Simple Solutions [Rhi!] [M]

[Draconian]

Re-rated M for violence and death.


Raizel's leg hurt.

It hurt really bad. There was no eloquent or flowery language for the pain. It just hurt. Raizel leaned against the building, half bent over to test her ankle. She couldn't risk resting or sitting, she knew they were following her.

The Raven - That's become her new moniker. Akin was a smart boy and off pretending to be a crow and not circling her in the sky, giving away her location. So at least that was nice.

Taking a calming breath, she tenderly put her foot down the slowly put weight on it. The cry was muffled and poured out of her as a shocked gasp. Even if she'd been anticipating it, the sudden flash of it was startling. Was it cut? Broken? Sprained? Had her tendon snapped?

Raizel fisted her hand against the building wall and pushed off at a hobble, as fast as she could go.

The downside of taking payment for getting rid of problems was you slowly become the problems's problem. And problems needed to be exterminated. Especially ones that sent your people to jail or indirectly stole money. Raizel didn't think of the ones that got killed. If they couldn't survive one lonely vigilante they werent going to survive long anyway.

A quick turn around the building, seeing they werent behind her anymore and the sight that greeted her had dread fill her.

They'd cut her off.  A quick glance at the sky and she saw no bird. How did they know?

Raizel pushed herself from the wall, taking careful steps to the middle of the alley before squaring her shoulders and staring down at them. Her cloak was gone, having been torn from her shoulders and there were a few red slices in her clothing from close calls that left little more that scratches to the skin underneath.

"Get her," the leader said, extending an arm to Raizel to indicate just who her was. "You know you've cost me a lot of business, my lady raven," the leader grinned and Raizel stumbled, taking a step back on her bad foot and quickly collapsed onto the ground. Frozen. She wasnt afraid of the people on their way, couldn't take her eyes off the look on the leaders face.

Then it was screaming. Raizel was confused on why her throat her and why the screaming was so loud until the leader yelled for them to shut her up and with the blinding pain of being struck in the head, silence followed and at least some peace and darkness.

"You!" The leader pointed at a dark haired man, "Carry the lady back, we have payment to extract."

[Rhindeer]

The only way to deal with a rat problem was to buy a cat.

Cadmus was the cat, in this case, and he was happy to take on what seemed like a fairly easy job. Hunting was his specialty, after all, and even in human form his sense of smell was keen. All he had to do was track down the troublemaker that was picking off his client's people and...dispose of them. Seemed cut and dry, and even fair. He didn't prefer to take a life if he could avoid it, and refused jobs where it was clear there were innocents involved, but in this case? Blood had been spilled on all sides. It was just that one side decided to give themselves an edge.

All he needed was to examine one of the bodies, and from that he could catch the scent. He tried not to make what he was doing too obvious; he had learned along the way that humans found it really, really weird if it was clear he was smelling someone, so he pretended to fuss with and examine the body for signs when he was really just using it as an excuse to get close enough to pick up a scent. There was the scent of the dead, foul and rotting, and then on the clothes he picked up another.

He blinked, frowning thoughtfully.

There was something...familiar about it. But he knew better. It was likely just his brain playing tricks on him, just an odd coincidence, because the chances of that were...well...impossible. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway.

It had been foolish to get attached, even just that tiny amount.

Shaking his head to clear it, he focused on the scent a little longer before he rose and motioned his current companions to follow him. "They went this way."

On the cobblestone he could see tiny, but bright, splashes of blood. Their quarry was wounded--which would make this far easier--and the blood was still wet. "I think they're close, too."

Even wounded, their prey was elusive. But hunting was a test of endurance more than it was of speed and strength, and Cadmus knew they were closing in. Their target would not be able to keep this up. They would slow down, grow sluggish, end up making a mistake. Cadmus went one way, and sent another group a different route, with the intent of trapping their target between them like a pincer. The scent was stronger here; they were close. It wouldn't be long--

And it sounded like that mistake had just occurred, from the sounds of all that screaming.

Cadmus stiffened, head jerking toward the sound, because that was a feminine scream.

The Raven was a woman?

Or had someone else gotten caught in the crossfire?

Alarmed, Cadmus jogged back to catch up with the group, but the screaming had already stopped--abruptly. He turned the corner just in time for the Boss to jab a finger his way and order him to "carry the lady".

