Hey everyone! I LOVE this story! I'm sorry but I can't help but say it. I did have to do a LOT of research for this chapter so review when you finish reading it…. AND the pairings that seem to be developing are… I want to say not my fault… but I didn't mean to put them there!… The only pairings that should be in here so far is IkeXRanulf and SotheXMicaiah! I don't own anything besides Zarack, two new characters that will be announced later and the story line. Enjoy this chapter! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!
--s2--
Ranulf let himself be led to a horse and cart. Zarack had released Ranulf's arm after they were out of the sight of the cat's friends. Why did he let go of him though? 'Does he trust me?' Ranulf looked back at the Begnion commander. Zarack didn't look at him; his green eyes were in a completely different direction. The cat turned his head back around. Ranulf had a weird feeling being near this man. Indeed that this was the man who nearly killed him, but fear wasn't what the blue cat was feeling. He's comfortable walking by him. Why, Ranulf didn't know.
"Sorry…"
Ranulf heard Zarack's low voice and looked back. He was gone. Ranulf search for him with his bicolour eyes. He was no where to be seen.
"Hey, you," a guard yelled. Ranulf felt a harsh tug on his right arm and was forced into the cart with other captured Laguz. The guard pushed him down and grabbed him hands. "Sit still." He ordered. Ranulf obeyed staring at the Laguz. The guard tied the cat's hands together tightly and moved down to his ankles. Once Ranulf was tied the guard left.
Ranulf watched as the Begnion army straightened themselves out into lines behind the cart. The wooden door was slammed shut and locked with silver keys. There was no escaping even if he was going to try. There were at least ten men in each line and, from what Ranulf could see, there were thirteen lines. Surely there was more in front of the cart as well as beside it. Ranulf sighed.
The cat leaned back and closed his eyes. Sleep sounded good to him, but he was disturbed by a weak voice.
"Hey… you're the one… who was with that hot headed guy…"
Ranulf looked over to see who was talking to him. He saw a Laguz with green fur sitting beside him tied up like he was. Ranulf recognized him as the Laguz that was shown to them by Zarack. Now that he was close up to him he could see that his eyes were a dusty gold colour. Green fur came down the middle of his forehead and down to a point at the tip of his nose. It looked much like Ranulf only the blue cat's fur only reached down between his eyes. He was wearing a light green and gold vest and auburn baggy pants, he had boots to match.
The blue cat answered that yes he was with the 'hot headed' man he was talking about and briefly looked out the small barred window in the locked door; it was snowing.
The green cat looked at Ranulf oddly. "How did you get in here?" He asked. "You… were with that Ike character… weren't you…?" He grunted and hunched over.
Ranulf studied the cat before him. "Are you okay?" He questioned. Other Laguz looked over.
The cat nodded stiffly. "I-I'm fine…" Everyone could tell he was lying.
Ranulf leaned over tilting his head so he could see that cat's face. "What did they do?"
The cat didn't fight with him. "I… took a couple blows to the stomach."
Ranulf was worried. "Lie down." He ordered as he stood up. The cart hit a rock and jerked violently making Ranulf fall to the floor with a loud thud. A woman asked if he was okay and he answered with a simple yes. Having his ankles tied together was annoying. "…Lie down." He repeated with a small grunt. "I have something that will help." He got up on his knees by the bench waiting.
The cat stared at him for a moment. "What's your name…?" He said as he obeyed and lay down slightly crunched up on the bench.
"Ranulf," The blue cat answered trying to reach in his bag that rested at his side. "What's yours?" He pulled out a small brown leather sack.
"Takashi…" The green cat said weakly.
"Nice to meet you, Takashi." Ranulf smiled.
"You too… Ranulf…" Takashi managed to smile back for a brief second, but after clenched his teeth together in pain.
Ranulf unzipped Takashi's vest and sucked in a fast breath. Takashi's abdomen was completely bruised turning into awful colours such as pale yellow, purple and dark blue. Ranulf quickly, with slight difficulty, put his hand in the leather bag he was still holding and took out a white cream on his index and middle fingers. Carefully he touched Takashi's flat, but muscular, stomach rubbing in the cream with a circular motion. Takashi hissed in agony.
