Disclaimer: *blinks, looks around* What? Me? Nah, I don't own Lord of the Rings. Wish I did. Don't. End o' story.
A/N ~ Okay, a bit more of a delay this time, but I hope it was worth waiting for!
Vultsin
Imorti = Immortal, Elf-kind
Elven
Manarwë = Fate/Doom
Maltasercë = Gold Blood
Sairalassë = Wise Leaf
Ñaltanárë = Fire Radiance
Estë = One of the Valar, the spouse of Irmo. She is the healer of hurts and weariness
Oromë = One of the Valar, the spouse of Vána. He is the brother of Nessa and called the "Huntsman of the Valar" and the "Great Rider"
Alphiel = Swan Daughter
Pennion = Tale Son
Ilfirino = Immortal One
Maethorion = Warrior Son
Dinehu = Silent Dog (rough translation, admittedly not accurate elven and not subject to change)
Other
Alejandro = Defender, Protector
Ves'ald/Veshan Aldsinao = Vahrin Assigned, literally meaning 'Assigned to a Feral One'
Serteken
Crtria = Connected, One who understands the minds of the Sertek
Krvatnorsi = Bringer of the Blood Death/Blood Death Bringer (more shall become clear on this word later)
Avarikal
Akira = Empath
Vahrin = A Feral - a person considered wild, uncontrollable for reasons that differ according to the person themselves
Bold is mind-speech. Italic is Westron or memories/dreams.
Tulu ~ Support
The shape-shifter looked toward the caves again, but before he could even try to muster up the courage to enter them - a courage he didn't think he possessed right now - Gweltari was blocking his line of sight to the underground entrances and her lips were brushing against his own softly, distracting his thoroughly from any fear that might have tried to make itself known in his mind. His mate just seemed to have that affect on him and he loved her all the more for it. She pulled back with a slight smile, hearing that thought and pleased by it. "I will go get them." No words of either explanation or thanks needed to be exchanged between them as Alagos returned her smile and then his bonded was gone, disappearing into one of the caves.
Gweltari moved down the red-hued rock tunnel, going deeper into the earth until she came to a great room that opened up unexpectedly. The place was dry but for one wall that dripped water into a still, deep pool. Ledges lined the walls and dragons, all of them Char-pyk, looked up at her arrival. Gweltari was strongly reminded of the Dragon Clan in the north as their golden and light green-yellow eyes looked over at her. These dragons were much smaller than the northern dragons and they had small wings not built for flying unlike the northern dragon with their great wings like a ship's sails. These dragoness overall attitudes were much different from the northern dragons, too. They didn't look at Gweltari as intruder. In fact, she was not the only human down here and she heard a familiar voice echo to her from across the cavern.
"Tari!"
Tigeki's grinning face came from amidst three or four dragons and just as many humans, and she was quickly darting to Gweltari's side, her auburn hair flying everywhere and her green eyes sparkling with mischief. The ranger woman chuckled and shook her head at the young shape-shifter's personality, highly contagious, and she raised a brow when Tigeki drew closer. The girl stopped with an exaggerated huff and placed her hands on her hips. "Ya be needin' somethin'?" Tigeki knew Gweltari never came down here unless she needed some kind of help with the soldiers up above and she was usually looking for her brothers when she ventured into the caves because the Ranger twins seemed to be fascinated with the dragons.
Gweltari didn't answer the question right away, asking one of her own. "Where is Emeraldsong?" The treasure dragoness never left the teenager to her own devices for long, something everyone appreciated, but it was obvious the treasure Ancient would not fit in this smaller cavern. The ranger woman almost wondered if Tigeki had chosen this place BECAUSE of that fact, just to annoy the green dragoness. The girl only shrugged. "The great lizard be in another cave. She be teachin' glidin' to da strongur dragons who be wantin' riders. I be teachin' de battle techniques to da dragons who be unable ta glide a long bit o' distance."
"I see. Tig, do you know where Actreo and Acwyn are?"
Tigeki's brow rose and she tilted her head, her green eyes dancing with a knowing expression that made Gweltari seriously wonder if the girl did know anything or just wanted Gweltari to THINK she knew something. "What ya be wantin' them Maiar for?"
Gweltari gave the teenager a look. "Tigeki." It was a warning in one simple word, the girl's name and she rolled her eyes, but pointed to a tunnel leading to another cavern presumably. "They be thata way." The young shape-shifter was darting away after that, not waiting for a reply or thanks and Gweltari smiled after her, exasperated. Tigeki was at least a hundred years older, Kahilnar's aunt, but she behaved as a child might and probably would for a long time yet despite the wisdom she already carried. It didn't make the seemingly young girl any less intelligent, brilliant, though. She had ideas and strategies that were astounding to see, but she hid them behind an innocent face and strange speech. It was entirely odd, but then again, Gweltari was more than used to strange things by this point. One of them being the Maiar she was about to go talk to...
The ranger woman found the twins easily, but she was surprised by their forms. Instead of the adult ones they frequently used around the camp, the ones that had to be closer to their true shapes than anything else, they were now elflings once again. They appeared perfectly at ease talking with Dashheart, their bonded dragon, and as Gweltari studied them discreetly for just a moment, she thought she understood why they were in the forms they'd taken now. It was so they could ride Dashheart, so they could be better suited to his size since the green male WAS a messenger dragon, the smallest kind among the many kinds of northern dragons. He was only slightly bigger than the Char-pyk who were no bigger than very large horses.
The golden-haired twins looked up as Gweltari drew near and she found her green-gray eyes captured by their light blue and dark blue ones, as if they had known she was going to come. They certainly did not look surprised to see her and they rose from their spots, graceful and appearing older than the elflings their forms depicted. "He is ready to talk with us." When Acwyn spoke it was not a question and her light blue eyes glanced into her brother's dark blue ones. Actreo appeared perfectly stoic, but Gweltari was sure she caught a flash of rage flicker in his eyes before the emotion was simply gone, hidden behind a tranquil, deep blue sea.
Acwyn and Dashheart both sensed something from the male Maia if their sharp looks toward him were anything to go by, but neither the female Maia nor the dragon spoke and Gweltari glanced between all three of them before speaking herself, slightly confused and wary because of it. The only Maia she'd dealt with had been Arienel and the elleth had never seemed this...distant, untouchable. "If you have known Alagos would have need of you, why have you not come to him before now?" She could not help the tinge of anger in her voice, but Acwyn laid a hand on her brother's arm when he looked like he'd retort with the same emotion and the female's voice was soothing. And why shouldn't it be? She WAS a servant of Estë. It was in her nature to be nurturing, comforting.
"We have always known Alagos needed us, but until the time we met him while with the northern dragons, we were not permitted to have any contact with him. We are given permission to speak to him about the Fallen One only when he comes to us. Not before."
"This does not please us, but we answer to the same Authority you do, Gwelutarien, and we will not disobey it." Actreo's voice was much more clipped than his sister's, more power behind it and Dashheart butted him in the back. It made the elfling blink in surprise as he stumbled and then a smile came to his face, and the messenger dragon growled in an approving way for the expression even as Acwyn shook her head and stepped forward, a lovely grace in every step she took as she addressed Gweltari. "Take us to your bonded, Gweltari and we will help him as we are able."
The ranger woman could only nod, not sure she understood the silent messages being sent, but trusting that if Eru wanted Alagos to talk to these two then they really had something useful to say, a way to help her shape-shifter.
The two Maiar and the messenger dragon followed the ranger woman out of the caverns and into the sunlight. When Gweltari turned her head to look back at the three, though, she blinked in surprise once more, seeing that the twins were now adults again, their golden hair gleaming in the light and their entire auras exuding a subtle, restrained power. Actreo especially seemed quite dangerous and he looked it, too. He seemed to belong to a different age and time, a time when the Valar themselves walked the land of Arda. His sister beside him looked too pure and gentle for the world around her, like something out of a dream. And yet both Maiar stood perfectly at ease by the green dragon between them, as if they belonged exactly where they were in the same way they looked completely out of place.
The ranger woman found it puzzling, but she didn't say anything about it, only going to Alagos as the shape-shifter stood from his seated position near Liska. The female Vultsi appeared asleep, but her nose twitched in Dashheart's direction and her blue and brown eyes cracked open to look at the dragon warily. Alagos did the same with Actreo and Acwyn as he touched Gweltari's arm, silently thanking her for getting them, but then directing his attention back to the twins. His amber eyes appeared slightly glazed for a moment as his gift surged through his mind, but Actreo chuckled slightly and shook his head, speaking directly into the white-haired male's mind, surprising him slightly, but relieving him at the same time. He now had a method of communication and it would seem that both siblings heard his voice just as they could hear each others'.
