Thar Shaddin

She looked down over the edge of the pit, and let out a sigh of relief to see that Soneya was in relatively good health still. The girl was even already up and trying to get out of the deep well of dirt on her own. Satisfied that the girl was unhurt, for now, Rhyn turned, ready to leap into the battle with the bandits. But what she saw made her instead feel like running. The roar of agony, rage, and bloodlust made her flatten her ears in its loudness.

Blew flew, and limbs as well. The crimson color of Kaevad's scales smeared with blood of a slightly darker hue. Instinct told her to leave. To leave now, before this would happen to her. Her sense of family told her to take Soneya with her, despite the complaints and the weaknesses. It was that sense of family, the memories of her mother telling her to never leave behind what she cared for, lest the mountains take it in her absence, that kept her there. Her cloak slithered to the ground, and she remained in her half form. But everything about her manner was as wild as the cats she had grown with.

Rhyn planted herself between the scene of horror and the pit, falling to all fours. Her hands turned a little more to paws as the mud squelched a little under her step, blood soaking into her fur. Even as the battle was dying down now, she waited, hackles rising, fur making her look twice as big as her small size. In comparison to the dragon who was turning to face her, she was still tiny. Her lips rose in a snarl, bared fangs sharp and gleaming, ears flat and eyes dangerous. Her thick tail lashed behind her, bumping against something.

It fell away and she paid no more mind until Soneya's scream reached her ears, but it only made Rhyn ready herself more. Kaevad had warned them of his dragon's madness, but now it had been proven how dangerous it was. Her voice was a low growl. "Back, Kaevad." Her back arched slightly, shoulders hunched and claws out. To most she would have presented a sight that was a sure warning to stay away. She was not so sure how it would work for a dragon that was more than five times her size. But the man seemed to have taken over for now, despite that blood was still smeared over his scales and dripping from his jaws.

Stubbornness was the way of the mountains, and it was that alone that kept her from feeling sick at the sheer amount of blood around them. She had killed before, and that was not any problem. But the number... She hadn't killed so many men in her lifetime, let alone all in one battle.

(Note: join post so Soneya would have something to work with <3)

She didn't trust him, and rightly so. Self loathing warred with rage as he fought to think of ways to prove he was him. Only one way, really. Arching with a snarl, his body already screaming in agony, Kaevad pushed himself to shift. Halfway through, though, he had to stop, blackness fringing the edges of his vision. Pain, too much pain. He collapsed, a humanoid half-covered in scales, landing on all fours.

"I'm... me..." he rasped out, unaware of the tears in his eyes and sliding down his face as he looked at the cat. "I'm vile, and disgusting, and a monster, but I am me." He shuddered as he forced more scales down, only to stop as his vision swam. "I can't shift more... I'm sorry... too much..." He rasped, his limbs shaking.

Rhyn arched her back more as his fangs were revealed by the snarl of pain. She flattened her ears against the popping sound of his bones and the other strange noises that came with his shift. Her pale eyes stayed fixated on him, even as he swayed. It was apparent that she still was not secure in his sanity just yet.

Cautiously, she stepped forward, movements ready to spring away.

Kaevad allowed her to approach, let her sniff him though the gesture vaguely amused him. So tired... so sore... he looked up, eyes scanning the ground, his heart jumping. "Where's Soneya?" Ignoring the cat, Kaevad staggered upright, gasping before staggering to the hole and falling beside it to look down at the girl. He still had his wings. Did he have the- blood. She had blood on her. The scent of fear was heavy enough he could smell it. His self-loathing burned every pore in his body as he looked down at the terrified girl. A movement had him falling in himself, only to land on his feet and slide down to his knees with a pained gasp.

She was scared... but there was no time to console her. He could hear more. He moved forward, scooping her up quickly, ignoring any protests or screams and launched them into the air. His body screamed. He managed to make it to the edge of the hole and deposited her on the ground before clawing his own way up, black swimming in his vision. Cuts bled from where his wings had scraped against the dirt walls, catching on stones and roots; and from where he'd shifted too quickly, scales leaving cuts and scrapes. He crawled away from the girl, doing his best to give her her distance before simply collapsing onto the grass, chest heaving as he sobbed.

