How strange.

The news had been brought to Elijah recently that one of his pack members had been killed while scrounging around Shimmer Town for food. Elijah thought the fool therianthrope probably deserved it. After all, it was greediness and gluttony that had gotten the beasty killed, all qualities that Elijah would not and did not want in the Bluefield ranks. This caused recklessness.

When the death was reported, a piece of cut skin with matted fur had been brought back to Elijah. This flesh, the blood on it now dried, Elijah pressed to his nose and inhaled deeply. He recognized that smell. Oh yes, it was that odd lizard boy he had attacked while searching for his dear Ainsley Redmont. Now, why wasn't he dead? What was keeping him alive? Surely Elijah's venom, that dangerous and unrestrained toxin, would have killed any victim by now.

How strange indeed... and how amusing. A smile suddenly graced his muzzle.

"What do you make of it?" a voice said breaking Elijah's concentration.

Elijah looked about Tezzra's Gorge and shrugged his shoulders as if mildly bored. All about the gorge were piles of bones, both young and old, and the place now reeked of the smell of blood. It wouldn't hurt to add another set of skeletons to the collection now would it? To be honest, he didn't really care if the man from Eiler killed one of his kin, but his family, both seemingly all stupid and anxious, would want redemption.

"Oh... go to Eiler with a few of your brothers and kill the murderer's family, mate, children... whoever," Elijah said with a sigh waving a small circle with his clawed hand. "And before you go, send a scout to check on Garis Town. I want to make sure that the ones we sent there are completing their task of taking over the village. I would really hate to end up with another half-done job like in Shimmer Town. Everyone must be destroyed this time, do you understand?"

The werewolf that had been talking to Elijah grinned. "Completely."

Their forces, about 45 in number, had been divided. 20 of the therianthropes stayed in Tezzra's Gorge while 15 were sent to attack Garis Town. The remainder of the wolves were ordered to hunt down Ainsley Redmont and to head to Verial's home, the Villa. This split in forces did not seem to worry Elijah; in fact the threat of a surprise attack excited him. He was so very bored, aching to meet a worthy opponent, and wanted to see his Ainsley Redmont. The possibility of fresh and strong blood being spilt from whoever seemed to warm his undead soul more than anything.

And they were walking. It seemed that was all they'd been doing. Quinn kept pushing, not that Deanna had needed it. She was as eager to get to Verial and make sure he was safe, as he was. Of course Quinn's motivation was more self serving than De's. He was a bit more concerned with making sure Deanna made it out of this whole thing more or less unhurt. Barring that, making sure she made it home alive.

This night Deanna was getting tired. She was about ready to pass out for the night. Quinn, however, wasn't feeling the same. His mind had been running a thousand miles an hour and he just wasn't ready for it. They stopped for a small break, "So, I'm thinking if we keep running the rest of the night we might be able to make a lot more head way. I know you're feeling it right now but..." he turned and looked at the log that she'd sat down on. Her head was slumped forward and her eyes closed. A smile crossed his face as he looked at her. She was truly exhausted.

Kneeling down in front of her his hand came up and caressed her cheek. "My poor tired girl." he whispered. The only problem was, he didn't want to stop yet. He was too wound up. The half-breed removed the Were's pack and his own. He tied the straps together differently and hung them around his neck, almost like a saddle pack. With both packs hanging around the front of his body, he backed up and pulled Deanna up onto his back, his hands reaching back and holding her legs, to make sure she didn't fall. And off he went.

The duo made a bit more headway that way. If ladies snored (which for the record they don't do that, or make any other "un-lady-like" noises) he'd have never admitted that, but she was breathing on his neck, which was quite pleasant. Six hours into the hike, Quinn was starting to feel the exhaustion that took his Mate. Quinn found a small clearing, one barely big enough for him to roll out the mats and light a fire.

Pulling the first bed roll he could reach out, he set it near the edge of the clearing. Then gently he lay Deanna down. He dropped the bags next to her and found the blankets they'd used that fateful night, that had brought the two of them together as Mates. He covered her up with both and went about getting wood for a small fire. He lit the fire and stood back for a moment, breathing a bit heavier than the last time they stopped.

