Sonia walked through the camp with a heavy sigh. The sight at the tower earlier had been truly horrific. All those laguz, experimented on and brutally butchered beyond recognition. She was glad that Sothe didn't see it. She would never want her brother to see something so terrible. Sonia stopped suddenly, tents all around her, torches flickering brightly in the evening. She had somehow wandered into the area of the camp where the laguz were camping. It wasn't surprising. All the camps were pretty close to each other. Getting ready to leave, a mewling sound came out of the tent adjacent to her. She stopped in her tracks. Such a pitiful noise was never heard here before. Walking up to the tent, she gently parted the flaps and peered inside. She stifled a gasp. It was Ranulf. His head was in his hands with his elbows on his knees. Seated on the edge of his bed, his whole posture was slumped, ears, tail and all. Her heart fluttered in empathy and she flitted to his side. She kneeled down in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ranulf…" she breathed. "Are you okay?" His ears pricked and his head snapped up to greet her. The expression painted on his face was one of sheer surprise.

"Sonia!" he gasped, quickly putting on a smile. Immediately, she could tell it was fake. "Yeah I'm fine!" He leaned back so that her hand slipped off his shoulder and he scratched his head. "What are you doing here?" He gestured to the spot next to him and she complied, taking a seat.

"I was taking a walk," she informed him, playing with the unusual streak of gold in her hair. "Somehow my feet led me here." Sonia looked into his eyes, paying notice to how one was green and the other purple. "Maybe it was you?" When she said that, he quickly turned away, eyes down. Sonia stood up, irritated. "I know you're lying Ranulf! I'm part heron remember?" Ranulf lowered his head even more and smirked sadly.

"Damn," he whispered and Sonia sighed. She went back over to him, kneeling down and turning his head to that he was looking her in the face.

"Ranulf… You can talk to me." She caressed his face gently with her fingertips. When he didn't respond, she took a deep breath. "Is it about this afternoon?" He didn't need to answer. The sudden stiffening of his posture, his hair standing on end, ears laid back and the low growl escaping his throat. It all went to serve; it was most definitely about earlier.

"Who would do such a thing?" he asked her, suddenly sounding so tired and defeated. "My brothers and sisters- I could not bear it!" She sat down by him again and took his head in her arms where she cradled it upon her chest.

"Shh," she breathed in her soft voice. "Whoever performed that atrocity will be caught." She stroked his blue hair gently. "I understand your pain Ranulf. Tibarn, Reyson, the others. They feel the same." His ears moved and tickled her nose. "It's okay to mourn Ranulf. Don't hold it in." As a response to her words, he pulled away and looked at the wall. Sonia smiled, a little saddened and stood up. "Well, um." She paused looking at him. "I won't bother you anymore so try to get some sleep ok?" She turned away to leave but a tug at her hips stopped her. Looking back, Ranulf was holding on to the flaps of fabric attached to her belt that she hid her weapons behind.

"Sonia." He said quietly. "D-Don't leave yet." She gaped, her mouth 'O' shaped. This was an unexpected turn of events. He looked up at her, his kitty eyes pleading. "Please stay." Sonia stood there, thrown off for a moment before she seated herself again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let his head rest in the crook of her neck. They stayed like that for a while when she felt his hands travel up from her elbows to her upper arms. She winced as he gripped it hard, his knuckles turning white. Biting her lip, attempting to ignore the now pulsing throb in her arms, she gently scratched the area behind his ears. With a small purr behind another sad mew, he slowly started to glow and his body changed. Sonia closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Ranulf had shifted into his cat form. His hands were now paws, the sharp claws replacing his fingers, digging into her flesh, drawing fresh blood down her arms. To try to console him, she gently stroked the fur on the back of his head. Ranulf slowly released his death grip in response to the sweet caress. His paws slid from her arms and his body lowered into her lap. She continued to stroke his blue fur and Ranulf looked up at her with his different colored eyes. With a purr of involuntary pleasure, he snuggled in closer. Sonia felt her face grow hot and she hastily continued to pet him. Suddenly, a low growl escaped his throat as he peered at her arm. Uttering an apologetic meow, he leaned up and licked her on the cheek once, before moving on to her bleeding wounds. Sonia stopped petting him in mild shock. Sure they were friends but, this was quite intimate, even for them.

