[[Author's note:: I know, this one is long. It covers a lot, though; and is very important for character developement. Enjoy! ]]
Kuu was the first to rush to Vyyr's side, chirping his concern clearly. Kuu tried to help Vyyr up, but his legs were completely locked up. They hung completely limp, and the movement made Vyyr hiss in pain. Kuu gave up trying to help him stand. He just stared at Evan questioningly.
Evan was at Vyyr's side moments later.
"What happened? Kuu... we need to get him to bed." He motioned towards Kuu's room. Kuu understood. He wasn't tired; and the injured one clearly needed the bed more then he did.
'Old wound.' Vyyr said. 'This happens sometimes. I should be fine soon.'
He grunted as Kuu carefully picked him up and laid him on the long bed. That had a slight sigh of relief escaping the elder. The bed was more comfortable then the floor. Especially on his stiff and sore back.
"Are you going to be allright? Sometimes old wounds are a lot worse then they seem." He said in clear concern.
'Sometimes it gets like this.' Vyyr said. 'It always passes.'
"Maybe I should check it just to be sure..." Evan frowned. "There could be something seriously wrong."
'You may check.' Vyyr said. 'And yes.. I know it will hurt. I promise, I will not hurt you. I know you mean well.'
Evan nodded a bit, before very carefully moving closer. "Can you ask Kuu to help me roll you onto your front?" He asked Vyyr, who nodded. He did as he was asked. Kuu was there in a moment; Once Vyyr was laying on his front, Evan carefully looked him over.
As his hands moved around the scar right over his spine, he felt Vyyr jerk and hiss in pain. But the Enderman made no signs of attacking. He just closed his eyes and took a breath. 'Continue.' He said, after a moment; and Evan did. He felt around the spot. It was swollen and putting off heat. He wasn't sure if it was infection, or just the pain causing the increased temperature. He felt Vyyr tense a few times, even let out a soft growl. But the Enderman was ever patient as Evan explored the wound.
He wasn't sure but he thought he felt something hard beneath.
"Do your legs get stiff like this every time?" He asked the elder.
'Sometimes, yes.' Vyyr replied calmly. 'But it always passes. But I appreciate your concern.'
"I feel something hard." He said.
The Enderman suddenly smirked, his eyes sparking with sudden mischief. 'That's what she said.' Vyyr said. Evan just stared dumbly, before the elder broke into laughter at the look on the human's face. 'What? Didn't expect that?' he questioned, clearly amused.
Evan regained his composure. "No... no, I did not." He said, clearing his throat. "Anyway. There is something there, that I don't think should be." He clarified. "Those scars look like tooth marks..."
'I was in the mouth of the Beast.' Vyyr confirmed.
"I think you might have a fang embedded in your back." Evan finally said.
'This is what my old friend Eva said, a long time ago.' Vyyr commented. 'But her eye sight had grown weak; she was unable to do anything about it.'
"Thing is... if we don't get that fang out, it could cause permenant damage. It already causes you paralysis." Evan said.
'Temporary, always temporary.' Vyyr said.
"... Temporary or not, it could be dangerous. What if one day, you wake up never able to move again?" Evan scratched his chin. "I would take you to the town's doctor but..."
'Enderman, I know.' Vyyr said simply. 'I would not be well received.'
"I... can talk to Leanna. I know she said she was an apprentice to the town doctor for a while. She might have an idea for how to take care of it." Evan finally decided. "If she and I can remove it... do you want us to?"
'Would the pain go away?' The elder finally questioned.
"I think it would, yeah. And you wouldn't have your legs stopping on you anymore, either."
'It would be nice not to be in pain anymore.' Vyyr mused thoughtfully. 'If you are able, then yes. Please do. Even if it hurts, the pain would be worth it.' He looked hopeful at the prospect.
"You get some rest." Evan said. Vyyr nodded, before he closed his eyes. He let out a soft sigh, before he was asleep.
After a few hours, Evan heard Vyyr calling Kuu into the room, by his full name rather then the shortened version Evan used.
Kuu stood, glanced at Evan, then went into the room, head tilted as he looked at the elder.
'You remember how I said I wanted to teach you something, right?' Vyyr questioned. Kuu chirped his affirmative.
'What did you want to teach me?' He asked his elder.
