It was a beautiful autumn day. The water that flowed underneath the bridge lapped calmly upon the ancient fortification, the murky shapes of agile fish slipping through the silky waves. The ocean was not far off from where he stood, and he could just barely smell the hint of salt in the air, the outer ocean of Filgaia the definition of breathtaking. It had been more than difficult to get here upon a limited teleportation range, especially after the loss of power from the Photosphere, Demon Lab and the Gate Generator. It was his own personal effort and energy expenditure that brought him here, to await his final mission, at the foot of the great tower, Ka Dingel.

It was here that Boomerang awaited his destiny, one hand upon the Saber Fang nestled snugly in the leather sheath at his back. The three humans, they would be arriving at any minute, he had seen the Gull Wing touch down on the surrounding island less than half an hour ago, which meant that they were certainly close. He did not doubt that they would back away after such great trials and exertion, it went beyond a human's ability to achieve the impossible.

Boomerang meditated on that thought as he stood at perfect attention outside the entrance to the tower, his helmet under one arm so he could feel the soft ocean air across his dark-skinned face, ruby eyes gently closed to the sensation. In many ways, Filgaia was so different to Terra by it's continual state of natural calm, when nobody else was around to disturb him, the metal demon could strangely be at peace. It was so different to the marvelous calm and gratification he experienced after a deadly fight, it felt more… pure, somehow… wholesome.

He could not help but wonder if this was the ultimate happiness that others spoke of, when he was just outside doing whatever he wanted, it felt like all was right in the world, and that Zeikfried and Mother were millions of miles away. Momentarily, he removed his hand from the edge of his weapon and rubbed the side of his face, where a small scratch marred it's dark perfection. He had sparred a little beforehand with Luceid, and ashamedly, lost. Well, those fights were not very serious, and they loosened him up for the crucial skirmishes. That did not mean he still didn't get hurt, though. It was a very minor wound, and he ignored it with ease, gazing out into the nearby water.

Luceid was beside him in her intangible spirit form, remaining unseen until her aid would be needed. Boomerang felt unnecessarily safe and protected when she was around, and tolerated it only because she was a good ally, and because he somehow loved her. As far as demons went, Boomerang knew all about the concept of love and attraction, the concept crucial to a mammalian species based upon an ancient demon design, the neo-sapiens. But, he had never really pondered the mental dependency of love until he spotted a vaguely human Luceid staring at him after a particularly gruesome kill, drawn to him by his intense, and almost insane desire to fight. It had been awkward and reasonably alarming for both of them, but after that, the two had become inseparable partners. Even now, she was still with him, and that in itself made Boomerang happy.

But with happiness also comes guilt. "You should not have come, Luceid." He said darkly to the air around the tower, fully aware that she could hear every word. "There will be a fierce battle here before long, and I do not wish to see you hurt. Allow me to take care of the humans myself, and you may watch. It is a more reliable strategy for your safety." As soon as he had said these words, he felt himself a fool for caring so much, demons weren't supposed to care about anyone except for themselves. Why the hell was he so different?

She answered with a seemingly carefree laugh, a beautiful sound that was far too musical to be a human's voice. "Not a chance, Boomerang. I promised that I would come to your aid when called, and that I would love you across the stretch to eternity and beyond. I will stand with you and fight." Her voice became more solemn, "I will die with you, holding no regrets." However, even after hearing this, Boomerang's expression did not change in the least. It was one of the many things she loved about him, it would take more than the end of the world to shock him out of his silence.

The one word he spoke was enough to make her incredibly happy, whispered quietly under his breath. "Likewise." He murmured, setting his helmet back into place after hearing a dull stomping sound in the distance steadily coming closer, and seeing the hulking form of the Earth Golem slowly reaching the land. The humans were on their way. "But…" He continued, wondering why he was still talking, "This is your last chance. Please go."

