Chapter 16: Resurrection
#16 of Rohan's Journey
Here's your chapter, my readers. All I needed was a day with some free time. ^_^ Hopefully, you'll enjoy this, and I guarantee you'll cringe if you liked the last chapter a lot.
Ekimi mewed and curled up tighter as a heavy paw met with her side, it wasn't hard, at least not compared to some of the blows, but it certainly didn't make for a good awakening.
"Get up." said the all too-familiar voice that began every day. The young neko stood up and held out the leash to the leonine male. Lashen took it; then removed her collar.
"She's somewhere in the village, you have until noon, then you will be back here. Understood?"
The girl's eyes lit up and she nodded, hesitating only a moment before running off the way she was facing.
"Ekimi, the village is the other direction."
She proceeded to run past him, ears curling and cheeks red with embarrassment, bringing a grin and a slight chuckle from the feline. Continuing on, the half-breed folded her ears to her head and wrapped her tail around her stomach, then hid it beneath her shirt. At a glance, she appeared no different than any human, but if someone got close, her eyes and her ears would give her away.
It was early morning, and the sun just peeked above the trees, sending long shadows onto the dew-covered ground. No one walked the village except the outsider.
"-back soon."
A blond girl ran out of the open door and stopped briefly to yell her reply.
"I'm just goin to Toren's house, it's not like I'm gonna get lost Mom."
Seizing the opportunity as the door shut, Ekimi coughed to get the girl's attention.
"Umm... Who're you?" The girl asked; keeping her distance as the neko advanced a step.
"I'm Ekimi; I'm just visiting for a little. Do you know Etini? Do you know where she is?"
"She's over by Toren's house; I'm Dyina by the way."
Stopping short of showing her teeth, and by default, her fangs, Ekimi smiled in thanks before looking around again.
"Where's Toren's house?" she asked, glancing around at the surrounding houses.
"I'm goin over there to ask if his brother can come eat dinner with us tonight, I'll show you where she lives if you want." Dyina replied, smiling back and starting off before the feline had a chance to answer. Following a few steps behind, the half-demon's heart beat a quick tattoo against her chest as they drew nearer her target. Dyina stopped at the door of the house and pointed across the wide street and two houses over.
"Etini lives in there... I hope you get what you need."
"Thanks Dyina." Ekimi said, walking on without stopping.
Dyina knocked on Toren's door and glanced over her shoulder at the odd girl as she waited for an answer.
"Who's-" was all a female voice managed before it became muffled, making the loud thump all the more noticeable.
"Toren?" The little girl asked the door, moving her hair aside and pressing her ear to the door to better hear the answer.
"Dyina?" Toren asked, opening the door a crack, glancing behind him at a shuffle, then back out to her.
"Umm, my dad wanted to know if Mr. Rohan wanted to eat dinner with us tonight... Who was that earlier?"
"No one." He said, a bit too quickly, before repeating himself, slower. "No one."
"A-alright... So will he?"
"Lemme ask... He may not be entirely," Here the boy paused, searching for the proper word "decent, right now."
"That's okay; I'll just wait here till you get the answer." And she did, leaning her back against the doorframe, and once again taking notice of the strange girl, who was standing outside the house, looking rather nervous. The door in front of the new arrival opened and- what happened to her hair? Ekimi disappeared within too quickly for Dyina to understand exactly what just transpired, or if it was anything but the early morning playing tricks on her eyes.
Rohan groaned and opened his eyes, meeting his mate's hazel gaze. Giving her a lick on the nose, he sat up and glanced around, spotting Toren by the door.
"What're you doing over there, Toren?"
"Good, you're awake. Dyina wants to know if you'll eat dinner with her father tonight."
"Sure... I could use the distraction..."
"What'd you mean by that?" Toren asked, echoing the question Kitara sent him with her eyes.
"I'll tell you guys later, okay?" They both nodded, and Rohan changed both into a human and into his clothes before opening the door and glancing around a moment, looking for the messenger.
"Dyina?"
"Hi Mr. Rohan!" She blurted, hugging his waist.
"I do want to eat with your father tonight. What were you looking at over there?"
"Oh, just Etini's house, some girl came to the village looking for her."
"She did? That's kind of odd, isn't it?"
"Maybe a little... I gotta get back, my mom's gonna be mad if I'm away much longer."
"Wouldn't want that, would we? See ya tonight, Dyina." Rohan said, kneeling down to hug her properly.
"I'll be waiting Mr. Rohan." She said, hugging him around the neck before turning back and heading for her house.
"Lashen..." Rohan said aloud, reminding himself of the day prior, remembering what his energy had felt like... No, that wasn't entirely remembering, he could feel it faintly, or something close to it, coming from the direction of the house the stranger had entered. Walking across the street, the demon came to the door, looked up and down the street to assure no one would witness his trespassing, and slipped inside, pressing himself to the nearest cover, in this case, the corner of a of the fireplace; he could hear voices.
"- did you find me?" asked a woman's voice.
"It wasn't me, it was Lashen... I don't really know how, all I did was follow." Replied a younger voice. Rohan stiffened at the name.