"Sorry…" Ranulf apologized. "How many times did they hit you?"
"About maybe… 13… 14 times…" Takashi answered. "With the hilt of a sword."
Ranulf gave Takashi a look that showed that he was sorry for what happened. 'How did this place get in such a wreck again…?' Ranulf thought to himself.
"What are you using…?" Takashi murmured out the question.
Ranulf got more of the cream on his fingers and rubbed it on Takashi's bruises. "Vulnery…" Ranulf answered. "It will heal your wound in a minute or two." Just like he said, the parts of the wound that Ranulf had already stroked the Vulnery on were disappearing.
Once Ranulf was done Takashi sat up with no difficulties. "Thanks…" Takashi smirked. Ranulf shrugged and told him that it was no problem before sitting back on the bench.
The blue cat looked out the barred window again. The snow was falling in small flakes. Every once in awhile a flake would fall inside. He was tired. He leaned back on the wood behind him and closed his multicolour eyes. Soon he drifted off into a somewhat easy sleep.
--s2--
Ike paced the room with his hands behind his back his back and his head down. It had been an hour and a half since Ranulf was taken. Everything was silent besides Ike's footsteps on the wooden flooring. Skrimir, Soren and Leonardo all stared at the map on the table that they were all sitting around trying to think about the situation. Edward, Micaiah and Mist watched Ike circle the room for the sixth time. Sothe sat beside Micaiah looking concerned and calm, but everyone could tell that he was aggravated by his lost.
Ike was on his eighth round around the room when Skrimir stood up. "What are we doing just sitting here?!" The lion king bellowed. "Let round up some warriors and head out to Begnion!"
Soren looked up at Skrimir. "I don't think that having a huge army will help us in this." He spoke smoothly.
Edward stared over at Soren. "Why not?" He asked. "There may be billions of soldiers waiting for us."
Soren nodded. "Yes, I have thought of that possibility, but we can't put more Laguz at risk."
Micaiah leaned back in her chair and sighed sadly. "Then what are we to do?"
Soren stood up and pointed at the map of Tellius. "We'll head to Begnion with a small number of people. We can't bring many Laguz, if none at all, just incase. Skrimir should be the only one that should come from the beast tribe." Soren moved his index finger over to Phoenicis. "It would be a good idea to have Tibarn with us." He scrolled over to the right to Kilvas. "Naesala as well."
Ike stopped pacing and headed over to the table. "If we go to them first then it will be a waste of time." He told them crossing his arms over his chest. "We have to get over to Begnion as soon as possible."
"I agree!" Skrimir said placing his large hand on the table. "I say," he pointed to Gallia and moved it along the way he thought they should go. "We head to over to Susa, into Goldoa to Elpis, and then over to the Ribahn River, in Begnion, crossing to Tanas, and over to Syene"
Soren stared at Skrimir with a blank expression. "Skrimir, this isn't like last time. If we repeat crossing the river the Begnion army would know what we're up to and can catch us." Soren sighed. "We need something new, but I also agree that we can't take the time to get the Raven King and Hawk King..."
Leonardo, Mist, Sothe and Edward felt useless. The four all looked at the other wondering how they could contribute in this plan. Sothe was the first to think of something. "What if we have two teams?" He asked.
Leonardo understood right away. "Yeah, one team could head to Begnion and the other can go get Tibarn and Naesala."
"We could meet in Begnion!" Mist and Edward said at the same time. The gazed over at each other and smiled.
Soren thought about it. "That would work."
Ike gazed at the map. "Okay, we'll do that." He said.
He pointed at the map near Elpis. "Skrimir, you said that we should head to Elpis. To get there we would have to go through the Kauku Caves. We shouldn't go through there again."
"There isn't anyway else to get to Begnion quickly." Skrimir told him. Ike was debating in his mind if they should take the risk or not.
