Josef nodded, piling up a little more tinder and kindling, and then blowing the smoldering remains of last night's fire to life again. Just when it was burning again, he felt the pulse of magic behind him coming from Ziarre, and his head jerked around. He saw the blue glow around her, and his eyes narrowed into blue slits. However, then he blinked in surprise as he saw her concentrate, biting her lip, and the glow disappeared. What is going on with her?

He stood, noting that she had bitten her lip enough to make it bleed. Approaching her, he held out a finger to touch her lip, and concentrated. The tatoos on both of his shoulder glowed a soft white, as did his fingertip as he touched her lip. Healing energy flowed from his finger to her lip, stopping the blood and knitting together the flesh. Then he backed off, attending to the fire once again.

--

Sougra blinked, growing more and more confused by the minute, especially when the female buckled a little, a light materializing around her. Something wasn't right...and that begame especially obvious when the pup caught the faint scent of blood, and then moments later saw that the girl had bitten her lip.

Sougra resisted the urge to vocalize his uncertainty and concern with a whine, and instead, once the...well, whatever it was that had bothered the girl...had passed, he slowly, bravely, inched a little closer to the duo, sniffing quietly at them while Josef took care of the girl's lip. He wanted to ask what was wrong; it had seemed like the girl was being hurt by something, by that light. But then he soon remembered what form he was in, and that they probably couldn't understaâ€"wait! Well, Josef had been able to! Josef had surprised him. Maybe they would, too?

Or maybe they were more of those humans that weren't very connected with nature.

What happened? he asked them. But, if they weren't intuned to wolfspeak, as Josef was, the question would sound like nothing more than a few soft yips.

--

Ziarre almost recoiled from his touch, her body stiffening and tensing as he touched her lip. Her anger swelled slightly, but died. She had little energy left and she knew she had to reserve for what was to come. She stayed still and strong, no matter what came she would not bend. But when he healed her lip, confusion flickered in her dark brown eyes, along with grown suspicion.

What was that for?

She snapped at Josef. She was so distanced from kindness or consideration that this was highly unusual to her. She didn't know why he had done that. Her pride was bitter towards that act, and yet her more uncertain side shifted, not understanding this, knowing she didn't deserve this show of kindness. But before you knew it, her eyes returned with their fiery glare and she turned it upon Toviel, a frenzy of dots speckling her vision.

Get by the fire. Now.

Toviel blinked, wondering why she had snapped so viciously. He barely uttered a 'but' before she snarled, it was almost animalistic. She turned around and started to wobble away, the unnatural feel of the ground tilting and swaying beneath her feet made her unsuitable for walking. And her headache, got, she clutched her head, making her way for the darkest and thickest brush nearby. Darkness threatened her vision, and everything pounded in her ears. Oh, god, it hurt. It really hurt.

Toviel looked at Sougra, and he shook his head lightly, sighing.

Sorry. Can't understand ya.

Toviel then cast a worried, green-eyed gaze at Ziarre's receding back as she was engulfed by the woods. He wondered what was happening, why she was wobbling, but suddenly he knew why. He sighed heavily and lowered himself into a sitting posistion.

Meanwhile, Ziarre had watched as a swirling ice blue mist shrouded her and collected at her ruby, forcing itself within it. The color filled the maroon ruby, and it looked so bright. Her eyes soon flooded with the color that had taken over her ruby. She moaned softly, slithering to the ground in both pain and lack of oxygen. Her face was quickly paling as she gasped and pleaded for air, but was unable to get it. The darkness was closing in, so quick. It was so lulling, it's sweet song. It sang to her, beautiful songs and she was falling, so slowly it seemed. But a small seed of anger started to bud and blossom, an ugly flower blooming inside her and she managed to wiggle a dagger out from it's hiding place, slashing her left forearm, over the top in a large 'X'. She felt the blue mist slip from her as her anger became more powerful and a maroon veil lifted from her and chased the blue mist away, but not before it took the screaming, angered face of Eyad. She began to choke and gasp, a throaty laugh echoing from her. It sounded... not very human. More beast, more savage then anything. The sound she heard made her smile weakly. She truely was a damnable beast. She was not meant to live with anybody but her own kind. That's what one of her victims had told her before their death. Perhaps it was more truthful then she had first guessed.

Toviel had been looking around, concern in his green eyes as he sighed, just sitting there uselessly.

Ziarre stood, wobbling and falling over, making her snarl with frustration, using the tree to push her up she slashed at it when she stood with the dagger's blade. She then lifted up her shirts, only pulling down her most inner shirt an cut the arm holes and down the front, ripping it most of the way and pulling it off, sliding her dagger back into it's sheath. She then made a makeshift bandage for her arm. She sighed, wincing the slightest. God, she hated herself, she hated her life, she hated this most of all.

Ziarre wobbled and teetered from the woods and tried to regain her balance, especially in their prescence. Instead of moving far away from them she just leaned against the nearest tree, sliding down to the base, exhaustion sweeping her in it's arms. But she had to stay alert, had to stay awake. But she already felt her eyes begin to redden along with the tip of her nose and her eyes grow puffy as tears pricked behind her eyes. She clenched her lower jaw and looked hard at the sky. Okay. Better, all better. No more tears. She could not shed one.

Toviel looked at her.

Are you okay?

He noticed the bandage. He already knew the answer.

Perfectly, absolutely, wonderfully FINE.

She spoke, harsh-toned and desperately tried to cover the exhaustion. Gah, she probably failed at that. Like everything else... NO. She had to be alert. What if Toviel needed her? What if... She just needed to stay awake.

Toviel knew better than to press, he then looked to the two strangers, his head tilted.

So, what's your names?

He directed it at Josef, but included Sougra with the 's' and a friendly glance at him.

--

Josef noticed the bandage as Ziarre walks back into camp from a brief excursion out into the brush. There was something wrong with the woman, he knew it. He just didn't know what. However, there was nothing in such a distance as she could have gone that could have done that to her. Was the cut self-inflicted? If so, there could be...difficulties with these two. She also looked incredibly tired. What could cause such problems? Demonic possession? Josef didn't know. This was outside of his area of expertise.

"So, what's your names?"

Josef looked sharply over to the other man. Ah, yes, the coward. "You two are the guests here. I think that it is more polite to give your own names first?" His left eyebrow quirked upwards in a questioning expression without his face softening at all. He didn't trust either of these two...though the woman was quite frankly dangerous.

--

Sougra snorted softly when the male told him he couldn't understand him. That's what he had figured...but it was still a pain! Oh well, so long as he could communicate with at least one person here, it was alright, though he guessed what was probably the most annoying about being stuck in this form around other humans wasn't the lack of communication, but the difference in treatment. It was really easy to be ignored...

Though, surprisingly, he hadn't experienced this from these new humans, even though they couldn't understand him, and even though he wasn't in his true form. That man had actually responded to him, and acknowledged that Sougra was actually speaking! Mostâ€"actually, allâ€"humans in the village had just cast it off as jargon. And tossed some random object his way in an attempt to get him to shut up. Sougra had learned shortly after that that trying to get someone's attention that way was fruitless.

Soon, the woman that had momentarilly vanished reappeared, and Sougra's sensitive nose picked up on the faint, coppery scent of blood. And the bandage was quite obviously the source, covering an injury of some sort that Sougra hadn't smelled of noticed before.

He looked inquisitively over at Josef, then back over at the people. How'd the female get hurt?

This was...weird...

[Hope ya don't mind if I help move posts, too! ^_~]


Josef nodded slightly, and set his backpack down. Using that as a pillow, he pulled his cloak around himself as a blanket. Looking over to Sougra, he smiled. "Wake me if the fire starts to get out of hand, okay?" That being said, he shut his eyes, and soon was dreaming.

--

Finally, Sougra finished cleaning his wound, which had stopped bleeding fairly quickly with care. Looking up as Josef spoke, the pup nodded. Will do! he replied and, with a wolfish smile of contentment, curled in closer to Josef and shut his own eyes.

Before long, sleep had taken him...

--

Josef wakes up the next morning with a yawn, to find that the fire had burnt itself out over the course of the night, and is now reduced to smoldering embers. Well, looks like there isn't going to be a hot breakfast...well, he didn't have anything to cook anyways. Oh well...today, he and Sougra will work on Sougra's transformations, and maybe he'll be able to snag something for dinner while he's at it.

Looking over, he finds the wolf pup to be still asleep, and smiles slightly, reaching over to wake him with a gentle shake. "Wake up, Sougra. Big day today..." He pulls out two strips of jerky, and grimaces slightly. Those were the only two that were left...yes, he's going to definitely need to do some hunting today.