Luceid seemed curious. "I am desire, I cannot die. Yet, you wish for me not to be hurt, how sweet…" Boomerang grunted at the declaration of him being defined as 'sweet', unsure if he should take it as a compliment or an insult. Coming from Luceid, he decided on the former, making no reply to it in order to save his dignity. Zed would have laughed his ass off if he had heard Luceid say it out loud like that.

Three people were approaching, and under his helmet, Boomerang narrowed his fiery red eyes. "You have chosen, then." He announced with finality, before his voice softened a little, "If I die here, and the humans succeed in their mission to liberate Filgaia, please do me a favour and turn my identity into a fond memory. Will you do that… for me?" He knew it would probably be the soppiest thing he would ever say, and vehemently wished that they would not be his last words. In his mind, he saw Luceid smile.

"I promise." She said, materializing herself into a tangible form, a great blue-grey wolf. Eyes full of hope, courage and determination, the three humans approached, walking up the cobbled bridge to the dimensional tower. The eldest one was tall and poorly groomed, dressed in faded travelling gear with a small animal upon his shoulder, but he radiated an air of a tumultuous past, too chaotic for proper understanding. He looked conflicted too, like a poisoned shadow still lingered in his mind. Boomerang already knew who that shadow belonged to, it was Alhazad's.

There was a girl also, young in her years with short blonde hair and colourful clothes, the metal demon recognized her as a competent fighter and magician, the heir to the throne of Adlehyde. Her eyes were set hard with firmness of mind as she glared at him with absolute hate and malice, knowing Boomerang to be a cancer upon the planet. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand as a faint aura of magic surrounded it, oddly beautiful.

The last was a young boy, but the only thing that came from him was silence, navy blue hair held back by a red bandanna flicking in the breeze. In that absence of feeling or sound, it conveyed a tired knowledge of the cruelties of the world, experienced first-hand from a human who was barely out of his boyhood. But it was well known by now, that this boy was anything but human. It was a copy, a travesty and a mockery. As the child looked up at him with ruby red eyes so similar to Boomerang's own, nothing could haunt the demon so much in his lifetime.

Aware of Zeikfried's orders, he knew it was time.

Boomerang stepped forward, and the oldest human drew his sword as a reflex, the blade long and deadly. He ignored this easily, making sure he was set and ready. "I knew if I waited here, you would eventually come." He sneered, feeling Luceid's soft blue fur brush against his leg as she moved up closer to him, offering her support. "Zeikfried is after the New Moon, called Malduke. This is the dimensional elevator, Ka Dingel, which leads to the space colony." This was the part he didn't care about, all that planning crap that he didn't really like, though he thought the humans should know about it anyway. All he wanted to do was start the fight, and that desire would spur him to win.

The sword-bearing human looked confused, glancing to his rodent companion for a second in puzzlement. "Why are you telling us this? What do you want?" He asked, lowering his blade a few inches and appraising every inch of Boomerang's demeanor. It was almost condescending, and he was used to getting that feeling enough from the mouse than from some arrogant demon.

Boomerang's hand moved as fast as lightning, whipping his Saber Fang from out of it's sheath in the space of a nanosecond, making all three humans flinch. He saw no harm in explaining more, finding the recital as boring as hell. "Malduke is a colony that existed one thousand years ago that has the capability to attack Filgaia. It is easy to guess what Zeikfried plans to do with it once he acquires it." His voice developed a nasty edge, hinting of suppressed bloodlust. The blue-haired boy noted this and carefully pulled his feminine companion back a bit, standing in front of her. It was almost cute.

"Oh, look, Boomerang." Luceid pointed out casually in her telepathic voice, "I think they are in love!"

He honestly didn't give a damn, though he was careful enough not to mention this to her. Instead, he continued, holding his weapon out in front of him. "Now that you know, I'm sure you plan to head to Malduke." Distress flickered across the young boy's eyes for a moment, naively thinking that Boomerang was unaware of this. The demon tapped his chest plate conceitedly, smirking. "But there will be many people who will get in your way, including me!" He stepped forward again, prompting the others to back up a bit. "You can't go ahead unless you defeat me. Come, human warriors! Only battle will quench my thirsty heart! I thirst for the fight!" Shooting a glance at Luceid beside him, he sent her one last mental message before the battle.

