Disclaimer: I do not, sadly, own any of the characters or the plot line of
Escaflowne. I do own Jewel, and if you would like to use her, please ask
me first!
AN: Sorry for the late upload, it took me a while to find this chapter. It was lost in my computer =grins=. But anyway, here is chapter nine of Shadow Warrior! This story won't last very long, I knew I wanted it to be longer and I had a lot of good ideas for it, but I just can't seem to write them into the story. =shrugs= I don't really know, so let's hope this makes sense. Review, please!
Chapter Nine: Harmony in a Fighter
Jewel was waiting in the hanger as Dilandau and his troops walked in. She was casually perched atop the red guymelef unit, her sea blue eyes calmly taking in the troops below her.
"Since I only count seven units, I assume I'm to either find my own transportation or to ride with one of you," she said, dislike in her tone.
"So you are smarter then I thought." Dilandau smirked.
"I wouldn't be talking like that to me, dear Fire Lord. You never know how I might react."
"And why would I be afraid of you?"
Jewel stood up and looked down at Dilandau. Instead of throwing some sort of smart remark back at him, she simply jumped of the guymelef unit. She flipped through the air and landed on her feet. Without a pause, she did two front flips and landed in the splits in front of the nearest Dragon Slayer. Then she jumped to her feet and, with lightning fast reflexes, aimed a kick at the Slayer's face. She stopped her foot a millimeter from his face.
Balanced on one foot, she looked Dilandau. "An example, if you will. I can do this to you in five point six seconds, only you wouldn't be breathing after that," she said. She set her foot down and walked back over to the red guymelef. She jumped back on top of it and looked down expectantly at the Slayers.
Damn, she's good, Dilandau thought as he started towards the red guymelef, his guymelef. Not only can she beat the stuffing out of anyone within five minutes, but she also has cat-like abilities. She just might work out after all.
****
Six hours later Jewel jumped down from the red guymelef. They had landed in a forest just fifteen miles South of Austria's border. Rumor was that not only was the Fanellian King and his wife were supposed to be visiting Austria, but the Calei Knight, Allen Schezar, was also supposed to be there.
"This will be harder then we originally thought. With the Fanellian King and Queen and the Calei Knight here, we'll have a tougher time killing those advisors," Jewel mused to herself, as she looked around the crowded landing spot. Tall trees were everywhere, the branches inter-twining. And thick bushes littered the ground, along with vines and thorns.
"If I knew better, I'd say you were actually afraid of the Calei Knight," Dilandau said as he emerged from the guymelef.
Jewel threw him a look over her shoulder. "Hardly."
"Oh? I happen to know the Calei Knight. He's a worthy opponent; I'll say that. But he's looks and vanity get the best of him. And the Fanellian King…" Dilandau trailed off.
Jewel raised her eyebrow. "Sounds like you also happen to know this king. And it sounds like he must be good-looking… Maybe even better looking then you."
Dilandau glared at Jewel. "I do know Van Fanel. He's the one that ruined my beautiful face and-"
Jewel laughed and walked off, leaving behind a stunned Dilandau. Dilandau, the one who was feared by everyone, who was the best soldier in the history of Gaea, was actually surprised by Jewel's sudden daring. They knew nothing about each other, and it was apparent that Jewel didn't like him, but was she flirting with him? Nonsense, Dilandau thought as he started shouting orders. It was probably some smart-alec remark that she didn't put much thought into.
Jewel, who was by now a couple hundred feet away from the Slayers, was examining an odd looking tree. For some reason, it looked familiar… But she couldn't place it. "Ughn," she moaned as the pains in her head became worse. She put a hand up to her head and closed her eyes.
Images rushed through her head, but when she opened her eyes again they were forgotten. Jewel waited until the pain numbed before she started back towards the camp. Half way there, she stopped suddenly. She strained her hearing, trying to catch the sound again. Was that a child she had heard?
There, she had heard the sound again. Jewel turned to her left and started through the bushes and heavy branches. She walked for a few minutes, still straining her hearing. Where was the child? Something inside of her pulled at her. Jewel stopped again and listened. There was no sound, but the pulling inside of her was getting stronger.
