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One for Hope
"Why bring NEAL into this? What's wrong with you? Did you sleep with Yuki or something?" Kel spat at Cleon. They argument was frothing already.
'W.What do you think?" He faltered, but gained confidence. "I thought you loved me." His words stabbed at the very base of her heart.
"Well maybe I DID." Tears of confusion were pouring out now. How had this stupid argument started anyway? Only the littlest thing-she had fed the sparrows earlier than usual.
"Listen - why don't you just go out and fight, get yourself killed and then maybe we can all laugh when no-one buries you. Stormwings'll just peck at bits of your flesh." Cleon stopped thinking, just mouth wide open at what she was saying.
'But no, sorry," Kel continued angrily. 'Even the stormwings won't be biting for long. After a minute or two they'll realise what foul tasting blood you have. THEY won't want even your carcass then!" Kel stormed out of the tent, with fist clenched. Cleon was still horrified.
'How..." Cleon stoppe and thought again:
"I'm sorry."
She paused for a moment then kept walking, her cheeks still damp.
She didn't want to seem weak. She would find Neal, or anybody, just somebody and tell them she was leaving the border right now. Why did Cleon seem so loving and warm one minute, then brutal and unkind the next? Kel stopped. Stone. She was stone.
Still feeling like she needed to work off all her anger, Kel saddled up Peachblossom. Sometimes she felt like he was her true anger under all her Yamani training, so perhaps she could ride her strong feelings out with him.
Kel saw a smile bearing down at her as she saddled Peachblossom, who was surprsingly calm.
"Dom?" she asked weakly.
"Yeah." There was a silence, though bearably uncomfortable.
"I'm not saying you have to tell me anything. And I know you'll both regret what you've said later-"
"What are you talking about?" Kel asked her friend abruptly.
'Your happy little tea party conversation with Cleon (A/N I know, no tea parties then, but oh well)
Kel's Yamani covering broke.
'You...heard?"
"I-"
"Nevermind, it shouldn't matter whether you were there to eavesdrop or not."
"I happened to OVERHEAR, not-"
Kel became frustrated, her mixed feelings from the fight coming back again. She had to take a moment and breath slowly, making sure she was a little calmer.
'Sorry. Look-I'm going for a ride and by the time I come back it'll be supper. See you then."
Dom just stood there, leaning on a post of the makeshift stable while she mounted.
"By the way, how's your leg?"
.
Her ride with Peachblossom did help, if only a little. She had time, time away from everyone else to consider her thoughts. And especially her feelings. Sometimes they were overwhelming, sometimes she didn't re-act at all, and sometimes her emotions ruled over so strongly she did or said things she normally wouldn't have meant to. Like hurting someone. 'Cleon for instance' popped into her brain.
Kel shoved away that thought as fast as she could.
Supper time was mainly uneventful, except fot the running out of grog (the newest alcaholic beverage available) and when Neal came over to her. He didn't even say anything, which Kel hadn't expected. 'I guess he knows we had a fight' she thought. They both sat there, in a comfortable silence. But Kel felt she had to break it.
'Look, I'm sorry. I just-"
"He's put his name down with the next squad to go out. That's tomorrow morning. The healers say its fine, now he's all healed up."
Kel felt numb for a mintue. She got up quickly, spilling the rest of the contents of her bowl onto her breeches.
"I - I've got to-" she mumbled incoherently.
"Say goodnight?" Neal offered gently.
"Yeah. I'm going to apologise to him. Say goodnight and and sorry". Kel acted quite unlike herself, ambling out of the room and off to change her breeches (or at least Neal hoped so). He watched her go, then sat thinking quietly for a minute before turning back to his bowl. Unavoidable now, the grime of the glup soup in front of him would be his only source of food until morning. And then more bad food, he thought.
He never knew it had vegetables in it.
.
Kel had watched Cleon go the next morning, his eyes full of emotion. Pity? Sorrow? Disgust? Or maybe even love? Whatever it was, Kel felt like she would have looked the same way. Once the squad had mounted and started trotting away, Cleon turned half around in his saddle to look at Kel. She waved her hand feebly. Cleon tried to smile. He forgave her. Kel sighed deeply. She accepted his silent apology too. The fight between them was over.
"Miss you," Kel had said, but her voice was carried away by the wind.
Now, two days later, checking Jump's bandage, which he didn't really need anymore, Kel was glad. Not that they had fighted, but because, in a way, they accepted each other. (and not just apologies) They had their differences, and kept their love despite those differences. She wished she could see him again right now.
She would try to say sorry again, but he would hush her and they'd envelope each other with kisses...
The day-dream faded. 'Just wait until he actually gets back' Kel scolded herself.
She stepped outside her tent, after talking to Neal, who had been complaining (ONCE AGAIN) about the amount of head injuries (the ones he wasn't able to heal). She stretched her arms and meditated in her moment of peace. She reached inside herself and pulled out that image of a lake. She was that lake. Calm, and untouchable. Untouchable.
Kel relaxed and moved to go back inside the tent to get her glaive and do some pattern dances.
"Kel! Wait-" Lerant called, and came puffing up to her, holding a paper in his hand.
'Here," he said emotionlessly and went away, probably to report back to Raoul.
Kel was confused. What was this for? Could it...
Her hands shook as she read the letter
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N hiya ^_^ thanks for reading. I really didn't want to leave 'chapter 5' as just Authors notes, but I wanted reviews on this one. please be CRITICAL.
