Winds of Change Book II: Distant Thunder

Chapter 23: Death and Rebirth!

AN: Ok, I'm back! This chapter, like a few of my others will be a bit of a rollercoaster, but, it will be different regarding the 'temperament'. This is my first serous attempt at writing something…romantic esq. I've been practicing with my Digimon fics, but this is my first 'dive' into the strange, confusing, and all around annoying world of romantic writing, so I ask that you bare with me as I try too feel my way around in the dark here. I only have the most basic of understanding in writing this, and that comes from reading other peoples work.

Oh, and don't forget check out Arashi21's profile for his work as well as a few that we are joint writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda or the 'Deathclaws'. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment Nintendo and Bethsaida (I think) however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal, Kanin, Tsuki, Majah and this story.

Shadow,Griffy and Nagera are the property of ShadowQueen25
Tigger belongs to Misery J Voldemort
Marina is nuts for Star Wars
Rondana was made, and is owned by MissDedodakes
Scarlett is the creation of Love Flame

Starling could do nothing but watch in mute horror as everything around her was plunged into the depths of chaos.

At first, Kai's energy field had taken on its normal form, that of a black cloud clinging to his body and surging with every movement, but then…it changed.

For a brief moment, she could see him shuddering, as if he had become suddenly cold, then it looked like the energy field was dissipating, like it was going to fall apart.

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE FAIL ME NOW! I ORDER YOU TO WORK YOU BLASTED ANCIENT PIECE OF REFUSE!" Kai's thunderous voice bellowed throughout the enormous room.

It was no secret; they all knew that he was at his limit, and that to use the powers any more would risk their going critical. That was the reason she now wore not only the anchor crystal that connected him to herself, but why she was wearing the Shadow crystal as well.

Feeling the pain, the anger, the unfathomable fear the was coursing through Kai, Starling found herself wishing for the first time since this mission had begun that the link Ayrgyn had forged between them would just shut off.

"Why is he so angry? It doesn't even make sense, Kai knows better than to let his emotions, especially his anger get the better of him. But then….why is he so afraid? Fear and anger of this magnitude, how can it be possible for anyone to experience both extremes at the same time?"

Just as she had feared would happen, Kai's energy field collapsed, shattering into the wind like a crystal dust.

"KAI! LOOK OUT!" Charging through the carnage, leaping over Deathclaws, and parts of Deathclaws that Kanin had rind, she tackled him to the ground just as a Deathclaw took a cheap shot and almost cleaved him in two.

"WHAT THE DEVIL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Starling shrieked as she rolled over onto her back and pulled Kai out of the way of a second attack by yet another Deathclaw.

"No…NO!"

Starling's eyes widened in fear as Kai's fist flew towards her face like a rocket.

"What is he...has he completely lost his mind?"

Just as it was about to connect, she saw that its trajectory was not her face, but just slightly to her right.

His fist sailed by her face, grazing her cheek and ear before filling the air with the sound of bone crunching.

Spinning around, she was surprised to see that another Deathclaw had snuck up on her and was about to attack, but her would be slayer was now flat on his back with a broken nose, and more than likely a fractured skull if nothing else.

"Star. Get. OUT. OF. HERE. NOW!"

Another burst of heat filled the air as her former ward somehow reformed his energy field, only this time it felt even worse than the last one. It was twisted and sickening, like a dying animal being tortured within an inch of its life. She could almost hear a painful shriek in the air as he shoved her out of the way and leapt back into the fight.

"Kai! Stop this at once! You're at your limit, you can't keep pushing the crystal, and you have no idea what it'll do to you!" She shouted, trying to reason with him. One look at his eyes told her that it was futile, but she had to try, she had to get through to him.

"Blast it Rose, where are you when I actually need to speak to you!?" Starling screamed mentally.

For a brief moment, just the blink of an eye, she was able to see the ancient dragon, but it was not the sight she had hoped, in fact, it was just the opposite. The woman's robe garbed figure was clinging to Kai from behind tighter than a second skin, moving fluidly with each bend, every twist, and gliding along with his every blow. Unlike the few times she had seen this in the past however, Rose was not trying to restrain Kai, she was not trying to hold him back.

She was guiding his attacks and whispering soft words of hate and pain into his ears, spurring him on deeper and deeper into battle frenzy.

"Has the world gone mad!?"

Kai/Rose turned towards her with a half crazed half blood lusting grin, one that made her shiver. Kai had never wore such an expression before, but to see the normally collected and passive Rose level her with such a weighty leer was more than she could stand.

Falling back on her training, letting her instincts take over for the first time in years, Starling did something she never thought she would since meeting the Storm Hawks.

She mentally and emotionally ran away from it all, and allowed herself to run on auto pilot. Everything that was happening was more than her psyche could handle, so it 'shut down' and 'rebooted' into 'safe mode'.

Her face now a cool and passive mask. Cold, unfeeling, unyielding, and completely void of emotion.

