Sorry guys for not posting this earlier, I have been feeling down and I am busy with family so again sorry. I hope that I might be able to get out of this hole and keep on writing but with school starting up I will be more stressed than ever. Please enjoy and advise is always smiled apon.

Chapter 8

Captured

Darkness... that was all he saw. Darkness is not something that is able to be removed. It is always there, no matter how hard you try. It was an enemy to most, but to him he thought of it as... neutral.

He let out a click. The first thing he took in was the dead rat next to him. He shook his head. What happened here, he thought. He clicked again. This time he took in the body. He jumped to his feet. He regretted it.

He fell to the ground face first. His head hurt from over exhaustion. He sat there trying to calm the raging head ache. He crawled over to the body and felt for a pulse. He was relieved to find that there was a pulse, it was not faint and was glad that it was rather strong.

He let out another click. He felt the details. He saw the face of the woman he loved. He looked around. There was no way he could get her back to the city alone. He was simply to exhausted.

Then he remembered the bats. They had to be around here somewhere. He let out a whistle, rather quiet than his normal whistle. He could only hope the bats heard it as he collapsed back on the ground. He refused to sleep but his body refused to move.

He saw a form fill the doorway. He clicked and felt adrenaline pump through his veins. The form above him was not a bat nor was it a friend. If it were Ripred he would know. Ripred had scars that were easily identifiable. This rat had only one scar on it, over one eye.

He was getting up to fight but never made it. The rat hit him in his head and everything went dark.

When he awoke he could not move. He was not bound at all and was lying against the floor. He was a master of echolocation and got a good enough look of the room around him when he heard the scraping of claws on the floor.

His head hurt horribly, and he figured that he would not be able to get up. He got another view of the room and watched as another rat walked into the room. The first rat turned around to find the rat. It was about to lung when the second rat easily sliced it's eye with it's claw.

He felt adrenaline pump when he saw who was lying next to him. Luxa was siting there unconciounce. He was able to let out a loud moan. It was loud enough for him to see the many scars on the rat. His head hurt too much to place them.

"Well what have you done now Gregor. Got your-self caught along with your queen." Said a mocking voice. Gregor could not register it."I thought a low life rat like him could have easily been killed by you."

Gregor got up at that and drew his sword. He fell to the ground pitifully clutching his head."Oh, so a head injury is it. Well that would explain the blood on your head. Now lets get you out of here." Said the voice again. It walked closer and lifted Luxa onto his back.

Gregor just sat there clutching his head. He fell back to the floor unable to lift his body his head hurt too much to do anything else. He attempted to get up again but mearly fell. It was useless he couldn't move and he couldn't talk. His tounge was swollen and made it impossible to talk, he could barely breath through his nose.

"Looks like I have to do everything."The rat picked him up with his tail and put him on his back next to Luxa."Suprised you were being held for ransom. Most of the Bane's old followers would have killed you. Instead held you."

Gregor was stumped at that. He began to lose conciousness again."Sleep overlander, it has been nearly a week. I can smell that you have not been fed or even given water. I will wake you at water and we shall eat the fish in the river."

Gregor gave a slight push to get off the rat. The rat nearly shook."I am not your enemy Gregor. Is it you cannot recognize me or something? Well if that is the case then it is me Ripred." Gregor felt himself slipping. He could not take the pain anymore. He watched as the world turned around him go away to nothingness (I cannot really say it any other way but the image from echolocation faded).

He felt something nudge his side. He let out a click. He saw the image of Ripred nudging him next to a beach."Come overlander you have too drink. I shall catch fish and then we shall head to Regalia." Gregor began to slowly crawl to the water using the small energy he had left. As the water flooded his mouth Gregor felt relieved. He could not drink with his tounge but it was soothing.

Gregor plundged his body into the water letting it run over him. He felt his tounge begin to slowly return to normal and climbed out. He cupped his hands and slowly drank what he could. Within a few minutes of this his tounge was back to normal. He climbed out of the water and lay on the floor for a bit.

Something flopped next to Gregor. He clicked to find three fish."Eat overlander you need to get your energy back. You are the unlucky one. Luxa had not been in such bad shape as you. She is having trouble eating but it is doing as well as expected as she can. She cannot see like both of us." Gregor nodded.

They had no way of cooking the fish so they had to eat it raw."Is this how it will always be we all end up eating fish? Or is this just a chance?" He said with a smile.

"I am almost always reduced to this so should you like to complain I will leave you to find your way back to regalia." Ripred said sacasticly. Gregor rolled his eyes. Gregor downed his last piece of fish and walked over to Luxa.

"How you holding up?" He asked.

"As well as can be expected." Was all she said"I can not speak easily with my tounge."

"Well here I will bring you over to the water." He said as he grabbed her hand. He led her to the river and helped her in. He realized for the first time that the water was more a lake than a river for it did not move." Go slowly. No use in getting hurt or sick."

She walked through the water with him for a few minutes drinking water. Soon her mouth was back to normal. They sat on the side of the lake then. Gregor remembered Luxa's food and went to grab it.

"Here best get your energy back. Who knows when you will need it." He handed her a fish. She had barely been able to eat a fraction of her firstfish.

"I am unable to eat for I can not see."

"Then here let me feed you. There is nothing we can properly use to make a torch... there are plants we could burn but nothing to start it with."

Ripred walked over."This is why you should have taken my offer to train you echolocation. If this useless brain in a body can learn it then someone smarter should be able to." Gregor punched Ripred in the shoulder."Watch it boy you may have been imprisoned but do not think I will not get you back."

After a while they went out. Luxa riding on Ripred Gregor walking along side."I can't imagine anyone turning down the chance to learn echolocation after I learned it. Why would you turn it down, Luxa?"He asked out of the blue.

"I felt it would be useless to me for I would almost always have a flier with me. Now I see that that was a foolish thing to do." She said looking in the directionhe had been though he was now up even with her.

"Best after this you learn it rather than wait for this to happen again. And Ripred you look rather beat if you need us to we can take a break."The rat did look exhausted too. He was moving as if he were unable to stay up without passing out much longer. Then his breath was rather rugged.

"That would be rather blissful. Sure." The rat practicly fell to the ground. Within seconds the rat was asleep. Luxa slowly slid off him unsure of the ground below. Gregor walked over and grabbed her arm. When she reached the ground she held on to Gregor's arm after he let go of her's.

"Come if now is not the time to start learning then there would never be a good time." She nodded. They walked a little ways away."You are going to stand here while I go walk around. I am going to move every time that you say that I am somewhere. All you need to do is click and find me."

He walked away from her and walked over to a spot. She began clicking and soon pointed to a spot about a meter away from him."Your there."

"Wrong." He began moving to his right slowly getting closer to her.

She pointed again."There."

This went on for a few minutes until he was behind her. She clicked and he put his hand in front of her. She clicked again."Wait something was different that time."

"That would be because my hand is in front of you. You need to focus on the sound of the echo not the sound of what you make."

They continued this for a while until they decided it was time to stop. They had been practicing for about three hours and Luxa was obviously tired.

"Best you get some sleep I will keep gaurd."

"It is ok. I will keep gaurd. You sho-"

He cut her off."No you cannot see as it is and you are barely staying awake now. Just try to rest. It will be easier that way."

She grudgingly accepted and was soon asleep leaving him be. He let his thoughts flow and just sat there keeping watch.