A feeling of slow-rising dread had begun to creep up Cadmus's spine from the moment he heard that scream, his nose filled with that horribly familiar scent. His heart screamed a warning, but his brain kept him calm as he did what he'd been paid to do, crossing over to the figure crumpled on the ground like a broken doll. He didn't want to look at her. But he didn't need to look to know.

Dark hair streaked with white.

Pale skin.

Her eyes were closed, but he knew they were blue.

He sucked in a sharp breath but quickly smoothed his expression over with stone. "Got it, boss," he said, and bent to scoop her up into his arms, cradling her like a bride. She was almost as tall as he was and all dead weight, but lifting her was near-effortless.

Inside, his mind was racing.

They were going to kill her.

Correction: he was going to kill her. They had paid him to deal with her.

But first, they were likely going to torture her.

Shit. SHIT.

"Huh...it's a right shame, you know," he said out loud with a smirk, glancing over at the other men as they walked. "Didn't realize the Raven was some pretty little bitch. Whatever you're planning, don't ruin her too much just yet, eh? Think I'd like to have a little fun with her before I send her off, if you know what I mean. Wouldn't be fair to waste that ass."

It was the single most vile thing he had ever heard himself say, the words tasting of slime and bile, but they believed him one of them. And, in some ways, he was.

If he was going to save her life, he was going to have to sell it.

[Draconian]

One of the men gave a guttural laugh and nodded, giving Cadmus a good natured smack on the back. "Sure, how about you deal with that and then we'll deal with her. Break her in for us a little, eh?" He laughed again and resisted the urge to smack the leg that dangled close to him he'd seen her not put weight onto. While he knew getting conked on the head didn't keep them knocked out for long, he figured a sharp bite of pain would get her kicking and screaming again. He took the time between getting her and going back to the hideout to tie her hands and feet together.

It was almost poetry that the Raven needed to be grounded in order to be captured. The way back was dark but eventually, Cadmus and the captured Raizel were led to a room. It was empty save for a chair against a wall and hook hanging from the ceiling.

Giving Cadmus a look the man spoke up before trailing a hand suspiciously gently along Raizel's leg, stopping short of her thigh. "We'll give you an hour. And then we'll have our turn and when we're done you can finish off what's left however you like." A grin and he left the room, slamming the door shut.

Raizel opened her eyes then, the piercing blue taking a moment to make sense of the room. The mark on the side of her head was red and angry and had grown a bump, a delightful future bruise. Hopefully.

"Put me down, Catbird. I don't want to kill you," her voice was hard and she didn't hide the betrayal written on her face. "I will though," she reached up, her hand trembling despite the steel in her voice and rest it on the side of his face, her thumb giving a gentle sweet stroke along his cheek, "if I have to."

[Rhindeer]

Cadmus felt ill, but he had a good poker face. Let these men think he was one of them, that he was the sort to delight in such vile acts. He said nothing as the man touched Raizel, hand trailing along her leg in a way that made him want to break it—the hand, not her leg. He tasted bile, but he swallowed it down and laughed with the men, sharing in their knowing looks and leers.

"I'll try to leave a hole for you," he called as the door shut, leaving him alone with both Raizel and his panic.

Before he could even begin to think of a way out of this, a familiar voice spoke, and Cadmus felt his face heat in a combination of mortification and shame.

Had she been awake for all that?!

Oh gods.

"I...ah...this...this isn't what it looks like," he managed to croak out lamely.

Because what it looked like was that they were in a small room with a hook, various creative instruments of pain, a chair, with her hands and feet bound after he had discussed his intent to violate her. What impeccable timing she had.

She touched his face, a gentle and familiar caress, and his nerves lit up—but he quickly jerked his head away. "Shit...just...one second."

Cadmus put her down, as requested. He set her down in the chair and then knelt before her, reaching for her hands and taking them in his. Looking up at her, he found her eyes and held them. The betrayal in her face made him want to look away, but this was too important to be squeamish now.

"Raizel, listen. I don't want to kill you, either," he said quietly, all too aware of eavesdroppers, and drew a deep breath. "This...this wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be you. I didn't even know you were here. I thought it was just some...some...nobody." Gods, it sounded so lame when he said it out loud, but he powered onward. "I don't want to hurt you. And now, I have an hour to figure out how I'm going to make that happen."

