Echoes of the past and lessons learned ((closed))

[Moonlit Raven]

(( Bunnying pre-approved))

Waking, the angle of the sunlight told me I had over slept once more. Scowling, I hurriedly stamped out the last dying embers of my campfire and gathered my things together. I reached out with the part of me I knew now was that dead, demonic part of me and strained to feel for any hint of the Moontae following. I hoped my senses, long accustomed to the Moontae, would not fail me. I had no worries about not picking up anything else near by demonic but I was worried that my years spent with them would render my built in warning alarm useless. I had no wish to return to the Moontae.

By late evening, I had left the borders of the forest behind me. I took a deep breath, relief made me weak kneed for a moment. With the dark forests of Concordia behind, I thought I would feel better but oddly enough, I felt worse. It had taken me just over a week to walk out of the forest. I found myself rising late in the morning despite the time I laid down to rest. A lingering queasiness dogged my every step. Irritable, I glared at the hard packed earth stretching out before me, if it the fault lay in it. The last few days the urge to slip, to let my darker side take over was constant. It angered me that I was so emotional, so angry, distantly I recognized the amusing cycle.

The one traveler I had encountered I had quickly chased away. I had no want for company. Thoughts of Avery’s final barbaric act still haunted me when I rested, when I walked. I growled under my breath as I realized Avery would not leave my mind. I found myself fighting to keep my head.

“Damn you to the lowest level of hell!” I spat quietly under my breath. I gritted my teeth against the familiar urge to go back and find Avery. I was sure I would jump on him. If only to kill him or to take his body for my pleasure, I was not sure. At times my body cried out for his and I found ignoring it difficult.

I pulled my mind away from the dangerous thoughts of Avery and pushed them towards the large silk cocoon that rested against the front of my body. Lightly I touched it and smiled. I could detect the faintest of the movements from within. I hoped that my pet would soon emerge, I was anxious to greet him and see what he looked like. I tapped a finger against the top of the egg. A answering tap from within delighted me to no end.

[Shadar]

Blinded by the setting sun, Shadar traveled the road. The dense Concordian forest to his right and the open plains to his left both shot by as blurs of green and brown. He had no need for a horse. All he need do was levitate a few inches, lean forward, and he fell horizontally through the terrain like a skydiver. It was the only way to travel.

Close overhead, a great winged figure easily kept pace with him. Through the glare of the sunlight, one could make out her golden eagle feathers and the human breast and head over them. Her fiery red hair flared behind, struggling valiantly to out-dazzle the sun.

With practiced style, Shadar twisted in his earth-bound flight so that he looked up at her while still leaning, and therefore moving, in the desired direction. His long, black, sleeveless coat wrapped around his legs and muted the details of his body for a moment as he raised a gloved hand in something that was between salute, greeting, and jubilation. The glare of the sun did nothing to brighten the inky depths of those gloves.

Brigitte crowed with harsh excitement. She knew this was a celebration.

Smiling widely, Shadar turned back to the road that fled under him. He closed his eyes and felt the cool wind of movement tug at his short silver hair. With a concerted effort, he pushed his sense of smell to life and found the autumn crispness of the forest. He had savored it far too little, being without need for breath. It was unfortunate to leave before he could fully enjoy those little things that made Corone beautiful. But, he knew it was time. This celebration, this test of speed, was his farewell to the continent. All of his life had been spent there, baring one outing into Salvar that had brought about a rebirth for him. He needed to step out again, to where the world was actually moving, for better or worse.

Nearly three days of constant motion had brought him from Radasanth to the southern border of Concordia, and all the travel left to him felt like the mere raising of a curtain. Eyes still closed, he imagined himself shooting past every town and city, every plain and river, until he launched himself into the ocean and skimmed like a water sprite toward the majestic land of Raiaera.

Four more days of gay hippie roadtripping, grumbled a voice in the back of his head.

[Moonlit Raven]

Playing with Kazimir as I traveled the dirt road, I tapped the silk egg lightly and waited for a answering tap before moving to another place. I couldn't help but laugh at the faint scrabbles I picked up from within the egg or the movement I felt through my armor and the sling.

"You're about ready to come out. Well, hurry up. There are a lot of things for you see out here." A shrill, harsh cry echoed faintly across the open area I traveled. Stopping, I looked around warily, scanning for a creature or a bird that could have made the sound.. One hand automatically moved to the sword resting from one hip, the other covering the egg protectively.

