Chapter 12: Flesh and Blood
Night of the Full Beaver Moon in Jaguar Cave, in the forests of Tenochtitlan
Cit'lal-i frowned and looked up to the creature blocking his light. The mortal Hunter didn't seem to recognize him. Then something hit Cit'lal-i. This creature was around twelve feet tall, and was adorned with black and crimson armor. His skin was an oddly candy cane striped variation. He carried a…
Suddenly thousands of years of legends and story-telling images flashed across Cit'lal-i's mind in a matter of an instant, like a crash course. It was as if he knew who this being was, but the words would not roll off his tongue.
Mixcoatl is a black mask over your eyes and has distinctive red and white candy-cane stripes stained on his body for his sins, both good and bad.
He was the first to strike fire with flint; a god of fire, along with war, and the hunt. He is the father of 400 sons, known as the Centzon Huitznahua, that all disappeared from the heavens. And he carried the double bladed weapon, which was forged by the Gods: Mictlantecuhtle of the Dead, Xipetotec of Disease, and Xolotl of Lightening, to aid him in ridding the world of weakness. And it cried death in poison when swung by his hands and slaughtered his enemies. Mixcoatl, God of the Hunt, brought forth naught and destruction and bereavement to the world. And in the tenth year, he returned to the seventh Heaven and resided in his temple for all time.
~Fifth Book of Loss, third Canto
He could not speak. The Devil before him was also silent, although in a foreboding way. The wind blew by lightly, letting Cit'lal-i unwillingly smell the god's scent. It was one of poison and death, but also of the woods. And the smell of fresh burned leaves, a witch's brew over a pine fire. He smelled both deadly and beautiful at the same time. They stared at each other for minutes, life going on about them. The female beside him looked at him for a moment and then shook her head and stood to walk away.
"Wait." Cit'lal-i whispered to her, moving neither his head nor body.
"What?" she sounded annoyed, her hands resting upon her hips.
"Do you not see…it?" still he was whispering.
Moments went by and she searched the area as if she were looking for something. Then, abruptly, she turned and walked away muttering "that human got to him …" and shaking her head. So she couldn't see the God that stood before Cit'lal-i? Finally, the God spoke and when he did it sounded as if swords and shields were clashing in the heat of battle. It was both rough and soft, a shadow in the light. He cocked his head as he spoke and it sent shivers down Citlal-i's spine.
"I can only be seen by you, Hunter." His voice was a haunting melody.
Cit'lal-i couldn't think, he couldn't move. Under the god's enchantment, he nodded numbly and turned back around. The Hunter-god behind him rumbled a laugh. A thud hit the ground hard beside Cit'lal-i.
'Why was he here?' He couldn't find the words to ask his questions. The grass moved a little in the breeze and the trees began to speak to each other. Still, the place seemed to be empty to Cit'lal-i.
"They sent me to help you." The God's voice broke the windy silence.
Cit'lal-i felt a stab at his ego. Why would HE need help? He looked to the God in a nonchalantly challenging way.
"You'll need the help, Hunter. Believe me."
There was a moment of awkward silence. They both sat there, looking at the sunset in different ways. The God looked at it as if he were trapped again by time. He sighed and shook his head, looking to the sky for any answers among the stars. The constellations showed that the Goddess of the Moon was laughing at him. He growled deep in his throat and the stars returned to normal.
"You don't like the night do you?" Cit'lal-i had calmed down and was thinking out his situation carefully. A false word could end him.
He saw the night as another chance to get up and move, to attack the Dragon by surprise. The only thing on his mind now was Xochiyotl. But his companions were tired and he knew he couldn't kill the beast on his own.
"No, I love the night. It is the one who lights it and her servants that I dislike." Mixcoatl gnashed his fangs together in frustration.
"The one who lights it? Do you mean the moon?" Cit'lal-i's tone was confused.
Mixcoatl looked at the worldly Hunter for a moment. He seemed more like a brother than anything else right now. Emotions struggled inside him and his consciousness fought the urge to let them out. Years of anger at his Goddess sister and her servants bubbled over and he had to tell the Hunter at least a little of what was happening.
