Fang jolted awake as piercing scream carried out over the house, and she raced to her feet, scrambling down the stairs, through the hallway, and into the kitchen, before freezing in place.
Lightning's jaw flexed in the air as her teeth dripped with blood.
Serah's arm lay pinned to the counter; claws sank through her skin, starting from her pinky finger to reach down below her wrist. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, and Serah's eyes were filled with tears, trembling as blood seeped down from the counter to pool out over the floor.
Lightning let out a ragged breath, eyes wide as her gaze locked upon the weeping red marks on Serah's shoulder; her shirt was stained with blood.
Fang snapped back to the present, closing her nostrils as she took a step forward. Lightning kept still, as her claws were still lodged in Serah's arm.
"Light..." Serah stifled a cry, and her entire body shook with the muffled sound.
Lightning suddenly leapt away, scrambling across the floor, blood smearing over the tile as she raced out of the room, only to disappear into the hall.
Fang rushed forward to catch Serah as she nearly collapsed from the shock. "Pressure..." Fang glanced around, grabbing a dish towel from the counter to wrap it along Serah's arm.
Serah shivered, her voice a near whisper. "It was an accident; I cut myself, and she just..."
Fang nodded as she reached for another towel to press against Serah's shoulder. "Snapped?"
Serah nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Where did she go?" Serah tried to stand, but her body was still trembling. "We need to find her, she might have-" Serah gasped, her vision blurry.
Fang held Serah down while her own hands increased in pressure to the wounds. "You aren't going anywhere, you need a doctor..." Fang glanced around to notice that Hope and Vanille stood in shock by the doorway.
"Outside. Now." Fang nodded at the back window. "Hide in the woods and wait for me." Fang turned back to Serah, lifting her up in one swift motion. They moved into the living room, and Fang propped Serah back upon the sofa. Mog whined, jumping up on the couch to lay his head over Serah's lap.
Fang picked up a phone, her hands nearly dwarfing the device. "Here's our story... You live alone here for the most part, and you decided to open the back door for some fresh air."
Serah nodded, but her eyes began to drift out of focus.
"Serah, stay with me!" Fang moved close, holding her gaze. "A mountain lion wandered in, bit you up." She looked over at Mog. "It ran off when you hit it over the head, and Fido chased it away."
Fang leaned back, struggling to press the buttons with her claws, but luckily the emergency number was short, and she held the phone up to Serah.
Serah struggled to speak, as her breath came in short bursts. "I'm bleeding... I... I need help."
Lightning wasn't even sure how far she had traveled; her mind attempted to shut out everything but the forest. The trees whirled around her, melding into a confusing mess of branches and leaves. Her eyes darted about the forest floor as the maddening taste of blood clung to her mouth, seeping into her tongue.
In her frenzied pace, Lightning tripped, sliding down a hill with a snarl, only to tumble to a stop within a shallow stream. She coughed as her breath threatened to overtake her lungs, and Lightning began to hyperventilate, but she forced her head beneath the water, scrubbing at the blood on her face while simultaneously clawing at her mouth.
Lightning finally rose to the surface, gasping for air as stood on trembling legs, only to force herself forward. With her arms wrapped around herself, Lightning stumbled through the ravine, before she stopped in her tracks.
The cave entrance lay before her, beckoning her into the darkness. Lightning exhaled, before she pushed through the gap to crawl through the tunnel, stifling a sob. She soon closed her eyes, collapsing upon the stone. Lightning's breathing slowed, still shaking as she lay on her side.
Lightning opened her eyes after a while, and her gaze settled upon the passage beside her, which led up into the mountainside.
"Why did the two of you fight?"
Caius looked up from the floor. "I'm not sure how to answer that..." His hands clenched into fists. "It felt like it was necessary, at the time."
Snow thought for a moment. "So... You knew each other."
Caius nodded, grasping at his throat. "They brought her in one day, and she'd often speak to me."
Snow tilted his head. "Are you sure this is the same Lightning?" He didn't wait for an answer. "What did she talk about?"
Caius thought back. "Her sister... What happened to us." He growled. "The past."
"Did it help?"
Caius kept silent for a long moment, before he gave Snow a slight nod.
"Then we should talk, too." Snow pressed his hands against the bars. "What do you want to talk about?"
Caius laughed, a bitter tone seeping into his words. "What is there to speak of?"
"Anything you want."
Caius stopped laughing. "I am but a broken monster... My memories-" He choked as his throat began to close up. "There's little point to this."
Snow narrowed his eyes. "Do you know what you do with broken things?"
Caius slowly met his gaze.
"You pick up the pieces, no matter how small..." Snow closed his eyes. "And you glue them back together."
Caius looked away.
"Monsters can be saved, Caius..."
Lightning fought against the wind with a snarl, her claws scrambling to keep hold against the rock. A bitter chill swept through her very being, but she clung to the ledge, clawing her way up.
Gasping, she collapsed upon the rocky surface. Another tunnel opening lay ahead of her, and Lightning stared at it with a blank gaze. Hauling herself up, she passed through the gap to walk through the winding passage. Lightning stepped on something cold, and she nearly jumped back, before she looked at her feet; a patch of snow lay on the floor of the cave. She reached down, taking the powder in her hands, but the draft blew it away.