Are you sure you wish to-

She nudged her head against his leg, attempting to push him forward. "Don't think, fight! Tap into your desire and win!" His smirk became a more sincere smile and he nodded, focussing his thoughts and his mind into battle mode, tensing like a drawn bowstring and allowing a moment for the humans to prepare. They looked uncertain, but ready.

He lunged for them.

Shifting into a melee stance first, Boomerang adapted himself to close-range combat and used his weapon like a short bladed sword, ducking down and slashing diagonally to rupture the stomach of one of the humans, the move powerful enough to disembowel a vulnerable opponent. His boomerang struck metal instead of flesh, however, and he looked up to see that the swordsman had parried the blow with his own long sword, the muscles in his arms straining from the pressure. The two weapons locking, sparks few as the orihalcum boomerang and the steel sword clashed, strength pitted against strength.

Luceid's fur crackled with purple electricity as she dove for the spellcasting woman, fangs bared and claws sliding out of her usually dainty paws. The magician's wand flew out of her hand as she hit the ground with the wolf on top of her, gasping as all the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Luceid let loose with a tortuous electrical burst, the high magical resistance of the woman the only thing that kept her from fainting then and there. Seeing this, the young boy made a mad dash for the magician's body and threw the wolf off with the flat of his blade, helping her to her feet.

Boomerang had no time to intervene, for he was being kept busy by the swordsman's strength, a lot more powerful than he had originally anticipated. They had fought before, yes, but the human had never displayed such a domineering power before, like some kind of chain binding him had fallen away to unleash that power. A kind of… absolute power. The demon looked over the human's shoulder and noted a curious thing, the tattered ribbon the human had always worn was gone, and a force told him that whoever stood before him was now a changed man.

He withdrew his Saber Fang and struck the human in the side with a well-placed roundhouse kick, grabbing his wrist and trying to perform an ippon seoi nage, a simple weight shifting shoulder throw using only one arm, easily succeeding because of his greater metallic mass. The swordsman gasped from the sudden shift of direction and was thrown clear over Boomerang's shoulder, losing his sword in the process. It clattered several feet away and out of his reach, the human grabbing at his bruised shoulder in pain.

In an uncalculated move, Boomerang tensed as he heard Luceid's lupine cry of pain from behind him, foolishly whirling around to see what was wrong. The young boy was holding the smoking barrel of an ARM and dragging the unconscious woman away from the desire Guardian's wrath, the wolf in question lying feebly on her side, blood pouring out of a bullet wound to the midsection. Whimpering softly, her tongue lolled tiredly out of her mouth and she slowly became still, purple electricity fading.

He felt something unknown swell up in his consciousness as he looked at that scene, both of his hands clenching viciously. It was like anger, he understood anger very well, but it was also something else, wild, insane, it was driving him mad, seeing her lying injured like that. She should have listened to him, she should kept out of his affairs, she should have-

"LUCEID!" He shouted, disregarding the swordsman and running to her side, planting one hand softly upon her wounded flesh. The wolf looked up weakly and licked his bloodied hand that he moved up to her face, irony clearly showing up on her wolfish features. She could dimly see the bruised swordsman coming up behind him, weapon raised and ready…

She dropped her head to the ground. "In the end, love toys with us all." And then her body died.

The blade was merely steel, and it battled with Boomerang's body for entry, but the sharpness easily pierced the flesh and the metal demon cried out in alarm, a spattering of dark black blood dripping down his midsection. His hands moved to that spot, and were greeted by a length of blade poking out of his stomach, cleanly stabbed straight through. The swordsman cursed as he set a foot to Boomerang's back and pushed, drawing his blade out again, stained with oily blood. Fatal only to individuals of the human persuasion, Boomerang only felt an excruciating agony and he staggered to his feet, holding a hand over the clean cut wound. He spoke, and a trail of blood dripped from his mouth, knowing which side had won.