He was wondering if there was a chance that he could get a bath before going to bed and he knew there wasn't a bath in his future. Instead he climbed in behind Deanna and wrapped his arms around her. They slept for just a couple of hours, but when he awoke he felt fantastic. He wondered to himself if the ritual of becoming mates had something to do with it, or it was just "being in love" as they romantically put it.

As Deanna woke he noticed the confused look on her face, and couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, we're somewhere else. I took it upon myself to keep going last night after you went to sleep. I'm sorry if you didn't sleep well. I just couldn't stop. The bright side however is that when I woke up I noticed that I built our fire just a few feet from where someone else had built theirs. If I had to guess I'd say it was only a night or two old." He grinned looking her straight in the eyes, "We're close."

With renewed energy they ate, and set off again. They packed up camp together and set off. As they walked, Quinn noticed out of the corner of his eye, that Deanna would keep pace with him. He tried an experiment and sped up a bit, then slowed down and sure enough she never allowed him to take the lead or to fall behind for long. He gave her "that smile" and leaned over, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"What..." she started, but he sped up, not running, just walking faster. "are you doing?" she finished from behind him. Soon she was speed walking beside him. As soon as she was there he started jogging. This time before she caught up he broke out into a run, and then he cheated, pulling on his demon for a little bit of extra speed.

The two of them stayed like that for most of the morning, the grin never leaving his face. He was actually enjoying himself, but truth be told he'd done it to make sure that they could catch up with Verial and his travel companion.

He started slowing down so that they could rest and get something for lunch, but as he did something caught his foot and he went down. As he finally stopped he couldn't help laughing. "We've been running this whole time and I trip when we're slowing down. I guess that's a sign we need to keep running." He stood up with a little help from Deanna. "What the hell did I trip over anyway?"

They went back the looked, it was a hoof print. Fresh. Suddenly he wasn't hungry any more. It was only a few hours old. If they kept running they might be able to actually catch up with them today. He made eye contact with De. They nodded at the same time, both knowing what the other was thinking. That he was sure was due to their connection as Mates. It was nice to know that they could read each other that way now.

Another kiss, this time they both knew it was coming. She met his lips with her own, and they took off again. They ran silent. Both tracking while running, trying to figure out where their target had gone and when they were there last. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation he would have made a joke about the two of them appearing to be hunting prey instead of friends. Either way it'd be pretty hard for them to know they were coming.

It took them a while to break through the forest and into another clearing. As they landed Quinn broke left and Deanna right, they hadn't spoken or made any gestures as to what to do, they just knew. By this time it was later into the evening and perfect timing for making camp. Looking around Quinn noticed exactly what he'd expected; another camp. This one however, wasn't empty. There were two men sitting around a very small fire looking up at them. Both appeared to be reaching for a weapon when the the two intruders interrupted their break.

Quinn did a double take and noticed that there weren't two men, but rather one man and a man-child. Verial looked like he was about to kill them when recognition crossed his face. And then he looked like he would kill them again. "So," by this time Quinn was panting and actually sweating a bit. "whats for dinner?"

Despite the extra weight on Verial's horse, the pair of father and son had made progress towards Tezzra's Gorge. The horse, in fact, didn't seem to mind the extra rider. After three days following a pattern of camping and travelling however, Verial took the saddle and bridle off the horse and urged it to run free. The animal almost looked puzzled for a moment, but Verial reached forward, stroking the horse gently across its face for a moment and told it to take off. The horse did a circle facing the opposite direction they had come from, started off in a walk then moved in a gallop, fading into a tiny dot on the horizon. Verial hoped it didn't become food for the weres.

"Well walk on foot from now on," Verial said looking to his side at Kyrian. "Once we get closer to Tezzra's Gorge, we'll need to be as quiet as possible."

When he had first found he was heading to the gorge, he was fine with any possibility that may have surfaced - victory or death. If he was going to die to fighting a pack of werewolves, then he was okay with that, although he would certainly miss quite a few things that he would leave behind in his death. However, now that Kyrian was here, it added a whole new piece to the puzzle, one that really wasn't fitting in Verial's plans. His thought has shifted to surviving and that included keeping Kyrian alive too. Suffice to say, he was slightly distracted.

