Another chapter! Yey! This one is a bit longer than the last. Anyway, read and review, I desperatly need feedback!

Ch 15

Larka walked over the hills of the Ashlands, slowly and deliberately, determined not to look back. Large spring raindrops fell upon her and a soft wind blew past her. A lone, hooded figure clad in black, outline blurred by the rain and wind, boots and pants legs spattered with mud she walked. Her gaze remained fixed ahead, one hand on her sword hilt incase of danger and the other unconsciously stroking her stomach where her baby grew.

"It all happened so fast…" she whispered to herself as she trudged onwards. Her death, her awakening, she felt so distant from everything around her and yearned for the voice of her dear friend and the stillness of Oblivion. She no longer felt bitter and angry, she felt love and caring, but with it came a hollowness. She only prayed that somehow Azura would answer her questions and lift the emptiness she felt. Her love for Liam remained a constant ache in her heart, as well as her love for her friends, yet she knew that when she had died she had come back changed. She felt the prospect of a higher purpose looming over her head and she hoped with all her heart she would soon return to her tribe and Liam.

The rain fell onto her head and shoulders, dripping down her back and front till she was soaked through. She shivered and knew she needed to find shelter; she was so tired and knew she should rest for the baby's sake.

A sharp call brought her mind instantly out of her deep thoughts as a Cliffracer swooped down on her. For an instant her mind seemed cleared andall exhaustion left her, pure instinct taking over her actions. With lightening speed she drew her wakizashi and in a swift half turn she dodged the Cliffracer's painful tail and cut it off. The thing shrieked in agony and Larka used its moment of pain to cut a long gash in its underbelly, careful to get out of the way as blood spilled out and the creature plummeted to the ground dead.

Larka backed up from its body and collapsed against a boulder, her body shuddered and she leaned over and vomited for the first time over a kill she had made. She staggered back in horror and sank to the ground. Never before had she ever become sick or moved by a kill.

"What's happening to me?" she yelled into the rain, her words getting carried away by the whistleing wind. The rain fell and the wind howled as Larka cowered against the boulder, her wet and muddy body shook with violent spasms as she sobbed. The sky changed from gray to black as night fell and the rain let up till it was no more than a drizzle. Still Larka remained against the boulder; she cried until she could cry no more and lay at the rock's base, her legs bent and hands on her belly. She lay in a muddy puddle, her head tilted upwards, silver hair flowing behind her in the water, and there she remained till the sky became light once more.

As the sun's rays peeked through the clouds Larka opened her eyes. She slowly sat up and dizzily leaned against the boulder, morning sickness taking over. She breathed deeply as she fought of the nausea and struggled to eat some scrib jelly and saltrice without throwing it back up. Only once that great feat was accomplished did Larka notice that she was completely dry and her cloths and body mud and ash free. She also noticed that a dead Guar and several rats lay on the ground in front of her. She looked around in confusion and slowly stood up. She turned to look at the bolder she had rested against and started backwards as she saw a Winged Twilight perched at the top, regarding her with a curious and watchful air. Larka's hand went to her sword but then it slide down to her side, this creature wasn't going to harm her; it had protected her during the night. Larka bowed her head in thanks and stepped back from the boulder. A small smile appeared on the creature's face and with a bow of its head the bestial woman leapt from the rock into the sky, just as it's form was called back to oblivion, disappearing from the mortal plain "Thank you Goddess." Larka whispered to Azura, who was the patron ofWinged Twilights.

Taking a deep breath she steeled herself and turned around, fixing her gaze on the form of the dead Cliffracer. In her mind she saw herself wielding her wakizashi, slicing into the creature's flesh, ending its life. At first she felt the bile rise in her throat but she took a deliberate step towards the corpse and steadied herself.

Slowly she repeated a phrase that her old friend had told her long ago when she had first asked to be taught the ways of combat.

"At times in your life you will kill, for pleasure and for purpose. In time you will learn the difference and once you do you will come to know yourself better. Some are blessed with the fortune of never having to end another's life, you and I are not. It is something I cannot teach you, to kill, that is beyond me, you can only be shown the way, but it is you who will do the deed and once you can see it for what it is you shall know something no one can teach you."

It was a phrase she had forgotten and she now remembered how confused she had been about it. "I think I know now." She said looking up at the sky. "I know now that killing and death are parts of me. They will never go away, but I must find a balance, for there is also love… and life." She said touching her belly and smiling. "Tyrade." She spoke as she looked at where her baby was growing. "You shall have his name. I believe you are worthy of it." She said to the unborn girl, who would be the namesake of her dear friend. "May you live on in her." She spoke into the early morning sky.

A/N: I know I know, I bet you're all screaming, Get On With The Action Girl! My response is, yeah it's been a tad bit slow but I felt it necessary to establish Larka's character once more and the changes and challenges she's going through. I promise it'll pick up in the next chapter!