Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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A/N: Please excuse any mistake, English is my first additional language while my home and native language is Afrikaans. Bakgat!

Dawn of Heroes

II

Written by Dragenruler

His stiff movement dithered, leather boots skid on the muck as he hastened through the opaque forest. Trees densely accumulated, his footfalls pulverizing the overgrowth. The moment fragile. Life was abrupt and occurred only momentary, her skin becoming bleaker. She was scathing with frost, the pressure and cloths barely aiding her survival, death would be soon. He swiftly sidestepped protruding seedlings, eluding multiple sprigs while his grasp on her tightened, habitually pursuing the abstruse passage. The forest resembled a skein of continuous wealds, only inhabitants were able to identify the undetectable signatures of the trail.

He was near; the prodigious wooden palisade that encircled the village became visible through the bristling trees. Lit torches flickered across the beams, illuminating the obscured shadows of the woodlands, boots scrunched against the protruding roots. Her shallow breaths compelled his skin to prickle; he neared the fulgurating blaze, tussling through the final fortification of the forest. The gates were open, awaiting his arrival. Good, he thought, he successfully obeyed their plan. He hurried, the gates immediately sealed at his entry, the gears groaned from the abrupt movement. The village was middling, dusty pathways beckoned towards a multitude of modest dwellings and a few artisans but the blackness of the night absorbed its existence.

"What happened? He told us only to prepare." Nimble hands swiftly shuffled her weight from him, helping him haul her into one of the dwellings.

"Another beast, it mangled her legs. Someone disposed her by the mountains." He heaved, his chest rapidly vacillating. "We followed her blood. Her wounds are not clotting." They settled her onto a cot, exposing her elongated ears and symmetrical features. Their movement halted when someone entered the chambers, squeezing scraps of cloth into a levelled square, quickly compressing the material against her face. "Dad… What do we do?"

"Inspect for internal damages."

Hunger vociferously growled throughout her physique, her throat shrivelled as she swallowed arid breaths. The foreign contraption steadily lurched, its rhythm stabile, alluring them into endless slumber while pebbles hurled against their motley skin, stirring them awake. Days were interminable, multiple moons elapsed, and the landscape kept deteriorating: woodlands retrogressed into plateaus and treeless mountains. Nature within this world was astounding, its preposterous artistry still prominent. Hisana grimaced, uncouthly swabbing the aridity from her mouth, her physique skidding across the wooden floorboards from the careening cage.

Her gaze wandered through the teeming enclosure. Most were still enthralled with slumber and some had not stirred since two moons, daylight sparsely permeated the terrain. The silence ominous and the poignancy oppressive. She lolled her head against the metallic bars, squinting as her vision darkened. Hisana rotated her shoulders, deeply whining, the cage congested and each small-ear bound to the bars, denying them the freedom of motion. Her sinews vehemently crackled, dwindling her strength.

Tears cascaded across her cheeks, her developing uncertainty exhausting and the morbid reality of her circumstances ambiguous. Nobody uttered a word, too petrified and accepting to object the injustice. She was crestfallen, doubtful that she and the short-ears shared a tongue. This was not home, her temple and The Innocent was her shelter regardless of the endless restrictions. They were her protectors and it was evident that she required a safeguard; the flat-ears effortlessly liberated her essence, leaving her utterly hollow. She felt incapable. The Grand Oak, her ancestors, had forsaken her while her intentions were sincere.

Nobody remembered…. Hisana shifted, her tortuous movement stirred the slumbering short-ear beside her. The hesitant gaze, tugged with exhaustion, perforated through her and his atrabilious attitude perceptible. Hope was forsaken within their cage, gradually depleting her reliance. He mutely mumbled something to her; his smile morose, trying to reassure her of the unknown. Sorrow festered inside her; the metallic armlet sibilating while the band lacerated her wrist, the droning a persistent reminder. The world void and magical essence ephemeral.

Her gaze deviated towards the armlet, strenuously contorting her physique as she analysed the familiar script etched into the manacle, the scrawl ancient elven. Most of the primeval tongue was lost and the temples athenaeum unelaborate, but few volumes of the before tongue existed. The knowledge of the volumes were modest, only illustrating the essentials nevertheless Hisana easily grasped the writings. She mutely verbalized the lexemes of each symbol, interpreting its significance. Valo'seni hi'vami, her transliteration was rudimentary and only verified her previous notions. The armlet depleted her essence, decorticating her world. She needed to escape; permitting her confinement again was reprehensible though her strategist skills were amateurish, she was not useless.

