Chapter 12
The crackling of the campfire felt unusually relaxing to Nina. Gabe, Deja and Ryu sat near her, also staring into the swirling flames. Red was pacing angrily around them, tugging at the prayer beads.
"You can't remove them yet."
Red shot a glare at Gabe. "You think I don't know?"
Deja sighed and picked up a stick, poking it into the fire. "Stop being a baby, Red. We have guests."
"I don't give a damn about our 'guests'." He spat. "And by the way, why does HE have my best shirt on?"
Ryu looked down at the tight black sleeveless shirt he was wearing. "We gave it to him because you ruined his other one, remember?" Deja said sighing again.
Red crossed his arms and sat down on the ground roughly, his tail swishing violently behind him. "Why are we even going back home? I'm not done with this journey, you know."
"Obviously you're not ready to finish. After what happened back there, I'm sure your father won't let you travel again for awhile." Gabe said quietly.
"You shut up, Gabe! I didn't ask for you or the fox to come along and you know that! You can't just..."
Nina stood abruptly and brushed the dirt from her cloak. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but...I think I'm going to take a walk."
Ryu glanced up along with the others. "You want company?" he asked staring at her expressionless face.
She shook her head. "Not really. I'd...like to be alone."
He nodded slowly as she turned and walked towards the pond in the forest.
"I wonder what's wrong with her?" Deja asked.
"Who knows, probably woman problems or something."
"Red!" Deja cried cheeks pink. "Will you please act your age!"
He leaned forward, swinging his fist out. "Well why don't YOU leave me alone?! I'm tired of your bitching! That's all you do! You yell and you bitch and that's it!"
Gabe held a shaggy hand out, just as Deja attempted to get up. "Don't bother with him, Deja. He's not worth you getting angry over."
"Well, if he could control the weretiger, we wouldn't be here! We'd be somewhere else, far away from him!" she spat slowly, never taking her gaze from Red.
"Fine then!" He cried jumping to his feet. "I'll leave you alone for awhile, so you can think over what I mean to you two!" Giving a short nod, he turned and stomped into the forest.
Ryu watched as Deja slowly sat back down and reached up, holding her head in a dainty hand. "I shouldn't have said that..." She said softly.
Gabe nodded. "No you shouldn't have, but I agree. He's too much sometimes."
"So...why are you guys his guardians again?"
Deja looked up from her hand. "Well...as you know, Red's a weretiger. He can transform into it just fine, but he's totally berserk when he does so and is unable to change back on his own."
"So we do it for him." Gabe whispered, throwing a few more sticks on the fire. Sparks flew into the air and passed his shaggy gray face. "Deja keeps him immobile until I secure the prayer beads on him. He wears them for twenty-four hours and then he can remove them. It's a pretty straight forward process."
"This is the second time we've had to do this though. Red is getting out of hand." Deja nodded as she spoke.
"How old is he?" Ryu asked watching the sparks illuminate the fox woman's dark violet eyes.
"Twenty-five. A very young age in Woren years. He's basically a teenager. He's the leader of Worent's son, though, and so therefore is bestowed the power of weretiger, whether he likes it or not."
Ryu nodded. "It's just like the dragons. No one asks for the power. They're just given it." Deja stared at Ryu. "No one asks if they can control it, or even if they want to learn how. They just expect you to." He looked up at the dark star filled sky. "They expect you to harness the power of a god..."
* * *
Nina dipped a bare foot into the pond's lukewarm water, the fireflies around her flittering about from the rippling water. What was going on with her? Why did she feel so strange? She remembered Mikhal grabbing her, then that light. It wasn't a bad light necessarily...it actually felt, nice. Like she was born to be in that light. Shaking her head slowly, she pushed her foot deeper into the water.
'Mikhal is dead.'
She squeezed her eyes closed. It wasn't as if she did it on purpose... How did those people know anyways? Was it really that obvious? At least they were being nice. She couldn't possibly fathom how she would act around a murderer.
