It appears that the only ones who actually care about my fic and me are
Griffin and guess who! And guess who's only reading it cause I told her to!
Don't review! I don't care, (Runs into the other room in tears)
This might be the last time that I update for about a week or two. I'm going to my grandparents' house and I don't know if I can tear myself away from them to write [literally! My grandma likes to pet my hair for some reason I don't know why. It's all chlorine damaged anyway.] I'll try, I promise. Nonetheless, continue reviews! Just because I can't update doesn't mean that I won't check my reviews! I'll also get a friend to check too! You can't escape me that easy my pretties!
There's a big long dream sequence that I put in - -. So if you get confused about that, just think 'oh, that must be the dream sequence that my favorite author Tigereyes was talking about'
If you guys think that this is getting way out of hand, you're not alone. But ce la vie when I'm reading Two Towers for like the sixth time and Eye of the World for the first. It taints my thinking and writing. So sue me.
Reviews have tapered down! Where is everyone? I shipped the cakes so now you don't want to read?!? Fine! Two can play that game! I just won't update! Humph.
[slackers]
*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ **^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^^*
Ronin crept to the garage as silently as he could, which was pretty silent. Except when he passed the stables. The horses were put on edge by something and they were whinnying and stomping so loud that Ronin thought that they would wake the dead. Luckily, none of the dead went strolling past and the horses calmed when he was farther away from them.
Ronin slid the door open to the garage and sipped in the shadows. He sauntered over to his bike. He walked the length of it, running his hand along it gingerly. The bike screamed to him to use every ounce of its power. Ronin was about to push it out to the driveway when he sensed another presence in the garage. Every muscle in his body tightened then relaxed when he figured out who it was.
"How many times do I have to kick your ass?" Ronin asked without turning to address a figure in the shadows.
"Moving on kid? Seems you've only been here for a while," Logan said gruffly stepping out of the shadows inhabiting the corner.
"I have to head home to warn." he trailed off.
"Warn? Of what kid?" Logan asked carefully.
"Nothing. Just forget I said that. Why don't you go to bed or something," Ronin said pushing the bike out of the garage.
"Can't run forever kid. I ought to know. Why don't you stay here? We can be your family too. Xavier, Chuck's a good man," Logan trailed off. Ronin gave him a sidelong glance then pushed the bike out the door.
He made it most of the way down the driveway before he mounted the bike and turned the ignition. Ronin looked back a Logan and Logan gave him a look that was a cross between recognition and worry.
'I hope that kid takes care of himself. He reminds me of me as far as I can tell.' Logan thought to himself before turning to go back into the mansion.
Ronin rode through the night with the notion of that prophecy running around in his head. He couldn't shake the oddity and irony that he was going to cause the world as everyone knew it to come to an end. Snickers came from the back of his mind and he glared.
'Think this is pretty funny don't you?' Ronin demanded.
'I do indeed. I do indeed. At least I don't have to play dumb anymore. Neither can you. So, are you going to work with me or what? The last sap that I worked through wanted to fight me and I just killed his spirit and used his body. It was fun. Either way is good for me. I do enjoy agony and pain.' The Dragon said from Ronin's mind.
Ronin only growled in response, neither agreeing nor declining. In fact, Ronin wasn't so sure that he wanted to fight it. He sighed warily, speeding up as he neared his real home.
It was an abandoned apartment complex that had seen better days. From the outside, it looked rather imposing or depressing, whichever way you looked at it. The windows were boarded up and all plant-life was dead, one large and thoroughly dead tree stood toward the rear of the building. There were spines sticking out of the center of the trunk and the tree took a black and sickly hue around them. 'Taryn's target practice.' Ronin thought.
The concrete was chipping and cracked where he walked to park his bike. A rustle and a familiar spirit alerted him of six spines flying at his back. Ronin grinned and raised his hand slightly and the spines combusted mid- air, mere dust hitting his back.