After a moment I relaxed, I spotted nothing rushing from the forest that lay behind me. Flexing the hand that hovered over my sword, I winched slightly at the stiff feeling caused by the cool air. Thoughts of and the warmth that my cloak would offer against the chilled air of late autumn was one I found I could not resist. Dropping more than laying my pack on the ground I began rummaging through it.

By the time I located the damned cloak, the majority of the items in the pack were scattered across the ground and a string of curses that would have made a seasoned warrior gape at me passed from my lips. I wonder how the cloak wound up on the bottom. I blithely ignored the fact that I was the one that had packed.

Hoisting the heavy pack back into position on my shoulder, the cloak was fastened over the pack. I took up walking once more, I hoped to be a few more miles down the road before night fell. That hope was killed once my ears picked up the sound of wing beats. Frowning I looked up, for me to actually be able to hear the wing beats they had to come form a big damned bird.

Just about the time I spotted the bird like thing in the sky I noticed the figure shooting across the ground towards me. Instinct and paranoia took over. I yanked my falchion from its scabbard and slashed at the figure once it got close enough.

[Shadar]

Celebrate with us, demon, Shadar mocked inwardly. At the voice’s begrudging silence, he laughed cruelly. Diamond Jackal deserved every bit of displeasure thrown his way.

Satisfied that the mental parasite wouldn’t bother him for a time, Shadar opened his eyes. The first image that registered was a pair of frantic eyes, and then the sliver thin flash of a blade. “Hell!” he shouted immediately as he threw himself to the ground. His speeding body met the packed dirt hands first, but he didn’t become a bloody smear. Instead, the earth directly below him rippled with the contact of his palms, and he phased under the surface as if diving into water. The blind, half-solid lunge through the dirt only lasted a moment, though, before the earth tired of his presence and heaved his solidifying form airwards just past the obstacle’s feet. Uncontrollably fast, he flipped through the air in an arc normally only achieved by the most powerful of cannons. At the peak, talons gripped his shoulders and jerked him so hard that his teeth rattled.

“I should have seen her, but the sun…” Brigitte sputtered. Her wings beat heavily to pull him to a standstill in the air.

Finally, Shadar’s vision narrowed to the point that he could make out the burning sky from the dark earth far below. “Don’t worry about it,” he interjected quickly as he looked up at her, seeing nothing but feathers leading up to the bottom of her heaving bosom. With a sudden uncomfortable twitch, he dislodged himself from her feet and hovered smoothly in the evening breeze. She lowered herself to his side, also hovering despite the limitations that should have been allotted to her bird half.

“That was rather rude,” Shadar remarked loudly and dryly as he turned to look down at the person who had almost taken his head off. At once, he felt a pang of familiarity, but he couldn’t quite place it. Gently, he lowered himself until his feet were level with the top of her head, though there was still a respectable distance between them. He continued to draw a blank, so he fell back to the question that he asked all the strangers he spoke to. “What’s your story?” he said with a slightly judgmental air. At the very least, the question gave him a chance to temper his knack for detecting lies.

Suddenly, he remembered her. With a sudden widening of his arms, he shouted in a tone that was half apology and half anger. “I fixed your damn counter! No need to take my head off.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brigitte’s wings stagger in surprise, and in the back of his mind, Jackal laughed uproariously.

[Moonlit Raven]

I looked up at the hovering man, more than a little non impressed at his levitation. I’d seen the Moontae pull off far better tricks. It sudden dawned on me the same moment he yelled at me just who he was. I could feel my lips moving to peel back in a mocking, feral version of a polite smile. Here was a person, be it creature or man, that I could take out my rising frustrations on.

“Violence in the Bazaar is not welcomed. Any unwanted displays are met with immediate ejection.’ I kept the tone light, mocking and formal as I offered him a wicked grin. ‘Then again you already know that, quite intimately. I hope you enjoyed your short flight before you found yourself kissing dirt.” My gaze turned to the feathered person with him. Slowly I stalked around, gazing up at the female creature; I kept my blade unsheathed in my hand.

“So this is why you were in so early and so impatient to have the metal. I wouldn’t imagine anything that looks like that,‘ I tossed my head towards the bird woman. ‘would be good in bed. Then again, there is no accounting for taste.”