"This is… I have no regrets…"

Luceid's body faded from reality, knowing that the Guardian was not dead, but merely back into her state of intangibility. An idiot, that was what he was, a god damned idiot for freaking out in such a heated battle, over such a stupid matter. He knew she couldn't die, so why did he care so much if she was hurt? Somehow, despite all sane thought, Boomerang found himself not regretting the move he had made, it somehow satisfied him. Limping away from the humans and facing them once more, he hid a grimace and coughed, blood trickling down his armour.

"I have witnessed that the potential of human beings is endless… Go… Go through here to defeat Zeikfried…" He closed his eyes. Yes, this was right, this made him feel good inside. He was doing the right thing. Truthfully, he would rather let the humans have Filgaia than Zeikfried or Mother, anyway. They were noble and honorable creatures, from what he had learnt. "I like this… A power used to protect something precious…" If only he had received a chance to study them more, to know what drove them to fight, and to win. "Someday, I…"

Someday I hope to understand you humans more. Someday I wish to be able to find and protect what is precious, to discover this 'hope' that you cherish so much… And I-

It was upon them before anybody knew it was there, a flock of mortifyingly ugly gargoyle-like creatures, ratty wings beating fast over the ocean water and creating a small series of waves. They gibbered like monkey's, but bore the skin tone and shrill pitch of a band of half-breed demon drones. Boomerang slumped a little from the injury, he could take these guys on with no sweat at any other time, but not right now. He didn't like the looks of this at all.

An overwhelming telepathic voice invaded them all, the three humans glancing around sharply for it's source. Boomerang knew who it was in an instant, loathing that voice with a passion. Not only was it Zeikfried's voice, but it was Mother's as well. "You have overstepped your bounds one too many times. Boom! We are finished with you. You will die with the humans! Right here, right now!"

The metal demon pushed through the small group of humans gently, startling both the spellcaster woman and the boy. Ignoring his injury, he pointed to the tower's entrance, where a small trail of his own blood was congealing. "Go humans! I'll take it from here!" He declared, drawing out his Saber Fang again and preparing for another battle.

"Boomerang!" The swordsman looked horrified, amazed that the demon was still eager to fight after he had shoved his sword straight through his stomach. The demon merely waved one hand airily, as if it were a trivial matter. He pointed once more.

"There's a transport device on the top of Ka Dingel. I am letting you guys go." There was a chorus of verbalized surprise and he turned back to them, removing his metallic helmet to show them his real face. Boomerang rubbed his little scratch and smirked arrogantly, shaking his head to reassure them that he was not on their side. "I am not saving you…" That seemed to calm them down somewhat, now it was time to say goodbye. For humans, they were good opponents, deserving of honor. "Remember, I am the one who hunts the perfect prey! Until that day, my friends… Go now! Hurry!"

The swordsman had to drag the magician into the tower, her eyes lingering to Boomerang's who snorted and waved them in, wishing that they would pick up their damn pace. He couldn't remain standing up for much longer. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see the artificial youth looking up at him, his silence conveying exactly what he felt, which was a singular thought. Good Luck. Nodding, the boy tore himself away and followed the others, leaving Boomerang behind.

He was glad that they were gone, as he spat out a mouthful of his own blood, he sized up his enemies. This would be tough, if nigh impossible, to beat in his weakened state. But shit, he was more than willing to try. Standing up straight, he brandished his weapon and laughed. "I will never stop unless I lose my desire to fight… Come Luceid, Guardian of desire!" She was there in a flash, unharmed and primed to fight. Looking at his injury, she whined sadly but stood at the offensive, ready. Boomerang had never felt so grateful to her in his life. "Luceid…" He whispered gently, "We're going to take a little trip to Hell together." She looked at him strangely, the tranquility in which he announced that was simply astounding. Reaching down, he patted her once on the head and sighed, knowing what he had to do. "I shall return to hunt the perfect prey. If the humans turn hope into power, then I can turn desire into a blade…"

He shot his next question directly at her, asking the Guardian for the ultimate sacrifice. Desire, Luceid! Give me your desire, give me your heart! If you love me, stay with me, die with me! The sword, Dark Guardian Blade! It is time for the birth of the blade of legend!

