Title: The Lost
Rating: PG-13. I checked this time.
Pairings: Wing/Mal
Author's Note: I can't believe I'm almost frickin' done with this story. Yay. I haven't put a disclaimer on the past I-don't-know-how-many chapters in this fic, so I might as well throw one in here. I don't own MD:TAS, nor am I making any money off of this. Sue me and I'll just send you crappy Wing/Dive slash fic in the mail. I'm warning you. Oh! I should probably mention this, there's character death in this chapter. And angst, lots and lots of angst. I'm not angsty, though, because I'm almost done with this hideous story, and I'll never have to look at it ever again. MUHAHAHAHA. Anyways, on with the fic.
The Lost – Chapter 7
Wildwing sat huddled on the floor of the tiny shelter that he once valued as a safe haven. Now, it was filled with a sense of sorrow, an air of death hovered over everything inside. He clutched Mallory's hand in his as the painful hours and hours of waiting passed by him in slow motion. Mallory was thrashing around on her pallet, the poison infecting and destroying her organs one by one; she was slowly and painfully dying. Wildwing was at a loss, he had no idea how he was going to cope with life without her, she had been his only friend in the entire jungle, and they had just dipped their toes into the pool of a blossoming romance. He had no idea what he was going to do when he was gone. He lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms, using the only weapon he had left against her agony: prayer.
"Jesus, Allah, God, Buddha, whoever is up there and listening, I beg of you, please don't take her from me, please...help her..." A few tears ran down his cheeks as he whispered words of encouragement in her ear. Wildwing knew Mallory was a fighter, inside and out, and he prayed that she would remain true to form and not give up her life without a long, hard battle.
Duke and Tanya had done a quick, effective job of rousing the team, Grin was always in one predictable place, and at the mention of "Wildwing" and "rescue" in the same sentence, Nosedive had bounced out of his room with a renewed vigor. Within an hour, they had loaded up the Aerowing with food, medical supplies, fresh clothing for their two lost comrades, and of course, the tracking device that they would need to find them. They took off, excited that they had a good chance of finding Wildwing and Mallory.
Mallory's breathing was becoming more labored by the minute, Wildwing knew that she wouldn't last long. His tears came freely now, Mallory was now steadily losing her battle for her life, and within the hour, he would probably be totally alone. He kissed her forehead and smoothed back the damp hair that clung to her skin. Although Mallory had been close to the edge of death for hours, she had not yet fallen over.
The rest of the team had traveled for hours, it was now almost into the dinner hour back home, they were all restless to meet back up with Wildwing and Mallory.
"Just a little bit more guys, we're almost there!" Tanya was overjoyed. When they finally came upon the exact location, they found a large clearing. "Alright, Duke, take 'er down!"
Wildwing now knew that Mallory was within her final minutes. Her pulse was so sluggish that it almost wasn't there at all, and he finally whispered the only thing he knew left to say to her. He shoved aside what he want, and did what he thought was best for her, an end to her suffering. "Mal, although I want you here with me, I know that now you're just needlessly suffering. You're allowed to die, Mal, it's okay.
The Aerowing finally touched the ground, its landing gear making contact with the soil.
Hearing his words in her unconscious mind, Mallory took in her last breath. Her jerky movements stilled, her body relaxed, and her chest no longer rose and fell shakily. Wildwing smiled, she was finally at peace. He knew that telling her that she was allowed to leave him had been the right thing to do.
Nosedive rushed out of the Aerowing as soon as it made contact with the Earth. He ran as fast as he could to the village he saw up ahead, not caring to heed the screams and calls of his teammates that now seemed so far behind him. He finally reached the entrance, the guards holding his struggling body back.
"WILDWING!!!" Nosedive screamed into the deathly silent air. The guards, recognizing the name, tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to follow them. Tanya, Duke and Grin sat back and watched, warily.