"You know one of her servants well, though you might not realize it…"
The Seventh HeavenCoyolxauhqui shrieked at the ceiling. She tore at the sheets of her throne and shouted at all who could hear. The God's and Goddesses crowded to her temple to see what was happening. Inside, they found all of her stars surrounding the throne and Coyolxauhqui. Standing in front of them were Xochiquetzal, Quetzalcoatl, and Tezcatlipoca. The Goddess of beauty seemed annoyed, just like the other two.
"What do you want Moon?" Xochiquetzal frowned and shook her head.
"He's telling him! He's betraying me! Help!" the Moon had tears running down her face and her skin seemed tanner than most remembered.
"Who's telling who of what?" Quetzalcoatl sighed.
"I think I know what she is talking about. A favor she had me do a while back." Tezcatlipoca frowned deeper than Beauty.
"What?"
"What?!"
"NO!" the Goddess of the moon charged at the God of temptation with her nails drawn back and teeth bared.
She hit him hard and began scratching and shouting and biting all at the same time. With a heave, the God of temptation threw her across the temple. He roared at her and in an instant, she snapped out of her angered stupor. The three Deities sighed at her as the God of temptation's wounds healed before them, without a single drop of blood hitting the marble flooring. He turned to look at the others and when they nodded, he turned again.
"Tell us, Tezcatlipoca. What favor did she ask of you?" Xochiquetzal rested a hand on her crimson clad hip.
He smiled and began with a long breath.
"It was a while back. She decided, before she went insane, that the Hunter needed a little temptation to love the human girl. She sang out my name. In a matter of seconds, I appeared at her door; I don't know why. 'What do you want?' I asked. 'Make him lust for her.' Coyolxauhqui spoke as if she controlled me. I was suspicious. 'Just do it, brother…it will do no harm.' She promised. I said 'Very well, but I will not bow to your whim every moment…remember that.' And with that I disappeared." And he finished his narrative.
The Moon was lying on the floor, whimpering. She was incredibly tan and didn't have the strength to stand any longer.
"Which star was it that tempted the Hunter?" the Goddess of beauty called to the ring around the moon.
"It was I." Nelli called out in a voice that sounded like falling rain.
"And you are not ashamed of your choice?" Quetzalcoatl inquired as if he knew the answer.
"No, I am not. I was serving my Goddess and…"
"Please tell us the rest." The Goddess of beauty was smiling.
"And I liked it. I was born a star and have never…experienced the pleasures of life."
"Well, maybe you'd like to become a human then?" Quetzalcoatl walked toward her and held out his hand.
It was entirely her choice…
Night of the Full Beaver Moon in Jaguar Cave, in the forests of Tenochtitlan
"So that was all set up by…heaven?" Cit'lal-i was thoroughly confused.
The night had fallen long ago and the stars were glistening dimly in the heavens and the moon looked as if it were very far away. The Hunter was tired and his eyes were drooping. Everything on him begged for some sleep and relaxation.
"Yes. The Moon always seems to want everything for herself." Mixcoatl hissed angrily.
Cit'lal-i hissed a little in an echo to his God's feelings. The dream had been created by heaven. He had to ask a question that his mind was thinking, but his heart was denying. In fact, everything on his body was denying it.
"Do…do I really love her?" Cit'lal-i didn't turn or look at the God.
There was a sigh and then a little laugh. Moments passed in silence and Cit'lal felt himself begin to drift off into sleep unwillingly.
"I don't know. Do you?" The God asked with a tone.
But Cit'lal-i was already asleep and silent. The God smiled and looked again to the sky. The grass underneath him was beginning to get soggy and the air was moist. A storm was blowing in off of the sea. Something about the air smelt like magic and somewhat of mischievousness. Mixcoatl continued to stare into the sky until the relentless hold of night waned. When his stomach began to grumble, he didn't recognize the feeling or sound. Then, as his mortal yautja memories came back to him, he remembered his hunger and the only way to satisfy it. Standing, the God turned to the forest. With a smile, he walked toward the trees, which seemed to bend to get out of his way.
