She was apologizing a lot but Kurt had blanked her and she pouted at Blaine. Blaine just shrugged and winced as he remembered Kurt's threat. he would not be trying that again without permission, that was for sure.
Ok Kurt may not hurt him that way, but he feared being denied things. Which had happened before.
Kurt did hug her goodbye before she left, still pouting and they all made it to the edge of the forest as the light was fading. With it being nearly dark out, Finn and Kurt cast another cloaking spell, and everyone then settled down for sleep, Kurt had first watch that night, for a few hours, and then Finn was adamant about taking over after him, claiming that Kurt needed as much rest as the others.
He awoke with a shock, someone was screaming. No, it wasn't screaming it was screeching laughter. There was also heat and light.
Kurt bolted upright.
Finn was having trouble shielding everyone from raging red lights, cackling laughter shook the sleep out of Kurt and he stood to fire his own lights at the witches above them.
"Finn, what happened?!" He screeched at his brother as everyone else was groggily getting to their feet, and Finn looked back at him a little sheepishly.
"Sorry, I feel asleep!"
Kurt didn't have time to reprimand his brother because there was a crackling sound, along with more laughter and the ground beneath their feet shook as more fireballs rained down on them.
Blaine had to dive out of the way, Burt was shielding himself and the kids, and Finn had been at the front of everyone, trying to shield. Kurt sent more of his own light balls into the air, in the direction of the shadows that were flying around screeching with evil laughter. He caught one and it vanished in a tiny boom.
But there were at least 40 more flying around in the sky above them all.
He cursed as he thought about their fight, they were seriously outnumbered, and now that Blaine was out of commission, it would be such a struggle to win this one, if they even could. And Kurt refused to endanger Halle and Tyler by involving them in this one.
The sky around them went dark as some of the witches and warlocks came together to form more complex spells, throwing them to the ground as Kurt and Fin tried to keep the other spells from penetrating through to their group.
One of their dark shadowy spells landed on the ground with a huge thud, and Kurt stared as the head of an undead creature rose from the ground, cracking the earth and moving sluggishly to raise itself out.
Kurt's eyes widened when he realized he would have to leave the safety of the shields and take care of it, amidst the other witches spells. He glared up at the circling vulture like creatures, cackling like mad hyenas and then made a dash fro the creature, which was just getting to its feet.
It was huge, and its skin hung off of its bones, the rotting flesh green and black, some of it had fallen away in clumps, and the creatures internal organs were only just hanging on inside.
It stumbled forwards as Kurt charged it, roaring loudly, and gurgling wetly as Kurt raised the weapons from his holster and shot at it while running.
The witches red light spells were hitting the ground around and behind him, but he kept running, and shooting and eventually the creature from the ground began falling apart, as piece by piece was shot away by Kurt's guns.
He slid to a halt as the creature was destroyed and threw up his light shield again, as a barrage of red hailed down on him. He turned to the rest of the group, Finn still managing quite well to hold off most of the spells. He spied Blaine just about to transform.
"Don't be stupid!" He called out to him, his voice thunderous amidst the noise and chaos, and Blaine had looked over to him before cowing back reluctantly.
"Kurt!" Kurt turned his eyes as he heard his brother call out to him, and Finn was pointing into the sky above him.
"Oh shit-" Kurt said before dropping his shield and running back to the rest of them, he had no choice.
The swirls and crackles above him were following him as he moved, and he felt sweat race down his neck and his spine as he tried to outrun it. It was a huge vortex of a spell, swirls of red and black mixed in with light purples and blues, all swirling together. It had been cast by about 10 witches together, and Kurt knew it was powerful, and it was aimed for him.
"Look out!" Finn called from in front of him, and Kurt only just managed to look at him in time to see him swinging his huge staff through the air towards Kurt.
Kurt took a second to go down to his knees and skid underneath as Finn swung the staff at the swirling spell behind him, and with a boom, sent it careening into the witches who were still in a circle, hands clasped, mid incantation.
It broke their circle and exploded a few of them within its vortex, and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief when Finn helped him back to his feet after casting another shield as more red lights rained on them.
"Thanks, Finn."
"You're welcome bro."
Kurt heard a small screech from hale and he and Finn both turned at the sound, and Kurt froze where he stood before running forwards.
Blaine was surrounded by about 4 witches, all them sneering at him and throwing malicious shadows around him as he tried to fight them off and get them away. They could tell he was weak, he would have transformed by now and had their heads.
Kurt felt fear and guilt eat at him, why did he leave him alone when he knew he couldn't fight? He hurried over as the witches congregated above Blaine, whispering to each other about what to do with him.
Kurt threw a couple of stinging lights as he ran towards them, but they were knocked away as the witches joined hands and began mumbling their joint spell quietly. Kurt knew he had to do something but what?
He couldn't stand Blaine being in the line of fire, and he hated the fact that if anything happened to Blaine, he would follow. He wouldn't live without him, whatever the cost.
