[MOVED POST! Authors: Blue the Traumatized and IrishMeadowsTown]
<font color=green>How was it, no matter how far off he went, no matter how much ground he covered, he always came back here? This damnable village had been a new fixture to his nightmares as of late. And why?
Because he had met her here...
Sikle, the sleek ebony cat with the aspects of a dragon, sat calmly on his shoulder. His leathery wings were folded, glittering amber orbs slowly surveying the scene. It brought back so many memories, and the two companions sat and shared them silently.
She is not here Serke...
Serke winced lightly, but nodded. Of course she wasn't...
His heavy black cloak covered the whole of his form, though as his head hung slightly against a sharp gust of wind, hair of emerald green could be seen for a brief moment.
Why do I always come back here? Why, when I know there is nothing to find? He questioned himself mercilessly, and they were always 'why's. But never could he find an answer within himself, so always he turned up here yet again.
Odd...he had never really realized he had cared so much, but he obviously had. He had also had the grace to figure out just how old he was. He had been 18 when he knew her, and was now 19. His form had changed little since then, for he was still tall and strong, though never bulky.
So, silently he stood on the ridge overlooking the peaceful village, letting his mind wander but his emotions were capped tightly. </font>
--
About a day's walk from the village, in a part of the forest where the sun could barely stream through the thick leaves, was a small cottage. Next to it sat an even smaller shed, and a huge granite boulder that was bigger than both put together sat behind them, forming their back walls.
A young woman, pale and slender, appeared at the open door of the cottage. Her hair, once long and silky, was cut short so that it formed a dark blue, ruffled aura around her head. The lapis stone set in the her forehead no longer shone with the luster it once had, its teardrop shape ironically expressing an emotion that her eyes no longer could. Those eyes, such a bright sapphire color, used to sparkle with life, but now were cold and hard.
Where was that dratted Embany? The centaur was never around when she needed him.
Just like him....
At the thought, her hand unconciously went to her neck, feeling for the necklace that no longer rested there.
She felt the familiar tightening of her throat, though she knew the tears wouldn't come. She had cried her last long ago. She didn't even think she was capable of crying anymore.
Why could she never push him out of her mind for good? No matter how hard she tried, the memories kept coming back. She longed to see his eyes again, dreamed of staring into them and never looking away....
In the village, a middle-aged woman walked the streets, doing her daily shopping. There was a fine silver necklace around her throat. The dark blue stones set in the silver caught the light, mimickiing the now-silent laughter of the young girl who used to own it...
--
<font color=green>As they surveyed, though Serke looked more at the ground than the town, Sikle had spotted something. With a sharp hiss, he lept from his master's shoulder and bounded away into the heart of the village.
Serke blinked, then followed at a calm trot. A growing hope that it might be her was crushed when Sikle instead stopped and began snarling viciously at a common lady.
Serke's sharp eye caught the reason for this, and without questioning Sikle's judgment, reached out swiftly and tore the necklace from about her neck. He then turned on his heel and stormed out of the village amidst shouts that he stop. Sikle hissed at them all and followed Serke as fast as he could on ground.
Serke clenched the necklace as tight as he possibly could until his fist stung and bled. He did not release it as he moved, allowing blood to trickle onto the earth below his feet. He walked aimlessly, anger boiling hot and red within him. It crushed his emotional barrier and exploded out into the world around him, and he did not care.
But then the the thing mutated into a horrid sorrow, and Serke collapsed to his knees and ceased movement.
Sikel came up to sit by his side, gently purring to comfort. But there was no comfort. Not for him. A year ago he had hoped to gain it, but he had wrenched it from his own grasp like the idiot he was.
"I am sorry..."</font>
--
The centaur trotted around from behind the boulder, carring something small and black in his cupped hands.
"Liannen," he said, with a touch of urgency, "Get the water boiling."
The young woman quickly ran back into the cottage. Embany was a skilled healer, using both natural techniques and magic. Ever since Liannen came to live with him, she had become his assistant of sorts, helping him to heal people, animals, and any other injured living thing that wandered into their part of the forest.
As Liannen released a heating spell on the cauldron hanging in the fireplace, Embany set down the tiny black bundle of fur he had been carrying on the table. The water in the pot started boiling, and Liannen used a potholder to grab the cauldron by its handle and carry it to the table.
As Embany began his work, Liannen surveyed the...thing that lay before them. At first glance, it seemed to be no more than a blood-spattered ball of black fur. But as she looked closer, she saw it to be a kitten, with...butterfly wings??
Liannen stepped back in shock. A Flitten....That opened up so many painful memories.
Suddenly she felt faint. Air, she thought, I need air. She stumbled to the door and sat down on the steps, holding her head in her hands.
Oh, she missed Fiora so much! Worse than the longing for her old companion was the wondering, never knowing where the gray Flitten was, what she was doing, or if she was even alive.
