Starvation's Revenge

[»Míríel«]

A cool breeze danced through the Fall's on light feet and twirling motions. Her feet brushed over the tree's tops, glided on the graze, and twirled around the dark figure that sat at the edge of the cliff. A laugh came from him, "Ah how I wish I could be as carefree as you." The voice was pleasant, smooth and deep, reminding the hearer of black velvet. The wind seemed to twirl around him once more before leaping off the edge and soaring through the air. Neron's eyes watched as nature moved and swayed with the little imp of a wind. To fly again, his heart ached for it. Even though he had healed pretty well, he was still tender on the sides. Usually he would have been healed and returned to his throne on the blue sea above long ago, but the poison had done its work well, and had kept the wound from healing naturally.

Dark lashes covered the green pools beneath as Neron leaned back slightly. The roar of the falls was loud, but not unpleasant. It was just enough to let his thoughts run through his head, but block out most of the world around him. It must have been strange to see such a person so relaxed around the edge of the falls, for the drop was sharp, and the slightest misstep would mean death. Neron sat, legs over the edge, torso leaned back, andas relaxed as he had been in a long time. If he fell he would change to his true form and pull out of it. Though in his condition it would cause pain and exhaustion. Never had Neron been so careful about conserving energy as now. He just had another couple of days and then he could change into his form and fly, just a few more days! He felt a stab of longing in his heart just thinking about it.

"This won't do." His stoic face seemed lighter that usual. "No use thinking about it... so let us turn the page to another subject." The wind raced back up and teased him, pushing against him. Yet Neron shook it off and let images of a beautiful girl with raven black hair and fair skin come to his mind's eye. Where was Jaedon? He hadn't seen her in a while and he missed her presence. "Now you are thinking about her, you are sure to meet her or she will pop up..." A sigh came from him. As much as he wanted her near, bad things usually came from them meeting. Right now he was soaking up the calm, savoring the serenity of this place, and he wasn't sure he wanted to give it up, well not yet anyways.

[saerwen]

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump... The sound of Jaedon's heart pounding was echoing through her whole body. He ears rang with the noise and her mind seemed to tingle every time that it came rippling through. The sound of slurping and licking, gnawing and biting, crunching and snapping tortured her mind, practically causing her to go delirious. She couldn't even see straight. She was loosing her grip on reality and she knew it. She stumbled over her feet and her tail sagged on the ground. She felt her stomach tumbling within her, and then jolt to the bottom of her throat. Unable to stop herself, she swung her head to the side and threw up. When she was done, her stomach went back to lurching forward and backward. She groaned and hung her head.

"All of that hard work, all of this time, all of it has been for nothing. Wasted! Wasted! Look at you, back to the same old thing. I thought I was better than this? Couldn't I have risen above this? Agh! This is useless. You are starving! You can't even eat because you haven't eaten in so long!"

Jaedon flopped to the ground, her black paws practically falling out from underneath her. Her ears laid back as she thought about what she had just done. Her mind cried out against the memory, fighting with everything within her to push it back, but in a strange form of self-punishment, Jaedon allowed it to come forward. It would haunt her like always before. She hated this. She hated what she was, what she did. She then thought of Neron...What would he say? What would he think if he had seen her like this? A moment of panic took over as she realized that there was still a chance for it. Her head shot up and she looked around to make sure that he wasn't there. She couldn't let him see this.

Her head then came back down to the ground with a thud. Her stomach had processed what she had just eaten after making her throw about half of it up. Now, it demanded more. She hadn't eaten in months, all in an effort to stop killing people, but this is what she got... A rampage of starvation. Her grumbling stomach summoned her to get to her paws again, but she wished she could just stop. Growling, growling, growling, it wouldn't leave her alone.

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!" her mind cried out, and then, in a much more resonating way, it screamed to the whole world. If anyone that was even slightly close to Jaedon had been near her location, they would have heard it, "NO!"

However, despite her protesting, she did rise to her paws, and start sniffing the ground again. The scent was fresh, causing her senses to go nuts. It seemed to tell her for a second that it was a familiar scent, but her animal side quickly snuffed that out, pulling her closer and closer to her prey. She was at the waterfall now, and she saw a man sitting at the edge of it. That was her prey. She crept closer and closer, searching for a good way to pounce on him, but he was too close to the cliff. It could result in death for her as well as him. She would wait. Her stomach was willing to wait in this one instance.

