Chapter 6- Falling

Another long, rigorous day of walking was coming to a close and night was once again falling. Blue knew that she wasn't up to walking for another whole night.

Tonight," Scorpion unintentionally boomed, "We will rest." Relief washed over Blue, her legs were weak with the days of fatigue that she had ignored. Scorpion found a nice spot for blue to sleep, the soil was loose and the grass was downy. Scorpion decided to sleep in a particularly uncomfortable spot, yet it was close enough for Scorpion to keep an eye on Blue. Blue immediately began to drift off to sleep. A warm breeze gently caressed them and Blue was no longer awake.

Blue woke up with a start. It was not yet day break, in fact, it was a few hours away. Bluesong decided that she would try to bathe before Scorpion woke so she would be ready to travel as soon as he got up. Scorpion had told her about a stream that ran through the living forest. She could go there, it wasn't far and she had already grown accustomed to the faces on the tree. Blue rose with difficulty and yawned. Her body was very soar from the seemingly endless walking. She wondered if the forest even ended but really she knew it did. Blue thought of waking Scorpion so they could walk together but she decided against it after only a moment's thought.

She began to walk slowly to the stream. The sounds of the early morning helped to sooth her. Outworld crickets chirped and other insects buzzed around lazily. It seemed as though Blue had been walking for only a few moments when she heard the soft gurgling of water very close by. The stream was very close.

When Blue did reach the stream she got prepared and began to bath. The water was cold but it relaxed her aching muscles. She wondered if Scorpion's muscles ached too, he had a lot of muscles. He looked so strong. Bluesong bathed for a very long time. She couldn't help it because she had become accustomed to the water and now the air seemed cold, but she had to get out of the water soon.

Suddenly, Blue heard footsteps. She looked around, frantically looking in every direction. There was absolutely no one around her. She finally decided that perhaps an animal had run near the stream.

Blue was forced to finally get out of the stream. Her skin was becoming wrinkled from all of the absorbed and lost water. She got out of the stream and quickly dressed herself again. Blue combed her hair with her fingers until it flattened and partially dried. It looked shiny and clean. Blue lounged around the stream for a bit, she admired the sparkling water.

She heard footstep once again, she froze, they were behind her. Blue could not and would not turn around, she wouldn't' even breath. "Hello again," someone said from behind her. Her heart stopped when she realized who the voice belonged to. It belonged to Drahmin. He roughly and violently twisted a lock of her hair around one of his disgusting and filthy finger. He then grabbed her arm until it hurt to the point that she let out a small cry. He turned her around until she faced him. Moloch was no where to be seen. Drahmin caught Blue's eyes wandering frantically around. "No," Drahmin said loudly, "There is no one around to hear you if you scream." Blue did not reply but just stared up at his face in terror. He laughed at her frightened expression. "Thanks to you," Drahmin said tightening his hold in her hair since his grip on her arm was already tight enough, "Mooch and I haven't eaten in too many days to count. But, today you aren't getting away. When I get through with you, you are going to wish you had never been born, then after that, I'm going to enjoy eating your soft mortal flesh slowly and painfully. For you, of course. "Drahmin is probably right," Blue thought, "There's really no way I'm going to make it out of here alive this time."

Back at Blue's resting sight, Scorpion got up from his uncomfortable sleeping spot. He immediately noticed that Blue was not where she was supposed to be. He panicked. He thought maybe she had gone to bathe but he could not be sure. Scorpion began to run in the direction of the stream. He arrived just in time to see Drahmin truing to drag Bluesong into the brush.

"Put her down Drahmin," Scorpion boomed. In Drahmin's shock he loosened his grip on Blue. She struggled her way away from Drahmin. Once Blue was no in Scorpion's way anymore, he hurtled his roped spear at Drahmin. It entered somewhere in his ribcage. "Get over here," Scorpion yelled as he pulled Drahmin to him using the lodged spear. Drahmin's feet dragged on the ground as he tried to stop himself. He had pulled the spear out of himself and threw it on the ground but it was too late, he was already only a few feet away from Scorpion. Scorpion attacked Drahmin with a few punches before Drahmin pulled away and ran. He did not even look back.

Scorpion turned to look at Blue. Her hair was knotted from where Drahmin had twisted it around his finger tightly. Her arm was bruised from where Drahmin had gripped it so tightly she cried out. "Scorpion I'm sorry that I-," Blue said as Scorpion walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She was speechless but she just fell for him completely in that one infinitesimal moment. "What is wrong?" Blue asked quietly. He gripped his face and pulled it off like a second mask to reveal a secret, a flaming skull.

Blue was shocked, yes, but she did not care. He knew that she did not care without her telling him. Wordlessly he put his face on. He bent close to her face, looking down at her. They kissed. The kiss was slow and shy at first but it grew rapidly. Scorpion's hands ran through her soft hair. Hours seemed to go by before they stopped. "What about your family?" Blue asked as gently as she could. The pain did not flood back to Scorpion's ghostly eyes. It was then that Bluesong realized that she had stolen some of Scorpion's pain and suffering. His torment was now hers and hers was his, they shared it. "I lost my family too long ago, my wife's memories are fading," Scorpion said sadly, "Yet, I never expected to stay alone forever…especially since the first moment I ever saw you."

They began to kiss again. More pain was shared between them. Warm winds blew over them and Scorpion held her in his two strong arms. The walked back into the forest together. They still hurt but they didn't hurt alone. They hurt together.

Blue woke up the next morning. Scorpion was lying awake next to her. "I wanted to make sure Drahmin did not come again," Scorpion said still staring up at the tree branches. Blue struggled to move closer to him and put one of her arms over his chest, it did not quite reach all the way. Scorpion looked at her and smiled through his mask, his eyes gave it away.

Blue remembered when she first saw Scorpion, she didn't really think he was the type that smiled often, she thought.

"We've got to travel today," Scorpion said. "Okay," Blue replied sleepily. They both got up and began to walk. Scorpion pulled out his last serving of food and drink, he handed it to Blue. "Eat it," he said. "No, I can't," Blue said. "It's the last of the food and water that I have," Scorpion insisted, "It will be a couple of days until I have anymore so you'd better eat it. If I catch anything in the forest though, we'll eat it." Blue offered Scorpion some of the food but he refused to eat it.

They walked a long ways and Scorpion carried Blue when ever she felt tired, but they still had a long way to go.