In Your Eyes, a fire emblem fanfic

Note: Thanks to Sakura Irving for pointing out in my previous fic that Janaff is actually supposed to be considered older! But within my fics, he'll stay middle-aged for a laguz just for consistency. XD Darn... I should have done my homework.

2nd Note: I had started writing this before finishing the game, so this will be somewhat of an AU. Sorry! Please bear with my extreme slowness in playing the game—I have an extremely horrible tendency to keep all units on an even playing field no matter what (which means I'll never get Nasir...oh, well...). XD But as of now I am done and you can expect more accuracy in the future. Like I said, I should have done my homework. Shame on me ne? XP

In Your Eyes

Three friends were crouching at the base of a corner in the recovery ward's hallway, silently eavesdropping on the room at the far end. Janaff had never particularly liked the word 'eavesdropping'; he preferred to use the euphemism 'informative listening' instead. But as it was, Ike was very ill, and Ulki's gift of hearing was quite a valuable asset when nothing could be divulged from the healers.

It was an alarming situation. Their general was normally healthy and not prone to sickness, and so to witness him in this state was depressing to most. However, it was the postponed arrival of information that was irritating to Janaff while Reyson was too busy worrying himself to pieces to care.

As he waited, the hawk could almost see the bits of concise facts being stored away in Ulki's brain. At the very least, he was thankful, for the older hawk's memory was quite powerful. Suddenly, Ulki grabbed the other birds' arms. "Mist is about to—″

He didn't have the chance to finish as the cleric came bolting out of the room, her eyes cast down and her cheeks adorned with shiny, wet trails. The three tried to scramble away, but they only became entangled in each others' limbs, crashing to the floor in a heap. Luckily, the distraught girl didn't notice as she ran by.

They quickly moved to a more secluded area for the older hawk to relay what he had heard. All the while the prince was incessantly twisting the hem of his robe, and Janaff was listening attentively.

"No one really knows the full details," Ulki explained. "Despite that, Rhys has matched the clues like a jigsaw puzzle, and this is his account."

Any chance of food poisoning was out of the question; Oscar had nearly collapsed working day in and day out for the past week. The recent temperature changes weren't the cause either, or Ike wouldn't have been the only one falling sick, not that he was susceptible in the first place. With these two ruled out, that left one very obvious alternative: infection.

Reyson sucked in a quick breath, swiftly protesting. "But Rhys and Mist are the only healers that do any actual bandaging, and neither of them would take that kind of risk."

Ulki responded, "Yes, of course, and because they know what they're doing, is it not safe to assume that Rhys is correct?" The heron nodded reluctantly as the truth sunk in.

"Forgive me... I should know better than to doubt him when it comes to these matters." Catching Ulki's approving look, he went on. "I just can't believe that infection brought this about. The last injury Ike suffered was a careless graze by a halberdier on his sword arm and even that didn't need worrying. He was perfectly fine the next day, and this happened a week ago!"

"Lethal poison is what it was." Eyes turned on Janaff, who began to throw in support. He had once heard of a poison, made with plants from Phoenicis, that was slow to take effect but deadly once it decided to strike, and the victim usually died within a few days. "And Ike was lucky," Janaff added. "That soldier wasn't experienced enough to get a direct hit in."

The birds quickly debated about what was going to happen, what they could do to help their commander. Janaff figured that the antidote to the poison was probably made from the same plants, and that it simply had to be prepared differently. He had already left for Phoenicis by the time Reyson proposed to Ulki that the Serenes Forest might have plants with healing effects as well. It wasn't as if the company planned to move anytime soon.

The older hawk merely grinned at the poor excuse to tag along, but at least now the forest was, more or less, a safe place for the heron to be. Both took off several hours after the younger hawk had left, all of them now searching for a cure.

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With a magnificent screech of pride, Janaff soared towards the rocky cliffs that were home to his people, the hawk laguz. Now it was just the matter of getting the right plants and learning how to concoct the potion. His lord would know something, hopefully, or at least he would know someone else who knew if not.

But as he neared the edges of the islands, the fine hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle...

A sense of dread quickly overcame him, and all of a sudden the powerful emotion of unknown fear struck the core of his heart with precision, adrenaline sharpening all of his senses momentarily.