Silence filled the room. Everyone wondering what they should do. The Kauku Caves was not the best place to mess around in. They could all remember how many lives they had lost just by the heat and flames alone. What it worth going through again?
There was a sudden banging sound as a Laguz beast came running through the door. His teal hair and fur was lightly moist with sweat. His hands held his knees as he tried to calm his breathing. Mist hopped up off her chair to make sure he was alright. The man waved his hand saying that he was okay and stood up straight.
"T…" He took a deep breath; his tail flicked. "Tibarn is here to see you, King Skrimir." He reported.
"Tibarn?!" Skrimir repeated wanting to make sure he heard the tiger Laguz right. Everyone listened with high hopes. Soren was already thinking up a plan if this miracle was true.
"Yes," The tiger answered. "He's waiting for you. Come, I'll take you to him."
--s2--
"You want me to what?" Tibarn asked loudly.
Ike sighed. "We want you to send one of your men back and tell Naesala to come over here with some of his men to help us fly over the Kauku Caves. You said that you wanted to do something about the kidnapping of your tribe."
"Yeah, but to ask Naesala for his help?!" Tibarn crossed his arms. "I don't see why we need to get that traitor in all this."
"He was linked to the Blood Pact before." Soren reminded him.
"Yeah, well, he's still not the one to trust!" Tibarn backed up beside ten of his men that he brought with him. "I say we keep him out of this and we'll take you over the mountains."
"Tibarn!" A calm, yet strong voice was heard behind the crowd of Hawks. Soft golden hair was seen with a pair of green eyes. Pure white feathers danced in the small wind they made as they proceed forward. The Heron Reyson gracefully made his way up to Tibarn's side. "I say we ask for Naesala's help."
"What?!" Tibarn stared at Reyson with disbelief. "But he's the one you sold you to that Oliver guy! How can you trust him?"
"I forgave him." Reyson told him crossing his arms. "Let's get him and you can watch over him." Everyone knew that these two where too much alike. "He saved Leanne! I think we can give him one more chance."
"But--" Tibarn stopped himself from saying anything. Reyson's mind was complicated and couldn't be changed without a giant scene. He decided to give up and go along with the plan. "Fine… I'll get Naesala, but it will take a bit of time."
"Excellent." Soren smirked.
Ike was still uneasy. "How long do you think it will take to get back here with Naesala?"
Tibarn thought about it. "Two days at the least. It all depends if I run into trouble on the way and how long it takes me to drag Naesala over here." Ike bit his lip. Tibarn started walking towards a window. "I'll leave immediately. Try not to get in a mess while I'm gone, Reyson." With that he jumped out the window and transformed into his Hawk form. His green wings flapped loudly away.
--s2--
Ranulf was rudely awakened when he was pulled up to his feet. He noticed that his ankles had been untied and he was able to stand up properly. He toppled over a bit and was pushed harshly out of the cart and into the frosty mud. He was picked up forcefully and shoved forward. Ranulf had little time to gain his footing, but thanks to Takashi, who held out his arm to balance Ranulf, he was fine.
They all walked in a line. A Begnion guard stood beside every Laguz. It was snowing harder now. Snowflakes landed in everyone's hair and melted almost instantly. The castle that they were all headed towards didn't look inviting. It had barred windows like the cart did and the whole thing was surrounded by a large metal gate. Ranulf wondered where they were and how they got here so fast. It was then he noticed mages with rewarp staffs.
As they entered the fortress Ranulf and Takashi breathed in deeply. Right away they could hear terrorizing screams. The howls bounced off the cold stone gray walls warning people, mainly Laguz, to not enter. The Begnion soldier beside Ranulf keeping a hold of his arm smirked. "Welcome to hell." He greeted with a chuckle. Ranulf swallowed hard preparing himself for what was coming.
Door after door they pushed their way through the horrid prison. Ranulf and Takashi winced at the sound of whips. Fire sages where everywhere they looked. This place was made to torture and kill Beast Laguz and nothing more.
