My Schedule got bumped and I am currently forced to stay awake as I am on call for someone. So in my boredom I searched through a couple of my other stories due to curiosity about one that I recently started that seemed to take off. So weird. Love it. These are similar and I am once again...curious...
Rated M for inuendos, nothing dark in here but on saftey side, there you have it. Two chapters from two other stories I have been wondering about putting up and finishing.
Teaser s
Forsaken
He was surprised when he found the lynx already standing in the line of fire when he reached the circular room of the council. The cat looked just as apathetic as the fox was attempting to hold his own face as the barrage of questions started coming. A barrage of questions, that came to an abrupt halt when he was asked outright by the albino echidna at the center of semi-circled table if he had found the Equinox. With a flash of eyes he could see this wasn't going to be as simple as just answering a question when the doors closed and guards started inching in to close to circle. The lynx was shifting uneasily from foot to foot a few feet behind him as he let a look of annoyance fall over his face and crinkled his brow down. The council wasn't corrupt by any means, but he had wondered on more than one occasion how long it would be before that changed given the fact that their power seemed to be absolute and they had no desire to let it slip through their fingers. Nor did they have a problem throwing their weight around to make a point and were used to having things go the way they expected them to. Something he could see in more than a dozen icy glares wasn't going to be given up without a fight.
Careless. He had been careless and he mentally cursed himself for it. Standing in front of a questioning authority he wasn't capable of lying to, all he could do was grit his teeth. After several months of keeping up his usual regime he had gotten word from Glee. A simple message that no one would think twice about if they had seen it. "SAFE." After receiving that message he had found himself with Marceline combing through the archives of the great hall for several years. Researching every ancient text of history and piece of literature on legends he could find, he finally made his way to Lenox and was still left with questions he couldn't seem to find answers for. He was sure the answers were there, but it seemed those holding them simply weren't willing to supply. Nothing that little bunny had done made sense.
He stood fast without making any move to make the council or the encroaching guards believe he intended to be a problem. Instead of answering the question he offered an explanation that would explain his change in behavior, and what he knew they were already aware of what he had been looking into. "There has been a development; one I am not sure how to proceed with." A shushed murmur traveled though the group before he was staring into the hazel eyes of a mammal far older than he could imagine and was asked outright to explain himself. "A mortal has absorbed another living beings embers and I need…"
The range of reactions fell between shocked gasps, explanations of disbelief and outright shouts of "No," and "That's not possible." All of which were silenced by the heavy slam of white webbed fingers on hard oak as silence fell over the room. The Great Echidnae rose to his feet and stood towering above the table looking down at the fox. Something that made him feel incredibly small, given the fact of the size of the white spiny anteater.
"It is a legend, a fairytale for romantics that has been passed down through generations as a tale to be told for young lovers and bedtime stories. It is not possible Nicholas. What proof do you have? Who's embers were absorbed? And by whom?"
The fox had turned to glance at the lynx who looked at him pleadingly while pinning his ears back in a "don't do it" look before he simply shook his head back at him with a warning glare. "Mine."
He wouldn't have had time to react if he had planned to. Within a moment a slight shift in hazel eyes had guards shuffling and he found himself and a very angry cat surrounded and being shoved to the ground. Then all hell broke loose as the walls and floor began to quake enough that it knocked many of the mammals off their feet, broke the table in half and gravel like dust began to fall around the room from the ceilings and walls followed by fist sized clumps of stone and earth. Everyone had began to scatter in panic and head for the exits when thick walls of crusty earth thrust themselves out of the ground and blocked every retreat. At the same time those same assaulting guards around him were pushed back by shards and spikes of thick stone that began to grow and lurch away from him towards any threat they may have posed making everyone in the room freeze in an utter since of terror as there was no escape and no other reasonable reaction.
As he stood and spun around trying to make sense of what was happening his attention was snapped to Echidnae who had shaken himself off and was now standing wide eyes with his fingers spread far enough that you could see the light shining through the webs between each finger. His mouth stood open in amazement as he watched the shards growing around the fox before he simply looked him directly in the eyes and said "Ena," in shock.
Ena had not been seen or shown itself in more than an eon. So long that very few in the belly were aware of the fact it was real and even fewer had actually witnessed its true power. The fox was rocked to his knees as a cone shaped dome started to grow up and around him and he panicked trying to crawl out the top as his hind claws dug into the thick earth, only to have his paws at the top pushed back in as it began to curl up around his fingers.
As the top finally closed around him he found himself ramming his shoulders into the sides trying to escape what he could only think was going to end up being his own tomb. In a blinding flash he was levitated off the ground hovering in the center just out of reach of anything solid when he was overcome with a pleasant and familiar warmth. Something old, something remembered but lost in time, something….. not meant to be remembered. A low hum began to reverberate through him that made every muscle fall and his mind drifted away until his whole body was limp in an indescribable relaxation. Surrounded by light the only unpleasant sensation was the burning he could see even through his closed eyelids as a thought began to pull in his mind. Not a thought, a feeling? An idea? A question? No, maybe a memory? Unclear. His mind was filled with images he had never laid his eyes on and visions of events swirled through his brain until all thoughts were gone and there was nothing left but raw emotion. Until every doubt, every worry, every fear was washed away and all that was left was a simple answer in his mind. "Yes."
All that feeling was lost as he fell to the floor in a sudden jolt and hit his ass and thigh hard enough to make him groan as he was plunged back into darkness and complete confusion. A new since of horror overtook him as the chamber began to fill with water that suddenly made him realize he was in his tomb and was going too drowned in it. Within a second the water was up to his muzzle and he was gasping and sputtering through the water as it finally breached the top and overcame him. That burn in his chest for the need for oxygen overtook the logic of not being able to breath as his body sucked in one long gasp of water that had him in a hysterical thrash. One that was shocked away when he realized that what he was breathing in was thick and cool, hard to push in and out of his lungs but didn't deprive his body of the oxygen he desperately needed. As he felt an awed sense of calm finally settle in, he felt that familiar warmth return. As his mind was slowly lost again he felt himself slip into the edges of a raw darkness.
