A/N: A humungous thanks to my wonderful readers and reviewers. You guys are da bomb *throws gang sign*. Hope you enjoy this one! As promised the story picks up - here is where the AU / modified content begins :)
Chapter 10 - Dreams
After the successful defeat of the small army of enemies, it was a given that a celebration was in order, as was customary. In fact, it was so customary, that Qymaen tried to avoid them as much as he could. Rahkah made him drink - he did not like that. Everyone flocked around him - it made him feel uncomfortable and trapped. The generals around him tried pair him up with what they hoped to be potential partners for their young friend - he loathed that. All in all, he was learning fast how to best react in hostile situations, but social ones were very different. He feared he would never become accustomed to being a personality among his race, and even more so that he would begin to slip into a guise that was not his own when around his own admirers, much like the other commanders so often did. Rahkah seemed the only one who never changed, for he was the same roguish persona all the time whether around enthusiasts or not.
Needless to say, when N'jaere informed him that there would be another big gathering the night after their diminutive conquest, he graciously declined from attending, weaving a lavish web of excuses for his planned absence. In all actuality, he hadn't the slightest idea what to occupy his time with other than sleep...
"Sheelal, tell me you are merely joking with me," Rahkah persisted, following his young friend like a baby animal to its mother. "This was your first victory in leadership of the troops, how could you not be present at the festivities?"
"With ease, it appears, my brother. I will not be going. That is my final word." His expression remained steely, drained of all emotion to mirror what he was feeling at the moment. "I am sorry," though in reality he was not in the least.
Rahkah shrugged his massive shoulders and stretched his arms, seeming to suppress a yawn. "Ah, well, I do not blame you I suppose. I too am worn-out. No sleep for me tonight though, I fear," he smirked. "Anyway with that said I must be on my way. Do have fun bein' lonely, kid."
To Rahkah's back he said, "One of these days you will get horrible diseases and die from your lifestyle..." It was stated out of his own concern for the man who was both a brother and a friend. "I do not want that to happen, you know."
"One of these days you'll become a man and discover that you need women in your life to keep you sensible!" he laughed, rather than being alarmed, "And yeah, I know you don't."
He said no more. Nothing else needed to be said.
...
...
It is dark.
It is night.
The sky above him is cloudless and the trees of the jungle are alive with the motion of the night animals that occupy them. There is no wind, not the slightest hint of a breeze. . It is very cold yet at the same time, it is sweltering. His movement causes the humid haze around him to swirl and convulse as if in some odd dance, only to be slowed again by the utter stagnancy of the opposite temperature, intermingled with it.
He knows not where he goes; his feet carry him everywhere, but it feels like nowhere. There is a purpose, but it is not clear to him as he rushes on through the murky gloom, paying no heed to the predatory creatures that most assuredly lurk about.
In the distance he sees a light, and his path is made clear. It illuminates his way, and when he reaches it, a clearing, he stops, looking at the source.
It is a gargantuan block of stone, bathed in a light that comes down through the night and casts an eerie glow upon everything around it. On it is carved many symbols - many symbols surrounding a picture. The image is unlike anything he has ever seen before, richly detailed, menacing in its own right. A mask, that is what it is. A horrifyingly elongated mask with no clue as to its wearer.
"Astonishing, is it not?" a voice comes. There is not a soul near him, still it sounds as if the speaker were by his side. It is a clear, female tone.
He starts to look this way and that, striving to locate they who spoke.
He sees a figure on the other side of the clearing then. He sees her, but not her identity.
"What does this mean?" he asks, desperation seeping into him. "Tell me what it means!"
She who he watches turns and darts into the jungle. He follows instantly, never once looking away for fear of losing sight of his explanation. The terrain becomes rougher, harder to navigate. He scales fallen trees, dodges rocks that ostensibly come into view out of nowhere.
"Stop!" he tries, but she does not listen. "Please, I need to know what I am being told!"
All at once, the jungle comes to a brusque halt, and he is on a cliff overlooking the sea. There is wind now - much wind. The woman who he was pursuing has stopped, bearing tranquil. He approaches as silently as he can, not wanting to provoke her.
"I will not harm you..." the words leave his mouth with sincerity. He would never do anything to bring hurt to a woman. It is not in him to do so.
"Yes," her lucid voice reaches his ears again, "you will."
...
...
The pacing had gone on for hours. Qymaen had slept, and dreamed. It had been a most troubling vision - and he was unsure of how to go about interpreting it. His father had taught him that dreams were to be accepted for what they were: signs, and that one should strive to pursue positive ones. He was not certain of how to classify that which he had just experienced.
Clearly he had to find this strange woman and make her tell him what the inscription on the stone in the clearing meant...if such a place even existed. His hands rose to his head and gripped it firmly - how would he find it? There had been no direction in his dark travels. East was west and south was north. It was all so overwhelming.
Then it hit him through all his brooding.
He took up his cloak, strapped his hunting knives around his waist in their sheaths, and swung his loaded rifle onto his back.
He was not a patient man when it came to his own future.
A/N: And so you see, I have changed some things to fit in with the ultimate story line a bit better. Do not fret, things won't change too drastically. The next chapter I have had written by hand for a looooong time, so it will be up as soon as I type it. In the meantime, review and tell me what you think of this one :D Thank you and good day.