[»Míríel«]

"NO"

A familiar voice broke through Neron's head. The serenity he had just experienced shattered with that one moment, the lightness in his face turned back to the stoic expression that usually adorned his face. "Jaedon?" His head turned toward the forest behind. Where had that come from? There was such desperation, fear, brokenness in that cry, something that he had never heard from her before. "Jaedon?" She was no where in sight."Must have been my imagination..."

A sudden uneasiness fell over Neron, his instinct was telling him to stay put or if he had to move, to jump off the cliff and fly away. No matter how he tried the calm spirit within him had departed and was never going to return. With slow and still sore movements Neron picked himself up carefully and stood on the edge of the cliff, brushing himself off. The movement caused a single rock to leap off the edge and tumble down. All he had to do, one step, just one and he would feel the wind beneath his wings. Just one step... Neron leaned forward for a moment and picked up his foot. Every fiber in his being wanted to go wanted to feel the plummet and then the tension as his wings blossomed opened.

"You can't Neron, just wait...wait you silly lizard and you will be able to fly to your heart's content." His foot paused in its forward motion and then shifted backwards, his body sagged slightly in disappointment. Just as he did this the wind rushed upon him with such a fierceness that it caught him off guard. His body lurched forward then he pulled himself back and tumbled to the ground behind him. The dull sound of a thud against dirt sounded as a puff of dust rose to the air. Curses ran from his mouth as he let out a groan in pain. He had landed on his side. "Blasted wind! Blasted feet!!" Neron rolled onto his side and picking himself on his hands and knees he let one hand grasp his sides for a moment. Then another thud rang out, this time his hand slammed on the ground in frustration and anger. This little happening would add another day or two on his recovery.

A Sharp pain came from his closed fist and picking it up he looked at it, blood streamed from it. Somehow, among the dirt, Neron had found a rock to throw his fist down upon. "Blasted rock!" He picked himself up quickly, quicker than was wise, and chucked the rock into the pit with all his strength. The dark figure that had once been there was now less dark, the black clothing and hair now had a light brown tinge to it due to the dirt. Rocks and pebbles fell from his pants and shirt, leaping of before he took his wrath out on them. "Blasted luck...Blasted wind. You are no carefree spirit, but a devious, bloodthirsting fiend." He looked at his hand, "Yes, bloody, blasted, cursed wind." The wind swirled around him apologetically at first, but after this curse it grew stronger and disappeared.

Little did Neron know that the wind had been trying to warn him, just like his instincts. He had no knowledge the the blood-thirsty thing he should be worrying about was not the wind, but a creature by him, and now with blood in the air, and his sore and weak movements would set her sights on him, if the sights hadn't already been on him to begin with.

Balling his fists Neron clenched them as tight as he could, then released them with a sigh. Why did it always end like this? Bringing his unhurt hand to his forehead he wiped it then ran his finger through his hair. A puff of dust arose from the movement. Neron's feet soon took him away from the cliff and towards the forest, perhaps he should search for Jaedon, who knows, maybe the next meeting wouldn't be like the last. Maybe this the two would experience something different then the bantering that usually happened. "Now to find that witch..."

[saerwen]

Jaedon watched and dug her paws into the ground. At first he didn't move, but then he stood and acted at though he were about to jump from the cliff.

"Oh good, I've found a suicidal one. Perhaps I can give him the courage he wouldn't have otherwise had." Her evil mind began to mock him and laugh, goading her on, prodding her to eat him without restraint, to devour him with a merciless ferocity.

She was almost lost to the side of herself that she had tried so hard to lock away. She wished for Neron, but at the same time was glad that he stayed far away. If she saw him in his human form then she knew that while she might have been able to stop herself, she would never have been able to choke back the growling of her stomach and the hunger that plagued her eyes.

She watched as her prey stumbled backwards and fell. A pang of guilt fell upon her as she watched how weak he was. She was going to kill him when he was already so weak and take advantage of him.