The bleeding in her upper arms gradually subsided as Ranulf continuously licked her arms, the wounds he caused still there but a mere fragment of the severity it was when it was inflicted. She continued the stroking of his fur as he continued his licking. Soon, the bleeding had stopped entirely. He looked up at Sonia with his mismatched eyes and mewed, but Sonia knew exactly what he was saying.

"I'm sorry Sonia. I know that you're frail…Please forgive me for hurting you." She shook her head and scratched the patch of fur behind his left ear, his secret comfort spot. Ranulf leaned into it.

"Don't worry about it Ranulf," she whispered to him. "It's not your fault." He merely meowed again and lay down on her leg where she proceeded to singing galdr, the ancient songs that soothe the body and spirit. Soon enough, his swishing tail stopped and his breathing evened to sleep. Singing just a little longer, Ranulf shifted back into his human form, his head resting on her lap. Smiling to herself, she stood up, replacing her lap with a pillow and covered him with a blanket. Satisfied, she walked over to the entrance and parted the flap, looking back once more. "Sweet dreams Ranulf."

-THE NEXT MORNING-

Sonia stifled a yawn as she stretched in the morning air. The incident last night was all but forgotten. The sun wasn't even up yet so there were very few people awake and active, actually, make that none. Walking around a bit more, she saw a shadow on the training ground outside the camp. Peeking past the tents, she broke into a smile. Zihark. She stepped out from behind the tents and watched him cut the air with each fluid stroke of his sword. He did not notice her, his eyes closed in concentration.

"Training hard?" she asked him and he stopped in confusion. He looked around and his face broke into a smile when his eyes fell on her face. He parted his sweat soaked hair and approached her.

"Sonia!" he exclaimed as he reached out to her and brushed away the hair that had fallen into her eyes. She blushed with a silly grin. "What are you doing up so early?" He looked towards the East, the sun just barely poking over the horizon. "The sun hasn't even risen yet!" She smirked and placed her hands on her hips.

"I was taking a walk and same goes for you!" She tilted her head to one side. "And the fact that you haven't noticed me until I talked to you means that your guard was down. I could have killed you and no one would have been the wiser. You need to be more attuned to your surroundings!" The last part cracked. She was worried for him. If it wasn't an ally that approached him… she shook the thought away with a shudder. She didn't even want to think about that. He blinked at her once and laughed, his blue eyes closing.

"Good point on both accounts!" He winked at her and brushed his knuckles against her cheek in what she was sure, was a reassuring gesture. "Don't worry about me Sonia. I'll be fine." Sonia blushed but luckily Zihark didn't seem to notice. He twirled his sword before sticking it into the ground. "I was training. Care to take a break from your walk and join me?" Sonia fidgeted. Zihark raised his eyebrows and smiled, holding out his hand to her. "Don't worry! I'll go easy on you!" She twitched and took his hand with a disbelieving look. His grin widened as he picked his sword back up and led her to the clearing as she answered.

"I accept your challenge." They let go and spread out on the training ground. She slid her two favorite daggers from their sheathes and held them at the ready. Across from her, Zihark did the same thing with his sword. A moment of silence and Zihark charged. No one could deny that he was fast. In a mere matter of seconds, he was across the ground and his sword crashed into her daggers, steel on steel creating a loud din in the morning air. Without waiting for him to attack again, she spun around, her dagger flashing dangerously, but before it landed, he jumped back, countering with a wide sweep of his sword. Not a good move. It left him open for attack. Sonia ducked moments before it passed over her and she stepped back to attack him from his side. The one that was completely open. This time, her dagger nicked his arm and she heard a barely audible hiss through clenched teeth from the pain. He brought his sword toward her in a thrust but she jumped back before bending, building up power in her legs before pouncing and knocking him over with the built up force and gravity. Zihark hit the ground with his eyes closed, braced for impact as his breath whooshed out of his lungs. When his eyes opened again, Sonia was sitting on his chest, her knees on his arms and the knife inches from his throat.

"I win," she said with a smirk. "You know no one can beat me in a contest of speed." Zihark blinked, momentarily stunned before he smiled.

"I could throw you off you know?" he said and Sonia smiled.