I sort of hopped to resettle my pack and turned my back to them. I stopped a few steps later and looked at the odd pair over my shoulder. My gaze settled on the winged woman.

“Any male that wants to infuse his body with metals is lacking in an important department. You might want to find your self a nice Moontae male, or female if you’re willing to experiment, they’ll love the feathers.”

[Shadar]

Brigitte's lovely feathers ruffled furiously as she glared down at the woman. She didn't understand completely what was implied, but it dripped from the offending woman's lips with such mockery that she knew how to take it.

"Won't work, lady," said a raspy voice in the air right before the woman's face. Like a foggy breath, the image solidified into the visage of a jackal, purple in fur, fire in the eyes, and a glittering diamond in the brow. "I didn't make her with a hooha, so the sex freaks will have to be creative," said the cartoony, disembodied head, "Oh, and she bites." With an angry squawk, Brigitte dove. It wasn't clear if she was aiming for the stranger or Jackal's illusion, only that her talons were grasping in that general direction.

"Stop it!" Shadar commanded suddenly. His hands closed on Brigitte's shoulders and guided her straight to the ground as gingerly as one can guide a waring harpy. As soon as her talons and his shoes hit the earth, he stepped in front, leaving her to glare into his shoulder blades. "You too," he said less harshly, but distinctly more annoyed. Jackal's head turned, stuck out a long tongue, then disappeared with a harsh laugh.

And so, once again, he found himself in that awkward silence that always followed a public blowup between his companions. There was never much that could be said, aside from a textbook explanation of why they existed and the psychology that tied the whole group together like ferrets in a cage. At least, when it happened, he had a chance to appraise whoever was staring at the collection of oddities.

She looked like a strong woman, as fierce as one would expect from her attitude. There was mockery too, that glint in the eyes that he had seen before when he had been to her shop in the Radasanth Bazaar. Anyone would have been annoyed with waiting an hour for such an infuriating woman to get their order, though few would have broken the counter like he had... He did fix it immediately, and rather skillfully at that. Though, she and her bodyguards hadn't seen it that way.

Something was odd, though. She didn't have the professionalism he had seen before, that spotless dignity he had wanted so badly to chip away. She was worn down, now, and by something heavier than the stress of travel. Perhaps it had to do with the object she held. Shadar had to study it a moment to realize that it was an egg, though not one he had ever encountered. It made her look motherly, in a dangerous way.

It must have been his recently acquired immortality that gave him the courage, or the obnoxiousness, to ask once more. "What's your story?" He was genuinely curious, and he didn't bother to hide it.

[Moonlit Raven]

I snarled, baring fangs in a warning display of what was swiftly becoming a truly bad temper. I caught myself before I struck out at the apparition that suddenly appeared in front of me. Glancing up at the angry bird like noise from the feathery woman above me I crouched a little, more than ready to swing my sword. If I were honest with myself I was looking for a fight.

The sudden order to cease to the woman and the ugly animalistic head before me surprised me. I hadn’t expected the man to stop his companions after I insulted them and his manhood. Is it because he’s used to it or is it because it’s true? I wondered, and yanked my gaze up to his face, stopping my wandering gaze before it passed his chest. His gaze as he stared at me seemed to burn, as if it saw more than the surface, more than the mask that I tossed up to hide behind.

Once his eyes settled on Kazimir’s egg, I clutched it closer to my body and glared warningly. Kazimir was mine and I’d kill before anyone else got to touch him. I found myself blinking in surprise as he repeated the same question. The curiosity in his tone seemed to echo in my head and gnaw at my pride. I wasn’t some odd little object to put on a shelf and study, I was a human being, a woman damn it! The more I thought about it in those few seconds the angrier I got. I was nothing more than a curiosity for this man to study to state some inane and sadistic quality of his personality.

“My story. You wanna know what my story is? For the past three years I’ve lived among an inhuman race, married to their ruler, their Chieftain. I worked hard to make his people like me despite my vampire side, despite being raised and thinking like a human. Once I’m finally happy and I have a child, a wonderful son. It all has to fall apart, that traitorous bitch of a sister that Avery has, had to take him, had to kill him.”