"Well how long have you been looking for me?"
"One... Maybe two years, you're good at hiding."
"Is... Is he going to come here?"
"No, he's waiting for me to come back."
The wolf couldn't stop himself any more, he did a quick shift to his feral form, to remove his clothes, then to his demon self. Stepping around the corner, the silver-furred lycan leaned against the mantel and awaited his notice; he didn't have to wait long.
Ekimi's ears flattened and she whimpered in fright as a powerful demonic aura washed over her. Etini, a woman who couldn't be older than 40, and looked half that, stood up and took a couple steps back until her back pressed against the wall, black hair flying wildly about her shoulders.
"W-who're you?" asked the older woman.
"An interested party, where can I find Lashen?"
"I don't know who you're talking about."
"I don't believe that for a second, but what about you..." The wolf narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at Ekimi, "Half-demon."
The neko looked at the ground, then up at him through the veil of her hair. 'What does he want to know for? Does he want to kill him?' She nearly jumped in surprise. 'What am I doing protecting him? I hate him, he's better off dead.' The girl opened her mouth to speak, but Etini beat her to it.
"How did you know that? How did you know she was half demon?"
Rohan gave the woman an odd look, "The ears and tail were a good indication... Etini I believe, isn't it?"
Paling, Etini replied "Y-yes. What do you want to find Lashen for?"
"I'm going to kill him." The lupine said, smiling a bit in anticipation.
"I know where he is." Ekimi said boldly, obviously enjoying the thought of his disappearance.
"Good. Where?"
"I-I don't know... I can show you, but I can't really tell you..."
"Ekimi! How can you? Lashen's your own-"
"I know, Mother. I know. You'd try to do it yourself if you knew."
"If I knew what?"
"N-nothing."
Rohan blinked a bit, and then growled as the pieces came together. "How can I trust you, Ekimi? You're his daughter, why would you want him dead?"
The half-breed turned to face him, looking the epitome of a tortured soul, she said nothing, but Rohan could tell that she indeed wanted him dead.
"Come on then, Ekimi. Here, climb on." The lycan said, kneeling down. "We need to move fast."
The girl obliged, wrapping her arms around his neck, looking over his shoulder. He was warm, pleasantly so, and she felt... she wasn't sure, but it was different than anything she remembered, she didn't know how to describe it, but she liked it.
"Where to?"
Ekimi pointed the direction she'd entered the village from, although it happened to be at a wall, as they were inside. "Well, out that wa-"
"Wait." Said the girl's mother.
Rohan and the neko turned their heads to look at her.
"What?" Asked the wolf.
"Promise she'll be alright, promise me you'll keep my daughter safe."
Glancing briefly at his charge, the lupine nodded. "I promise I'll keep her safe... Now, which way, Ekimi?"
Safe. That's what it was, he made her feel safe, something her father had never accomplished. He was asking her something. "Oh... That way." She said, pointing and blushing as she found herself holding on much tighter than necessary. Rohan opened the door and looked outside, saw no one, and then took off in a leaping bound, heading into the woods for safety before turning in the direction given by the young girl.
Kitara paced restlessly in her feral form, eyeing the door continuously. She felt his aura hit her, and she yelped. If he was in trouble, he would take care of himself, and she knew it, but she hated not knowing. She didn't feel another demon, so he wasn't going to fight... Maybe he was just feral... Kit folded her paws and lay down, watching the door with hazel eyes. Just as she was getting relaxed again, she felt him moving, fast. She growled and mentally cursed, he was doing something dangerous, she knew it, but she wouldn't be able to catch him, and she still had to protect Toren. Padding over to her... brother, she leapt onto his bed next to him and leaned against him, waiting for her mate to return.
Lashen lay snoring against a tree, jolted back to consciousness as the approaching lycan's aura hit him. He recognized it immediately, cursed, and started moving. He wasn't quite fast enough. Two thunderclaps accompanied twin pains in his calves. Summoning a wall of fire, the lion ran as fast as he could with two severely burned and numbed, for now, legs. He looked behind him; Rohan tore through the fire as he watched. Seeing Ekimi on his back, Lashen faltered momentarily in surprise, but threw a fireball, which was easier on his quickly weakening body than lightning, at the lump above the wolf's shoulder.
Rohan ducked, and then skidded to a stop as Ekimi's fingernails dug into his shoulders and she whimpered. Quickly removing her from his back, after prying her hands from his fur, the wolf looked at her crying face, then to the scorched skin on her shoulder. Looking back at the occasional glimpses of fur through the trees, Rohan sent one last shot of lightning, hoping to get lucky, but knowing he wouldn't. At the least, Lashen would be unable to have any form of comfort for the next few weeks; magical wounds, especially those inflicted by demons, took far longer than a normal wound to heal. Noting that he'd missed as expected, he turned back to Ekimi, picking her up, he padded back to the small camp Lashen had set up, and laid her down. Looking around, the wolf fell upon the worn blanket lying nearby, finding it lay atop a small pack the leonine demon left behind.
"Hold on a minute, Ekimi, I'll fix it."
