Aero and Tajy ~Birds of a Feather~

He was utterly shocked that she was so incredibly nonchalant about the whole thing, even defiant! Never once did Talos stop to consider that it was something he had said. Though he wasn't nearly as removed from society as Lena, all wanderers seemed to possess a knack for accidentally annoying others. "But how?" He exclaimed, gesturing feebly at her, looking utterly bewildered. "Look woman, I dunn't know what sorta fool notion ye've got in yer head, but yeh ain't immortal. I mean, yeh got attacked by a dragon!" He made another helpless little hand gesture, trying to somehow convey his frustration over the subject of her being up and about through physical means. It was few and far between that he met anybody so stubborn, and even less frequently were they wounded and female. In fact, make that never, for one did not often see women strolling about the open country, especially alone. "Look, I'll take yeh back ter the house. Yeh gotta be in pain." It wasn't a suggestion, it really was more of a command, a tone that Talos wasn't entirely used to using. It was completely rational to be concerned about her, and though his attempt to show it was poorly done, he really did mean well.

The box he had been carrying now completely forgotten, he approached her, reaching forward as if to take her hand.

*~*~*

"Yeh still wanna know more 'bout me?" Mai asked, not bothering to hide her curiosity. She placed her hand on the narrow curve of her hips, hooking one of the thumbs around the tattered leather belt she wore purely for the sake of keeping her over-sized loose sack cloth shirt from flapping around her thin figure when she worked. "I can't imagine what tcha'd wanna know. I mean, you don't look like yer bad off." She gestured toward his entirety, taking in his fine clothes and expensive looking sword with a sweep of her eyes. "Me 'an meh family are jus' poor common folk. We don't never do much that's excitin' at all. We get up in t'mornin, go ter work, 'an come home with our day's pay. It dunnit really change much." She shifted her footing, looking at Kol like she was studying a book that was full of big words that she only half understood. "Innit there somethin' I cun do fer yeh? I haven't got much, but I gotta pay yeh back somehow fer savin' meh life."

Lena watched with a cool gaze he flailed around...until he had gotten to calling her 'Woman". A bad taste came to her mouth as she practically ignored the rest of his silly ranting. She had no intention of running a marathon or going out to take her revenge upon the dragon. What on Earth had gotten into him that be believed she was so helpless? He didn't even know her.

She felt like she had kept her cool for the most part, until he started after her. Her heart thudded rapidly as instinct took over. She slapped his hand his hand away from her as hard as she possible could before she realized what was happening. Anger mixed with confusion of her own actions registered on her face.

She wasn't beyond reason to see that he was trying to help her, but the way he was going about it sent her on the edges of her own self control. She looked down and away from him, as a blush came to her face from embarrassment. She knew all eyes were on them. If only she didn't own him a debt! "Never presume to tell me what to do, tiny wisp of a man!" She turned herself about and quickly walked down the road.

Frustration built in her like no other, how can one man annoy her so much?! She stopped only when she reached the edge of town. Her breath came in deep puffs. She knew she wasn't ready to be walking around so much, and she hadn't intended to if not for the blasted man! Pushing her further then she should have gone.

She felt a trickle of warm liquid run down her back and she sighed. When she jumped, she opened part of the wound. She ripped part of the shirt she was given and Micky moused it so it was wrapped around the current bandage even tighter. The more pressure the better, she thought. Proud of her handiwork, she leaned against a tree and got herself into a sitting position. There was no doubt that annoying man would come find her again, but she might as well revel in the peace that the edge of town was giving her.

~~~
Kol was unsure how to take the fact that his woman was still curious. Had no one ever simply just wanted to be in her company? A sad thought, indeed. Perhaps she was so used to her overbearing hick siblings that no man ever dared to get close to her.

"Your company, my lady, is all I ask in return. I've no need to take any of your money, just some time with you." He smiled gently at her as he leaned against the rock he was once sitting on.

"Perhaps you could answer a question for me. Why did you heed the call of that dragon last night? Surely you knew of what it was." He had meant no insult only to question as curiosity laced his tone.

Cursing at his fumbled attempts to get her back to the house to rest, Talos kicked the box, and cursed some more. Why were women always so keen to get themselves into trouble? Even his diminutive little sister Mai always seemed to find herself in a host of trouble somehow, and he knew that she wasn't the type to go looking for it. Perhaps it was just the fact that most of them were physically weak that drew trouble like moths to a flame? Whatever the case, he picked up the box and delivered it before searching for his lost charge, taking wing and using his incredible eyesight to spot her from a mile away at the edge of the village, her features clear and sharp as if he were standing next to her instead of flying on the other side of town.

When he reached the spot where she sat, he landed a few feet away, approaching slowly. He was fairly angry about her random departure, the seemingly spontaneous and unprovoked anger toward his offer to help her back home. His anger simmered down a bit, however, when he saw the scarlet patch of blood blooming between her shoulders where she had wrapped a ripped piece of her shirt. She was in pain, he knew that without her having to tell him, and was probably a fair sight weaker than normal with all of her blood loss. Not to mention her ability to fly was shot with the missing feathers and wounded back. Carefully, he walked to her side, clearing his throat loudly so that she wouldn't be surprised by his appearance.

"Look, I dun't know what I've done teh make yeh mad, but honest, I'm jus' tryin' teh help." He began, hoping that he sounded honest enough for her to listen. "Yer a wanderer, right? Ain't got nowhere else to go, 'an nobody ter look after or to look after yeh. But even the best of 'em need help sometimes, so lemme help yeh out. I promise it dunnit need ter be half as painful as yer makin' it." A good-natured smile crossed over his face, and he extended his hand once more, just within her reach.

*~*~*~*

Mai seemed like she disbelieved his claim that he wanted noting more than her company, if the look on her face was anything to judge by. She remained silent on the subject, instead looking at Kol confused as he mentioned the dragon. "Heedin' it's-? Oh!" Her eyes widened, and she laugh a little nervously. "Yeah, 'bout that. Well, that great big fiery monster ain't the only dragon lurkin' in these woods." An affectionate smiled and a blank look crossed her face, the look of one that was indulging in a pleasant memory. "This one time, I was given the job of deliverin' some letters to a little town down in the south. One evenin' I got caught in a huge gatherin' and met Telalia, a dragon. She liked me, and we got ter be friends, though I think she sees me as a pet sometimes..." A chuckle was drawn from Mai, apparently amused by this declaration. "But she's friendly 'nough, and I like her plenty. I got worried when I heard the roar 'an sawr the fire. I though she mighta been in trouble, 'an I wanted to check 'an see if she was alright."

Lena knew the male would eventually come looking for her, and wasn't surprised in the least when she heard him clear his throat. Having some time to simmer down and let some of the pain of her wound wash over her, she decided to hear him out.

The mention of her having no one struck a cord within her. It was true that she had been alone all these years but she also never had to worry over loved ones that she might have had left. She did not regret her rogue like life style though, and even took pride in her abilities to fight and survive when the odds were all against her.

As she looked up, she found Talo's giving a rather disarming smile. He had been far more pleasant in his offer to help her. He may never know how uncomfortable this entire situation was to her, let alone trying to force her hand at thing...even if was to help her mend.

"Alright..." She mumbled. She was rather pleased when this time his arm was kept at a comfortable distance, and for her to so chose. She extend her good arm and met with his own hand, carefully making her way to a standing position. Once she finally did stand she looked down as a light blush touched her face. "I....I'm sorry..." She mumbled, almost low enough where normal hearing would be impossible.

