..Drygan..The Trek Continues..

[Rhindeer]

"Your owners?" It was Hatame's turn to jerk in surprise, and this time he did look away from the standoff between Sakkata and the other to turn his bright green eyes on the frightened, trembling girl in his arms. His eyes had narrowed slightly, not in anger or anything, but as though he were seeing her in a new light. Owners? So she had been a slave of some sort? And her name was Terri? Hadn't the other Terri been a slave? Yeah, she had! That's when Sakkata and he had rescued her, from that manor fire! Well, Sakkata had done the rescuing, and he'd helped with the healing, the only time he'd ever been able to heal in his life. She'd had a slave collar around her throat, and she'd been called by a different name then, a given slave name...

"Okay...now that's just freaky, Terri..." he murmured before he could help it, unable to look away and too surprised--and weirded out--to realize that the poor kid would probably have no clue whatsoever what he was talking about.

And then everything went to hell.

The quaking of the earth about him and the sound of rocks shifting and cracking jerked his attention back to the far more pressing issue at hand, and he looked up just in time to see a large boulder hurtle at Sakkata, and promptly crack into two smooth pieces around her, that shining sword--her "heirloom"--apparently a lot more useful than just some inherited trinket like she tried to pass it off as. Daaaamn. Hatame had seen some of the things she could do and, even if some of those things had been directed at him, he'd always been impressed (understatement). Apparently, what she'd demonstrated before had been nothing more than a warmup...

Yeaaah...seemed Sakkata was more than able to take care of herself. He'd probably just get in the way at this rate. This certainly didn't look like it would take long.

Then his eyes shifted toward the other Drygan, the female with all the white hair who...did not look impressed. But then she did have all that white hair...

And white hair equalled power.

Still, she was probably just being overconfident, trying to play off the cool and collected act in the face of danger. That would cost her...

Crap! One Drygan! Where was the other?! He tore his eyes away again to look for the male, who had only a small strip of white in his hair and, thus, very little magic. But a little magic for a Drygan was a lot to most anyone else, and there was one brief, slightly panicked moment where he couldn't find the black lizard, but then he sighted the male standing off a little ways from where he was, and he shifted Terri in his arms and glared at the Drygan. He had better keep his distan--

The earth began to quake, bucking violently where Sakkata was and sending shockwaves radiating outwards. He gasped in surprise and actually lost his balance, falling down into a crouch. But that was nothing; Sakkata was in the worst of it, leaping from one shifting plate to the next and cleaving through hunks of rock that were thrown at her.

And she called for his help.

Sakkata never asked for help.

It was a testament to how fatigued and worn they both truly were...and that was probably why the white-haired Drygan hadn't seemed too worried.

Crap again!

For a second he froze, glancing down at Terri. Take her away? Where?! That had been one of his primary fears during this whole thing--that as soon as he let Terri out of his sight and grip, those two Drygans would shoot off and track her down. Out of them all, she was by far the most vulnerable, and it seemed killing or hurting her was these Drygan's mission in this encounter.

And the male...he was currently doing nothing. He was weaker than his twin, and had seemed nervous of Sakkata. Hatame doubted he would join in that fight. As soon as Hatame hid Terri and joined in helping Sakkata, there would be nothing to prevent that Drygan from tracking down and finishing off the girl. Humans? Even a weak Drygan could take down a human, and then even more lives would be in jeopardy, because these humans would no doubt try and protect the girl.

There was really only one thing to it...

He had to make sure that Drygan didn't get a chance to go after Terri. Which meant...taking him out before he went to join Sakkata.

Gripping Terri, he jolted to his feet unsteadily and took off at a dead--if wobbly--run for the heart of the village, which was eerily empty save for a small group of women that were gathering together, sporting weapons and wearing confused, if determined, expressions. He nearly collided with Marina, who was obviously the head of the small group--a mismatched one at that, their inexperience shining through their nervous glances and shifting feet, and the awkward way they handled their weapons. There was only about ten of them.

Hatame swung Terri down from his arms and pushed her gently, but firmly, into Marina. "Hide her, now! And all of you, get back inside! We have it covered, trust me, no time to explain, just go!"

Marina enveloped the shivering girl in an embrace, brown eyes wide. But she shook her head stiffly, clearly disbelieving. "We can't let you two do this, this is our village and--"

"Just do it, they wanna kill her and they'll do you too if you're in the way, so just go!" And with that last order given, he dashed back the way he had come.

Something in his voice must have convinced her. Either that, or she'd finally gotten a good look at the scene that awaited them and had used his demand as the excuse her pride needed to back out. Still, she made a good show of looking reluctant and unhappy about it as she finally nodded and started herding Terri, and the other girls, away. She ushered Terri into one of the houses, an empty one chosen at random--it seemed a lot of the women had chosen to group together with their families to wait it out--and Marina joined the girl in the room, locking the door behind her.

"They're crazy...I can't pretend I know what is going on, but...he said to hide you...Terri, can you fit under this bed?" she asked, shifting her crossbow in its bindings along her back, and then deciding to just pull it free and set it on her lap as she settled down on the bed and watched the door.

[Anonymous]

Terri looked down at her clenched hands, noticing how white-knuckled she was holding Hatame's shirt. "Yes..." She murmured. Slave, pet...both were bad, and basically the same. She never wanted to see them again...but here they were...they had finally found her again...
They were going to kill her...
No, she had miss Sakkata and Hatame looking after her now! Those mean Drygans (yes, she knew what they were actually called) wouldn't get to touch her again!
And she was all too glad for it...
Suddenly though, Hatame was being ordered to take her away, and after a pause, he did so. She was soon in the arms of Marina, staring up at Hatame. She would be safe, she would be safe, she would be safe...
He was running off now, to help Sakkata...
"H...HATAME! Be careful!!"
Good luck, both of you...!
She was then being herded away and into one of the homes. She got down on her hands and knees, ready to get under the bed, but looked up at Marina first. "They're not crazy...they're brave." And then she slipped into the darkness, and hopefully, safety.

Sakkata was having one hell of a time fighting this bitch off. And as soon as the brother saw Hatame run off with Terri, he had haultingly chased after. But Sakkata would have none of that. Spinning in mid-air, she hurled a mass of blue-white flame at him, which he just barely dodged in time. And then he surprised her, by sending a wicked gust of wind her way. She hadn't expected him to have power of air, nor the courage to use it, and so it caught her dead in the chest. She soon found herself flat on her rump, hissing as the earth then bucked under her and sent her a good ten feet into the air.
At which point she was again blasted with wind, now peppered with sharp rocks.
Dammit!
She shielded herself, the rocks cutting into her shirt and down into her skin as she fell, flipping around in time to land on her feet on the uneven earth. Lucky she didn't sprain something...
The earth bucked violently again, and she scrambled, slicing yet another boulder thrown her way. The brother was gaining confidence and working with his sister now, his power not as great, but when used correctly, was quite the nuisance.
She went for him. Take out the weakest link first, right?

Only about ten feet away from the wide-eyed male, the earth spiked, and she practically smacked head-on into it. Then the earth under her rolled, and she was tossed, landing hard on the cracked dirt and rolling to a stop. She pushed herself up, throwing her long hair from her eyes (she had not had time to braid it), in time to see Hatame running back. Thank god...

There was a sudden pain in her shoulder, more like her neck, and she gritted her teeth. "Argh!" She grumbled, realizing the female Silva was biting her. And then, a real scream was forced from her, and she punched Silva dead in the face, dislodging her, and stumbling away. She clutched the wound to the left of her neck, staggering around to stare at Silva, who was smirking, a trail of thick purple liquid dribbling down her chin. She wiped it clean. "That dart may have been nothing but a pinch to you, but I guarantee you that now, within say an hour if your lucky, you'll be cold and dead, Chosen."
Poison. Gods be damned, it was poison in her fangs!!  That was not a trait seen among Drygans...she and her brother must be half breeds, mixed with some kind of snake people.
Damn damn damn!

Thick poison made her wound sticky, and she tried to wipe as much of the purple liquid from the bite as she could, but it just stuck to her hand, and actually felt like it was burning her skin. It was potent, that was for sure...
And she could already feel it traveling down her left arm, and...
Her heart! That damn female had bit her in the most opportune spot to affect both her brain and her heart in no time!
Hour her ass...she had far less time than that!

[Rhindeer]

Previously, as he'd watched over Terri, and watched those dark Drygans, he'd been reluctant to shift. Not because he was nervous about giving himself away--oh, hell no, that foolish anxiety had flown out the window the moment those two Drygans had appeared; maintaining false identities so didn't matter right now!!--but because it took so damned long to do it. Well, actually, it only took a minute or so, but in a situation like this, one minute could cost you.