"Taryn, you know that I know your spirit anywhere," Ronin muttered just barely audible.
"RONIN!" a girl exclaimed and a lithe body jumped down from a skeleton of a tree.
A girl no older than Ronin stood before him. She was Asian by descent; her midnight hair was streaked with a deep red. Green eyes danced merrily and a black tail twitched behind her. She was wearing loose black velour pants and a tight gray running tank. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, fingernail scraping the several piercings that went up her cartilage and lobe. She shifted her weight then, as if reaching a decision, embraced Ronin in a hug.
"I missed you so much," she said to his neck.
"Let's go in," he said softly, pulling away but leaving his arm laced around her midriff. They walked down a short flight of stairs and were met by a heavy metal door. Ronin turned the handle and gave a heave with his shoulder. Reluctantly, the rusty metal hinges gave way and the door opened with a groan.
Ronin walked behind Taryn and she pulled him by the hand. The hall was dark and dank. Old, decaying ceiling tiles hung haphazardly from the ceiling and littered the floor. Taryn let him go as she entered a room lit by candles. There were couches around the perimeter of the room, Griffin was lounging on one and two others were playing cards on a beaten up table. They looked up at Taryn, and then they went back to what they were doing. Ronin smirked and crossed his arms. Griffin furrowed his brow and looked up. He smiled and stood.
"I was wondering when you'd come back," Griffin said, nodding at Ronin.
The other two who were playing cards stood.
"Did you bring my dagger?" Blade asked with a coy smile on his face. His features were clearer in the flickering candlelight. He had light brown hair with blond tips. His elongated canine teeth slightly poked out from behind his upper lip and his black eyes seemed to have a light of amusement in them when he looked at Ronin. No one knew Blade's real name; he only gave out Blade because of his natural affinity to sharp objects and his grace with a blade that was only matched by Ronin with his sword. Blade was, by far, the oldest of the group. He looked about 23, Griffin, coming in a close second, was 22. Ronin was 17 and Taryn was 16. Owen was unsure of his age. He couldn't remember any of his childhood for that matter. The muscular boy was on the shorter side; a long scar that traced from his left temple to the bottom of his jaw marred his handsome face. His shaggy blond hair curled slightly and he would have wooed any girl. Owen waited off to the side. He was shy and quiet, though he had a knack for electronics and was very clever at making plans and if you pissed him off or endangered any of the Pack, he'd be on you in a second and I wouldn't put money on you walking any time soon.
Ronin looked from Blade to Owen. "So, could you do me a favor?" Ronin asked nonchalantly.
Owen nodded. Ronin threw the book that was inside his coat pocket onto a dusty table. All of them jumped when the hard cover smacked on the dusty wood. Owen looked at Ronin with question in his eyes, as did the rest of his crew. Ronin sighed and slumped his shoulders. He walked over to the old book and opened to the page with the dragon on it, along with the prophecy. He motioned to the book and backed away as the rest of the Pack crowded to read it.
As they were reading, Ronin took quick inventory of changes since he left. They were minimal; more candles (that were scented, probably Taryn's doing), a small armchair was tucked into a corner and his stereo was moved from his old room to the main one he was in currently. A long, low whistle brought him from his thoughts, the first that didn't involve the dragon he added in his head.
"This is some heavy shit," Griffin said observantly.
Pages ruffled as Taryn tore through the pages to find the one about a manticore. She read without emotion on her face as she skimmed the pages. Owen looked Ronin in the eyes.
"What did you want me to check on?" he asked in a cold, firm voice.
"Check the reliability of that author and also check if there's anything on that prophecy," Ronin said sinking into a dilapidated couch with a large yawn.
"Getting much sleep lately?" Griffin asked shaking his wings out.
"No, I keep having dreams with the dragon in them and every time I wake up with another burn. It's pissing me off and I'm sleepy," Ronin said stifling another deep yawn.
"None of us have been sleeping either," Blade said rolling up his pant leg to expose a large bite mark.
