Creature of the Wood
Chapter 19
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There was a sharp jabbing pain in Duo's side as he started to pull himself from sleep. Grumbling faintly, he rolled away from it, rather annoyed that Heero would wake him up this early. He knew he hadn't been asleep that long, judging from how tired he still was... that, and there was no light shining against his eyelids, so it couldn't even be dawn yet. Rolling away didn't help, it only made things worse as he found himself crunched into a ball in a corner.

This wasn't his bed...

As his eyes snapped open, he remembered where he'd fallen asleep and moved to scramble away from whoever was trying to wake him. It brought a startled cry from the two cargo workers that were currently attempting to pry the boy out of the crawlspace he'd worked himself into.

"Get out of there! We don't take on stowaways, you little..."

Duo didn't wait for them to finish. He launched towards them, praying to whoever would listen that he could remember the lessons his brother had taught him so long ago. There was a wrenching sensation in his stomach as the world seemed to shift in front of him, the men's faces skewing until they weren't even recognizeable as people any longer. An instant later, he landed in a crouch about ten feet behind them, stunned silence their only reaction. He didn't wait around to count his good luck, immediately scrambling to his feet and bolting down one of the corridors nearby. He could hear their shouts behind him, but couldn't make out words.

*Thankyouthankyouthankyou...*, was the litany in his mind, the Fae talent of short range teleportation having just saved his tail the first time he'd ever found reason to use it. It was one of the 'safety measures' Zechs had taught him as a child... and apparently the fact that their quarry had vanished in front of their eyes had been enough to startle the men into letting him escape. He had no doubts as to what they'd do if they caught him. He'd heard enough rumours of people being 'spaced' out of airlocks in the past. That thought alone was enough to spur him on farther as he raced through the inner corridors of the Sweeper ship.

Every path looked the same to him, the walls merging and melding until he could barely remember the way he'd come... let alone the direction he was heading. There was no telling if he'd been down this particular corridor already, and he didn't feel the need to stop and find out. Not with the rising shouts behind him as more of the ship's workers joined in the hunt for him. He glanced over his shoulder, trying to see if any of them were getting too close... and that was when he heard the faint whistle of something small winging its way past his ear and the sharp jab of cold metal in the side of his neck.

One hand came up instinctively, batting at the pain and coming away with a tiny feathered dart that was dotted with his own blood. A low curse left his lips as his vision started to swim, his steps beginning to stagger beneath him. Turning to face forward again, he caught sight of a thin, wizened figure standing in a doorway to his right, the sharp eyes raking over him. At that moment, his feet tangled up in themselves, sending him crashing to the hard floor beneath as his hands tried clumsily to shield his fall. Rolling onto his back, Duo looked up through a clouded haze at the elderly man who moved to stand over him... and as the darkness moved into the edges of his sight, he wondered if space was truly as cold as he'd heard. It seemed that he would find out soon enough.

But he was thankful that he wouldn't be conscious when he died.

* * *

Boredom was not a pleasant thing. Being bored was likely the worst fate any Fae could imagine for themselves, regardless of circumstances. A bored Fae was likely to go looking for trouble, or invite it into their arms simply for the sake of breaking the monotony.

A bored Pooka was ten times as dangerous.

Cathy lay in the grass on her stomach, her arms folded beneath her chin as she watched the autumn leaves dance past on the wind. One leg repeatedly curled up, only to bring her toes down against the soil over and over again as she tried to keep her thoughts from her lovers and what they may be facing. She never changed her position, but her eyes glanced up to the grey clouds as if she could force them to part and let her see what was happening in the darknes of space. It had been a week since Duo and Quatre had left... a week since Selena Winner had vanished from the school grounds... and a week since Relena Peacecraft had come back and nearly gone on a rampage at discovering her youngest sibling gone.

THAT thought brought a smirk to her face. She'd heard rumours about the legendary tempers that Sidhe could possess, but she'd never actually seen it before. Well, there was the time when Selena and Relena had nearly killed each other in front of the dorms, but that was different. Relena's fury at finding Duo 'sucked up' into the plot at hand was definately something to behold. Cathy was just glad that the Lady's anger hadn't been directed at her. It was bad enough just trying to talk her down out of that particular fit. Now, as she plucked at the grass of the small clearing, she half wondered if she shouldn't be more angry with Trowa and Quatre for haring off on this insanity. Not that it would do any good... they'd have gone, regardless, and she'd just have been left bitter. This way, she could at least say that she'd left them with happy thoughts of her... and hopefully those memories would bring them back all the sooner.

Rolling onto her side, the lioness Pooka curled up slightly, her tail rustling through the grass as it twitched behind her. This was a peaceful place... and she was glad that Duo and Heero hadn't kept it a secret to themselves. This was their stargazing spot, and was well enough away from the main campus that one could stay out here for days and never encounter another living soul. Normally she longed for the company of others, but Catherine found herself cherishing her quiet times lately, and looking forward to when she, Trowa and Quatre would be reunited again.

She rolled to her stomach once more, dropping onto hands and knees as she willed herself to take on the full form of the cat she claimed as her animal ken. She closed her eyes, waiting for the distinctive shift in scents, the sensation of the wind brushing past whiskers and fur...

And was surprised, to say the least, when it never came. Blinking, she looked down at herself, still in the half cat, half Fae form that she'd come here in. "What the..." Her hands moved over her body, trying to feel for any injury or mark that might prevent her from shifting. As far as she knew, she hadn't been hit with a ward, or with any spells lately. If she had, then she wouldn't have been able to attain the Fae seeming she was in right now. Pushing herself to her feet, she frowned softly, still looking over herself as best she could. "This is strange. Maybe I'm getting sick or something." She shrugged faintly then, and started to wander back towards the school grounds, her form fading to the full human seeming that she needed to interact with the other humans there.

* * *

TBC