#but like biting Shilo cheeks

[weird-unlimited-ramblings]

Y’know what… I’m gonna speak my truth on the most batshit theory I have for the suckening.

The pheasant… pretty weird.

The queen… missing

Vampires…. Can do weird stuff and the queen would have an arsenal of weird shit

That being said. Pheasant =queen

[moon-thyme]

My JRWI piercing headcanons

Chip: septum and ear lobes

Jay: several ear piercings and a nasal ring

Gillion: none. He just doesn't seem like the piercing type to me

Dakota: lobes and a naval ring. Those are actually canon lol. He did only pierce one lobe, but I think he pierced the other after.

William: *inhales* stretched lobes, cartilage, industrial, bridge,eyebrow, septum, tongue, and snake bites. It's his coping mechanism.

Vyncent: just his lobes. He might get another one in a year or two.

Ashe: lobes, cartilage, eyebrow, cheeks, and septum. Not as many as Will lmao

Peter: none. He's too scared.

Rumi: lobes. I think they also had nipple rings for a bit, but they took them out.

Thanatos: Try. See what happens.

Rand: none. He wants them, but he's too scared that his parents will yell at him.

Kian: lobes, cartilage, snake bites, and tongue. He just seems like the kind of guy to have snake bites. (He'd also have nipple rings, but you didn't hear that from me)

Rolan: none, and he doesn't want any.

Emizel: lobes, industrial, snake bites, septum, cheeks, naval, and both eyebrows. Punk bitch.

Shilo: none. He's afraid that they'll hurt him. (Something something vampires and silver)

Arthur: lobes and industrial. He's a simple man.

That is all for now!! I need to finish listening to TMK. I have no clue about those guys, but feel free to tell me what you think they have

[talentforlying]

CHARACTER STUDY: DEMEANOR & MANNERISM GUIDE.

bold —  applies   |   italics — sometimes applies  |  blank — never applies

EYES. ㅤㅤavoids eye contact when nervous, maintains eye contact when nervous. | avoids eye contact due to being neurodivergent, enjoys eye contact as a means to read and convey emotion. | looks down when emotional, looks up when emotional. | cries openly, wipes tears quickly, suppresses tears. | wandering gaze when lost in thought, holds gaze while thinking. | seeks out eye contact for reassurance, seeks out eye contact to gauge enthusiasm during conversations, eyes move constantly during conversation. | expressive eyes, emotions only evident through eyes, uses eye contact to intimidate. | looks up while thinking, looks down while thinking.

HANDS. ㅤㅤclasps behind back, rests in lap, fidgets with clothes. | twiddles thumbs, chews at nails/skin, pushes back cuticles, draws patterns on table/counter surfaces. | animated gestures while speaking, only gestures to emphasize, utilizes sign language, speaks only through sign. | callouses, scars, smooth, wrinkled, worn, soft, delicate, boney, slender, thick, veiny. | touches others while speaking, reaches out while laughing, reaches out to comfort others, reaches out to seek comfort. | places face in hands when exasperated, places face in hands when exhausted, places palms over eyes to hide when overwhelmed, rests chin in hands. | taps fingers when impatient, taps fingers when nervous, taps fingers while thinking. | scratches scalp, strokes chin, rubs back of head, toys with objects around them, runs fingers over surfaces while walking by.

MOUTH. ㅤㅤchews lip, chews at inside of cheek, licks lips, bites tongue, chews on straws. | resting frown, resting smile, neutral resting expression, resting pout. | grinds teeth, flexes jaw. | covers mouth when laughing, covers mouth when shocked, covers mouth when concerned, hands to lips while thinking, covers mouth when chewing, chews with mouth closed, chews with mouth open. | smirks, grins, subtle smiles, wide smiles, sad smiles, intimidating smiles, menacing grins. | openly smiles, tries to suppress smiles, bares teeth when angry, lips quiver when emotional. | stutters, speaks quickly, speaks slowly, good pronunciation, poor pronunciation, moderate pronunciation. | purses lips, sucks in lips, holds mouth open when shocked or confused.

LEGS. ㅤㅤbounces leg when nervous. | draws knees to chest when sitting, draws knees to chest as a means of comfort, sits on knees, sits with legs crisscrossed, sits with legs spread open in chairs, crosses legs when sitting in chairs, sits with one leg folded under the other. | places feet on furniture, never places feet on furniture, sits on counters, sits on desks, sits on tables, sits on edge of seat, sits hunched over with forearms on knees, arches one knee up, sits on the arm of chairs/couches, feet on dashboard, swings legs back and forth when sitting somewhere elevated. | wiggles toes when nervous, wiggles toes as a general tick. | shuffles feet, kicks foot into ground, stomps feet. | loud footsteps, quiet footsteps, silent footsteps.

HAIR. ㅤㅤruns fingers through hair, tugs at hair, picks at scalp, chews on hair, twists locks of hair while thinking or nervous, smooths out locks of hair while thinking or nervous. | prefers hair out of face, prefers long hair, prefers short hair. | wears hair back, keeps hair down, smooths back hair. | plays with other’s hair while talking, plays with own hair while talking, strokes hair to comfort others, likes having hair stroked for their own comfort, braids others’ hair while talking, braids own hair while talking. | flips hair out of face, pushes hair out of face, leaves hair alone even when falling into face.

tagged by: @undyingrogue thank you!! tagging: @handgiven @asteritm @shilohgreen @spookyagentfmulder @beyondthescully and you!

[split-n-splice]

Takes place during the episode "Sick Day" because I had to wonder: How did Drakken get sick too?

From my The Company You Keep timeline to experiment with where they stand by the time we see them in the show.

[ FFn | Ao3 ]

Sick Day

Drakken slammed the phone down for the second time that day and slumped in his chair, fingers drumming on the desk. His lips pursed as he glowered at the phone, debating between calling across the lair and making the walk.

Towards her, Shego found him insensitive and cold enough on his good days. Often she swore she preferred it that way, even if he didn’t always feel the need to uphold it so stringently. He could get soft and sweet like a marshmallow after he’d accomplished their collective goal, she’d remind him, because villainy wasn’t for the mushy.

Despite the rift, Drakken found himself pacing back through the lair. In their own private wing, he paused as he passed by the kitchen doorway, stealing a glance in.

The kitchen was no different than any other cavern in the lair, except for the homey kitchen necessities and a sorry cloth-covered card table that sufficed for their dining table, which Shego was slumped over now, nursing a tall glass of cocoa moo. She shivered, bundling up tighter in her green robe. She hadn’t brushed her hair today. It didn’t look like she’d washed it either, sticking up in places and twisted into clumps, certainly from tossing and turning in restless sleep.

Just as Drakken tiptoed closer, she brought a tissue to her nose and blew it like an elephant before gasping and taking another big gulp of cocoa moo. She jolted and swore when his hand rested on her shoulder. “Milk isn’t going to help that stuffy nose, Shego,” he warned. That’s what his mother always told him, anyway.

“Did I ask for advice?” she grumbled up at him, shrugging his hand off.

He pulled off a glove to feel her burning forehead, ignoring the low noise of objection she made. “Have you taken any—?”

“Yes.”

Drakken grunted. He tossed both gloves down on the table and shed his lab coat to stand in the scrubs beneath before turning for the cabinets. “Hungry?” he piped, pulling out a can of condensed chicken noodle soup. A glance over his shoulder, and he saw Shego’s eyes roll and her lip curl before she began coughing violently into her crumpled tissue. Of course. She was too good for soup from a can. What was he thinking?

He rolled his own eyes as he moved to the refrigerator instead to take inventory, turning a deaf ear to his accomplice hacking to clear her throat. Between just them in the privacy of shared living quarters, she didn’t have such a pristine image to uphold. Still, it was unusual to see her sick. Some occasional manageable allergies, maybe food poisoning, but the cold or flu was rare. A robust immune system was a perk of being superhuman, she’d once told him while hunched over a porcelain throne as he’d held her hair back.

Drakken swallowed a lump and his eyes darted across to Shego standing up and knocking back the last of her chilly cocoa moo. He swore he saw steam rise on her breath, just as he swore he could see a faint feverish glow to her skin where she’d opened up her top to cool her chest.

“Killigan is on his way,” he blurted as the woman turned to leave. She paused in the doorway, almost glancing back. Drakken fidgeted and shifted foot to foot. “Uhm. So. Just a heads up. Maybe button up your shirt a little.” The last thing he needed with this Killigan situation was the man getting an eyeful of certain parts of Shego’s anatomy.

She gave a weary sigh and buttoned up the top three buttons she’d had popped open amidst the hot and cold flashes of her fever. “M’going back to bed,” she announced hoarsely, instead of asking why the Scotsman was coming over. He didn’t think to explain. She’d just get upset he was replacing her for a few days to keep world domination plans moving along.

Once Shego was out of the room, Drakken glanced about for the little-used kitchen telephone. Usually when he picked it up, it was to give his own mother a call for a little cooking advice or to beg a recipe out of her. This morning, his thumb punched in a sequence he was strictly forbidden to dial. He wasn’t even supposed to know it really, as Shego preferred staying estranged from her family.

There was a small commotion as the call was answered, and Drakken swore he could feel the loathing radiating through the telephone. “Lipsky?” ground out the woman as if the name he was born under was something vile.

He tried to pay it no mind. “Shilo is—”

“Arrested?”

Drakken flinched. “Wh—no! She has a cold, or the flu, or something,” he explained quickly, frustration aside.

“It’s going around,” noted the woman on the line. “What about it?”

“I was just…wondering? About comfort foods she may like?” he asked, innocently enough.

“You’ve been together how many years now, and you don’t know—”

He interrupted her criticism. “Are you going to help me help her or aren’t you?” he bit back.

“Chicken noodle soup.”

“I offered her Campbell’s—”

“Homemade,” sighed the judgmental woman. “She really loved the bowtie pasta when she was little. And a little celery – but not too crunchy. Crimp-cut carrots. Not too thick. Not too much salt. Chicken thigh, if you have it…” He should have taken notes, but he settled for nodding along and dedicating the details to memory. “I’m sure you can figure it out. I know you’re good in the kitchen.”

His brow furrowed. “How did you—?”

“She told me. It was one of the homebody things she loved about you.” Past tense.

His shoulders fell with the pang of guilt. He still cooked for his partner, sometimes. Not as much as he probably should have. Too many nights now, they made separate meals and ate alone.

Drakken wasted no time. With a deep breath, he pushed off from the counter and began the hunt through the kitchen for necessities for chicken noodle soup up to par with Shego’s standards.

A while later, he held a hot bowl atop a potholder and was rapping gently on Shego’s bedroom door, hating it a little that she had her own bedroom these days at all. Everyone needed their own space though, he rationalized.