Rummaging through the pack, he found the herbs he'd hoped to find, and some clean cloth that made the blanket obsolete as a bandage. With a bit of a flourish, the wolf conjured a stream of water to wash Ekimi's wound. She began crying, but the stream of tears didn't stop when the stream of water did, nor after her burn was covered. Grabbing the blanket, he wrapped her in it, making sure both her ears and tail were invisible before quickly but carefully heading back to the village. The neko did nothing but clutch the blanket around her and cry into his shoulder. The village, thankfully, was inside for fear of Tanis's return, even though it would be a feat and a half for the fox demon to return from the dead, of course, they didn't know that. Stopping only long enough to grab his clothes, leaving Etini's house before she could ask anything, he transformed back into a human, pulled on his clothes, and kicked the door of the house to get Toren or Kit to open it. There was little more than a few seconds before the door was flung open by a very angry-looking wolfess, who was obviously more intent on yelling than being discovered, then shut her muzzle with a snap as she noticed the crying bundle in his arms.
"Lock the door."
Kit did; then padded over to the cot, where Rohan had laid Ekimi. Pulling the blanket away to cover her with his instead Kitara and Toren both gasped as they saw her shoulder. Looking at the blanket a moment, Rohan threw it into the fireplace; then lit it ablaze. Kit placed a paw on his shoulder.
"Rohan... You didn't..."
"No. It wasn't me. It's part of what happened yesterday. Tanis... Tanis is dead. A lion name Lashen killed him, and then when I found him today, he tried to kill her. He wasn't aiming for me, he was aiming for her."
"Ah... Uh... That's terrible. But--Who's she?"
"Her name's Ekimi, she's his daughter."
"He tried to kill his own daughter?!" Toren yelled.
"Yes, be quieter, we don't really want a whole lot of attention, Toren."
"What're we going to do?"
"Help her. It's not like we have much of a choice."
Turning to look at the neko, who was crying silently into the blanket, the currently-human male leaned over and pushed lightly on Ekimi's unwounded shoulder.
"Ekimi, can you hear me? It's alright now, you're safe and Lashen's gone. You're safe."
He kept talking to her quietly, and she slowly stopped crying, then suddenly, as he said "You're safe" once again, she opened her dual-colored eyes and looked up at him. One of her hands lifted from within the blanket and she held out a piece of black leather to him.
"What's this?" He asked as he took it from her.
"It means I'm yours now."
"What?"
"You're my Master now, I'll do what you say, I think you'll be much better than Lashen was..."
"Wait, what're you talking about?"
"You make me feel safe. It's the best feeling I've ever had, and I don't want it to go away. I want to stay with you... Master"
Rohan opened his mouth a couple times, but in the end, he just looked up at Kitara, hoping she had an answer for him. The wolfess nodded, slowly.
"Alright, I guess so Ekimi, but really, call me Rohan. I just don't want you in danger any more, and you won't stay any other way, will you?"
She shook her head and started to put on her collar.
"What's that?"
"Collar."
"You're not wearing that."
"But--"
"No." Chorused Kit and Rohan together.
"A-alright..."
"Ekimi, tell us about yourself."
"What'd you wanna know?"
"Well, how old are you? How'd you keep from being found? How'd Etini keep from being killed?"
"I-I... That's a lot. I'm 15 now... I'll be 16 this winter. I'm not really sure how I wasn't found, I've been with Lashen as long as I can remember, I guess he's just good at hiding. My mother must be too, we tried for a couple years to find her, just so I could see her again. That was just after we found out she was still alive. I figured someone had killed her for having a demon's child."
"How'd that happen anyway? Lashen doesn't exactly seem like the romantic type."
"He... He raped my mother."
Everyone fell silent, not really sure what to say to follow that knowledge.
"Have you ever thought of going to the half-breed's land?" Kitara said suddenly, drawing the gaze of everyone else.
"There's a country for us?"
"Yes, it's in the west, past the Kingdom's border, in the Chaotic Lands."
"I didn't even know it existed."
"Well, now that you know, do you want to go there?"
"I d--No, I want to stay with my Ma-Rohan."
Lashen growled in pain as he tried to find a position that pained him the least. He'd be lucky if he could move more than a few feet an hour for the next week, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be completely well again. Nearly the whole top half of each of his calves was seared down to the muscle. Simply sitting still hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before.
"He's definitely his father's son. Even running and angry he left me in agony rather than kill me outright. Lucky he had Ekimi with him and a softer heart than Ruron. That bastard would've left her and brought me down first... Damn his son."
"Ekimi, I have a question about Lashen."
"What is it M-Rohan?"
"Did he kill my father?"
"I dunno... He's killed a lot... What's your father look like?"
"He looks like me, almost exactly. A silver wolf, golden eyes, split pupils..."
"Ruron?! Ruron's your father?!"
"Then he did?" Rohan asked, fearing the answer.
"No! Your father almost killed him!"
"What?! My father's dead."
"No he's not," She said, incredulous, "I saw him this year, he's the King of the Wolves."
Oh, aren't I evil? >:3