Difference between revisions of "Colliding Worlds"

Revision as of 14:38, 13 January 2008

This story is a work in progress.

I've finished formatting the paragraphs, although I might go back and bold my parts so you can see the difference between my writing and Rena's. (I'll give you a hint, she's a better writer than I am)Raven928

A saddened sigh echoed across the empty park, mixed with the wind and the occasionally squeak of the playground equipment. A young girl sat quietly on a swing, her feet dangling lightly over the ground as the wind rocked her back and forth. Her long brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail, wisped around her head as her bangs covered her face, which was pale and stained with tears. She wore a grey tank top and a pair of jeans that were ripped up at the bottom. She also wore a long worn out leather trench coat that smelled of smoke. She kept her silver eyes, which were glossy and wet, on the ground to avoid the stares of others. A long silver tail was sprouted from her pants, and that too was curved under in a depressing way.

Her shoulders slumped as her thoughts drifted from one thing to another, depressing her more as she became lost in them.

As the wind blew a tall boy of about thirteen walked through the park. He wore a green jacket and had his hands in his pockets as he attempted to stay warm. He saw the girl and glanced at her smiling. Then sat down on a bench a little ways off. Her body shuddered as the wind stung her with cold whips. She glanced up hesitantly at the boy, acknowledging him there; then again brought her eyes back down. She rubbed her eyes to rid them of a few tears, then wrapped her arms around herself again.

He glanced at her for a moment then looked at his watch. He looked around for a minute, then closed his eyes. Thinking about something. He hummed a tune, looking at the clouds, through his closed eyelids.

The tune reached her, and she listened to him. Her body tightened and she closed her eyes tightly as another gust of wind blew past. It was by far too cold for her here, though she didn’t know of anywhere else to go. She did believe though, that there was a more sheltered area across the park, but to reach it she would have to pass the boy. She took it into consideration, then stood up. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around her body as she silently and shyly walked back to the sidewalk, a ways away from where he was.

The boy stayed where he was eyes closed. He still hummed, but the tune was strange. He looked around, seemingly seeing the landscape around him.

She took a breath as she passed the boy on the bench, and held it until she was past him. It escaped her slowly as another tear cascaded down her cheek. She pressed on, hoping to get out of the frigid wind that tormented her. How she hated the cold…

The boy silently got up, his eyes still closed. After a minute he opened them and headed off in the opposite direction from the girl. He tripped slightly, but quickly picked himself up.

She glanced behind her as the boy left, watching him trip over himself. She had stopped walking for a moment, but a concerning thought made her continue her move. She brought her head back and continued on, ignoring her surroundings the best she could.

The boy moved off the path quietly crossing back to follow her. He was surprisingly silent and kept out of her gaze quite well. He lost sight of her once, but closed his eyes, hummed and was following her again.

She had thought she had heard the humming again, but ignored the feeling and pressed on. It wasn’t long until she arrived at the opposite end of the park, which was just as deserted. It was also encased in forestry, which helped to block the wind. She sat down under a large tree, facing away from the wind, and pulled her trench closed around her.

The boy, was still in pursuit, but now faced a problem. He wanted to approach her. He cautiously climbed the tree from the side facing away from her. He slipped once the branches creaking, but hid himself quickly from sight. Still watching her he settled in to wait and think of a way to introduce himself.

Her head shot up, for the first time completely revealing her face. She looked around suspiciously, then brought her attention to the tree she was sitting under. She scanned the branches carefully, and though she saw nothing, she became very uncomfortable. She hugged her knees and rested her head upon them, shivering again, but more from her paranoia that the cold.

A white raven sat in the tree watching. The boy was nowhere in sight. The bird swooped down to a lower branch making a harsh cawing sound. She relaxed a little, telling herself that it was only the raven that was making the suspicious noises. Her tail thumped boredly on the ground beside her, occasionally curling in around her to help keep her warm.

The raven landed on a low branch of the tree. It cocked it's head slightly. "Hello," the boy said.

She jumped to her feet, spinning around to face who ever had spoken. She took a step back, hugging herself nervously. “…Hello…” She murmured, keeping her head low so that he couldn’t see her face well.

He jumped down from the branch that he had been standing on. "Sorry to scare you," he said, "you looked a little lonely, are you okay?" He came a little closer.

She looked up a little, stepping back again. "It's okay." She said quickly, "Um, I'm fine..." She added, rubbing her face to hide the tears, but she was a terrible liar, and she knew it.

He took a few steps forward. "I've already seen your face if you're worried about that. And you don't seem so fine to me," he smiled kindly.

She hesitantly lowered her hands to her sides, letting her head droop and her eyes rest on the ground by her feet. “…Why do you care?” She asked defensively, letting another tear slip down her cheek.

He shrugged, "I can kind of sense other people's feelings and I've always felt like I should do something about it." He paused for a moment. "Although...."

She glanced up again, waiting for him to continue. As she did another gust of wind blew past, blowing her hair away from her face and pushing the trench open a little to reveal her features better. She quickly closed it back up, hugging herself again to keep it together.

"Well, let's just say that I didn't need any help finding out that you had a problem.

“No kidding…” She murmured, taking another step back. “…but I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do to help me.”

"Oh, really?" he asked. He came up next to her. "Are you sure?"

"No one can..." She whispered, hugging herself tighter.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he gently touched her arm.

She jumped at his touch and pulled away. “No, thank you, but no…” Her voice trailed off a bit as she stared at him, examining his expression. “…You’re not like the others…” She muttered, standing perfectly still.

He cautiously approached her again. "What others?" He asked in a tone that was genuinely concerned.

She stopped herself there and bit her lower lip. She looked away rather embarrassed. “Um…please excuse me. I’ve said too much.” She said, turning to leave.

"But," He reached out his hand after her, as if to place it on her shoulder. If she stayed he could bring her close to him. Hug her and drain her fears and sorrows from her body. He could stand beside her and protect her. But he couldn't reach her.

For whatever reason, at the word, her body froze. She couldn’t move, she stood almost mid step a foot away from him. She glanced over her shoulder at him, eyeing him curiously, as if waiting for him to continue.

"Will you at least...help me." He struggled the words out. Then collapsed into a sitting position. She arched an eyebrow at him, and brought herself to stand normally. “…With what?” She asked, bending down in front of him.

"With this," he said. His face suddenly contorted in pain. His frame became smaller in an instant, his legs thinned spreading three toed feet. His head shifted outward, his eyes moving to the sides of his head and a beak forming in place of a mouth and nose. His body sprouted black feathers, but after a moment they fell out and white feathers grew in. He had become a white raven.

She blinked a few times as she examined him. “You’re just like me.” She muttered in disbelief. She offered her hand for him to perch upon as she let herself fall to her knees to sit comfortably.

The raven jumped onto her finger. He quickly climbed up her arm onto her shoulder. He snuck behind her neck to her other shoulder. Brushing her neck as he did so.

The feathers rushing past her neck tickled, and she giggled softly, something she had done rarely since some time ago. She glanced up at him on her shoulder, admiring his soft white feathers with a small smile creasing her lips.

He cocked his head at her, somehow managing to smile even with a beak. His amused expression was comical yet somehow fitting.

“Hehe.” She sat back, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them. “I haven’t laughed in so long; I had forgotten how good it felt.” She said softly, bringing her gaze back to the ground in front of her.

He sat there, a slightly calm expression on his face. His eyes closed and a familiar sound could be heard.

She tilted her head and closed her eyes to listen. The melody calmed her, slowing her tears a little. She gently wiped them away as the flow continued to slow.

After a minute of this he suddenly jumped off of her shoulder. There was a thud as he hit the ground in human form again.

