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It had been about three days that Kyasha had been with Eve's group. She was always bound in some way, but allowed certain freedoms like going to the bathroom on her own and eating with her hands. She had grown accustomed to their presences, especially Eveser's. He was the only one she would talk to for longer than two minutes, and the two of them would have deeply meaningful conversations.

It was only when Dameon would walk by that she would completely close up. She would glare at him angrily for a moment or two, then stare down at the ground until he passed by. She was like a mouse and he like a hawk, the mouse would hide whenever the shadow of the hawk would pass overhead.

She and Eveser were sitting in the central chamber of their cavernous home.

"And you actually believe it? You actually think this voice is this dragon-god, Bahamut?" Kyasha asked, one eyebrow raised.

"It had to have been," Eve said with a nod. He smiled at her. "A bit hard to believe, right?"

"Surprisingly, no," Kyasha said, smiling at him. "I've been dealing with magic since I was young. I used to believe in a few different gods before I realized they weren't real. I followed the Behaku gods when I was with them, and before that I followed Jekani."

"Jekani?" Eve asked. "I've never heard of him."

"Her," Kyasha corrected. "She's a female, the protector of women. I used to believe in her when I was young and weak."

"But now you don't?" Eve asked. "Why not? She sounds like a valuable ally to have."

"She doesn't exist, none of them do," the vixen said, shrugging. "Gride told me. He says that they're "the creations of mortals who are either too stupid or too weak to seek out real gods." Gods like him."

"He's not a god, he's a psychopath with a loaded gun," Eve said, scoffing. "He may have the power of a god but he's anything but."

"How can you be so sure?" Kyasha asked. "He's never been one to lie before, at least not about something like that."

"It takes a certain kind of character to be a god, Kyasha," Eve said, looking down at her. He locked eyes with her, a gentle gaze of understanding binding her to him. "Raw power doesn't make a god, it makes a vessel. A good friend once told me that a person like this has the capacity for immeasurable good or abominable evil, like a hammer!"

"A hammer?" Kyasha asked, confused.

"Yes, a hammer," Eve chuckled. "I could use a hammer to smash something to tiny little pieces, to break it, to ruin it. But, I could also use a hammer to build a house for my family and friends, I could use it to build a crib for a newborn baby...you see?"

Kyasha was silent for a moment, looking at him. She felt strangely pacified, looking into the eyes of this dragon that she had met just a few days ago.

"Yea...yea I see," she said quietly. She looked down, chuckling a little. "You know how to make a girl feel bubbly, Eveser."

Eve chuckled a little. "I do try."

"Your dragoness is lucky to have you," Kyasha said, looking down at the ground. Eve looked over at her, shocked at that last statement. He was about to speak when he heard a slithering noise and a desperate cry.

"Eveser!" Teya cried, sliding into the chamber. She looked scared, her eyes were wild and her hood was half extended.

"Teya?" Eve asked, standing up and running towards the frazzled reptile. "Teya, what's wrong?"

"Outside," Teya panted exhaustedly. She tugged at his front leg. "Come on! Now!"

"Teya, what's happening?" he asked. Teya turned around.

"We need to go now!" she yelled, pulling him hard. Eve realized he would get nowhere with her and whatever she needed was serious. The two of them ran as fast as they could. Teya slithering in front as Eve bounded along behind her.

They eventually came to a clearing, where Eve saw Dameon standing with the others. The clearing was ragged, the flora cut away as though by sword or machete. The ground was littered with signs of life. Trash, supplies, and a few opened bags here and there, Dameon stood in the center of it. He was also surrounded by a few other signs of life...previous life...

There were five bodies strewn across the clearing. They were raiders, pirates who attacked camps and stole their supplies, sometimes killing the members of the parties.

Eve slowed as he got to the center, looking around warily.

"Dameon?" he asked. "What's going on?"

Dameon laughed before turning around. "I know what you're thinking and I'm flattered, but no, I didn't kill these guys. We found them like this."