He'd scared the women he'd sworn to protect, and had eaten more hearts. He would live a longer and more damned life. Changers curse him and his damned need for power. Oh wait... they already did.

Something was going on up there again but Soneya couldn’t bring herself to tear her eyes away from the limb. Lots of growling and general animalistic sounds but no, the limb... it was a piece of an arm, as far as she could tell, and she was only glad that the hand wasn’t attached anymore because she was fairly certain she would have fainted at the sight. This was bad enough as it was and she could feel her heart beating like crazy. Her breath was coming in shorter and shorter gasps as she was beginning to hyperventilate. What remained of her bloodied nails were digging into her arms and sides as she was wrapping them around herself in an attempt to keep a grasp on reality and her sanity.

When all of a sudden a shadow jumped into the pit and blocked her view from the limb, she merely screamed, pushing herself back against the wall in an attempt to get away from whatever piece of body was attacking her, beating at the shadow with her arms and legs, only to realise that it was not just a piece but actually a scaly being – which hurt! More bruises were added to the already long list but she was already out of the pit and scrambling away on the grass before she realised that it was actually Kaevad who had flown her out.

Taking deep breaths to try and calm herself, she kept her eyes closed for a long moment, knowing that if she opened them before she had managed to relax a little – as much as was possible in their current situation – she would scream bloody murder. Finally though, she did dare to open them. As the realisation hit her that she had actually wriggled away from Kaevad into the wrong direction and was now staring straight at the mess that was left of his victims – her captors... – she jumped onto her feet and moved away from the chaos as much as possible. She kept moving about in a panicky sort of way, her heartbeat quickening once again. Her eyes kept flicking from the sobbing man to the woman, whose hackles were still raised as though she were ready for a fight any second. Something else had happened here, not just a raging dragon.

The thought was nagging at her but it was quite a while longer before she finally managed to speak, although the words barely came out as a croak: “What happened? What happened?”

Rhyn made a sound of protest as Kaevad pushed past her and fell into the pit himself. She worried until Soneya was up on solid ground, and left the dragon-shifter to his own movements as she looked over Soneya swiftly. Bumps and bruises, but nothing too serious. The girl was panicky though, and that would not do. Rhyn shook herself slightly, letting the human woman stumble away from the blood, wrinkling her nose at the scent of it rising from the ground under her paws. Her stormy fur was still raised, though Kaevad was looking as helpless as a large man with wings could, covered in his own blood, face-down and sobbing.

Her ears rose at Soneya's questioning, and her lips covered sharp teeth as she looked at Soneya. Her words were thick with her northern accent, even more so because of the shape of her mouth currently. "His dragon took him." It was a simple statement, matter of fact, as if it weren't unusual that the man had easily slaughtered a group of at least eight without trouble. Shaking herself lightly, the cat's hackles began to settle down, her tail smoothing to it's usual thickness. "I think he is himself, again." She drew in a deep breath and snorted. The warm air only thickened scents to her, made it hard to tell them apart. She could only barely find Kaevad's scent underneath the strength of the blood.

Cautiously, she stepped towards the large man, her tail flicking in a beckoning motion. "Come, Soneya. We mustn't stay. Scavengers will be here soon." She crouched by Kaevad and pressed her cool nose into his shoulder, and then cautiously, reached with a paw and tugged at his arm, the movement urging him to lift his head up. Her voice was cool and collected "Stop this nonsense, dragon-man. We must get away from this scene." Her tongue flicked out, the tip hitting his temple softly. "I have no tolerance for tears. Up. Or I drag you." Her voice had become harsher just the slightest, her words no longer a request but a demand, an order. If he was no longer able to lead their group, she would.