She opened her eyes and stood up again, dusting off her beloved trench coat with care. She turned to look at him again and took a breath before speaking. “You are very different from them…thank you.” She said, a smile gradually crossing her face. “I’m afraid I shall be going now.” She bowed slightly and waited for his response.

He nodded slightly tears in his eyes. "Can I...call you?"

She paused for a moment, thinking it over. “Um, sure.” She said, pulling a slip of paper and a small pencil from her pocket. “I might not be there much longer though…” She whispered as she wrote a number down and presented the slip to him.

He took the slip. "Don't worry. I'm sure I can find you." He extended his hand as if to shake. “Not what I meant, but okay.” She said, extending her hand as well and gently taking his to shake it.

He didn't shake, but merely threw his other arm around her to hug her. Before she could respond he changed and disappeared. His white form grew smaller in the sky for a minute and then was hidden by a tree. For just a second a shrill whistle could be heard across the park. Then all was still. Two feathers sat on the ground under the tree. Each was pure white. All the black feathers that had fallen out had mysteriously disappeared.

She stood frozen after the short embrace, her body twitching a little. It was a little weird to her…that a complete stranger would suddenly take interest in her, let alone hug her. She wrapped her arms around herself, staring up to where he had flew off, then turned and quietly took her leave. “It’s nothing…He wouldn’t care…”

She murmured the last part to herself as another tear slipped down her cheek.

There was a fluttering of wings as a large black bird swooped low across the city. It flew into the park alighting in a tree. A strange melody could be heard for a mere second and then the bird took off again. It swooped low through the streets it's head turning this way and that. It's eyelids were shut tightly and it almost hit a few things. It came to a short street about a block from the park. It turned down the street. swiftly flying from one mail box to another. when it got about halfway down it stopped and circled the house. After a few moments it settled on a window sill and banged on the glass attempting to wake the figure inside.

Rena sat half asleep in her room, sitting on her bed while leaning against a wall. She held a knife gently in her hands, drawing her fingers lightly over the sharp end of the blade, staring at it her eyes half open. The world seemed mute to her as her only concern was the blade in her hands and the conflicting thoughts that raged within her mind. One of the thoughts being of the stranger she had met earlier. She frowned a little and continued playing with the blade.

The bird seemed to slowly notice that the figure was moving and banged on the glass of the window a little bit harder.

She glanced up at the window, looking rather irritated. She set her tool down on the bed and stood up, walking quietly to the glass. She pushed one side open and took a seat back down on the bed, watching the large black bird in an annoyed way.

The bird tapped the window once more. There was a scrap of paper in it's talon and it looked at it almost as if reading the writing that was on it.

She arched an eyebrow at it, but began to fall back into her former mood. She crawled back across the bed, taking a seat and picking the knife up again. This time as she brought her fingers over it, traces of blood were felt dripping down the shiny blade.

The bird got a frightened look in it's eyes. It pounded on the glass with it's beak and head so loudly that it could be heard across the street. A light turned on in one of the house's other rooms...

Hearing footsteps down the hallway she quickly slipped the blade under her mattress and laid back down, concealing her bleeding hand beneath a pillow. She set her head down and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing to make it appear that she had been asleep.

The bird jumped away from the window and fluttered to the roof. Foot steps came down the hall and one of Rena's parents looked in. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary the light was quickly turned off, and everyone else was back asleep in minutes. The bird alighted on the windowsill again.

Once she was sure her parents had gone back to bed, she sat up and glared at the bird. She stood up again; her arm now covered with blood, and opened the other side of the window. “There.” She said angrily, taking a seat and sucking on one of her bleeding fingers.

The bird hopped in through the open window. It alighted on the floor for a moment, then the bed. It then hopped onto Rena's shoulder before jumping to the ground, as a human boy, the stranger from the park.

She frowned again, saying nothing for a moment as she eyed him wearily. She finally opened her mouth to speak. “You know you could have gotten me in a lot of trouble.” She muttered, glaring angrily at him.

"You would of had yourself in worse." he said. He calmly ripped off part of his shirt. Without asking he wrapped it around her hand stopping the bleeding. "Please don't do that again," he said, his voice was seemingly void of emotion.

She stared at him, her eyes scanning his expression of every detail. “And why not?” She asked, fingering the makeshift bandage as it was soon soaked in blood.

He looked at her closely and said, "Because I need your help."

She arched an eyebrow at him again. “What can I do?” She asked, looking down at the bandage and pulling at it a little.

"I need a secluded place to hide. One thing I didn't tell you is that, although I can transform on a whim, sometimes I can't control it." His eyes bored into her, desperate for an answer.

She paused, thinking deeply about it as she stared into the bandage. “Well…I suppose I could find a place…” She murmured, bringing her hand to her chin and closing her eyes.

He nodded slowly. “My parents are looking for me. My face will be all over the news.”

She fell back on her bed, becoming rather dizzy. “Meh, fine. I’ll help you find a place to hide.” She said quietly, her hearing fading a little. God, it was so annoying to faint at the sight of blood. She sighed, placing her other hand over her eyes to try to bring her sight back.

"Thank you," he said. He bowed. Then he quickly became a raven again and flew off. She removed her hand and watched him leave. “Great…” She murmured, sitting up again. “I guess I’ll have to wait a while.” She frowned, retrieving the knife from her mattress. She wiped the blood away and stashed it in her secret hiding place before lying back down to think up an excuse for the cut.

The raven sat in a tree a little ways from Rena's house. It watched the house day and night waiting for a signal of some kind. Not many people noticed the bird in the evening, but during the day they commented on how strange it was that the bird was snow white.

Rena finally emerged from her house some time later, holding a sketch pad in her hand that was now properly bandaged. She sighed and looked around; searching for the raven she had hoped would be nearby.

There was a low squawk and the bird settled onto Rena's shoulder. It shuffled it's feet impatiently.

“I know, I know. You see, you got me grounded.” She said, folding her arms. “But I’ve finally been punished enough to leave the house.” She began walking down the street, slowly so that he could still perch upon her shoulder.

The raven cocked it's head at her. There was a look in it's eye and it seemed to shrug.

“But, as to other things…” She said, tilting her head back a little. “The only place I can think for you to stay at is…my house.” She said the last part reluctantly, turning her face away from him, which in turn made her long hair lightly brush against him.

The raven jumped off of her shoulder becoming human. "Are you sure you want to do that? And what about your parents?"

“I’ll make something up.” She said casually. “I don’t really want to do it…but it’s the only thing I can’t think of that won’t make them overly suspicious.” She sighed and opened the sketch book, retrieving a pencil from her pocket and doodling randomly.

"So, when are you going to do it then?" He attempted to keep the impatience out of his voice.

“Mm, this afternoon.” She said, not looking up from the paper as her pencil moved vigorously across it.

He looked over her shoulder curiously, "That soon hm?"

“You sound rather impatient. Wouldn’t want to keep you waiting.” She shut the book and slipped the pencil back into her pocket. “I’m hungry.” She stated randomly and began walking swiftly down the street.

A second later the raven was back on her shoulder. It sat there calmly as if without a care, although there was a look in it's eyes that said differently.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at it, studying it carefully as she continued moving. After a few streets she stopped, looking around in an attempt to find herself again, then headed out in a different direction.

The raven shifted around on her shoulder. It spread it's wings and flew off soaring above the trees. It stayed within sight of Rena, but attempted not to seem as if it was following her.

She occasionally looked over her shoulder upon hearing the fluttering of wings. Although she knew full well that she was being followed, it still gave her a paranoid feeling. A feeling she rather disliked. She took a few random turns and broke into a sprint, her feet barely touching the ground as she swiftly cleared the next three blocks.

