The Dragons Have disappeared.

A sense of accomplishment overwhelmed Kol as he flew through the sky. While the war against the hicks was rather nonviolent for the most part, the anger between the clans was explosive. Once he had gotten to the height he wanted, he noticed that the tips of his wings and the bottom of his pants were on fire. He turned around to pat out the flames and he noted that there was another Avian following him. He prepared to attack, thinking it was Talos, and he put his hand on his hilt of his sword.

Once the Avian caught up to him, he realized that it wasn't Talos at all, but a female Avian. A pleasant surprise, indeed. He watched as a blush came to her face and he smiled. She was cute. She was trying to be angry at him, but it was failing miserably.He decided to stop his flight and hover in the air. He gently took the female Avian's hand in his own and brought it to his lips.

Kol was rather comfortable with women and so being shirtless was not a problem for him. There were burn marks forming on his sculpted abs and beads of sweat rolled down his chest giving him a glossy look. The rest of his dress was rather simple, a pair of black pants and boots with a hilt and sword hung off of his side. His normally light blond hair was spotted with ashes from the fire that drew the attention to his bright green eyes.

"My lady, please, forgive my rude behavior. I did not realize I was in the presence of a beautiful woman." He gently placed another kiss on her hand before releasing it.

He took the time to pat down his clothing and jet black wings from the fires that were starting to burn his skin. "I'm sure you know our clans are at war with one another, and when I see that old hick I just can't help but be driven mad with anger." He let out a playful laugh as memories of some of the stupid acts they have committed against each other came to mind.

"I will also have to ask you to forgive my dress, my lady. My name is Kol Serenoa. May I know your name?" A charming grin flickered on his face as he waited for her to answer.

Terrowin glanced up as Alaron joined him by the dying flames. "I'm fine, Alaron," he said with a tired smile. "I'm used to staying up late. I'm almost finished, though." With the clink of metal against rock, he layed his carving knife against the ground and sat back, his work complete.

At her questioning, Terrowin frowned. He thought for a good few minutes, wondering if he should reveal to her his past encounter with the female Avian. Finally, he decided that there would be no harm in doing so. "Forgive me for not telling you sooner, lady," he began, frowning,"But this actually isn't my first encounter with the Avian race. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, but I was afraid that you may make too hasty a judgement in trusting them if I had told you." He bit his lip, thinking. Could he trust the Avians? If Rae was any indication of what their race was like, then he thought so. "When I met... Rae," he continued, glancing up at Alaron,"She was very kind. We were... Well, we were attacked by a wild boar, and while I could have usually easily have taken on one on my own, I was incapacitated by my... Injury." As he spoke of the old battle wound on his thigh, he rubbed it self-consciously. Even after all these years, it still caused him great pain. He shook his head. "Anyway, while I was helpless on the ground, Rae got in front of me and slayed the beast with her staff. She didn't even know me, and yet she risked her own life to save mine. I think she is trustworthy, my lady." He blew out a breath, glad to have gotten the story off his chest. He didn't like to admit that he was weak, and it took a lot of courage to tell her that tale.

He saw Alaron shivering, and, without thinking, sat closer beside her and pressed her cold body against his chest. He was still warm with adreneline from his hunt, and he knew that she could use the warmth more than he. It wasn't a romantic gesture, just simply one of friendship and trust. As he sat there, he pondered about what would happen to their village. Many people appeared like they had lost hope, and were wandering about with dead eyes, seeing nothing. He sighed. "We need to give them hope, Alaron," he told her. "If we don't, they could easily turn on us for their own selfish desires."

---------------------

Once again, Rae found herself at a loss for words as this male Avian brought her hand up to his lips. She felt her anger melting away, and though she tried to grasp onto it, it simply vanished. What had this angel done? She couldn't remember. He was too beautiful to do any harm to anyone. In the back of her mind, she recalled flames, and the angry yell of Talos, but it all seemed like a bad dream, and not reality.

She let her eyes wander over his naked chest, feeling her heart flutter at the perfection that she saw. The scorch marks only made his more rugged-looking, and his oiled skin shimmered in the distant light.

"I... It's alright," she found herself saying after her mind started working again. Beautiful? She felt herself flush more deeply as he once again kissed her hand, then released it. Her senses were starting to come back, except for her anger. She was acting like an idiot! With a mental shake of her head, she managed a shy smile.

"I suppose there are some things I'll never understand," she replied, referring to the war between the two Avians' families. "Talos is like a brother to me, though, and... Well, I didn't realize that his enemies were so attractive." She didn't know where these words were coming from, although it seemed like the right thing to say. She would do anything to make this Avian like her. This made her look past the fact that this man was calling her friend a hick, something that she normally hated.