Panic began to rise in her. Where was the child? She looked around; there was nothing around her except for branches and bushes. A heartbeat started up in her ears, faint but still beating. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, she could hear her own heart and that of a child's…
Suddenly Jewel looked down at her hands. Was it her imagination, or were her hands changing? Wait, another sound, to her right. Jewel turned her head and looked. It was completely dark now; there was no chance of her getting to the child in this light.
A pain starting at the back of her spine and going down to her legs. Another pain, this time in her arms. Then another, behind her eyes. A sensation of crawling worms below her skin, joined with the feeling of blood pumping through her veins. Tickling sensation right on her neck, underneath the skin.
Jewel looked down and saw that her hands had changed. Instead of pink, fleshy, five fingered hands there was black fur covering them, and they had reverted into something that looked like a half human and cat- like. They were smaller, thinner, and bright silver claws adorned each short finger. There were pads where her palms should be. Still looking, Jewel found that the fur covered her whole body.
Touching her face, she found that it was also covered with fur. Her eyes had spread apart a little, and her nose had shrunk into her mouth. Where her nostrils should've been, there was a black wet nose and where her lips should've been there were whiskers and a cat mouth. Her teeth were short and sharp, with side canines coming down farther then they should've. Her hair was gone, and she had small, pointed ears on top of her head.
Her legs were more muscular, and she saw that her boot had split. There were now feline hind legs, her toes had melted together to form paws with silver claws at the end. There was a black tail, and Jewel realized that her clothes had torn. Her only cover was the black fur that adorned her now. A white strip went from her neck, down her chest and stopped at her abdomen.
A flash crossed Jewel's mind. She was looking at herself in a mirror, the same mirror in the white room. She had seen herself as she was now, mostly cat. She remembered the panic, and then nothing. Shaking her head, Jewel put a hand up to her head. It was pounding like crazy, but there was almost no pain.
Suddenly another sound, this time to her left. The child, Jewel realized. Without thinking she sunk to all four limbs and started to run through the forest. She had never realized what it was like to go so fast, be so agile. Her hearing was better, so was her nose and eyes. She could make quick turns, leap father into the air, and land perfectly. It was wonderful; she had never known what it was like to be a cat.
But you're not totally a cat, she reminded herself. But why in hell does it feel so natural? Jewel ran for… well, she couldn't exactly remember. She was putting all her energy into listening and looking for the child.
Finally, she burst through a thick bush and landed in a small clearing. Just feet in front of her was the child, lying down by a small pond. Moonlight shimmered and was reflected by the pond, seeming as if it lighted up the small clearing.
Jewel sniffed the air. There was the metallic smell of blood and salty tears in the air. Getting up on her hind feet, Jewel walked slowly and quietly towards the child. She saw that it was a girl, with short dark brown hair.
She was wearing a strangely familiar school uniform, one that was khaki and black… A black skirt, white blouse covered by a khaki jacket with black lining. A blue bow was tied in the front and there was a scarf-like thing that attached to the jacket, black and khaki colored.
Now Jewel was standing right next to the girl, towering above her. Maybe it was the shadow that she cast over the little girl, or maybe it was the sound of her approach, but whatever it was, it made the little girl look up at Jewel. Her brilliant emerald green eyes widened in surprise and pleasure as she looked up at Jewel. Jewel could see herself reflected in the girl's eyes, the moon shining down on her, making her black fur shine and her cat-like yellow eyes shine.
"Jewel!" The girl whispered, relief and happiness in her voice. The girl got to her feet and hugged Jewel, though she only came to Jewel's thighs. Jewel looked down at the little girl.
"Jewel, I'm so happy to see you! We were so worried about you; you just disappeared! Daddy and mommy were so worried, they thought that you had run away or were stolen! Brother and I were scared for you; we missed you so much!
