Thank you all so much for your reveiws!! I really mean it when I say it's the reveiws that fuel my passion to complete these stories. So thanks again.
PLEASE REVEIW IF YOU HAVEN'T YET!!! ;)
[Side note: someone asked me where I get the colorings for our favorite Dragon Knight characters. The truth is, the biggest fan of Dragon Knights in my circle of friends and family is my sister Hiso-chan. I get all their color descriptions from her. For those who might not know her work, she does Wind Whips, among others.]
Chapter 28
The sun was hanging in the afternoon sky. Rune sat down, bewildered, among the withering weeds that were most likely still recovering from the heavy storms that had once terrorized Luwa. This party of three had been searching since early morning for that horrible Corca person and still no sign of him. It was time for a rest. He had chosen a largely flat rock that was relatively clean. The shorter child of the two, Wren was his name as Rune discovered, was quite the gentlemen dispite his rough exterior.
Wren or Boss as his friend Quinn or Quinnie called him, was the one who suggested that the former elf rest before them. Then, he insisted on placing his small jacket down to protect the blond knight from the mud. Rune objected several times but the boy, perhaps nine years old, became angry tossed his coat on the ground guided Rune to sit and put a covered parcel on his lap.
"Wha...What's this?" Blue eyes blinked totally confused by this boy.
"Lunch." he turned away, showing only his profile, his eyes closed. This brown haired boy was so stubborn. "You're hungry right? Eat." Wren said it more like an order than an offer. A small growl came from Quinn's stomach as he drooled over the promise of a meal. He was probably a year or two older than Wren, but seniority clearly wasn't the guarantee of authority in this instance.
"But aren't you..?" Rune held out the cloth wrapped bundle. Quinn looked delighted, his purple eyes like plums, were brightened at the offer. He reached out his small hands with grattitude.
"Girls first." The brunet told the water dragon knight simply. Quinn frowned and his out streched hands seemed to shrivel back, fearing reprisal.
"I've been trying to tell you," the blond dragon insisted again and again. "I'm not..."
"Come on, Quinnie." Wren walked away, dragging his bald friend with him. "We still haven't searched the slope."
"The slope?" the taller boy whinned, slumping his sholders and giving a heavy sigh. "Why not just jump? It'll be faster that way." he grumbled under his breath.
"Was that a volunteer I just heard?" The brunet boy grinned mischievously, cupping a hand over his ear.
"No, no, no." The bald child shook his head vigorously protesting. "The slope is fine!" he rubbed the bandana that did it's best to hide the tiny bristles of fuzz that was just starting to grow out.
"That's what I thought." He turned back to the water dragon knight and waved. "Just sit tight, we'll be right back. This is a man's job."
"I told you...!"
"See ya in a few!" the boy's disappeared into some bushes that seemed to lead straight over the cliff side. There was most likely a natural ramp that led down the from there, at least to a point. It seemed awfully out of the way though.
"For goodness sake." Rune gave out an exasperated sigh.
This was always happening. The boys would call Rune a girl and then find some reason or another not to listen to the former elf's protests. With nothing left to do and finding his stomach was in the mood for food he untied the cloth knot. Rune found a round lump of bread and a wedge of cream colored cheese.
"That boy..." The blue eyed dragon thought back. He said girls go first.
Just now Rune remembered that every time they passed around a small leather skin of water, Rune was the first to drink, because Wren handed him the bottle. He was thirsty and the others got a drink too, so he didn't notice it before. There was so little here and to share between the three of them. That boy even left with Quinn to remove any amount of guilt Rune might have for eating all he wanted. Such kindness, for a person he doesn't even know.
"That boy..." His blond bangs hid his blue eyes. "Who do they think I am anyway? It's not like I'm really interested in finding some guy I barely know. I just didn't want to be bothered by those two anymore."
"I'm not...who they think I am." Rune wrapped the food losely and set it to his side, keeping it on the jacket. He wasn't really all that hungry but...perhaps meditating would help him forget about the hunger that was there. He sat with folded legs and extended his arms, welcoming the essence of his surroundings.
The light of the sun touched his golden hair, his fair skin and his clothes lending warmth to each. The ground beneath him also felt the sun. The heat evaporated the water that saturated the mud and released it into the air. He felt it rise and scatter into the salty breeze. The salt was not so gentle as the sun on his skin, however, it was a bit uncomfortable.