Taryn nodded in quiet agreement and rolled up her tank to show three long scratch marks. "Owen's got it on his back, big long cuts and bruises. Griffin couldn't fly for a week," Taryn said matter-of-factly and Griffin turned a deep hue of pink and decided that there was something important in the other room for him to do.
Ronin squinted, deep in thought. He sat like that for a moment, everyone save for Griffin watching, When he didn't say anything else, everyone went back to what they were doing in the first place. Somewhere along his train of thought, he fell into a fitful sleep.
-Ronin was sitting in a large temple, like one of the ones that were erected in ancient China. There were candles everywhere and incense burned slowly at the foot of a large statue. It was (AN: come on, take a wild guess what it is. I'll give you time. ok) a large golden dragon, eyes made of rubies that danced in the flickering candlelight. The dragon statue had an uncanny resemblance to the one on his sword and he was mighty sick of seeing that dragon.
"So, have you reached a decision Ronin? My offer won't last forever," the statue said.
"I am debating. But, what do I get in return? I see no reason to just agree like that," Ronin said as he snapped his dream-fingers.
"Ah, you want to bargain? I suppose I could for a moment. Alright, what do you want in return?" The statue said, beginning to move off of the large pedestal that it stood on before. The Dragon moved like liquid or a shadow. It seemed alert to everything, its perceptive eyes taking in all of its surroundings.
"I want to control some of the time. I want my friends to have the same-" Ronin began.
"I can't control what the others do. That is their business, not mine."
"Fine, then I want to be able to be in your mind as you are in mine," Ronin demanded.
"Bold request, boy, but do you know what you are asking for?" the Dragon questioned.
"I know what I'm doing. You have access to my mind and you commentate constantly! I want the same opportunity," Ronin said, barely keeping his temper in check.
His demand was met with silence.
"Fine, you consider, as I will," Ronin said.-
The scent of burning candle wax and extinguished wicks filled the room. Ronin looked around; Griffin, Blade and Taryn were strewn across respective couches. Owen was the only one awake. He sat in the armchair in the corner with a laptop in his lap. He tapped furiously at the keys on the keyboard and was deeply immersed in his business. "Anything interesting?" questioned Ronin in a mere whisper, though he knew that the whisper wouldn't be missed by Owen's impeccable hearing.
"This prophecy, I'm fairly positive that it isn't the load of crap that Blade made it out to be." Owen said without looking up from the screen.
Ronin rolled his eyes. 'I said that from the beginning,' he thought to himself, but said nothing.
"There's some heavy shit going to go down," Owen said with a long whistle.
"Yeah, and I could fight some if this damn Dragon would let me get some sleep without either abusing or trying to have conversations in my dreams..." Ronin trailed off, muttering to himself and mentally sneering at the Dragon who was smirking, he could feel it.
Owen said nothing, the hasty typing of keys was his only company. Ronin rose from the couch and walked from the room. He wandered the halls that were in a terrible state of disrepair. He climbed a flight or two of stairs. He could walk the whole building, eyes closed, spun around several times and paraded around for a good hour so he wouldn't know where he was, and still get to his desired destination.
The flight of stairs led to the roof. For once, Ronin didn't have his sword to accompany him. He stared into the city; it truly never slept. The night sky was clouded with exhaust and light pollution. Ronin sighed heavily, happy to be home. His thoughts wandered to Taryn. 'She is so beautiful. I can't believe I was able to leave that!' along with some other things that might as well stay in his head. His thoughts also wandered to his brother back at the mansion. There was almost a void in him where Lippoli was. Even for the short time he was around him, it was nice to have official family.
Ronin stepped to the edge of the roof and grabbed a dead branch from a large tree that overhung the building. Ronin jumped onto the thick branch and watched the city below him, contemplating his dreams and his 'girlfriend'.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
There. Six pages. That'll hold you over until I get back assuming anyone actually reads this anymore.
