Disclaimer; Same as last time, folks.

Claimer; I own Rakkaan's demons. I own Rakkaan (not that she'll ever admit it). You know what. let's leave it at a simple "I own this chapter," ok?


Guys! Gals!

Chapter seven is here!

A peaceful and meaningful Remembrance Day to all.

Speaking of Remembrance Day. . .

Chapter Dedication; Our fallen brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and beloved friends. Lest we forget.

See you at the bottom.


Chapter 7 – Sorrow? Pity?

It had been a week. Seven days of torture at the talons of the stranger who was becoming almost likeable. Not quite; he was more like a parasite, albite a sentient and entertaining one. That first day had been absolute hell, what with the "you-broke-your-wing-because-you-fell-from-the-sky" ordeal, the rescue, the fight, and all the hollering when they'd argued about the easiest way to get her back to her cave, among other things.

That night had been even worse, the dark hours burnt up by sarcastic remarks and a well-placed tail-swipe, which of course provoked a lot of howling and even more bickering.

Day two had been only slightly better, the bullying kept to snide comments, growling, glares, and a swat at Vihreä's snout. When the moon had appeared in its grand darkness, Rakkaan refused to utter a single word, baring her teeth when he pestered her about her silence. However, she soon learned that it was very difficult to ignore the male. Almost impossible, if she felt like admitting such a thing. Almost without her knowing, she let him piece together bits of the puzzle painting who she was, and as the days passed their animosity died off.

Not that she trusted the Fury who now shared a cave with her—yet another thing they had wasted an afternoon arguing about—in the slightest. She couldn't rest easy knowing that she was flightless and a large male was near enough to hit her with his bedding-fire if he wanted. It rattled her cage, made every minute of sleeping edgy and restless. Like she didn't have enough problems concerning her nocturnal habits. So she slept in battle position, with her legs curled underneath, wings shuttered loosely and tail ready for any midnight onslaught. Of course, she masked this behaviour, waiting until Vihreä had shut up and started snuffling quietly before bedding down. She also made certain to rise before he did, even if only by a few moments.

Deceit. Her companion in life since she could barely fly.

Loneliness. Another close friend of hers; the kind that hovers over your shoulder constantly.

Chaos and confusion. Was there a day she didn't greet them?

But now, as Rakkaan crept past Vihreä to watch the sun rise from beyond the horizon, all four of her demons sprang upon her soul. She dropped her wings, even though it triggered the now familiar yell of pain from the healing break. Her tail fell limp onto the stone as she sank to her haunches. Her ear flaps drooped as the demons tugged and tore. Even her head dropped and huddled against her rolled shoulders. A sense of hopelessness washed over her inner wounds, drowning any traces of happiness as it went. She was doomed. The dragoness couldn't see a way around it. There was no joy left in the world, no hope, no peace. Everyone was at war with one another and she was to be consumed by their mutual hatred. She was beyond tears, beyond anger, beyond emotion.

Nothing was left to tie her here these days. Every single being she had ever held dear was lost to her. What's the point? Her demons leapt upon the thought and ripped it open, pouring all the sorrow from it and sucking her remaining emotions dry.

Rakkaan contemplated throwing herself from the cave mouth and falling into oblivion. It did sound dramatic and fulfilling, there was no doubt about that. A spectacular way to go, for a flightless lover of freedom. To fall from the sky, to meet the earth that had borne all creatures and fade into the after-world beyond.

But . . . a small flicker of silver whispered into the blackness of the soul surrounding it. But . . . We already did that. Rakkaan's starboard ear flap twitched. Her conscience paused in its mindless wandering and glanced at the dark, shadowy silhouettes of the demons, busy tearing away her soul's walls.

It sighed, then spoke. I'm listening.

The silver flame beyond the walls leapt into action, pacing like a caged animal. When have we ever tried to repeat something that had failed so perfectly? It lifted off, flapping higher until Rakkaan's conscience could see it. The demons halted. Think, Rakkaan. There is no point in re-attempting the impossible. Your survival instincts would kick in long before you got anywhere near the ground. If anything, it continued, looping thoughtfully as it hovered, you would turn it into a near-disastrous first-flight attempt, and Vihreä would molly-coddle you even more.

Rakkaan's conscience bristled, and the outer Rakkaan bared her teeth in unison with it. We don't like being molly-coddled, do we now? Get off the floor, dust yourself off and go whine to Vihreä that you're hungry. The demons leapt from their crouches and charged at the silver thing. They were stopped with a snarl and a flick of the flame's wings. Just like that. The demons shrieked in agony and tumbled from the air, disappearing into the shadows. The flame winked at her conscience and dove out of view.

Rakkaan rose. The talking ball of flammable gas was right, she supposed. And, she was hungry. Slightly disappointed, Rakkaan rose and shook herself out regally. The hollows at her sides where the demons hung were blank, for now. The dragoness felt downright giddy, in fact. She cast a glittering eye over the healing laceration on her back and the almost-filled-out dent in her tail, then spun and flounced over to yell in Vihreä's ear.