He allowed the cat to help him up, unable to see past the blinding pain and tears. He staggered in the direction she pulled, before croaking his own answer to Soneya as he'd heard her vaguely. "My demon conquered me, and I ate the flesh of others... I have disappointed you." He closed his eyes. "I am sorry." He managed to step away from the cat, managed to walk straiter, taller, stronger. Pain... so much pain. Every move felt like his muscles were being sliced by small blades.

"This way... the village isn't far now." He bent and grabbed his bags, grunting at the effort it took to lift them before staggering and stalking off, panting. Looks like it'd be him who would be asking for breaks now...

At Rhyn’s words, Soneya finally got pulled out her trance-like state and she fully focused her attention on both of them. The catwoman seemed fine, maybe a little rattled from it all. But Kaevad, Kaevad was a complete mess, far, far worse than herself. In more than one way. Rhyn’s efforts to get him back onto his feet did the trick however and soon enough, even if grunting with pain, he was standing and somewhat wobbling about. Soneya still kept her distance, unsure how to react to it all. She was still terrified and the limb landing on her face would cause her nightmares, she was sure of it, but the worst part was that she knew this massacre had been caused by Kaevad. Granted, he had lost control to his dragon, but it was still a part of him, no matter how any of them turned it.

“The only one you disappointed was yourself.” The sentence came out in a low but firm voice as Soneya finally looked him in the face, trying to see past the tear streaks on his features. And she meant every word. She may be terrified of what he had just done and it had shaken her to her very core, but he had not disappointed her. True to his word, he had protected both her and Rhyn, if at a different cost than they might have imagine, and both of them had known that he was a dragon, or had a dragon residing within him. It was her own fault for forgetting the vicious nature it could portray, but she wasn’t disappointed.

Without further comments however, Soneya went to pick up their stuff, the bag miraculously still intact and on the edge of the pit instead of at the bottom. “Let’s get going then,” she agreed and followed Kaevad as he resumed his leading position again. They really would do good to get out of there, because even she could already start hearing noises not too far off, and they didn’t sound friendly to her ears.

Rhyn stepped back smoothly as Kaevad pushed himself to his feet. She let her ears raise and her jaw open in a slight smile as Soneya reacted in a stoic manner. The girl was reacting well. Swiftly, she picked her cloak up and clasped it around her shoulders once again. Once again she was the scout, only this time, it was easy to see that she was doubly aware.

The cat kept a careful eye on Kaevad, but let him stumble on his own. If he needed help he would ask. If he did not ask, he would learn to. She paid more attention to Soneya, worried about what the scene may have done to the girls mind. Would she trust Kaevad at all anymore? It was true he had warned them, but so much it had seemed as though his dragon was well under control. How close was he to snapping at any moment?

After a short distance though, Rhyn couldn't stand the sight of the bloodied man staggering. She came up and slid herself against his side, tucking herself under his arm and supporting him. Her stocky frame would take more than it looked.

Pain. He hated being in pain. Soneya had said she wasn't disappointed, but he could still see the horror and distrust in both their eyes. Monster, heathen... He clenched his eyes shut and pushed himself onward. It wasn't long before his staggering became more pronounced though, exhaustion settling in. Blood loss and shifting were taking their toll, and before long, he felt Rhyn slid beneath his arm, working to support him. It angered him. He wasn't weak. He shrugged her off, staggered to the side before pushing on, his jaw clenched and his eyes dark.

They continued on, until the village was in sight. Keavad's hair was sticking to him, the blood dried and crackling, his wings draping behind him like a cloak as he had no energy to lift them. He was walking slower, and had he not been so close to passing out, he would have been ashamed. "A little... further..." He growled out, digging in a little deeper.

She was scared, yes, and she was terrified of what might happen if Kaevad lost control again, though he also seemed far too exhausted for that to even be an option. He couldn’t even keep his wings from dragging behind him!
When Rhyn stepped up to steady the man somewhat in his wobbly walk, which seemed as though he had been drinking far too much for his own good, Soneya decided that maybe she should pull herself together and help out a little as well. It was a good thing that Rhyn had slid herself up against his right side which left the young woman able to actually try and help to steady him, since she couldn’t support him with her measly strength, while still leaving her left arm free, which was starting to seriously hurt, but she ignored it for the time being. They had other, more important things to worry about now. Then again, he didn't want any help anyway, so she merely stayed close, just in case but didn't touch him.