It wasn't as if he doubted Kyrian's healing magic or his abilities to help, but he worried over Kyrian's lack of skill on the battlefield. Perhaps that was Verial's fault, but for no reason did he ever want to train his son for any wars. Kyrian was very young when Oneiro had been destroyed and considering his protectors, there was no need for the boy to fight. Meeting Aursra's Sire might have prepped Kyrian for an adventure or fight, but once they found the old man, he was about to die anyway.

His mind was spinning for a while and he walked on in silence with his son next to his side. It was obvious that Verial was still a bit disappointed in Kyrian's coming to Elved in the first place, but such things were in the past now. There was no telling him to go home considering the current state of panic Elved was in and that the land was being stalked and ravaged by blood-thirsty therianthropes.

A long while had passed before Verial paused and took off his pack, setting it to the side. They had stopped in the middle of a forest clearing and began to set up camp, the sky becoming dark. The air was filled with light snow and as a result, the ground was layered with a thin, dusty blanket of white. Verial let Kryian start a campfire as he went off in search of food; he always tried to find something to eat close by and within earshot should anything try to attack their camp.

It was not long after that Verial had come back with some fish. Thankfully the pond had not been frozen yet and the fish easy enough to catch. They were just beginning to cook, the fish hanging over the warm and crackling campfire when there was a noise. The subtle sound of a twig breaking caught Verial off guard. He wasn't sure if Kyrian had heard it, but after Verial had reached for his own sword, Kyrian did so as well.

Verial looked around the forest clearing slowly, not moving a muscle but ready with his sword for whatever might unveil itself from the darkness of the woods. His breath, held steady for what felt like the longest time, was finally let go when Quinn and Deanna stepped forth into the clearing. Though he seemed to untense slightly knowing they weren't about to be attacked, he was not in the slightest happy to see either of them. Was this an inevitable sign that his dream was going to come true?

"What are you two doing here?" Verial said making an attempt to hide the growl in his voice. In any other circumstance, he would have been happy to see Deanna and Quinn, but this was a different story. Part of him wanted to gather all of his things, head back home towards Eiler and just live whatever life he had left there. "I don't suppose I can ask either of you to go back as well?" Verial said, his gaze shifting to Kyrian for a moment, then back to Deanna and Quinn. "Have a seat... we have things to discuss if you're coming along to fight this pack of weres with me."

She had passed the point of exhaustion and had been on the verge of hallucinating when Quinn, bless his heart, had taken it upon himself to rest a bit. A small mercy, she thought as she sat down on the log that was her makeshift seat. Vaguely she could hear him say something to her, his form wavering before her blurry vision before her body finally shut down. Within moments, she slept. If she dreamed, she wasn’t aware of it.

When she finally awoke, rested by famished, she was surprised to see that they had somehow relocated. As he offered her food, for which she was entirely grateful for, he had explained how close they were, and it appeared from the dying embers of another fire, a twin of theirs, that Verial and his traveling companion weren’t that far ahead. For the first time in what seemed ages, Deanna felt a spark of hope.

They set off once again and the shifter noted with amusement that Quinn, her devious mate, was playing games with her, testing her pace with him. “What are you doing?” she asked as her pace quickened to match his. Dark brows rose as he offered no reply, merely that lopsided smile of his that warmed her heart before he broke out in a flat run. Oh really, mate? Deanna grinned widely as she took off behind him.

She was no stranger to speed, for the chase was part of her daily activity. Auburn hair whipped against her face as she picked up speed, a blur of a woman. She never broke a sweat or lost her breath as matched him evenly in pace, knowing that only demonic forces at hand were at work here. There was no way her mate could have kept up with her without them. “That’s cheating,” she called as she pushed herself a bit farther to force herself in a slight lead.

Morning gave way to mid-afternoon and as they slowed their bodies to a mere jog when Quinn stumbled and fell. With a chuckle, she helped him to his feet. “Very smooth,” she jested as they peered down to the fresh hoof print. Deanna crouched low, her fingertips grazing the impression in the dirt, and as she stood she nodded to Quinn, a silent answer to an unspoken question. A brief but welcome kiss and once more they were off again.

