As Sisters
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, nor any of the characters there
within.
within.
A cool breeze rustled through fiery red-hair and a warm sun smiled on a bright young face, vibrant in her youth. The wind seemed fair enough, taunting the young beauty into a flight. Starfire stood on the edge of the tallest tower of the palace, gazing intently at the surrounding fauna. The weather was auspicious and she felt she could take on anything.
Starfire dove from the tower, a chirrup of exhilaration spilled from her lips, lost to the wind as it rippled through her hair and beating with feathery lightness on her back. Her arms stretched outward from her sides; free-falling. She shut her eyes for a moment, then reopened them, spiraling out of the dive and into the air, mere feet from the ground. Her parents would have thought this reckless no doubt, but for the moment, she did not care. She was free of her royal duties for the day and she was not one to waste such a precious gift. Her elder sister had not been so fortunate—she had been put to the collaboration of etiquette to make herself a "more presentable personage". Blackfire scorned the evening rituals, but had always left with something learned, even if in a fit of distress or impatience, and smelling faintly of lavender. Starfire had long wanted to start her lessons of etiquette, but her mother shooed her away, speaking softly of being young and free of adulthood worries and bindings. Blackfire sorely missed her free evenings while Starfire missed her sister and the games they would play. Some more rough than others, but inevitably fun and fine-tuning of flying display and technique.
Today had been a rather particularly cruel day on her elder sister's behalf—Blackfire had caught Starfire in her wardrobe, trying on a metallic silver armor plated for the chest and back and forearms. The piece of armory happened to be Blackfire's favorite and to see it hanging loosely on her sister's form was more than she could bear. Much snarling and shouting could be heard from within the dark chamber when Starfire was shoved out the door—her own purple top pressed firmly to her front in naked embarrassment, as the click of the lock sounded ruefully behind her. Starfire whirled around, pounding on her elder sister's door in a panic and pleading to gain entry. Nothing could be heard from within, so Starfire was forced to sprint down the long hallway at the sound of approaching footsteps, bare-topped, to her own chambers; her parents were wise to keep the sister's separate, for Starfire's sake. Blackfire seemed to have become more temperamental and reckless as she had finally completed her thirteenth revolution.
Fortunately for Starfire, no one had been in the hall and Starfire had made it to the safety of her own room quaking with fear and anger. How could her sister be so cruel?
A grim frown crossed Starfire's features at the memory so crisp in her mind. She shook her head, the morning had come and gone, it was of no gain to mule over it any further. She must just enjoy what was in the here and now.
A distinguished call reached Starfire's ear from below, she glanced down and numbly realized she had flown a vast distance. She paused in her flight to glance back; the palace was the size of her palm in the distance—she had left the safe boundaries of the kingdom. Her heart leapt into her throat, she should turn back...
The call sounded again in mournful agony a little way out further. Starfire glanced uneasily over her shoulder at the setting disc of the sun, its form melting and consumed into the Tamaranian soil; its light faltering as well. If she made a bee-line for the palace, she would be home before the sun would set and she would be missed, or the creatures of the Setting emerged from their dark holes and secret crevices. Panic was rising in her again but curiosity outweighed her fear; what could it hurt to just take a quick glance at whatever needed her aid? It would only take a moment...
Starfire's decision made, she dove into the thick canopy of the forest, hurtling into a troubling centrifuge.
Moving as stealthily as possible, Starfire landed on a thick Groden tree's branch which was larger than her own body and crept along the length of it. A muted wail carried to her and Starfire's head turned sharply in its direction.
There, in a clearing, a white-turret cat mewed and yowled angrily as it thrashed to free its back paw which had caught in a crude trap which looked suspiciously to be of Crudaw craft. The Crudaw were a race of hideous creatures, monsters by all means; bordering the royal grounds. They had been invading on the royal guard for the past ten revolutions, one revolution after Starfire's birth.
During one attack, a single Crudaw had managed to slash past the guards and Starfire was more than a prime target—a Tamaranian princess would be a finer prize than all of the palaces treasure's combined. The creature bellowed a war cry, its beady eyes freezing the young princess in her place. The monster raised its spiked hammer for a death blow and a terrified scream ripped from Starfire's mouth as the hammer came down. Something purple flashed in her eyes the creature squealed hideously as it fell back, the hammer missing Starfire by a few sparse inches.