Yours in fanfiction (I'm sure I've forgotten something)
Epitaph Munku-JGSPTV ^_^
One for Hope
"Why bring NEAL into this? What's wrong with you? Did you sleep with Yuki or something?" Kel spat at Cleon. They argument was frothing already.
'W.What do you think?" He faltered, but gained confidence. "I thought you loved me." His words stabbed at the very base of her heart.
"Well maybe I DID." Tears of confusion were pouring out now. How had this stupid argument started anyway? Only the littlest thing-she had fed the sparrows earlier than usual.
"Listen - why don't you just go out and fight, get yourself killed and then maybe we can all laugh when no-one buries you. Stormwings'll just peck at bits of your flesh." Cleon stopped thinking, just mouth wide open at what she was saying.
'But no, sorry," Kel continued angrily. 'Even the stormwings won't be biting for long. After a minute or two they'll realise what foul tasting blood you have. THEY won't want even your carcass then!" Kel stormed out of the tent, with fist clenched. Cleon was still horrified.
'How..." Cleon stoppe and thought again:
"I'm sorry."
She paused for a moment then kept walking, her cheeks still damp.
She didn't want to seem weak. She would find Neal, or anybody, just somebody and tell them she was leaving the border right now. Why did Cleon seem so loving and warm one minute, then brutal and unkind the next? Kel stopped. Stone. She was stone.
Still feeling like she needed to work off all her anger, Kel saddled up Peachblossom. Sometimes she felt like he was her true anger under all her Yamani training, so perhaps she could ride her strong feelings out with him.
Kel saw a smile bearing down at her as she saddled Peachblossom, who was surprsingly calm.
"Dom?" she asked weakly.
"Yeah." There was a silence, though bearably uncomfortable.
"I'm not saying you have to tell me anything. And I know you'll both regret what you've said later-"
"What are you talking about?" Kel asked her friend abruptly.
'Your happy little tea party conversation with Cleon (A/N I know, no tea parties then, but oh well)
Kel's Yamani covering broke.
'You...heard?"
"I-"
"Nevermind, it shouldn't matter whether you were there to eavesdrop or not."
"I happened to OVERHEAR, not-"
Kel became frustrated, her mixed feelings from the fight coming back again. She had to take a moment and breath slowly, making sure she was a little calmer.
'Sorry. Look-I'm going for a ride and by the time I come back it'll be supper. See you then."
Dom just stood there, leaning on a post of the makeshift stable while she mounted.
"By the way, how's your leg?"
.
Her ride with Peachblossom did help, if only a little. She had time, time away from everyone else to consider her thoughts. And especially her feelings. Sometimes they were overwhelming, sometimes she didn't re-act at all, and sometimes her emotions ruled over so strongly she did or said things she normally wouldn't have meant to. Like hurting someone. 'Cleon for instance' popped into her brain.
Kel shoved away that thought as fast as she could.
Supper time was mainly uneventful, except fot the running out of grog (the newest alcaholic beverage available) and when Neal came over to her. He didn't even say anything, which Kel hadn't expected. 'I guess he knows we had a fight' she thought. They both sat there, in a comfortable silence. But Kel felt she had to break it.
'Look, I'm sorry. I just-"
"He's put his name down with the next squad to go out. That's tomorrow morning. The healers say its fine, now he's all healed up."
Kel felt numb for a mintue. She got up quickly, spilling the rest of the contents of her bowl onto her breeches.
"I - I've got to-" she mumbled incoherently.
"Say goodnight?" Neal offered gently.
"Yeah. I'm going to apologise to him. Say goodnight and and sorry". Kel acted quite unlike herself, ambling out of the room and off to change her breeches (or at least Neal hoped so). He watched her go, then sat thinking quietly for a minute before turning back to his bowl. Unavoidable now, the grime of the glup soup in front of him would be his only source of food until morning. And then more bad food, he thought.
He never knew it had vegetables in it.
.
Kel had watched Cleon go the next morning, his eyes full of emotion. Pity? Sorrow? Disgust? Or maybe even love? Whatever it was, Kel felt like she would have looked the same way. Once the squad had mounted and started trotting away, Cleon turned half around in his saddle to look at Kel. She waved her hand feebly. Cleon tried to smile. He forgave her. Kel sighed deeply. She accepted his silent apology too. The fight between them was over.
"Miss you," Kel had said, but her voice was carried away by the wind.
Now, two days later, checking Jump's bandage, which he didn't really need anymore, Kel was glad. Not that they had fighted, but because, in a way, they accepted each other. (and not just apologies) They had their differences, and kept their love despite those differences. She wished she could see him again right now.
She would try to say sorry again, but he would hush her and they'd envelope each other with kisses...
The day-dream faded. 'Just wait until he actually gets back' Kel scolded herself.
She stepped outside her tent, after talking to Neal, who had been complaining (ONCE AGAIN) about the amount of head injuries (the ones he wasn't able to heal). She stretched her arms and meditated in her moment of peace. She reached inside herself and pulled out that image of a lake. She was that lake. Calm, and untouchable. Untouchable.
Kel relaxed and moved to go back inside the tent to get her glaive and do some pattern dances.
"Kel! Wait-" Lerant called, and came puffing up to her, holding a paper in his hand.
'Here," he said emotionlessly and went away, probably to report back to Raoul.
Kel was confused. What was this for? Could it...
Her hands shook as she read the letter
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N hiya ^_^ thanks for reading. I really didn't want to leave 'chapter 5' as just Authors notes, but I wanted reviews on this one. please be CRITICAL.
Yours in fanfiction (I'm sure I've forgotten something)
Epitaph Munku-JGSPTV ^_^