"Achoo!" Nixxie groaned, she had begun to lose count of how many sneezes she had let out since she woke up this morning. She winced as she rubbed her red irritated nose.
"I told you to take my coat again last night. now you have a cold! Idiot" Dylas frowned. He felt a little guilty that Nixxie was the only one who got sick, but it was mostly her fault, sleeping in wet clothes, away from the fire. "And you wouldn't even dry off. Now look at you" He scoffed.
"I get it! god damnit leave it to you to beat a dead horse." Nixxie replied in a sour stuffy voice.
"When we get home Doc will fix you up right away!" Amber stated confidently.
"Hmph" Nixxie had previously stated she wasn't going to set foot in that town.
"Really?!" Dylas huffed.
"What?" Nixxie and Amber turned around.
"You're bruised to hell and now sick as a dog and out of some stupid grudge you won't go get fixed up?" He had remembered her plans. 'Halfway my ass if I have to drag you by the ears I'm going to bring you to the doctor.' He scratched his head. ' I wish you'd explain yourself a little better.'
"Would it make you shut up if I say I'll think about it?" Nixxie relented.
"Why are you so scared?"
'I'm not scared I-"
"Scardy cat!" Amber laughed. Nixxie started to grit her teeth pausing only to sneeze again. There was a rustling in the bushes.
"Shhhh! Amber I want you to go hide ok, get yourself high up in a tree."
"Ok" Amber nodded.
"It's probably just some wollys calm down." Dylas commented.
"No. Shhh" She tried to get him to shut up. "Idiot Amber wasn't just being chased around by wollys"
"Did you hear something?" A voice shouted from the other side of the foliage. Dylas' tail began to swish as they crouched behind a bush. He could feel Nixxie's glare on him. 'Scolding me like a child.' His face grimaced.
"I can't help it." Dylas growled. 'It's a tail not an arm. It just does that sometimes.' He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on stopping it, but the problem got worse.
"You're killing me!" Nixxie shoved Dylas backwards then pushed through the shrubs into plain view of the men on the other side.
"who the hell are you?" Two armed men were staring down Nixxie, who was preoccupied with brushing herself off and pulling leaves out of her hair.
"Nixxie what are you doing!" Dylas scrambled after her. He went to run to her side but she stuck out her arm.
"Stay back Dylas, I've got this." Nixxie had her other hand on the hilt of her sword ready to unsheathe it.
"Another one. How many of you are there?" The one man demanded, trying to scope out any other mystery wanderers.
"All you should be worrying about is me." Nixxie gave a confident smirk.
"And you are?"
"Nixxie Kler." She stated with authority then punctuated with a sneeze.
"Nixxie why does that name sound familiar." The warrior scratched his head.
"Who cares. Right now you're prisoners of the Sechs." His companion stepped forward, he took a long look over Nixxie, inspecting her from head to toe. "Don't worry we'll take extra special care of you."
"Imprison me once shame on you, imprison me twice shame on me. It's not happening again!" Nixxie closed the gap between herself and the two men. 'Again?' Dylas looked puzzled, frozen for a moment in confusion.
"Nixxie get back here idiot!" He called out to her, but she didn't turn around she didn't move a muscle her face etched with fiery determination.
"We're passing through. With or without your connsent now turn around and go about you sleazy business." Not blinking not sweating she was clenching her fists tight.
"Bitch! Who are you telling to step aside. You should show your captors more respect! You'll regret messing with me. Oh the things I'll do with your pretty-"
"Shut your god damn mouth!" Dylas wouldn't let him talk to her like that. An overwhelming compulsion to protect Nixxie coursed through him. Dylas ran at the man full force Blasting him with a massive bolt of electricity as one of his now notorious punches landed squarely in the man's nose, you could hear the crunch as it broke. Blood poured out of the man's crooked nose like a faucet.
"Apologize to her! Now!" he wanted to defend not only her person but her honor.
"You're only making it worse on your woman!" The man laughed as he stood, blowing a kiss at Nixxie. She cringed as she glanced over to Dylas. You could hear him growl practically see his blood boil. 'He's really letting this get to him.'
"Quil maybe we should back off." His comrade tried to pull him back. "I think they're earthmates. Nixxie that name I think she was an earthmate from the empire that went missing a few years ago. Though news was she died" He tugged tighter, knowing they were out of their league. Dylas snatched Quil by the collar ripping him from his friend.
"No one is going anywhere without your apology." Dylas was seething. 'How dare he act like such a pig to her.'
"We're sorry." Quil's friend tried to pull him away, trying to escape Dylas' wrath.
