Keith's eyes were heavy from the deep sleep he had just been woken from, but he blinked hard to draw them to focus. It took a while, but he was able to see everything clearly, including Acxa's alert and urgent expression. She placed a finger to her lips, ushering for him to keep quiet, and in that silence, Keith began to hear a noise from outside. It was a thump kind of nose, repeated, and with strange scratch kind of effects. It somewhat reminded him of hearing Kosmo's clawed paws on concrete or smooth, hard floor. He slowly got up, ensuring he didn't disturb Violet as he did. He and Acxa crept to the window, Keith lifting the blind slightly to peer outside.
The moon's pale yet illuminating light showed the small village in shades of mostly dark colors, buildings made into silhouettes of black and gray, some highlighted by the pale moonlight. Everything seemed to be a shadow with a shadow, few details making it to Keith's bare eyes. Among those shadows however, still and cold, a large figure moved. The mohawk crest on its head looking like cruel spikes against the sky, a cruel beak profiling the creature perfectly. Pale eyes barely reflected much light, a dull glow making them barely visible. The bird was scanning the streets, each huge, taloned foot placed carefully as to make the least amount of sound possible. Steam rose from the nostrils in its beak, and it peered its head carefully through the window of a nearby house, searching for residence. The night's chill seemed to press in as Keith felt a shiver run down his spine.
They weren't safe, and he knew they didn't have the time to risk packing, not to mention the risk of being heard while doing so. He looked to Acxa, who turned her gaze to him in the same moment, her deep blue eyes reflecting a small portion of moonlight. He gestured with a hand, informing her to wake up Violet while he watched the bird's progress. Acxa nodded, and quietly came to where the little girl slept as Keith kept his sharp eyes on the bird outside, activating his helmet to see better. Acxa gently urged Violet's shoulder, the little girl slowly waking up. Tired and slightly confused, Violet sat up at Acxa's urge.
"Aca?" Violet's quiet voice asked tiredly, and Acxa quickly hushed her, placing a hand to her lips. Acxa glanced at Keith as she began to pick up Violet, still very tired and rubbing her eyes as she held Lizzy, who was awake and once again, wide eyed in having already heard the danger. Kosmo was up and standing next to Keith, knowing to keep silent as much as he wanted to growl at the closing danger outside. Keith was dead serious as he looked through the slit in the blinds, and he glanced to Acxa, checking to see if they were ready. Acxa gave him a nod as she held Violet, and Keith crept to them with Kosmo at his side.
"Follow me." Keith whispered through his helm as he passed them, heading for the more back of the house, which was all practically a single room. Acxa followed right on his heels, seeing Keith was headed for a wall with no clear way of passage. He came directly to a mass of grass that had been growing in the corner of the wall. Brushing it aside, he revealed a hole in the wall, big enough for them to crawl through. Kosmo went first, having the easiest time and waited for them on the other side. Keith gestured for Acxa to pass Violet to him, having her go before him. Acxa quickly complied, feeling a sense of panic rise as the small amount of moonlight that had fallen on the floor through the blinds was suddenly blocked out. She slinked through the hole easy as a cat, helping Violet through and soon having her back in her arms. Keith came last, his muscular form thankfully causing him no problem getting through the hole. He drew back some of the grass to cover their tracks, then quickly scanned the area behind the house.
The noises of distant night creatures weren't as muffled now, the night present most in its cold touch to exposed skin. Keith led the way, quietly stalking along the wall of the house. His helmet didn't quite do much help since the moonlight illuminated a decent amount of the land, and so he let it fade back within his suite as he peeked around the corner, looking to see if the bird would be coming their way. The house next to theirs was just like all the others, overgrown and worn down. Seeing it was clear for the moment, Keith gestured to his group and quickly crossed though the moonlight to get to the other house. Acxa and Kosmo followed, Violet still tired but growing uneasy with their urgency. Keith kept them moving, going around the furthest side of the house where there was most distance between them and the bird before daring to whisper.
"It'll see our gear back in the house, and know we're here." He remarked, his tone heavy in slight regret of not having made the attempt to hide any of their things.