Something foul was hanging in the air, literally. There was a scent just barely hinting at...smoke? Dear Ashera, smoke! Picking up speed at once, the hawk veered straight for Phoenicis Hall, his chest tightening at what he saw along the way.

The tiny, lush forests that had once inhabited their islands were dead. Copious amounts of soot and ash had taken its place, and whatever hadn't been destroyed was wilting away. The whole land had been disgustingly blackened, charred branches, barren fields of grass, and visible dust lying upon beds of rock. The few scattered nests left were hardly recognizable at all, and Janaff fervently prayed that any younglings in them had been rescued.

When had this occurred? Add to that, a normal fire couldn't possibly have left this much destruction. And where had everyone gone? Tibarn would not have let this transpire! ...It was as if no one had ever lived here. The desolate state of the hawks' home was disheartening to say the very least.

Anxiety's rein kept Janaff flying on as he searched for signs of anything, but he eventually came to a halt in front of the throne room, having found nothing. Even this place had not been spared—all of the rich decorations lay in ruins, and only the open roof had remained intact without its caving in. He dejectedly sat in the remains of what was once his proper seat at royal court and held his head in his hands. This just wasn't happening...

Just as he was about to reminisce, a malicious gust of wind swept down to meet the floor, stirring up clouds of ash that billowed high into the air. The abrupt movement of particles caused Janaff's throat to itch and his eyes to water, but he speedily resolved it by flapping his wings to clear the atmosphere in the chamber.

Upon glimpsing something peculiar through the dust, however, he froze, allowing the remaining ash to settle gently back onto the floor.

Scrawled on the wall was a message, nearly illegible, written in a text that the hawk could barely decipher. That particular style of writing had been fading by the time he was born. Nonetheless, the meaning of the crude handwriting was perfectly clear. Janaff instantly took off, a frenzy of feathers trailing his wake and a single warning imprinted in his mind: The phoenix will never lift Tellius from its ashes again.

Was it just him, or did the Serenes Forest look more vibrant? Ulki thought to himself. Leanne must have gone out of her way to make the forest even more lively and beautiful than it had previously been. Even Reyson seemed to be mildly surprised at the slight change.

Reyson trekked separately from Ulki through shrubbery and foliage, wanting to cover more ground. Strangely, everything felt condensed around him as he journeyed further into the trees, but he ignored it; after hours of searching, Reyson failed to turn up anything remotely useful. He heaved a great sigh in frustration, hoping that Ulki had had better luck than he did. Bit by bit, the White Prince began to tense visibly.

The leaves were swaying back and forth serenely, the river leaping from stone to stone, and the earth yielding its soft, rhythmic pulse. Peaceful silence reverberated almost maddeningly. Why did everything just seem so... How could the heron describe it? Arid? It wasn't exactly the right feeling, but it was close enough as the bush beside him erupted into flames.

His first initial reaction was to marvel in shock, but it quickly changed as the small fire suddenly began to rage in fury, sweeping outwards in every direction. Reyson gasped in disbelief as he took flight, witnessing the unnatural spontaneous combustion happening in many other places.

Leanne! He had to save her! Whoever was doing this would have hell to pay. All of his sister's tedious work had amounted to nothing!

Not making any regards to his own personal safety, the heron sailed across the rapidly darkening skies, frantically calling for Serenes' princess in the high tongue of their race. But within just a few moments, Reyson could only realize in horror that flames had engulfed every single area in the forest, making it impossible for anything to escape unharmed.

Luckily, although the fire was able to blanket the plants, they were not prone to burning very quickly; the Serenes Forest would suffer. The heron finally chose to land in a small clearing among the dying vegetation, the immense heat penetrating through his clothing while eating away at his delicate skin. For a moment, he lingered there, briefly wondering if Leanne had felt like this. She would never leave the forest on her own behalf. It was just like then...

By the time Reyson noticed the ignited, heavy oak branch that was about to snap and descend upon him, it was far too late.