"Then why don't you?" she retorted. He shook his head.

"Because I-" he stopped, mid-sentence in surprise as he stared at her. Sonia cocked her head in curiosity. Zihark suddenly glared, taking her back. "Sonia…" he breathed. "What happened to your arms?" She jolted and glanced down. The bandages she had tried to hide under her gloves were now exposed and red stains were spreading on the white. Without thinking, she stumbled off of him, retreating a few steps.

"N-N-Nothing! Nothing happened!" Sonia stuttered, trying in vain to hide her now aching arms. Zihark had risen from his spot on the ground and took her forearms, avoiding the wounds above her elbows. Sonia silently freaked.

"I asked you what happened." Sonia looked away, her face bright red.

"I… cut myself on branches," she lied. Zihark frowned.

"These don't look like cuts from a tree," he said as he ran his thumb gently under her wounds. "It looks more like… Claw marks." Sonia stiffened as his gaze fell on her, his blue eyes piercing. "Tell me Sonia. What happened to you?" Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, her heart pounding. What should she tell him? If she told him that Ranulf had hurt her, what would happen? The three of them were really close friends. Would this hurt their friendship? While Sonia was struggling for an answer, Ranulf just happened to walk in on the pair. His tail snapped straight in surprise as he acknowledged the two.

"Uh," he stated. "Am I interrupting something?" Sonia quickly pulled away with a smile aimed in his direction. Zihark looked at Ranulf with confusion in his eyes.

"No! No!" Sonia blabbered. "You're not interrupting anything!" Zihark looked like he was going to say something but he didn't get the chance. Ranulf breathed out and walked up to the two, taking Sonia's hand in his own.

"Good. I want to talk to you Sonia. That ok with you two?" Sonia nodded and both of them looked back at Zihark. He sighed and a small smile graced his lips.

"I'm ok with it. See you two later!" Ranulf nodded his thanks and pulled her away. Sonia turned her head and Zihark gave her a 'this-isn't-over' look before going back to training on his own. Ranulf took her into the woods, the sun now streaming in through the treetops. The birds sang and Sonia couldn't help but sing along to it, making Ranulf smile in her direction.

"Come on!" he said, turning to her. "We're almost there!" He quickened his pace and as a result, Sonia was forced to do the same. Good thing that she was technically faster than him. The trees flew past them as they fell away and the light grew brighter. Soon, they came to a clearing inside the forest where a small waterfall fell into a pond of equal size, looking up past the trees, the sky was a brilliant blue.

Sonia sucked in her breath, the beauty taking her away. The morning dew on the grass was undisturbed, setting the ground alight with rainbows. Her eyes lit up and she skipped over to the small body of water and peered into the sparkling waters before standing up and twirling on the spot with a laugh. Ranulf smiled. "You like this place?" he asked, leaning against a tree.

Sonia nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's gorgeous!" She stooped down and picked up a pebble by the shore of the lake. "I can't believe that I never noticed this place before!" She laughed and Ranulf smiled.

"I'm glad." Ranulf went quiet and Sonia noticed immediately. She ceased her exploring and strode over to him, a nonplussed look on her face. His eyes were lidded while she approached and snapped open when she took his hand, her sea-green eyes with sparkling gold peering up at him. Her face was now one of sheer concern as she interlaced her fingers with his.

"Ranulf…" she started, her eyes searching his face. "Why did you bring me here today?" He glanced away from her looking quite upset. He sighed and Sonia looked harder. She could sense uncertainty, sadness, and guilt. Why was that?

"I-I," Ranulf tried to say as Sonia's face grew ever more perplexed. He took a deep breath and turned back to her. "I wanted to… apologize." Sonia groaned and backed away from him, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Ranulf!" she yelled, exasperated. "You already apologized to me! You don't have to do it again!" Ranulf winced and for a moment, she thought that she might have gone too far.

"I know," he said, breaking the moment of silence. "I just wanted to do it properly." He reached behind his back, prompting Sonia to try and peer past him. She failed. He was taller, had a bigger build and was too close to the tree. She couldn't see behind him at all. It seems like he was prolonging it on purpose. When he finally pulled his hand back out from behind him, he was holding a little pouch. The bag itself wasn't very impressive, but it was cute- blue cloth drawn together with a simple string.