They opened the flap to the healer's tent that they knew Wildwing was staked out in, covering their mouths with their index finger in a gesture of silence. Nosedive walked in, there was something eerie about this hut, there was an uncomfortable silence, and the smell of death hung thickly in the air. He looked to his left, and his eyes grew wide at the sight before him. Wildwing, his big brother, was curled into a ball, his forearms resting on his knees and his head buried in his body. Looking a little more to the right, he saw Mallory lying on the floor, unmoving, and worst of all, not breathing. His face grew a horrified expression as it dawned on him that Mallory had died, recently.
"Wing?"
Wildwing's head jerked up at the familiar voice calling his name. He stared his brother straight in the eyes, but made no attempt to move. He was far too drained, and too deep in mourning to have the energy it would take to get up and embrace his kin. Nosedive sat down next to him and threw his arms around his older brother.
"I'm sorry, Wing, I'm so sorry..."
Wing made no attempt to respond to his brother. Instead, he just curled himself up into a tighter ball.
"When did this happen, Wing?"
"6:04 PM." He mumbled as little as possible, he was in no mood for conversation.
"What the? How did you...?" Nosedive was confused at how Wing had somehow gotten the time of death even though he was out in the middle of a primitive jungle.
Wildwing pulled out the watch, "It stopped the moment she died. I had it out, waiting, so that I'd have her time of death."
Nosedive tried hugging him harder, but it only made Wildwing pull away from him altogether. Seeing as how he was getting no positive response from Wing, he got up from his position on the floor and walked out of the tent. He knew that he would have to be the one to break the news to rest of the team, Wildwing was in no state to have to do anything right now.
He walked back to his teammates, waiting just outside the village's entrance for his return. He was immediately bombarded with questions, but they all fell silent when they took in his posture. His slumped shoulders and bowed head tipped them off to something amiss.
"Hey, kid, what 'appened back there?" Duke looked quizzically at Nosedive
"I found Wing and Mal."
"That's a good thing, little friend, isn't it?" Grin rested a hand on Nosedive's shoulder.
"Only one of them's alive. If that's what you call good, then yeah, this is just peachy."
"WHAT?!?" A chorus of confusion rang out.
"Mal's dead, guys. She died..." He opened the watch on his wrist com, "three minutes ago."
Tanya buried her head in her hands and left back for the Aerowing, an overwhelming sense of guilt washing over her.
"Hey, sweetheart, where do you think you're goin'?" Duke followed her as she walked away.
"I-I d-don't know. I j-just don't know."
They both entered the Migrator together, Tanya immediately burst into tears and an anguished cry let loose from her beak. She babbled as she cried, and Duke took a hold of her, sitting them down on the floor of the Aerowing. He finally made out the words 'it's all my fault...' out of her tirade, and immediately knew that she felt that she should have worked harder to get her machine working. It made Duke wish he had gone to see Tanya that night, instead of walking in on her in the breakfast hour, sleepily rubbing at her eyes and cursing her newest invention. Together, they wallowed and mourned in their guilt.
Within an hour, Nosedive had finally gotten Wildwing to pick himself off the floor, and shoved him into the Aerowing, strapping him in so that he made sure Wildwing wouldn't do anything to hurt himself. He knew that Wildwing was dealing with a major loss, the three years they spent with each other were bound to make them closer, and he had seen friends back on Puckworld who had killed themselves over less. Grin and Nosedive had then left the three openly grieving ducks to themselves, pulling all of their strength together to gather up Wildwing and Mallory's belongings, and Mallory's body. Within another passing hour, they had left, thanking the natives for everything that they had done, looking forward from the past three years of trauma that they had endured.
Wildwing watched as the village had grown smaller and more distant as each second flew past. He dug out the watch from his pocket, rubbing the tearstained face of it with his thumb. He was finally going home, but he knew that he would never be free from the burdens that today had brought upon him. He sighed as he curled into himself, dreading the beginning of the rest of his life.
