Phoenix Tears
#3 of Twin's Tale
Warning: This story contains fire-magic, references to M/M sexuality and sexual behaviors, and bloody, bloody death. If any of this offends you run now while you still can. Nitsuj, Aerotan, Pierce and subsequent characters are © Me, Aerotan. all others are © their respective players. * * *
Twin's Tale: Phoenix Tears
You smirk as your interest is caught, I like that smirk a little, but don't say it. "Well, I know what its like to lose a brother, so I'll listen. You've intrigued me. What of that man who left... and why did you so willingly tell me your name," your voice falls to a conspiritory whisper " \Dominus//? Do you really trust me that much?" I laugh aloud, then, to ease your perplexed expression I say "What trust? You were just inside of me Mal. And not just physically either. Yes I trust you. Besides, it's not like my name is that dangerous. Let's see, where to begin? I saw that man again, years later, though I didn't immediately recognize him. It was about a century before I took my current name, and about the time of the fall of the human race. He and I found ourselves fighting a war, humanity's last effort to remain alive, and we found ourselves on opposite sides. We'd both changed forms since I'd hatched, he to that of a much younger human, and myself to a flaming orange fox, though I still looked to be about twelve at the time. We both recognized the other as a powerful fire-wielder, and we naturally started gravitating toward a standoff between us. We were surrounded by death and dying, but we were both used to it, so the screams and howls and gurgling cries for the creator never got beyond our ears. As soon as the area cleared somewhat for us he began launching arrows at me in rapid succession... * * * ...I avoided the first few, and redirected one before I realized that he could keep the pace up a lot longer than I could. Deciding quickly that desperate times called for risky moves, I quickly put up a flameshield between me and the archer in question. "I was wondering when you'd show your talent child." He said with a smug voice. He was kind of short, for a human, and his long hair was more silver than grey at this point, so I guess he had a right to assume that I was a child to him. But because I was, by that point, Well over five thousand I had a right to assume he was wrong. "I was showing my talent before you were born human." was my oh-so-mature response. Between myself and Aerotan we had already killed at least half of the humans in this particular batallion, so he should have been more concerned, perhaps. But the only response he showed at all to our confronting him he showed now in a hard to read smirk. "I'm certain, child, that you will see the folly of that statement long before this battle is over." ++Watch out Aith, there's something about him I don't like...++ Aerotan sent to me via our telepathic link, causing my eyes to flash a spectral shade of silver the human somehow missed seeing or didn't react to. He was currently in the form of an arctic fox, snow white and rather cute. Or rather he would be snow white if it weren't for his pink nose, the insides of his ears, also pink, and the very not-pink blood spattered on his fur and pants. He always said the worst part of being deadly with a staff was it was messy. It really was too bad that after the first wave of humans sent against us died none of the others were surprised to see what looked like two twelve year old fox-furres killing everyone who showed them the least bit of aggression. That had made things a little more dangerous. And once they were gone they had sent another force, seemingly lead by the man I was now staring down. We were probably only standing there for a few seconds, him glaring at us, us scowling back at him, but it seemed like hours. By the end of it the both of us were so tense it was leaking across our link... Then the wave broke as he launched a fireball toward me. It had to be the first time I'd ever seen a silenced, stilled, eschewed fireball, but none of that even registered as both Aerotan and I dived to the sides to avoid it. Had I thought about it I would have wondered how the hell he cast it without me noticing, or would've been awestruck at the sheer power behind it. As it was I was simply launching a counter-spell in the form of a Flame Pillar, which he dispelled quickly. "Time for a lesson in magic, boy." He said calmly. He was toying with us, this much was obvious, and neither of us liked that idea much. "Rule number one: When engaging in a sorcerous battle, make sure your opponent is not out of your league." Aerotan began charging some spell at this point, and I was quick to throw a distracting fireball at him. One roughly the size of a city sewer cover. He flicked it away as if it were nothing more than a fly, sending it careening into our troops. I started to growl, but seconds later my voice refused to come and there was a consticting feeling around my neck. "Rule two, Don't be obvious when casting your spells, it just makes you a ready target for Silence." He said as he began walking toward me slowly. ++%%slight panic%% Aith, help! He cancelled my spell!++ Aerotan sent over the link. ++%%panic%% You too!? That's both of us at once he Muted...++ ++%%fear and awe%% The power that would take...to Mute two dragons at the same time...What are we going to do?++ ++Try things my way?++ With this I placed a paw on the shortsword strapped across my back. ++%%resignation%% I suppose...