The lynx had tried to step forward when he heard the fox screaming Ena's name, even more so when he heard the desperate cries of "Please," only to be shoved back by the shards that now encompassed the cylinder type cone that had engulfed him. Everyone in the room had reflexively put their paws and arms up in an attempt to shield themselves from the blinding flash and the cat could only watch in horror as the cone was slowly overtaken by a wall of water that swallowed it in as easily as the earth had swallowed the fox. Within the cone of earth he could see a floating fox's shadow beamed through the light that had overtaken the earth and water within it. Another eye slamming burst of light came and vanished to reveal the crumbling earth and water receding back into the ground below it with a very wet naked fox left lying in its place. One branch curled up under his back slightly lifting the fox, making him simultaneously cough up the liquid in his lungs as he gasped for fresh air, only to fall limp and motionless again as he began to breath normally.
Small and medium sized branches began to grow under and around him lifting him off the ground forming what could only be described as a cradle around him as a hot rush of air sprung through them drying his fur almost instantly. One small thin branch curled around and over the side moving his tail to rest over his abdomen as all the spikes and shards began to shrink back into the earth. The branch slowly crawled its way across the area to where the lynx stood gawking and lifted itself off the ground towards him. The cat took a reflexive step back as the branch tipped up over his head, but he knew better than to move too far. As if in response to the fear, the branch slipped itself over the top of his head back around his ear and scratched the back of his neck. The fluffy cat purred in response and the branch slipped around running across his neck in a petting motion before it curled under his chin where the tip brushed across the top of his nose lightly. The little branch dipped down where it released a single drop of liquid that fell onto the tongue of his partially open mouth.
The lynx flinched momentarily before hitting his knees and catching himself on one paw while the other hung in the air as he looked at the now sleeping fox and his eyes began to swell. The branch moved back a few feet and seemed to consider him for a moment until his gaze returned to it and a low hum of concern and question stirred through the air before the cat lost a tear and bowed his head towards it.
Without a moments hesitation the branch had shot to the echidnae and now stayed at eye level with him. It shot out long green thistles and leaves and shook violently in front of him before he hung his head and lowered his eyes. Seeming to be pleased with the reaction the branch rescinded all the sprouts and made its way back to the fox where there now sprung up tiny green leaves and small white and violet flowers all around him and the cradle he was nestled into.
Another hum rose through the air and the earthen walls fell away, opening all the doors, leaving the room looking as if it had never been out of sorts if it hadn't been for the new makeshift bed in the center holding a naked fox and the broken and splintered table around it. The Great Echidnae raised his paws as the lynx began to rise and walked to the fox showing that no movement needed to be made towards the two. The cat looked over the fox to see that his fur had changed to a brighter color, his build seemed to have changed to be smaller and his muzzle and face had lost a great deal of wisdom and time. All in all he looked a great deal younger and none the worse for wear.
The lynx turned to reveal he had picked up the fox and his limp arms swung around as he turned with his head dangling over his arm. He looked at each guard and then at each council member before finally landing his eyes on the echidnae when he let out a loud growl of defiance before it turned into a low rolling threat as he returned his eyes to the unconscious fox. "He has been slated," he said without caring to see the response. Those glim looks of frustration and fear from the council and echidnae turned to somber looks of resolution at hearing the words. The council gathered and silently watched as the lynx carried the fox out into the corridors. He took him to his own room, dressed him as inconspicuously as he could in a pair a khaki pants, a Hawaiian yellow green shirt and a blue tie with pin stripes before carrying him out of the belly. Once he had made his way past the den he walked into the forest and searched the trees. "Sherik!" The name hadn't even left his lips fully before the little monkey was hanging in front of him looking over the unconscious fox curiously. To the cats surprise he didn't seem shocked that he had been stripped of his immortality, or that he was bound for Zootopia. The little monkey and his band simply agreed to keep their oath of service and watch over him in the city.
He was angry and bitter when he woke with a pain stabbing through his head that felt like someone sticking a needle in his temple and a throb in his chest that ached like he'd been whiplashed. He wasn't sure where he was or how he had gotten here, only that he could never return to the life he once knew. So many memories that didn't make sense. He was dying and he could feel it in every breath he took. Memories he shouldn't have kept were swimming in his mind and the questions that he knew would never be answered weighed on him more heavily than the heart he felt pounding in his chest. What had he done that had lead to him being sentenced to a slow but rather blink of an eye kind of death? The fact that he didn't understand or remember why only heated the frustration and fueled his hate towards a world that didn't seem to want him and he didn't feel like he belonged in. Each place he turned he would find hateful glares and suspicion in the eyes of those who watched him too closely. No family, no friends, no connections that made him feel safe or welcome. No place to even hang his head to loathe in his own self pity.
He had ducked under a little bridge to escape the cold of the wet rain when he was startled by a deep voice. "Hey Fox." The sight of the tiny predator with such a baritone voice added to the surprise as the little mammal looked him over thoroughly.
"Ain't you got a home kid? Why you out in the rain?"
"I could ask you the same."
"My vans in the shop until tomorrow."
The little fox watched and saw what he considered a kid shiver before reaching around down and behind himself and pulling out a bottle of brandy that was nearly as large as his own body and thrust it towards him. For all intents and purposes he may as well have been a kid considering how much he knew about this world. "Looks like you might need this more than me kid." The red fox took the bottle in one paw and half rolled his eyes before shrugging his shoulder in a 'why the hell not' gesture and took a large swig from the bottle. One that had him sputtering and gasping for breath before he felt a warm tingle in his stomach that turned into a glowing fuzz he felt through his fingers and toes, all the way through his aching bones.
The large eared predator watched and tilted his head back in a wide smile as the younger fox took a drink too large to be considered a double shot and nearly laughed when he almost choked out, "That's terri…" Grinning as he watched his eyes glaze over slightly as the chill faded from him and he leaned into the cold stones forming the underside of the arched bridge. A cold he didn't feel in the slightest.
"Never drank before hu kid?"
"No, it doesn't do any good for my kind, so it's not around where I'm from, but I understand why mammals do it now." The little fox considered his words for a moment before brushing off the comment deciding not to press someone who was already down on their luck.
"Names Finnick."
"Nicholas."
"Well Nick, welcome to Zootopia."