~~~

An interest sparked in Kol like no other. "You are a rider then..." He said more to himself than anything. This lady was in fact more surprising then he had first thought. "Would...it be possible to meet her?" Kol knew he might be pushing it, but never had he been giving the chance to actually speak to a dragon before! Scholars that had taught him as a boy took mention of the great wisdom dragons held and their amazing abilities.

From their little adventure the night before, Kol was well aware how dangerous a dragon could be. Though, with a rider here, there should be relativity no danger to him. So long as he watched his manor of course. Dragons were notorious for having bad tempers.

Talos pulled her to her feet slowly, conscious of the gaping wound in her back. "Yer welcome." He replied, completely unfazed by her quiet voice, having heard it clear as day. "I'm sure yeh wouldda done the same fer anybody else, right?" He gestured toward the general direction of his house, keeping a hawk's eye on her for any sign that she was about to fall. "I could carry yeh, if yeh get too weak. Just lemme know. I think that mum'd kill me dead if I brought yeh home bleedin' all over her floor again." There was a well-meaning smile on his face, but his voice was heavily laden with concern. Lena looked awefuly pale, and his mother really would kill him if he brought the girl back half-dead.

*~*~

"Yeh wanna see Telalia?" Mai asked, surprised by the eager look that crossed his face. She had been horrified at the prospect of meeting with a dragon, and had been terrified of Telalia when they first met. Kol, however, seemed as eager as a child on his birthday about to open gifts. "Well, sho, I 'sppose I could see if she's in the mood ter visit." With a shrug, Mai crouched and shot straight up into the sky, her wings flapping hard as she defied gravity and took to the skies. Once she was a couple hundred feet off the ground, she squinted her eyes and looked around at the massive forest, trying to see if she could find her purple dragon through the dark foliage that hid her. She thought she saw some movement in the grove where Telalia usually rested, and put her pinkies in the corner of her mouth, blowing hard and producing a shrill whistle that rose in pitch a few steps before it ended on an echoing note. It was a piercing call that could travel for miles, and one that Mai knew Telalia should have been able to hear, and if she felt like responding to it, she would.

Satisfied that she'd done all she could, Mai circled as she descended, landing a few feet from Kol in a cloud of dust and grass, brushing herself off as she walked back towards him. "If she feels like it, she'll come 'an check it out." Again, she raised her slim shoulders in a small shrug, crossing her arms loosely under her chest. "Ever seen a livin' breathin' dragon up close before?"

Lena studied Talos, unsure of how to take his sudden change in attitude. Whether this was how he normally was, or if he was putting on an act to coax her back into the house, she was unsure. Though, he seemed honest enough, she concluded. At the offer of being carried, she shook her head. Having stormed off earlier in front of all those people was bad enough but to return on his back seemed even worse.

Lena offered a small smile. The thought of any mother killing their son for bringing home a half dead woman amused her far more then it should. "I may be hurting, but not so much that I can't walk." She spoke half truth. Having no food or water in at least two days and losing so much blood had her off her game. Her steps were slow and heavy as if she were moving slow motion while everything else propelled in fast foreword.