"Then mommy and daddy started fighting, they thought it was each other's fault that you had disappeared. Brother and I didn't like that at all. Then, when mommy and daddy were fighting one night, brother and I ran away. We were running through the streets, it was dark. We heard a car behind us, so we tried to get to the sidewalk." The girl's eyes began to water. "I got to the sidewalk, but brother slipped and fell in the street. I tried to get to him, but he yelled at me, he told me to keep running. And to find you; I turned and started to run.
"Then I heard the car screeching… And I smack… Brother…. I don't think…. I didn't get to tell him…" The girl started to cry silently. Jewel looked thoughtfully at the girl. She reached out a hand and stroked the girl's hair.
"It's ok, Narisia. You found me, and I'm here now." She whispered.
The girl, Narisia, looked up with teary eyes at Jewel. "I remember running, wishing you were here with me. You would make it alright. I knew you would. Then a bright light came down, and I landed here. I've been here for a day, I'm hungry and cold and I didn't know where I was. I missed you, brother, mommy and daddy. All I could think of is how much mommy and daddy must miss us now."
Jewel kneeled down and hugged Narisia close to her. "You don't have to worry anymore, Narisia. I'm here, and I'll protect you. We'll go home… I promise. And we'll fix everything, ok?"
Narisia sniffed and nodded. She wiped her eyes and looked at Jewel. "Where are we going to go?"
Jewel looked at Narisia. For once she was glad feline eyes couldn't show emotion. Narisia was just a child, only six. She didn't understand, she couldn't. She wouldn't understand why Jewel had to go off and kill people; she wouldn't understand why Jewel lived with killers. She wouldn't know why they practiced with swords or why people here were part animal. She wouldn't be able to accept that the people here lived different lives then the people on Earth…
Jewel shook her head. How did she know about Narisia? And Earth, her family? She looked at Narisia again and pushed those thoughts out of her head. "I'll take you back to my camp. You'll stay with me," she told her. Once again getting down on all four limbs, she told Narisia to climb onto her back and hang on. Narisia did just that, settling herself behind Jewel's shoulders and putting her arms around Jewel's neck. Then Jewel took off with Narisia into the darkness.
*~~*
TBC….
AN: Sorry for the late upload, it took me a while to find this chapter. It was lost in my computer =grins=. But anyway, here is chapter nine of Shadow Warrior! This story won't last very long, I knew I wanted it to be longer and I had a lot of good ideas for it, but I just can't seem to write them into the story. =shrugs= I don't really know, so let's hope this makes sense. Review, please!
Chapter Nine: Harmony in a Fighter
Jewel was waiting in the hanger as Dilandau and his troops walked in. She was casually perched atop the red guymelef unit, her sea blue eyes calmly taking in the troops below her.
"Since I only count seven units, I assume I'm to either find my own transportation or to ride with one of you," she said, dislike in her tone.
"So you are smarter then I thought." Dilandau smirked.
"I wouldn't be talking like that to me, dear Fire Lord. You never know how I might react."
"And why would I be afraid of you?"
Jewel stood up and looked down at Dilandau. Instead of throwing some sort of smart remark back at him, she simply jumped of the guymelef unit. She flipped through the air and landed on her feet. Without a pause, she did two front flips and landed in the splits in front of the nearest Dragon Slayer. Then she jumped to her feet and, with lightning fast reflexes, aimed a kick at the Slayer's face. She stopped her foot a millimeter from his face.
Balanced on one foot, she looked Dilandau. "An example, if you will. I can do this to you in five point six seconds, only you wouldn't be breathing after that," she said. She set her foot down and walked back over to the red guymelef. She jumped back on top of it and looked down expectantly at the Slayers.
Damn, she's good, Dilandau thought as he started towards the red guymelef, his guymelef. Not only can she beat the stuffing out of anyone within five minutes, but she also has cat-like abilities. She just might work out after all.
****
Six hours later Jewel jumped down from the red guymelef. They had landed in a forest just fifteen miles South of Austria's border. Rumor was that not only was the Fanellian King and his wife were supposed to be visiting Austria, but the Calei Knight, Allen Schezar, was also supposed to be there.