"Like what?" Eve asked. "They're dead, how are they supposed to look?"

"Check out the patterns on them. Check out their wounds," Dameon said, turning around to face Eve. The dragon looked down and examined a nearby body, a fox that looked like the leading type. His face was a mask of sheer terror, one that was in the midst of degeneration. It wasn't degeneration like a corpse that had been left out for a few days; it looked like a person who had been dipped into a vat of acid. There were also two small holes in the creature's neck. It looked like...something Eve had seen before...a long time ago...

"It looks like the way you described General Raptor...after he ran into an old friend," Dameon said. Eve's eyes widened.

"Grimlock's poison," he whispered. It had been so long since he had encountered it, so long ago since he had been forced to see the damage it can do. Eve lifted his head and looked around. "The Devil's Toxin."

"I've only seen this once before, and that was enough," Teya said, hugging her shoulders tightly. "I could've gone a long time without seeing this horror again."

"What does it mean?" Cyllea asked Eve.

"It means that we need to get out of here right now," he said, turning quickly and making his way towards the cave. He wasn't sure at all what this meant, but if anyone with a weaponized Devil's Toxin was nearby, they weren't going to stick around to meet them. They rushed back to the cave as quickly as they could, Dameon making sure to cover their tracks behind them.

When they reached the cavern, Eve found Kyasha sitting up worriedly, watching their return. Eve sat down and motioned for everyone to sit around the fire site as the sun began going down outside.

"Everyone, gather 'round and listen," he said commandingly. The group did as they were told, looking at the black dragon expectantly. "We need to stay doubly alert tonight, maybe at least for a few days."

"What are you thinking?" Dameon asked.

"I don't know, I honestly don't. I mean, maybe the Carnians made weapons out of Grimlock's poison," Eve said, shaking his head. Kyasha's ears perked up.

"Grimlock's poison?" she asked excitedly. "What happened?"

"We found a raider camp not too far away from the cave," Eve explained. "The raiders were all dead, and their bodies looked like they were melted away."

"Needle marks?" Kyasha asked. Eve nodded. "How bad did they look?"

"On a scale from 1 to bad? Bad," Eve said with a morbid half-smile. Kyasha chuckled.

"That's my Grim," she smiled. "Gride never took too much interest in the Devil's Toxin, there's no way he would waste time making weapons out of it. Grimlock is the only person in the world I know of who could make it. He's also the only person in the world I know of who can use it..."

"So that means Grimlock is somewhere around here?" Darrow said clearly. Eve was happy to hear Darrow's voice so unobstructed, but his words shook him to the core.

"That's the only way the Devil's Toxin got into this area," Kyasha said, leaning her head back against the log she was on, smiling a little. "And that means that you guys are in a particularly nasty situation."

"How's that?" Dameon said, glaring at the vixen. His upper lip twitched slightly, snarling at her for the threatening comment.

"You guys, Grimlock's worst enemies, have me, Grimlock's lover and one of his reasons for continuing to live, tied up in a cave. Not to mention he's still got an obligation to Gride to hunt you down," Kyasha said with a devilish smile. Dameon smiled and stood up. Kyasha's smile suddenly faded as she saw the creature rise. "What...what are you doing?"

"You seem to think that we're all in such danger, I figure I'll get to creating a defense," he said, approaching her. Eve thought to say something, seeing the fear in Kyasha's eyes as Dameon kneeled down next to her, but he didn't.

"Get away from me," Kyasha whispered fearfully. She tugged against the ropes on her arms, trying to get some kind of defense against this monster that stared into her very soul.

"You said you were Grimlock's one reason for living," Dameon said with a toothy grin. "He wouldn't hurt you would he?"

Kyasha shivered and looked over at Eve for help. Eve couldn't let this go on.

"Dameon, cut it out," he tried, but Dameon ignored him.

"So why don't we hold you out in front?" Dameon grabbed her snout with his claw. "Why don't you shield us from that _nasty_poison of his, hm?"

