Apollo and Tajy (A book lost in time)

Raven sighed sadly as they were forced to leave the watery playground as the sun began to set. Pretty much everyone that had been in it was now leaving, and, within a few minutes, the water itself shut down completely. It was as if someone had pulled a switch. It simply... Stopped spouting out of the ground. She was about to mention it to Kol when he took her hand, and she turned to look at him. He gently brushed a strand of wet hair from her face, and she smiled just as he confessed his love for her. She was stunned into silence, which wasn't too much of a problem, since a second later his lips pressed against hers, and all she could feel was Kol against her, and the throbbing of her heart as it beat wildly like a bird trying to break free from a cage. For a moment passion overtook her, and she got full-heartedly into the kiss, not caring who was watching or what was happening around them. Kol was all she could see, hear, and breathe until they finally broke apart what seemed like hours later, even though it had been only a few short minutes. "Kol," she breathed, bringing her hands up to caress his face. "I love you too." She meant it with her entire being, and in a moment all of their memories together flashed before her eyes, and she knew that no matter what the ending of their journey would bring, they would always share a bond that couldn't be broken. She couldn't promise that they would always be together, but she knew that they had been through too much to break the bond.

For a while they were content just to stand there, in the middle of the street, basking in the glow of their love, but eventually the setting of the sun forced them to make their way back to the house. By the time they got back, a chill wind had appeared in the air, and they were both shivering from the cold. Giving a few greetings, they retreated to the room they were sharing and quickly changed into dry, warmer clothes. They found some warm tea waiting for them in the kitchen, then settled down for the evening in the living room, cuddled together and murmuring quietly memories and stories only they would understand.

-----------

Estel nearly jumped in surprise just as them woman he had been thinking about appeared beside him, and he smiled warmly, accepting the tea with a gracious nod. "Thank you, Seren. It smells lovely." He took a sip, and enjoyed the pleasant warmth that spread through his body as the liquid traveled down his throat. It tasted of peppermint and chamomile, with a faint hint of rose and honey. It was delicious, and he sipped at it contentedly as Seren spoke. "A lot has changed indeed," he commented after she finished speaking, thinking back over how the years had changed him, wisened him. "I'm sure you hardly remember how I was, considering back then I was a spry, youthful boy with too much energy to know what to do with. The elves helped me take that energy and pour it into my studies; they helped me become the man I am today." He took a long draught of the drink, then turned to look at her. "You haven't changed much. You still exude the calm, gentle wisdom that I remember you possessing so long ago, so much more intelligent than most girls at your age. The years have only made you greater, and more beautiful." His last few words surprised him, and he glanced away back to the street, unsure of where the words had come from. He waited for Seren to speak and watched the last few stragglers in the city make their way back to their houses. It seemed that no one was too eager to be out after the sun set, and the moon was now climbing in the distance.

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

Alberic turned, stunned, as Felren told him of the girl's true nature. "A demon?" he nearly sputtered. "But she looks nothing more than a harmless girl! True, she has odd markings and her features are strange, but she seems hardly capable of harming a fly, let alone slaughtering someone. "I appreciate your concern, but I just have this feeling in my gut that she won't hurt us. I saved her life, after all. Hopefully, even if she is in league with the Nameless king, she will appreciate that." He turned and began tending to the girl as she awoke and coughed, offering her some cool mint tea as she began to take in her surroundings. "Please, don't be scared. I rescued you from the desert, and I don't mean to harm you. I only want to help." He gently lifted her head so she could sit up properly, getting his first proper look at her eyes. What he saw took his breath away. Instead of being a normal brown or blue as he had expected, they were brilliantly gold, and he began to realize that she truly wasn't human. He backed away a few inches warily, unsure of what she would do now that she was awake. He actually hoped that Fenrel had a weapon nearby, in case she truly did seem to want to hurt them.

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Terrowin smiled at her modest reply. "Well, yer special tae me." He was a little surprised by her next statement, though. "The only man? Ye mean, no one has ever been able tae catch ye before? Well, Oi suppose Oi can see why, considerin' ye deserve the best..." He glanced away, frowning. He really didn't deserve her. She was from a rich family, he could tell, and probably had high expectations if she were to be in a relationship, especially if she had never been in one before. Could he live up to those expectations? He turned back to tell her his thoughts, to stand and leave and let her find a man that was more handsome, more charming, and more deserving than he was. But before he could do so, his gaze caught her green eyes, so deep, so beautiful, and so alluring that he simply couldn't pull himself away. His mouth was open with the words he was about to say, that he needed to say, but before he could say anything he found himself leaning closer to her, to her brilliant eyes, to her flawless skin, to her perfect, beckoning lips... He hesistated only momentarily, waiting for her to recoil, but when she stayed still, he closed the distance and pressed his mouth to hers, gently, hoping that he wouldn't scare her away. A feeling rushed through him like none he had felt before, and he found himself wanting more, to press Celo against him and feel her body next to his, to let his passion flood out of him like a river and give her all he had. He pressed those feelings back, telling himself that it was too early for that yet, and that if she accepted him, there would be plenty of time for that later. With these thoughts in mind, he pulled slowly away a few moments later, letting the taste of her lips linger on his as he let out his breath and smiled faintly at her. He said nothing, not wanting his harsh, thick accent to ruin the perfect moment that they had just shared, and waited for her response.

Kol held Raven closer to him, the chill that had wormed its way into his body was now leaving. The hot tea warmed him to the very bone, and it was delicious some sort of orange spice blend. He had no idea, not being a large connoisseur of tea himself. But he didn't much care, it felt rather well. It was an odd though for Kol to be in love. All his life, if you asked someone he knew they would tell you 'Oh he will never settle down, always with a pretty lady though.' He had heard that a lot, and while most of the time he would give them a charming grin it chipped away at him. To die alone did not sound like a fulfilling life. He enjoyed the company of woman and always would, but if they only thing he could share with a person was his body it would be an empty existence. Raven...She wasn't only physically attractive but beautiful on the inside. She was always willing to push herself for others, and it seemed as if a smile was always on her face. She warmed his heart more than anything. As he thought to himself, he pulled Raven closer to him, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

~*~*~*~

Seren smile gently at his compliments and then the look on his face after he had. He obviously had not meant to say all of what he had just said but she didn't exactly mind it. "Thank you, for your kind words, Estel. You've grown into a rather intelligent man yourself, I see." She turned a sweet smile at him and then rubbed her arms. The night chill was starting to really blow in strong now. "Perhaps we should go inside now?" She suggested and stood from her seat. She waited to him to do so as well before entering the house. Seren was surprised at how well the house held the heat from the day to keep it a comfortable temperature during the night. "I suppose you've told me when you have been doing all these years, it would only be fair if I told you what I've been doing." She took the time to nod softly to Kol and Raven before moving to the next room to give them privacy.

Seren sat down on the nearest bed as she straighted out her skirt. Where to begin? "Well, after we had left home I made my way to the coast and teamed up with a medical team to learn. I spent several years in training for I came across Zak and is rather... rowdy group. " She laughed nervously at the group. That really was putting it nicely, they were so loud and dirty that it was effecting their health. So, Zak had come looking for medical advice and she was there to set sail with them. "I spent several years sailing on and off with him before I was reunited with you and your group." She sat patiently, finished with her story now.

~*~*~*~

Aneria glared at Alberic as he backed away from her. Something had tipped him off to fear her when, if she remembered correctly, he was not so when he found her. Perhaps it was the man standing behind Alberic. He was keeping a strick eye on her and she knew right away he knew what she was. "You know what I am, don't you?" She sighed as Felren nodded. Aneria took her hand and reached out for Alberic. She didn't touch him, but kept her hand level with his sword. Within a few short moments ice covered the hilt of his sword and then Felren's. "I only did that to keep you from jumping to conclusions." She said softly.

~*~*~*~

Celo couldn't help the small squeak of surprise that came from her when Terrowin pressed his lips against her own. She didn't pull away but she felt her heart jump and then it felt like it stopped, she didn't understand at all. Acting on what she felt right to do, she closed her eyes and returned his kiss. Is this what it was supposed to feel like? She could taste his passion, his male dominance but...it wasn't over powering. As he pulled back, Celo decided to break the silence. "Terrowin...I didn't....know..." She looked down, confused at her own feelings.

Raven was completely content to just rest there on the couch with Kol, keeping close to each other for warmth. Never in her life had she truly in a relationship like this; true, there had been a few Avians back in her town that she had flirted with, perhaps getting the occasional kiss on the cheek or hand, but no one had stayed by her side for so long, unwaveringly. Not only that, but he was more intelligent, kinder, and braver than any boy she had met in the past. She began to look to the future as he kissed her brow, then rested her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes. "I think we should go get some rest," she murmured. "I'm still weary from the past few nights - I haven't been able to get very good sleep. We're all here... Well, that new man and Celo went for a walk, but are sure to return soon... But we'll be able to rest tonight assured that we're all together." She didn't want Kol to stress too much about Celo. She had given him quite the scare last night, and though she had seemed alright tonight, it still wouldn't be smart for her to stay out too late in the cold. She could only hope that Terrowin had sense enough to realize that.

Yawning, she stood and, motioning to Kol, went back to their room, where she changed into the soft, silky pajamas that were provided by Felren. There was only one large bed in the room, which was perfect, she thought. For a moment she was suddenly struck by a quick burst of passion, and started to get heated thinking about being in the same bed with Kol. She blinked and caught herself, frowning. Just because they were sleeping in a bed together didn't mean they had to do anything. After saying good night to everyone, she retired to the bed, getting as deep into the blankets as she could for warmth, and waited for Kol to join her. She blinked sleepily at the ceiling - there was a square window straight above her, and as she watched, a shooting star streaked past. Smiling, she closed her eyes and made a wish.

---------

Estel followed Seren into the room, glad for the chance to let the heat recede from his face. She moved with such grace, he thought, so fluid. Why, why did he notice that? His mind was in a battle with itself, one side paying attention to all the small, unimportant movements that Seren made, and the other pushing the thoughts back, back to where he wouldn't accidently blurt anything out, as he had earlier. He listened intently to the short explanation that Seren gave for being there, then nodded understandingly. "I always knew you would end up with an occupation to assist others," he commented. When she was young, she had always been there to help others, and had a gentle and comforting touch. "It's good to see that you are doing something you enjoy. I must agree, Zak and his crew did seem a bit... Rowdy... But they seem like nice young lads. Probably need a lot of tending to, though." There was a pause in the conversation, but a pleasant one, as he thought about how his life had changed, as well as Seren's. Somehow fate had brought them back together, whether coincidentally or by chance. Either way, it was nice to get a taste of his childhood again.

"Well," he sighed, letting out a puff of air. "I don't know about you, but these old bones need their rest if we're going to be doing some traveling tomorrow. I think I'll stay in this room... It seems pleasant." It was one of the largest and most spacious bedrooms in the building, with a large, round view of the sky up above. He simply slipped off his shoes and crawled into one of the two beds that was in the room, resting his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky. Within a moment, he caught sight of a large, brilliant shooting star, and he quickly mentioned it to Seren. "Make a wish," he muttered quietly, as he did just that.

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Alberic was about to apoligize for her reaction - he still really didn't think she would do them harm - when she reached out her hand towards his hilt. He wavered uncertainly, wondering what she was doing, and flinched a moment later when it was suddenly covered in ice. It was gone a few moments later, and he stared at Aneria in awe, more surprised than scared. He knew he should be - she was a demon, after all - but he just couldn't find it in him to fear her. "I know I introduced myself earlier, but you were half unconscious," he finally said, offering a tentative hand. "I'm Alberic. Fortunately, I found you out in the desert and brought you back here, in hopes that you would revive. It appears you have, and I'm glad to see you so, ah... Active already." He only mentioned the rescue not to brag, but to try to persuade the woman that they were kind, innocent people, and that she didn't need to fear or harm them. Now that she was awake, though, she didn't seem nearly as weak. He wondered again if he had made the wrong choice to bring her back. Of course he hadn't, he chided to himself. It hadn't been an option to just let her die.

He suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion hit him, and he realized how late it was. He leaned a hand against the wall unsteadily, waiting to see the reaction of the snow demon.

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Unlike Celo, Terrowin was thrumming with wild energy, and had to force himself to stay calm. He hadn't been sure of what the reaction from Celo would be, and he wasn't sure whether her reaction was a good one or not. She hadn't pulled away, which was a good thing. In fact, she had returned the kiss, though it had only lasted a short amount of time. "Oi... Yer really quite the woman, Celo," he finally mumbled, scratching his head in concentration. "Oi'm sorry if Oi went past the line... Oi mean, ye still don't even really know me. Oi just couldn't help meself..." he trailed off, turning his gaze towards the sky just as the same shooting star Raven and Estel had seen rushed past. His confidence returned slowly, and he grinned, nodding upwards to Celo. "Make a wish, lassie," he murmured, then dropped his gaze back to her face. To his relief, she didn't seem upset or angry, just... Unsure and confused. His heart skipped a little as he watched her, almost able to read the emotions that crossed over her face as she tried to figure out the situation. Hoping that he wasn't intruding on her space, he gently took her hand and stood. "C'mon, let's get ye back tae the house. It's gettin' chilly, an' it was only yesterday that ye were sick. Oi don't want it tae come back." After she stood, they both walked quickly back to Felren's home, hand in hand as they braced themselves against the wind. When they got back inside, he nodded at Felren and Alberic, who were crowded into the bathroom for reasons unknown to him. Thinking it unimportant, he took both of Celo's hands in his own and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Oi hope today was enjoyable fer ye," he said quietly, lifing one of her hands and examining it. He pressed one last kiss on the back of it, brushing aside the rise of passion that instantly burned inside him as he did so. "Sleep well. Oi'll see ye in the morning." With one last wink, he went into his own room, spent a while pondering over the day's events, and eventually fell asleep with images of Celo in his head.