Something was coming. It was seething and black and cold and it covered the walls in a goo and reddish bloody mess. He was disgusted and yet at the same time he wanted to fight every one of the serpent creatures. Each one was going to make a good trophy on his wall. They poured up onto the temple as one seething mass of teeth and hate. As they reached him, he noticed that she was not there. Where was she? Something like a sandy beach floated into his mind, and her face smiling happily up at him made his chest warm.
"Isn't the ocean nice right now?"
But a feeling of dread hit him as the scene boiled over into a horrible mess. Crimson liquid was strewn across the sands and she was lying on the ground in a pool of blood and her arm, her poor arm.
"Cit'lal-i!" she looked up at him with blood and tears and sand on her face.
And he lunged for her…
Cit'lal-i shrieked and jolted upright. He roared and his hand shot out to touch Xochiyotl. But she wasn't there. Despair hit him as soon as he realized she was gone. Crumbling into a ball, Cit'lal-i allowed his anguish to pour in loud, sad, garbled noises as tears ran down his face. There was a hole in his chest and as the day continued, Cit'lal-i didn't move once. He stayed in his curled position, keeping his eyes closed to keep that smiling picture of Xochiyotl in his head.
Hours passed, then a day. And on the morning of the second day, Mixcoatl walked up to the hunter and kicked him hard in the ribs. The precious vision of his beloved flew from his head nearly as fast as Cit'lal-i flew through the air. The pain came only a second after he had hit the trunk of a very familiar tree. Getting up, the Hunter winced and blinked his eyes repeatedly to clear his vision. He shouted at anyone that was near and then opened his eyes. Everything looked the same, desolate and lonely. He sat up slowly, groaning at the feel of his cramped muscles and sore eyes. Everything hurt.
"You're pathetic." Mixcoatl spat at Cit'lal-i.
"I-I love her. She's…gone" he couldn't get her out of his mind.
"Mine is gone as well. But I must move on. You must do the same, Hunter."
"What?" Cit'lal-i had never heard of the God of the Hunt having a mate before.
"Yes. She was even more beautiful than the Goddess of Beauty herself. Coatlicue was my heart and soul. However, she died long before your ancestors were even thought of. My sons met their demise when they, and their sister Coyolxauhqui, found that their mother Coatlicue was pregnant and they attempted to kill her. However, as they attacked she gave birth to my youngest son, a grown man and armed Huitzilopochtli, who killed his half-siblings. Quetzalcoatl is also said to be my son, although I do not claim him." Mixcoatl looked to the sky as if something in it were going to help him.
"Why do you not?"
"He acts too much older than me." And the God let it stand at that.
"So…" Cit'lal-i started. "How did…she die?"
Mixcoatl looked down on him and said nothing. There was a little 'mind your own business' growl and the god turned and walked to one of the trees in the glade. He stood there for a moment, and then sprang into the trees. Cit'lal-i sat for more time than he would have liked to, then stood and noticed that the others were not here. For a moment, he panicked. Looking around, he found a chunk of wood lying by the remains of a fire. Something was chiseled into it roughly with a blade.
We have gone onward to the sea. Follow us.
He remembered vaguely hearing the others tell him things, and yell his name. He had not had the will to move or respond. Cit'lal-i nodded to himself and turned toward the God. He was nowhere to be seen, but still here.
"Where is the Sea?" Cit'lal-i asked.
The God appeared next to him in a flash of branches and twinge of leaves. He was laughing, a deep rumbling coming from his throat. Still gurgling, he pointed toward the west, to the left of the cave. Cit'lal-i nodded and took off. He needed to find her, the longer he didn't know where she was, the quicker he died inside.