Once they passed the forest clearing, they parted ways without word or gesture. It was their way now, ancient instincts kicking in enough for them to read each other’s body language. It was near dark before they crossed paths once more. The scent of smoke drew them together and they finally came to a stop at Verial’s camp. She glanced sideways at her mate, her brow raised as the poor man managed to utter his question, his chest rising and falling from exertion. Deanna shook her head at him, hiding her laughter before turning her attention to Verial and his…companion. He is nothing more than a boy, she noted silently, astonished that this child was the human form of the majestic white dragon she had seen soar in the sky. Gods help us, we are so fucked, she thought bitterly.

She noted the drow’s displeasure at their arrival, and scowled at him in return. Amber orbs flashed angry fire at him. “What are we doing here? I thought this was a team effort, hybrid, not a solo suicide mission” Deanna growled, not making any effort to hide her animosity. “Chasing your dumb ass through this miserable continent isn’t my idea of a vacation, so don’t give me any of your shit,” she snapped at him, pointedly ignoring the looks Quinn was shooting in her direction. When Verial mentioned some ridiculous nonsense about returning home to Elier, Deanna shot daggers at him before finding a seat near the fire, snatching up a stick that held a half-cooked fish without asking.

Delicately, she began to nibble on her dinner, her gaze never leaving the sight of Kyrian whom she assumed was related to the hybrid. A younger brother or perhaps son? Plucking at a bit of fish, she nodded as she stared intently at the boy, when Verial finally relented to their presence and suggestion formulating a plan of attack. When she finished her meal, tossing nothing but bones into the fire, she finally spoke. “Before we begin, I must say something. I would never presume to tell you how to deal with your kin, Verial,” she began quietly. “However, he is nothing more than a child,” she stated flatly with a sweeping gesture of her hand. “A green child whom, I assume, has never even experienced the pleasures of a woman, much less violent bloodshed.” Once more Quinn attempted to silence Deanna, and once more, she ignored her mate much to his chagrin.

Her attention turned to regard Verial once more, her expression one of dead seriousness. “If he stays, chances are excellent he will die, and you as well.” Quinn at that point was digging his fingers into her arm, and without looking at her mate, gently pried his fingers off and held his hand still with her own. “I speak truthfully, if bluntly, Verial. I assume he is your son?” Deanna wasn’t so stupid as not to note the resemblance. “Your main priority will be keeping this child safe, and for that I would not, could not blame you.” At that moment, Deanna’s tone hardened. “Having said that, I urge you to send the boy back home. He is a liability to all of us, and will put everyone in harm’s way.'’ Amber eyes narrowed even as the protests from Kyrian began, but Deanna cut him off abruptly. “Unless someone can give me just cause for the boy to remain with us, and I do mean a valid one, he must go.”

Deanna did not believe that Verial was a complete idiot, and was almost positive he was as unhappy of the boy being here as much as she was. She figured that stupidity and hard-headedness ran in the family, hence the boy’s presence. That she understood, but the fact was that they were going up against gods knew how many weres, and lives were at stake here. Ultimately the choice was up to Verial, not Deanna nor Quinn, and the painful truth was that Deanna would put herself at risk for the safety of her mate, but she wasn’t sure how quickly she would react to save the life of a child who didn’t belong in battle to begin with.

Deanna was on a roll. Her lips kept moving, words falling from her mouth without a second thought, all of which seemingly irritated Verial since she stepped foot into his campsite. If Deanna's eyes were casting daggers into Verial, his were filled with swords for her at this moment. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew getting angry at Deanna would do no good, but she was crossing into dangerous territory with her words, adding additional frustration to an already annoyed dragon.

"Stop, I've heard enough from you. If I left Eiler without telling you, Quinn or Kyrian," Verial hissed, pointing at the boy next to his side for a moment, "there was probably a good reason I did so. So if you've had a terrible time chasing 'my dumb ass' throughout Elved, do not put all the blame on me. You could have stayed back in Eiler with Quinn. To be truthful, I'm not so sure you're concerned about my welfare at all, Deanna. I think you want vengeance for Mal's death, but revenge will get you nowhere."

The shifter sat down next to their fire, helping herself to some of the fish before it could even finish cooking. A few minutes passed on in silence and when the remainder of the fish was done, Verial split the last two fillets between Verial, Kyrian and Quinn. The three males were just about to start eating, when Deanna tossed her fish bones into the fire place and then began speaking again.