--

The sensation of being gently shaken brought Sougra back to the waking world, and his eyes peeled open groggily, blinking against the morning light. Hearing Josef speaking, he glanced over at the man, before his eyes closed on their own as his jaws opened wide in a long yawn, tongue curling. Licking his lips, he gave a small smile at Josef, then slowly raised himself to his feet and stretched out his back, chest to the ground, tail up, and forepaws clawing the earth as he reached forward, deepening the stretch.

Finally straightening, and feeling far more awake after that little morning ritualâ€"amazing what a little stretching could do! He never quite felt awake unless he did all thatâ€"he grinned wolfishly over at Josef, wide awake by now. After all, he was young, and it always seemed the young ones woke up with the most ease. Sougra was no different, and within a matter of minutes, it was as though he had never been asleep to begin with.

Oh! We're gonna try the shifting thing? he asked finally, tail swaying relaxedly. A bit of a silly question, since Josef had said they would, but he had also been so tired last night, Sougra hadn't been so sure he'd be able to today. He might have needed more rest. But, it didn't seem that way now. Josef had been the one to wake first, after all, and Sougra was usually an early riser!

But this had also been the first day in a couple days that he'd been able to sleep securely.

--

Josef nods with a smile. "It should be relatively easy. The ability and knowlege of how to do it is within you, along with my blood, and all you need to do is find that knowlege within yourself." He grins, and speaks in telepathy. <And it will make it even easier with me guiding you through the process.> He unconsciously reaches to his left shoulder where the new tatoo of a wolf stands out on his skin, and rubs it gently. "And now, because of your blood, I am able to shift to a wolf as well, and that will make it even easier for you to learn how to do this."

His gaze becomes intense as he looks at Sougra. "Are you ready to try this, now?"

--

Toviel was laughing hsyterically, wiping tears form his eyes as his breath labored from lack of any kind of exercise. He panted he raced through the forest, tripping over an arching root. He stumbled through the bushes and land behind the duo, a wolf and what at the time appeared human. He landed, face on the ground, twigs sticking out from hiss haggy hair, boody splayed out on the ground wildly. He lifted his head, spitting on the dirt with disgust. "Ew, that tastes bad!" He mumbled as he rolled onto his side, looking at the two others, waving a hand in an awkward fashion. "Hey.. ow..." Everything was spinning, and boy, did he feel like he had a serious hangover. And he hadn't had any booze in days!

Ziarre had been following behind. She was relaxed, at least more than had been in days. Usually you could see her muscles outlined against her skin, but at least in the woods she was far from anyone. Besides Toviel, but he wasn't as bad without others around. They had more civilized conversations that way, and she preferred that way. He probably felt that way too, she bet. But she had been becoming more and more on edge, soon becoming aware that this wasa forest and she was never alone. Those thoughts alone made her stealthy and tense. But still, she seemed loose enough to be mentally calm. She was just ready to pounce and move.
Ziarre crept through the bushes until she peered through the bushes with her dark eyes at Toviel and glanced to his right, staring at the others. She snorted and stepped out and behind Toviel. She couldn't have Toviel getting himself killed!

Toviel glanced behind him, spitting out dirt more.
"Oh.. hey Z-foo...!" He mumbled as he continued to try to work dirt out of his mouth. Ick! It tasted BAD.

--

Whoa, really? Sougra exclaimed. He could shift into a wolf now? Crazy! So, that ritual had given him a new ability, too! That must have been the ghostly wolf he'd seen beside Josef during the ritual! It made sense. So now you have...three forms? Wow... That was pretty amazing. He hadn't known that was possible, but he also hadn't known other shifters even existed until he ran into Josef. Or, rather, until Josef ran across him. There was a lot about the world he didn't know...it was almost dizzying to think of how little he knew and understood!

But, back to the present! He could ponder the world's mysteries later.

Josef said shifting would be easy, and Sougra found that to be a relief. It'd be even easier with Josef's new ability, because it was a given that he'd learn the most through example. He always learned the most that way...this should be no problem. Easy.

And Sougra was certain it would be. He'd been able to get into this form with the guidance of his mother, and he was a quick learner if he did say so himself. All he needed was instruction, and practice, and he could catch onto a concept easy enough. He could do this! He would do it.

He was so lucky to have run into Josef...it had to be pure luck. If he those humans hadn't tormented, if he hadn't gotten lost, this wouldn't have happened. He'd still be alone in the human place, fending for scraps...and he'd never learn how to shift. Well, not never. But not until he was reunited with his family, for sure.

Yeah! More than ready, Sougra replied in his usual enthusiastic tone, watching Josef expectantly and intently.

At least, intently until his attention was snapped away from the man when something landed loudly behind them. And complained loudly.

Sougra jumped in surprise, spinning around to find another human splayed on the earth near them, spitting out dirt, and before long, yet another human had entered the scene, a female. Both, from what Sougra could tell, appeared younger than Josef...and neither seemed as acclimated to the wilderness as he, though the girl certainly looked fit. And had something of a stalking wolf's attitude...

Amber eyes darted back to Josef quickly, questioningly, then back to the duo, head tilting slightly.

--

Josef started to speak in resonse to Sougra's question, "Well, technically, I have five forms, counting halfway between-" but then leapt to his feet as soon as he heard the first human crash into the clearing and spun around, hunting knife in his hand. He was in a crouched stance when the woman walked out of the trees, and his eyes were blue slits as he spoke in accented Common to the two. "Both of you, state your business immediately, or get the hell out of here." The tatoos on each of his shoulders begin to glow softly, and his teeth are bared in a snarl as he looks over the two. "I don't have anything for you to rob, if that's what you're looking for, and if you're looking for an easy target for anything, you'd best be looking elsewhere."

--

Ziarre was just about to speak, her anger mounting and it seethed from her eyes a the ruby around her neck burned with a furious maroon glow. Her teeth gritted. She was not human, far from it. Something, that looked like a human, very most. But they were much more vicious and they could be call savages. Ziarre was close to speaking until Toviel's whiney voice pierced between the duo. He clutched Ziarre and pulled himself up, giving a weak smile as Ziarre was more than enraged.

Toviel spoke rapidly and stumble-mouthed. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry.. We have no buisness, I'm just an idiot she's a bitch.. we make our way around... And I didn't fall here on purpose! I'm just an idiot.. I'm sorry!" He cringed. He was two years older than the girl, but held cowardice. For life preservation of course. He lost his skills to booze and he had been unable to gain them back ever since.

Ziarre's anger only boiled as she cut off but she didn't speak. No, this was one of those times where it was more wise to try and control yourself and let the idiot talk. At least he wouldn't any of them killed. Hell, Ziarre wouldn't let herself or Toviel be killed. It would be much harder to kill herself anyway, and Toviel, well, it would be really easy to kill him.

Her hands curled into fists and she glared at the other two. Defiant and unbending, an unyielding surface with many a thing hidden.

Toviel was just Toviel, he was the most open of the duo. He would tell you what he thought, get beat for it, and continue on. His daily routine now-a-days.

--

Nagasoto looked at the cringing figure on the ground with a mixture of disdain and disgust. A drunken coward...he'd seen a few men from his villiage go the route of drink, but he'd never seen it go this far. What a pitiful figure...on the other hand, the woman with him was entirely different. That ruby at her neck...was it glowing? Yes, it was. Josef's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You use magic, yes?" The tatoos on both of his shoulders began to glow a little more brightly, the figures of the snow leopard and the wolf outlined in white light rather than black ink.

Looking between the two of them, he sighed, and the tatoo's stopped glowing. The man's description of himself and his companion had likely been accurate. He definitely looked like an idiot and she a bitch. He slowly resheathed his knife, speaking with his mind to Sougra, <Apologies, but the lesson will have to wait. I don't feel comfortable showing such a thing to these people...besides, teaching you to shift would leave us both in a vulnerable position, and I don't trust them enough to allow any vulnerability to show.>

Looking back at the two newcomers, he sighed slightly. Damnable rules of etiquette of the tundra. If someone shows up at your fireside, you are obligated to invite them to share your fire. In the tundra, it makes sense, because they could freeze to death up there in a heartbeat if they didn't share your fire, but here...the laws of etiquette still apply, even if there is no tundra. "You are welcome to share our fire," he looks down at the smoldering twigs, "for as long as it lasts." He looks up at Ziarre and Toviel, suspicion still clearly evident in his gaze.