Fang's ears twitched at the sound of sirens. "Just hang in there, Serah." She stood up, making her way towards the back door.
Serah looked up as her eyes began to droop shut, nearly delirious from the blood loss. "Bring her home... Please." Serah panted, crying as she spoke. "She didn't mean to, I just know it..."
Fang nodded. "I'm going to find her." She held a hand up to her chest. "I promise."
Serah smiled, tears streaming down her face. "You love her."
Fang paused for a moment. "Very much."
Serah relaxed, leaning her head back on the couch. Her eyes fell shut, even as the paramedics burst into the room, rushing to treat her wounds.
Snow leaned back against the wall, having kept silent for nearly an hour. "Do you want to try again?"
Caius didn't react; he lay on his side, his eyes closed.
Snow sighed, before an idea flashed through his mind. "Your brother mentioned someone... Yeul?"
Caius opened his eyes as a deep snarl escaped his throat.
"She's your sister, right?"
Caius leapt at the bars, barking in a frenzy.
"Calm down." Snow sat up, his gaze level with Caius. "You need to work with me, here."
Caius hissed, and his eyes narrowed.
"Tell me about her."
Caius turned away, growling at the floor. He tensed, before closing his eyes to focus on his throat. "She's gone."
"Gone?"
Caius shook his head. "They took her away."
Snow's gaze softened. "Was she..?"
Caius stiffened, his shoulders trembling. "There was... So much blood, and they just wouldn't stop."
Snow pressed his hands against the bars. "I'm sorry." He looked at his feet. "I don't really remember my first family; I don't know what to say."
Caius shook in place, before his movement slowed. "There are... Very few words. One moment you're walking home..." His jaw clenched. "The next, she's..." Caius cradled his head within his hands. "She's gone."
Fang leapt between the trees, only stopping to lift her face to air with a whistle. Vanille soon ran up to her, Hope following behind.
Vanille tried to speak, but she couldn't quite find anything to say, and her eyes were wide and frightened. Fang reached over to hug her close, pulling Hope in as well.
"You stay together, now." Fang lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm going to go find Light."
"Why did she..?" Hope stumbled over his words. "Why..? Serah's..."
Fang moved back to grip at his shoulders. "Serah cut herself on accident." She held Hope's gaze. "Lightning is many things, but she didn't mean for this to happen."
Fang leaned back to test the air. "If you can find the Cavalry out here..." Fang paused, and she narrowed her eyes. "No. Stay away from them, for now; we'll figure this out later."
Vanille grabbed Fang by the hands, her own shivering in place. "When you find Lightning... Tell her that Serah loves her!" Vanille's eyes grew even wider, tears gathering upon them. "She just wants her to be alright..."
Fang nodded, squeezing Vanille's hands. "Just keep safe, and be brave."
Vanille nodded as well, before releasing her grip, and she watched as Fang disappeared into the forest.
Snow sat in silence for a while, thinking to himself. "Did her eyes turn orange?"
Caius kept silent for a moment, before answering with a snarl. "Yes."
"But did she grow horns, too?"
Caius rounded on Snow, his eyes narrowed. "Yes, terrible things ripped out from her skin! Will you just leave her memory in peace?!"
Snow held his gaze. "She didn't die." He shook his head. "At least... Not at that point."
Caius froze. "If you joke-"
"I swear." Snow looked Caius in the eye. "In our group they... They died when the spikes came out, choking on the carapace... But we grew horns." Snow tapped at his own. "We survived."
Caius kept silent, but his eyes widened.
Fang clawed at the rock, inhaling the scent that had lead her up the winding cavern. She struggled to squeeze past a particularity tight spot, but she fell forward with a gasp, tumbling out over the stone. Fang waited to catch her breath before standing again, and she made her way through the twisting passages. She leapt up after a moment, her hands snagging against a wall of rock, nearly skittering out of her grasp. Fang roared as she sank her claws into the stone despite the pain. She reached out to drag herself up, bit by bit to the summit.
Lightning paused, having found herself at the end of the tunnel. Frost stung at her eyes as she waded out into the freezing drifts; a snowstorm howled upon the mountainside. She trudged through the endless white with weighted limbs, until she couldn't bear to take another step, falling to her knees.
Lightning sat upon the snow as moisture gathered in her eyes, freezing to her carapace as it dribbled down her face. She choked, the frigid air shivering through her lungs.
Lightning looked out over the twisting clouds, before she stood up once more, the blizzard whirling around her. She tipped her head back to release a bellowing, broken cry, but her voice was lost in the wind, and Lightning slammed her fists against the ground. She snarled, striking out in a frenzy, blindly clawing against the rock and snow, but her muscles soon grew numb from the cold. Lightning lashed out for as long as she could, before she fell to the snow with a thump, her eyes drifting shut.
Breathing heavily, Lightning gazed up at the sky; snowfall began to land on her body as she lay in silence. She opened her mouth to allow snowflakes to disappear within, and Lightning closed her eyes, but the tang of blood was still etched into her tongue.