Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FFTA! OR DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS! SO GET OVER IT!
Claen'tor: I'm back from the festival. I apologize to readers, if any, who were waiting for this next chapter. I started another fic and uploaded a new chapter in my first fic, after the festival ended. I merely changed the point of veiw to my own for this next chapter, so the parts will be repeating, but from my veiw.
Edwin: -kicking it back- Well, that was a long tirade of annoyance.
Claen'tor: Shut it. My readers have a right to know what happened.
Edwin: No, they don't. Right Cale?
Cale: For once, Edwin is correct. You didn't have to, you merely chose to. You felt obligated to tell your readers why you were slower with this chapter. Now GET ON WITH THE FIC!
Claen'tor: Alright! Geez... you don't have to yell...
Chapter 2: Finding a "Friend"
The strange woman with the ears and fur of a rabbit walked right into the trap. The strange panther jumped directly behind the woman then gave out a bloodthirsty snarl...
At the snarl, the woman froze, then turned slowly around to see her adversary, fear evident in the way she quivered. The panther sprang just as she yelled out "Engage!" and attempted to bring her bow to bear, far too late.
"Oh, sh..." she cut off into a scream as the panther tore into her.
I woke in a cold sweat. This dream...
I'd been having this same dream for a week now, each time more real than the last. Maybe there is something to this dream. After all, Aurnfur said I had the sight. Maybe it is time to act upon this dream.
I threw off my sheets and dressed quickly. But how? I thought for a while, then realized something. "Duh, Claen'tor. You can go straight there, if it exists," giving voice to my thoughts.
I focused for a second, then manipulated the very fabric of the Light Plane to form a Portal to wherever my dream had led me. It's now or nothing. Steel yourself and go already! I leapt into the Portal.
The new world
When I emerged, I saw a panther, like the one in my dream, disoriented by my arrival. It was on it's side, getting up to attack the new threat, as it's prey lost consiousness. It's the part of my dream, where I wake!
I heard a second growl, emanating from behind me. Great, the mate. The Portal's opening must not have suprised it as much as it did its mate. I drew my broadsword, Eriandel, from its sheath on my back. "Here, kitty, kitty."
The panther snarled and pounced, attempting to sink its claws in my neck from behind, but my reflexes took over, and I pivoted on my left foot, causing the panther to overshoot with a suprised yowl. I didn't give the panther time to recover, I cut it cleanly in half as it tried to twist in mid-air to avoid my counter-attack. Blood, the color of acid, sprayed as the two halves of the suprised panther fell to the ground, intestinal tract falling out of the still-warm body. I faced the next panther head on, greatsword in front, ready to strike. The panther looked suprised, then tried to finish off its victim before I could reach. Unfortunately for the panther, I was ready for this ploy, and I reacted quickly, teleporting directly next to said panther, and driving the point of Eriandel into its spine, then ripped the blade out to the side with enough force to cause the panther's undamaged side of the body to detach at the area near where I drove the point into its back, spraying more of the acidic colored blood onto the forest floor. In its death throes, the panther reflexively slashed at the nearest target before I could stop it. The woman! The wound was deep, showing bone at her ribs, and was bleeding profusely.
Then something unexpected happened. A strange armored man, riding a bird-like beast I'd only heard of, teleported on location.
"Voilation of laws prohibiting engagement before arrival of the judge. All violators will be sent to prison!" The armored man produced a red-colored card, then rode up and slapped it on my wrist.
"Hey!" I felt the telltale pull of a forced teleportation spell. "I don't think so!" I ripped the red card off of my fur, then tore it to shreds before the spell in the card could take effect. "What in the fifteenth circle of Hell are you trying to do to me?"
The strange man mounted on the chocobo was silent, I think from the shock of me resisting the spell and ripping up the card. "How did you shred the red-card? Those are supposed to be indestructible!"
He tried to cast another imprisonment spell, but I recognized it in time and canceled his spell using the reversal spell. He was stunned for sure now. I could tell by the way he gripped the reins of his mount.
"How? None but the judges can reverse a yellow card ruling, and no one can reverse a red card ruling." Without waiting to hear my reply, he drew a cheap-looking knightsword.
I smirked. "You want to fight me with a cheap sword like that?" I stifled a laugh.
The "judge" looked indignantly at me. "I'll have you know this is a Lohengrin, you foolish dog-man. It can easily take a chunk out of you."
I gave a lopsided grin, then brought up my own greatsword in a offensive posture. "It's nothing compared to Eriandel here. And you'll never even nick me with that poorly forged piece of iron, let alone take a chunk out of me. Care to try?"
I believe the "judge" was going purple with anger under that ridiculous helm he was wearing. He raised his knightsword and urged his chocobo to run me down.
I merely jumped over the bird-mount at the last moment. And "nudged" the armored figure off of his mount and on to his back. He tried to get up, but I put Eriandel to his neck before he could manage more than getting an arm under himself. "Now then. You will go back wherever you are based and you will tell them just how weak you are, and how weak your stupid cards are. Now get on your mount."
The humbled man got onto his mount shakily, then teleported away.
"Stupid idiot." I turned around. "Oh no..." The woman was dying and you get into a fight with an idiot noble. Good job, she might be on the edge of death now. I quickly set up a shelter over her, as it was about to rain, then staunched the flow of blood with a coagulation spell, wrapping up her major wound with binding from my pack. Her clothing was filthy and that would not do well fo her wounds. "Priestess of the women, aid me in my feeble remonstrations." I was forced to strip her of all garments except her shift, in order to treat the other wounds this woman had sustained before I had arrived on the scene. As I undressed her carefully, I couldn't help but notice her figure, her luxurious brown fur, and her hare-like ears. She's beautiful... No, no, NO! Do not think like that right now! She's injured and needs your help!