The worst mistake he could make at this point was to attempt to shift right in the middle of a conflict, because then he would be vulnerable, and he hadn't quite conquered the whole multitask-while-shifting thing--it took his full concentration. Which, thus, meant no magic. No way to defend himself. It wasn't a risk he'd been willing to take at that point, because it would have been just plain stupid, setting himself up to be taken out, and then what good was he then? That male hadn't been going after Sakkata, and if he'd pounced on Hatame during that change, it would be over, and Hatame hadn't even been comfortable with changing while in the village, just in case he'd been followed. No, at least as a human he could still weild magic, even if as a human he wasn't much of a fighter at all. He'd been willing to pitch in with that when he couldn't physically pitch in.

However, he also hadn't expected to return and find Sakkata down on the ground, the white-haired female atop her and Sakkata cut up and just generally looking...beat. And the scream...even through all they'd been through, he had never heard Sakkata scream. Not once. Not ever. Sakkata, even when under the influence of that fucker Torr, had never once looked anything other than calm and collected, in control even though she truly had no control. She was tough down to her nails, something he'd gotten on her before because that also meant she had a tendency to bottle things up inside--even if she had started to open up a lot more over time.

He knew she was tired, knew it was bad when she was asking him to help, but he hadn't know it was this bad.

Both the male and the female had their attention on her as she knocked the female off of her and clambered to her feet. Both of them were distracted. And Hatame pivoted on his heel to duck behind a building where he quickly began the process, pouring his concentration into that one task, willing and forcing his body to make the shift from awkward human to confident Gryphon. Hang in there, Sakki...just one second... He willed himself to hurry, cursing his rustyness, so to speak.

If they could take Sakkata down, he had to change, had to be prepared to fight with every means he had. He just knew he wouldn't have a chance doing any less...it didn't help that he was already fatigued. Indeed, he would need to use everything.

He felt and heard his clothes rip before he noticed anything else, but that was the only cue he needed. He shook himself once to free his wings and legs of the useless cloth, then wasted no time in snapping open his wings and launching himself into the air, clearing the building.

Thank Gods he'd had practice flying  these last few days...he only hoped he remembered how to fight. Magic. He had to remember to use magic. That would be his lifeline in all this.

A few thrusts of his wings and a sharp swoop, and he landed heavily right in front of Sakkata, a little larger than lion-sized and bristling all over, deadly hooked talons scoring the earth and wings unfurled slightly to make himself look bigger than he actually was--that was a tactic he certainly hadn't forgotten. Wicked beak gaping and tail lashing out, he growled, a strange sound that was half snarl, half hiss, lowering his head and glaring at the two Drygans with the same bright green eyes.

Hopefully, they couldn't see through the display to the fatigue that plagued him...

"Ssstand down!" he hissed, the feathers along his neck raising like hackles and the long, feathery ears flat along his head. He'd give them a chance. He was never one that liked to make the first initial move, because he liked to know what he was up against. That, and he put some stock in bluffing; maybe they hadn't seen a Gryphon before, and certainly they'd noticed that he'd been witness to some of what they could do. If he acted unafraid of them after that, perhaps he could at least make them wonder what he was capable of. "Get away frrrom herrr! I'll rrrip you aparrrt and feed you to fledging pigeonsss if you don't!" he added, purely Hatame, and lashed out at the closer one, the female, with sharp talons in warning, still keeping himself firmly between they and Sakkata. She was wounded...she needed to get away...

He'd seen something on Sakkata, something sticky and purple on her neck...

He didn't know if he wanted to know what that was...

[Anonymous]

Sakkata was really worried now. She had never had to deal with poison before, and it was quickly making its way to the two most important organs in her body, her brain and her heart. That also pissed her off. This bitch thought she could take her out so easily, after all she had gone through??
The hell she would die so easily!

That woman had just bitten off more than she could chew.

Then, a sudden ball of fur and feathers plopped down in front of her, and it took her a moment to realize just who it was. Hatame...?
And he looked hella menacing, too! And his threat wasn't half-bad either. He was really putting some serious effort into all of this.

Silve and Ke looked surprised, and even a bit frightened, as the strange creature before them threatened their lives. Silva backed away hurriedly as she was swiped at, trying to gauge this creature's power. Finally, she regained her composure. "Ke! Take on that...creature. I'll deal with the Chosen."
Ke nodded, and then swiped his hand at Hatame, gale-force winds suddenly smashing toward Hatame. And with Hatame having wings and all, they might just act like giant parachutes...
Sakkata snarled, and then used her sword to cut a slit up the side of the skirt, allowing her leg to move out freely, and was again in a fighting position.
"The hell you'll 'deal' with me." She snarled.

The earth bucked at her again, but power smashed from her, as her human guise fell away, the Drygan Sakkata now standing fully in view. Her tail had ripped the skirt, and her feet the shoes, but other than that, no damage had been done. Her white hair flew as unhindered as before, amazingly long and thick. It was normally so unruly that she had to keep it in a braid, which was really the only way Hatame had seen it, until she had been revived, and now. And it was quite the sight to behold.
The wave of earth stopped in its tracks, bits of dirt rolling down the makeshift hill.
"My turn." She hissed, amber eyes narrowed, and seeming to glow slightly.
The air around her began to heat up to incredible extremes, until the sword in her hand melted in a rush. But strangely enough, it kept its general shape, and flowed around her hand.
The earth under her feet then began to glow red hot as she continued to increase the temperature, until the ground itself turned white-hot and melted, turning into lava around her. She was unscathed, using her own power to shield herself from the boiling hot magma (Austin Powers, Austin Powers!! lol, sorry...). The hill of dirt and rock melted down into a red-hot pool.

Silva was stunned.

Sakkata grinned devilishly.
"Yeah, you're screwed."

[Rhindeer]

If he'd been in human form, he would have grinned. Yes! It looked like his bluff was working, at least enough to make them leery! Well, it wasn't really a bluff; he could do some very nasty things with those talons and that beak, and the wonderful thing about Gryphons was, unlike other birds of prey who spent far more time in the air, the talons of Gryphons didn't often break or lose their edge; they were hard as rocks and needed to be, because Gryphons spent an awful lot of time using those talons not only for swooping down on prey, but for walking and running on land. And while Hatame was horribly rusty--but hey, he'd been cursed for over seven years and only just gotten everything back!--like all things in life, Hatame wasn't afraid to experiment a little.

Unfortunately, the female soon collected herself--nothing was ever easy, and these were Drygans!--and ordered the male to take him on. That, to Hatame, was as good as making the first move. Tail lashing, his muscles bunched as he started folding in his wings in preparation to spring--

And then the male made some movement with his hand, and...

Oh damn.

Haha...air.

Well that sucked.

Hatame had time only to widen his eyes and yelp before his wings, not yet pulled in tight to his body, unfurled like sails and snapped open painfully, catching the wind. He scrabbled at the uneven, cracked ground with his talons and claws in an effort to get a hold on something, but with no luck, and it might not have been so bad if it weren't for the damned wings, but he couldn't pull them in! Damnit! Not a second later, and he found himself sumersaulting backwards through the air, only to come crashing back down onto the hard ground. Only some very quick thinking saw that he jerked his wings in on time before he collided with the ground, though his initial instinct, and likely the first instinct of anyone in that sort of situation, was to attempt to use his wings and prevent the hard landing. Thank Gods he remembered some things. If he hadn't, he had a feeling one or both of the delicate appendages would have snapped clean from the awkward impact; in fact, he knew they would have.

He landed hard on his side and rolled to a dusty stop, dizzy and disoriented from all the spinning. Growling with the new aches and feeling his fatigue all too well--yeah, as if that little disaster wasn't proof that his reflexes were off--he stumbled back to his feet, and found that he couldn't put his full weight on his right back leg, pain shooting up through his side when he put pressure on it. Ugh...he must have done something to his hip when he'd landed. Oh well, he didn't care right now, as long as he could still get airborne...

Spreading his wings, which were bruised like the rest of him but otherwise fine, if messy, Hatame pushed awkwardly off the ground with his good hind leg and took to the air, this time not flying straight into the battle, but heading above it. He didn't know how far that guy's mastery over air extended, but if they reached up this high, he'd have to work harder to keep him away; this time, he'd be using gravity to his advantage. Swiftly climbing, gaining altitude, he tucked his legs in close to his body, though to his annoyance he found he couldn't quite tuck in his injured leg. Argh. Oh, screw it! He wheeled around, watching from above and pinpointing the male, then flexed his talons.