"Remember the words you say, Deanna. You would never dare to tell me what to do with my kin, yet everything that is coming from your mouth suggests otherwise. Myself and my son are very well of the consequences of him being here. I have already been over with him the possible chances that he might die on this mission, so if you'd like to take another stab at his intelligence or mine, now would be the time before you anger me even more," Verial said. "Do you think I am so foolish that I did not already think to send him back home? If you weren't aware, the entire continent is in a state of panic. A lone boy or dragon travelling through these lands has the same chance of death as he does alongside of us."

Verial handed his share of fish to Kyrian and stood from the rock he was once sitting on no longer hungry. It could have been the therianthrope venom that was spreading through him and making him sick, giving him a loss of appetite. However, he was also sure it had something to do with Deanna's attitude which was starting to push him over the edge and overall, just her and Quinn being here as well. Anger had never been good for him, especially when the emotions were coming from a mixture of dragon and beast.

"His reasons for being here are his own and are none of your concern. If you must have an answer though," Verial started, "he is a healer and a good one at that. If needed, he will be able to save not only your life, but your mate's as well. And stop giving him such a look of contempt. I'm going to take first watch now and we can talk about plans in the morning." For the first time, Verial turned to acknowledge Quinn who he noticed had been trying to silence Deanna. "If it's okay, Quinn, I will come back to switch watch with you in a few hours?"

As Quinn would respond to Verial, the hybrid moved to pick up his sword and started a few feet away from the camp. On his way past, he urged Kyrian to get as much rest as he could; he was sure that all this talk of him dying possibly might have spooked him a bit. After all, was anyone ever ready to die even if they admitted it? Despite these thoughts, Verial offered Kyrian what was a reassuring smile. He was still not pleased at having his son here, but he didn't want to be angry with him in what might be their final hours either.

A few feet away from camp, Verial sat down against the trunk of a tree. The camp was behind him and for the longest while he heard nothing by the sound of the crackling fire. As the snow started to come down, white flurries layering onto Verial's raven colored hair and wings, he pulled his coat's hood over his head. The night would be long, but the following days would be even longer. Drawing circles in the snow, letting his acute elvish hearing focus on any sounds of intrusion, he longed to be back home now more than anything.

Post originally by Character_Kyrian

He'd been spoken about, since the duo came into their encampment. The male didn't say much of anything but a half-hearted joke but the female had no problems talking about him as if he wasn't there or couldn't hear. Her friend seemed to be trying to shut her up, but she wasn't having any of it. His father, much to his surprise, responded in kind. He knew that the last couple of days hadn't been easy on him. Seeing your son crash down in front of you in yet another form of dragon when you were on a suicide mission could be a bit stressful.

Now his father was off to take the first shift watch, leaving him with the two he'd learned where named Deanna and Quinn. "Ms. Deanna," he spoke once he thought his father was out of range, "You're correct in assuming that I haven't 'experienced the pleasures of a woman' and believe me when I say that I hope to someday. However, I couldn't let my father do this alone. I don't know what your relationship with your family is Ms Deanna, however my father has raised me for years. My mother left us without a word and he did his best with my grandmother to make sure I was raised away from fighting and wars. So you might be able to imagine that I feel very close to him."

He paused for a moment, his voice hadn't gotten harsh like his father's or condemning like Deanna's, just a casual conversational tone, "He's right in that I'm a fairly talented healer. I don't like to boast, but you asked, and it's true. And while -I- may not have the experience on the battlefield you're looking for if I'm correct, I have a very close friend who does."

'Wait, is he talking about me?' asked the black Dragon.

'I believe he is dear. Is that a problem?' the white responded.

'No, I just don't remember the last time someone called me 'friend' is all.'

The two dragons continued their talk inside Kyrian's head, but he paid the rest of it little attention as he needed to focus on the one he was having with Deanna. "I don't have any illusions that this is going to be pretty or easy. For that matter I'm not even confident either my father or myself will return alive. I know that if we do, it won't be unscathed." He looked up from the fire that he'd been looking into, and peered into her eyes. "But it goes even farther than that. Have you heard what these weres are doing? It's not right. And everyone seems too scared to do anything about it. I know dad is looking for an antidote, but someone has to let them know that they can't do this. That it's wrong."

Maybe he was just a little kid playing at being an adult. Maybe he had an odd view of what was right and wrong. But he still had his own beliefs and if he didn't stand up for them, who would? "I mean you no disrespect Ms Deanna, but even if they kill us all, they'll remember that someone stood up to them. That someone knew what they'd done and tried to stop them. And if I'm right about my friend, there will be a few less of them when we're done."

"Please don't be upset with my father, he asked me to leave. I refused, just as I'm refusing to leave for you now. I've noticed that his temper has been flaring a bit since he's been bitten." Feeling a bit embarrassed to have gone on like he had, Kyrian stood, "If you'll excuse me, I believe I should get some rest. It's going to get busy very quickly." he offered them both a smile and went to his bedroll and laid down. He wasn't sure if his words would have the effect he hoped they would on the shifter, but he felt a bit better just having gotten them out. Now he only hoped that he hadn't angered her enough to kill him in his sleep.

He'd been as subtle as he could be trying to get Deanna to stop talking. Unfortunately, while she knew what he was trying to do, she ignored him. He wanted to tell her that while he agreed that the kid needed to go, it wasn't their call really. If Verial had insisted that Quinn leave he'd have laughed him off. As it was, Quinn was fairly well ignored the whole time the two stared each other down. It wasn't until after Verial went to leave that he was addressed.

"Of course." was his simple reply to whether or not he'd take second watch. Normally he'd be too wired to sleep, but all the running while keeping as much of his demon in check as he had, had taken it's toll.

He stood and started unpacking their gear as Kyrian began to talk. He listened as he worked and would look up to see Deanna's reactions from time to time. The kid had spirit. Hell, he liked the kid. Didn't change the fact that he would likely die. However, like he said before, it wasn't their call. As Kyrian passed him to go to bed, he patted him on the shoulder, "Sleep well." he said softly.

Then he turned and looked at Deanna. He watched as she sat and considered Kyrian's little speech. After a few seconds he nudged her and motioned to their sleeping packs. He took the side closest to where Verial had disappeared, knowing he'd be back up before long. Once Deanna climbed into the roll he followed, wrapping an arm around her.

His face was close to her ear and he whispered, "I like the boy. He's got spunk. He's going to die when we go into battle, but he's got spunk." he sighed softly. "I know you want Verial focusing completely on whats coming up, but I don't think having his son here will be as bad as you do." she wanted to reach around and hit him, he could feel her arm tense up, "Before you react with violence let me finish. It gives Verial something visible to fight for. Knowing you have a son, but that he's far away and safe doesn't give a man a reason to live, it gives him peace to die. This way he'll be fighting with all he has to make sure his son returns home."

Of course while that may have been true it also didn't mean that Verial would return home. Quinn still thought that Kyrian should leave, but then again, he thought that they should all leave. Surely, there was a way for Verial to cure himself without facing down a billion werewolves? Maybe the man just had a death wish. Either way, Deanna had felt he was worthy of helping so they were there.

As he spoke to her his hand played with her hair, stroking it gently, his fingers pulling it back behind her ear. He kept his voice soft and soothing, hoping that between Kyrian's inspiring words and his soothing one's Deanna would calm down enough not to jump out of bed and storm off after Verial.

His hand went from playing with her hair to lightly running down her arm, then back up. He kept repeating this as he spoke again, "It'd be better to wait til tomorrow to speak to Verial again. You're both exhausted. Not to mention we did spring ourselves on him and insult his intelligence." he smiled, "Anyways, you feel very good beside me and after that run there's nothing I want more than to lay with you and rest. I don't sleep as well when you're not here or when you're angry."

And honestly part of that was because he could now feel it, and it was still new enough that he couldn't get over it. He didn't add that out loud, but surely she'd know. The snow had started falling around them and if it'd been under different circumstances it'd almost be peaceful.

"We're going to have to do this again." then he quickly added, "Only without the 'life or death' situations. I've actually enjoyed camping like this. Maybe when we get back I should buy a plot of land and put a tent on it. We could stay there from time to time when we get tired of the city." he chuckled, knowing that if he bought land there would be a house built for himself and Deanna. Not too big, but with a few bedrooms...in case friends needed a place or...well you never knew what the future would hold for them.

"Please do me a favor, Mate of mine, sleep. We both need it. It'll do us both good, and if you still want to rip Verial a new one tomorrow you can do it then. Please?" he sealed his request with a kiss to the side of her neck, just below the ear he'd been whispering into, and pulled her a bit closer, hoping and praying that her response would be to stay.

Silently seething, Deanna could feel the vein on the side of her temple throbbing as Verial began his verbal tongue lashing. It was all she could do not to lunge at the fool and tear his jugular out. She could feel her body tremble and knew her eyes had bled to a deep dark amber that could only signify the Change was soon to approach. Calm. Remain calm. For Quinn. For the child.

Several deep cleansing breaths later, she continued to hold her tongue as her mate agreed to second watch and Verial said his goodnight to his son before walking away to guard. Her head turned slowly, those fey eyes of hers focused on the hybrid as he took his spot near a tree trunk Deanna had meant well, truly she had, though perhaps she could have been a bit more tactic. Perhaps. She knew that Verial was suffering quietly, alone in his pain both physically and mentally. She could relate all too well, and could only imagine how much worse the drow hybrid was experiencing the changes that were undergoing in his body. Still…

Her jaw was set, teeth grinding for even as Verial preached to her his reluctance to having his son walk right into the wolves den to face a possible death at such a young age, Deanna knew the effects battle and war had on all involved, especially the innocents. She was considering going after him to beat some sense into the hybrid, when the dragon child addressed her personally, which was quite surprising to the shifter considering the brutality of her words regarding him being here to begin with.

Slowly, she sat down to listen to Kyrian in a state of shock. The boy was well spoken, polite, and incredibly intelligent. He displayed a wisdom that she had not witnessed in someone so young in a very long time. His words were inspiring, soulful, and stirred memories and emotions in Deanna that she had kept well hidden up until now. She dared not speak a word, wanting to give the child the respect that was his due. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Quinn setting up their bedrolls for the night, and knew eventually she would have to deal with her mate’s disapproval for her course of actions, but for now, young Kyrian commanded her attention.

When he tried to justify his father’s behavior, Deanna shook her head and spoke for the first time since her little tirade previously. “The love for a child knows no bounds,” she whispered softly, finally standing when Kyrian bid her goodnight trying hard to offer her own smile in return but failing miserably. She softened some when she saw her mate’s affection toward the boy, which of course only made her feel worse about her behavior.

She did not refuse Quinn when he gestured for her to rest, though she knew sleep would be far from forthcoming. Quinn held her tightly against him and spoke softly to her as she stared blankly at the fire that burned brightly against the dark of night, chasing away any beasties that might lurk nearby. Hopefully. She had tensed some when he began his speech, but relented when asked for an opportunity to explain his words. Quinn was no fool. He understood what Deanna was trying to convey, yet he also understood Verial’s position in the matter and accepted the possible fate for all, even the boy.

Deanna sighed heavily even as Quinn attempted to soothe her. As he stroked her hair like one would do to ease the worries of a child she could feel her body relax, though her mind and heart was a constant turmoil of dark thoughts and emotions. How could any of them understand why she felt so strongly about this matter? Had they ever in their lives had to watch children of all ages senselessly and cruelly butchered like lambs in the midst of war? Had they ever had to carry each little body, their opened unseeing eyes boring into her soul, their twisted bloody forms laying limply in her arms as she placed each and every one into a bonfire, only to erase their existence? Little ones who should have been in their mother’s arms, upon their father’s laps to be doted on, to be cherish and loved, not casualties of war.

Quinn’s voice seemed so far away as she squeezed her eyes shut to block out the visions of the hundreds of dead children that haunted her, silently questioning why? Why them? Why couldn’t they be spared? What had they done so wrong to deserve such a horrid fate? She could hear their screams echoing in her head, and her beast, who could be very kind to her once in a great while, waved her massive paw to wipe away the visions so that Deanna could breathe once again.

Sleep. Quinn had begged her to sleep. He was her rock. He gave her the calm and clarity that she needed during stressful moments. She was, in fact, very lucky to have found him. “Alright, I’ll try,” she murmured quietly just to appease him. Not long after, she could feel Quinn’s body relax, his breathing light and even. It was only then, as she tried to imagine a future with her mate, that she felt the hot salty tears that slid down her cheeks. Tears of mourning for those she wasn’t able to save then, and those she might not be able to save now.