"You aren't exactly fighting fit either. This is perfect for you." Her lying conscience bit into her truthful one and she winced as her stomach grumbled again. He stepped closer and closer. Jaedon felt like a spectator, surveying the actions of her own body from far away. She was helpless to stop herself even though she wanted to. If she didn't then she knew that she was probably going to die in a matter of a few weeks from lack of proper nutrients. "Why do things have to be this way?" she asked again as she felt her body go low to the ground, her clawed lightly dig into the the dirt and then launch at the man. The second that she felt something, Jaedon let her breath out and looked down in shock. " What is this?" Her eyes were clouded and confused. "Familiar...Familiar scent... but whose?"

[»Míríel«]

Neron had just picked himself from the ground when suddenly something hit him again and his face was forced back into the dirty nature below. Pain wreathed through his whole body. Without thinking he pushed his pain behind him and twisted around, grabbing whatever was behind him. Black soft fur met his hands and something familiar about the creature that attacked him. "What the Bloody-" He groaned. The creature seemed stunned by something, confused. Something had stopped the attack. Quickly the opportunity was seized and Neron pushed the creature away from him, trying to keep the teeth far away from him.
What he saw, he wasn't prepared for. "Jaedon?" Everything clicked, the smell, the feel, the black shape, it was Jaedon. Jaedon was attacking him! "Jaedon stop! Stop!" He didn't know when she would attack again. If she continued he would be left with no choice but to switch forms. Hopefully calling out to her would get her attention. He hoped that the blood that was still coming from his hand, which was by her face, wouldn't turn her attention away from stopping.

[saerwen]

Jaedon heard her prey cursing and felt him struggling under her paws. She wanted to dug her claws in to make him stand still but she was completely disoriented. Now that she was on top of him, the smell hit her like ton of bricks. She knew this person. How could she hurt someone that she knew, how could she want to eat them. She shook her head and her eyes cleared for a moment, but the smell of his blood came floating up to her, causing her eyes to dilate. She growled as she felt her stomach clenching into knots, the smell causing her to go back into hunting mode, even though she wanted to stop. She wished that whoever this was would get up and run away quickly while she was still able to stop herself. She didn't want anyone that knew her to see her like this. Her pelt was sleek and shiny, but it stuck to her form like her every breath pulled it closer. Her ribs and spine were obvious and her lean muscles contrasted her rather thin and bony frame, showing just how much she had changed.

Suddenly she heard a familiar voice calling her name and it woke her up from everything. Her eyes opened wide, her ears went straight up and she turned her head to face her soon to be meal head on. Her mouth almost dropped open. The scent was identified as his face became all too clear in her delirium. "Neron... the very person that I wished would not see me like this is the one person that I attacked!" Shaking her head again she got to her paws quickly and took a few steps back before falling down. Her heart was beating fast again and she felt that this time it would burst. Had she been in her human form her cheeks would have burned with shame. She opened her mouth to apologize but there was nothing that she could say so she just sat there unable to do or say anything.

The smell of his blood still tempted her to attack and she felt herself falling back again and again. There was nothing that she could do to hold it back. "Oh, this cannot be happening! Not Neron! Why Neron? What can I do?" Suddenly she decided that she would try something that she had never tried before. She would switch back into her skin. She knew that it would be hard and she would probably lose it a couple times, but as long as she stayed in her skin, she couldn't hurt Neron. At least, not like she could in her true form. Shutting her eyes tightly and trying with all of her might, she made her black form disappear slowly, giving way to pale skin and black hair. She let out a breath and gasped from the effort. Her stomach felt even more empty now than it had a moment ago, but the smell of Neron's blood was no longer poisoning her system.

Her cheeks were still dyed pink, just as she had known they would be. However, it was not because of something that Neron had said that flattered her, but because she was ashamed of her own behavior. She couldn't manage to make eye contact with Neron, knowing that she would lose her skin again if she did.

[»Míríel«]

Just when Neron felt that he couldn't struggle anymore the creature's ears perked and looked at him. Astonishment filled those lustful eyes and he knew that she recognized him. He didn't relax until her form returned to that of a humans. Neron laid back for a moment, trying to digest what had just happened. Jaedon had just tried to kill him. Why would she do that? What was wrong with her? His eyes rested on her rep cheeks and averted eyes. She was ashamed, not embarrassed, or flustered, but ashamed.