Immediately, she stood next to him in her human form, arms hanging calmly by her sides. Though she could talk vocally, she used her mind instead. "My heart is yours to keep, my body is yours to use. I belong to you, Boomerang, and you belong to me. We are one, and desire shall take form. Do what you will, I am waiting." Luceid spaced her arms out and leaned back, feeling Boomerang wrap one arm around her back, with the other moving to touch the flat of her stomach. She bit her lip, and braced herself from the pain.

Flesh and blood parted as he dug his hand savagely into her stomach, the tissue tearing and melting away at the touch, blood and strips of flesh hanging down the wound and staining her grey robe a dark red. Boomerang hated the sensation as he felt Luceid hold back sobs of pain and shiver, his hand grasping the handle of something embedded deeply in her body. This was it, ending her agony, he gathered his fleeing strength and pulled, hearing the meaty sound of metal parting from flesh.

Luceid's eyes glazed over and her body went limp as the sword was withdrawn, first the hilt, composed of a pure, yet indestructible gold, with a functional lather grip and pronged pommel, with the long and heavy blade coming last, a gleaming frosty blue, like a carved icicle. This was Boomerang's sword, the Dark Guardian Blade, Luceid's sacrifice, compressed into a weapon. Like the nature of desire, it was dark beauty.

The weapon finally came loose and Luceid sighed, slumping lifelessly into Boomerang's arms. He closed his eyes as a few tears were let loose, knowing what would happen next. "I love you. I promise…" He suppressed a sob, "I'll be back."

Luceid faded, and Boomerang never saw her again.

Saber Fang fell to the ground, abandoned. He would not need such a weapon where he was going, all he needed now was the sword. Glaring up at the monsters that would trigger his own final demise, he held the weapon to the ready. Even with this sword, he knew he was going to die. He deserved to die, after all he had done. He just wished, for a fleeting second, that he could have found out what it was like to be human. They seemed so happy sometimes… All Boomerang wanted was to be happy…

"I will not forget you!" He roared as he charged into the fray, swinging the weapon for the first time, "I will not, I will not! Even if I die, I will find you!" He blinked back tears, "Luceid! I promise!"

Moments later, Hell welcomed another demon into it's punishing embrace.

xxx

…But I did forget her…

I left her behind…

All alone…

I loved her… and I let her go…

…While I became someone else…

And found another soul to love…

… I… broke her heart, I broke my promise…

That is my sin.

xxx

The sun burned brightly into his peacefully closed eyes and irritated him, causing the sleeping man to groan softly and roll over, away from the sun's harmful rays. Morning had just ended and the true portion of the day had begun, the overpowering Filgaian sun attempting to reach it's crest in the sky. Clive felt the warmth and dismissed it easily as the warmth of a blanket or something else covering him, his mind far away from the reality of today, in a temporary amnesia. In fact, he was expecting Catherine to wake him up at any minute now and tell him that breakfast was almost ready.

He waited, but that announcement never came. Slowly, he opened his eyes and found out that his hands were blocking the sunlight out of them, and also noted how hard the ground felt underneath his body. Some people would say that sleeping on the floor is good for a man's back, but it was Clive's personal opinion that they were horrible shameless liars. He felt like someone had beaten him with a stick or something similarly painful, and all his joints were stiff and sore. Coughing a bit, he rolled over again and got a nasty little shock.

Clive had been resting near the edge of a very small cliff for most of the night, and when he rolled over one more time, he ran out of solid rock and tumbled nearly five feet to the ground, landing on his hurt back. A tiny pebble made the same motion seconds after and bounced off his head, giving Clive a little extra wake up call. Groaning and pulling himself up into a sitting arrangement, he clutched his head with a bare hand and shook it slightly, trying to rattle out all the memories of the night before that had been blocked out of his recollection.