'A way for you to tell Evan your story.' He said. 'A way to communicate with him a little better until the fox with many tails finishes your translator.'
'But... how? We can understand eachother, but not very well.' Kuu said.
'Our kind has the ability to share our memories, thoughts, emotions, and experiences through our Heartstone.' Vyyr said.
Kuu's eyes widened. 'Really? How?' He asked.
'Come closer. I'll show you.' Vyyr said. Kuu nodded, before moving closer, and crouching beside the bed. 'Help me roll over.' Vyyr said. He was still paralyzed.
Kuu did so.
'You know where your Heartstone is, right?' Vyyr asked.
'Of course I do.' Kuu touched his chest. 'We all have it.'
Vyyr nodded, before he carefully took hold of Kuu's hand. He placed the younger male's hand on his chest, right where his heart was. 'Humans can not do this.' He explained. 'But we can. And Evan can see. Now; what you do is focus on what you want him to see. Look back, way back, over your memories. About how you felt, and what you experienced. It should all come clearly to you. If you focus hard enough, and his eyes stay closed, he will start to see your memories. He will see it all as you saw it, through your eyes. This is a very intimate connection; only to be shared with those you trust. You do trust him, right?'
Kuu nodded. 'With my life.' He confirmed.
'With trust, the connection should be easy.' Vyyr said. 'Now. Close your eyes.'
Kuu did so. He saw brief flickers of Vyyr's life, though most of them were kept away. He showed him various experiences he had had; flickers of his once large and thriving Colony, with many Shadowkin living in harmony with eachother. There was a brief flicker of the Dragon's arrival, followed by feelings of fear and panic. These were skimmed over. Kuu could almost feel the emotional pain that accompanied them. He saw flickers of his life after he had left Darkrealm, too. It all left Kuu wanting to know more.
As it ended, the young male opened his eyes and stared. 'You were there when the Dragon took over?' He asked, in shock.
'I was. But I prefer not to speak of it.' Vyyr said.
'… My story is not nearly as interesting as yours, and I only saw a little bit of it...' Kuu said.
'But to Evan, it will mean the world.' Vyyr said. 'Now; bring him in here; and do as I taught you.'
Kuu nodded, before he teleported in front of Evan. The sound startled him out of his book.
'Vyyr say come.' Kuu said to Evan. Evan set the book down, before standing to follow Kuu into the room, where Vyyr greeted them both with a soft chirp.
'Close eyes.' he said. He looked at Vyyr, a bit unsure, but he offered him an encouraging look.
Evan, a bit unsure, glanced at Vyyr. Vyyr just looked back. 'You hard the boy.' He said.
Remembering Vyyr's words, Kuu took Evan's hand in his. He let out a breath, and gently placed it against his chest. Evan wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he just went with it as he felt the Ender's warm skin against his hand.
'Focus.' Vyyr whispered gently to Kuu. And focus Kuu did.
For a moment. Evan felt his entire body start to tingle, almost as if he was falling into a deep sleep. For a moment, Evan wondered what was happening, before he saw faint shapes in his mind's eye. The shapes slowly took form.
There were tall, dark figures everywhere, most of them standing still, or walking slowly. The ground was made of an odd yellowish-white stone that was not damaged by the claws of the Shadowkin. The sky was completely black. There were no stars, no moon, no sun. Islands of this strange stone floated in the blackness, as far as the eye could see. What little light there was was dull and gray.
As all of this came into sharper focus, Evan felt himself picked up. He was a child, he realized. No... this wasn't him. It was... Kuu. His skin was black, his arms long and spindly. He was clearly very young. He felt himself being carried none too gently.
Next, there was a sense of curiosity, and building fear. Something was wrong, very wrong. He felt himself held up by clawed hands as the one carrying him let out a long sound, then waited. His nervousness built, eyes flashing left and right. He saw glimpses of others gathered all around.
At first, there was nothing. Tense moments passed, before a horrifying face emerged from the darkness. The face was filled with sharp, gleaming white teeth and blazing purple eyes that stared from shining black scales. The sleek, beautiful, and deadly face of a dragon. The beast's mouth opened wide and it's hot breath brushed against him. Its breath smelled of blood, fear, and death. He started to squirm, panicking. Terror filled his every thought. Then, the beast roared. The sound nearly deafened him. He was overwhelmed with terror, squirming as much as he could. He had to get away! He was too frightened to so much as make a sound. He made feeble attempts to escape, but the one holding onto him wouldn't let go and was far older, and far stronger then he.