“Do you know what it’s like to have something you would die for taken away from you? To have a small life, new to the world and precious torn from your arms? I couldn’t stay, I needed time away. So I tried to leave, to beg for just a few years in the long span of time Avery and I have to live. He raped me when I tried to go. He acted just as savage as I thought all demons were. And now I don’t know what to do. How can I ever go back? I’m weak, too weak to fight for my place to be more than just a toy, but I don’t want to be just a toy.” By the end of my tirade I found myself yelling, as if the man that stood there protecting his companion or protecting me from her had some answer for me. Through the mist of tears I refused to let fall I glared at him and yell my questions.

[Shadar]

When people answered his question honestly, he was always surprised. Nearly everyone had something to hide, and it always burned behind their masks. This woman, though, tore off her mask and smashed it underfoot. It deserved alot more than surprise, and Shadar didn't know what ranked above surprise. So, he just stared as his mouth attempted to combine sympathy, apology, and something vaguely positive like, "Life goes on." All that came out was silence, thank god, for any of those sentiments would likely set her after him, blade first.

Brigitte nudged his shoulder with hers and leaned her face toward his ear. Her earlier anger was gone, tamped out by the righteous fire of this woman's own fury. "What-" she began to ask, keeping her voice low as if she, too, felt the delicate balance between control and bloodshed.

Shadar turned, put a hand on her shoulder, and locked forceful eyes with hers. "I'll explain it later," he whispered, "Let's just go." Then, he turned to the woman and found himself mute again. Her face still burned as if she expected him to have an answer. Revenge? Suicide? What the hell am I supposed to say? A bit of annoyance welled up, burning just enough of the guilt for him to let himself look away.

"We'll leave you alone," he said, looking toward the sunset. His toes tensed, ready to lift him to hovering altitude and then safely away from the proof of suffering that he, personally, could only imagine. But, he didn't even get off the ground before they all looked to the side.

"Jeez," Jackal said snidely as he manifested his entire form. A human-shaped and animal-furred body stood below the head, and it was decked out in long crimson robes of regal cut. It must have been a distant kingdom, because the pictures along the neck-slung sash were both archaic in their simplicity and indecipherable in their meaning. "If you things had bigger brains, you wouldn't get so worked up over this shit," he said to everyone involved, his eyes burning hotly as if he were scolding children. "You," he thrust a clawed finger at Shadar, "Can kick ass when you need to." It sounded far too rude to be taken as a real compliment. "And you," now to the woman, "Need to learn how to kick all the asses in your life, not counting Mr. Hummingbird here. Does it take a freakin' god to see the logic here?!"

Good deeds like this don't just fall from the sky. Take it before the I-hate-my-life whore finds a creek to drown herself in, he added silently.

Shadar stared at Jackal's image, and his jaw was clearly set in a scowl. You sound like a prick even when you're being helpful, he grumbled.

Then, he faced the woman once more. His form radiated discomfort, which made Brigitte even more antsy behind him. "I could train you if you want," he finally said, trying to make it sound like it hadn't been Jackal's idea. "I know alot more tricks than smashing and phasing through things," he added with a half-hearted smile that faltered in under two seconds. So, he covered with role call. "I'm Shadar. This is Brigitte." The harpy nodded in agreement, though her face still seemed bewildered. "And that thing is called Diamond Jackal, and he's not a god."

Despite the insult, Jackal smiled at the woman. It was a purely canine smile, though, toothy and sinister. Of course, Althanas' poles would switch before Diamond Jackal achieved or even attempted an actual benevolent smile.

[Moonlit Raven]

A wave of ugly sastifaction washed through me at the surprise that appeared on Shadar’s face. I sneered at the gaping mouth that reminded me of a landed fish. Impatiently, angrily, I dashed the tears burning my cheeks and eyes away. Great, another person I’ve shown this disgusting weakness too. Gods, he better not say anything encouraging. I’ll cut out his tongue if he does.

The rude, ugly purple dog popped back up, causing less of a start this time than the last. On general reasons I pointed my weapon at it, hating its smug expression and insight. At least this time it showed more of itself than just the hideousness of its head. Giving IT a once over I found myself equally as annoyed for its full-bodied appearance as the appearance of its head only.

I began to snarl an automatic response to the unkind tone before the words sank in and I fully comprehended what the creature meant. I turned an appraising glance to Shadar as I considered his offer of training. I found my anger had danced back enough to cool to the cold fury that I preferred. It would not die away like normal heated anger, instead it would sit and simmer in my breast until I decided to let it go or until I felt I had been avenged.

