Heart of the Soul: Part III
By Eval Chylde
Do you see them? Do you hear them? Can you understand that you never will? How will we meet our end? In the arms of our loved ones, or the jaws of a beast that sees us as just food? Is that really the end? Will meet the same fate in another life, or can we change destiny? Who decided just what will happen to us?
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil.
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"It was the most horrific experience I had ever been through. I've tried my hardest to recall an event worse than this without any kind of success."
Teresa was sitting in a very large, cushioned seat. The three SeeD sat on the couch, leaning forward to better hear the girl's whispers over the crackling of the fireplace. Selphie was munching on some tea biscuits, staring at the girl like a child gazed in awe at their grandfather as he told them tales of old.
"I was walking home from a ball. The boy I had gone with flirted with every female in sight, and I got tired of it. I told him I was leaving, and he said I wouldn't go without him. Well, I just had to prove him wrong, so I left. This whole thing is his fault!"
She tossed herself back in her seat, playing with her curls of hair as she looked at the fire. "I couldn't quite remember the way home, since I rarely walked the streets without a guide. I found myself in the lower-classed part of town, scared by every little thing that moved.
"I was almost to the hotel where I knew the clerk when he came flying out of the shadows at me…"
'A young girl,' he thought, his eyes widening at the sight. Her heart was pounding with fear, driving him mad like the beat of a drum. He reached out and grabbed her, pulling her warm body close. The pain in his arms and side throbbed and he felt his own excitement growing.
His nails lashed out, slicing a fine gash along the base of her neck. Growling with hunger, his lips latched on and he began to suckle the life-giving liquid.
"It was so gross! I could feel the blood from his wounds on my hands and soaking through my dress. My beautiful dress! The tingling feeling wouldn't go away as the guy sucked at my skin. I had thought I was going to be sick."
Dizziness swept over him, and he pushed the girl away. He himself slammed into the wall, panting hard to regain rational thought. He tilted his head back, snarling in pain as his wounds began to heal. All he could smell was the girl's blood on his lips; all he could hear was her harsh breathing and pounding heart.
Looking at her, he stumbled forward and grabbed for her. The girl kicked and screamed, her heel smacking into his shin. He couldn't feel the sting of pain; it was nothing compared to the ache in his stomach and lacing up his sides.
"I screamed again and he stared at me with his glazed eyes. The man blinked a few times, than gasped; he turned and ran, tripping at least four times before he disappeared back into the shadows. I didn't get a very good look at his face, since it was so dark. I just don't see well in dim light."
Nikalos leaned back and closed his eyes, frowning softly. He had never heard of such a thing happening except for in horror stories. He dared not speak his opinion, but it sounded like she was attacked by some lunatic who thought he was a vampire. Such people could be dangerous, and had to be stopped as quickly as possible.
Selphie leapt up and put her fist to her chest, grinning like a fool. "Don't worry, Miss Teresa! With SeeD on the job, we'll not only protect you, but we'll also catch the culprit!"
"I knew I could count on you to help me!" the girl said, equally as enthused. The two giggled like mad, quickly forgetting the entire ordeal and going back into Selphie's stories of their 'adventures.'
Nikalos excused himself and left the room, going upstairs to their bedrooms and stepping onto the veranda. He gazed up at the night sky, sighing softly. All they could do without a description of the perpetrator was wait for the man to attack her again.
How long would they have to wait, though?
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Squall gazed a Griever, saying a silent prayer that they solved this before it was too late. He tucked the silver lion into his shirt, keeping it close to his heart. He pulled on his winter jacket, fastening the series of buttons so it was snug against his body.
The young man looked around and watched his teammates as they prepared for the trek into the mountain. Even though the man still insisted he accompanied them, it had been decided that Sean stay in town. His job was to keep the townsfolk calm until they came up with something.
The team was wearing winter variations of their favorite outfits, except for Quistis. The older woman had donned curve-hugging light gray pants and white shirt. Her coat fit snuggly around her, thick enough to keep out the cold, and had a fur-lined hood she was pulling up over her blonde hair. She wore knee-high hiking boots laced tight enough to ensure not even a trickle of icy snow leaked in next to her skin.
"We will return in two weeks time."
"If we're not, send out a search party," Zell added, pulling up a duffle back over his shoulder.
"With Squall as out navigator, maybe we should make it three weeks," Irvine commented, pulling up the hood of his fur-lined duster. For once, he was going somewhere without his cowboy hat. "You know how he is; can't read a map, never asks for directions."