"This will be harder then we originally thought. With the Fanellian King and Queen and the Calei Knight here, we'll have a tougher time killing those advisors," Jewel mused to herself, as she looked around the crowded landing spot. Tall trees were everywhere, the branches inter-twining. And thick bushes littered the ground, along with vines and thorns.
"If I knew better, I'd say you were actually afraid of the Calei Knight," Dilandau said as he emerged from the guymelef.
Jewel threw him a look over her shoulder. "Hardly."
"Oh? I happen to know the Calei Knight. He's a worthy opponent; I'll say that. But he's looks and vanity get the best of him. And the Fanellian King…" Dilandau trailed off.
Jewel raised her eyebrow. "Sounds like you also happen to know this king. And it sounds like he must be good-looking… Maybe even better looking then you."
Dilandau glared at Jewel. "I do know Van Fanel. He's the one that ruined my beautiful face and-"
Jewel laughed and walked off, leaving behind a stunned Dilandau. Dilandau, the one who was feared by everyone, who was the best soldier in the history of Gaea, was actually surprised by Jewel's sudden daring. They knew nothing about each other, and it was apparent that Jewel didn't like him, but was she flirting with him? Nonsense, Dilandau thought as he started shouting orders. It was probably some smart-alec remark that she didn't put much thought into.
Jewel, who was by now a couple hundred feet away from the Slayers, was examining an odd looking tree. For some reason, it looked familiar… But she couldn't place it. "Ughn," she moaned as the pains in her head became worse. She put a hand up to her head and closed her eyes.
Images rushed through her head, but when she opened her eyes again they were forgotten. Jewel waited until the pain numbed before she started back towards the camp. Half way there, she stopped suddenly. She strained her hearing, trying to catch the sound again. Was that a child she had heard?
There, she had heard the sound again. Jewel turned to her left and started through the bushes and heavy branches. She walked for a few minutes, still straining her hearing. Where was the child? Something inside of her pulled at her. Jewel stopped again and listened. There was no sound, but the pulling inside of her was getting stronger.
Panic began to rise in her. Where was the child? She looked around; there was nothing around her except for branches and bushes. A heartbeat started up in her ears, faint but still beating. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, she could hear her own heart and that of a child's…
Suddenly Jewel looked down at her hands. Was it her imagination, or were her hands changing? Wait, another sound, to her right. Jewel turned her head and looked. It was completely dark now; there was no chance of her getting to the child in this light.
A pain starting at the back of her spine and going down to her legs. Another pain, this time in her arms. Then another, behind her eyes. A sensation of crawling worms below her skin, joined with the feeling of blood pumping through her veins. Tickling sensation right on her neck, underneath the skin.
Jewel looked down and saw that her hands had changed. Instead of pink, fleshy, five fingered hands there was black fur covering them, and they had reverted into something that looked like a half human and cat- like. They were smaller, thinner, and bright silver claws adorned each short finger. There were pads where her palms should be. Still looking, Jewel found that the fur covered her whole body.
Touching her face, she found that it was also covered with fur. Her eyes had spread apart a little, and her nose had shrunk into her mouth. Where her nostrils should've been, there was a black wet nose and where her lips should've been there were whiskers and a cat mouth. Her teeth were short and sharp, with side canines coming down farther then they should've. Her hair was gone, and she had small, pointed ears on top of her head.
Her legs were more muscular, and she saw that her boot had split. There were now feline hind legs, her toes had melted together to form paws with silver claws at the end. There was a black tail, and Jewel realized that her clothes had torn. Her only cover was the black fur that adorned her now. A white strip went from her neck, down her chest and stopped at her abdomen.
A flash crossed Jewel's mind. She was looking at herself in a mirror, the same mirror in the white room. She had seen herself as she was now, mostly cat. She remembered the panic, and then nothing. Shaking her head, Jewel put a hand up to her head. It was pounding like crazy, but there was almost no pain.