He began to work at the knots at her wrists, and when he got to the ones at her ankles, he grimaced. It looked awful. 

There would be no fighting their way out of this one.

[Draconian]

It was a small comfort, she supposed, that he hadn't been expecting her. Before it was going to be a favour - that she wouldn't slit his throat on her way out. There was unbroken eye contact while she rolled his words around in her head like they had a flavour.

They didn't taste like lies so far.

"I am some nobody," she said simply, unable to keep the smirk off her face while she flexed her fingers around his, remembering his hands. They'd been warm and gentle and she pushed down every fleeting thought that wasn't about right now. They'd gone tingly and cold for the little while her wrists had been tied up and she flexed her hands for a moment after he untied her wrists, letting him examine her for a moment before she quickly finished untying herself.

Mechanical. Military. Raizel sucked in a breath and poked around her ankle, suppressing noises of pain before she flicked her eyes to the door and gave an exploratory poke at what she suspected was a wound beyond a sprained ankle. She didn't bother hiding the groan of pain before moving to stand up on her good leg.

"It at least feels like a clean cut, right through my boot, unfortunate, I liked these ones," she said looking at the blood on her fingers and wiping it off behind her ear, it was more useful being semi-visible than wiped off on her pants "But it's sprained at the very least." Gripping the back of the chair, she took a deep breath and put her foot on the ground, exhaling through the pain with her eyes closed. The careful way she shifted to put weight on it and she quickly snapped her eyes open like the outstanding pain was a surprise.

"Cadmus," She said, her voice husky and low from suppressing it, "We're in a room full of useful tools I can use. I have one working leg." She tapped his shoulder "and, you have this neat trick of turning into like a four-hundred pound knife with the claws and beak thing." She licked her lips, holding her leg up lamely off the ground while she looked around and did her best to be a beacon of calm.

The trembling in her hands belied her attempts, but she kept them tight against the chair. "I don't do well as a caged Raven," Raizel smiled and nodded to the door, "You give me details on the layout and I'll find something heavy to smash into faces, and then maybe I'll pay you for your services. I'm sure I can come up with something these guys can't. You're a merc, right?"

There was an ever so hopeful lilt to her voice, that he was only here because they paid. Though she braced herself for the uncomfortable truth that he really was part of this gang. Maybe she'd kidnap him and hold him for ransom then.

[Rhindeer]

It was true. These thugs didn't know what Cadmus was--they just thought him human. But four-hundred pounds of talon and claw and beak only went so far against a large group of humans armed to the teeth. One human with a bow and good aim would be enough to take him down--and they had men here who fit that bill. And Raizel was fully capable--hell, he had no doubts she could best him in a duel, because he was skilled, yes, but had far less experience with blades than with his own claws. But she was one person, her ankle was a mess, and she'd taken a good blow to the head.

He didn't say that, though, because the minutes were ticking down and they were low on other options.

Her voice brought him back, and he stiffened. There was hope in her voice--you're a merc, right?--and he latched onto it.

"Yes! Yes, I'm a merc, I'm not--I'm not with them," he said, hating how unusually flustered this was making him. Fuck, the things he had said. It was pure bluff, but here he was being absolutely shitty, a monster doing monster things because it was all he was good at, so how was she to know he wasn't brown all the way through? "I was hired--I'm not--it doesn't matter."

There would be time later to tackle feelings and guilt.

"There's about fifteen guys total," he said, walking through his memories. "Only five came out to hunt you. I'm not sure if they're all here now--I only saw the five. I can smell them, but this place is saturated with their stench--they could be sleeping or out whoring for all I know. Either way, we should be aware of them just in case they show up."

He paced as he spoke, but paused to crouch down by the small spread of tools laid out on the floor next to a wall. He ran his fingers over the various knives, pincers, and hooks, even a small bone saw and mallet. He held the largest knife--about the size of a meat cleaver--up and cocked his head. "Here. Come take your pick. Ah, let's see..."

