Post by ShadaAntoinette on May 25, 2010 3:34:41 GMT -5
"I'm leaving here." Shada told Niya, later, when they had gone back to the house.
"Leaving? Why?" She asked her, confused.
"All I've done is make trouble for you and your family, and I'd like not to do that any longer." She frowned, looking down at her paws, a dark look in her eyes.
"What are you talking about? Cause trouble? You've done nothing wrong!" Shada didn't answer, she couldn't tell her what had happened, the reason she and Vik were here in the first place. It would break Niya's heart. Instead, she looked up at the woman and gave her a soft smile.
"I wish I could tell you, but I can't. There are just some things about me that are unbelievable, even for one as accepting as you are, Niya. I mean that as your friend." Shada stood up, closing the spell book that rested on her lap.
"What can't you tell me? What is wrong with you? Have you forgotten what I told you? You can tell me anything!" Shada shook her head.
"Not this time. Look, you're already more advanced than most Fledglings your age, and I think you will do well on your own. If you need my help, you can call for me, I already told you how that works. But I have to go. I just have to."
"Shada... please, just tell me what's going on. I want to understand."
"I know you do, which just makes it harder for me to resist. I promise, I'll come back and see you some day, and I'm just a scream away, you know that. But I have to go, continue my journey, where ever I may end up. I'll never forget you, Niya, you or your wonderful family. Tell Vik I'm sorry." With her last words, she was out of the window and into the night, Niya's shouting her name still ringing in her ears.
It hurt, she could admit that. But it had to be done. Max had been a weak foe, but if Azazel was somehow sniffing around, that meant trouble and she didn't want to risk her friend and her family, or even Vik. He, for certain, was going to be pissed that she left, Shada was aware of that. Especially after.... She swallowed hard and kept going, blinking back the tears. She tried to tell herself that it was for the best, but it didn't matter, she still felt like a total bitch for leaving the way she had; in the middle of the night, with barely an explanation to even her Fledgling, who was going to be worried about her, their being friends aside. The bond she'd given her, through blood was going to make it worse.
She stopped a mile later and cried, releasing all of her emotions again, until she was empty, the calm, foreboding empty that made her dangerous to malevolent people. But she had to keep going. She had no other choice this time. With miles between them, perhaps she would find comfort in knowing they were safe, out of danger. And she could write to Niya where ever it was she ended up. She just had to keep telling herself everything was better if she left. If nothing else, she could tell herself that.
Her foot slipped as she jumped the wet, moss covered rock in the creek, making her fall and smash her shin. Cursing loudly, she quickly regained her footing, already wet from the countless other times she had fallen in, and her irritation for the place she was currently was wearing on her. If it weren't for the fact she wasn't able to Trace to places she'd never been before, she surely would have already. This was just torture, slow, agonizing torture. But she'd chosen this, so she was going to have to live with it, even if she was positively hating herself for it.
"Cheer up, Shada. You did it to protect them. Just think of what could have happened if you hadn't? All of them might have been killed, us included. What's worse, dying at the hands of that psycho, or getting wet because you fell in the creek?" Liir said, using her mouth to speak.
"At this point, I'd rather be dead. This is infuriating."
"Come now, you don't mean that, I know better! You're glad to know they'll be safe and you know it. You can't lie to me when I can read your thoughts."
"Liir, I'm not in the mood right now, okay? It's bad enough I can't stand on these rocks, but you're making me loose my-- Ah!" She slipped again, busting her chin on a rock, which cracked her teeth together, biting straight through her tongue and falling back into the water. "Ahhh, ahhh!" She started screaming, well, as good as she could since she bit through her tongue. She managed to wade through the chest high water to the other bank, where she shook herself dry and spat out a mouth full of blood, as well as the tip of her serpentine tongue. She started to cry from frustration, spitting blood. Could her day get any worse? Honestly? She kicked the nearest rock, which hurt really bad, and made the rock explode into pebbles. Damn it all! She spat again, then just let her ruined tongue hang out of her mouth; the blood running freely now. This sucked. So is this what she deserved for deserting her friends when she was trying to save their lives? She could understand it if she'd done something wrong, but she hadn't. Not by her standards anyway. Sure, she'd left Vik high and dry, but she was sure that he would okay, a little hurt, but for the most part okay.
She rose and started walking again, ignoring the dull ache in her tongue, which would go away as soon as she fed again, o slower with time. She didn't feel like eating though, so she would be mute for a while. It didn't matter anyway, if she wanted to talk to Liir, she could just thought speak to her, it was the same thing. Twigs snapped beneath her paws as she moved on, listening to the calming sounds of nature. It was kind of peaceful, and it made her forget about everything that had happened, leaving her mind blessedly empty of all though. If she came upon an animal, she smiled briefly and moved on. A town, she briskly made her way through, making sure to drop a quick note to Niya in a mailbox as she went, telling the woman not to worry about her. And that kept her moving for as long as she could, stopping to rest and sleep once and a while, feeding whenever she started to ache for it. A nomad, she thought of herself with a slight smile. Living off what nature could give her, avoiding all other life. She wanted nothing to do with anyone anymore, which suited her just fine, really. Solitary was how she liked it; Hell, she'd spent a lot of her life by herself, more or less, anyway, so it came almost second nature. She just made sure she didn't cross paths with water she had to cross, which included creeks, ponds, rivers and lakes. Less of an irritation that way.
She's just crossed into a new territory, or state, as she could tell by the sign she'd seen a while back. Wesrt Virginia, it was called. She'd never heard of it, but then, she'd never been here before, so it was only natural that she'd be confused. Still, there was literally miles of street to walk, and she was only in this city. People looked at her strangely, cars honked at her, people shouted, the over all noise drove her nuts. How could Mortals live like this? It was overwhelming. Big cities bothered her, but as long as she stuck in relatively the same direction, she might have been able to find a quiet place that didn't make her want to rip her ears off.
"Shada!" The voice called to her, above the noise, which made her turn. How many others would have the same name as her, in this strange place? Her green eyes darted around, and saw no one of whom she recognized, so she hurriedly walked down the street, feeling like a fool. Apparently her name was common here, since the voice insistently kept calling. She wasn't fooled enough to turn around again, knowing she would see nothing, for a second time. "Hey! Wait up?" She fought herself, but the voice sounded really familiar. "Hetu-- Hey buddy, fuck you!" She hid a snicker, listening, having stopped at the sound of her other name, her Demon name. She turned, and finally saw the silver-white head amid the sea of others and her eyes darkened. Vik. He had found her. He came running up to her, his good eye shimmering with exhaustion.
"How did you know where I was, Vik?" Her voice was void of all emotion.
"Why did you leave?" He asked, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. She stared at him.
"I had to. You all were in danger." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What, you don't think I could hold my own? Sheesh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Shada." He gave her a grin, which made her start to. She frowned and shook her head to clear it.
"It's not a joke, Vik. I couldn't stop him and I'm strong, what the Hell makes you think you could?"
"Shada..." He began, she cut him off.
"No, Vik. I'm serious. He went after Niya, and while he merely tried to talk her into hating me, I wouldn't put it past him to come back and finish what he started." He frowned.
"Who is this he we're talking about? Surely it's not Max, I mean, I kicked the guy's ass once. I could do it again in a heartbeat." She shook her head again.
"No, Vik, we're talking about my ex Mate.. husband, as you would call him here." He nodded slowly.
"I didn't know you were married before."
"Well I was. And this," She gestured to herself. "Is why I had to leave. He did this to me and tried to kill me. What would stop him from killing all of you? Nothing. I did it to protect you. I'm sorry I left you without a word, but you have to understand what I was thinking at the time."
"Whatever it is, we can get through it together."
"No. We can't. I'm not going to let you do that."
"Shada, I want to help you.."
"You can't help me! No one can help me. Why can't you just understand that? My Gods... I feel like I'm talking to Liir!" She growled low in her throat, which made people around her restless as they passed. She gave them no attention and neither did Vik, who was growing angry.
"You came into my life and expect me not to try and help you, Shada? Would you really deny me the chance to try?"
"I have no choice, Vik. I don't know why you can't see that." She looked away, tears welling in her eyes. "Just let me go and forget about me, okay? I'm not worth fussing over."
"You're wrong." He grabbed her arms, which made her look at him. "You're worth fussing over, and so much more. You just refuse to trust in anyone, and I understand. But please, don't just leave without giving me a chance, Shada."
"Vik..." She couldn't even form the words at that moment. He kissed her then, which surprised the Hell out of her. When he pulled away from her, her eyes had turned an engaging shade of pink. She gave him a look that was brimming with sadness. "I... can't. I just can't." She pulled out of his grip and took a step back. "I can't, Vik."
"Shada.. wait..." He could tell she was about to leave again. "Just talk to me." She couldn't speak, so she just shook her head.
"Just go home and forget about me, Vik." She whispered, a bloody tear tracking down her cheek as she turned and fled him again.
It hurt, it really did, and she knew he was never going to forgive her for that. She knew it. Thinking about it now, hours later, she realized that she'd never asked him again how he knew where she was heading. She could have gone to any city, and yet he managed to find her. But it was too late for that now, she was miles away, in a city called Charleston. It was another big city, the loud, irritating kind, but at this point, she wasn't picky. She didn't care what was going on around her, she was so stuck on how his face looked when she'd told him to forget her. She'd hurt him really bad, and it wasn't something she was going to forget about anytime soon, that was for sure. And this time, convincing herself that it was for the better wasn't helping, despite her trying. Nothing was going to make this feeling go away, she'd come to that realization some time ago, which made her sad and irritable, not a good combination when around Mortals, who wanted nothing to do with you and looked at you as if you were a specimen. Someone bumped into her kind of hard, and when she looked up the man was staring at her, phone in hand.
"I... I...I'm sorry." He said, stumbling over his words. She let out a growl.
"What the Fuck are you staring at, Human?" She snapped.
"N-Nothing, miss. Nothing."
"Then get out of here." She lifted her lip to show him her pointed teeth. He nearly fell trying to do what she asked, briefcase forgotten where it had tumbled when he hit her. She picked it up and tossed it after him, clipping him in the back with it; he went down in a tumble of arms and legs. She turned away, continuing down the street, while the passersby stopped to help him up. Whatever.
She stopped to eat a while later, trying some of what she'd heard the Mortals call 'fast food'. Her foreign mind didn't understand the term, but Hell, the whole damned place was one big mystery to her, so there was no use trying to understand all at one time.
After freaking out the people inside the establishment, she got whatever she'd asked for, free of charge, they'd made sure to tell her several times before she'd left, though she'd left money for them anyway, she finally ate. It was different than anything she'd ever had but it had a good taste to it, so she was hooked. Cheese burger... hmmm, she would have to remember that later. Not quite full, even with the cheese burgers in her system, she went on to try some other places. At each place she was treated the same, except for one place, but then they spoke a language similar to what she'd grown up around so she didn't feel threatened... up until a man from the back came at her with a meat cleaver, in which she left money on the counter, took her food and left. There was no sense in getting killed over food, even though it tasted better than the cheese burgers had. She hadn't caught the name of it, not in the flurry of words the workers spoke to each other. It had left her confused. Still, with a full belly, she was content with all of the walking she was going to do. She still didn't know where she was going to end up, she just knew she was going where ever she wanted to, as far away from Niya and the others as she could get, so that they would be safe. Anywhere, as long as they were safe, that was all that mattered to her.
She was on a highway when she got the rush of pain that ran from her head, down her back and out of each other nerve endings. The hair stood on the back of her neck and she let out a low wail, the emotions running though her. Something was wrong, she could literally feel it.
"Niya... she calls to you, Shada. We have to go back, now." Shada couldn't say anything, she just Traced blindly. That's all she could do. If something was that bad, that through their bond, she could feel that pain, hurt and sorrow, it was worth it. Had to be.
Immediately, she was standing next to Niya, who was crying, her face buried in her husband's chest. It took her a moment to see that they were outside, in the gardens and there was someone lying in her grass.
"Niya..." She said, her eyes going to the blood stained white garments before her, the once glowing blue stone having turned dull and listless. "W-what happened?" This wasn't happening! She'd just saw Vik two weeks ago, and he was alive! How did this....?
"I don't know! We just found him like this. He told us he knew where you were heading and that he was going to find you, and now... he's dead!" She wailed. Jean Pierre just looked at Shada, as if blaming her. It didn't matter, she already blamed herself for this. She went on her knees beside the body, devoid of emotion.
"....Shada, you're crushing me." His voice surprised her; she jumped up and looked at him, sadness in her eyes.
"Vik.. I'm so sorry..."
"It's not your fault, I just wanted to help you, so I..." He coughed up some blood, which made her grimace. "I just wanted to tell you I love you before I... you know."
"No, Vik. Don't say that. Let me help you." She said, lifting his head. "I could heal you, I could fix this!" He smiled at her.
"Let it go, Shada. It's my time to go, you know that. Not even Turning me at this point would help. I'm too far gone." Tears misted her vision now.
"Vik... don't go..." She laid her head on his chest again, shaking. "Don't die."
"Let me go, Shada. Just let me..." His clear blue eye dimmed as the light left it and he finally died. Tears streaming down her face, she looked up at the sky and shrieked, a sound that could be heard for miles. She'd let this happen by not returning with him! She'd caused this.... No. She knew. She knew who did this, even at this particular moment she couldn't smell him, she knew who'd done this to Vik. And she was going to get her revenge. Laying Vik's head down, she got up, fire in her eyes. She was suddenly really hot, and angry. She turned her gaze to Jean Pierre and Niya.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I know what happened here. And I'm going to right a wrong." With that, she thought about Max's home and Traced there directly, leaving behind smoking, scorched grass where her paws had been.
His house stood before her suddenly; the street was quiet except for a select few birds that chirped in the trees. It was just coming on dusk, and some of the lights were on in the windows, letting her know that someone was there. Rage boiled beneath her flesh, her eyes pulsed black, then violet as she gazed up at the house. Oh, he was going to pay. She started to heat further, the flames glowing dully against the front of the house. She just stood there, allowing her fires to jump, catching the grass around her on fire, watching as it spread along the ground to the house. Max killed Vik... Vik was dead.... and soon, so would be Max. She'd had enough. She screamed, causing the fires to rage higher, burning brighter and hotter. She enjoyed watching the house burn, wanting Max to feel what she felt. She wanted him to regret bothering with her in the first place! And he would, oh he would. One way or another, he would regret it. The shutters and the siding blackened, melting some, but for the most part just blackening. A window blew, from the second story; she watched to see if someone would come out, but no one did, so she stood there, content in watching the bastard's house burn to the ground, hopefully with him inside. There still had been no sign of him not being there, so there was hope he'd die inside. There was nothing like a house burning that made one feel better, and this was no exception. Her fires burned bright and hot for this occasion.
She stood there until she could hear sirens; they were far away, but she could still here them coming and she didn't need to be here. She started to spin in a circle, faster, faster, until she was a blur of motion and fire as she moved before the ball of fire exploded, the heat waves blowing in all directions, and she was off. Her vengeance, her hotter than everything vengeance had been achieved and that son of a bitch was dead.
Her feet hit the ground in the exact same spot she'd been standing in before she'd gone back to Niya. She felt like shit, but she forced herself to continue. Vik was dead.... Max was now dead... and it was her fault. Her fault. She wasn't going to get over that anytime soon, she knew that. She hit her hands and knees, legs giving out on her. She couldn't do it, she just couldn't. A sound made her lift her head, ears cocking in that directly, opposite the road. It sounded like a spring. She had all of two seconds to roll out of the way as a dagger came at her, stabbing into the ground.
"What the--?" She let out a growl, one that sounded a menacing as she could muster. "Who's there?" There wasn't a sound, and she listened hard for one. But there was nothing. Turning, she ripped the dagger out of the ground and looked at it. It was about as big as her paw, with a finely crafted blade; a swirl pattern was engraved on the blade. It looked more like a letter opener than an actual dagger, but that was just the thought that ran through her mind. She clutched it in her paw, looking up again, anger burning in her eyes. "Show yourself." She commanded. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. She waited a few more moments before she moved on, tucking the dagger into the waistband of her shorts, the last thing she'd put on after assuming this form again. "I guess I got a new blade." She turned and moved on down the highway, irritation rolling through her. She had to keep going, even if it killed her now. Max's pettiness aside, she had to protect the rest of them. Had to. Nothing else mattered to her, except that anymore, not even herself.
She had just come across the New York sign. The climb had been Hell, but she was here, so it didn't matter. She wondered how far she could go before she reached the ocean, which was something she wanted to see, for no particular reason at all, just some change of scenery.
Walking had made her stronger inside and out, muscles aside. She'd come to the realization some time ago that it was better that she stick to herself, lest she cause more harm to others, as she had done to Niya and her family. It just wasn't fair to anyone if she bothered to push her problems off of them, and Azazel was a problem. As long as she was by herself, away from everyone and anyone, nothing bad would happen that she was the direct cause of. And that way, her conscience would no longer be conflicted as it had been for the last few weeks. She wasn't going to keep putting people in danger.
She entered another city, keeping to the back streets, the lesser traveled parts of town. Anything to make her time there shorter until she got to the countryside again. At least there she would have some time to clear her mind before having to enter another town. It just didn't come soon enough.
Rolling grasslands and fields gave way to spots of forests, and wide spaced farm homes. She enjoyed the breezes, the little spouts of rain that pelted her, the beauty of the scenes around her. It was almost too much for words. She smiled for the first time in weeks, feeling as if the weights that had been impressed upon her had lifted, or at least shifted on top of her. She was somewhat happy and it felt good. She started to sing, letting her voice carry through the air. A woeful sound came from the woods off to her right, which made her curious. Curious enough to go and see what it was, in fact. Her bare paws made nary a sound on the cool grass as she moved, sniffing the air, keeping her eyes and ears open. Another screeching sound hit her ears, a long way off. The distant sounds of steel surprised her, but she pressed on, running now, wanting to know what was going on. She had to know, to satisfy that little part of her that longed to know everything that went on in the world.
By the time she got there, bodies lay strewn everywhere, but that was it. No one living was still there, but a strange, lingering scent still remained, and it was a familiar one, though she hadn't smelled it in a long, long time. Confused, she followed it, though at this distance she was likely to lose it before she found the source. Trudging along, she started to sing again, watching where she was stepped, though it did little good. Clumsy Shada, she tripped over an exposed tree root and fell flat on her face. With a hiss and a slight groan, she pushed herself up until she could turn and sit, looking at her feet. No harm, no foul, everything was good. She tried to stand and pain rocketed up her legs; she hurriedly sat back down, growling curses at herself. How on earth was she going to trip and fall over a root? Ancient as hell, and she still couldn't walk upright like she was supposed to. A damned shame. She rubbed her ankle, whispering her charm to heal herself. There, done. She was able to stand up then and walk, so she did. She'd lost the scent, as she'd thought she would. Eh, wasn't that important in the first place, she'd found out what half of the noises were... that's all that mattered to her. She started to go back the way she'd come, and froze, scenting the air. Why did she...? She turned again, taking a few more steps in that direction, feeling the strong urge to head that way... and wasn't sure if she should. Something was odd, especially if she smelled several scents she recognized. It wasn't something she was particularly used to... when she'd met them in different places. In the end, curiosity won over her instincts, thus she headed in the direction the scent was coming from.
Eventually she came upon a big house, a manor, really, with the size of it. She was surprised to see such a big house so far away from town. It was too nice to have been abandoned though... so it confused her and intrigued her all the more.
"Another coincidence, eh?" Her eyes darted, coming upon the huge man she had met a long time ago. He chuckled, seeing the confused look on her face.
"Well, it has to be obvious that it has to be, I mean, come on, I'd see you coming." She laughed. "What are you doing here, anyways?"
"What are you doing here, is a better question." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"I asked you first."
"Touche. I stumbled across this place. I'm sure you found the corpses." She nodded.
"I thought it was you I smelled." She studied him for a moment. He was covered in blood, which wasn't as obvious over his fur, but his clothes were covered and he reeked of death. She discreetly wrinkled her nose. "Okay... so what do we do?"
"We can either stand here and look stupid staring at each other, or we can find out who lives here." He said, violet eyes appraising her lazily, almost bored.
"Good point." The door opened as she spoke, and the scent of Vampire wafted over to her. Oh... hello, she knew that scent. She flicked her gaze to the door, expecting to see Rayflo, and didn't. Instead she saw another... one she also knew, but his name was... Oh Hell, what was his name? Her eyes narrowed and she bit her lip, thinking.
"Alistor!" That's what his name was!
"Uh....hi?" He looked at her strangely.
"You don't recognize me, I take it." She smirked and waved her hand over her head, changing at least that portion of her body back to the way he would have recognized her. "Recognize me now?" He stared at her some more and she merely dropped her hand, magick gone. "My name is Shada."
"Oh.. right, right, I knew that." His eyebrows furrowed again, and she sighed. She gave up. "Anyways, what are you two doing out here?" Shada shrugged, looking up at the house again.
"These woods belong to you?" She asked, still looking up at the house."
"Yea they do..." It sounded like he wanted to add more to that, but she turned a deaf ear.
"I'm just out and about." She said, noncommittally. "Roaming, if you want to call it that." He nodded in her direction as she moved around, looking at the manor, missing what he said to her.
"Hmm?"
"I said you two are welcome to stay here." He repeated. She nodded, still scoping the house.
"Thank you, Alistor." She said, smiling a bit.
"Yea, yea just don't break anything." She rolled her eyes as he turned away from them, going into the house.
"Leaving? Why?" She asked her, confused.
"All I've done is make trouble for you and your family, and I'd like not to do that any longer." She frowned, looking down at her paws, a dark look in her eyes.
"What are you talking about? Cause trouble? You've done nothing wrong!" Shada didn't answer, she couldn't tell her what had happened, the reason she and Vik were here in the first place. It would break Niya's heart. Instead, she looked up at the woman and gave her a soft smile.
"I wish I could tell you, but I can't. There are just some things about me that are unbelievable, even for one as accepting as you are, Niya. I mean that as your friend." Shada stood up, closing the spell book that rested on her lap.
"What can't you tell me? What is wrong with you? Have you forgotten what I told you? You can tell me anything!" Shada shook her head.
"Not this time. Look, you're already more advanced than most Fledglings your age, and I think you will do well on your own. If you need my help, you can call for me, I already told you how that works. But I have to go. I just have to."
"Shada... please, just tell me what's going on. I want to understand."
"I know you do, which just makes it harder for me to resist. I promise, I'll come back and see you some day, and I'm just a scream away, you know that. But I have to go, continue my journey, where ever I may end up. I'll never forget you, Niya, you or your wonderful family. Tell Vik I'm sorry." With her last words, she was out of the window and into the night, Niya's shouting her name still ringing in her ears.
It hurt, she could admit that. But it had to be done. Max had been a weak foe, but if Azazel was somehow sniffing around, that meant trouble and she didn't want to risk her friend and her family, or even Vik. He, for certain, was going to be pissed that she left, Shada was aware of that. Especially after.... She swallowed hard and kept going, blinking back the tears. She tried to tell herself that it was for the best, but it didn't matter, she still felt like a total bitch for leaving the way she had; in the middle of the night, with barely an explanation to even her Fledgling, who was going to be worried about her, their being friends aside. The bond she'd given her, through blood was going to make it worse.
She stopped a mile later and cried, releasing all of her emotions again, until she was empty, the calm, foreboding empty that made her dangerous to malevolent people. But she had to keep going. She had no other choice this time. With miles between them, perhaps she would find comfort in knowing they were safe, out of danger. And she could write to Niya where ever it was she ended up. She just had to keep telling herself everything was better if she left. If nothing else, she could tell herself that.
Her foot slipped as she jumped the wet, moss covered rock in the creek, making her fall and smash her shin. Cursing loudly, she quickly regained her footing, already wet from the countless other times she had fallen in, and her irritation for the place she was currently was wearing on her. If it weren't for the fact she wasn't able to Trace to places she'd never been before, she surely would have already. This was just torture, slow, agonizing torture. But she'd chosen this, so she was going to have to live with it, even if she was positively hating herself for it.
"Cheer up, Shada. You did it to protect them. Just think of what could have happened if you hadn't? All of them might have been killed, us included. What's worse, dying at the hands of that psycho, or getting wet because you fell in the creek?" Liir said, using her mouth to speak.
"At this point, I'd rather be dead. This is infuriating."
"Come now, you don't mean that, I know better! You're glad to know they'll be safe and you know it. You can't lie to me when I can read your thoughts."
"Liir, I'm not in the mood right now, okay? It's bad enough I can't stand on these rocks, but you're making me loose my-- Ah!" She slipped again, busting her chin on a rock, which cracked her teeth together, biting straight through her tongue and falling back into the water. "Ahhh, ahhh!" She started screaming, well, as good as she could since she bit through her tongue. She managed to wade through the chest high water to the other bank, where she shook herself dry and spat out a mouth full of blood, as well as the tip of her serpentine tongue. She started to cry from frustration, spitting blood. Could her day get any worse? Honestly? She kicked the nearest rock, which hurt really bad, and made the rock explode into pebbles. Damn it all! She spat again, then just let her ruined tongue hang out of her mouth; the blood running freely now. This sucked. So is this what she deserved for deserting her friends when she was trying to save their lives? She could understand it if she'd done something wrong, but she hadn't. Not by her standards anyway. Sure, she'd left Vik high and dry, but she was sure that he would okay, a little hurt, but for the most part okay.
She rose and started walking again, ignoring the dull ache in her tongue, which would go away as soon as she fed again, o slower with time. She didn't feel like eating though, so she would be mute for a while. It didn't matter anyway, if she wanted to talk to Liir, she could just thought speak to her, it was the same thing. Twigs snapped beneath her paws as she moved on, listening to the calming sounds of nature. It was kind of peaceful, and it made her forget about everything that had happened, leaving her mind blessedly empty of all though. If she came upon an animal, she smiled briefly and moved on. A town, she briskly made her way through, making sure to drop a quick note to Niya in a mailbox as she went, telling the woman not to worry about her. And that kept her moving for as long as she could, stopping to rest and sleep once and a while, feeding whenever she started to ache for it. A nomad, she thought of herself with a slight smile. Living off what nature could give her, avoiding all other life. She wanted nothing to do with anyone anymore, which suited her just fine, really. Solitary was how she liked it; Hell, she'd spent a lot of her life by herself, more or less, anyway, so it came almost second nature. She just made sure she didn't cross paths with water she had to cross, which included creeks, ponds, rivers and lakes. Less of an irritation that way.
She's just crossed into a new territory, or state, as she could tell by the sign she'd seen a while back. Wesrt Virginia, it was called. She'd never heard of it, but then, she'd never been here before, so it was only natural that she'd be confused. Still, there was literally miles of street to walk, and she was only in this city. People looked at her strangely, cars honked at her, people shouted, the over all noise drove her nuts. How could Mortals live like this? It was overwhelming. Big cities bothered her, but as long as she stuck in relatively the same direction, she might have been able to find a quiet place that didn't make her want to rip her ears off.
"Shada!" The voice called to her, above the noise, which made her turn. How many others would have the same name as her, in this strange place? Her green eyes darted around, and saw no one of whom she recognized, so she hurriedly walked down the street, feeling like a fool. Apparently her name was common here, since the voice insistently kept calling. She wasn't fooled enough to turn around again, knowing she would see nothing, for a second time. "Hey! Wait up?" She fought herself, but the voice sounded really familiar. "Hetu-- Hey buddy, fuck you!" She hid a snicker, listening, having stopped at the sound of her other name, her Demon name. She turned, and finally saw the silver-white head amid the sea of others and her eyes darkened. Vik. He had found her. He came running up to her, his good eye shimmering with exhaustion.
"How did you know where I was, Vik?" Her voice was void of all emotion.
"Why did you leave?" He asked, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. She stared at him.
"I had to. You all were in danger." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What, you don't think I could hold my own? Sheesh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Shada." He gave her a grin, which made her start to. She frowned and shook her head to clear it.
"It's not a joke, Vik. I couldn't stop him and I'm strong, what the Hell makes you think you could?"
"Shada..." He began, she cut him off.
"No, Vik. I'm serious. He went after Niya, and while he merely tried to talk her into hating me, I wouldn't put it past him to come back and finish what he started." He frowned.
"Who is this he we're talking about? Surely it's not Max, I mean, I kicked the guy's ass once. I could do it again in a heartbeat." She shook her head again.
"No, Vik, we're talking about my ex Mate.. husband, as you would call him here." He nodded slowly.
"I didn't know you were married before."
"Well I was. And this," She gestured to herself. "Is why I had to leave. He did this to me and tried to kill me. What would stop him from killing all of you? Nothing. I did it to protect you. I'm sorry I left you without a word, but you have to understand what I was thinking at the time."
"Whatever it is, we can get through it together."
"No. We can't. I'm not going to let you do that."
"Shada, I want to help you.."
"You can't help me! No one can help me. Why can't you just understand that? My Gods... I feel like I'm talking to Liir!" She growled low in her throat, which made people around her restless as they passed. She gave them no attention and neither did Vik, who was growing angry.
"You came into my life and expect me not to try and help you, Shada? Would you really deny me the chance to try?"
"I have no choice, Vik. I don't know why you can't see that." She looked away, tears welling in her eyes. "Just let me go and forget about me, okay? I'm not worth fussing over."
"You're wrong." He grabbed her arms, which made her look at him. "You're worth fussing over, and so much more. You just refuse to trust in anyone, and I understand. But please, don't just leave without giving me a chance, Shada."
"Vik..." She couldn't even form the words at that moment. He kissed her then, which surprised the Hell out of her. When he pulled away from her, her eyes had turned an engaging shade of pink. She gave him a look that was brimming with sadness. "I... can't. I just can't." She pulled out of his grip and took a step back. "I can't, Vik."
"Shada.. wait..." He could tell she was about to leave again. "Just talk to me." She couldn't speak, so she just shook her head.
"Just go home and forget about me, Vik." She whispered, a bloody tear tracking down her cheek as she turned and fled him again.
It hurt, it really did, and she knew he was never going to forgive her for that. She knew it. Thinking about it now, hours later, she realized that she'd never asked him again how he knew where she was heading. She could have gone to any city, and yet he managed to find her. But it was too late for that now, she was miles away, in a city called Charleston. It was another big city, the loud, irritating kind, but at this point, she wasn't picky. She didn't care what was going on around her, she was so stuck on how his face looked when she'd told him to forget her. She'd hurt him really bad, and it wasn't something she was going to forget about anytime soon, that was for sure. And this time, convincing herself that it was for the better wasn't helping, despite her trying. Nothing was going to make this feeling go away, she'd come to that realization some time ago, which made her sad and irritable, not a good combination when around Mortals, who wanted nothing to do with you and looked at you as if you were a specimen. Someone bumped into her kind of hard, and when she looked up the man was staring at her, phone in hand.
"I... I...I'm sorry." He said, stumbling over his words. She let out a growl.
"What the Fuck are you staring at, Human?" She snapped.
"N-Nothing, miss. Nothing."
"Then get out of here." She lifted her lip to show him her pointed teeth. He nearly fell trying to do what she asked, briefcase forgotten where it had tumbled when he hit her. She picked it up and tossed it after him, clipping him in the back with it; he went down in a tumble of arms and legs. She turned away, continuing down the street, while the passersby stopped to help him up. Whatever.
She stopped to eat a while later, trying some of what she'd heard the Mortals call 'fast food'. Her foreign mind didn't understand the term, but Hell, the whole damned place was one big mystery to her, so there was no use trying to understand all at one time.
After freaking out the people inside the establishment, she got whatever she'd asked for, free of charge, they'd made sure to tell her several times before she'd left, though she'd left money for them anyway, she finally ate. It was different than anything she'd ever had but it had a good taste to it, so she was hooked. Cheese burger... hmmm, she would have to remember that later. Not quite full, even with the cheese burgers in her system, she went on to try some other places. At each place she was treated the same, except for one place, but then they spoke a language similar to what she'd grown up around so she didn't feel threatened... up until a man from the back came at her with a meat cleaver, in which she left money on the counter, took her food and left. There was no sense in getting killed over food, even though it tasted better than the cheese burgers had. She hadn't caught the name of it, not in the flurry of words the workers spoke to each other. It had left her confused. Still, with a full belly, she was content with all of the walking she was going to do. She still didn't know where she was going to end up, she just knew she was going where ever she wanted to, as far away from Niya and the others as she could get, so that they would be safe. Anywhere, as long as they were safe, that was all that mattered to her.
She was on a highway when she got the rush of pain that ran from her head, down her back and out of each other nerve endings. The hair stood on the back of her neck and she let out a low wail, the emotions running though her. Something was wrong, she could literally feel it.
"Niya... she calls to you, Shada. We have to go back, now." Shada couldn't say anything, she just Traced blindly. That's all she could do. If something was that bad, that through their bond, she could feel that pain, hurt and sorrow, it was worth it. Had to be.
Immediately, she was standing next to Niya, who was crying, her face buried in her husband's chest. It took her a moment to see that they were outside, in the gardens and there was someone lying in her grass.
"Niya..." She said, her eyes going to the blood stained white garments before her, the once glowing blue stone having turned dull and listless. "W-what happened?" This wasn't happening! She'd just saw Vik two weeks ago, and he was alive! How did this....?
"I don't know! We just found him like this. He told us he knew where you were heading and that he was going to find you, and now... he's dead!" She wailed. Jean Pierre just looked at Shada, as if blaming her. It didn't matter, she already blamed herself for this. She went on her knees beside the body, devoid of emotion.
"....Shada, you're crushing me." His voice surprised her; she jumped up and looked at him, sadness in her eyes.
"Vik.. I'm so sorry..."
"It's not your fault, I just wanted to help you, so I..." He coughed up some blood, which made her grimace. "I just wanted to tell you I love you before I... you know."
"No, Vik. Don't say that. Let me help you." She said, lifting his head. "I could heal you, I could fix this!" He smiled at her.
"Let it go, Shada. It's my time to go, you know that. Not even Turning me at this point would help. I'm too far gone." Tears misted her vision now.
"Vik... don't go..." She laid her head on his chest again, shaking. "Don't die."
"Let me go, Shada. Just let me..." His clear blue eye dimmed as the light left it and he finally died. Tears streaming down her face, she looked up at the sky and shrieked, a sound that could be heard for miles. She'd let this happen by not returning with him! She'd caused this.... No. She knew. She knew who did this, even at this particular moment she couldn't smell him, she knew who'd done this to Vik. And she was going to get her revenge. Laying Vik's head down, she got up, fire in her eyes. She was suddenly really hot, and angry. She turned her gaze to Jean Pierre and Niya.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I know what happened here. And I'm going to right a wrong." With that, she thought about Max's home and Traced there directly, leaving behind smoking, scorched grass where her paws had been.
His house stood before her suddenly; the street was quiet except for a select few birds that chirped in the trees. It was just coming on dusk, and some of the lights were on in the windows, letting her know that someone was there. Rage boiled beneath her flesh, her eyes pulsed black, then violet as she gazed up at the house. Oh, he was going to pay. She started to heat further, the flames glowing dully against the front of the house. She just stood there, allowing her fires to jump, catching the grass around her on fire, watching as it spread along the ground to the house. Max killed Vik... Vik was dead.... and soon, so would be Max. She'd had enough. She screamed, causing the fires to rage higher, burning brighter and hotter. She enjoyed watching the house burn, wanting Max to feel what she felt. She wanted him to regret bothering with her in the first place! And he would, oh he would. One way or another, he would regret it. The shutters and the siding blackened, melting some, but for the most part just blackening. A window blew, from the second story; she watched to see if someone would come out, but no one did, so she stood there, content in watching the bastard's house burn to the ground, hopefully with him inside. There still had been no sign of him not being there, so there was hope he'd die inside. There was nothing like a house burning that made one feel better, and this was no exception. Her fires burned bright and hot for this occasion.
She stood there until she could hear sirens; they were far away, but she could still here them coming and she didn't need to be here. She started to spin in a circle, faster, faster, until she was a blur of motion and fire as she moved before the ball of fire exploded, the heat waves blowing in all directions, and she was off. Her vengeance, her hotter than everything vengeance had been achieved and that son of a bitch was dead.
Her feet hit the ground in the exact same spot she'd been standing in before she'd gone back to Niya. She felt like shit, but she forced herself to continue. Vik was dead.... Max was now dead... and it was her fault. Her fault. She wasn't going to get over that anytime soon, she knew that. She hit her hands and knees, legs giving out on her. She couldn't do it, she just couldn't. A sound made her lift her head, ears cocking in that directly, opposite the road. It sounded like a spring. She had all of two seconds to roll out of the way as a dagger came at her, stabbing into the ground.
"What the--?" She let out a growl, one that sounded a menacing as she could muster. "Who's there?" There wasn't a sound, and she listened hard for one. But there was nothing. Turning, she ripped the dagger out of the ground and looked at it. It was about as big as her paw, with a finely crafted blade; a swirl pattern was engraved on the blade. It looked more like a letter opener than an actual dagger, but that was just the thought that ran through her mind. She clutched it in her paw, looking up again, anger burning in her eyes. "Show yourself." She commanded. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. She waited a few more moments before she moved on, tucking the dagger into the waistband of her shorts, the last thing she'd put on after assuming this form again. "I guess I got a new blade." She turned and moved on down the highway, irritation rolling through her. She had to keep going, even if it killed her now. Max's pettiness aside, she had to protect the rest of them. Had to. Nothing else mattered to her, except that anymore, not even herself.
She had just come across the New York sign. The climb had been Hell, but she was here, so it didn't matter. She wondered how far she could go before she reached the ocean, which was something she wanted to see, for no particular reason at all, just some change of scenery.
Walking had made her stronger inside and out, muscles aside. She'd come to the realization some time ago that it was better that she stick to herself, lest she cause more harm to others, as she had done to Niya and her family. It just wasn't fair to anyone if she bothered to push her problems off of them, and Azazel was a problem. As long as she was by herself, away from everyone and anyone, nothing bad would happen that she was the direct cause of. And that way, her conscience would no longer be conflicted as it had been for the last few weeks. She wasn't going to keep putting people in danger.
She entered another city, keeping to the back streets, the lesser traveled parts of town. Anything to make her time there shorter until she got to the countryside again. At least there she would have some time to clear her mind before having to enter another town. It just didn't come soon enough.
Rolling grasslands and fields gave way to spots of forests, and wide spaced farm homes. She enjoyed the breezes, the little spouts of rain that pelted her, the beauty of the scenes around her. It was almost too much for words. She smiled for the first time in weeks, feeling as if the weights that had been impressed upon her had lifted, or at least shifted on top of her. She was somewhat happy and it felt good. She started to sing, letting her voice carry through the air. A woeful sound came from the woods off to her right, which made her curious. Curious enough to go and see what it was, in fact. Her bare paws made nary a sound on the cool grass as she moved, sniffing the air, keeping her eyes and ears open. Another screeching sound hit her ears, a long way off. The distant sounds of steel surprised her, but she pressed on, running now, wanting to know what was going on. She had to know, to satisfy that little part of her that longed to know everything that went on in the world.
By the time she got there, bodies lay strewn everywhere, but that was it. No one living was still there, but a strange, lingering scent still remained, and it was a familiar one, though she hadn't smelled it in a long, long time. Confused, she followed it, though at this distance she was likely to lose it before she found the source. Trudging along, she started to sing again, watching where she was stepped, though it did little good. Clumsy Shada, she tripped over an exposed tree root and fell flat on her face. With a hiss and a slight groan, she pushed herself up until she could turn and sit, looking at her feet. No harm, no foul, everything was good. She tried to stand and pain rocketed up her legs; she hurriedly sat back down, growling curses at herself. How on earth was she going to trip and fall over a root? Ancient as hell, and she still couldn't walk upright like she was supposed to. A damned shame. She rubbed her ankle, whispering her charm to heal herself. There, done. She was able to stand up then and walk, so she did. She'd lost the scent, as she'd thought she would. Eh, wasn't that important in the first place, she'd found out what half of the noises were... that's all that mattered to her. She started to go back the way she'd come, and froze, scenting the air. Why did she...? She turned again, taking a few more steps in that direction, feeling the strong urge to head that way... and wasn't sure if she should. Something was odd, especially if she smelled several scents she recognized. It wasn't something she was particularly used to... when she'd met them in different places. In the end, curiosity won over her instincts, thus she headed in the direction the scent was coming from.
Eventually she came upon a big house, a manor, really, with the size of it. She was surprised to see such a big house so far away from town. It was too nice to have been abandoned though... so it confused her and intrigued her all the more.
"Another coincidence, eh?" Her eyes darted, coming upon the huge man she had met a long time ago. He chuckled, seeing the confused look on her face.
"Well, it has to be obvious that it has to be, I mean, come on, I'd see you coming." She laughed. "What are you doing here, anyways?"
"What are you doing here, is a better question." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"I asked you first."
"Touche. I stumbled across this place. I'm sure you found the corpses." She nodded.
"I thought it was you I smelled." She studied him for a moment. He was covered in blood, which wasn't as obvious over his fur, but his clothes were covered and he reeked of death. She discreetly wrinkled her nose. "Okay... so what do we do?"
"We can either stand here and look stupid staring at each other, or we can find out who lives here." He said, violet eyes appraising her lazily, almost bored.
"Good point." The door opened as she spoke, and the scent of Vampire wafted over to her. Oh... hello, she knew that scent. She flicked her gaze to the door, expecting to see Rayflo, and didn't. Instead she saw another... one she also knew, but his name was... Oh Hell, what was his name? Her eyes narrowed and she bit her lip, thinking.
"Alistor!" That's what his name was!
"Uh....hi?" He looked at her strangely.
"You don't recognize me, I take it." She smirked and waved her hand over her head, changing at least that portion of her body back to the way he would have recognized her. "Recognize me now?" He stared at her some more and she merely dropped her hand, magick gone. "My name is Shada."
"Oh.. right, right, I knew that." His eyebrows furrowed again, and she sighed. She gave up. "Anyways, what are you two doing out here?" Shada shrugged, looking up at the house again.
"These woods belong to you?" She asked, still looking up at the house."
"Yea they do..." It sounded like he wanted to add more to that, but she turned a deaf ear.
"I'm just out and about." She said, noncommittally. "Roaming, if you want to call it that." He nodded in her direction as she moved around, looking at the manor, missing what he said to her.
"Hmm?"
"I said you two are welcome to stay here." He repeated. She nodded, still scoping the house.
"Thank you, Alistor." She said, smiling a bit.
"Yea, yea just don't break anything." She rolled her eyes as he turned away from them, going into the house.