A tiny seed of smug satisfaction was planted within Rakkaan as Vihreä yelped. The seed's casing cracked and mixed with that ridiculous bubble of joy in her gut as she howled with laughter at the sight of him clutching his head and shrieking about how hard the cave ceiling was. Once the hollering died away, Vihreä glared at her with pitifully round eyes, begging for answers.

'Why would you do that?' For a moment, Rakkaan tried to appear contrite, but all control was lost when she opened her mouth. Her wing twinged warningly as her cackling shook the still fragile bone. Her talons had trouble clenching between the spasms of laughter that racked her body, and she nearly lost her balance. Several minutes trickled by, and Vihreä looked angrier and angrier with each passing moment. When Rakkaan managed to rein in her emotions, she glanced up at the looming Fury in front of her. Big mistake. The look of outrage and embarrassment on his face was too much for her to take.

Her gas chamber ached long after the giggling stopped.


'Hey, quit it!' Water rained down upon Vihreä's head. Rakkaan grinned with malicious intent from above. Vihreä's frown only deepened as she leapt out of the tree and sauntered back into the lake. 'Don't you dare get any more water,' he called after her. Rakkaan just laughed and shook her head, charging off the hidden lip below the water and disappearing.

Bubbles twirled and erupted toward the surface all around, little silver stars dancing in the dark liquid. She rolled to watch their path upward, stirring more into existence as she did. She almost laughed when the tiny bubbles of air traced lines along her wings, the tingling sensation rippling through her as if in utter joy of the bubbles' pointless journey to the surface.

She followed the tiny flashes of silver with her gaze until they vanished completely in the ever lighter water, and her lungs began to ache. She hadn't taken a deep enough breath to stay for very long. So, begrudgingly, she turned and powered toward the surface of the water.

However, she couldn't resist gulping a little water. Just a bit.

Rakkaan gave up on the plan the moment her snout broke the surface. The male Fury was watching her suspiciously from his spot under the tree. So she spat the water back out under the pretence of ducking and splashing water all over herself. A perfect recovery, if you asked her. When he caught her eye, she grinned and opened her mouth, snapping her teeth into place for emphasis. See? No water! Vihreä growled softly, his upper lip curling, and hefted himself onto his feet. He stretched extravagantly, going so far as to wriggle his talons before shaking out his wings and repositioning himself in the sun. A faint acrid smell rushed to meet Rakkaan's nostrils as he scorched the ground, punctuated by a resounding thump as his hide met the warm earth.

The suspicious composure obscured any other emotions on his face as he curled his tail around to his head, but she could have sworn that for a moment, something made his ear flaps droop and his eyes dull.

Rakkaan couldn't shake the feeling that it had been more than a trick of the light, more than exhaustion. She paddled closer to the under-water cliff edge. Maybe . . . maybe the dragon needed a pick-me-up. Yes, that was definitely what he required. As the dragoness swung herself around and took a breath, she questioned her motive. What was the point? Why bother to cheer up her captor? Rakkaan barely hesitated before answering her silent query. Because I'm stuck with him, and nobody likes a sullen cave-mate. And . . . he deserves it.

A part of her couldn't believe what she had just admitted—no, refused to believe it. But the other part of her, the majority, just shrugged and slipped silently under the surface. She pushed off the edge of the rock with her back talons, hoping it hadn't made too much noise. As she slid further into the inky darkness, heavy nothing encompassed her. Her usual joy at the feel of the cool, fresh water caressing her scales was smothered. The sparkling baubles of light no longer refracted joy in their race to the surface. There was no feel of exhilaration as the cold filled her mouth and a fish's scales snagged on her teeth. Slowly, almost snake-like in her movements, Rakkaan slithered up to breathe and deposited the bloody prey in the shallows. Again and again, until the cold became surprisingly unwelcoming. Only twelve fish; a pitiful effort considering that the stock in her cave was once again running low.

Carefully, the dragoness picked up six fish by their tails and carried them over to the napping male. She left her own by the water, uninterested in them. Whatever hunger had possessed her previously had vanished with the light in Vihreä's eyes as he'd curled up to sleep.

Her brain still battled with itself; what was she thinking? Rakkaan was almost convinced that she was mad, because when did a dragon care what another felt unless they were your kith and kin? It didn't make sense. It wasn't dragon nature, and it certainly wasn't something she would normally bother to do, either. She shook her head roughly, trying to dismiss such confusing thoughts, and sat.

Rakkaan paused for a moment, weighing her options. After a quick study of the various points, she opted for the most entertaining. There was no way one incident was going to crush a mood like hers. A sly edge glinted in her eyes as she scooped up the smallest fish and hurled it in the sleeping Fury's face.

The reaction was immediate. 'What in the name of . . . of—' the rest of his words were lost, never passing his lips. He stared, mesmerised, at the bloody piece of food in front of him. His concentration was so great that he failed to notice Rakkaan, less than a span away. He licked his lips in anticipation, but hesitated.

'Well, are you going to eat it or not?' Rakkaan flicked out her starboard wing, casually hiding the other five morsels of scaly goodness. Vihreä jumped and flared his wings, startled. His wings dropped to his sides after a terrified second, and he cautiously snapped the fish up, eyes never leaving the grinning female.