The Dragon's mouth closed and sulfurous air huffed out from its nostrils. Its eyes flicked towards the adult Shadowedkin holding the him, before its mouth opened once again in a hungry growl. The adult hesitated. There was fear there, he could smell it. He felt that hesitation. That was his chance. He squirmed around until he could sink his fangs into the hand as hard as he could, small body shaking in terror and desparation. The adult tried to dislodge him but he refused to let go and she was unable to. The taste of her blood on his hand encouraged him to keep trying. He bit down harder. She let out a shriek of rage as she slammed him into the ground. The pain seared through him, but he refused to let go. He hit the ground twice more before his fangs severed two fingers from her hand. He lay on the ground dazed for a moment, before he staggered to his feet and ran. He ran as fast as he could to get away from her before she could catch him again. He spat the two fingers from his mouth. He stared at them where they lay on the ground in a smear of blood. He could hardly believe what he had just done in his desparation to get away.
The adult did not go after him. The dragon shrieked its rage as its massive paw slammed into her. She screamed her pain and shock as she hit the ground. Its claws left horrible bleeding wounds deep in her side. Dazed, she was sent flying again. It drew its paw back once again. She was determined. She would not just lay down and die. She struggled to her feet. Panting for breath and bleeding heavily, she realized she had taken so much damage that her wounds would scar. The Dragon opened wide its maw and snapped at her; but the injured and bleeding female managed to teleport somewhere to lick her wounds and nurse her wounded pride.
He found somewhere to hide, a small hole in the strange stone that most of his kind could not fit in and watched in horror as the dragon went into a rage. The beast snappe up and eating several from his Colony. Those that survived turned accusing eyes on him. They blamed him. Especially the female with the bitten hand. She blamed him for nearly being killed by the beast; for the loss of some of her Colony, and for her beautiful form which was marred by his teeth and the dragon's dreadful claws.
He grew up hated; an outcast. Blamed for the Colony falling into the Dragon's disfavor. He was bullied and picked on incessantly. He wanted to leave. He wanted to join those who stood against the dragon, but he was too scared. What if they rejected him? What if they hated him? He spent his time hiding away whenever he could. Alone. So very alone.
The turmoil was terrible; constant fights broke out between the rival factions. Many of the Shadowedkin were dying in these vicious battles and those wounded were quickly snapped up by the dragon if they didn't escape in time. Every death stuck in his mind and deepened his fear of the beast.
He stayed in hiding as much as he could as he grew up; but no matter where he hid, he was always found. He was always dragged out, bullied, and blamed for the turmoil. He hated it. Normally, he could get away. After he teleported away a few times, the older Shadowkin grew bored of tormenting the small male.
But this time... was different. He was dragged viciously from his hiding place. No matter how much he kicked and struggled, they would not let go.
He was brought to the female; now marred by scars on her side and leg and a scarred up hand that was missing two finger. Her stare was accusing, cold, and angry.
'You brought the wrath of the dragon on us! You will appease it!' She said fiercely. ''You are worthless! A shame to me, and a shame to your Colony!'
He cringed at the harsh words.
He was dragged to the dragon kicking and struggling, fear building. The dragon was far, far more terrifying then the other Shadowkin. He was now brought to the dragon's very lair where it lay upon a vast pile of Heartstones. He felt sick just looking at it, the way the dragon used the Heartstones of their fallen people as something to be trampled under foot and layed upon like some sort of bed. He had a horrible, sinking feeling his was about to join the rest of them. The dragon lifted its head and stared at him, then opened its mouth and moved closer. He smelled its breath huffing over his body. He shuddered all over and swallowed. He felt sick with terror. The dragon brought its muzzle close to sniff him; relishing its offering frozen in terror before it.
Then, there was rush of adrenaline. He screamed his terror, but also his anger. He would NOT die this day!
He felt hard scales against his sharp claws. He smelled hot dragon blood and felt it on his hand. The Dragon screamed its rage as jerked its head back. Its eyes burned with fury as it snapped its sharp fangs at him. The three Shadowkin holding him screamed their rage.