"I….have…to…keep…going!" Starling gritted as she brought around her nun chucks to deflect one Deathclaw's attack away from her and into another nearby Deathclaw's side.

Its howl of pain failed to reach her ears however. All she could hear was her own heartbeat and her own labored breathing. This was a fight for life, and she knew that the three of them were losing.

Kanin let loose a roar unlike anything she had ever heard before. Looking only out of the corner of her eye, she saw him leap up into the air and flip over a Deathclaw that had charged him. The attack missed, and instead of piercing the silvery furred warrior, it skewered another Deathclaw that had been behind him. The moment the werewolf landed, he brought his fists together and swung them hard into the back of the one that had tried to charge him, knocking it out cold.

"Something….something is wrong."

Feeling even more power surge from nearby, Starling yelped in surprise when something tugged on the front of her flight suit.

"What the blazes!?"

Looking down she saw something rising up in the middle of her chest, then fly out from a small freshly made hole.

Reaching up, Starling felt a cold sense of dread fill her stomach when she noticed that she was now only wearing one crystal necklace. Lifting her gaze, she saw Kai holding his hand out towards her, and in almost slow motion, she saw the Shadow crystal fly into his open palm.

In the back of her mind, Starling could hear several chains braking, but was unsure of their source; only one thought was filling her mind, breaking through her mask, and crumbling her carefully constructed barriers.

"I have to stop him; I have to reason with him, if I don't…"

Black and purple light filled the room like an unholy rainbow.

"No…"

An inhuman cry of pain and rage filled the air, chilling her to the bone. She had never heard a sound like this before, but she recognized it all the same, one only had to hear a similar sound once in their life to know what it was.

A death cry.

Ducking under one Deathclaw's swipe, Starling felt a stinging sensation in her eyes and a heavy weight in her chest. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had just failed, failed at something that could not be undone.

Cold and nauseating light continued to fill the room. Waves of black intermingled with shades of dark blues, violets, and purples. Each passing wave felt like a knife in her back. Whatever they were, they carried pain and emotional scars with them. She even saw that the Deathclaws were being affected by them. Some of the smaller ones were even paralyzed on the spot while the larger ones seemed to slow down by just a bit.

"DIE!"

A black and crimson surge flew across the room slamming two very large Deathclaws into the back wall, hard. Starling shivered when she didn't see them get back up. Something was seriously wrong, and not just the odds. There was a sick, almost vile presence in the room, and it was getting stronger.

Rolling to the side, Starling evaded a Deathclaws attack. Seeing two others coming at her, she reacted quickly. Jumping on the first ones clawed hand (which was embedded in the METAL PLATE floor) Starling jumped onto its shoulder, then kicked off as hard as she could.

"If I'm going down," Starling thought as she spun her nun chuck around above her head.

"I'M TAKING AS MANY OF YOU AS I CAN WITH ME!"

Light purple crystal energy flowed through her body and into the palm of her hand as Starling brought her nun chuck down and slammed it into the floor with as much force as she could muster.

"DOWN BURST!"

The surge of violet energy pulsed outwards in every direction, throwing several Deathclaws back and even knocking a few of the closer ones flat on their backs.

Seeing that Starling was actually able to fight, Kanin snorted.

"No woman is going to outdo me!" Roaring, the silver furred destroyer dropped to all fours and charged the nearest Deathclaw. Tackling it to the ground, he quickly grabbed it by the ankle, reared back, and swung the prone creature like a medieval mace. This proved to be an effective 'weapon' as it was rather heavy and gave good reach, allowing Kanin to strike quite a few other Deathclaws with ease.

Laughing like a madman, Kanin grabbed onto the creatures ankle with his second hand and pivoted on his heel, hammer throwing the creature across the room.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw another dozen Deathclaws charging towards him, fully intent on avenging their fallen fellow.

With a wolfish grin, Kanin turned and changed, hanging his left arm out and letting his right arm drag across the metal floor, sending a shower of sparks around him.

"Bring it on!" Kanin cried out as he brought his now heat charged claws and severed the first Deathclaws arm clear of its torso. As the others attacked him, Kanin felt no pain, he wasn't aware of the deep gashes now littering his body, nor was he aware of the fallen bodies that filled the area around him. The only thing he was aware of was that there were still Deathclaws standing, and that more were coming.

As he continued to fight, Kanin saw from the corner of his vision a flicker of black and red. Years of survival instincts kicked and without understanding why, he grabbed the two nearest Deathclaws by the arms, yanked them to him, then turned towards the source of light, holding up the two Deathclaws as shields.

Seconds later, Kanin was thrown from where he was standing to the back wall, over ten yards from where he had been standing with the same amount of force as if he had fallen from the roof of his home.

Kai found himself in a torrent of raw emotions. Everything around him was a blur and nothing looked even remotely familiar. He could see basic shapes, but not clearly enough to distinguish what they were. His vision was clouded with a red haze that made shadows jump out at him and anything that moved like it was an enemy. His sense of smell and touch no longer reached him, and the only thing he could hear was the rapid beating of his heart.