Gently, with much care he picked himself up. His sides ached, more than they had in a couple of days. "Blasted..." He didn't finish as he had to concentrate on lifting himself. Soon though he was on his feet, his eyes rested on Jaedon, green flames of anger wreathed within them. "Jaedon." His voice was confused, and hinted of anger. Fists curled as he wanted to lash out at her with words, spill his anger and let it flow from him. Now he would have a good week to recover before it would be wise to switch forms. "What was that?! Do I look like some...some.." He sighed his clenched fists opened and ran through his dust filled hair. Where had the peace gone?

Neron's lips were shut tight, he knew that speaking harshly to Jaedon would only make matters worse and something about her face, and her manner softened the fire within. Still there was a long silence and his sentence was never complete. He would have to calm down before he spoke again or this thing could erupt. Lifting his unhurt hand he drew it over his face in an exasperated manner. "Jaedon...." His voice had softened. Those clumsy feet of his moved him closer to her. Lifting on hand he hesitated for a moment before placing on her shoulder. Would she be comforted or would she just want to be alone? "What's wrong?" This was not the Jaedon he knew, something couldn't be right with her and he was going to get to the bottom of this.

[saerwen]

Jaedon heard Neron cursing and knew, even without looking, that Neron had been hurt. Not terribly hurt, but the wounds that he had sustained from his fight with Ares were still on the mend and what Jaedon had just done to him was not going to make them any better, if not worse. She shut her eyes tightly again, cursing herself over and over for her foolishness and weakness. She was not able to help Neron in any way, only make things worse. Sitting there on the ground, listening to his anger made her want to just run away. She almost did, but she knew that it would only make things worse. She couldn't leave without giving him and explanation, but she really wished that she could. She wanted to hide again. She wished him never to know.

Wincing with every single angry word that came from his mouth, Jaedon felt herself on the verge of tears. "Do I look like some..." It was true. To her he had looked like some animal, just waiting for her to catch him and rip him to pieces. He had looked like food. Her cheeks went red all over again and her head fell even lower, if that was possible. Her body started to shake from the shock.

Jaedon almost sank under his touch, afraid that if he got any closer she would try and attack him again. He was being so kind now and it made her feel even more miserable, but at least she might be able to explain now. When he asked her what was wrong, Jaedon froze for a moment. How was she going explain this? "Neron, I am starving." No, that definitely wouldn't work. "Neron, I didn't know it was you." That wouldn't work either. Jaedon would have been able to recognize his scent blind folded if she had been in a normal mood. What was she going to say? Finally she just blurted something out and prayed that he might have been satisfied.

"I'm sorry, Neron, I didn't mean to," then she paused and shook her head, knowing that was not true, and Neron would know it too, "I mean, I didn't know. I was just hunting and I... I didn't realize..." She decided to stop there, knowing that it wasn't going to get any better from there. She just hoped and prayed that he wouldn't start yelling again. A tear fell down her cheek and she stared at the ground.

[»Míríel«]

"I'm sorry Neron I didn't mean to."

Neron's heard sunk at those words. No matter how much he showed that he loved her she still didn't trust him. It hurt more than his fall had. His head bowed for a moment and he rested his other hand on her shoulder. It was true he was disappointed, and he didn't mask it from her. Why was trust so hard with her? "Because it is something one must earn." But I have haven't I? I have fought for her, almost died for her! He argued back in his mind. Then flashed of memories of him teasing her and bitter words came to his mind. I must do more...

Neron's eyes rose up to hers just as a tear fell from her cheeks. She looked so, childlike, like someone who had broken a vase or stolen candy and gotten caught. He couldn't get made at her, even though the black dragon within tempted him to. Jaedon didn't need that right now, and he didn't need that right now. I guess this will test and see if honey works better than heat and strength. Cupping her chin in the palm of his hand he wiped the tear away with his thumb. "Jaedon." His voice was gentle and deep and softer than he had ever used before with anyone. "Look at me." He gently and tenderly pulled lifted her chin, tilting her face up at him. What she would have seen was a gentle smile tugging at his lips, and warm green eyes staring down at her with a sort of teasing light to them. "You are a terrible liar." He chuckled slightly. "So I looked like some delicious morsel to your stomach. I'm glad to know I look delicious." His tone softened again and lost the teasing tenor. "Are you really that hungry?" Suddenly he remembered her coat, the beast that had attacked him was not what he remembered. The creature he was used to seeing had glossy black fur, plus and well muscled. What he had seen today was a shadow of what had been. He paused for a moment, "You are starving..." He blinked for a moment and searched her face with his eyes, which were filled with concern. "Why haven't you eaten?" He smoothed her hair out of her face, "Jaedon if we are to become any closer we are going to have to start talking to each other."