On the Beach By what is now called the "Gulf of Mexico"Xochiyotl was scared. She trembled despite the high temperature and her feet stuck in the wet sand as waves lapped at her feet and ankles. The Goddess before her smiled evilly. It had been three sunsets; they had stood and sat here on the beach. Xochiyotl was vaguely aware of hunger snapping at her stomach and weariness in her limbs. She had fallen asleep once, only for a while, and found herself floating in the ocean for her 'weakness' as the Goddess called it.
"I am the sea." Her voice sounded much like a waterfall.
Xochiyotl couldn't say anything. She merely stood, large tears beginning to leak down her face. Suddenly, the Goddess hissed through her teeth and grimaced. The teen knew that look; she tensed and hunched her shoulders. The Goddess looked at Xochiyotl as if she were trash and shouted, "Disgusting wretch, weakling!"
She continued to throw ugly words out as she threw a horrid rogue wave at the poor teen, throwing her hither and thither. The teen was smashed against a rock wall and then the ocean floor in only a few fleeting moments. She swallowed the salty death and battled against the pushing currents in an effort to stay alive. In another second, she was back on the sand, belly down, throwing up what was left in her stomach. Her arm was bent unnaturally and felt like it was on fire, her throat and eyes and stomach burned from the salt, and her head was bleeding profusely. Still, she said nothing, her eyes watering from despair and hurt, her teeth clattered together from the bitter cold of the water.
"My name is Toyota Mahime. I am the eastern sea." Her horrible voice made Xochiyotl cringe.
Then, as Xochiyotl looked up at the female, the Goddess melted into the waters. And she was gone from this world, leaving Xochiyotl and Brave Star on the sandy beach. The teen didn't move, avoiding anything that could cause her pain.
"I am sorry human." The Dragon half-heartedly spoke.
The sun was setting on the fourth day of her absence and Citlal-i was still not here. Maybe he has forgotten me. Xochiyotl thought for a moment. And that simple thought, of the one she loved forgetting her, made her bawl aloud. She cried herself to sleep. Right on the beach, not caring whether she lived or died. Her clothes were soaked and her hair was nothing but a ball of salt and dirt now. Her figure in the spoilt waters reminded her much of living alone in her cave. Sore once she wished she could have lived that over and over again, with that single shred of hope she carried in her heart. Now she had no hope and no reason to get any at all. Who was she that she deserved hope of all things? Tears continued to pour as another day passed.
It was morning again, and dread carried in Xochiyotl's heart. She rose from her sandy bed and looked around, startled at first. Then, she realized that the walls of blue and grey were moving and belonged to the Dragon himself. She sighed and her shoulders drooped. Sitting down and propping her head on her palms, Xochiyotl cried again. She had tried to fight, attempting to get away from the Dragon and Goddess. And now all she could think of was to pray, to beg for something or someone to help her. She closed her eyes and before a thought even entered her head, something flashed across her mind. The temperature dropped and when she opened her eyes before her laid a blue-green serpent about the size of an alligator. It looked up at her with yellow eyes and cocked its head. Words poured from it as if it were speaking directly to her mind rather than her ear.
"We are not here to search for our future; we are here to create it."
"Who-who are you?" Xochiyotl asked in a small voice.
"I am what you see."
"You're a lizard?"
The snake-lizard looked at her balefully. He shook his serpentine head and looked at the scaly walls around her.
"No, a god."
And with that, it burrowed into the sand and was gone. The temperature rose, and the humidity returned with it. Xochiyotl had to think for a minute. What had happened? Was it saying that she spend too much time whining? She had been complaining a lot. She looked back and finally, with a new determination in her heart, she decided to fight. She would create it.
