Why?

This is my fanfic. I do not own Daine... (that sounded etchi) and I do not own any other of Tamora Pierce-sama's characters, but I do own mine.
Steal them and the wolves of the Dutch house will eat you.
Domo!

Pardon my use of Japanese. I am only semi-fluent.


He had waited, until they were finished with the healing, until they had left, to scream. The pain of their healing was unbearable...
He did not understand it.
Healing was supposed to soothe, to allieviate pain and suffering, to make the one healed feel at bliss with the world. This was different. This hurt. It was similar to what he supposed having his insides eaten while living would be like. He knew they were trying to help, and the wound did heal, but.... He did not tell them he could have healed himself. It was best to not give too much away at once.
Daine ran inside, presumably hearing his scream, taking his hand in hers while pressing her other palm against his forehead.
"You're shaking," she whispered. As she turned to call the healers back, he reached forward, touching her chin.
"Please," he said softly. Her eyes were pale grey, meeting his evenly, without fear or hatred. It was a change, and a pleasant change at that. He was shaking, yes, from the pain, but also... He slammed his eyes shut, looking away. He couldn't. Not now. Maybe before...
"What's wrong?" she whispered. She sat on the bed beside him, her eyes flitting to the arched wings and bandage around his waist before locking on his eyes.
"It..." He paused. "My friends! My family!" He had to think of them first, and foremost. They were most important. He closed his mind to her, and thought of them, forcibly. They were most important.

O.o

The man looked up, frowning. The kid strapped to his back was wailing, screaming on the top of its young lungs. He grimaced, poking his fingers in his ears. "Damn brat," he muttered, walking through the mud.
The boy was there, he knew. His young winged friend... He had seen the attacks, the one by the eaters, the other by the humans... He frowned, pulling a mirror out of his pocket. There the boy was, sitting on a nice warm bed, inside the palace, holding hands with some mop-headed girl. He frowned. "Damn," he whispered again. He was getting closer, he knew. The image in the mirror was getting clearer, as it always did with closeness. He decided to attempt it.
**HEY!** he cried, as loud as he could manage. His mind was strong, but sending such a powerful message out mentally was almost more than his aching head could take.

O.o

Lyr and Daine looked up at the same time, glancing to the north. He jumped to his feet as the message came through.
**Oi! Jystyn-kun, doko desu ka yo!**
Daine glanced at Lyr as smiled and started to laugh. In a voice she could clearly hear in her mind, he replied, **Ryn-kun! Boku wa...** he glanced at Daine. **Koko wa... kowai desu...**
**Kowai?**
Daine reached forward, touching Lyr's arm. "What are you saying?"
Lyr frowned, ignoring his friend's incessant calls. "You can hear?"
She nodded. "I don't understand you though..."
Lyr frowned. "But you can hear us?"
She nodded again, almost sarcastically. "Yes!"
He bit his lip, glancing down at their two hands, entwined. He snatched his hand back quickly, his face gaining some color. "My friend Ryn is outside. I must go to him." He stood, but, as his face blanched dramatically, he fell. Daine slid beside him, holding his shoulders. He recoiled from her touch, falling on his backside. She could hear the feathers as they snapped.
He slid to his knees after a moment. As his pale hands gripped the bedside, he struggled to stand. Daine stood quickly, pulling him up, arms around his chest, chin resting on his shoulder. He froze, falling back again. This time, with Daine's arms wrapped around his chest, they fell together.
He froze again, staring into her eyes. Both their breathing was heavy, and he could hear her swallow, suddenly embarassed. He understood completely.
As she tried to sit up without hurting him, he grabbed her arm. Without knowing why, he leaned towards her.
Daine sat up quickly, crushing his wings under his legs. "Are you okay?" she asked, standing. She brushed herself off busily, without looking at him as he lay, splayed out on the floor. He watched her. Shame washed over him.
"You're friend is near? Where is he? I'll have Numair send someone to get him."
He nodded, refusing to look at her. "He is in the forest."
She nodded, and left.
He let his head fall, striking the stone floor. He did not care about the pain that surfaced in the back of his skull, nor did he care about the whispers he heard on the other side of the door. He sighed loudly, trying to fall asleep.
He knew his wings were broken, but he did not want the healers to come.




(Here's what they said:)

"Hey! Jystyn! Where are you?!"
"Ryn! I... This place... is scary..."
"Scary?"