“I accept your offer. I’m Elena.” I said, drawing myself up to my full height and wished not for the first time that I wasn’t cursed with such a short body. I patted the large silk cocoon I carried. “This is Kazimir, touch the egg and I’ll make sure I take your balls.” I stared at the smiling Diamond Jackal for a moment before returning the smile with a barely polite baring of teeth.

“No problems with thinking that that isn’t a god. He dresses too badly and looks like the deranged product of a mangy, diseased-ridden dog that raped the village whore. So, where do we start?”

[Shadar]

Immediately after the threat upon his genitalia, Shadar's head was punched full of images ranging from pleasant to horrific situations that involved her and his balls. Every single one ended badly. Jackal was about to add a quote to the gifted images also, something that felt along the lines of "I like her." However, after her verbal assault found his ego and perforated it, the thought changed to a very short, biting response. "Bitch," his illusion grumbled, teeth still bared, and now the farthest thing from a fake smile.

Shadar burst out laughing. However, having to shake the wince-inducing images out of his head, he was a moment behind Brigitte in doing so. "We start by hitting him with a few more," Shadar said as he turned his volume down to a chuckle. He had an oddly vicious glare despite the humor and it was pointed squarely at Jackal, who disappeared with a snarl.

Wait, where do we start? he suddenly thought. He had never trained anyone before, and all the 'friendly' duels he had fought were bloodbaths. Once, he had even cremated his best friend, Yari, though under the protection of the Citadel.

"Can we get off the road?" chirped the harpy as she looked toward both horizons warily.

"Yeah, good idea," Shadar said sagely, "We don't want any heroes to try coming to the rescue." Without another word or even a beckoning motion, he turned and started walking into the trees. Brigitte bobbed along behind his shoulder like an extension of his shadow.

Inattentively, he pushed the reaching branches out of his way and held them long enough for Brigitte to not get smacked in the face. "Well," he finally said, his head still tilted down in thought. "I guess you need to show me what you can do, combat-wise. I know your reflexes are good, at least." He winced as he remembered how close the blade had come.

The light of dusk shone brighter just ahead, and he glanced up from the roots and undergrowth to see the clearing before them. It wasn't completely empty of trees; one or two dotted about. But, it was open enough for them to see each other from a safe distance.

Smiling, Shadar stepped onto the soft, unlittered grass and looked at the last frills of sunfire that could be seen over the treetops. Those trees stood silent and proud as the animal life began to change shifts, so only the wind made the barest whisper of sound as it caressed the high branches. He would definitely miss Corone.

[Moonlit Raven]

Watching Shadar and Brigitte heading to the trees I debated for a swift moment the intelligence of my decision. A man the travels with a harpy that could faze through stuff was not your average person. Then again I know he can teach me more about fighting or as that wanna-be god said to kick ass. Muttering to myself and quietly nursing the cold anger in my breast I followed.

The idea of getting of the road made sense. Like Shadar stated we didn’t need some would-be-hero swooping in during the middle of a sparring match to rescue the ‘damsel in distress.’ I wasn’t in a very damsel-ish mood today and I pitied that moron that tried to whisk me away to safety. I’m more apt to make a nice snack out of the do-gooder than anything else.

The first branch caught me unaware, knocking the smirk off of my face as it scored a thin stinging line across my cheek. I had been thinking of all the different ways to turn a hero into something edible until I literally had some sense knocked into me. Perhaps, I decided a moment later, it was a good thing. My thoughts has been delightfully gory and some what hungry, not the best thing to be thinking with a up coming sparring that I just knew would wind up with me getting my ass handed to me on a platter.

Scowling, I clawed at the branches that whipped back from Shadar’s careless and rude manners. The least he could do is to hold onto the damned branches a moment or two longer. Leaving a small path of clawed, torn, and shredded branches behind me I emerged into the clearing. Ignoring the wet tickle of blood that trickled down my cheek I picked pieces of wet sap and inner bark out from under my nails.

The clearing reminded me much of the one Avery had caught me in and forced his wishes over mine. Uncomfortable and more than a little angry at the reminder I glanced at Shadar then Brigitte.

“Damn I hate Corone.” I muttered under my breath. I took a moment to lay my pack and Kazimir down in a secure place, one I thought unlikely that would be disturbed. Without giving warning, I launched myself at Shadar as he was looking around. I found a grin had formed as I curled my hands into claws. I’ll get to weapons later, for now hand to hand. I thought with a touch of gleefulness.