A fleet of the royal guard dashed past Starfire and battered back the beast as Starfire turned to see her older sister, a triumphant grin plastered on her face as she knelt over Starfire to survey her injuries.
"I'm always saving your skin," Blackfire murmured to her sister through a brilliant smile. Starfire beamed at her sister and came forward to embrace her when Blackfire shot into the air.
"Mother will throttle the both of us if she catches us outside of our chambers. Flee!"
The two siblings fled the scene, unawares that their parents looked on in horror from a protected hallway.
The cat mewed in despair, dragging Starfire from her thoughts and forcing her to act on the motions she had already put into play. She quietly moved toward the frightened animal and whispered words of courage and companionship. The cat stirred uncomfortably at her approach and seemed to quail into fear as the red-haired girl drew nearer. It tugged at its chain and watched Starfire with large, pleading eyes.
"It is all right, little friend. I shall free you from this entrapment..."
Starfire moved to the cruel trap which ensnared the little creature and slipped her fingers between the jaws of the contraption. The cat shifted in fear and her fingers were slashed open on the jagged teeth. She grimaced in pain, stifling a cry in the back of her throat, reducing it to a pained moan so as not to frighten the delicate 'turret cat.
"Please be calm," Starfire murmured to the cat, hesitantly stroking its back, the cats eyes lids fell half way down its eyes and a soft rumble in its throat seemed to be an agreement, "that's it."
Starfire tried the trap a second time and struggled to draw the jaws apart; the teeth dug into her bloodied cuts, sinking deeper into her palms. Something furry brushed past her hands and she knew the cat was free—Starfire released the jaws, falling backward as the trap shut with a vicious snap in loathing, snapping close to Starfire as if wishing to ensnare her instead. Starfire sat shivering on the cold ground when the soft fur of the cat brushed against her cheek and a rough tongue drew across it in thanks. Starfire did not realize that tears were streaming down her cheeks. She stroked the cat's forehead and scratched it behind the left ear when it suddenly jerked around, startled. Starfire looked past the cat and did not see anything. The cat leapt gracefully away and cantered into the shadows of the forest.
Starfire watched the cat go then sighed and stood, brushing off rogue branches and blades of grass, but did not smear the strange feline kiss from her face. It was a blessing from the white-turret cats only a fool would deny its thanks. Suddenly a sound met her ears and Starfire tensed.
It felt as though a drill was being pushed to her back and she was frozen in place. Something whistled harshly through the air and the object tore hard into her shoulder-blades, at once binding her arms in place; the force of the impact sent her flying forward, her shock kept her from crying out as she landed face-first onto the ground.
A howling cry echoed all around her, a harrowing cry of victory.
Starfire was in dire trouble.
A deep, brutal, hissing voice rumbled scathingly over the cries. "What happened to our dinner?"
Starfire knew little of the language being spoken, but enough to know that it trickled from the maw of a Crudaw and what was worse, this was a Crudaw leader.
"Perhaps she will make a fine replacement for it." The group guffawed in terrible tones as an order was bellowed and Starfire was roughly jostled and flipped onto her back. She used the Crudaw's momentum to roll to her knees, but nearly lost balance and sat instead on her thighs, one leg tucked beneath her. The largest of the Crudaw stepped forward and seized Starfire's face in one hand; she swallowed in fear and wished immediately that she had not; the reeking stench of the wicked creature spilled over her in putrid waves. It inspected her for a moment then tossed her head to one side. Starfire nearly lost her balance again but managed to hold her ground. The monster laughed aloud, throwing back its head; the Crudaw watched in thick interest.
"I remember you, leettle princess," he spoke softly, as softly as his tri- forked tongue would allow within his massive throat. Starfire could not breathe as her mouth dropped open in horror. This could not be the same beast that had attacked her on that fateful night so many years ago. "I remember you." He trod heavily to one side, circling the red-haired girl as much as would a shark its helpless victim. "You were so leetle then, but now, I see you have grown much. No longer leettle princess—but you are steel smaller than me!" he barked a laugh as the other Crudaw joined him. "Sssuch a nuisssance," he hissed, somewhat uncontrollably with anger, "if only the other had not come, you would have been my ransom." His face contorted into a hideous snarl before returning to a fanged grin. "But she is not here now; she cannot save you this time." He came forward to her again. "You lost us our dinner, ssso in payment; you will make for our meal!" A spiked hammer appeared in his stubby hand and he raised it for a death blow.