The next thing he knew, his mouth was full of dead grass and dirt, and his shoulder stung from the blow it had taken. He slowly picked himself up to see a large hawk nursing its singed wingtip. "Ulki, you have my gratitude." Reyson softly touched the edge of the hawk's smoldering feathers, willing the spirit of the forest to lend its energy once more, to help heal his friend's wing. When he drew his hand away, the burn had reduced to a small scar.

If a hawk could smile with its beak, then that was almost exactly the expression Ulki wore before retracting from his laguz form. This temporary distraction, however, did not make Reyson forget the truth. But as the heron rose from the ground, he was knocked flat yet again, this time with Ulki lying on top of him, breathing hard.

"Well, well, my feathered friend, what is this? Please, do tell." Ulki swiftly got off of the prince, who glanced upward in alarm at the harsh voice, a voice that sounded like it once had a beautiful lilt to it. His green eyes widened further when he saw Ulki favoring a gash in his shoulder and trying to suppress a grimace.

"That arrow was not meant to be fatal, noble prince." Their focus darted towards the far side of the area, where an ominous, towering shadow began to emerge from within the thick atmosphere of smoke. "But I will commend your companion on his sharp hearing. After all, had I been a hunter, you would be defenseless."

With powerful, almost uplifting strides, the owner of the unknown voice divulged his form at last. It was a hawk whose aura alone commanded the attention of all.

His filthy robes were frayed and tattered from years of constant use, and he possessed a stern face with silver orbs that told tales of hardship. Bare feet with curved, pointed toenails and a proud posture served to impress, and shoulder-length dark hair included bangs that dipped over half of his face, giving him almost a roguish look.

Both friends gasped for completely contrary reasons as the stranger advanced on them. This was no ordinary laguz they were about to deal with. To Reyson, he was a traitor to the bird tribe, one who dared to rebel against his own kind. But for Ulki, the image of a childhood playmate resurfaced from centuries' worth of memory.

"Fabriel," the name fell from Ulki's lips before he acknowledged it. The heron beside him took upon an expression of incredulity, while Fabriel had halted in mid step, lines of confusion wrinkling deep into his forehead. Everything was deathly silent for a moment, excluding the forest's dying cry, until Fabriel's face became an impassive mask once more. He held no trace of previous emotions in his following words. "You are Ulki."

The other hawk lifted his eyebrows, almost in amusement. "That I most certainly am, my friend." Fabriel scoffed at once upon hearing these words.

"Friend...! If you were my friend, you certainly would have come to help me after I was banished!"

Something was wrong. Ulki felt deeply disturbed at the change that had occurred in the hawk he once knew, and he replied cautiously, "Wait, you were banished? I... They told me that you left with your mother to find an easier place for her to give birth, and I didn't find out until I—″ He winced as Fabriel's rugged, worn face contorted into a mask of outrage.

Sapphire orbs flickered darkly, as if a candle had been extinguished with the light's presence left behind. "You lie. My baby brother had already been born, and because he was, my family was disowned, ostracized, from the Hall! And you knew! You and your hearing, could you not?"

"What?" Ulki was now thoroughly perplexed. "No. How could you have been...? But then what became of your brother?"

"Yes, what of my brother?" said Fabriel. "As if you, Ulki, would even begin to care! I know we never got to see each other often, and so you never knew him, but you shouldn't pretend!" Even as he spoke, the barely noticeable tremor in his voice betrayed a hint of relief, as if he was somehow glad that Ulki really hadn't had the slightest clue.

But Reyson, who had been ignored up until now, interjected furiously, "Silence, traitor. If you really knew Ulki, then you would know that he never has reason to turn his back on a friend!" Ulki's features softened.

"Reyson, I beg of you, stay out of this." The hawk's pleading look and tone did but little to appease the heron's anger with Fabriel. "It would be better for you to go find Janaff. Please."

It strangely clicked. Ulki was making things very personal indeed, and the only time Reyson had ever noticed this happening was with Janaff. Did he, the heron wondered, hold Fabriel in the same amount of light as Janaff? Slowly but reluctantly, he turned to leave.

He had gone no more than ten paces when a dry breeze descended upon the area, fanning the fire wildly as he abruptly turned around in worry. Though the wind whipped at his hair, sending it streaming across his line of vision, and sparks were flying yonder, Reyson could still see one thing: Fabriel had initiated the first strike of a bitter grudge.