"You shut your face. I'm talking to this pathetic excuse for a man." Dylas would not back down. "Now apologize." He raised one fist to punch the Quil a second time. Quil took the opportunity of Dylas' lessening grip, pushed himself free and drew a dagger. Dylas' still only saw red and charged at the Quil. But his punch missed and a swift stab hit him under the ribs. Dylas momentarily fell to the ground. Nixxie ran to his side, helping him up pressing a hand against his wound.
"Come on Dylas lets go." She pulled at him but he would not move. 'It was my plan to go on the offensive but not to this degree.'
"I said I was going to get an apology and I meant it!" He pushed her gently aside standing on his own, he would not be shaken, he would not be denied. Dylas went in for another punch. This time Quil used his only voice of reason as a human shield pushing his friend in the way of Dylas' fist which connected full force knocking the man clean out, no movement came from his body. Again the opportunist stabbed at Dylas this time hitting him in the abdomen. Dylas recoiled gasping sporadically as he fell to his knees. Again Nixxie went to his side but was pulled off of him, a large handful of hair being yanked by one of Quil's armor plated hands. She shrieked out as she tried to pull herself away, but the more she wriggled the tighter Quil's hold got.
"Nixxie!" Dylas awkwardly stood, woozy, he was starting to feel the blood loss, though the adrenalin keeping him from feeling the pain. He huffed and puffed, electricity cracking and sparking around his right fist. 'I'll kill him!' with a deep breath to collect himself he ran at Quil yet agin, but came to a screeching halt boots digging into the dirt when he saw that Quil had pulled Nixxie to be his replacement shield. Nixxie's back was held tight against Quil, her hair still embedded in his hold. She went to grab her sword, but stopped when she felt Quil's blade against her throat.
"Let her go!" Dylas shouted, the whole forest must have heard him at the volume he used.
"You truly are as dumb as you look." Quil laughed, eyes locked with Dylas he laid a kiss on Nixxie's cheek. He knew it was better for him to keep Dylas driven by emotion and not cognitive thoughts.
"I promise I'll break every bone in your god damn body." The hand covering his stomach was now drenched in blood.
"Dylas run. Please Dylas!" Nixxie felt her eyes welling up. 'He's hurt bad. This is all my fault.'
"Nixxie I won't let him hurt you. I'm not leaving you again!" He saw her eyes pop open is shock. 'I don't know when or why Nixxie but I know I was supposed to protect you before, and I failed. Is that how you got imprisoned? It doesn't matter I won't let you down again.'
"Won't let me?! Don't forget who has the upper hand." Quil pulled Nixxie ever closer. "Don't cry yet. We haven't even started." He started to slide his blade down her neck. "And you. Don't die on me, you'll miss the show." The blade going bellow her collar bone slowly started to slice her blouse open. She tried to pull it closed but she could feel pressure from the blade. "Don't be bashful. You've seen them before right?" He laughed at Dylas. "One last look for the road? Come on lets see." He pressed harder.
"Dylas everything will be ok. Please go I . . ." She gulped hard. "I don't want you to see this." Nixxie felt that she had one shot to save herself, but if it backfired Quil would surely kill her or worse. She didn't want that on Dylas' conscience. "You have things you still need to do. You need to get back home." She was trying to remind him that Amber was still out there, on her own. 'He's not moving.' She noticed Dylas' stillness, his body like stone his face was down positioned away from her.
"Idiot." Dylas was somber. "How many times do I have to say it! I'm not leaving you." He sighed trying to come up with a plan. "Think think dumbass!'
"How touching." Quil smirked.
"Shut up!" Nixxie gave a swift hind kick hitting Quil where it counted. While he was in a momentary daze Nixxie pulled out her sword and cut her hair free from his grasp. Covering herself with one hand she pointed her sword at him resting the tip right above his adam's apple. "You should have listened to your friend. I am an earthmate and I am no one to be messed with." Nixxe scowled. Dylas noted he wasn't the only one with powers as a line of flames traveled down Nixxie's blade like a forest fire burning at Quil's exposed neck, he cried out in pain. "You Sech bastard will never let me be in peace will you? From the day I was born till the day I die you all have a mark on my back, you just won't stop coming!"
"Are you going to apologize now?" Dylas stumbled over to the pair. He kicked Quil's dagger away from him.
"Dylas-" She was cut off by the sound of a swiftly delivered punch Quil landed on his back, he was holding his singed throat. Dylas then kicked Quil in the gut.
"I promised I'd break every bone in your body remember?" He lifted Quil to his feet only to knock him back down. Dylas landed punch after punch the air was silent except for the sound of the collisions. Eventually Nixxe had to pull Dylas off the crushed man, they sat on the forest floor together.