"Wh-what did I do last night?" He rasped quietly, rubbing his left temple and averting his eyes from the bright sunshine. Then, he almost smiled. It had been a long time since he had ever wondered about anything like that. But this was no simple matter, the memories of his situation rushed back to him, he had more crucial things to worry about. Clive checked himself over for bloodstains, not smelling or sensing any of the liquid, but being doubly careful just in case. His coat and his body was not freshly stained, and he breathed out a deep sigh, relieved.

He lay back gently and looked at the sky, clear and bright blue. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his glasses and put them on again, glad that he hadn't foolishly lost them. His hand lingered over his face, going over the features and checking to see if he was still the same as yesterday. Everything seemed accounted for, eyes, ears and nose, they all were human and remained that way, lastly he checked his hands, the nails weak and definitely human. He couldn't see any extra fur, apart from the small amount hidden under his coat. Relaxing from the departure of uncertainty, Clive shakily got to his feet and stretched, glad that he was still more or less in a human shape.

He took a few steps forward, and then trod on something in his way, biting back a shrill yelp.

Suddenly weak in the knees and everywhere else, Clive toppled forward and braced for an impact with the ground with his hands, absorbing nearly all of the impact and falling to his knees, totally numb. Gasping a little and feeling a terrible stinging sensation shoot straight up his spine, he clenched his hands in the dirt and waited for the pain to go away, more than a little frightened because he knew it was far too early to slip into another transformation again. He shuddered as he felt that something was lightly bruised, and silently remarked on how deadened his nerves felt, like being drugged down with a powerful muscular sedative. However, little by little, he could sense the life come back to each part of his body, the feeling returning to his limbs. Clive felt better, but wondered what had caused the reaction in the first place. He found out only seconds later.

Something soft and particularly furry lightly touched the side of his hand, aching a little from a small bruise that marred the tip of it's length. It curled around his wrist and stayed there, stinging slightly from the pain. Turning his head, Clive looked at it with fascination, all of the colour draining from his face, making him appear even paler and sicker than what he already was. He had not expected anything like this at all, it was mortifying.

The transformation he had suffered through during the night had decided to leave a lingering imprint of it's influence over Clive in a physical way, for as the man had returned back to a more or less human silhouette, one other thing had stayed behind and proved to the world that he was nothing more than a hated monster. It made Clive sick. Pressing a hand to the side of his face, he trembled, and his tail did so with him, incredibly afraid.

"Who am I?" He rasped to himself through his shakes, "This is… this cannot be who I am. I feel as though I am becoming someone else, something else, and that I will cease to remain Clive Winslett before long." In fearful anger, he grabbed at the length of his tail and squeezed it, regretting the motion instantly as even more pain flooded through his system. How in the world could he delude himself into believing he was human now? Losing his driving will to continue, Clive intentionally lost his balance and fell face-first onto the ground, a tearless sob escaping his dry throat. "Tell me. Who?

Do you require an answer, dearest? You are the one who hunts the perfect prey…

"…I cannot do this anymore," He whimpered sadly, closing his ice-blue eyes, "I cannot take it anymore. Stop it, please…" He exhaled a stale breath into the dirt, blowing up a small dust cloud with the motion. Clive thought it would just be better for him to lay down and die, allowing his body to return to the ancient soil. He didn't really want to continue, anyway. In death, nothing could hurt him ever again…

Daddy!

Clive's eyes blinked open and he pushed himself up without conscious thought, startled out of an intense depression by a hauntingly recognizable voice. The voice of his daughter, somewhere in his own head. The drifter dusted himself off with a sudden calm and looked around inquisitively, shocked by how he had managed to forget all about the reason he was there in the first place. Kaitlyn, she was more important than himself, or Ravendor, or any of their puny little problems, Kaitlyn was his ultimate priority, and he couldn't seek death until she was safe, no matter how warped his body or mind became. "Kaitlyn…" He said quietly, somehow smiling in a cloud of mental darkness.