Kyasha shuddered fearfully. Suddenly, Dameon heard a noise...it was a sound he hadn't heard in years. A low humming noise, a note...a single note...a command...

"No!" he cried and released Kyasha. He spun around, but realized he was too late. The others were already standing rigidly, controlled by some unseen hand. Dameon looked towards the entrance of the cave and saw the black figure, cloak flowing in the night breeze. His hands were uncurled; the small holes in his palms emitting a solid sound that Dameon's ears picked up effortlessly.

"Swade," Grimlock growled.

"Grimlock," Dameon said, walking in front of his friends as they were operated like marionettes in a twisted puppet show. "Let them go."

"Untie Kyasha or they start killing each other," Grimlock said cruelly as his eyes flashed. Eve suddenly felt his head bend over towards Cyllea, his jaws gaping open. Cyllea herself leaned forwards, her head fitting snugly between Eve's razor-sharp teeth.

"E-Eve..." she whispered, barely able to speak. A single tear rolled down Eve's cheek as he tried to wrench himself away from Grimlock's control.

"Grimlock!" Dameon shouted angrily. "This is going nowhere, you kill them and I make your bitch scream..."

"Come now, Dameon! Don't try to play me like some cheap assassin," Grimlock snarled at him, pulling his hood down. His frill extended aggressively. "We both have an immeasurable ability to be cruel; you know it as well as I do. This can go on all night."

"So then let them go and we'll let your girl go," he tried to reason. "Or else we both leave here empty handed."

"Untie her, and no one dies," Grimlock said, his expression unwavering. Dameon could see that he wasn't budging, so he tried to reach an agreement on at least a few of his terms.

"Alright, alright. First, you get her head out of his mouth," he demanded, referring to Eve and Cyllea, still locked in their deadly position. "When they aren't in immediate danger, she walks."

"Very well," Grimlock nodded once. Eve and Cyllea rigidly parted ways, Cyllea letting loose a torrent of frightened tears. "Now untie her."

Dameon slowly moved over towards the bound female and used one of his long claws to slice the rope around her arms. Kyasha stood up quickly and raced over to Grimlock, her arms wrapped around him lovingly.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Did they hurt you?"

"No," Kyasha said, reaching up and putting her paws on his cheeks. She pulled his head down so his golden eyes would lock with hers. "Listen to me. Let them go, right now."

Grimlock looked shocked, then unsure, looking down at her then back at them rapidly.

"Hey!" Kyasha said, forcing him to look at her. "Let them go. Please let them go."

"They could hurt you," he said protectively, still locked in her eyes.

"No they won't. You're scaring them, please let them go," Kyasha said, most uncharacteristically. Grimlock's snarl twitched for a moment before his hatred was quelled by his love's unbroken stare. Finally, his hands curled back up again and his control ceased over them.

Eve immediately leapt into a snarling roar! He jumped at Grimlock viciously. Grimlock leapt backwards, taking Kyasha with him.

Eve was enraged, furious, unbridled in his anger as he prepared to attack again. Grimlock's claws began to uncurl before Kyasha held them shut and stood in front of him.

"Eveser!" she cried. "Wait! Please, wait!"

The black dragon paced, but did not back off.

"Please, he's just trying to protect me," Kyasha said, trying to stop the bloodshed. "He's not trying to hurt you, let's all just calm down. I've got his hands, he can't control you."

Eve's rage still remained, but his hostility was leashed for now. He lifted his head up slowly and glared at Grimlock, who glared right back.

"Alright, I'm calm," the dragon hissed. "Tell him to keep his hands to himself."

"Grimlock, please," Kyasha whispered, turning around and burying her head in his chest. "Please calm down, I don't want anyone to die tonight."

The lizard kept his fists balled, but brought them up, making the entire group flinch. He held them out, balled tightly, trying to signal that he wouldn't hurt them. Dameon understood and, reluctantly, held his arm out behind him, keeping the others at bay.