She’d almost gone to bed with him last night, her mood lightened by the successful heist of Ray-X, but he’d barely laid hands on her scorching skin when she’d sighed and slumped forward against him, bringing activities to a sudden standstill. He should have noticed she’d been burning up more so than usual then, but he’d been a little too distracted to realize the change. She’d kissed his cheek, apologized halfheartedly, and given him a “not tonight” before slipping out of his room, leaving Drakken a little miffed at getting worked up just to be left.

If she was sick, then maybe it was a good thing they hadn’t done more than a little necking last night, he decided as he opened up her door despite the lack of invitation. By the sounds of it, Shego could barely catch her breath between sneezes anyway.

A pile of tissues was already overflowing out of the wastebasket beside her chaise lounge. Shego sat bundled like a big teal burrito in her thickest blanket, sniffling as Drakken approached from the side, hopefully out of the line of fire.

“I brought you something,” he informed, braced for the moment her dangerous eyes cut up to him for intruding.

Instead of snapping at him, she carefully crawled out of her cocoon, just barely. Enough to poke her hands out and accept the hot bowl Drakken offered down to her. Hunched forward with the bowl balanced between knees and chest, she stared into the bowl suspiciously like some sort of little hermit tea-reading witch.

He took a small shifting of her feet to be an invitation, and came to perch at the end of the chair. “Hope it’s up to snuff,” he muttered as the ill critic stirred her soup.

“I can’t sniff,” she informed, nose noticeably stuffed up, though he supposed her ears might be muffled too. She tried to take a whiff off the steam anyway before taking a sip, and Drakken felt just a little better to hear her pleasant hum. At least she’d stopped sneezing and coughing long enough to slurp down half the bowl in a few big gulps. She gasped for air then and poked around at the noodles with her spoon. “You made this?”

He grunted in confirmation.

“S’good.”

Drakken let his eyes wander up from watching his feet to take in her room he infrequently got a glimpse of. It was quite bare. The essentials. A big wooden wardrobe, a nice dresser with vanity mirror, and an actual bed across the room from her chaise lounge where she preferred to spend her personal downtime reading or manicuring her nails.

“More?” Shego rasped, and his eyes darted back to her holding out the empty bowl with a hopeful puppydog pout. Drakken complied, a small smile brought to his lips at her mousey, “Love you.”

“Now you’re just being a kiss-up,” he said with a withering frown that didn’t last long.

Between bites and slurps from her second helping, Shego paused to stare at her spoon, as if something had only now occurred to her. Her eyes flicked up to Drakken. He could see it in the reflection of the vanity mirror as he stood before her dresser inspecting the scarce few family photographs she’d yet to destroy.

“Just like Mom used to make,” she muttered. “How’d you know?” Her eyes were suspicious now as they met his through the reflection.

“Lucky guess,” Drakken dismissed. She was liable to fly off the handle if he admitted he’d called her mother for suggestion. He was about to take his leave when Shego held the bowl out toward him.

“I’m not hungry anymore.” Considering how much she’d already downed and how quickly, it was believable, but Drakken knew better than to think it was simply because she was full.

He didn’t argue it though, opting to merely take the bowl and go. “Get some rest,” he said over his shoulder.

As he was walking down the hall, he didn’t think twice about raising the bowl to his lips to take a sip of the leftover soup. He really should have though, but hindsight had a funny way of sneaking up behind a person.

In no time at all, he was a sneezing feverish mess, only unlike Shego and her superhuman health, he wouldn’t be getting over it within a 24 hour period.

[headlineawards]

Other Character Fiction Winners

Fiction Winners Other Characters

The Best Thing Since Rainbows Award  [Best gen., other]

Winner - "Shilo Died" by Duckydash13 “While we absolutely adored the writing, plot, and concept of Shilo Died, what stood out was the number of ways we were able to interpret this story. Of course, it stands on its own as a description of when and why Nathan told Mag that Shilo had died, but at a deeper level it’s a moment of transition. This isn’t just Nathan lying to Mag. This is the moment he chooses to hide not only from her but from the world. That’s a momentous decision.

At yet another level, the story plays with the idea of hiding. Nathan’s isolated himself in the house. He’s hiding from the world. He’s hiding the truth when he tells Mag that Shilo died, and in doing so he’s hiding his daughter not only from those he thinks will harm her, but from Mag who would care for her. He tries to hid his grief but Mag’s concern is too much for him. “I said I was fine!” Another lie, another truth hidden.

All of these levels of meaning, and we’re sure there are more, make this story a delight to read.”

Runner-up - Not Wholly Human by Kira_K “In "Not Wholly Human" by Kira_K, we see a glimpse of a different Dominion, one in which a new factor not dreamed of in Canon seems to threaten to further destabilize the already precarious world in which David Whele and his fellow Vega Citizens must survive.  Just as in Canon, David is the voice of caution against all the alien beings that seem to threaten humanity.  But as always, the question remains, are his razor-edged warnings words of wisdom, or merely fear? This careful look at David's very familiar reaction to a very different Chosen One suggests a satisfying if unusual answer.”

The Imagine You & Me Award  [Best romance, other]

Winner - Dear Marni, I Am So Sorry by Forestwater “Wow. This is an amazing piece of work. The writing grabs your heart and pulls you in, and it doesn’t let go even after you’ve finished reading. It’s a journey through all kinds of emotions. Despite the sense of doom that hangs over everything, we were so happy to meet Marni and find out what a cool person she was. Delighted to see the friendship both Marni and Nathan had with Mag. And of course, that made it all the more painful when it all shattered into pieces. To say we cried would be an understatement- the intensity, the ugliness, and the sheer inevitability of the events took us far beyond that. And when Shilo opens her eyes at the end, eyes that are so like Marni’s, that brings a whole new kind of tears.”

Runner-up - An Ocean Away by timeladyleo “We can’t wait to read the rest of this story! You’ve really captured the essence of the characters and their stubbornness and insecurities. It’s frustrating to see them stand in the way of their own happiness, but we still enjoy reading it a lot. More please!”

The Gold Blend Award  [Best smut, other]

Winner - Infinite by Jay_eagle “If you think BDSM is (or should be) all about pain and punishment and seeking pleasure at someone else's expense, Infinite, by Jay_eagle might just change your mind. This sensitive and evocative  depiction of three men loving each other in all of the ways that each of them needs is a testament to the fact that, in the right hands, "Safe, sane, and consensual" can be very, very sexy.”

Runner-up - A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste by Amberswansong “There’s such an off kilter tenderness to this, even in this rough moment between strangers in a ruined world. The way Nathan “introduces” Grave to Marni is achingly sad and quickly passed. The details of Graves’s voracious appetite and agelessness, his eyelashes against Nathan’s cheek—they all create an emotional core in the midst of a sticky fumble. Graverobber’s skill and Nathan’s hunger both seem perfectly in character and the fine line between Nathan and his other half is wrought with subtlety. These two are strange bedfellows, but a sweet and sultry moment shines between them here.”

The Legal Assassin Award [Best dark, other]

Winner - Blood by Derangedfangirl “This is a sharply poetic piece of work. Not a single word is wasted. Even the white space between the paragraphs builds tension, as if the reader is looking in on something we aren't supposed to see. The gradual split between Nathan and the Repo Man, with the notion that Nathan feels as though he leaves his body and watches the killings, is drawn expertly in a new way. The poetic language creates beauty amidst the carnage. Really beautiful.”

Runner-up - Want to See You Again by Crankyoldman “This story was deceptively sweet with Nathan’s interactions with Mag, before diving into the darkness of his true intentions for being at his wife’s grave. It shows a harsh reality of parenthood, feeling like you can’t possibly manage this alone. The tension is expertly built as Nathan performs a Norman Bates-esque ritual with the body, all culminating in the utterly chilling last line. Packs a punch for such a bite-sized story. Great work!”

The Behind Green Eyes Award  [Best characterization, other]

Winner - An Ocean Away by timeladyleo  for Herc Shipwright “What a wonderful excursion into the life of Cabin Pressure, with Carolyn and Herc at their bittersweet best. The voices were exactly right, with Arthur at his sweetest, seemingly oblivious, but always knowing just what's going on. The emails were a special bonus treat. Listen to your fans, and finish this... with a happy ending!”

Runner-up - Dear Marni, I Am So Sorry by Forestwater for Nathan Wallace “This quiet romance with a tragic ending really struck us. The way this story was written was an excellent understated approach to characterizing a Nathan who wasn't bitter toward the whole world yet, but who had the potential for dark, impulsive acts within him. The frantic scenes as Marni died and directly after are heartbreaking. Nathan's thoughts of being unable to care for Shilo are so relevant to the stress of being a newly single parent to a newborn. It's easy to see how this character transitions into the Repo Man we know. Amazing job!”

The May the Best Man Win Award  [Fan favorite, other]

Winner - An Ocean Away by timeladyleo

Runner-up - Dear Marni, I Am So Sorry by Forestwater

Runner-up - I won't let go until you do by Hypothetical_otters

[yourdevilwolf-blog]

“Where is Shilo going?” 

The question was soft, but the young rogue didn’t need to turn to know what sight was waiting behind him, that voice was unmistakable. His father; the tiny one, and Shilo sighed as his eyes fluttered closed, standing at this full height. 

Ether shifted behind him, arms crossed as he waited for his son to speak, thought the silence that hung in the air caused him to worry. It was not like Shilo to be so quiet, and he hadn’t said a word during dinner, something the small family enjoyed together every night, not to mention the clouds that seemed to fill those beautiful silver eyes. 

“Shi Shi..” Ether tried again, his heavy tribal jewelry jingling to life as he took a step forward, allowing his concern to carry into his clear voice. “I’m just...I’m just going out, nothin’ to worry about, Dad.” that was a lie, and Ether saw right through it, pale violet eyes piercing the back of the black blonde ponytail that was tied up with a leather strap. “Shilo. Where are you going?” he tried again, as he was not about to let his son leave with such a troubled look in his eyes, not without trying. But whatever was on the young man’s mind, he seemed rather reluctant to speak it, once again shaking his head with a deep breath. “I’ll be back before morning, I promise.” 

The hexxer tilted his head curiously with furrowed blonde brows, his normal demeanor pushed to the side in this moment, his son was acting strangely and he found himself unable to drop the topic. “Shilo....alright, if Shi is sure. Ether will be here if Shi need him, please...do not forget you can speak to me and your Father freely...” Ether felt his heart give a sharp tug, he did not want to leave the subject alone, but he knew his boy. Shilo would react like a horse being led; both feet firmly planted in the ground as he refused to move. The small elf moved backwards, golden hair shifting as he fluttered his long lashes, nails digging a bit harder then they should against the wooden door frame as he felt his heart sink in his stomach. 

“Wait...Dad..” 

In a flurry of multicolored skirts, Ether turned quickly back to his son, violet eyes imploring as he waited for him to make the first move. Shilo ran a hand through his hair, and Ether could read frustration in his movements, a another long winded sigh coming from his throat, and he didn’t turn to face his father as he spoke. “Dad...I feel, I feel fucking lost.” 