As the witches shot their spell towards Blaine, Kurt sped up, running as fast as he possibly could, trying not to trip as he reached out desperately with his arms. Everything was happening so fast, he was only a foot away now, but so was the spell, he had one choice.
Take it.
He dove in front of the spell, and as it hit him he could feel a pull, and his entire body crumpled a little inwards and then it was dark.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
*Flashback*
Blaine was numb, he always was nowadays.
It was how he coped with being here, no emotions meant no hurt. Usually.
His father, Blaine thought, was going insane with power. His mind was only stuck on one subject, destruction. This path he had everyone going down was wrong, but he had accumulated so much power and a huge following, that no-one, not even Blaine had the courage to stand and face him and tell him so.
Blaine was kept out of the worst things, his father didn't use him a lot, he was merely there as a toy, a trophy for his father to show off. That even though not all of his sons had his innate sense of evil, he still had control over them all.
It was sadistic, but Blaine's whole life had been one downward spiral anyway.
There was something going on today, there was a lot of murmuring through the hordes of soldiers. Blaine was never one to tolerate or believe rumours, but he needed to find out what was going on.
"Hey, do you know what's happening?" He called out and grabbed the nearest person, who looked him up and down with sharp eyes before gesturing over to tents at the back.
"Seems like someone caught a Hexalka."
As the guy shrugged off his hand and continued on his way past, Blaine's eyes widened and his heart thrummed a little harder.
He had always wanted to see one with his own eyes. Hexalka were living gods of their plane, and Blaine had always been oddly fascinated with the species.
He knew he would have to be sneaky about it, his father would never permit him to speak to one, let alone if they were a prisoner now.
He waited until it was later in the night, his father could be heard screeching his mouth off from inside the tent they had specifically for prisoners of this façade of war. Blaine scoffed as he heard a couple of thuds and more screaming from his father.
He stepped into the dark shadows in the back as his father emerged from the tent looking frustrated and stormed across the rest of the little field they were in to his own tent. One of Blaine's brothers following along after him.
He let out a breath as he moved behind the tent, he knew how to get into it undetected, he had been speaking to the prisoners and bringing them food and water for years already. The guards never had any idea that he did it. They were too big and stupid to realize.
He approached the back of the small tent and looked around swiftly before turning himself into a small bug and crawling underneath the flap of the material at the back. Quickly slinking along into a corner to transform back.
The Hexalka was sitting hunched over, his arms chained to the post stuck in the ground behind him, with several other chains wrapping around him, Blaine could tell that the chains had a special spell on them, so he wouldn't touch them.
The Hexalka suddenly looked up at him and Blaine froze, a little intimidated by the glaring green eyes.
"If you're here to kill me, do it, I'm not saying anything." The Hexalka male said as he shook his silver coloured hair out of his eyes and gave Blaine a hard look, but Blaine just stepped forward and shook his head quickly.
"I'm not here to kill you." Blaine said and the Hexalka's eyes narrowed as if trying to gauge the truthfulness in Blaine's tone, whether he should believe him or not.
"Who are you?" he asked and Blaine smiled a little down at him.
"My name is Blaine, my father is the leader of this farce here." He said with distinct dislike in his voice and the Hexalka shook his head.
"Poor thing."
Blaine narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Please don't patronize me." he said and the Hexalka just smiled up at him a little wryly.
"Oh I wasn't, I truthfully feel bad for you."
After Blaine had broke into the tent to talk to him once, he kept returning. Every night found Blaine and Eltin talking, he eventually divulged his name after 3 nights, figuring that Blaine wasn't telling anybody the useless information they were discussing.
Currently they were speaking about Blaine's father and his life so far, being under the thumb of a man he long since stopped calling his father.
Blaine had just told him about the insanity that seemed to be creeping in along with the power trip, and Eltin huffed out a humorless laugh.
"So what are you sticking around for? A medal?" Eltin said as he watched Blaine's face fall into confusion.
"What?"
"Why don't you leave?" Eltin shrugged as if it was a simple enough suggestion, but Blaine had to stifle a bout of cruel laughter.
"You think its that easy?" he asked sarcastically, but Eltin wasn't making a joke, he looked Blaine seriously in the eye and nodded.
"Why can't it be?"
"Because of my father, he's insane, he won't let me leave."
"You could just run." he suggested and Blaine paused for a moment.
"Run?" He repeated and Eltin hummed a little in agreement while Blaine was thinking about it.
"As far and as fast as you can." he added and Blaine frowned a little.
"Maybe one day..." He trailed off as Eltin snorted.
"You mean you haven't had enough punishment yet?"
Blaine had no answer to that, so he remained silent. Eltin felt bad for him, that much was clear, but Blaine hadn't ever spoken to another person on this level for years. His family and friends were all followers of his mad father, so he couldn't talk to any of them. They wouldn't indulge him anyway, calling all of his thoughts and feelings childish.
