Disclaimer: Sanctuary For All is not mine. It never is, and it never shall be...which is probably a good thing. It's in good hands just where it is (excepting SyFy, that is...O.o")
A/N: well now, this is 6 days late! *bangs head against the wall* Sorry everyone! (Thankfully it wasn't a month and six days late, this time around :P.) As usual with my writings, I was writing along, and realized that what I had originally planned this chapter to be, would have to be next chapter. So, I'm sorry guys, but there's not going to be a whole lot of current plot. Necessary, but not obviously so...yet. Also, I'm sorry if the beginning is a bit confusing - because there's a lot of travelling, I've been having to jump a couple of weeks each chapter, and this was the best way I could figure out to introduce this next set of events. So, like I said, I'm sorry if it's a tad confusing at first. It'll all make sense before the end of the chapter, I promise.
Oh, about the page breaks...I've finally found my happy medium (I think) for page breaks. In case you're wondering, M-Magnus, W-Will, K-Kate, H-Henry. Sorry, but no Biggie :/. It only feels right with 4 initials, so I had to cut one of them out. DON'T EAT ME FOR IT!
Read, review (please?) but most importantly, I hope you enjoy Chapter 3! :D
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Chapter 3
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Something wet and cold plummeted downwards, splashing as it hit the unconscious form lying on the ground. As it ran down the woman's cheek, a vibrant red liquid mixed with the simple water, transforming it into a crimson tear. A second drop splashed down from the laden tree fronds high above her head, quivering on her nose for a second before cutting an arc through the grime on the other side of her face.
A crooning sound filled the silent air, the sound unearthly as it wavered, jumping octaves as it grew in intensity. A small creature crouched on the woman's chest, nudging her chin incessantly as it continued its distressed warble.
The woman's eyes flickered open for a split second, snapping them shut as the light struck her dilated pupils. Seeing the crystal blue of her eyes, the dragonlet ceased its prodding and trilling, electing to merely lower its head so its chin rested on hers. When her eyes remained tightly shut, however, the duly gleaming creature began to twitch worriedly, flicking its tail against her hip.
Her mouth pulling into a pained grimace, the woman reached up and pushed the dragonlet off of her chest, causing him to flop to the leaf-littered forest floor with a surprised and indignant squawk.
With a small groan, Helen sat upright, one hand braced against the soaked ground, her right hand coming up to brace against her throbbing temple as the world around her turned with a sickening rapidity. A fresh rivulet of blood seeped out of the narrow gash cutting jaggedly across her temple, trickling around her eye and down her cheek before dripping onto the soil below.
Slowly, the world righted itself, coming to rest in its natural balance. Looking around herself, something seemed off to Helen, although she as of yet had been able to pinpoint the feeling. It was as if something was missing. The pounding headache and feeling of disorientation was doing anything but helping her, however.
Slowly becoming aware of the blood that was continuing to drip to the ground with muted plops, Magnus tentatively lifted her hand to her temple yet again, this time her fingers probing gently. A gasp of pain escaped her lips as her fingertips brushed against the ravaged skin, and her hand came away slick with blood.
She had to stop the bleeding. Where were her bags?
The missing puzzle pieces fell into place.
Lightning lanced across the sky, thunder echoing in reply a few seconds later. Below her, the buckskin twitched nervously, whickering in fear as she pranced sideways. Keeping a firm grip on the reins, Magnus attempted to convey peace and confidence to her mount.
Urging the mare onward, Helen fixed her gaze farther up the slope, where the dark opening of a cave was just barely visible. They only had to make it there, and the three of them would be able to wait out the sudden storm. But Magnus worried that she wouldn't be able to keep the buckskin under control for even that minimal amount of time required.
Another clap of thunder reverberated through the rain filled air, and Helen had to lean forward to force the mare's front hooves back to the ground. Only seconds later, however, a third lightning bolt pierced the midmorning with an earsplitting shriek, striking a towering pine only a few dozen yards up the slope.
Screaming with terror, the mare rose onto her hind legs, dancing backwards and away from the searing heat and flying shrapnel. Suddenly, the loosened earth beneath her feet gave way, sliding down the slight incline, carrying the mare with it. She toppled backwards, Helen struggling to disentangle herself from the saddle as gravity carried her mount down towards the earth.