'Ryu is a murderer.'
"No!" She cried aloud, pulling her foot from the water. This sent the fireflies into a frenzy, their lights flickering more frequently, illuminating her tear streaked cheeks in pale yellow light.
She couldn't believe it, she wouldn't believe it. Nothing happened. He wasn't dead, no...no one was dead. There wasn't anything she could do about it anyways...nothing...
Her head snapped up as a sound of leaves crunching reached her. She slowly turned to see Red standing behind her. He glared at her for a second, then looked away, scowling towards the campsite. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you, okay?"
Nina rubbed her face on her arm, wiping away the tears. "No, it's okay."
"Yeah, well you told them you wanted to be alone, but I got pissed off and had to be alone too."
She smiled slightly, actually glad for a little bit of company. "Well, we can be alone together."
He glanced over at her, red eyes narrowing. "Are you stupid or something? You can't be alone with two people."
Nina laughed softly. "I guess it is stupid."
Red shook his head and started to walk towards her. "There's no harm in joinin' you though, I guess." He sat down on the ground beside her and plunged his own feet into the water.
Nina brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. They were silent for awhile, each watching the insects dance gracefully over the reflection of the moon in the pond.
After what seemed like forever, Red suddenly turned his head towards her. "So you got wings, eh? What's with those? Normal Windians don't have them."
She glanced back at him with a slightly hurt expression. "Well...I...don't really know...I..."
"You've got to know something, ya? I'm sure you noticed you were the only one with wings in Windia, right?"
"I..."
Red sighed and shook his head. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm just still a little pissed off I guess. Don't worry, it's not really weird. I was just wondering."
She hugged her knees tighter. "No, it's alright. I...wonder about that too sometimes...I don't understand why I have them, I just do. I wish I knew why no one else has them..."
"You mean you don't know?"
Nina looked up.
Red smiled a bit. "Well, I don't know if this is true, but I was sure you had heard the old folk story about the clans. Everyone knows that story."
She moved closer to him, eyes widening. "No, I don't. Please...please tell me!"
Cheeks flushing a bit, Red moved away. "Fine, fine, just don't get so close okay? Geez..."
She nodded quickly.
Red reached up and pushed his bandana back, moving his bright orange hair from his eyes. "Okay, see a long time ago, there were four clans. Well, there were more, but really only four dominant ones: Worens, dragons, humans and the Fae Tribe."
"Huh? What's the Fae Tribe?"
"Will you shut up and listen?!" He snarled. "Anyways, so the humans and the Fae Tribe all were goddess worshipers. The dragons were Ladon worshipers and the Worens were...well...I can't remember what they used to worship, but it was some tiger god of some sort. Well, one day, that bitch of a goddess decided that since she already had two of the dominant clans believing in her, she should be the 'ultimate god' or whatever. So, she started a war between the clans." He took a deep breath.
"Well...what else?" Nina asked staring up at him.
"A man's gotta breathe you know!" he cried rubbing his nose on his arm. "Damn...you're just as bad as the fox. As I was saying, she started a war. Halfway through, though, the Worens pulled out. They was too smart to participate in something as stupid as that. They figured, why fight? It wasn't as if they really had anything against the other clans anyways. The humans, dragons, and Fae Tribe, though, weren't blessed with such superb judgement, however. The dragons, being by themselves now, were almost completely wiped out. The ones that did survive, fled down south and hid from the goddess worshiper's wrath. Finally satisfied, the goddess had the Fae Tribe and the humans celebrate by building a huge city the reached the sky in memory of their 'victory'." he spoke the last part while rolling his eyes.
"A huge city...?"