"Which means we'll have to leave." Acxa reasoned. She heard Keith vent some frustration in a deeper but still quiet sigh.
"Yeah." He looked back to her. "We'll head for the woods on the other side of the village. If we're careful, we should be able to avoid that thing and find our way to the path on the other side. If worse comes to worse though, we'll head for the gorge."
"The gorge?" Acxa was surprised at his decision. "Won't that be dangerous?"
"I don't like it either, but which would you rather risk? Who knows what exactly will happen if that thing sees us. It might catch us, or it could just as easily kill us. If we jump in that gorge, we may have a better chance in the water, but only as a last resort."
Acxa sighed heavily. "Then let's not let that thing see us." She decided. Keith nodded in agreement, looking at her with a heavy and serious gaze. His gaze became softer upon noticing Violet looking nervous in Acxa's arms. She looked at him with her purple eyes, fear and a sense of uncertainty within them as she held a paralized Lizzy. Keith gave her a soft smile, reaching out and rubbing her head gently in a means to bring comfort. It helped a little, and she did a similar gesture to Lizzy.
With that, and Acxa's firm, ready gaze, they began to move once again. Keith had pre-planned a route while scouting the village, one which would take them to the other side where the trail was, but also let them be within a fairly close distance of the gorge. It was the quickest, safest route, but stealth was key. Keith led the way, following small marks he had carved into the buildings, as well as landmarks he had noted in order to map out their route. Axca trailed easily behind, checking their six and being sure they were getting out of sight before the bird came around a corner. Wherever they went, it felt like the bird was unknowingly ten steps behind. Keith could only hope they weren't leaving a trail of footprints the bird was following, as the ground didn't seem to be that soft.
They avoided the bird as best they could, trying to loop around whenever they heard it coming near. Despite how they had managed to keep out of sight for half the journey through the village, Keith couldn't help but feel that they were evading the bird far too easily, as it surely would have seen their things and, if it was smart, know that they were here somewhere. Perhaps the creature had less keen sight at night, but Keith wasn't willing to rely on that assumption, or assume that it couldn't hear very well either. They trailed along another perimeter of a house, walking along its side. Keith suddenly heard the bird's heavy, taloned footsteps ahead and quickly pivoted, Acxa doing the same upon hearing it as well. Being in direct moonlight on this side, they fled to the back where the shadows were cast. Keith got behind the corner just as the bird came around.
The footsteps slowly approached, Keith having their group edge further away to get around the other side. Right before he was sure the bird's beak would be peering around the corner, the footsteps halted. Keith was slightly perplexed to hear them start up again, but fading away as the bird seemed to be walking away. He was then suddenly worried to instead hear them come back around to the other side of the building rather than walk away, the side they were prepared to go around. Keith and Acxa moved back to go for the opposite side, about halfway when the footsteps stopped once again. Keith looked back at Acxa, perplexed. She shrugged, the same look on her expression as they remained within the shadows, and in agonizing silence and suspense. It was rather quiet for a moment, clouds beginning to hide the moon's light as the wind carried them along. Keith could hear the feathers of the bird rustling ever so slightly, but couldn't pinpoint how close it was, since it didn't seem to be walking closer or further away.
Violet clutched onto Acxa now, looking around nervously as she had figured out by now that the giant, scary bird was close. After a moment, Keith wanted them to keep moving, so he decided to motion for them to follow him, moving on the same course they had been going before the bird had ended up in front of them. He began to peer around the corner, the moonlight fading back as the cloud cover must have passed. Something in the corner of his eye drew his attention, and Keith glanced to the shadow cast on the ground by the building to his left, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized a large figure accompanying that shadow. He saw it just in time to see it drop down, hearing a loud thump behind their group. Kosmo was growling as Keith looked behind them just in time to see the bird land right behind their group and give a loud, bird's shriek which nearly deafened him this close. Violet's scream was drowned out by the bird's cry, and Keith instantly drew his dagger with one hand, his other pulling Acxa away from the bird.