The raven landed on a fence a few feet in front of her, quickly shifting back to human he said, "Is there a reason you're running." He lost his balance and feel into the yard behind him.

She skid into a stop and turned to face him. “Not really.” She said, coming up to the fence and leaning over it to stare at him. “But you don’t really have to follow me either.” She added, resting her head on her arms.

He pulled himself up and leaned on the fence, rubbing his back. "Where d-" he started to say, but stuttered as he came to look at her.

She arched an eyebrow and shrugged as she backed away. “I donno…” She said, staring up at the sky that was beginning to show signs of rain. She frowned and reached into her trench to place her hands on her hips. “Well, I guess I’ll just ask now.” As it was, she had completely forgotten why she had gone out in the first place, so there was really no point in delaying any further.

The boy nodded and quickly turning into a raven flew off towards her house. He landed on the windowsill of her room pulled the window open and jumped into the room. It landed on top of the television set and hunkered down among the other stuffed animals that lay there. She came running up the street soon after and quietly entered the house. “Mom…” She called, walking up the stairs and placing her sketch pad on the kitchen table. “I got to talk to you about something…” She wandered down the hall to her mother’s room, where she would find her lying on her bed, watching game shows.

It was about an hour later when she finally came back up to her room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. She sighed as she glanced up at the raven nestled among her favorite stuffed animals and smirked.

The raven silently hopped from within the stuffed animals. Landing on her shoulder it cocked it's head again silently asking, so...?

“It took awhile, but she finally caved. You’ll be staying in the spare room.” She said, leaning her head back. “She does want to know how long you’ll be here though…”

He transformed into a human quickly "Well, I'm not sure. It could be a week, or a month... I just need to stay until I find a permanent place to go.

"How'd you get her to say yes anyway?"

She grinned devilishly. “I have my ways…” She said slyly, coming from the door and lying down on her bed. She yawned sleepily and let her head hit the pillow, staring boredly at him with strange curiosity.

"Like what?" he asked, "Oh, am I supposed to be here right now, or does your mom think I'm somewhere else, like a house maybe."

She shrugged. “She probably thinks you’re at your house…but as long as we’re quiet she shouldn’t bother us.” She said, averting her gaze to the wall in front of her bed.

"So why am I 'visiting'? I need to know so that when I arrive your mom doesn't get suspicious."

“Just to make sure that it’s alright for you to stay here.” She answered casually, moving across the mattress to where her books were stored. She reached for one of her favorites and flipped it open, searching for her favorite part.

"You're sure?"

"You betcha."

"When do you want me to arrive?"

“Um, in a few minutes. I’ll be helping my mom clean up pretty soon.” She flipped the final page and her face lit up upon seeing her favorite paragraph. She sighed dreamily as she began reading. He nodded. "I'll come in half an hour" He slowly turned, almost hoping she'd tell him to stay, then became a bird and flew out the window.

She glanced up from her book, watching him fly out the window. She frowned, slipping a bookmark into place as she sat up. “…” She cast the book aside and stared at her door, wondering when she would go down to help her mother, who was working tirelessly to get the house clean for the new coming ‘guest’.

Half an hour later the boy came strolling down the road. Although his pockets were empty he was dressed in clean new clothes. He walked cautiously up to Rena's door and rang the doorbell, then stepped back and listened until he heard footsteps coming to open the door.

A moment later the door opened, the figure on the other side ushering him in. There was another figure sitting at the top of the stairs who watched him enter with a weak interest, her head resting in her hands as she waited patiently for the door to close.

He took off his shoes at the door, as was his custom. Then looked around taking in the house, which seemed much bigger inside.

The door was closed and the one who answered it disappeared down the stairs, leaving him and the figure on the stairs alone. She shrugged casually and stood up, turning on her heel to enter the living room. “Well, come on.” She said, in a somewhat irritable way.

He nodded to himself, then followed her into the living room. It was Rena of course. “Thanks for helping me out, " he said as he entered the living room.

Rena shrugged casually, plopping down onto one of the wine colored armchairs in a royal way, crossing one leg over the other and resting head on her hand again. “Mm, no problem I guess…” She said quietly, closing her eyes.

He sat on the couch across from her.

"It's really a big help. Especially considering The amount of time you've known me."

She opened an eye and stared at him. “Yeah…well, I still have to get you back for…” She stopped as she realized her mother was probably listening. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to mention the rest. “I’ll take you to your room…” She said, standing up stiffly and walking towards the stairs again.

He stood up as well, following her. Even though he was at her house, his mind was on his parents. If his face made to the news problems would arise. Nobody could mistake his face for someone else's. If one of Rena's parents saw his face on the news, he would be in major trouble, as would Rena.

She quickly cleared the stairs, jumping over the railing near the top to save some time. She landed rather gracefully and continued the last few steps into the basement as she waited for him. She, in honesty, hadn’t even thought of the consequences of letting him stay, or had put any consideration into what would happen if his presence was leaked out to the media.

He slowly went down the stairs, not completely paying attention. At the bottom he looked up then continued to follow her to "his" room.

At the end of another hallway was a door which was somewhat boarded up due to an incident involving her sister, her dog, and a few other things. She smirked inwardly at the thought as she opened the door and flicked the light switch on. The room was clean, but somewhat dusty from not being used. It was decorated simply with dark mahogany furniture and some worldly items. "Here it is."

She stood to the side to let him enter, folding her arms in front of her impatiently. He nodded. "Thanks" He looked around carefully. "I'm sorry I put this on you so suddenly, "Actually I'm sorry I had to put it on you at all,"

“I’m used to it.” She said, turning to leave. She played boredly with her ponytail as she thought about taking a shower, which in her mind, she needed badly. As she left he nodded slowly to himself murmuring, "But you shouldn't be used to it,"

As the weeks passed he slowly settled in, not exactly part of the family, but a long term guest. He did his best to be polite, seemed to go to school, and just generally lived life. He was careful about checking the news and had thrown out a few missing child flyers from the mail. He often could be found writing in a notebook, poems and such, many of them with romantic themes. Although he liked to show them to people, he didn't make his entire book public.

One Saturday in particular he sat in the basement writing well into the afternoon. He sat on the bed trying to think of what to write... Rena knocked on the door to his room, as she was extremely bored and didn’t feel like doing anything stupid at the moment. She opened it a crack and looked inside, peering timidly at him as she waited for admittance.

After a moment he looked up, "Go ahead, " he said, "I can't think of anything to write anyway," She opened the door more and slipped into the room, coming quietly to his bed and sitting down beside him. “Again?” She asked, looking over the first few lines. “Want some help?” As it had been a while since he had ‘moved in’, she had become rather comfortable with him there. Almost so that she would consider him a friend.

He shrugged. "I'll figure it out, eventually."

He started to read it. "Do not be afraid in the darkness. When you fear, think of me. When you stumble..." he trailed off. She thought about it for a moment, but came up with nothing. She shrugged and lay down, still trying to think of a good line. “Ya got me there…”

He laughed, "I do that to myself all the time. My only real good ones come at night." He lay down next to her, glancing at the door to make sure that it was still open. She closed her eyes for a moment, cuddling her head into the mattress. “Why at night?” She asked, still letting her mind wander.

"I'm not completely sure. That's just when it usually happens." He shrugged once more, putting his hands on his chest. “Mmm…” Was all she responded with, cracking an eye open to look at him. She yawned sleepily, becoming rather comfortable in the bed. He shifted around and slowly put his arm around her. He settled in slowly, feeling her warm body press against his.

She blushed, but stayed still as she also enjoyed the warmth. She closed her eyes and cuddled into him, hoping her parents wouldn't happen to walk in on them. After a minute of this he felt a slight burning sensation at his shoulder blades. He moved, sitting up slowly, trying not to shift Rena too much. At the slight movement she opened her eyes and glanced up at him, tilting her head to the side innocently. “What’s wrong?” She asked, watching him curiously.

