I have NO idea how to even begin this chapter. So I'm just gonna wing it and hope for the best.

Thank you so much for your help, AceLegend and Narwhal-Riding-Alien for your reviews and help! I appreciate it SO much!

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Chapter Twelve

Echos in Chaos

The morning sun scorched my closed eyes as I regained my conciousness. How long was I out? I suppose not for long, because I could still feel the coolness of the sand, if the sun was up for long, it would've heated the substance beneath me. The sand felt wet, maybe the tide had risen or Zephyr had pushed me closer to the waves than I thought.

My eyes snapped open.

Zephyr.

Where was he?

I tried to push myself into a sitting position, but I could barely sit straight up, due to the searing pain all around me. I allowed myself a moment to assess the damage.

I could feel the cuts and bruises all over my face and body before I saw them. I observed my arms first, because I could see them easiest. There was a 7-inch gash cut diagonally across the back of my left forarm, starting an inch below my wrist. Bruises blossomed all over my arms, barely leaving an inch or so of untouched, pale skin before the next bruise would start. My face got the worst of it. I thought Zephyr might've knocked several of my last baby teeth loose. The cuts I noticed the night before had seemed to have stopped bleeding, leaving dried blood all over my cheeks and forehead. The crusty, smelly blood surrounding my wounds was so uncomfortable and itchy.

I shakily pushed myself to my feet, and staggered emptily to the water on the far end of the beach. Glancing at the ground below me, I realised that it had rained. The gloomy sunset hadn't progressed too much since I had been knocked out, so I couldn't have been out for too long. Although there was an odd pit in my stomach, as if I had forgotten something important.

When I reached the waves, lapping gently and peacefully against the damp sand, I collapsed to my knees, immediately regretting dropping so harshly and directly to my injured kneecaps.

I peered into the water's reflection of my damaged face. I immedately had to force back tears of pain and terror as the monster in the water stared back at me. The beast had an expression of agony painted onto its disfigured, ugly face.

A total of four gashes were spread across it's grotesque-looking face. Died blood draped down from the cuts so distinctively it seemed as if someone had drawn it all. Bruises littered what little skin hadn't been covered yet. A dark purple-blue bruise on it's left eye stood out most, as it was the biggest. The creature's eyelids were almost completely shut, bue to the excessive swelling the bruise had caused.

A pair of hands apeared in front of the thing and dipped into the reflection, distorting the image of the monstrosity. Returning to myself once the monster had disapeared from view, I cupped my hands beneath the surface of the water, then lifting my hands and splashing my face with the water.

As soon as I had wetted my face, a tiny cry had escaped my lips. Salt in a wound. That saying had always been dormant in the back of my mind, until now, that is. Despite the pain, I repeated the motions until my face was clean of blood and sand and tears. I again looked into my reflection in the water. The monster had returned, only her-I could tell whether it was a girl or boy, now-face was generally clean. No more blood, sand or tears. But it didn't change the fact that what was staring back at me was a monster. Wallowing in pain and guilt and sadness, sentenced to eternal life, the worst punishment, in my own opinion. Why do I think that, might you ask?

Well, dear reader, it is because the pain you feel right now, whether it be pain, loneliness, neglect, sadness, anger, frustration, bordom, or fear, it only gets so much worse. Over time. Understand that you would be the only one with eternal life, so you would see all the people and things you love and care about slowly break and wither away to nothing, while you would be in the same state you are in now. Eventually, you may get over all that and find a new life, start a family, get a great job, but, after a while, that life would dissapate, as well. Your family would die while you watch and can do nothing about it, knowing your kids and grandkids will die, and you will still be alive. And the whole cycle may start all over again, until you just can't stand any more pain, and you try to shut yourself off from the world so you don't go through the whole thing again. You just live in pain, loneliness, neglect, sadness, anger, frustration, bordom, or fear, until Ragnorak comes. That's what you'd wait for, wouldn't it? But it could never come fast enough. Even when it does, what happens then? You can't die. What will happen to you? What will happen to you?

I stared at the tragety before my until I can no longer stand it. I thrust my hand into the middle of the monster's face, delivering the fatal blow, killing it, and becoming a broken hero in my own mind. I then hang my head in silent defeat, my arm still submerged up to my elbow in the water, as the emptiness inside me becomes overwhelming, and I force back tears once more.