Aneria looked over Alberic, he was oddly... gorgeous, for a human, of course. She blinked as she saw him step back against the wall. She easily lifts herself out of the tub and looked over the two men standing in the bathroom. "You don't have to look at me like that...I won't attack you...Though, I must warn you, I need to go into my..true form." She waited a moment to see the looks of their faces. She seemed to have the attention of both men rather well. "I...heal faster, I promise not to attack you.."

That was her last warning before she stepped from the tub. Before her foot even hit the ground her body has morphed into the body of a wolf. Her arms and legs were now paws with silky black fur. Aneria was a full blown black wolf. The fur on her body was quickly turned to ice and she took the shards off. She sat herself down and waited to ensure the two weren't going to try and kill her. After the two were making no moves toward her, she took on her own action and proceeded into the living room area. She found a rug and laid down on it, closing her eyes to go to sleep.

Felren stood stunned at the woman but didn't move to kill her. She wasn't attacking and Felren didn't want to spill unnecessary, albeit dirty, blood. For now, he would lend his trust to the girl so as not to cause confrontation with Alberic and cause a fissure in the group. He let the wolf walk past him and then leveled a gaze at Alberic. "You are now charged with taking care of her. If she harms anyone, the responsibility is on your head, the blood shed will be on your hands. For your sake, mate, I hope it doesn't come to that." He issued his warning before leaving out the door of his home, cloak in hand. He had things to do tonight.

~*~*~*~

Aneria woke to find Alberic sleeping next to her, she hadn't been asleep long so she knew it was still dark out. Aneria was still a wolf, which was perfect she wanted to be more quiet. Slowly getting up, she moved about that house sniffing the air. She nosed open the material that was hanging on the door and padded over to the bed side. There was defiantly a girl here but was it the right one? She sniffed lightly, Aneria could only see a few colors in the form of a wolf but she could see the wings were not the correct shades. This wasn't her. Silently, she worked her way out of her room and into the next. She had to force herself not to growl when she smelt an unfamiliar man. The instincts of the wolf were different and she had to fight to keep them under control sometime. This man, he didn't have wings. Oh, it didn't matter. She made her way to the next room and found two people. She sniffed, male and female. Softly she walked over to the side of the bed where the female was. Correct wings, with the man, this was her.

Aneria looked to the ceiling and a razor sharp ice spear hovered over Raven's body. Aneria was ready to make the strike when Kol suddenly turned over and wrapped his arms around Raven's waist. She had missed her chance. Letting the ice shard dissipate, Aneria walked back to where Alberic was sleeping and laid herself back down. There will be another chance. She knew it. She also took note, Felren was no where to be found.

~*~*~*~

As morning came, the group did their normal ruteins of getting themselves dressed back into the lighter clothes to be wearing during the day. Already the heat seemed to float in the house and as Kol made his way into the living area he nearly jumped back in surprise. "What the hell is a wolf doing in here?!" He looked at it as it raised its head to look at him. It had pure, gold eyes that held more intelligence than the average wolf. She was laying awfully close to Alberic but not attacking. Why?

Celo woke and dressed, brushing out the blonde locks of her hair. Terrowin...He was the first man she could tolerate...and...might even liked. She thought...maybe? She couldn't deny the kiss was kind of nice. No wonder her brother liked doing it all the time. She pressed a hand to her lips and exited her room. What an interesting turn of events.

Alberic stifled a yelp as the demon suddenly became canine, and he watched in uncertainty and a little awe as she proceeded to prove her abilities. "You idiot, Al," he thought to himself as she stalked out the room. Felren was right; this girl was powerful, and he hoped that he would be able to keep her from doing any damage. Felren's warning further pressed that thought, and, nodding silently at the man, followed the wolf out into the living room. She had already chosen a spot to lay on the floor, and seemed asleep. He contemplated her, wondering if he should stay in the room to make sure she didn't do anything. Making a decision, he grabbed a blanket and pillow and wedged himself into a couch nearby where she slept, keeping an eye on her as she breathed rhythmically. Soon the repetition of the sound made his eyes droop, and he eventually fell asleep, unaware of what occurred in the middle of the night between the demon and his sister.

---

He awoke with the wolf stilla asleep next to him, and he was almost tempted, in his half-awake, dreary state, to reach out and stroke it. It seemed so soft and silky. Shaking himself awake, he sat up and yawned, taking stock of what was happening around him. It appeared that pretty much everyone else was already awake, dressed, and active, and he scrambled to stand and do the same. He kept close watch on the snow demon as she too woke up. When Kol gave his exclamation of surprise, Alberic shushed him and glanced at Aneria warily. He didn't want anyone to offend the snow demon and make her upset, lest she decide that she wanted to harm them after all. "Uhm, this is my new, ah, friend," he said in a somewhat loud voice, to get everyone's attention. "Her name is Aneria, and she, ah, has interesting abilities, as you can see. I would appreciate it if you could make her feel as welcome as possible." With that he nodded at Aneria and proceeded to scrounge around for something to eat.

Raven stared very warily, and a little angrily, at the wolf that was apparently human. It was the first time she had ever felt jealousy for her brother, and she realized just how difficult it must have been for Alberic to watch her be with another man. She made a mental note to apologize to him. "Well, Aneria," she said, her voice just a tad icy,"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Raven, and this is Kol." She nodded to him as she said so. "If you don't mind me asking... What, exactly, are you?"

Estel watched the conversation with wide eyes. To think, an actual snow demon, here! He had read tales of all sorts of the creatures, from the devious fire demons to the soft, enchanting rose demons that were more plant than human. There wasn't a lot of information about any of the species, though, mainly because they were rather rare, and traveled in groups that, usually, killed anyone in their path. He wondered why she was here, especially considering they were in a desert, and typically, snow demons lived in cold, wintery climates. When there was a pause in the conversation, he said quickly,"My name is Estel, and it is an honor to meet you, lady of the ice." He bowed his head, wondering if he had addressed her properly.

Terrowin was only partially listening as introductions were made to the new arrival. Celo hadn't come out of her room yet, and he was not the most patient of people, and so was hovering nearby her door. He was eager to see if she had enjoyed the night before - he would be able to tell from the look on her face, he was sure. She came out a few moments later, wearing the same lovely, skin-showing apparel that she had worn yesterday, along with the red dragon weapon. "Lovely, as ever," he greeted, grinning. He too was wearing thesame clothing as yesterday, the open-fronted vest and leggings. She seemed happy, he thought gladly, taking in her glowing face and body posture. They were still in sight of the rest of the group, but it didn't stop Terrowin from leaning in and placing a kiss on her hand like he had the night before; he didn't realize how Kol-like his behaviors were, but knew he would feel a small ray of smugness if Kol caught him doing kissing her hand in this way, and, though he didn't hate the man, it might be entertaining to see his reaction.

Estel waited for a few more greetings and such were made, then looked around the room. "Anyone know where Felren is?" he asked, frowning. "We need him before we can start."

Kol looked at the wolf and didn't believe that this girl was the same one Alberic has dragged in out of the sand the day before but he noted the same bands that were on the girls arm and eye were the same as the one one this wolf. How interesting, to actually meet a demon and it wasn't trying to kill them. Kol nodded when Raven introduced him and he couldn't help but note the icy tone she had adopted when talking to the girl.

Celo couldn't help the light pink stain on her face as he kissed her hand. So that is why her brother did it. In fact, she had caught him looking over at the two, giving Terrowin a disgusted look and then continuing on his own business with the wolf. For that she was grateful. She suddenly felt like she was obligated to say something, anything...She placed a cool hand on his chest, and looked up at him with an irresistible innocence. "Thank you.."

Aneria looked around at the group now facing them and kept her position near Alberic. She rather liked this avian. The girl she had tried to take out last night, Raven, she already didn't seem to like her. How fitting, she thought. She turned her muzzle to an older gentlemen who greeted her rather kindly and she responded by flicking her tail a few times. Perhaps it was time to change back? In that thought, she did so, she change back in a span of a few seconds and was now back into her human looking form. The only difference was she was completely naked. She shrieked in surprise, not remembering that fact in all the hype around her and quickly pressed her self against Alberic, trying to hide. "I-I'm so sorry! I-..." She felt tears well up and tried to keep herself from crying.

Kol starred at the girl in awe, not over her body per-say but the transformation itself. How odd it was to watch. Clearing his throat, to answer Estel's question Kol spoke up, "No, I've not seen him since we came in last night." He thought it best to keep his attention away from the demon for now.

Felren pretty much busted down his door, a cheerful look on his face. "Well well, I see you are all up, And...not...fully dressed. You sly dog, Alberic." He teased, he still had full distrust for the girl but he was in far too good of a mood to let her change it. He had big news to tell. "Last night I was recruiting and have gathered for your rebellion five hundred strong." He grinned, pleased at his own work.

((Please please please forgive the 23203498203 typos and wrong words you may find. XD))

Alberic was smiling silently as introductions were made. He blinked in confusion at his sister's obvious dislike for the girl already, and wondered if she was getting a taste of what he felt like every time he saw her with Kol. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of smugness at the thought. All else was driven from his mind, though, when Aneria suddenly transformed, and was, to his astonished eyes, stark naked. He froze as she shrieked and pressed her small, womanly form against him, completely paralyzed and unsure what to do. He stood in open-mouth shock for a few moments before finding the brainpower to strip off his own tunic and wrap it around her, his face beet-red as he tried not to look too closely at... Well, what was in front of him. "C-come on, let's find you something to put on," he stuttered, ushering the poor girl into his room. He threw a panicked glance at Raven and Kol, and Felren as he laughed at him, before shutting the door behind them. He looked around the room, at anything other than the snow demon, who was standing, still nearly naked, in front of him. His tunic only covered about two inches of her legs, which wasn't nearly enough to make the blood warming his face go away. "Uh, there's sure to be clothing in here..." he mumbled, quickly dashing over to the nearest dresser and opening the drawers madly. He eventually found a pair of clothes much like what the rest of the girls were wearing, although this one was a light blue top with darker blue leggings, which, he thought distractedly, rather matched her being. His eyes averted, he handed the clothing to her, turning around to let her get properly dressed. It was then that he realized that he himself was only halfway dressed, now that Aneria was wearing his shirt. Muttering to himself and taking a look at his thin, unusual form (he had started to lose a little weight from the journey, leaving his stomach flatter and more toned than normal), he grabbed another tunic and threw it on.

When she was done dressing, he turned back and managed a trembling smile. "Does that always happen when you transform?" he asked. "We'll need to keep some extra clothes around, then, if that's the case."


Raven had kindly looked away when she realized that the girl was too modest to want to show herself off in public, but noticed with disgust and a slight burst of jealousy that Kol seemed to be drinking the girl in, though she didn't realize that he was looking at her because of the transformation itself, and not her body. She made a mental note to do something about it later. She had to admit, though, if she were faced with another naked man in front of her, she probably wouldn't be able to stop herself from staring. Nevertheless, it stung a little, and didn't make her feelings for the girl get any warmer. She rolled her eyes as her brother whisked the girl away into his room. Knowing him, being un-manly as he was, he wouldn't be trying to take advantage of her like most men would; she assumed he would be frantically trying to get the skinny thing clothed.

She turned her attention back to Felren as he entered the room. So did Ter and Estel; they had both, like Raven, glanced away at the sight of the unclothed woman, but were now focused on their host, who looked extremely happy, for reasons unknown to them. Terrowin was holding Celo's hand lightly as they listened, and had noticed the dark look Kol had given him when he had kissed Celo's hand. He got a slight thrill from the daring of it, but decided that it would be best to show his affections away from the group. She was just... So irresistable in that skin-bearing outfit with her beautiful hair and alluring gaze. He knew that he wouldn't be able to control himself for too long before he let his wilder side start to show a little. He just hoped he wouldn't scare her away.

Estel let the distractions slip past him and focused on Felren, grinning in delight when he gave the news. "This is terrific!" he exclaimed. "A number that great may not be enough to take down the king, but it will definitely make us stronger and give us a greater advantage." The rest of the group looked equally pleased, and they all gave their own praises for Felren. "Thank you, sir, for all of your help. We greatly appreciate it." Clapping his hands, he wondered if they should wait for Alberic and the girl before continuing, then waved the thought away. "So, Felren, what is the plan for today?" He had no idea what to expect in this desert land; actually, he didn't even know where they were going. He was sort of just listening to whatever instructions he was given. He tapped the hilt of his black sword impatiently, ready to be off.

Aneria had what she felt was going to be a permanent crimson stain on her face. How could she have forgotten that her clothes pretty much evaporated when she transformed. Stupid stupid stupid. She got herself dressed quickly in clothes similar to the other girls that she had seen. "I...just have to remember to undress first and it should be okay...but...perhaps a spare would be good just in case..." Her face got even darker as she spoke, unable to get away from the embarrassment from before.