Starfire shut her eyes as she heard the weapon slice through the air—
An electric snap assaulted her ears and a wild light exploded outside of Starfire's eyelids and she opened them quickly just in time to see Blackfire leap protectively before her and crouch like a big cat hunting its prey.
"Fira Obsidious!" came the shocked cry of the Crudaw. Two of the Crudaw lifted the leader to his feet.
"YOU!" he bellowed, roaring with a rage at being foiled at striking down the young princess for a second time.
Starfire could feel a pulsing current radiating from her sister; it terrified her. It pulsed with only the ferocity pure hatred could emanate. The danger in the air was nearly choking; so thick it could not be walked through. The power sprang into Blackfire's palms and in the same motion, she hurled the bolts at the Crudaw, her entire body following through with the blows. She was twisting at impossible angles, but with a fierce beauty all to match the combat.
The first two she struck fell dead as the others stood by numbly, unsure of whether to flee or stay by their leader's side. Three fled, but five of them remained. Five would be a challenge; even the royal guard had trouble taking on a fully grown Crudaw. Fortunately, most of the rebels seemed to be only half the adult age, but that was not too young to fight with the Crudaw Elite. The other Crudaw moved forward to attack the hunched princess; Blackfire's expression was feral to say the least. The leader broke the closing ranks.
"STOP! This one is mine!" he limped steadily toward her. "I will enjoy the slow spilling of your blood on this land." He rasped in a snarling growl. Blackfire's eyes seemed to blaze with menacing, blood-thirsty anticipation.
"Not before I spill yours."
Enraged by her reply, he rushed forward and Blackfire retaliated the attack with a roundhouse kick to his chest plate. He stumbled to the side as the force pushed him and Blackfire surged forward, gaining the ground the leader lost in the onslaught. She had carefully kept the advantage as use to stay the fight away from her bound sister.
Blackfire had had the upper hand when the hammer suddenly made its appearance, but Blackfire was tricked in gazing at the weapon instead of the fist that connected with her jaw. She collapsed, blood spilling from her mouth like a mouth too full of water. On the ground, she coughed into the dirt and her face became speckled with her own blood, the ground becoming stained with it. Then she did something very strange. Blackfire smeared the blood form her lips with the back of her hand and smiled, a spiteful better grin, her teeth tinged red. She deftly lapped the blood on her hand, tasting it, her rueful smile foreboding. Starfire was shocked at her sister's behavior. Blackfire looked up to the sky, gathering her limbs beneath her as she shot into the night sky. She stopped some four stories into the air and opened her fists so her palms faced down at the stupefied Crudaw. With a hauntingly goddess-like expression, she unleashed a barrage of blackbolts which scattered and battered the ground in a horrific explosion of light and sound and shock, most of the bolts missed their targets, but her incredibly crazed plan succeeded in killing four of the Crudaw and severely wounding their leader.
Seeing four of the monsters dead, Blackfire flowed like a liquid from the sky onto the ground. She swayed dangerously as she made contact and pointed one finger at the leader, he quailed at the action.
"You," she rasped nastily, "have five seconds..." Eyes still glowing with hate and malice, he turned and ran full tilt from the carcass filled clearing. Blackfire watched his back as Starfire stood warily to her feet, gazing lucidly at her teetering sibling.
"Sister, we are victorious..."
The next succession of events was almost too fast to Starfire to register as reality.
Blackfire threw Starfire a silencing gaze over her shoulder, as a whoosh of something large moving much too quickly through the air flew toward them. Blackfire rallied a war cry and hurled a final blackbolt down the grove where the surviving Crudaw stood, just as his hammer came down on her leg. A deafening crack resounded in both sister's ears as a fatal scream was heard form the last Crudaw. He fell like a tree, utterly deceased, as Blackfire collapsed.
The energy required to produce all of her extraordinary feats had taxed too much on Blackfire's body, the hammer had smashed her shin, and the blood of the clearing was as much hers as the rest of the carcasses. It was all too much for one body to handle. She knew she was to die.
"Sister!" Starfire cried in horror shoving the hammer away in disgust and anxiety to kneel beside her sister. The dark-haired girl coughed and groaned in agony, striving to sit up and examine her leg. Starfire swallowed the bile that rose in her throat; her sister's leg was bent at a sickening angle. An awkward chortle rose in Blackfire's throat.