Concerned, the heron raced back to the scene, his fear dissolving somewhat at the sight of his friend who was at least half-trying to block. Satisfied, he shouted, "Ulki, we don't have time for this! You only have to incapacitate him!"

Soon, however, it became clear that Ulki was deliberately failing to evade injury. His opponent beat Reyson to the question, demanding coldly, "What are you doing!"

"I would be lying if I said nothing," said Ulki stiffly, "but answer me truthfully, why do you insist on fighting?" He made no attempt to counter the next hit, taking the full brunt of it and falling back a few steps. The hawk was unfazed as he continued to take more damage.

Reyson could tell from Fabriel's split-second hesitation that he was surprised at Ulki's actions, but he seemed to be taking advantage, nonetheless, as he landed blow after blow. The heron caught his breath as he witnessed Ulki finally crumple under the consecutive barrage of fierce attacks. Ulki's body was cruelly marred with bruises and deep slashes, and his complexion had whitened thoroughly. And although he was bleeding from several cuts that seemed nonfatal, his defeated position on the ground proved his inability to fight.

Then, much to the prince's horror, Fabriel kicked the downed hawk squarely in the side, flipping him over and causing blood to eject from his mouth. Ulki struggled to get up, shaking with the effort, but he quickly collapsed, producing feeble coughs. Indifferent to this, the other hawk went on abusing him. "Come on, I know you're better than this! Fight back!"

"I...would never...lay a hand...on those dear to me," Ulki responded gently. As Fabriel froze in brief shock, Reyson took the opportunity to jump in between the two.

"Can you hear your friend now? You have to stop this!" The hawk swiftly recovered from his stupor only to harden his expression and roughly shove the heron aside. Reyson's brilliant eyes accentuated to a dangerous shade of sea green; before Fabriel's hand could reach Ulki, Reyson had knocked it away. "You will not be hurting him any further."

In an instant, the prince somehow found Ulki underneath him, whose arms painfully reached around and pulled him closer in order to protect him. But Reyson shook off the help and picked himself up with disbelief on his face. His hand unconsciously reached up to touch his jaw where Fabriel had backhanded him.

"White Prince, you must understand. I have no means to rope you into our quarrel, but if you persist on meddling, you will not be spared. Leave." When Reyson stood implacable, Fabriel gave him a look of pity and struck him down once more. This time the heron didn't move.

Ulki closed his eyes, knowing Fabriel had done what was best for all of them; Reyson had merely been knocked out so that no distractions would be present for either of them, although the hawk strongly suspected that Fabriel might have done it because he was a heron. As Ulki looked over, however, he flew into a panic. Reyson's still form was enclosed in a crude ring of flames that were already licking away at his stained clothes. But before he could even hope to begin to move, the other hawk's following words made him pause.

"You wanted to know why I held this grudge for so long, why I resort to such drastic measures... I suppose I should answer. It is not solely because of your failure to acknowledge my banishment, but also because of our race's extreme jaundice against my brother." At this point Ulki noticed that Fabriel had unknowingly let his emotions seep through his voice.

"Even if you didn't want to accept him, I had thought others would be willing to lend their sympathy, just for a while. But no, every single laguz we met turned their back in scorn and left us to the humans!

"Mother died of grief shortly after we departed, and being rejected by countless of our race, I had to find some way for my little brother to survive." Ulki's eyes widened. "You're surprised? I became a slave, leaving him in the care of a beorc couple too old to care about what kind of blood the gift of Ashera held. During those years, I eventually heard he had passed away. But I also heard that he had had a great-grandchild.

"Only when I find that child will I stop abhorring every single being in existence. I'm sure you understand. You always have. Until then..."

In a flash, Fabriel unsheathed a dagger that projected an eerie, orange aura before reflecting an image visible only to Ulki. The hawk smiled grimly as he allowed himself to pass out.

Ulki's sudden movement sent Fabriel into a state of confusion, but the hawk was forced to clear his mind immediately as he hastily leapt aside, dropping his dagger. Had his ability to react been dulled any more, he would have been nailed in the head with an arrow.

