LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARKSTALKERS NOR ANY CHARACTERS THEREOF.
[]- Indicates thought.
* *- Indicates italics. (Notepad is driving me nuts! Aaaargh!)
Hey people! I'mmmmm bacccck! Now, to the review cave! (whooshing noise as Silverlocke 980 jumps into pile of letters)
(Silverlocke flips through review letters) Hmm... Hey! Tiger! You're... back... (oversized sweat drop appears on forehead) That's... nice... (quickly erases Tiger5913 jokes from story) OK! Glad that's cleared up! (Wipes sweat from forehead) About Morrigan... I don't *hate* her exactly- she's just so much fun to mess with. (Burning poker advances forward) And as for work and school, they're both pains. Wish life would leave me alone long enough to write my stories. (grumble grumble)
(Picks up a different review) Hey, Galandria! You rather surprised me in my SC fanfic- didn't expect to see you there. Good to know you read my stories, though! And as for your question, the answer is now.
(Looks at another review) And Jonathan Tailban! Good to see a fellow Darkstalkers author here. But, where did you get the idea something bad was going to happen to Jon? (hides revolver with silver bullets behind back) After all, it's not like you didn't KILL Dimitri... (grins dementedly)
Well, that's that. (gets up from letter pile). And now, it's...
"SHOWTIME!"
Chapter 19
Dreams Fade
The air over Makai was clear and dry. Few clouds clung to the sable vest of night, and the moon was full and bright. It hung halfway through the sky, shedding it's glow on the world, the Grinning Man cheery as ever. He had seen much in his time, but one wonders if a group like this had ever crossed his ever-present, smiling eyes before.
They stood in a diamond formation, walking fast, not quite jogging but not taking their time either. The long grass swayed lightly in the breeze as the quartet walked on.
Dimitri was in the front, his red hair swaying lightly as he walked with his head down, lost in thought. His mind was full of half-formed pieces of thought, of plan. He didn't know where to start. His arms hung at his side, swaying to match his stride, and in his right hand Ebonrule, spear out, rode shotgun with him. It's ebony length was quiet, with no flicker of azure in it. His stride was strong, military, almost. Without consciously thinking about it, he had reverted to the same marching pace his father's old advisor had taught him.
Traveling a few paces behind him, Jon walked in silence. Jon was half-bent over, the buckler he'd picked up on his back. He loped with the easy grace of a lupine, his left hand sometimes touching the ground as the short werewolf tried to keep up with both of his longer-legged companions. His right hand never strayed from the buckler's edge, keeping it from wobbling and throwing off his balance.
Felicia, next to him, was silent and as lost in her thoughts as Dimitri was in his. Her blue hair swayed as the Felinos bent her head down to think. She did not have the staggering problems Dimitri had, but nonetheless questions rose in her mind. Her eyes half-closed as she thought.
[ Can we survive?] she thought, thinking back to when Pyron's skeletons had attacked her, back in her and Jon's home in Howling Vale. [ I... don't want to die. I think I could, if I was alone, but what about Jon? If he dies and I live...] She shuddered mentally. Oh God. She didn't even want to think about that. [ But what if I die and he lives? He doesn't know it, but his spirit... I think it could break easily. He's more fragile than he thinks... I don't want to hurt him.]
She shook her head to clear her mind. What happened, happened. Jon noticed her head-shake and said, " What is it, Felicia?"
" Nothing," she said, waving her hand to dismiss his question. " Just thinking, that's all."
He nodded towards her and mumbled something, but nonetheless watched her afterwards, snatching wary glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. She never noticed.
Morrigan, in the back, did notice, however, and that brought the voice back. Once more, it was louder than it should have been, and so deep she thought she could drown in it.
[ Don't you see?] the mocking voice began, laughing in the back of her mind. [ How he cares for her? You'll never feel that, girl, never know it! It's really quite funny, you know. So rich, the daughter of Berial, and yet the one thing you really want is forever out of reach! It's marvelously funny, really!] The laughter echoed in the dark again.
[ Shut up,] she said, but her mental command was weak, with no force behind it.
[ No, I think that this time I'll stay. I want to have fun here, you see? And besides, look on the bright side. At least there will be someone to talk to. Dimitri won't, you know. Now that he has no need of you- or more correctly, fixed his need *for* you- why should he talk to you? You're a toy, girl, a pet. And you don't talk to pets, do you?]