Rating: PG-13. I checked this time.
Pairings: Wing/Mal
Author's Note: I can't believe I'm almost frickin' done with this story. Yay. I haven't put a disclaimer on the past I-don't-know-how-many chapters in this fic, so I might as well throw one in here. I don't own MD:TAS, nor am I making any money off of this. Sue me and I'll just send you crappy Wing/Dive slash fic in the mail. I'm warning you. Oh! I should probably mention this, there's character death in this chapter. And angst, lots and lots of angst. I'm not angsty, though, because I'm almost done with this hideous story, and I'll never have to look at it ever again. MUHAHAHAHA. Anyways, on with the fic.
The Lost – Chapter 7
Wildwing sat huddled on the floor of the tiny shelter that he once valued as a safe haven. Now, it was filled with a sense of sorrow, an air of death hovered over everything inside. He clutched Mallory's hand in his as the painful hours and hours of waiting passed by him in slow motion. Mallory was thrashing around on her pallet, the poison infecting and destroying her organs one by one; she was slowly and painfully dying. Wildwing was at a loss, he had no idea how he was going to cope with life without her, she had been his only friend in the entire jungle, and they had just dipped their toes into the pool of a blossoming romance. He had no idea what he was going to do when he was gone. He lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms, using the only weapon he had left against her agony: prayer.
"Jesus, Allah, God, Buddha, whoever is up there and listening, I beg of you, please don't take her from me, please...help her..." A few tears ran down his cheeks as he whispered words of encouragement in her ear. Wildwing knew Mallory was a fighter, inside and out, and he prayed that she would remain true to form and not give up her life without a long, hard battle.
Duke and Tanya had done a quick, effective job of rousing the team, Grin was always in one predictable place, and at the mention of "Wildwing" and "rescue" in the same sentence, Nosedive had bounced out of his room with a renewed vigor. Within an hour, they had loaded up the Aerowing with food, medical supplies, fresh clothing for their two lost comrades, and of course, the tracking device that they would need to find them. They took off, excited that they had a good chance of finding Wildwing and Mallory.
Mallory's breathing was becoming more labored by the minute, Wildwing knew that she wouldn't last long. His tears came freely now, Mallory was now steadily losing her battle for her life, and within the hour, he would probably be totally alone. He kissed her forehead and smoothed back the damp hair that clung to her skin. Although Mallory had been close to the edge of death for hours, she had not yet fallen over.
The rest of the team had traveled for hours, it was now almost into the dinner hour back home, they were all restless to meet back up with Wildwing and Mallory.
"Just a little bit more guys, we're almost there!" Tanya was overjoyed. When they finally came upon the exact location, they found a large clearing. "Alright, Duke, take 'er down!"
Wildwing now knew that Mallory was within her final minutes. Her pulse was so sluggish that it almost wasn't there at all, and he finally whispered the only thing he knew left to say to her. He shoved aside what he want, and did what he thought was best for her, an end to her suffering. "Mal, although I want you here with me, I know that now you're just needlessly suffering. You're allowed to die, Mal, it's okay.
The Aerowing finally touched the ground, its landing gear making contact with the soil.
Hearing his words in her unconscious mind, Mallory took in her last breath. Her jerky movements stilled, her body relaxed, and her chest no longer rose and fell shakily. Wildwing smiled, she was finally at peace. He knew that telling her that she was allowed to leave him had been the right thing to do.
Nosedive rushed out of the Aerowing as soon as it made contact with the Earth. He ran as fast as he could to the village he saw up ahead, not caring to heed the screams and calls of his teammates that now seemed so far behind him. He finally reached the entrance, the guards holding his struggling body back.
"WILDWING!!!" Nosedive screamed into the deathly silent air. The guards, recognizing the name, tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to follow them. Tanya, Duke and Grin sat back and watched, warily.