"Gorge!" He ordered, having Acxa go in front of him as she bolted with Violet crying in terror in her arms. Keith rolled away just in time to avoid the bird's snapping beak, and he whirled around to dash after Acxa. Kosmo was already bolting ahead, having heard Keith's order and leading Acxa through the buildings towards their failsafe destination. The bird was on their heels, sliding a little as it came around the corner. Keith kept his pace behind Acxa, ensuring there was someone between her and Violet in case the bird made a move to grab or throw any of its feather projectiles towards them. Kosmo made sharp turns, ensuring his group would follow him around cover while leading them to safety. The bird's cries and pounding feet only escalated panic, and the hollow snap of its beak in failed attempts to catch them only made Keith imagine himself being snapped right in half if he were to get caught within them.
They cut another corner, giving the bird no time to catch up to them before slowly down to cut the corner without sliding. When he knew they weren't far from the gorge, Keith cut the corner and waited for the bird, shifting his dagger into its falchion form. The bird's loud footsteps grew louder as it cut the corner, missing Keith as he had hoped, and Keith used that chance to swing his blade right for its leg. He felt the blade cut, and the bird let out a terribly, pain filled cry as it stumbled and hit the ground. Keith had hoped to severely wound it, perhaps even lop its leg right off, but either one would do so long as it slowed the beast. Once it was on the ground, Keith began to run past and for Acxa and the rest of his group. He noted that the bird's leg was still attached, but there was a deep, gushing gash which made it linger on the ground for a moment.
Urgent as he was, Keith stopped short when he suddenly noticed Lizzy on the ground, on his back and paralized with fear as he was practically right next to the colossal bird of prey. Having most likely been dropped from Violet's hand, or having lost his own grip, either way, the lizard would be left behind and possibly trampled if he lingered; Keith knew Violet would be heartbroken without the little creature, as much as a nuisance it was. With a heavy, unbelieving sigh upon realizing that, Keith went a little out of his way to grab the lizard, it squeaking at his unintendedly tight hold. He stuffed Lizzy into the hood and collar of his suit as he ran past the bird, still holding his blade and feeling his body heat turn to sweat. As Keith headed full speed for his group, he saw Acxa was crouched with Violet still in her arms, Kosmo standing next to them and panting. They waited for him by the edge of the drop, the gorge looking like a cliffedge behind them.
Acxa watched in rising stress as the bird began the struggle to get back up, Keith approaching as fast as he could, his falchion returning to the dagger form and soon being returned to the sheath at his back. Violet trembled in her arms, and Acxa held onto her a little tighter in preparation. The bird was limping, unable to pursue them on foot, and it probably didn't have the strength to take off into the air quite yet. She saw it beginning to turn it's tail towards them however just as Keith made it to them. Without a word, Keith grabbed Acxa and Violet in his arms and carried them with him as he jumped off the edge, Kosmo right beside them, and the gorge a straight drop down below. Acxa saw and heard several sharp, black feathers hurl themselves like arrows past them as gravity grabbed and pulled them downward, feeling one barely skim her side to the point where it was barely a papercut.
In not even a few seconds, they were full on falling with the gorge walls around them, Acxa's stomach floating as the river down below waited for them. The moonlight was gone, as was the bird, but Acxa's dark vision helped her see just enough to know when they hit the water. While she saw it coming, she didn't expect the impact, and how much pressure she'd soon feel as her body pierced through it. The cold surprised her, and she didn't even realize she was floating alone until she felt the cold water seep into her suit, and that she was sinking and being carried by the current.
Acxa felt a sudden panic, not just from the fact that she hadn't stored much air in her lungs before going under, but she couldn't see the rest of her group. Where were Keith, Violet and Kosmo?! She had to find them in case they were in trouble. She began to look around desperately in the water, her dark vision not doing her as much good in murky water. Her eyes burned as she looked around, a hopeless search she had no intention to give up. Her lungs burned and demanded air, forcing her to start swimming for the surface. She was slow and constantly fighting however, deep beneath the dark waters which pulled and carried her away. Acxa was beginning to run completely out of air, and she wasn't close enough to the surface for her head to break free of the water.