The group walked on, each wrapped in their own minds. And in one mind, cries of sorrow echoed over the laughter in the dark.
************************************************************************
About two hours before dawn, the party came to a small lake. It wasn't very big, but wonder of wonders, a small rock formation lay nearby. The jumbled up rocks were set on each other haphazardly, and a opening in the middle of their pile was big enough for Dimitri to fit in. The long grass stopped near the edges of the pool as somewhat taller trees and bushes, fighting their own little war for control of the water supply, crowded them out. A few well-trod animal paths led to the water, and small piles of droppings lay around them.
Dimitri stopped the party here. Besides the fact that he didn't know if he could find another cave before the sun rose and struck him down, two hours was time enough for a story... a very important one.
" Hey guys, I think we should camp here," he said, looking around for possible enemies. He saw none present, and couldn't sense any either.
Jon, who was still willing to walk farther (and was privately afraid he'd lose the scent trail if they didn't hurry- the trail was getting old) said, " Are you sure? We still have a little while."
Dimitri shook his head. " You're forgetting something. This entire area is almost entirely plains. I don't know if I can find a cave before dawn if we go farther."
Jon nodded. " Alright. I see your point. Let's eat first, though. I'm hungry."
Felicia nodded. " I'll get some kindling." She put her packs down, and headed into a nearby copse of trees that were busy using the lake to support their large selves. Although "large" was a relative term; compared to the trees in the forests of the Wolf Dukedom, they were dwarf trees.
Jon, putting down his packs and his buckler shield (huge on the werewolf; he was short for his race, at five six, two inches shorter than Felicia), rose and said, " I'll see if I can get some thicker stuff. Don't expect much, though."
Dimitri nodded and said, " When we get ready to eat, I have something to tell you all."
Morrigan looked at him and said, " What you saw in the tapestry?"
Dimitri blinked and looked at her. " What?"
Morrigan, with a small note of urgency in her voice, said, " You know, the one in Moongrace. You said you saw something..." Her voice trailed off as she doubted her memory. What if she had just thought that, made it up in her head? And she had just said it in front of Dimitri. The wings on her head slightly fell back, sinking low to the skull as if trying to protect the shattered mind within.
" Yes, I did, didn't I?" Dimitri nodded his head, finally understanding. Relief washed through Morrigan as he said, " Yes. I saw something there, and I'll tell you about it in a minute." He shook his head, thinking about what a shock he had just had. He had been totally dumbfounded by what she had said.
Jon came back, with three small logs tucked under his arms, and Felicia arrived with enough kindling for a small fire. Jon put the logs in a triangle shape, and Felicia put the kindling in between them. Taking out a circle-shaped piece of flint from one of her pouches, she scraped a small piece of steel across it a few times. On the third try, some of the kindling caught and she tried to get it to flare up- it died before it did much more than smoke and blow away. She struck the flint twice more before the kindling caught again, and this time she finally got a small fire going. Putting her tools back in her pack, she took one of the pans and put some water in it. Putting it on top of the fire, she turned towards the others and sat. They all were gathered about the flames, Dimitri and Felicia facing each other, with Jon sitting on Felicia's right and Morrigan next to Dimitri. They all looked at Dimitri.
" While the water boils," Dimitri began, wondering where to start, " I have something to tell you. What I saw in the tapestry when I touched it. The history of our world... and a truth that may kill us all."
He talked for a half hour. The water boiled before then, and that was the single break in the story, when Felicia removed it from the fire for a moment and placed what little meat and fish they had left into it. Setting it back on the fire, she turned around to face Dimitri once more. No one had spoken as she did this. Dimitri resumed when she turned, his voice even as he went through his tale. When he finished, they all gazed at one another.
" My God," Jon said.
[ My race is a mutation?] Morrigan thought. [ What does that mean? Are we demonic in nature?] The mocking voice did not reply. It was busy elsewhere, under the surface of the lake near them.
" What do we do, Dimitri?" Felicia's eyes were calm as she considered this.
" The best we can," Dimitri replied honestly.
************************************************************************
Seven hours later. Daylight.
Days on Makai are very short. The planet's rotation about it's axis as it spins in space is very lopsided. Makai's single continent, the result of a very fast tectonic plate movement over the centuries, stays on the dark side for some time, but never lasts for long on the light side. At the moment, it was about high noon.
And the leaping, biting, gnawing things in the water knew it.