Perhaps though...She never made eye contact with him as she gently grabbed onto his forearm and used it for support. Deciding the ground a better option to look at. Thinking he would have a smug look of male satisfaction. If he did, she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her vulnerability. At least on her face, anyway. She felt so off balance from the norm, and preferred the dangerous and mysterious wilds to Talos and his close knit town.

~~~

Kol could not contain the excitement as Mai agreed to call her dragon. He felt as though a child once more, given permission to play outside on his own. He nodded and watched as Mai flew high in the air and hovered for a moment. He had no idea how one called to a dragon, but always thought it more on a telepathic communication.

Though his hearing was not above average, the piercing whistle forced him to cover his ears until she had stopped. What a set of lungs on this one! Kol let his hands drop back down to his sides as Mai returned to the ground.

"No, my lady, I've only read about them." He hoped that the dragon would take interest in it's riders call and waited patiently. Looking in the sky and then to the forest line for a hint that it may be coming. His patience had paid off as he saw a huge purple form emerging through the trees. Despite it's size, it picked through the dense trees as if it as nimble as an elf.

Telalia indeed did hear Mai's call. It wasn't often that the young one called her to her side so she decided to see what the possible reason could be. Heaven forbid if that child was in danger again, she would have to have a long chat with that brother of hers. That, and it was high time to find out what had happened to her breakfast yesterday.

She sauntered over to the two, and eyed Kol before speaking. "Good afternoon, little one, what might have been the cause for calling me?" She asked calmly, happy to see Mai not in danger for once. She looked back down to Kol and issued a low forming growl. "And who might this be?" Her voice held an edge of suspicion to it. He was well dressed, too well for the tiny village Mai hailed from. No...she had a pretty good idea who this one was. He lived in the mountains and often made trips to the village to stir up trouble. Not that the band of Estoen's didn't add their own...

What could he possible want with her? Perhaps to use her for an advantage over the family. The growl in her throat grow louder at the thought as she waited for Mai to speak.

Kol on the other hand was awe struck. She spoke out loud, not as the legends had been told. Whether that was true for all dragons or not, he did not know. All he knew was that there was one standing in front of him, not trying to eat him. Kol felt as he almost spoke too soon as he heard the all too familiar growl of an unhappy creature. He took a step or two back and bowed low, showing his respect.

“Okay…” Talos conceded, still sticking close incase she should falter or trip. “But don’t push yerself too hard, alrigh’?”

The walk back home was more or less uneventful, but from watching her, Talos got some small insight into the character that made up Lena. She was extremely strong-willed, and that was putting it lightly. He guessed that her inability to have a decent conversation for any length of time stemmed from her lack of socialization with people in general, something that Talos had begun to notice in himself. He’d never been much of a talker, always keeping his head low to avoid trouble, but the more time he spent on his own out on the road, the more that he seemed to accidently put people off. It seemed to be a common trait in wanderers.

By the time that they got back home, Lena had to have been exhausted and hurting from the walk, even if she didn’t say so. The house was quiet, all of his siblings off doing their respective jobs, be it out in town or in the yard tending to their vegetable garden. Talos lead her inside, bidding her to sit down on the cot where she had woken up. “I dunno how much yeh opened yer wound, but I’ll go grab them bandages and see if ma’s around. I figure yeh wouldn’t much ‘preciate it if I was the one tyin’ yeh up.”

*~*~*~*

“Telalia, this here is Kol. Kol, meet Telalia.” She gestured to the fair-haired man and dragon in turn, suspicious of the way that the big purple beast growled at Kol. At first she thought that he must have offended her in some way, but then thought better of it. Kol had said that he had never seen a dragon before, and if he had offended her, there was no doubt in her mind that Telalia would have killed him on sight instead of just issuing a warning growl. “If yeh were doin’ somethin’ important, I’m sorry fer distirbin’ yeh Telalia. I told yeh ‘bout Kol this mornin’, ‘e was the one that saved me from that dragon last night. I figure that I owe ‘em a favor fer savin’ me, ‘an ‘e says that he ain’t never seen a dragon before.”

She smiled uncertainly, taking a few steps forward and placing a hand on Telalia’s side, feeling it vibrate beneath her palm with the growl in her throat. “Is somethin’ wrong, Telalia?” She whispered so that only the dragon could hear, obviously worried about her behavior toward Kol. She did owe the man her life, after all.

Lena rather stoically accepted the pain that washed over her and was rather relieved when the small home had come into view. She released Talos' arm as she sat down slowly on the cot. A smirk came to her face at the mention of her not liking the idea of dressing the wounds. No, she rather would not like that.

"You've no need to go through the trouble. I tied it off earlier, so I am sure the blood has stopped by now." She spoke in a calm even tone leaning back a bit further into the cot. She had been cut open so many times on the road that treating herself was not really something new.

Assuming, now that he had finally seemed to calm down, Lena thought he would drop the subject and leaned against the wall. A grimace came to her face with the contact of her back and the wall. Stupid lizard, the thought came to her once more as she closed her eyes.

~~~~
Kol kept his position as he continued his low bow. He had no idea how he might have angered the beast but at least it wasn't eating him yet. Assuming his position safe with Mai here, he stood and awaited for the private conversation between rider and dragon to come to an end.

Telalia narrowed her eyes at the mention that he had saved Mai. She lowered herself to a laying position. "Little one." Telalia said as she slowly swung her head back around towards Mai. "This one, he has not harmed you in any way, correct?" Another growl was issued from her throat in his general direction. The very thought of someone laying their hands on Mai enraged her.

Telalia calmed herself once more and thought about it. She had no reason to personally dislike this man other then the idea of having to share Mai with him. She did save her from another dragon, whom she would rather enjoy having a talk over. This was her territory now. The proud dragon gently rubbed her giant maw against Mai in a show of affection, similar to a cat as she eyed Kol.

He raised a brow to her statement, pausing briefly in his search to find some more bandages. “Yanno, my ma’s always wishin’ that she hadtwo eyes in the back of ‘er head. I figure that if you had ‘em, you wouldn’t be so eager to think yerself well, ‘cuz ye’d see what kinda damage is been done to yeh.” He resumed his search then, calmly rifling through pots and pans and other dried goods as he looked, a soft curse coming from him every now and then when something slipped where he didn’t mean it to. “An not to make yeh sound incapable or nothin’, but tyin’ a strip of my sister’s old shirt ‘round yer wounds doesn’t make a good bandage, last I checked. Fine fer field dressin’,sure, but we’ve got real supplies here fer ye to use.”

“Aha!” Talos exclaimed, pulling the bandages that he was looking for out of the cupboard that he had been looking through. Turning, he set them behind himself on the counter and looked over Lena’s pale face. “I’ll go grab ma. She prolly has some tea or herbs that’ll take the edge offa yer pain. Just hold tight, ‘an try not to go all strong woman on me ‘an march out the door again, alright?” He sent her a playful wink, walking out of the room and whistling an unfamiliar tune.

*~*~*~*

Mai blinked at Telalia’s question, unsure what could have made the dragon think that Kol had harmed her in any way. He was a strange bird, but he didn’t seem like the unduly malicious type. She rubbed the smaller scales beneath Telalia’s jaw, looking over at Kol as if she were tying to see what he was really about. “No, ‘e hasn’t hurt me. We’ve never met before yesterday. Really, I swear I’m not in trouble this time.” Smiling at the dragon, she rubbed her palm along Telalia’s thick neck muscles, feeling the shift of muscles and sinew as her head bobbed about, taking in Kol’s extravagant appearance.