"He's not going to get up Dylas you can stop now." She took Dylas' hand in hers she bit her lip as she inspected his raw bloodied knuckles. "I'm sorry Dylas." Her voice cracked as she really took in what bad shape Dylas was in, he was ghostly pale, his shirt saturated in blood.
"I know . . . it's a bit messy but take it will you." He muttered.
"Huh?"
"My jacket. Go and get decent alright?" he shrugged off his coat and handed it to her yet again.
"You'd never looked did you?"
"What kind of man do you take me for." He was still looking away from her. "Are you good?"
"I'm covered. This is going to hurt ok? But at least you won't bleed anymore."
"Huh? Agggggg!" He screamed out in agony as a searing heat wracked through his body. Nixxie was cauterizing his wounds, more or less burning them shut. "Some god damn warning next time?!" He hissed.
"I did warn you. Listen faster." Nixxie laughed.
"I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? What are you sorry for? Not listening fast enough?" Nixxie was thoroughly confused.
"I had meant to get you an apology and I didn't." He looked over at Quil's mangled body. "I got carried away." He gave a weak chuckle. "I don't know what came over me I just lost control." His face hung low in self anger.
"That's an understatement." Nixxie patted him on the head. "It's alright. His apology wouldn't have meant anything anyway." She shrugged.
"Your hair!" All this time looking away he hadn't noticed the good chunk of hair she had chopped off.
"It'll grow back. How awful does it look?"
"It'll grow back." He laughed lightening the mood. "We should try and find Amber and get back." Dylas tried to stand but had to sit back down he had a serious case of vertigo.
"Just rest for a few minutes. I'll go find her." Nixxie got up but her wrist was grasped by Dylas, his hold was tight.
"Don't leave ok? Don't want you running into trouble by yourself again."
"Ok." She nodded, she sat down and rested her head on Dylas' shoulder, causing him to blush deep red, and his tail to betray him again. 'What am I supposed to do?'
"Thank you Dylas." Nixxie gave a relaxed sigh.
"For what?" He asked still nervous about their whole seating arrangement. 'Usually I keep people at a better distance than this.'
"For protecting me."
"I would have done that for anyone. . . . maybe not Doug." He trailed off. 'That's a lie, I would protect any of my friends to the death if I had to. But that's because I want to. I felt like I had to protect you Nixxie there was no choice in the matter. That my life depended on it. If anything would have happened to you I . . . Damn.' He frowned. 'Should I care this much for someone I just met . . . or re met it's just so damn confusing. I can't remember anything . . . just feelings. . . I hate feelings.'
"Oh." Nixxie almost seemed disappointed, she lifted her head from it's resting spot.
"What I say?" He was just getting comfortable with her being so close.
"Nothing. Dylas you're a good friend, a genuine good guy. Don't let anyone ever take that from you" Nixxie smiled assuredly.
"Will you do this good guy a favor?"
"Anything" Nixxie quickly nodded.
"Trust me."
"Huh?"
"I need you to help me get home, I promise nothing bad will happen to you. And If you want, once we get there and we get fixed up by the doctor, you can leave." He looked into her eyes hoping she would agree.
"I guess I owe you that much." Nixxie nodded.
"Thanks." he let out a relieved sigh grateful an argument didn't start up, he didn't have the energy for that 'Maybe I can convince you to stay, I think you'd fit in, I think I'd like your company. Maybe you'll eventually fill in the blanks for me.'
"Here." Nixxie helped him to his feet. "The quicker we get there the quicker I can leave." She scoffed. 'Maybe not.' He frowned. "I'll walk ahead incase anything comes our way. Amber!" She began to shout out for their companion. She didn't notice when something fell from her pocket. Dylas on the other hand did. He bent down gingerly and picked it was some kind of paper, he ran his thumb over the deep set fold, undoing one crease after another. He was about to call out to Nixxie to return it when he saw the faded writing. 'Dylas & me' He turned the paper over. ' A picture!' There they were. Four or five years younger, fishing polls in hand. Nixxie was laying a overdramatic kiss on Dylas' cheek. 'I guess I wasn't expecting that.' He saw the shocked look on the face of his younger self. 'We were dating? She never brought that up. If so she covered it up well. I thought we were just friends.' "Dylas everything ok?" Nixxie was a good couple of feet in front of him. She stopped when she no longer heard his footsteps.
"What? Huh? Yeah!" He stuffed the picture in his pocket, hoping she didn't notice.
" . . . Ok" She laughed. "Amber?!"
"Nixxie!" Amber flew down from a tree, the two two girls hugged. Dylas smiled though his mind was still on that picture. 'What happened between us?'