Chapter 17

Blinded by tears Mayura could barely hear anything else around her, Rajan...her Rajan had come for her after all. Then she could just be having an after death dream...hopefully not. Holding back the bear's claws with his hands the tiger struggled to keep the creature at bay.

" I said run!"

Coming back to reality Mayura abruptly found her thoughts wondering, no intent present in any of them. No sounds other than her loves struggle to force Grizzle Face back—then...the strangest sensation took hold of her body. Like it wasn't even hers anymore, like she was looking out through a camera lens...staring at a mirrored reflection of herself and everything within range.

" Mayura, run while you can!" Rajan caught sight of some unusual glissen in his angel's eyes, like lightning or the gleam of a blade reflecting the light. Something wasn't right...it was only further made obvious by the way she slumped forward like she was ill." Mayura!"

The air under his feet seemed to shift and so did that under the bear's, before anyone could grasp the concept of what was happening Mayura began to float off the ground. The ocean blue of her eyes no longer remained, taken over by red. Continuing higher and farther until Grizzle Face was forced to join her in the sky, and despite the fact that the bear was blind she lowered him to the ground far from the others then merely tossed. The aniamls wasn't harmed but it was shocked by what had just happened, a little scared of it all well.

All the while the wolf stilled hovered in air, gradually coming down to land on the iced over lake. When the others got close enough to see her, Mayura's eyes were still red and unfocused.

" Mayura..."

As fast as it happened the girl's eyes adjusted and returned to normal, patting her face she was shaken to the core. Trembling so bad that it made her even more upset, looking up to find that Rajan was striding towards her made some of that fear dissipate. Taking a step forward to meet him the ice under her feet gave way and the next thing she knew frigid water engulfed her body. All the heat the coat provided was gone as it slipped over her shoulders, while she fought to surface.

Diving in, ignoring his fear of water, Rajan grabbed Mayura about the waist and hauled her to the surface, where she gagged and rasped to get her breathe back. The dread that flowed into his heart only worsened when she collapsed against his shoulder, burning hot with fever caused from the cold and the shock.

Jean-Bison helped then out of the water and gave them a cabin so that she could rest and regain her strength, but before leaving the pioneer looked the tiger dead in the eye," Did you really desert the Klaww Gang, Rajan?"

" Yes..."

" Was it for her?" Jean gestured towards Mayura with a concerned smile.

The former spice lord gave a curt nod," Love...warps the mind...in this case it helped me realize...there are better things in life than what greed recieves..."

" Wise words..." Murmured the bison walking outside to finish the competition.

Dampening a rag Rajan mopped this love's brow, taking a chair from the table, he sat and watched as Mayura slept. It wasn't serene, she kept turning as if stuck in some sort of nightmare—it was unbearble to see her suffer. But...what happened to her today was shocking to everyone who had witnessed it.

Taking her tiny hand in his, the tiger brought it to his face," Stay strong Angel..."

Luckily Jean-Bison had gotten another jacket for Mayura for she was still shivering violently, but at least her lips weren't blue. He had noticed that her leg was injured, and that her her hands hand fang inflicted wounds. Whoever it was that hurt her would pay dearly for the torment they put her through.

Timidly, Mayura's eyes opened, then shut after seeing the light shining from outside the window. Groaning from the slight uneasiness it caused her she shifted only to lay on the wrong leg." Ow..."

Rajan gently eased her off her injured leg," Mayura...?"

Still fevered she looked towards the man that resembled Rajan and began to weep," Now I'm seeing things...it's almost as if...I could really touch—" Softly she ran her knuckles along his jaw and gasped, this wasn't a hallucination, he was real. Sitting there infront of her, eyes full of concern but delighted at her finally waking." R-Rajan...it is you...I thought it was all a dream but—" Taking his hands she looked at the nasty cuts he'd recieved from Grizzle Face's claws." Saints...none of it was a dream...not even when I..."

Suddenly feeling sick to her stomach Mayura cried out in distress, it hasn't been a dream. She'd taken flight and the bear as well...she had been gripped by a fear so powerful something took hold of her. Tears sprang into her eyes and Rajan warmly embraced her." Mayura..."

" What am I...?" She cried trying to wiggle free from his arms." Some sort of monster? A hideous bastard child...just like my step mother always said—she knew..she knew it all along! And she was right..."

Clutched by powerlesness, the tiger could only watched as she looked at her hands and then grasped the blanket, her knuckles white from the strain. Utter despair in her lost eyes, searching for answers to the questions whirling in her brain. Once again bringing Mayura into his embrace, stroking her hair with tenderness, speaking soft enough to calm her." Shh...shh Angel, everything's going to be alright, just wait and see...can you do that for me?"

Her choked sob caught at his heart then she stopped, pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes," Is what my brother...said true...do you really love me? Or is your affection out of pity...do you all you feel for me pity..?"

" Angel...I love you more than anything in this world...surely you must know that..."

'Let loose fly all your emotions', as I've been told.smile Coming to terms with a lasting relationship is somewhat difficult—after a time you come to think about things you've never thought about. Wondering if you'll make it in this terrifying world around us, and I mean terrifying! I actually hope to start a little family of my own, in time—happily engaged and waiting to turn eighteen. lol

Hm..but about the story, I had to add some fantasy like drama to it and you'll see why in due time. Oh! I have sketches of Lucray and the other siblings in the family—of course you won't see those that are not introduced. But I have a colored image of Mayura that's in my profile thingy!

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