"It's nothing," he said quickly. Probably too quickly. She arched and eyebrow and sat up. “It doesn’t seem like nothing…” She said, becoming concerned. “Can I see?” She asked, though she was a little uncomfortable about asking. She was just worried and needed to make sure he was okay. He sighed, "My shoulders hurt a little bit. It's nothing to worry about," but he didn't look like he was convinced himself. She frowned and let out a sigh. “…Fine.” She said quietly, slipping her legs off the bed and turning away from him. “I guess I’ll go upstairs then…” She hung her head a little and swung her feet around boredly.

He nodded. Just as he was going to say something to her, he let out a small gasp of pain, falling over and almost hitting the corner of the bed. She quickly turned around, proving herself right. “Knew it.” She said, gently pulling him up so she could reposition him better. “Now will you let me see?” He winced in pain and nodded. Then another wave of pain overtook him and he started to collapse again.

She caught him this time, letting his head rest on her shoulder. She carefully tugged at his shirt collar to get a better look at his shoulders. He waited a second and then asked, "See anything?" She rubbed it gently, seeing the pain it caused. “Sorry, just checking.” She slipped her hand back out, wondering exactly what was wrong.

He sat there a moment, still in pain, but not sure what to do. Every once in a while he would bite his lip once more in pain. He felt his back. "There's two lumps below and towards the center of my back from my shoulder blades." “Yeah…sorta like…” She paused for a moment and closed her eyes. Great. She knew what was coming next. “I’ll get something for it, stay here.” She said, lying him down comfortably on his bed as she got up to retrieve her special ‘something’.

"O-okay," he stuttered. He was sure she knew something, but he had come to trust her. If she wasn't going to tell him, he wasn't going to ask.

After being gone for a few minutes she returned with an oddly shaped bottle full of a silvery liquid. “This is going to sting, but it’ll take the pain away.” She said, sitting down on the bed in front of him. “You might want to take your shirt off…” He slowly took his shirt off, a little cautious. He trusted her, but if her parents came down they could be in trouble.

She was well aware of what her parent’s reaction to this would be, and it made her hesitant to do so. She poured a small amount of the liquid onto her hand and quickly rubbed it onto his back where the bumps were. After making sure all of it was rubbed in correctly, she corked the bottle and stepped back, waiting for the reaction. Like she had said, the liquid stung a little where it had been applied. After a moment, however, he felt no pain at all and was perfectly fine. "Thanks," he said, "It feels better now,"

She smiled and nodded. ‘Strange…he should have been screaming in pain…’ She thought while keeping up her reassuring smile. “Alright then, I’ll go put this away then. I’ll have to get more later…” She mumbled to herself as she turned to return the bottle, all the while concealing the large wound on her arm that had ‘mysteriously’ appeared after applying the medicine. What she did for that liquid…

Just before she went out the door, he fell off the bed with a yelp. He writhed on the ground a moment, silent screams coming from his mouth. She spun back around, watching it take full effect. “There we go.” She murmured to herself, watching him with pity. The hand she had used to apply the liquid with was now greatly bruised and was beginning to burn and make her bleed. She cringed at the sudden pain, but paid no mind to her wound or the blood that was dripping to the floor. Her blood that was awfully familiar to that silver liquid.

He continued to squirm in pain. Not noticing anything around him. The lumps on his back grew and stretched becoming large black wings. He finally let out a scream and went limp. His eyes flickered around the room quickly, but the rest of him could not move. She sighed once he was quiet and set the bottle on the dresser. “I told you it would sting…” She said, hoisting him up and laying him on his bed again, careful not to harm his newly developed wings. “You’ll be fine, just rest for a bit.” She added, gently stroking his hair. His eyes darted around fearfully. Then slowly softened, and closed.

She smiled at this and got up to return the bottle and bandage her hand. As she was going upstairs her mother confronted her about the scream, but upon seeing the bottle she dropped the subject and retreated back to her room, leaving Rena to finish what she started. After a little while he slowly walked upstairs, which he rarely did. He went to Rena's room and slowly peeked in. She was listening to her i-pod, with her back to him, and dancing slightly. He quietly walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She blinked and glanced over her shoulder at him, turning the volume down so she could hear him. “Hey, you can walk.” She said, rather surprised.

He smiled. "I recover quickly," he looked her straight in the eye, hoping he wouldn't have to ask for an explanation She smiled as well, turning around to face him. “So I suppose you want to know what that stuff was?” She asked, tilting her head to the side cutely. He nodded, "That would be helpful."

She shrugged, lifting her arm and tugging the sleeve so that it revealed the wound that was beginning to seal itself. The silvery liquid trickled down her arm from the wound, leaving a long burning mark as it slinked down her skin to the fabric of her shirt. “It’s a bit of a long story…” She said, almost sadly as she stared at the gash. He raised an eyebrow and sat down. "I'm listening," “Well…” She sighed, wondering where to begin. “I don’t suppose you’ve noticed that I’m somewhat different than my parents…” Her tail hit the bed behind her, making itself known. “There’s a reason. They’re not.”

"Really?" he immediately stood up again. His mouth open. “My birth parents died quiet a long time ago.” She said, closing her eyes as she recalled the event. “As did the rest of my family.” She fell back onto her bed and opened her eyes again, staring at the ceiling. “I suppose it’s sad, but I’m to blame.” "Are you sure?" He sat next to her. Slowly putting his arm around her. She sat stiffly, wishing he hadn’t done that. “Yes…because…” She was silent again as tears welled up in her eyes. “I…” She choked on the last words, unable to go on as the tears slipped down her cheeks.

He hugged her tightly. "Shh...It's okay. Calm down now." He pressed her against himself. She sniffled and wiped away a few tears, burying her face into his warm chest. Slowly her sobs quieted down and her body stopped trembling. He helped her up. "I don't need to hear the rest, just know that I'm here if you need me." He started out the door heading for the basement.

She nodded, some what wishing he would stay. She hugged her knees close to her chest as she watched him leave, wiping the few remaining tears away. He turned around and smiling blew her a kiss. Then he walked downstairs, wondering if he should have stayed.

A deep blush painted her cheeks and she laid back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Did he just? Her blush deepened as she thought about it more, pushing the thoughts of her family aside.

The next few weeks were interesting. Looks were made, friendships were broken, but he made it through it. He would often come back to Rena's house and just sit and talk with her. Their relationship was strong, but they didn't seem to understand the depth of it.

Rena enjoyed these visits, looking forward to them whenever they so occurred. She was in ignorant bliss though the dark burden still weighed on her heart. The dark bloody dreams still woke her in the night, still urging her to bring her pain to an end, though for his sake, she tried her best to ignore it. One such day he finally decided to leave the house with her, going back to the park. They sat under the same tree, sheltered from the wind.

She sighed contently, leaning back against the trunk as she stared across the playground. Once again, it was deserted. Not a soul in sight. She liked it better that way. He put his arm around her, just like he had attempted to get himself to do so many times. He still had wings, but they didn't bother him anymore. She smiled and leaned in towards him, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. She had also grown accustom to his wings and enjoyed playing with them when he’d let her. She loved how soft and delicate they were.

He smiled at her, but in the back of his head he was drumming up the courage to tell her something. He shook his head thinking, "No, I can't do that, " She tilted her head to the side, her smile faltering for a moment. “Something wrong?” She asked. He nodded. "I have to say this, I-I love you," He turned his head away slightly. She blinked a few times, a deep blush painting her cheeks as she began to realize the depth of his words. She smiled warmly at him. “I…I love you too.” She whispered, slowly wrapping her arms around him.