"I'm...always saving your skin..." she even managed a chuckled for her little sister which abruptly turned into a whimper of pain. Starfire's mind was working furiously but uncertain on which action to move on.
"We must get you home, sister" Starfire took Blackfire by the arm.
"No!" Blackfire inhaled, hissing through clenched teeth, gripping Starfire painfully by the arm.
"You may hinder more than help." She sighed as the pain subsided. She tried to take another breath and failed, tried a second time and succeeded, though barely. "Sister, I am to leave this place." A horrific air of finality trembled in Blackfire's fading voice. "Tell mother and father I am sorry that I could not protect my baby sister. I shall miss you Starfire." Blackfire tried to inhale for a last statement, but could not.
"Sister, sister!" Starfire cried. "Sister, awaken!"
Her older sibling did not stir. Starfire could not carry her sister home, she was heavy with the muscle of a young warrior. The red-haired girl flitted from half-formed plan to the next, wishing to leave this unholy land and return home to the palace grounds. She could made a make-shift switch to drag Blackfire along, but that might prove to be wasteful of time than wise.
Goddess help me, Starfire moaned. My sister will die...Blackfire. My only sister will die! she gazed up at the silent heavens with tears streaming down her face. The sky was dark and cold and the stars of the evening sky twinkled sadly down to the planet of Tamaran. Starfire turned back to her motionless sister, leg broken, blood painting her cheek and lips, her ebony hair flowing around the crown of her head. Beautiful in her silence; serene in her stillness. Starfire broke down and laid her head on Blackfire's shoulder, nestling between her sister's chin and neck. Her sister's body felt cool against her cheek.
The duo rested like this for several moments, neither moving to stir the other, both seemed pressed forever as a statue in time; one sister near death and the other melancholy, vainly calling her back.
The fragrance of love and death laced together in a strange entanglement of peace and serenity to waft and merge in the wind that whistled sorrowfully above them.
Something rough brushed on Starfire's cheek. Her reverie shattered as she looked up miserably. Starfire gasped in surprise. The little white-turret cat had returned, mewing softly. She smiled gently. "Little friend."
The feline looked over its shoulder to peer back at the forest, meowing a tentative call and returned to mew softly at the raven-haired girl who lay at peace on the earth. Her lips parted slightly, the blood on her face and neck beginning to dry and crack. The cat sniffed at the wound and drew away for an instant before it began to lap up the vermillion color from Blackfire's face. It proceeded to rub its cheeks and jaw on Blackfire's blood, staining its white fur just as two rather large white-turret cats appeared; their eyes shining in white perfection, almost too brilliant to gaze into. One of them bent its elegant neck to sniff at the carcass of a dead Crudaw and snorted in disgust.
The two moved forward. The three cats gazed at each other in silent conversation then seemed to agree on something and moved to their separate tasks. One large feline stood with its large front paws on Blackfire's shoulders, pressing them into the earth. The second large cat examined Blackfire's leg as the littlest one crept onto Blackfire's breast and shut its eyes, purring softly. Blackfire groaned at the sudden weight and Starfire inhaled sharply. Her sister lived, though for how much longer? The big cat by her sister's mangled leg glared its white eyes at Blackfire's face and then focused its attention to the leg again. Apprehension dawned on Starfire as the feline opened its jaws and encased the broken shin within its mouth. With a sudden jerked motion, the bone snapped back into place. Blackfire cried out in agony, struggling against the cats, the pain seemingly unbearable. She sighed then, relaxing slowly, murmuring curses but thanking her saviors all the same.
Blackfire's agonized fit died down and she stirred, opening her eyes to the cats. She exhaled an exclamation of surprise.
"So this is why you went into the forest." She moved to sit up, Starfire assisting her in her motions, as she grunted in pain and massaged her back. "Come sister, I shall fly on the 'turret's borrowed time which may just be enough to get us home and properly treat this injury." Blackfire stood shakily; heavily favoring her right leg, then turned to the cats and bowed, thanking them in an archaic tongue which Starfire did not understand. The three cats dipped gracefully to Blackfire and she smiled grimly.
"Starfire, I will need your aid to fly."
"Just a moment."
Blackfire glared at her sister and with difficulty, bit back a lashing tongue.
"Not much time." She reminded heatedly.
Starfire ignored her sister's threatening tone and knelt before the littlest cat. The cat mewed and reared up to balance its paws on her shoulders.