"No, Son of Dragons. Your gift is not the answer this time."
Alagos' eyes cleared of the clouds in them almost instantly and he blinked, confused. "Arienel said you could help me. How?" The two Maiar and the shape-shifter were the only ones standing now as Gweltari had sat down, knowing this was probably going to be a long conversation she was not going to be able to hear and also instinctively knowing it was for Alagos to deal with. He would show her the information he gained in full when this was over she was sure. In the meantime, she would stay quiet and watchful, ready to support her mate should he need it.
Dashheart had lowered himself to the ground - his tail twitching with pent up energy - long before the ranger woman, knowing the twins' minds very well. He was the first dragon to bond to a full-blooded Maia in many hundred years and the only dragon in history to have bonded to TWO individuals, but he was probably the best one for both jobs with his laid-back nature and simple acceptance of the way things were. And he knew that his place right now was to support his two bonded, but not to interrupt. It wasn't as if he could since the entire conversation was going to be in mind-speech.
Acwyn was the one to answer Alagos, her voice still soft, but a crackling energy behind it that the shape-shifter could easily sense. It was not a harmful energy, though, but rather a gentle one, a happy one in a way. "We know the Fallen One you are fighting. We know she will stop at nothing to attain you, not until she herself is stopped."
"Then why haven't you stopped her? She has to have been here for years to gain the footholds in this land that she has. You have been here nearly as long as she has if your story about a guardian who watched over you in the Golden Woods is to be believed. Why had you done nothing against her, against a fellow Maia?" Alagos' eyes were once again hazed with his gift and it was the first time he'd fully realized just what it was that was in his head. A Maia. Manarwë was a Maia and no matter how comforting Acwyn might have been trying to be, he was not calmed by her.
Actreo's voice was harsh, the complete opposite of his sister in every way, his countenance angry as he realized just what the shape-shifter was doing. "You are not to use your gift!"
"I will use any means of information available to me so long as you continue to speak in riddles, Maltasercë! Answer me directly! Why have you done nothing against her?" Alagos' voice, even mentally, had gained a stubborn, powerful note of its own and he saw Gweltari stiffen from the corner of his eye as she felt his angry tension, but she said nothing, her green-gray eyes narrowed as they watched between the three, ready for anything she might have to do. Maiar or no, she would fight with Alagos against anyone. In fact, she already had if the small wisp of knowledge she got from her shape-shifter was correct. She'd already fought a Maia for him.
Alagos for his part only felt frustration and it showed in the tension in his body, the way his amber eyes seemed to glow with the emotion he felt. He had been through hell in the last two weeks and before that as well. He wanted answers and he wanted a way to fight against this tormentor. He was tired of having no way to resist the people who wanted to hurt him.
"Brother." Acwyn said it firmly in reprimand or warning, perhaps a reminder, looking at Actreo until he backed down slightly and then she turned to Alagos. Her voice grew angry, bitter for the first time and the fact surprised Alagos until he heard the words she said...and then her bitterness made complete sense. "The Maia you know as Manarwë is truly called Ñaltanárë and she is our sister. Maltasercë and I are not twins, but triplets with Ñaltanárë being the youngest. We can no more defeat her than we can leave Arda to its fate while she is here. Maltasercë and I have been in this place, bound to your land, to try and ease the damage she has caused. Power between the three of us has always been equal, none of us able to overcome the other, but now Ñaltanárë's power exceeds even our own, though, she can not kill us even now. We can not defeat her and it is not given permission to us to even try."
Alagos felt as if he'd been splashed with ice water and for a moment he found it hard to breathe. The information he'd just been given was more than he could have ever expected and it had knocked the anger, the frustration out of him, leaving only disbelief and the beginning of fear. When Gweltari made to rise, though, he held out his hand to her, telling her to stay. She did so reluctantly as he looked back up at the two siblings before him. "Ñaltanárë is the name of the first Maia to bond with a dragon." The same Maia he'd told Kahilnar about not long ago. It wasn't really a question, just a plea for confirmation and the Maiar gave it.
"Yes. She is sister to Sairalassë and I. She was bonded to the water dragon Stormtongue before she killed him."
"Just as she has been killing any dragon of his bloodline for thousands of years now. She believes Stormtongue ruined her life, took away her freedom and her thirst for vengeance runs deep. She has never been able to wipe out Stormtongue's line completely, though, she has tried. We would not let her, though, by command of the Creator."
The shape-shifter stared at the two Maiar, his mind whirling with a hundred questions, his gift connecting events from the past into one great tapestry for him and it was then that one very clear, overwhelming thought came to Alagos' mind. "I am a descendant of Stormtongue." It was not a question and the Maiar did not answer, merely watching him, waiting for something it seemed. Alagos met their eyes, his own slightly puzzled. "Was it my father or my mother that carried on the bloodline?"
"Your mother."
"Then why has Dagoryn not been killed?" How had his brother escaped this Maia's wrath? While he was grateful this was so, it still puzzled him.
The two siblings smiled for the first time, mischievous smiles that looked entirely too full of satisfaction. Maltasercë answered. "We spent a great deal of our time in the forest of Lothlorien so that we might protect your brother while he dwelled between the Golden Woods and Rohan. We shielded his presence, his bloodline from our sister in a way we could not do for you. She now knows Dagoryn exists, but she is more concerned about you and thinks your brother no more than a hindrance to be dealt with at a later time. It is you she wants."
"Why could you not shield me from her? What does she want from me?" The shape-shifter was not confused, not really, but what he was being told was hard to wrap his mind around in a way a lot of things were not hard for him to grasp. A Maia as ancient as the dragons themselves, the first Maia to bond to a dragon, wanted to kill him in revenge for something he had no say in, wanted to kill him because he was connected to the dragon she thought had ruined her life by a bloodline he could not help having?
"She wants your power, Son of Dragons. You are the most powerful Talikan that has ever graced Arda. Your knowledge of the past and present is infinite and it is only your form, your mind that tempers this power, that contains it. If our sister could access it, control it, free it she could take over Arda faster than Sauron could have ever hoped to accomplish. Ñaltanárë knows you are the key to her ultimate power in this Middle-earth. She also knows you are the key to her downfall."
"What?" Alagos said it hoarsely, flinching back and this time Gweltari did stand, coming to his side, glaring at the two Maiar. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like Alagos' reactions to it and she knew they were probably to blame for his suddenly uncertain and shocked state. Or at least nothing had suggested otherwise to her. The shape-shifter seemed to relax slightly at her presence and she leaned into him, her fingers drawing soothing circles on his back as Sairalassë spoke to the shape-shifter again, her voice soft in his head. Her own power of soothing came to aid the work Gweltari was already pouring into her bonded.
"When Stormtongue was killed, a prophecy, a warning was given to Ñaltanárë that one from Stormtongue's bloodline would bring justice to her for his death. A Son of Dragons with the power of the past at his call. You are the only Talikan that has ever been born to Stormtongue's bloodline, the only dragon with the power to see the past from his descendants. Ñaltanárë knew about you the moment your gift started surfacing and we could not shield you from her. The power to do so was not granted to us, though, we longed for it. I is how my brother and I also knew your were the one that our sister would be most interested in."
"Your path has always been to defeat our sister, Alagos. Every trial, every pain and joy, all your choices have led you to this one. You are the one the Creator has chosen to bring justice to Ñaltanárë. Sairalassë and I will aid you in whatever way we are able, but the battle will be yours."
Maltasercë's voice, the very power that hummed around him, spoke of an eagerness to see this battle come to pass, to aid in it, but Alagos shook his head in instant denial of the words. His body trembled, no longer soothed by Gweltari who was looking at him with worry, wanting to help and he most certainly was not soothed by any words the Maiar might say. Panic leaped within him and the only thing that would come to his mind was all the times he'd tried to fight back and been defeated, not just by the dark Maia, but any of his captors. "I can't defeat her! I can't even keep her out of my head! How am I to kill her! I am a dragon, nothing more! She is a Maia, a powerful Maia! I can not fight her alone!"