[Shadar]

Brigitte stopped at the edge of the clearing not because it was the safest place to stand, but because Elena's landscaping efforts had distracted her. If that was the human's way of showing Shadar what she could do, it wasn't very impressive. A smile twitched across her thin lips, smug and bemused, a habit no doubt taken from him.

The smile lasted until Elena had set down her belongings and suddenly lunged like a feral beast. "Look-" the harpy barked a second too late.

Shadar didn't need the help, though. While it appeared that he was still admiring the scenery, he was well aware of her actions. Her intent was hot on his back, a beam of aggressive concentration that could have drawn sweat from between his shoulder blades; if he was still capable of sweating, that is.

He tensed his legs and sprang into the air before twisting to look at the lunging claws and the determined chocolate eyes behind. "Good," he sent directly to her ears as an auditory illusion so fast it would take the brain a few moments to decipher, moments in which her body flew through the air below his hovering, casually reclining form. "Not too obvious. Might have gotten someone who's not me."

Before her brain would have even understood the message, he reached a gloved hand down and grabbed her ankle. It seemed so dainty as he flipped down to brace his feet against the earth, the small ankle of a small-but-determined woman. The chauvinistic thought ended when her momentum jerked his arm so hard that he winced and had to let go, giving her only an awkward trajectory compared to the full stop and drop he had intended. His other hand went up to his shoulder, and he bit off a curse under his breath, though still loud enough to be heard.

Brigitte made a concerned squawk behind him, to which he merely walked farther into the clearing and worked his arm back and forth. "I'm okay," he said, though what he thought was, Bloody hell. I'm not as strong as I imagine. Need to remember that.

Beside Brigitte, Jackal appeared, looking as smug and grandiose as a god should. "The vampy bitch must be dense. She almost popped his arm out," he informed the harpy with a tone equal parts dryness and mockery.

"I said, I'm okay!" Shadar countered before the concern in Brigitte's face became worse. He knew it was there, no need to look. His eyes would better serve him watching Elena, fiery little brawler that she was prooving to be.

[Moonlit Raven]

I wasn’t sure if it was the harsh squawk of warning from Brigitte or if Shadar was simply that observant, but Shadar disappeared from in front of my outstretched hands. I had a split second of frustration and pleasure that at least the man could teach me before a sharp tug on my ankle sent me rolling and skittering along the ground. Dirt and crumbling leaves slipped between my fingers as I clawed the ground to stop my momentum.

Tossing my recently shorn hair out of my eyes, I stood in a crouch and watched Shadar baby his shoulder as he growled that he was fine. He uses his tricks too much. I bet in hand to hand, no tricks at all I could take him. I spared the mutt god and Brigitte a glance.

“There are different forms of dense, you parasite. For instance I wonder if any there is any intelligence in that thick skull of yours, or if you’re all instinct and petty whims. Then there is the questionable denseness of Shadar and Brigitte allowing you to stick around. Unless there is a specific reason for that.” I stared at Shadar, appraisingly before I turned and strolled casually for my pack. Though I found the small glass jar immediately I kept to the motions of rooting around in my pack as I carefully opened the jar and dipped several fingers in to the silky pollen within.

“In a different degree, how dense was I to stay with a man that originally kidnapped me. It was pretty dense to stay, fall in love, bear him a child then not say anything when his sketchy sister came back. All it costed was my son’s life and my happiness. Not much at all.” Shrugging as if I couldn’t find what I was looking for I headed back for Shadar, all the while splitting hairs about different types of being ‘dense’.

Just out side of arms reach of Shadar, I stopped and arched a brow at him. I flicked my fingers at him, a near invisible cloud of gold tinted pollen shimmered in the failing light as it moved on a gentle breeze to engulf Shadar’s head. Knowing what the pollen could do I shifted, careful to stay out of the pollen could.

“Dense could also be standing there while I go and get something you can’t see.”

[Shadar]

There were quick glances exchanged between Shadar, his companion, and their ethereal hanger-on. Unspoken, the messages ranged from stern warnings to not mention Jackal's reasons for tagging alone, to a glimmer of shared pity over the events that haunted Elena beyond the point of rambling. The pity was only shared by Shadar and Brigitte, naturally. Jackal's tolerance for angst had been exceeded back when Elena first opened her mouth. And, upon her return, Shadar's became a bit shorter.