Many, many nights past, and Eltin suddenly disappeared. Blaine had no idea if his father had found out about his nightly visits, or if Eltin was killed, but he despaired as he sat in the middle of the prisoner tent all alone.
Even in this situation, Blaine had managed to hurt himself. Befriending someone who he knew was just there until their usefulness ran out.
He shook his head, cleared his eyes of the prickling feeling and then slid back out.
The morning came with a jolt, and he was kicked out of bed by one of his idiotic brothers and told that his father wanted to see everyone.
Blaine sighed. This could only spell more trouble.
And he was right.
He watched incredulously, a little in shock as his father addressed everyone at the meeting. Apparently he had taken it upon himself to send for females, and wanted everyone to participate to spread their genes. To create more and more for him to use for this take over. Blaine knew his father was insane but this.
It was against their laws for a start.
It was made centuries ago, when the clans were ruled by a council of leaders, a law was passed that nobody could mate and create life without being bonded with their soulmate. No children out of wedlock.
It made their species weaker, made the royal lines lineage worthless, and it also affected their souls. Blaine had no idea how true it was, but for them to have to pass a law forbidding unbonded mating, something must have been happening before.
Maybe they all went the same way as his father, got a little crazy.
As the soldiers around him were contemplating this big ceremony to culminate the expansion of his armed forces, so his father called it, Blaine felt sick.
He didn't want to do this, he didn't even like women. He hadn't actually told his father this little piece of information, but nobody else could blame him for keeping it to himself. There was no room for love or acceptance in his family.
After the big meeting was adjourned, the females were led through to the soldiers waiting sleeping areas, and Blaine stormed away to find his father. This was so wrong.
"Are you serious?" he screeched as he walked into his fathers tent, making him and Blaine's two brother look up at him in shock.
"It's natural for the boys to want to mate, besides I've already picked out a perfect match for you too." His father told him with a smirk and Blaine grimaced in disgust.
"What?" Blaine was confused and outraged, and all his confidence seemed to be a little shot now, standing in his father's imposing presence, "But, its not allowed."
"What? You don't think I changed the law?" He said and Blaine bit the inside of his cheek, to keep himself in check.
"But it was set, because it hurts our souls to mate unbonded." Blaine explained the old law, and his brothers both laughed and sneered at him as his father sighed.
"Don't be ridiculous, besides I need more new blood for my army." He said as he smiled a little cruelly at Blaine.
Blaine could feel it, the unbridled rage within him, his father, this man, no not man, this monster in front of him, had taken everything from him, had spoiled his soul, tainted him, took away his innocence by forcing him to kill. He had made Blaine's life miserable, and worthless, and now he could see that if he didn't get out right now, if he didn't take a stand, he would be stuck here for the rest of his life.
Toiling away wordlessly and unchallenging this monster before him.
"No, no I won't do it!" Blaine exploded, the rage within finally breaking free of its shell, and he kicked over a pot in front of him as he stared his father down with anger clouding his eyes.
"Excuse me? I think I misheard you, Blaine." His father said too calmly, and Blaine's anger writhed and tried to hide again, but Blaine thought of Eltin, about all Hexalka, the kind, good souls of this world that they were trying to destroy, and he bit his lip enough to bleed to not cower in his father's sight.
"No, no I won't-" He said again but a laugh cut him off.
"You'll do as you're told." His father scoffed and Blaine narrowed his gaze.
"No!" he yelled once more and his father turned cold eyes to him, as his brothers stepped closer too, waiting for orders, but Blaine raised his chin in defiance and remained where he was, "No, I won't give in to you this time, you're going too far with this whole war thing, it's deluded, you're insane!"
"Blaine!" His father snapped and Blaine internally flinched at the tone, used to the years he had heard it, and what it meant.
"No, I won't make more blood for you, I won't be with a woman either, you can forget it!" He carried on yelling, as he watched his father's eyes and face redden with anger, "And no way are you using my blood for your sordid schemes, I'm outta here!"
"Oh no you're not!" His father snapped as he turned and then he found himself face to face with both of his brothers, glaring and smirking down at him.
"Did you forget who I am?!" His father roared as he stalked closer, as Blaine's brothers blocked his escape route, "I have power here, and you are nothing more than the slime on my shoe, but so help me I will have you obey me!"
As his father stepped into his personal space, Blaine knew his decision was now or never, and with every fiber of his being, thinking back on Eltin's words and looking deep into his own soul for the strength, he transformed as he roared the words-
"No, not anymore!"
He broke through the top of the tent as his form changed into his Dyrex, making a running leap into the trees which had surrounded them for weeks.
"After him!" he heard his father yell at his brothers, but he knew he had to keep moving, keep running, he had to leave, he had to get out.
He was never going back.
'Run...as far and as fast as you can.'