"How dare they even THINK they can get away with that!!" Rose's voice screamed painfully in his ears.

The moment Eden spoke those words, Kai felt Rose break through every ounce of self control he had left. That alone had frightened and confused him to no end. He was the one that was supposed to be 'overprotective' of his friend. Sure, he knew that Rose respected her, and that she even held the woman in a somewhat high regard compared to his other friends (especially Aladd). But she had never done or said anything that would lead him to expect a reaction like this from her.

"Rose!? What's going on!?" Kai called out.

He tried to move his hands, his legs, anything, but nothing was working. His body was moving but he wasn't the one in control.

Rose was.

Her hands were entwined with his own, moving him like a puppet, and he could do absolutely nothing about it.

"Unforgiveable, Eden WILL DIE BY MY CLAW!" Rose roared as she brought Kai's arm around and fired a blast of crimson and black energy, quickly forming it into a long flat 'blade'. Rose manipulated Kai's arm to bring the bladed arm around and sliced clean through several Deathclaws and a section of wall behind them like it was tissue paper.

Thinking back, Kai tried to recall what had happened. One minute he felt like dirt, the next he could feel Rose literally breathing down his neck, forcing his body to move, forcing him to fight at a level he had never even dreamed of.

"Try to keep their remains in as close to one piece as you can, I would like to study them after they have been dealt with, particularly the female if at all possible."

The words echoed through his mind, and again he felt Rose's anger boil over. Heat, power, raw energy was escaping from his every pore.

"What….is….this?" Kai thought weakly as he felt Rose push his mind deeper and deeper into his subconscious.

"No young one, this is not my doing, it is OUR doing. This is the combined effect of your emotions and my instincts…I am sorry Kai…I truly am."

A cold shiver passed though Kai's being as he heard Rose speak.

"Rose? But…if you're not doing this, who is?"

As he spoke, Kai's body continued to tear through the Deathclaws one by one. His body was running on autopilot, no longer responding to his will, but to something far stronger. Nothing was able to get within ten feet of him. If it charged, he cut it down. If it leaped, he was behind it and floored it. No matter how fast they moved, he was faster. Pain from his muscles shredding and bones cracking only fueled his frenzied state. He didn't heal 'super' fast, just a little bit faster than average, so he knew that if they somehow go out of this, he was going to be on his back for some time.

Punching another Deathclaw, this time in its armored carapace back, Kai felt several bones break, and again his anger soared.

"Kai…I never told you this because I didn't think….I didn't think it would ever become an issue." Rose said sadly. While this was not entirely her fault, the blame laid a bit more with her than it did with Kai. This time anyways.

"What is it then?" Kai asked.

"Bloodlust Kai, its bloodlust. This is the price you pay for carrying me," Rose said bitterly.

"Bloodlust…you mean Dragons Rage? I thought that was just a myth? I mean, shouldn't this have happened before?" Kai asked confusion clearly evident in his voice.

Dragons Rage, a feral state that consumes the mind of dragon's on occasion. It is said to only occur when they are on the droves of death, when there is no chance of survival. Though it was only a myth as far as Kai was concerned because it had come up so rarely, even with the Ancients records.

"No Kai….its not a myth…its real…very, very real."

As she spoke, Kai watched as his body leapt into the air and released another burst of black light, dropping several Deathclaws to the ground without causing so much as a scratch.

"But why didn't you tell me about this?! Why didn't I ever find anything? It makes no sense, if it's real, it would have been recorded in at least one archive!" Kai shouted, starting to feel cold and numb. His left arm already felt like it was incased in ice, now he could feel it spreading up towards his shoulder, like some kind of creeping vine.

"Recorded? By whom? A feral leaves NOTHING alive. Who would be able to record such a sight?" Rose shot back, beginning to feel the boy's anger leaking into herself. It was surprising, this was all his doing, her fault, but his doing, yet he still didn't have the slightest clue.

"How do I stop it then!?"

Vision growing dim, Kai was able to see several shapes moving towards him in slow motion, only one of which he could recognize as he felt the coldness reach his chest and head.

Several Deathclaws tacked him to the ground, but it was already too late.

"Star…..run…." Kai muttered as his body rose to its knees, pushing the Deathclaws on his back up just enough for him to kneel.

A high pitch whistling sound, followed by a flash of light filled the room.

Then

Nothing

The silence was deafening. Starling saw the Deathclaw as it raised its arm, and changed. Before her very eyes, she saw Kai rise to his knees, claws flying over his head by mere inches. Something, she didn't know what, but something told her to run, she could hear it as though it were inside her head, but it was not an order that she head.

It was pleading.

Ducking down, she rolled behind the corpse of a Deathclaw right before a wave of black and scarlet light filled the room. At first, it sounded like the roar of a carrier's engine directly above her, then nothing. She couldn't hear anything, not a sound.