At mention of his state, she laughed. "Forgive you?" she chuckled. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard... Kol." She let the name echo through her mind. A perfect name. "I'm Raven... But all of my friends call me Rae." She let herself level out in midair, accidentally brushing her wingtip against his.

"Would you like to go somewhere to... Talk?" she asked, motioning towards the ground. For a moment she remembered the burnt village, and Talos's angry cries, and she regretted her words. She really should be getting back. But she didn't want to leave Kol's side...

She was utterly and completely star-struck.

Kol had a genuine smile on his face. This girl seemed so nervous around him and the blush on her face was evidence enough. He saw her eyes trace down his chest and grow even more red. Silly girl, she really was cute.

"Thank you, my lady for such kind words." He gave a slight bow and looked up. His green eyes reaching hers. "I had not realized Talos had such ladies at his side. He is a lucky man." A hint of jealousy touched his face but was quickly replaced with another smile. "I see you are close to him, and I am sorry for such behavior in front of you."

"Raven..." The name rolled off his tongue with a pleasant tone. It was a sweet name that gave a refreshing breeze in his mind. "I hope you do not mind that I call you Raven." He said and noted her blush was only growing as more time passed between then.

He thought her question over in his mind. He had not gone to talk with, anyone in ages let alone a women. Most of his time he had to spend traveling from one side of the country to the next, doing tasks to help his clan. In fact, when he found Talos he had been heading back to his clan in the mountains. He had been sent to retrieve some medicine in the mountains, rather far from their home. He had been relaxing, see as how he made it make several days faster then he predicted. Talos' shirt just added to his victory.

"Anything for you." His voice was pure velvet that had a soft purr of satisfaction to it. He descended to the earth and took in his surroundings. The moon gave the leaves a silvery glow to them. He inhaled the subtle scent of pine and it filled his lungs. A sense of peace filled him and a look of pure serenity came to his face.

"My home is on a mountain, not far from here...and the forest just enfolds you in its warm embrace, don't you think?" His eyes were far more kind then they had been. He was really grateful for the surroundings he was in and it showed.

(dammit I've missed heaps not cool)

Terrowin felt relieved that Alaron wasn't mad about keeping his story a secret. "I'm apologize for keeping it a secret for so long. I was afraid that people would think less of me because of it." He thought a moment, then realized that people might actually understand why he sometimes fell in battle if he told them of the story. Perhaps he should tell the tale more often.

"I understand that you still don't trust the Avians. Rae, I trust, but only because of what she did for me. However, that other one, Talos... I'm not sure. He seems kind enough, but after seeing how he reacted to that other Avian, I'm a little hesitant to give him my trust. After all, if he comes with us, his presence might mean the difference between life and death."

He felt more than saw Alaron flush as he held her, and thought that it must be because he was so warm. She wouldn't feel uncomfortable around him, right? He listened to her speak, nodding is approval. "That's a great idea, my lady," he said, smiling. "While I do not have a dragon of my own, I think that a lot of the people here feel lost without them. If we're able to find them, then hope will be restored, and we will have a better chance of surviving." He prodded the fire with a stick, and hot ashes floated into the air, landing lightly on his bare hand. He studied it for a moment, wincing at the scars and bruises that covered it, and then his eyes traveled up the rest of his bare arm. When he was young, he dreamed of becoming a knight in shining armor, and while he did have that job now, of a sort, it was nothing like he had hoped. It was less about acting heroic and brave, and more about slaying men that were in your way. He had the arm of a warrior now; rippling sinews flexed in his arm as he twisted it, and various cuts and burns adorned his dry skin.

He sighed, closing his eyes, and subconsciously tightened his grip around Alaron. For some reason, he felt extremely protective of her, and knew that he would die before he ever let anyone hurt her.

--------------------

Rae finally, thankfully, felt her flushing face cool in the crisp evening air, and she trailed after Kol as he traveled to the ground. In the back of her mind, he knew that he seemed to be playing with her, deliberately teasing her so that she would follow. And even though she knew this, she couldn't help herself. He was just so perfect that she had to chase after him.

"Of course you may call me Raven," she murmured into the dark, landing lightly on a half-rotten log. She smiled at his compliments, but stayed silent. All of this praise from someone she didn't know was making her uncomfortable.

"Yes, the forest is lovely," she said, tilting back her head and letting the moon cast its light upon her face. "It's so nice sometimes to just come out and revel in the beauty of it all." And share that beauty with you, she thought, opening her eyes and looking back at him. She still couldn't completely believe that someone could be so beautiful and perfect. She was about to say so when she felt an object flying through the air, and a sharp cry shortly after.