When I completed the task of mostly undressing her, I dressed the wounds that I hadn't seen before due to the garments she had been wearing, then took the garments to the nearby stream to wash them. They hadn't seen repair in a while, and the poor shape of the garments became more visible as the mud and leaves were lost to the stream. These are little more than tatters! Looks like I'll be stitching together her clothing as well... The promised rain fell. I felt every drop hit me, washing away my current issues like the mud on the dress I was cleaning. Rain... Haven't been in a rainstorm for a while. Feels good. I let the rain soak into my red fur, cleansing off the acid colored blood that covered most of it. I finished clearing all of the mud from the hare-woman's dress, then returned to the shelter, hanging the tattered rags over a low-hanging branch in the makeshift lean-to. I then conjured up a bed and, set the unconsious woman on to the magical mattress. After which, I sat on a stump, and watched my charge while she slept. The rain washed over me.
Some time later. The rain has ended.
I hung the tattered dress over a branch I dried, then turned to my patient. Who are you? And why have I been dreaming of you? I made changes to the shelter, giving it four sides and a roof, so no other creatures would come and be able to attack the defenseless female. I built a chair and watched the woman turn in her sleep. You are beautiful... I tried to avoid thinking about her figure, but it was impossible to not look at her features, her scent of distress as she slept causing me to turn back around every time I tried to turn away. She started to stir. "Uhnn..."
"You're awake."
She opened her liquid brown eyes and screamed. Oww... that was particularly peircing. "Stay away!" When I looked up, she was off the bed and in the corner, shaking.
"What? Did I do something? I won't hurt you, miss," I said, trying to calm her as I stepped closer.
"Stay away," she repeated, looking up at me with defiant tears in her eyes.
"Look, miss, I'm not going to hurt you," I said, hand out, trying to look as harmless as possible. Which is not easy when you have the muscles of a warrior and the face of a dog with red fur.
"Wh... What are you?" she asked me with incredulity in her voice. I could tell she was waiting for an opening to attack. The tone of her voice when she asked me that question angered me, so my reply was less than kind.
"Me? What kind of question is that? I'm a hound archon. What are you?" I said in an offensive tone.
"A Veira! Heard of us?" she said as she swung her fist at my crotch. I was ready for some sort of attack like that, so my reflexes took over and stopped her fist in mid-punch.
"Hey! Don't try to hit me! If you're going to be that mean, maybe I should have left you with those strange panthers that I killed," I said as I moved her hand to the ground and released it.
She tried to get up, then yelled "How dare you!" and smacked me. Hard.
My hand went automatically to where she hit me on the cheek. "OW! That hurt!" I whimpered for a second, then straightened, indignant. "What'd I do this time? It's not like I bit you or anything!"
"Where are my clothes, you freak!" she was emanating anger, but I had no choice but to weather the incoming storm.
Her chest heaved magnificently, and it took all my willpower not to gawk at her breasts as I answered her question. "Hanging out to dry. They were bloody, and covered in mud. So I washed them." That came out remarkably well, considering that I was trying desparately not to gawk. I turned around to give her privacy. "If you wish to clothe yourself, there's a pack in the other corner with a spare pair of trousers and and two overshirts."
I knew she'd take the offer of clothing, and heard her walk over to my pack to retreive my spare clothing. She was approximately half-dressed when my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since last night and it was late in the day. This is not the time to be hungry! She's still injured and I have to wait until she is hungry. After all, it'd... The sound of the Veira asking me a question interrupted my thoughts.
"Are you hungry, sir?" she asked.
I shrugged, slightly embarrassed that my stomach was betraying me. My stomach growled again. "It can wait. Injured persons first, then food." My stomach growled more. "Though I can't say I wouldn't like it to be the other way." I heard her stomach growl as well and grinned. Perhaps I'll get to eat sooner rather than later.
"I think injured persons are hungry, too. Do you have something ready?" I heard the woman say from behind me.
I made sure it was safe to turn around, then replied. "I will in a minute or two." I grinned widely, envisioning the vension I'd be having for dinner in about ten minutes. "Please wait here. There are more of those strange panthers out there and I'd rather you didn't get hurt more," I suprised myself when I realized that I meant every word. "I'll be back soon." I rushed out of the cabin, (can't call it a shelter anymore) on the hunt. I paused for a moment, and looked back at the cabin to see she was at the door, watching for me. As I looked on, she sighed and said something I didn't fully catch, but the word "handsome" I caught clearly.
She returned inside the cabin, shutting the door as I had instructed. Was that in reference to me? I shook the thought away and turned back to the matter at hand, food.
End Chapter 2
Cale: Seems like the romance is already developing. She's already sighing at the thought of you. -stifles a laugh-
Claen'tor: -glares daggers at my elder- That's not funny. It's not my fault that she didn't understand why she was in her shift until after she smacked me.
Edwin: As I said in the last chapter, hardly heroic, Claen'tor.
Lyn: -just got back from "talking" to Jasith, some bruises aquired during such timescans the new fic so far- Not bad, Claen'tor. Give it a couple more chapters and we have a new couple in the group. Now then, since this is the end of the second chapter, I'll be warning Claen'tor's readers to review, or else taste the Sol Katti. -draws the Sol Katti from its sheath for emphasis-