But she could still feel as her body was thrown back along with the Deathclaw that had been in front of her. All around her, all she could see was a black mass with spider webbing lines of scarlet and crimson. The next thing she was aware of was pain, a sharp pain in the back of her skull as she felt herself get slammed into the thick metal wall of the room.

Seconds passed then a horrible ear piercing ringing filled her ears. The pain in her head was as excruciating from the ringing as it was from being thrown into the wall only moments before.

"What….what happened…" Starling thought as she finally summoned the strength to push herself up from the ground.

"Ough…." Grabbing the sides of her head, Starling shuddered as she felt something cool and slick on her hands. Pulling one back, she groaned when she saw that it was blood, red blood.

It took her a few seconds to pull herself together so that she was able to stand, but even then she was only able to by learning against the wall.

"…………."

Starling's eyes widened.

"…………………………………"

Holding her hand in front of her face, she quickly snapped her fingers several times.

Nothing

"Great, all I can hear is this infernal ringing, that will make things even harder, blast it all, and where is Kai?" Raising her head, Starling felt herself shudder yet again.

The room, while still standing looked like an Apocalypse crystal had gone off, and she was at ground zero. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the now much dimmer lighting, allowing her to see just how bad it was.

Wires and steel beams hung limply from the walls and ceiling, some falling around her, others looking about ready to drop without a moments notice. Parts of Deathclaws were all over the place, some sticking out of the floor, others fused with the floor, but most of them were just gone. She knew there must have been several dozen Deathclaws in the room, but now, counting the parts, she doubted that there were five left, and none of them were alive.

"What happened here? Did one of us hit something sensitive? Kai did say there were traps in these ancient constructs, but he never said anything about anything like that." Starling thought as she rubbed the back of her head, flinching when her glove found the source of the blood from earlier.

"This is bad, we need to get out of here….but if I can't hear anything…"

Putting her hands to her mouth, Starling called out Kai and Kanin's names, hoping that they could at least hear her. She continued calling out to the other two members of her 'team' as she slowly moved away from the wall. She knew she was limping a bit, but hoped it was only a mild sprain at worst. They couldn't afford any major injuries now.

Calling out for the hundredth time, Starling's eyes were drawn towards a source of movement at the far side of the room. Not able to tell exactly what it was, she readied her weapon as best she could, which wasn't much. The pain in her leg spiked shooting through her from her foot to her hip.

Her eyes widened when she saw that it was a massive Deathclaw, larger than any of the others she had seen so far. Beside the creature was yet another massive Deathclaw, but this one was not moving.

"This is it…I don't have a chance against this thing like I am now…I'm sorry Kai," she thought as she tried to swallow her fears down her dry throat.

The creature moved forwards, and then fell to the ground. Less than a second later the second one did as well.

"Kanin!"

Though she couldn't hear her own voice, it was obvious that the large silver warrior had. He was standing in a crouch position with his claws pointing outwards, each dripping with florescent green blood.

It was obvious be his stance and the green substance dripping from his claws that he had felled the two large Deathclaws only moments ago, quite likely saving her life.

He himself didn't look much better though. His fur was caked with blood, both his own and that of the Deathclaws. Entire sections of his fur were missing, looking almost like they had been burned or scorched off, and his right eye was swollen shut. She could see through his labored breathing and stiff posture that he was on his last leg, about ready to drop from exhaustion.

But he was alive.

Seeing his mouth move, Starling shook her head.

"I CANT HEAR ANYTHING!"

The silver male flinched and covered its sensitive ears with its large hands painfully, cringing at the volume of her voice.

"I guess he can hear me at least," Starling thought, slightly relieved.

"Do you know where Kai is? Have you seen him?" She asked, slightly quieter than before.

Raising its head, the half wolf took several whiffs from the air around him. She became worried when it took him several more seconds before even starting to move in a direction.

Lumbering towards her, Kanin pointed with his left arm off towards the side of the room furthest from where they came in.

Had Starling's hearing worked at the time, she would have heard a slight whimper come from the half beast as they started moving.

The two slowly made their way towards the final member of the mission group, wary of any movement. They were in rough shape, and neither one felt like trying to fight off anything, let alone a Deathclaw in their current shape.

Starling tried to piece together what had happened, but it was like something was blocking that part of her memory. She remembered entering this room, then the fight starting, but then, nothing. It was a total blank how she ended up against the wall looking like she lost a fight to a lawnmower.

"It must be the bump I took to the noggin," she reasoned as another painful throb ran through her head.

Starling limped against Kanin, who was likewise using her to not trip on anything. She had sight, he had hearing and smell. Apparently, his sense of pride was momentarily parked in the interest of survival.

The closer and closer they got to the wall, the less and less they saw. On the opposite end of the room there were several whole Deathclaws, and more than just a few 'parts' embedded into the wall and floor. But on this side of the room there were only black scorches and burn marks marring that walls and ceiling. Feeling his foot slide under him, Kanin stopped, stopping Starling dead in her tracks.

"What was that? Ice?"

