Hey, sorry if this update seems delayed, but I've been busy and… well, you know the rest. Here's the highly anticipated…. CHAPTER 7! I hope you enjoy. I put some Fax in there, and there will more Fax to come too!

Disclaimer: I don't own Max. or Fang, or anything to do with Max Ride! Is that clear?

Previously…

Shela looked at Max and Nudge, then at the boys and shook the earth with another terrifying roar. A blast of rancid hot air blew in their direction as Shela blew a blast of smoldering inferno right at them.

"Iggy, take Nudge and Max and get out of here! Run for the woods and keep going! I'll find you later!" Fang said as he brusquely shoved everyone else out of the way of the scorching flames.

"What abut you?" argued Max. "You're just going to get yourself killed!"

"I'll be fine, now go!" Fang ordered.

Iggy and Nudge sprinted to the forest, with Nudge gently leading Iggy in the right direction. Max, on the other hand, stood stubbornly in front of Fang with her arms crossed. She tried to look into his eyes and scowl, but Fang was taller than her, so her gaze could only reach up to his shoulders. She tilted her head up so at least she could see his face.

His shaggy, unkempt black hair almost covered his glittering black eyes. His black, cotton clothes, which were highly unusual, somehow made Fang look more intimidating, dangerous, and dare she say, dashing?

Behind Max, Shela silently crouched, like a cat preparing to pounce. Of course, Max was oblivious to the dragon. She was too caught up in her stubborn-ness to notice.

"Max," said Fang in a low voice. "Get. Out. Of. The. Way."

"What?" said Max, her voice becoming shrill. "Do you think that I can't fight a dragon? The dragon won't attack me, so I think…"

Max's tirade was cut short. The dragon pounced and Fang tackled Max to the ground, shielding her body with his own.

Shela raked her pointed, curved claws across Fang's back. The force from the dragon's blow sent Fang and Max rolling across the courtyard, like semi-human tumbleweed.

The dragon reared up on its hind legs, displaying its claws that were covered in gore. Fang's blood was dripping off of the claw that he had been scratched with, and some of his midnight black feathers were stuck to the blood on Shela's claws.

Fang's face was contorted with pain, but it only lasted a moment before Fang hid his emotions again.

"Fang, are you alright?" Max said softly, her hand involuntarily stroking his cheek. Their faces were so close, that she could stare deep into his dark irises and see little flecks of gold in them. His eyes were…breathtaking.

Fang hoped that Max didn't see him shiver when she stroked his cheek. Her touch sent warm sparks from the outside of his skin, to the depths of his very soul. He had never felt anything so… strangely exhilarating in his whole life. Her eyes were deep brown and loving, and kind of reminded him of the wonderful way that soil in the spring would warm up from the blazing sun.

Their legs were intertwined, but they weren't thinking about that. They weren't thinking about anything except each other. This feeling was like nothing they had never seen or felt before.

Then, Shela roared and blew flamed in the air, as if celebrating her successful attack.

That woke Max and Fang up from their daze. Max immediately realized their close proximity to each other, and her cheeks became painted with a scarlet blush. Fang, however, didn't blush. He apathetically untangled their legs and stood up. He held down his hand to help Max up, but she quickly regained her stubborn, lofty composure and stood up herself.

"Get out of here, Max!" snapped Fang. Instead, Max shot into the air and flapped her wings powerfully. She flew up to Shela's head, and as quick as a flash, she punched Shela's large, bloodshot eye as hard as she could. She did the same thing to the other eye in an instant.

Shela moaned pitifully and rolled on the ground, writhing in pain.

That dragon is a wimp. Fang barely even showed that he was hurt, and this dragon acts like a total baby.

Shela's eyes were screwed shut, so now was the opportune time to escape. Max gestured for Fang to come into the air with her and he hesitated for a moment before unsteadily bringing his wings out.

With one swift and very powerful stroke, Fang rose into the air. Max and Fang both found it strange to be flying with someone by their side.

Fang flew next to Max as close as he could. He wanted to be close enough to protect her from the dragon, no matter what she said.

Shela showed no intention of following them, and moaned pitifully frm the ground, thousands of feet below.

Almost a minute later, Max noticed that Fang was slowing down, his wing beats were unsteady and erratic.

Max swooped in closer and silently inspected his wound. His wing had three large gashes in it and all of the feathers were missing where the slashes were. Blood dripped continuously and sometimes spattered up in the air from the beating of his wings.

Basically, it looked horrible. Max couldn't help but gasp at the gruesome sight.

Fang looked over at her worried face.

"Just a scratch." he said, trying to reassure her.

"That," Max said gesturing to his slashed-up wing. " is no scratch! That is a gaping wound! Let's land!"

"No"

Fang's eyes were hardened with determiniation. Even Max could see that in his emotionless features.

Max looked at him like he was insane.

"What do you mean, 'no'? We have to land! You'll bleed to death if we don't!" Max said.

"No, we have to fing Nudge and Iggy." Fang said, with his wings growing unsteadier by the second.

"Please Fang. Land please. I'll bandage that up, then we'll look for Nudge and Iggy, I swear. Nudge is my friend too." Max pleaded. She looked almost desperate.

Why does she care so much?I thought that she didn't like me since I'm not prince charming. thought Fang. He was really tired. He was fighting to keep his eyes open. He couldn't show weakness. Not now.

"We'll keep flying… until we see Nudge and Iggy. Then… I'll patch this thing up." Fang said. He paused to fight to keep his eyes open.