Ignoring the two, Squall continued. "We will try to contact you in a couple of days to see if any further instructions have come from Cid." He handed Sean a small radio and showed him how it worked. "The signal is strong enough that we should be able to get through, weather pending."
"If Irvine sneezes, we're fucked." Zell ducked to avoid being hit with the pair of socks suddenly flung in his direction. Squall sighed and shook his head, leaving the cabin without another word. Quistis caught up with him, watching his face carefully before commenting.
"Don't be upset with them; they know this mission is important. They're just trying to make it easier to get through it with their sanity."
"Sure they haven't lost it already?"
Quistis laughed softly, her breath misting and rising into the air. "What do you think we'll find up there?"
"Not sure."
"I know how we can mark our path!" Zell called to them. "Just plop down and make snow angels every so many yards!"
We will get through this, Griever. I'm sure of it.
-+-
Squall turned to make sure his team was still behind him. Quistis had long since dropped down to last in line, Zell being the closest on to him. Irvine kept back with the older woman to make sure she didn't need help, the winds occasionally tossing up the snow and blocking the two from view.
The scarred leader turned and dug a little ahead of him in the snow with the walking stick given to them by Sean. The snow pressed hard against his groin, and he had a funny feeling his feet still weren't touching the ground. When the snow had started getting deeper, he had tried to make a path with the stick. He soon learned to just loosen the snow enough for them to stalk through it.
A gust of wind blew up, throwing blinding snow at them. Squall turned his head, blocking his eyes with his arm and the fur that lined the neck of his coat. It died down again, and he looked around them to see if he could find a place for the team to rest for the night.
He spotted a small grouping of rocks protruding from the mountain and out of the snow. Gesturing for the others to follow him, he trudged along towards it in hopes that they could find shelter there. He dropped his gunblade case and dug through the snow. Zell came up behind him and saw what he was doing, and quickly began to help.
Between the two of them, they found the opening into the rocks before Irvine arrived. Zell slipped down into the opening to investigate, his slim body easily sliding through. He dropped a few feet to the floor, surprised to see there was enough headroom to stand comfortably.
"Come on down!" he called, stepping to the side so no one would fall on him. Squall dropped his gunblade case down first; Zell managed to catch it before it hit the floor and pulled it safely to the side. Quistis was next, the two boys catching her for extra balance. Irvine tossed down the bag of supplies he had been carrying before sliding down.
"This is perfect," Quistis commented, looking around. The ceiling of the cave was barely half a foot above the top of Irvine's head. The group wandered around, the older blonde running her gloved hands along the smooth surface of the rock.
"It's almost like someone carved this," she said softly.
"We'll rest here for the night," Squall announced. "I'll wake everyone in the morning so we can eat and get moving again."
Everyone pulled out their sleeping bags, Irvine taking a bit longer than everyone else since he had to dig his out from around the food supplies and extra ammo he had stuffed in his bag. Squall found a place near the entrance to sleep; Zell laid his sleeping bag on a small platform, snuggling down in his blankets and peeking out at their leader.
Quistis undid her hair and used her jacket as an extra blanket, curling in a small nook she found so she could have some privacy. Irvine offered to join her for some extra body heat, but she politely declined.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," he muttered as he scooted down into his own sleeping bag.
Zell watched Squall as the young man made a small fire to generate a little more heat for the group before he laid down. He stared at the ceiling, his breathing stirring his soft brown hair as he drifted to sleep. The sounds of his companions' breathing slowed and grew deep. Zell pulled the covers away from his face a bit so he could look around the cave more comfortably.
It was an odd thought, but this place felt somehow familiar. He was certain he had been there before. Not with nearly as many people, and for a much different reason, however. A blush curled along his pale cheeks, and he ducked back into his sleeping bag to hide it.
His sapphire eyes slid closed, and he tried to get some rest. The small martial artist was soon rolling constantly in his sleep. He kept trying to figure out why this tiny cave in the middle of no where was so familiar, but couldn't seem to quite grasp the memory.
"Zell?" he heard Squall whisper. It felt like his heart leapt into his throat as he tried to speak.
"Yeah?" he managed to choke out.
"Did you hear something?"
The blonde froze, holding his breath as he tried to calm his heart. He strained to hear whatever it was that he awakened Squall, but to no avail. He was about to laugh and tell his leader that he must have been dreaming when a soft growl rose above the whistles of the wind outside.
Irvine sat up, reaching for his gun. "What the hell was…?"
With a great roar, a massive beast burst through the opening of the cave. Snow and rocks tumbled inside, nearly knocking out the fire. Squall rolled away, the animal swinging up its claw and smacking the young man away. He slammed hard into the wall, more snow trickling into the shelter.