The next few seconds were indistinguishable from each other, as the world lost all sense of direction and balance. Something heavy was pressing down on her, then the next instant it was gone, and she was rolling free. She could remember coming to a sliding halt a few feet farther down the slope, her head slamming into a downed tree.
Then all there was was blackness, the sound of her mount's hoof beats receding into the darkness of unconsciousness.
Humming with anxiety, the dragonlet lifted its head and braced its front paws against Helen's chest as he nipped at her nose, worried at the unfocused look in her eyes. Blinking, Magnus returned to the present, looking down into the large, shining orbs of the dragonlet's eyes.
Since she had left Elko two weeks ago, she and the young dragon had formed a strange, yet firm bond. In her, the young dragon found a provider, someone who found him nourishment and kindness as they journeyed farther into the wilderness. And in him, Magnus found a friend; a companion in the empty world she had found herself in. As the hours stretched monotonously by, the dragonlet would sit on the saddle before her and would chirp and whistle, speaking to her in his own strange way. At night, he would curl up beside her, offering her strength and stolidity that helped to drive away the nightmares that even then continued to haunt her.
Even so, however, Helen could tell that the young creature yearned to once again be with his own kind, and Magnus also knew that this would be the best thing for him. And so the journey into the wilderness continued.
Once again, the dragonlet nipped at her nose, his sharp teeth pricking the delicate skin, breaking her out of her musings a second time.
"I'm sorry, Little One," Magnus murmured. "I didn't mean to worry you." Her voice was quiet and husky, her pain apparent. Her entire body felt as if it had been pummeled. Which, she figured upon further reflection, it pretty much had. She could vaguely remember rolling overtop at least two rocks and fallen tree branches before coming to a sudden standstill.
Still humming, the dragonlet hopped off her lap and curled up beside her leg, one eye still watching her closely.
Feeling as if her body was filled with lead, Helen set about making a bandage for the gash on her head. She tore a strip of cloth from the hem of her shirt, gritting her teeth at the loud, ripping sound that the fabric made as it was rent in two. After folding it, she gingerly pressed it to the sluggishly bleeding gash, wincing as it pulled at the wound.
Thoughts of infection flashed through her mind, but she quelled them as quickly as she could. She could only do so much with the supplies she still had. She wished fervently that the mare had not elected to flee, or at least had returned after the storm had eased up. But all she could do, she realized, was wish. For, judging by the failing light, Helen could guess that it had been almost a full day since her horse had fled, and if she was to return, she would have done so already.
Feeling as if all the energy had been sapped from her being, Helen couldn't help but fall slowly backwards until she was, once again, lying on the rain soaked ground, clutching the makeshift bandage to the cut in her scalp. She fought to keep her eyes open, fearing that, if she succumbed to her exhaustion, she would fail to awaken.
It was a losing battle. A few minutes lapsed by while she continued to stay awake and alert. But, finally, her fatigue won out, pulling her down into the dark's warm embrace.
M-_-W-_-K-_-H
Magnus jerked awake, her eyes snapping open and all her senses going on full alert. She sat upright, immediately regretting her sudden movement as her head gave an exceptionally painful throb.
All around her was silent, the only sound other than her own harsh breathing that of the dragonlet moving restlessly in his sleep. And yet, she knew something had to have startled her for her to have awoken so suddenly and completely.
A scream rent the air, one filled with the lust of the hunt and aggression. She knew it was no human that made a sound such as that, but that only served to send her staggering to her feet, thoughts of predators having no qualms about attacking an injured woman chasing themselves around in her lethargic mind. Helen looked around, attempting to pinpoint the direction from whence it had come.
At her feet, she could feel the dragonlet stir, stretching as he too came awake. Looking up at her questioningly, the young creature sat by her feet, huffing in slight agitation at being woken for no apparent reason.
Magnus was in the process of opening her mouth to explain, when the dragon tensed, snapping his head around to face downhill. His body went completely rigid as he honed in on something Helen could neither see nor sense.
Another animalistic shriek split the air, although this was one of agony and fear. All pain temporarily forgotten, Helen sprang forward, locking in on the sound. Something was in pain, and needed help. And wasn't that what she lived her life for? The feeling of something leaping onto her back and clambering to rest on her shoulder caused Helen to slow for a second as she looked down, only to see the dragon perched on her shoulder. Turning forward again, Magnus resumed her previous pace.
She ran downhill at an angle, dodging tree trunks with alarmingly narrow room for error. More than once, she stumbled on an unseen piece of fallen branch or imbedded stone, only just managing to retain her balance.