--

Sougra looked back and forth between Josef and the duo, blinking slowly as he listened to the exchange, though his yellow eyes widened slightly at the mention of "magic". He wasn't too familiar with it, though he did know what it was; his parents had told him of it, though they themselves could not use it. Some of his pack could, but most preferred not to, preferring to rely on their own physical abilities and natural brute strength. They always prided themselves in their physical prowess.

Yeah...that's what I thought... Sougra admitted, a little disappointedly, but he knew Josef was right. They didn't know these people...and until they left or something, the lesson would have to wait. He had gotten a feeling that was going to happen when those people showed up.

But the next thing Josef said surprised him. Josef didn't look like he trusted them much...he'd said he didn't trust them. So...why was he inviting them to stay if he was suspicious of them?

He tilted his head to the side slightly, curiously.

--

Ziarre, with hands that usually were forceful and fierce, lowered to the ruby dangling around her neck. She touched it with her fingertips, carressing it as it burned fiercly, hot against her flesh. She let out a sigh, and the only thing in her that was held in her eyes were a deep, deep rooted contempt for the thing that held her soul, that imprisoned it inside that stupid jewel. She was about to reply in her harsh tongue when Toviel did.

Toviel had no desire to make enemies with these people. He had so many enemies on his back that it was a burden. Usually Ziarre held them, but lately she hadn't been doing her part. Her attention was waning and it scared him. He wanted to know what was happening. But he spoke in reply to Josef.

Well, the ruby isn't by will.

He said in a matter-of-fact tone. He knew all about the ruby, he wasn't there when she got it, but he had seen it's disastrous affects on her and other people. But mostly it was on her, and the affects... Well, lets say they were never pretty and she was usually laid up for awhile. To see Ziarre off her feet was startling, at least to him.

Ziarre gave an incredulous look to Toviel. He had not just said that! She punched him roughly in the shoulder, reminding him that she was the boss and that he had spoken too much about her. She couldn't care less if he told them of his entire past, but if he dared to tell of her's... How dare he!

She then took notice his lips that were slightly blued and how he was shivering. He could never stand the cold, not like her. She shrugged off her jacket and didn't even hesitate, thrusting it at him and he slipped into it.

Toviel wasn't surprised that she had given it to him. Ziarre could be generous, even to him. They hated eachother, but they were obligated to one another by eight long, hard years of sticking by eachother's side. It was just habit, and she protected him and he.. well, he had no use. He was just there.

That's very kind to let us stick around.

Ziarre rolled her eyes but it stopped short, and her knees buckled slightly. God damn it! She could feel a faint blue light materializing around her, surging at her, pressing against her. She bit down hard on her lower lip, making it bleed and the blue glow dissipated into nothing. She regained her control, arms crossed over her chest. A barrier to the world.

[MOVED THREAD! Authors, in order of posting: Small Wonder and Damaged16]

Makyo stayed high in the secure branches of the tree long into the night, not daring to move, hardly, as he listened intently for the sounds of those that had pursued him earlier that day. But the woods were silent, save for the occasional rustling of bushes and leaves as some animal went about its business. And he couldn't help but move a little, shivering as the air grew cold, a sure sign that winter was fast approaching.

But as the night wore on, and Makyo heard not the slightest sounds of human activity, he slowly let his guard down and slowly descended from the tree, wings working hard in his exhaustion. But he hadn't dared to sleep, not even a little. And even if he'd had the peace of mind to close his eyes, he couldn't have been able to doze in the slightest. A broken arrow shaft was still lodged painfully in his arm, sending red-hot pain racing horribly through the limb at the slightest movement. And, motion or not, it ached and throbbed at a consistent, sharp pace.

He knew it had to be taken care of, and that was the first thing he set off to do. If he left it in much longer, it could get infected or, perhaps even worse, the wound could start to heal around it if it was especially neglected. Either way, it was an agony-inducing bane he wanted to be rid of as soon as possible.

It took the better part of the night to return to the river he had visited that morning. If he could have flown, it would have taken a mere few minutes, but he was much too tired to attempt that, and too cautious, as well. Walking along the earth in the darkness, he could blend in more easily with his surroundings; just another shadow in the night. Of course, it also made for some stumbling and, thus, some soft cursing as the jolting movements agitated his wound...but it certainly kept him awake, if nothing else.

After a timeâ€"amidst all the pain and exhaustion, he'd lost track of timeâ€"he came to the river, and promptly made his way to a shallow portion of it that was close to the trees, providing an easy escape route if he needed it. Glancing around the area cautiously, he finally knelt when he was sure it was safe and dipped his wounded arm into the chilly water, which immediately induced more shivering. But it also felt good against the sore flesh, and he held his arm under the water until it had soothed and numbed the pain to some extent. That would help...because he knew what he had to do next, and he wasn't looking forward to it...

Drawing his arm from the water, he glanced over the wound, and felt it gingerly with his fingers, fingers tracing over to the other side, where the shaft would have to exit. He had never had to deal with an arrow wound before...but many of his own kind used such weapons, and he knew all about their structure. Arrowheads were designed to pierce and lodge in the muscle, and to stay in the muscle. They were tapered, so that they could slide in easily...and not be removed easily. Pulling it out the way it had come would only result in the already damaged flesh being further damaged...he would have to push it through rather than pull it, so that it exited the way it had been traveling, resulting in a clean exit wound.

Shouldn't be too difficult. As he felt the wound, he could feel the tip of the arrowhead poking just slightly through the skin...

Makyo took a deep, slow breath, feeling suddenly ill, and submerged and soaked his arm again to restore the feeling of numbness. And to regain his nerve.

Damn...how did he ever get himself into this mess? It was just his luck to be assigned to the one place on Earth where mages were hated.

--

Green hair flowed in the wind, his body twisting to avoid making any noise. Feet hit the thick branch of a tall tree with velocity and precision, a body following effortlessly to crouch where the feet had landed. It was silent.

Nikao looked about where he had landed. There was nothing around; no animal stirred and no signs of company anywhere. He continued onward, leaping effortlessly from tree to tree; seemingly flying. His hands flowed on the tree's bark as he slowly descended further into the darkness.

Something was there. He slowed his descent. Silence. He leapt off the tree branch he was on in time to come between the fae in the water and a unnaturally large wolf. Nikao's arms widened at his side to make him appear larger and he let out a sound that resembled much like an animal--though, which animal was unclear. He watched the wolf flee, then waited to make sure it was gone.

He turned to see Makyo and resumed a crouching stance. He glanced at Makyo with interest. He'd seen faes before, but never conversed with them. Or perhaps he had, years ago, when he had enjoyed the company of others in the forest. Before vengeance had plagued his mind.

Nikao could smell the blood. Very little blood, and a very faint smell, but he could smell it. Makyo's arm was the source, the blood having stopped flowing long ago and now just waited to resume when he took what was clogging the wound out.

--

Taking a deep breath, Makyo finally lifted his arm free of the cold water when he was convinced it was as numb as it was going to get. He had to do it now...and fast, before the numbness, yet again, wore off. Not that it would help much to begin with, but if it would relieve any of the pain he was about to feel, it was good enough for him. Pain or not, he had to be quick; the sooner it was over with, the better. The worst part of anything was always the anticipation, right?

He'd just keep telling himself that.

Clasping his hand around what was left of the broken end of the shaft, he took another deep breath. Alright. He'd just count to three, then he'd push it the rest of the way through. It'd only take a second. Just one moment of pain, then his body could finally begin its natural healing process. He took yet another deep breath, then began to count, keeping his eyes riveted on the wound, even though he wanted to look away. He had to watch, just to make sure he didn't do something wrong.

One...two...thrâ€"!

He jumped in surprise as a strange sound, eerily close by, filled his ears, a fierce, animalistic sound, and in a split second he had forgotten all about the shaft lodged in his arm. Well...for the most part. He bit his lip to refrain from cursing as his sudden movement made the wound ache even more, but nonetheless he scrambled awkwardly around to confront whatever it was that had just made that noise, heart beating fast and yellow eyes wide with surprise and fear. With all that had been happening lately, fear had become a very natural response for him; his nerves were frayed.

And the sight of a human didn't help those nerves much.

Cold, exhausted, wounded, and frustrated, he soon found that he no longer even cared at this point. It seemed he couldn't even breathe without rousing armies. Quite uncharacteristically, as his stare turned from fearful to blank, he found himself seriously considering the idea of just up and surrendering to the human. This was ridiculous. He was tired. All he wanted to do was get this bloody arrow out of his arm and sleep. He just didn't have it in him, not the energy nor will, to run anymore.

Well, at least not this night.

But then, as he actually looked at the human...it soon became obvious that he was different. The way he held himself, the way he looked at him...everything about him was less like an actual human and more like...well...a wolf, almost.