Falling Hard
Aerosmith; Angel
Skye struggled with the first few beats of her wings as she clung to Jack. The buck kept whispering reassurances and encouragement to her while they were in flight, but nothing she had seen from the flash through him made any sense. She knew the moment they had finally landed far from the scene they had left she couldn't be part of what was about to happen, and staying beside him meant she would be encouraging it. Jack stepped away with an understanding smile as Skye's wings shifted and she shook her head. "I can't do this Jack. I can't stay with you if you think this is right and plan to follow through with it."
Jack sighed as he looked at her "I understand Skye, I'll be here if you change your mind." He lifted the necklace over his head and cupped her paw as he laid it in her palm. "I'd like you to keep this. I don't want to see anymore of the future."
Skye shook her head "But Judy gave you this, it's part of your family and belongs with you."
"I don't need to see the future to know I don't have one without you." Skye curled her fingers around the amulet before she pulled it over her neck and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry Jack." He simply nodded his head as he reached for her again and she flinched as he touched the outer rim of her newly acquired wings. "There are some things I need to tell you about your wings before you leave Skye." She nodded as he took hold of the other wing and pressed them closer to her. "They will disappear when you fold them in and no one will see them if you have them out or you are flying. Mortals can't see them unless you will it. Nothing can affect them and they will pass through everything as if they weren't there except for the air." Skye shivered as he pressed them to her back and reached for her head as an odd sensation made her ears tingle. When she reached her ears and felt the two sliver tips on her head she turned and looked into the blurry reflection of the small metal building in the roof they were standing on. "I have horns! If I'm an angel why do I have horn?!"
Jack threw his paws up as she turned to him scowling "They aren't horns. They are your wing tips. They are the only part of your wings that won't disappear and phase into your back. No one will see them Skye!" he said in a calming voice as she bore her teeth.
"I look like a demon!" Jack sighed as he folded his arms.
"What is a demon Skye?" he asked and she looked around in thought.
"A fallen angel" she answered and he chuckled.
"No, a demon is an angel who has been cast from Heaven. So you will never be a demon." Skye looked at the ground a little bashfully and stepped away from Jack. "I will always love you Skye." She turned with a slight nod and Jack watched as she took to the sky again. He kept his eyes on her as she faded into the distance and let his head hang before he picked up his feet and made his way down through the building and out into Zootopia. He knew why he loved her more than she loved him. The way she had acted around Judy was subtle, but he had caught the glares and nasty looks she had tried to hide. She was still in love with Nick. The fact that the red fox had fallen in love with Judy and stayed with her despite the same reason he had left Skye was enough to make her hate the small doe, even though she never acted as if that was how she felt. He wondered if part of it was also the fact that Judy had managed to do something that no one in history had ever managed with a fox with that kind of history. Perhaps it was more than just jealousy for a love lost and Skye felt she wasn't as special as Judy in that sense at one point. Not that he could see her any differently now than he always had.
Jack didn't bother hailing a cab and walked the long distance back to their apartment. Getting through the door and entering the home he had once shared with her was like walking into a living hell. Every photo on the wall, every stupid little knick knack she had collected was nothing more than a reminder of what he had lost and brought a fresh sense of torture into his mind. There was nowhere he could turn and not see a memory. The fact that she wasn't there and everything around him was part of her was a sting he hadn't anticipated being able to make him hurt worse than he already was. Even getting into bed was a nightmare as it had been purchased with her taller height in consideration. A small jump was no feat for Jack, getting comfortable on the cold mattress they had shared without her warmth with her scent still fresh in the bedding was. The pillows she kept piled up on the bed were a thought that had always brought a smile to his face when he thought of why she kept them. She always piled them around him after she had wrapped him in her arms, saying they took up the space she felt was empty from their size difference. He always woke in the mornings feeling like he was in a heat bath and nearly suffocated with the fluffy tufts around him and buried in her fur as she curled around him like a glove. The thought of waking up alone without her and the billowing clouds of pillows was enough to make him shiver.
He found himself tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling and sinking into himself as he rolled over and locked his eyes on the large glass doors that led out to the balcony of their apartment. Curling around the largest of her pillows to try to find some comfort left him reeling as her scent flooded him stronger than it had at any previous point. The darkness of the night seemed to creep through the glass and he found himself wishing, praying for her to swoop in and save him, knowing with even the tiny piece of future he had seen, no will of his could change her mind. Jack was choking on his pride, holding in every emotion, willing it to still as the night wore into an eternity….
Skye left Jack behind, the feeling of freedom and the air rushing through her fur carrying her farther into the wind. The elation of flight and the wind in her wings, the sensation of her stomach dropping and turning each time she rose and fell had her giggling like she was on a roller coaster. Until a vision of the future with Nick and Judy came back to her and when Jack entered the picture she nearly fell from the sky. She felt her wing brush something and looked to see it phasing through the outer branches of a tree that stood tall in the air. She didn't understand how they worked. They felt as solid to her as her own paws, and when Jack had touched them she had nearly flung them wide open as she was flooded with endorphins that caused her to jerk and catch her own feet again. As she righted herself looking at the tree her mind raged. How could he do this? How could he think this was alright? Did she know him at all? The one thing she was certain of was that she needed some answers, nothing in her mind made sense and if she was going to find answers she needed to get her own mind settled to some extent. She knew exactly the place to go as she righted herself, and sped through the air to her next destination.
Skye landed with light steps on the ground as she approached the old tree that stood over the waters of the cliff side. The place was just as dark and spooky as it had ever been, but the silence was welcoming and the threat of any other noises intruding or mammals approaching and drawing her from her own thoughts was enough for her to throw caution to the wind. She hadn't been here in years, not since the last time her and Nick had come with a group of young mammals all daring each other to see how far they could get into the caves. That thought pulled her eyes and she furrowed her brow at the large new building that had sprung up beside the cave behind the tree. There were no roads into the place, no easy access to be able to build the thing and she lifted off again looking around the large tin warehouse trying to figure out how it had gotten there or what it was for. The fact that it had no doors or windows and was built into the side of the little mountain it was sitting on had her flying around it trying to determine an entrance. A gust of wind caught her by surprise and she turned in mid air, gasping as she fell the few feet to the angled roof of the building. The large Fox bat in front of her was covered in a fine white dust that seemed to fall away each time he flapped his wings. Skye caught one of her own wings under her paw as she tried to scramble away and froze as it spoke. "Halt."