He pulled her a little closer his expression one of relief and contentment. She nuzzled into his cheek affectionately, content in enjoying the warmth between them.

The days now were spent with them fleetingly alone. They had their troubles, but really did love each other. The boy now went by Chris, but whether that was his real name or not he wouldn't tell. The days seemed to be brighter for the girl, dubbed Rena, who was with someone she truly cared about. Her thoughts would drift back now and then to her past life, but would immediately clear to other things. All seemed to be going smoothly, but neither expected the tragedy that would befall on them in later days.

He came back to the house one day and went directly to Rena's room. He knocked quietly on her door. There was no response, but the door creaked open slightly. Odd, as Rena was so paranoid and always kept her door closed.

He knocked again. Easing the door open as he did.

The room was a complete mess. Furniture was knocked over, holes were found punched into the wall, papers were scattered everywhere. It was nothing like it usually was, and another thing. Where the hell was Rena? Chris quickly moved down the stairs to her parent's room. He stopped, made himself seem calm, and knocked on the door.

Rena’s ‘mother’ answered the door, her eyes dulled over with sorrow. “Oh, Chris…” She said quietly. “I take it Rena isn’t here.” She frowned at the thought of her and what had happened last night. "No, " he said. "Do you know where she is?"

Her mother rubbed her forehead, obviously stressed. “No, I never know where she goes when she gets like this…” She replied, her voice a little shaky. “I haven’t seen her lose control like that since a long time ago…” She added, becoming lost in her thoughts.

He nodded quickly. "Thank you, " he said, his voice wavering slightly. He left her house, taking note of the red van that had been following him. "That's right," he muttered, "I still have to tell her about that, " He started walking along the road, then stopped a minute, he closed his eyes, humming. Then started moving again.

The red van followed him and he darted behind a tree. A second later the white raven flew from behind it, heading across town. The raven, actually Chris, started flying across town. Occasionally he would stop and hum to find where he was going, but that was it. He quickly made his way to a section of town that reeked of blood, tears, and grief.

A shadowed figure sat sullenly in the center of the clearing. It was far from human, almost like a wolf, but had a strange structure. Stunning white fur that was tainted by fresh blood, strange black markings that adorned it’s face and body, long needle like fangs that dripped that crimson liquid, and two hovering objects behind it that almost resembled wings. It sat in a huddled mass, disrupt and upset in its attempts to hide itself from the world. It’s long ears twitched at the sound of fluttering wings, and it looked up slightly. Chris quickly became human once more and stepped forward slightly to confront this thing, hoping it was, or would lead him to Rena.

It glanced behind itself, eyes widening slightly as he came into view. It growled low, jumping to its feet almost as if preparing to lunge at him. This attempt was cut short as it shrieked in pain, clutching its head in an attempt to set it straight. As it struggled with its thoughts it turned, falling onto all fours and dashing off into the forest at an ungodly speed. Chris morphed himself once more into the form of a raven and set off in pursuit. He would not lose this chance. He was set on it.

The creature focused on navigating its way through the forest, dodging trees while speeding across the vast territory. The mind of the girl inside was still trying to regain control, and seeing Chris encouraged her to keep trying. It reached the edge of the forest and collapsed, breathing heavily as it clawed at the ground in pain as a battle for control raged inside. Chris had trouble keeping up. Even though he didn't have to dodge the trees, this creature could run fast. he kept flying, keeping track of the creature from it's emotions and flew on...

After a minute of recuperating it slowly climbed back to its feet. Staring down at the ground in front of it, it seemed to be losing itself in thought. It didn’t move at all, it hardly breathed. It was just frozen where it was, it’s eyes misty and glazed over in thought. Chris realized that the creature had stopped moving. He turned in mid-air dove into the forest and came to rest, human, in front of the creature.

It stood dormant for a moment longer, then brought its eyes up to glare at him. Its ears pinned back and it bared its fangs threateningly, poising itself to attack. Chris stood in front of it keeping close eye contact. He did not waver in his determination. His confidence irked it, and it immediately lunged forward, tackling him to the ground. Surprisingly it didn’t claw out his throat at that moment, but instead, just kept itself poised above him, staring darkly into his eyes.

He quickly used that second's pause to roll over, effectively turning the tables. He held it firmly, but not in a way that would hurt it. It blinked at the sudden change in place and squirmed under him, thrashing its limbs about aggressively.

He held firmly, not ready to let go. He quickly scooped it into his arms, ignoring how it's claws ripped his shirt. It's claws biting into his quickly numbing chest and face. After a minute it tired itself out and let itself fall limp into his arms. Its chest rose and fell in quickened motions as it glared up at Chris, unable to move. He held it tightly, sure now that it was calming. And after another minute of that it spoke. “And how long do you expect to keep this up?” It asked, its voice strangely familiar and aggravated.

He looked down. "Oh, sorry," he said, and set Rena gently on the ground. She frowned, backing away slightly and turning her back to him. There was a long awkward silence before she spoke again. “What brings you out here?” She asked, keeping a bit of a distance from him.

Chris began to laugh, but then remembered that he had more important things. "I'm being followed," he said bluntly. She tilted her head to the side. “Some guys in white?” She asked casually, wiping some blood away from her mouth.

"Yep," He noticed his torn shirt and attempted to cover it up. “They can’t really follow you anymore.” She spat out some more blood that had pooled in her mouth. Damn, human blood tasted…blech. She stood up on her hind legs, stretching in her anthro body. It had been awhile since she lost control, and though she hated the consequences, it did feel good to have some release.

He shrugged. "They can't right now, but they've been watching your house. And they've seen me go in and out, even though I tried to wait...." “-No,” She interrupted, turning slightly to look at him. “I’ve already taken care of it.” She turned back around and began walking away, attempting to escape before he managed to pin her down again. "How and When?" he pulled away slightly. “Mmm…a little before you came.” She said, folding her arms behind her head, “As for how…why do you think I’m covered in blood?”

He sighed, "Then it's not taken care of. I got to your house this afternoon, saw your room, asked your mom where you were and started tracking you. They were following me until I took off." She shrugged casually. “Well then I guess I’ll have to figure out another way.” She said casually, running her tongue over her fangs. “In the mean time, I can’t go back home until I turn back.” She added, slipping into the forest and hoping onto a large tree branch. He nodded. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

She blinked a few times, pondering his question. “If you want…but I can’t guarantee your safety if I lose control again…” She muttered quietly, her tail flicking about behind her. He shrugged, "I'll be alright. I can fly remember." He formed his hands into a bird shape and flapped the bird's wings.

She chuckled and shook her head. “If you say so…” She murmured before climbing higher into the tree and bounding from it to another, barely catching onto a branch and skillfully pulling herself up. He followed quickly. He had climbed trees when he was younger and it was easy now. His height helped a bit as well.

She continued bounding from tree to tree, freefalling on the occasion for the fun of it before continuing to her goal. Although Chris was fairly fit. He still had trouble keeping up with Rena and from time to time would become a raven (white) in order to follow her.

She finally came to a stop at a rather large tree that was riddled with claw marks and reeked of blood. She took a deep breath and relaxed, lying down on a rather large limb while letting her arm dangle off of it. Chris came to land a little above her, and was soon enough human again. She yawned lazily and smiled, happy to be in a familiar place. She nuzzled into her other arm and closed her eyes, attempting to take a nap before she turned back to normal. Or, at least what most people considered ‘normal’.

Chris moved down a branch getting closer, until he was a branch away. Resting and waiting. Her ear twitched at his movement and she opened an eye to observe him. “Something wrong?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. "Nothing, I'm just a little tired. It's been a stressful day, y'know?"