Who said you would be alone, My Son? The voice came from neither the female nor the male Maia. It didn't come from Liska who was still laying calmly on the ground a few feet away, nor Dashheart who was watching everyone, his body jittery for lack of movement, but also strangely patient. It wasn't Gweltari, still at his side and glaring daggers at the Maiar. Alagos stilled instantly at the Voice, his attention captured as his eyes slipped closed and he knew who it was that spoke to him. How could he not?
I can't do this. Why me? Why did you pick me?
Many have uttered the same words to Me in similar circumstances, Alagos. I shall give you the answer I have given many before you, the many before you who have accomplished My will. I chose you because it pleased Me to choose you. I have known your path before you were born and I have guided you every step of that path. Your life has been woven into the My great Song and it can not be unraveled or broken. You can do this because it pleases Me to enable you to accomplish the task I have set before you.
The Voice of Eru was firm, but not unkind and Alagos felt the love that poured from it in overwhelming waves. The shape-shifter trembled for a different reason now and he found he could say nothing in protest, in rebuttal for the Maker of the Eä spoke truly. His Creator's next words were amused, teasing. Have I not shown you I am with you? Does not My servant lay near you, protecting you? Have not Sairalassë and Maltasercë promised to aid you? I am WITH you, My Son and nothing shall happen to you until it has passed through My hand first.
At this the shape-shifter finally smiled a bit and in his heart, he relaxed, comforted. He still wasn't sure if he could do this, if he could fight a Maia and defeat her, but he was willing to accept that his Creator thought he could. That would have to be enough for now. And he would learn from the Maiar. He would learn what he could and see what came of it. His amber eyes opened to meet the many pairs that watched him and Alagos took Gweltari's hand, squeezing it gently to reassure her that he was all right before he addressed the Maiar once more. "What can you teach me?"
Neither Maltasercë or Sairalassë questioned his sudden change in attitude, only answering the question with the same confidence, assurance they'd had throughout the whole conversation. Sairalassë spoke first, calmly, dutifully as if this did not please her to do at all. And that made sense seeing as Ñaltanárë was her sister. It had to be difficult for Sairalassë to fight her sister even if Ñaltanárë had gone dark. To give information to the person the Creator had told you would kill your sibling...it couldn't be easy, at least not for the tenderhearted, golden-haired Maia. "I can teach you how to shield yourself from Ñaltanárë. You will not be able to keep all your thoughts from her, but the important information, the things she can not know, I can show you how to keep those from her without a hope of her ever breaking through the shield you will create. I can teach you how my sister thinks and the ways she will try to use your own mind against you." The female Maia glanced at her brother and Maltasercë grinned, clearly looking forward to what he could show Alagos.
"I will teach you how to fight her. I can show you the places in her mind to strike, how to cause the most damage with the least amount of effort. I can teach you how to create weapons with your thoughts and how to use them." The servant of Oromë appeared perfectly fine with the idea of fighting his sister, hurting her even, and in his dark blue eyes was the knowledge of ancient battles and even harder choices. He was no stranger to bloodshed and pain, and he would fight for the light, for his Creator, with every breath in his body. Anyone who fought for Melkor, against Eru, was his enemy, sister or not. It was as simple as that in the male Maia's mind.
Alagos nodded, accepting what they told him, but glanced at Gweltari before focusing on the male Maia once more. "Can you teach these things to a human?" If he knew his mate, and he did, she would put herself in danger for him. She would follow him to fight Ñaltanárë whether he wanted her to or not. She wasn't going to let him face the dark Maia alone and he didn't want her hurt because she didn't know how to defend herself against this foe.
Maltasercë did not respond to the question by speaking to Alagos, but simply looked at Gweltari. The ranger woman looked back at him almost expectantly as she felt Alagos nudge her attention to the golden-haired male. "If I could teach you to fight against the one hurting your bonded, would you be willing to learn?"
A spark, a feral fire came to Gweltari's green-gray eyes and her closed-mouth smile was cold. "I will learn anything you can teach me if it will protect Alagos." She had no idea what was being discussed, what had been decided or why Alagos seemed calmer now, but she was fully willing to accept whatever Actreo could teach her, no matter how difficult, if it meant she could fight Manarwë. Well, more like pound the dark woman into the dirt, but still...
The male Maia seemed pleased by the fact and both siblings looked at Alagos expectantly, but the shape-shifter only shook his head. He had questions, yes, but nothing he wanted to voice now. He could figure out a lot of it on his own and was almost eager to use his gift again after being parted from it for nearly three weeks. There was also the fact that many answers would only come with time and he had other things he could be focusing on right now...one of them being 'seeing' what Kahilnar was up to and perhaps aiding the Easterling in whatever way he could. "I don't have anything more to ask right now."
Sairalassë smiled and nodded, understanding. "We will be here when you need guidance. Do not hesitate to come to us. If we can answer a question or help you, we will." She and her brother said nothing more before turning back to the caves and their forms were that of elflings even before they disappeared back underground, Dashheart following. All three of them faded from sight quite calmly, as if they had only been having a pleasant visit with an old friend and Alagos envied their confidence. He felt battered and his throat hurt, but at least he now had some kind of idea about what was going on.
Gweltari looked up at her mate with a raised brow and something like both worry but also amusement in her green-gray eyes. "What happened?" She knew Alagos was not going to answer in words and simply opened her mind to his as he let the very recent memory flow into her. The ranger woman stiffened, her emotions ranging from furious, to great worry, disbelief and then a controlled calm that didn't fool Alagos in the least. She opened her eyes and then simply hugged him, her face buried in his chest. She said nothing, could say nothing and the shape-shifter only held her, understanding all too well.
He was tired, too.
"It will be well, Nahisya."
"You can't know that."
"Does that mean I am not allowed to say it?"
Gweltari seemed to pause at that one and he heard the slight smile in her voice, but he couldn't see it as she kept her head pressed to his chest and he had settled his own head on hers, his white hair mingling with her dark brown curls. "No. You can say it." Her response was whispered, grudgingly given, but playfully so and the shape-shifter smiled. They would be all right. They'd made it this far, hadn't they?
Time-skip of a week, Rebel Home, Sercecet...
Screaming. Someone was screaming. His brother, his little brother, Pennion was screaming. Screaming in fear, screaming for him, for his mother...but mostly for him. He'd always been Pennion's protector and the child who appeared no more than five knew his brother would help him. His brother always saved him, from everything. Nightmares, tall trees, bullies, scrapes...it didn't matter, Pennion knew his older brother would protect him, he would make everything better.
Only, this time, he didn't.
Maethorion didn't move. He didn't go to his brother's aid. Everything was blurry around him, he could see nothing clearly and somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn't how the memory should work. He'd seen everything on this day, but now, nothing was truly visible. He could hear, oh he heard every tiny detail that went on around him, and he could feel. He felt the calm, steady hands of the woman he did not know on his shoulders. She was not holding him, merely resting her hands on him and yet he felt like he was held by chains of the heaviest make as his brother screamed again, called for him, and he did nothing. He didn't move...didn't even feel the need to...but he knew he SHOULD. He should be struggling. He should be doing SOMETHING. Shouldn't he? It was hard to think, hard to decide if he was doing the right thing or not.
They were going to kill his brother. His mother's voice was screaming above Pennion's, at HIM, telling him to help his brother, horrified that he was doing nothing when he was the only one who could. He was the one free of restraints, the only one not surrounded by the soldiers that had come to his village only days ago...and he did nothing. He wanted, too, though. He felt like something was battling in him, a savage, bloody war inside that no one could see and he felt the woman's hands on his shoulders tighten, tense. He wanted to move, to break out of the hold he was in and go to his brother, comfort his mother. He knew he wanted to, so why wouldn't his limbs obey him? Why was there a fog over his mind like he didn't care about what was happening? He didn't understand and he didn't like it.
Maethorion thought he jerked forward. He thought maybe the woman holding him signaled to someone, but he couldn't see it, didn't hear her. Suddenly there was another hand on his right shoulder, though, another feminine one and he felt like he was losing the battle inside as the desire to move, to help his brother was lost to him, slipping away again like it didn't matter. And it didn't matter. Or did it? It really didn't matter if it did or not, did it? He couldn't move. He didn't want to move. Another cry for help from his brother had him jerking, though, as if his body, his heart, didn't agree with his mind and the hands on his shoulders tightened again until the feeling passed once more.
In his heart, he knew he hated these women. He didn't know them, but he hated them, what he instinctively knew they were doing, though, he didn't know how he knew.