"You're not the only laguz who knows how to use a beorc weapon." The hawk speedily pivoted to discover an unfamiliar face, and his eyes narrowed to slits as he surveyed his new opponent busily sidestepping blazing, fallen branches.

Janaff, on the other hand, was trying to control his acrimony; dealing with renegades was certainly not his forte. This hawk had better have a good reason for his actions if he wanted to save his tail feathers. "Don't you realize how blind you are? Even if your brother was never accepted, he lives on in that child!"

Fabriel clearly wasn't convinced, and Janaff explained exasperatedly, "What I'm trying to say is that I, for one, would have treated him as an equal no matter what. Even if those laguz refused you, in their hearts, they really did want to help you, and it's not too late to start. Your brother is my brother."

"State your name. How much did you hear?"

The younger hawk bit his lip at how vindictive Ulki's supposed friend was being. "It's Janaff, and I've heard more than enough. You should know by now that what you've done will have turned every single living being against you. Do you even know what the child's name is?" As Janaff continued talking, he quickly whisked Reyson out of danger, setting him down next to Ulki.

"Of course I know what it is! And everyone has been against me since the beginning. Why should now be any different?" Fabriel replied stonily. Janaff's brows furrowed as he proceeded towards him, but the hawk would have none of it. "Stay out of what isn't your business!" he hissed. But his words fell upon deaf ears, and he gave a low snarl, a last warning that overflowed with venomous undertones.

Janaff's anger flared at once. "Gah! You vile, disgusting piece of...! ...Filthy bum..." he finished lamely. He had to keep a cool head through all this, for Ulki's sake, otherwise allowing Fabriel to risk unnecessary retributions he didn't want to think about. "It most certainly is my business, brother hawk." But he still couldn't keep the clipped tone from touching the word 'brother'.

The intensity of everything surrounding the two hawks soared, informing Janaff immediately that it had been the wrong thing to say. A chill of ice fire rippled down his spine as Fabriel delivered him the most wicked, horrifying look he had ever witnessed.

Abruptly, flames seemed to surge towards him from all sides, and Janaff flinched, hunching in on himself before realizing his mistake.

But quick as he was, it wasn't enough. Janaff's muscles were still tense and coiled, ready to spring when Fabriel appeared out of nowhere, slamming into him with such ferocity that their impact with the ground sent plumes of smoke dancing to great heights. Unfortunately, this hampered Janaff's vision, allowing the other hawk to knee him in the stomach and effectively knock the wind out of him.

Doubling over, Janaff choked on the polluted air as Fabriel distanced himself for another attack. "This is stupid," he muttered to himself, getting up and shifting to a defensive stance. "Ike, I'll have to ask for your forgiveness. This isn't something that can wait."

"Fabriel," the hawk addressed the other directly, "it doesn't have to be this way, but if you're going to push the matter, then so be it."

He had hardly finished talking when his adversary shot forward and unleashed a vicious but controlled jab. Unprepared once more, Janaff involuntarily stumbled backwards out of surprise. But it turned out to be the decisive move; Fabriel's fist missed by inches. That was all the time Janaff needed to recover and avoid the next punch, then landing a hook of his own, sending the older hawk staggering back with hands raking the air for balance.

As Fabriel landed neatly with the help of an acrobatic flip, he reached up to smear away the blood trickling from his split lip. Janaff was tougher than he had anticipated. But no, he couldn't let this hawk win! He had paved his own path this far, and he would continue to do so without fail.

It gave Fabriel great satisfaction to see Janaff's horrified expression as he transfigured himself. "You're taking this too far!" Janaff cried. The hawk gave no reply as he lunged faster than ever, tearing through a good part of the other's left shoulder with his talons.

Janaff simply stared forward, eyes unseeing as the thick, crimson liquid spattered everywhere. He made no sound of pain or discomfort, but his telltale knees were threatening to buckle beneath him at the sheer weight of the brutality.

Fabriel gave a mocking screech from up above, as if to say, 'Giving up so soon?' So immersed were the two in their battle that both failed to hear the faint rumble in the distance. Janaff took a shaky, determined step and in an instant, had taken on his laguz form, climbing to graze the older hawk with his wing. A mess of swiping claws and snapping beaks ensued, with the younger landing less but more precise hits.