Blinking tiredly, Makyo tilted his head to the side slightly, regarding the man warily. Perhaps he was the one who had made that sound...? Still, Makyo was cautious. Faes were guardians of all creatures, but that didn't mean all creatures realized that. Faes were sometimes attacked, as Makyo very well knew, and had to be careful.

Besides...not all faes were benign. Just like any other creature, some were malicious...and the malicious ones could oftentimes give the rest a bad reputation.

--

Nikao looked at Makyo for quite a while, not noticing or even caring that he was staring at the fae. Finally, as Makyo began to stare back, Nikao lept up into the branch above him, the lowest to the ground, but still high enough to almost be completely out of sight in the darkness.

He watched Makyo. Something about him told Nikao that he was not like those he'd met before in the Dark Mage Village.

Nikao knew he had more pressing matters to tend to, though at the time he couldn't decide which of the two ideas he had created in his head to tend to first. And... He couldn't understand why, but the fae was different. Maybe it was because Makyo was rather alone in this forest--with the Kingdom so close--and Nikao could relate... And odd animal instinct acquired

--

Makyo jumped slightly as Nikao vanished up into the trees, no longer able to see the man in the darkness the trees provided. Numbness was once again leaving his arm, the throbbing, sharp pain returning, but he didn't dare turn his back. He didn't know what to expect, and being hunted had made him jumpy and far more cautious than he had ever been before. Before being assigned to this forest, he had never had a need to be cautious; his life had never before been in this kind of danger.

It was a harsh wake-up call for him.

He cleared his throat nervously, shifting slightly so he was crouching on the balls of his feet rather than kneeling. From this position, he could jump to his feet quickly if need be...but he didn't want to rise to his feet just yet. The humanâ€"was he a human? He looked like one, regardless of how he behavedâ€"seemed wild, like any other creature of the forest, and Makyo knew very well not to make any sudden movements. It could very well be that he was just as nervous as Makyo was, and a nervous creature was a creature that was likely to either flee or attack. And, though faes were intuned with nature and nature's children, accidents and fatalities weren't all that uncommon.

"H-hello...?" Makyo spoke quietly...but his words were no longer that of the common tongue spoken by most of the inhabitants of the land. They had shifted, changed to suit whatever language, if any, the shrouded man spoke. All faes possessed the gift of tongues; they could fluently speak any language in existence, even ones they had never before encountered, and shift back and forth between languages without even realizing it. The gift was just that naturalâ€"so natural it was almost done unconsciously.

And it could be a very unnerving ability, as well, to anyone who was unfamiliar with it.

--

Nikao watched Makyo for a while longer. He could see the wound on Makyo's arm; he could smell the blood from it and most importantly; he had heard the quiet uncertainty in Makyo's voice. No, Makyo was of no harm to him. He was not a human and was not the magic wielder who had ruined all Nikao had once lived for.

Letting his feet slide the diameter of the tree branch he was on, Nikao swung once around the branch before letting himself fall right in front of Makyo and, without missing a beat, he grabbed the arrow shaft and pulled it skilfully from Makyo's arm.

Makyo had been taking much too long. He was creating more anxiety for himself just waiting to pull the thing out and, like an animal; Nikao sensed his fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Though, Nikao knew this would hurt as well, but the fact that it had happened so suddenly may have taken away the pain. After all, pain was all a state of mind. If Makyo had not known the shaft had been taken from his arm he would not have felt half as much pain as he would if he knew. Nikao knew that. So, perhaps he had relieved some of the pain that may have came if Makyo had pulled the arrow out on his own.

Nikao leapt back and watched Makyo. "Who did this to you?" He asked, holding the arrow close to his nose and inhaling the scent. No, not one he knew. Well, it was around the forest--the scent--but it was not one he wanted to find. It was not one he cared about.

--

Pain was only a state of mind, huh?

Makyo could vouch otherwise.

Nikao came so quickly, he hadn't the time to react, and a second later...

"Are you INSANE!?" Those were the first words that popped out of his mouth, a whole hell of a lot louder than he had intended, too. Bent over, he hugged his arm protectively to his chest, feeling the warm blood trickle out. That he'd been expectingâ€"once it was dislodged, it was only expected that it should bleed, so that wasn't a concern at all. What he hadn't been expecting was for this stranger to dislodge the bloody shaft for him! The part of his mind that was still rational and unclogged by pain knew that, from the stranger's question, he was only trying to helpful. But the irrational part of his mind could only register pain and some other choice words that he'd picked up from Raijah.

Oh, he knew that shaft had been removed, all right.

But, whatever Makyo currently thought or not, Nikao had probably had the right idea. The way Makyo was carrying on, it would have taken an hour of painstaking torture before he pushed the thing out, which would have been far more painful than a quick, clean motion.

Gritting his teeth, he waited for the pain to pass, and as it settled down to a sharp throb as opposed to a searing, stabbing pain, his rationale began to return, as well. Well...that was one way to get an arrow out...it was done and over with, now...he wouldn't have to worry about it any longer.

That was good.

It just would've been nice had he been warned in advance. Though, that was probably the point...

"Ah...some...some humans...the humans that live in the village a ways away," Makyo finally answered as he slowly released his arm, turning to soak it in the stream. A delicate ribbon of blood colored the clear water for a moment, streaming from the wound, but soon it was washed away by the river's gentle current. Makyo closed his eyes for a moment, letting the cold water soothe away the pain. "They...don't care much for, er, my 'kind'."

Opening his eyes, he looked back over his shoulder at the...man? "Thank you, by the way. Ah...sorry for my outburst. I just wasn't expecting that..."

Something was different. If his body hadn't been so damaged, he would have been able to pin-point the change immediately. Sakkata...he could feel an energy that he just instinctively knew was hers flowing within him, flowing freely through him now after suddenly coming to him in a rush, but there was something else...

And then through his exhausted daze it hit him. His magic. He'd released it. When that swell of energy had swept through him, he'd let go. It had been purely accidental, but...it had happened, regardless of how he had clung to it.

And he wasn't holding it now.

And the fatal attack he had been anticipating hadn't come.

There had been no change whatsoever...nothing had happened. If anything, he felt slightly soothed, felt a little less pain.

For a moment, he was frozen with shock, unmoving, not daring to move or even breathe lest that undo what had been done. Or...what had been undone? Or...

He gave himself a slight shake. No, couldn't get his hopes up yet. It might just be temporary, might just be dulled from Sakkata's sheer energy. Whatever the case...he'd find out later, he supposed. He couldn't let himself get swept up in wonder now...there'd be a later. One way or another.

Shakily wiping some of the blood from his chin with the back of his handâ€"no new blood...the bleeding from within seemed to have stopped, since no new blood filled his mouthâ€"he nodded, even though he didn't know that she could see. "I'm...I'm ready...I'm not going anywhere...we'll do this..."

--

<font color=white>Good.</font>

They were going to do this. Unfortunately, Sakkata had never actually preformed this particular ritual before. Sure, she knew how to do it from scrolls and the like, but doing it and reading about it are two different things.

<font color=white>Alright Hatame. For the most part I'll be doing the ritual through you. Only at the end will you have to take over. Just listen to what I tell you, and we'll do fine.</font>

Well, she hoped they'd be fine anyway. As long as nothing went wrong...

<font color=white>First, I'm going to need you to move Torr's corpse and place my body in his blood. Weird, I know. But necissary.</font>

Aw hell, her body was naked wasn't it? If Hatame said ONE WORD about that when she was alive again...
Well, you can guess what would happen then.

--

That was comforting to know, that Sakkata would be the one in charge, for the most part, and that knowledge calmed him slightly. After all...he hadn't the slighest idea what to do. And that last thing he wanted was to screw something up.

The first step was simple enough.

"Alright..." Forcing himself to rise, a task that was a bit easier now that some of the pain had been eased away, he made his way slowly to Torr's corpse, and rather roughly began to heave the mangled body out of the way, leaving a pool of blood behind. It wasn't exactly heavy, with the absense of blood and so many organs, but it was still a bit of an effort in his state. And, besides...it wasn't like he cared to preserve the body's condition, anyway. Torr deserved no such honor.

Setting it aside, and yet keeping it close by in case it was needed later for any reason, he then went to retrieve Sakkata's body. And with her, he was far more gentle, and determined to carry her. It took a little longer to get her there, because of his overall stubborness, but he was eventually able to lay her carefully in the pool of blood, dropping to his knees beside her. "Done."