If you miss Lippoli, don't worry friends, there'll be a whole chappie on him! No worries.
Adios for a while.
[review or I won't update]
This might be the last time that I update for about a week or two. I'm going to my grandparents' house and I don't know if I can tear myself away from them to write [literally! My grandma likes to pet my hair for some reason I don't know why. It's all chlorine damaged anyway.] I'll try, I promise. Nonetheless, continue reviews! Just because I can't update doesn't mean that I won't check my reviews! I'll also get a friend to check too! You can't escape me that easy my pretties!
There's a big long dream sequence that I put in - -. So if you get confused about that, just think 'oh, that must be the dream sequence that my favorite author Tigereyes was talking about'
If you guys think that this is getting way out of hand, you're not alone. But ce la vie when I'm reading Two Towers for like the sixth time and Eye of the World for the first. It taints my thinking and writing. So sue me.
Reviews have tapered down! Where is everyone? I shipped the cakes so now you don't want to read?!? Fine! Two can play that game! I just won't update! Humph.
[slackers]
*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ **^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^^*
Ronin crept to the garage as silently as he could, which was pretty silent. Except when he passed the stables. The horses were put on edge by something and they were whinnying and stomping so loud that Ronin thought that they would wake the dead. Luckily, none of the dead went strolling past and the horses calmed when he was farther away from them.
Ronin slid the door open to the garage and sipped in the shadows. He sauntered over to his bike. He walked the length of it, running his hand along it gingerly. The bike screamed to him to use every ounce of its power. Ronin was about to push it out to the driveway when he sensed another presence in the garage. Every muscle in his body tightened then relaxed when he figured out who it was.
"How many times do I have to kick your ass?" Ronin asked without turning to address a figure in the shadows.
"Moving on kid? Seems you've only been here for a while," Logan said gruffly stepping out of the shadows inhabiting the corner.
"I have to head home to warn." he trailed off.
"Warn? Of what kid?" Logan asked carefully.
"Nothing. Just forget I said that. Why don't you go to bed or something," Ronin said pushing the bike out of the garage.
"Can't run forever kid. I ought to know. Why don't you stay here? We can be your family too. Xavier, Chuck's a good man," Logan trailed off. Ronin gave him a sidelong glance then pushed the bike out the door.
He made it most of the way down the driveway before he mounted the bike and turned the ignition. Ronin looked back a Logan and Logan gave him a look that was a cross between recognition and worry.
'I hope that kid takes care of himself. He reminds me of me as far as I can tell.' Logan thought to himself before turning to go back into the mansion.
Ronin rode through the night with the notion of that prophecy running around in his head. He couldn't shake the oddity and irony that he was going to cause the world as everyone knew it to come to an end. Snickers came from the back of his mind and he glared.
'Think this is pretty funny don't you?' Ronin demanded.
'I do indeed. I do indeed. At least I don't have to play dumb anymore. Neither can you. So, are you going to work with me or what? The last sap that I worked through wanted to fight me and I just killed his spirit and used his body. It was fun. Either way is good for me. I do enjoy agony and pain.' The Dragon said from Ronin's mind.
Ronin only growled in response, neither agreeing nor declining. In fact, Ronin wasn't so sure that he wanted to fight it. He sighed warily, speeding up as he neared his real home.
It was an abandoned apartment complex that had seen better days. From the outside, it looked rather imposing or depressing, whichever way you looked at it. The windows were boarded up and all plant-life was dead, one large and thoroughly dead tree stood toward the rear of the building. There were spines sticking out of the center of the trunk and the tree took a black and sickly hue around them. 'Taryn's target practice.' Ronin thought.
The concrete was chipping and cracked where he walked to park his bike. A rustle and a familiar spirit alerted him of six spines flying at his back. Ronin grinned and raised his hand slightly and the spines combusted mid- air, mere dust hitting his back.
"Taryn, you know that I know your spirit anywhere," Ronin muttered just barely audible.