She nodded and yawned again, her fangs glistening in the light. “You bet…” She mumbled, closing her eyes again and relaxing. Chris leaned against the tree...and fell asleep. Sleep soon took her over as well as she curled into herself as much as she could for warmth.

Chris slowly woke a few hours later. Forgetting where he was, he groggily rolled over. Hitting the ground with a painful crash. Upon hearing the crash below Rena jumped in a paranoid way, slipping off her branch and plummeting to the ground with a hard crack upon impact. She writhed in pain for a moment before she attempted to get up, which she found quite difficult. Wincing as she sat up she glanced over at Chris with a worried expression. “Are you okay?”

He rolled over quickly, then winced. "Yeah, I think so." After he looked Rena over he said, "Don't you think we should be getting back to your house?"

She sighed and fell back, her head hitting the ground with a painful thud. “Probably…” She mumbled, somewhat numb from the pain.

He slid himself over next to her. Sighing he said, "But we don't have to, right?"

She nodded, making no attempt to get up. “If you want to we can…if not…” She yawned sleepily and closed her eyes, still groggy from her nap. Chris just lay quietly not saying anything at all. She opened her eyes again and glanced over at him. “Something wrong?” She asked.

His eyes were closed, but he was awake enough to shake his head. He gently put his arm around her, hugging her tightly. A light blush spread onto her cheeks as she happily nuzzled his cheek, resting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and draped her arm over his chest, holding on gently to the fabric of his shirt.

After what seemed like a minute or two of this Chris looked up. "Crap!" he said out loud, "the sun is setting." Rena opened and eye and stared at him for a moment. “And?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. "We should probably head back. I love being out here, but..." he stopped. "Your parents?"

She thought for a moment. “Mm, I suppose your right…” She sighed, slowly pulling herself up. She stared down at the ground for a moment, something important passing through her mind. She frowned and slipped her hands into her pockets as she started walking away, an odd gloom hanging over her as she glanced back at him. “Let’s go.” He quickly started to follow, not sure how to get back, now that he was here.

As she had been through this forest so many times, she could easily navigate her way back. Taking a few twists and turns through the many winding dirt paths she finally came to a stop at a large cliff. Standing at the very edge she stared down it, her eyes clouding over in thought. Chris silently walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Best not be getting any closer to that. I might have to follow suit."

His voice dragged her from her thoughts and back to the cliff in front of her. She glanced over her shoulder at him and tilted her head to the side innocently. “What do you mean?” She asked, leaning back slightly. "You were drifting off, I couldn't be sure what you were thinking about. And up here...." he gestured towards the cliff.

She followed his gesture and gazed down the cliff again. “Oh.” She stated simply. “I didn’t really notice I was this tired…I guess I should have slept longer, I’ve fallen down this one too many times…” She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up more. “But we do have to climb down it.” She added. He looked at her carefully to see if she was joking. She glanced up at him, wondering what he was looking at. “I’ll help you find a trail if you want...” She suggested, brushing some hair out of her face.

He laughed, "You're not kidding huh?" The look on her face told him otherwise. "If I fell down this, I wouldn't get hurt? Not badly anyway?"

“If you fell down this…” She thought about it for a moment. “You’d be dead on contact.” She glanced down it again, eyeing the rocks and other various terrain at the bottom.

"But," he swallowed, "You said that you fell down it before and..." “I was in the hospital for 6 months.” She replied, shuddering at the thought. He grimaced. "K. That's interesting..." He looked at the cliff face one more time, spread his wings and ran off the edge. She stood quietly, watching him run off the edge. Her eyes were beginning to cloud over in thought once again, once again failing to notice just how close to the edge she was.

Chris flapped his wings, slowly first, and then faster. He started rising and yelled in triumph, not paying attention to anything. His wings stopped flapping and he started to sink, until he realized and pulled himself higher again. She absentmindedly started walking forward, which was rather impossible as she was already at the very edge. So of course she fell. Still in her daze like state she hardly noticed herself plummeting head first towards the rocks below.

Chris suddenly caught sight of something falling. realizing that it was Rena he immediately dove for her. pulling his arms and legs in helped to increase his speed as well and he reached her in no time, to see the ground close by. She blinked, pulling herself out of the dream like state to stare at the ground she was falling towards. She let out a tiny squeak and covered her head with her arms, preparing for the impact as memories of the first flooded back to her.

Chris looked around as time seemed to slow down. He could see each speck of dust in the air, each blade of grass on the ground, each rock on the cl- The cliff! He flipped himself over in the air and dug his feet into the side of the cliff. His momentum carried him down, but he slowed slightly. After a second he pushed himself from the side and flapped his wings hard. He lifted into the air and flew a few feet before coming to rest on the ground. He let go of Rena and then fell to the dirt at her feet.

Rena’s body trembled as she began to actually feel the ground beneath her. She fell back and sat down, holding her head and pulling into herself as much as she could. Frightened tears cascaded down her cheeks which were now a ghostly shade of white along with, as it seemed, the rest of her body. It took her a moment to open her eyes, staring at Chris who had collapsed in front of her. In a shaky voice she managed to whisper, “Chris? Are you okay…?” There was a slight moan and he whispered, "Barely"

Rubbing the tears away, she laid down beside him and cuddled close to him. “I’m sorry…” She whispered, kissing his forehead gently. "No," he said, "It's mainly..." His cheeks turned red as he realized that she had just kissed him. She was quiet for a moment, waiting for him to go on as she rested her head on the ground next to him, a blush of her own returning some color to her face.

"I...It was my fault. I really shouldn’t have tried that today." He groaned. "Now I hurt." She frowned. “It really wasn’t your fault; it’s my fault for falling…” She pulled away from him a bit, a deep feeling of guilt taking over. “She always said it was my fault anyways…” She whispered to herself.

Chris heard her mumbling, "What?" She scooted away some more, there being about a foot of distance between them. “Nothing…” He stood up quickly and stood next to her. "You sure?" She frowned again and looked away. “It’s nothing.” She said sternly. She hoped she wouldn’t have to tell Chris about who she was talking about, he just wouldn’t understand.

He gave her a hug. "You're sure??" She couldn’t answer. She sat quietly in his arms, her eyes downcast, staring at whatever was down there. Anything to avoid telling him; anything to keep her from breaking down again. He looked down at her and sighed. "I don't want to pry into your life, but I hope that someday you'll tell me." He hugged her close again before letting go.

After a minute she nodded, wrapping her arms around herself to make up for the warmth she had just lost. She steadied herself on her feet and silently began leading the way back home. Chris pulled himself together-emotionally as well as physically-and followed after her. He stayed wrapped in his thoughts, off on an adventure in the swirling shifting realm of thought. The silence between them began to irk her, as she became paranoid in the shadows of the forest. She was becoming a little bit skittish, and quickened her pace.

Chris could sense her skittishness and quickened his pace as well. As he was about to lose her he flapped his wings hard and flew through the air to land gently in front of her. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" he asked calmly. Startled by his sudden appearance she yelped and fell backwards, landing on the ground with a thud. She rubbed her head to relieve some of the stress building inside her and nodded. “I’ll be fine; I just want to get out of this part of the forest.” She stated, climbing to her feet once her heart beat returned to normal.

He thought about this for a moment and said, "I can carry you out if you'd like." She chuckled softly and looked up at him. “I’ve already put enough strain on you, I don’t think you could handle it again.” She murmured as she slipped past him and continued walking. He walked behind her silently before finally putting his arm around her.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, happy to have him close to her again. It was cold, and she had no coat or…for that matter, much else. Her jeans had been ripped up a great deal near the knees and the only other thing she had on was her tank top. She placed her hand over his, rubbing it gently with her thumb as a small smile crossed her features. As they came up on Rena's street Chris moved his arm back down to his side. "So, are you sure you're alright now?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, her eyes downcast to the cement as she wrapped her arms around herself again. “I hope my mom isn’t too upset…” She mumbled, a wave of guilt washing over her as she thought about the way she had stormed out. "She probably won't be. She seemed okay when I left, but I can't be completely sure." His face told more of his suspicions than he said himself.