Alright, time to do some hunting.

That was when the ground below oddly started to change. Even up where he was, he could feel the change in temperature which materialized in the form of some nice thermal updrafts, the kind any sort of winged creature just adored; his black fur and white-streaked feathers rose and fell in waves of warmth. But that wasn't what caught his attention--it was the pool of magma that had formed.

That had to be Sakki's handywork. Damn, but who else had the potential to melt rock?

The female looked stunned, and hopefully so was the male. Hoping to use that to his advantage, he curled his wings in tight to his body, extended his talons, and arced into a graceful dive, cutting through the air like a falling black stone. All he had to worry about was wind from the male, right? Well then, let's see how hard he could blow.

Innuendo intended.

[Wheee! Gotta love Austin Powers! XDD]

[Anonymous]

Sakkata had control over fire and electricity, but that didn't mean she couldn't cheat and use those powers to manipulate other elements as well. Earth wasn't one of hers to control normally, but magma? Hell yeah. A wave of the molten rock rushed at Silva, and she could no longer manipulate it as earth. Sakkata had stolen her element from her...!
Silva just barely managed to thow up a thick sheet of rock to deflect the magma, though the heat behind it was unbearable. Ke scrambled to help his sister, forgetting about Hatame up in the sky. He summoned up as much wind energy as he could and attacked the magma as well as Sakkata with what could be equivalent to a hurricane.
For having so little white hair, he was pretty strong.

The magma was suddenly shoved to the side and flung toward houses in that general vacinity. Sakkata was not so much worried about the wind buffeting her shell of magick, as she was the lava now rushing for the villager's homes. She cooled the rocks down in a matter of seconds, the huge black chunks still a problem.
A silver whip snapped out, crushing the rocks with liquid grace, only quarter-sized pebbles pelting the sides of the homes now. The whip recoiled back to Sakkata, revealing itself as the melted silver sword. The liquid metal continued to swirl around her hand, able to transform into anything she wished of it.

Ke would soon regret ignoring Hatame. He had realized by this point his wind was doing nothing to Sakkata anymore, and conserved his energy. He felt the shifting of air as something displaced it only moments before Hatame smashed into him. But he had Drygan reflexes, and with a gust of well-placed air, propelled himself out of the way.
But not entirely.
Hatame had definately hit something.
Ke rolled to a stop, and gingerly bounced back up. His right leg was throbbing something fierce,  a burning deep within his thigh. That bird couldn't have...broken the bone, could he? In that case, he was severly handicapped in his movement. Damn creature...he'd pay for that!

Sakkata cleaved through Silva's rock wall in three neat slices, heavy slabs of rock falling away. A pain then shot up the back of her head and she grimaced. The poison...the more energy she put into this, the more her heart pumped the venom through her veins.
Damn, she was going to have to wrap this up quickly.
Dashing for Silva, Sakkata whipped the melted silver at her, again using it like a whip. Silva barely managed to nimbly dodge the blows, and threw rocks in its path. Her black eyes widened when she saw it did nothing to hinder the weapon's movement. It simply cut them cleanly in half and kept coming.
Silva tried a different approach. She was forced to dodge still, but took to hurling chunks of the earth at Sakkata instead, forcing her to dodge as well. If she could make Sakkata move around and get worked up, the poison would travel that much faster...

[Rhindeer]

Luckily for Hatame, he was plummeting far too fast and steep, wind thundering in his ears even as they were placed flat along his head to protect them, to be able to focus on much more than his target. That was probably a very good thing, given that if he had seen magma crashing toward the homes where Terri and the other villagers were he would have probably freaked and faltered. But for those few seconds, all there was was the rush and that one goal. Nothing else.

The sharp snap that filled his ears told him his aim had been true enough, even if, to his frustration, the damned lizard was fast enough to avoid the full force of it. Hatame snapped his wings open just as the collision occured in order to avoid a collision of his own, only with the ground, and his huge wings caught him and sent him soaring sharply upward. The pain that followed nearly made him flounder in midair, a hot knife slashing down from his hip to his toes with the force the sudden ascent placed on the wounded limb. It had already been throbbing like hell, but that there had felt like it was being torn from the socket. He gasped and drew his legs in tight to his body, or at least the ones that were still fully functional. Damn...it was going to be a bigger nuissance than he'd thought. Already he'd become painfully aware of how it had slowed his attack. If it hadn't been for that, he could have probably struck the Drygan full on before he'd had a chance to notice the shift in the air.

Still, he'd managed to break something on that Drygan, he thought with grim satisfaction, and though that male was obviously the weaker of the two, he certainly knew how to make the best of what power he had. That's what made him dangerous, and as much as it frustrated him, he knew he couldn't yet help Sakkata with the bigger issue until he was out of the way, otherwise he'd just be there in the background, complicating things and only working to exhaust them quicker. A single pebble didn't hurt much when it struck you, but to be struck again and again by multiple pebbles...that's what could weaken and eventually kill.

As for Hatame? He wasn't trying to actually kill, but he was certainly trying to mess that guy up enough that he couldn't do anything! Besides, from a far more callous, logical standpoint, they'd need to keep at least one of the Drygans alive for informational purposes. If that purple stuff was what he thought it was...

Gyah, no! Don't think about that...he had to focus on one thing at a time; this was too risky a situation to get distracted and it certainly wouldn't do Sakkata any good if he got sloppy. He'd take care of this guy right quick, then they could wrap this up. Yeah. Sakkata wasn't showing any signs yet, at least not visibly. There was time. Just not a lot of it. He'd hurry as best as he could.

And in the meantime, he just had to be sure to keep one eye on her...though already he didn't like what he saw. With everything she was doing, her heart had to be pumping hard...

No, no panicking. One step at a time. Incapacitate this guy and help Sakkata. Yet Hatame still couldn't help but think about it...

In any case, that male would be hindered now, and at risk from both the crossfire of Sakkata and Silva's battle and from any further attacks by him. As he glided above  the area once again, his sharp eyes watched Ke as he rose back up, and since in this form his eyesight was like a hawk's, he could see that he favored his left leg. But, this time, Ke was also smartly watching him, of course; Hatame would have to get creative this time if he planned on landing a blow.

He circled around once more, then once again pulled in his wings and dove for the Drygan.

Only this time he didn't care that the Drygan saw him and, thus, had plenty of time to retaliate.

Hatame was taking a risk here and he knew it. This attack was only a feint, a distraction, but he was leaving himself wide open.

No, instead, he used the time it took to dive to focus on his magic, feeling it flood his body, a strange feeling after going so long without touching it unharmed. Then he went even further, focusing on the element of water which was, truly, his element--a small reminder of his love of the sea. While he had use of others, he was weak in them, and while his magical prowess was nowhere near that of these Drygans, for he had had no real training--his fault--or time--other Gryphons' fault--to learn them, he had a few tricks that he'd learned in the heat of, well, panic. And this time, he didn't have some curse to stop him.

He was collecting water from the wells and soil beneath the Drygan, collecting even the smallest droplets of liquid, the rumble of water and shifting soil beneath the surface hidden nicely by the rumble of lava and shattering rock above ground. And, thanks to Sakkata's magma, the water beneath the surface was really quite hot now.

Damn, but if only he'd learned his magic...then it wouldn't take such a damned long time to do...

He was almost to the Drygan, his descent stunted by his limply hanging leg, when he simply released his hold on the magic, released his hold on the steaming water he'd collected. At the same moment he jerked his wings open and backwinged furiously, muscles straining against all the sudden stops, aching as gravity weighed in on them.

The water, the pressure built up and straining, did the rest for him.

The earth cracked beneath the Drygan, and the water rushed forth.

It was a twist on what he'd done to Torr. A big twist, but that battle had inspired this little move nonetheless.

[Edited, because I realized I did something silleh. >.>]

[Anonymous]

Ke nervously watched Hatame, a slow spiral of air twisting around his injured form, just in case. He knew, just from watching the bird-creature circling overhead, that it was looking for another opportunity to attack him. But this time he'd be ready. This time that creature would get no lucky shots...
It was diving again?
Ke was genuinely surprised. He had not left himself open...he was guarded...so why was the beast diving at him yet again?? Did it see something that he did not? Or was it truly that stupid?
Well in any case, it was coming right for him. Ke shifted himself slowly, putting minimal weight on his broken leg. The breeze around him kicked up into a fairly strong wind as he prepared himself for Hatame's blow.
This was very odd...
There had to be something that he was missing...
Closer, closer...just a bit further and he'd be able to lash out with his wind. Probably knock him right out of the air too.
There had to be something he was missing...
Closer...
Should he attack? Was it a trap?
Closer...
There just had to be...