Seeing the confusion on Starlings face, and remembering that at the moment she couldn't hear him, he rolled his still open eye and pointed down at the ground before reaching down to feel it.

It wasn't ice, whatever it was. It was slick as ice, but it felt warm to the touch.

He watched Starling bend down and examine it closer. Hearing her breath hitch, he knew it was bad.

"It….it's glass….black glass" Starling said bitterly.

"Black glass? What on Atmos is black glass?" Stepping back slightly to allow more light on the area, Kanin scanned around the floor with his good eye.

"Huh…that's strange. Where did glass come from? And why does it look like a five point star? Whoever did this must have been blind, or had no skill at all," Kanin thought. Looking back at Starling however, he felt that something was wrong. Her eyes had a deep vacant look to them. Not one of fear or disbelief, more like one of haunting.

Chalking it up to something outsiders dealt with, Kanin tugged on Starling's arm and motioned with his head.

Shuddering, the purple haired woman clung to his already hurting arm like a vice. He might not have ever seen this 'black glass' before, but it was obvious that she had. And whatever it was, judging by the way she was acting, had to be bad.

When they reached the far wall, Kanin took several more sniffs. This was the part he had been dreading.

"Which one do I lead her to? I can smell him everywhere…." Kai's scent was almost painful to his senses, it wasn't like a trail as it had been before, it was like a cloud, everywhere around them.

Feeling her hold on his arm release, Kanin looked down and saw her move slowly towards a twisted pile of what looked like scrap metal.

"Probably fell from the explosion. We need to get out of here before the whole place is coming down around our ears," Kanin thought cautiously as he eyed the still hanging (by what force he didn't know) beams above their heads.

Sniffling, and moments later crying filled his hearing, along with the scents of water and salt to his nostrils.

Not sure what it was, Starling felt like something was pulling her towards the pile of twisted metal in the center of the room. The floor, all around this area was scored with a black burn mark.

"This must be where the explosion came from. Did Kai activate the crystals in his pack and toss it over here?" Starling thought as she made her way closer to the scrap heap.

A small shower of sparks from overhead illuminated the area, revealing the 'scrap heap' for what it really was.

"No"

A recognizable red and black pattern was easily seen on the metal protruding from under the pile of rubble.

Running towards the pile as fast as her injured leg would take her; Starling dropped to her knees next to what she had thought, what she hoped, what she prayed was just a pile of metal, clinching her teeth to block out the pain of her leg as best she could.

A few seconds of digger however revealed it to be the torn and frayed remains of a suit of armor.

Not caring that her gloves had been nearly burned to nothing, Starling pulled away the largest piece of metal, feeling metal biting into her skin, she let the pain fuel her, strengthen her.

As soon as it was moved, she saw him.

"Kai…no…" Starling choked when she saw his face.

Though pale, his face looked so calm, peaceful even.

But….lifeless…..

Reaching out with one hand, she tenderly ran her thumb across his cheek, feeling the cold flesh under resist her touch.

"No"

Biting her lip, and fearing the worst, she slowly moved her hand downwards to his chest. Even under his armor, she felt him breathing when he carried her not two hours ago, so she knew that she should still be able to feel it.

"No"

Kanin moved slowly next to her, his visible eye widened when he saw the sight before him.

"No, this isn't happening, this isn't right, this isn't happening, not again, not for me, NOT AGAIN!" Starling screamed in her mind as memories she had buried long ago were being pulled to the surface, memories she had buried and swore never to dwell on again.

The surprise attack at the break of dawn.

The people running for the evacuation carriers

Her squadron taking to the sky to meet the Raptors in battle.

Her falling by Reptions blade.

Her squadron dying because they hid her, kept her safe when she was unconscious from injury.

Their lives, for hers.

Balling her fists, Starling felt her heart clinch as tears began pouring down her face.

"Why is it always me…why? WHY?!" Starling growled in both grief and anger.

Kanin looked away, wanting to give her some semblance of privacy. Woman or not, she was a warrior, that much he acknowledged, and this much she had earned.

"Why is it others are always dying for me? Why do I have to keep living at the cost of others?!" Despite her tears, she felt her face twist into a scowl and her fists tighten, driving her nails into her scraped and bleeding palms.

"First my parents…then my Squadron…now…my friend….its not fair…."

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Slamming her fists on Kai, Starling let loose a cry of anguish that echoed through out the entire ancient structure.

"You promised!"

Punch

"You swore!"

Punch

"You swore on your honor you wouldn't use that blasted crystal again!"

Punch

"You promised me…hiccup…"YOU PROMISED!" Starling screamed before collapsing onto her friend's chest a sobbing wreck. The pain she felt was unimaginable, she had grieved for her parents, more than enough friends, and even her squadron, and while they all hurt greatly, this one hurt differently. Not as bad as her parents, not as cold as her friends, and not as stinging as her comrades.

This pain was emptiness.

Kanin was about to intercede when the young woman pushed herself up with a feral growl. With speed driven by desperation, she removed the chest plate of Kai's armor and tossed it aside.