Celo was now comfortable holding hands, this is how a relationship was supposed to be right? She really had no understanding of the concept what so ever but...she was giving it a try with someone she believed deserved a chance. He looked good with his chest exposed but she wondered how well the desert would treat him. He seemed one of the most effected by the heat besides the wolf girl.

Felren smiled at Estel and waited for the entire group to come back into the common room. Seren stood quietly next to Estel and he waited for the two new love birds to come out of their hiding hole. "Right, Mates. So today we'll be heading out on the dragons. They've been equipped with enough water to last us the entire way and then some and food. Of course blankets for the evenin' as well. If you should so grab your things and follow me please." He said, reaching out his arm when his red tailed hawk landed on his arm once more to rejoin him.

Outside stood five very large looking lizards. They were tan in color and blended almost seamlessly in with the sand around them. They continuously flicked their tails over and over but didn't move an inch from their spot. "There are five of these beasts. See fit to pair yourselves. I have my dragon..." He patted the dragon closest to him. "He is a bit touchy to anyone else's handling so I always use him. Oi, girl." He looked to Raven. "Remember, these dragons aren't like your own, they will not bond with you...Think of them like really big lizards, is all." Felren had more then one rider become depressed that their sand dragon did not interact with them, that the bond was not there. It sounds silly but really takes some getting used to and he had seen it many times. Perhaps it would be different.

Aneria looked at the large creatures and smiled. "Alberic look how big they are!" She ran out into the sand and immediately face planted, getting a mouth full of the grainy substance. Sitting up on her knees, she spit out the sand in her mouth and wiped her face off.

Kol looked at the sand dragons as Felren spoke with Raven. He had never been a rider before, and while he respected them he couldn't say he ever had a want to become one. He was sure it would be nice to have the bond and power, but he had a bond with Raven he was sure couldn't be surpassed even by a dragon.

Seren looked at the sand dragon and kept a light smile on her face. It would be very different from the sea life she had been used to living, that was for sure. She had never ridden a dragon, let alone one that was said to go so fast.

Alberic was similarily effected by the incident, the evidence still clear upon his flushed face. When Aneria was dressed, though (she did look rather good in the clothing, he thought), he felt more comfortable. "Well, let's just be more careful next time, eh?" he said a little jokingly, then waited until she was ready before joining the others as Felren started telling them what they were going to do.

Terrowin was already dreading the trip across the sea of sand. He was not at all used to warm weather, and got overheated very easily. He had chosen to wear as little clothing as possible for this reason (although he didn't mind showing off a little extra skin too). He had already packed several extra canteens of water in his pack for himself, as well as Celo, in case she got thirsty as well.

Raven eyed her brother with concern and slight agitation. He already seemed attatched to the unnatural thing, the demon, and she wasn't sure what to think of it. And then she had to go and flaunt her body to everyone here... How distastful. She wasn't one to hate easily, but she already felt a strong dislike for the girl that went beyond her getting attention from her brother, that she just couldn't put her finger on. She flicked her eyes away from the girl and went with the rest of the group as they were led outside to the dragons.

As soon as she saw the creatures, before Felren even said anything, she automatically reached her mind out to touch the one nearest to her, and was disappointed when its mind was no more intelligent than that of a regular reptile. She had expected as much, but she was so used to being with Icefyre that she wondered what it would be like to ride a 'dragon' without the strong connection that she normally had with Icefyre. "Thanks for letting me know, boy," she replied to Felren, eyebrow raised. "I've already tested, and they truly are as mindless as lizards. Beautiful, though." She adjusted her clothing, then, glancing at Kol, hopped onto the dragon nearest her. She could already tell who was going to pair up with whom. Felren, and then she and Kol, Celo and that... Guy, her brother and the demon (who had tripped flat on her face, and Raven had to force herself not to laugh out loud), and then Estel with Seren. An interesting group... She wondered where exactly they were going, but, as usual, didn't ask; if it was important or if they wanted her to know, someone would have said something. She waited for Kol to mount the dragon before testing it out. She quickly got the hang of how to control the beast, and was dashing around the sand in no time. They were fast, agile, and perfectly adapted to the environment. Grinning, she only hoped that Kol wouldn't get motion sick from the ride.

"Yeah, they're quite - ANERIA!" Alberic gasped as she tripped and landed in the sand. As she sat up he kneeled down beside her, helping her brush off this grains of sand that clung to her clothes and body. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. He was reminded of how just yesterday she had been close to death, and hoped the heat today wouldn't make her condition worsen again. He felt his cheeks get a little warm again as he touched the paleness of her skin, but soon she was clean once more. He walked close to her as they approached the smallest of the sand dragons, making sure she didn't stumble again. He fluttered on first, then, reaching down, helped her clamber onto it as well. "Keep a firm grip around me," he told her, motioning towards his waist. "These things look fast, and I don't want you to fall off." It was odd. He had never before connected to someone, especially a woman, this quickly. He thought, perhaps it was just the fact that he had saved her life. He was bonded to her through that fact, and nothing more. He attempted to steer the dragon around, though more slowly than his sister, and was pleased that it reacted well to his commands.

Terrowin went to one of the two remaining dragons, still holding lightly onto Celo's hand. "Ladies first," he told her, grinning, and gave her a boost as she sat at the front position on the seat. He had noticed that she had acted a little strange when he had begun openly showing his affections that morning, and wondered if he should back off a little bit. She seemed a little nervous, scared, even, or perhaps just unsure, of what to do around him. With these thoughts in mind, he hopped up after her, wrapping a strong arm around her small waist. "Well, lass, let's see what ye can do," he told her, nodding at her to try it out. The others seemed to be catching on quickly, and he was sure that a woman as capable as Celo would be able to as well.

"Well, I guess it's you and me, then," Estel told Seren as the other couples picked out their rides. He climbed onto the dragon first, then grabbed hold of Seren's hand as she followed after. He took a little while longer to get used to the sensation of riding the creature, but soon got used to the odd, jolting way that it moved.

Within about fifteen minutes, the group was ready to depart. Felren led the way, and the five giant lizards quickly began to travel across the vast ocean of sand. There was little to see or do as they went along their way, occasionally stopping for food or water before going again. Terrowin soon grew overheated and tired in the heat, and was glad that he had let Celo drive; he would have done a terrible job, with his mind blurred with a fog of heat. He quickly went through one of his canteens as he drank it and poured it on himself. He was embarassed to be so greatly efftected by the heat, but there was nothing he could do about it but grin and bear it.

Raven eventually let Kol take over driving. After what seemed like many, many hours, the sun finally began to sink in the distance, and the group found a dip in the sand to spend the night. As Felren, Estel, and Alberic set up camp, Raven helped get the dragons tied up and ready for the night, and Terrowin and Celo went off for another late walk. Terrowin was thankful that the temperature dropped so quickly, and soon had to put on a heavier shirt. They found another sand dune to sit upon as they discussed the day and other subjects. She seemed, he thought, to be slowly opening up to him. She still wasn't talkative by any means, but at least he could get more than one word out of her at a time now. The sky was lit up brilliantly once more with a sea of stars, as well as a bright sliver of moon. Every once in a while a comet would streak pass. Terrowin was extremely tempted to lean over Celo and continue what had begun last night, but forced himself to stay on his back next to her. This time, he thought, if he tried to start it, he wouldn't be able to stop.



((COLORS YAY. Also, you can start the pms ;] ))

Celo was glad to be out of the heat of the day. She found it rather interesting to control the reins of the dragon and thought for sure Terrowin would have taken the front of the saddle. But, he let her and Celo was more than pleased with his choice. After getting settled in the camp area they made Celo and Terrowin went on a customary night walk and settled down on a sand dune. The sand was warm and helped keep away the chill wind the night brought with it. As they spoke Celo looked to Terrowin, a comfortable silence stretched between the two of them so she thought to make it more interesting.

Slowly, Celo made her way into his lap and sat facing him. She was pretty sure this was something he would like but a light pink stain came on her face anyway. She leaned forward, gripping onto the front of her shirt and pressed her lips against his. Her soft blonde hair spilled down her shoulder. She could only hope he wouldn’t push her back and she highly doubted it.


After they had spoken for a while and there became a silence between them, Terrowin forced himself to keep his distance, pretending to be completely caught up in the stars and constellations, instead of staring at Celo and her beautiful form. He had decided to back off slightly from making moves on her, and so far, he had been able to do it, though it was no easy things, especially considering the way she was dressed during the day. He simply didn't want to scare her off or move too quickly, at the risk of scaring her off. That's why it came as a huge surprise, to say the least, when Celo scooted over onto his lap, stared at him, and pressed her sweet mouth against his.

For a moment he was shocked into stillness, too dazed to do anything but stare at her face in wonder. A second later his lust raged into full throttle, and before he could stop himself, he had wrapped his arm around her waist and moved so that she was on the sand dune below him, kissing her passionately all the while. Everything about her was so perfect, so incredibly delicious and sweet and enthralling, he couldn't contain his instincts anymore, and found himself reaching his hands under her shirt to her waist, not daring to go any higher, but not able to stop himself from touching her warm flesh wrapped under the dead, unfeeling touch of her clothes. He hoped he wasn't going too far, but it couldn't be helped, and after a moment of kissing he dropped down to her collarbone and neck, nibbling at the soft skin that was presented to him there.

Celo couldn't say she minded when Terrowin moved on top of her as she laid in the warm sand. It felt oddly nice as she returned his kisses. He felt strong, his muscles toned and so begging to be touched. As Terrowin moved down to her collarbone and began touching her waist she wasted no time grabbing at the hem of his shirt and pulling it forward. It would be his choice to take it off but it still gave her plenty of room to touch and feel at his flat stomach. She ran her hands up and down his firm stomach happy to have the contact. Right now she didn't care about anything but the man above her.

Feeling Celo's hands move from his chest down to his waist, and then below the fabric of his shirt, Terrowin pulled back for just a moment, just long enough to strip away the annoying piece of clothing that had suddenly felt intolerably hot and stuffy. He tossed it behind him with a quick, jerky movement, not really caring where it went or if it was blown away by the sand. Of course, Celo's shirt would still be kept firmly on... Well, in the chest area, at least. His movements had caused the fabric to ride up to her rib cage, leaving her toned, beautiful stomach open to the surrounding air, and to his hands as well. They ran down until they were gripping her hips firmly, feeling the strong yet feminine muscles that were flexing underneath him. He trailed kisses along her neck, chin, and edges of her mouth before coming back to her lips and pulling her in once more, hungry to feel her and touch her and hold her.... In the back of his mind, he knew that he would not let himself go any farther than this, not tonight, but he was able to bare the thought because he knew there would be time in the coming days, weeks, and months for more.

~*~*~

Kol didn’t like it. Not one bit, his sister and that man were gone for some time and they come back without shirts. What the hell were they thinking?! More so, what the hell were they doing?! A dark look was etched on his face for almost the entire night. He felt like he couldn’t say anything to his sister, Celo had always had a good head on her shoulders and never made rash decisions. So why would now be different? Because a boy was involved. Ruined his whole night…

~*~*~

As the group had all made it down for the night a calm stillness came over the group. Felren sat, half asleep against his sword. He was on watch for the next few hours and would be more than pleased if the night were uneventful. Shaking his head and opening his eyes Felren got a good look at the night stars. They were beautiful and so clear in the desert.

Wrapped in his own thoughts, Felren nearly jumped from his sitting position when he heard his hawk screech loudly. Something was up. Quietly Felren stood and drew his sword, but it was too late. Within seconds twenty or so people were on them. Surrounding every inch of their camp. Felren swore as he began battle with on of them. “Pirates.” But something was off with these pirates, something he couldn’t quiet determine.

One of the pirates grabbed onto Seren, wrapping his arms against her small waist roughly as he put a piece of cloth to her mouth. Within seconds the woman’s eyes rolled back into her head and she fell limp. “I like this one…” He grinned, sniffing Seren’s here and pulling her closer to him before jumping on his horse and draping Seren over his lap. Kicking the horse into high gear, the man sped off into the desert.

The next man was a little more perplexed to see a man guarding the woman he wanted. “Take a step closer and I will kill you.” Kol growled, keeping in front of Raven to protect her. As the man did take a step forward Kol came in low with his sword, stabbing at the mans soft belly. As he pulled it back, a crimson stream flowed down his belly, onto his pants and on the ground. He grabbed at the fresh wound and fell to the ground in a writhing mass. That was when Kol saw her, a woman in dark robes almost floating towards them. For a moment, Kol couldn’t move couldn’t take his eyes off the memorizing woman.

“Give me the map you hold, dear woman, and stop this silly nonsense against your king and everyone here will live…” Her voice was soft, and gentle with a promise hanging in the air. It would not seem to bad to give up their quest if her love, brother, and friends all lived, right? The woman smiled kindly, none of the pirates went near her or around Kol and Raven.

But they were nevertheless after Celo now, and were rather mad that she was putting up a fight along with Terrowin. They were holding their ground and keeping them from getting their prize; a woman to fulfill their fantasies. Living out in the desert for so many years really deprived a man of a woman’s soft flesh and now there were four for the taking. How much fun they would have with them…The boss said once she had gotten what she wanted out of one of the woman they could kill everyone else and take what they pleased. Fine with them. But this blonde girl was proving troublesome.