Feeling his connections to the world as a body he would now extend beyond that. Even when he first set foot on this ground he could tell this place was unlike any he had been before and yet there was a familiar feeling deep inside him that peeked his curiousity. In town there may have been faint traces of influence if so, they were concentrated here. But influences of what?
The plants were the first feelings that reached the former elf. They were all very happy to see the sun on a regular basis again. Many had suffered and even died, being swept away by the wind or the rain. It must have been difficult, Rune communicated his sympathies with these survivors. The earth around seemed to be sleeping now, even though the animals had returned. They were all frightened and still cautious of the weather conditions. Rune did his best to give feelings of comfort to them. The air or rather the wind...
"AH!" Rune opened his eyes with surprise. The blond dragon found himself short of breath and a little sweaty as if from some kind of excertion. "When...did I...?"
"Rune-chan!" Wren's voice echoed from the cliff side. "Are you okay? We're coming!"
Rune sat back down, funny how he didn't remember getting up and especially not the screaming part, until he was acctually doing it. His lungs stung deep down as if it was a horrific shreak. His heart was pounding and his body was trembling.
"Wha, what just happened?" the blond looked at his shaking hands astonished that this shutter had no meaning to his conscious mind. "Could this...have something to do with what happened to Kai-Stern?"
"Rune-chan!" A scattering of rocks under hurried feet signalled Wren's arrival. He looked so dirty and his knees were all scratched up. But the boy seemed more worried about the water dragon knight than himself. "Are," he paused to take a breath, "you alright?" the brunet breathed heavily as he looked at those clear blue eyes with only one of his. He pushed himself too hard.
"I..." The water dragon knight hesitated, he wasn't sure how he felt or what caused him to shout so abruptly.
"Here." the brunet boy was again showning his profile as he handed something to the blond dragon. "You don't have to cry."
"Cry?" he touched his cheek and felt the slight wetness of saline. "Thank you." Rune took the folded handkerchief.
"D-don't worry anymore because I'm here now. I'll, um, well..." Wren fidgetted. He looked away a little more but there was a tell tale pinkness already on his cheeks. "I'll protect you." He mummbled. Rune was embarassed too, but not from flattery. This was going way too far. Rune had to put a stop to this here and now.
"Listen, Wren." Rune paused to collect his thoughts. Men have important feelings, much the same as women, so to escape as much embarrasment as possible especially to a young boy with a promising future, he would have to put it delicately. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. But you shouldn't try so hard."
"What do you mean? I-I haven't done anything." he turned away a little more, letting his brunet bangs guard his expression.
"Please just listen. You're very sweet and a good person. I don't want you to misunderstand."
"You-You don't have to tell me okay. I know." Wren scuffed his little boot on the dirt.
"Huh?"
"I'm not stupid...just because I'm a kid..." He kicked a rock off the cliff side and looked out toward the horizon. "I'm not stupid."
"I never said..."
"I know I'm just a kid and there's no way that some one like you could ever...like..." He's misunderstanding again. Darn it! How can I get through to him? First thing to do was get Wren's attention focused. The blond dragon knight rocked onto his knees and turned the boy around by his shoulders.
"That's not what I...Geh!" Rune felt a fog of doom rolling over him. The expression on Wren's face was surprise, admiration, vulnerability, and of-course the blush caused by the sudden touch.
"Rune-chan?" Quinn stummbled from the bushes they had left through. Blue eyes blinked. That wasn't where Wren had come from. They blinked again when Rune discovered the boy that he had just grabbed was almost two feet away from were his hands were. He's fast.
"Quinnie good timing." this boy always managed a mischievous grin when his subordinate was around. "Take it off."
"Huh?" The bald kid exclaimed.
"Wha-what are you suggesting?" Rune touched his horror stricken face with both hands. He's not one of 'those' kids is he?
"You're coat, bright eyes, can't you see Rune-chan is cold." He put his hand out to receive it. Oh, thank the gods! Rune let out a sigh of relief. Okay Rune, he coached himself, no more heart attacks today. He took an extra breath to calm himself. Those pulm eyes looked at the blond and nodded, immediately giving the coat to Wren.
"Well." Wren slipped the small jacket over Rune's shoulder's. "We've searched up and down this place and no sign of Corca. Maybe we should head back for today. We might have to try again tomorrow." The boy wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
"Can we eat first?"
"Fine, ya big baby. But don't forget I get half."
"Yeah, yeah."