Zell was out of his makeshift bed in a flash, his fist slamming hard into the beasts' side as he flew at it. It grabbed him in its jaws and tossed him upward, sending him flying out of the cave and into the deep snow. He scurried to his feet, sputtering snow and anger as he snarled.
He froze, gazing around him in shock. "Oh shit," he cursed under his breath, the three animals surrounding him closing in fast.
Quistis came out of her nook, her whip snapping out and catching the animal in the flank. It turned on her, distracted enough so that Squall could grab his case. Irvine fired two shots, the ammo slicing cleanly through its back, barely slowing it down.
The older woman enchanted her whip quickly with a blizzaga, the frozen tip cracking hard against the beast's muzzle. It yelped in pain and snarled angrily, swinging its claw and catching her in the leg. Irvine loaded his armor piercers, bracing himself on the cave floor as he fired.
The force of the shot knocked him back against the wall, but the bullet proved its worth. The animal's flank erupted in blood and fur, the cave echoing with its howls.
-+-
Seifer peered over the ridge, scanning the small valley bellow him at the battle unfolding. He could see Dincht fighting off three of the large wolves, the fourth no where to be seen.
It must have dived into the cave, he thought, loading his pistol. Quistis will be fine; it's the other three goofs I'm worried about.
He aimed carefully, waiting patiently for the right moment to fire. Every time he saw his opportunity, however, Chicken Wuss got in the way again. He would have to lecture him about keeping a little more still later; tease him in some way so the boy would prove to Seifer he could keep still.
A shadow moved to his right, just out of his view, and his instincts took aim. The young man that Zell had bumped into the village before, and who had rescued Zell from the storm, peered at Seifer from behind a massive evergreen.
I think I'll let Julian save Dincht again, he thought as he pulled back his weapon. He seems to do it so well.
The golden-haired man nodded at Seifer and disappeared into the shadows again. The young ex-SeeD had a feeling that, if Julian hadn't wanted Seifer to seem him, he would have never spotted the young man.
Clicking the safety on and holstering his pistol, Seifer crept back to his ridge to continue watching Zell curse and punch as he tried to ward off the beasts coming down on him for a third attack.
-+-
"Shit, shit, shit!" Zell cursed, his fists slamming hard into the muzzle of one of the massive wolves coming at him. It yelped and stumbled back a bit before recovering and knocking the boy to the ground. It caught the sleeve of his jacket and tried ripping it off.
"Fira!" he growled at it as he placed his palm against its chest. The force of the magic that burst forward blew the animal off of him; it landed on one of its comrades while the other one continued to charge.
"Shiva, where the hell are you!?"
A pillar of snow burst up in front of him, the force of it sending the leaping animal backwards again. Dancing with the snow where sparkles of blue light, which Zell knew where tiny flecks of ice. Within the pillar he could just see a female figure taking shape, the ice building up around her and encasing her body.
"It's about damn time," he growled at her.
"I came as quickly as I always do," she pointed out to him.
"Yeah, well… It felt like a lot longer."
Her sweet laughter tingled in his ears, the ice erupting and sending the snow out in a wave. The wolves were tossed back again, snarling in anger as they quickly recovered and charged. Light danced and collected around the blue-skinned woman as she leaned back, the snows whirling up around her and blinding the beasts.
A sheet of ice covered their enemies in one smooth wave, the force of the energy that followed shattering the ice and sending it spiraling into the night sky. Zell peered around his guardian, seeing the piles of snow lying just out of the blue light that Shiva gave off.
"Yeah, baby!" he cheered, punching the air. "We sure showed them this time, huh?"
"I'm not so certain about that, Zell."
He froze, staring at her questionably. The boy was about to ask what she meant when the snows that had buried the animals moved.
"Shit!"
All three burst out of the snow, charging at full speed and snarling furiously. Shiva reared back, preparing for another attack as she moved to defend Zell.
The animals suddenly stopped, their ears flattening and their tails tucking between their legs. Combinations of angry growls and whimpers rumbled deep in their chests. The three turned quickly and ran through the snow, disappearing into the night.
Zell's jaw dropped, his eyebrow perking as he watched them go. "Wha?"
"That certainly looked like an unfair fight, eh?"
The guardian and SeeD turned to look, watching as Julian strolled up to them. He smiled down at Zell from his perch atop the snow.
"You did very well for a little human," he chuckled, glancing at Shiva. "Even though you did call the help of a goddess."
"Shiva's my best guardian," Zell said, trying desperately to figure out how Julian was walking atop the snow.