RUMBLE

...something!

The last thing Ke saw was Hatame backflapping furiously, and then white steam...

The blood-chilling scream of her brother caused Silva to falter, and she tripped, throwing up her arm just in time to save herself from being decapitated by Sakkata's liquid-silver whip.
Instead, she lost half an arm.
Dark crimson blood sprayed out of the neat cut, staining the ruptured earth. Silva gritted her teeth against a scream of her own, and ducked behind a boulder fragment to avoid yet another blow from Sakkata. She clutched at her bleeding stump, no longer so sure of her victory.
But her venom...she could smell it, smell it deep within Sakkata's veins. It would not be long now...

Sakkata ignored the scream, having a brief moment of triumph as she lopped off half of Silva's arm. She tried to go in for the kill, but Silva proved to still be capable of running even with such a grievous wound. She was still having to dodge craggy rocks as well...
Silva was pretty damn go...

"AAAAAAARGH!!!" Sakkata stumbled, fell, a rock smashing into her right shoulder along the way, until she hit the dirt face first. Pain shot through her chest and she curled up, her arms locking against her chest involuntarily. Her entire body convulsed and tightened up for a painful moment in time, before her muscles began to spasm violently. The poison had reached her heart and infiltrated deep into her brain.
Now the real effects were beginning...

[Rhindeer]

It was the second scream that sent a sharp icicle of horror stabbing right between his shoulder blades.

The first told him his attack had worked.

The second...

Oh Gods...

Hatame's whole body was throbbing with aches and pains as he turned on the wing, exhausted muscles straining. He had used a lot of magic there, or a lot more than he'd ever used before, and it had been ages since he'd done so much maneuvering on the wing; his muscles weren't quite built up enough yet to withstand much of it, not like they'd been when flying had been a regular part of his life. Steam hissed around him, burning any exposed parts of his flesh, especially his bare forelegs, for though he'd backwinged like mad, the steam had extended further than he'd anticipated; he hadn't been able to escape that, not entirely, though he'd thankfully avoided the brunt of it. Still hurt like hell. Yet in that moment directly after the cry, he felt oddly numb.

Sakkata. That had been Sakkata's scream.

Eyes clenched shut against the steam, holding his breath so as not to breath in the hot, moist air, he relied on his hearing to see him out of that mess, and breathed in relief when cool air finally grazed against his raw forelegs. Then he opened his eyes...

And saw Sakkata convulsing on the broken earth. Silva was nowhere in sight...but then again, he wasn't looking for Silva at that moment. His mouth went dry, and thought escaped him.

In a flash he was barreling down through the air, wings flat against his sides and the rushing air stinging and pulling at his injured leg. He didn't care. He backwinged again before hitting the ground, gasping as the muscles in his wings pulled taut with the force, and then he landed and bounded the rest of the distance toward Sakkata, limping on three legs with his wings pulled in awkwardly. It didn't look it from the air, but he'd really managed to screw himself up...after this, he likely wouldn't be flying for a while; that last sharp landing had done it. His muscles just hadn't had enough time to build up and be prepared for something like this, and now...yeah, he'd definitely pulled some muscles. He didn't care about that now, but some nagging voice in the back of his head told him it was a bad thing...because down here on the ground, how beat up he truly was became really obvious. And he didn't know where Silva was.

"Sssakkata!" Her muscles were spasming when he reached her, her body curled in on itself, an agnonized ball of twitching muscle. And Hatame panicked, unable to do a thing for her but watch. Venom. He didn't know what to do for venom! He wasn't a bloody healer! He didn't even know a thing about what to expect, how long she now had, what it would do! Other than that it would kill her if something wasn't done. Fast. But he wasn't a healer! He'd never learned, he couldn't learn, and...FUCK!

This was not happening again! It wasn't!

And then, through the cold haze of terror, he remembered that one morbid thought he'd had--at least one of the twins had to live. They possessed the venom. They should have the answers. Ke was out of the picture, so that left Silva. Wherever she was. He had to find her, and fast. She couldn't have gone far. Okay. Calm down. THINK! Use your damned head!

There was blood on the ground, and a good deal of it. It lead away from Sakkata, not toward her; he could smell that it was not Sakkata's.

Somehow, he managed to get his throat to work. "Sssakki, don't you darrre die on me! I'll be rrright back, don't go anywherrre!" he growled before bounding off, following the splatters of blood. Shockwaves of pain shot up his hip, but he clamped his beak shut and endured. It had only been mere seconds that he had stood there, but it had felt like minutes, and even seconds could cost. He prayed there was enough time left...and that wasn't something he did often.

"SSSILVA!" There just wasn't enough time to look for her. Making her come to him would make this go all the more fast, and possibly spare some precious time.

Well...assuming he lived through this...

He had to. He was not going to lose her again. He was not going to let her die.

"Yeah! You bessst rrrun, you bitch! I killed yourrr brrrotherrr, and I could do the sssame to you!"

Actually, he didn't know that he had killed the other lizard. Maybe he'd managed to dodge just enough to avoid death, and somewhere deep inside, Hatame sorta hoped he had; it had just never been in his nature to kill, though he would without a moment's thought if it came right down to it. One way or the other, he didn't know. But that wasn't the point. This was just the quickest way to antagonize her. Or so he hoped.

All bluff.

[Anonymous]

(gah, I'm so evil...^_^;;)

Sakkata was having troubling breathing know, the thick poison seeping into her lungs as she fought to control her twisting body. Her vision clouded to the point where she could hardly make out the ground right in front of her nose, and she was in so much pain that tears ran down her pale blue cheeks. Her heart rate continued to increase, while it's natural rythem fell more and more off what it should be. It was like her heart was spasming as badly as her body, pumping the blood at an increasingly erratic rate. All the while her lungs continued to constrict, and it was not until blood began to seep up her throat and nose that she realized just how bad the damage was, trying to think through her excruciating suffering through the pain searing through her head like a hot knife stabbing her in the back of the skull.

Sakkata was soon having a nearly continuous seizure, so that by the time Hatame got to her and tried to communicate, she was too far gone to be reached verbally. Her amber eyes had glossed over, and rolled back into her skull periodically, as though she truly had no control over any one part of her body.
She obviously had little time left...

The trail of blood led behind a slab of dark black rock, where Silva lay resting, clutching her heavily bloodied stump of an arm. She was slowly dying, all her life force leaking out through her fingers and onto the ground....
"Don't you...think...I know you...killed my brother...?" She struggled, breathing heavily now as her heart beat franticallly, trying to keep blood pumping to all her vital organs, but instead just speeding along her demise. A glaze of sweat sat on her black brow as she struggled for life. "I...ssshould have know...that I...would die...Ssshe isss...the Chosssen...after all..." She gave a weak laugh, the end of it trailing out into a hiss, showing her mixed blood. "What....do you want...? A...a cure...? Ha....there issssn't...one...Ssshe....ssshould be able to sssurvive....the Chosssen....after all..." She was fading quickly, sagging against the stone she was leaning on, her ebony eyes going dim.
"Chosssen...yeah...."

[Rhindeer]

[Yes you are! O.O]

He hadn't been expecting to find Silva on the verge of death, slumped against a boulder and bleeding profusely through her stump of an arm.

Hatame froze in mid-step, one forepaw raised. She may be bleeding and look messed up and like she wasn't about to get back up, but she had also proved stronger than either Sakkata or he had anticipated, and she had a lot of white hair. But even when she saw him she didn't move, only struggled to breathe. And the blood just kept pumping out at an alarming rate, filling the air with its grotesque, bittersweet smell, the smell of copper coins. She was dying...and she really deserved no less. She and her brother had tried to kill Terri; they'd owned Terri before that. They'd then tried to kill Sakkata--they still might succe--NO! No thinking like that! No, he had no sympathy for her...

And then she spoke.

Limping painfully, his breath coming in erratic gasps from a mixture of exertion and panic, he moved cautiously closer to her to catch her hissing words, and as he drew closer he could see the sweat shining upon her forehead. He didn't pay much attention to her first words. In fact, he was about ready to cut in before she finished, but then...

She answered his question before he could even ask it.

No cure...

Hatame's eyes widened, and his heart and stomach seemed to suddenly take up residence in his throat, a nauseous ball of nerves and tension. No cure. He suddenly felt sick. And angry. And...and...

Just scared...as scared as he'd been when he'd watch Terri die, scared as he'd been when they'd both stumbled across Sakkata's mutilated body. His muscles went agonizingly stiff, but he was shaking very subtly, like a bowstring pulled too tight, and his pulse thundered in his ears. No...no...!