She jumped up and ran over to Kol as Talos hit him. She nearly tripped over a root, but managed to stay upright as she gasped for air. "What are you-?" she started to say, but then realized who it was. Suddenly, memories started coming back, and she remembered why she had chased after Kol in the first place. "Talos, please, stop," she said, trying to hold back a wave of nasuea that was threatening to overwhelm her. "Please, we were just talking..." She wondered how bad she sounded. Conversing with the enemy. She should be ashamed. Before she could think, she leapt in between the two fighting males, brandishing her double-bladed staff. "Can't you just stop attacking each other for one second?" she yelled, her mouth tight in a grimace. God, Talos was going to hate her for interfering. She reached over to Kol to see if he was badly hurt, then stopped and, instead, turned over and studied Talos. He was so angry. She felt her heart burst at the expression on his face, and she had never felt so guilty in her entire life. This attack was her fault. If she hadn't chased after Kol, this never would have happened...

As Kol was admiring the beauty of the night, and more specifically how it embraced Rae in soft light, when he felt a sudden dread fill his body. Something was wrong- it seemed as if all of his senses were screaming for him to be wary of some disgusting essence coming his way. His thoughts were cut shot when, out of nowhere, a massive force made contact with his chest and sent him propelling through the air and into the nearest tree. He lay there for a few moments as stars danced behind his eyes and his breath came in great gasps, the wind having been knocked from his lungs when he went flying through the air. What in the world had hit him with such force?

He vaguely heard Raven’s voice pleading with someone. In the frantic blur of his mind, there was a single word he caught: Talos. He looked up to see his arch rival standing where Kol had just a moment before, the moon silhouetting his face. But Kol didn’t need to see the details to recognize him, he simply knew. Rage swirled in the pit of his stomach as he sat himself up, gathering his strength and his breath, a low growl escaping his throat. Good thing he was already shirtless or else he might have to rip it off again out of pure rage.

“Raven. Please leave this place. I don’t want you to see me beat this good for nothing hick into the ground.” He knew his words would be in vain, so he walked over to her, taking hold of her shoulder and forced her to look at him, to see the seriousness in his eyes, and to piss of Talos even more.

“Don’t you dare lay another hand on her!” Talos yelled, not really sure if Kol was actually touching Rae, but having a feeling that he knew the man well enough that he figured there would be physical contact between the two.

Kol studiously ignored the blustering avian, leaning close. “Forgive me… my lady.” He whispered in her ear before promptly pushing her away, turning quickly and leaping toward Talos with a powerful flap of his wings, getting as much speed and momentum as he could before he struck the first blow.

He decided that launching a solid punch on the practically blind avian’s face would be best, and wasn’t at all prepared to have his plans come to naught. Somehow, Talos had seen Kol’s lightning quick attack and had thrown his arm out first, his fist making solid contact with Kol’s jaw. The sudden attack took him off guard, and he fell backwards, tumbling over himself in surprise. He stood and spit blood from his mouth, rubbing his jaw to make sure it hadn’t been dislocated in that blow. “You will pay for drawing blood from me.” He growled, glaring daggers at the man, which, logically, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to see.

“Only if you can hit me pretty boy.” Talos growled right back, readying himself for another attack.

Kol launched another attack, leaping high over the stationary avian, and decided to repay the first attack on him by delivering a swift kick in the head to Talos from the air. The avian staggered under the blow, and nearly fell to his knees, but Kol was on the ground before the fall could be completed. Out of nowhere it seemed, Kol had grabbed the dazed Talos, seizing him by the arm and punching him in the side of the face with all his might. Just as quickly, he let go, avoiding the flailing punch aimed in Kol’s general vicinity, but not aimed with nearly enough accuracy to be able to land the hit. Dodging several such attacks, Kol flew up to his left side and drilled another devastating blow into Talos’ ribs, feeling something give way. A pained gasp came from his opponent, and caught off guard by the minor victory, Kol found himself on the ground, Talos having swept his legs out from under him.

The blind avian seized possibly his only chance to gain the upper hand in this rather mismatched fight, trying to pin Kol since he was down. However, he was up again and had delivered a light kick to the already off-balanced man, sending him sprawling to the ground. Talos was smart enough to roll away, avioiding being kicked again by inches and he leapt to his feet, looking around wildly to catch a flash of the quick moving Kol, who could literally fly circles around him while he was blind.

The next attack came as a bear hug, Kol reaching up under Talos’ arms to pin them against his chest, and with a powerful burst of energy, sent them both high into the sky before letting gravity take its hold on them. They were angled now in a nose dive, Talos struggling with all of his might to be released from Kol’s grip, flapping in vain to try and right their course that meant certain doom for the fairly blinded avian. It was probably that struggling that saved his life, for when Kol let go at the last possible second, snapping his wings out to save himself from a bone-crunching fall, Talos was able to slow his decent just enough to avoid a fatal result. However, he still landed flat on his back, his breath leaving his body in a great whoosh and tried gasping for air that wouldn’t fill his lungs, his vision going dark briefly from the impact.