Acxa was both slightly frightened and surprised to feel something clamp onto the collar of her suit, pulling her and oddly bringing her up to the surface. She looked around for what or who it was, and a single eye locked with Kosmo's gold irises, the wolf's jaws locked on her collar. He pulled her upward with a strength she didn't expect from him while in the water, and she began to let the air trapped in her lungs out as she waited for the surface to greet her. When Acxa's head broke the water's surface, she inhaled a large gulp of air and water as she immediately collided with a rapid and was swept back under for a brief second. Kosmo held onto her collar tightly, paddling his way with the current. As Acxa tread the water, coughing, she saw something in the corner of her eye. A log which had been trapped by a few rocks in the river. She reached out with a hand just in time to grab it, now pulling Kosmo with her as she soon clung to the wood. Kosmo managed to get his forepaws on the wood, keeping himself from getting swept away.
Acxa swept her hair out of her face, feeling the cold night air like a freezing cold wind. The roar of the rapids drowned out her voice as she called for Keith, searching up and down river for him and Violet. It felt like the cold waters had soaked all the way through to her heart as she searched and saw nothing, a heavy weight wanting to pull her down. Her teeth chattered, Kosmo a drenched heap of fur beside her as they both searched for their missing group. As Acxa looked once again back up the stream, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar face among the rapids, and her heart gave a great leap at seeing Violet safe in his arms.
Keith saw her raise her hand and wave, and he began swimming with the current in their direction. He wasn't close enough to grab the log, and so Acxa reached out to grab his hand. With one last push, Keith reached out and grasped her hand, their fingers being the only things connecting them. Violet was shaking and clutching onto him, but a smile lit up her face as she saw Acxa. It was barely in Acxa's strength to pull Keith a little closer and hold on as the rapids tried to pull him away, but she was slightly surprised to see him smile a little as he looked right into her eyes. It was almost a smile of relief, and it somehow still held that confident curve on his lips. Acxa couldn't figure out why, but seeing him smile like that, silently stating he was fine and glad to see her the same; something about it made her smile in the same kind of way.
As if she wasn't cold enough, the sound of flying projectiles turned Acxa's blood so cold that it made her freeze. Black, knifelike feathers flew towards them, and seeing Keith jerk with a sharp grasp, his eyes widening and freezing, made Acxa flinch and want to scream. Red instantly flowed in the water behind him, and Keith's fingers loosened their grip, leaving him to drift back into the powerful current which soon ripped him cruelly out of Acxa's grasp, head barely above the surface. Acxa tried to grab him before he drifted too far away, but the shock of the ambush attack, seeing his eyes freeze like that, had done something to her which she didn't know could happen. She was too slow to grab him, and the river was too fast, Violet crying out to Acxa as she and Keith were carried downstream. Acxa suddenly saw the black bird flying up in the sky overhead, smaller but apparently just as dangerously precise. Acxa saw it eyeing Keith and Violet as they continued to drift, and a hot, fierce rage boiled in her blood.
Acxa reached a hand to the holster at her side, drawing her gun from the water and aimed with a deadly precision of her own. She pulled the trigger, the bolt flying against all odds and landing a solid hit on the bird. The bird's cry didn't reach her ears, but she saw it fall in the air for a moment before barely catching itself and flying away weakly in retreat, forced to follow the river downward ahead of them. With the bird out of the way, Acxa returned her gun to its place, then began swimming downstream, Kosmo paddling with her. She searched desperately for Keith, hoping beyond reason that he hadn't sunk too deep. The current carried her at an incredible speed when she swam with it, spotting several rocks which stuck up from the rapids as she swam. Kosmo was practically right beside her, a fairly good swimmer apparently as he was able to stay with her even as she was more with the flow than pre-planned.