"RONIN!" a girl exclaimed and a lithe body jumped down from a skeleton of a tree.
A girl no older than Ronin stood before him. She was Asian by descent; her midnight hair was streaked with a deep red. Green eyes danced merrily and a black tail twitched behind her. She was wearing loose black velour pants and a tight gray running tank. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, fingernail scraping the several piercings that went up her cartilage and lobe. She shifted her weight then, as if reaching a decision, embraced Ronin in a hug.
"I missed you so much," she said to his neck.
"Let's go in," he said softly, pulling away but leaving his arm laced around her midriff. They walked down a short flight of stairs and were met by a heavy metal door. Ronin turned the handle and gave a heave with his shoulder. Reluctantly, the rusty metal hinges gave way and the door opened with a groan.
Ronin walked behind Taryn and she pulled him by the hand. The hall was dark and dank. Old, decaying ceiling tiles hung haphazardly from the ceiling and littered the floor. Taryn let him go as she entered a room lit by candles. There were couches around the perimeter of the room, Griffin was lounging on one and two others were playing cards on a beaten up table. They looked up at Taryn, and then they went back to what they were doing. Ronin smirked and crossed his arms. Griffin furrowed his brow and looked up. He smiled and stood.
"I was wondering when you'd come back," Griffin said, nodding at Ronin.
The other two who were playing cards stood.
"Did you bring my dagger?" Blade asked with a coy smile on his face. His features were clearer in the flickering candlelight. He had light brown hair with blond tips. His elongated canine teeth slightly poked out from behind his upper lip and his black eyes seemed to have a light of amusement in them when he looked at Ronin. No one knew Blade's real name; he only gave out Blade because of his natural affinity to sharp objects and his grace with a blade that was only matched by Ronin with his sword. Blade was, by far, the oldest of the group. He looked about 23, Griffin, coming in a close second, was 22. Ronin was 17 and Taryn was 16. Owen was unsure of his age. He couldn't remember any of his childhood for that matter. The muscular boy was on the shorter side; a long scar that traced from his left temple to the bottom of his jaw marred his handsome face. His shaggy blond hair curled slightly and he would have wooed any girl. Owen waited off to the side. He was shy and quiet, though he had a knack for electronics and was very clever at making plans and if you pissed him off or endangered any of the Pack, he'd be on you in a second and I wouldn't put money on you walking any time soon.
Ronin looked from Blade to Owen. "So, could you do me a favor?" Ronin asked nonchalantly.
Owen nodded. Ronin threw the book that was inside his coat pocket onto a dusty table. All of them jumped when the hard cover smacked on the dusty wood. Owen looked at Ronin with question in his eyes, as did the rest of his crew. Ronin sighed and slumped his shoulders. He walked over to the old book and opened to the page with the dragon on it, along with the prophecy. He motioned to the book and backed away as the rest of the Pack crowded to read it.
As they were reading, Ronin took quick inventory of changes since he left. They were minimal; more candles (that were scented, probably Taryn's doing), a small armchair was tucked into a corner and his stereo was moved from his old room to the main one he was in currently. A long, low whistle brought him from his thoughts, the first that didn't involve the dragon he added in his head.
"This is some heavy shit," Griffin said observantly.
Pages ruffled as Taryn tore through the pages to find the one about a manticore. She read without emotion on her face as she skimmed the pages. Owen looked Ronin in the eyes.
"What did you want me to check on?" he asked in a cold, firm voice.
"Check the reliability of that author and also check if there's anything on that prophecy," Ronin said sinking into a dilapidated couch with a large yawn.
"Getting much sleep lately?" Griffin asked shaking his wings out.
"No, I keep having dreams with the dragon in them and every time I wake up with another burn. It's pissing me off and I'm sleepy," Ronin said stifling another deep yawn.
"None of us have been sleeping either," Blade said rolling up his pant leg to expose a large bite mark.