In that moment of distraction, he snarled and struggled furiously. His spines came out fully as his fangs snapped and his claws slashed. He smelled blood, which encouraged him to keep fighting. He felt their holds loosen. This was his chance. He had to take it. He leapt away from them, and ran. He had to get out of here. He had to leave. Darkrealm would be the death of him. If the dragon didn't kill him, his family would. Filled with the instinct to survive, to live, he ran.
An energy well.. He could see it and sense it. He had to get there. The Energy Wells were gateways to the Overworld... the Dragon couldn't reach him there. He had a chance. He could escape this place for good. A huge paw smacked him and sent him flying. He screamed in pain, but teleported before sharp fangs snapped into his flesh.
His heart hammered in his chest, fear aiding him in his desperate bid for survival. Close... So close... The enraged roar of the dragon filled him with even more terror and speed. He teleported again just in time, the dragon's teeth snapping shut where he had been a moment before. The Beast roared in rage and frustration at missing its prey once again. He begged his body for every ounce of speed it had. He felt the tingle growing stronger and stronger until he hit the Energy Well. He closed his eyes for a moment and leapt into a teleport, hitting the rift with a gasp. He felt the dragon's fiery breath, but only faintly.
Everything spun. Dizzying, confusing. Not like a normal teleport, this was... exhausting. He felt as if every bit of energy he had was ripped away; and it hurt. Oh it hurt. He screamed the entire time, thrashing as he tried to find something, anything, to hold on to. It felt as if it would go on forever! He'd done something wrong... He would be stuck like this forever! A jolt of terror tore through him, making him scream. The spinning grew worse and worse as his breath was torn away from his lungs.
Finally, that horrible feeling ended. He felt something strange beneath him. Cool, and strangely soft. But his eyes were closed. He gasped for breath, coughing and panting shakily. He tasted blood. Then, he realized he'd survived. He was alive... the spinning had ended. Slowly, his eyes opened.
Bright, searing light burned into his eyes, so very used to the perpetual darkness of his home. No... not his home anymore. He couldn't go back. He gasped and closed them again. He felt his entire body shaking with exhaustion as his claws dug into the odd substance beneath him.
Energy buzzed all around him. More energy then he had ever felt around him all at one time. It made his entire body tingle, and for once he didn't feel half starved. He lay there for some time, just taking in all the energy he could;replenishing himself. Expecting the light this time, he opened his eyes. It was bright, but he found himself slowly adjusting. There were so many colors, so many new feelings.
The grass beneath him was soft and cool; the sky above, intense blue. He had only heard talk of this place, but to actually see it was something... amazing. He just stared at everything, on and on. Even though the intense light burned his eyes and hurt, he didn't want to take his eyes off of the spectacle around him.
For hours he lay there, taking in the energy around him until he finally felt strong enough to stand. And so he stood. His legs shook beneath him, but held his weight. He touched a tree, feeling the rough bark against his fingertips. The bright green buds, the flash of colors and flapping wings of birds. Fluffy, white clouds floating against that brilliant blue expanse of sky. He heard an odd trickling sound, a few feet away. He turned to look at the shining liquid, sparkling in the light of the sun that warmed his black skin.
But he knew not to touch it; he had heard of water. He had heard it talked about, a painful, burning substance on the Overworld that could kill a Shadowkin very quickly. He was surprised that something so deadly was so beautiful. He watched it for a few minutes, enthralled by the way the light danced on its surface, before he walked away from it.
He didn't know where to go, or what to do. He was here now, but he had no purpose. He'd have to go... well, somewhere, he supposed. So he just wandered. Slow and aimless, looking at everything there was to see.
He liked it here. It was bright and beautiful; and there was no dragon. But after a while, things got terribly lonely. Even back among his own people he wasn't completely alone, even if he was outcasted and hated for defending himself as a child. It was so strange for him to not even have another being anywhere near. He found himself pining for the company of another. There were various creatures that he found, but they all ran away if he got close. He had heard the dwellers of this land were very, very dangerous; but so far they all just ran away from him.