There was nothing she could do until she freed herself from the Dragon though. Snatching the idea from the serpent, Xochiyotl turned to one of the slithering walls and began to dig at its base. It took hours to get a whole big enough for her to fit through, but when she did, she smiled. The Dragon was asleep and ignoring her for now. Turning, she saw nothing but open beaches and rock cliffs for miles. This was going to be difficult. Still determined, she dug her heels and toes and hands in the rocks of the cliff and climbed. With muscles developed from hours of hard work and living on farms for most of her life, it only took thirty minutes for her to reach the top of the smallest ledge. Sweat covered her body, she was clearly dehydrated, and her muscles and ached for rest. But as the teen looked up, she swore her eyes deceived her. Figures, covered in black seemed to be walking nearer and nearer to her location. Joy sprang in her heart and tears covered her eyes. She stood and just as she did, thunder boomed. Xochiyotl recognized the infuriated noise as the roar of the Dragon and immediately smashed herself to the ground. Too late, the Dragon swung his massive paw at her and she felt something break again as she was thrown off her ledge. She hit the sandy beach on her back and writhed in pain, unable to breathe. All she could see, when she opened her eyes, was the gold of the Dragon's irises. He growled at her and again roared. This time however, his noise was one of pain and not anger. The great beast whipped his head around and hissed as purple blood flowed from the spear stuck in his neck. His serpentine body began to twist into the sky even as the Hunters stuck themselves to him. They roared out commands and shouts that Xochiyotl couldn't understand or hear clearly. Her head was foggy, but she still stayed away from the comfort that the darkness offered in order to see the creatures fight.
It was beautiful. A slithering god of the sky shot upward and twirled with little black insect looking creatures crawling over him. His velvet mane whipped behind him and his hands clawed at the air as if her were climbing an invisible staircase to heaven. One of the Hunters was thrown off and fell a long way to hit the ground with a loud thud. The Hunter looked toward the sky and didn't seem to care. The fight went on with goblets of purple blood hit the ground in splashes and tainted the sea. Neon green covered Brave Star's scales in patches; still, he fought against the Two-Legs-Weapon-Carrier Aliens. In frustration, the God spat flames from his mouth and ended up only hurting himself. One of the Hunters was too close to his mouth. The creature was lifted by his massive maw and as Brave Star crunched down, he heard a snapping of armor and bone and could taste the sourness of the creature's blood. The fight began to slow down and the creatures began to jump from his scales to retreat. He saw that the human was being carried off by what he thought was the female of the group. Hissing, he spun around and forgot his original mission for a while, he plunged into the sea as his wounds burned it reminded him of the pain of loss.
Xochiyotl woke to a dim fire and the moans and rapid clicks of her rescuers. She turned her head a little and pain shot up her spine. With a muffled cry, the teen winced and lay perfectly still. Tears tugged at her eyes. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then a female of their species popped into view and huffed a laugh. She shook her head and began to talk to one of the others in the background. Xochiyotl became aware of her fevered skin and aching arm and leg. Her arm was still bent slightly but her leg looked like it had been snapped back into place. Had she really broken both? Looking down without moving her head, the teen saw sticks and thick cloth wrapping around her broken limbs and torn skin. Some of the wrapping was stained red and other parts were greenish, suggesting infection. With another moan, this time out of frustration, the girl relaxed again, it seemed to feel much better than looking around, or moving at all for that matter. After another moment of time and listening, she recognized some of the Hunters as guards of the Hunting Temple. Smiling a little, she closed her eyes and imagined Cit'lal-I and his comfortable room. His eyes and voice and scent stuck in her head even as the female came back for her. Amazingly, the female spoke Nahautl and her voice startled Xochiyotl.
"So you're the one Cit'lal-i is looking for." She seemed to laugh.
Xochiyotl's eyes widened and she looked at the Huntress in earnest, attempting to speak.
"He-he…I…s…al….rite?" she coughed and spat a little.
"Yes he is, and looking for you non-stop." She turned to look and play with something out of Xochiyotl's vision.
"Here, you need to eat and drink something other than seawater." Again she sounded like she was laughing.
Helping the human sit up, the Huntress smiled and sat the bowl of soup in her lap. It smelled heavily of the favored yeasty meat of the Hunters. After a few bites, Xochiyotl had a few questions to ask, her voice was a little better and she figured she'd better ask while she could.
"Wh-what is…your…name?" she looked up sheepishly.