"No." said Max in a scary, steely tone. "We are landing now and that's final." Max swooped down and he reluctantly followed.

Maybe I can take a small nap while we're down on the ground. I'm so tired. Just a little sleep…a sothing voice droned in Fangs's head.

As Max and Fang approached the treetops, Fang's eyes shuttered closed and his wings went limp. He crashed through the canopy branches and free-fell down to the forest floor.

"Fang!" Max shrieked as she dived after him. He was falling too fast, but Max wasn't giving up that easy. She needed him to guide her to this king so that her winged curse would be removed.

However, a loud voice in Max's head taunted her saying, Max, is that all that he's good for, a guide to the castle? I'm sure that you could find it on your own now. You felt something when you were so close to him. You just want to stay with him. Don't deny it, flying isn't bad when he's with you.

Maybe that voice was right, but Max abruptly pushed all of those thoughts aside. Her heart just about stopped in her chest. There was Fang, laying among the ferns with his wings spread out in weird angles behind him. Oh, no.

"Fang!" Max shouted as she daintily landed among the ferns. She sprinted over to Fang, then kneeled by his side. Fang didn't move.

"You're not dead! You can't be dead! You saved my life!" she said with tears in her eyes. She qickly brushed them away as she quickly decided to use her forbidden gift.

First, she poured a little of wine from her canteen over the gashes on Fang's wings. The alcohol in the wine would kill all the germs from Shela's claws that might have gotten in the cut.

Then, she closed her eyes and focused on mending the broken bones and torn muscles in Fang's wings.

She took a deep breath, and placed her hands on Fang's wings. At first, nohing happened. Then, the bones started re-aligning themselves and the gashes on Fang's wing started closing up. In a moment, his wings were back to normal.

Then, she gently took Fang's shirt off and rolled him on to his stomach, so she could heal the rest of the cuts on his back. On his stomach, she couldn't help but notice a long, white scar running from the far right of bottom of his ribcage to the top of his left hip. She wondered what could have possibly done that.

She then repeated the same process that she had did with Fang's wings on his back, and that was healed as well.

She hated to use her power of healing because it made her feel like more of a freak than she was already. She only used the gift in the most dire circumstances and now definatey qualified as one.

Max turned Fang on to his back again, so that he could breathe easier. His chest rose up and down faintly, giving her hope to his survival. Max tried not to stare at his impressive display of muscles from working in a forest most of his life.

Max then made camp, by building a fire and getting two blankets from her pack. She put one over Fang and draped the other blanket over her shoulders. The night was just getting to the coldest part of the night, and Max huddled closer to the fire.

She was going to keep a lookout for Nude and Iggy, in case they showed up. Max also brandished a dagger in case any robbers or oagers came looking for trouble.

There was a deep, mumbling sound. Max's gaze shot over to Fang who was shifting restlessly in his sleep. Max crawled over to his side. His eyes were darting underneath his eyelids and he was mumbling incoherently.

She knew one thing, he was having a nightmare, she had seen enough of those. Max remembered once when she was little and her nurse had sung her a song when she had a nightmare. She stroked Fang's midnight black feathers is a daze as she sang,

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tearsWhen you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fearsAnd I held your hand through all of these yearsBut you still hold

All of me

These wounds won't seem to healThis pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tearsWhen you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fearsAnd I held your hand through all of these yearsBut you still haveAll of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're goneBut though you're still with meI've been alone all along

Max's beautiful voice slowly trailed off into the night as she realized that Fang's eyes had stopped moving rapidly beneath his eyelids and his breathing and movements were normal. She smiled.

What was happening to her? She wasn't, she couldn't be falling in love with Fang? Could she?

Then, there was rustling in the bushes. Max stood up slowly, holding the dagger, piosed and ready to strike.

Then, Nudge and Iggy blundered into the small clearing where Max and Fang were. Max tried to hide her relief.

"Hey Max! We… er….I saw the fire and we hid behind a tree to see who it was, and we saw that it was you! So sorry if we startled you! OMG, is Fang alright? What happened? Did you guys…" Iggy slapped his hand gently but quickly over Nudge's mouth.

"That's enough questions, for now. I'll stay up and watch for intruders, you guys, get some sleep." said Iggy. Max was a little shocked at Iggy's chivalry and all, but she had to be logical here.

"Uh, if you're blind, how are you going to be lookout?" asked Max, weary at the thought of staying up all night.

"I can hear better than anyone, even Fang. It kind of makes up for my lack of vision. Basically, if a bird ruffles it's feathers within a half mile, I'll hear it." Iggy said.

"Wow." said Max. "Ok, then. You watch, and wake me when it's my shift." Max said sternly. She wanted to do her share of the work too.

Iggy nodded, and Max snuggled in her bedroll, laying next to Fang.

His body heat should keep me warm and I'll be able to tell if anything goes wrong while he's sleeping. Max thought.

No, you just want to snuggle up next to him with his shirt off. An oh-so-annoying voice said in her head. She was terrified that it might be right. She was too tired to debate with herself about emotions, and she drifted off into well needed sleep next to Fang.

Wow, that took me a REALLY long time so I'm really hoping for a bunch of reviews! Oh, and the song was an excerpt from 'My Immortal' by Evanescence. I love that song, it was stuck in my head, so I had to put it in there somewhere.

Please review if my writing is even a tiny bit good. Or bad. All reviews are welcome here, so don't be shy.