Each time she faltered, the sky above her tilted downward, as if it was reaching to pluck her up and throw her violently to another world. Then, as the run dragged out, black spots began to dance on the edges of her vision, her stomach rolling unhappily.
Finally, she came to a halt, gripping onto the trunk of a deciduous tree for balance. Through the trees, she could glimpse a meadow, wildflowers dotting the rippling green grass. With hardly even a second's lapse, the dragonlet on her shoulder leapt down, using the trunk to propel himself farther.
Two other figures moved through the trees on the opposite side of the clearing, one a midnight black horse, and the other tawny and feline. The first burst into the clearing, coming to a stumbling halt as it nearly fell, one of its long legs crumpling, a dark liquid dripping off of the hoof. It attempted to continue its flight, but it merely staggered, falling to its knees.
With a snarl similar in tone to the first scream Helen had heard, the feline leapt, claws flashing in the weak sunlight as it fell on the downed horse.
Magnus pushed herself forward, fighting the nausea and pain that threatened to push her to her knees. Ruthlessly shoving the pain into an unused corner of her mind, Helen relentlessly pushed her body onward, her only hope to scare the large cat away.
The sound of something small and compact slamming into and tearing flesh filled Magnus with a sick feeling, and she feared what she would find when she exited the trees.
The filtering sunlight danced across her face as she stepped out of the trees and examined the scene before her.
The injured horse was staggering to its feet, its head turned away from her, whickering in pain as it clumsily managed to get its legs underneath it. As it finally regained its feet, it looked sideways, searching for the beast that had been hunting it. Behind the mare, a surprising sight was to be seen.
The tawny feline was clawing at its belly, attempting to dislocate the ruby red dragon that was savagely clawing at the tender skin, tearing long, bloody gouges. Finally, the large cat managed to gain purchase, and heaved, throwing the dragonlet flying through the air. He hit a tree with a sickening crack, falling to the ground in a motionless heap.
The feline flipped onto its feet, bunching to pounce on the fallen dragon, the fur along its spine ruffled. Helen heard the creature snarl, and then it leapt. She didn't even have time to think about her actions before her body was following through; she knelt, her fingers finding a stone lying on top of the soil. She wrenched it free of the grass, throwing it with all her might at the leaping creature, aiming only to distract it long enough to give the dragonlet a chance.
The flying missile struck the attacking creature on the shoulder, knocking it out of the air. It slowly picked itself up, shaking its head as it gained its feet, then turned to face the woman with a vengeful look gleaming in its eyes. Helen started, her eyes going wide with shock as she, for the first time, got a good look at the creature.
It was broad shouldered, its body long and muscular. Its pelt was a deep golden color, the fur shaggy yet gleaming healthily in the sunlight. At first glance, it looked to be a large cougar, but, upon closer inspection it was most definitely not a mountain lion. Its eyes were vivid violet with no pupil whatsoever, hate glittering in the depths like a wildfire. There was a short, ivory spike that protruded from its muzzle, and it had two rows of razor sharp teeth that it shut with a snick as it growled at the human.
Suddenly, it stiffened, scenting the air as it inspected the tall woman. Its eyes narrowed and its tail flicked back and forth as it stepped forward, lowering its body even closer to the ground.
"You are no mere human." Its voice was low and gravelly, the voice issuing from deep in its throat, its mouth moving in a grotesque manner as it spoke.
A sudden chill raced up Magnus's spine as she began to realize just what she had gotten herself into.
"No," she replied carefully, eyeing the Abnormal warily. She could see the corners of its mouth twitch, its lips pulling away to reveal its gleaming fangs, a savage gleam sparking in its violet eyes. She opened her mouth to speak again, to attempt to pacify the Abnormal, but her action futile.
The beast leapt, claws sliding out of their sheaths as the beast went airborne. "And for that alone, you must DIE!" the Abnormal screeched at her, slamming into her and sending her flying. She landed on the ground, skidding as the creature landed heavily on top of her, forcing all of the air from her lungs.
It reared, its claws flashing in the sunlight, and Helen realized she had but a few seconds more to live. She glared up at the beast defiantly, determined not to go without a fight, striking it with all the strength she could muster. Her blow did not even phase the large creature, only serving to make it angrier.
The Abnormal howled in anger, and brought its teeth slicing down towards her unprotected throat.