Their fight continued heatedly until suddenly, Janaff whipped Fabriel squarely in the face with a large, burning twig in his beak just as the other hawk savagely beat upon his smarting shoulder. It was final. Neither hawk had the endurance to last any longer, but the hatred behind their eyes was hardcore proof of their will to go on. Descending, they became beorc once again, both panting from exhaustion.

"I will never stop seeking vengeance," Fabriel remained adamant as he watched Janaff struggle to stay standing. The ever present crackling of flames reminded the young hawk that the Serenes Forest couldn't hold out much longer.

A dark blur zipped towards him with alarming swiftness, and Janaff's eyes reflexively snapped shut against his will. But in the amount of time it took to open them, a frowzy yet impeccable heron had suddenly come between the two hawks. When he spoke, his voice held such authority that Janaff could have sworn it was Lorazieh himself in his time.

"Cease your foolish acts!" The rage in Reyson's voice was unmistakable. "You will evoke Ashera's wrath if either of you kill your kin!" As if on cue, lightning flashed across the sky. Another thunderclap drowned out Fabriel's retort, but his meaning was clear. Where was the Goddess when I prayed for her to save my brother!

A slight drizzle began to fall upon the land, helping to quell the blazes that flared angrily. The Serenes Forest seemed to shudder with relief, but the tension among its conscious occupants had hardly wavered.

Reyson made to firmly stride forward, but it was obvious that the heron was still physically shaken and weak. Fabriel seized the new opportunity.

With astonishing speed for one as tired as he, Fabriel had flown past Reyson and ripped at Janaff's shoulder yet again. As the younger hawk sank to the ground with a cry of agony, he quickly performed an about-face and tackled the heron to the ground, straddling him. Reyson hissed as embers that hadn't yet cooled bit into his back, but he could do little in his situation.

All at once Reyson found that he couldn't seem to get air into his lungs, and it wasn't the smoke. His hands flew to his throat, but breathing only became more arduous; dimly, he registered that Fabriel was the one who was choking him. Reyson's struggles for oxygen became weaker and weaker, his arms finally falling limply to the side.

"Fabriel, no!" The hawk gritted his teeth as Ulki's voice rang clear, especially now that the drizzle had become rain. In that instant, his grip had loosened upon the heron's neck, and a fist was sent his way. Alas, Reyson's attempt was in vain as the other bird caught his wrist.

"No use trying to play dead, White Prince." Nonetheless, Fabriel got up to face Ulki for the second time. But he had no control over Ulki's next words, and they slowly began to chip away at him.

"Fabriel... I really don't want to have to hurt you. You and I—we were friends, and we will always will be. That's why...I will help look for your brother's descendant."

The hawk being addressed could only shake his head in disbelief. A moment of silence passed between the two hawks before Fabriel admitted sadly, "You really didn't know that I had been banished, did you?" As Ulki shook his head, he went on, "...I'll forgive you this once, but you must promise to leave and never cross paths with me again. This is my sole quest, and no one will get in the way, even you."

A lump formed in Ulki's throat at this, and he pleaded, "But at least for now, you must discontinue, before the real storm arrives." And indeed, the rain had already started to become more violent and the thunder louder than ever, having escaped the birds' notice amidst their fighting.

Just when Ulki thought he would have to use force, at last, Fabriel finally consented with a nod. When warmth flooded Ulki's face, however, the hawk flinched slightly and hurriedly tried to hide it. But Ulki had missed it regardless as he went to help steady Reyson, who had gotten up and was casting a wary look at Fabriel.

The outcast was bending down and offering a hand to Janaff, who also hesitated until accepting it. But as soon as their hands touched, Reyson knew his suspicions were confirmed. Immediately, Fabriel took Janaff's hand and threw him into the nearest tree with all his might, briefly stunning everyone and allowing him to make a mad dash to tear Janaff apart. The younger hawk could barely raise his arms to block, gritting his teeth against the overwhelming situation.

The White Prince's screech of unequaled rage could have frozen the very pits of hell as he fought in vain against Ulki's death grip, but the hawk wouldn't let him go. Instead, he began to drag the thrashing heron away, grimly acknowledging that there was hardly anything anyone could do at this point.