'Are you going to thank me or just stare like I have an octopus on my head?' This earned a confused stare and a mumbled thank-you. Clearly, he had no idea what octopus was. Dense, awkward silence stretched between them. After a moment, 'I'm just kidding, Vihreä, have another.' Her tail was already in position, and a fish mysteriously flew out from behind her wing. He growled in joy and rushed forward to catch it in mid-air. It was gone in a flash, and he licked his lips fervently, ears pricked in a silent hope.

The dragoness grinned at him and two more fat fish appeared. He caught both and they were also gulped down in an instant. He sat down once more, clearly content with his meal. Rakkaan frowned in mock annoyance. 'You wasteful dragon, eat it all,' she admonished, revealing the plumpest two of the lot. His eyes bulged and words of gratitude and praise poured from him. Rakkaan merely waved a wing and shoved them closer.

Without another word, the dragoness slumped to the ground and melted beneath the warmth of the sun.


Rakkaan wasn't totally sure how she had convinced Vihreä to bring her up to the cliff over the sea, but she had done it.

The sea wind roared around them. High tide was nearing and the waves were growing bigger by the minute. The sharp tang of salt invaded her nostrils, but she breathed deep, enjoying the burning sensation. The larger Fury stood beside her, his added bulk providing shelter from the full force of the gusts.

'I knew you were there,' she whispered hoarsely.

'What?'

'I said,' Rakkaan yelled, rolling her eyes, 'I knew you were there!' The pair had to shout to be heard in the growing storm.

'Oh!' he hollered back. 'Really?'

Another worthy eye-roll. 'Of course I did! You really need to work on your stealth when it comes to eavesdropping!' There was no way she was telling him about her . . . abnormality.

'Ha, ha.'

Rakkaan just shook her head and hunkered down lower. There was no point in arguing with the insufferable male.

For a while the wind snatched away any chance of conversation, and Rakkaan stared out into the darkness. She could only just hear the crash of the breaking waves above the screeching air whirling around them. A small flash of energy lit up an equally small piece of ocean, so far away that it barely seemed real. Vihreä flinched beside her.

'Hey, Nuoli?' he hollered suddenly, and Rakkaan jumped. This whole secret name business was getting a little awkward.

'What?'

'Um, I just wanted to say . . .'

'Say what?' Rakkaan was going to lose her voice if she kept up all this screaming, she knew it.

'Uh, you have a, uh, really good singing voice.'

What? '. . . Thank you?'

'You're welcome!' he barked cheerfully. Rakkaan couldn't help but chuckle at his ridiculous tone.

Once again, the growing storm stole their voices, and the two Furies nearly disappeared in the inky blackness that suddenly smothered them. It almost seemed alive, roiling and pulsing in such a way that almost suggested that the gale was sentient. A nonsense thought, and one the dragoness immediately dismissed for her overactive imagination. Thunder crashed overhead, but Rakkaan didn't flinch. She sat up, the air tugging at her with its spindly claws. The icy cold bit into her, and the air begged to be soared upon. She sighed, too softly to be heard. She probably wouldn't get a chance to have fun in a storm like this for a while—maybe not ever. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but let her head drop a little.

Something small dug sharply into her shoulder. She twisted to find Vihreä pulling away from the head-butt. He shuffled closer so he didn't need to shout as much. 'Hey, are you alright?' His breath warmed her ear flaps. Rakkaan just grimaced and looked away. 'I'm going to take as a no, then.' She nodded wearily. 'So, do you want to . . . talk about it?' The dragoness shook her head, then shivered wildly. She could feel his eyes boring into her.

After a suddenly awkward stretch of quiet, he spoke again, rising and ruffling his wings to provide a thicker barrier from the cold. She shivered again. 'Come on, let's get back where it's warm.'

As he led Rakkaan down the rocky slope and towards the mountain, she couldn't help but wonder . . . 'Vihreä?' He grunted softly and glanced over. She could barely control the shivering now. 'Why are you doing this?' He tilted his head in that comical way of his, ear flaps twitching rhythmically. 'I mean, why bother to look after me? You've done your part in fixing my wing.'

Vihreä just sighed. 'I don't know, Nuoli. I don't know why, but I'm not going to leave you alone.' He stretched a wing over her. Rakkaan couldn't help but purr as warmth flooded her and chased away the shadows in her heart.


A/N; Ok, people. I know that last chapter was a little all over the place, but I promise, things will sort themselves out. I just have a roundabout way of doing it.

Save your pitchforks and torches for chasing witches. I apologise for my lapse in update time.

Yeah, the witches are over in the medieval time-period.

Uh, Rakkaan?

Yes?

- This is the medieval period, you world-class idiot. -

You're the idiot, Vihreä.

Come on, you two. No arguing in front of the audience.

- Why— -

—not?

- Ugh, don't finish my— -

Your cod, yes, I know.

- I wasn't gonna say that, but . . . that too. -

Yes, Mr. High-and-mighty.

Children! Enough. Go back to Chapter 1 and give me some peace.

*both stalk off grumbling*

Whew.

Review, people!