First Kai-Stern then this girl, what was her name? Zell...maybe, then Corca. Three disappearences so far. Kai-Stern was missing for nine days, possibly less comparing the secretry's activities with the reports of his activities. Earlier in the twilight before dawn Wren said she had been missing for a week, maybe two. Her disappearence is around the same time Zell was noticed to be missing.
"Wren?" Rune asked suddenly.
"Huh?" the brunet was still munching on half chewed bread smeared with cheese.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." He swallowed, clearing this throat.
"You said it was about a week or two that your friend Zell had been missing, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Are you absolutely sure it was two weeks?"
"Well...It was such a big deal when that guy from Draqueen up and disappeared...It could have been longer...maybe." he looked unsure.
"When did you last see her, talk to her?"
"That's easy." the boy proclaimed. "It was two and a half weeks ago."
"Did she seem...upset at all?" Rune's brow was knotted. There was a mystery going on here and if this place had something to do with it...perhaps all of these disappearences did too.
"Not really." he shook his brown hair.
"Well, now that you mention it." Quinn volunteered. "She didn't seem too happy, even though the storms had stopped."
"Did she look depressed at all? Sad maybe?" Rune had a look at the official report documented by Kai-Stern, among others, it mentioned a girl that had cut the secretary's rope as he was climbing a cliff side. The document ended abruptly and picked up in the castle's infirmary.
"She's always mad." Wren waved a hand matter-of-factly.
"She was mad too, but she didn't hit you once." purple eyed child spoke up again.
"Oh, good point." the brunet slapped his fist on his open hand. "Yeah, I guess she wasn't really herself." The boys looked at the blue eyed dragon as he considered the facts. "Why? Still after Corca? I said to give up on that, didn't I?" the boy shrugged, shaking his head. "Some people never learn." This kid is really...really getting annoying, Rune kept his thoughts to himself.
"By the way," Quinn was meaning to ask. "when I got up here weren't you two..."
"AHhhh! You haven't finished your bread yet." Wren, now painted crimson, grabbed the left overs of the split meal and crammed it into the taller child's mouth. "I know you're still hungry." Muffled noises came from the bald child as the the brunet kept his mouth full. Those rooling clouds of doom were so heavy as they hung over the former elf's head. After the blond gave a great sigh, he asked the heavens, Why me?
PLEASE REVEIW IF YOU HAVEN'T YET!!! ;)
[Side note: someone asked me where I get the colorings for our favorite Dragon Knight characters. The truth is, the biggest fan of Dragon Knights in my circle of friends and family is my sister Hiso-chan. I get all their color descriptions from her. For those who might not know her work, she does Wind Whips, among others.]
Chapter 28
The sun was hanging in the afternoon sky. Rune sat down, bewildered, among the withering weeds that were most likely still recovering from the heavy storms that had once terrorized Luwa. This party of three had been searching since early morning for that horrible Corca person and still no sign of him. It was time for a rest. He had chosen a largely flat rock that was relatively clean. The shorter child of the two, Wren was his name as Rune discovered, was quite the gentlemen dispite his rough exterior.
Wren or Boss as his friend Quinn or Quinnie called him, was the one who suggested that the former elf rest before them. Then, he insisted on placing his small jacket down to protect the blond knight from the mud. Rune objected several times but the boy, perhaps nine years old, became angry tossed his coat on the ground guided Rune to sit and put a covered parcel on his lap.
"Wha...What's this?" Blue eyes blinked totally confused by this boy.
"Lunch." he turned away, showing only his profile, his eyes closed. This brown haired boy was so stubborn. "You're hungry right? Eat." Wren said it more like an order than an offer. A small growl came from Quinn's stomach as he drooled over the promise of a meal. He was probably a year or two older than Wren, but seniority clearly wasn't the guarantee of authority in this instance.
"But aren't you..?" Rune held out the cloth wrapped bundle. Quinn looked delighted, his purple eyes like plums, were brightened at the offer. He reached out his small hands with grattitude.
"Girls first." The brunet told the water dragon knight simply. Quinn frowned and his out streched hands seemed to shrivel back, fearing reprisal.
"I've been trying to tell you," the blond dragon insisted again and again. "I'm not..."
"Come on, Quinnie." Wren walked away, dragging his bald friend with him. "We still haven't searched the slope."
"The slope?" the taller boy whinned, slumping his sholders and giving a heavy sigh. "Why not just jump? It'll be faster that way." he grumbled under his breath.