- Next chapter: attack of the Corpse Hungers!
[]- Indicates thought.
* *- Indicates italics. (Notepad is driving me nuts! Aaaargh!)
Hey people! I'mmmmm bacccck! Now, to the review cave! (whooshing noise as Silverlocke 980 jumps into pile of letters)
(Silverlocke flips through review letters) Hmm... Hey! Tiger! You're... back... (oversized sweat drop appears on forehead) That's... nice... (quickly erases Tiger5913 jokes from story) OK! Glad that's cleared up! (Wipes sweat from forehead) About Morrigan... I don't *hate* her exactly- she's just so much fun to mess with. (Burning poker advances forward) And as for work and school, they're both pains. Wish life would leave me alone long enough to write my stories. (grumble grumble)
(Picks up a different review) Hey, Galandria! You rather surprised me in my SC fanfic- didn't expect to see you there. Good to know you read my stories, though! And as for your question, the answer is now.
(Looks at another review) And Jonathan Tailban! Good to see a fellow Darkstalkers author here. But, where did you get the idea something bad was going to happen to Jon? (hides revolver with silver bullets behind back) After all, it's not like you didn't KILL Dimitri... (grins dementedly)
Well, that's that. (gets up from letter pile). And now, it's...
"SHOWTIME!"
Chapter 19
Dreams Fade
The air over Makai was clear and dry. Few clouds clung to the sable vest of night, and the moon was full and bright. It hung halfway through the sky, shedding it's glow on the world, the Grinning Man cheery as ever. He had seen much in his time, but one wonders if a group like this had ever crossed his ever-present, smiling eyes before.
They stood in a diamond formation, walking fast, not quite jogging but not taking their time either. The long grass swayed lightly in the breeze as the quartet walked on.
Dimitri was in the front, his red hair swaying lightly as he walked with his head down, lost in thought. His mind was full of half-formed pieces of thought, of plan. He didn't know where to start. His arms hung at his side, swaying to match his stride, and in his right hand Ebonrule, spear out, rode shotgun with him. It's ebony length was quiet, with no flicker of azure in it. His stride was strong, military, almost. Without consciously thinking about it, he had reverted to the same marching pace his father's old advisor had taught him.
Traveling a few paces behind him, Jon walked in silence. Jon was half-bent over, the buckler he'd picked up on his back. He loped with the easy grace of a lupine, his left hand sometimes touching the ground as the short werewolf tried to keep up with both of his longer-legged companions. His right hand never strayed from the buckler's edge, keeping it from wobbling and throwing off his balance.
Felicia, next to him, was silent and as lost in her thoughts as Dimitri was in his. Her blue hair swayed as the Felinos bent her head down to think. She did not have the staggering problems Dimitri had, but nonetheless questions rose in her mind. Her eyes half-closed as she thought.
[ Can we survive?] she thought, thinking back to when Pyron's skeletons had attacked her, back in her and Jon's home in Howling Vale. [ I... don't want to die. I think I could, if I was alone, but what about Jon? If he dies and I live...] She shuddered mentally. Oh God. She didn't even want to think about that. [ But what if I die and he lives? He doesn't know it, but his spirit... I think it could break easily. He's more fragile than he thinks... I don't want to hurt him.]
She shook her head to clear her mind. What happened, happened. Jon noticed her head-shake and said, " What is it, Felicia?"
" Nothing," she said, waving her hand to dismiss his question. " Just thinking, that's all."
He nodded towards her and mumbled something, but nonetheless watched her afterwards, snatching wary glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. She never noticed.
Morrigan, in the back, did notice, however, and that brought the voice back. Once more, it was louder than it should have been, and so deep she thought she could drown in it.
[ Don't you see?] the mocking voice began, laughing in the back of her mind. [ How he cares for her? You'll never feel that, girl, never know it! It's really quite funny, you know. So rich, the daughter of Berial, and yet the one thing you really want is forever out of reach! It's marvelously funny, really!] The laughter echoed in the dark again.
[ Shut up,] she said, but her mental command was weak, with no force behind it.
[ No, I think that this time I'll stay. I want to have fun here, you see? And besides, look on the bright side. At least there will be someone to talk to. Dimitri won't, you know. Now that he has no need of you- or more correctly, fixed his need *for* you- why should he talk to you? You're a toy, girl, a pet. And you don't talk to pets, do you?]