Of course, she couldn’t really blame the dragon for being suspicious. Mai certainly got into her own brand of trouble all too often, her nervous nature not helping the matter any. Coupled with Telalia’s protective nature, it made for a rather hectic time whenever Mai so much as sneezed. Well,that may be a little extreme.

Lena watched as he shuffled around, a narrowing glance came to her face at the mention of her wrapping job not being proficient. Though, she held her tongue and let him continue looking. She knew that his soft demeanor when they were outside was partly acting to coax her back to his home.

Before Lena could stop him from getting his mother, he was giving her a wink and made his way out. "Strong woman?" She let the words roll over her tongue as she said them. Not really sure how to take the comment she dropped it. More importantly, he was fetching someone else. The idea of just being in one person's presence made her uneasy, let alone someone else. She shifted nervously, eying her exits. Suddenly feeling like a caged animal, Lena leaned forward on the cot and tapped her hand on her leg.

~~~~

Telalia accepted Mai's answer as she continued to rub on her neck. She leveled her gaze back at Kol. "So then, you wished an audience with me, how might I be of service to one who saved Mai?" She kept a protective arch around Mai, indicating that she would much rather Mai stay near her and away from the strange until she was satisfied with his character.

"To look upon the beauty of such a wonderful creature, is all I ask great dragon." Kol said humbly. There was so sly tone to his voice, but sheer admiration. He had no want to press the dragons unforeseen anger and with any luck if he stayed around Mai he would see the dragon once more. "It has been a great honor, Telalia. My name is Kol." He bowed low once more, a smile on his face as she looked at Mai. She had made this possible for him.

Telalia was pleased with the string of compliments the young avian had dished out, and they seemed honest enough. Despite the background she knew he had, her guard lessened slightly. "Well met, Kol." She purred in satisfaction. Telalia's greatest downfall would be her pride, and she knew it well. "Know this, avian, if you harm this child in any way I will be the first to pick your bones clean. Do you understand?" She flashed her teeth in a dark smile.

"Never would I chose to harm her, but I will always remember your words." He replied.

Talos returned quickly enough. Their house wasn’t very large, so finding his mother wasn’t much of a task. When he returned, he sigh a little in relief, half expecting her to have run off in his brief absence. “Lena, this is my ma. You wouldn’t recognize her, ‘cuz you were passed out. She’s the one that patched yeh up.”

The woman was probably pretty enough in her youth, but the years had taken their toll on her body. Birthing and raising ten children had been difficult as evidenced in the many wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and in the streaks of gray the broke the dark chocolate of her hair. Like all of his family, Talos bore little to no resemblance, and one would be hard pressed to determine that this giant was related to the tiny woman at his side. She was shorter even than Lena, thin at the waist though her hips were large and rounded with a generous bust that came of nursing ten babes. She took one look at Lena and immediately there was a change in the carefully neutral expression, immediately changing to one of worry. “Oh dear, ye’ve gone ‘an opened up the wound. If yeh don’t rest, it’ll never heal!” She made a clicking noise with her tongue and grabbed the binding that Talos had laid on the counter. “Well? Out boy! I ‘sppose that you’d love ter stick ‘round, eh? Shoo shoo!”

He was hurried out of the room quickly, rolling his eyes. “Turn around dear, ‘an I’ll re-wrap yeah. It won’t be any good if yeh get that wound infected.”

*~*~*~*

Mai found herself blushing at all the compliments, apparently embarrassed by his ability to put forth a continual string of good will. She couldn’t help but laugh, however, at the calm exchange of death threat and acceptance, their words striking her as funny for some reason though they had to be anything but. “Oh Telalia, my dear friend, yeh look out fer me far too well.” She giggled, leaning her forehead against the solid mass of the dragon’s neck briefly before taking a step back. “What would I eva do withoutcha?”

She looked then to Kol, sizing him up once more, though this time with a smile on her face. “So, do ya still think I’m interestin’, or wouldja rather talk with meh dragon now that she’s ‘ere?”

Lena nodded slightly at the introduction to his mother. She really looked nothing like Talos at all. Though small in stature, Lena doubted that this woman was weak in spirit. As his mother almost scolded her for opening her wound, she looked down unsure of what to say or do.

Lena turned herself around and when Talos had cleared the room she removed the stitch of cloth that was Mai's shirt revealing her back. Dark crimson stains ran down her back from hours before. Slowly the bandages were peeled off, the wound cleaned and new ones replaced. The nervous knot in her stomach never left and she only uttered bit and pieces of conversation that Talos' mother asked of her.

When finished, she turned to the woman. "Please, soon, let me repay you. I've not a dime to my name but I am a fair hunter and manual work is always a possibility when I am healed." Not taking no for a answer, Lena dropped the conversation there and was soon in deep slumber once more.

~~~~

"You, my lady, are my number one interest." He flashed another smile at her, and then eyed the dragon, making sure he wasn't out of line while she was there.

Telalia flicked her tail in amusement. "I must hunt now, little one..." She spoke to Mai, "if you have need of me I will not be far by. Do not let this silver tongue cause you too much embarrassment." And with that, she nuzzled Mai once more before leaving them.