This was going to be messy. "We're in an abandoned brewery. The room we're in is upstairs, a staircase is just around the corner. There's a lot of empty kegs and tubs below us, an old hearth...but the room is mostly empty aside from some leftover equipment, chairs, and tables. There's a couple rooms down there that the men use for sleeping and storage and such." He ran a hand through his hair, lightly pulling in thought.

"We bust through the door, we get down there, and it's a fairly straight shot to the door. Of course they'll be out there, waiting their...turn." He made a face, shooting her an apologetic look.

"Maybe you could ride me. You're not that heavy. I change, you hold on, and we just go."

[Draconian]

Raizel was extremely delicate while she shifted over towards Cadmus. Watching him move. Listening to the verbal map while she tried to draw a mental image of the building.

Five at minimum. Raizel took quick hobbling steps towards where her companion was crouched down, her shoulder pressing to the wall so she could lift her foot off the ground and let elevation sooth the searing pain of it. It sort of worked.

"Would that work?" She said softly, trying to recall just how large Cadmus had been in his other form. Shock and surprise was usually a good route. But... Would that stop them? Raizel shimmied down the side of the wall and grabbed the hook before she held it down at Cadmus.

 Like she was ready to plunge it into his throat.

"And how do I know I can trust you?" Her voice was firm but delicate, her whole state of being seemed that way, like glass it would stop wind but a rock would shatter it easily. "You leave me alone and disappear, and now you just pop up and are the sole reason I have a fucked up ankle and got caught."

"I," Raizel started and then stopped, pulling the hook away, "I will bark into your ear later. Don't make me regret trusting you. If you think they'll be too surprised to react to you as knifebird then we can try it." She held out her other hand, for the knife he was holding, "I can throw stuff at bitches on the way out."

[Rhindeer]

Cadmus shot a look at Raizel, and let out a sigh. No, the riding idea was definitely not...practical. He was large in that form, strong enough to carry several times his weight, but he also wasn't some pack animal. While he had no doubt he could carry her a short distance, his spine wouldn't be able to take it for long, it would be awkward, and the effort it took for her to hold on would likely not make it worth it.

"No, it wouldn't work, but it sounded nice," he admitted sheepishly. He opened his mouth to explain, but that was when she got onto his level and held the hook at his throat.

Shit.

He glanced down at the hook, then up to her, and winced at her words, wanting to shrink away. She didn't even need to cut him; her words did the job well enough, making his stomach flutter uncomfortably with guilt. There was nothing he could say to that, because all of it was true.

As a show of trust, or perhaps stupidity, he leaned forward as she spoke until the hook pressed against his neck and the old scar there, a lion baring its most vulnerable parts to the teeth of a potential predator--or ally. How could she trust him? She couldn't, he supposed. He had betrayed her already, hadn't he? Words were meaningless at this point.

He still couldn't say he wasn't relieved when she took the hook away.

"Whatever happens, whatever I did--if you believe nothing else, believe me when I say I don't want you harmed. I never did," Cadmus said, handing the knife over. "What we talked about before, back when we met, it--never mind. You're right. Later, then." He swallowed, mouth a little dry; he was looking forward to later less than he was now. "Alright. New idea. You don't ride me, but I create a distraction. I shift, I burst out, and I scare the piss out of the bastards and take as many of them out as I can. I'll cover you as you get out, like a..." He made a face. "...knifebird shield, I suppose. Oh, and you carry my clothes."

[Draconian]

At least this meant he trusted her. Trusted she wouldn't use his vocal cords as an instrument. Trusted for her to have his back. What a tangled mess this was. Raizel was disappointed when his first shifting idea had been wishful thinking but his second one. Go out and cause chaos was a promising plan, especially for people who were expecting someone tied and roughed up.

There was a pound at the door, "How ya getting along in there? Time's almost up!" Followed by a laugh and footsteps leading away, and a voice leading off "dead quiet in there, probably like fucking a fish. How disappointing." Raizel whipped her head to the side, going still but finally letting the panic she'd been suppressing bubble up. Her breathing picked up and she tightened her grip on the hook and the knife before she closed her eyes and controlled herself.

One simple breath at a time.

"We have to do this. Now. While they still think you're fucking a fish and they're comfortable waiting for you," she moved the hook to hold it and the knife in one hand before she started tugging his shirt up with her free hand "I'll carry your clothes. I can't promise they'll stay in one piece."