Ether instinctively took a step forward, unable to resist his maternal urges, a slender hand placed on his son’s shoulder. “What is wrong, Shi Shi? Talk to Ether, talk to Dad...” he heard Shi swallow rather then saw, and he felt his son’s shoulders tense slightly under his touch. “I..I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing..” Ether’s hand moved to pull at his son’s shoulder, turning Shilo to face him, an audible gasp of pain ripping from him as he saw those gorgeous silver eyes brimming with hot tears, the sight stinging his heart and tearing it into pieces.

So, this is what it felt like to be a parent. To see your child suffer; so this was what it was like.

“My baby, Shi....please, please...tell Dad what is the matter, come..come! Sit! Sit!” Ether was tugging at his son, pulling at his shirt as his bangle covered arms waved back and forth with his animated speaking, always talking with his hands. The tiny dancer pushed his son towards the couch, sitting down across from him as Shilo instantly buried his head in hands, his voice cracking and splintering as he attempted to speak to his father. “I-I don’t...Dad, d-don’t you ever just feel...fucking, lost? You don’t know why, but you do?” Violet orbs downcast for a moment, then back to his emotion torn son, a soft understanding smile resting on his light pink lips. 

“Oh, Shi....everyone feels that way, sometimes. Everyone. Even now, as Ether watch you, my most precious treasure...Ether feel lost. He want to help Shilo, is what parents do. Even Dey, even your Papa....he come to Ether sometimes, because he feel lost. Ether always help him find his way home, like he does for Ether, and we will do the same for you; if you let us.” Shilo barely looked up from his hands, his eyes rolling to the back of his head out of frustration instead of disrespect, and he felt his throat tighten. 

“I just...feel like everyone expects so much from me, and I try hard, Dad...I do. But, fuck...” He paused, wincing, “Sometimes, it gets hard. Even for me. I’m so tired, I’m fucking exhausted and all I want..” Shi trailed off, burying his head again as Ether wrapped an arm around him, his slender fingers and gold tipped fingernails stroking his son’s  hair to the side as he placed a soft kiss against his temple. “My little love, Shi is doing so well, Ether is so proud, but....he is sorry. Sorry that his baby feels this way, sorry he did not realize Shi Shi needed him, shush...shush..my son...oh, my boy...” Ether’s heart broke as he heard his own flesh and blood begin to cry, something Shilo had always hid before, and suddenly Ether himself realized the dark bags that hung under Shilo’s eyes, how had he missed them before?

“What is it? What is it my Shi Shi wants, hm? Tell Ether, please?” slowly Shilo began to tilt his body towards his very small father, whose arms were open and waiting to grab him and pull him close, rocking him back and forth like he did as he was young once. “Dad...” came the murmured reply, “That’s the thing; I don’t even know anymore, I thought I did...but now...? I’m just not sure.” Ether stilled, he had noticed that Zan and Shilo had drifted apart recently, and his heart filled with dread. He would support his son, no matter what his choice, but he’d always hoped the two would end up together. He saw the way Shilo looked at his best friend’s son, that pure look of love, soft and adoring, surely he had not lost that feeling so easily? 

“What you mean, baby? Shi....” the hexxer watched as his son struggle before his very eyes, something that tore him in a way he’d never experienced before. “Dad, I did something fucking stupid, and I keep fucking doing something stupid....cause it’s just...fuck...I thought it was the right thing, and now..” Ether took a breath, urging Shi to continue. “Shi Shi, whatever it is, tell Ether. Daddy will do his best to get Shi out of it, if need be...” A sharp shake of his son’s head told him it wasn’t something criminal, as he had feared, but more tears did not quell his worry in the slightest. “I’ve been going to the underbelly, but I’m sure you knew that...” Ether nodded, despite his son thinking he was sneaky, he had not dropped under his or Dey’s radar, but he laid another kiss to his temple to encourage him, no matter how bad; Ether would help his baby boy.

Shilo buried his head in his much smaller Dad’s chest, biting his lip as he abandoned all matter of pride, Ether cooing and smoothing out his hair as he softly spoke to him in Zandali; a language Shilo too spoke fluently. Normally, he’d be pissed at his Father fussing over him like a child, but right now Ether felt like a lifeline, and he appreciated his father’s actions; anchoring him to the ground when he felt like floating away. 

“I met up with a guy, his name was Vexion...” Ether tried to stop the thundering of his heart, readying himself for the worst, as he had heard that name before during one of his many trips with Dey. Vexion; the fel-light, was a well known warlock - and also a man of little repute. He did many deeds for money; though Ether uneasily guessed which one his son might be involved in. “He...fuck, he talked me into doing some things, I mean, fuck I didn’t know what I was doing and...I didn’t want to be stumbling around like an idiot, and well...things didn’t go his way...” 

“I told him I wasn’t going to pay for shit; certainly not that. I mean, like I can’t get my fill with this money maker, right?” He attempted a joke, at which both he and Ether laughed weakly, a bit of pride showing in violet orbs. “Yes, Yes. Ether’s Shi is so handsome, just like his Papa Dey...” Shi snorted a bit, but gave a half hearted smile before continuing, “So...we did some....things. We’ve been doing some things, and really...I just don’t want to anymore. I just....don’t know how to stop doing the stupid thing.” Ether leveled his gaze, his son’s chin between his hands, face mere inches away as he searched silver eyes for his answer. “Shi...my baby, Ether is pretty sure he knows what it is you’ve done, but please...do not be vague. You may tell your Daddy and he will not judge you, it is my place to guide you, my boy...” 

“We’ve been having casual sex, just an off and on again thing. I don’t even enjoy it, Dad. I just started it cause I didn’t want to have no idea when....” he stopped, blushing scarlet across his cheeks, and Ether picked up where he left of. “When Shi and Zan got together, you wanted to be able to please him and not be fumbling around in the dark, yes?” Ether wasted no words, and was rewarded with a very slow nod from Shilo, giving him his own nod in return. “Ether thought so. Shi Shi, Ether...knows that man is not to be trusted, though. And you do not seem happy, Shi....” his son rolled his shoulders a bit with a long sigh, his voice weaker then before. “I..haven’t seen him in a couple weeks, told myself I wasn’t going anymore. And tonight, that’s not where I was going, but...it’s just. I’m so tired Dad, and Zael...” 

Ether’s ears twitched as his best friend’s name pricked at his ears, lips frowning a bit in hopes Zael was not too stern with his Shi. “Zael, what?” a few moments of silence passed, before Shilo finally broke. “Zael he’s an amazing teacher, he really is, and I know what everyone expects of me, I’m not fucking deaf or blind, and I know everyone thinks it’s so fucking easy, but it’s just not. I’ve been meeting up with someone whose been mentoring me on my shadow skills; and I just don’t know how to tell Zaelius, and he thinks I’m just ditching.” Ether shifted his weight, again his violet orbs pierced his son’s silver ones. “Shi, Ether tell you something because he is your father; you answer to no one. You hold your head high, and Shi does not owe anyone explanations. You do what you must, my son. Shilo is strong, Shilo is son of Ether and Dey; the grandson of Rai’jin of the Amani. Shi has good blood, Shilo is good.” a strange glint struck the hexxer’s eyes, his head tilted upwards with pride, and perhaps a bit of arrogance. 

“If you want to meet up with shadow teacher, you do so. As long as Shi is safe; Ether will support. Though, Ether does think you should let Zael know, if he does not want to...then he does not have to. Shilo, you are your own man, your future? It’s yours! But...Ether does ask his Shi, one thing...” 

“Please, figure out what you want before you hurt Zan, he is your best friend. You do not owe anyone an explanation; but you do owe Zan respect. If you do not want to be with - - “ 

“I do, Dad! Fuck, I do...but I’m not...fuck, look at me!” Shi suddenly jerked his head upwards, swallowing down his fear as he locked eyes with his father. “I’m a fucking mess, he doesn’t deserve that. He’s perfect, so perfect. I just want to protect him and keep him safe; but I can’t even do that. Those bullies, I couldn’t stop them, I don’t deserve him. I don’t.” 

“Shi! Shi stop this! Ether knows you did all you could, Shi Shi, Ether - -” 

“No, you stop!” and suddenly Shilo was standing, towering over his father in his leather strap pants, and biker jacket, white sleeveless under it; the vision of the future while Ether himself seemed stuck in the past. “I don’t! If he stays with me, I’ll get him into trouble, and gods know he’s seen enough of that shit. I’m not even 22 yet, Dad...and I have a reputation. My hands aren’t clean, I don’t deserve to touch him...” Shi held out his hands to stare at them with a shaky breath, swallowing a lump that rose painfully up his throat. “And every night I dream of him, every night...and I want to shout at him, Dad. I want to tell him how much I love him, how much I want to be by his side; but I can’t. I’m not good enough...if I was I wouldn’t have gone to the underbelly and had a fuck session with a lowborn warlock, no...I would’ve gone to him, let us discover each other together...but I fucked up, like always. All I can do now is study with Saerion and try to help Papa with his group, and just forget about this fucking stupid pain in my heart and  - - “ 

“ENOUGH.” 

Ether was now standing toe to toe with Shilo, shoulders back and chest puffed up, eyes dark as Shi faltered, never seeing this side of his Dad before. He’d seen him mad, yes...but this was different. “You only lose when you give up, Shilo. Ether tell you a million times, and he will tell you a million times again! You are my son, Dey’s son, you are ours! Zan does not see you like this! Can you not see it, Shi Shi? Or are you too consumed with own pain, that Shi cannot see the pain he is causing Zan by simply believing that he is not worthy?! Zan does not see Shi like that, don’t you see? Zan see Shi as a wonderful person, Zan believe in Shi. This is what we do, when we love someone. We see all the things they cannot see...we see all the good! We carry on when they cannot. Zan think he not worthy; you think Zan is the sun and stars. Shi think he not worthy; Zan see him as his everything. Don’t you see that?” 

“Shilo is stronger then this; Ether knows. Shi Shi, tell Ether. Tell Ether what it was all for then? All that time you spent with Zan, all those bruises, all those times sneaking over just to sleep beside him, sticking up for him, chasing him, making sure he was okay, carrying him when he fainted from hunger...” Ether caught himself, Shilo had not been brought to light about why his friend had fainted, the truth being that Zan needed blood; and he wanted Shilo’s. Zan had fainted, and Shi had carried him home, missing a mission he’d been excited to accompany his father on to take care of his friend. 

“Tell Ether...What was it all for then??” 

“Shilo, we all make mistakes, Loa know Ether has made quite a few! But PLEASE. It will be okay, please...” 

Ether’s hands went out, his own pale eyes filling with tears, his sons pain was his pain, no matter how irrational, and he wanted to make it stop. “Please, take Ether’s hands....trust in him, you are my whole world, Shilo....a gift given to me by your Father. Our gift to each other so the whole world could see our love.” 