“I’m not sure if the village is a good idea in our current state,” Soneya muttered. She said it as a fact though she wasn’t sure how the villagers would react, after all they were magic users and probably a little different than the Puradyne background Soneya had known all her life, but still. Bloodied and bruised all over, it never bode well. “We look like we just walked straight out of hell and probably don’t smell very nicely either. Though medical attention would be required as well.” Kaevad had quite a few bruises all over as well and it would really do him well to get it checked. In his weakened state, he would hopefully not have too much to object to it or too much strength left to do anything stupid or drastic, or both.

Her ears went sideways as Kaevad shrugged her away and continued his stumbling gait. Her tail lashed, twice, and her eyes narrowed. Fine. She continued walking, keeping her eye on the man, but refusing to acknowledge that he was hurt or struggling, even as they came upon the village. "The villagers will be likely to help us, in our state. You need help for your arm, and people out here are used to travelers. Travelers never smell nice, nor do they look clean. But they are profit." The shifter sighed. She didnt' enjoy interacting with others. "I'll go ahead and get help. They won't be so shocked to see you two."

Without waiting for protests or anything else, she fell to all fours and sped off, faster than she could have had she been on two legs. It took only moments before she had entered the village, scattering birds as she skidded into the village proper. "Please! We need help."

While her exotic looks got attention, most didnt' blink twice at it, assuming that she was a shifter or warped by the magic that the world operated with. After swiftly explaining that they'd been attacked by bandits, two of the women were already off to prepare a place to rest and a group of the menfolk came with her, running to meet the two she had left behind. Just in time, since Kaevad finally was falling over. It took two of the larger men to slip under and half carry, half drag him. A kind-looking woman started fussing over Soneya and as a crowd, they moved towards one of the cabins. Rhyn seemed to turn into a shadow once again, watching over the two in her care.

Rhyn left... why? Repulsion...Hate.... You're both probably right... Soneya stuck close still though... why? He staggered, almost tripping, feeling her dainty little hands try to help steady him. Warmth sought to melt away the ice over his heart. He brutally snuffed it. For one, he was 220... he doubted she was even 19. Two, she was an innocent. He couldn't corrupt her, he wouldn't allow himself to hurt or corrupt her or Rhyn.

A flare of agony had him gasping and falling forward - only to land on two men. Quickly they all but lifted him and dragged him quickly away. He looked back, his vision swimming with black, to see Soneya in the care of a fussy woman, and Rhyn nearyby watching over them both. Safe, they were all safe. And with that, blackness claimed him.

The conflict in Kaevad was so palpable that Soneya almost believed she could really touch it if she reached out a little bit. She could see the emotions battle on his face as he briefly glimpsed at her, and she tried very hard to ignore the flicker of resentment in his eyes. She knew that it probably wasn’t particularly directed at her but more a general sentiment that was surfacing, or at least she hoped that was what it was. Otherwise she would really have to reconsider what she was doing here. Luckily enough, she was distracted from more such thoughts – and so was he – when Rhyn returned with the villagers in tow.

Soneya wasn’t particularly fond of being fussed over in a too motherly manner – even though she tended to do the same to others if she had the chance – but she was glad for the medical attention and even more so, she was glad that there were a few strong enough men who managed to drag Kaevad back to the village. Rhyn seemed unharmed and the young woman was glad for it.
“Thank you, Rhyn. For getting help so quickly.”
The snowleopard often seemed very distant but she could be counted on whenever help was needed and Soneya appreciated that much more at the moment than a torrent of useless ramble.

In her worry over what was going to happen to them, and particularly the unconscious Kaevad, Soneya didn’t realise where they were until she was put onto a bed in a sort of cabin. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out for the count, relishing in the fact that they were now safe and someone was taking care of their wounds. At least the physical ones.