Several hours went by as they spoke of things old and new, their families, and some of their own adventures. The sun was only a few hours from sun set before an idea struck Kol. "Mai, would you mind if I showed you something? It's not far and I will happily escort you home."

~~~

At the stirring of sunset, Kol and Mai where not the only ones moving about. Five of the eldest boys from the Seranoa clan had planned a trip this night. And an interesting trip it would be. Enitan would be the leader of this party for the first time. Kol was to be lead once again, but for some reason his ego-bubble-brained brother had not shown his face around the house for several days.

Not really worrying about it, Enitan took charge as the next eldest and rounded the four together. "Does everyone have their own?" He asked, flashing a small silver object. The four remaining boy snickered and grinned, flashing theirs back at their new leader. They stepped from their house and took to the skies.

As twilight began to settle, Mai looked to the horizon, watching with a lingering in-bred fear as her vision began to dull. Kol had been nothing but a perfect gentleman all day, and she found herself even relaxing in his presence. He really didn’t seem all that bad. However, her fear of the night would never go away, not with years upon years of conditioning to fear what the darkness and blindness it brought with it would inevitably bring.

She clung to his arm, watching her steps carefully as they walked around the edge of a small pool, the result of a waterfall that rocketed off of a cliff face a few hundred feet above and came crashing down into the pool. Over all, it had been a fun day. She couldn’t deny that she’d had some fun with him, and the waterfall, even in the evenings, was beautiful. “Thank yeh Kol…” She mumbled, a small blush stealing to her cheeks. “Fer today, I mean. I was tryin’ to repay yeh fer savin’ me, ‘an then yeh go ‘an do somethin’ nice like this.” She gestured toward the waterfall, a small smile on her face.

*~*~*~*

The sun was setting, and that meant that the majority of the Estoen family was safely tucked away in their home, scarfing down dinner in a manner that was akin to wild dogs. The whole family had met Lena by then, and simply considered her as one of the fold. They were already packing twelve people into their tiny house, so what was another body to add to the “sibling pile” that occurred nightly? Once dinner was over with, everyone headed to their rooms for the night, blowing out candles as they went. Of the ten children, two stayed awake, peering out into the darkness, no matter how futile doing such.

“Wotcha think’s gotten into her?” Talos asked quietly, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, gazing up toward the sky. “This’ll be the third night inna row that she’s come home so late.”

“Aye, it dunnit sit well with me either.” Arthulur replied, resting his forearm against the opposite side of the doorframe, looking out into the night as well, though his eyes wandered the streets rather than the sky. “’An she ‘ad the night off, too. The bar man she’s been workin’ fer didn’t need ‘er help tonight. I didn’t hear that she ‘ad anythin’ else ter be doin’ that’d keep ‘er up this late…”

“Yeh don’t think…” Arthulur looked up at his younger sibling as Talos began the question, raising his brow as a sign to continue speaking. “Well, yeh don’t think she got inter trouble, do yeh? I mean… I know she’s got that damn big lizard ter protect her ‘an such… but… that girl attracts trouble, yanno?”

“Aye… ‘an them Serenoa bastards ‘ave been quiet reciently.” Arthulur agreed with a nod, pushing himself away from the doorframe and standing up straight, his hands on his hips and shoulders slouched.

“They wouldn’t kidnap ‘er, would they?” Talos asked, keeping his voice neutral on purpose, though he really did feel worried for his younger sister. The girl was just so… helpless.

“Naw, they ain’t never been so heinous as ter actually attack one o us or kidnap anybody.” The elder sibling shook his head, scratching at his temple thoughtfully. “Maybe she’s jus’ getting’ harassed on the way home, ‘an that’s keepin’ ‘er?”

Kol looked at the waterfall with a sort of nostalgic longing. This had been his secret spot for years to come and sort out his thoughts, though with all his adventuring he had not been here in years. He knew that bringing Mai here so close to dusk may be a risk, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her soft mumbled thank you had brought him back to reality and the blush that had come to her face was terribly cute. Her simple smile enlightened him more then he could ever expect.

"Your smile alone, my lady, has repaid me ten fold..." He said, a soft smile on his face as he reached down to kiss her hand. He let his lips linger for just a moment. "I'm very pleased to have met you." He slowly released her hand, not wanting to over step his boundaries. He wasn't used to women who didn't throw themselves at him so he had never before crossed a line. A sudden pang on guilt hit him as he thought of the many raids that had occurred at her home. Perhaps now was not the best of times to tell her that he was her family's sworn enemy. He looked back to the waterfall as the last bit of sun dipped into the sky. Lost in his thoughts, he let out a slow sigh.

~~~~

A smirk came to Enitan's face as he saw the sun disappear into the horizon. "Okay guys! This is it, from now on hand signals only until we get there. You all know your strategic locations. Let's get them!" He cheered on his brothers as the excitement grew ten fold. As they flew close to the small town, the suddenly split in all directions. Knowing full well no one could see their swift moves in the darkness. (Well that, and they were blind.)

They set themselves in trees, behind close houses, in bushes and some even dared to get rather close. They saw their targets, Talos and Arthulur were standing in the doorway. A devilish smirk came to Enitan's face as he pulled the little silver trinket from his pocket. He gave a quick hand signal to everyone around him and brought the object to his lips. Taking a huge breath he blew into it as hard as he could, as did the rest of his family. To anyone in the area they would hear an oddly soft buzzing noise, but to the Estoen clan this would bring sure fire pain to them. The objects were dog whistles, and these hicks had superior hearing.

~~~~

Lena, having had been resting for most of the day was amused by the sheer numbers that resided in the home. How so many could possibly live here eluded her. Though, along with the amusement she couldn't shake the nervous edge she felt around so many people and hardly any words were spoken from her that night. Once everything died down, and only Talos and Arthulur remained she pushed herself from the cot and listened to their conversation for a moment. She sighed, why on Earth do they think all woman were helpless?

Instead of saying anything she slipped in front of them and out into the darkness of the street. Not realizing how bad their eye sight was at night, she didn't think about it. Lena leaned against the house across from them and was about to say something before she heard a buzzing noise. "What is that?" She looked around, seeing several avian children lurking about with something in their hands. "A game?" She asked herself.

Mai opened her mouth to protest his assurance that her presence alone was enough payback, then snapped it back shut, thinking better of her reply. She wasn’t much surprised anymore by the cheesy lines that he continued to spout, having grown a little used to it over the day that they had just spent together. Still, she couldn’t help the urge to either giggle, roll her eyes, or blush if it really got bad. At the moment, she just smiled, holding onto Kol’s arm tighter as the sun slipped out of the sky, plunging her vision into meltdown. She could still make out some of Kol’s arm, but his face was fuzzy now with the darkness encroaching.

“I dunno why yer so set on tryin’ ter impress me. Dunn’t get meh wrong, it’s a nice change from bein’ man handled by drunk patrons ‘an the like in the tavern I work fer.” She offered him a small smile, though grew silent when Kol did, feeling the mood change subtly with his sigh. “That was an awfully heavy sigh there…. Somethin’ on yer mind? Or are yeh out o compliments fer today?”

*~*~*~*

“Well… maybe…” Talos replied with a sigh. He thought he saw something move on the street, but seeing as it was dark, he couldn’t even begin to determine that it was Lena, his vision being so far gone. Perhaps it was a stray, he thought.

Arthulur was about to say something more after the brothers shared a prolonged silence, and then the pain started.

It wasn’t a gradual increase in noise, oh no, they weren’t allowed the luxury of such a warning. The high-pitched whistle seemed to pierce through their skulls, and both Arthulur and Talos clapped their hands over their ears immediately, though it didn’t help much to dull the sound. From within the house there was an immediate reaction, the startled cry of children who are suddenly woken from a deep slumber emitting from inside.

“Damn it!” Talos hissed, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. At his side, Arthulur fell to his knees, gripping the doorframe hard, his knuckles turning white under the strain. He staggered forward a few steps before collapsing as well, uttering a long stream of curses against the Serenoa family and promising revenge of the darkest kind, just like he did every time that the boys of the Serenoa clan came to harass them.

Kol looked over Mai for a long minute, debating telling her or not. His mind ran over a hundred different scenario and then thought it best to keep it to himself. He returned her smile. "I could never run out of compliments for such a beautiful lady." He stated as if common knowledge and run a hand through his hair trying to rid himself of the thoughts.

He looked around as the darkness enclosed him and he patted her arm gently. "Perhaps it best to get you home now. By the sounds of it, your brothers will be even less pleased that I kept you out again." There was a playful hint in his voice as he began to walk.