Grimlock wrapped his arms around the vixen tenderly and held her as tightly as he could, wrapping her in a loving embrace. This relieved the tension.

"So can we talk like civilized creatures now?" Teya asked hesitantly. Grimlock looked at her for a moment, then looked at Eveser and Dameon.

"I won't make a move unless you do," he agreed. Eve nodded to Dameon. Dameon nodded back.

"Alright, let's all just sit down and talk," he said. Slowly, the two groups made their way to the fire pit and sat down warily.

"What do you want, Grimlock?" Cyllea asked.

"I want Kyasha, nothing more," he said quietly. His fists were still balled up tightly. "My hands are in pain from keeping them curled. May I release them?"

Eve immediately shook his head. "No, not until we're sure you pose no threat to us."

"Very well," Grimlock agreed and kept his claws curled up. His sharp nails were digging into his skin, breaking it and releasing small droplets of blood onto the stone ground.

"If we let you take Kyasha, how do we know you won't lead Gride right back here?" Dameon asked. "And don't ask me to trust you..."

"I had no desire to find you, I didn't care," Grimlock said frankly. "You are no threat to us at this point, why should I?"

"You found us completely by accident?" Eve asked.

"I followed Kyasha's trail, not yours. When I saw her tied up on the ground with him leaning over her, I thought she was threatened," Grimlock said. Eve and Dameon looked over at each other and then back at Grimlock.

"If we allow you to uncurl your hands, be aware that Dameon will respond to any noise you make with deadly force," Eve warned.

"Understood," Grimlock nodded once. "May I?"

"Yes," Eve said. Grimlock slowly uncurled his hands, his claws sliding out from the wounds they had made. The small punctures healed quickly, and Grimlock's claws were free.

"Much better," Grimlock said, rubbing his palms. "Now, let's go Kyasha."

"Go?" Kyasha asked. "Where are we going?"

"We're not staying here," Grimlock said, looking at her. "You can't expect me to-"

"Yes I do," Kyasha said, interrupting him. "I expect you to do exactly as I say."

"But they're a threat! I won't stay here with them," Grimlock argued quietly. "Neither will you, they kept you tied up on the ground!"

"They were afraid of me, they tied me up for their protection," Kyasha explained. "Now we need to talk to them about what we're going to do because I'm not going back to Carnivex and I don't want to live out in the woods for the rest of my life."

Grimlock opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then closed it and turned away grumpily.

"Fine," he growled.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Eve said, shaking his head in shock. "You can't just invite him to live with us!"

"Thank you!" Grimlock agreed. "They don't want me here either! Come on Kyasha, let's go."

"No!" Kyasha looked over at Eve. "Why can't he stay?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Dameon asked, eyebrow raised.

"Look, I know that that our sides aren't friends," Kyasha said. "But we're both on the run from Gride now, we have nowhere else to go."

"But that doesn't mean that we're going to start treating you like friends all of a sudden!" Cyllea burst out angrily. "How can you expect that of us?"

Kyasha looked at the ground thoughtfully. She shook her head, trying to think of some way to convince them.

"I go where she goes," Grimlock said. "I don't particularly want to fight you all either. It would be a waste of resources, I'd probably endanger Kyasha in the process."

"So you won't randomly attack us?" Dameon asked. Grimlock shot his gaze towards him.

"I won't attack you randomly, no. But the moment you cross me, I slit your throat," Grimlock snarled. "And only yours."

"Well, somebody new to add to the "people who hate me" list," Dameon chuckled quietly. Grimlock turned his head away, sneering and angry. He turned to Eve, who was wrapping Cyllea in his arms.

"Where are you all situated, so I can avoid you?" the lizard asked, his tongue flicking past his bladed teeth.

"Just find some spot around the mouth of the cave, so we can avoid you," he muttered and stood to his feet. He and Cyllea made their way back to their usual spot at the far side of the cave. Grimlock stood up and walked towards the yawning entrance of the cave.