"Dammit, will you please shut up!" Red cried. "This city was the first version of Windia. Halfway through the construction of the city, though, part of the Fae Tribe realized what a bitch the goddess really was. They decided it was wrong of them to have hurt the other clans just because they believed in something else. After all, it wasn't like they had attacked the goddess worshipers or anything. They figured a kind deity wouldn't have had them do such an unholy thing. So the unbelieving part left to go back to the mountains where they were from, leaving the rest of the Fae Tribe living in Windia, therefore becoming Windians." Red smiled and leaned towards her. "By the way, the Fae Tribe are the ones with the pretty wings like yours." He said.
"Really? I've never heard of them!"
"I'm not done yet. After tribe split, the Windians were like 'the hell with them morons' so they continued to live in Windia, integrating themselves with humans. Generations passed and they began to lose their wings, until finally, there was barely a feather left in that city." He reached over and struck a finger on one of her feathers. "See, that's why it's weird. The Windians went for so long without wings...Why would all of a sudden, they be blessed with a Princess that just magically has them back?"
"I..."
Red brought his feet back onto the soggy ground, his clawed toes squishing loudly into the mud. "You know, rumor has it your old man's trying to start another war."
Nina shook her head wildly. "What? Why would he do something like that?! I mean..." She looked down. "My father is a bit strange, yes...but completely mad...?"
The Woren shrugged. "I don't know if it's true. I was just tellin' you what I heard, okay?"
She shook her head again. 'My father? Start a war? Yes, it was true he wasn't fond of many other races besides Windians and humans...but to start something with every other clan? That was insane! After all, he did have many people on his own staff that weren't human or Windian...What would they think?' she thought to herself.
Red looked over at her. "Hey, you okay there, birdy?"
She smiled slightly. "Yeah...I was just thinking that I still don't understand.." she lied. "This 'Fae Tribe'...did they die out?"
Red shrugged. "Who knows? Probably. It's been a really long time, so you couldn't be one of them either."
"That story really didn't help, Red. It just creates more questions..."
"Well I'm sorry, Princess. It's not like I didn't try to cheer you up." Red scowled crossing his arms.
"I'm sorry...I just...My father always told me when I asked him why, that I was special."
Red laughed loudly. "Ah, you too, eh? Special..." He said looking down. "Another word for 'freak' in my opinion."
"What do you mean?"
He sighed and moved his feet a bit in the water, splashing at the fireflies gently. "I was called that...the first time I turned into weretiger." Nina's eyes widened.
Red's gaze moved to the ground. " I was thirteen. My friends and I were playing by the Lao river near Worent, some tag game I think. We were told never to go there on account of there being some monster nest there. Of course, we went anyways. We were stupid kids." His eyes narrowed. "I hardly remember what happened. I just remember laughing and being tagged by my friend Kal, then turning around to knock him one. All I saw was a claw coming forward and striking him broadside. His body...snapped straight in two. I remember screaming and then blackness.
I woke up the next day in my own bed, bandages wrapped all around me. Blood was everywhere. I asked my father what went on. He had said nothing. That I was just special and that's all." Nina watched as his fanged teeth clenched. "Stupid father. Something did happen and I knew it! When I went to school the next day, my friends told me. How I had transformed into a monster. How I had fought off the thing that killed my friend. How...I had ended up putting everyone else in bandages as well. I tried to explain, but no one would listen. I went to father. I yelled at him. He said nothing. Nothing that I wanted to hear anyway. Just that I was blessed."
Nina flinched as he turned sharply to her. "You see, it's stupid. People say things...and they don't know what's going on!" He lifted the arm with the prayer beads at eye level, snarling as they rattled noisily. "They don't understand... Deja, Gabe...I know they're here to help me, but how? How could they possibly understand the pain that comes with this power? They think I love it. They think I live only to fight. They think...but they don't know." He growled loudly and thrust his fists into the air. "I'm a fuckin' Woren! The hell with everyone else! I can handle it! I will handle it! Blessed my ass! Its more like a curse...!"