Taryn nodded in quiet agreement and rolled up her tank to show three long scratch marks. "Owen's got it on his back, big long cuts and bruises. Griffin couldn't fly for a week," Taryn said matter-of-factly and Griffin turned a deep hue of pink and decided that there was something important in the other room for him to do.
Ronin squinted, deep in thought. He sat like that for a moment, everyone save for Griffin watching, When he didn't say anything else, everyone went back to what they were doing in the first place. Somewhere along his train of thought, he fell into a fitful sleep.
-Ronin was sitting in a large temple, like one of the ones that were erected in ancient China. There were candles everywhere and incense burned slowly at the foot of a large statue. It was (AN: come on, take a wild guess what it is. I'll give you time. ok) a large golden dragon, eyes made of rubies that danced in the flickering candlelight. The dragon statue had an uncanny resemblance to the one on his sword and he was mighty sick of seeing that dragon.
"So, have you reached a decision Ronin? My offer won't last forever," the statue said.
"I am debating. But, what do I get in return? I see no reason to just agree like that," Ronin said as he snapped his dream-fingers.
"Ah, you want to bargain? I suppose I could for a moment. Alright, what do you want in return?" The statue said, beginning to move off of the large pedestal that it stood on before. The Dragon moved like liquid or a shadow. It seemed alert to everything, its perceptive eyes taking in all of its surroundings.
"I want to control some of the time. I want my friends to have the same-" Ronin began.
"I can't control what the others do. That is their business, not mine."
"Fine, then I want to be able to be in your mind as you are in mine," Ronin demanded.
"Bold request, boy, but do you know what you are asking for?" the Dragon questioned.
"I know what I'm doing. You have access to my mind and you commentate constantly! I want the same opportunity," Ronin said, barely keeping his temper in check.
His demand was met with silence.
"Fine, you consider, as I will," Ronin said.-
The scent of burning candle wax and extinguished wicks filled the room. Ronin looked around; Griffin, Blade and Taryn were strewn across respective couches. Owen was the only one awake. He sat in the armchair in the corner with a laptop in his lap. He tapped furiously at the keys on the keyboard and was deeply immersed in his business. "Anything interesting?" questioned Ronin in a mere whisper, though he knew that the whisper wouldn't be missed by Owen's impeccable hearing.
"This prophecy, I'm fairly positive that it isn't the load of crap that Blade made it out to be." Owen said without looking up from the screen.
Ronin rolled his eyes. 'I said that from the beginning,' he thought to himself, but said nothing.
"There's some heavy shit going to go down," Owen said with a long whistle.
"Yeah, and I could fight some if this damn Dragon would let me get some sleep without either abusing or trying to have conversations in my dreams..." Ronin trailed off, muttering to himself and mentally sneering at the Dragon who was smirking, he could feel it.
Owen said nothing, the hasty typing of keys was his only company. Ronin rose from the couch and walked from the room. He wandered the halls that were in a terrible state of disrepair. He climbed a flight or two of stairs. He could walk the whole building, eyes closed, spun around several times and paraded around for a good hour so he wouldn't know where he was, and still get to his desired destination.
The flight of stairs led to the roof. For once, Ronin didn't have his sword to accompany him. He stared into the city; it truly never slept. The night sky was clouded with exhaust and light pollution. Ronin sighed heavily, happy to be home. His thoughts wandered to Taryn. 'She is so beautiful. I can't believe I was able to leave that!' along with some other things that might as well stay in his head. His thoughts also wandered to his brother back at the mansion. There was almost a void in him where Lippoli was. Even for the short time he was around him, it was nice to have official family.
Ronin stepped to the edge of the roof and grabbed a dead branch from a large tree that overhung the building. Ronin jumped onto the thick branch and watched the city below him, contemplating his dreams and his 'girlfriend'.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
There. Six pages. That'll hold you over until I get back assuming anyone actually reads this anymore.
If you miss Lippoli, don't worry friends, there'll be a whole chappie on him! No worries.
Adios for a while.
[review or I won't update]