Acxa soon noticed a rock up ahead with something latching onto it, and she was relieved to see that Keith was at least alive and holding on. Violet was still in his arms, but Acxa saw in sudden horror that a fairly long, black feather protruded from his back, more so from his back shoulder. He was already pale, his eyes heavy and lips a bluish color. He winced as he held onto the slippery rock with his right hand, and he was quickly losing grip. Acxa caught up to him just as he lost his hold, and by then she had his wrist. Acxa's head went under as she tried to hold Keith and Violet, barely resurfacing. With Keith up against her, she could hear his already ragged breathing, his cough from swallowing a bit of water racking his entire body. The feather in his back barely grazed against the crook of her neck, but she could feel the razor sharp edge enough to fear being cut herself. As she struggled to keep Keith and Violet above the water, she felt Kosmo latch onto her collar again, trying to help her keep afloat.
Acxa was so caught up in Keith's condition, that she didn't notice right away how the current was getting faster, and the roar of the water louder. They bashed against a rock, Acxa managing to see it beforehand and protect Violet and keep Keith from receiving the bulk of the blow, but she knew it sent him into a daze when his head went completely limp, and Violet screamed as she felt his grip on her go slack. Acxa now fought to hold an unconscious Keith and terrified Violet, her legs forced to keep them afloat along with Kosmo. She looked downstream just in time to see the rapids were suddenly ending, and it was then she put together the current's speed and the deafening roar of the water. She held onto those with her even tighter as the water began to carry them over the edge, and soon they were falling down the waterfall, Acxa's stomach floating once again. When they hit the water down below, the living nightmare ended in silent darkness.
IXXXXXXXXI
Childhood; a blissful, innocent time. When the world was simple, and all that mattered was what was close to home. Growth, maturity and responsibility shaped childhood to adulthood, calling for sacrifice of one's self, and not always in life or death. That process drifted past Allura's gaze like a movie, each scene remembered and soon leading to the next. Memories stored in the deepest corners came back to her, ones she thought long gone, or were too clouded to remember clearly. Allura saw her parents in her earliest memories, hearing her mother and father talk, laugh and seeing them smile brought tears to her eyes. Seeing Altea again, the fields and castle grounds she grew up in, made her heart sore like it had when she was a child.
Childhood moved to teens, and much of those years Allura preferred to not watch all over again. There were moments however that she had forgotten in that time of her life; momentents which now felt like precious jewels in the sand. Soon enough, those teen years moved to adulthood; when everything changed. Seeing the attack on her home, hearing her father's last words to her, seeing everything go dark, it all awakened the old heartache deep in her chest. Then, the darkness faded away to a new scene; the paladins. Had their first meeting really been that, odd? After everything they've been through, it seemed like a huge coincidence that Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk ended up at the Castle of Lions. To think of where they'd be if the events had not fallen into their specific places, was beyond Allura's mind.
Memories of the paladins, their struggles fighting Zarkon and the galra, came flooding back. Lotor's appearance made Allura cringe. When she saw his kind eyes, heard those tender words, felt his strong hand gently hold her own, it only reminded her of how easily she had fallen into his hands. How easily he had clouded her mind with sweet words of love. A part of Allura hardened as she looked at him, remembering their kiss, their final embrace before he was exposed as the villain he was; nothing in all the world would change what she saw him as. What she knew him to be. Part of her burned in anger, but she knew deep inside, it was just to cover up the bleeding pieces. The memories lingered, holding on just like the pain, the guilt, the regret. Allura cursed herself for the fool she had been; if love was blind, if love was a leap of faith, she had lept right off a cliff, and landed so hard, it felt like there was nothing left to mend.
Tears formed in Allura's eyes as the scenes replayed, hearing Lotor reveal his own twisted nature during their fight. His hurtful words, the look in his eyes which so differed from the kindness and practicality he had shown since the beginning. Allura tore herself away from memories which showed themselves as if holographic pictures. She sniffed, feeling she didn't even have the right to whip her own tears away; to whip away her choices and her actions. The consequences that lingered would forever be apart of her, and a part of her which she had so foolishly given to Lotor, would always be lost.
"Allura." A voice spoke her name, and Allura suddenly found her heart skipping a beat as it spoke, "It wasn't your fault. We were all fooled by Lotor." Allura slowly looked back up to where the memories played, and she met the eyes of the once blue, now red, paladin of Voltron. Lance's soft gaze, his comforting smile through her blurry eyes, it brought a sense of hope, forgiveness even, back to Allura's spirit. The memories played on, many focused on him; his laugh, his personality, his caring nature, and all as he spoke words she knew she'd never forget.