Quickly finding a nearby cave, Ulki forced Reyson to comply and pushed him inside, saying, "Reyson, please, no matter what you hear, do not come outside."

"But it's dangerous for you too," the heron protested darkly. "Besides, Janaff needs help right now. Ulki, you have to let me come!"

"Reyson—″ Ulki got no further when a rapid succession of flashes interrupted him, and he stood rooted to the spot, an expression of terror plastered on his face. The other seemed to have the same interpretation, that this environmental hazard posed a nasty threat to the hawks outside, for he paled at once.

Ulki raced for the entrance, but he pulled up short when the sickening sound of splitting wood warned him that a tree was about to give way. Retreating backwards a bit, he spared Reyson an imminent heart attack as an enormous ash came crashing down, many of its branches snapping like twigs at the impact. Despite the narrow escape, both friends gave a cry of despair; the thick trunk had fallen directly across the mouth of the cave with but a slit left at the top. Even for Reyson, slim as he was, it would be a tight squeeze.

Desperate but undeterred, Ulki swiftly tried to fit himself through, but he only managed to get his head, an arm, and a wing outside. Reyson rushed to his aid, and after several scrapes that aggravated the hawk's wounds, Ulki finally made it out into the open with a twisted wing in the process. Painfully righting himself, he frantically scanned for signs of his other two friends.

Suddenly, another lightning bolt struck again, this time accompanied by a shrill, hoarse scream. Ulki's heart skipped a beat or two, and he was fairly sure Reyson had experienced something similar, but to his dismay Ulki could not identify whose voice the cry defined. However, now he was able to have a general idea of where the two were.

Limping out towards the direction of the scream, Ulki didn't make it far enough by the time the next blinding electrical bolt lit up the sky. What unexpectedly horrified him further was that he had glimpsed silhouettes in the air of whom he knew to be Janaff and Fabriel, and both were plummeting down at a frightening rate.

After losing sight of them behind the treetops, Ulki tried to glide over as fast as he could, but his injuries and the constant downpour greatly hampered his speed.

The hawk was nearly about to give up any hope of ever getting to them in time, when he thankfully caught sight of an obscure figure down on one knee. Wishing he had Janaff's eyesight, Ulki couldn't tell who it was, but then he saw the prone body lying facedown on the ground in front of the other, who was now angrily raking the soggy mud with one of his hands. It had to be Janaff.

To Ulki, everything had gone quiet, for he could hear nothing. The thunder was but a faint distortion in silence's balance. The pelting rain...wasn't even rain anymore...

The young hawk in the distance awkwardly stumbled to his feet, miraculously able to stay upright while swaying at a worrisome angle. Right then Ulki was struck by surprise as the still form started to move slightly, slowly crawling towards Janaff.

Janaff offered no resistance as Fabriel used him to pull himself up, and something told Ulki then and there that it was over. His childhood friend could no longer stand on his own, slumping tiredly onto Janaff's shoulder, which made the hawk wince openly, and evidently speaking to him. But with the present raging storm, it was impossible for even Ulki to hear what was being said.

Without warning, Fabriel slipped from his support and fell, already lifeless before he hit the ground. Ulki could barely register the flicker of incredulity that shadowed Janaff's face before it vanished; his soul was numb to the core, his heart suddenly having frosted over. But then...why hadn't the rain frozen too? Why did the rain still continue to run down his face? Just like...

Janaff glanced upwards, both startled and noticing his friend's presence for the first time. The older hawk was just as soaked as he was, but his incisive sight allowed him to detect that Ulki's face seemed to have the slightest distinction of how wet it was compared to the rest of his clothes and body.

The younger hawk's lips pressed into a thin line; the extra dampness was somehow gone now, like it had never existed. Had it just been the rain after all?

Jerking awake at early dawn, Reyson was about to die of fright when he couldn't locate anyone, but he began to calm as he recalled the past events. Cursing himself for falling asleep, the heron got up and slipped through the wedge, ignoring his aching body. To his immediate but rather pleasant surprise, Janaff and Ulki were sleeping right outside, tightly huddled together against the tree trunk and looking quite miserable.