Sonia blinked. "What's this?" Ranulf didn't answer right away, instead placing the pouch in her hand.

"Beorc give gifts when they want to apologize right? This is my gift to you." He nodded at her, as if to encourage her and she raised a single arched eyebrow. He nodded again when Sonia didn't move and she sighed. She didn't want him to feel obligated but she also didn't want to hurt him so- she might as well. She gently undid the string while Ranulf looked on with bated breath. Sonia gasped before her eyes lidded with an unreadable visage.

"Ranulf… You…" The cat frowned and his ears drooped in uncertainty.

"You… don't like it?" His tail swiped at the dirt, creating a small dust cloud. "I can take it back if you don't want-" A thump disrupted his voice. Ranulf's back was pressed against the tree, Sonia practically hanging off his neck in a hug. His hair and fur stood on end as the heat rushed up his face. "S-Sonia?" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?" She laughed and pulled back to face him. Ranulf thought that he could see tears forming at the side of her eyes. She shook her head.

"No Ranulf. I love it!" She pulled back a little further and held the object between them. A glistening clear stone carved in a shape of a wing inlaid with silver, all hanging from a knotted gold string. "It's beautiful! Where did you get it?" Ranulf gawked. When he finally realized that she liked it, he beamed.

"I made it actually," He turned away, blushing. "You have heron blood and green hair so I thought that it would look good on you." He paused. "I hope you will accept my apology." Sonia made a face and smacked him over the head. "Ouch!" he yelped. "What was that about?" She sighed, crossing her arms.

"I already forgave you Ranulf," she chided. "You didn't have to give me anything." Ranulf rubbed the spot where she hit him carefully, testing to see if there were any bumps.

"Ok then. Thanks for forgiving me but," He took the stone and fastened it onto Sonia's belt. "I hope that you will accept this anyway." His hands lingered at her side before he straightened up. "All right?" Sonia mock scowled before grinning slyly.

"Fine." She walked away from him to the lake and slipped off her gloves, revealing her brand on her inner left forearm and the red stains on her bandages. She peeled off the red strips of fabric, wincing at the sight of the blood that encompassed her arms. Dunking the bandages in the lake, she scrubbed them until they were mostly free of red. While she worked, Ranulf had walked over to her with a cloth. Dipping it in the water, he wrung them out and tenderly wiped away the blood on her arms. Sonia flushed red as her blood and continued scrubbing the bandages furiously. When they were clean, the cat took them from her. Wiping off the last bit of blood, he gently applied a salve from his pouch and re-bandaged her wounds. "Thanks." She muttered to him, pulling her gloves back on.

He nodded and helped her to her feet. "Ready to go back?" he asked her, looking up at the sun, shielding his eyes from its' golden rays. "Ike and the others should be awake by now. They'll be wondering where we are." Sonia laughed.

"Especially Ike. He'll be wondering about breakfast!" Ranulf's serious expression turned to bouts of laughter almost as fast as he could blink.

"Guess we better hurry then huh? I don't know about you but I don't want to deal with a food grudge!" Nodding her head in agreement, they set off back down the path from whence they came, the sun breaking through the canopy even more and setting the ground aglow with golden light. The walk back was faster this time. The pair both wanted to get back to prepare for whatever the day ahead would give them. When they emerged from the veil of green, the camp was already bustling with activity and everyone was doing their usual. Boyd and Rolf were arguing again, Mist and Oscar trying to break them up. Mia was talking to Rhys about swords and Rhys was listening politely, but it was obvious from the look in his eyes he couldn't be more confused. Gatrie was going on about every girl that he saw, sees, and ever will see and Shinon was looking plain bored.

Sonia looked around for a few specific people and she found them almost immediately. Ike, Soren and Titania were huddled together at the entrance of the dubbed, 'Meeting Tent.' They were discussing the days' battle strategy no doubt. Ranulf jerked his head towards the threesome and they walked towards them. "Hey Ike! Soren! Titania!" Ranulf called. All three people turned around to face us. Titania looked happy to see us. Soren was scowling, like he couldn't understand what a beorc was doing with a subhuman. Sonia hated the term. Was it so hard to call them people? Beorc and laguz are the same. Labels that place one race over the other were wrong. Ike made a face before coming to meet them.

