Chapter 2

"Has anybody seen anything? Connor?"

Faith received a few negative responses and shaking heads from the others, and was as usual for the past two days, was completely ignored by Connor. Looking pointedly at him, she tried to elicit some sort of response, anger, sadness, anything, but the young man continued to silently stare ahead, as he had been since she found the others two nights ago, making no indication what his feelings were over the loss of his family and loss of the one person who seemed to understand him, Dawn.

Connor and Dawn had become close friends when the slayer group had gone to stay with the AI team in LA following the destruction of Sunnydale. The two shared a common bond due to their unusual mystical arrivals on Earth and seemed to understand each other on a level that none of the others could. During this time the young man had become fiercely protective over his friend, tasking himself with the responsibility of always protecting the young woman. Faith knew that Dawn's loss would probably be one of the biggest on his list of failures along with the death of his father and friends.

Sighing she turned her attention back to the group seated on the wood plank in front of her watching them care for the injured watcher.

The group had managed to hoist the wounded older man on top of the plank of wood someone had earlier guessed to be part of the side of an old ship. The wood was big enough to also hold a few other people at a time, but to keep things fair the ones who were up there were tasked with Giles care. Currently Sara and Vi were the two tasked with this duty

"Vi, how's he holdin up?"

The younger slayer balled up a piece of left over fabric from wrapping Giles' wounds and through it into the water.

"What's the point?" Vi asked angrily, ignoring Faith's question. "It's been almost two days, and every where you look there is water and more water, yet we can't drink any of it. We don't know where we are or were we are going all we are doing is just sitting here waiting to die from either dehydration or exposure."

"Face it, we're being punished for failing to save Earth and this is Hell." Someone yelled out getting a lot of pained looks and some nods of agreement.

"Hell or not we are still alive and being a slayer I refuse to go down unless I go down fighting." Faith stated as per usually, only this time her voice seemed to lack the conviction it always carried.

"Huh, bird." A low masculine voice said from beside her.

"Not your best insult, Xander."

"No stupid, bird," he said pointing up and trying to flap his arms while still holding on to the side of wood, "as in little feathery flying creatures. And were there is a bird there's also..."

"Land." Faith finished, her eyes widened with realization. Several of the others seemed to perk up at this new bit of information as well.

The group watched the bird as it flew back and forth, before settling on hovering in a circular pattern above them.

"Great a vulture." Buffy murmured sarcastically.

Xander shook his head as he watched the bird. "Wonderful just when you think that the Powers are sending you a beacon of hope, they send an omen of death."

The group watched the bird fly in a continued pattern, but as it went to turn into its next circle above them the bird turned into a dive, heading straight for them.

"Heads up ladies," Faith called out, "vulture comin in at three o'clock."

The group in the water lowered themselves deeper as the ones currently on top tried to flatten themselves against the wooden planks. All warily watching the bird headed straight for them, and as the bird came increasingly closer to the group the bigger theirs eyes got.

"Holy-" Xander started, but was interrupted by a loud exclamation from Faith.

"Little feathery thing my ass!" She said, as the bird soared over their heads. "That thing is huge!"

"That's not a vulture, it's an eagle," Xander said as her too stared in awe, "granted it's an eagle the size of a SUV."

Not taking her eyes off the giant bird, Buffy elbowed him. "It's coming back."

Uncomfortable that she was out in the open with little protection, Sara, one of the slayers assigned with Giles' care, scooted in Buffy and Faith' direction, knowing that at least the two elder slayers would be the best protection she could get out in the middle of an ocean. "Uh guys, what do you want us to do?"

Faith stared at the creature as it flew over them for a second time. "I don't think that he wants to hurt us, I think he looks curious."

"It looks like it's examining each and every one of us." Sara shuddered.

"Probably thinking that slayers make a tasty snack." Xander added earning himself another elbow, this time from Faith.

Buffy glared at the bird. The current situation seemed to have made the blond slayer momentarily forget about the loss of the others. "Well tell him to cut it out it, its wigging me out!"

Just then the bird stopped circling and took off, the group watched it until it vanished over the horizon.

"Connor can you still see it?"

"No," he answered slowly shaking his head, before his attention was brought to water around them, and then back to the dark haired slayer, "but we aren't floating in the direction we were before."

Immediately breaking eye contact the young man turned away to resume the heaving brooding that he had been doing since arriving in the damn ocean.

"Man he is so Angel's kid." Faith muttered to herself.


A thin figure glided gracefully through the moonlit corridors, heading for the chambers which were now housing the first humans ever aloud to walk these lands. Reaching her destination she opened the door silently and peered into the darkened rooms, catching the eye of the only conscious inhabitant, a tall stately blond figure, whose age wizened eye's bellied his current state of exhaustion. He hovered over the human's bedside for a moment before nodding in greeting to the visitor.

"Good evening, Ariel."

Ariel smiled. "Good evening to you Uncle." She nodded in return as she walked over to the bed, and gazed down at its fragile looking inhabitant.

She had been surprised when the females had first been brought into the healing houses, but the shock had quickly turned to curiosity. Ariel had never seen a human before, but she had heard many from Middle-earth speak of past dealings with them and she herself read several books describing them, and the descriptions that she had come across regarded these beings as simple minded, coarse, stocky creatures, that were somewhat clumsy, with bodies and cleanliness habits more closely resembled to that of dwarves, however after coming into contact with these females, she began to doubt that the accounts were entirely accurate and more likely prejudiced sayings against this particular race of people. Ariel took in the slender woman's facial features from her sculpted brows to her full lips. The woman seemed more elven to Ariel in likeness than dwarvish.

Brushing the hair off the sleeping human's brow Ariel turned back to her uncle. "How is the she this eve?"

"Her powers are now dormant and she is asleep, finally." The tall blond took a deep breath and sat in a chair at the side of the bed.

The discovery of three injured human females on the shores of lands that no human had ever before tread caused a major uproar among their people, which very quickly had almost turned into blind panic when it appeared that two of the women wielded unfathomable powers even in states of deep unconsciousness.

Ariel looked at the women in the bed. "All that power for one so young and fragile."

"She is stronger than she appears; the other two are as well."

"Are either of the others awake?"

"Not as of yet," he sighed heavily and looked at the door connecting this room to the room of the other two woman. "We still are unable to break through the barrier surrounding the darker haired one, though her wounds seem to be mending rapidly on their own."

"Why are they here? Where did they come from?" Ariel wondered aloud, more to herself than to her uncle.

"Who they are and their purpose here is unclear," he answered tiredly. "The Valar only saw fit to send word of their arrival, no other information was given."

"And of the others? The message brought said that they have companions that have yet to be found."

"There is no sign; though it has been said that Gwaihir was seen flying out to sea this morning."


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