~~~~

Enitan was rather pleased by the immediate reaction the whistles brought. His brother would be proud. What he didn't expect thought was a woman standing on the street, completely unphased by the shrill noise. He knew he was correct in that the entire family had sensitive hearing. Upon closer inspection he could see she had different wings.

Worried he gave signs to the others to stop and make their way home. He waited until his other brothers took flight and turned to do the same. Until someone had reached out and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt.

~~~~

Lena saw the quick reaction Talos and Arthulur had to the buzzing and quickly made her way over to them. "What's wrong with you guys?!" She looked back between them and then heard the crying from the children inside.

Enraged that someone would pull such a stunt, she began looking for the children she saw earlier. Many of them had flown off but then she saw another still on the ground. Without thinking the ran over and grabbed him from behind.

"Ah ha! So you are the trouble maker! Do your parents even know you are out this late?" She dragged him kicking and screaming out of the bushes. After being able to see him fully she was rather shocked to see black wings. While she was rather new to this side of the country, she had never seen them before. Let alone, the wings had a few white spots on them.

"Who-" Her question was cut short as Enitan whipped around and knocked her feet from under her. She felt as the rush of air leave her lungs and looked stunned at the child. She had underestimated him.

"You need not to know who I am, woman." And with that he was off into the sky, his black form melding into the darkness of the night. Lena sat herself up and spat a few curses that a child had bested her and she made her way back to Talos, brushing off the dirt on her back.

~~~~

Enitan sighed to himself. That was far too close for this liking and with this woman who could see in the dark their plans for future raids would have to be planned more carefully. Kol would not have been pleased that night. Luckily he was the only one who had seen and been confronted by the woman so his older brother would not hear about it.

He looked back once more and then swiftly flew home.

~~~~

Kol stopped just outside of her town once more and frowned. Something was wrong. It wasn't natural for the entire family to be up and about. Immediately it hit him, there was to be a raid this night. He bit back the curses he wanted to say and looked at Mai.

"It seems something disturbs your family this night, and I fear for my own...So I shall leave you. In two days time, please meet me in the same spot as today." He leaned down and kissed her cheek briefly. Frowning, he left her and took to the skies. It was a good thing he had kept Mai with him this night. He would have to speak to his brothers about being more careful from now on, even if they didn't understand they would not disobey him.

~~~~

Lena looked to the sky once more to see yet another figure taking flight, but this one came from another direction then the children. That and he looked to be around Talos' age. Odd....She put her attention back on Talos.

Landing in the dark was still a task that Mai was uncomfortable with, but she wasn’t about to suggest walking all the way home, and she at least had Kol to guide her, which was a great relief. His statement about the disruption of her family was something she could hear herself, her keen sense flaring out and picking up words like “Serenoa”, “Whistle” and a various array of cursing, as well as the crying of her youngest brother who had apparently been woken up in a very foul mood and was letting everyone know. She could deduce what had happened on her own, a dark glower passing over her face at the thought of the Serenoa family coming and attacking while she was out. Not like she could have done anything to prevent it, but still…

Kol’s kiss was entirely unexpected, and the blush that stole across her face turned her cheeks a peculiar shade of cherry red that lit up her whole face. She stood there in the dark with her palm covering the spot where he’d kissed her, her mind utterly blank and a shocked look on her face. It took a long few minuets before she had recovered, walking to her family through the gloom and blindness by memory alone.

*~*~*~*

Arthulur rose to his feet slowly, stumbling over to Talos and helping his younger brother up as well when the high-pitched noise finally stopped. “Wonder why they stopped?” He mused, pulling Talos to his feet with a great effort. “They usually dun’t stop ‘till they get bored.”

“Maybe they weren’t much in the mood ternight…” Talos replied, patting off his shoulders. It was then that he looked over his shoulder and saw the vague outline of somebody with wings. Immediate rage built up inside him, assuming that this winged figure was here to kick them while they were down. “Damn you Serenoa bastards!” He yelled, abruptly turning from Arthulur, wings fared and murder in his eyes.

“Think yer so funny! I’LL SHOW YOU!!” He took off running, drawing his fist back and hurtling it forward, his aim surprisingly accurate in the dark. With all of his strength behind the blow, he launched the attack on the figure, aiming straight for the face, his aim true. His fist connected with the face at full force, and it was at that moment that he realized that the person he was attacking had white wings. White? But the Serenoa had black wings-

Oh shit.

Lena fell back from the force of his punch, having not expected it at all, landing by a pile of wood scraps and leaving Talos standing alone in the street, looking utterly bewildered with his fist still clenched. “Oh no…” He muttered, wondering if he’d killed her.