When she woke up, it was completely dark outside and there were a couple of low lights scattered around the room to light it up enough to show sharp edges of the furniture. Her bed felt incredibly comfortable after a few nights out in the woods but something was off... Sitting up in her bed, she looked around to figure out the source of her discomfort. It was only when a draft grazed her back that she realised that she was naked. With a small gasp, she pulled the bed sheets tightly around her slender frame, and with so doing, noticed that her arm was thickly bandaged. Of course the abrupt movement had in no way made her any more comfortable, on the contrary. Sharp pains were stabbing through her arm, bringing tears to her eyes, but she kept silent about it. She had whined enough as it was.
Forcing back the tears, she once again glanced around the room to see if Rhyn and Kaevad were with her.

Rhyn had carefully watched over both Soneya and Kaevad as they got taken care of. She relaxed slightly once she was assured that Soneya was unconscious but fine, and was going to be left to sleep in the cabin. The cabin was actually relatively roomy, enough that it had two different rooms, and Kaevad was placed in the other, much to her relief. She could keep an eye on both of them.

The villagers were kind, and Rhyn'aura was glad for that as she was the one having to interact and speak with them. Their healer assured her that Kaevad was simply overtaxed, and exhaustion had taken him. He would sleep. Soneya was in pain, but not too much. Bumps and bruises were the worst of her physical injuries, but she was also exhausted. Rhyn knew that the mental wounds would be harder to heal.

As night fell, villagers went to sleep in their own cabins, the healer leaving only on the assurance that Rhyn was going to keep a good eye on them. She left the door to both rooms cracked slightly so that she would hear any disturbances, and curled up on her cloak by the fire. Pale eyes stared into the flames of the main room as she thought. She was lost, for a moment, in memory. Pain stabbed through her heart as she wished desperately that she was back in the cabin on the mountain side, with Bradley Clearwater in the room with her.

Though she was tired, she couldn't quite sleep, unused to staying in a house after so long. Her eyes had finally closed for a catnap when she heard a gasp and movement from Soneya. Cautiously, she stood up, and moved through to the door, her short frame not blocking much of the dim light. More cat than human, she looked like it would be more comfortable for her to be on four legs, but she was standing up at the moment. A small questioning noise came from her, pupils widening so that she could see.

Kaevad slept soundly for the first time in a very long time, his few wounds healing quickly. He stirred, though, when Rhyn walked by, his consciousness floating to the surface slowly. He heard the questioning noise, Soneya's gasp and a few minute details, but as he didn't feel as though they were in any immanent danger, he simply allowed himself to drift. Self-loathing rose after a period, only to be shoved down. He hadn't harmed the women under his care.

Physically. Fuck off. Was Kaevad's displeased response. They knew of you, I warned them. The dragon snorted and skulked off to the back of his mind. Either way... it wouldn't hurt to keep his distance and walk on eggshells for a bit, he didn't wish to scare his new friends away...

When Rhyn’s form suddenly appeared in the doorframe, Soneya was instantly calmer, knowing that she wasn’t alone and that the woman was still fine. Deep down she might have feared that the villagers had not been as nice as they had appeared once she had passed out, though it was silly to even think that; after all, they had willingly come to their aid right away. But Soneya wasn’t used to this sort of lifestyle and she knew how strangers were generally treated in Marn, thus the thought had been a fairly logical one in her world, though apparently not in the one she was currently living in.

“I’m fine,” she assured Rhyn. “How about you? Is everything alright?” Figuring she might need to explain the gasp, because of which the woman had probably entered her room, she added by way of explanation: “It was merely getting a little frisky without any clothes on.” Just as she was about to ask if the snowleopard knew the whereabouts of her garments, her eyes fell on the chair beside her bed, upon which lay her clothes neatly folded and freshly washed. Immediately, she snatched up the shirt and stripped it over her head while revealing as little of her skin as possible while snaking out from under the covers to actually put it on. Trousers were easier and Soneya quickly slipped into them while getting out of bed in the same motion.

“Where is Kaevad? Is he alright?”