One of the men got hold of Aneria and grabbed her by the wrist but suddenly let her go taking several steps back with a look on his face like he had been stricken. “Forgive us princess, we had no idea you would be…here of all places. I assume the good king has his reasons. Aneria looked back to Alberic and knew the hoax was up. “I order you not to touch this man, nor his friends.” She said, standing from where she was.

“Forgive my, lady ice, but our orders come from the top. We won’t hurt you and your…mate, but other wise forgive me.” The pirate said, and backed off to help his friends. Aneria stood where she was, she didn’t want to face Alberic, to see the look on his face.

Only Estel was still awake with Felren as the night wore on. He had some itching in the back of his mind that wouldn't go away, as if they were being watched with invisible eyes. There was absolutely no one around, and nowhere for anyone to hide, so why did he feel so anxious? Eventually he let his eyelids drift down, and dozed lightly. He was awaken a while later violently with yells, screams and the sound of metal against metal, and he immediately scrambled up, reaching for his black blade as many dark figures scattered into their camp. He was immediately scene by one, a large, hefty man with a deep scar running along his bearded face, and they man screeched and ran at him. Estel only reacted by defending himself; he hated to needlessly kill, and as long as he was a superior swordsman to this man, which he soon found out he was, he simply swept the weapon out of the pirate's grasp and knocked him unconscious with a deft blow to the head with the hilt of his sword. A moment later, as he was looking around frantically to see where his help was needed most, he heard a familiar voice, but instead of being gentle and sweet as usual, it was high and panicked, making his heart drop. Seren. She wasn't a fighter, he knew she wasn't, and he dashed over to where she had been sleeping only to see her get grabbed by a man and taken away before he could even react. He screamed and attempted to run after, but was blocked off by two men, one giant and lumbering, the other small, thin, and quick. He tried in vain to get past them, but they pushed him back, and soon the horse carrying Seren and the man had vanished. That was it. His mind snapped. The kind, wise man that he had become was replaced with the bloodwrath and vengefulness of a man who had lost something dear to him, and all thought of trying to keep from hurting anyone was driven from his mind in his need to save Seren. He let out a gutteral yell, slashing at the huge man. He didn't stand a chance; he was too large and slow to miss, and though he tried to parry with his own weapon, it shattered under the brute strength of Estel's rage, and the black blade sunk deep into the man's chest. He screamed and fell over, leaving the thin, quick man to fight Estel. He was a little harder to get; he was very quick, and was obviously running on some sort of nervous energy, because he darted left and right unpredictably, like a rat, and even got in a few small scratches on Estel as they scuffled around the camp. Finally, Estel screamed and ran his blade into the man's throat. He convulsed a few times, then fell limp. By that time, most of the other fighting had stopped, and though he whirled around, eager to find someone else to take out his anger and heartbreak on, it was obvious that the fight had ended. When he realized this, his rage turned to hurt, loss and hopelessness, and he fell to his knees upon the sand, forgetting about his wounds and sobbing over what he had lost. He didn't pay attention to anything else that was going on, simply wallowed in the misery of what had happened.

---

Terrowin had been asleep with his arms wrapped around Celo when the pirates attacked, and for a moment he was completely lost, not knowing what was going on. When he realized they were being attacked, he grabbed his knife, hoisted Celo to her feet, and went back-to-back with her, both of them fighting madly against any that came near them. They made an incredible team, and any pirate that came near to them was quickly slashed and either killed or chased away against the fury of the fighting couple. For a while they fought and won, and Terrowin was starting to think that they had a chance of getting rid of the attacking men when he began to feel a tingle in his right thigh. "NO!" he spat, and began cursing, but kept on fighting as the tingling grew to pain, and the pain grew until he could hardly keep himself upright. He had to keep fighting, had to keep these men from taking Celo as he had seen them take the poor older woman. Suddenly, though, as he had expected, the pain flared terribly and he arched his back in pain, then collapsed on the sand, screaming. The wound the demon had inflicted on him so many years ago, he had figured out one day a long time ago, seemed to be almost cursed or poisoned, and nearly never failed to incapacitate him at the most terrible of times. It caused him more pain that a wound so old should normally inflict as well, a pain so great that no matter how strong his will was, he just couldn't fight it. His vision turned red as he watched Celo still fighting above him, and couldn't move an inch as he felt his own body get picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder, with a gruff voice saying,"This woman ain't worth getting killed over. Let's just take 'er lover boy here, see if then she'll come to 'er senses and let us have her." With that, he felt himself being carried away, away from Celo, who was still fighting, so beautiful in her anger and expertise in swordfighting, but his vision soon began turning dark, just as her incredible eyes turned to him and widened in shock and terror......

And then everything went black.

---

Raven may not have been the best of fighters, and she didn't even carry a blade with her, but she was deadly accurate in close-range shooting, and was able to wound a few men with her bow before they were too close for her weapon, and Kol began to slash at the men. She watched with wide and horrified eyes as a man was slain before her, swallowing back repulsion as the man writhed on the ground, then was still. She felt helpless and overwhelmed as everyone fought around her, but no one seemed to be attacking her, and she soon found out why. When the woman appeared, Kol's eyes went glassy, and Raven realized that he had been mesmerized by... What? Her beauty? Voice? She didn't know, but it must have been something that only affected men, because she only felt a slight uncertainty when the woman addressed her. Give up the map? Yes, it would save her family and friends... But she had already seen Seren and Terrowin be carried off, and she doubted that the men would return them if she gave over the parchment. The woman's false kindness was too obvious, too good to be true. She raised her chin defiantly, growling out her answer. "No. I will die before I let you take it from me. As for saving my friends, I'm sure that you'll kill them all anyway, no matter what I do." She lifted her bow and aimed at the woman, but before she could do so, a man that was standing near her grabbed the weapon and pulled it out of her grasp. She snarled in rage, but could do nothing without a sword. Kol still seemed transfixed on the woman, and she grabbed his chin, jerking his head so he was looking at her. "Don't let her fool you. She only means to hurt us, and I won't let that happen."

-----

Alberic may not have been a fighter either, but he did carry a sword, and his urge to protect Aneria gave him the courage to fight the men. He didn't kill any of them, but got in a few good blows before one managed to grap Aneria's arm. He was about to attempt to cut the arm off when the man suddenly backed off, looking shocked. For a moment Alberic thought maybe Aneria had used her abilities and froze the man's hand, or something, but the pirate looked more shocked than in pain. When he began addressing the snow demon as if she was his superior, his sword dropped and he stared at her in disbelief. Aneria? One of them? The thought didn't compute in his mind. She was too small, too meek and clumsy to be on their side, and even if she was, wouldn't she have attempted to kill them by now? The man continued to address her, and she him, and Alberic's mind finally began to work again. "You're with them?" he exclaimed, more in disbelief than anger, so confused that he hadn't even realized she had probably just saved his life. "I trusted you! I rescued you from the desert! So stupid, I should have known that you are really a demon. I thought maybe you were different... But now I know better." His normally kind, open face was now warped with fury, and he turned away from her and glared at the surrounding pirates, who had all gone still around his sister and Kol. Nothing was what it should be, he thought. Aneria was supposed to be good for him, he thought that maybe, maybe he had had a chance with her.... How foolish he was.

Celo was fighting along side Terrowin, everything was going fine until he started flailing around in pain. She didn’t understand what was going on and her heart hammered in fear for him. He was helplessly as he was and it only proved her point as he was dragged off. “Terrowin!” She couldn’t leave battle, couldn’t stop to save him, Celo would have been captured herself. Celo fought off the pirates near her, stabbing her sword into the soft flesh of someone’s throat and then whipping her blade around the slash across another’s jugular. Great, why did he not tell her this could happen? She had no idea if he had been shot, or if something went wrong within him at the worst of times but either way she was going to have to try and save him.

~*~*~*~

The woman pretty much floating in front of Kol grew rather angry as Raven denied her the things she sought. As Raven grabbed onto Kol’s chin and forced him to look away his glassy eyes starred at her, unfocused for a long moment before recognition came back into his eyes. “Raven…” He said slowly as he brought a hand to the side of her face. How could he be so easily tricked?

The woman grew angry at the two. “If you do not give me what I want, I will kill you!” She screamed, running towards the couple. Kol turned back to face her, drawing his sword just as she was upon them and rammed it through her stomach. A look of shock and horror came to her face as a trickle of blood came from her mouth. Removing his sword, Kol looked to her as she fell to her knees.

“You will….pay for this…avian…” The woman said as she began to glow a dark red. The red light that surrounded her shot into the sky as her body dropped onto the ground. Kol flicked the blood from his sword and sighed. He didn’t really like killing woman and it pained his soul to do so.

As Kol had been dealing with the woman, a pirate came up behind Raven and put a cloth over her mouth to keep her from scream. It was laced with the same drug that had knocked Seren out. He held onto her as she struggled for a moment and then let a grin come to his face as she went limp in his arms. The blonde man in front of him was looking at the downed woman as he threw her up on a horse.

“Raven are you ok-“ Kol turned to face her and growled at the sight he was seeing. The man was jumping on the horse as he had finally turned to check on her. Why had he not done so sooner?! He took note that Raven was limp, draped over the horse. What did that bastard do to her?! As he was running to stop the man Kol felt a searing pain in his side followed by a warm liquid running down his hip and back. Kol felt like he couldn’t breath as he landed face down in the sand. He had been shot in the rubs, and it had been deep enough to puncture his lung.

~*~*~*~

Aneria finally got the man to leave her when Alberic began to realize what was happened. “Alberic- Please…” Tears rimmed her eyes as he spoke. “I can explain…” This sounded so cliché, so practiced but what else could she say? “I’m sorry, I-…” She burst into tears, unable to contain the river of tears held within her.

For a while, Estel had no knowledge of what went on around him. Sounds, shouts, screams.... They were all blurred into one incomprehensible mess as he wallowed in his pain, fear, and anxiety, for Seren, and for others that were sure to have been kidnapped, or even killed. He knew he should be doing something to help, but he simply couldn't find the strength to rise from his kneeling position. As the flow of emotions and horror flowed through him, he suddenly felt sick, and suddenly vomited on the sand, disgusted with himself. He had let his rage ger to him; he had killed when he could have simply unarmed. He was supposed to have more control than that; he had been taught only to kill if it was the only possible answer, and he had gone against his own will. With these thoughts in mind, he was able to force himself to his feet and assess the situation. The pirates had vanished completely, leaving their camp in ruin. Seren, obviously, was nowhere to be seen, as was Terrowin and Raven. Alberic looked furious and hurt, and at first Estel assumed it was that his sister had been taken, but the more Estel looked, the more he seemed oblivious to that fact. Aneria was behind him sobbing, and he was pointedly ignoring her cries, although it seemed to pain him to do so. He looked around for Felren and, not seeing him, started catiously looking at the bodies that strewn the ground. To his relief, he saw no familiar faces, only those of the enemy. Most were dead, a few groaned in their last few moments of life, and there were none that were in any shape to harm him. Then he heard a sharp moan, followed by a small cry of pain that sounded too fair to come from a pirate. He quickly made his way to the sound to find Kol laying facedown on the sound, an arrow piercing his side. Estel let out a cry of surprise and shock, immediately kneeling down to check the man's breath and pulse. The blood was still flowing quickly, so he couldn't have been shot too long ago. The red liquid was pooled around him, though; he had already lost a lot of blood. "I'm sorry, but this has to be done," he murmured to Kol. The shaft was, thankfully, thin, but it had gone deep. He had no other choice; the shaft had to come out, or he would bleed to death. Taking a quick breath and bracing himself, he gripped the weapon and pulled it out, wincing at the terrible cry of pain that came from Kol as he did so. "There, it's out, you're going to be fine..." Estel murmured encouraging words as he dressed the wound, thankful for his knowledge of the healing arts. He was nowhere near as experienced as Seren, but he knew enough to know the best way to save this man's life. By the way that Kol was breathing, he guessed that the arrow had pierced his lung. If it had been enough to kill him, though, he'd be dead already; as long as he didn't strain himself too much, the wound would most likely heal. After he was done tightly binding the wound and helping Kol to his sleeping bag, ordering him to stay put and rest, he looked over to Alberic and Aneria. He couldn't tell what they were saying in the dim lighting, but neither looked happy. Deciding it wasn't his business, he went in search of Felren.

----

Alberic didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear about the lies he had believed, the emotions that had been false. Her words went right past him as he turned away, grimacing. It was so hard to hate her, he wanted to hate her.... But there was something that wouldn't allow him to. When she starting crying, he had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her, tell her that it was alright and that he would forgive her. He didn't want to forgive her. She had been working for these men that had attacked them and stolen things and.... Raven. His sister. His heart fluttered in fear, and he dashed away from Aneria to where the main part of the fighting had been, looking around for someone, anyone, that knew who all had been hurt. He saw Kol lying injured and dazed nearby the ruined tent, and his heart sunk. If he had been hurt, that would mean his sister... No. There had to be another explanation. He searched wildly around camp, checking all the bodies for familiar faces, and was relieved when he saw none, but it didn't stop his mind from racing. Where had she gone? Now that he thought about it, where was Terrowin and Seren? He saw Celo a ways away cleaning her sword, and approached her. "What the hell happened?" he tried not to scream. "Where is my sister?" His thoughts of Aneria's betrayal had been replaced with worry for Raven, and he decided to deal with the demon later.

