Got it wrong.
You think I care?
Of course you care. You're not a Reaver, Mal. You're a human man and you will never understand-
Would never understand.
Rage before her, fear beside.
Slashing blade desperate for blood, severed spine result.
Triumphant roar, lips stapled back to bare grinning teeth, answering cries driving the smile wider. Dog danced around the cat, frantic with worry, hands to hair, pulling in helplessness.
Blood staining serpent scales, lemur falling into darkness, dog limping still from injured paw. Door stuck, wouldn't close. Couldn't hold them back for long, no way to help themselves.
Snake reached for her, trembling and desperate. Famous last words. Needed to comfort her, even to his last. Needed to protect her. Couldn't.
Got it wrong.
You think I don't care?
Of course you do.
You're not a Reaver.
Got it wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Stared toward door, eyes unseeing of the dog howling its grief, ears deaf to the serpent's pleas, skin numb to the lemur gently tugging her back.
Knew what she had to do.
Got it wrong. Would never understand. Couldn't see the blood, couldn't hear the screams.
Got it wrong.
Had to make it right.
Shook free from lemur's hand, shook loose thoughts clouding her way. Knew what she had to do.
One last smile toward the serpent. Read her intentions too late to stop her.
Danced away from the desperate hands and ran.
Bare feet against concrete littered with dust and blood, too fast to be caught.
Rage before her, fear behind.
Little girl daring to attack, little sister running towards death.
Desperate snarl from desperate dog, get back here, girl!
Got it wrong, had to make it right. Couldn't understand. Had to make them understand.
Dove through the gap, ripped wall open and fixed broken circuits before rage had chance to attack. Grabbed venom, threw it back to the snake so it could bite the wounds.
Turned to face the rage, rabbit no more, hands claws and mouth snarled and posture tensed to leap. Bared chest and throat, eyes flashing sharp and cutting.
The rage surged, accepting the challenge. Reaching claws and gnashing teeth and gleaming eyes.
Opened her mouth and screamed.
Broken glass and tile painted red. Broken arms and listless eyes. Gnashing teeth and tearing flesh. Lips cut off to bare teeth, flesh burned away to show bone. Eye ripped out to see darkness. Bodies chained high for all to see, one left alive to remember.
Key members of Parliament. Poisoned air and shrapnel bombs. Fires scorching dirt and a preacher's last words. Burning swing and tiny bodies. Paper crane dissolving under blood and bones, too heavy to carry, get back in the vault.
Screamed all nightmares to life, all visions and thoughts and memories that didn't belong. Not her fault, not her memory. Shouldn't have to carry it, weight too much to bear.
Screamed for Maris. Screamed for Claren. For those who laid down. For those who never would. Screamed loud as lungs could make, ears ringing, throat raw.
Silence before her, horror behind.
Understanding like a knife to the chest, all the horrors shocked minds could conjure.
Kept screaming.
Silence before her, horror behind.
Screamed until the walls came crashing down, and the sun came marching in, blinding weapons raised and storm clouds demanding orders.
Met with stillness held in place by sound.
Confusion before her. Silence beside. Horror behind.
Fugitive gone so mad scaring even the monsters, what do we do? Sound touched all hearts and minds, she understands. Little sister screaming still, horrible things happening, cat wished it had mercy to give her.
Hadn't stopped to breathe. Couldn't stop screaming.
Feet grew dizzy, room spun.
Clawed hands dripping blood reached out to catch her before she fell.
Sunlight flared brighter, fingers braced to let forth flames and death. Didn't want to see what would happen, didn't want to let it happen.
Hands turned to claws and snarls to red rom throats as the darkness swarmed around her to face the sun, shielding her from its light.
Whole world tensed to destroy itself.
Fisted hands against ground and sucked in a new breath. "STOP!"
Twisted mouth into snarl, pulled herself to feet, gripped offered broken flesh and tattered cloth stinking of decay. Face the sun from within the darkness, stolen words upon her lips. "Lower your weapons and stand down! It's finished!"
Darkness growled, still posed to lunge.
Pulled on hair stained black to grab focus, caught bloodshot eyes with her own. Placed gentle hands on sunken cheeks and scarred skin, not allowing escape from her voice. "Let me run at the front."
Could see her now. The blood, the screams. The scars.
Wariness before her. Recognition beside. Hope behind.
Nightmares making no move to attack, enchanted. Little girl covered in blood that wasn't hers. Hawk returned from battle, victorious over the fallen enemy.
Eyes opening around the stars, watching in confusion, shock, horror, rage.
Thought they understood, thought wrong.
But she would change that.
Broken door opened from other side, light spinning in to reveal wounded but living friends.
Hawk tensed, eye blackened and bruised, arms burned and bleeding.
"Albatross?"
Weapon?
Turned from bloodshot eyes to bruised, and smiled.
No words to explain, not yet. Action would suffice. Smiled, safe and sound.
Everything would be okay.