They went through another large door and suddenly stopped. Ranulf bumped into Takashi before he realized the line had come to a halt. The guard watching him made his grip tighter on his arm and pulled him back roughly. "Do you ever pay attention?" He asked with a sneer. Ranulf figured that this guy's temper was not to be played with.
Heavy foot steps were heard down the hall. Ranulf heard chains with every step. '…a prisoner maybe?' Ranulf tilted his head to the left to see around Takashi. A Beorc with black pants and a dress shirt had big heavy boots on that had chains on them. His hair was dark purple, reaching down to cover his ears. The dark strands swayed with his movement. His eyes where a dark blue much like the colour of a blueberry. He strolled towards the line with his hands rolled into fists. Ranulf thought that he was angry, but the smile on his pale face told him otherwise.
He came to a stop and stared at the new Laguz in his lair. He scanned everyone one of them with his eyes. Once he saw Takashi he walked over and looked down at the slightly shorter man. Takashi snarled softly.
The man's smile grew. "Awe, is the little kitten mad at the stronger humans?" His voice reminded Ranulf of a little girl who was talking to a small bug. The man patted Takashi's head. "Don't worry, I'm sure these people will put you out of misery soon enough," -- his voice lowered to normal as shoved Takashi's head to the side roughly-- "you little monster…"
"Hey!" Takashi yelled. "Untie me and we'll just see who's stronger!"
"Takashi…" Ranulf whispered harshly warning him to not go too far.
"Get your ass back here!!" Takashi pulled away from the guard holding him and transformed. A green ribbon of light flipped surround him releasing his beast form. The rope that tied his hands together couldn't hold the force when paws stretched them and snapped in two. Takashi's cat form sprinted towards the man in black, his golden eyes locked on his pray.
Ranulf's ears twitched at the sound of murmuring. He searched for the voice and saw a fire sage reading from his tome, his hand outstretched. Ranulf's breath hitched. "Takashi, stop!!" He struggled with the guard that was bruising his arm with his firm grip. He pulled away from the line dragging the guard with him. "Takashi!!"
Flames surrounded Ranulf and the guard. Ranulf looked over at Takashi and saw that he too was circled by flames. Ranulf was relieved that he wasn't killed.
The man in black turned to face the green cat. "Did you really think it was going to be that easy to harm me?" He laughed. "Look around you, you stupid cat! Fire sages rule this place! What they say is law for you sub-humans." Takashi growled showing his fangs. "I don't like you." The man stated. "This one is a threat to keep alive! I'll leave him to you fire sages."
"Yuuta, that's enough!" Ranulf saw Zarack entering the room behind the purple haired man. He marched over to the man known as Yuuta wearing a black tunic that blended in with his hair and white leggings and long-sleeve under shirt. Ranulf wondered when he took off his armor.
"What are you doing?!" Zarack asked angrily.
"Little step brother, I'm merely showing these low-lives their place." Yuuta explained calmly.
"Then show them, don't kill them off!" Zarack told Yuuta.
"What do you believe we should do with him?" Yuuta questioned.
Zarack was quiet for the moment. He then turned around and said smoothly, "I'll take care of him, that other one too."
Zarack came up to the flames around Takashi. "I ask you change back to your human form." He said softly. Takashi was confused by Zarack's kindness. A few hours ago he was tugging on his hair and now he's asking him to change back and not commanding him to. Takashi thought that maybe it was a trick and started growling again.
Yuuta chuckled. "Are you sure you want to take care of that one yourself, Zarack? That one's got a bit of a temper."
Zarack ignored Yuuta and knelt down slowly. "Can you please change back…?" He whispered so Yuuta couldn't hear him. "I can't keep you safe if you don't."
Takashi thought it over. He was about to die when this Beorc came in and stopped the attack. Could he trust him? Takashi sighed. The green ribbon reappeared and swam around the cat as he changed back. His tail twitched with nervousness as he stared down at the still kneeling Beorc.