Maethorion still heard Pennion, but now the child was only crying and it was his mother shouting at him, her voice angry, accusing. He knew he looked over at her, but now, in this dream-state, he couldn't see her, not clearly. He knew Alphiel's blue eyes would be burning with confusion, but also anger toward him, a mother's fury. He was almost grateful he couldn't see her clearly. He looked away again and toward the platform he knew held his black-haired, dark brown-eyed brother. He knew Pennion would be looking at him pleadingly. He knew his young face would be streaked with dirt and tears. He knew his brother's nose would be bloody and his lip swollen. He knew his small hands would be tied behind his back as he was forced to kneel, his small body shaking with terror.
And he knew all he felt was a tranquil calm. Maethorion knew he wouldn't move. Not even when sound alone told him that a blade was being drawn. Not when his mother screamed in horror and the distinct sound of blood hitting the ground came to his ears. It was only when his sight cleared unexpectedly, as it always did in this dream, and he saw his brother's lifeless eyes still looking toward him that something inside snapped. It was only when he met the blue eyes of his mother, her own filled with anguish, horror and hate toward him that his own vision hazed over red. It was only then that something awakened in him, something terrible and uncontrollable.
The hands on his shoulders suddenly didn't matter anymore. Whatever power they might have held over him was now gone. Maethorion still wasn't sure, even to this day, how he got a sword in his hands, where he'd found a sword...all he knew was what happened afterward. All he knew was that by the time he drained of the rage and grief that had consumed him, the four woman who had come to his village were dead. The soldiers that had come with them were dead. Their bodies littered the ground and the grass and dirt were stained dark with blood. The red liquid ran down the blade he held in his shaking, young arms and blood dripped from his gold hair and pale skin like a silent reminder as to what he'd just done. A reminder of what he'd failed to do and what he was capable of.
And his mother and the other villagers were staring at him like he was a monster sent from the Void.
His mother approached him first and he didn't stop her when she struck him so hard he fell, the unforgiving ground knocking the breath from him and the sword he held flying from his hands. Her words of accusation and anger, of hate and grief forever burned themselves into his memory, his heart and the seemingly fourteen year old could only look up at her with confusion of his own and grief so harsh it made it hard to draw air. He didn't understand why he'd done nothing to save his brother and he wanted to say as much, but nothing would come out of his mouth and the only thing he could feel now was a deep, aching guilt and a cold numbness that was rapidly sweeping through his body. And then he was running as his mother tried to attack him, her fury only held back by the other villagers as she screamed and fought to get at him.
Maethorion ran, the sword now in his hands again, knowing he'd never come back. Knowing he couldn't. Both his brother and his mother's screams echoed in his ears and he felt tears running down his face. He felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking gently...
Renegade bolted upright, drawing in air with ragged breaths and for a long moment, his gold hair hid from him just who had woken him. At first he'd just assumed it was Mountain and he was reluctantly fine with that as the large man had seen him in this kind of state before, worse actually, but a touch on his arm, the fingers only a whisper against his skin and then the voice that spoke had him aware of just who had found him sleeping by the river. And he wasn't fine with that. In fact, he was anything but fine with it.
"Shh, just breathe."
It was said softly, her fingers even gentler as they started to brush his hair back, an instinctive motion on Noruiel's part he was sure, but the elf jerked away from the Empath with a low snarl, both dislike for her and shame for the fact that she'd seen him this way running through him in an overwhelming wave that threatened to choke off the little air his lungs had managed to draw in around the grief for his brother in his chest. His dark blue eyes looked into ones of light brown through his gold hair and he caught the fading worry in the half-elf's eyes. She'd been concerned for him? Somehow the thought of such a thing made him want to get even further away from her. He was relieved when the emotion from the Empath was quickly replaced by the wary, hard edge she always maintained around him. In some far, remote corner of his mind, Renegade almost missed the care she'd shown, though. He quickly shook the thought away, however, finding it stupid and glared at the Empath, refusing to acknowledge that he'd been shaking not a minute ago or that she'd done him a favor by waking him.
"What are you doing here?"
Light brown eyes now seeping a dark brown in the beginning of anger narrowed, glaring back at him and the half-elf's tone was clipped, hot with frustration, though she controlled it well. "I have just as much right to come down to this river as you do, Commander. It is no fault of mine that you decided to sleep here." He could tell she wanted to say more, something was on the tip of her tongue, but she remained quiet and once more he found himself grudgingly, very grudgingly, admiring her self control. He shoved his long gold hair back from his face, glancing at the Sertek who crouched not far from Noruiel, watching them both intently, a silent guard.
Renegade didn't like the creature's presence, but he knew he couldn't protest it. He'd told the Empath that the Sertek was her responsibility and she had taken him to heart on that, going so far as to ignore his commands when he gave them, firing back that the monster was HER project, not his. And she'd done a good job, too, though, he was loathe to admit it. The lizard-dog like monster was loyal to her, so completely so that it had turned against its own kind to protect her in an attack two days ago. The Sertek had gone further, though, and had protected the men Noruiel had directed it to, as well. The elf didn't like the way the monster had attached itself to the half-elf, but the creature had done no one any harm and Noruiel had not used its loyalty to her in any way that could be deemed threatening. She had explained to Mountain the connection that had been made between her and the Sertek - not knowing Renegade was listening, too - and the large man had thought it made sense even if it was strange.
Still, the way the Sertek looked at him, strangely eager, set the elf on edge even more than Noruiel's presence did. That in and of itself was strange, but the Empath had not done a thing to him since arriving here a month ago and while he didn't like her, didn't trust her, he found he wasn't so wary of her as he'd been before. Especially when she seemed to be just as frustrated by him as he was by her. The Sertek was different, though. It had come here specifically for HIM and both the elf and the monster knew it. And Renegade thought he knew why, too. Or at least he strongly suspected the reason. The one thing he could not figure out was HOW Kilicar planned to use the power the elf possessed. It wasn't like it could be controlled or harnessed. It was just as likely to turn on an ally as it was an enemy. It didn't distinguish between the two. What Kilicar could possibly want with it and with him was still a mystery to the elf. He knew he wouldn't help the new Dark Lord, though, and it was not from the desire to not fight for the darkness. No, it was simply for the fact that Renegade didn't care. He didn't care who won this war or even what would happen afterward. The only thing he cared about was not being controlled, being able to come and go as he pleased. Kilicar wanted to control him...therefore, Renegade wanted nothing to do with the man.
With that thought in mind, he now glared at the monster and then directed his gaze to the half-elf once again, his voice cold. He wanted her to go away, to leave him alone with his scattered, haunting memories. And most importantly, he wanted her to never speak of what she'd seen. It would better if she didn't care about it, about him at all. And he could see she was beginning to care. He didn't like it and his voice was harsher than normal because of the emotion.
"Don't touch me again."
He stood, gracefully, swiftly, intending to leave, but then stopped, completely surprised when something hit his back between his shoulder blades. It was a probably a small rock and it stung. He turned, startled despite himself, to see the Empath nearly seething with rage as she stood from where she'd been crouching, her fist clenching, every line in her slender body filled with anger, a power she kept a tight reign on. The Sertek growled softly, watching its new mistress, but she gave the animal no signal and it stayed where it was, poised near the forest, its sharp, dark green eyes alert. Renegade was more interested in the female as she began to speak, her voice scorching like dragonfire and nearly as powerful. But she wasn't using her gift and that interested him more than anything else. He had never known an Empath who didn't use their power when angry.
"What is WRONG with you? It is not my fault you had a nightmare! It is not MY fault that you hate Empaths! It is NOT MY FAULT that you have problems that you need to work out, Renegade!"
The elf could do nothing but stare at the brown-haired female and he knew his expression would be one of ice, blank. He felt it. He felt like ice, unbreakable until hit in just the right spot. If anyone ever found that spot, he would shatter into a million pieces. He knew he would and he didn't want to. He approached the half-elf until he was looking down at her - it was not hard considering she was only around five feet, six inches and he a good six feet, four inches - until there was only a few inches between them and the Empath held her ground stubbornly though he saw the slight shiver that went through her body at his nearness. He was just unsure if it was fear or something else and he really didn't care at this point, either. "What do you know about me, Empath?" His voice was soft, a hiss of chilling anger and Noruiel seemed to take a deep breath before answering, her gaze determined, unyielding.