++ He replied, changing and tightening his grip on his own weapon. We both watied, tense as springs again, Aerotan drawing himself up beside me, as the human approached with what we were sure were to be his last words. "Rule three, Know your enemies and their weaknesses. You have failed your kind, and now you will go to the afterlife. Pity your time here was so short. Any last words? Didn't think so." He had stopped about five feet away from us. For most furs that would've been a safe distance. We weren't most furs. I jumped straight into the air and tilted forward slightly as Aerotan swung his staff around. By the time it connected with my hind paws I had already drawn my sword and had it, and myself, aimed straight for the human's heart. Essentially I was a fluffy baseball with a deadly mission. Before the human could finish preparing whatever spell it was he was going to use he had a sword sticking out of the back of his chest. Blood spilled down the handle, slicking it so that when my momentum pushed the human over and me beyond him, it stayed embedded to the hilt in his chest. I landed about three feet away and turned slowly, his lifeblood dripping from my right paw as I looked over his corpse, my gaze lingering on those eyes, lifeless now, that had only moments before seemed powerful and wise beyond what he had a right to. Aerotan walked over from where I'd started, stepping around the dead human as he made his way toward me. Neither of us spoke, despite the fact that even if the Mute spell hadn't been lifted with his death, we still had the link. Neither of us needed to. We hated killing mages, especially powerful ones, because it always meant that somehow, some way, they'd gained knowledge either directly or indirectly, and access directly, through one of the group that had trained the both of us. It meant that someone was either slacking on the job or trying to kill us outright. Given that this man was a fire mage, we both assumed the latter. What happened next is burned into my mind as clearly as if it happened yesterday. The human's corpse started smoking, smouldering really, eventually giving rise to a full flame. Aerotan must've assumed I'd done it since he didn't react in the least bit as he reached my side and hugged me briefly in a brotherly hug that even then meant less than I wished it did. He did, however, flinch when an ear-splitting screech echoed across what used to be a battlefield. With it the human's corpse was engulfed in an inferno that left nothing but ash. Or it should have. What it actually left was a very angry sixteen year old boy with hair an impossible shade of red and eyes as gold as a coin. When he spoke his voice was menacing if high pitched. "Just full of surprises, aren't you? Well maybe this will put an end to that!" He drew his arms up as if he were praying for help and began to speak in draconic. "\By the power of the noble Red Dragon and the Ruby, his son. Grant this Phoenix knowledge and power to defeat his foes.//" Small, thin red lines started making intricate patterns on my fur, alerting me (as if I weren't aware and dumbstruck about it) that there was a request for power and knowledge being made of me that I had to see to directly. The human, or Phoenix really, would have been just as astonished as I was in that moment if he could've seen me covered in arcane patterns of glowing red lines. As it was his head was tilted back, and judging by the smirk on his face he'd recieved a massive amount of Fire energy from the red dragon. I snarled and said only two words, both in draconic: "\Invocation denied.//" His head sprang forward so fast I'm amazed to this day he didn't break his neck. Aerotan was staring open jawed at the other, amazed probably that we'd found him. He was staring open jawed at me, only now realizing just who he was dealing with. I was scowling at him as the lines faded from my body, retreating to and finally vanishing at the tip of my tail. He spoke first, after several awkward minutes "What kind of father wo-" "Can it!" I said, cutting him off. "Why are you fighting for the humans?" "You wouldn't understand." "Try us." said Aerotan in the most menacing tone I'd ever heard him use. "You CAN'T understand, neither of you have lived long enough." "Look, I don't know how thick-skulled you are, but I'm willing to wager either of us is older than the combined age of the soldiers in your little raiding party, you excluded." "And yet neither of you has ever had a mate." he said matter of factly. And he was right, neither of us had. The word hung in the air as we waited for him to explain. Instead he broke down and started crying... * * * You've been listening with rapt attention so far, and I have to admit I'm a little flattered, but you tilt your head in confusion a little bit before I continue. "You see, he had taken a wife among the humans, and while they never had children since he didn't want to curse anyone else with his immortality and she didn't want them, they loved each other very much. But apparently not enough for him to tell her there was no way she would outlive him, and no chance of her ever seeing him again once she left this world." You look even more confused by this, so I break from the story for a second to clarify things simply before continuing. "He never told her he was the phoenix. What happened once he left the battlefield we got secondhand. The letter saying he'd died reacher his wife before he could, but only by a few hours. It was apparently enough time for her to work up the nerve to slit her wrists though. "He got there just as her heart stopped beating. He cried and used every healing and ressurrective spell he knew, but she'd lost the will to live, and so always died within minutes of being brought back. Eventually he gave up and killed himself too. All this accomplished was burning the house down and her body with it. If what Aerotan and I learned is right this is also the event that put him back on his suicide binge, with him finding ever more creative ways to kill himself. * * *
Author's Notes I know, I know, still short. I'm actually intentionally trying to avoid several of the things that might be able to lengthen it to keep in the mindset of the character's age at the time of the events. Honestly, how many of you remember things with much detail from well over half your life ago?