"I must be going. Until you need me again, Zell." The ice-woman bowed to him before disappearing in a twinkle of blue light and ice.
"Crap!" Zell gasped, suddenly remembering the other. He leapt down into the opening of their shelter, much larger now thanks to their attacker. Julian followed, landing silently beside him.
The three other SeeDs were behind them, the animal that had attacked them in a heap against the opposite wall. Zell's nose wrinkled at the scent of blood, their walls now painted a rich red and slashed with rust-coloured fur.
"It stopped attacking," Quistis explained to Zell, "but every time we get near it, it lashes out."
"He's trying to heal," Julian said softly, barely audible. He walked carefully up to the fallen beast, reaching out to touch its fur. It jerked away from his hand and groaned, snorting softly.
"Don't touch me, Julian," the animal growled to him, the noises in its throat and the twitching of his ears communicating everything to the young man. "I know what you mean to do, and you won't succeed. You can kill me, but you are not going to save the humans."
"Don't be so foolish," the golden-haired man sighed, stroking the beast's fur. "You are only right about one thing." He pulled out a long, silver dagger decorated with moonstones and rubies. Pushing the animal's front leg up, he place the tip of the blade against its chest.
"Go in peace, brother; and may the goddess have mercy on your soul."
Zell tried to peek around Julian to see what he was doing. When the young man stood again, the animal was lying peacefully where it had fallen. Julian pulled out a cloth and wiped the blade of a gorgeous, long dagger clean. He looked almost sad, sighing softly before smiling at Zell.
"I don't think you young people want to go through an adventure like that again. There is a cabin near by where you may come and rest. It is but a tiny thing, so I hope you all will be comfortable."
-+-
"He calls this tiny?!"
The four SeeD stood in the entrance to Julian's 'tiny cabin,' staring around in amazement. It was at least twice the size of Sean's home, the wooden walls decorated in animal furs and paintings. The young man guided them through the foyer to the stairs, watching them with smiling eyes as they gazed around.
The stairs led to a small balcony which overlooked the main hall and the mountain. The ceiling and outside wall were glass, the moon peering from behind the clouds left from to-day's snow storm. Julian showed Quistis to her own, private room; a fire was already roaring in the fireplace, and the table beside the bed was adorned with tea and a bowl of steaming soup.
"Unfortunately, we only have one other room available," Julian apologized, opening the door to the room for the three boys. They filed in and picked their beds, dumping their bags beside them. Zell flopped down, bouncing on the bed before lying still.
"There are other people here?" Squall inquired, stopping beside Julian.
"Yes," the older man replied. "You will meet them in the morning. Try and get some rest; you're going to need it tomorrow." He bowed to them and left, shutting the door behind him.
"Did you see how Julian walked along the top of the snow?" Zell whispered, sitting up as Squall prepared for bed. "That was crazy."
"He did sink a little," Squall pointed out.
"Not nearly as much as we did! We were in there up to our crotch, and the snow maybe came to his ankles."
"So, he found higher ground," Irvine suggested.
"I was walking right behind him!" Zell flopped down again, resting his arms behind his head and pouting. Here they went again, constantly trying to prove the young blonde wrong, or make him feel crazy. He rolled over to face the wall, pulling up the blankets over his head as he tried to sleep.
He drifted into an uneasy sleep to the sounds of Squall and Irvine discussing tomorrow's schedule.
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"Quickly! Hide in here!"
The woman he had grown up calling Mama dropping to her knees, lowering the small boy into the cave he used to play in as a child. He gazed up at her from the cave floor, her panting echoing loud in his ears. Why did Mama look so tired? Why was her skin so cold when he had touched it?
Her face disappeared from view, and growls echoed in the quiet of his hideout.
"What are you waiting for?!" he heard his mother scream. "Shinigami's coming for me already! End it!"
"Mama..?" he whispered softly, tears welling up in the corners of his gray eyes.
The growls grew louder, muffled only by the sounds of ripping fabric. His eyes grew wide in fear and his bottom lip trembled. He couldn't hear his mama any more; where had she gone?
"Mama?"
A large dog's muzzle stabbed into the opening of the cave, covered in a thick, dark liquid he couldn't name. It snarled and snapped, trying to squeeze into the opening. It yelped suddenly, disappearing again from view.
"Be gone!" a familiar voice screamed, yelps and howls rising in the night air. A soft thump could be heard above him, and soft cries wrenched his heart. "Oh, Emily. Why didn't you run like I asked? We have a cure; we found the cure."
"Mama!" he screamed, reaching for the opening of the cave. "Mama!!
"Mama, come back to me!"
[ end part iii ]