They had a plan. It wasn’t the greatest plan, and mainly involved Kyrian entering the battlefield alone and using him as bait, but it was the only one they had.

Deanna had expressed her concerns to Quinn regarding Verial. The drow hybrid was getting worse for the wear, and Deanna feared the tainted blood of the were that infected him, the blood that was slowly spreading in his system, would soon consume him entirely. To say the foulness, the darkness, that was in Verial’s bloodstream was frightening was an understatement. How long before it completely consumed him, and even more so, what would the consequences be?

Deanna had mistakenly believed that Verial would become like her. She was so wrong. Deadly wrong. Whatever beast had bitten Verial was not any ordinary were. This being was powerful, vile, and evil. Said evil was deep inside Verial, slowly changing him, and unfortunately for the hybrid, slowly driving him mad and eventually would kill him.

These concerns were discussed privately with Quinn far away from the young ears of Kyrian. The boy was another worry for Deanna, for should Verial’s body finally give into The Change, the end result could prove disastrous, especially for the boy. She feared for his safety, and for Quinn’s. She wasn’t entirely sold that Verial was trustworthy at this point, and privately asked Quinn to look after the boy just in case.

She trusted Quinn with her life. He was her mate, and she knew that whatever she asked of him he would grant without hesitation. The boy Kyrian was brave and truehearted. It would destroy Deanna to have something happen to him should his father succumb to the sickness. She wouldn’t waste a moment slaying Verial should he become a threat to the trio, knowing she would have to deal with the aftermath, and Kyrian.

Before making their way back to father and son, Deanna stopped short and reached for Quinn’s hand. Worry lines creased her forehead, and perpetual frown lines graced her features. Very rarely these days did she find cause to smile, and if she managed to do so, it was because of Quinn. She had treated her mate badly as of late, and now seemed the right time to remedy that .

She met his gaze with her own, and had to smile some at the quizzical look he was giving her. “There’s something I want you to know,” she began as she lifted her hand to the left side of his face. Nimble fingers gently traced over four shiny pink lines that ran from brow to jaw, marks that she herself put there out of anger. They would fully heal, a slow painful process, but still it disturbed her each time she looked upon them, knowing the reason as to why they were there.

Never taking her hand from his face, she continued speaking in that quiet tone she reserved usually for Quinn. “I may have difficulty say it, and I have an even harder time showing it,” her smile was sad then, knowing the chance she might lose him, “but I do. Very much. I just wanted you to know that.” She didn't exactly say it then, but Quinn knew. He would always know, she hoped.

Before he could reply, she stood on her toes instead of dragging him down to her and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She ran her fingers through his short spiky hair, her smile widening as she playfully tugged on his locks, listening to any reply he had. “Come on,” she was reluctant to relinquish their ’alone time’, but knew they couldn’t waste anymore time. “Time to get our asses in gear.”

After they rejoined the duo, she directed her attention to Kyrian. If the boy hadn’t known what she was before, he certainly did now as she held up her hand to him, normal human fingernails giving way to curved black claws, the fingers elongating. She chuckled at the boy as his eyes widened some, and barked a laugh as he stumbled backwards when her eyes bled to a darkened amber. “Relax boy, I’m not going to eat you.“ A smirk played upon her lips at his reaction when she ordered him to stand before her.

“Chances are I’ll end up changing and resembling the weres you’re planning on turning into road kill. I have no intent in having you think I am the enemy and accidentally breathe fire on me or whatever dragon thing it is you do.” She stood before a highly embarrassed Kyrian, sweeping her hair to the side and baring her neck so that the boy could hurriedly lean forward and inhale her scent before stepping away, his cheeks burning with crimson. “Got it?” The boy nodded quickly and she patted his head, trying extremely hard not to laugh at the boy. “Good. I’m counting on you not turning me into a crispy critter.”

When she finished with Kyrian she turned to Verial. “I believe it is in our best interest if Quinn and I do a little reconnaissance, just to see exactly what we are up against. It’s still early enough in the day, so I figure we should be back before dark with all the information we need.” The hybrid nodded to her, and without hesitating, turned back to Quinn, and grabbing his hand, started toward Tezzra’s Gorge. “Come on Demon Spawn,” she smiled at her mate affectionately before dragging him off once more. “Time to check out the Big Bad.”