[Rhindeer]

Cadmus jumped when the pounding came at the door, but quickly smoothed over his composure. He wasn't normally so jumpy, but everything had gone so, so fundamentally wrong tonight that it had him on edge. There were actual stakes involved, now. If it was just himself he was risking, it didn't matter, but he'd gotten Raizel into this mess.

He was responsible for her, now.

And try as he might to avoid it, he had grown fond of her in their short time together.

He would make sure she got out, at the very least.

Raizel started tugging at his shirt, and he quickly peeled it off the rest of the way. "Just do your best," he said, before he kicked off his boots, unlaced his breeches, and stripped out of those, too. "If you need to drop them, though, I'll understand." He pushed the bundle of clothes into her arms, but left the boots on the ground. It was already a lot to carry, especially if she needed to fight. He'd just have to get a new pair later, which was a shame, because he had finally broken those ones in.

Now naked as a jaybird but not at all ashamed, he motioned for her to back up and took several steps back, as well, toward the opposite wall.

"Alright," he said with a deep breath. "Once I've shifted, I'm going through that door. Remember, staircase to the left around the corner. It's a straight shot from there to the door. Fight if you need to; I'll do my best to keep them occupied and off of you. You've got this."

And with that said, he changed--a quick, fluid motion. There was a crack and creak of shifting bone and tendon, but it was a blink and you miss it moment. One second he was human and falling forward, and the next he was standing on four legs as a sleek black lion with a head like an eagle, save for the feathered tufts of ears, and black wings folded along his back. He jerked his head toward the door, as though to say "follow" but didn't waste time on words before he bolted forward and launched himself at the door.

The wood splintered as he crashed through it, letting out a thunderous roar. Two men had been waiting right outside, looking bored, but that boredom came to an abrupt end. They shouted, first in alarm, and then in fear and confusion, but he didn't give them a chance to get their bearing. He slashed at them with front paws like wicked bird talons, knocking one over the banister to the floor below and ripping the second open from sternum to pelvis.

It cleared the way to the staircase. He hoped Raizel was moving, because he could hear shouts below, and knew it was soon to get ugly. He didn't bother with the stairs. He leaped over the banister himself and landed on the floor below, snarling and hissing as some of the sleeping men raced from their rooms--some bearing weapons now.

[Draconian]

The bundle of clothing got a grunt out of her and Raizel quickly went about folding it and making it as small as possible before she stuffed it down her shirt. Thank goodness she had belts. Raizel eyed the boots and shuffled to them, grabbing them before tying the laces together and . At the very least she could throw them and pick them up - It seemed safe to assume that someone would be confused by flying boots. Raizel backed up, watching him.

You've got this, he said. Did she?

Before he'd shifted in his sleep and it was equal parts horrifying and interesting watching him simply transform. He really was beautiful as a kitty-bird. And then he was gone through the door and Raizel picked up the boots and steeled herself to walk on her foot. She knew every attempt at a step would cause the injury to worsen but it was still better than being dead.

"What the fuck is that?!" Screamed one of the men below when Raizel left the room and Cadmus was providing someone with a meat-suit opening, moving quickly and while lopsided and favoring one leg she flung the boots as close to the door as she could before and they landed with a satisfying thump. It would be terrible to be without shoes. Perhaps a bad thing to get hung up on when he could turn into a giant beastie but...

Raizel took note of the shoes before she started to make her way down the stairs one legged, laser focused on the door. The pain had her pause for a second but she carried on, it was only pain. Pain was fleeting. Pain was temporary.

Pain fuckin' hurt.

Every step made her tremble and the strain of simply moving was making her sweat. Raizel kept glancing around, looking for people who noticed her or even cared. So far, Cadmus was the main attraction and that left enough time to fling his stupid boots out the stupid door - sort of.

The knife sliced down her arm after she finished throwing and a surprised cry of pain left her mouth, it was reactionary and she didn't remember doing it. With her injured arm, she grabbed the mans wrist and without fanfare or thinking, pulled him closer and swung the cleaver down. It sunk through his head easily and she kicked him away, knife still jutting out of his head.