Zarack smiled softly. "Lower the flames!" he ordered the fire sages as he stood up. The fire around both Takashi and Ranulf went out. Guards were on Takashi in a second tying his wrists together again. Ranulf was brought over and ropes were tied around their already bound wrists and the ends were given to Zarack.
Zarack looked at the two Laguz and then at a puzzled Yuuta before leaving. Ranulf obediently followed behind, but Takashi didn't move. He was busy glaring at Yuuta. The rope slightly pulled Takashi's arms up. Zarack paused to see what was wrong and Ranulf studied Zarack's expression. He seemed concerned. 'Does he really care for the Laguz safety…?' Ranulf was lost in his own thoughts.
Zarack called for Takashi to hurry up and the green cat hesitantly started to walk towards the exit. He stared at the other Laguz silently telling them to stay alive. Takashi hated the fact that they were brought to a mirror image of Hell. Yuuta was the devil and Takashi wanted him dead.
--s2--
After another horse and cart ride with Zarack leading the horses they were in Syene. Zarack had unbound the two Laguz and confused the two cats even further. Takashi and Ranulf both thought about escaping when they had the chance. They whispered at each other as well to see what the other was thinking. They decided to stay with Zarack and see what this guy was planning. As they followed the commander Ranulf took the time to use Vulnery on the bruise that the guard made on his arm.
Zarack stopped by a door and opened it letting Ranulf and Takashi in first. The two cats watched the Beorc as they passed by him ready to move if he were to attack. Ranulf, once he was in the room, looked around. There was a king size bed with a white bed stand on both sides. The covers were a light blue with woodened bed posts that almost reached the top of the roof. Blue see through curtains hanged from the top of the bed down to the floor. To the right was another room; Takashi labeled it as the bathroom as he walked passed over to the bed. A window was facing the right side of the bed; a balcony was placed outside it. A wardrobe was behind a sliding door with mainly tunics and boots within it. The room was pretty much empty other than for the bed.
Ranulf jumped slightly when he heard the door shut with a soft click. He then saw Zarack lock the door. Takashi reacted to the small move.
"I knew it!" Takashi yelled. "He's going to kill us in here to prove to that bastard that he can "take care" of us!"
Zarack's green eyes widened. "No, that's not I'm--"
"Shut up!" Takashi interrupted. "We're not--"
"Takashi!" Ranulf held his hand up to silence the overreacting cat. Ranulf couldn't believe how Takashi could explode so easily. He couldn't be much younger than him even if Takashi was still in his teenage years for a Laguz. Ranulf wondered how the teen could have so much anger in him. "Let him talk, Takashi."
Zarack sighed with relief. "Thank you." He said. "I am not going to kill you. I brought you here to get you away from that awful place; to save you from it. I don't agree to what they are doing to you Laguz."
Takashi was about to say something but Ranulf stopped him. "Why are you leading the attacks on us then?" Ranulf asked.
Zarack hesitated. "I have no choice to unfortunately… My step father is not a kind man and has threatened to kill me if I sided with your kind. So I'm following his orders as well as try to help the Laguz at the same time."
"How exactly are you helping us?" Takashi spat stepping forward.
"I saved your life for a start." Zarack told him. "High tempered ones like you get killed quickly. I have also done the same with other Laguz, for the hawks."
"Where are they now?" Ranulf questioned. He couldn't believe that this was the man who nearly killed not too long ago.
"I set them free, but…" Zarack bit his lip. "I'm afraid they were… shot down and killed…"
It went quiet for a minute. Takashi then said something. "What are you going to do to help us now?"
"Well…" Zarack's low voice wasn't comforting for the cats when he said that small word. "I can't set you free, but I can keep you from harm. All you need to do is stay here until we can find a way to get you out."
Ranulf thought about it. "I guess that would give me time to get inside information for the others… I'm in."
Takashi looked at Ranulf. "What…? We can be killed at any moment around here!"
"Then I suggest that we follow the rules we are given so that doesn't happen." Ranulf smirked.