That was when he heard a new sound, and smelled a new scent. A creature like him, but smaller and not so dark. Scent told him this one was male. He was afraid and curious. So he hid. He tried to stay quiet, but silence was unnatural to him, and the creature, the human he'd heard them called, heard him.
He caught a glimpse of blue eyes, and was filled with terror as the creature looked at him. What if it attacked him? Would everything he had gone through be for nothing? He opened wide his mouth and howled. The human nearly fell over himself trying to get away. Thoroughly unnerved, the Enderman teleported away.
As much as he frightened him, the human intrigued him. It was so much like him, really – there were a lot of differences, but a lot of similarities as well. His curiosity continued to grow. He felt drawn to the creature; both by curiousity and loneliness. He observed him at every chance; trying to learn more about him. He was far too afraid to approach the human directly, though a part of him longed to.
To show he meant no harm, he started bring things to the human,. Sometimes he waited, but he never got the nerve to approach the human. He had spent most of his life hiding... he was used to it.
He followed the human to a cave he sometimes visited, under the ground; when he smelled something completely and utterly un-natural. Something that should have been dead and yet walked. The smell sickened him, and it was approaching the human. It looked hungry and evil. Disgusted, and worried for the human he had been following for so long, he tore the unnatural thing apart. He terrified the human in the process, though, who left his belongings. It was only polite to bring his things back to him.
Over time, the human seemed less nervous about him. Still afraid, but seeming a little curious as well. As the human started to calm, so did he. But still, he could not bring himself to approach the human.
Then came a day he would never forget. He had grown used to the skin going dark and light and dark and light and dark and light again; but during the light-times, the sky was never dark. The sky was usually bright blue, not dark grey. Something felt... off. The very smell of the air set him on edge. Then there was blinding flash of light and a loud, shattering boom. Suddenly panicking, he looked around. Had the dragon followed him? That sound... came roaring from the sky. He felt terror in every fiber of his being. The Dragon was not supposed to be able to enter the Overworld! Panic rose within him.
Then, a drop of agonizing, burning water hit his skin. He screamed in pain and fear. Several more drops of burning, searing water followed. Gasping, he teleported to try to get away from this new horror. But it was all around him. No matter where he went, those horrible burning drops hit him. There were more and more of them until he felt as if his entire body was in searing agony.
No matter where he went, he couldn't escape! The pain was almost too great for him to even think. He felt weak from loss of blood and dazed from the pain that wracked his body. This place... Water fell from the sky! He couldn't believe it... All this struggle, escaping the dragon, only to die like this! His thoughts turned to the human, and to his home; and in one last, desparate bid for survival, he teleported.
Overcome by pain and fear, he could do nothing but tremble and pant heavily. There he was. The human. And he was staring at him. Fear came next. He opened his mouth wide and howled, but the wound was weak. There was no escaping. He hadn't the strength to teleport. He lost the strength to stand. At that moment he just... gave up. There was nothing left for him. He was lost, and alone. He was so overwhealmed by it all he was unable to do anything but curl up as tight as he could and cry until everything went black.
When he woke up, he was on something soft. His wounds, cleaned and bandaged. There was a flash of fear, but then he realized that the human had helped him. Slowly, his fear melted away to be replaced by relief. He couldn't help but express his thanks in sounds that came as naturally as breathing to him.
He had a home. But more importantly, he had a friend. Even if they could not speak the same language, he was happy. He felt content. But more then anything... he finally felt like he belonged. He was accepted, loved, treated as an equal. For once in his life, he didn't have to live in fear and loneliness. He didn't have to hide anymore.
Slowly, the dreamlike vision faded away, leaving Evan completely speechless. His eyes opened slowly to see his hand still on Kuu's chest, held gently by the young Ender's hand.
"That... That was your history, wasn't it?" He asked. Vyyr translated.
Kuu nodded with a soft chirp.
Evan was silent for a few moments longer, before he just gave hims friend a hug. Kuu chirped softly in surprise, before he let out a purr and returned the hug. Strong but gentle and caring. He felt the vibration of the Ender's constant staticy purring.
Kuu had been through so much and yet here he was, alive. And most importantly, happy. The friendly hug lasted for several minutes before they finally separated. Kuu looked happy and content.
He thanked Vyyr; and he meant it. The elder just smiled at the sight and leaned his head back. All in a day's work.