"Gregor?"

Pain and…fur. That was all Gregor could feel. Something was nudging his face, which ached along with the rest of his throbbing body. He was lying down on something hard and cold but something was soaking into his clothes. He felt warm and cold at the same time and every breath made hot liquid bubble up in his chest. The same liquid dribbled onto his hands and down his neck.

"Gregor. You must wake up. Please." It was the same voice that had roused him, floating along his conscious, interrupting the silence that buzzed loudly. Or maybe his ears were just ringing, he couldn't really tell. All he knew was that something was very wrong with his chest because that was the epicenter of the agony raging through him.

"Please open your eyes, Gregor." It sounded very familiar and comforted him. He wanted to open his eyes for the voice but they were so heavy. Despite this, light assaulted him, colorful and abrasive. It winked out of existence, and then flickered on again, over and over. Something grabbed his knees and something else grabbed his shoulders. It pulled on his shredded skin, making him cry out weakly. It was over quickly in real time but to Gregor it felt like forever. His quiet moans were shushed by a soft purring that vibrated throughout the furry, rippling surface under him. He suddenly had the sensation that he was flying through the air, bobbing up and down.

"Flier. You must go faster if the Warrior is to live." Something spoke up near his head. Its words shook some memories loose, something big and beautiful and powerful but the image slipped through his fingers too quickly for him to process what it was.

"Be quiet!" This was similar to the former voice, but was a different one all together. It originated from somewhere near his right knee.

"I will not!" The bickering between the two voices was interrupted by growling from whatever Gregor was laying on. It was silent until the air around him and his companions changed. Before, they were presumably in something larger, like a cave. Now Gregor could sense walls near him, so they must be in a tunnel of sorts. At this point his eyelids were fluttering and he could almost manage to open them. Wind blew his hair over his forehead and the two voices had begun to mutter angrily at each other.

"Gregor, you must wake now." He obliged now, eyelashes untangling themselves. He blinked the spots out of his vision and gave another groan. Everything hurt badly, his head pounding and his chest burning. When he could finally see, his memories flooded back into his mind. The horrific fight, the dead body of Bane, his fatal mistake that ended in the terrible wound across his torso. Currently, Ares was flying through the air as fast as possible and two fireflies were staring at him. Photos Glow-Glow and Zap. He groaned again and whimpered when blood trickled out from the corner of his mouth. Five claw marks had blood pumping out of them, too, and it was pooling around him again. It was no doubt staining his bond's fur, but he couldn't do anything.

"He opened his eyes, Flier." A sigh of relief from the bat lifted Gregor a bit. He used most of his energy to press his cheek into the fur beneath him. Tears dripped off his nose and mingled with his blood. They were of pain, not pain, because he had the knight in his mind. It was cold and peaceful, forever safe from the horrors of life.

"Hurts." He croaked and then coughed wetly, blood flooding his mouth again. Ares purred soothingly but trembled and pushed himself to go faster. He gathered himself again and breathed heavily. Then, "Tell…Ripre' to…pr'tect L'z…" He slurred and ignored his bond's protests. "Don' let…ma yell-"he coughed violently and took a moment to rest. He needed to tell someone this, to have his family protected when he couldn't do it himself. "Don' let her y-yell at an'one. M…make sure da' ge's checked ou'." He gave a little sob because now he realized he'd never see them again. Gregor would never see Boots giggle, or even grow up. He would never see Lizzie concentrate on her puzzles anymore or get the chance to make her smile. His parents would never again kiss his forehead and send him off to school. Luxa. At least he got to kiss her once, but again she would be left alone. "Ar…Ares. It's no' your…faul'."

"Do not speak like that, Gregor. I will fly you to Howard and he will heal you and you will live to see your family and tell that rat yourself. You will be okay. You will be okay," His voice broke and wavered but he repeated it over and over. You will be okay.

I will, Gregor thought, I will be okay. I'm going to rest now. He reached one hand out to stroke his fur weakly. He hummed quietly and felt the blood slosh around. However, his body was numb now. It didn't hurt anymore, and Gregor knew what that meant. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and observed the ceiling above him. His loved one's faces passed through his mind and invaded his vision. His heart swelled with love and a weak pulse. His breath rasped lowly in his ear alongside the constant stream of reassurances from Ares.

"Ares…the flier…" The bat's breath hitched. He sobbed, or at least made a noise equivalent to a sob. It was hauntingly like a bat's laughter, the same huh huh huh but heavier and sadder. "I bond to y…you…Our life and d-death are one-"he coughed and smiled. "We, two. In…dark, in f-flame, in war, in strife…I save you as…save my l-life." He heaved a breath through his mouth and kept rubbing his hand down his bond's fur. It was crusted with blood, like Gregor's clothes and skin. Suddenly, the air changed again and the walls fell away from his vision. The sound of hundreds of fights filled their ears. They'd entered the cavern where the main war was being fought. The battle writhed beneath them but was ignored. Ares landed on a ledge that was high up, away from anything that could cause them harm. It was free of rats, cockroaches, mice, and any other life forms except for Ares and his passengers. The fireflies helped slide Gregor off of Ares and then buzzed away, sensing that what was happening wasn't for them to hear. The bat waddled forward, pressed his stomach to the floor and then rolled over onto his side. He extended a wing, laying it across the floor and used the other one to roll his bond onto it. He curled up his wings so that he was giving Gregor something like a hug, hiding him away from the fight.

Gregor pressed his face into his bond's fur, slowly inching his hand across his chest until it rested next to Ares' face. Then-

"Gregor the human, I bond to you." Gregor smiled faintly and listened to the words vibrating in the bat's chest. It drowned out the horrible sound of swords clashing and screeches of pain. "Our life and death are one, we too." The wings enveloping him curled a little tighter. "In dark, in flame, in war, in strife." Gregor was tired, now. He closed his eyes and let his muscles relax. "I save you as I save my life." He began to purr into the comfortable silence between them. They lay there, with Gregor's blood soaking Ares' chest and pooling in his wings. It was warm, unlike his body, which was quickly becoming colder. He shivered and Ares purred a little louder. "It will be okay, Gregor." It wasn't, not really. Ares would lose another bond. The Campbell family would lose another member, but this time permanently. But, Gregor would be okay. Nothing could hurt him anymore. He was free of all earthly harm. He hung on, though. For Ares. Sensing this, he whispered, "Let go, Gregor. It is okay. You are okay." He shuddered once, twice, and then let his hand slide down to his chest. His breath slowed alongside his pulse. "Let go."

So he did.