"Perfect," Zarack smiled. "I'll be right back, stay here." He opened the door to leave. "Give me about two minutes." He closed the door behind him and the cats were left alone.
Ranulf wanted to make sure that they weren't trapped and opened the door again, just an inched. "He trusts us…" He whispered.
Takashi sat down on the end of the bed. "What do we do now?" He asked, bored.
"We wait." Ranulf told him calmly. He came to sit down beside the teen.
"How old are you?" The blue cat asked out of no where.
"Twenty-four…" Takashi answered. "…last year of being a teenager." He smiled at the thought of being a grown man in his race.
Ranulf hummed in thought before he lay back kicking his feet in the air to fix his orange bandage on his boots. He then fixed his brownish-black gloves. When Ranulf looked up he noticed that Takashi's right ear was pierced. A small silver stub poked out of his ear proudly. Ranulf couldn't help but ask when he had got his ear pierced.
"Not too long ago." Takashi answered touching the stub with his index finger. Ranulf hummed again.
"Anyways…" Ranulf sat up again as he talked. "Look's like we're going to be spending a lot of time together."
"Yea…" Takashi responded. "Do you think we're going to get out of here alive though… I don't feel like getting burned to a crisp."
Ranulf laughed lightly at Takashi's choice of words. "Of course we'll get out of here alive." He said. "Just don't start yelling at everyone Beorc from Begnion you see."
Takashi chuckled a bit. "Yeah, alright…"
The two Laguz waited for Zarack to return and after about a minute after they stopped communicating the Beorc entered. He came in and locked the door again so no one would come in unexpectedly. The first thing Ranulf noticed when he entered was two small crimson boxes.
Zarack walked over to the bed and placed the two boxes down. He opened one and pulled out a small bronze ring that would fit on his wrist. Zarack whispered a few words and the ring grew in size. The ring now had a silver lining and had Begnion's dark bloody colour that surrounded the outer layer. There was also a much smaller silver ring at one end.
"Uh…" Zarack stumbled on a few words before saying, "…it's a collar." Ranulf and Takashi stared at him. "For you two to stay here you need to wear this to prove that you're 'tamed'. I'm sorry that you'll have to go through this humiliation."
Ranulf shrugged. "As long as it keeps us alive, I don't care."
Zarack smirked. "I knew that you would say something like that." He motioned for Ranulf to turn around so he could put the collar on. Once Ranulf heard a snap he turned back around.
"Now be careful." Zarack warned. "This collar is made to choke you when you… 'Misbehave'." Zarack snapped the other collar from the second box around Takashi's neck. "Many are able to control this collar and if they think that you're better off dead… they can kill you with this. Without it though, they'll kill you anyway."
"So, this collar can either save us for kill us." Ranulf pointed out. "What fun…" Zarack nodded with a smirk.
"One last thing…" Zarack sighed. He pulled out an ear ring from each box. "Do you guys have your ear pierced?" Takashi took one of the rings.
"Ranulf just noticed that I do." Takashi told him as he slipped the stub out of his ear and replaced it with the ring.
Ranulf couldn't take his eyes off the tiny ear ring. It had the same look the collar did the only difference was the size. "What's it for?" the blue cat asked.
"It tracks where you are and gives off a high pitch sound only able to be heard by you Laguz. They only use that if the collar doesn't slow you down though." Zarack answered. "You don't have any piercings, do you?" Ranulf shook his head. Zarack bit his lip again. "Hold on…" He went to the bathroom for a moment and came back with a sewing needle. He then sat down on the bed and took hold of Ranulf's left ear. "Hold as still as possible." He ordered.
Ranulf panicked. "Wait, wait, don't!"
Zarack stopped and looked at Ranulf. "You need to have this as much as you need the collar. People around here are very observant when it comes to Laguz. One thing wrong with your appearance and they will attack you."
"Let… let go of my ear…" Ranulf stuttered staying completely still. "That hurts…"
Zarack released his hold and Ranulf moved away towards Takashi who had a concerned look on his face. "I was barely doing anything." Zarack announced. His low voice suddenly started to remind Ranulf of that Geoffrey guy from Crimea.