"Very little. I know you hate Empaths. I know you trust no one but Mountain. I know you have no skill at healing. I know you hate that I won't be intimidated by you. I know that every Empath that crosses your path ends up dead or doesn't stay long. I know that I can't sense your emotions at all as if you are not even in front of me. I know you hide. I don't know what you are hiding from, but you're running from something."
Dark blue eyes drilled into brown ones, hating that she knew even that much. He hated that she saw that much. "You know nothing, Empath. You think these few facts, these ideas, can tell you who I am? You know NOTHING about me!"
"I know that!" The angry shout from her mouth, the sheer vehemence she said the words with, made Renegade draw back slightly, his dark blue eyes flickering before becoming blank once more. He felt the slight wind stir his gold hair, saw it lift her brown as if time had slowed. Noruiel didn't stop or slow, though, continuing to speak with the same intensity as before, revealing just a small part of her mind to him, like she could trust him with it. It made him feel colder than he already was and he resisted the urge to shiver.
"I know nothing about you just as you know nothing about me, and yet you continue to hate me and I can not yet decide whether I want to try to understand you or not."
"You don't want to understand me, Empath." He said it with surety and the fact seemed to take the half-elf by surprise as she frowned and studied him, seeming to look for something and not finding it. And if what she'd said about not being able to read him was true, she truly had found nothing. But could she really not read him? She was an Empath and he was only an elf. Surely even his mental shields could not keep every emotion hidden, but what reason had she to lie to him..and about something that made HER more vulnerable and not him? Renegade's thoughts didn't show in his face and the female finally looked away with a frustrated sound he was sure he was not supposed to hear. She seemed to forget that his hearing was much better than her own as he was a full-blooded elf and she only a half-elf.
"Fine. Perhaps I don't, but answer me this, Vahrin. Just one question. What have I done that is so horrible you hated me on sight?" She seemed to actually expect an answer from him, only waiting as she pierced him with her fiery eyes. Those color-changing eyes, so like his own, her eyes, so strong and yet innocent held his attention as firmly as they'd done the day the two of them had met, but the elf could not answer. He didn't know what to say, how to explain. He could not understand why he might WANT to explain to this slight half-elf before him. She had won this verbal match completely and he had no hope of salvaging it. So he didn't, simply keeping his mouth shut tight and his eyes cold, expressionless as he turned away once more. This time he slipped into the trees without a sound, like one of the animals of the forest...and without a stone hitting his back.
Noruiel looked after the elf and felt like screaming through her own clenched teeth in frustration. He had won this battle whether he knew it or not as she will still stuck with more questions than answers. How she wished she could read him! Now she desired to more than ever. Over the last week he'd been more difficult than usual, on edge, but it had been seeing him down by the water, sleeping and obviously in the throes of a nightmare that had truly awakened her to the fact that Renegade was NOT made of stone and maybe there was more to his restless state than just the fact that there was a Sertek in his camp. That there was a HER in his camp.
She had approached him with little thought in her mind but to help him as his face had registered pain and a great sadness - two emotions she had NEVER seen while he was awake - and when she'd shaken him awake, she'd caught a glimpse, just a small insight, into the tortured person that resided inside the cold mask of ice. She had seen in that moment more than Renegade had ever shown while awake and it had softened her heart slightly, made her think that maybe there was some hope, something to what Mountain had told her. And then it had been gone, as soon as he realized who she was, the elf had withdrawn, becoming hard and cold once more.
It had hurt. A lot more than she'd been expecting.
What was so wrong about her that he hated her so much? Or maybe the better question was what had happened to him? What horror involving Empaths had he lived through to make her so detestable to him? He made her feel like dirt, like the scum of the earth and she hated it. Noruiel knew she was not the nicest Empath out there. She'd done things she regretted, but was she really so worthy of such an intense hatred? When she looked at Renegade, when he looked at her...she felt she was. Noruiel was seriously starting to wonder if he was right.
She was starting to wonder what she was doing here as well. She knew she'd be called upon soon and what was she going to report? That she'd managed to make the leader of the Sercecet hate her without hope of an reconciliation? That she'd gained the tentative trust of some of the men here? Or maybe she should report about the Sertek that followed her around EVERYWHERE without fail?
The Akira sighed and sniffed as her nose itched. The sneeze that erupted from her a moment later made her eyes water and she smiled a bit as the Sertek's head came under her arm, her elbow from behind, concerned. He behaved very much like a dog for all his lizard-like characteristics and almost human-like intelligence. He was never far from her and appeared to genuinely care about what she was doing, what she was feeling, what happened to her. It was comforting and yet strange all at the same time. Not a week ago, heck, not two days ago she'd been fighting his kind, killing them, feared them, but now... The Akira looked down into the dark green eyes that looked up at her. Giant as the creature was, he was constantly keeping his long neck lowered enough to be eye-level with her or lower still, near her stomach. Noruiel was unsure as to why this was, but she found it endearing. It was almost like the Sertek was trying not to scare the Akira and she appreciated it, even if she wasn't scared of the creature anymore.
Noruiel now rested her hand on the dog-lizard blended face, scratching the Sertek's sharply pointed ears and she looked down at the creature with a raised brow. "Whrat?"
"Krrvatnorsi irs frriend?" The Sertek seemed puzzled by the conversation it had just witnessed and Noruiel was reminded once more that the creature only had the intelligence level of a child at best. Or at least this one did. She sighed. "Yrres. Rrrenegade irs frriend." She was careful to speak the Sertek's language, knowing it processed her words better that way and speaking its language only seemed to reaffirm and strengthen the connection between them. The lizard-dog like creature laid its ears back, not happy with the answer. Noruiel could feel the battle inside it and she knew it was her power of Empathy that helped with that, but also that it was more of the connection, her being a Crtria that made it possible for her to think like the Sertek thought, to know its mind.
And she knew that the monster had been bred, created for a purpose and now its orders were conflicted. To capture the elf like it former master had wanted or to obey its new mistress and think the elf a friend? Friends, it had learned, were things not to be harmed and to be protected. They were things that its mistress cherished...and yet her body language said she didn't even like this elf.
It confused the Sertek, but its mistress had said not to harm anyone in the camp and that included the elf. Those orders, those words had not been confusing and the creature would obey them. The creature growled low, but its dark green eyes showed its understanding of the silent command and Noruiel smiled, her hand moving under the lizard-dog face to scratch its chin. The long tail behind the creature thumped the ground, causing the Akira to laugh and she saw the spark of intelligence, happiness that always entered the Sertek's dark green eyes when she did. It liked her laughter and while she did not know why, she accepted it just like she was learning to accept the creature's unflappable loyalty to her. She had a feeling she could send the Sertek to its death and it would go for her.
"You need a name. Or do you not already have one?" She wondered, now that she thought about, why she'd not been curious about this question before. The only answer she could come up with, even to herself, was that she'd not wanted to grow too attached to the Sertek without knowing if it was going to stay with her or not. Now, though, as the male didn't seem inclined to leave at all, she knew it was time to stop thinking of it as the 'monster', 'creature' or 'Sertek'.
It took a long few minutes for the Sertek to understand everything she had said, to comprehend it a she'd spoken in Rhunic, but even after it had, the creature looked puzzled, pulling its head back and standing to its full height of at least seven feet at the shoulder. It looked down at the slight female, seeming to wait. Noruiel understood then that the monster had no name, had never been given one, and she knew it waited for her to speak, to decide what it would be called. She studied the Sertek for a long moment, taking in the now clean dark brown fur and green scales, the lizard-like body, but dog characteristics, too and she contemplated what she knew about it.
"Sentinel."
The Sertek's ears came forward and Noruiel laughed softly. "Irt mreans troo wratch overr sromeone orr sromething. Irt mreans guarrd. Yrou arre mry Sentinel, brut I thrink I wrill carll yrou Sen. Whrat droo yrou thrink orv thrat?"
A low growl was the only answer the creature gave, but his dark green eyes showed acceptance of the name and Noruiel smiled.
The golden-haired elf looked up yet again through his long, loose hair at the giant man who refused to stop following him. The seemingly fifteen year old was not worried about the fact, just irritated and unnerved. And he hated feeling that way. It had been fifty years since he'd left his village. He had seen and done far more than many elves and even more so than many men ever would. He was not scared of this strange who'd met up with him a week earlier and had yet to be deterred from his self-appointed task or convinced to depart despite all the elf had done to make the man do so.