"Dense... is assuming I breathe," he countered with a smirk as he waved the sparlking dust away from his face. His speech, unlike his hands, didn't even disturb the cloud. "Good trick, though. I like tricks... as I'm sure you can tell."

"However," he said pointedly, waggling one finger with an odd amount of enthusiasm. Just past the tip, the dust parted and dissipated more rapidly than anywhere else. "Don't get too smug, because that just makes it harder to concentrate. Unless, of course, you know the trick will work. Like this!" He jerked his finger back and dropped the illusion of dusty, darkening air. The wire attached to his fingertip immediately became visible, a thin line of metallic shimmer that extended over and beyond Elena's head. That was where his waggling digit had sent a playfully small ball of wood, and it now returned on the end of the tether. The soft thunk of oak meeting skull filled the clearing.

"Now, you try something that will work," Shadar laughed. He pushed himself back, hovering bouyantly in the air and facing her while drifting away. The ball and string dangled from his hand like a forgotten childrens' toy, then it was sucked back into the inky darkness of his gloves.

I wonder if this is teaching her anything, or just annoying her, he thought wistfully as he continued, backwards, toward one of the thicker solitary trees. Either way, it's kinda fun. His smile became surprisingly pleasant, a rare occurance for him, and perhaps not the best face to wear after mocking someone.

[Moonlit Raven]

I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when Shadar didn’t seem alarmed that I had just flung a cloud of shimmering powder in his face. You don’t breathe, huh? I bet your heart doesn’t beat either, you bloodless bastard. I thought sourly watching him wave the cloud away from his face. Shadar shook his finger at me in an almost lecturing manner. Then, ducking, I slapped a hand to the back of my head as a spark of pain flashed across my scalp. I caught a glimpse of a small wooden ball, about the size of a crabapple, before it was reeled in towards Shadar.

He’s playing with me? The thought that Shadar wasn’t actually throwing himself into this ‘battle’ annoyed me. At the same time it was also a little worrisome. What exactly made him so confident? His tricks?

By the second, Shadar drifted further and further away, that damned smirk still plastered on his face, towards the large tree near the center of the clearing. I think it was the oh-so-amused smile that annoyed me the most. Determined to wiped it off his face, I chased after him.

I spotted the hand he reached back to touch the rough bark of the tree just before he disappeared into the ripples that spread out like water over the tree. Cautiously, I touched the tree once I reached it, half-expecting Shadar to burst out and to smack me around. He’d undoubtedly call it a lesson for me, but I knew this was a game for him.

High over head the branches shivered and rustled. Glancing up at the whispering boughs, I smiled as an idea occurred to me.

[Shadar]

Silently, Shadar re-materialized out the other side of the tree and planted his feet on the yielding grass. The smile, smug as could be, was still upon his face as he glanced to either side of the wide trunk. So, she's doing something other than chasing, he mused when she didn't surge around the wide tree. It was satisfying, a little, that she had learned something about restraint; as well as disappointing, a whole hell of a lot, that his ball and string trick hadn't incited whatever bloodlust dwelled in her. It was there, obviously. He'd seen it flash in her eyes the instant the toy had pinged off her skull, and if it had yet to boil over, it was at least simmering.

The cool breeze of dusk sighed heavily, bowing the grass and pulling at his coat as he waited. "Do something," he whispered bitterly. The light was fading, and as much as he played the sneak, darkness was not his favorite battlefield, at least not when his opponent would reap the benefit too.

Claws suddenly tore at the bark on the other side like a frantic animal pawing and wishing for some tasty bird in the boughs. Except, he could actually hear the wood being gouged out. Is she trying to cut it down? With wide eyes, he took a step back and raised his arms. Better stop her before she breaks a nail.

The cockiness returned, and cool liquid metal was born from the surface of his gloves. In seconds it hardened into slender, teardrop shaped shields that spanned from just past his knuckles to pointed ends well past his elbows. All along the shields' edges, the sharpness caught the falling sun's rays and gleamed. He moved onto the balls of his feet, arms tensed and head swiveling to decided which side of the tree to swoop around.

Then, the scratching stopped, and any sound from the other side was drowned out with another burst of air that ruffled the branches all around him. The hissing leaves even seemed to numb his internal hearing, as words that were clearly Jackal's passed almost below his notice.