"NO! I won't let you! You're not getting out of this, not now, not today!" Starling shouted as she placed her left hand over his heart and her right above it.

"I will not continue living at the expense of others, not if I can help it. I'm not the freighted little girl that I was when my parents died, I'm not leagues away like I was when my friends died, and I'm not unconscious like when I lost my Squadron. I'm here, and I'll see Perditions Flames before I let him get away with doing something like this!"

"Wake up!"

Slamming her raised fist onto her flat left hand, she repeated the action several times, her breathing become more and more haggard as her shuddering grew worse.

"I order you to wake up!" Starling shouted bringing her fist down again.

Feeling the reflex of air moving out of his chest under her hand, Starling's eyes widened.

"There's still a chance!"

She knew that the 'breathing' she had felt was just a reflex, the air being pushed out of his chest from the force of her blows, but it was still something. His heart had stopped, as had his breathing, but she knew that anything that had been stopped could be restarted, even a person.

Slamming her fists around his heart several times, she stopped and placed one hand directly onto his heart.

A tiny faint flutter so weak that it might as well have not been there at all, but there nonetheless.

"He's still not breathing, but if his heart is beating again, there's still time."

Mission mask back in place, Starling pinched his nose, took a deep breath, and quickly lowered her mouth to his own.

"Please, please let this work," Starling begged as she forced the air from her lungs and into Kai's.

"What…..happened to me? Why am I so cold?" Kai thought as he felt a stinging sensation spread across his body. Starting as a cold sting, it worsened until it became a dull burn that gained strength with every passing second.

"Hurts…so much…gahhh, its….."

Just as the burning pain reached his limit, Kai could feel a wave of coolness wash over him and lessen the flames, weakening them slightly.

"What was that?" Trying to open his eyes or move was nearly impossible, he knew how, he just couldn't, it felt like he had a very full and sleeping Wallop using him for a pillow.

Another wave washed over him, weakening the burning he felt in his muscles and chest even more.

"This….feeling…its….its almost the same….as when I almost drowned," Kai thought as he could feel tiny ebbs of strength retuning to him. It wasn't much, but he could feel it.

A third wave passed over him, clearing just a tiny bit of the fog in his head. Thinking was still difficult, and it hurt almost as bad as Harrier's singing, but he could feel a single thought passing through his mind, one tiny thought that seemed to be yelling at him.

"I'm….forgetting….something….but…what?"

A fourth wave passed over him, weakening the fog even further.

"I know….its something…important….but…."

Then, like a hammer breaking through a window, a voice shattered his thoughts.

"BREATH BLAST YOU! BREATH!"

The order forced his brain into overdrive, remembering the critical task that his body and mind both seemingly forgot to carry out.

Forcing his lungs open Kai did just as he had been commanded, and felt a far stronger wave pass through him than the previous four as his lungs filled with oxygen.

Forcing his eyes open, for a brief moment he could see nothing, but that nothing soon became a face less than an inch from his own, one with purple locks of hair and forest green eyes that held more fear than he thought ever should.

As soon as he could make out her face, he felt everything go black, and fell back into darkness.

"No! Kai! Wake up! Please!"

Starling shook his body several times, feeling her fear overwhelming her.

"No, I can't loose him twice in one day!" Getting ready to try and revive him again, Starling felt her fears give way when she was able to see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"He's breathing? But then, why is he…it doesn't matter; right now we need to get out of here. I'm only trained for field medicine, I'm not a medic!"

In the back of her mind, Starling knew that Kai was still in a great deal of danger. All she did was give his heart and lungs a jump start, but there was still a chance that she had been too late.

Turning to the only other member of their group, Starling ignored his surprised expression.

"We need to get out of here. I'm not sure there is enough explosives in existence to destroy this instillation, the best we can try to do is seal it, but we'll need to do that from the outside. Can you get us to the exit?" Starling asked pensively.

Nodding his head, Kanin reached out and was about to take Kai's unconscious form when Starling stopped him.

"Kanin, I know this is asking a lot from you, but can you carry us both? I don't think I would be able to make it out under my own strength."

For a moment, the large Bloodclaw visibly slumped, but it then nodded its head before lifting Kai carefully, and held him in front of Starling, and motioned her towards the unconscious teen with his snout.

Starling, not quite understanding what she was supposed to do, stepped behind Kai and wrapped her arms around him to hold him up, guessing that Kanin needed her to prop him up so that he could get a better hold on him.

That idea was blown out of the water when he turned on his heel and scooped up both her and Kai into his massive arms.

"Ahh!"

Starling squirmed as she felt herself being crushed from all sides, the pain in her leg no longer her only concern. Feeling something cold and hard in her hands, she looked down and saw that it was part of Kai's armor. Moving her gaze around, she soon figured out what Kanin had done. He might not have been able to lift them separately, but by her standing behind Kai, he had been able to lift them both up as one might a large piece of wood. She was being held from underneath by both of his arms, while she in turn was holding up Kai in her arms.