[saerwen]

He was silent for too long. Jaedon risked just a peek and saw that he was disappointed. "Oh great! Why did you have to look?" Jaedon felt herself struggling to keep her from, her eyes took on a very feline appearance for a moment as she worked on choking it back. When she was sure that she was back to normal she realized that Neron was reaching out for her. SHe was tempted to pull away again, but she stopped herself, remembering what had happened the last time that she had backed away from him. She didn't want him to leave, but she didn't want him to stay. Jaedon was slowly starting to realize that her need for him was quickly outweighing her shame.

When she was forced to look at him she braced herself for what was bound to happen. She was surprised that she didn't change forms. Perhaps it was because he was so gentle. He wasn't even mad at her. He was almost smiling. Jaedon was confused. She was utterly confused. He had every right to be shouting and screaming at her, but he was just smiling, fondly teasing her. She, the girl who claimed to love him, had just tried to kill him, she wouldn't even truthfully tell him why, he knew it, and he was still smiling at her. Another tear came flowing down her face. "Neron, you are so wonderful to me. Too wonderful to me."

"You are a terrible liar." Jaedon almost laughed. She had once been very good at lying, but now that she thought about it, she was glad that she had gotten out of the habit. Then he talked about looking delicious. At first Jaedon was ashamed again. Then she couldn't help but laugh at his cheeky little remark. "You only wish my stomach was thinking how delicious you looked."

When he guessed finally what the truth was, Jaedon almost gasped. It was like he was reading her mind, but then again, Neron was smart enough to realize when someone was loosing weight. Even in her human form she looked smaller than usual.

She didn't want to say anything, but his last little urge had made it very clear to her that she did need to tell him. She was preventing them from getting know each other better. While he had been giving out more and more information, she had been staying cooped up. Sighing, she looked down at the ground, blushing yet again, "I just didn't..." she stopped herself from lying again, "I can't. I can't eat without harming someone else. I just can't do it! Look what almost happened, Neron!" Then in a much more sober tone she added, "What did happen."

[»Míríel«]

When Jaedon laughed The smile came more apparent on Neron's face. He was glad he could lighten the mood a bit and save this meeting from the awkward and tense position it had been in. Still, even in the lighter mood, Neron couldn't help but have a nervous and worried feeling in the pit of his stomach. Could he help Jaedon? What if he couldn't and what if she didn't trust him with her problems? As long as she gets better, I don't care if she never trusts me as long as she can smile again. When had Jaedon smiled, besides the little laugh a few seconds before. It had been a while, in fact it had been a while since Neron had even seen Jaedon.

When she reveled why she didn't want to eat, Neron was silent for a moment, thinking how to respond. It was true, he had heard that her breed feasted on humans, something that didn't really bother Neron. He had killed many humans and even eaten a couple in his wild days. They were to much to the mythical races, nothing more than a morsel, or an annoying feast. Humans were cocky, proud, and thought they everything that lived on the earth should bow down and worship them. It was annoying. Plus with the rate they multiplied, taking a few out here and there wouldn't hurt. Those parasites needed some trimming out now and again.

As he thought about humans he tucked her hair behind her ear with his hurt hand and still cradled her chin with his other one. Now the blood was clotted and starting the dry out. "What happened is now in the past Jaedon, you need not worry about it. To be honest I'm not sure what happened, all I know is that my face quickly got shoved into the dirt in the most ungraceful manner I have experienced, well before the tumble... I..." His eyes narrowed, "You probably saw that didn't you..." His eyes grew distant for a moment as he replayed his little tumble before the attack. He shook his head. It was time to change the subject from his two left feet. " Jaedon eating doesn't always mean harming others! You were made to eat, whether it be humans, dogs, sheep, squirrels, or whatever passes your path you cannot fight against what you were made to do! That would be foolish and could result in your death or..." He sobered slightly, "someone elses." He paused for a moment but quickly started talking again, not wanting to leave it on this subject. "I like you just the way you are Jaedon. Next time just make sure the person you are hunting isn't someone you know." He chuckled slightly, "Do not be ashamed for eating humans, I have taken a bite out of them once or twice...though they are a bit to salty for my liking, I prefer beef." A smirk came to his mouth, "Plus you get bigger portions."