The group walked on, each wrapped in their own minds. And in one mind, cries of sorrow echoed over the laughter in the dark.
************************************************************************
About two hours before dawn, the party came to a small lake. It wasn't very big, but wonder of wonders, a small rock formation lay nearby. The jumbled up rocks were set on each other haphazardly, and a opening in the middle of their pile was big enough for Dimitri to fit in. The long grass stopped near the edges of the pool as somewhat taller trees and bushes, fighting their own little war for control of the water supply, crowded them out. A few well-trod animal paths led to the water, and small piles of droppings lay around them.
Dimitri stopped the party here. Besides the fact that he didn't know if he could find another cave before the sun rose and struck him down, two hours was time enough for a story... a very important one.
" Hey guys, I think we should camp here," he said, looking around for possible enemies. He saw none present, and couldn't sense any either.
Jon, who was still willing to walk farther (and was privately afraid he'd lose the scent trail if they didn't hurry- the trail was getting old) said, " Are you sure? We still have a little while."
Dimitri shook his head. " You're forgetting something. This entire area is almost entirely plains. I don't know if I can find a cave before dawn if we go farther."
Jon nodded. " Alright. I see your point. Let's eat first, though. I'm hungry."
Felicia nodded. " I'll get some kindling." She put her packs down, and headed into a nearby copse of trees that were busy using the lake to support their large selves. Although "large" was a relative term; compared to the trees in the forests of the Wolf Dukedom, they were dwarf trees.
Jon, putting down his packs and his buckler shield (huge on the werewolf; he was short for his race, at five six, two inches shorter than Felicia), rose and said, " I'll see if I can get some thicker stuff. Don't expect much, though."
Dimitri nodded and said, " When we get ready to eat, I have something to tell you all."
Morrigan looked at him and said, " What you saw in the tapestry?"
Dimitri blinked and looked at her. " What?"
Morrigan, with a small note of urgency in her voice, said, " You know, the one in Moongrace. You said you saw something..." Her voice trailed off as she doubted her memory. What if she had just thought that, made it up in her head? And she had just said it in front of Dimitri. The wings on her head slightly fell back, sinking low to the skull as if trying to protect the shattered mind within.
" Yes, I did, didn't I?" Dimitri nodded his head, finally understanding. Relief washed through Morrigan as he said, " Yes. I saw something there, and I'll tell you about it in a minute." He shook his head, thinking about what a shock he had just had. He had been totally dumbfounded by what she had said.
Jon came back, with three small logs tucked under his arms, and Felicia arrived with enough kindling for a small fire. Jon put the logs in a triangle shape, and Felicia put the kindling in between them. Taking out a circle-shaped piece of flint from one of her pouches, she scraped a small piece of steel across it a few times. On the third try, some of the kindling caught and she tried to get it to flare up- it died before it did much more than smoke and blow away. She struck the flint twice more before the kindling caught again, and this time she finally got a small fire going. Putting her tools back in her pack, she took one of the pans and put some water in it. Putting it on top of the fire, she turned towards the others and sat. They all were gathered about the flames, Dimitri and Felicia facing each other, with Jon sitting on Felicia's right and Morrigan next to Dimitri. They all looked at Dimitri.
" While the water boils," Dimitri began, wondering where to start, " I have something to tell you. What I saw in the tapestry when I touched it. The history of our world... and a truth that may kill us all."
He talked for a half hour. The water boiled before then, and that was the single break in the story, when Felicia removed it from the fire for a moment and placed what little meat and fish they had left into it. Setting it back on the fire, she turned around to face Dimitri once more. No one had spoken as she did this. Dimitri resumed when she turned, his voice even as he went through his tale. When he finished, they all gazed at one another.
" My God," Jon said.
[ My race is a mutation?] Morrigan thought. [ What does that mean? Are we demonic in nature?] The mocking voice did not reply. It was busy elsewhere, under the surface of the lake near them.
" What do we do, Dimitri?" Felicia's eyes were calm as she considered this.
" The best we can," Dimitri replied honestly.
************************************************************************
Seven hours later. Daylight.
Days on Makai are very short. The planet's rotation about it's axis as it spins in space is very lopsided. Makai's single continent, the result of a very fast tectonic plate movement over the centuries, stays on the dark side for some time, but never lasts for long on the light side. At the moment, it was about high noon.
And the leaping, biting, gnawing things in the water knew it.
- Next chapter: attack of the Corpse Hungers!