The vixen looked up wide eyed as he landed on the roof a few feet from her and she carefully stood as she readjusted her wings. "You can talk?" she asked and the gold eyes lifted into a smirk as he dipped his head.
"Yes, My Lady." He answered as she took a wary step away. "You wish to be alone My Lady? If so I shall leave you to your own accord. I assumed you sought answers and came seeking."
Skye watched with fascination as his wings folded behind him, his long fingers curled in front of his waist and the tips of his wings sat just behind his head like hers, except that no part of him faded into his body like hers did. "Y-You are a demon?" she asked as her ears tipped back.
The large fox bat in front of her tilted his head to the side in a lowered tilt acknowledging the question as he kept his movement slow and easily readable. "I am My Lady, in some sense of the word. But not evil if that is what concerns you. We all have the choice within us to become one or the other. Our forefathers were cast from Valhalla, some chose to fall after our father angered Odin, the great God of Wisdom, to avoid his wrath. My name is Valicor."
Skye wrung her paws nervously "If you are mortal, how can you see me?"
"We still have the blood of a God in our veins and our genes My Lady. Some of us eat fruit and need some proteins like our father, others eat only insects and small amphibians or fish like our mother. There are those among us who require blood as a life source, for it is as close to the nectar of the Gods as any other could get. But I am mortal, as are all my kind now."
"Valicior, I'm not meaning to be rude," the bat smiled with understanding as Skye wrung her paws again. "My name is-"
"Heaven," he replied and held his posture still as she glared at him.
"How do you know that? No one knows that is my name."
Valicor smiled as she kept an angry leer on him "There has never been a true fox bat My Lady. Only one exists in legends and scrolls. She is said to be as white as the clouds, a vision of beauty and holds more strength than forty of our forefathers, therefore, you must be."
Skye took another uneasy step back looking over her shoulder before she stopped and curled her brow. "You can give me answers?" she asked as she bit her lip.
"Perhaps to some questions My Lady. I am only mortal, as are all my kind now." The vixen took a heavy breath as her wings fell behind her.
"Why does he think he has to do this?" she shook her head as the bat shifted uncomfortably.
"Begging your pardon My Lady, but would you mind if I became more comfortable?" he asked and she shrugged as she sat on the top of the angled metal roof. Skye dipped her head and threw her arms over herself as he swooped above her and he smirked as she looked up at him smiling. He hung upside down from a large tree branch above her and tilted his head until a large smile met hers. Skye tried not to laugh but couldn't help the giggles that left as he grinned. "I am surprised you are not more unsettled by my presence My Lady."
Skye sighed as she shook her head. "I have seen two mammals die and brought back to life. I'm pretty sure time stopped. All the Gods are dead and my husband is the only living God left. I have wings for crying out loud! A talking fox bat isn't the strangest thing I have seen today."
The bat chuckled as she rolled her eyes and curled his feet around the branch tighter as it swayed with his movements. "It has been a busy day for you then. What is it I may assist you with?" he asked and she curled her paws around the necklace in her paw.
"Why does he think he needs to do this, how could he do this if he loves…" she shook her head and he hummed.
"I am unsure of what it is you speak My Lady without more details I am afraid. But I suspect he has no future without you." When she whirled on him he flinched as she furrowed her brows. "Did I say something to offend you My Lady?" he asked and she huffed as she shook her head.
"No, he said something similar when I left him. I saw part of the future and I didn't like it." Skye replied as she opened her paw looking at the amulet and turned when she heard him gasp. "You do not know what you hold?" he asked as she looked between the two and shook her head. "No. My Jack said it had something to do with what I saw, but I didn't stick around for an explanation. I just… what is it?"
"My lady holds the eye of Odin."
Valicor tilted his head as she looked it over. "How can it be an eye? It's a stone."
The bat shifted and stretched his wings before folding them against his back again. "Calcified when it was seen as a foreign tissue in the wrong body My Lady."
Skye laughed as she looked at it. "It's a good thing I'm not a girly girl or this would really gross me out. Oh Judy would die if she knew what she had been wearing all those years."
Valicor looked at her suspiciously as his ears perked. "I take it this Judy is a girly girl?" he asked and she tipped her ears back. "This subject troubles you after all you have seen today?" he asked and she sighed as she ran her fingers over the stone. "It belonged to her, he gave it to me. Jack and Judy are very distant cousins. He said the color of it had something to do with the names in their family."
Valicor leaned closer looking it over "Purple? Amethyst? Violet perhaps?"
"Judy gave it to him. He said it was passed down to the oldest in their family who had the same color eyes for more generations than they could remember. I don't really understand why he wanted me to have it when it means so much to him." Skye said as she let it rest in her palm and thought of Judy again. "She is a good person, I just have issues with her."
"Issues?" he asked as he tried not to frown and Skye slumped where she sat.
"I always thought the reason Jack and I couldn't get any closer was because of how close they were. There is this wall between us and he keeps it up for the whole world, she seems to be the only one he ever let get past it."
Valicor smiled as he looked off in thought "Walls can come down as easily as they are built. No one believes they have a future when they lose love. You say you saw only a part, did he see all? If this stone is the reason you saw a glimpse of the future, have you considered that it may not have been merely a figurative statement he made, and that he may have been literal in his speaking?"
Skye curled her fingers around it as she looked around in thought "No, I hadn't thought of it that way and I don't know how much he saw. Only that he says it can't be changed and that he has to follow through with it because a path has been set or something worse will happen. It makes no sense. What we do in this moment is what determines tomorrow. The future isn't set in stone!"
"True My Lady, it can change with each action we take." Skye folded her arms over her legs as she pulled them into her chest.
"Then why does he think he needs to do this. Please call me Skye. My Lady sounds like something my mother would demand someone to call her."
Valicor held his eyes still as he looked her over "You're name is Skye?" he asked with an uncertain and suspicious voice.
She giggled as she turned her head to him nodding. "I didn't like my real name, so I got a new one. It's a fox thing."