She sighed before nodding again. “Thank you.” She said, a sad smile spreading onto her lips as she hugged him tightly to say good bye. He hugged her as well waiting until she stopped hugging him to release. Then he followed her to the doorway. As. he did so headlights came around the corner. The light caught her eye as she pulled a house key from her pocket. She stood waiting for it to pass as she unlocked the door, her paranoia not letting her go any further.

Unfortunately the light did not go away, it got brighter until it was pointing right at them. A car door slammed and someone could be seen coming up the walk. Chris glanced at the road and muttered, "Red van. Not good." Rena’s eyes narrowed as she glared dangerously at the approaching figure. She slipped the key back into her pocket and held her arm stiffly at her side as she placed the other on her hip. As the man came up to them Chris put his arm on Rena's shoulder and gruffly asked, "What do you want?"

Chris saw a lump in the man's coat that looked roughly familiar and altogether dangerous. He took no time in grabbing Rena, flapping his wings and flying away. This time however, the man was prepared for his quick exit and hopped back in his van following them closely as Chris pulled to get altitude. Rena frowned at the red van following them below. “Why are we running?” She asked, glancing up at Chris with a questioning look as she wrapped her arms around him. Chris was silent for a second before admitting, "He...had a gun."

She arched an eyebrow before looking back down at the van. “So?” She asked, “I’ve been shot a few times, it doesn’t hurt that bad…” Chris just shook his head before saying, "Well I haven't, and would rather not experience it now." She frowned again. “Then let me down and I’ll deal with him.” She argued, becoming aggravated. "But-" Chris started, but before he could continue something whizzed past his ear. Glancing down he saw men in vans shooting at them. As the bullets whizzed past them Rena gently pulled herself away from Chris' grasp and fell freely from the sky to the street below. As she did, her hands began to transform into long steely claws, poised and ready to kill.

Chris dived down to grab Rena, but suddenly was hit. He looked at the area that was in pain and realized that there wasn't a bullet wound. Instead there was a strange looking dart poking from his skin. TRANQUILIZERS! He suddenly realized, and the world started to go black as he sank from the sky. Rena noticed something falling from the sky above her. She landed softly on the ground then looked up, immediately jumping a good 10 feet to catch Chris before the men in the van could reach him. ‘They’ll just have to wait’, she thought, gathering him in her arms and dashing off to find a safe place to hide until he awakened.

As Rena ran through the streets the men quickly attempted to locate her and Chris. Chris stirred many times, but didn't wake. She finally managed to elude the men and stopped to rest in a secret hiding place she and her friends had built as a refuge. She laid him down on one of the many blankets that littered the floor and looked at the strange dart that wounded him. She carefully removed it, squeezing the container in a way that kept any more liquid from entering him.

She set it on a makeshift shelf as she dressed the wound and wrapped him up in a few more blankets. She sighed as she stood up, cautiously approaching a window to see if they had been followed. There was the sound of cars passing the hiding place, but none stopped. They were safe for the moment. Chris mumbled in his sleep once or twice, but wouldn't wake. Yet.

She let out the breath she had been holding and crept back to his side, sitting down and watching him contently. She listened intently to his murmurings, though she couldn’t understand them in the least. She rested her head on her palm and sighed, using the other hand to play with her hair. There was nothing else to do anyways, not until he woke up.

About half an hour later, Chris started to stir once more. He opened his eyes and looked around cautiously. He touched his neck and twinged at the slight pain from the quickly healing prick mark. Rena had fallen asleep since then, sitting up against the wall with her head resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth. She had tried to stay awake, but she found she couldn’t keep her eyes open after the first 15 minutes. She mumbled something incoherent, but stayed still and sleeping in the rather uncomfortable position.

Chris slowly got up and walked around, trying to shake off the faintness from being knocked unconscious. After a minute of looking at the fairly dismal surroundings, he poked Rena. She didn't move. He stood there for a moment, then poked her again.

After the second poke she jerked awake, hitting her head on the wall behind her in the process. “Ouchie...” She rubbed the back of her head before glancing up at who had poked her and, upon realizing who it was, tackled him to the ground. “Chris! You’re okay!” She exclaimed, beaming to see him awake again as she nuzzled his cheek affectionately. "...Yeah...," he said groggily, " I'm fine." He stood up slowly, trying to clear the blurriness in front of his eyes. "Wow...where are we?"

She smiled and took a few steps back. “This is my secret hiding place. We’re safe here.” She said, glancing around the rundown shelter. "Oh," He said softly. "You set all this stuff up?"

“Well, my friends and I did.” She leaned up against the wall and sighed as she thought back. "Your friends? Really?," Chris walked up next to her, "And which friends would these be?" “You haven’t met them…” She tilted her head back and looked away. “I haven’t seen them in quite some time.”

"Ah. Sometimes you just seemed to be avoiding the subject." He looked away quickly, embarrassed at having been so forward." “It makes me seem like I don’t have any friends, doesn’t it?” She asked softly. He was silent for a moment. "...sometimes."

"Although to me it just seems like your a little closed in about your personal life. But then, I guess sharing your personal troubles with someone you found on the street probably isn't something you'd really want to do."

She chuckled. “You just realized this and you’ve been hanging around me for how long?” "Well...I probably realized, but I guess I never really thought about it much." “I see.” She said, taking a seat against the wall. “Well, you shouldn’t think about it too much. If you think about my personal life too much your brain will explode.” He sat still for a second.

She grinned at him. “I’m kidding. I’m not that hard to figure out.” She said, wondering why he got so quiet. "BOOM" She fell over and blinked. "Just kidding"

He walked over and helped her up. She simply shook her head as she shakily stood up again. “You’re so…” She paused to think of the appropriate word to finish her sentence. Unfortunately she didn't get a chance to finish that sentence. There was sounds of yelling coming from outside. "Shit," Chris mumbled under his breath.

Rena glared at the door, clueless as to how they found them so quickly. “This way.” She said, moving a box out of the way to reveal a secret exit in the wall. Chris took no time to question just moved quickly out of the building. She followed after him and glanced around to make sure no one had seen them yet. They emerged outside and Chris immediately changed into a raven. He flew up higher and then landed again.

"They've got a huge circle of people. There isn't a way out, " he said quickly. She sighed and cursed under her breath, staying close to the wall. “It’d be easier if I just killed them all…” She muttered, her eyes narrowing at thought of ripping them all to sheds. There was wrenching sound from a little ways away. Chris had ripped off a sewer grate and was lying next to the hole, exhausted...and with the grate lying on his chest. She arched an eyebrow at him and snuck over. “What’re you doing?” She whispered. "Making an exit, " he gasped, pulling the grate back off himself. "Hop in" heard yelling coming from the end of the alley. "Quickly would be good."

She didn’t hesitate and jumped into the hole, landing with a quiet thump on the concrete below. She stepped back and waited for him to follow, folding her arms in front of her chest. Chris picked up the grate and pulled it backwards onto the hole above his head. Then turned to Rena. "Let's get out of here." She nodded and led the way through the sewers, quite familiar with the maze like structure from use. She quickened her pace and leapt over several gaps to proceed, looking back briefly to make sure he was still behind her.