Still unable to hear anything, Starling focused as hard as she could on her sight, and focused on the boy in her arms. She could feel his breathing, but there were so many other possible problems that she couldn't think straight. Doing the only thing that she could, Starling tightened her grip and pulled Kai as close to her as she could, trying to will her strength to him.

Kanin's mind was abuzz with everything that had happened in the last few minutes. Though he was a Bloodclaw, he had not been one for very long. His 'battles' mainly consisted of hunts or spars. He had fought a few predators while trying to return to his village in the past, but nothing like this.

"What are those things? These…Deathclaws? Where did the come from?"

Though battle had been fairly decent in length; to him it had only been a few seconds. His mind shifted into survival mode and blanked out the moment the doors had opened and the Deathclaws flooded the room.

"Hmp, my first actual battle, I didn't even get to fight it!"

Moving as fast as he could with the load in his arms, Kanin tried to summon even a tiny piece of memory from the battle that he could. He knew that he had fought, his muscles ached worse than when he had undergone the Blood Ritual where had to fight four of the Elders. If that wasn't enough, he could hear the blood dripping form him with every step he took, both his own, and that of his fallen enemies. The cuts, scrapes and gashes that littered his body ached and screamed with every step and every breath he took. But he couldn't shake the felling that the victory had been a hollow one.

When his battle high wore off, the first thing he remembered seeing was two large Deathclaws facing away from him. The moment he saw Starling enter his field of vision, he figured out their plan, and literally cut them off. In the moments after this, but before the woman had nearly driven him deaf, he took in the sight around him. Bodies, parts of bodies, rubble, in a word, it was absolute and total desolation. And while this was not something that would usually bother him, he had the distinct feeling that he had not been the cause of this, not by a long shot.

When Starling had asked him to find Kai, he quickly found that the entire room was filled with the boys scent. It wasn't that he had been all over the room, it was that he was all over the room. He had thought for sure the Deathclaws had gotten hold of the teen, but took Starling to the strongest source of the scent, sensing that the two shared a powerful bond, and that the boy should at least have some form of final rights. He might not have been from his pack, but the he had proven himself to be a warrior in his eyes, as had his companion.

When the body was found, he tried to give them a moment of privacy, but that was shattered when he heard the sound of her firsts pounding on him.

Horrified that she would desecrate the remains of what he assumed to be a brother in arms, he was shocked again to see her lower her face to Kai's.

For a moment, he thought it to be some tradition of outsiders, perhaps the taking of a fallen warrior strength or something. But when his hearing detected a fait heartbeat, he felt his blood turn to ice water.

Looking down at the load in his arms, Kanin felt a new sense of respect, and fear for the small woman that now held their third comrade as tightly as could be.

"He was dead, I know he was. His heart had stopped and I know he wasn't breathing."

Making a turn when they reached the end of the hallway, Kanin continued to follow their combined scents from when they entered.

"So how was she….how did she…is she a shaman to her people? No, that can't be it; no shaman would take to the ways of war as this one does. She is a fighter, a warrior if I've ever seen one. But no warrior can perform such a feat. What is she? Is she even human?"

Kanin was not a coward, there was not a single cowardly thought that had ever entered his mind, and there had never been a fight he had run away from. But even he had his limits, and what he had seen defied every story he had heard and every kill he had seen or made in person. Life was, and then it wasn't. Once the breath left the body, the body died.

"But she….she returned that to him, she gave him back his breath. How is that possible?"

Thinking back to the few times he had observed the two, he could plainly tell that the two had a close relationship, one that was rare among siblings or the best of friends.

Looking down at them again, he was able to see for himself that the boy's chest was rising and falling steadily.

"You can't return the breath once it's gone…."

Kanin's eyes widened.

"Unless she gave him her own!"

Finding that this solution seemed to answer everything (to him anyways) Kanin felt a small grin spread itself across his muzzle.

"Few would be willing to do such a thing Kai. You had better not let this one go, it'd be your biggest blunder yet."

The large werewolf continued to run towards the exit, but came to a sliding stop when it came into sight.

"I'm afraid that I can not allow you to go any further. The three of you are contaminated and must be dealt with before you spread it further and ruin the Earth."

Kanin snarled as the holographic form of Eden appeared between them and the exit.

Along with several dozen more Deathclaws.

Tightening his hold on the two in his arms, Kanin felt anger and sadness well up from within him. He wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to protect the two outsiders. It was like hearing a story only to have it end prematurely.

Looking down with his one good eye, Kanin saw Starling curl up against Kai and hold him as tightly and as closely as humanly imaginable. She might not have said it, but her words were plain as day to him.

Over my dead body!

Feeling the same sentiments himself, Kanin dropped into a charge stance and flexed his foot claws.

"I'm not going to let it end like this!"

Roaring, the silver charged headlong towards the small army of Deathclaws, only to be stopped by a wall of crystal rising up from the ground around him.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Eden. It would interfere with my plans."