"Was that a volunteer I just heard?" The brunet boy grinned mischievously, cupping a hand over his ear.
"No, no, no." The bald child shook his head vigorously protesting. "The slope is fine!" he rubbed the bandana that did it's best to hide the tiny bristles of fuzz that was just starting to grow out.
"That's what I thought." He turned back to the water dragon knight and waved. "Just sit tight, we'll be right back. This is a man's job."
"I told you...!"
"See ya in a few!" the boy's disappeared into some bushes that seemed to lead straight over the cliff side. There was most likely a natural ramp that led down the from there, at least to a point. It seemed awfully out of the way though.
"For goodness sake." Rune gave out an exasperated sigh.
This was always happening. The boys would call Rune a girl and then find some reason or another not to listen to the former elf's protests. With nothing left to do and finding his stomach was in the mood for food he untied the cloth knot. Rune found a round lump of bread and a wedge of cream colored cheese.
"That boy..." The blue eyed dragon thought back. He said girls go first.
Just now Rune remembered that every time they passed around a small leather skin of water, Rune was the first to drink, because Wren handed him the bottle. He was thirsty and the others got a drink too, so he didn't notice it before. There was so little here and to share between the three of them. That boy even left with Quinn to remove any amount of guilt Rune might have for eating all he wanted. Such kindness, for a person he doesn't even know.
"That boy..." His blond bangs hid his blue eyes. "Who do they think I am anyway? It's not like I'm really interested in finding some guy I barely know. I just didn't want to be bothered by those two anymore."
"I'm not...who they think I am." Rune wrapped the food losely and set it to his side, keeping it on the jacket. He wasn't really all that hungry but...perhaps meditating would help him forget about the hunger that was there. He sat with folded legs and extended his arms, welcoming the essence of his surroundings.
The light of the sun touched his golden hair, his fair skin and his clothes lending warmth to each. The ground beneath him also felt the sun. The heat evaporated the water that saturated the mud and released it into the air. He felt it rise and scatter into the salty breeze. The salt was not so gentle as the sun on his skin, however, it was a bit uncomfortable.
Feeling his connections to the world as a body he would now extend beyond that. Even when he first set foot on this ground he could tell this place was unlike any he had been before and yet there was a familiar feeling deep inside him that peeked his curiousity. In town there may have been faint traces of influence if so, they were concentrated here. But influences of what?
The plants were the first feelings that reached the former elf. They were all very happy to see the sun on a regular basis again. Many had suffered and even died, being swept away by the wind or the rain. It must have been difficult, Rune communicated his sympathies with these survivors. The earth around seemed to be sleeping now, even though the animals had returned. They were all frightened and still cautious of the weather conditions. Rune did his best to give feelings of comfort to them. The air or rather the wind...
"AH!" Rune opened his eyes with surprise. The blond dragon found himself short of breath and a little sweaty as if from some kind of excertion. "When...did I...?"
"Rune-chan!" Wren's voice echoed from the cliff side. "Are you okay? We're coming!"
Rune sat back down, funny how he didn't remember getting up and especially not the screaming part, until he was acctually doing it. His lungs stung deep down as if it was a horrific shreak. His heart was pounding and his body was trembling.
"Wha, what just happened?" the blond looked at his shaking hands astonished that this shutter had no meaning to his conscious mind. "Could this...have something to do with what happened to Kai-Stern?"
"Rune-chan!" A scattering of rocks under hurried feet signalled Wren's arrival. He looked so dirty and his knees were all scratched up. But the boy seemed more worried about the water dragon knight than himself. "Are," he paused to take a breath, "you alright?" the brunet breathed heavily as he looked at those clear blue eyes with only one of his. He pushed himself too hard.
"I..." The water dragon knight hesitated, he wasn't sure how he felt or what caused him to shout so abruptly.
"Here." the brunet boy was again showning his profile as he handed something to the blond dragon. "You don't have to cry."
"Cry?" he touched his cheek and felt the slight wetness of saline. "Thank you." Rune took the folded handkerchief.
"D-don't worry anymore because I'm here now. I'll, um, well..." Wren fidgetted. He looked away a little more but there was a tell tale pinkness already on his cheeks. "I'll protect you." He mummbled. Rune was embarassed too, but not from flattery. This was going way too far. Rune had to put a stop to this here and now.