"Liarrr! You'rrre lying! Tell me what you know, now! How do you rrreverrrssse it?! How do you ssstop it?! Talk!" he hissed frantically, and pulled up right beside her, where he could watch her glistening face. Her eyes were going dim. Oh, hell no! She was not dying yet! Not until he got a fucking answer that he liked! Every poison--or venom, whatever!--had an antidote! Right?! She had to be lying! Chosen? Sakkata wouldn't last much longer at all the way she'd been when he'd left her, Chosen or no Chosen! Gods, but she might not even still be there now!

Even as he spoke, in an act of complete desperation he once again reached for his magic, calling upon water once again, feeling for the stores beneath the ground. That was how his magic worked. Unlike other skilled mages who could actually create their element, he could only work with what was around him. In the case of water, he could draw it from the air if it was present there, or the ground, though he wasn't strong enough by far to go too deep. Now he forced water to the surface near his feet and cooled it as it rose, then cooled it even further until it was actually cold. It rose up from the ground in a thin tendril like a newly sprouted plant, and then it lashed out in a flash, wrapping around the bloodied stump that was once Silva's arm. It covered the wound then, just like that, it froze over and, hopefully, sealed it in time.

Hatame grimaced and wobbled on his feet, only just managing to hold himself steady. He was exhausted and beat, and he was using more magic than he had in...well...years without having had all too much practice with it. He didn't even really know what he was doing, but at this point, he was willing to try anything, and he could only hope he wasn't too late to stop the bleeding enough to preserve her life, at least for just long enough. Desperation always brought out his creative side. Then again, he always had been pretty creative.

But not creative enough to know what to do to save his Sakki...

Gods, help him! He didn't know what the fuck more to do!!

[Anonymous]

Silva continued to cling to life, glassy eyes staring at Hatame, but only part of the time actually seeing him. Her vision kept going blurry....the black fuzz around the edges slowly creeping inward...
She really was dying...
Well, at least it had been by the Chosen's hand...
Chosen...

His words fell on deaf ears. Just strange, muffled echos were all she heard now...what was he saying...? By the look on his face...nothing nice...but then...he thought she was dying...
Chosen...
Silva's eyes partially cleared from pain as her bleeding stump was covered in ice, the red flesh now burned with cold. It snapped her back into the world of the living enough not to answer Hatame's questions, but rather to banter on a bit more.
"Ss-ssshhhit....that h-hurtsss...The Chossssen...I will die...by her...hand...." She wheezed, "Won't die...my venom...hybrid crosssss....can k-kill weaker....Drygansss...ss-ssstupid...to think...the Chosssen...would...would die..." The warmth of her blood was melting the ice, but there was still the problem of a backup of blood in her arm. There were no veins to return the blood back to the rest of the body.
She continued to leak out all of her life.

Silva's gaze became clouded again, and her eyes started to roll back into her head repeatedly as dizzyness overtook her. "Sss...sss..." She wheazed, unable to form words as her body began to shut down, her vision growing dark...
"M...Mother...?"

There was no life left in her now.


Just a few paces away, Sakkata too sat motionless, her head bowed, so that her face was covered from view, that length of snowy white hair spread out along the snapped surface of the earth. She was curled up, but no longer convulsed.
She too was still.

[Rhindeer]

Hatame didn't stick around to see her die. He hated seeing people die...it didn't matter what they did or how much he hated them, it didn't even matter if he was the one that put them into that position, and with reason, it...just wasn't something he liked to see.

There was a difference between killing someone in the heat of battle, clean and quick with the adrenaline pumping, and seeing a grievously wounded someone slip away in the post-adrenaline rush aftermath. With the former, all you got to see was an enemy, a blood-lusting foe, someone who had threatened your life or the life of someone dear to you. With the latter...you could actually see a person. Someone who called for their mother as their eyes dulled and their blood stilled and cooled...it was kind of weird to think about, and uncomfortable.

Which, of course, was why thinking sucked.

But that wasn't the real reason he'd left so quickly, as soon as he saw it was all pointless--she wasn't going to tell him anything; she couldn't, she was already as good as gone, and even if she wasn't he doubted she would say anything anyway. He couldn't waste anymore time! He'd already lost so much time...Sakkata could already be--NO! He'd never given up before, he was not going to start thinking like that!

But he still felt an odd sort of dazed panic over Sakkata as he limped hurriedly back, trying not to stumble, which would only waste even more time, and he could feel that precious time running out. The adrenaline had worn off a little as the need for fight or flight wore off, and now he could really feel all his wounds, and...ugh...it wasn't nice. His legs were raw from the burns, his wings ached, his hip and leg were just...dead...and he felt exhausted and stressed enough to pass out right then and there, sleep deprivation and expending all that energy mixing together in a most unpleasant sort of cocktail. He wouldn't yet, though; he couldn't. Not until it was over. Not until there was absolutely no hope whatsoever, and even then he was stubborn as an ass and would just keep on trying to do something. He didn't know what yet, but anything! Anything but inaction. Anything but giving up...he wouldn't give up on her...

That Drygan was lying...Sakki could die...she'd been convulsing...the venom...he didn't know what that Drygan was talking about and he didn't care about Sakkata being the Chosen. What did that have to do with anything? She was strong, yeah, but Gods, she wasn't a...well...God. She could still be hurt, still die--Gods, didn't he know it. For all that she tried to hide it, she was still vulnerable and he knew it. She could have been the the Chosen or an ex-slave or the Queen of Lala Land for all he cared! She was still his Sakki and he loved her and he wasn't giving up on her and that was all that mattered to him.

She couldn't die...

Her body filled his vision then, completely still, beautiful white hair spread out along the ground like a fan. There was blood near her face, the blood that had seeped up her nose and throat when he'd been away after Silva. Completely still. Silent. Even with his good vision, he couldn't see her breathing. Nothing. No movement. Nothing...

Hatame also went completely still, except for the tremble that ran through his body.

Sakkata...Sakki...

She was gone...it was too late...it was over...

Gods, Sakki...

He wouldn't know what happened after that. All he would later remember was everything getting dim and dark around him, a strange feeling of dizziness coming over him as everything came crashing down and ramming into him. It was over. Really over. This time, there was no anchor. And this time, it was his fault. He hadn't been fast enough. He hadn't been able to help her quickly enough. He couldn't even heal...he couldn't save her...he didn't know how...

Hatame also came crashing down. All he managed to get out was a soft groan before his body simply went slack, eyes fluttering vaguely before they rolled back in his head. And then he was out cold on the rough ground, though he was no longer a Gryphon. It seemed it took a good bit of effort to hold the form, especially injured as he was, and that was energy that he just didn't have anymore. Emotionally, physically, or mentally. Now he was just a wounded and heartbroken human crumpled up not paces from the one he thought he'd failed. Hopefully anyone that found he and Sakkata wouldn't mind too much, given he'd kind of destroyed his clothes during the shift...not that he'd care.

[Anonymous]

The humans all huddled in their homes, nervous, disliking of the potentially deceptive quiet outside. They couldn't tell what was happening now, with no more loud crashing and terrible screams. People had gotten hurt, that much they could tell...but who...or how...or even why still eluded them. Only Terri knew, and she was still huddled under the bed, nervously awaiting Sakkata and Hatame's return.
Nobody was to go out...
Nobody would go out...not until the word was given...

Silence...

It would be no human then that came to rouse Hatame. Probably for the best, as naked and injured as he was. A few of the poor women in the village might have fainted at the sight. His damage was severe....something was terribly wrong with his hip...perhaps it was popped out of its socket...?
That looked to be it...no bump or bruise would make the limb go limp and still painful.
It was dislocated...
It could be easily fixed, once the energy to do so was mustered.
And his arms...the skin was red, burnt, possibly blistering...hot steam...who knew he had it in him? Lucky he was to have had the safety of thick bird-scales when the steam had originally hit him, or the second degree burns would have been third degree, and he would have been bleeding from open wounds, his flesh disintegrated. His back was bruised, over his shoulder blades, the only way his body could cary over the wounds to his wings. They were bad, and he would be sore for some time, but he would live.
Thank the gods, he would live...
The fool...

A cool, slightly trembling hand touched his face. "Hey...hey...get up..." Quiet words, tired. A slight shake then, but he was out cold.
...
A sudden shaking of his shoulder, though weak, and slow. "Get..your whooped....ass up...now..." As if it was not evident by now who it was that tried to rouse him.
How she had managed to even move her arms, let alone claw her way over to him, was beyond her. She was in the most severe pain of her entire long live, and even blinking or moving her eyes hurt. The venom had seeped into every cell, and ripped at every receptor it could, so that just laying made her burn with pain. Her eyes were blood-shot, some of the veins having ruptured during her convulsions, and blood stained her face. Her breathing was still labored, and slow, and her head was heavy with the throb of the venom.
"Get...up...Hatame...!" She spoke in harsh, quiet whispers, and pinched his nose, blocking him from breathing through it. "I can't...be poisoned...to death...idiot...." She continued to hold his nose, knowing her oh-so-soft voice would not reach him on its own. She could barely hear it herself...
And he might not hear it either...
"P..please...get up...it hurts Hatame...please...please...I'm...I'm afraid..." Tears mingled with the crimson, renewing the flow of color down her face. What if she was wrong...? What if she really could die from this...? Maybe being immune to poison was just an old wives tale...maybe it only applied to human poisons....
That had been venom infused with Drygan strength...
She could die still...
"Please!" Her voice cracked painfully, and she pulled his hair, pain exploding into her muscles with every movement and she tried still to bring him from his exhausted, shocked, and injured oblivion. She was practically nose-to-nose with him, talking into his ear, even though in whispers.
"I'm afraid..."

[Rhindeer]

A sudden deep gasp escaped his lips, his chest heaving as he gulped in air through his mouth after being forced to hold his breath. Well, actually, he hadn't been forced into it, but he'd been laying with his cheek pressed against the earth, his mouth shut and nose pinched closed, and it had taken a little while for his body to remind him that it needed oxygen. Hatame gave a little painful cough, eyes clenching as it shook his body unpleasantly, and if he hadn't been fully conscious yet, having his hair yanked certainly did the rest for him. He groaned into the soil, clenching his teeth. Gods, but there wasn't a part of him that didn't just bloody ache, throb, or sting...and now someone was tugging on his hair, trying to bloody break his neck or something...or maybe they were trying to be kinky, he thought stupidly through the fog in his brain.

"O-ow...stop..." he muttered weakly, his voice coming out nasally with his nose clamped shut, and he began to try and work his eyes open. Someone was whispering in his ear...he could hear the voice vaguely, and feel warm breath tickling against his neck and ear. Oh crap...what the hell had he been doing?

I'm afraid...

What...?

Finally, he managed to force his eyelids to separate. For a moment, everything was a dim, dizzy blur, his eyes unfocused and tired. He had to blink a few times. Then, slowly, the haze began to dissipate and the fog began to clear away, the world slowly coming back into focus. And the first thing he saw was a face, blood-streaked, dirt-streaked and tear-streaked, amber eyes bloodshot, skin a pale blue and strands of disheveled white hair sticking to the half-dried crimson. Her face was a mask of torture.

But it was the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his fourty-something years of life. And, indeed, he was in his fourties...though no one would be able to tell, because to a Gryphon that was still very, very young.

His green eyes widened and he attemped to jolt up, dislodging her fingers and bumping noses with her in the process, but pain slashed down his burned forearms, jarred his hip, and clenched in his back. He gave a soft hiss of pain and grit his teeth, but despite the pain he stubbornly managed to remain propped up on his elbows where he laid on his side, ignoring how the dirt and pebbles ground into the blistering flesh there. It didn't matter. He'd live, and he'd felt as bad before. All that mattered was... "S-Sakki...?! You're...I thought...agh...Gods, I thought..."

Hatame still wasn't quite ready to translate his thoughts into words; his body didn't seem ready to cooperate, it hurt so bad...he blinked quickly as his eyes started stinging oddly, then blinked again stubbornly to clear his vision. And it had nothing to do with the hurt his own body was in.

He didn't know how she was still alive, but he was not complaining...when he'd come across her, he couldn't even see her breathing. Then again, by that time he was probably partly dillusional from pain, but still. She'd been thrashing before...then she was suddenly still...and so quiet...and now she was here...she still looked like she was in a hell of a lot of pain...but she wasn't spasming, and the blood on her didn't smell fresh. Gods, she was alive...

And if both he and she hadn't been so damned beat up, and he hadn't been worried about her dying, he would have been hugging her right now, clothes or no clothes. Like he even noticed right now.

The venom...there was no cure the Drygan had said...maybe...maybe this was just like that one disease he'd heard of...where people got terribly sick, suddenly felt perfectly fine for a while, and then just randomly dropped dead. Maybe the poison did the same...torture, then calm, then death. She still looked bad...she could still be dying...

His eyes just didn't seem to want to stop that stupid stinging. He grimaced and closed them and then, to have a reason for closing them, began to struggle to sit up. He clamped down on the inside of his cheek to keep from making a sound as he turned over onto his back, and tasted blood as he used his blistered arms to push himself up enough to sit up very awkwardly, supported still on his quivering arm with his body angled slightly so his weight was on his left side and not on the dislocated hip. The impact had popped the leg bone right out...walking would be difficult on two legs, if it was even possible at all. He couldn't even move that leg, agony pounding up and down the slack limb.

But he wasn't thinking about how the hell he'd walk.

He reached out shakily to touch her cheek softly with one wounded hand, thumb wiping slowly at the tears. "Sakki...you're...you're gonna be okay...don't...be afraid...okay? I'll get help..." Funny he was telling her not to be frightened when he was scared to death. But he wasn't going to let her die...

Of course, he was in no position to walk. This was about as close to standing as he was going to get right now.

So, "getting help" really didn't mean getting up and walking back to the village, but rather taking a deep breath and shouting hoarsely to the villagers to get their asses out there, the danger was over, and Sakkata bloody needed help.

[Anonymous]

Hope filled her chest as Hatame stirred, coughing, and she released his nose to allow him to breath. Of course, it was naught but a slow untensing of her fingers, which made her nearly want to scream from the pain. It was like each one of her fingers was a attatched to a hot needle, and everytime they moved, they shoved that hot needly deeping to her arm. It was excruciating. How anything could cause such pain...
Still not centimeters from his face, Sakkata watched nervously as he finally began to open his eyes. Her teeth were clenched, bared almost, and her bloodied eyes were watery as the tears continued to fall. Her hair was spread over her back like a blanket, no doubt tangled beyond help, and strands of it were indeed plastered to her soiled face as well.

She had never been so happy to see those damn beautiful green eyes.

She sniffed and shut her eyes tightly, trying to steady that amazing leap of happiness when he finally awoke. Pain blossomed into her face when they bumped noses, but she was nearly numb to it now, feeling the pain, but having pain everywhere else, so that it became normal.
Tormented eyes again opened as he tried to speak, and though he got nothing of substance out of his mouth, she knew what he meant.
And still she could not stop sobbing, nor could she speak. And as he had raised up, Sakkata remained sprawled on the ground, unable to lift herself. Getting to him, and waking him up, had taken the last of her strength away.
She could still die...

She watched in agony as he shifted slowly, again raising even higher than herself, so that she had to stare up at him, making her look all the more vulnerable, her eyes wide. Her teeth were still clenched, and she inhaled tensely, her lungs two burning rocks in her chest.
The contact of his fingers against super-sensitive skin was a center for her, and though it hurt like a bitch, she was glad for it. Finally, she let her strained eyes closed, the tears still leaking through down her cheeks, and sniffled softly, allowing herself to believe his words. Help...she would get help...and she would live...
She would live...
Hatame's shouting was abnormally sharp to her ears...perhaps because she was so close to him now, her head next to his chest. Please come out...please help...
She didn't care that she no longer looked like the Sakkata that everyone here knew. She did not have the power now to change back.
And that silver sword, which had saved her life, lay reformed not a handful of feet from them.

"H..." She breathed out, "Hatame..."
Don't let her die yet...

[Rhindeer]

Sitting on the bed shaking her leg nervously, causing the unloaded crossbow to bounce in her lap, Marina waited. And waited some more. Silence. Pure silence save for her own soft, controlled breathing. She made sure to breathe quietly because she didn't want to miss any noises that might be important, anything at all, but so far there had been nothing. The ground had trembled, there had been horrible crashes and screams, and then it was over. Marina didn't know what had happened, but she had caught a glimpse of what was unfolding before she'd been ordered to stay put, and...well, she could hardly believe what she had witnessed herself.

Now it was quiet...was it over?

Maybe she should go out there? Maybe she should check. There had to be injuries, though she had no idea who had been injured or why...but the man had said that someone wanted to hurt Terri, and told them to stay inside, and she could only assume that "stay inside" also included an unspoken warning to stay inside until the okay was given. She bit her lip. Quiet. Maybe Sakkata or Hatame had been injured? Or worse? If she waited on them and they were hurt...

She didn't like this waiting. She didn't like that some unknown somebody had threatened one of their own. And she didn't like that two strangers had to be the ones that risked their lives for complete strangers. She was grateful for that, Goddess was she ever, but if they died...and all without a second thought...and she'd called them crazy, hadn't she? Well...they were...but thank Goddess for that.

She gave a sigh and peeked slowly over the edge of the bed. "Terri? Are you okay, hun?"

Why would anyone want to hurt her?

It was then that the hoarse shouts reached her ears, the man's voice. Marina jumped once, then jumped again, only this time to her feet. She didn't catch all the words, but what she did catch was enough--it was over, and something about help. She slid the crossbow back in place along her back. "Terri, stay here," was all she said before she rushed out the door, not even bothering to shut it behind her.



"Hang in there, Sakki...they're...coming..." Hatame told Sakkata quietly as she spoke his name, and he carefully smoothed away another tear with his thumb. That shouting had taken it out of him so that he now rested on his elbow, but even that took more strength than he had. Eventually, he was forced to lower himself back down the rest of the way so he was once again laying on his side, level with Sakkata. He was exhausted, and he still felt light-headed and nauseous from stress, his arms felt like someone had tried to skin him alive, and his leg felt like a botched amputation attempt, but he'd be fine, if in a hell of a lot of agony for a while. All in a day's work. Just some bumps and bruises. Yep...he'd live. He felt like shit, but he'd live, and it certainly wouldn't be the first time, and probably not the last time, he'd feel like this, either.

He wasn't worried about himself.

Sakkata...that was another story entirely...

He'd never seen her in so much pain before where even a soft touch hurt her...and he stilled his hand when he realized that even the careful motions of his thumb caused her pain. He didn't even notice how the salty tears stung against the burns on his hand as they dampened the raw flesh. She was hurting so badly...her breathing was labored, too. That probably hurt her as well. The poison...Gods, it was tearing her up inside...

Hatame had to swallow and close his own eyes again for a moment. It was just so...frustrating...her being in so much agony and him not being able to do anything to ease the pain. Or to save her. What if she really was dying? Would those villagers even know what to do? She could die right here in front of him and he wouldn't be able to do anything...

A deep breath, and he opened his eyes again. He had to be the strong one here. If he seemed scared, she would be, too, so he just had to hide any signs of fear and put on the brave front. Because if she gave up, there would be no hope for her at all. And right now she still seemed to have hope...her sobbing had stopped at least, stopped as soon as he told her that she'd get help. She believed him. And he would never lie to her. She would get help. She'd pull through this. He knew it. No cure...but what else was it that Drygan had said? Chosen couldn't die of poison. He hadn't believed Silva, but now he wanted to believe her.

Slowly, painfully, he lowered his hand from her face and instead wrapped his arm carefully around her shoulders in a sort of awkward half-embrace. And it was awkward...they were both in pain, and he was trying as best as he could not to hurt her, but he also wanted to comfort her. This was the best he knew. "You're gonna be...okay..." he told her, hand resting lightly on her back. "I got ya..."

He wasn't letting her go anywhere.

The sound of footsteps pounding on the hard ground was a blessing to his ears, and he wasn't at all surprised to hear gasps accompany the sounds. Yeah...it must be a pretty weird sight, he realized vaguely: him totally naked and screwed up embracing a bloodied and half-dead looking Sakkata who didn't look like the Sakkata the villagers were used to. They probably wouldn't even realize it was her...she looked like a totally different person now. Heh...they certainly didn't look like siblings anymore...that was for sure...

And as for the land around them? It looked like a warzone. One could only imagine what had happened there.

Hatame turned his head weakly as he heard the swift footfalls grow closer. There was a small group of women coming, but he only recognized Marina who...indeed did look confused, but also horrified and worried as she jogged over to them.

"W-what--" she began, her eyes darting back and forth between he and Sakkata as she approached swiftly, but he cut her off hoarsely.

"This...this is Sakkata...we're not related," he offered as a quick and curt explanation for her state. "Look...just help her...she hurts bad...got poisoned...I'm fine. We...we can explain later, just...help her..."

Another time, and the women there would have been burning up with heated blushes. How the hell had he managed to lose his clothes in all that commotion? It wasn't likely many, if any at all, had seen him shift, so...yeah, that was just a bit strange...

But the both of them were in need of some serious medical attention--especially Sakkata, as he said she had been poisoned--and that certainly overrode any discomfort and embarassment, at least for the time being. There would probably be blushes once the danger was over, though...

With a quick nod, Marina and another woman went to gather up Sakkata, and Hatame picked his arm up off of her so they could get to her easier. "Careful...with her..." he muttered as they gently lifted her up off the ground to carry her supported between them by her arms, but there was really no way to do it without her feeling some form of pain, sensitive as her shot nerves were. Two other women went to help Hatame back to the village. His arms burned where they rested, one on each of the women's shoulders, and gravity pulled on his wounded hip as he stood. Hatame wasn't much of a curser, but he did swear a lot as they hobbled back to the village with him. It was partly his fault he hurt so much...he didn't want to let Sakkata out of his sight, so he tried his damnedest to walk. The slightest bit of pressure sent shockwaves of agony bursting up the limb. Aghh...this sucked...

It seemed like forever before they came back to all the little homes, and Hatame saw Marina and the other woman carry Sakkata into one of the houses--the one where Marina had taken Terri. A few seconds later and one of the women who had been helping with Sakkata came bolting out of the house and went running through the village, probably to make sure the doctor was coming. But the women supporting Hatame were taking him somewhere else...

Oh hell no they weren't!

"Wait...dammit, hold on...I go...where she goes," he managed to gasp, pain clenching in his muscles like white-hot iron clamps.

"Sir...there's only one bed in there, and you need treat--"

"I can wait! I...I need to be in...there...you don't understand...I can be...the worst patient ever. And I will be...if I can't be there..." Hatame managed to growl out through the pain--actually, the pain helped with that. And he meant that. He didn't want to leave Sakkata. And if they put him in a different room, damnit, but he would give them hell. He could be very stubborn and uncooperative if he set his mind to it, and right now he was practically sick with worry for Sakki...yeah, if he was separated from her right now, he would flip.

Finally, one of the woman--one who hadn't been helping to carry anyone, but who had been carrying Sakkata's sword--handed off the sword to Marina standing in the doorway and also took off, only not to fetch a doctor but to get a cot and bedding. And while they waited for her to return, Marina came outside briefly to cover him with a spare sheet before ducking back inside to go back to making Sakkata as comfortable as she could. Yeah...they'd believed him...and the last thing they wanted was for him to injure himself more just because he was stubborn. Sakkata and his injuries were extensive enough.

It would be crowded in the room, but that could be dealt with.

Finally, one woman returned with a small cot which she set up on the floor near the bed where Sakkata lay, and then he was led inside and lowered down carefully onto it.

"The doctor should be here soon...I passed her on my way here," the woman explained breathlessly to Marina.

[bwah, sorry, kinda rushed, but I have to run! Aieee!]

[Anonymous]

Terri gulped nervously and nodded, still curled up in her safe spot. The silence was unnerving to her as well. What had happened to Sakkata and Hatame?? Had they been hurt? Were they...d...dead...? NO! Silva and Ke couldn't have won! Please...let them not have won...let them be the ones who perished...!
She did not hear the voice as clearly as Marina, but she got that it was important, for her protector suddenly ran off, and she stayed as ordered, carefully peeking from beneath the bed at the open door...

The world spun uncertainly before her eyes, her heart at ease with the fact she was going to get help...and thus she began to slip into unconsciousness. Hatame's gentle arm around her shoulders, sparked enough pain to make her gasp, and she was fully awakened, and glad for it. She did not presume to know what the poison would do to her while she slept, or if she would ever wake up again if she drifted off. It was a scary thought that she could even potentially fall asleep with her body aflame with exquisite pain, but she was exhausted enough to do so. And the pain, if she was left untouched, would gradually fall into the backdrop of feeling, her body's mechanism against such severe wounds as she was suffering, internal wounds...

It was only when the women, in their attempt to help, lifted the dazed Sakkata from the ground that the true extent of her pain became apparent. Her shoulders exploded with pain, sending white lights sparking across her vision, while her arms burned with unimaginable pain where they touched the women, her legs jarred with similar pain as they dragged across the earth, even her tail not free from it.
And thus she began screaming, and screaming, and screaming. Tears burst from her eyes and ran down her cheeks in hot torrents, her head thrown back and her mouth open to wail out her agony unhindered. She could not help but to scream, and hoped the women would not stop because of it, for she needed more than anything to be helped, and they had to move her to help her.
But still did she scream, shrilly, till her throat throbbed and even then she could not stop.
Dear gods...the pain!!