Kanin turned towards the source of the voice, as did Eden and the group of Deathclaws.

Starling looked over Kai's shoulder towards the source of the voice, focusing on the dark hallway where she was able to hear the distinct clicking of boots on metal.

"Identify yourself!" Eden demanded as several more lights activated, illuminating the room with a soft white glow.

There, in the middle of the room was a figure garbed in a dark purple hooded cloak.

"No, not here, not now! How did the Cyclonian's reach us so quickly!? I thought we still had several days lead on them!" Starling thought in horror.

The hooded figure looked up in the direction of the assembled group, and then turned towards Starling, revealing not the expected cold violet orbs of Lark Cyclonis, but a pair of dark orange, almost gold colored eyes.

In an instant, the cloaked figure disappeared in a flicker before reappearing between the Deathclaws and Kanin.

"Starling."

Jumping at hearing the slightly familiar voice call her name, the woman swallowed nervously before responding.

"Ye…yes?"

Starling watched as the hooded figure turned to gaze at her from over its shoulder. Though the face was still mostly hidden from view, she could have sworn that she saw a pair of dark lips curl into a warm smile.

"Take care of him for me. I'll try to catch up as soon as I can."

Before she could ask any questions, Starling, along with Kai and Kanin were enveloped with a light blue and white glow. Everything around them seemed to melt away like waking from a dream.

When the light faded, the trio found themselves to be outside of the gate they had used to enter the Ancient construct.

"What….happened?" Kanin asked as he blinked several times.

"I…I'm not sure, but we have to go back, we can't leave her in there!" Starling shouted. "Who was she? I know that I've heard that voice somewhere before…but where?"

Kanin was about to retort when the entire side of the canyon began to sprout crystals thicker than Kanin's whole body. The crystals continued to grow from the ground and walls, crisscrossing to cover the entire area and block the gate from being entered of exited.

"That wall of crystal…it must several meters thick! How did she do that?" Starling wondered out loud.

"I don't know….I've seen our villages shaman do something similar, but it was nowhere near this size or magnitude," Kanin replied in awe of what he had just seen. Shaking his head, the warrior turned and moved towards the exit of the canyon, both he and Starling remaining silent as they pondered what they had seen.

"Take care of him for me. I'll try to catch up as soon as I can." As the words echoed in the back of her mind, Starling couldn't help but wonder if she should be glad, or dread the next time this person crossed paths with them.

Lowering her hand, the woman turned back to face Eden and scowled.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this day, no idea how I have longed to finally meet you Eden."

The floating head quirked an eyebrow at the small figures tone.

"I do hope that you realize just what kind of mess you have caused, and what you have done to yourself. Those three will be the ruin of the planet, and it will be your fault. I was doing the world a service by removing such….rabble from existence."

Reaching up, a slender arm pulled back the hood covering its face, revealing a mane of dark blue hair.

"No….that is where you are wrong Eden. They will not ruin the Earth; your people already did that many years ago. They will do nothing worst than what you and your creators did during the Darkest Day, I doubt anyone could do worst."

"We did what had to be done. It was the only way to preserve the purity of the Earth,' Eden defended.

The bluenette chuckled darkly. "Earth is dead, only Atmos remains. I will do whatever it takes to preserve what is left of this world, and that includes removing threats to it such as yourself."

Eden, despite not being programmed for humor nearly laughed at that remark.

"Your situation is highly dubious. You are but one human, a crossbreed to be sure, but still mostly human. You have done nothing but temporarily slow me down. By sealing the gate you have shut off your only means of escape. You are locked in here with us," Eden taunted.

Pulling her staff from the inside of her cloak, the woman smiled.

"That is where you are wrong Eden. As a good friend of mine once said many years ago, I am not locked in here with you."

As the clawed staff extended to its full length, the white and blue crystals at each end began to glow and resonate.

"You, are locked in here, with me."

End chapter 23

Oh yeah, Archer is a meanie lol. The character that appeared at the end of this chapter is the same one that has made a few appearances in previous chapters. I've given a few more clues as to who it is, but the big clue won't be for a little while longer. I've still got the battle at the village to write out, and the end of this arc, along with the end of this book, so that should bring this volume of WOC to an end around chapter 25 or 26. I hope you'll forgive how long it took, but I was hit with a case of writers block, and this chapter had a lot in it, so it was a hard one to write. Yes Starling did give Kai CPR, the reason Kanin didnt know what it was though is as I explained before, its a backwater terra, and it doesnt really have much in the way of water, so CPR wouldnt be something they ever needed or would have developed on their own.

If I still have any readers out there, I'll try to respond to any reviews that I can within a week or so, annon reviews are still welcomed but I cant respond to those. I'll try to get started on the next chapter ASAP but I can't make any promises.

Oh, and special prize to whoever can figure out where the line at the end is from, it's a fairly recent movie (that has nothing to do with Storm Hawks) I just thought it was cool and wanted to find a way to work it in lol.

Till next time, Ja Ne!