--

Sakkata's energy waited patiently. When he announced he was finished, Sakkata felt a bit of relief wash into her. First task, done.

Sakkata's body lay limp and degraded in the pool of blood, still missing hair, ears and tail.
That would be a problem.

<font color=white>Alright, I need you to bring my tail over and lay it next to me. And any of my hair you can find, NOT including the piece around your finger.</font>

She was pretty confident all would be renewed when the ritual was over, but she couldn't be entirely sure. Damn it...

<font color=white>Once that's done, all you need to do is...</font>

She realized this would sound very, very strange.

<font color=white>Ah, you're going to have to lay down next to me, in the blood. Just bare with me here Hatame. </font>

--

"And I...was hoping you'd...forget the tail..." Hatame remarked as he rose unsteadily, a weak attempt at humor even in this situation. But he was feeling calmer now. Now that he was actually doing something, now that he had hope that all would be wellâ€"or...at least...mostâ€"he could relax a little. Only a little. Which just meant he wasn't quite as stressed out anymore.

Keeping busy was a good way to settle down frayed nerves.

Gathering up her tail, and whatever else he could find that belonged to her, he raised an eyebrow slightly at the next set of instructions. But that was it. It was odd, true, but...well, if she asked it of him, he'd do it. If it had to be done, he'd do it. Simple as that.

Laying down the collected...ah...items around her, he took a deep breath and slowly, carefully, laid down in the blood. And tried hard not to cringe. It was still slightly warm and...urk...

He was in no was quesy. Usually. But...drinking blood, now laying in blood...

Good Gods, this had to take the cake for the strangest thing he had ever done in his life.

"You owe...me big...for this..." he muttered, though his tone was slightly teasing.

--

Sakkata's disembodied voice laughed, her energy sending a tingling sensation throughout Hatame's sensitive nerves.

<font color=white>Oh shut up. I'm sure you'll never let me forget I owe you, either.</font>

However, Sakkata really held no qualms about paying him back for this. He'd earned it, whatever it was.
Er...well...baring some things...

<font color=white>Ok, this next part is all me. It may feel strange, but just lay still and you'll be fine. Just follow my directions. Near the end, you'll feel my energy leave you, and at that point you'll have to quickly take off the strand of my hair from your finger and put it in the blood.</font>

Right. Ok. Time to get going...
Oh boy, hopefully she hadn't forgotten any of the ritual...

Sakkata's power began to well up in Hatame again, flooding his systems in pure energy. The blood began to heat up around Hatame, to the point where it was actually steaming but not yet boiling.
And then, as if upon it's own accord, the blood began to defy gravity and made it's way up Sakkata's stationary form. In no time at all she was completely covered in the blood, forming a crimson layer over her normally blue skin.

<font color=white>Hold your breath, Hatame.</font>

She warned, just as the steaming hot blood, which was actually not as scalding as one would imagine, began to flow over Hatame as well, soon coming up towards his face to cover it entirely.

--

He cracked a tired grin at her statement. Purely Sakkata. Only she could be so cool and nonchalant in this type of situation...

Listening to her next set of instructions, he nodded in understanding, and forced himself to relax a little moreâ€"which was quite the challenge, considering he was laying in a pool of blood right next to a corpse. Well...that sounded easy enough. This didn't seem quite as complicated as he would have imagined. Of course, the mind did tend to conjure up scenarios that were far worse than the actual truth. That probably had something to do with it.

"Got it..." He quickly placed his hands together, just to be prepared.

And then he felt Sakkata's power well up in him, and the blood began to heat, then steam. A hot spring. Yeah...if he thought of it as a hot spring, and not blood, it wasn't so bad...

And then the blood began to crawl up Sakkata's body, covering her completely. And soon it began to do the same to him. Alright...so the hot spring analogy didn't really work anymore...

Holding perfectly still, he quickly did as he was told, holding his breath and closing his eyes, and trying not to think of what was really covering his face. Instead, he quickly shifted his focus to within, feeling for Sakkata's energy. Once it started to leave, he had to...damn, this was so weird...

--

She hoped this would finish quickly, so that Hatame wouldn't suffocate or something. That would be bad...
The blood was doing more than just covering the two of them up. It was transferring energy, power, and magick to Sakkata's corpse, as well as renewing her body. Good, it was working so far.

Suddenly, Sakkata's tail trashed. It then thrashed again, and again.
Soon, it was wiggling all over the place, overloaded with energy. It was desperately trying to find the stump it once was attatched to, squirming all over the place like a grotesque snake.

<font color=white>If something starts wiggling on you, don't freak out. It's my tail.</font>

Indeed, her rogue tail did thrash Hatame a few times, before finally finding it's place and re-attaching. Even her hair was beginning to squirm, moving to her head and melding back in. The hair on Hatame's finger tugged, trying to get back to Sakkata as well, but the knot holding it did not permit such movement.
Finally, Sakkata's energy began to drain out of Hatame, flowing into the blood and eventually back into her own body.

<font color=white>Now Hatame! </font>

--

Thank Gods Sakkata gave Hatame that warning, otherwise he might have indeed lost the breath he was holding. It was unnerving enough being buried under hot blood. Being thrashed by some squirming object he couldn't see...that was even more so.

You're doing that on purpose, aren't you? he couldn't help but think wryly. He wouldn't put it past her.

All around him, he could feel things moving, an odd feeling indeed. And he, too, was beginning to hope this would be over soon. After all, he couldn't hold his breath forever, and it was by now starting to get uncomfortable...

The hair around his finger began to move, tugging against him...and then came Sakkata's voice again, and at the same time, he suddenly felt it, felt her energy begin to drain. And it was only then that he allowed himself to move, but only to quickly remove the hair and plunge it into the blood, where he released it.

It was almost done...right? Sakkata was almost back...

--

As the final hair hit the blood, a drastic change occured. The crimson liquid bleached into complete white, and for a moment was unbearably hot, then incredibly cold.
And then...
It was gone.

Hatame was free to breath again, no longer coated with crimson. And, as a perk, he would find his body completely renewed.
As Sakkata's was. Hair, ears, tail, everything was as it should be.
Well, except for the fact she was stiff as stone still. There was no evidence of breathing, nor of any real life at all.
None at all...

It was...over?

Hatame found himself shaking uncontrolably, partially from sheer exertion and exhaustion, from using too much magic, for clinging to it stubbornly stillâ€"he couldn't hold on much longer...but for some reason, he just had toâ€"and partially because of what had just happened. What had just happened!? Torr was motionless on the earth, bits of him sprayed along the ground. He had...he'd drunk the blood, heard the tree explode, seen Terri, heard a voice, a very familiar voiceâ€"maybe he was hallucinating; yeah, that was likelyâ€"and then...then something happened.

And now it was so silent.

Except...

The sound of someone weakly speaking his name snapped him out of his shock. Terri. That was why he was still holding into his magic. If he let go now, like his body so wanted to, he didn't know what would happen...he wouldn't be able to do anything...at the very least. She was hurt...Torr'd done something to her...

On wobbly limbs, he managed to half crawl, half stumble over to her, collapsing heavily next to her. He felt so light-headed, blood forming in his mouth that he quickly swallowed down, trying hard to conceal the damage he had taken. And, very vaguely, he could make out Terri's condition. Dammit... "Terri...you're..." He coughed. "You're...Terri, tell me how...how to..." He trailed off, swallowing back blood. Damn! He had the element. He could do it if he just knew how! He had nothing more to lose!

He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. He could feel his grip slipping.

--

Terri could hardly make out Hatame's outline. Everything was so damn blurry...
She could still feel his magick, feel it triggering the strange curse that tore him up inside.
"Let...it...go..." She whispered, and was forced to take a deep, shudering breath afterward.
Coughs then stole her body, convulsing her chest, and splattering blood onto the dusty earth.

Calmed, Terri knew what was coming. And she had to tell Hatame what to do so her dying would not be for naught.
"Hatame...you have...to bring...Sakkata back..."
Another painful breath. And her blood just kept pouring out, within, and outside of, her body.
"Use the connection...the hair...do a...blood...bond..."
Terri grimaced, teeth bared and coated in her own blood. She had to get it all out in time!!
"Torr's blood...and...yours...have her...power in it...You have to...get that power...back into...her...Blood too..."
Revival spells were so damn complicated to do, let alone explain. Not much time...so little...

<font color=white>Rest now Terri. Rest.</font>

Such a...familiar...voice....
She was fading...
Sakkata....
It was Sakkata...

Terri's life finally extinguished, eyes dulling as the light within went out. And yet her body would not decay. It would stay just as it was, until cremated with intense heat.

