AN: I'm kind of broke at the moment…Oh! I didn't misspell the word 'faint' in the previous chapter. Feint is the word for faking someone out in combat. I hope that clears some things up.
Where Do We FlyQuatre felt the weight of thousands of eyes upon him. The moment he'd turned his back on Rei to transform into Ares of Mars, she had vanished, leaving him to search for her in the murky woods. The canopy was so thick that the few beams of light that filtered through looked like solid objects in contrast to the enveloping darkness. Now, as he tried to track his Lady's path, he felt the eyes staring holes into his crimson armor.
The burning gazes came from the massive flock of ravens that had arrived soon after Quatre had begun his search. Their timely arrival was made all the more eerie by the fact that not a one had made a single sound besides the hushed flap of ebony wings. Having been talked into watching the Alfred Hitchcock classic, "The Birds," with Duo one night, Quatre was torn between the need to stay silent and hope the flock would ignore him and the urge to turn and scream to send them flying. Only the memory that birds were loyal pets like Rei's twin ravens Phobos and Demos kept him from losing his cool.
The air was suddenly alive with soft swooping noises and Quatre turned expecting to face his worst nightmare only to find that the flock had grown tired with their watching game. From the light of the scarce sunbeams, Quatre watched with horrified awe as thousands of ravens passed overhead. He remembered to close his mouth in case the strange birds decided to use him for 'target practice.' Cold relief washed through his heart as the last of the birds swept away into the darkness. A silent promise to never watch another Hitchcock film was in the process of being made when Rei's scream rent the air. Quatre trusted his ears and decided that the scream had come from the north. Where the birds had gone…
Never had Quatre moved so fast and he was amazed to find himself out of the woods, in a grassy clearing, seconds after he'd heard Rei's scream. The flock, moving like a single entity, was swirling high over Rei's head preparing, by the looks of it, to dive bomb the woman for a second time. The charred remains of a hundred winged things lay on the ground around her, but it seemed the crows' sheer numbers had overwhelmed whatever magic the Priestess of Fire had thrown at them. Quatre felt something inside his chest strain at the brave sight of Rei standing to face her attackers. Never alone was Quatre's thought as he raced to get between the diving birds and his mate. His presence distracted both of the fighting parties and Quatre heard Rei's shouted warning just as the birds changed course to aim for him. Fire freed itself within his chest as his words poured from his lips.
"Mars Fatal Inferno!" A column of red-white fire twisted up between the attacking crows and Quatre. It was too large for the leading ravens to avoid and they vanished with quick puffs of greasy smoke. The rest of the flock, startled into angry shrieks, managed to avoid fiery deaths, and scattered to the winds with singed feathers.
With the danger over, Quatre allowed his weary legs to rest and he plopped onto his butt to land on the grass. An equally tired Rei watched him with a slightly bemused smile before crossing to sit next to him. "Phobos and Demos used to run with a rough crowd." Rei looked startled at Quatre's deduction.
"Used to are the key words. Those were the crows my two were raised with before my birth summoned them to my grandfather's temple." She looked at the smoking feathers littering the ground and felt guilt twinge in her soul. "I had asked them to help me train you, but they resented the fact that a mere human would dare beckon to them."
"Even if it wasn't planned this way, they did help me tap my power." Before Rei could answer, Quatre stood up and began to gather the remains of the birds whose bodies had survived the battle. Rei soon joined him and together they respectfully buried the poor creatures in the field. When their task was done, a cloud seemed to lift from Quatre's face and he smiled softly. "Thank you, Rei."
Touched by her mate's purity and ability to forgive, Rei blinked back misty eyes and hugged him. He understood her feelings and hugged her back. When the moment had passed, Rei gave a weak laugh. "I think that we should go an practice with that bow of yours. Something tells me that we've had enough magic for the moment." Quatre smiled and grasped his Lady's hand.
"I know just the targets to practice with. Duo's Hitchcock videos won't do him any good here." Realizing just what he meant to do, Rei's laugh returned strong with happiness and love.
AN: Ah, me. This couple always makes me want to be a little melodramatic. Forgive my romantic streak. Thanks for all the great reviews!