Nina stared at him wide eyed as he screamed into the calm night air. He was...just like Ryu. He couldn't really control his power either. She could tell, by the way he was fighting the soldiers earlier. Ryu...didn't mean to kill those guys. He was just... He was hated...just because he had power. He didn't want the power. He was born with it... Red was right, it was a curse. She squeezed her eyes shut. It must have hurt him so bad when she told him to go away after her nightmare, but she understood now. She understood what is was that was bothering him.
"Thank you, Red."
The Woren looked up as she stood, stunned and lowered his fists. "I..."
She smiled. "I understand now..."
He watched as she turned and started to walk back to the campsite. Tossing a rock into the water, he found himself smiling. "Well...doesn't that just beat all...?"
* * *
Shyong reached over and pulled out a drawer on his bedside table. Pushing his hand in, his fingers slid over various objects until they closed on something soft. He pulled it out and held it above him, the moonlight streaming through his window splashing over it.
A single white feather.
His good eye traced over the small slightly bent ridges, watching how the light penetrated through it, illuminating the surface with a silver-like glow. His eyes closed as he brought it to rest near his heart.
~~Shyong squinted into the sun as he emerged from the dark castle corridors and into the courtyard. After being inside all day, the light was almost blinding. One hand shielding his eyes, he walked to the fountain in the middle of the clearing and sat on the edge, reaching back to let his fingers trail over the cool rippling water. Then, with the same hand, he brought it forward, running the soaked fingers through his short black hair. He did so with an odd face. It felt weird; his hair being this short. He wasn't quite sure if he liked it yet. The soldiers had given him such trouble, though, with his old shoulder length hair. He figured chopping it off was the best solution. It was just going to take some getting used to. Sighing softly, he tilted his head skyward, letting the warmth of the sun bathe his pale serene face.
Suddenly, his eye caught something moving on the balcony above him. Curiosity overriding his better judgment, he leaned back to get a better look.
A girl, in her early teens perhaps, stood near the railing, grasping it tight with tiny hands. Her short blonde hair waved gently in her face as she stared towards the horizon. He watched, blue eyes wide, as she leaned forward, the small light pink roses pinned to either side of her hair reluctantly released a few petals into the wind when she began to climb the railing. At the top, she gracefully stood, gazing forward with the brightest sea blue eyes he had ever seen on anyone, arms out, pink dress whipping violently against her young body. Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
Shyong leapt from the fountain, stumbling a bit on the decorative stone slabs on the ground. Was she...going to jump? His ice eyes widened as she leaned forward. Damn...she really was!
Panicking, he ran to where he figured she would fall and slid to a stop, thrusting his arms out. He didn't know if he'd be able to catch her, but he sure as hell was going to try. Squeezing his eyes closed, he braced himself.
Seconds passed. Nothing happened. He didn't dare open his eyes, though. What if something distracted him...? What if...
He vaguely became aware that a gentle wind was beating on his face. He slowly opened his eyes as something soft caressed his cheek. Feathers were falling all around him. Glistening, pure white feathers. He brought his gaze upward to see the girl hovering above him, with the most beautiful pair of wings he had ever seen. He watched, completely mesmerized as she looked down, a small smile touching her lips.
"I can...fly..." She whispered in a soft voice. Then, with a strong beat of those beautiful wings, she soared out into the courtyard. Shyong stared after her, still showered in the shadow of her angelic presence. Slowly, as if he were in a daze, he reached out and grasped one of the falling feathers and brought it close to his chest.
He realized then, that he had just been, in the presence of an angel.~~
Shyong began to stroke the sides of the feather. It was beginning to show signs of age. After all, it had been six years ago. He was merely a boy of nineteen, forced to be in the military because of his want for revenge against...
Scowling, he began to stroke the feather harder. "That damn dragon..." he snarled quietly. "He thinks he can take her away from me... He thinks she actually cares for him...." No, she couldn't, she wouldn't. Not for him, not for a dragon...