"Me? My name is Yao-tl." She smiled again. She seemed fond of smiling.
So her name meant Worrier. Xochiyotl nodded and took another bite of the soup. It seemed to fill her stomach a lot and her heart a little. She looked around the cave and took everything in. The fire was in the middle of the cave, with three others crowded around it. They seemed to be bandaged up and having fun. The pot they had been cooking in was still over the flames and bubbling its own brew. Weapons and armor were scattered around in piles and blankets lay everywhere. The place had its own homey style and feeling of comfort to it. She looked down to the now-empty bowl of soup. It was taken abruptly by Yao-tl, still smiling, and she got up and walked away whispering to herself. Xochiyotl's stomach was full, so she aptly refused a second helping, but felt her eyelids droop and let herself fall into a healing slumber.
Morning of the 5th day of Hunting, Running along the Beaches of Mexico
Cit'lal-I hissed and stopped for a moment. He looked around and saw nothing but sand and salty water on one side and a steep cliff on the other. Turning his head to the God beside him, he saw that Mixcoatl was crouched to the ground and inspecting something.
"You move too quickly to see." And the God pointed to the crushed sand of a human's foot.
Cit'lal-i gazed around desperately. Sand lay in huge hills and deep holes in the ground bore evidence of a struggle. On the slight breeze, he could smell her blood. Panicking, he swung his head around and hissed angrily at anyone that would dare hurt his Xochiyotl! With a little laugh from the God, Cit'lal-i looked to the cliff face and used his helmet's vision to watch the recent heat changes of the rock. Little human hands and feet showed in orange and red at the Hunter nearly cried in joy. He was so close! With new determination in his heart, the Hunter dug his claws and feet in the rocky soil and began to climb.
Nothing tired him out when he was looking for the one he loved. His limbs and blood was singing by the time he reached the ledge at the top. Silently, Cit'lal-i wondered how Xochiyotl could have climbed it herself. As the God arrived on the ledge as well, he gasped and then laughed ragingly. When his body was done shaking and his noise had grown quiet, Mixcoatl smiled and turned to Cit'lal-i.
"Your Xochiyotl is very clever to have gotten up here. But it is what happened next that is amusing. Life is a waste of time." And he shook his head.
For moments, Cit'lal-i wondered what he was talking about. Then, remembering that he was a God, the Hunter knew that Mixcoatl had been speaking of the past. The God could read the plants and animals of the area to piece together a story of the past. Growling and frowning, Cit'lal-i nearly roared to the God.
"Show me what you are talking about!"
When the God turned around and smiled, it was plainly shown not by his face but by his body language. He nodded and Cit'lal-i was thrown back in time.
He could see Xochiyotl turn to one of the slithering walls she was encased in and begin to dig. It took hours to get a hole in the sand big enough for her to fit through, but when she did, she smiled. The Dragon was asleep and ignoring her for now. Turning, she saw nothing but open beaches and rock cliffs for miles. Seemingly determined, the girl dug her bare heels and toes and hands in the rocks of the cliff and heaved her body into the air. What was left of her clothing was torn and ragged, blowing the sea breeze. With muscles developed from hours of hard work and living on farms for most of her life, it only took thirty minutes for her to reach the top where Cit'lal-i was standing. The Dragon still slept much like a snake would bathe in the sun. Sweat covered Xochiyotl's body, she was clearly dehydrated, and her face showed nothing but determination. She stood and just as she did, thunder boomed around the beach. As she heard the roar of the Dragon, she immediately smashed herself to the ground. Too late, the Dragon swung his massive paw at her and Cit'lal-i heard something break as she was thrown off her ledge. She hit the sandy beach on her back and writhed in pain, unable to breathe. And the vision faded with Cit'lal-i looking squarely at her face.
When the Hunter arrived back into his own mental state, his entire being felt as if it were on fire. He roared out of both agony and mental pain at watching his love get hurt. When he fell to his knees, Mixcoatl looked down at him without sympathy.
"The vision of God's is not made for mortal eyes. It took a toll on you to see what only the immortal are allowed. And it took a toll on my mortal body as well."
When Cit'lal-i looked up, the candy-cane Hunter had removed his mask and was gasping deeply. He shook his head, dropped to his knees, and coughed deeply in his throat. Warm droplets of neon green blood splattered the ground in little globules. The Hunter looked upward after a few more coughs and met eyes with Cit'lal-i. He smiled a perfect Hunter smile and winked at the mortal male.
"I may be a God, but I have the body of a weak mortal Hunter." He growled in good nature, more joking at himself than anyone else.
"Yeah, a weak, incredibly strong male in his damn prime." Cit'lal-i smiled and shook the fatigue out of his limbs.
A few moments later, the sky exploded. Clouds withered away as balls of fire rained down from heaven. A great beast followed them in a hurry, his blue scales shining in the midday sunlight. A storm erupted, lightning and thunder raining down on those below. Claws and fangs bared, the Dragon smashed against the ground, shattering rock and flaying sand. Cit'lal-i roared at the challenge and heard Mixcoatl do the same. In awe, Cit'lal-i forgot about the slithering hatred around him and focused only on Mixcoatl. As he drew out his Weeping Spear, the Hunter was smiling, mask still off, and baring his teeth. Cit'lal-i only hoped that he could do the same.
Brought back to the realm of the living, Cit'lal-i drew his own weapons and the Hunt began.
The Dragon was everywhere. His body seemed to encompass everything around Cit'lal-i, and therefore all the Hunter could do was slash. He began with the tail, whipping around and driving his blades deep into the slimy flesh and hearing the loud protest of the sky God. In an instant, the ground was layered in a pool of deep purple blood, the life of the Dragon. Brave Star whipped around and dug his teeth deep into the sand, missing the Candy-Cane Hunter by inches. The God of the Hunt smiled and whipped around with another roar of anger. His spear stuck firmly into the Dragon's snout and in another moment he was hefted up into the sky with it. Everything was chaotic, in the backgrounds of the fight thunder roared and lightning struck the sand, melting it into glass. The seas boiled over onto the beach attempting to drown any who were too near. And the Dragon roiled and shot into the sky, his body bleeding and cut, scales falling off of him in heaps. With another roar, he shook his head and hovered mid-sky, body rolling with the winds. Teeth snapped at the Candy-Cane Hunter, only missing him by inches. Below he could see Cit'lal-i, Bundled up in the Dragon's curled flesh and being crushed by the God's Fury. Just as he was about to shove a claw through Brave Star's eye, another kind of roar sounded. This one was a chorus of anger and one voice that was different from the rest. Unable to see the through the Dragon's large head, Mixcoatl only guessed that it could be the "help" Cit'lal-i had brought along.
And in another instant, the Dragon was slithering and roaring in desperation. He plunged through the sky, avoiding the ledge with the Hunters on it, and strait into the deep sea. Once inside, his wounds began to heal almost instantly. Mixcoatl recognized the sea as the Dragon's only refuge. He turned to the tail where Cit'lal-i was barely holding on and used what little of his Godly magic he had left.
You have to kill him now! Get him out of the sea!
But Cit'lal-i couldn't hear, even in his mind he was deaf. Every inch of him hurt and every wound stung from the salt. Thank the Gods and Goddesses above for the breathing gear on his armor! Though his mask, he could see the God and every slithering scale of the monster. And he knew that the wounds were healing. His grasp began to loosen and his eyes drooped a little in concentration, but he couldn't give up, he HAD to hold on.
He heard his mother. Oh how he had loved her so… "It isn't so much as what happens to us that matters as what we do with it."
With new determination, Cit'lal-i growled and held on tighter, until the Dragon was forced up to breathe. And when Cit'lal-i head came from under the waters, he heard the sweetest noise in all the worlds.
"Cit'lal-i!"
Xochiyotl was screaming and shouting from the shore. Cit'lal-i looked to her and for a moment, the world faded into a small dot. All there was her worried face and small little self. She was bandaged up in various places, but looked healthier than he expected her to. Her poor body was withered and beaten. Blood was stained in various places and her hair was a crumpled mess of obsidian locks. And she was the absolute best thing in his world, in anyone's world. But she was too close to the shore…
Before his very eyes, a wave snatched up his human love and threw her into the ocean. Roaring out of agony and anger, Cit'lal-i snapped his head back to the Dragon and began to climb. Every tendon and muscle in his limbs agreed with him and supplied the Hunter with ample strength despite his grave wounds. His claws dung heavily in the gorged flesh of the Sky god. Scales continued to fall from the Dragon as Cit'lal-i climbed and climbed, reaching Mixcoatl in a matter of minutes. The Candy-Cane god smiled and coughed a little. Neon blood spurted from his mouth and he gave a witty smile. His spear still firmly lodged in the Dragon's snout, the god gestured to Cit'lal-i to finish.
"I have no use for it right now. I will take it back when…" he coughed a little again. "I want to."
The god winked a little and looked back to the Dragon, who was fighting ferociously to rid himself of his attackers. He looked back to his companion…
And he let go of the spear. Mixcoatl, God of the Hunt disappeared into the waves below, leaving behind his precious Weeping Spear and his only friend. Cit'lal-i allowed himself a gurgled protest and flung his hand out to catch the God. He cried a loud call of sadness and loss to the ocean below. A second later, he was drowned out by Brave Star. After hanging onto the holy weapon, Cit'lal-i focused again on the Dragon. In one last desperate move, Brave Star roared and turned his massive head to plead with the Hunter. He didn't want to die! As he opened his maw, something exploded and the pain only came a second later.
Cit'lal-i was a monster with nothing left in him but the urge to kill. His clawed hand dragged out what was left of the Dragon's eye and threw it into the sea. The blood and goo from the eye socket splashed onto his helmet, feeling his skin absorb the heavenly liquids. With a roar of agony, the Dragon collapsed into himself, falling toward the sand below. The enraged Hunter fell with him, mixed images flashing across his mind. When Cit'lal-i hit the ground, his world went black.
The fight was over. Brave Star lay in a crumpled heap on the sand, whimpering. His blood stained the shore and his scales continued to shed in the absence of power. Had his Goddesses forsaken him? Tears san from his one good eye and for a moment, he could see what he had been… and what he had become. If he had simply let them alone, the god would have lived. And the little human girl… she reminded him so much of his Flower Dancer. Her pink hide…
The Hunter stood again. How he could stand with his injuries, Brave Star did not know. Something was wrong with him.
Cit'lal-i was seeing red. His killing gland had exploded inside his body. And his blood was on fire. Growls and roars emerged from his throat randomly. And as soon as he found the giant slithering beast again, his fury returned. He flew at the Dragon with his claws barred and fangs clacking against the metal of his mask. In anger and in blind Hunting Glory, Cit'lal-i ripped his sealed mask from his face, leaving scratches from the sealing clips. He stood in a position in of fury and roared again in the Dragon's face.
Something was wrong with him. He knew, he could tell by the red tint to his heat vision and the roars from his mouth. His veins hurt, his limbs were on fire! And in his mind the same bloody images continued to explode past his sight.
The vision of his baby brother, while hunting the Kainde Amedha on his first glorious hunt, dying at the hand of a Warrior class hard meat flashed. His mother and his father's fights and the bruises and blood splatters they would leave. And someone, he could not remember her name, with black hair and bright green eyes, beaten and bloodied by a Jaguar in the woods nearby somewhere.
Again she was there, closer in his mind now, looking up at him through mottled hair and chains. And suddenly his mother ripped into the picture and she was… the blood was disgusting! The smell of her rotten flesh and the sight of what was once her face…
He was losing himself, something was running farther and farther away from him and part of him, the part that was sensible and feeling, was screaming for help. But the other half, the Hunter, screamed louder for blood and hate and death. And that part seemed to be winning.