They opened the flap to the healer's tent that they knew Wildwing was staked out in, covering their mouths with their index finger in a gesture of silence. Nosedive walked in, there was something eerie about this hut, there was an uncomfortable silence, and the smell of death hung thickly in the air. He looked to his left, and his eyes grew wide at the sight before him. Wildwing, his big brother, was curled into a ball, his forearms resting on his knees and his head buried in his body. Looking a little more to the right, he saw Mallory lying on the floor, unmoving, and worst of all, not breathing. His face grew a horrified expression as it dawned on him that Mallory had died, recently.
"Wing?"
Wildwing's head jerked up at the familiar voice calling his name. He stared his brother straight in the eyes, but made no attempt to move. He was far too drained, and too deep in mourning to have the energy it would take to get up and embrace his kin. Nosedive sat down next to him and threw his arms around his older brother.
"I'm sorry, Wing, I'm so sorry..."
Wing made no attempt to respond to his brother. Instead, he just curled himself up into a tighter ball.
"When did this happen, Wing?"
"6:04 PM." He mumbled as little as possible, he was in no mood for conversation.
"What the? How did you...?" Nosedive was confused at how Wing had somehow gotten the time of death even though he was out in the middle of a primitive jungle.
Wildwing pulled out the watch, "It stopped the moment she died. I had it out, waiting, so that I'd have her time of death."
Nosedive tried hugging him harder, but it only made Wildwing pull away from him altogether. Seeing as how he was getting no positive response from Wing, he got up from his position on the floor and walked out of the tent. He knew that he would have to be the one to break the news to rest of the team, Wildwing was in no state to have to do anything right now.
He walked back to his teammates, waiting just outside the village's entrance for his return. He was immediately bombarded with questions, but they all fell silent when they took in his posture. His slumped shoulders and bowed head tipped them off to something amiss.
"Hey, kid, what 'appened back there?" Duke looked quizzically at Nosedive
"I found Wing and Mal."
"That's a good thing, little friend, isn't it?" Grin rested a hand on Nosedive's shoulder.
"Only one of them's alive. If that's what you call good, then yeah, this is just peachy."
"WHAT?!?" A chorus of confusion rang out.
"Mal's dead, guys. She died..." He opened the watch on his wrist com, "three minutes ago."
Tanya buried her head in her hands and left back for the Aerowing, an overwhelming sense of guilt washing over her.
"Hey, sweetheart, where do you think you're goin'?" Duke followed her as she walked away.
"I-I d-don't know. I j-just don't know."
They both entered the Migrator together, Tanya immediately burst into tears and an anguished cry let loose from her beak. She babbled as she cried, and Duke took a hold of her, sitting them down on the floor of the Aerowing. He finally made out the words 'it's all my fault...' out of her tirade, and immediately knew that she felt that she should have worked harder to get her machine working. It made Duke wish he had gone to see Tanya that night, instead of walking in on her in the breakfast hour, sleepily rubbing at her eyes and cursing her newest invention. Together, they wallowed and mourned in their guilt.
Within an hour, Nosedive had finally gotten Wildwing to pick himself off the floor, and shoved him into the Aerowing, strapping him in so that he made sure Wildwing wouldn't do anything to hurt himself. He knew that Wildwing was dealing with a major loss, the three years they spent with each other were bound to make them closer, and he had seen friends back on Puckworld who had killed themselves over less. Grin and Nosedive had then left the three openly grieving ducks to themselves, pulling all of their strength together to gather up Wildwing and Mallory's belongings, and Mallory's body. Within another passing hour, they had left, thanking the natives for everything that they had done, looking forward from the past three years of trauma that they had endured.
Wildwing watched as the village had grown smaller and more distant as each second flew past. He dug out the watch from his pocket, rubbing the tearstained face of it with his thumb. He was finally going home, but he knew that he would never be free from the burdens that today had brought upon him. He sighed as he curled into himself, dreading the beginning of the rest of his life.