Shi stilled, breath hitching at his father’s words, silver trained on the shaking thin hands in front of him. “Shi could never be not worthy; never ever...” slowly, very slowly his son took his hands, gripping them tightly when Ether folded his fingers over Shi’s, eyes closing for a moment in relief. “Tell him, tell Zan.....believe in him, if you don’t believe in yourself. That is what mate is for, to carry when our legs are too weak. Believe, Believe, Believe...” Ether’s words became a chant, as if he were trying to invoke any Loa that would listen, and slowly Shilo wrapped his arms around his little father, holding him tight as he nodded against his skin. 

“I....I’m sorry, Dad. You’re right. My head is too far up my own ass, I...I’ll get my shit together, promise.” Ether nodded with a soft smile, hand caressing his son’s cheek. “And if you fall, you come to Papa Dey or Ether. We will catch you, we love you.” Shi’s gaze finally softened, his lips kissing his father’s hand in reverence. “Maybe...I’ll go catch up with Zael tonight, I....miss sparing with him.I don’t think it’s too late, is it?” 

Ether shook his head, pointing at the clock that hung on the wall, his smile widening with a giggle. “Nope! Ether see it is only 3 past 12, still much time!” his hands worked at straightening his son, nodding at his work and giving his cheek a sweet kiss. “There is my Shi, strong and handsome like his father. Go on, have fun...and tomorrow; no jobs. Shi needs to rest sometimes too. I will tell your father, myself...” 

“Alright, Alright...Shi will sleep.” the young man seemed relieved, his aura easing to Ether’s eyes as he hurried out the door and out on deck where his mentor was waiting, despite the 4 practice sessions he’d missed; leaving Ether to sigh and pour himself a glass of juice thoughtfully.

“What was that about?” 

The hexxer flicked an ear, Dey standing in the doorway to their bedroom as he passed him his own cup of juice, a feather light smile on his lips. “Oh, nothing much. Shilo being Shilo.” Dey rose an eyebrow at his husband, giving him a quick tap to his ass as he came up to stand behind him. “I’m serious, what was that about?” Ether gave another shrug, rolling his violet eyes as he felt yet another impact, lips curving into a half hearted scowl. “Ether being serious! Shi being Shi, thinking too much, being silly.” his husband sighed, as if resigning himself to the answer, kissing the small elf as he took a drink of his own cup. “Fine, fine...coming to bed, I hope? I’d like to get some rest before I have to work tomorrow, if you don’t mind...” 

The words carried sarcasm, but it was all in a teasing manner, Ether had learned that much from their years together, but...still he had a question.

“Yes, yes...Deysen must get his beauty sleep! Ether knows! But...Dey?” 

“Yes, Ether..” 

Ether ignored the pointed look he was awarded for the slight jab, at least he didn’t call Dey a princess this time, right?

“Um, what does it mean....have head stuck up ass?” 

“What?” 

“Shi...he said he ‘had his head stuck up own ass’...” 

It was all the head man of the house could do not to spit out his juice as he laughed, Ether’s violet eyes wide and bewildered as Dey snorted and chuckled, juice starting to slosh as he struggled to contain his laughter as Ether’s all too innocent question. 

“It...uh, it means to be stuck on yourself. You know, like you pity yourself too much, something like that..” 

Dey started laughing again at Ether’s reaction, a wrinkled nose and sharp click of his tongue as he made his way towards the bedroom with a wave of his hand, Zandali words of confusion wandering behind him. 

“Why not just say that, why say such vulgar thing for something like that? Ether not understand, Ether just not understand...” 

“I know, my love...I know...” 

[brokentoashes]

there you’ll be

               TAGGING __ // SHILO & MARCO                LOCATION __// SOMEWHERE IN THE WOODS                TIME _ FRAME ___//  RECENTLY                SUMMARY__// CHATZY LOG

Marco

Perhaps he should not have wandered away from the small group -- it was dark and creeping into late morning hours. He believed it was Jackson keeping watch while Blake and Scott slept ; but, Jackson could not scent him as he slowly rose to his feet, scrambling out of his makeshift sleeping bag of clothing as a familiar scent caught his attention -- a scent that suddenly had him wide awake and hitting him like a ton of bricks to the chest. He wondered -- if he had a pack, this might have been what the pull of it felt like -- familia, his instinct told him. And that was what had him following the sweet scent of his childhood into the woods, drawing his gun on instinct and holding it at shoulder level ; chest heaving and his heart jack rabbiting a panicked cadence in his chest.

Maybe he had finally, completely lost it. Catching her scent in the middle of no where. They weren't near Texas, nor were they near New Mexico, or the Mexican border. She had no reason to be out this way. Then again, neither did he.

He could hear his own breath heaving in his ears like he was in a tunnel, and he wondered if it -- and his racing pulse in his skull -- was as loud to anything around him as it was to his own senses.

The closer he got, the more her sweet scent meshed with the sickly and metallic scent of blood. A noise caught in his lungs, and that scent alone gave him much more haste to his step. It was moments later that a female form against the ground -- the scent of blood overwhelming and making his stomach drop to his toes -- caught his gaze; eyes igniting red for a brief moment until he blinked it away. Gun lowered on impulse, caution thrown to the wind. "Shilo ... -?" he started, taking a few steps closer to the injured woman, dropping to his knees without hesitation and holstering his gun. "¿Princesa? Bebé, mírame. Es Marco, ¿puedes oírme?"

Shilo

It had been too long since she had reached a stage of numbness - of bliss that seemed to comfort her into what she knew was going to be death. Perhaps that was alright, there was nothing left in the world for Shilo - Marco was likely gone, and mamá had been gone luckily long enough to not see the world become such a cesspool of death and disease. Even those that had brought her shelter, that she had dared to call friends had finally turned on her.

She was alone, bitterly and painfully so, as she coughed up the liquid life that should have been inside of her body.

The voice sounded as though it was through a veil, contorting the words and voice until she could no longer recognize them for anything but her native language, but the face - that she recognized. "M-Marco?" She coughed around the words, blood accompanying the gargled sound of his voice as she tried to focus her blurred vision upon him. Perhaps dying would not be so bad, if she were to be allowed such a vision of Marco - because although he seemed scared, he was walking. Or at least, it had seemed so to her.

"Hermano, te amo." She coughed with a smile, grateful to be able to even say the words to the vision of her brother in what she was sure was her last moments. She had not searched for him, and that had been her greatest regret - the knowledge that maybe he could have survived somehow, but she knew it was likely impossible with the state he was in. It had hurt like nothing else to give up on him, to go with the group that was now the cause of the wounds covering her shaking body, but she had spent many long nights convincing herself that it was what he would have wanted.

Marco

Long gone was the stoic solider that he was usually able to slip into so easily like a second skin -- no, he was terrified. A deep set fear in his heart that made his chest ache at its seams like his rib cage might very well split open. His hands were shaking, and his eyes reflected his fear -- a rarity to see in his dark gaze as his hand came out to cradle Shilo's cheek ; sucking in a breath before wincing as he watched spiderweb, inky veins crawl their way up his arm. "Te amo - cristo - Shilo, mírame. ¿Quédate conmigo, por favor?" He was begging, another thing that was foreign to the hardened male as he smoothed his thumb over her cheek bone, ignoring the blood that smeared across his skin.

He had found her --, but ... God, what kind of state was this? What had happened to her? "Shilo --" he breathed, accent thick with the emotion that was clogging his throat and making it different to breathe, " ... Shilo, please .. -- You can not ... - " He trailed off again, free hand moving to grab hers and intertwine their fingers; giving it a small squeeze to try and reassure her that this was real ; that he was here. He couldn't lose her, not -- No. It would break him apart that the only thing that had kept him going since leaving home would be gone. The echo of his depression would consume him completely all over again, and he couldn't take that. Not now.

" -- Hermana pequeña, ¿confías en mí?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. There are tear tracks against his cheek, and he isn't even aware of when they got there. He wasn't sure when he started crying, wasn't sure when his fingertips started to tremble against her cheek, or when his breath became so unsteady. He was losing her, and he could feel it. His eyes ignited a bright crimson in response to the emotional stimuli, the whole of it too much as he shook his head, "I .. I can help you, Shilo. If you let me. I can't lose you, not now."

Shilo

There was something about the muddled fear on his face that seemed to bring Shilo back to herself, the pain in her body easing somewhat as she blinked sluggishly at him - she had lost too much blood. She knew too well that she would not live through this, and with the fog clearing from her brain she began to recognize that as bad. With Marco's face hovering above her, his words begging her to not go, she tried to breathe in around the painful swell of blood.

With their fingers locked together, Shilo seemed to realize again the gravity of her situation - one that had not meant much to her moments before because she had nothing and yet now, here Marco was. Giving her cause to want to live - making her mourn the fact that she would soon die. "I-I can't.." She was cut off by yet another bloody cough, trying to tell him that she could not stay, that her wounds were too great. That she was sorry.

A glistening on his cheek caught her attention, and she reached up, trembling fingers stained red touching the tears that she was bringing forth. She tried to wipe them, though the blood on her hands merely made it worse - brought more of a mess to his face. Though she barely heard his words, coming at her through a fog that seemed to be building itself back up again with each second, she managed a nod, "Sí, haz lo que debes." She managed to get out, her native tongue slipping through the pain much easier than English had.

Marco

He had spent so long looking for her -- he wasn't even sure how long the virus had been active for. He had lost count of days. Months. Was it years? All of them melded into one another despite his best efforts. Was he still 32? Had he come and gone by a birthday without realizing it? Did it even matter anymore? At the present, in this fleeting moment in time, all that mattered was his baby sister was here -- and she was dying. She had given him so much, and he could never find a way to thank her. But -- keeping her from death's door step? Maybe that was a place to start. If --- If the bite took. It had to.

There was a choked noise in his throat when she spoke, insisting that she couldn't. Composure had gone out the window at this point as her hand touched his face, moving one hand to cradle it and press a kiss against the palm there ; curling his digits around it and ignoring the blood against it -- and now against his cheek as well. "Va a doler. Lo siento, va a doler. Pero el dolor no durará demasiado, y estoy aquí," he whispered against her palm, matching their language with a low breath.

He sucks in a breath so painful that it burns his throat -- and in the process, he could feel his claws grow -- his fangs drop. Eyes ignite behind his closed lids as he presses his lips to her wrist, pausing and hesitating before -- without warning, as to try and make this easier -- sinking fangs into the skin there.

Shilo

Shilo watched with laboured breaths as he pressed a kiss against her palm, attempting to squeeze his fingers as he wrapped them around hers - the result was not so much a squeeze as a limp twitch of her fingers, she hadn't long left. Though, perhaps what Marco had in mind would work. "Está bien, Marco."

She didn't have much time to think after that, to process what he was doing as his face transformed into wolf-like features before her wrist was burning as a result of the bite. She cried out, finding some breath in her breaking lungs to push out the pained sound as the burn spread. It was not a kind of pain that she had felt before, certainly not a pain like the one that had numbed her nerves for minutes before. It was a quick burn, one that woke her up rather than put her to sleep.

Marco

His heart cried out with her when she reacted, but he didn't want to flinch and jostle her and hurt her more. After a few seconds, he was slowly withdrawing his fangs and placing a hand over the wound to try and keep the bleeding to a minimum. She had already lost so much blood as it was -- "I'm sorry," he breathed, his voice guilt ridden and causing his accent to grow thick and hoarse. She was already in so much pain, but -- it was a necessary evil if it helped save her. The hand that was not pressed over the bite wound held the hand of that same arm ; once more lacing their fingers together and beginning to again leech whatever pain he could. The only betrayal of her pain effecting him being a slight crease in his brow.

He wanted to know who did this -- this was not the work of walkers. But he knew if he knew, he would want to hunt them down. And right now, in this moment, he needed to focus on just her. He wondered how quickly it would take, if it took at all -- if it would accelerate itself due to her state. His own had taken however long he had been unconscious ; but he was not in such a critical state as she was. It had to have been a few hours -- and while he could not fully shift yet -- he could still walk by that point.

"Shilo ..." he breathed, finally pulling his eyes back up to her as features receded back to their human state. " ... just, keep talking to me. In English -- I need you to stay focused, okay? I need you to stay awake for me, Princesa."

Shilo

The pain of his hand over her wound was nothing compared to how the rest of her body felt, the bite spreading pain to what felt like each nerve in her body. She grimaced, gritting her teeth against a noise of agony that left it. And while she could express the pain she was in, it was not the thing that she found herself wishing to speak of - if she were to ignore it perhaps it would go away, though a twinge of pain against her wounds brought a cry through her gritted teeth. No, when she formed the words it was not of her pain, "Marco- you're alive - but how?" She gasped, trying to see through the edges of black that surrounded her vision.

She hadn't looked for him, hadn't even attempted the dangerous trek to New Mexico, determined that he would be dead by the time she got there. It was not something she had wished to see, and the thought had dissuaded her from the journey, the thought of seeing his rotting corpse - or worse, finding him as a walker - made her too sad to bear. She had tried to go it alone, but even that proved too difficult until she found the monsters that had done this to her. The beasts clothed in sheep's wool that had lulled her into a sense of friendship.

Marco

He did not blame her for not coming to look for him. For not making the dangerous journey from Texas to New Mexico. He wished he had had a way to contact her when everything started ; to let her know he was alive. To let her know that something had ... changed, and he could come find her instead; that it was likely safer that way. But, with phone lines being the first thing to go down, he had had no way to talk to her; to even give her any kind of goodbye. Because, as far as she had known, he had been wheelchair bound and alone. The combination of above would've likely been his death quickly.So ; no, he did not blame her. He never would.

The hand intertwined with hers finally leaves it, brushing her dark hair out of her face -- letting his gaze smooth over her features; heart breaking in his chest for the state that whoever did this left her in. At the question, he sighs. "I'm .. -" he voice broke around the corners, instead diverting his gaze to where his other bloodied hand now covered the wound against her wrist. "I was ... attacked," he finally starts with a breath, keeping his words slow so that she could more easily pick them up. "By ... a ... thing. A .. bestia." He had no issues calling the feral wolf as such. He did not ... quite view himself as a monster, merely ... different -- as Blake's allies were. But, someone like who attacked him, without regard for humanity. That was a monster. And whomever did this to his little sister? A beast.

He made eye contact with her, pushing the red hue into his eyes for a moment, "It bit me. And ... it -- it changed me. Healed me."

Shilo

Shilo's body shook as the bite began to heal her wounds - catching her from the brink of death, mending her just enough to keep her alive despite the damage that had been done. It was merely the largest gash, the one in her stomach, that began to tie itself up - the pain unbearable as her eyes shut and a cry escaped her. It was a hot kind of pain, rather than the kind that left her numb - not the cold kind that she had been experiencing before, when she had been dying. Now, she most certainly was not dying.

Despite that fact, it was difficult to focus on him as he smoothed her hair from her face, eyes glazed with pain. The way he explained his attack was careful, in a way, and though it suggested that he thought she didn't know of the beings that lurked in the night and had been some sort of factor in the cause of this virus, she had known for some time. Likely just as long as he had, though her introduction had been much less painful - despite its fatal end.

"A werewolf -" She cut off, teeth gritting against the pain that seemed to rise and fall. "You are a werewolf? Am I -?"

Marco 

His eyes settled on her -- and just her. Her breathing. Her heartbeat. Even the focus of her eyes. There was still an intense amount of worry -- not quite certain if it was going to take. And even so ; not quite certain on how she would feel if it did. But he couldn't lose her, he couldn't just watch her die. Not after looking for her for so long. Not after just finding her.

There was an inkling of surprise in the former soldier's eyes when she spoke. And he swallows before he's nodding. "Yes," he confirms slowly, a small downward turn to his lips. And he's letting out a slow breath before answering the rest. "Not yet-" he breaths, "-- I ..- if it takes. I just ---" his tone sounded almost apologetic. "-- I had to do something, Shilo. You --" his voice broke around tears that clogged his throat. "You're all that I've got. Do .. do you understand?"

Shilo

Shilo did understand, she truly did - and while this was not what she would have chosen for herself, she would not hold it against her brother for doing anything in his power to save him. She nodded, despite the pain that screamed at her to not move her body. "Of course I understand - you -" She sucked in a breath, pain glazing her eyes further, "You are all I have left," Shilo couldn't imagine losing her brother after everything else she had lost.

It wasn't long after that a laugh sounded behind them, one filled with a cruel lilt that Shilo had grown accustomed to - though not for its cruelty. She flinched, the recent memories of claws breaking wounds in her skin that would kill her bringing themselves to focus. "Still alive, are you?" He laughed again, "And you've found another friend - how resourceful you are." Now Shilo's body shook not from pain but from fear.

Marco:

He pressed his forehead against the knuckles of Shilo's hand as he let out a long breath, "It's going to be okay," he breathed, as if trying to convince himself as well as her. "I promise. I'm gonna take care of you, just like you took care of me, okay?" He wanted to say more, but a voice was demanding to be noticed.

Eyes rose as he found the newcomer -- a scent hitting him strongly; strong enough to force a snarl out of his chest and cause his eyes to bled alpha red. Suddenly it made sense. Her injuries. Why she was not as surprised as she should be. "Bestia-" he growled, giving her hand a tight squeeze before he was realsing it and standing, drawing his gun and cocking it as he rest of his features followed his eyes in transformation -- stepping in between where Shilo laid and the other. "You made a mistake coming back for her. And you made a mistake hurting her."

Shilo

Shilo believed his words with all of her heart, and somehow she had known that this day would come - that one day she would need him just as badly as he had needed her when he'd returned, broken and unable to navigate the new world thrust upon him alone. She knew that it would be okay, as long as she had him at her side.

The man laughed as Shilo watched on, recklessly unhinged and not at all afraid of the red glow in Marco's eyes. He was cunning, but not necessarily smart. "Oh, I've always wanted to be an alpha." His words were cocky, body already tensing with the shift of his features in preparation for a fight. "No -" He shook his head, baring his fangs, "My only mistake was not finishing her off."

Marco

He chuckles -- and it's a bitter noise in the back of his throat. Any ounce of pain was gone, the upset set upon him by Shilo's state -- and it was replaced by an anger and a terrifying steadiness that only a soldier could know. He did not deem the other's cocky words with a response, lip lifting to bare his own fangs in response to the other. And he did not wait for a movement from the other wolf -- he was already moving.

This man almost killed his sister -- if Marco had not come along to try and change things, she would've died. Alone, and in pain. That was enough to elicit a red hot and consuming rage inside of him ; and yet, he still managed to keep his outward calm -- pressing forward quicker than any human could, one clawed hand moving to the other's throat and the other pressing the cool barrel of the gun against his temple. A knee forced itself into his stomach to shove him back against a large tree, snarling in his face. His form might've been wolf -- but his stance was still eerily human.

Shilo

While Shilo attempted to move, some sort of survival instinct kicking in as her brother moved to confront the man that she had thought was her friend, said man practically spat cocky laughter at her brother. She grit her teeth, but was unable to move much farther than a couple of inches without the pain threatening to take her consciousness - wounds still far from healed.

It was quicker than he was used to that the alpha was upon him, and while it was terrifying to the man, to Shilo it was purely a sadistic kind of pleasure - horrific to see her brother so violently angry, and yet satisfying to watch as the man that had hurt her was rendered useless. She bit back cries of pain as the man gasped against the pain of the knee in his stomach, form tense as he didn't dare move - knowing all too well that a bullet to the brain was not something he could come back from. His eyes turned wild, fearful as he seemed to realize that death was finally catching up to him.

Marco 

Marco wanted nothing more than to make the man suffer as he had made Shilo suffer. But. He was more logical than that -- he knew better. For one, Shilo was still in pain and he did not want her to suffer alone. For another, he did not want her to think him a monster. To think that the bite had changed who he was as a person. He didn't want her to fear him. As much as he wanted to tear the man limb from limb like he had the strength and rage to back it up, he did not.

Marco could be a bigger man than this monster.

So he growls -- snarling and baring fangs. But he does not pull the trigger; merely because he has better options. Merely because he does not want to draw unwanted company ; the hand on his throat moves away, only for a split second later to be moving quickly -- the lowering sun catching claws just in time for him to slice the man's throat open; deep enough to kill within seconds. There was a wet gargle from the wolf, choked and strangled, but he was dead before he even hit the ground.

He gave the man one last angry look before he was tucking away his gun and looking back to Shilo -- and it was like a flip switched. Wolf features faded and his expression softened. He was at her side in a heartbeat, gently grasping at her shoulders to gingerly maneuver her to lean her weight against his chest. "Don't try to move too much, you are just starting to heal," he breathed, eyes saddened as they fell to the bite he had inflicted upon her. "-- how much are you hurting?"

Shilo

The way he killed the man screamed of her brother, human and quick - despite the claws used to do so. It was almost as though the wolf had done nothing but fix him, render him capable of walking - of finding her and saving her. Shilo was stunned, a moment, as her attacker crumpled to the ground, dead before he even reached the cold dirt, before Marco was turning back to her with the softened human features that she knew.

The tears that answered his words at her relief brought a small noise from her lips as they mingled with the drying blood on her cheeks. The pain was still red-hot, deep within her and screaming for attention, but it would not last forever. Perhaps the ache in her heart for her loss of a human life would, but the pain that sucked her wounds together as her body shook just slightly against Marco's chest would ebb eventually. "It is nothing -" She sucked in a breath, one that burned her lungs, "Gracias por matarlo." She spoke because the words were too harsh in English, too cutting to speak in anything but her native tongue.

Shilo's eyes fluttered, pain and relief mingling in a cocktail that was near-deadly, goading her to unconsciousness despite the way she fought it. Moments later, they opened again, still shadowed with the pain of the bite and of the betrayal of the man lying in a heap mere feet from them.

Marco

He was cradling his sister to him in a way he had not been able to since before he left for the Army, shifting just enough to take her hand in his. And, despite her words of insisting that her pain was nothing, he once more focused on drawing it out of her, fingers merely twitching slightly at the sting of it as it entered his system ; black spiderwebbing up his arms with an inky black. The words in their first language was making him swallow so hard that it hurt, ducking his head down with a small sniffle -- the deeper waves of emotion cascading over him once more now that the threat was gone. "Por favor, no necesitas darme las gracias por eso," he whispered.

He's letting out a long and shaky breath -- looking her over once more, "I ... am sorry," he whispers, "That this happened. That I -- .." his voice broke. "It is not something I would've willingly chosen for myself, either -- I just ... I've been looking for you for so long, Shilo --- .. I knew ... - I knew you assumed that I did not make it, so I knew I had to find you and I couldn't --- " There was a noise in the back of his throat that resembled a dry sob, squeezing his eyes shut as he trailed off.

Shilo

She knew what he was doing - had seen it as the pack's members had died, spiderwebs of poisonous pain transferred to the living as the life faded from their eyes. She sniffled, grip on his hand tight from the pain, the need to relieve it somehow - to focus herself on an anchor of attention, keeping her mind off the pain that remained despite what he shouldered for her. She did not protest as he spoke, because the words had been said and she had needed to say them. She had not wanted to die with yet another monster loose upon the world, one that could wear a smile and worm his way into the heart's of the living.

She shut her eyes against the tears that rushed forth at his words, surpassing the trickle that had been there previously, painting streaks in the red on her cheeks. "Please, don't -" Shilo's fingers squeezed at his, "Don't feel bad. I- I would not choose the other option. Not when I can have you back." She told him, words shaking with the laboured breaths of both her pain and her tears.

Marco

He smoothed his thumb across the outside of her hand as he slowly continued to draw whatever pain that he could from her. It was ... a strange feeling. He had always felt a connection to his sister -- but this ... was different. He could feel an invisible tether beginning to form. And while, typically, Marco found it easy to ignore the instincts of his wolf, this one was far too great. Albeit, he wasn't sure that this one was one he wanted to ignore. Pack-- his wolf told him. Shilo was his beta -- and he knew that he would do anything to protect her, but, he didn't need the pack draw for that -- it just ... heightened it to levels that made it almost difficult to breathe. He wondered if she felt it, too -- as the wolf slowly knitted her broken body back together.

When she speaks, he feels tears on his own cheeks. Shilo is the only person still alive who has seen him at his lowest, seen him at rock bottom. He did not feel the need to try and mask himself around her ; to try and soldier his feelings. " ... Te amo -- te amo y mas." he whispered, voice barely audible as it cracked around the center. " ... I was almost beginning to ... to fear --- "

Shilo

There were few people that she had been so connected to in her life as she was to Marco - though they were not bound by blood, that mattered little to her. As the bond that was forming between them with each moment began to pull her to him in a way that she had never experienced before it seemed as though her familial ties to him were only being affirmed. She knew, though, that these were not the sweet bonds of family that she had formed through years of pain and tears for him - from the moment she had helped him home that first day, to a home void of their beloved Martina, Shilo had fostered those bonds created through their formative years. Those were the ones that would last a lifetime, and though the call of pack was strong to her, it was bittersweet. For when she looked at him, despite the feeling of submission she now felt, she saw too much more - too many years of tears and laughter. And while she wanted him to be her brother first forever, the alpha in him quelled its importance to a point that she would fight to her dying breath, unsure if she could allow the two to meld together.

"Te amo, hermano. No pienses cosas así. Estaré bien." She found herself slipping to her native language with the tears flooding her cheeks, washing tracks of blood from her face. With a shake of her head that sent waves of pain through her, Shilo sucked in a gasping breath, one that sounded more of a sob than a breath. This was not what she wanted, but it was better than the alternative. Anything was.

Marco

After the deaths of both Antonio and Martina, Marco had few in his life that was precious. Any friendships he had forged in high school before joining the Army had become distant; including Blake. Which had hurt more than he had truly let on when reuniting with Blake -- he was just self indulgent and lonely. He merely wanted nothing more than to no longer be alone in this great big, desolate world to the point that he had turned a blind eye to the pain that losing Blake had caused. But Shilo -- Shilo was always a constant. He watched her grow into a beautiful, smart woman before his eyes when he returned to the State -- and, despite all of that, she still insisted on caring for him for so many years until he longed for independence.  God--, maybe if he would've listened to her and never left for New Mexico, he never would've lost her the first time. Eyes skimmed over her, taking in the still fading paleness to her flesh and the red smears of blood among the bright red crimson against her clothing and against his own hands. There was a growing ache in his chest -- different, but similar at the same time. Not just the ache of injured, hurting family, but -- the terrible pain of an injured packmate. An injured beta. His wolf might know it well, being ingrained to recognize it in his instincts. But it was so new and almost overwhelming to Marco in a way that he didn't quite know how to process it.

He moves to cradle her cheek in his hand, and despite the tears flowing freely by this point on his own cheeks, he was whiping the ones from Shilo's with a gentle -- and yet shaky -- touch. He returned his words in kind in the same tongue, "Yo te cuidaré, te lo prometo. Te enseñaré todo lo que necesites saber." He was just nothing more than relieved to find her -- to find her in time. And, he mourned for the loss of her humanity -- for the fact that he was forced to take it for her to live. But -- he was selfish in the way that he did not regret it, because otherwise he would've lost her.

Shilo

While there was so much to fear - such as her first full moon - Shilo couldn't help but feel grateful as he spoke, his touch smearing blood and tears together on her flesh despite his good intentions. A sniffle gave way to another sob, one of relief, though it wracked her body with pain that shook through her at the movement in her healing abdomen. There was too much to fear of this new life that Shilo had long ago decided to take it one day at a time, and now she would have to force herself to remember that as she took the steps into this new life.

This time, though, she could go into the unknown with her brother at her side - her alpha. She would not be alone as she had been when the virus had hit, would not have to cry for the mere pain of letting go of what she wanted. Against all odds, he had found her and they were at least with one another again - she could keep him safe again, or at the very least she could try. It was her only regret, not having tried to find him in the first place.

Marco

He sniffled slightly, closing his eyes against the harsh crimson red burn of his eyes -- the alpha inside of him reacting to the damaged beta in his arms still struggling to heal. He would've fought the instinct, but the instinct was proof that Shilo was healing. That the bite was taking, and that she was going to be okay, even if she wouldn't be human anymore. That was worth it, to him -- selfishly so -- as the price to have her by his side. At least she would be stronger; at least she wouldn't break so easily. He could protect her this time, he could take her by the hand and lead her through this tough life.

"-- how are you healing?" he asks softly, trying to force words out past the emotion that threatened to choke him -- adjusting her against his chest to try and make her as comfortable as possible. "Is it getting better?" They needed to move, preferably to the small group of friends with Blake -- so they were not out in the open. But he was not going to move her until he was sure he wouldn't hurt her anymore. If needed, he could defend them both. He owed that to her.

Shilo

Shilo let out a shuddering breath filled with pain as he shifted her body in his arms, resting her against his chest in a way that was - once the pain lessened again - more comfortable. She nodded, just slightly, at his words. The pain was less, but different - it was not the same kind of numb pain it had been. Instead, it was red-hot and it burned through her. She knew that she was healing though, for the small movements did not send such large shocks of pain through her body. "It is better - but, still painful." She winced, squeezing his hand.

"Are you alone?" She finally realized that he had no one else around, senses returning to her as the healing process brought her further from death, carrying her to the land of the living. He could not possibly be alone - even as a werewolf it was extremely difficult to survive. Or, so she had witnessed.

Marco

He merely nodded when she reassured him that it was getting better. And while he hated the thought of her in such pain, it was at the least reassuring to the fact that the bite was taking and that she was recovering. So, he kept his protective grip on her -- one arm draped around her while the other continued to cling to her hand. As if he was afraid that she would dissipate in his arms and completely dissolve into the nothingness. That he was finally losing it, and that his sister was lost to this world.

"I was," he started slowly, keeping his voice low as his eyes flitted in the direction of the camp, "I found ... an old friend. Blake, do you remember her? I found her. She's with a smaller group that's looking for the rest of them -- their pack. A young alpha, and a human."

Shilo

Seeming to pick up on the anxiety in his hold, Shilo gently squeezed his fingers with her own, strength returning to her with each minute. She was not completely better, but soon enough she would be able to walk with a bearable amount of pain, and then they could get away from this place - from the dead body not ten feet from them.

Shilo remembered Blake - had remembered how happy her brother had been around the girl, and how sweet she had been to him despite the fights she had seen her get into at school. Her lips drew into a small smile, "She's alive?" She had not really thought that anyone from their lives would have lived through this, she was honestly surprised she had lived up to this point. "She's with a pack? Is she-?" She couldn't help the small bit of fear that clenched at her heart at the thought of joining another pack, of having to cooperate with other werewolves, particularly now that she was one.

Marco

He gives a soft, meek smile when Shilo gave his hand a squeeze, letting out a breath before he was closing his eyes and tucking his head on the top of hers. In this new world, and since he had returned from the Army even, Marco had lost a lot of his softness that he had held when he was a teenager -- edges sharpening because they had to. But, his little sister could always bring that side out of him, no matter what happened to the world -- or happened to them.

"Yes, she is a alive," was his first, soft response -- eyes closing; partly to ignore the dead body close to them, even if his wolf could still scent it. "She is with a pack, but I am under the impression she is not part of the pack ; just allied. She is a werefox." He chuckled loosely around the word, surprised with each new piece of supernatural information that he was learning. He sighs before pulling back just enough to look at her ; the alpha inside of him itching with the worry he could feel from his beta ; his sister. "You are my pack -- it is just you, and me. Their pack, Scott's pack, they are good people -- from what Blake tells me -- but they are not pack, okay? You do not need to feel like you have to feel that pull to them. They can be friends, and powerful allies -- " They both knew traveling alone was dangerous by this point, " -- but they are not pack, and they are not family. Please, do not be afraid of having to feel something, or join something, that you don't want. You are my beta, and not Scott's." There was a strange pull of protective instinct tugging at his alpha that he was not at all familiar with, at the mere idea of it all. Even if he was under the impression that the Scott boy would not try and win his sister over.

Shilo

Shilo allowed herself to close her eyes at the touch of his head against her, welcoming the comfort around the pain that was slowly relaxing its hold on her. It had been rare to see the softer side of Marco once he had returned with his injury, something that Shilo had mourned as she had agonized over how she could help relieve his depression - coming up empty handed and ultimately letting him move away without her. She had thought the independence would be good for him, and had cried for days when she had realized that letting him go had likely meant his death for the way the world changed. Though, it turned out Marco was stronger than that.

Shilo wrinkled her nose at the word, confusion crossing her features, "Werefox?" She questioned, "Those are real?" She didn't know as much as she would like to know about the supernatural world, and perhaps that had been dangerous for her in the end. She seemed to discover new information all the time about them. Shilo listened as he spoke, seeming to know how she felt at the information that they would be with another pack. A nod in response sent very small amounts of pain through her body - much less than there would have been mere minutes ago. "Okay," She answered softly, because she didn't feel that she needed any other words.

Marco

At the beginning of all of it -- on day one -- when he realized what was happening to the world, Marco had been afraid. A true fear that ate at and tore away at his bones until he felt ill because of it. Such a deepset fear that he had not truly felt since he had been overseas -- before his discharge. The fears that had sunk him into the darkness after returning home had been something more numb and sliced into his soul. The terror he had felt at the end of the world, instead, had been an intrusion. And, after being attacked and holing himself up, he had never expected to wake up. And yet -- . Perhaps he hadn't given himself enough credit.

He chuckles quietly, even if the light of the action doesn't travel to his eyes and it sounds a bit sad, "-- was news to me, too," he reassured her. He was honestly still learning as he went, and Blake had told him that Scott's misfit pack held much more than just shifters. Likes of the supernatural he had yet to met. He was letting out a breath, shifting to move a few strands of matted, blood-caked hair from her face; trying to ignore the alpha instinct to clean her up. "Es sólo tú y yo, no importa lo que digan. Siempre voy a estar aquí por ti, te lo prometo. Nadie me llevará lejos de ti otra vez. ¿Me crees?"

Shilo

She should have known that Marco would be stronger than that - he'd returned to her from his deployment, despite his injuries. He had worked himself through the new terrain of his life, though emptily and in a way that hurt her to watch, but he had done it. He hadn't given up. He had always been there when she'd needed someone, even though she hadn't wanted to burden him any longer with the trials of her life - they seemed too trivial compared to what he was going through. Still, he'd been there. Somewhere inside of her, she had known that he was stronger than that, and maybe that was how she had managed to stop her tears and find a way to survive, so that one day they could return to one another.

Shilo does not miss the way the light of his laugh does not reach his eyes, and her answering smile was sad, soft in a way that cried for what they had been through. She listened silently to his words, eyes searching his for a moment before she reached up with a small amount of pain, touching her bloody fingers to his hair. Tucking their foreheads together, she smiled, "Hemos sido tú y yo por mucho tiempo, hermano. Te creo.".

Marco

There was an extreme amount of relief with his little sister in his arms. There was a fair amount of guilt, because he had to turn her into something he never even wanted to himself. But; she was alive because of it, and he selfishly would not take it back because of that. He still had her with him because of it.

As she reaches up and brushes against his hair, his smile does soften. Does turn more genuine as his heart aches against his chest. He could almost pretend they were kids again. That Shilo was half his height and innocent. That he didn't know the darkness of the world. That both of their parents were still alive again, and they weren't something more than human. He feels his eyes burn again, but he ignores it, closing his eyes against it as he wraps one hand around her wrist gently. "Te amo princesa," he whispers, hardly audible over the wind in the air.

He needed to move her soon, back to the small camp, but for now he could allow himself to forget the rest of the world was in shambles. Could allow himself to selfishly take solace in the fact that Shilo was with him again; and, because of this, he felt like he could do almost anything.

[rallis-fatalis]

Demons’ Dance

Rallis had had enough of the senseless violence and unwarranted murder. Her friends, her family, her adopted children, all had their share of tragedy by slayers' hands. It was time to end it. The world of monsters needed to be safe again, and for that to happen, someone needed to die.

It was completely dark out, even the moon itself hid behind the shadows, only the smallest sliver of a wicked grin peeking through the night time clouds. The world was as quiet as it was dark, not a single peep breaking the silence. Only the sound of flowing water crashing down a fall in the distance could be heard. That and something small and fast sneaking through the jungly undergrowth near Shilo Village, trying its best to remain undetected. Every rustle of leaves, skittering over fences, and step on creaking wooden floors sounded horribly loud, as if you could hear it continents over. The small something hid well in the black of night, shadowy scaly attire blending it right in with the fuligin background. It made its way up to a bridge hanging over a river, upper floors of two buildings holding it aloft. It cautiously took a step onto the swaying bridge, on high alert for the monster it was looking for that could be around any corner.

Something whizzed through the air and thudded into a wooden post hard, narrowly missing the shadowy figure who had slid out of the way in the nick of time. Embedded in the post was a dart and it reeked of poison. Another figure scoffed in the darkness and made themselves known, stepping into the barest shine of moonlight. It was a tall muscular man, face marked with menacing red tattoos that glowed like a second set of eyes in the darkness. Monstrous red claws of orichalcum covered his hands, marking him as the beast he truly was. "Faster than I thought you'd be," he addressed the shadows.

Emerging from the darkness like smoke was a dragon, covered in form-fitting black scaly attire that concealed her in the shadows of night. Her normally blue face and tail were covered in black smears, some kind of paint to help keep her hidden. The moonlight bounced off her claws, shimmering like expertly sharpened sickles.

"I knew you were a lowly beast," the man continued. "But I thought you had at least a bit more honor than to assassinate someone while they were asleep, Rallis."

The dragon hissed. "Your kind does the same to mine. Maybe I wanted you to feel what it's like to have your life taken away from you with no warning like my friends have, Duradel."

The very sight of the man made her blood boil. Ever since she had first met him, she hated him with every fiber of her being. He was ruthless and cruel and killed creatures without regard. Now after countless months of the slayer master sending his students out to kill her friends, one of which orphaned the seven children she now raised as her own, Rallis had had enough. Her unbridled fury would only be satiated with his death.

Duradel backed away, drawing Rallis closer. The two now stood at opposite ends of the swaying rope bridge, swishing along to the sound of the flowing river below. "Quite the intimidating message you sent me, I must say! 'Your tyranny stops today! You and your slayers will face my judgement!' And heralded by one of my students you maimed so horribly he could never fight again, no less. I didn't know you were into such theatrics."

"It's your final warning. Some of your slayers actually have a brain unlike you. They've listened to my message and left, never to return to the life of a murderer."

"Then I assure you they were not mine," he snorted. "I don't train children who wet their pants at the sight of a scrawny blue lizard." Rallis hissed at the insult. "Maybe they belonged to my pupil, or that snobby rich woman who would rather drink with gnomes than fight, but I can assure you my slayers will still fight and fight and fight."

"Then maybe I'll just kill their master," she snarled.

He shook his head. "Oh Rallis, if you had even the slightest chance at killing me, I'm sure I would be dead by now. But as it stands, I'm very much here, and you're the one quaking in your boots trying to kill me in my sleep you're too scared to fight me. No, tonight you die, not me. I hope you've said your goodbyes because I intend to add another blue dragon to my kill count."

Rallis screeched and lunged forward, closing the gap in a split second. A lesser opponent would find themselves bleeding from the neck then and there, but Duradel was fast. He knew how to fight a monster or two, no matter how big or small. He predicted Rallis to immediately go for his throat, crossing his claws in front of him and catching Rallis on the mouth. She howled in rage as she bit down, unable to chew through the claws and earning herself a nasty gash across her snout and down her cheek from the corner of her mouth. Duradel leaned back and kicked her in the stomach, sending her sprawling on the bridge. She landed hunched and snarling on all fours like a wild animal.

Rallis zipped toward him, a blur of shadow against the darkness, and this time aimed for his leg. She didn't quite appreciate being kicked. Duradel leapt up, leaving Rallis to snap at air, and slammed down on her back. She huffed as he crushed her against the now wildly swaying bridge. With all her might, the dragon threw the man off and turned around to claw him, but he was already gone, striking up a stance at the end of the bridge and a safe distance from her. Rallis whined at how the fight was going. She wasn't used to fighting something so fast. Nothing out sped her!

"You're not very good at this, are you?" Duradel goaded. Rallis snarled and lunged at him again, only to be grabbed mid lunge and slammed into the bridge. Boards cracked under the force, driving wooden splinters into her back. "You're so predictable, lizard!" he growled and slashed at her. She held an arm up to guard her, red metal claws ripping through her sleeve and arm nearly to the bone. The force broke the floorboards even more, dragon now dangling over the river as she held onto the cracking bridge with one hand. Duradel smirked as he set to stomp down on her hand and throw her into the current, but just as soon as he thought of the plan, she was gone.

Like an acrobat, Rallis grabbed onto the ropes connecting the underside of the bridge, swung behind Duradel while out of sight, and launched herself over the woven handrail and back onto the topside of the bridge. The man had little time to dodge, only backing away a step with his left arm up to guard as Rallis opened wide to bite down, grabbing onto his arm and chomping down full force. Duradel choked down a cry as he felt her teeth snap bone. He may have taken a damaging blow, but now Rallis was wide open, and the strike he could retaliate with would be far more serious. Duradel roared as her brought his good arm down on her, raking his claws all the way from her left shoulder, down across her chest, and finishing with a flourish by her right side under her rib cage. Rallis let go of his arm in shock, staggering back as blood began to soak her shirt. Taking advantage of the situation, Duradel rammed into her chest full force, causing her to cough up blood and throw her over the side of the bridge and into the swift current below. He grit his teeth as he listened to the splash and watched her shadow disappear into the watery depths. He grabbed his broken arm and smiled. "Good riddance you filthy monster."

...

.....

........

The water crashed as Rallis broke the surface of the river, gasping for air. She managed a single blood choked breath before being yanked under the water once more. The water twisted and twirled her like a bratty child trying to destroy their newest toy, bashing her head against the rocks on the riverbed and slamming her full force into the hardy root-lined banks. Every chance she was graced with air she spent more time choking out blood and water than actually gaining anything to breathe with. She was lightheaded and freezing, the blood loss and ice cold water sapping her energy. She couldn't even think of fighting the currents to breach the surface.

With one final smack against a rock, Rallis found herself hurtling down a rapid frothing flow, the waterfall farther down river of Shilo. She hurtled down the fall and smacked against the water's surface, sinking beneath the tumbling water of the falls. The pain was too much, she couldn't even breathe anymore, going limp in the murky depths. The current brought her to the surface, carrying her along like a leaf, and deposited her on a low part of the bank. The water tugged at her tail, trying to carry along on another journey, but she didn't budge. Water and blood trickled out of her mouth slowly before rushing out as she hacked and coughed everything out of her lungs. With a final gurgling wad of blood, she gasped. Air never felt more wonderful yet painful. Every breath wracked her chest with pain, like nails were being hammered into her.

She tried to stand and carry herself out of the freezing water, but she hadn't the strength. She settled for crawling, gripping the grass and jungly undergrowth and pulling herself onto drier land. Her bloodied arm throbbed in protest, pain and crimson gushing out of the claw mark from the force of her pulling. Streaks of blood painted the grass as she dragged herself along, gasping in pain at every little movement. Trails of watery black trickled into her eyes, dragon hissing and shaking the dripping black face paint off. With one last pull forward, she collapsed a panting mess, blood beginning to trickle out of her mouth once more. Everything hurt. Her head and limbs from the bangs against the rocky riverbed, her arm from the slash from Duradel, her back from being stepped on, but her chest felt like it was being torn open and rifled through.

With a groan, she found the strength to lift herself from the ground and assess the damage. Her shirt was more a formality at this point, torn to shreds and hanging on by a thread. The demolished front crumbled away as she tugged at it. The moonlight illuminated the damage and she nearly passed out then and there from the sight. Her entire torso was red, blood painting every scale and dripping onto the ground beneath her. Bits of white poked through the red, glimpses of bone. The sight nearly made her retch, coughing up spit and blood as the pain rushed back tenfold. She shakily put a hand to her chest and gasped at how painful the simple touch was, collapsing back onto the grass and beginning to hyperventilate and panic. Everything hurt, she couldn't move, everything was too cold and painful and horrible. She didn't know what to do. She'd never been this hurt before. At least when the mourners attacked her, she passed out almost immediately and hardly felt a thing. But this? She felt everything, the blood pouring onto the grass under her, the bone scratching her claws as she gasped for breath, every bit of warmth leaving as the cold air and water worked against her. She felt herself dying. And she was scared out of her mind.

Her other hand shakily felt her pants pocket, trying to find the teleport tablet she brought with her for escape. No luck. It must have fallen out in the river. Her vision started to blur, tiredness and tears clouding her sight. She didn't want to fall asleep now, she was too scared. She didn't know if she would wake up afterward. And she had to wake up, she had to! She couldn't fall asleep, she had to stay awake, she had to... had to... not... sleep...

Rallis couldn't keep it up any longer. Her eyes fell shut against her will. She fell unconscious with tears trickling down her face, furious and heartbroken that she couldn't give her friends the revenge they deserved, and hoping her children weren't about to be orphaned again.

[split-n-splice]

TCYK flavored smut, wouldn’t count it as something that actually happens. Probably not the first time, but also probably still getting used to each other. Hiding my shame below the cut - and also I’ll be hiding shamefully forever now, thank you.

WARNING: Rated M

Love Bites Burns

It happened fast. Light teasing turned into playful kissing, and playful kissing turned into heavy petting and clothes becoming too confining and hot to be in. Stripping turned into being dropped down onto the bed while an equally naked man climbed over her.

Now Shilo lay on her back, sucking in a breath with her eyes skewed shut, squirming beneath Drakken despite her effort to stay still as the tip of him pressed against her intimately. She was braced for the worst though the heat pooling at her hips yearned for the best.

“Shilo?”

“It’s fine,” she breathed out. “Keep going.” When he’d impishly asked if she wanted to have sex, she’d already given him a clear “Sure” – so what was the holdup?

“Can you look at me?”

She cracked one eye open, and then the other, gazing up at him in the dim glow cast from the bathroom. She licked her lips and let her gaze stray downward, glancing to the side to his hands stroking her thighs and hips until braving looking down to the space between them where their bodies were just shy of joining.

“I’m fine,” she repeated.

“You’re tense.”

“I’m—”

She didn’t get to object. Drakken bent over her, coming to a rest on his elbows. His body weighed down on hers as lightly as he could as his eyes made an inquiry. She didn’t realize she’d been gripping the blanket beneath her until she had to unclench her fists and reach to hold his face. Happy to taste him again, she hummed against his lips and invited him in to tease her with his tongue and send a new rush down her spine. A low sound escaped him as he shifted eagerly against her.

His sweet kisses trailing down her neck, and Shilo discovered herself relaxing, putty in his hands as he kneaded and stroked her. Her knees squeezed his hips in a clumsy effort to guide him into position. Drakken wasn’t getting the hint – or at least ignoring it until Shilo reached between them. He hissed at her touch as she positioned him herself, and obliged to her impatience with a rock of his hips as he dipped into her. The small motion drew a sharp gasp from Shilo and sent her hands flying back to her sides, clutching the covers once again.

Drakken reared up onto his elbows again, staring down into her eyes. She met them without hesitation this time. “Shilo,” he began, almost chiding.

“I’m fine, Dr. D,” she swore. She gawped down between their bodies and couldn’t help cracking a smile. “Make that D stand for something, ‘kay?”

He shifted almost involuntarily at her command, slipping in deeper as he swooped down for a distracting kiss that had him humming against her lips. “Hmm, sounds good to me,” he purred. With Shilo’s arms slipping around his neck, he smiled down at her contentedly as he carefully rolled his hips to the motion of the ocean. His breath hitched at her squeezes down below and he winced as her nails dug into his skin, but Shilo’s soft sighs and plea to continue had him picking it up a notch in short order.

When she didn’t have her eyes screwed shut in concentration, fingers twitching and palms warm against his skin, she was peering up through her lashes and cracking gentle smiles until he couldn’t hold himself back from kissing it off her face, much to her evident delight – until her conscious effort to keep sparks of plasma out of the mix took precedence again.

She soon relaxed enough to loosen her grip on him until she slid her hands down to hold his arms as his hips rocked her. Nearing his threshold too soon, Drakken took the chance to slip away, barely catching his breath as he kissed down her navel.

“Drew,” Shilo whined hoarsely, scowling weakly down at him as he wrapped his arms around her legs and shifted to rest more comfortably on his side. He grinned against one thigh as he caught her glance dart to his stiffy waiting for her.

“Just want to make sure your appetite is sated, my dear,” he playfully crooned, pushing his glasses back up his nose. He paused as he inched closer to her center, her intoxicating scents reeling him in. His mouth watered and he had to gulp before he could ask, “Is this alright – I mean—?”

Shilo blinked down at him, propped up on an elbow, and he could see something click by the realization flickering in her eyes. One hand carefully unwound, yet again, from the bed sheets, running through his hair as she gave him a gentle nudge in reply. She was speechless and barely managed a four letter word as Drakken dipped lower to take a cautious taste before indulging in her. Her hands tangled in his hair and her heels pressed into his back were demanding and he gladly obliged.

Wet, writhing, and all but caterwauling to his ministrations, she was unfathomably the best thing that had ever happened to him in that moment. He smirked in satisfaction as she lay glistening with the eruption of beads of radium-green sweat, heaving for breath as her grip on him relaxed. One lick for the road at her sensitive region earned some mild burns on his shoulders, but he was too drunk on her to feel it as he crawled back over her.

Hazily wishing his glasses weren’t so fogged up so he could see her clearly, he pressed his forehead to hers and was pleasantly surprised by her greedy sloppy kiss. She squirmed a little, but her body readily accepted him back as he slipped in to start from the top. Her arms were back around him and her smile was pressed to his cheek, her giggle music to his ears as he worked his magic to relieve himself of his own tension burning in his loins.

Coiling up and coming undone at the same time, Drakken barely issued a garbled warning and made a halfhearted attempt to back off when his time came. Shilo wasn’t keen on heeding it, her affectionate embrace still tight around him, and when he seized with teeth scraping against her shoulder, he swore her legs locked him in closer as he fell from heaven and into her.

Spent at the hips and his back chilled with sweat, Drakken relaxed into her with a dreamy hum. His chest swelled and he wished it was enough to will his love to pour into her, because he swore he was on the brink of overflowing. He didn’t dare let the words slip from his lips as he licked the mark he’d left on her body and shifted to place careful kisses over her face and lips.

Once Shilo had had enough of being crushed to the mattress beneath him, she released him and gave him a gentle shove, and Drakken took his cue to roll off onto his side, sure to hold onto her and hold her close a moment more as he captured her lips in another contented kiss. He peeled away enough to try to get a better look at her, and before he could fix them himself, Shilo reached up to set his crooked glasses straight. He smirked, a light chuckle bubbling up as he reached across in turn to stroke her messy hair back out of her face.

“We should do this again sometime,” he whispered, as if there was any reason to keep their voices down now. He’d forgotten all about the stream channeled through his room or how well sound carried down the tunnels of the aqueduct.

Shilo smirked and thumped her knuckles once against his chest. “We will,” she assured. Her hand spread across his chest then, over his heart, and Drakken watched as her afterglow began to fade like a candle at the end of its wick. Her hand trailed along his side, and he didn’t expect her to mutter, “Did I get you too bad?”

“Hmm?”

Before he could form a coherent question, she’s shifted, and all but smashed him down to the bed to forcibly take a gander as his back. He heard her hiss, and he shoved against the bed to lie on his side once again. “It’s fine,” he said. Surely she knew he was lying through his teeth for her benefit, just as he’d known she was earlier.

“Drew—”

He grunted. “It’s Drakken,” he corrected, not especially eager to revert back to such a domestic and intimate name. He kicked and tugged at the blankets until he could pull them over himself, throwing them over Shilo as well. He nodded to the clock at the head of the bed. “Also, it’s late, so—”

“Tsh. Didn’t take you for a wham, bam, thank ya, ma’am, kinda dude,” she teased meanly, giving his hair a tousle.

He grabbed at her then, straining not to grimace in pain as he rolled onto his back. Shilo obliged at his grappling with her hips, coming to straddle his waist. He beckoned her down and took a moment to cherish her soft lips on his before whispering a wry promise, “Get to know me, and you’ll see that’s not how I am at all.”

Her naked body torturously pressed against him as her weight bore down over him. The sex injury was leagues worse than rug burn or scratches, but he didn’t let her see the undue pain she inflicted on his scorched back by lying on him. She stared at him, almost daring him to cry out or scrunch his face, but when he kept his composure, she licked her lips and bashfully looked down to his chest, swirling a finger above his heart. She kissed the spot then and nuzzled into his neck before giving a contented sigh.

After a minute, Shilo finally relieved him of excess pain by sliding off to the side and resting her head on the pillow beside his face, close enough to bump his nose against hers when he turned to smile back at her. She pulled off his glasses to set them on the shelf above for safe keeping before her hand resumed stroking his chest above his heart. “I would like to get to know you,” she whispered. The motion ceased so she could cover a yawn. “So no more secrets, okay?”

He nodded and blindly gave her lips a peck. “Deal.”

Even if his arm was quickly going numb beneath her, Drakken was happy so long as she was curled up against him. He remained awake though, staring at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling of his cavernous bedroom, and once his partner’s breathing had slowed, he dared to whisper up into the dark the truth that was becoming painfully ever more obvious, “I love you.”

 A/N

YES I’M CORNY AND HAD TO SLIP IN AN ILU. SUE ME.