----

In a completely deserted part of the desert, the survivors of the attack had set up a small camp, gloating and boasting over their catch. As they settled in and started to drink in their victory, Raven started to stir. At first she didn't know what was going on, but was quickly awakened by a strange feeling. At first she couldn't place it, but then she realized that her chest was incredibly cold. Blinking her bleary eyes open and moaning slightly in pain as her head spun, she looked down to see her shirt pulled down to her waist, bearing her breasts, and a ratty-looking man staring at her hungrily. She instantly awoke and screeched, kicking the man in the stomach with enough willpower to knock him to his knees in pain. She struggled to stand, but her legs weren't working right, and she ended up just trying to cover herself with a spare piece of cloth nearby, shivering against the jeering gazes of a few other pirates nearby. What had happened? Where was she? What had happened to Kol? Her brother? She saw Seren's still form nearby, and hoped that she was alright. At least they were together; she couldn't bare the thought of being alone. She crawled over to her, shaking her shoulders gently. "Seren?" she murmured, casting a nervous glance at the men nearby. They were watching her carefully to make sure neither of them escaped, but they made no move to stop her. "Seren, please wake up," she whimpered.

"Stop yer whinin, bitch," one of the men cackled at her. "Ye ain't got nothin' t' whine about yet. Just wait 'til we get to play with ye." He smiled nastily, taking a long draught of some disgusting liquid. Raven shrank away, pressing the cloth tighter to her bosom. What was she going to do? "Kol..." she whispering, closing her eyes and letting tears run down her face. She didn't want to die here, raped and murdered by these brutal men. But what could she do? She was in no shape to fight, she was weaponless, and there were too many men anyway...

----

Terrowin woke up soon after in much more pain than Raven. Whenever he suffered an episode, the pain stuck around for hours later, and he was greeted in awakening by an excruciating pain in his thigh, a pounding in his head, and a sick stomach. Blinking and grunting in pain, he attempted to recognize his surroundings. There were many pirates around a fire, cackling over who knew what, and many casting glances at something that lay opposite the fire from where Terrowin was. He struggled to see what it was, and thought he made out a vague feminine form, but he couldn't be sure. It was then that he realized that he couldn't move no only because of his pain, but because his arms were tied tightly to a pole that had been struck deep in the sand, and his legs tied together so tightly that it cut into his skin, causing his calves to bleed. He cursed, struggling for a moment before growling in tortuous pain. He wouldn't be able to do anything for a while. He only hoped Celo was alright... As long as she hadn't been taken, or worse.... He couldn't see her familiar form no matter how hard he looked, and hoped that she was still back at camp, alive and unharmed...

Kol felt someone pull the arrow from his body and moaned, not being able to much more then that. He found it really hard to breath, to think and his mind was hazy. Raven…raven…what happened to her? He could tell the hands on him were not that of a woman and the voice did not belong to one either. They wrapped him in a sleeping bag and helped stopped the bleeding. God damn him for being weak…He felt so helpless and those were his last thoughts before succumbing to the darkness and going unconscious.

~*~*~*~

Celo stood dazed…She didn’t know what to feel first, what not to feel…none of it made sense to her and what more when she went to wipe something from her face she found tears. She looked down to her hand to examine it like it was a foreign object. She didn’t have much more time to contemplate her own feelings when Alberic came storming to her asking for answers. “I know not of your sister, but I assume she shares the same fate as Seren and Terrowin. They’ve been captured by the pirates that just raided us.” She said in an even calm tone, despite the single tear still running down her face. Emotions were not Celo’s strong suit and that had always been her advantage.

Aneria could only watch through teary eyes as Alberic had turned his back on her. What could she expect? She had only known him for a few days but despite that this was the first man, even person she was allowed close contact to. Perhaps she was being naïve but that did not lessen the pain of rejection. Her father has told her the one woman must be taken care of, and being young for her race she did not understand the consequences attached to such a task. She left behind her humanoid form for the less painful state of the wolf. It trotted to Estel’s side and kept by him, not wanting to be in the way of anyone else. Her pained eyes met with Estel’s but she made no motion to do anything about it.

~*~*~*~

Felren groaned as he pushed a dead body off of himself and stood, trying to wipe from of the blood from his clothing and flicking the excess from his blade. “Well this is a terrible mess…” He walked back over to the small group and frowned. One of the avians was down, and three people were missing. “Great…” He mumbled finding the man and wolf and his face twisted in confusion. He was sure the woman would be with Alberic and not he with Celo…Oh well, it wasn’t something too concerning to him. “My friend…” He patted Estel on the shoulder with a sad glance.

~*~*~*~

Seren woke with a terrible headache, as if someone hit her over the head but to her surprise when she brought a hand to her head no such injuries had been found. She opened her eyes slowly to see a crying and partially clothed Raven. “Raven…” She whispered, “Are you alright?” She asked sitting herself up slowly. “Where are we?” She asked as she looked at the men.

“Oi! Lookie ‘ere mates! They are both awake now!” One of the older men of the group walked over and pushed Raven from Seren, grabbing the woman by her hair and forcing her to stand. “You’ll do yourself good to obey me.” He whispered in her hear, his dirty alcohol laced breath filling her nose. He pushed her forward and then did the same for Raven. “Hows about you fill out drinks, hmm?” He pointed towards the jug of dark colored liquid in the middle of the circle with three serving jugs near it. He sat down next to it and waited.

Seren fell into the sand, spitting out the bits that had entered her mouth upon impact and then stood, walking to the jug and pouring the liquid silently. If they did what they asked perhaps it would buy some time for themselves.

Estel stared back at the wolf-form of Aneria in mirrored pain, though his was slightly different from her own. Not sure of what to do, he simply patted the back of her neck in empathy, and then, as Felren appeared unharmed, but bruised, he allowed himself a slight sigh of relief. If Felren was here, they might be able to plan some sort of siege against the pirates as they had already done to their group. A counterattack, he mused. There were so few of them, though, especially with three of their number missing and one of their best swordsmen down... Estel was more than capable of holding his own, as, he knew, was Celo and Felren; Alberic could fight, although he lacked the training and heart needed to really fight, and especially now in his distraught, confused state, he would be of little help to them. Perhaps he could shoot from a distance; Estel had heard that Avians were fine bowsmen. Then of course, there was Aneria. He hadn't heard of her disloyalty yet, and saw no problem in having her help them as well. She may have been small and in pain, but she was obviously quite powerful, and they could use her help if they were to attack the pirates.

"So, what's the plan, Felren?" he asked, his voice small but gaining strength as he thought of rescuing Seren and the others. It was obvious to him now that they had no other choice, and he would gladly die to save his friends, and Seren.... The thought of her captured and who knows what else made his heart ache, and he sharpened his determination to save her. "We can't let those men get away with this; there's got to be a way to find them and make them pay for what they did. You've lived in the desert for many years, I'm assuming. Where would they have gone? And, now that I come to think of it, what were they, exactly?" They were pirates, yes, but the only pirates Estel had heard about lived on the open water... Not in the middle of a desert. What was the point? Did they simply ravage camps and steal women for fun? What a terrible, sad existence. He shuddered at the thought.

-----

"Captured?" Alberic replied to Celo in horror, his heart sinking with sorrow and pain. And he had been with Aneria, the traitor, trying to save her? If he had been near Raven, he might have been able to save her! Now he was forced to suffer the thought of his sister going through unknown tortures by those disgusting men. He let out a growl of anger, turning his back on Celo so she wouldn't see the his face twisted with pain and anger. For a while he wallowed in his self pity until he heard from the darkness, something about... Finding the pirates? Curious and a little hopeful, he turned to the voice to see Estel and Felren, as well as a wolf that, he assumed with a frown, was Aneria. He didn't want to think about what she had done, and purposefully ignored her as he joined the group. "Please, if we're going to attack those bastards, let me help you. I may not be any good at close range fighting, but I have a bow, and I'm a pretty good shot." His ground his fists, determined now that they were talking about getting a plan in motion.

-----

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay," Raven murmured as Seren began to wake up. "I don't know what to do and these men are-" she was interrupted by the jubilant call of a pirate now that they were both awake, and she shivered in fear. As the man shoved her away in his grab towards Seren, she let out an involuntary yell, clutching the cloth to her chest in an attempt to keep herself covered. Why had they done this to her!? Her shirt was in pieces, there was no point in trying to put it back on... She tried to scramble up and help Seren as they manhandled to poor woman, but she could do nothing as they ordered her to serve them, also grabbing Raven by the hair and tossing her to the ground near the putrid jug. The awful treatment filled her with sudden anger and determination, replacing her fear and anxiety. How dare they do this to her?! As the man sat down near the jug, she lifted her head, growled,"I'm not your slave," and spat in the man's face. The pirate roared in anger, rubbing away the spittle as he reached for his knife. Raven stood her ground, keeping a hold on the cloth as she searched wildly for something to defend herself with. Finding none, she glanced back at the man just as he slashed down with the blade, cutting deep into her cheek and down the left side of her chest. She screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground as blood began to pour from the wounds. It wasn't enough to kill her, but the scars were deep, and sure to cause pain for a while. She was kicked upright again as the man prodded her with a dirty boot, cursing at her to get up and pour the drinks. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to be cut again, she finally obeyed, slopping the putrid liquid into the men's glasses as they stared greedily at her. Oh, if only she had a weapon.... She flinched as one especially dirty pirate grasped for her, just managing to get out of the way before he grabbed anything. And poor Seren.... The woman, she was sure, was not made to handle such rough treatment. And Kol, Kol.... What had happened to him? Tears mixed with her own blood as she continued to entertain the perverted men.

------

Another person, a woman, obviously, had apparently been taken from the group as well. He didn't recognize the agonized shriek as the man sliced cruelly into the woman's body, but he could tell, thankfully, that it wasn't Celo. Now that he looked closer, it appeared there were in fact two women. Raven and.... that other woman.... Seren? Yes, that's who it appeared to be. Cursing aloud, he struggled once more at the ropes, but it was no use. He wouldn't be able to assist the poor women. He growled in frustration, catching the ear of a large, bearded pirate nearby. "Oi, this fella's awake too!" he crowed, reaching for a dagger. Terrowin groaned. What now? He was already mad, upset and in pain, what more could they do? The pirate, with few onlookers, since most were distracted by the women, pulled up a stool next to Terrowin, a nasty grin on his face. "Now, ye and yer lovely woman put up quite a fight when me an' my mates tried to capture ya. She even killed a few of our numb'r. That ain't gonna go unpunished. An' seein' as we weren't able t' capture 'er, well, ye will have to do. Maybe if I can make ya scream loud enough, she'll come runnin' right into our camp." Letting out a loud, wicked laugh, the pirate took his knife and traced it slowly down the front of Terrowin's shirt, letting just the tip cut through the clothing to his skin. He moved painfully slow, and Terrowin grunted in pain, forcing himself not to scream, not to give this man the pleasure of seeing him in agony..... Finally, the man finished, and the front of Terrowin's shirt opened to reveal the thin, straight scar tracing from his collarbone to his beltline. Not a deep cut, but painful nonetheless. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" the man cackled, twirling his dagger. Terrowin merely grunted in reply, too weak for a snappy retort. Snickering, the man flicked the knifeblade along Terrowin's ribcage and stomach, making scars horizontal to the first one. Terrowin squirmed, gritting his teeth against the agony, but again said nothing. "Well, if that ain't enough, I guess I'll have to go with deeper methods," the pirate shrugged, and then cut the blade deep into Terrowin's right bicep. He couldn't help it; he cried out in pain. Excited from the reaction, the man did the same to his other arm, causing Terrowin to yell again. The man then moved on to his chest, carving out different patterns and designs in the tan, already scarred skin there, cutting deep and slow, and causing blood to pour down Terrowin's torso. The torture went on for what seemed like hours, until his mind began to get fuzzy from loss of blood. The man stopped, grunting. "Well, let's see if yer lady can save ye now," he cackled, standing and moving away from the torn, broken body of Terrowin. For the second time that day, he blacked out from pain.

Felren cocked a curious glance to the wolf at Estel’s side but decided not to comment on it. Even through their few days of travel thus far Felren had yet to come to trust the demon and had good reasons. Even better reasons that he had yet to know about. “Plan? I think that would be simple, my friend, to retrieve your friends and shed some pirate blood.” He responded and then ran a hand through his hair at being asked what they were. “Yes, most commonly pirates are thought to be the flea bitten sea dogs that are often talked about in sea side pubs but theses…these pirates thrive in the sands in the middle of no where. They attack caravans that come across from Bay Moar to Fallvale. They take special interest in things of value and woman.” Felren spoke calmly and looked about at the bodies on the ground, his eye was lead to Kol and he sighed. “Will he live?” He nodded to Kol noting his uneven breathing and almost gray looking skin.

~*~*~*~

Celo eyed Alberic carefully; she could clearly see the rage that had twisted onto his face and the ache in her heart suddenly calmed and her normal expression resuming on her face as she walked to join the group as well. “If you can control yourself.” Celo flickered a glance to Alberic, knowing rage is one of the biggest weaknesses in battle. It makes a person irrational and whatever skills in fighting Alberic had, he needed all of them now. She sheathed her sword and looked around at the group.