The younger hawk had caked streaks of blood all over his form, including both of his wings, and if Reyson hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that Janaff's left shoulder was still bleeding. Ulki hardly looked any different, especially since the true effects of the damage dealt were starting to show with swelling and stiffness, and Reyson guessed that there were probably even nastier abrasions hidden under the hawk's garments.

At last, the heron oddly noted that Fabriel was nowhere to be seen, and after taking a gander at what must have taken place last night, he knew Ulki was going to be in more pain than he would ever let on.

Reyson felt tears begin to trail down his cheeks, for he could no longer stand it. Hastening over to Janaff and Ulki, he dearly embraced both close to him.

Eventually, the two hawks woke up later in the day and, at the request of the heron, haltingly recounted what had happened. As they neared the end, both of them hesitated and glanced at each other, but they broke eye contact almost at once, their expressions hardening.

However, Janaff was prodded to speak as Reyson peered at him expectantly. He said, "Ulki, Fabriel told me... He said that you had been out on one of our early training missions, remember? We had to prove our worth as the eyes and ears? He knew banishment was going to come soon, and he didn't want to worry you about it, because you didn't know the truth about his brother. He knew the situation would be completely hidden away by the time we came back. But I guess seeing you again...after all these years...

"He wanted you to forgive him, forgive him for using you. He even admitted that the child might not really exist at all," Janaff finished thickly.

"Using me?" Ulki was unable to comprehend the concept. Janaff then proceeded to explain that Fabriel done everything, including Ulki's beating, on the whim that Ulki would be able to forgive him no matter what. Reyson looked away, not doubting that he wasn't the only one disliking how true it was.

Suddenly, he leapt up with a desperate yell. "Oh, dear Ashera, no! What are we going to do about Ike!" The three friends exchanged terrified looks, having forgotten all about their young general's predicament.

Before any of them could give further thought, Reyson and Ulki stiffened in unison, leaving Janaff a bit befuddled. Ulki turned to Reyson, who nodded in accordance.

Janaff was about to ask when the soft, lilting cry of a heron echoed clearly across the forest, answering his question. Turning his head, he swiftly spotted none other than Leanne followed by King Phoenicis himself.

The heron siblings joyously drew into each other's arms while Janaff and Ulki endured a hearty but smarting slap on the back from their king. Reyson and Leanne began to converse quietly in their heron tongue, and much information was uncovered as the talk went on, including the fact that Ike was recovering well. One of Tibarn's attendants apparently had had enough sense to grab the last of the antidote as the entire hawk population of Phoenicis fled.

For Leanne's safety, Tibarn had immediately flown straight for the Serenes Forest after the attack on Phoenicis, hypothesizing correctly that the forest would be an automatic target. He, Leanne, and the rest of the hawks had been grudgingly taken in by Kilvas, not that anyone in particular was happy about it.

Tibarn and Leanne had gone to visit Ike's company in order to tell them of this, but of course, Ike was ill and by then the three friends' absence was driving just about everyone into insanity, especially taking its toll on Soren. Tibarn had to travel the entire way back to Kilvas to retrieve the antidote while Leanne stayed with Ike, singing the galdr for him, if just to soothe him for a little while. The general was quite near death's door when the hawk king had returned.

There was also the question of why Begnion hadn't come to assist, but Reyson quickly concluded that the citizens were most likely scared of being accused.

Then Janaff related the general gist of Fabriel to their lord, leaving out the fact that he and Ulki had been friends, and it turned out Tibarn had no idea as to who the hawk was. The council then had probably thought he couldn't handle the situation at the time due to his inexperience as a new king.

Finally, Tibarn called for them to get ready to go. Other hawks were arriving to help, and healers were waiting on the outskirts of the forest. They would all later personally escort them back to the main company.

Upon leaving, Ulki shifted his head ever so slightly, just enough to catch Reyson's attention. The heron gave him a sad smile and said gently, "You know he really didn't hate you, Ulki. He was just lonely... Never have I seen someone actually have to work to hate another."

"Much less that hard," Janaff quietly concurred with Reyson. Only then was Ulki able to let go...and set Fabriel's contrite soul free. No regrets...for anyone.