Dark blue eyes now watched the great man warily, calculating as Maethorion's hands stilled of their work. He'd been sharpening the long sword that now lay across his lap, balanced on his knees. He wielded the blade with great experience for his young age, even by elven standards, but the human sitting across from him didn't seem bothered by the fact that his young companion was dangerous and didn't seem to like him. In fact, he seemed bothered by nothing. Not the rain that beat down on both of them, soaking everything and making their hair cling to their faces, nor the mud that coated their clothes. He seemed not to be especially concerned by the lack of shelter out here on the plains or even that his companion now watched him like he was deciding something.
"Why are you following me?"
The large man looked up, smiling a bit, his dark eyes friendly. The young elf had asked the question every day and every day the large man had given a different answer, all of them true. He now tilted his head, though, and said something the golden-haired youth immortal did not expect.
"Why do you think I am following you?"
The elf stiffened, his blue eyes lightening in a dangerous way, a warning. He shifted a bit, appearing uncertain despite his readiness to defend himself should this conversation go wrong. "You want something." It made the most sense to the young male. No one ever bothered with him unless they wanted something. He didn't think this man would be any different and so he raised his brows in surprise when the strange man chuckled and shook his head, his dark hair plastered to his head by the constant rain.
"No, Elfling. I want nothing from you. I want to help you."
"I don't need help. I am not a child." Maethorion's voice had gone cold and the strange man only nodded, not phased. "I know you are not. Not anymore." The way he said it had the elf stiffening again. The man spoke as if he knew something he should not. As if he knew Maethorion's past. How could he know anything? It had happened fifty years ago and this human was no more than thirty at the most. But something in the man's eyes was different from any mortal he'd ever encountered. It was not the same kind of wisdom that the elves possessed. It was not a sense of agelessness per say, but it was different. Like the man knew everything there was to know about Maethorion. It was like he had always been there, had seen it all, knew the signs to look for, the words to avoid, the questions to not ask, the ways to reassure the young elf.
It was unnerving and yet...he didn't sense that the mortal meant him any harm.
"What are you?" He wondered if he should have said the words at all as they slipped from his mouth, but the young elf could not help it. Not yet at least. He would learned in time, but at this point, he was jaded, but he was still a child, too.
The man laughed. "Don't you mean 'who are you'? That question would make more sense."
The young elf shook his head, standing slowly with all the grace of an elf twice his age, feeling his growing limbs cramping from sitting so long. "No. I meant the question I asked. What are you?"
Dark brows rose. "I could ask you the same question, Elfling." There was no accusation in the statement, only a knowing quality and Maethorion found himself taking a step back, feeling suddenly like he should run. The man seemed to sense it, too, but didn't move, not even to stiffen. He did speak quietly, though, keeping the golden-haired youth from fleeing by tugging at the young elf's curiosity. "Did your father not tell you anything?"
If it was possible, Maethorion's cold blue eyes grew even icier and the blue color paled further in anger. He didn't answer but the man seemed to know the answer anyway, speaking softly still. "Ah, he left. Did he not tell your mother to tell you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Human." The young elf delivered the words through gritted teeth and the large man nodded as if he truly understood and Maethorion found his body uncoiling just a bit as he watched the strange mortal. How did he know his father had left his mother, him and his brother? And what was his father supposed to have told his mother, supposed to have told him? He was thoroughly confused and yet it didn't cross his mind that the human might be lying. He wouldn't lie. That Maethorion was sure of like he was sure the sun rose in the East. How he was sure...well, that was a question not even he could answer and he didn't try.
The large man's voice was gentle and he didn't look at Maethorion with pity, but with a caring expression the elf found strange, but comforting too in a way he'd not felt in fifty years. "I don't mean you any harm, Elfling. I know you don't need my help and you don't want it, but you are not going to get away from me. You can try if you wish, but it will not work. This is not a threat, but a fact, Maethorion."
"H..how do you know my name?" The man had finally rattled the young elf and Maethorion now watched the strange man with a new kind of speculation.
"I know many things about you, Elfling. It is my duty to know about you. I have been assigned to you since the day you were born."
"A..assigned? What are you!" Panic had crept into the young elf's voice, but just as quickly as it had come, it left and he stood in the rain, staring at the giant of a human - if that was what he was at all - before speaking again, calmer, eerily so after his initial outburst. "Who are you?" He was learning already and the large man smiled a little, answering.
"I am called Alejandro Ves'ald."
Maethorion tilted his head, silently questioning what kind of name that was, where it came from, but the man, Alejandro, didn't give him any kind of hint and the young elf realized that perhaps the human was waiting for him to introduce himself properly even if the mortal already knew his name.
"I am Maethorion, Son of Ilfirino."
Alejandro nodded, seeming to easily accept the information and for some reason, the young elf relaxed. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. Maybe for the man to have known his father? Or to have heard about Maethorion and the things he'd done? Whatever the reason for his tension, it was now soothed and the young male bit his lip a bit before speaking again, curious despite himself. It seemed to please the giant man, though, seeing him acting his age.
"Where do you hail from?"
"You are wondering about my name." It was not a question and Maethorion said nothing back, merely waiting. Alejandro smiled again and looked down at the wood he was carving, had been carving the entire time they talked, in his large hands. The rain dripped down his face and nose, but like everything else, he seemed not to mind. It wasn't like it was cold. This was a late spring rain and while it was soggy and uncomfortable, at least it was not winter. Maethorion liked the rain and given the chance to stay dry or stand in a downpour, he'd choose to get soaked. He now stood silently in the steady shower, his sword held loosely in his hand, his wet hair in his face, light brown eyes intent upon the human before him until the man spoke again.
"It is Spanish as my people thought I looked like a Spaniard when I was given form. Ves'ald, literally Veshan Aldsinao, means Vahrin Assigned."
Maethorion blinked, completely confused and Alejandro chuckled. "I will explain it to you in time. But answer me a question now, Elfling; why the intense dislike of me? You didn't even know me."
Renegade blinked, the sudden memory fading from his mind. His eyes refocused to see the forest around him, the trees he'd fled deeply into and he leaned against an available oak, his head falling back to hit the trunk as he looked up at the leaves above, the sun peeking playfully through the branches. Mountain had asked the same question years ago that the Empath had. And like that day five hundred and fifty years ago, he could not answer the question. He hadn't been able to answer Mountain and he couldn't answer the Empath.
He now understood that he'd simply been afraid to trust Mountain. That had passed, changed and he'd eventually told the man why he had been so wary - though, the strange giant male had already known. With Noruiel, however, it was different, much different. He hated her kind, Empaths. He had every reason to hate them, not to trust them and that hatred had only grown with time and experience. He had met enough Akira to reaffirm his ideas about them and he'd been confident in his dislike...until Noruiel.
She...damn, he hated to admit it, but she was different. Not only had she not attempted to pry into his life, she'd also followed the same rules his men did without expecting to be treated different for her power. She stood up to him no matter how he tried to intimidate her and she didn't use her power to do so. She spoke her mind, but never said anything that made another feel like they were beneath her. The Empath was truly strange, but he was starting to wonder, in the farthest corner of his mind, whether this strangeness was a bad thing, a thing he should continue to hate.
Renegade sighed, thumping his head back against the tree again and glancing at the bark when the tree whispered in his mind in reprimand. A sheepish smile twitched at his mouth as he laid his palm against the bark in apology before he pushed away from the oak altogether and started walking again. His thoughts were not very clear, rambling and fading, but he was deep enough in them, getting nowhere really, that he didn't notice the white creature until he'd almost walked right into it.
Dark brown eyes blinked at the white wolf who looked back at him with amber eyes that showed something that he could have sworn was amusement. The elf smiled. "Dinehu. Where have you been?" Renegade knelt easily by the canine, taking the large head in his hands and ruffling the animal's ears before Dinehu had pulled back, his teeth showing in a silent growl of protest, but he didn't stray far, looking strangely happy to see the elf, too. Renegade had not seen the wolf in three weeks now and feared the creature dead by the stronger predators - the Sertek - roaming around, but the canine looked perfectly fine and as clean as ever. It was astounding how white the animal could stay while in this forest...
There was no answer to his question and the golden-haired male had not expected any. It just felt good to talk to someone who was not going to immediately question him and want to know what he was thinking before he was ready to speak. It was nice to just be around someone who only listened. He smiled at the wolf again and stood, walking once more in an aimless direction, feeling more at ease than he had before. Dinehu seemed to have that affect on him and Renegade didn't question it.