Hook in hand now Raizel clutched it tightly, ready. Waiting. She didn't leave though, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming into the building before remaining there in the doorway, "Come on!" She yelled a command, not about to leave her companion behind. Ready to rush in if he seemed like he was wounded.

Ready to rush out and snag those stupid boots if he wasn't and was ready to go.

 

[Rhindeer]

Cadmus was only one gryphon, but he was doing his best. Fortunately, the element of surprise was on his side: it seemed these men had never before seen a gryphon and so they hung back at first, brandishing knives, swords, and even cudgels while he snapped his hooked beak at them and snarled, tail lashing, wings open and flared to their full span to make himself look larger and scarier than he was. For a moment, it seemed as though they were both sizing each other up, and the men were trying to decide which of them would go in first.

It was when Raizel cried out, and Cadmus snapped a look her way, that the men sprang into action.

He yelped when a cudgel struck his side, knocking the wind from his lungs, and a sword slashed at him a second later. He managed to leap away from it and lash out with his talons, catching a wrist and tearing it straight down to tendon and bone.

Raizel!

Heart beating in panic, he desperately wanted to go to her, to check on her and defend her, but the men had used his moment of hesitation as a chance to close in around him. They thrust at him with swords and knives, and he dodged aside, snarling in pain when he wasn't quickly enough to avoid a swing that nicked his hip. But he punished the man who did it, for he had stepped just far enough out of position to take advantage.

He snapped his beak around the man's arm, feeling bone crunch wetly and a piercing scream, and with a rough shake like a dog with a bone, sent him flying into the group.

Raizel called out again, 'Come on!' and a surge of relief went through him. Of course she was okay, thank gods. She was the most capable person he knew, even lamed, but there had still been that moment of concern. He knocked one of the closest men away, clearing space, and leaped for the door as he heard someone shout, "For fuck's sake, stop them!"

"Go, go!" he growled at her, unaware of the boot drama she had endured. He flared his wings like a shield and gently butted her back with his head to urge her along—

And hissed when an arrow glanced his shoulder—they had been aiming for the base of his wing.

"Oh, they're serious now. How well can you run?" he asked, ignoring the trickle dampening his fur.

[Draconian]

Despite the situation, the movement was so gentle. There was no pressure and she started moving the moment the head bump ended. Every step was like glass was being dragged up her leg, she could feel it getting worse.

"Like shit but I'll run worse if I'm dead,"  Her breath was coming out in puffs and her face was flushed while she ran. The gash on her arm stung and she knew her hand was slick with blood. It was foolish. Stupid.

Raizel rushed passed the boots and grabbed one, the other one swinging behind it before she kept moving, looking for anything. An alley. Trees. Somewhere to hide and lose any possibility of pursuit. A sharp blast of pain from her ankle when she took a step and she gasped, her knee going out from under her before stumbling and catching herself with her good leg.

"I dont think I can keep this up," she panted, pain clear on her face. Raizel didn't look behind her, didn't want to know if they were being chased. Didn't want to know how close she was to getting an arrow in her back. "Go on without me," her words were clipped and breathy, "I'm a nobody. You don't need to save me."

[Rhindeer]

"No," Cadmus growled—irritated at the situation, not at her—and nudged her with his beak. The air smelled like blood, both hers and his, but there was no time to deal with that now.

"You think I'm ditching you after all this?" As soon as he said it, he wished he could have rephrased. Obviously she did. And not without reason; he had left her once before. If he could grimace in his current form, he would have, but instead he quickly moved on. "Get on. Now."

He folded his wings tightly and lowered himself to his belly to make it easier for her. It wouldn't be a comfortable ride, and she would have to lay along him rather than sit on him like a horse, but what other choice did they have?

"Grab onto my mane and hold on tightly. I'm not moving until you do."

[Draconian]

The growl made her heart skip a beat and Raizel blinked owlishly, eyes wide. That was a command. The command made her move. There was no resistance when she slowly slid onto his back, her hand brushing over the gash from the arrow which she took note of.

If she didn't they'd both die. Why would he do that? Raizel pushed thought aside. Running on instinct which had her grip his mane tightly, press her chest along his back and hold onto his sides with her thighs and knees. The boots she'd worked so hard to keep slung over her arm, ties at her elbow. "Okay, okay," she gasped out, pressing her face down into the fur and feathers.