She peered back towards the short-ear, his gaze fixated behind her, gaping at the advancing territory. Nature dissipated into monumental constructions, the dwellings boundless and intimately strewn across the terrain. Hefty slabs of stonework barricaded each dwelling; multiple apertures carved into the stonework, the masonry visible while others were daubed with neutral-colourings. It was glorious, the dwellings inconceivable compared to the previous flat-ear village. The dusty road moulded into a beautifully patterned path, the stones flawless.

The foreign contraption jolted as it rapidly traversed onto the stone pathway, the vociferous clatter of hooves hypnotizing. They hastened, swivelling through various nooks, advancing closer towards their destination. Their movement quick, multiple pathways conjoined beyond her view, uniting above her in extravagant bridges. Light trickled through the dwellings, fractions of the emerging day skittered across their blackened physiques. The village appeared endless, Hisana ogled in awe, her austere situation slipping from her thoughts. Flat-ears, for all the bestial actions she had witnessed with her essence and capture, they were able to create such beauty.

Her back crackled, sinews and bones tightly coiled while she gyrated towards the metallic bars of her cage, trying to seize a peek at the emerging flat-ears. Daylight deviated, the sun shifting further into the peak of the heavens while the streets gradually increased with shying onlookers. Everything seemed unnaturally opulent, the dwellings enhanced with wealth and size and the landscape evolved into lavish, sculpted gardens. Exorbitant statues stewed across the spacious region, metallic railings escorted the pathway forward, the contraption following.

Movement stirred within the cage, her gaze deviated towards the few alive, acknowledging their frightened expressions. Hisana glowered, expecting the worst to occur. This wasn't her home, although her knowledge of The Dales were limited to books and observing the outside, but they were not cruel. The creatures they hunted were respected and treasured. She did not understand, but they were nearing their destination and trying to comprehend their actions would be impractical. The contraption abruptly lurched again; careening as it turned into another pathway, the silhouette of an ostentatious dwelling obscured the sun.

The cathedral was immense, a grandiose structure with soaring minarets and belfries, grand motifs etched into the walls signalling its significance, the atmosphere ethereal. They circled plots of vibrant flowers, the horses heaved, halting before the opulent entryway. Her chest rapidly thudded, the absurdity of the cathedral overwhelming, the armlet reverberating. Sumptuously clad people strode from the structure, its aura of reverence amplifying the beauty. Their captors vaulted from the contraption, hastening towards the extravagant flat-ears.

The panic became paralyzing, hunger audibly simmered throughout her abdomen, heaving the arid breath from her mouth. Uncomfortable spasms lingered with each intake, her wrist scathing. Their distinct voices glibly communicated with one another. Her powers and knowledge worthless while her confinement continued to measure her existence. An escape strategy… To run? But to where? Everything within this world was foreign, home and its normalcy gone.

Inquisitive whispers echoed while multiple gazes scoured over her physique; scrutinizing, their eagerness discernible. Trepidation infiltrated the contraption, embodying each of the captives as their captors marched towards them, the extravagant flat-ears following. The flaxen-haired woman arrogated her gaze, the splendour of The Innocent encircled her. Unable to distinguish between her own melancholy and the despondence of the remaining flat-ears, she swallowed, tolerating her incapability of rationally interpreting the situation. They moved concurrently, one unbinding as the other heaved them from the contraption. The clanking of their armour menacing. Singly they hustled the flat-ears into line, aligning them for scrutiny. Their movement hurried.

Her arms lifelessly tumbled, the pain in her taut shoulders excruciating. The guard seized her feet, wrenching her from the contraption, jostling her into line. It was baffling, nobody resisted and never sought to escape. The majority sprawled dead across the cage while the surviving few stood, solemn and accepting. Delicate fingers clasped around her jaw, secure as the flaxen-haired woman hauled her visage forward, tilting her head sideways. Eyes of blue combed across her symmetrical features, the covey of exorbitantly clad flat-ears evaluating her, enamoured with her exotic complexion and dainty physique. Fingers curled across her jaw, caressing the skin, an auspicious smile looming. "A peculiar serf." The guards haughtily distended their chests at the acknowledgement, moving towards their treasured find. "The village of Aboyne, near the Nosiks Citadel, found her an' sold her."