"Thank you my little friend."
The cat tilted its head to one side and butted its head against Starfire's, then nipped her ear lobe in companionship. With that the little cat sprang away, leading the other two into the darkness of the forest. Starfire returned to her sister and threw one of her arms around Blackfire's back and the two leapt into the air.
"This is the last time I come to rescue—" Blackfire began but was interrupted.
"Thank you sister...for saving my life."
Blackfire bit her tongue and gazed at her sister's sorrowful eyes for Starfire realized the danger she had put the both of them in. Blackfire's gaze fell to the ground rushing beneath them and nodded slowly. A long silence followed. Then Starfire cleared her throat.
"How did you find me?" Starfire mumbled in stark curiosity. Blackfire blinked once and shifted her gaze toward the approaching palace.
"I had become quite ill of the entire etiquette affair and decided to break early this evening. I wanted to spend some of my free time on the highest tower for leisure and self-reflection, and also to...observe the heavens."
Starfire nodded. She knew quite well that her elder sister appreciated the beauty of Tamaran and the freedom one felt from the height of the tower and the wild wind howling its liberating cries. Blackfire's cheeks turned a rosy pink; only Starfire knew of her elder sister's dream to someday leave Tamaran on an adventure of time and space. Blackfire made only a small nod at the confirmation.
"It was already almost to the Setting, and I was settling myself down to spend the night out there, on the tower, when I saw this dot moving across the horizon." Blackfire threw an incredulous glance at her sister which resulted in a small smile to appear on Starfire's lips. "I figured it was you on some joy-flight of fancy and I hastened double-fold to catch up. You were way out there Starfire." Her voice became maternal. "When I saw you dive into the canopy off of father's land, I almost suffered a heart-attack you dummy."
Starfire smiled weakly at her scrutinized mistake.
"You really had me frightened. By the time I had finally caught up, there were ten of those moronic Crudaw in the clearing; only luck allowed me to hit the leader." She sighed and shook her head. "Be thankful I'm always there to save you."
"Sister, you know as well as I, I would not be alive now if it were not for you, I am sorry." Starfire could feel the tears forming again. "I...I was not thinking clearly."
Blackfire shook her head again, the fragrance of lavender wafting from perspiring temples. "Neither of us were."
"Thank you, Blackfire. I owe you my life."
Blackfire made no move to this sentiment, aside from closing her eyes. Starfire noticed a small tremor shaking her sister in her grasp. She dared not make mention of it. The battle had terrified her, but perhaps not quite so much as the insanely mad look in her sister's eyes as she struck down the beastly Crudaw. Blackfire seemed as though she terribly enjoyed the thrill of the slaughter. Starfire shut her eyes to clear the image of her sister slaying the leader Crudaw with that final blackbolt and instead dared to ask her sister a simple and obvious question:
"How much trouble do you think we will be in?"
Blackfire laughed out loud. "Staying out past dark and not leaving a note or message as to where we went, battling rogue leader Crudaw, broken limbs—we probably had better chances staying in the wilderness during all of Nightfall."
"So mother and father would be too worried to punish us." Starfire chimed in.
"Precisely. No dishes to wash."
"No floors to sweep."
"No tapestries to dust."
"No flower beds to weed."
"No walls to paint."
"No bushes to trim."
"And no laundry to hang!" they both sang before the two sisters collapsed to a fit of giggling.
"But of course, mother and father will make us do all of those chores as proper punishment." Blackfire grinned.
Starfire nodded as her giggles subsided. "No matter what they throw at us, we will do it together; as sisters."
"Agreed." Blackfire nodded also. "Together forever, as sisters."
The palace was directly before the sister's now, elegant in the shadows of the looming Nightfall. Blackfire suddenly pushed off of Starfire, free falling to the ground before she drove herself forward out of the dive. "Race you home!"
Starfire, frightened but wanting to meet the challenge, raced after her bold elder sister into the palace with the Setting to her back.
AN: Whew! I felt as though I owed this to all of you who have read my work and wish for more! I will admit it has been awhile since I have posted and I will also admit that it was terrible of me to keep my people waiting, but I was on a lovely vacation; and I would say even us writers deserve a vacation every now and then. As for my Betrayal story, I will have to update once I can come up with an actual plotline and some time to edit through it all. At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed this story and I hope you will all Review!!
Blackfire 18