Stepping out from behind the branches, he made his way to a shocked Andrew and an impassive Night Wing.
"Shit man… she could have killed you!"
"What? Twice in one day?" Darien's sarcasm counteracted Andrew's anger at his friend's eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Go back home… this doesn't concern you."
"Like hell it doesn't concern me… he's my best friend, we share everything… including trust of the other person, something I'm sure you have no concept of."
Serena snorted at his words, as unfased by them as she was with almost every other thing in life. Cocking her head to the side, she regarded the man stood before her; "Trust me when I say that anything you have to say to me is irrelevant at this moment… Maybe you should try again when we're less busy with things that, as I've said before, don't concern you."
It was Darien's turn to snort as Andrew finally spoke up, "But it does concern him Sere, he's family."
As soon as the words hovered between the two siblings Andrew regretted their very existence. He watched helplessly as Serena switched back into the icy persona of Night wing, something she rarely did when around him. He reached out to touch her, only to grasp thin air as she lithely dodged his touch, her body relaxed, yet tense, emotions locked away deep within her subconscious. Sighing, Andrew ran his hand over his face before turning to face Darien, who had been silently observing the two interact.
"Look man, there are some things you don't know about me and hopefully it'll stay that way…" He held up his hand to stop the protests from his friend's mouth at his words, "Just like there are some things that I don't know about you… Serena is one of them, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you never mentioned it again. No one else knows… no one."
The emphasise on "no one" led Darien to believe that maybe God wasn't all that seeing or if he was, he was choosing to turn a blind eye over this particular matter.
"But… how come you're on opposite sides? Surely you would both be in Heaven or, and I shudder to think about it, Hell?"
There was silence as Serena and Andrew regarded each other, before she looked away and he answered Darien's question.
"To be truthful… I don't really know, the only who does is Serena and something leads me to believe that she's not gonna be telling you any time soon." The wry smile on Andrew's face did nothing to ease Darien's mind, but before he could respond, he sensed Night wing become absolutely still, if he'd thought she had become alert before, when he'd been found out, it was nothing compared to the stillness she was portraying now… It was if the very essence of her was cold, unmoving, focused on the task of making oneself unknown to its surroundings. The atmosphere became tense and it was only then that Darien realised that the only source of light was coming from the quickly waning moon. Eyes wide, he glanced at his friend, taking in the sight of Andrew's stiff jaw and narrowed eyes as he watched his sister.
When she did speak, it was with a calculated calm that seemed to undermine their current situation.
"I told you it was too dangerous for you… But did you listen? No and now we're about to be hunted. As it is you both still have a chance of getting out of here alive… If you hurry that is."
"Don't you mean if we hurry… as in the three of us?"
Serena's nonchalant wave of her deceptively delicate hand was the all the answer he got, but while he took this as her agreement to them all leaving, Darien was quick to note that she never verbally gave any indication that she'd be leaving with them, but before he could question her on it, a piercing howl daggered across the atmosphere, it's lone sound quickly followed by others of varying degrees of pitches. A deep shudder went down Darien's spine and he wasn't surprised to see that he was the only one. However, he watched with interest as Night wing… Serena… what ever her name was, closed her eyes and tipped her face to the sky, as if basking in the sounds of the hellhounds. As though she could sense his gaze, Night wing's eyes snapped open and her head turned sharply to face his way. Her hair flew out around her body like a favourite cloak settling into position and he couldn't help but admire her beauty. No matter what she was, she was a goddess, something so beautiful you didn't know whether to rejoice at having seen such a sight or mourn at the fact that she was inheritably evil.
The rapidly approaching beat of the beasts surging through the brittle branches of bushes snapped the trio into action; they simultaneously began running away from the hounds, their bodies instinctively accessing their survival instincts, adrenaline pumping through their veins as their heart rates increased drastically. Darien was surprised to note that Andrew was leading the group, not Night wing as he'd expected, in fact, Night wing was divergently keeping track of the enemy, ironic seeing as she was the enemy…. at least to him. It was only Night wing's hand grasping the back of Darien's coat that prevented him stepping off the cliff's edge.
"If you keep saving me I'm gonna have to think you care." Darien's words contrasted the ominous look in his eyes, his raven black hair falling mostly shielding them as he regarded the petite woman before him. If anything her opal black eyes became even more ominous than before, her face betraying nothing at all. His head turned as he felt the air stir around him and caught sight of Andrew unfolding his wings, his pearly white wings almost lost to the inky darkness of night. Releasing his own wings Darien stepped back closer to cliff's edge, already feeling the pull of his wings, eager to launch him to the air, until movement out of the corner of his eye halted him, glancing back her watched stunned as Night wing tipped her head back and laughed, her eyes wide and unfocused the black seeming to flicker, a silver sheen hovering over the colour. Her own wings were no where in sight and he quickly came to the realisation that she'd never had the intention of leaving with them.
Cursing, he spun reaching out to grab her hand and hurl her with him when her head dropped and her eyes meet his. He froze as silvery blue eyes met his, her skin seeming to glow radiantly as if it was absorbing the frail shine of the moon and reflecting it back out. She laughed again, a joyous sound as the beasts closed in on them, something that seemed to freeze the very blood frantically running through his veins. Eyes wide, he felt helpless as he watched her; watched her turn to face their opponents while seemingly drawing out her sword from thin air. Cursing he folded his wings back before calling for his own sword, stepping up level with her, his face and body unyielding as she gleefully turned towards him, before turning back, anticipating the potentially explosive fight that was sure to come.
There was no obvious signal given, but some how the two leapt into action, their bodies moving through the motions of dicing and slicing, dodging and ducking, retreating and attacking as the beasts flew at them from every side, their bodies synchronised as they literally fought for their lives. Darien could feel the adrenaline pulsing round his body in thick waves, his senses heightened almost painfully as he rolled out of the way of an attack, only to duck quickly as the gruesome claw of another beast came swiping towards his head. He heard the fierce laughter of Night wing, and turned briefly to watch as she effortlessly slaughtered the beasts before her, her sword flashing through the air seamlessly as she hacked away at their opponents. She was stained in blood, her eyes were bright with a spark of something blood thirsty, something that had Darien shuddering before he was dragged back in to reality with the feeling of claws burrowing deep into his shoulder. His startled cry drew the attention of Night wing who watched as he was speared from behind, his body jerking back and forwards as the beast removed his claws before it moved to deal the final deathblow.
Instinctively, Night wing moved to defend the blow, her sword slicing through the meat of the beasts arm a hair width before it came crashing down on Darien's skull. She watched as his rapidly dulling eyes turned to meet hers and he used his own sword to help him stagger to his feet, his teeth gnashed together to stave off screams wanting to escape from his throat. His arm hung uselessly down by his side, his sword dragging along the ground as he swayed dangerously on his feet. Quickly assessing the situation, Night wing, quickly wrapped her arm around him, taking on most of his weight as he literally collapsed against her. Her wings unfurled from her back and she took to the sky, knowing that this would slow down their attackers, if only for the moment. Adrenaline slowly seeping from her body, Night wing knew she didn't have much time until she grew too tired to continue flying or until it became too late for Darien.
Glancing down at the unconscious man, she sighed, wondering when her life became so complicated, before she continued her search for some place safe.