The large wolf now fell in beside him, alert in a way the elf was not, didn't have to be now that the canine was here. The two continued through the forest in amicable silence for a time before Renegade felt like speaking. His companion had waited with perfect patience and now perked his ears to hear the elf's voice better, paying attention.
"I don't think I hate her anymore. I just don't know how to not dislike her." Brown eyes, lightening in shade rapidly, narrowed as the elf frowned. "I've hated her kind for so long...I don't know if I can ever accept her presence, not with her power being what it is."
Renegade looked down at the white canine in surprise when he felt the sharp nip at his fingers as if in reprimand and his light brown eyes met amber ones. The wolf seemed to studying him for a long moment, looking for something and the elf got the strangest feeling, like he had many times when around the canine, that the animal wanted to say something, but couldn't. It was not the same kind of feeling he got with a horse or even a hunting falcon. It was stronger, just as the intelligence in Dinehu's eyes was stronger than any animal's he'd ever encountered. It almost looked human. Even more intelligent than the spark he saw in the Sertek's eyes.
The moment passed, however, as the canine failed to say anything in any kind of way and the elf found himself feeling strangely disappointed. At the same time, though, he was grateful to the canine for having gotten him off the track his mind had started on. Maybe he didn't hate Noruiel anymore, but he had no idea what he DID feel for her and it was probably best not to speculate right now, especially when he was feeling completely off after the dream about his brother.
The elf sighed and looked back up at the surrounding trees and plants, his body stiffening even as Dinehu's did the same, both of them on instant alert even before the men - wait, men? - burst through the foliage around, swords drawn and clearly enemies. Renegade acted without having to think about it, his sword out and blocking the downward stroke of an enemy one before it could cleave his head in two. The mortal was dead not a minute later and the elf was engaging his next opponent, wondering in the back of his mind how MEN had gotten into the valley and already formulating a report to send to Nareke. All this he could do while dispatching the enemies around him, almost as if his body was detached for his mind.
That was the way it felt most of the time, too. It was like he watched himself from a distance, just waiting for the bloody work to be done before he came back and took control of his limbs. And yet, at the same time, he was very aware of the rage that flooded his veins, the blood that splashed his face and clothes, the effort it took to pull his sword free of a body, armor, the shocks that went up his arm when his steel met the enemies swords. Everything was so much clearer, crisper and his movements so much faster than those of everyone around him. He didn't feel part of it, though. There was always some part of himself that was only watching, unsure what it felt, but merely watching.
This time he didn't fight alone, though. Dinehu looked like a white spirit of death and he killed without hesitation, his white fur now stained red, especially around his muzzle. It dripped with blood and the wolf's fangs were bared in a fierce snarl, but nothing came from his mouth. It was most puzzling. What shocked Renegade, though, as he extracted his sword from another man, the last for him, was the lack of a cry of pain from the canine as the man he was fighting suddenly stabbed into the animal's side with a dagger, twisting it savagely to try and kill the wolf.
Renegade saw red as the white wolf fell to the side, heaving for breath and the elf had moved before the man could recover himself. The human found his neck slit before he could comprehend the new opponent. The forest was eerily silent in the wake of the small battle and nearly ten humans lay dead on the dirt floor. The elf didn't pay them any mind, going to kneel next to the white wolf. It's fur was covered in blood, but Renegade knew where to look for the wound and his already pale blue eyes went paler with anger at the damage. The wound was deep and bleeding profusely. The wolf seemed to have lost consciousness and the elf was glad of the fact even as he was amazed. The animal should have been dead!
And it was that fact that decided the elf. The wolf should have been dead. He was not. Therefore, he deserved a chance to live. After wrapping the wolf's side the best he could with the clothing torn from the dead men, Renegade picked the large canine up carefully. Dinehu's weight was surprising, even prepared as the elf was for it to be so, and it took the elf a moment to steady the canine in his arms before he started moving forward as fast as he was able. He thought for a moment that he caught sight of something in the bushes, a pair of eyes looking back out at him, about the height of Dinehu's own, but then the sight was gone again and the elf was left wondering if he'd truly seen anything at all.
The canine stirred in his arms, amber eyes glazed with pain, but he didn't make a sound. The elf spoke to the wolf softly, a note of care in his voice that very, very few ever heard. "Easy, Dinehu. I'm going to get you help. Mountain will fix you. Easy, boy." His words seemed to work and the wolf closed his eyes, going limp once more in sleep - or maybe the canine simply passed out again. Either way, he was still again and the elf was grateful as he made his way back to the camp, hoping that the canine would not die.
It was the first time in a long time he'd allowed himself to hope for something and it felt strange.
The elf could not take it back, though, and he was relieved when the treeline started to thin and the camp came into sight. So did something else, too, as he walked away from the trees. A cream colored wolf with a gold muzzle melted out of the forest, its one blue and one brown eye intent upon him and the white-furred burden he carried. Renegade stared at the creature, feeling like he needed to wait permission to move. The canine finally seemed to give it as she - it was a she - came out into the open and then closer to him, walking ahead to the camp as if the wolf did things like this every day. The elf only followed, not sure what to think. Was this Dinehu's mate? She certainly looked like him, even if she did appear a bit bigger, more wild in a way.
It didn't really matter at this point. What mattered was making sure his men didn't kill the creature. He could already see them looking up, alert as they stood, weapons ready. Seeing their Commander, though, they relaxed a bit, though, their eyes followed his progress as he entered the camp and the progress of the wolf that now kept to his side. He knew he probably made a very odd sight, but right now he didn't care.
"Mountain! Dammit, where are you?" His shout rang easily through the camp and his Second appeared a moment later, the Empath trailing him - and the Sertek her - both of them damp with sweat. They'd been training, that much was obvious, but Mountain seemed to understand the situation he was being called to now and he came forward as Renegade set the heavy white wolf down on the ground. He could see someone had already thought to fetch Mountain's healer supplies and the elf backed up a bit as the large man knelt and started to look the canine over. Noruiel had come forward, too, though, surprising both males. Her blue eyes were focused on the wolf, though, and her voice was one of disbelief.
"Alagos."
The Empath came forward swiftly then, bypassing Renegade as she went to kneel by the canine. The cream-colored wolf snarled, lunging forward at the half-elf with clear intent to cause her harm. Renegade acted without thinking, pulling Noruiel back fast enough and hard enough to press her back against his chest. The Akira froze in embrace, his arms about her waist and the golden-haired male stiffened as well, shocked by his own actions. He quickly released the Empath and she pulled away from him equally as fast, but not before Renegade felt the way her heart pounded. He was sure his own was doing the same. Neither of them made eye-contact with the other and the Akira turned back to the two wolves.
The Sertek had beaten her to the cream-colored wolf and the large, lizard-dog like creature was growling at the she wolf and she at him. They seemed to be communicating, though, not threatening and finally the she wolf looked at Noruiel intently before backing down, her blue and brown eyes focusing on the white wolf again. She had not seemed to have a problem with Mountain seeing to the injured canine - perhaps because he was male? - but Noruiel's presence had not been welcome. It puzzled the Empath, but she accepted the grudging permission to come closer now and did so, kneeling by Mountain and stilling his hands immediately as they tried to staunch the flow of blood from the wolf's side. The large man looked at her in surprise, but the Akira only gave him a look, not answering, before turning to the wolf.
"Alagos. Alagos, wake up!" She shook the canine, startling Mountain with the action, but it had the desired effect as the wolf's amber eyes flickered open, trying to focus. Noruiel smiled in relief and jostled the male again until he bared his teeth in a silent snarl of pain, his eyes focusing on her with recognition and irritation. She didn't care how he looked at her, though, as long as he woke up. "Alagos, good you remember me. You need to shift. You're bleeding."
She said nothing more and watched as the shape-shifter processed that and then scooted back as the canine's body abruptly began to change. The Empath gave a true sigh of relief as she watched the wolf before her shrink a bit, skin and hair replacing white fur, legs and hands for paws. Clothing came as swiftly as everything else and the wound in the wolf's stomach healed as if by magic, disappearing entirely as Mountain watched with curiosity. The white-haired male coughed up some blood, worrying Noruiel and she steadied the shape-shifter as he sat up unsteadily.