At some point she felt she may have completely blacked out, for when she opened her eyes next, she was staring at a ceiling. Her body throbbed something fierce, and there was a great comotion around her. Not much time had passed...they were setting up another bed in the room, a slow and painful turn of her head told her. She was too tired to turn it back, so now stared at the far wall, and the cot...
...onto which Hatame was suddenly brought. She blinked at him, unable to choke out any sound from her raw and tightened throat. He was here...he was going to stay near her...
Hatame...
She writhed suddenly, a fist of pain closing in around her frantically beating heart, the poison having one last try at taking her life. She thrashed about on the bed, her mouth open and gasping raggid bursts of air, strange choking noises the only things that came from her as she twisted against the pain she could not reach or stop.

[Rhindeer]

If it had been pure torture listening to Sakkata's horrendous screams, it was even worse to hear the sounds of rustling blankets and choked gasps as she thrashed in agony on the bed beside his cot. It sounded like she was being strangled, and in essense, that just might have been what was happening--only it was happening from the inside. Which was even worse. And if listening was bad, it just about made him nauseous to watch it, not with disgust, but with fear. Goddammit...where was the fucking doctor?! They'd said she was coming, so where was she?!

Something was wrong again. She'd been quiet not moments ago...well, before the women came and they brought her here, at least, because she'd screamed when they'd carried her, and for obvious reasons, but then she'd been laid down and had quieted. She was having another attack...or something. Something was happening...she hurt when she was touched, but nothing was touching her now but the bed...and to Hatame's fuzzy vision, it almost looked like she was having another seizure, like she'd had when the venom had first seized hold of her...

The attacks were coming in waves...maybe each attack damaged a different part of her...Gods, who knew what was happening to her body?!

Luckily for both Sakkata and himself, the answer to at least one of his questions was soon answered as an older woman with gray-streaked blonde hair rushed into the room, pale green skirts dusty and deeply lined face flushed red. She was clutching a brown satchel of sorts to her chest and breathing heavily, and her long hair was falling out of its impromtu bun. Her eyes instantly fell on the writhing Sakkata, and in a few brisk steps she was standing right at her bedside. A second later and her thin hands were at work, checking her temperature, feeling her pulse, and gently examining holding Sakkata still long enough to peer into her eyes. Years of dealing with sick patients lent her a strength that belied her frail appearance; she had no problem grappling with Sakkata's flailing limbs as she did her work, quite used to a struggling patient, whether conscious or unconscious.

"What bit her? The creature that bit her, it was a snake of some sort?" the woman asked as she examined the wound at the base of her neck with deft fingers and keen eyes, though not before protecting her hands with gloves; there was still a strange residue around the wound. It was a question that was directed toward no one in particular, but nonetheless demanded a quick response.

Hatame was quick to provide one. "Lizard," he answered hoarsely, voice weak, and the doctor paused as she removed her soiled gloves, turning her head slightly and raising an eyebrow. Hatame grimaced. Gah, that wasn't what he'd meant to say...but he felt faint, his vision blurred and rimmed with a darkness that came and went in dizzying waves--a sign he was by now pretty well acquainted with. It was Sakkata's struggles that kept him rooted in consciousness; he had to make sure she was taken care of! Be that as it may, he still felt really out of it...getting here and throwing that last little fit had really sapped what strength he'd had left.

"No...ah...I mean..." And how was he supposed to explain it, anyway? Well...damn...it wasn't like it was really a secret anymore. And hadn't Terri known what they were? Surely the villagers had seen them...and now that Sakkata was in her real form...surely they weren't stupid...they could put two and two together...

Well...he still wouldn't say it...just to be safe...

"Enemies...of Sakki...ah...yeah...bit her..." Somehow, he still had a feeling that wasn't quite answering her question. Ugh...his head felt funny.

She shook her head. "Nevermind. Was she bleeding internally? Coughing up blood? There's blood on her, but was any of it not the result of a wound, but as a result of the venom?"

It was coming out of her nose...close enough. He nodded slowly.

And she looked worried--never, from Hatame's experience, a good thing to see from a bloody doctor--as she began to rustle through her satchel, talking as she brought out a clean cloth and vials of liquid she had long prepared. "There are typically, from what I have learned in my studies, only two types of venom that snakes--and I am only assuming this was done by something like a snake, judging by the puncture wounds--possess: one that affects the heart and brain, and one which affects the flesh. Whatever bit her seems to possess a venom that can do both. I haven't seen this before."

Hatame swallowed dryly, though his throat was tight enough that he almost couldn't. "So...is...is she...?"

"I don't know yet. I'm going to treat her for both and try and get her stabilized. Hysha, bring me some water. Two bowls," she told one of the women, a girl who had helped carry in Sakkata. Hysha quickly rushed to obey as the doctor prepped her medicine and began administering it to Sakkata, forcing her to drink some liquid concoction she'd made. And when the woman returned with the bowls of water, she took a cloth from her bag and, holding Sakkata firmly but gently, cleaned and dressed the wound.

Hatame watched as she worked, tense, his raw fists tangled in the sheet that shielded him in what would have normally been a white-knuckled grip, but was currently quite red and enflamed and even a little bloody as the skin cracked. Sakkata would make it. She had to. She was getting treated now. She was getting help now. She had to make it...



Marina stayed out of the way as the doctor worked and stood attentively near the wall by the door, watching and waiting in case she was needed for anything.

Turned out, she was, though not by the doctor--at least not yet.

Terri!

Marina sighed. She hadn't seen the girl anywhere since returning, and...oh goodness...she'd told her to stay here...under the bed...

Slowly, she bent from the waist, just until she could see past the doctor and under the bed. And, sure enough, there the girl was--still curled under the bed, just as Marina had instructed her.

Jeez, did she ever follow instructions.

"Terri, you can come out now..."

[Ahh, suckage!]

[Anonymous]

Sakkata thrashed about, and blood once more began to trickle out of her nose, though it's path was not easily seen, as her pale blue face was already streaked with blood anyhow. Still, she gurgled most painfully when she tried to gasp in a breath, her muscles so tensed that her back was pulled into an arc, while her hands and feet twisted about on the bed, her tail thrashing about so wildly it could easily have knocked someone out. The pain of her body was forgotten in a rush of panic and fear as her body was again no longer hers to control. She could not see. Her vision went black as her eyes rolled back into her head, her thrashing only partially quelled when the doctor looked her over, and even then it was a scary prospect, because with one lash of her arm she might have broken the woman's back and crushed her ribs. Luckily, her muscles were too tense for her to thrash about fully, and no harm was done to anybody else in the room.

The wound on her neck was ugly and black, the thick, viscous venom still sitting in globs upon the wound, eating away at her flesh, until the original puncture marks were grotesquely oversized and swollen, puckered black things of rot and poison. Sakki was unaware of the conversation going on around her, and her erratic thrashing had now degressed into one repetative, roiling movement, her back arched as she repeated the same movement over and over, twisted into a picture of pain. The liquid that ran down her gasping throat nearly choked her, her head forced backward by her convulsions and locked there, making it hard for the medicine to get to where it needed to be. In the end, however, most succeeded, and with her neck stretched out, it was not hard for the doctor to dress the ugly, oozing wound.
Still, she continued to writh for another ten to twenty minutes. Then, again without warning, she jerked, her back snapped into a perfect U, so that only her head, feet, and tail held her up, her arms thrashing against the bed as in her struggle she fought for life. She gasped, finally regaining vision, which was sparked with light, and then collapsed, crying out with pain. She curled up, away from Hatame where she fell, the strange sobbing noise much like a cat's mewing, though more high pitched with her pain. She shivered and twitched continuously, blood rubbing onto the sheets by her nose as she stared blankly at the wall, her eyes glazed.
"H..Hatame...!" Her voice cracked, hoarse from her earlier screaming, and she fell back into the mewing noise, which came deep from her tormented chest.

Under the bed, Terri lay curled, sobbing, as the pain of Sakki played itself out atop the mattress above her. As Marina looked down at her, she stared, eyes wide and glossy with tears. She shivered, and shook her head, still listening to Sakkata's sounds of horrible pain.
She had to find out if Sakkata would be alright! She wouldn't budge until she knew the fate of Sakkata, and Hatame, even if the screams and chokes caused her to cry from worry and fear.

(Aw, twas not sucky!! And I love your FMA pic! Lol, too classic!)