<font color=white>Hatame...Did you think I'd die so easily?</font>

There was a hint of amusement in that voice that spoke from within Hatame. From deep within, where his magick lay, and where her magick now lay as well. And the curse that held that magick back was really beginning to tick.her.off!!

<font color=white>I'm going to screw this damn curse all to hell, it's caused enough trouble! Then you can focus on bringing me back, alright?</font>

Good ol' Sakkata...

--

Hatame shook his head slowly, lest the dizziness overwhelm him. Let it go? No, he couldn't...if he did...he couldn't...not yet.

He watched Terri worriedly as she struggled to speak, struggled to breathe, even! Inwardly, he, too, knew what was coming...and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. As usual. All he could do was listen to her as she struggled to speak, and cling to his magic so that he could listen to her. No...not her, too...

Holding onto calm as well as he could, he focused on what he had to do, and absorbed her words...even though he couldn't understand them. Connection...blood bond...but...but how? He'd never done anything like that! He had no idea what she was talking about! Why hadn't she...why hadn't she drank the blood instead!? She knew what to do! And if she had...she wouldn't be...

That same voice filled his mind...and this time he knew it for certain to be Sakkata's. Even though it made absolutely no sense...but, then, nothing did, really. "S-Sakkata...?" Beside him, he could feel Terri lose her battle, her spasms ending...and mixed with the sense of horror and helplessness he felt at that, there was also relief. It wasn't right...it wasn't right for anyone to suffer like that.

After this was over, he'd probably be joining her...he just had to hold on until then.

Wait...what?

"What...? But...Sakkata...how...?" <I>Screw the curse to hell? Yeah...that was definitely Sakkata. And that phrase, if he knew her, usually meant destruction...

Maybe he was hallucinating.

--

Sakkata may be dead, but she hadn't given up. Her spirit was too screwed up to leave this world anyway. Hatame still held a tie to it, and so she was anchored...for now.
Her energy swelled, temporarily swallowing up his magick as well. And in that moment, he was released, set adrift for one fleeting instant in time...

...Before everything came crashing down.

The deceased Drygan's energy poured forth, severing the strange confinement the curse had placed on her indominatable soul. She flooded into his body, heart, and soul in one rush.
Freedom like none other...

Still flowing within him, Sakkata could tell he had taken some heavy damage. She sought to sooth and heal that which she could with her pure energy, before asking him to do what needed to be done.

<font color=white>Alright Hatame, it is only your connection to my soul, via that hair, that is keeping me here. We've got a pretty intense ritual to preform, so I hope you're ready for it. </font>
There was a brief pause.
<font color=white>Don't die on me now, alright? </font>

Hatame landed hard where he was thrown, blood blossoming where Torr's claws and the rocky ground had scored and bruised his body, and for a few moments he lay in a daze. In the shock of the impact, Hatame had nearly lost his hold on his magic, but he clung to it desperately. No matter what...he couldn't let go of it, not until he was through. If he let go now...he wouldn't be able to do any more; the attack that would follow would be debilitating, far worse than any he had ever had...maybe even lethal, and he knew it. He'd never before held his magic in him as long as he was now, never used so much before since the curse. But he had to.

He was doing this for all the right reasons. At least, he thought so.

Vaguely, as he struggled doggedly to rise to his feet again and regain his bearings, he saw with relief that his attack had done some damage...

And that Terri had taken over while he was down.

It all happened so quickly, she was so fast, and for a moment as Terri latched onto Torr and sharp ice coated his body, Hatame thought Terri had him. But then Torr ripped Terri off him...and she landed and...

Oh, fuck, no...Terri!!

"DAMMIT!" Drawing upon his magic, he let it fill him fully, let it rage within him even as pain expanded within him and that familiar copper taste coated his tongue, even as dizziness wanted to floor him, keeping him rooted to the ground in a crouch. He was drawing more than he should, and he knew it...and he knew that the repurcussions would be horrendous. But Torr was so bloody powerful, and...and he had to push himself to the limit and beyond if he even had the slightest hope of doing anything to him! And then, focusing, he sent that magic out toward Torr. Terri had had the right idea...and Hatame would add to it, and he did, combining Earth with Ice, focusing on sending sharp shards of both deep into flesh, and on continuing to coat Torr in the freezing, hard substance.

Torr was strong...there was no doubt about it. Eerily powerful, and even that was a drastic, deadly understatement. But...but everyone needed air, no one could live without it, and Hatame kept that in mind. If he could just cover Torr's face, cover his nose and mouth...maybe...

--

Torr hissed in pain, both burnt by fire and ice. Third degree burns had blossomed where Hatame had touched him, and now bits of his flesh were turning black with decary from frost bite. Sheets of ice had even begun to form on his flesh, numbing it.

A scream of pure rage and excruciating pain errupted from Torr, and it was by far the most unnatural sound one could make. Blood splurted from the strange holes being made in his flesh by Hatame's magick.
Crimson splashed onto the earth, and Torr's pupils dialated with anger.
Ignoring the ice that krept dangerously high on his face, Torr rushed Hatame, and a sudden wave of crushing power errupted from him.
Hatame's magick was repelled with ease, and Torr was practically on top of him, ready to rip him to bits.

In the backdrop, Terri was painfully pulling herself into a sitting position. Her arm had snapped, and her ankle was sprained badly. There would be no more running around for her. But then, she didn't need to in order to stop Torr's attack.
Focusing her power into the earth, she summoned up her magick.
Quite suddenly, knobby roots burst from the ground and twisted around Torr, stoping him in his tracks. Within moments, the 'roots' were manifesting into a full-blown tree, which was quickly encasing Torr's yowling frame.
It would not hold him for long though.

Weak, Terri struggled to stay concious. "Hatame!" A seperate root lashed out, caught Hatame's leg, and pulled him across the leaf-littered ground and away from the constricting tree.
It released him right next to Torr's blood.
"Drink it! You have to drink his blood, and you can steal some of his and Sakkata's power! Quickly, I can't hold the spell!"
She was physically and mentally straining to retain Torr even as the tree caught fire and began to crack open.
"Quickly!!!"

--

It was all Hatame could do to keep his magic flowing into Torr, watching with grim determination as the magic had its effect and praying it would be over soonâ€"though it didn't seem close to concluding. He didn't know how much longer he could keep at this...he'd never held onto his magic this long, ever, and he didn't know how much longer he could as it churned within him, making him sway where he crouched as his muscles burned with the warning of agony to come. How bloody much more could Torr take!? With the burns of fire and frost blackening and rotting his flesh, and with blood spurting from his budding wounds and splashing to the ground as Earth and Ice stabbed him...Gods, but anyone else would have been downed by now from the sheer pain of it all, if nothing else!

The most it seemed to be doing was making Torr even more pissed.

It was surreal. It was sickening. And it downright frightened Hatame, even if rage and despair had kept that emotion well hidden. It was like...it was like the creature was no longer even mortal.

And then Torr charged, and Hatame's magic was repelled like it was nothing. Desperately, he tried to regain control of the flows that had been suddenly repressed, to channel them back at Torr, but Torr's power easily overwhelmed his own, and all he could do was watch him approach...

...Until, at the last moment, Torr was wrapped up in the thick roots that burst abruptly from beneath him, encasing him within the tree that was quickly forming.

Terri! That could only be Terri's doing! Gods, with the way she had landed, he had feared a lot worse for her. She was aliâ€"

He hardly had time to register her voice before somethingâ€"another root?â€"grabbed his leg and pulled him across the ground, landing him right next to the blood that had pooled on the ground. Disoriented, he quickly made to rise, not wanting to let Torr, however contained (for the moment), out of his sight, but Terri's words made him freeze. Eyes widening, he glanced down at the blood again, unable to keep from paling a little. Drink it...well...of course it made sense! Sakkata had explained about it before! And, as a Gryphon, he'd consumed plenty of blood-drenched flesh in his life...that wasn't so much a factorâ€"except that this wasn't blood from a prey animal. This was Torr's blood! The idea was enough to make his stomach churn.

But...it was also Sakkata's blood...the blood that Torr had so savagely spilt to end her young life...

Taking a deep breath and repressing a shiver, he wasted no more time before he closed his eyes and bent to drink it, determined to drink it all without wretching, even though that was the first response the action evoked. Still, he kept it down, and continued to drink the blood as quickly as he could. He could hear the tree cracking...but he didn't let it distract him. There was just no time to allow that.

For Sakkata...

--

Terri was strugling with everything she had to keep Torr contained. Magick whipped about her body, creating small yet painful gashes in her flesh. Sweat poured out of her strained body, every muscle shaking uncontrollably. She was pulling on the deepest reserves of power. She'd have nothing left after this...