The wincing clatter of gravel and metal reverberated, footfalls hurriedly scrambled throughout the immense yard. Their behaviour disinterested while a shot-ear, previously presumed dead for most of their journey, sped to the distant woodlands but a reaction was immediate. Chimerical shadows soared from the minarets, their accuracy demoralizing as they steered towards the escaping short-ear. His movement floundered, harshly plunging to the earth, his head trundling further away from his body. Vibrant hues of red circulated into multiple webs coating the landscape, the blood endless.

There was no escape.

Her eyes stiffly lingered, stupefied by the scintillating encasings that littered the walls of the room. Tapers of tallow imaginary, it was fascinating to analyse the existence of the magical lights, a convenient diversion. Many moons had elapsed, daylight and nightlight permeated into the foreign room consolidating into an endless cycle, further exhausting her capabilities. The ritual of the strange girl flicking on the magical lights when night emerged became soothing, alleviating the tension in her mending physique.

The distraction was welcoming, halting her besetting thoughts brimming with the rumination of the impending morrow. She persevered, a marvel forasmuch as the amplification of her trauma. It did not diminish the gravity of her wounds; her abdomen was mediocre and any competent healer could meliorate the damage, but she discerned the urgency of her legs. Her gaze falteringly migrated towards her veiled limbs, wiggling her toes as she envisioned the snaring craters that now marred her skin, the colouration blooming against her skin.

It was a perennial flaw, sprouting like a stream personifying her frailty and impairing her movement. This type of trauma acquired physical assistance for a decent recovery. The situation although disadvantageous, death would have been adverse, but regardless of her durability many moons have and will transpire before she could depart from this outlandish environment. Her condition kept her bedfast with her only visitor beside the girl, a man, who she presumed as the healer. His daily routine comprised of foreign words replete with altruism, tending to her wounds before swathing laundered dressing across the blistering lesions. He was forcibly serious; a daunting smile accompanied with his ceremonious attitude was bothering, the falsity of his demeanour unsettled her.

The strange girl behaved as an aide, attending the needs the girl assumed she required while prattling nonsensical phrases that seemed overly exotic. Her nosiness trounced her benevolence. It was vexatious, a moored tingle in her unconscious, their kind anomalous. These bulky creatures were unclassified; another inadequacy in her knowledge, but their existence remained senseless. Everything within this world was bizarre… The cave, although intimidating was a recognizable environment, her exploration of the Dales made her behaviour within nature easily calculable. People were the obstacle.

Her ignorance persisted, the aggravation seething within her whenever she tried to recollect specks of knowledge in relation to these creatures. She compared their prominent attributes with everything her memory could retain, but constantly failed to summon any information. The notion was disheartening; the tale of the Elven disgrace had many renditions and all the renditions had one notable element: the immense loss the Elven suffered.

Her people, devastated after the Scourge, were oblivious to the existence of an abundance of intriguing entities… The various tales only specified the flat-ears, se'te vemashi. They were not the same beings; these creatures were overly sympathetic and incapable of achieving the depredation caused by the humans, but the legends were endless and Rukia only knew of the restraints forced upon the Elven. The land of The Before still existed? Her frown became delicate at the thought, she was seized from the Dales and heaved into the before, something speculated to have been destroyed.

The wooden entry tacitly lurched forward as the door opened, exempting the quelling spice of flavour, pillaging the silence and abruptly ending her cyclical speculations. The odour shadowed the healer, constantly compelling an unsettling sensation to emerge within her. His smile always caring, he informally closed the door, concealing them. Rukia frowned; the atmosphere incongruous when he focused his gaze towards her, his expression unnaturally solemn. She shifted her leg; his strides swift as he neared, fostering her anxiety. With rapid succession, he passed the beds in the sickroom before settling beside her, tugging an overly simplistic chair to her bed. It made her stomach coil and chest abnormally thud while she anticipated the norm of communication, the language incomprehensible.

"Adisa'mira elvrena. Sema'nisle idre?"

More moons ensued since that night, her discontent intolerable. The ancient tongue, an elven legacy frittered into nothingness while only remnants survived through relics. Other lingering fragments of the tongue idled through the bazaar, prevailing as a secret, foreign to most. He spoke the ancient tongue, something almost incomprehensible to her except for a few shreds of logical lexemes, but the message coherent and contributed to her feelings of inadequacy. He ultimately left, unable to reply she tolerated his persisting silence while her continued reticence compelled him to desert his efforts. The strange girl replaced his presence, needing to swathe her wounds.