I was so wrapped up in the silence of my own dismay and self-loathing that I failed to notice the reflection that had materialized in the water my arm was still in, now that it had stilled.

"Less?" the voice sounded so boyish, so young, so innocent, that I would have believed the lies its owner spewed out all over again. But now I knew better.

I gasped and whired around, still on my knees, and wheeled backward as if expecting to be struck again. As I crawled away from him backwards, I forgot about the water behind me. I tumbled into the water and kept my pathetic backwards sweep for escape, while Zephyr just stood there, hit eyebrows in a downwards crease, that I couldn't quite rule out as sympathy or frustration as I halted.

"Less, I-" he began, extending his hands, which looked like a threat, and I shrunk back more. He hesitated, lowering his hands. Then, I could tell his face's emotion; sorry. One word, although, at that point, it was worth a thousand. "Less, I-I'm so, so sorry," he tried again, "I just-what they'd do to me, if I came back and, I really never ever wanted to hurt-and definately not kill-anyone, I especially never meant to hurt you,"

"Never meant to hurt me?" I found myself repeating what I remarked the night before. "You-"

"I know, I know," Zephyr had a look of remorse now, as he kneeled down in front of me in the shallow water, reaching one hand to my shoulder, and another toward my cheek. He didn't reach far enough to touch me though, just hesitated and hovered in mid-air. "what I meant was, that I didn't want to hurt you. I never did. Less, you are my best friend, I-I've never known anyone like you in my entire life! Less, I lo-"

An outstretched hand flew to his mouth, and my eyes snapped up and met his. He removed his hand from his mouth and it lazily slid down to his chin.

"Less, you mean so much to me. I don't want to loose you," the hand on his chin moved again, and he placed it on my right shoulder, as I flinched at his gentle touch, and he hesitated yet again as he placed his other hand on my cheek. "so, from the bottom of my heart, I am so, so sor-"

"Sorry," I finished for him, "I know. I am too,"

He stared upon me for a moment, his eyes speaking softly and silently to my own, his right hand stroking my cheek, his left, sweetly caressing my shoulder. Then, he gave the tiniest of smirks, and pulled my into a comforting hug, which I gratefully excepted. We sat there for a while, bost surrounded waist-and-knee-deep in a sweet silence and the ocean water.

"What are we going to do?" Zephyr asked after a bit, still hugging me. I thought for a moment. What were we going to do?

"Well, I can't stay here, and now, you certainly can't stay here," I started, "so, we'll run. I have Glimmer, and we can take you back to your village. After that, Glimmer and I'll keep flying until we find somewhere that we're wanted."

"Here," Zephyr said, pulling back and looking me in the eyes, "you're wanted here. You can stay with me, in my village, I won't let anyone hurt you" he placed his right hand at the back of my head and pulling my forehead forward to touch his.

"That's sweet, and no offence, but I've been afraid of Outcasts since before I even knew what an Outcast was. And I'm sure that there are plenty Outcasts who are good, but, I'd rather not take any chances,"

"Then what will we do? I'm not going anywhere without you,"

I sighed, thinking. "Just, give me until tomorrow, I'll figure something out,"

"Okay," he agreed, nodding as he pulled me back for another hug. I closed my eyes and buried my face into his shoulder, breathing in his sweet, calm, woodsy smell that was so, incredibly him. We were so caught up in the moment, that we didn't hear the soft stirring of quiet footsteps on the damp sand.

"How sweet," a grotesque-sounding, terrifyingly scratchy voice, dripping with violence and bloodshed exclaimed from behind us.

Zephyr and I gasped, and he whired around, moving in front of me, arms protectively blocking me from the unwelcome guests.

"Oh no," Zephyr said in a hushed voice.

"What?" I asked, clearly frightened. "What? Who are they?"

Zephyr took a few frightened breaths before he said, "It's them."

"Who?" I asked, urgently.

"My tribe,"

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Dun dun duunn! It seems like the only two people have updated in the past two days. WTFudge? So, I tried to rush to get this chapter in, so it's kinda short. Sorry! But seriously, where has everybody been at these past two days? Anyways, thanks for reading, reviews are cherished!

Love!