Finally, Torr burst free with a terrible roar. Power rocketed into the sky, and Terri was smashed backwards as her connection to the magick was severed abruptly. Rolling to a stop and looking like a torn rag doll, Terri did not move again.
But it was alright...because...he had drank it...

<font color=white>HATAME!!!!</font>

The shout came from with Hatame, pulling from a part of him that was no longer a part of him. Power foreign to him surged forth, burning away all else and filling him with light. There was nothing else.
Just pure, untainted energy.

Torr screamed with rage, blood pouring from his wounds. He rushed Hatame, but would never get closer than five feet from him. The energy rushed from the host gryphon, smashing into Torr with amazing power. The Drygan's chest caved in, and then went even further, organs and ribs exploding from his back as the energy smashed into him like an invisible cannon ball. He stood for a moment that seemed like forever, then crumpled to the earth.
Even with all his stolen powers, that was one wound he could not bounce back from.

<font color=white>Thank you...Hatame...</font>

Terri shivered very slightly on the ground. Blood was leaking from her mouth, it's coppery taste coating her tongue. The world was blurring before her eyes. She had...to tell...Hatame...
"Ha...Hatame..."
Her voice, so weak...please let him hear...it was too important for him not to know...!

Out of the corner of his eye, Hatame saw that Terri had done as he had pleaded for her to do and healed Sakkata's tortured body...and through his anger and despair, some small sense of peace permeated that mass of conflicting emotions and numbness. He didn't know why it was so important to him...but in that moment, that small act seemed as though it meant the world.

One small dignity...it was the least they could offer. She deserved so much more than this...she deserved better...

And then Torr laughed, and his words sent a small chill through him, momentarily slicing through the rampant hatred he felt and refocusing his attention. Damn him...wait. Cremate her? Like hell he woulâ€"!

Hatame hadn't the time to react. A split second later, and Torr was beside Terri and had sent her tumbling with a simple movement of his hand, to land in a daze feet away, and in the next instant, he had grasped Sakkata's corpse and heaved her off the ground. And Hatame didn't need to hear Terri's desperate cries to leap into action. No...there was no way in HELL he would let the bastard touch her! He was NOT taking her! Not again!

Without even thinking, Hatame tackled Torr roughly from behind, aiming to drag him down to the ground and, at the very least, make him lose both his focus and his grip on Sakkata. At the same time, he focused on his magic, focused on fire, focused on sending white-hot tendrils searing against, into, Torr's skin. Torr wanted to burn Sakkata? Two could play that game. Hatame would burn Torr as much as he possibly could, as long as he possibly could!

Fortunately for Hatame, Torr had seemed to ignore Hatame's presence, for he had landed right between he and Terri. And, after all, why would Torr pay him much mind, when he was physically weaker than even Terri and couldn't even weild magic without severe consequence? But none of that mattered; for now, not seeming a threat worked to Hatame's benefit. Well, hopefully.

"TERRI! Get Sakkata out of here!" he shouted, holding on, literally, for dear life.

--

Torr snarled in surprise, thrown slightly off balance by Hatame's sudden tackle. Torr was big though, and strong, and only stumbled a bit from the impact. But one surprise followed another as Torr felt his flesh begin to burn in white-hot flames.
"DAMN!"

Throwing Sakkata's dead body away, Torr reached around to heave Hatame off and away from him. Sharp nails dug into soft flesh as he grabbed the unfortunate man, and with abnormally high strength yanked him free. Torr haphazardly tossed Hatame away, so intent was he on stopping the magickal fire before it did too much damage.
"You will pay for that!!" He roared, bits of his back and waist now charred and painful.

Terri heard Hatame's order, but paid it no heed. She was going to make Torr pay for what he did...SHE WAS GOING TO MAKE HIM PAY!!!
"TORR!!"
She pulled on the very deepest reserves of her power, and it flared around her, from her. She could feel it well up, begging to break free of her body and spill out into the world.
And she would let it, too!

Dashing straight for Torr, Terri moved at an inhuman speed. So fast she was nothing but a blur. However, Torr was faster. In the blink of an eye his clawed hand protruded through the back of her cloak, having gone right through.

Well, right through the cloak anyway.

Terri was unharmed, crouching at Torr's feet, smirking dangerously. Such a simply trick...discard the cloak at the last minute, and that will be what he attacks.
Launching her small frame up, Terri latched onto the large Drygan male much as Hatame had.
"Take this, you BASTARD!!"

Terri's body exploded in white light, and the ground beneath them froze solid. And that was exactly what she was trying to do to Torr, too. Everywhere her flesh touched his, the skin began to freeze, sharp ice crystals rupturing delicate cells. His own immense power stopped him from being frozen solid, but it wouldn't stop frost bite at such a close, surprised range.

Yowling in pain, Torr wrenched Terri free of him, his grabbing hand beginning to freeze as well. Throwing her slight form with all his might, Terri flew in a high arc into the air.
She landed with a sickening crack, and lay still.

"I KNOW she's dead!" Hatame snapped, and that single, last word sent a painful shudder through him. Somehow...it just made everything more real, to actually say it. It made it more final, more...Gods, he didn't know anymore... "I'm not stupid, Terri! But...but...she was...Torr...just look at her! Terri, please, heal her...she deserves at least this ONE small dignity!"

It was irrational, he was being irrational. He knew it, but he didn't care. She was dead...you couldn't bring back the dead...no matter what; no one could, and he knew it. And he didn't mean to try differently. It was done. There was nothing he or anyone else could do. But, for some reason, it just felt really important to him. He couldn't stand to see her like this...no one deserved to go through what she had gone through...no one...

They'd failed her...

He turned his head away so she wouldn't see his own tears, even though his voice easily gave it away. And he only nodded vaguely when she mentioned Torr, though his posture stiffened defiantly. Torr. No...actually, he could think of one person who deserved to go through what she had. And much, much more...

And then came that voice...

"FUCKING BASTARD!" Hatame was on his feet in a second, even as his magic battered him from within as he held onto it, making him sway slightly, blood from his previous attack staining his lips. But rage and pain such as he had never felt before had made him numb to it; all he could think about was Sakkata...and killing Torr. Everything else simply ceased to be...

The only thing that kept him from attacking right then and there was the thought that if he was careless, they would be killed and not Torr. Hatame wasn't worried about dying; he had nothing to lose, especially not anymore. The only thought that worried him was dying without knowing for certain that Torr had, too.

--

She flashed her teeth at Torr, snarling deep in her throat. She would do what Hatame asked! Sakkata would not be put to rest holding the scars of Torr's torture!
Whipping around, Terri scooped Sakkata up and hugged her bloody form close. She rocked lightly with grief, but through the fuzz of despair, she focused her energies on Sakkata's cold and limp body.

Slowly but surely, Sakkata's deadly wounds closed themselves, re-knitting carefully. Her hair did not grow back, nor did her ears or tail. Those were things no magick could bring back, as Terri knew all too well. Her own hair, ears, and tail were cropped, just like Sakkata's now were...
"Damn you Torr..."

Torr simply laughed. "Call me all the names in the world, spit out the worst terms you know. It changes nothing. But I will do one thing in the Chosen's honor. I think I'll cremate her myself."
With that, he was beside Terri in the blink of an eye. Even she had been able to sense his movement, let alone see it.
Blue eyes widening in surprise, she was sent tumbling by a swift and simple backhand from Torr.

Rolling to a stop a good ten feet away, Terri was too dazed to rise at first. "No...H...Hatame! Don't let Torr burn her body!"
It had blinked right into her head. The only true way to put a Drygan to rest was to burn them with the flames from a dragon, their ancient ancestor. Drygan bodies didn't rot, so to bury them was pointless.
That was it! That was it!!
She had to keep Sakkata's body intact!
"Hatame!"
She still couldn't rise enough to try and stop Torr herself.

Torr, on the other hand, had gruffly heaved Sakkata's corpse off the ground by her head, his free hand summoning an intense heat. Power pulsed from his body, and the shear amount of it was scary. Just standing there he put off energy, enough to make into a hundred simple attacks with so much more to spare.
"Goodbye, Sakkata." He hissed, just inches from lighting her body and watching it go up in smoke.

[Thread continued from <a>HERE</a>. Authors, in order of posting: Blue-chan as Terri, Sakkata, and Torr. Rhi-Rhi as Hatame]

It had taken a good day of quick traveling to actually bring the Mountains within range. Terri's durable muscles were burning, but she was not yet exhausted, thankfully. Dropping gracefully from the treetops, she awaited Hatame's approach. He was stuck in human form, and could not travel nearly as fast as she could with her lithe draconic form.