The bat chuckled as he scratched his chin "Yes I suppose I should have known that considering where we came from. Many names were given to our forefather, are these the only ones you have?" Skye let her legs fall as she tilted back on her paws and smiled. "Well yes, except for my Dad, he's called me angel since I told him I didn't like my real name." She looked back eyeing her wings and rolled her eyes as Valicor chuckled again.
"All things change with time My Lady- Skye." The vixen curled her lips as she sat up again.
"I have to change this. I can't allow it to happen. I don't think I know my Jack as well as I thought I did. I saw a future I can't accept and one he is unwilling to change. Even if it might kill him? I don't understand it." She whispered as he looked her over again.
"Begging your pardon Lady Skye but there are always things we are not able to or meant to understand. Have you considered he may not be making this choice for himself and may be doing it for others?" he asked and she turned to him with raised brows. "Perhaps you are not asking the right questions. The questions you must ask yourself are, if he is doing this solely because he believes it must be done for himself, or if he is doing it for others. If he has already laid the gift of seeing the future in your paws you must know regardless of whether his words are literal or figurative he loves you enough to let you go, for your happiness means more to him than any future he could have without you, one way or another. You must ask yourself, if that is true, and if this is a literal statement and he knows the answer, why does he still let you go without care for his own future?" The vixen curled around herself as her thoughts began to wander. Valicor kept her company through the night, though his insight into everything was limited she enjoyed the company and his presence between the long stretches of silent contemplation. As dawn began to crawl into the daylight the bat shifted and took to the air before landing in front of her again. Skye stood as he dipped into a small bow "Forgive me Lady Skye. I must excuse myself from your presence. I am capable of enduring the later hours of the daylit evening, but the early hours of dawn are not a friend to my kind."
Skye smiled as she returned his bow "It's alright. Foxes aren't exactly crazy about a lot of sunlight either. I still have some thinking to do, but I think there are some mammals I'd like to check on before I decide what I am doing. Thank you for keeping me company."
Valicor tipped his head again and watched as she lifted into the air, turning before she was gone in what most would consider the blink of an eye. His ears set back as he kept his eyes locked to the sky and heard the flapping of tiny wings behind him. "I take it you overheard the conversation?" he asked and turned at the tiny voice behind him.
"I did. Why didn't you tell her of the truth Valicor?" the smaller bat asked as he perched in the tree.
"For the same reason I did not tell the red fox. If eyes are to be opened, they must be willing to bear the light."
Skye nervously fluttered around the hospital looking for an entrance. She wasn't sure how to land without being seen or even if she could as she tipped her feet on the roof. The thought of Nick was all she could concentrate on and a frustrated growl slipped her tongue when she found the entrance inside from the roof locked. Her ears began to ring as his voice seemed to pierce her mind and she slammed both paws to her head as it became unbearable. When she turned she found that no matter what direction she faced she could hear in the distances and hone in on a single voice she was trying to listen for. Nick and Judy stood out as she lifted again, the aperture between her wing tips seemed to be acting like a sonar that picked up everything she concentrated on as she finally perched on the ledge outside their window.
"I can hear better than a rabbit," she mumbled as she sat on the ledge. Her head tilted as she watched Bogo speaking and no sound came. The fact that Nick and Judy seemed more enamored with each other as they curled around each other in the bed they were sharing left her beside herself as she hadn't thought it possible. The reason she hadn't heard Bogo became apparent as the two started whispering sweet nothings no one else could hear and she tuned them out as she sat on the ledge, catching Bogo's more than annoyed mutterings at their behavior. They were oblivious to his frustration, it seemed Nick and Judy had no memory of anything that had happened, and the mammals who had incited the insanity had refused to even give their names to the medical assistant treating their wounds after the event.
As Bogo left them to their own amusements, Skye turned her head as they locked into a smoldering kiss that left her ears burning and mind turning again. Maybe the fact that they had been hit with so much energy was the reason they had no memory of what had happened, maybe it was because they had both been dead and it had blocked it from their minds. Whatever it was it definitely didn't seem to affect the way they felt for each other, if anything it seemed they were more engulfed in each other now than before, and that was saying something.
There was no way she couldn't be jealous. When Skye turned her vision back she nearly shot from the roof as Nick seemed to be staring right at her. When he smirked and pointed a finger that wasn't directly at her telling Judy to look she turned and found several pigeons flying around her and the window she sat in front of. "Look Judy, white doves, a symbol of faith, determination and a sign that you should keep trying and be more stubborn, like you need any help with that particular trait."
Judy smacked his shoulder as she leaned in looking up at his smarmy smile.
"Oh, like I'm the only one with that problem." She replied as he chuckled.
Skye lifted off again letting the updraft keep her aloft as the doves flew around her and giggled as one nearly perched on her finger and held its wings open in front of her mirroring her actions. "Stubborn? You want me to be stubborn? Oh I can do stubborn. He's going to explain this to me whether he likes it or not." Skye left with a burning desire for answers as she fled the hospital in a whirlwind.
Jack tossed the pillow back to the bed aside as he finally sat up and let the daylight that was creeping into the room sting his eyes. The shower did little to ease the tension of his shoulders and the stiff suit he always wore did less to make him any more comfortable as he turned and poured himself a cup of coffee. He had a great deal of leeway in his action for the next few days as this case had exploded and curtailed yesterday. No matter what the world saw he knew this was nowhere near over as he made several calls checking on the case. Pretending he didn't know the details of all that had happened yesterday and having a dozen mammals asking for explanations he couldn't give them as an agent, or a mortal, left him sighing as he sipped the chestnut liquid he was trying to use to kill the weight of his eyelids with. He let his shoulders fall as he tossed his phone to the table and made his way into the living room to fall into the couch. A million thoughts were racing through him as he sat forward letting his paws hang limply from his lap. Time has a way of crawling when you have nothing to do. But when you have an extended lifetime of memories in your head and get lost in them, it can fly without you ever knowing it has passed. The way he had tried to sleep last night left his body aching and the bed in a jumbled mass of pillows and sheets. The few moments he had were stolen from him as visions of white leathery wings beat air into his lungs jolting him from the respite.