The man disappeared afterwards making the incident seem a fanciful thought, something only she perceived real and with no tangible acknowledgement she was eager for communication. A few discourteous words persistent on her tongue, but Rukia was mindful that the strange girl assumed her aphasic and halted her biting words. A hasty departure was desirable but her recovery still lengthy. They already began the ritualistic walking to regenerate her sinews, the schedule stringent, but she steadily started moving, granted, she acquired assistance. The ushering through the village alongside the strange girl became gratifying, satiating her need for exploration while she analysed the eccentric and condensed structures, the enclosure quite quaint. Gritty pathways spiralled between the multiple dwellings. An impenetrable wooden palisade hedged the village; dunes of clustering forest peaks soared beyond the fortification as the blustery heights fabricated hollow echoes, inciting memories of home.

Rukia missed home and the normality it ensured. They had begun devising Hisana's coronation to occur within the next season but with their oversight in her kidnapping, they doubtlessly already snatched her sister. "Won't be long now…!" The strange girl cheered, her tone brimming in warmth, compelling Rukia to reply with a nod, her bistre eyes rhapsodic whilethe strange girl ushered her through the village. These walks became revivifying, providing her with the opportunity to analyse their folksy behaviour, while certain mundane rituals were familiar she continued to learn odd things, including aspects of their tongue. Rukia proudly practiced, making it a priority to comprehend their words, and on restless nights she enumerated fragments of their language she was able to distinguish within context. Rukia mutely mouthed a few trained words.

Daylight scalded their backs, the fabric of the borrowed dressings slack against her skin while her gaze migrated through the village, immediately compelling speculating eyes to divert their focus. "Brother has returned!" Rukia abruptly paused; eager hands tugged her forward, scurrying between the townsfolk. Sunlit locks infiltrated her vision, the striking colour irksome and inadequate for any man. His gaze harsh asitfell onto them, his visage comparable to the healer. "Brother, how was Llyne?" The strange girl queried before they halted movement, embracing him. His gaze fixated on her, a peculiar sensation jolted through her, reminiscent of something she failed to recollect.

Their eyes were alike, presumably siblings? "Sweltering. The usual for areas near the Wastelands. And her?" His gaze intensified, beckoning towards her. Rukia's ear twitched as her eyebrows furrowed, his gesture obnoxious. "She's short…" Fucking jerk, his words purposive; trying to provoke acknowledgement and Rukia grasped the implication of the word. Ena'adsa, an obnoxious remark that she perceived as terribly offensive. She seized his gaze, glaring, his smirk triumphant. Annoying ass-. "She is doing great, but she's mute."

"And her name?" He asked.

The strange girl paused, pondering on her reply. "She does not have one?" She unevenly worded, her gaze shuffled between Rukia and the guy. "Except a few mumbling in her sleep, she has never said anything nor has she gave any indication that she understands us."

"Have you asked her?" The strange girl shook her head, frowning at her negligence. A scowl adorned his visage, somewhat nodding as he assimilated the girl's response, his piercing gaze deviated. His behaviour immensely cocky, treading towards Rukia, assessing her spirit. "Ichigo Kurosaki," He introduced himself. Rukia's antagonism regarding this Ichigo immediately lessened, his brazen demeanour almost forgotten. She recognised and slightly respected his attempt, although unable to conceal her bewilderment.

"Rukia…" The satisfaction she derived from her voice was salacious.

Se'te Vemashi would translates into they humans.

Ena'adsa would translate to you(female) little.

Adisa'mira elvrena. Sema'nisle idre? – This is bits of ancient elven, looks quite different from modern elven and would translate to "You should not be here. How did you get here".

A/N: This update is way overdue. So long story short, I basically lost everything on my laptop (had to format twice since June) and had to recreate all my notes (still a work in progress on finishing it again) and had to rewrite this whole chapter while I lost everything I already wrote.

The map, I lost the finished version, but was able to get a more previous version due to backups on my computer and will upload that to simply give you guys an idea about the area.

Again, please review and be honest. If you loved it or hated it or if I confused anyone again.

Thanks so much.

R&R

Thanks a lot to everyone who favourited, altered and reviewed – I do believe I personally replied to all of you, and if you review again, expect another reply.

~Dragenruler