Lena, having landed hard on her back from the previous fall was in a rather good amount of pain now. She would have been relieved to see Talos no longer in pain until she heard his battle cry of rage and was hit in the face, full force by his punch. Shocked, and having no time to react she took the full blow and was knocked back into a pile of wood.

Stars. That was all she could see for a good couple of minutes as she regained her senses. Pain flooded over her more then she could stand. Currently, that was not on her mind. Rage ran though her veins as if they were on fire. How dare he just up and punch her when he saved his ass?!?!?! She pushed herself from the ground, cracking her jaw and grabbed a piece of wood.

Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her from falling over as she charged her blind foe. "Talos! How dare you?!" Was her only warning as she struck him with the wood upside his head. "You little bastard! You vomits-mass of a man! I saved your ass you bore headed moronic neanderthal-" Her next string of insults her cut short as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Dropping the wood, she fell forward into the blackness of unconsciousness.

It didn’t take long for him to find out where Lena had gone after he punched her. He heard her yell, then simultaneously felt and heard a thundering crack, and suddenly he was on the ground in a daze, his vision flashing black and red. Talos couldn’t discern the rest of her insults because of the pounding between his eyes and the ringing in his ears, though he was pretty sure that he must be bleeding somewhere. A sudden weight across his legs signified Lena’s collapse, but he wasn’t in the right mind to recognize it as such.

Arthulur heard Lena’s cursing and the dull crack of something impacting, quickly followed by one body hitting the dirt and the sudden cut off of Lena’s words, and another collapse as a second body hit the dirt. He rushed forward, nearly tripping over the downed two as another figure loomed up out of the darkness. Before he could ask this newest person to identify themselves, she collapsed at Talos’ side.

“Oh! What in the world’ve yeh done?” Mai exclaimed, running her fingers over Talos’ face. He muttered something incoherent, and then went limp. Apparently, his body had finally decided to pass out after an expertly wielded board of wood had nearly crushed his head in. “What happened Arthulur?”

He could tell that she was looking at him, even though he couldn’t clearly see her face. “I dunno.” Arthulur shrugged, running his hand over Lena’s back and discovering that it was wet with blood. He grimaced, and called back to the house for some reinforcements. “Them damn Serenoa kids came ‘an blew those damn whistles that make the high-pitched noises… They dun went ‘an left early, though, ‘an now I figure it’s ‘cuz Lena here scared ‘em off. She cun see in the dark, unlike us, yanno. Well, we saw ‘er loomin’ up outta the dark, ‘an Talos went ‘an attacked ‘er, thinkin’ that she was one of ‘em.” His hand found the plank in Lena’s hand, and he laughed. “Looks like she grabbed a board and hit ‘em over the head with it.”

“How cun yeh laugh?” Mai asked, exasperated as she helped Arthulur pick Lena up, positioning the woman on her back with some struggle. She was a little heavier than the boxes that Mai sometimes carted around, but it wasn’t too bad. “I’ll get ‘er inside…” She looked up as her next closest sibling, a younger brother, ran over in the darkness, stopping by Arthulur’s side. “Get ‘im inside… Have ma take a look at ‘em. I swear, you ‘an ‘im are always getting’ in trouble.” She shot Arthulur a dirty glare, though she knew that her elder brother couldn’t see the gesture.

Arthulur laughed, heaving Talos to his feet with the help of the newest sibling to make an appearance. “Aye, that we do.”

*~*~*~*

The next morning was rather tenser than the one before. The Estoen clan was quiet, eating their breakfast and leaving with little noise, looking more worn for the wear of last night. But there was a fire in their eyes as they went about their work. Revenge on the Serenoa clan would be quick in coming, if they had anything to say about it.

Talos sat as a silent sentinel, stationed near Lena’s bed as she rested. His head was bandaged, and an ugly rectangular bruise on the left side of his face had formed, stretching from his brow to just below the ridge of his cheek and was now turning a mottled shade of purple. His pose was tense and inwardly reflective, the look on his face portraying somebody that wasn’t entirely aware of his surroundings, his chin resting on an upraised knee with his arm wrapped around the leg.

A moan was the first sign of Lena's waking. Everything hurt. As she opened her eyes she felt as if one was puffy. Reaching her hand slowly to feel, she winced. Her cheek was swollen and in no doubt black and blue. That damn bastard...She thought.

The moment she even tried to sit up she found that her body felt too heavy. She had pushed herself to the edge and Talos her pushed her over and beyond with that punch. Lena hoped the wood she smacked him with left a nasty bruise worse than her own. As if her wishes were granted when she slowly turned her head she saw Talos across from her bed, a bandage around his head. He deserved that.

Lena could tell she wouldn't be leaving this cot today, and that alone made her angry at him all over again. How helpless she felt, and useless to boot! She had just asked that day before to be of use from his mother as well. She looked around the room, and saw they were pretty much alone. Didn't he have better things to do then sit there and stare into the nothingness?

Talos seemed to have been roused by the slight noise Lena made, his unfocused gaze slowly riveting on her, his brown eyes taking her in in her entirety, a flicker of pain or perhaps guilt flashing through his eyes as he saw the lovely bruise she had developed on her left cheek. "I'm glad ter see that yer awake." He mumbled, raising his chin and positioning himself so that he could more easily talk with Lena, resting his shoulders on the wall behind him and looking like he was settling in for the long haul. "We didn't know if we'd wake up terday... But that aside, I'm glad yeh have."

His smile was weak and vaguely apologetic, and he appeared to be in pain when he tried the facial gesture. Not all together too surprising, given the location of his bruise. Talos gave up trying to smile very quickly, a small sigh escaping him and his shoulders slumping slightly, taking a preparatory breath for speaking before doing so. "Look, I came ter apologize fer last night... and explain some things.If yer gonna be hangin' 'round us fer a while tryin ter pay back yer debt, then yeh may wanna know somethin' 'bout us. It'll prolly save yeh from gettin' decked again, I'd recon. Just... try not ter move any more, alrigh'? I feel bad 'nough fer hitten yeh, 'an if yeh open up yer wounds one more time, ma swears that she'll jus' kill yeh 'an put yeh outta yer misery, since yer so determined ter stay hurt."