Felren took notice that Aneria or Alberic wouldn’t look at one another and figured something happened. “The demon will go in first.” Aneria’s gaze snapped towards Felren but said nothing. “You have the powers of ice which will aid us greatly. Freeze them where they stand, Alberic you then find the woman and retrieve them as fast as you possibly can. Celo, I trust you can look out for yourself as you find Terrowin. Estel and I will take care of what pirates remain free.” He formed the plan and then looked to Kol once more. “Bring him with us but keep him far from the camp once we start, we don’t need his wounds even greater than they are.” Felren wasn’t even sure the man would survive the trip to the encampment but they couldn’t just leave him here.

~*~*~*~

Seren looked on in horror as Raven tried to fight back against the men holding them captive and she sighed in relief once she finally started doing what they asked. “If we don’t fight them…we may live long enough for Kol, Estel and everyone to come save us.” She whispered in almost desperation as she handed a drink to the mad that had grabbed her hair. She let out a small scream of surprise when the man grabbed her by the hair again and pulled her against him as he inhaled her soft scent. He put his lips to her neck as his gaze landed on Raven. “Oh what a pity the lass are crying! Save them tears for later wench you’d be needin’ ‘em.” He grinned licking Seren’s neck as he took immense pleasure as her small frame shuddered below him. There was no reason to rush their enjoyment at all.

"You make it sound easy," Estel told Felren, hope fluttering in his chest like a small bird as the man spoke of attacking the pirates. He would be able to save Seren, he thought. If they hadn't already.... No, he wouldn't allow himself to think that. They had simply been captured, and were surely in misery, but he would soon change that. He gripped the hilt of his sword, not necessarily in anger, but determination. No one harmed those he cared about without consequences; this was no different.

At Felren's question, Estel looked over to Kol. His breathing was shallow, but that was to be expected; his lung had been punctured, and he was lucky to be breathing at all. His skin was slicked with sweat and an unhealthy hue, but he wasn't shivering or fidgeting, so that was good sign. "He has stayed alive for this long. I'm not an expert on the healing practices, but I think if he was going to die, then he would have already. He's a strong man with a lot to live for; I think he'll make it through. Though," he added after Felren told them of his plan,"We'll have to be extremely careful in transporting him. The wound is still fresh, and he could always die from bloodloss if we're not careful. I suggest draping him over one of the sand dragons with someone to watch over him; I'll volunteer, if you wish." With that decision made, he went over to the still form of Kol and, as carefully as possible, lifted the surprisingly light man from his position and went over to the nearest sand dragon, depositing him on the broad back of the giant lizard in as comfortable a position as possible. He then lifted himself onto its back, shifting around until he was comfortably situated around Kol's form. If all went well, they could hide Kol with the rest of the sand dragons safely as they attacked the pirate camp. "Let's ride," he called out, and slowly commanded the dragon across the sand in the direction the pirates had taken off in.

---

Alberic gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that anger could be the downfall of a man in battle, and while he was still filled with fury at the pirates for taking his sister, he knew he had to keep his head straight if he wanted to help. "I can control myself," he told Celo roughly. "You guys will be the ones fighting the main group, anyway; I'll simply take down anyone in my way." He was glad that Felren had chosen him to find and rescue the women. He could be stealthy enough to get past the group without them noticing, but if there were guards or men around the women, he wouldn't hesitate to fight as well. Anything to get his sister back.

The group loaded up the sand dragons, with Celo and Alberic on one, Kol and Estel on another, and Aneria and Felren both on separate dragons by themselves. Alberic didn't want to be next to Aneria; he couldn't take looking at her until he sorted out his feelings of her betrayal. She seemed sincere enough that she hadn't wanted to hurt him, really, but he just couldn't know for sure. She had probably been playing him a fool the entire time. Again, he pushed the thoughts out of his head. He needed to concentrate solely on Raven. Soon the group was moving along the sand at a measured pace, Estel in the lead to keep the group moving at a slow enough pace so as not to disturb Kol. He was starting to gain a little color in his face, though he was still unconscious, and his breathing shallow. Estel continued to be hopeful that he would survive. At least he was still alive. And maybe rescuing Raven would help him fight his internal battle.

It took them a while before they saw the familiar glow of fires in the distance over the dunes. Obviously the pirates thought they would be too weak to try to attack; they were right out in the open, not even trying to hide themselves. Estel could see shapes moving around the fires, and though they were too far away still to hear voices, he could tell that they were celebrating over their victory. "Such brutes, don't even care about when their own are slain..." he muttered to himself. They hadn't even attempted to retrieve their allies' bodies for proper burial. They moved closer as silently as possible to the camp until they were close enough to make out the individual men, fires, and tents. They hid behind the nearest sand dune, which was large enough to conceal the dragons, as well as Kol. "Alright, we all know our plans, right?" He was answered with somber nods. "Well, let's not waste time then. Aneria, go ahead. We'll be right behind you." He waited for the demon to make her move, preparing to strike as soon as the pirates realized their presence.

Alberic stood beside them, looking around frantically for his sister. He soon saw her, and Seren, both being cruelly treated and forced to serve the pirates. Raven's back was turned to him, but he could tell from the way that she was acting that she had already been through too much. He cursed quietly as a man grabbed Seren and man handled her, and he itched to attack immediately, but knew that if he did, it would ruin their plans. He stayed behind Aneria, Estel, and Felren, next to Celo, who would be going after Terrowin. Alberic looked around, but he couldn't see the man anywhere; he hoped that he hadn't already been disposed of, for Celo's sake.

-----

Raven couldn't help the tears that stremed silently down her face as she continued to serve the men. The cloth had already been snatched away from her, and she tried her hardest to keep the jug she was carrying pressed against herself to cover herself from the men's greedy hands. She wanted nothing more than to grab a weapon and beat the men senseless, but she knew that she was too greatly outnumbered, and she would certainly be beaten more if she attempted to escape. She made a lunge towards Seren as a man grabbed her and licked her neck, but was stopped by a man grabbing her wrist. "Ye ain't goin' nowhere, sweetheart," he growled, pulling her in closer. "Why don't ye drop that jug an' let me play with ye, eh?" He cackled, making a move towards her chest. She cowered and tried to pull away, but the man's grip was too strong. 'Kol, where are you?' she cried internally, looking around desperately for something to protect herself with. She didn't want to be raped by this dirty, disgusting men. She didn't want Seren to be so terribly treated. How had they even ended up in this place in the first place? Why hadn't Felren warned them of sand pirates? She felt her energy slowly being drained as she fought to get away, to no avail. The man was simply too strong.

-----

Terrowin was still unconscious, and in his dreams, the world was filled with blood and terror. He saw Celo fighting beside him, and his own blood as he was incapacitated by his leg, and being dragged away by the pirates. But he also saw, to his utter horror, Celo losing her battle, and being stabbed over and over until her body lay red in the sand. He screamed at the men, but no one seemed to hear, and even if they did, they wouldn't care. His greatest nightmare.... Celo, Celo, what had happened to her after he was taken? He couldn't bare the thought of her body lying lifeless in the sand.... It was only a dream, he told himself. But the visions were so real....

His body was on the far side of camp, opposite of where Celo and her group was preparing for attack. The only guard near him was the man that had tortured him, and he was sitting a few feet away, bored, wondering when he would be replaced so he could play with the women as well. The sand around Terrowin was stained red, as was his clothes, his hair, and a majority of his bare torso. What skin wasn't covered in his blood was shockingly white, a side effect from losing so much blood from the numerous slashes across his body. He would almost appear already dead, if not for the slow, shallow rise and fall of his breath as he fought to stay alive.

Kol was far too long gone to understand anything that was happening to him, he was lost in his state of half consciousness and a sea of pain. Nothing he did seemed to make breathing easier and he almost couldn’t tell he was being transported somewhere. Raven…what happened to her? Foggy memories swam around his head as he tried to think but the action was beyond his current mental capacity. As the voices around him grew more distant Kol was sure that so was his spirit from his body. He simply laid still and waited for the jaws of death to take him from this world.

~*~*~*~

Seren turned to see Raven being taken in by another pirate and silent tears streaked down her face. She wanted to help the woman even more than herself but she was no match for the strength of the man holding her. Seren was never a fighter; her hands were only stained with blood when trying to save a life. She felt the man tear at her own clothing now his hands all over her chest as she tried to cover herself. “Come now play nice.” He growled at her pressing his dirty lips against her. She tried to call out but was silenced by his lips and the foul taste as his tongue was forced into her mouth. More silent tears fell as she stopped struggling against the man, feeling defeated.

~*~*~*~

Aneria nodded as Estel told her to get going and she shifted into the form of the wolf, trotting into the camp. One of the men looked at her but was never able to say a word as ice encased his head and soon his entire body. She wouldn’t be able to do that for all of them but the ones along the way to the main part of the camp would surely be unable to move for a long enough period to save the captives. As soon as she was near the ring of men holding Seren and Raven she hesitated for a moment looking at the avian woman. This was her chance, to hold her word to her family. She looked back to see Alberic and her resolve was broken. Calling upon her abilities and a quick burst of blue light the men in the area had their legs fully encased in ice. Now was their chance and the blue light was sure enough of a sign to give to the rest of the group.

“Princess!” One of the men screamed in rage, charging at her, she ran out of the camp, knowing the men would soon be behind her but she was leading him out of the area to give them a better chance; the less men freely moving the better. But her great magical strength was zapped from her and she got just outside the area before a swift kick to her side brought her down as she had shifted back into a human looking form. She felt another kick some in to her side and the word ‘traitor’ over and over again. It felt like the beating would never end, that the punches and kicks would never stop coming even after she was no longer able to cover her face with her arms and hands. She lie there limp in the sand and suspected the only reason he didn’t kill her would be the rest of her family. If only she followed her families’ orders this would have never happened! If only that stupid man Alberic had never existed! Her anger soon brought her to tears that wracked her already broken feeling body.

~*~*~*~

Felren was right on the group of men as soon as Aneria was out of the camp, he wasn’t sure where the demon was going to but he didn’t have much time to contemplate on it. He went to work with his sword, hacking at the men in the area hoping that Alberic would make quick work of getting the woman to safety. He saw Seren scramble away from the partially frozen man wiping at her mouth as she did so. Spinning in as quick as he could, Felren brought his sword down on a mans neck and was sprayed with a fountain of blood.

~*~*~*~

Celo broke from the group as soon as the blue flash erupted everyone into mass chaos. She didn’t see Terrowin within the group and had not expected the man to be allowed near the men celebrating their victory. After a few minutes of searching the camp she rounded a corner to see his limp form propped against a tent. Celo stood where she, feared that if she got closer her fears would be confirmed. But she had to know at least, she got closer anyone could clearly see the several cuts and slashes along the man’s body and the lack of color anywhere on his skin. In this darker light Celo couldn’t see the extremely shallow breathing and assumed he wasn’t. Oh no. They had killed him. Celo felt her legs shaking as she dropped in the sand, she had never known what it was to feel like her heart was ripped out and couldn’t say she would ever like to feel this again. The pain in her chest only grew as she put her hands to her face, looking down, and her shoulders bobbed as her body was wracked with sobs. Never in her life had she cried so hard, not even with the death of both her parents. Logically she could assume this it what it would feel like if Kol had died but logic didn’t really matter right now.

As soon as Aneria began the distraction, Estel leaped into the fray, knocking swords and heads left and right. He had control over himself now, and was focused enough not to give out death blows, but only hits to the head with the helt of his sword, and hitting aside weapons until the men were weaponless and unguarded. He could smell the alcohol in the air, and knew that the men had been heavily drinking, celebrating over their little victory. Idiots. They should have been keeping better guard over themselves. As he hit a sword out of another man's grasp and hit him in the back of the head with the blunt of his sword, he looked around, pleased to see that Aneria had managed to freeze quite a few of the pirates, and was now leading some away from camp. He didn't know that her magic only lasted so long, and that she was now being overrun and attacked by the men that she had once been allied with.

He continued to fight, facing each foe with determination and strength. Soon he caught a glimpse of dark, silvery hair, and his chest lifted in joy. Seren was escaping! He nodded at her as she passed by him, motioning to the dune that the dragons were hiding behind. "Go, you'll be safe there. We'll be done here soon." He had no time to be emotional now; he had a job to do.

----

Alberic immediately rushed to his sister's side as the two men and Aneria attacked, shoving the man away from her with unusual strength and determination. One he had punched and kicked the man until he was rendered senseless, he turned to his sister. "Raven, are you oka-" The words died in his throat as he took in the blood covering her face and chest, and her torso bared to the open air, only covered by the small cloth she had managed to cling onto through the entire time. "Those bastards," he spat. The scar on her face and chest looked painful, and they were still leaking blood. Tears were still running down her face, but her eyes were filled with hope and love, for her brother, who had come to her rescue, just like a knight in shining armor. She had thought it would be Kol.... Before she could think any more, Alberic lifted her up with strength that was not his own, and ran through the darkness to where the sand dragons were hidden, placing her gently on the side. "I'll be back soon, I promise," he whispered, and ran back off to the fight. He wanted nothing more than to stay by her side and take care of her, but now was not the time. His friends needed him. His mind was as clear as it had ever been, his adreneline making his senses oddly accute to all that was going on around him. He grabbed his bow, knocked an arrow, and began shooting at the pirates, his aim deadly and accurate. Many fell to his bow, and he felt satisfaction growing within him as his enemies fell. You did this to yourselves, he thought. You took my sister. You deserve this. Soon pirate corpses and bodies lay strewn on the ground, and he stopped shooting, walking to the now dying fires in the center of the camp. All the men were either dead or unconscious, and he was glad to see Estel and Felren unharmed except for a few minor injuries. Celo had disappeared into the night, obviously going to find Terrowin. But Aneria.... Where was she? He thought back and remembered seeing a wolf dash off with men on her tail. His heart dropped in fear, and he looked wildly in the direction she had gone, hoping that she was alright. "I'll be back," he told the two men, and went running into the night.