"Sonia. Ranulf," he greeted them before taking Sonia's arms and staring at her. She tried not to fidget under his intense blue gaze.

"Good morning Ike," she said cheerfully. "Do you want-"

"Where were you two?" he interrupted, glancing back at Ranulf who was now grinning sheepishly, a hand behind his head. "We're starting our meeting soon!"

"Sorry!" Ranulf and Sonia said simultaneously. They stared at each other momentarily, suppressing giggles. Ike flashed his trademark scowl and let go of her arms, waving his hand in an irritated and yet passive manner.

"Never mind! It doesn't matter where you were!" He stomped back over to the tent and parted the entrance. "The meeting will start in five minutes! Don't be late!" With that, he disappeared into the tent, followed closely by an indignant Soren and an apologetic Titania. Ranulf walked up to Sonia's side when the tent had settled.

"Wow!" he laughed, looking at Sonia. "That's Ike!" She laughed along with him.

"He definitely skipped breakfast," Sonia smiled. "Otherwise he wouldn't be so grumpy! I wonder why he didn't bother to ask Oscar… Maybe he doesn't know he can cook." Ranulf chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go. Ike will have a fit soon." She nodded and both of them made for the tent. They didn't even take one step when they heard their names called. Both of them turned around at the same time to see Zihark jogging towards them.

"There you are!" he called, coming to a stop next to them. "You guys were gone for an unbelievable amount of time! I was considering coming to look for you two!" Sonia blinked, nonplussed.

"Were we really gone for that long?" she asked. Zihark nodded and Ranulf sighed.

"Sorry about that," he said, taking her arm, looking a little nervous now. "Well, Ike will get mad if we stay much longer! See you!" he made to go past Zihark but he grabbed them.

"Not so fast," he said, slowly pulling Sonia to him until her back was almost pressed against his chest, making her heart speed up exponentially. "I have something I need to settle with Sonia." Ranulf gawked in confusion as Zihark turned her around to face him. He smiled at her in an almost playful manner. "I told you it wasn't over. Do you mind telling me about your arms now?" he inquired, moving his hands up to rest on the now clean bandages. The clean ones seemed to have momentarily confounded him, giving Sonia a look that once again left her struggling for an answer. Quickly interrupting once again, Ranulf came to an unexpected rescue.

"It's my fault," he said quietly. Zihark looked baffled as the feline strode closer. "I injured Sonia last night. The blame is mine." Sonia sucked in her breath and quickly darted in front of Ranulf as Zihark glowered at the cat.

"H-Hold on Zihark!" Sonia stammered as he stood over them. "I've forgiven him! It wasn't his fault! It was-" She closed her eyes on impulse when Zihark reached out to them. Almost a second later, she felt arms around her shoulders, pulling her against another body. Something solid rested on her head and rubbed- hard. The rogue opened her eyes quickly and her hands clutched at the arms. "Ack!" she gasped as she glanced out her peripheral. "Zihark! Hey!" Sonia started laughing, tears collecting at the side of her eyes. "Let me go!" He merely laughed with her as Ranulf stood off to the side, looking left out and puzzled at the change of events.

"You didn't think that I was a bad person did you?" Zihark said, stopping his relentless assault. "I was just worried about you- that's all." His eyes and voice were affectionate now, his arms tightening ever so slightly around her. He looked up at Ranulf. "If Sonia has forgiven you then I will to," He extended his hand. "No hard feelings?" Ranulf smirked and clasped the outstretched hand.

"I wouldn't dream of it." All of them grinned and Sonia pulled them into a group hug, their laughter erupting from the very source. Ike poked his head out of the tent and snarled at them.

"Hey! We're waiting! Get over here!" The trio looked at him, thrown off guard for a moment before laughing again. Ike just looked irritated as he withdrew. Sonia hooked her arms around Zihark and Ranulf's necks with a giggle.

"Come on you guys," she sighed. "Ike's getting really grumpy!" With renewed spirits, they made their way towards the tent, the sun shining even brighter. The charm glinted at Sonia's belt, sending a refraction of colors across the grounds.

A new day has started, and it's a change worth greeting.

~ 8 ~