"Listen, Wren." Rune paused to collect his thoughts. Men have important feelings, much the same as women, so to escape as much embarrasment as possible especially to a young boy with a promising future, he would have to put it delicately. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. But you shouldn't try so hard."
"What do you mean? I-I haven't done anything." he turned away a little more, letting his brunet bangs guard his expression.
"Please just listen. You're very sweet and a good person. I don't want you to misunderstand."
"You-You don't have to tell me okay. I know." Wren scuffed his little boot on the dirt.
"Huh?"
"I'm not stupid...just because I'm a kid..." He kicked a rock off the cliff side and looked out toward the horizon. "I'm not stupid."
"I never said..."
"I know I'm just a kid and there's no way that some one like you could ever...like..." He's misunderstanding again. Darn it! How can I get through to him? First thing to do was get Wren's attention focused. The blond dragon knight rocked onto his knees and turned the boy around by his shoulders.
"That's not what I...Geh!" Rune felt a fog of doom rolling over him. The expression on Wren's face was surprise, admiration, vulnerability, and of-course the blush caused by the sudden touch.
"Rune-chan?" Quinn stummbled from the bushes they had left through. Blue eyes blinked. That wasn't where Wren had come from. They blinked again when Rune discovered the boy that he had just grabbed was almost two feet away from were his hands were. He's fast.
"Quinnie good timing." this boy always managed a mischievous grin when his subordinate was around. "Take it off."
"Huh?" The bald kid exclaimed.
"Wha-what are you suggesting?" Rune touched his horror stricken face with both hands. He's not one of 'those' kids is he?
"You're coat, bright eyes, can't you see Rune-chan is cold." He put his hand out to receive it. Oh, thank the gods! Rune let out a sigh of relief. Okay Rune, he coached himself, no more heart attacks today. He took an extra breath to calm himself. Those pulm eyes looked at the blond and nodded, immediately giving the coat to Wren.
"Well." Wren slipped the small jacket over Rune's shoulder's. "We've searched up and down this place and no sign of Corca. Maybe we should head back for today. We might have to try again tomorrow." The boy wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
"Can we eat first?"
"Fine, ya big baby. But don't forget I get half."
"Yeah, yeah."
First Kai-Stern then this girl, what was her name? Zell...maybe, then Corca. Three disappearences so far. Kai-Stern was missing for nine days, possibly less comparing the secretry's activities with the reports of his activities. Earlier in the twilight before dawn Wren said she had been missing for a week, maybe two. Her disappearence is around the same time Zell was noticed to be missing.
"Wren?" Rune asked suddenly.
"Huh?" the brunet was still munching on half chewed bread smeared with cheese.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." He swallowed, clearing this throat.
"You said it was about a week or two that your friend Zell had been missing, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Are you absolutely sure it was two weeks?"
"Well...It was such a big deal when that guy from Draqueen up and disappeared...It could have been longer...maybe." he looked unsure.
"When did you last see her, talk to her?"
"That's easy." the boy proclaimed. "It was two and a half weeks ago."
"Did she seem...upset at all?" Rune's brow was knotted. There was a mystery going on here and if this place had something to do with it...perhaps all of these disappearences did too.
"Not really." he shook his brown hair.
"Well, now that you mention it." Quinn volunteered. "She didn't seem too happy, even though the storms had stopped."
"Did she look depressed at all? Sad maybe?" Rune had a look at the official report documented by Kai-Stern, among others, it mentioned a girl that had cut the secretary's rope as he was climbing a cliff side. The document ended abruptly and picked up in the castle's infirmary.
"She's always mad." Wren waved a hand matter-of-factly.
"She was mad too, but she didn't hit you once." purple eyed child spoke up again.
"Oh, good point." the brunet slapped his fist on his open hand. "Yeah, I guess she wasn't really herself." The boys looked at the blue eyed dragon as he considered the facts. "Why? Still after Corca? I said to give up on that, didn't I?" the boy shrugged, shaking his head. "Some people never learn." This kid is really...really getting annoying, Rune kept his thoughts to himself.
"By the way," Quinn was meaning to ask. "when I got up here weren't you two..."
"AHhhh! You haven't finished your bread yet." Wren, now painted crimson, grabbed the left overs of the split meal and crammed it into the taller child's mouth. "I know you're still hungry." Muffled noises came from the bald child as the the brunet kept his mouth full. Those rooling clouds of doom were so heavy as they hung over the former elf's head. After the blond gave a great sigh, he asked the heavens, Why me?