"Easy, Alagos. You lost a great deal of blood. Are you well? When did you get to the valley?" The last she'd seen the shape-shifter, he'd been flying to Al-Salyha with Kahilnar. She knew he'd been captured, but not if he'd been rescued and she certainly didn't know he'd been in the valley. Oh no, Gweltari... "Does Gweltari know you're here? At this end of the valley?" The Empath didn't pay attention to any of the reactions going on around her as she questioned the shape-shifter, but Alagos clearly knew what was happening as his amber eyes flickered around to the many people watching him. His eyes settled on Renegade and the elf stared at the shape-shifter with clear shock and something like betrayal in his eyes.
Alagos finally looked away and back at Noruiel. She was watching him with growing worry, wondering why he did not answer her. Alagos sighed inwardly and touched his throat, shaking his head. Noruiel frowned, not understanding and it was an unexpected voice that cleared away the confusion. "He can't talk." It was the cream wolf and she appeared perfectly at ease when every pair of eyes swiveled toward her. Noruiel's lips parted in amazement and she didn't really notice when Alagos stood. "You can talk!"
The she wolf gave her a look. "He is a dragon who changes his form. A talking wolf really surprises you?" There was clear sarcasm there and the Empath blushed a bit, standing to glance at Alagos, her dark blue eyes worried. "You lost the ability to speak?" How had that come about and when?
The shape-shifter only nodded, his body tense, wary about the many eyes that watched him and his amber gaze met the dark blue ones of the golden-haired elf again. Noruiel glanced between them, realizing that there was something that needed to be said between the two males. She glanced at Mountain and he seemed to understand the silent message. His booming voice rang through the camp as he walked away, telling the men to get back to work. The sudden voice made Alagos jump and Noruiel set a hand on his arm, her smile reassuring. "Shall I send for Gweltari?"
The white-haired male shook his head and the Empath nodded, her voice quiet. "It is good to see you again, Alagos. Please tell Gweltari I miss talking with her." Noruiel had no illusions that she'd see the other Empath anytime soon, even if Gweltari came here for Alagos. She walked a bit away from the shape-shifter and stopped near Renegade, speaking to him quietly, but her voice less soft, more of a warning than anything. "He is a dragon, a shape-shifter. He recently escaped or was rescued from being tortured in Al-Salyha. He's lost his voice as well and his mate is an Empath called Gweltari. Do NOT do anything to harm him for Gweltari is bonded to Alagos and she is much more powerful than I, and she is untrained in her gift." It was the only advice she would give and Noruiel walked away completely, the Sertek following her, before the elf could respond.
The two males were left alone and they looked at each other for a long moment before Renegade spoke, now knowing the male before him truly could not initiate the conversation and truly did understand what he said. The elf's voice was tinged with some anger, but more confusion than anything else. "You...understood everything I told you, didn't you?"
A nod and Dinehu...no, Alagos, looked like he wanted to say something. He also looked extremely frustrated by the fact that he could not and only nodded again helplessly. Renegade watched the reaction with interest and felt his guard, his ice walls lowering a bit. Whatever Alagos was, he hadn't been trying to trick him, that was something the elf saw clearly. He tilted his head a bit, his gold hair falling over his shoulder and raised a brow. "Are you a dog often?"
A blink of surprise, the beginning of a smile and Alagos nodded again and then shook his head, placing his hand on his chest and looking himself over as if trying to convey a message. Renegade frowned, trying to figure out what he was being told. "You...are a dog often?" Another nod affirmed this and the elf nodded too, feeling himself relax again slowly. "And you are a human often, too?"
This time the shape-shifter did smile and then looked down at the cream wolf that came to his side with question, clearly not having expected her to participate. The she wolf didn't speak to him, though, addressing the elf instead. "He wasn't a dog, Imorti, but a wolf. He can not linger here. Say what you have to say." She said it with clear impatience and Alagos glared down at her before shaking his head and looking back up at Renegade. The elf raised another pale gold brow, not intimidated in the least by the female canine.
"Your sister?"
Alagos would have laughed if he were able, but his dancing eyes served him well enough as the she wolf growled, baring her teeth at the elf and then stalking away. The shape-shifter shook his head. No, she wasn't his sister. He wished he could explain, but had to accept that it was probably not going to happen. Just as the camaraderie he'd shared with Renegade was probably gone as well. At least it was in the way he had been before when the elf had thought him a dog.
Renegade seemed to know it, too, as he sobered, looking at the shape-shifter intently. "I am unsure whether to forgive you a deception you clearly did not mean to cause or to feel betrayed because I confided in someone I thought was something else."
Amber eyes looked steadily into the elf's brown ones, but a screech from the air delayed any answer the elf would have given for his own dilemma. The Sercecet camp erupted into activity, bows being drawn, but Renegade held up an arm, halting the release of the arrows as Alagos looked panicked by their appearance and was frantically shaking his head. The elf watched as the large flying cat landed just outside the camp and a dark brown, curly-haired woman leaped off its back and came running for the camp, for the shape-shifter specifically. Alagos caught her in his arms and she hugged him tightly before pulling back, her green-gray eyes sharp as they looked him over, her tongue equally scorching, but caring all at the same time. Renegade gave the signal for his men to stand down even as the female started speaking in Westron.
"What happened? Damn it, Alagos! I leave you alone for an hour and you're injured again!"
The white-haired male smiled a bit and the woman looked at him intently, seeming to hear something no one else could. She finally sighed strongly and placed her hands on his chest, looking down for a moment before looking up again, searching his face. "You are sure you are well?"
The shape-shifter nodded and the woman smiled a bit as if she'd heard a response to match the nod before she turned her attention abruptly to Renegade. "So you are the elf he's been coming here to see. Thank you for helping him even if he is not quite what you expected." Her green-gray eyes seemed to hold a mischievous knowledge no one else possessed and Renegade knew who and what she was instantly. This was Gweltari, Alagos' mate, and she was an Empath.
The elf stiffened instinctively, wondering for a long moment how she knew about him and how she knew he spoke her language, but he figured a moment later that it was Alagos' doing and he supposed the shape-shifter had a good reason for telling his mate where he was going when he disappeared. Hi eyes then met the amber ones of the white-haired male and for the first time, Renegade felt conflicted as to how he should act. Every instinct he'd learned to hone and obey told him that Gweltari was not to be trusted. She was an Empath and he did not like her kind. But Alagos...he'd trusted him. Maybe unwittingly, but he had trusted the shape-shifter and now...he found he still wanted to trust the male before him. Alagos was mated, bonded Noruiel had said, to Gweltari, though.
The other male's eyes seemed to pierce into his own dark blue ones and the elf found himself making his decision very carefully. He could not like Gweltari, not knowing what she was, but he could be civil for Alagos' sake. It was the best he could do and Renegade nodded at the female. "You are welcome." He said nothing more, but she seemed almost to expect nothing more and only smiled a bit and glanced at Alagos. Her eyes glazed just a bit, subtly and it the elf wondered just what kind of communication system she had with the mute shape-shifter. The curly-haired woman looked back at him, her voice quiet.
"He says he never meant to deceive you and that he was only doing as the Creator told him. He was listening because that was what you needed. He now wants to tell you, however, that perhaps you should give her a chance. She might surprise you if you let her."
Renegade opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first and he closed it again, nodding. As the woman turned away, though, making her way back to the winged-cat who was now conversing with the cream-colored wolf who'd moved away long before, Renegade spoke to Alagos, stopping him when the shape-shifter turned to go as well. Amber eyes looked back into dark brown ones and the elf smiled. "I've decided that it might be easier to forgive you. I don't need another Empath in my camp, especially not one out for my blood." He said it easily, casually, but Alagos smiled back and his eyes said he knew just what Renegade was really saying.
The elf only gave the shape-shifter a look and turned back to the camp, walking away, not looking back as the shape-shifter and his mate left along with the winged-cat and the she wolf. The elf knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do, especially with Mountain, but right now, he needed to get his camp back in order...if only for his own sake. Great stars, you'd think these men never saw anything unusual! Renegade got them working again, none daring to contest him or question him and the elf finally looked back at the place the shape-shifter had been as the camp went back to normal.
A smile twitched at his mouth. He'd made an ally today without even meaning to. It was an encouraging thought and in his life, his line of work, it was a rarity he was going to appreciate.
Where did everyone go? *is sad* Reeeeeeeviiiiiiieeeeeew, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaseeeee!