this is the last chapter of AC, a prologue for a somewhat drastic AU to FEA. sadly, i don't know when that will be posted up or when i could get to it. i got a lot going around with classes and helping with kitchen renovations.
so hopefully i will get to it soon, and other stories that i have planned for FEA. the most likely to come up next:
Devil Snare (sequel to Among Crows, AvatarxHenry)
In Wyvern Valley (another AU and a sibling fic resolving around Morgan and Gerome)
Witch in the Woods (GaiusxAvatar)
hope to see you guys the next FEA fic i manage to post up. thank you all for reading AC, i hope you enjoyed as much as i have writing it. till the next fic!
Henry was alone when he was conscious again. Hearing nothing but a low whistling wind over his head, he blinked groggily as the cool sand clinging to his cheek and body. Closing them and breathing in, Henry sighed out and stretched, wincing when sore stiff muscles protested. Lifting his head up, he winced at the growing light of morning and tried to hide his face in the beach, covering it with even more sand.
Caught up in hiding his eyes from the sun, he was oblivious to the black bird that landed by his head, peering at him with its beady eyes. Its head tilted left, then right as it considered him. Jumping slightly, then jumping back away, the bird watched and waited for Henry to move. When he didn't, he jumped a couple steps closer, still staring at him, then jabbed its beak right into the middle of his head.
Henry slowly lifted his head, a rare frown on his face as he squinted at the bird. "I'll turn you into a toad," he threatened weakly.
The crow seemed amused by the warning as it laughed.
Caw caw caw caw.
Moaning and grumbling to himself, Henry slowly pushed himself up, squinting through the light and lazily staring around him. A purple desert was laid out before him, the color slowly turning red as the sun rose higher, soon it'll turn its famous gold once the sun was high and proud. Behind him, a calm oasis lulled easy waves by his ankles, the tip of his cloak soaked through.
It was beautiful.
A rare word to hear in Plegia, but one that's greatly appreciated when it found.
Still though, there was something... off.
Frowning, Henry looked around once more then slowly, peered up. Ah, there she was, cocooned up in a tree, her large pale wings wrapped around her in a feathery shield. Around her was the rest of the flock, some poking at her wings while others rested on them and the branches. It looked like they were waiting for her to open up. Sitting still for a moment and simply staring up at the concealed girl, he blinked when he felt a blunt beak jab at his fingers.
Eyeing the crow sitting next to him and meeting its hard stare, Henry slowly moved, rising up and wobbling on his feet as his grogginess nearly knocked him back over. Stumbling to the tree, Henry saved himself from a fall by grabbing the trunk. Glancing up towards Robin, he tried shaking the tree to see if he could wake her.
The tree didn't even budge. Much less quiver from his try. Annoyed, Henry called instead, "Robin?"
A wing twitched.
It was subtly and almost nonexistent, but it twitched.
Smiling sleepily, the young dark mage pressed. "Come on Rob, what'cha doing up there?"
Those wings stubbornly stayed still.
"Rooooob. Don't make me come up there. I'll have you know I'm not good at climbing trees. But I'll do it anyway!"
Robin shifted above, making Henry grin as he stepped away to give her some room. She didn't completely drop down like he expected. Wrapping her ankles around the branch, Robin dropped down beside him, one of her wings unintentionally bopping his head as she fell, her messy pigtails looking like a tangeld mass of cobwebs from how they hung. Meeting her red eyes, looking purple in the early light, Henry offered Robin a big smile.
She eyed his pale eyes back for a few minutes before looking away, sheepish and nervous. Henry barely stopped her wings from wrapping around her again. "What are you trying to hide from?"
She gulped, looking like she was trying to shrink in on herself before murmuring. "I remember..."
An unspoken yesterday drifting after her. Henry remembered it quite easily as well. Yesterday, upon meeting a sorcerer that wanted to take her back to Grimleal, the angel turned into a horrific dragon. She killed the sorcerer, almost killed him, and fled when the mother she was searching for appeared, desiring to take her back to Grimleal.
"Yeah, yesterday was crazy huh?" Henry half agreed, half babbled.
The mention of it made Robin moan as she dropped her hold on the branch, letting her fall completely down and cocoon herself in feathers once more. Henry's smile dropped as he stared down at her, fighting off the urge to sigh. He just got her to open up. "Its not that bad," he tried.
A muffled whine come out, Henry able to catch the word monster through the wings. "First time changing into a dragon then?" The wings parted slightly, showing upset red eyes glaring up at him. He took that as a yes.
"I think its cool," he said instead, dropping to the ground beside her, crossing his legs as he sat and rocked on his rear. "Its like your some fake manakete or something. And you look so scary its awesome! And you can really fly! What are you hating about that?"
"What makes you think I want to be a manakete!" Robin snapped, popping out between her wings. "I had no control too! I... I almost killed you..." Robin visibly drooped while Henry hummed to himself. So that was the real bother. Reaching out, he startled her when he ruffled the top of her head, his smile back. "Its alright," he said easily, "you're not the first to try."
Wolfy had failed too.
"Its not," she argued, moving her head away from his hand and shooting him a strict glare. "Its not alright Henry. I'm dangerous, I, I killed that man without flinching. I didn't mind the taste of his blood... all I could think about was just getting rid of everything that was scary." She bent her head down, her eyes narrowed. "It almost felt like I was someone else."
"Nah, I'm pretty sure that was you."
"That doesn't make it better," Robin grumbled.
"Well think of it like this," Henry offered. "You stopped yourself before, you certainly could do it again. I trust my life with you, no matter what form you take." Robin eyed him, before straying them to his ripped clothes with clear bloodstains peeking through.
"Don't worry," he insisted, "they're flesh wounds. And when they heal, they'll be awesome scars."
Robin finally cracked a grin, shaking her head as she snorted quietly. "You're weird," she said simply.
Henry laughed. "Maybe, maybe not."
She smiled in return, a very small one that could barely count as a smile.
"Robby," he bid aloud, straightening as his smile turned serious, his eyes squinting open and meeting her dead in the eye. "I know that you're scared, dangerous, and has Grimleal after you; but I'm not going to leave just yet." When she opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "I don't leave what I care about alone. I care for what happens to you, and interested to see where your life will go. I'm curious about you being a dragon. I'm curious about your wings. I want to learn about you.
"And, your an important friend to me as well. I never say that lightly either. I can think of one other that was my friend and he's currently dead. If you're still around, so will I. And don't try to get rid of me either, it won't work." By now, the whole impressive speech he had in his head turned to mutton as he started the ramble off his list of reasons for not leaving her side.
Whether he made sense or not, he's sure the message was clear either way.
They weren't parting here.
Robin stared at him, long and hard as he talked on and on. When she finally moved, she caught him off guard as her head laid lightly on his shoulders, her crooked pigtail tickling his jaw as she lent on him. "Thank you," she whispered, a hiccup in her voice as the shirt started to get a little damp. "Thank you."
His hands lightly rested over hers as he lent against her head. "Always," he promised softly, not minding as her wings came up and slowly wrapped around them both, hiding them from the world. Around them, the crows observed with curious hush as they waited for their next move, their dark bodies bold around the pale wings.
To any on looker in the distance, those wings blended out well against the pale sand, hiding the two well among the crows.