He didn't know why he was going after her. She had betrayed them, after all. But he just had this odd... Bond to her, he thought. He must feel like a protecter to her because he had saved her life once. That had to be it. There was no reason for him to feel any affection for the demon. She might have helped cause his sister to be captured! With these thoughts in mind, he searched the darkness for anything, anyone that might be around.

He didn't run into any pirates, and assumed that they had either run off in fear or had come back to the fight, meeting their end by the point of Estel's or Felren's sword. He finally saw a figure on the sand, though, and he rushed forward to see Aneria's human form on the ground. "Aneria?" he whispered, kneeling down. He had said her name with more emotion than he had meant to, and he cleared his throat, saying louder,"Aneria, are you alright?" She looked terribly hurt, her naked body battered and bruised by the numerous kicks and punches she had taken from the men three times her size. Against his will, he felt himself start to soften again, and his vision started to blur. She had risked her life to help them, even though she had betrated them.... He was utterly confused. His emotions were so overpowering that he hardly even noticed her nudity as he picked up her small form and gently carried her back to the group. "Shhh," he consoled, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "It's alright, I'm here. I'll protect you." His anger had vanished at the sight of her, so pale and helpless in the sand, and he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't be mad at the demon. He didn't know why, but he knew that he had to help her, no matter what.

When he reached the camp again, he skirted around the men, looking for something to cover her up in. He found a few ratty blankets strewn around the camp, and wrapped her in them, covering her bruises with the warm, soft fabric. He then pulled her against him and held her, wondering why he felt so connected to someone that he should hate.

-----

Raven was upset that her brother had to rush back to the fight so quickly. She had just been reunited with him, and he had already gone off for blood and glory against the men that had taken her. She sighed, then went over to the packs near the dragons, searching around until she found a clean shirt. She put it on, not noticing Kol laying on the dragon until she bumped his arm in an attempt to find water in the sacks. Her mouth dropped as she immediately recognized his shock of blonde hair. "Kol....?" she whispered, not believing that he could be dead. It was impossible. He was strong, incredible, nearly undefeatable in battle.... And here he was, away from the fight, looking startlingly pale in the moonlight. "Kol, wake up," she whimpered, finding his hand and grasping it with both her own. "I know you're not dead, you can't be..." She reached up until she could feel the rise and fall of his chest, and sighed in slight relief. He wasn't dead yet, at least. But how deeply was he wounded? She dared not look, for fear that she made it worse. "Kol, I'm here, I'm alright.... Please, please just wake up." Tears began to form in her eyes again, and she didn't bother to brush them away as they mingled with the blood on her cheeks. She hopped up onto the dragon, ignoring the pain that it gave her as she settled next to him, caressing his face with her hand. "You can't die on me now, not when I'm right here... Kol, I love you." Her body began to shiver as she sobbed, pressing her face into his hair as she let her fear and sorrow overwhelm her, hoping that she wasn't too late to at least say goodbye.

----

Terrowin's dreams became more violent as it went on. He saw Celo, again and again, her face more beautiful each time he caught a glimpse. And each time, before he could say a word, she would be brutally murdered in front of his eyes, each time more bloody and violent than the last... Death by sword, death by drowing, death by fire.... All of it seemed so real, and he screamed until his lungs felt they would burst, knowing that it would do no good, that he couldn't stop the flow of images in his mind.... And he felt like he himself was dying, the pain of the scars on his physical body beginning to seep into his spiritual self, and he felt as though his body was on fire from the numerous slashes that had been cut on his body. He knew he was surrenduring to the pain, and yet something kept him clinging to life, just one thought that he wouldn't let go. He had to see Celo's face, in the real world, one last time. He couldn't die without seeing her again, he simply wouldn't allow it to happen. He clung to that thought with all his strength, hoping that he was strong enough.

Suddenly, from up above, he heard a voice, a voice so recognizable that he nearly wept in joy. It was Celo, her voice gentle, calming, saying only one word. "Terrowin..." His name was repeated over and over, becoming stronger each time, until he felt himself being lifted as thought from a deep hole, to the clean air of the world above. With a lurch, he felt the agony of his wounds return to him, and he opened his eyes from the blackness, groaning in pain as he caught sight of the world again. And there she was before him, her beautiful face creased in pain and sorrow before him. He felt a pain deeper than the one inflicted by his wounds when he saw her tears, and he lifted a weak, bloody hand to her chin. "Now, Oi can't wake up tae see such a beautiful lass crying 'er eyes out, can Oi?" he murmured, his voice weak and scratchy from his cries of pain earlier. He couldn't believe that she was here before him, when he had lost nearly all hope of ever seeing her again. His broken body wouldn't allow him to, but he wanted nothing more than to embrace her and tell her that everything would be alright. Of course, he was still incredibly weak, and he had lost a lot of blood, so there was still a chance that he wouldn't make it.... But at least they were together again. It was the best thing he could have asked for.

Seren could not even begin to say how happy she was that they were here, and alive. She was the first one taken by the pirates and had some sort of cloth put over her mouth to keep her silent. Though she didn’t have time to think about it as she nodded to where Estel told her was safe. She stood and quickly ran to the sand dune after Raven.

~*~*~*~

Aneria hurt all over, and that was no understatement. Her body was battered and bruised from the beating she had just taken. She figured when Alberic had found out he would tell the rest of the group and they would leave her here to die when the sun was at its peak. Being in the middle of nowhere and rather bad with the heat, being an ice demon, she would die before the days end trying to find her way out of there.

To her surprise though she heard someone’s voice, Alberic’s in fact asking her if she were alright. Her first thought was to the fact that of course she was not alright. She couldn’t move any of her limbs without being in pain. Then she noted that he didn’t sound so angry at her at all. “Alberic…” She managed to get out, tears streaming down her swollen face. But what made her cry even harder was when he promised to take care of her, to say that it was alright. She felt so… comforted that the tears running down her face made her just feel unworthy of his care. She simply laid in his arms, lightly holding onto his shirt. “I’m sorry…” She whispered over and over again.

~*~*~*~

Raven’s voice would never reach Kol, not in his current state. His consciousness would not allow himself to be in the midst of pain anymore. He was drifting in a world that seemed impossibly peaceful. It was colored in pastels and the air seemed so fresh and clean. He had never before been so calm in his life and for some time he pondered if he was still even alive.

Seren soon walked over to where she heard the woman being wracked by sobs and put a hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp at seeing Kol’s condition. “Raven…If you get him on the ground I may be able to help him.” She said softly, not wanting to scare the woman who so obviously was distraught. She helped Raven to get Kol off the lizard rather slowly once she was able to comprehend what she was saying. Laying him down, Seren pulled the wrappings away from his shockingly cold body. Her head hung limply for a long moment as a sigh escaped her once she saw the wound in his chest. It was clean but deep, and his lung had collapsed. After taking a moment to compose herself she put two hands over Kol’s chest and a light pale blue light began to glow over the wound. It took several seconds before anything started happening.

Muscle, skin, and bone began to reform and sew themselves back together under the blue light and deeper Kol’s breath became with each second passing. Kol noticed this too, he was louging against a tree, looking upon and lake that he could see all the way to the bottom to when a deep ahce started in his chest. He was pretty sure you couldn’t feel pain in the afterlife and was terribly confused. What more, he found it rather hard to breath. Before he had time to contemplate it any longer he was sucked from his beautiful world back into his body. Gasping for breath the man began shaking uncontrollably. It took him several long moments to see Raven’s and Seren’s faces looking at him. “Thank you…” He mumbled to Seren before looking onto Raven’s horrified and tear laced face. “Such a beautiful woman should not shed tears like that.” He said softly bringing a hand to her face.

~*~*~*~

Celo could not believe her unpredictable….Terrowin was downed and the pain in her chest was not going away, the tears continued to fall even though she knew crying would not bring him back. She almost jumped out of her boots when a hand was brought to her chin and a familiar voice began to speak. Her eyes widened in sheer amazement to see Terrowin alive. “You’re…not dead…” She didn’t know what to do, and the relief was so overwhelming she just layed over her self to put her head in his lap as the tears continued to fall. For the usually calculated Celo all these emotions just could not be contained in her little body.

Raven obeyed Seren's instructions quickly, wondering what on earth she could possibly do to save Kol. He was already so far gone... With each breathe she feared it would be his last, and she was afraid of hurting him by depositing him down on the sand. But before she could ask what it was the woman had in mind, a blue light appeared over Kol, bathing his body in the cool light. "What...?" she began to ask, watching with wonder as the wound healed before her eyes. A moment passed, and, like some sort of miracle, Kol opened his eyes. Raven's breath caught in her throat. Was she dreaming? How could...? She glanced a look at Seren, not knowing what to say. Then Kol spoke, and she began to sob again, but this time with relief and joy at seeing Kol alive and awake again. "Oh Kol..." she whispered, taking his hand into her own and leaning down to caress him. He was alive, against the odds..... "Never leave me again," she murmured, ignoring the sting from the wound on her cheek as she pressed it against his own.

----

Estel sighed at the carnage around them. Most of the dead men had been slayed by either Felren's sword or Alberic's arrows, and the ones that were simply unconscious by his own hand. He refused to slay them, leaving the choice to Felren whether he wanted to risk letting them live or not. He was too preoccupied by the thought of Seren being alive and unharmed to worry too much about the now harmless men. He cleaned the black blade of his sword on his shirt - more out of habit than the actual need to be cleaned - and shoved it back into its hilt. "If everything is alright, I'm going to go and check on the women now," he told Felren quietly. Or, to be more accurate, check on one woman in particular. Glancing around one last time, and seeing only motionless bodies, he turned and made his way over to the sand dune. When he first caught sight of the scene, he was confused. He saw Seren and Raven leaning over Kol's body on the ground, and for a terrifying moment he thought that Kol had already died. It was possible.... He really hadn't known how deep his wound really was. But as he got closer, he saw a blue light over his body, and as he watched with wide eyes, the fatal wound on his chest began to heal. What the....? he thought, turning his gaze to Seren, who seemed to, somehow, be the source of the light. For a moment he stood in stunned silence as the wound healed, too shocked to say anything. After the healing was complete, he touched Seren lightly on the shoulder, motioning away from the newly reunited couple. I have no bloody idea how she did that, but I don't know if I want to ask.

When they were away from Raven and Kol, Estel finally turned his gaze to her own. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her hand blood on her hands and clothes, but in the clear light of the moon, he thought she had never looked more beautiful. His mind raced back to his childhood, when they had been carefree young children without a trouble or thought of how dramatically their lives would change. He thought about all the times they layed out under the open skies, watching clouds or just talking about the finer points of their young lives, and he realized how much he had missed her all those years he had lived practially alone in the elven city. Without saying a word, he reached down and caressed the side of her face, brushing away a tear before leaning down and kissing her softly on her warm, gentle lips.

-----

"Shhhhh...." Alberic didn't know what else to say as Aneria wept in his arms. She had more than proven her new loyalties this evening, having nearly given her life to save their friends.... He wondered what could have changed her from what used to obviously be a more evil place. He didn't know how she was connected with the pirates - or why they called her Princess, even - but at this point he didn't really care. He only cared about her soft form pressed against his own, her dainty fingers clutching his blood-stained shirt.... And he was beginning to feel something that he couldn't quite place, something he had never really felt before. He was afraid to name the feeling, but he had an odd sense that it was a deeper emotion than simply feeling obliged to protect the demon. He gently brushed away the tangled hair from her face, then brushed away her tears with a corner of one of the blankets. Her gold eyes were watery and filled with pain, and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy again. "I forgive you...." he murmured to her, leaning down and brushing a light kiss on her forehead. He was moving too fast, he knew, but... He just couldn't stop himself.

-----

Terrowin chuckled dryly, though it was harsh, and it pained him to do so. "Aye, Oi'm alive. Ye didn't think ye'd get rid o' me that easily, did ye?" He glimpsed down at his torso, wincing. "Oi'm sorry ye have tae see me like this, all bloody an' br-" Before he finished the sentence, she was in his lap, still sobbing. He held back a grunt of pain as the movement caused a ripple of pain through his body, instead bringing his hand down to stroke her blonde hair. "Shhhh..." he consoled, though he knew his battle to stay alive was far from over. "Oi'm here, it's okay..." He wondered how much longer he could stay conscious without help; he could already feel his head begin to spin again, and he clung to consciousness, using the last of his strength to tip up Celo's chin and kiss her hair. He knew she was smart enough to realize that he needed help, and hoped that there was someone around that was experienced enough to heal his ragged, unclean wounds. The pirate had done a good job.... The wounds were still wet, and not at all straight and clean. That dagger had been too dull to cut through skin easily. No wonder it had hurt like hell.