Don't say a thing.... he's training too, was all he could make out. About to respond sharply, he snapped his head to the side and saw the illusion looking sternly at Brigitte. The harpy, however, was staring into the air as she twitched with indecisiveness.

Shadar's harsh words for Jackal turned softer as he shouted to her, "What is it?"

The answer came in a sudden wave of sweltering intent along his head and neck. He flicked his gaze upward to meet the source, and all that he saw were the claws descending on him. Their owner followed as a violently focused core to the storm of leaves that had joined her on the way down from the branches.

Shadar pulled the shields up just in time to intercept her claws, though she still hit them with all her weight, driving him to one knee as she screeched down the barriers. With one strenuous push, he forced her past him and lunged back toward the tree before she could flatten him against the ground.

"What the hell? I used to be stronger!" he blurted in lieu of any rightly deserved praise as he pressed his back to the bark.

Jackal answered as if he'd been waiting for his vessel to notice for a very long time. "Duh! You haven't scrapped with anyone since you went all hermit. You don't even walk anymore! If you hover all over the place like a fuckin' fairy, you turn into a fuckin' fairy!"

There was more, most of it raucous laughter, but Shadar ignored it as he pushed off the tree. Elena had landed too gracefully for him to feel safe standing still, especially now that she seemed to be taking this seriously, so it was with a smugness-nullifying amount of haste that he lunged and drove the rounded end of his right shield toward her.

A realization came to him when the flat of the shield caught the light, and the thought was discarded immediately, though not without a flicker of panic that scoured away the last remnants of his swelled ego. There were claw marks in the steel; long, deep gouges that ended in curly rings of displaced metal.

[Moonlit Raven]

Beneath my fingers the rough, flexible branches swayed precariously, making me very glad that my boots were thin soled and I could curl my feet enough to get some form of a grip. I think a mirth-less smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I checked one last time to make sure Shadar hadn’t moved before I launched myself out of the tree. Only part way down the tree, Shadar looked up at me. I saw his eyes widen in alarm before he brought the metal shield formed on his arms up to protect himself.

My knees and clawed hands hit the shield first. The metal shrieked, tormented, as I slid down it for a moment or two before Shadar tossed me back and away from him. Half-crouching on the ground, I watched Shadar back into the tree. He stayed there for only a moment, but it was long enough for me to rise completely.

Shadar lunged forward, thrusting the shield out at me as if it were a sword. Rather than dodge around and continue playing this mock battle by Shadar’s rules, I met the thrust head on, lashing out with my foot and catching the edge of the shield with all of the force I could muster from my hips. With a slight crunch of leather, the sharp edge of the shield easily cut through the sole of my boot and bit deeply into my foot, stopping with jarring force as the other edge of the shield met and embedded itself into the tree.

Blinking rapidly, I bared my teeth in an unpleasant smile as I yanked my skewered foot off the shield. The scent of my own blood drifted up, faintly teasing and pleasant. Stepping back, I favored my uninjured foot only slightly, my concentration split between Shadar and focusing my healing abilities to quicken and stop the spilling of blood. I lunged for Shadar, barely thinking about tatics or the best places to strike.

[Shadar]

Ouch, Shadar couldn't help but think in utter astonishment. She had met the shield's sharp edge with a brazen round house kick, taking the steel into her foot just as deeply as the other side of the shield dug into the bark.

At the edge of the clearing, Jackal's illusion let out an appreciative whistle.

As oblivious to pain as any good vampire, or so the stories went, she wrenched her foot off the shield and stepped down on it. Gingerly, sure, but Shadar doubted he could do that without shutting down the affected nerves first.

Then, just as suddenly as the first time, she lunged at him again. He was facing her for this one, though, and the sight made him try to retreat despite his right arm being pinned to the tree. There was a monster behind those eyes, something that he was sure hadn't been there during their first meeting in that neatly kept Bazaar shop.

Surprised as he was, however, the sneaky calculations were still ticking away in the back of his head. So, it was with a dancer's grace that he dislodged the trapped shield from his inky glove and ducked around the tree. Throughout the motion, the shield on his left arm, as well as a trickle of metal shaven from the abandonned shield, melted into a ball between his palms. And just as quickly, the ball became a coiled length of chain.

Throwing himself away from the tree, he spun and hurled the chain's free end around it. His other hand waited out to the side, ready to catch the chain on the return trip that would reel Elena toward the bark and the shield that she had deliberately planted in it.