The rigid ears he was so well known to carry tilted back slightly as he watched the clock ticking and thought of going back to bed. Blue eyes that held the color of the sky within a Skye kept teasing his mind, and as the emotions he had fought to contain attempted to break loose he pinched his finger and thumb over his eyes. He knew no matter who you are, or what powers you may have, there is always a point when you have no control. He knew he couldn't change her mind once she had made it up, and would never try to change her even if she had never loved him at all.
The hollow silence of the place he once thought of as a home was more like a tomb as the clock kept its lonely tick echoing through the room. An unexpected shutter left him unable to sit straight anymore and he caught his head with both paws as every clouded thought slipped from his eyes. Even if there had once been another, there would never be another in his heart, he understood why she felt the way she did, and held no malice to her for it. She simply was his reason to live, his reason to die, all wrapped up in the paws of a vixen who held a heart that beat only for her. He knew it would never stop beating without her, even if it was slowly killing him when she took it as she left. His Skye was making every clouded emotion in him pour like a heavy rain, for even a God can fall, when there is no Heaven.
Jack didn't pay any more attention to the clock as he stood and pulled himself back together. He stripped himself of the jacket he was wearing and washed his face before making his way out to the balcony. A long look at the darkening sky left his shoulders sagging and he left the doors open as he found his way back to the bed. As he took the same seat and fought not to break down again a gust had him turning. Skye's determination and want for answers had bubbled into a rage that was coursing through her like a lava plume by the time she had their apartment building in her sights. She curled her wings around her body and flung them open as soon as she landed on the floor growling. Jack spun with his arms pinned to his sides and shoulders scrunched into his cheeks as he gasped for air. "Skye! Please don't bite me!" he squeaked. The vixen froze going wide eyed as she saw the tendrils snaking from her outer wings that had coiled around him, and two large fanged heads ready to strike as Jack tried to suck in another breath.
Skye took a nervous step back from him and her new additions as Jack huffed. "If you aren't going to put me out of my misery, I'd like… to…breathe" he wheezed.
Skye took another step back, watching as the 'snakes' that had grown from her wings uncoiled and stayed hovering from the bottom of her outer wing tips. "What are they?" she asked as if afraid to move. "I'm… not entirely sure." He answered and flinched as they hissed and a rattle echoed through the room from Skye's wing tips vibrating. She looked at her wings nervously pulling back her lips from the snarl she had just shot at him and Jack jumped back to the bed and sighed.
"You are angry right now Skye. I suspect this is similar to what happened when the original Valkyries came to earth. This is how your anger and emotions will manifest themselves." When the vixen folded her arms over her chest Jack held his paws up asking for a moment as she leaned into one hip frowning. "When the original 'angels' were cast from Asgard they were in a lot of pain Skye. They lost their home, their family, their father, and they were dying from starvation. They didn't want to be immortal anymore. They knew the only way to become mortal was to let part of themselves go. So they pooled half their knowledge, strength and power into their tails and cut them off. It was a tribute to their father and a way to divide all the wisdom and power mortals shouldn't have. Their tails became the serpents and snakes. They both became two separate living creatures that were mortal. The Valkyries did this on purpose because there would always be a temptation to get that back, so if they ever went looking for their tails again, all they would find was a snake that would bite them in the ass. Since you already have a tail, I'm assuming your wings have taken up the role their tails were originally used for and they are taking up the part that is meant to be an angels wrath."
"Angels wrath?" she asked as she watched the two long serpents that had grown from her wings swaying in front of her.
"Yes, the angels were warriors as much as they were messengers or those who carried back the fallen. Their tails were their strongest weapons. They were like spears that they didn't need to worry about getting lost or broken. Some had venom in their tips and some didn't. It just depended on the angel."
"I need answers Jack." She said as she calmed herself and watched the two snake like tendrils glide back into her outer wings, leaving two pointed tips at each outer bottom rim. "How can you do this to Nick? How can you do this to Judy? They are our friends, more than that, they are more than just our family Jack!"
The buck sighed as he shifted on the bed looking at her with eyes that were heavy and full of regret. "I know. I can't tell you the future Skye, but maybe… I can show you?" he asked a little hesitantly and she tipped a brow at him.
"Show me? How?" Jack stood and took a few nervous steps to her. "You'll have to take that off Skye, I don't want to see what I have already seen again or any more of the future. If there is a risk of it I'm not even going to try to do this."
Skye looked at him skeptically and removed the necklace tossing it onto the bed as he stepped closer and he carefully took hold of her paws. "Why can't you just tell me what you saw?" she asked and he looked away before he sighed.
"Because if I told you the future, there would be no Chance to save it." Skye blinked and curled her lips, looking at him a little flabbergasted as he smiled.
"Did you just…make a funny?" Jack shrugged as he cupped her paws "I tried. I'm out of practice. But really Skye, if you take the future away by giving it to someone, they may not see another path and will lose the ability to change it themselves."
"Alright, just, how are you going to show me if you aren't going to tell me?" she asked and he took a deep breath.
"First thing is to explain this. When the Valkyrie first came to Asgard they were all infants. They couldn't eat the food of the mortals, or the fruit of the Gods or the food and wine it was used for to make. They were half God, and half something that was born before time as it is known. Because time is just a construct of thought and represented by the moving hands on a clock, invented by mortals. This is going to feel a little weird, and I haven't done this in a really long time. It will be like an impression, and I'll start slow. We fed them by giving them part of ourselves, like this."
Skye's wings fluttered as Jack began to glow. His energy rushed through her like water and she sucked in a deep lung full of air holding her breath as Jack smiled. Swirls of light ran through her wings like oil in water as she closed her eyes and when she opened them Jack was still holding a soft gaze on her. "He's… your brother… You think you owe him something? You're the God of M-"
Jack stuck a finger over her mouth and shook his head "Don't say it. If I never hear that name or any other I've had it will be too soon. I was born in this life as Jack Savage, and that is all I want anyone to ever know me as. Every life we live changes us, and I wouldn't change anything about this one."
Skye frowned and he picked up his brow "You're holding back Jack," she said in a firm voice and he chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well yes, you are picking up more than just what I am feeling Skye. You are different from the others and I'm not sure how this will affect you. I don't want you to get hurt. But if you want to try then bring your wing tips together, closer to your head." Skye pulled her wings in letting them arch from her back and looked to see the silver tips of her wings just above her head as Jack started glowing again. An arc of energy shot through her and traveled between the two tips and she gasped as she squinted her eyes from the light.