It was almost overwhelming. "Don't hurt yourself doing this, please." Her voice was pleading and she held on even tighter - maybe too tight.

[Rhindeer]

Ooof, she had a mean grip indeed, and Cadmus winced as she pulled at feathers and fur alike, sharp and pinching, and even brushed along his stinging gash. But he had said tightly, and she was doing just that! He'd rather lose a few feathers and clumps of fur than, well, her.

Now was not the time to be whiny. Whatever discomfort he endured here was nothing he didn't deserve several times over. He had put her in this position--and yet, gods, what if it hadn't been him? What if they had hired someone else? Maybe...maybe this was just providence? Maybe she would have been hunted anyway, and him taking the job had saved her life? So really, it was a good thing he was a bastard!

...Right?

"It's fine," he managed to get out, voice a little tight because her knees were digging into his ribs in a way that made him sympathetic toward every horse he had ever ridden. "Hang on."

An arrow struck near his feet and another whizzed past Raizel's head as he bounded forward, a little awkwardly, tail lashing and muscles working to keep her balanced atop him. He couldn't run like he normally did--he had to focus hard on stability rather than the usual wild, feline aerobics he might do otherwise. But even weighted down he was fast, though he could hear the thug's shouts behind him as some took chase--but human legs were no match for four legs as he took off down the street and cut through one alley, then another, picking his route at random and trying not to take turns as sharply as he normally would have.

He tired much quicker with her than without. Raizel wasn't particularly heavy to him; he could have grabbed her by the shirt and dragged her around all day like it was nothing. But flexible cat spines were never meant to be load-bearing, and it started to chip away at his endurance. He took a few more turns and, when he could no longer hear their pursuers, he slowed to a trot and, finally, a stop. His sides heaved with his breaths, his head lowered and ears back, and he let out a sharp huff through his nostrils.

"I think...I think we may be alright for now," he said at last, and let himself flop onto his belly.

[Draconian]

Hang on.

The words echoed in her head and Raizel did exactly that. The ride was rough and she wondered fleetingly if she was hurting him. She cared - but there wasn't exactly time to do anything about it. The time slowed to an eternity and all there was, was fur and feathers and breathing. Heaving breaths while her companion ran them to... Safety?

Was anywhere safe?

Raizel did her best to not move. To make it as easy as possible for poor Cadmus below her and when he finally slowed and stopped and spoke the sense of relief was immeasurable. She let her grip loosen, fingers stuck in a clawed shape before she wiggled them into movement. Raizel didn't want to hurt his wings so she shimmied down and then off of his back, she kneed down beside him her hand on his back, impulsively petting down his spine like she was trying to sooth away the effort of carrying her on his back.

"Do they know where I was staying?" She whispered, looking around, pushing her hair over her shoulder and removing his clothing from down the front of her shirt, finally letting the boots drop down beside them before with great effort and hitched breaths she stood up, unrolling his clothing and throwing them over her arm.

She used her bad foot for balance and she looked around, stopping every other moment to listen. "I never hunt close to where I stay and I travel by rooftop," she said, "If you didn't let them know where I came from we can go there. Get dressed when you catch your breath," she said quietly, holding out his shirt and frowning at the slash through the front of it. Her own shirt with a gash in it, exposing her pale belly. "Ah, I guess that could have ended badly, I'm sorry about the shirt."

[Rhindeer]

Cadmus's breath came out sharp and a little startled when Raizel stroked down his spine, because it felt good and it took everything in his power not to arch up into it. Maybe he could get away with the behavior as a gryphon; it would look terrifically odd doing the same as a human. But from his perspective, he was the same person no matter his form, and it took an effort to remember what was acceptable in which shape.

His fur stood on end after she was done, floofed up a bit from the chill it had sent through him. Raizel was speaking, asking if they knew where she was staying, and then he heard a dull thump.

Cocking his head to look, he saw...his boots.

She had grabbed his boots.

He looked over at her as she unrolled his clothing, eyes wide, and if he'd had the facial muscles to make the expression, his eyebrows would have been high on his head. Unbelievable. Even after all the trouble he had caused her, she had gone through the trouble of grabbing his goddamn boots.