A sudden knock at the door jarred him from his thoughts. Frantically he shoved the feather under his pillow and sat up. "Come in." He said gently.
The door slowly creaked open and a small clawed hand grasped the wooden frame. "Shyong..."
He stared at the hand, brow furrowing. "Lucia? What are you doing here?" He watched as she stepped in, face as white as a Woren's could possibly be.
"We have...a visitor..."
His eye moved to something in the shadows behind her. "What...now...?" His eyes widened as a man walked in behind her, white hair falling and glistening in the moonlight.
"You..."
* * *
Ryu wiped the sweat from his forehead as he folded the last part of a tent together. "So, we should probably be there when?" He asked.
Deja glanced up from the smoldering remnants of the night's fire. "Maybe four or five days at the most. Remember, we're taking the long way for your sake."
"That's so damn stupid." Red said behind Ryu. "Who cares about them...We shouldn't have to be going out of our way just for some little..." He stopped as Nina appeared with Gabe carrying some of the supplies. He growled and crossed his arms. "Like I give a damn." he whispered.
"Oh, Red! I found your beads on the ground near your tent...I thought..." Nina cried holding out the dark red bracelet.
Red scowled. "Keep 'em, burn 'em, I don't care, I just don't want to see those damn things anymore."
Gabe smiled and took them from Nina's hand. "I'll take those. Thanks for finding them."
"O-okay..." she said softly.
Red spat.
"Hey, everyone. Let's cheer up! Synesta's going to be far away soon and we won't have to worry about it anymore, okay?" Deja said cheerfully, hiking a small backpack on her back.
Nina nodded slowly, but inside, she knew that it didn't matter. Her dreams that night had been nothing but Mikhal's lifeless face. Over and over she saw his body being ripped apart by the light, the blood flying from every joint, splashing over everything in the room. It was going to take a very long time to get over it...if she ever did...
She jumped as a hand gently grasped her shoulder. She leaned back and saw Ryu smiling at her. Despite her mood, she found herself smiling back. That was the thing about Ryu. He always found a way to make her feel better, even if it was just a tiny bit. "Do you need help carrying anything?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Not really. Gabe has most of it. I just wish Red felt good enough to help..."
They both glanced in the direction of the Woren pouting behind them. "Red, come on. Just carry this one bag! You know Gabe and I can't do everything!" Deja was yelling. "Red! Are you even listening to me?"
He yawned and then turned to her. "Fine, but stop yelling. It's very unbecoming of you." He snapped bitterly and walked away from her dazed face. He approached Nina and lifted the huge backpack off of her back. "I'll take this, birdy. You go carry that tiny bag Deja's bitching about." He said throwing the pack on.
"But Red, I was okay with that..."
"Hey, I figured if your boyfriend wasn't going to help you, I would."
Nina clasped her hand to her mouth as her cheeks flared. Ryu made a face. Red smiled a toothy smile. "Don't look so bummed. You've got a long way to go with me at your side! So cheer up everyone!" he cried bounding to the front of the party and starting down the trail.
The rest of the group finished gathering up everything and began to follow the frolicking tiger, scowls looming on their faces.
* * *
"Mikhal's dead, sire."
"So I've heard."
"You think it was the dragon?"
"No."
"Then you think..."
"It must be his presence that's causing her to awaken early."
"But, sire...that doesn't make any sense, the dragons had nothing to do..."
"It doesn't matter! Ever since he set foot in this city everything's been in an uproar. I'm going to send Tsunaia again."
"Him? But he's..."
"Oh I think he'll do alright. After all...there's nothing like the sweet taste of revenge...."
_______________________________________________________________________________Note: I am really angry that I can't put some of this stuff in italics...it would have been better...If anyone knows how to make italics show up on here, please please tell me. Also, I won't have another chap, up for a few weeks, I'm going on vacation for my birthday. ^.^ But I took off lots of time from work, so I'll write my butt off when I get back!