"A halo is the symbol of Divinity. The Valkyries could collect our energy and carry extra with them into battle or on long Journeys as a reserve of power when they were gone on pilgrimages or fighting. This is the nectar of the Gods, our energy. It was a reminder that we were always with them no matter how far from home they were. They became all our children, carrying our love and light and wisdom with them wherever they went. I've never seen one form so fast. You seem to have your own energy and can harness or collect mine even if you don't need it. You can reabsorb it through your wing tips the same way you created it. Until you learn how to hold it without your wings you'll need to be careful how you move around with it." Jack said as she seemed to sway a little where she stood. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Skye looked at him like she was drunk before she narrowed her eyes as she dipped her head towards him while she held his paws in hers. "You're still holding back."
"Uhm, yes. I haven't done this for a while Skye, and like I said I'm not sure how this will affect you."
"That is not why you are holding back." She almost growled and Jack winced as her canines poked over her lips and her wing tips rattled.
"I can't hide anything from you can I?" he asked and she rolled her eyes as she scoffed.
"Oh please, you hide everything from me. You're doing it right now! I never know how you feel because you never say anything."
Jack looked at her with a confused inflection as he tipped one brow "I tell you I love you all the time, what else is there to know?" he asked and watched her turn her eyes to the floor. "You don't believe that?" he asked feeling his heart sink as her halo dimmed and flickered above her." Jack pulled both her paws into his chest as he smiled at her, drawing her attention back to him as he started pulling everything he had into his chest. "What are you seeing Skye?" he asked and she looked around as if trying to figure out how to explain it.
"Fuzzy pictures is the only way I can explain it. It is like, I can see the connections and emotions that you have with everyone you have ever known."
Jack chuckled as he clasped her paws "Alright, if letting you see how I feel will give you some faith in me, I can give it to you, but, there is a risk here. If you aren't willing to accept this energy, and close off to it, it could potentially back fire and burn your wings."
Skye smirked and shook her head "Like I can't handle a bunny," she cooed and he chuckled.
"I do have the talents of nine Gods coursing through me you know. I'm not just a bunny anymore."
The vixen in front of him rolled her eyes and Jack laughed as she said "Gimme." The glow from him radiated through the room. Soft shadows were dancing on the walls and Skye's wings fluttered when he started pouring his energy into her. He kept a close eye on her halo as it began to surge and let out a heavy breath as it stabilized. He was genuinely surprised as she opened herself completely with all she had been able to take from him, because he knew how things really were and closed his eyes as he let every bit of his energy, will and emotions go.
Skye was sinking, into euphoria. The sensation of Jacks emotions and power surging through her was like an addiction and the buck in front of her nearly jumped as she fell to her knees in front of him with tears streaming down her face as she let her head fall into his chest. Her wings tilted back keeping her halo angled above her back as Jack cupped her cheek trying to pull her back…
So many emotions contained in such a small mammal. Conflict, confusion, a desire to be wanted that burned so hot it was like standing in the sun. All swirled around a love he had for her that he held contained behind one singular image that burned into her mind like a brand as she sobbed. Everything rolling through her turned to rage as her coils unfurled and landed beside his head pulling back to strike."SKYE! GOD OR NOT THOSE THINGS HAVE VENOM AND THEY WILL KILL ME!" She opened her eyes to find him wide eyed as she gasped for air and pulled them back into her wings. She sucked every bit of her anger and all the feelings she had locked up for so long together and let it surge through her. Jacks eyes went wide again as her halo and wings glowed red and he jerked as she sat up on her knees.
"YOU IDIOT! YOU THINK I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH NICK!" she screamed as she turned her wings and grasped the halo in her paw as she grabbed Jack.
"NO, DON'T TOUCH IT SKYE! IT WILL KILL Y-
Jack was slammed to the ground after she pulled him closer and shoved the halo into his chest. His back arched in an explosion of light as he was flooded with his own energy and swept away with hers. Several eyes in the city turned at the flash, and those in the immediate vicinity were wiping spots from their eyes as they tried to regain their vision. Jack laid blinded as Skye's face stayed in front of his, both of them not seeing anything other than the glow still emanating from each of them. The buck curled his arms around himself as he started chuckling and Skye's head fell into his chest. "Oh we are such big idiots!" he said as she giggled. "You thought I was in love with Judy?" he asked and chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him. "And I thought you were in love with Nick. Good grief. We both thought we were in love with someone who had married the other so they wouldn't be lonely and settled for second best when we already had the love of our lives right in our paws."
Skye giggled and Jack lost his breath as she smashed her muzzle into his. "No more walls Jack!" she sighed as she rested her head on his chest. Jack laid on the floor still feeling like he was on fire from all he had gotten from her and shook his head. "No angel in history has ever been able to do that."
"Do what?" she asked as she tipped up looking at him. "Touch a halo, or give back the energy they took from a God, or give their energy to a God."
Skye blinked as she twisted her lips "Why not?" she asked and Jack bit his lip until she narrowed her eyes on him.
"Ugh, well, usually if anyone touched them they would burst into flames and turn to ashes. They are nothing more that raw power. Inun was the only one who could ever touch them. I guess that's why it didn't kill me."
Skye smirked as Jack looked her over. Her wings were nearly vibrating behind her as she leaned up and dipped her head into his neck. The buck shivered as she ran her tongue along his collar bone after she yanked his shirt over his shoulder "I guess that makes me special doesn't it?"
Jack rolled his head to the side as he panted and clutched her shoulders "You were always special Skye." When she looked up at him he caught his breath and smiled. "I have lived for millennia as a God, lived a thousand mortal lives. I saw the great tree of life bloom and watched the eggs from its tree fall into the oceans of this world and destroy nearly everything before it sparked a new kind of life on this planet. I have seen stars born and die. Watched time pass like it was an instant and witnessed the birth of millions of species and stars. I lived and walked in the halls of Odin that were lined with gold, saw Hell and Valhalla with the eyes of an immortal. But I have never, in any life I have lived, known any kind of true Heaven, until I held you in my arms."
Skye hiccupped as he cupped her cheek "I've never heard you talk that way."