He began to follow and jumped over the first of the gaps. Suddenly he slipped and fell sliding right over the edge into who-knows-where. She sighed and turned around, crossing back over the gaps to see if she could help him. "Ouch!" he called up from below. There was a bang followed by some muttering until Chris finally admitted, "I'm stuck." She sighed again. “I’ll be right down…” She called before carefully slipping into the opening he fell through.

Looking around Chris poked his head as far out of the opening in the sewer pipe as he could. "Over here, " he said wincing as he spoke. She slid over to him and evaluated the situation. “How far are you in?” She asked, trying to find a way to grab and pull him out without hurting him too badly. "I'm not completely sure. Maybe a few feet, but my pants are caught on something. And my leg is twisted around a bit."

She frowned. “Not good…see if you can get it untwisted, I might have to find a way around to push you out...” Chris squirmed a bit trying to set his leg back in place, but suddenly gasped in pain. She flinched as he gasped. “Did you hurt yourself?” She asked gently. "A little, " he said, "But my leg is untwisted. I think." She waited patiently for him to find his arm so she could pull him out. He yanked his arm up from where ever it had gone and reached out for her. "Quickly, I think I'm sliding."

She quickly grabbed onto his hand, squeezing it tightly before trying to pull him out. "Uh-oh." he said as he slid a few more inches. "This could be a slight problem." She frowned and tried harder to pull him out. She was sure she was at least twice as strong as he was heavy, why wasn’t he coming up? "Um... I think this isn't going to work." he said as he went down a few more inches. She sighed. “Then what do you have in mind?” She snapped, becoming slightly aggravated at his predicament.

"Well, considering that something grabbed onto my leg when you tried to pull me out..." She arched an eyebrow. “What?” "Yeah...not really sure, but I don't think it's a hand either. Too cold for that." A sharp chill slipped down her spine at the thought. “Well, what do we do now?” She asked, tightening her grip on his hand.

"There's not that much we can do. You can let go, saving yourself, or you can hold on and we'll both go sailing down into oblivion." He tried to let go of her hand to no avail. A sly smirk creped onto her face. “And what’s wrong with oblivion?” She asked, sliding down a bit more into the pipe with him. She kept a firm grip on his hand and released the portion of the pipe she was still hanging onto.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but apparently you want to find out." He retightened his grip on her hand as they were pulled through the section of tube and down into the depths of the sewer. The ride was long and didn't even seem to end. After about ten minutes Chris looked around and realized he had stopped moving.

Rena was curious to where they were going, looking around until they were stopped. “What happened?” She asked. "I'm not sure," Chris replied, "We got pulled down for a long time and then we...weren't." “Hmm.” She frowned and looked back up the way they came. It seemed so far away. "Wow..." Chris said. Then there was a rumbling from farther down in the pipe. She glanced in that direction and started to move towards it.

"Wait a minute," he said, "You're going to go toward the creepy sound in who knows what part of the sewers?" She smiled and nodded. “I have a death wish.” She said, giving him a thumbs up before continuing to move down the pipe. "Right," he mumbled, "Well, here goes nothing." With this he trotted along behind Rena. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the pitch darkness of the pipe and she began to speed up, finding nothing out of the ordinary as of yet.

Chris made his way past Rena not really looking for anything. If something had pulled them here, there was a good chance that there wasn't going to be some windey maze. "It should be straight shot. And we've got to get past whatever's at the end." However, sure enough, the pipe infront of him split. "Rena!" he called back. She turned when she heard his voice echoing off the pipe walls. “What is it!” She called back as she ran to catch up with him. “Does it have four legs or six!” He smiled and said, "It's a fork." After a pause he added, "The pipe splits."

She pouted once she reached him, looking between the two directions. “Hmm…do we split up? We might not be able to find each other if we do…” She said softly, before turning to look at him again. He thought about it for a minute and was about to say something when he stopped. She blinked as she waited for him to finish, glancing around as her attention span shrunk even further. "I was going to say that we could split up and I could find you, but I think you should know that there's something that way." He pointed down the right pipe.

She smiled. “I call that way!” She exclaimed, pointing to the right. Her face fell slightly. “But wait, how will you find me?” She asked, tilting her head curiously. Chris smiled, "Trade secret M'lady." He bowed low. Her smile returned as he bowed. “Well, if you’re sure. But if you find anything interesting you have to come find me!” She added, before turning and heading down the right pipe. “I’ll meet up with you later!” She shouted over her shoulder while she waved and ran, trying not to trip. Chris waited a moment before starting down the pipe on the left. He hummed to himself while still listening intently for any unusual sounds down the other pipe.

Rena nearly tripped twice on her way down the pipe, deciding to be foolish and run along the side wall. Her pants were soaked by the time she reached the end of the pipe, and instead of finding the huge evil creature she had hoped to find, she was met with an opening to a large room that reeked greatly of mold. She pouted before looking down, her eyes brightening as she noticed the large whirlpool that the water in the pipe poured into.

Chris cursed as he hit the fifth dead end in several minutes. He was tired and frustrated. "Time to head back I suppose." he muttered to no one in particular. He hummed for a moment before starting off in a sure direction, slowly wrenching his numb legs through the cold water. The slight bits of emotion called to him from down the pipe.

She climbed down the wall, instantly becoming drenched as she became submerged in the wall of water. She muttered something to herself before leaping over to the closest ledge, catching onto it and easily pulling herself up. She suddenly burst into a fit of giggles before regaining her composer and sliding along the wall towards a wider area.

Chris glanced down from the pipe above looking at the large chamber and the whirlpool it contained. He shuddered slightly. He could swim, but if he needed to escape...let's just say wet feathers didn't work so well. "Where are you going?" he called down. She glanced back up at him and grinned. “No idea!” She called back before continuing to the other side.

He sighed, "No chance of me talking you out of it then?" She shrugged. “I suppose you could, but I really want to see what’s down there…” He laughed, "Okay then." And with that he jumped from the edge of the pipe. About two feet before he hit the water, Chris flapped his wings and swung back up to where Rena was. She smiled and pressed herself closer to the wall so she wouldn’t fall or get him wet. "You know," he commented, seemingly quietly against the fall of water, "at this height you could just jump."

She glanced down over the edge. “You want me to jump into a swirling vortex of death? Well that’s a first.” He smiled, "You're going to do it anyway...and I'm going to have to follow you. I'd really like to get this over with. It takes a long time for these to dry." She looked back up at him with a smile. “Actually I wasn’t, but if you insist.” She took a step off the ledge and fell past him and into the murky water below. He sighed and let himself fall headfirst into the water. 'Better now than later.' He insistently thought.

She kept her eyes closed as the current pulled her, trying to keep herself calm so she could make the breath she took last. She couldn’t find the surface and struggling would only kill her faster. Chris used his breath to find Rena, kicking towards her. He grabbed onto her and started to lose his sight for a minute.

Her eyes opened hesitantly as he grabbed onto her, trying to see his face through the sickly green water. A soft smile played on her lips as she held onto him, her foot brushing against the cement below. Upon finding the ground she kicked off and headed towards the surface. Chris coughed as his sight returned. He was a little disorientated and yelled above the sound of the water, "Could you see anything?" “There’s a large hole at the bottom that’s pulling the water down.” She called, her head slipping below the water for a moment as her strength began to give way.

"Figures," he muttered. He adjusted his position and then swung Rena onto his back. "Hold on," he said, before diving under again.

She tightened her grip on him and took a breath before they went under. Chris swam with the current. Pulling them down into the hole. It split, but he remained in the main pipe. As he began to run out of air, he grabbed the top of the pipe, slowing them down as they reached a pocket of air. Her mind was hazy as they traveled through the water, her grip loosening before reality took hold of her again and she tightened her grip again. The air was a welcome relief to her aching lungs.