Suddenly another sound, this time to her left. The child, Jewel realized. Without thinking she sunk to all four limbs and started to run through the forest. She had never realized what it was like to go so fast, be so agile. Her hearing was better, so was her nose and eyes. She could make quick turns, leap father into the air, and land perfectly. It was wonderful; she had never known what it was like to be a cat.
But you're not totally a cat, she reminded herself. But why in hell does it feel so natural? Jewel ran for… well, she couldn't exactly remember. She was putting all her energy into listening and looking for the child.
Finally, she burst through a thick bush and landed in a small clearing. Just feet in front of her was the child, lying down by a small pond. Moonlight shimmered and was reflected by the pond, seeming as if it lighted up the small clearing.
Jewel sniffed the air. There was the metallic smell of blood and salty tears in the air. Getting up on her hind feet, Jewel walked slowly and quietly towards the child. She saw that it was a girl, with short dark brown hair.
She was wearing a strangely familiar school uniform, one that was khaki and black… A black skirt, white blouse covered by a khaki jacket with black lining. A blue bow was tied in the front and there was a scarf-like thing that attached to the jacket, black and khaki colored.
Now Jewel was standing right next to the girl, towering above her. Maybe it was the shadow that she cast over the little girl, or maybe it was the sound of her approach, but whatever it was, it made the little girl look up at Jewel. Her brilliant emerald green eyes widened in surprise and pleasure as she looked up at Jewel. Jewel could see herself reflected in the girl's eyes, the moon shining down on her, making her black fur shine and her cat-like yellow eyes shine.
"Jewel!" The girl whispered, relief and happiness in her voice. The girl got to her feet and hugged Jewel, though she only came to Jewel's thighs. Jewel looked down at the little girl.
"Jewel, I'm so happy to see you! We were so worried about you; you just disappeared! Daddy and mommy were so worried, they thought that you had run away or were stolen! Brother and I were scared for you; we missed you so much!
"Then mommy and daddy started fighting, they thought it was each other's fault that you had disappeared. Brother and I didn't like that at all. Then, when mommy and daddy were fighting one night, brother and I ran away. We were running through the streets, it was dark. We heard a car behind us, so we tried to get to the sidewalk." The girl's eyes began to water. "I got to the sidewalk, but brother slipped and fell in the street. I tried to get to him, but he yelled at me, he told me to keep running. And to find you; I turned and started to run.
"Then I heard the car screeching… And I smack… Brother…. I don't think…. I didn't get to tell him…" The girl started to cry silently. Jewel looked thoughtfully at the girl. She reached out a hand and stroked the girl's hair.
"It's ok, Narisia. You found me, and I'm here now." She whispered.
The girl, Narisia, looked up with teary eyes at Jewel. "I remember running, wishing you were here with me. You would make it alright. I knew you would. Then a bright light came down, and I landed here. I've been here for a day, I'm hungry and cold and I didn't know where I was. I missed you, brother, mommy and daddy. All I could think of is how much mommy and daddy must miss us now."
Jewel kneeled down and hugged Narisia close to her. "You don't have to worry anymore, Narisia. I'm here, and I'll protect you. We'll go home… I promise. And we'll fix everything, ok?"
Narisia sniffed and nodded. She wiped her eyes and looked at Jewel. "Where are we going to go?"
Jewel looked at Narisia. For once she was glad feline eyes couldn't show emotion. Narisia was just a child, only six. She didn't understand, she couldn't. She wouldn't understand why Jewel had to go off and kill people; she wouldn't understand why Jewel lived with killers. She wouldn't know why they practiced with swords or why people here were part animal. She wouldn't be able to accept that the people here lived different lives then the people on Earth…
Jewel shook her head. How did she know about Narisia? And Earth, her family? She looked at Narisia again and pushed those thoughts out of her head. "I'll take you back to my camp. You'll stay with me," she told her. Once again getting down on all four limbs, she told Narisia to climb onto her back and hang on. Narisia did just that, settling herself behind Jewel's shoulders and putting her arms around Jewel's neck. Then Jewel took off with Narisia into the darkness.
*~~*
TBC….