Jack wiped away a few tears as he kept his gaze locked with hers. "Every time I tell you I love you, that is what I'm saying Skye. You asked if I felt like I owed him something? I owe them both something. If Nick had never left you and let you go, and Judy hadn't loved him and let go, I never would have been able to let go either. I owe them everything, because I'm holding it in my arms."
Skye blinked away a few more tears as Jack tilted his head. She leaned in marking him and chuckled as she started rumbling. "Skye," he chuckled as she started nibbling his neck "No God has ever laid with an angel, it was forbidden." Skye jerked up narrowing her eyes and Jack lifted his brows as she scowled at him.
"If you tell me I can't have you after all this I swear I'll let them bite you." Jack bit his lip and Skye could see him starting to glow, not just from his energy but the terribly satisfied grin all over his face as her serpents retreated back to her wings again.
"I'm the only one left, I could care less about the rules." Skye's eyes went wide and he laughed at her shocked expression. "But, after that little blast from us just touching our energy together and your halo, I think it would be unwise to try anything here."
Skye shook her head as she went to her knees and Jack stood in front of her. "I've seen what you can do, you haven't seen what I can do." The vixen in front of him gasped as he seemed to turn into a swirl of air, and instead of going around her, he went through her, several times. She was stunned and wide eyed as he reappeared and wrapped her arms around herself as she sucked in the scent of him that was everywhere on her as if it were coming from her own skin. "Oh Gods, I smell like you! It's like, like you marked me!" Jack chuckled as he watched her wrap her arms around herself and suck in the scent that was in her fur and clothes as she pulled her shirt into her nose inhaling deeply. She turned watery eyes to him as he stood in front of her "How did you do that?" she asked as he shook himself off.
"Vale was the God of Water, he could move through the air as particles. That's not the only thing I can do." He said as he stepped closer and pulled her off the floor. Skye gawked as he grew, just to the height that his head was just able to look down at her. "You always complained about the height difference. If you think keeping this much power in such a tiny body is easy. Believe me, it's not."
"What else can you do?" she asked and he smirked.
"Nothing I can show you here. How about we go somewhere that we aren't risking destroying half the city so I can show you?" Skye gasped as he tipped her chin up and lost her breath as he curled around her like a gust of wind. She opened her eyes blinking at the clouds they were standing in. When he stole in and kissed her her knees went weak as he stood there grinning, and every thought in her mind evaporated as he leaned under her chin and sank his teeth into her throat. He was holding her up with one arm just under her wings as he pulled her ears back under his other paw and he chuckled as she whimpered, the vibration of her voice echoed through his teeth before he pulled away smiling. "I thought you might like that." Skye was breathless as he kept pulling at her senses and Jack was struggling to keep himself under control as she let him take over her completely. Putty in your paws would be an understatement as she seemed to be melting each time he touched her. "So are you going to fall for me?" he asked and her eyes shot from their glazed stupor after he pulled his head out of her neck again.
"I did that a long time ago. And if you start talking like Nick all the time we are going to have some serious problems Jack." The buck chuckled as he kept her in his arms "No, literally Skye. Fall for me. Let go of your hold on me and don't open your wings. You trust me enough to let me keep you up here without opening them. Can you trust me enough to fall and know what I am going to do is the right thing?" he asked and she curled around him tilting her head into his neck.
"This isn't a singular request is it Jack? You want to know if I can let you follow through with this don't you? You want to know if I have that much trust and faith in you even if I don't understand it. You think me accepting this will make it alright?" Jack smiled as she looked back at him and she could feel the sorrow flowing through him as she pressed her head to his and lifted from him with her wings. He stood there watching as she circled him a few times. When Skye closed her eyes Jack froze as she dropped her wings behind her and dropped like a stone. "Holy shit," he mumbled as he whisked into the air laughing "She fell for me!"
Skye was tumbling through the air with her wings folded to her back when the scent of Jack consumed her. Her wings extended and flew open like a kite as he filled them and she lifted higher into the air laughing at the tickling sensation of tiny swirls traveling through her fur. When she finally reached the cloud tops again she was laughing as Jack engulfed her completely. The buck had reformed and was kissing her as if he hadn't seen her in years as sparks started flying. Jolts of electricity started rushing through her like a thick pulse when Jack pulled away blinking. "Oops," he said as he scrunched his shoulders. Her fur was standing on end as she blinked and started laughing.
"Don't stop! Show me what else you can do!" He looked at her wide eyed before he smirked. Jack raised one foot and slammed it into the clouds sending a shock wave of thunder through the air and clouds rolling. Skye lifted into the wind as she looked around, and when she turned back she found herself engulfed in flames. Red, yellow, blue, white, purple, green, every color of fire that could be made lit the sky as Jack raged it around her and she fell into the clouds with him on top of her. The flames of Loki changed the colors of the sky through the clouds as they rolled around on the thin water he had used to create a solid surface with. Lightning cracked as he shot into her and she was screaming as desire and passion ignited the flames into another kind of fire.
"OH GOOD GOD!" Skye screamed as Jack chuckled…..
Judy stood at the window fascinated as Nick wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Have you ever seen anything like that?" she asked as he looked out the window.
"No, must be one heck of a storm front coming this way." Judy curled into him as his arms tightened
"My grandmother used to say that when there was thunder the Gods were bowling to calm down any kits who were afraid of the noises. It's beautiful, I've never seen so many colors in storm clouds before."
Nick hummed and she tilted her head back just as he dipped lower. "Beautiful" he said and never took his eyes off her. She giggled as she leaned back into him and he was smirking as he looked out the window "If there are Gods up there, I don't think they are bowling Carrots. It looks more like they are having a party, one I think we should join them in." Judy squeaked as he picked her up off the floor "Nick! We are in a hospital!" He smirked as he landed on the bed with her, pulling her paw to his lips as her eyes went wide.
"You're going to tell me no? I dare you." Judy whimpered as his breath rushed over her paws. "You can't do it Carrots and this is a private room. Mine." He growled as she started gasping and curling around him. "Mine… Mine, Mine, Mine." Nick kept growling, and each time he said it, he sucked in the scent of her arousal blooming around him and kept grinning as his own grew.