I kept my promises, Daddy. Now you have to keep yours…

"I will…" He breathed, gaining a better grasp on himself, "I promise I will save you…" Sitting back on his knees again, he breathed deeply and tried to gather his bearings, scattered from a night of Guardians knows what. The dregs of sleep still clinging to him, Clive stretched his arms back and yawned, hearing his back making a loud cracking noise as the tension was loosened from it. Absently, Clive wondered when he would ever be able to sleep in a real bed again, the idea appearing farfetched to his mind at the moment. Thinking back to himself in his ordinary life, it almost seemed to be an illustration of a person he had never met before, a stranger. Yet, this did not bother him much, he had more important things to worry about at the moment.

The metal demon looked down to the newest addition to his body, the long bushy tail clinging tentatively to the side of his leg now that he had moved his arm, his subconscious's attempt to keep it out of sight and mind. It was coloured a dark smoky grey that tinged on the border of a bland blue, keeping that colour all the way down the length until it came to the very end, where the tip changed to a pure snowy white. It resembled a wolf or fox's tail somewhat, but on a much larger scale. Clive took in all this information and shuddered, feeling like a filthy breed of animal. After a minute of striving to get over this sensation, he tried to move it, gritting his teeth when he felt that the nerves were still newborn and bruised.

The first few movements were uncoordinated and floppy, the limb jerking around ungracefully in the dust. Clive bit his lip and willed it to move left, where, of course, it naturally decided to go right. The attempt would have been easier had he not accidentally hurt himself, but after a few seconds of getting used to the feeling, his mind unconsciously adjusted itself and he climbed wearily to his feet again, trying his best not to trip over this time. The tail seemed to have a nasty habit of flicking out in front of him whenever he tried to move forward.

How in the world shall I be able to hide this? He pondered, watching his tail swish around automatically on the rocky floor, I can hide a bit of fur, or sharper teeth, but this…

Clive trailed off, coming up with absolutely no conclusion to his internal query. He reckoned it didn't really matter what he looked like after a small moment of thought, because nobody else was around to see him, let along make any assumptions for themselves. Still, it made Clive feel very self-conscious and caused him to keep it tucked behind his legs and coat, as concealed as it could be.

Holding a hand above his eyes to block out the piercing sunlight, he calculated the distance he had travelled from the size of the mountains looming near the horizon, larger and more distinctive than he remembered from the day before. Generally, he guessed that he had gone roughly four or five miles in one night, too slow for his liking, but it was reassuring enough to know that he had at least tried to keep on moving, even in his lycan form. He had to reach those mountains before the day was out, that was the ultimate deadline.

Climbing down the layered cliff face with an added amount of care, Clive found himself talking to nobody again, and hating himself for it with a passion. "I do not care what happens to myself or my body, but I…" He paused for a few seconds as he jumped from one ledge to another, wobbling a bit but staying secure. With an extra limb to balance himself out, it made things unnecessarily complicated. "I will torture you when we meet, Ravendor! I swear it, I swear to the Guardian Lords that you will die screaming! I don't know how, but I will punish you…"

He reached the bottom of the cliff-side after a bit of climbing and struggling, and then crouched to the ground again, closing his eyes and inhaling. He needed to focus. The air blew across his face and gave him intricate information, deciphered only by his acute sense of smell. He was closer now because he had continued to move even after sundown, whereas the bandit trail had stagnated during the night, indicating that they had set up camp somewhere close by. It would only be a few more miles, Clive estimated from the wind speed, and then he smiled. He was getting better at this.

But, wait. He paused, opening his eyes, What… is that I sense?

Standing out on the dull dusty ground, a scrap of yellow fabric was caught under a moderately-sized rock, the scent emanating from it a touch of deja-vu upon his mind. Yellow, something about the colour yellow made him recall… something about last night. He remembered being upset over something, and then going into somewhere, where he was hurt and was forced to run away, but not before he had… well… Clive just couldn't remember that part too clearly. But there were two words he could recall, and they made him feel cold and sick on the inside.

"I didn't… no, I could not have… Did I?"

Maya Schrodinger.