Kol landed on the ground and scowled at the fallen avian, breathing hard from the fight and spitting out the blood that still filled his mouth from the first attack. He wiped some blood away that had trickled from the corner of his mouth, a small sense of victory filling him from seeing Talos incapacitated as he was.

'Oh God, oh God, oh God,' Rae thought desperately. 'This is not happening.' As Kol spoke to her, she felt her legs go weak, and when he pushed her away, she stumbled and fell down on her knees, just in time to dodge the duo as the fight began. The whole while, it felt as if the world was slowed down, and time seemed to nearly stand still. Even in the gloom, she could see every punch, every kick that the two made towards each other. She wanted to scream at them, to tell them to stop, to say that this fight was useless. But she couldn't move, and her voice failed her. She could only watch helplessly as they pounded on each other mercilessly, finally ending in Talos hitting the ground with a dull thud, and Kol standing victory over his opponent. Blood spattered the ground, and Rae felt her cheeks were wet. At first she thought she had somehow been hurt as well, but then she realized that tears were streaming down her cheeks. Never before had she felt such a profound sense of hopelessness, of desperation, of utter isolation. She also felt... Guilt. She knew that this was her fault. And she could do nothing to repent for it.

Finally, the strength came back to her legs, and she stumbled over to where Talos lay on the forest floor, ignoring Kol for the moment. "Talos... Talos..." she murmured, brushing his blood-soaked hair out of his face. "Please. Wake up." Tears were still pouring out of her eyes, but her voice was strangely calm, as if this was all a dream. She placed her hands over his cheeks, wiping away the blood from his numerous wounds. She then moved down to his torso, feeling for any broken bones. Her movements were gentle, and the only thing that was keeping her sane was thinking that this wasn't real. It couldn't be. She felt a rib on his right side that appeared to be cracked, and she stifled a breath of relief. At least none were broken. She moved on to his wings, which were in worse condition. He had nearly dislocated them both, and, since he appeared to be only semi-conscious, she took the chance to shift them back into place, wincing at the awful pop that came with it. After she finished checking the rest of his body, she rested her hands on his chest and lay her head against his bare neck.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, closing her eyes momentarily. When she opened them again and finally turned to Kol, she expected to feel an intense rage against him. But she didn't. She stood and slowly walked over to him, stopping when she was only a handsbreadth away. He didn't appear to be broken in any places, and so she just repeated the gesture that she had done with Talos and wiped the blood away from his hair and face, all of her previous nervousness of him gone. "I... I don't know what to say," she said quietly, looking down. She felt so many emotions run through her - guilt, anguish, love, shame, hopelessness - that she was nearly overwhelmed. I can't choose, she thought.

And so, after placing a tender kiss on Kol's cheek, she walked past him and out into the night. She didn't care where she went, or what happened to her. She just had to get away. At first she was nearly stumbling, then walking, then running through the trees, trying to get as much distance from the fight as she could. When she ran out of energy, she came to a stop, heaving, and fell onto a rough piece of slate. There, she started sobbing uncontrollably. She stayed in the same position for a while, letting the sadness wash over her like a wave. Then, a separate consciousness crept into her mind, and she stopped.

It's alright, little one, Icefyre told her, brushing her fears away. They'll both be fine. You're just in shock. Let me help you. She felt her sadness being blown away from her mind, and a sense of peace came over her. Exhausted, she closed her eyes and, feeling the protective presence of her life-time companion watching over her, blacked out.

Kol accepted the small kiss to his cheek and watched the woman walk away from them. She should not have had to witness that. He took to the skies. A sense of peace settled back on him. The sky gave him the comfort he needed to erase the memories of doing such acts in front of a lady. He may never see her again but he hoped she would be able to find it within herself to forgive him. The silvery light casting shadows on his wings. With bloody shirt in hand, Kol was never seen again.

"We should rest. I know that i wont be able to stay up much longer, and considering the fact i have been up for a long amount of time, my mind needs to start to shutdown for a few." Alaron said before leaving Terrowin's arms and then moving herself to a tree. She curled around the tree and let herself slip into a restless slumber.

However, as much as she tried to do sleep, it wouldn't come to her. The events of the night that was going on kept in her head. She recalled everything that had happened, from Talos showing up to being attacked by Kol. 'things arn't about to get easier.'

She turned over and gazed to the starry sky, pointing out certain stars and consonants. She smiled as she did so, it was a favorite past times she used to have.

'may the stars guide us'

ooc:// sorry for the crappy post.