"My ears have always been extremely sensitive." Ranulf explained sounding ashamed of the fact.
Zarack ran his fingers through his black hair as he started thinking. He took the needle and ran the side of it down the edge of Ranulf's fuzzy ear. Ranulf shivered making Zarack huff in thought.
"I don't have anything to numb the pain." Zarack admitted.
"What about that medicine you have, Ranulf?" Takashi asked. "Couldn't that get rid of the pain after the ring is in?"
Ranulf stared at his bag, reached inside and pulled out the Vulnery he had. "Would that work?" Ranulf whispered.
"It's all we got." Zarack mentioned. Ranulf nodded in sad agreement. "I'll make it quick and you can hold onto a pillow if you want. Rip it to shreds if you need to."
"I don't need a pillow." Ranulf smiled a little. "We're not a bunch of girls at a sleep over party."
Zarack smiled back. "You haven't changed a bit have you?"
Ranulf's ears twitched. "What…?"
The Beorc's smile vanished. "So you don't remember…"
"Remember what?" Ranulf questioned.
Zarack was quiet. He scratched the back of his head before saying that he would explain after they get the ring in his ear. Ranulf stared at him oddly.
"Takashi," Zarack said getting Takashi's attention. "Could you go in the bathroom and get a wet cloth?" Takashi nodded and left towards the bathroom.
Takashi came back with a cold wet cloth and handed it to Zarack. Ranulf was curious. "What's that for?"
"Incase you start to bleed." Zarack told him. Ranulf wished he didn't ask. "Don't want to get any blood in your hair." He smiled to help calm Ranulf down; it didn't work.
"Okay, hold still again." Zarack told the nervous cat. He held Ranulf's ear as gently as possible and positioned the needle. Ranulf gripped his blue pants tightly and bit his bottom lip. Zarack counted down. "Three… two…"
Ranulf yelped and bit his lip harder, drawing blood. He wanted to pull away but Zarack told Takashi to hold him in place.
"Hold on, Ranulf." Zarack said with a soothing voice. "It didn't go through."
"Hurry up…!" Ranulf begged. Tears formed in the corners of his multicoloured eyes.
Zarack located the small dent he made in Ranulf's ear and placed the needle there. He then forced the needle through. Ranulf yelped again and growled at the pain. Zarack pulled the needle out and replaced it with the ear ring. He then wiped away a small bit of blood with the cloth.
Takashi took the Vulnery from Ranulf's side and took out a dab. He leaned on the bed and smudged the cream around the ring and rubbed it in softly. Ranulf had enough and stood up walking away from the bed.
The cat moved to the door and back again flopping down on the mattress in between Takashi and Zarack. He covered his eyes with his arm and waited for the Vulnery to start working.
"Are you alright, Ranulf?" Takashi after a moment asked.
"I am never letting you do that again…!" Ranulf murmured. The pain had turned into a dull discomfort much to Ranulf's relief.
"Want to go to the mirror and take a look?" Zarack asked.
"No." Ranulf sat up. "I know its there. I don't need to see it." He moved his hand to touch the cold ring, but stopped thinking it would make it hurt again.
Ranulf crossed his legs and looked up at Zarack. "Now that that's over… Tell me what I don't remember."
Zarack locked gazes with Ranulf. He turned and crossed his legs, mimicking the blue cat's movements. "Maybe this will help you remember…" He mumbled. He lifted his long-sleeved undershirt up to his elbow and rubbed his forearm. He held up his hand with his palm facing himself and watched as Ranulf's eyes grew wide.
"… Z…Zarack?!"
--s2--
HA! NOW WHAT! Start rattling your brains people! HAHAHAHA!! Review NOW!! It took awhile to get this chapter finished and I want reviews damn it! I ALSO watched scary pierce your own ear video's on YouTube to see what it was like! (Never had my ear pierced and don't really plan to…) REVIEW!!!!!