She sat there for hours, until the sun went down and the old centaur's soft voice broke into her thoughts. "Liannen, you should see this."
She followed him back into the cottage, where a warm fire roared in the fireplace, and the little black Flitten now rested on a pile of blankets next to it. Except....
"It's not black anymore," Liannen murmured. Sure enough, the little cat's fur was now a pale tabby gray. "What happened?"
"Your friend's fur was dyed," Embany replied.
Liannen nodded, then what he had said hit her. "What do you mean 'my friend'?" She asked slowly, her eyes never leaving the cat.
The Flitten's eyes shot open. Hello, Liannen, its familiar voice echoed in her head.
--
<font color=green>Night had fallen, the stars slowly wheeling their way overhead. Serke lay where he had first knelt and stared at them, the necklace still embedded in his palm. He never once considered removing it, for it was a physical ebodiment of his internal pain.
Sikle watched his companion with surprisingly gentle eyes. A lot of Serke's guilt was his as well. If only he had not run when Serke had learned of him...then Serke would not have sought to chase him, and thereby would not have left Liannen behind.
They had both acted with stupidity, and now they both payed for it.
Seeing Serke would not move from his place all night, nor would he sleep, Sikle finally moved off to hunt.
Moving silently through the brush, the cat dragon immediately began stalking a large rabbit, nearly the same size as himself. And he was no small creature.
For every pad-footed step forward, the rabbit seemed to take two and was always just alittle too far for a good pounce. Suddenly, they were in a small clearing before a cottage, and Sikle knew he had no choice.
He bolted.
The rabbit jerked out into the clearing, huge leaps seeking to bear it away from it's pursuer. But Sikle was sleek and fast, and in a puff of dust the two crashed into the earth together. There was a split second for the rabbit to give off it's peeling cry before it was silenced forever.
Sikle sat not five feet from the door to the cabin, panting and guarding his prey as he tried to regain his breath. He had not the time to identify all the smells around him just yet, and could not know that the two so sought after by himself and Serke were just behind that door... </font>
--
Liannen's legs buckled, and Embany just barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground, unconscious. The old centaur was unfazed. scooping her up in arms that were unaffected by age, and carrying her over to her bed in the corner. "I suppose I should have warned her," he said, both to himself and to his small visitor.
Fiora jumped up, now fully healed of her wounds, and ran to the girl's side. No, she said, voice full of pain, It's my fault. I never should have left her...
Liannen moaned, moving her hand up to her face. Liannen! Fiora nosed her cheek. Slowly Liannen opened her eyes, turning her head so that she could see the Flitten.
"You came back," she whispered, hardly daring to believe it.
Yes, Fiora answered. Liannen, please don't be mad at me. I know I deserve to have you hate me for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't blame you if you did, but....please. Her telepathic voice dropped to a whisper. I need you.
Liannen sat up, swinging her legs off the bed. A small smile twisted the corner of her mouth. "I don't hate you, Fiora. In fact," her face grew sad, "I need you too, so much more than you know." She swept up the little kitten in her arms, holding her close. Usually, Fiora would have protested, but at that moment, she didn't mind at all.
--
<font color=green>Sikle finally caught his breath, and was leaning down to scoop up his prey when two excruciatingly familiar smells wafted into his sensitive nose. His head snapped up, slitted pupils narrowing sharply.
That...that couldn't be...
Sikle completely forgot about the rabbit, and moved toward the door, sniffing under and around it. Yes, the smells were there, right there! Liannen, and Fiora!
The hair on his back stood rigid with surprise and excitement, and he dashed around to the side of the cabin and onto the ledge of the first available window. It was small, but he only needed to get a glimpse to be sure.
His heart fluttered for a moment as he set eyes upon the two females for which he and Serke had suffered so much at their own hands to find.
Dear Lord, Liannen!!!
He shouted mentally before falling off the narrow window-ledge and landing with a thud. He had forgotten to land feet-first. His shout could not have reached Serke, but it would have been plainly evident to those within the cottage. </font>
--
Everyone inside the cottage jumped with surprise at the sudden shout inside their heads. Liannen and Fiora looked at each other in shock, both recognizing that voice.
Liannen bit her lip, her whole body starting to tremble. This couldn't be. That was one of the voices she had dreamed of hearing for so long...she had wanted to hear those voices so bad it hurt. But...the voice that had just sounded in her head was not the one she would have given her life to hear.
Fiora, realizing that her mistress was frozen in place, lost in her thoughts, jumped off her lap and ran to the door. Embany already had it open, his head stuck outside. The Flitten darted through it and around to the side of the cabin, where the shout had come from.
She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the dragon-cat. Holding her breath, she took a tentative step forward. Sikle? she breathed in disbelief.
