harlequin's spine. "You smile like him," the snake muttered. Purple stared at him, the smile fading for a moment before returning, only less intense than before. "I'm sorry."
"... Did you want to devour Columbina?" Harlequin murmured after a few minutes of silence. Purple nodded shamelessly. "She's always been the kindest, the most competitive, and the weakest of the six. It's normal to use the weakest pack member to push the others forward, but you've become the weakest of all. What happened?"
"Humans and their lack of knowledge about our species. I suppose they mutilated me more than necessary. I think one of them even mentioned 'infection,' though I'm not entirely sure." Harlequin said bitterly. His regeneration wasn't as powerful as Pierrot's, but it wasn't to be underestimated. Now he was nothing more than a shell of his former self.
"You're the easiest option then," Purple replied, sending a shiver down Harlequin's spine. "The others need some meat to stay stable. The one who needs it most is Pierrot… I'm amazed at how his regeneration is working wonders on the wounds he's inflicted on daily," Purple finished, squeezing Harlequin's hand tightly in an attempt to hide his trembling. Harlequin noticed it, chuckling slightly at the other's display of weakness.
"No matter what I say, you're going to keep going, aren't you?" Harlequin murmured, toying lightly with Purple's hand. "My priority is the group's survival. I don't mind sacrificing you for it," Purple replied.
"And even so, you're trembling," Harlequin remarked, which silenced Purple. "I don't want to die," Harlequin said, his voice trembling with the thought. "But it's very likely I will soon because of those humans." A few chuckles escaped his lips. Purple stared at him but said nothing, squeezing the other's hand even tighter. "At least leave my heart to Columbina, won't you? The very idea of her devouring my flesh is appealing to me," he said with a small smile.
Purple was surprised by Harlequin's excitement, then thought about it and decided it was perfectly normal, considering that his own species practiced cannibalism during reproduction.
"And Pierrot?" Purple asked. Harlequin thought for a few moments and then turned to look at him. "What does he have to do with it? I suppose he does get the heart, too? I'm not sure, which part of our body gives the most energy?" "Why are you asking me like I'm Cyan, Harlequin?" Purple replied immediately. Harlequin just stared at him.
They were both silent for several minutes, enjoying the comfort of each other's company. Although Harlequin would prefer to spend more time with his... mates now that he knew they were courting. Purple, for his part, was happy to be with someone who understood the pain he was suffering even while wrapped in webbing.
"Isn't there anything for me?" Purple asked with a small smile. Harlequin looked at him, confused. "As 'extra work' colleagues." Purple clarified. Harlequin shook his head.
"You're still going to eat my meat, what's the point?"
"..."