"You...I..." He trailed off and shook his head, feathers fluffing. "No, I didn't tell them where you came from. It wasn't relevant at the time. Besides, for all I knew it was a temporary rest stop."

And then he shifted, and straightened back up, arching his spine to stretch out the stiffness there. He rolled his shoulders and rubbed his neck, then took the clothes from her, smiling wryly as he stuck a finger through the hole.

"I'd rather it than your guts," he said as he shrugged the shirt back on, and glanced at Raizel's shirt to note that they now matched, with holes in nearly the same spot. He put his breeches back on and laced them, then pulled on his boots.

"I can't believe you grabbed my boots," he said with a snort. "I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, but I heard you back there—you had a close call, didn't you?"

He could smell the blood. Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm closer so he could examine the slash, wincing. "Don't risk yourself for me."

[Draconian]

Raizel wasn't the blushing type. Could never really tell if the heat in her face was shame or pleasure. The disbelief in seeing Cadmus seeing his boots filled her with that in between feeling. Was she embarrassed she put all that effort into keeping boots? Or was she pleased that she did it?

Instead she remained quiet, chewing on her lip and trying to map out the fastest way to where she'd been staying. It was good that he didn't relay where she'd come from because she'd prepaid for a few weeks already and had only been back for a quarter of it. Blue eyes snapped to Cadmus when he questioned her close call.

Then her hand was in his and he was looking at her slice. It was red and angry, the blood still wet at the wound but sticky looking on the edges. "I risked myself for your boots," she corrected, her voice quiet. Raizel moved her arm out of his grip and moved to hold his hand, looking around before she gave him a once over.

Wouldn't do well to look too awful. She in black to hide blood and him with his..  wrinkly clothes. "Let's go," she whispered, before moving to pull his arm in agaisnt ber, effectively using him as a crutch so she could hobble more evenly. "We're going to go to my... apartment? Room? I rent a few weeks at a time before I move on. Pay up front. Kinda dingy. Food isn't good but it fills the belly."

Raizel winced when she stepped wrong, held her breath, but continued. The walking was awkward, no doubt her palms began to sweat from the pain of the slice and her ankle. Her own problems eclipsing even thinking of her companions injuries. It was a fair amount of walking, a few breaks for Raizel, before they came upon a quiet home.

It wasn't so much a tavern as was it was someones open home with seating during the day. Closed and locked up for the night, Raizel stood and looked up at a window, looking out onto the street. "There," she pointed up "is my room."


"We either climb up there and sneak in," she whispered, "or bang on the door and wake up Albert."

[Rhindeer]

She risked herself for his boots.

"That's even worse!" Cadmus said, frowning at her. "They're good boots, yes, but I don't think they'd fit you." You know, in case he died or something and left them to her. But he didn't think her feet were quite that big.

Her hand found his, and he felt a stupid, excited little jolt at the contact--because despite everything, his brain snapped back to their moment together several weeks before. His body remembered her touch even as his mind tried to forget it, the soft caress of her hands, the curve of her back against his chest and shape of her hip beneath his hand, how she felt strangely dainty in that moment despite her strength. The smell of soap and the scent beneath it, the one that was distinctly her. He needed to forget it. He needed to focus. She was only taking his hand because she needed the support. Once he got her safely inside, their wounds seen to, and the streets deemed safe and clear, they would likely part ways again.

Because he had nearly gotten her killed. Tortured and killed. It was his fault she was hurt, and he was ready for the other boot to drop--figuratively speaking.

She was smart. She would figure out he had lied about the other incident, too.

Not that he had the heart to keep it from her now, anyway. Let her see him for who he really was.

It was so stupid. He barely knew her, but this part scared him more than any of his actual brushes with death, and he wasn't really sure why.

But he let her lead the way to her hideout, slipping his arm around her to better support her. "Careful," he murmured when she stepped wrong. But soon enough they had come to a two storey home.

He looked up to the window, and then looked to her. "You don't have a key?" he asked, because that seemed far easier! But if she was just staying there, then the owner might not trust some stranger with it. He arched an eyebrow. "Considering you're even bringing up climbing as an option in your state, I'm...going to guess Albert isn't the most pleasant? How does he feel about you bringing home random men?"

He cocked his head, judging the best way to get up there. "How about I climb, and you wait down here for me to open the door?"