Terri was still carefully hidden within the folds of a dark brown cloak, the hood pulled up to cover her inuman form. From what one could see of her face, she was relatively young, perhaps 17 or 18. However, her skin was pure white. Well, until the sun hit it that is. Once the light touched and bounced off the color, it exploded in a dazzling array of colors that changed as she shifted. The color prism was all there, thanks to the odd properties of her skin. It was rare even among Drygans.
Eyes of ice blue were sharp and wary as she waited for her companion to appear.

Not too much further, and they'd be near Sakkata's still-stationary form...

--

Finally, finally, Terri came into his view, a figure in the distance, and Hatame picked up his pace to sprint the rest of the distance toward her. This whole time, he had been relying solely on their connection to follow herâ€"as she was far faster, and even if she wasn't, there was no way he could see her up in the trees from the groundâ€"and he had actually found the experience useful. It forced him to really concentrate and study how the connection worked, and to interpret what each sensation he got from their connection meant.

Being forced to do something could teach one quite a lot.

Slowing to a stop beside Terri, only then did he allow himself to rest, leaning against a tree to catch his breath and brushing his currently disheveled white hair from his dark-skinned face. Well...at least, his jaw-length bangs were white; the rest of his hair was coal-black and reached midway to his back. Like his companion, he was young, appearing maybe only a year or two older than her.

Under good conditions, and in good health, if he ran at a steady pace, he could go for hours. After all, he was in truth a Gryphon, and retained something of their endurance, even while in a human body. Of course, he wasn't exactly in good health anymore...his curse had sapped that a good deal, making his muscles burn and limbs ache whatever the case, but with Terri's healing, he was in as good a condition as he could get. And what with the current situation...that was incentive enough to keep him moving.

Aside from some breathlessness and achiness, he was hardly fatigued.

"She still hasn't moved, huh...?" he finally commented when he had regained his breath, green eyes looking toward the mountains that were now so close...

--

Terri waited for Hatame to catch his breath, able to feel his aches and pains due to her healing magick and the fact she had used it on him more than once. It was a nifty trick, to be able to search out and find what was wrong with a person by touch. Even more nifty if you had healed them before, because then you didn't need touch.
"I bet Sakkata could break that binding spell if she really tried." She started at length. Not the best thing to bring up, but it bothered her nothing had been done about the painful affliction yet. It zapped so much of his energy away...

With a sigh, Terri looked back towards Sakkata's signal. "No movement at all. I'm really worried Hatame." And it showed in her voice. Sakkata shouldn't have been so still for so long...
Damn it, what had happened to her??
"Are you ready to go yet?"

--

He grimaced slightly when Terri brought up his condition, and made a point to seem not to have heard. It was a touchy subject...and he didn't think Sakkata could break it. Hatame had confided in her about it, before, and the solution she had offered was ending his lifeâ€"which was the one solution he knew of, as well. He didn't know of any other solution...and it didn't seem like she would, either. But who knew? Maybe Terri was right. Maybe.

Not that any of that mattered, now. That wasn't what he was worried about. His sole focus was getting Sakkata back...everything else could wait.

"I'm really worried, too..." Hatame muttered, equally anxious, though he tried hard to reign that emotion in. Freaking out would do Sakkata no good. "But...yeah, let's go..."

Taking a deep breath, he set off again, a little quicker this time despite the pain that wanted to slow him. Try as he might to stay positive, this was really bothering him, and he wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

Please be alright...

--

Terri dashed after Hatame, a growing dread building in her stomach. Now more nervous than ever, she bolted ahead of Hatame, forgetting the earlier incident of getting blasted in the face.
This was just too important for her. So what if she got blasted again, at least she'd know Sakkata was alive and well!

After a few moments of Terri's disappearing from Hatame's view, her signal joined Sakkata's in the distance. It stopped then, and after a moment of silence, a piercing scream split the air.
And it was Terri's scream.

Right in front of her was what was left of Sakkata. Stripped of clothing, Sakkata hung from her ankles by a strip of rough rope which was in turn tied to a tree limb. It was more than likely she had been raped, and there were bruises all over her blue tinted flesh. Her face was battered so badly, and so swollen from it, that she hardly looked like Sakkata anymore. Her hair had been cruelly chopped from her head, and her ears were masses of flesh. Her tail lay in a bloody curl at the base of the tree, no longer attached to her body. Blood was smeared all along her frame, large claw gouges evident.
And her throat and wrists had been slit, now gaping red mouths of the grizzliest kind. She had been violated in every possible way...

Terri stared in horrified shock, legs trembling until finally she collapsed. She...the Chosen...she was dead...dead!!
No...it couldn't be...it just...no...
"Sakkata..."

--

Terri's scream jolted through Hatame, and he picked up his pace, fear coursing through him like wildfire and making the everlasting pain he felt seem non-existant. Thoughts of what could have happened coursed through his mind, despite how he tried to reign them back. He had to stay calm...fight for calm. Panic would help no one...Gods, let them both be alright...let themâ€"

He stopped dead.

The scene he came upon wasn't one that existed in real life. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare, and all Hatame could do was stare blankly, unmoving and unblinking, at the violated figure that bled and hung from the tree limb, numbness coating him, even as a terrible, clenching nausea gripped him. No...that wasn't...it wasn't her. Things like this...they just didn't happen. It just...it wasn't real. He was still unconscious, and this was all a dream. One long, drawn out, horrible nightmare...the worst he'd ever had...

Sakkata wasn't...she just couldn't...

His body seemed to move automatically, as though without him even realizing, as he moved slowly toward the body with unnatural, cold calm, the only thing betraying that calm being the shakiness of his limbs. Standing beneath her, he glanced up at the branch she was tied to, and the only thought that came to mind was that it was too high for him to reach. Alright...

Pain raced through his limbs as he embraced the source of his magic, but it felt so distant. Someone else's pain. A second later, and fire had gnawed away at the rope that suspended her, and he caught her body mechanically as he released his hold on his magic's source, the force of her weight and the force of the magic's attack sending him crumpling. But he seemed not to notice, even as he coughed up blood. Instead, he worked on pulling the remainder of the rope off her, gently supporting her.

"Terri, heal her..." He said it calmly, not even looking up. He had gotten the rope off her, and was removing his overcoat, covering her battered body with it. God damnit...he'd KILL Torr for this... "Terri? God DAMMIT Terri, why aren't you healing her!? I can't heal her! I can't heal! You HAVE to heal her, Terri, I can't! Or just bloody tell me how to! Earth magic, right!? I have Earth magic! Just tell me, and I'll do it!"

Pain scored every inch of his body as he once again reached for his magic, creating a sensation akin to having ones insides shredded. But that agony had nothing to do with the moisture in his eyes, which he stubbornly blinked back. He didn't care...he didn't care if his magic killed him, he'd heal her if Terri wouldn't...somehow...

--

Terri had gone numb inside. There was nothing left. Nothing. One look, one good look at the scene before her had blasted everything away, and it had fallen like shards of broken glass.
There was nothing...

Turning her head painfully slow, Terri watched with clouded eyes as Hatame passed her and moved right up to the tree. What was he...? No...he was using magick...
Her body...it had to be...burned...and...
Terri trembled as she watched, tears finally breaking free and cascading down her face. It just wasn't right!! IT WASN'T RIGHT!!

She shook her head mechanically as Hatame shouted at her. His frustration and despair poured out with his words, and though she opened her mouth, no sound would come forth. Slowly, she crawled toward him and the corpse that was Sakkata.
"I...I can't Hatame." She hissed lightly as she felt him pulling up his magick. "Please...don't. She isn't...she can't be..." Terri clamped her teeth together and hung her head. "She's dead Hatame! Dead!! I can't bring the dead back to life, no matter how hard I try! And neither can you!"
Her head snapped back up and she stared straight at Hatame. "Don't kill yourself Hatame. We...we have to find Torr. We have to make him pay for this!"

"Make me pay? Whatever for?" The cold, cruel voice of Torr came from behind them. Standing calmly upon a tall, craggy rock, the demented Drygan looked down at them. His hair was completely white, and he had a maddened look of power in his eyes.
"Well, here I am, if you really need to 'make me pay'." He smirked, sharp teeth flashing. There were no traces of blood on him, but one knew he had drank Sakkata's blood in order to gain her power.
And just the thought made Terri shudder with fury, her pupils narrowing to tiny slits as energy shot from her small form. Damn him...DAMN HIM!!!