Any guilt Lena felt about causing Talos pain was quickly replaced with the dull aches of her recent wounds. She listened to him talk for a moment and then looked away. "It's not as if I am able to move now." She said bitterly. More so for herself then against him. She looked again at his guilt ridden face and sighed.

"I can't say I am that mad at you anyway, the sight of the bandages is enough to say I landed a good hit on you." She attempted to give him a grin but found she was in the same position as he. Better not to smile for the time being. "So, I've figured out for myself that you are...well pretty much blind at night. Why were those kids around?"

This was as much as Lena had spoken since she had met Talos and felt a little more than uncomfortable with it all. She was not so closed off the the world to see by this point that Talos meant her no harm so she thought to try. He was right in that, she needed to know things if she were to stay there. She had never intended to spend more than a night in this little town but fate had deemed otherwise.

Lena had yet to mention that the one adult she had seen had nothing to do with the raid and thought it better to mention that later. Perhaps he was from the same clan as those annoying brats. Lena had a sudden urge to find that little black winged child and smack him upside his head.

"Noticed that then, didja?" Talos asked with a weak chuckle, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall briefly. "It's true. Meh whole family... Well durin' the day, we got the best eyesight of any human, elf or dragon. Onna clear day, we could spot a rabbit hidin' in it's hole from a mile away 'an a hundred feet up in the air. But once it's dark out, we'd be hard pressed to see anythin' but our own noses. S'why I hit'cha last night. I thought you were one of 'em Serenoa kids come to prod at us while we were rollin' around in agony." He opened his eyes then, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "'An that's the other thing 'bout us. We got pretty good hearin', like dogs. I 'sppose that it's ter make up fer bein' blind at night, yanno? Them kids yeh saw last night were from the Serenoa clan. Our family 'an theirs 'ave been fightin' since anybody could remember. Way back in the day, our family used ter live up in the mountains outside of Turich. But one day, them Serenoa bastards come 'an kick us out of our home. Back then, they could use magic 'an stuff, so my ancestors had ter fly down into the city, 'an have been livin' 'ere ever since."

Talos clenched his fists, apparently feeling the anger that his ancestors of the old legends did upon remembering the fact that they had been living high and mighty before the Serenoa clan came through and wrecked everything. "Well, that's the old story, but these days, the boys from the Serenoa clan come down the mountain every once 'an a while and use them dog whistles on us. You seen what happens." He gestured vaguely toward the rest of the house before resuming his pose, tapping his fingers against his knee. "'An now yeh know. So, if yeh have ter be sneaking around at night, yeh might wanna let one of us know 'bout it first."

Lena listened rather quietly, interested by the tale. Seranoa...Interesting. Next time she met the little brats she knew what to call them. She looked over Talos, even more interested by the spark of anger that was in his usually kind eyes. She couldn't imagine that he was lying about this tale.

" I will be sure to remember that." Lena thought for a few moments. "If anything...perhaps I could be of use to you in times of such a raid." She very much liked the idea, though she knew her element of surprise was gone with them. Either way, she could see them clear as day and could at least scare them out. She almost chuckled at the thought of being Talos' body guard. How little he would feel then.

~~~~

Kol had made it back the night before with little effort and had been more then suspicious when his brother came back later then the rest of the clan. He had pressed him about it, but got nothing. Something had obviously gone wrong.

His suspicious were confirmed when he heard Enitan speaking to the next eldest child about a new strategy. A female had been there that he had never seen before. One that could see in the night. Had Talos been such a coward that he hired someone to keep watch during the twilight hours? And a woman on top of that?! The thought brought great amusement to him. He wished to meet this young woman.

As he continued to listen to the conversation he was shocked to hear that the woman was injured when Enitan had downed her. He had smelled the blood on her from far away. What on Earth was that hick doing making an injured woman keep watch for him?! Kol stood and made his way back to his room. He was disappointed that his brother had not told him of this information but interested in the content itself. He kept his attention focused on his thoughts as he continued down the marble covered hallway.

Talos raised a brow in curiosity at Lena's proposal. He had spent the majority of his life trying to protect girls from harm. Said girls, of course, being his three sisters, who severely needed the protection. Especially Mai, he thought blackly, wondering if she would be late to get home again tonight like she had for the past two evenings. It was one thing to be home late from work, and often times she didn't get back from her job as a bar maid until the wee hours of the morning. But it was an entirely different matter to be home after dark for no other reason than you felt like it, especially with the terrible blindness that plagued their family. Lena's proposal, therefore, caught him somewhat unawares. The thought of being protected by a woman was completely foreign. "Whatta ya mean? Ye'll keep 'an eye out fer 'em while yer here 'an let us know when they're about to attack?" He hoped that's what she meant, and wouldn't be much opposed to the idea of having somebody that they could see in the dark watching out for them...but he had a feeling that's not what Lena meant.

*~*~*~*

Mai did not often wake up at the same time that the rest of her siblings did, seeing as her job usually required her to work late into the night, stumbling into bed long after midnight. The same happened today. She woke up long after all of the rest in the house had departed, dragging herself awake and to the kitchen to get something to eat before getting ready to start her day and head to the bar that she worked at. While she was trudging around in a half asleep stupor, however, she heard people talking, and stopped to listen. One voice was female, and she didn't recognize it. The other was Talos, and he appeared to be talking about the Serenoa family with the new girl. Understanding dawned on her as she realized that it must have been the unconscious woman that had been in their house for the past two days. Perking up, she decided to go introduce herself to the woman.

Because of the nature of her wounds, and Mai's own schedule with being dragged away by Kol, she had yet to actually see the woman awake. Venturing toward the common room, she tapped on the door lightly to let her brother know she was coming before walking in, smiling widely as a force of habit learned from being a waitress. "Good mornin' brother, 'an yer name's Lena, right? I'm Mai. Ye've been asleep, so I haven't been able ter introduce meself." She walked the distance that seperated them, holding out her hand in greeting. "Nice to finally see ya awake!"