"Let me tell you; as someone who's made a million mistakes," His voice echoed in her ears, the tears of pain and regret turning to tears of gratitude and peace, "all you can do is get up and try to make it right. You can't doubt yourself now…. We need you... The universe needs you…."
Allura's hands clasped each other, wishing she could feel him hold them as a sudden wave of loneliness drifted over her. Her hands came to her chest, her heart pulsing with that feeling as her gaze fell, tears still falling as she listened to his voice.
"Allura!" Lance's shout of warning and a sudden shift in the memories made her look back up to see what was happening in slight alarm. She saw the red signals of her own lion, the windshield revealing the hot, pulsing core of the robeast in front of her.
"We're barely making any progress! We need to pull out while we still can!" Lance told her, the seconds counting down from twenty.
"I can reach it! I can stop it before it's too late!" Allura heard herself reply, and she suddenly felt like screaming at herself to do the opposite. "Lives are at stake! I won't give up!"
"We've done everything we can! If we die here, if you die here, that's another lion without a pilot! We need you with us!" Even with the fearful, pleading tone in Lance's voice, Allura continued to dig, having her lion tear at the robeast to seemingly no avail. The clock was at ten, and the fear was too clouded for her to see any other way. If she would die here, so be it. That was when she felt her lion get knocked from the side, forcing her to tumble back a little. Allura grunted from the impact, looking up through the windshield to see the red lion standing over her own, the yellow eyes looking down directly at her. It had adopted a protective look somehow in that moment, standing between her and the glowing hot robeast, and its when the clock struck five seconds that Allura realized something she had forgotten. If she died here, so would Lance, and that made Allura's heartbreak harder than anything else, making her scream in that heartbreak as the clock struck zero.
"LANCE!"
A flash of light blinded Allura, then all faded to complete darkness. No memory reached beyond this point; only thought and being. Allura looked around, unable to see anything but the inky black veil. Strangely enough however, she could see her own hands and body, and she was in her paladin suit. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked around, silence being all that existed with the darkness, now realizing it had all passed like a dream.
"Where, am I?" Allura wondered as she turned, her own voice echoing. Upon turning, she found that she was standing on nothing in particular, nor was it completely like outer space, where pressure and depth didn't exactly exist. It felt more like floating, like she was submerged in dark waters. The first sound other than her own voice came suddenly from far away in one direction. It was whispers, no words quite audible from this distance, but something about them didn't sound right.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Allura called. The whispers continued, and Allura found she was able to move in the void upon her wanting to get closer. As she drew near, drifting through the darkness with only her ears to guide her, she was able to make out one word as she drifted forward, and the chilling way in which it was said suddenly made her nervous about who exactly was speaking. Whoever the whispering came from, it was someone who spoke of Voltron with a cold, hateful fury.
*note to readers* Hello peeps, its been awhile as always. I got really busy with work these past few weeks and then got a little sick on top of that, and thus I only recently finished another chapter of this thing and could post the next one for you guys. Hope the story is staying interesting for all of you, and I'm glad to know some of you are liking the Kacxa moments (I definately am)! I'm actually getting some headway in the BTS shorts for a change, so stay tuned if you're interested in those, because I may be posting the ones for the first chapter soon; I hope. Also, do any of you know of a good way to have online chats? I have Discord, but its very limited to groups of friends instead of online free to join chats without needing to ask for and send invites, far as I know. I would love to get in touch with you guys if you were wanting to chat; I just haven't discovered an easy way to do that yet. I'll let you all know soon as I do though!
Thank you as always for reading, and as always, I want to give a special shout out to Heaven's Arbiter and Gracie Wiser for favoriting this story (your comment was lovely to read Gracie, thank you; I LOVE Kacxa)! I can't tell you enough of how excited I get to see feedback either in the comments or favorites/ follows. Its really cool to see and I hope you know how grateful I am! Thank you for reading, love you guys, and I'll see you in the next chapter! Stay safe and have a fantastic week!