Kol smiled warmly at the woman, closing his eyes to rest as she pressed her cheek against his. “You would like the afterlife.” He stated bluntly, realizing how close to death he really was. No matter how much healing is done to the body it would never recall a spirit to its host. “But I have no intention on leaving you so early…” He whispered into her ear, happy that Estel was giving them a moment alone. “Raven, is everyone alright?” He asked, not knowing how even the first battle had turned out after being shot down.

Felren walked over to the sand dune to see the couples standing together and decided to keep his distance, checking on the sand dragons to ensure no harm came to his precious moneymakers. He had only wished that the pirates had not come after him but knowing the sands well even Felren found it odd to run into the men in the direction he had taken. It was a round about way far from the men’s usual hitting spots.

~*~*~*~

Seren was tired, just plain tired at all the events that had happened today, and on top of the use of her powers that she had kept hidden for some time it drained her even more. “Estel…” She said softly, allowing him to take her to the side, finding it also best to give the couple some alone time. When he looked at her though her heart began a soft flutter, he locked eyes with her as if staring into her very soul. And then it came. His soft lips were pressed against her in a gentle kiss. At first her initial reaction was to jerk back, the experience with the pirates was not a pleasant one but she reminder herself this was Estel and relaxed into his hold even responding to his kiss.

~*~*~*~

With a soft blanket coming to remove the tears that had run down her face unchecked, she looked up to Alberic, confused and she heard his simple acceptance of her continuous apologizes. “You….do…?” She asked between sniffles, not really sure how or why he would forgive her. Though she was sure he had not told anyone as of yet of her indiscretions or else Felren would come and slay her himself. She was sure of that one. He would never trust her and for good reason. Her family was in league with the wizard king to the north. Even that, Alberic did not know and was unsure he would still be able to forgive her if she ever told him the full details. For now though, even with her broken body, she would accept what he had said and would be happy with it.

~*~*~*~

Celo was dragged from her own form of self-pity and relief when Terrowin pulled her chin up and kissed her. He was still in a lot of pain and needed help. Wiping the rest of her tears away she stood and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She grunted, trying to pull the obviously larger man to his feet. She knew it would hurt him but if he stayed here he would more then likely die. “Just hang on.” She said softly, and rather slowly making her way back to the sand dunes. Once she saw the grouping of people she called Seren to her side and set Terrowin down. The woman looked slightly pale for some reason but Celo attested it to the experience she had obviously had done through.

Seren smiled. “I can help him.” She said, and Celo had thought she was going to bandage the man until her hands hovered over him and another flash of light blue came from her hands to envelope him. “Just try to lay still.” She cooed Terrowin as she healed him though with the use of all her energy the edges of her vision began to blur as she swayed from fatigue. When the majority of the cuts were healed, Seren pulled away from the man, falling limp into the sand; unconscious.

Celo looked at the woman, unsure of what to think about what just happened but didn’t take the time to question it. Not like she could with her unconscious and all. “Estel!” She called to the man, knowing he was the primary one to care for her. “She-…” She just looked down from Seren to Estel, unsure of how to explain what happened.

"Oh Kol, please don't speak of such things," Raven murmured, concern in her eyes. She didn't want to know how close he had come to dying, and if he had been so close as to actually get a sense of what the afterlife was like..... She shuddered, not wanting to think about it anymore. "Yes, I think everyone is alright, although..." She took a moment to look around, and frowned. "I think I see Al and that demon girl over by the flames, but I don't know where your sister ran off to. It's been a while.... I think she went to find that man, Terrowin." Before she was finished speaking, Celo's figure appeared around the fire, along with a limp form that she assumed was Terrowin. "It looks like she found him," she stated, letting a light smile touch her lips. They were all together again.

As Celo lifted Terrowin into a standing position, he felt his world flutter, and his vision went black from pain more than once. "Careful, lass," he mumbled weakly as she helped him, half-carrying, half-dragging along the sand as she attempted to get him to the group. "Oi dunno how much blood Oi've lost, but Oi don't think Oi can risk tae lose any more..." After falling unconscious again for most of the rest of the short trip, he awoke to find himself under the careful gaze of Seren. "Ye look like an angel," he told her, grinning weakly. He knew that if anyone in the group had the best shot at healing him, it would be her. However, instead of reaching for her bandages or medicines to help him heal, she placed her hands over his naked torso, like some sort of sorceress about to perform a spell. "Wot...?" he began to ask, but the blue light shut him up immediately. Seren could use magic! He had no idea. He was a little hesitant to let her do it - he had had bad experiences with magical beings in the past - but there was really nothing he could do to stop it. An involunatary moan escaped him as the largest scars along his chest and arms were healed, the skin itchy and painful as it stitched itself back together. Soon, the process was over, and he breathed a sigh in relief. The majority of the pain was gone, including the ache in his leg, and all he could feel now was a slight headache and the sting of the smaller scars that she had left alone. They weren't life-threatening, so there was no need to heal them. He was about to thank her when he realized that she had passed out on the sand. His eyes widened in shock, and he sat up, ignoring his body's complaints as he made sure that she was okay. He assumed that she had simply passed out from overusing her magic.... She was still breathing, at least. "Oh God, that's my fault," he fretted, wondering what to do. Estel was soon by her side, though, and Terrowin gladly let the man take over.

Estel kneeled down by the unconscious woman, concern etched in his features. "She pushed herself too far," he sighed, and picked her small, lithe form gently, taking her away from the commotion to where he had deposited his bags nearby the sand lizards. He layed her down on the softest place he could find, still surprised at himself for his actions just a moment before. He had kissed women before, yes... But most had been simple flings, not really worth remembering. This had been different, though, and he wondered how she felt about him. So many emotions whirled in his head....
After he checked her breathing a pulse, sighing in relief as they appeared normal, he pulled out a few blankets from his packs and placed them over her. He would wait until morning to wake her... After a moment's hesitation, he layed down beside her, watching the motion of her slow, gentle breathing in the moonlight. He blinked tiredly, and before he knew it, he was asleep beside her, an arm wrapped protectively around her waist.

Raven, after having calmed down from Kol's near-death experience, had helped him lean up against the warm side of a sand dragon, and was now leaning against him, there wings entangled as she traced a finger along his hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she murmured, reaching up and brushing a lock of blood-stained blonde hair from his eyes. She stared at him for a while, admiring his natural beauty and wondering, not for the first time, how she had ended up with such a gorgeous, courageous man. Soon she, too, was falling asleep against his shoulder, a hand pressed against his chest where the arrow wound had been only a short while ago.

Terrowin found himself drifting off once more, and gladly gave in to his exhaustion, this time sleep coming to him naturally and painlessly as he slipped away from the waking world into a dream with Celo... Alive, and happy. What a lucky man I am....

Alberic didn't bother moving he and Aneria back to the group... It was warm and comfortable where he was, and Aneria was wrapped so perfectly in his arms that he didn't want to risk ruining the moment. "Yes, I forgive you," he murmured again. "I won't tell anyone about what happened back at camp.... As long as you can promise not to let it happen again." He hoped that he wasn't putting too much trust in the young girl, but from the sacrifices she had made tonight, he couldn't help but think that she was trustworthy now.... Hopefully it wasn't just another act for him to fall for. "Go ahead and sleep... I'll be here." With one last caress of her cheek, he shifted until he was on the ground with her head pressed against his chest, close enough to feel his fluttering heartbeat in his chest as he thought again over the night's events.... Soon he, too, drifted off, enveloping Aneria completely in his arms and wings.

Seren woke to find herself covered in blankets, they were soft and warm but what she didn’t understand was the weight on her waist that she knew she wasn’t used to feeling. Looking down she saw someone’s arm, for a moment her heart fluttered in fear thinking it was one of the pirates again. She looked back up to see Estel connected to that arm and let herself breathe a sigh of relief. She turned herself ever so slightly to face him more and put a cool hand on his face. “Thank you, Estel.” She smiled as she whispered her thanks, not really wanting to wake the man from his slumber.

~*~*~*~

Kol, too, woke to find someone on him but he knew it was Raven and smiled warmly. He really had been so close to death he was surprised he had come back but was glad he did. He had many more things he needed to do before dying and taking care of Raven was one of them. He really did love her more then he could care to admit. The ache in his heart every time she smiled and spread of warmth as she spoke only showed how much he loved her.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in his sort of wake up call. He put all the emotion in it he could as his hand cupped the side of her face lovingly. “Good morning.” He whispered into her ear once he pulled back.

~*~*~*~

Celo woke a little differently. She found herself with her head in Terrowins lap and his arm casually wrapped around her back. She sat up quickly and looked him over. She sighed, he wasn’t still hurt. She had seen him be healed the night before but for some reason her mind would not accept it when the night before she was crying her eyes out. She frowned slightly, she wasn’t used to such acute emotions and she felt raw and edgy. To most people she would still be emotionless and cold but Celo felt like she was being overwhelmed.

Standing, Celo made her way to look as the sun rose in the sky. It was dusted with light pink and orange and made her inner self-calm almost immediately. Terrowin was new to her; her emotions were new, everything. She had nearly lost her brother, and all of her friends. She shook her head this time, there was no reason to think of the what ifs.

~*~*~*~

Aneria had fallen asleep listening to the strong and steady heartbeat from Alberic’s chest. She might have let down her family by doing this, but she liked him, a lot. She had slept soundly and warmly. As she opened her golden orbs slowly she decided she didn’t want to move, happy to stay where she was until Alberic woke on his own.

She looked around her to see most everyone awake now, talking to his or her partners. She tilted her head looking at Celo stand-alone but figured Terrowin would take care of it. She saw Felren half hanging off a sand dragon and she giggled. To each his own.

Estel blinked blearily as Seren's voice entered his consciousness. Thank you? he repeated the words in his head, trying to remember what he had done to earn her thanks. With a jolt, the night before rushed back to him. The pirates, the blood, the dead men by his blade.... He shuddered internally, knowing that the men would haunt his mind for a while. Killing was so wrong, so cruel. Who were men to judge who deserved to live or die? Shaking aside the thoughts, he lifted his arm that was draped across Seren's side, brushing a calloused thumb against her soft, warm cheek. "I promise, I will never let that happen to you again," he murmured, his gaze intense with unspoken feelings and emotion. After staring at her a moment longer, he pulled back his hand and stood, offering it to her as he gazed around. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and he knew that they should get going soon, before it got too hot. He looked back at the pirate camp and saw, to his satisfaction, that it remained destroyed and quiet, with no evidence that any pirates had survived. He was fairly certain that Felren had probably gone out to finish off the men that he had knocked unconscious, and he frowned at the thought, shaking his head. They were dangerous men, he supposed, and they really didn't have any other choice.

Raven awoke much differently. Her eyes jolted awake at Kol's touch, and she let out a small gasp, thinking that she was still in the pirate encampment. But then she recognized Kol's voice, and her fears melted away. She leaned in to him, letting his breath wash over her, as if to cleanse her of the memories of the night before. She had been so close to losing him.... And almost her own life, she assumed, considering the pirates' suggestful comments. When she replayed the night in her head, she remembered a certain event, and her eyes opened in horror. With a trembling hand, she reached up to touch her cheek. When she felt what she knew was there, a sigh escaped her lips. Where the pirate had lashed out at her, she could feel a jagged, raised scar, running from the top of her cheek to below her chin, then continuing from her collarbone to the top of her breast. It was not a deep or dangerous scar, but she was sure that it marred her appearance, and she turned away from Kol self-consciously. She wondered how long it would take to heal.

Terrowin yawned as suddenly she warmth surrounding him vanished, and he opened his eyes to see Celo walking away, apparently thinking, as she seemed to always be doing. He shivered, wondering why he felt so cold, when he realized that his chest was still bare. What?! Had her forgotten to wear a shirt the night before? He looked down to see the deepest scars removed from his skin, leaving only an assortment of smaller, thinner scratches along his chest and stomach. He must have fallen unconscious before he could find something to wear, and Celo's body heat had kept him warm throughout the night. He stared after her figure longingly as he scrambled into a sitting position. "C'mere, gorgeous," he crooned, opening his arms beckoningly. "Oi need me heat back." He let a roguish grin cross his face as he waited for her to turn, wondering if he looked as terrible as he felt. His body still ached from the wounds that had been there, and he hoped the feeling wouldn't last.

Alberic was already awake as Aneria stirred in his arms, and he let a light smile cross his lips. "Good morning," he murmured, letting his grip around her loosen to allow her to stand. He hadn't slept very well, considering he was holding the girl that had nearly gotten into this mess, and to be honest, he still didn't trust her completely. He had kept himself aware of her sleep to make sure she didn't run off or try to hurt someone, and was glad that she had been no trouble whatsoever. He let her step out of his grasp before he stretched, yawning, and then stood to go see how everyone was doing. To his surprise, both Kol and Terrowin seemed unharmed, although the latter was sitting shirtless in the sand with his hands outstetched like some sort of idiot. Shaking his head in bewilderment, he searched around until he found his sister, close to Kol, but looking away. He caught his breath at the scar on her face, but decided to stay away; he didn't want to interrupt the two. Instead, he went over to Felren, shaking him gently awake. "Hey, we should probably get going soon," he said, motioning to the stirring group. "I think everyone is well-rested and ready to move on." He glanced sadly over at what remained of the pirate camp. He hoped that soon this bad memory would disappear into the sand and be forgotten in time.