[saerwen]

"I know it's in the past, but I am so sick of the past!" Jaedon spoke like she had been fighting for forever and had given up on hope. "It's not that I almost killed you, it's that-" her sentence ended abruptly as she tried to push down the need to throw up again. This time it wasn't because her stomach couldn't handle the amount of food that she had taken in, but because she was remembering catching the food. It was terrifying and sickening at the same time. She had always been good at fooling people, but this went just about as far as she had ever gone in order to get a meal. Swallowing hard, she continued her sentence with a different ending in mind this time, "It's that I am tired of being the cause of other people's terror."

"You probably saw that didn't you..." She giggled slightly, "Yes, yes I did. "

Jaedon listened silently to him. It was true that she could be eating animals. But she had found that the older she got, the less satisfying smaller woodland animals were. She could try eating deer and things like that, but that would mean having to learn a new way of hunting. It would mean another week of starvation. She was comforted by his kind words, but unfortunately it didn't make her predicament any better. The whole reason that she had stopped eating was because she was trying to learn to live without killing people. Being an assassin and all of that made it pretty easy for her to fall back into mindless killing and she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to ever take another life without viewing it as a serious thing, only in times of need. That is what she had wanted, but what she hadn't taken into account was that in order to eat she would have to defy that rule.

She scrunched her nose up, "Beef? Ugh...That is disgusting." She realized that if she really wanted to stop eating people that she was going to have to start eating something else...Deer, yes, but they couldn't be the only thing. She might have to learn to like that.

Her heart was beginning to sink again. She had kept summoning her thoughts of the person she had just consumed, but she was incapable of dealing with them. Then her mind would think of Miriel, of how she had hurt her friend. Now she thought of Neron. She had hurt him also. Would she ever stop hurting people?! "Probably not..." Her face fell again, and Jaedon began to swallow her thoughts one by one. Her demeanor changed instantly. She hoped that Neron would realize that this was probably not the best of times to start joking. She didn't think that she could handle it.

[»Míríel«]

Neron smirked at Jaedon, "They are better than humans, and fill you up a whole lot more. Also they are really the biggest thing you are going to get besides elephants, but their hide is a bit to tough for my liking. " He thought for a moment, "Zebra are pretty tasty..." Then he noticed that her face fell once more. Obviously there was something deeper, something was bothering her and it wasn't just her stomach. "Great what did I do this time?"

"I have a feeling that there is a bit more to this story then you are telling me. Hunger isn't your only problem is it?" Neron frowned. What else could be going on with her? To be honest he had no clue, none at all. "Did I do something? If I did I'm sorry, if Cecily did something I will take care of it! Or Tarian, though I can't imagine him him doing anything, or Damion. Surely it can't be Miriel..." He shook his head, Jaedon had been friends with MIriel forever, the two of them almost never fought. Neron sighed once more, this was going to be harder than her thought. "Enlighten me Jaedon, I'm about as lost as lost goes. Though, "" Neron shrugged. " If you don't want to talk about it...I guess that is fine I won't pry..."

[saerwen]

Jaedon, for some reason, felt anger lash out inside of her, wanting to rip something to shreds. Her shoulders tensed and Neron's words were slightly lost on her. She was thinking of her and Miriel's rather bitter parting and how it was all her own fault. What had she been thinking? She knew that Miriel hated talking about her past, revealing her past, or even remembering her past on her own power. It was all a locked subject to her. She hated thinking about it all. Jaedon was almost envious of her for being able to shut it out so completely and easily. Maybe if she learned to do that she would be able to eat again.

Her hands clenched into balls. She didn't reply to Neron at first, not wanting to unleash her anger unfairly on him, but she knew that it would probably come out sooner or later, which would call her to bring out another apology. It was a nasty cycle, but and inescapable one it seemed. Somehow her prideful anger caused her to practice humility by constantly causing her to say she was sorry. She almost laughed at the irony.

"No Neron, you didn't do anything." She sighed and then she realized something. "Isn't it strange how we have both become so used to one of us being that cause of the other's anger, disturbance, or otherwise worry? 'Tis a wretched beginning."

When he mentioned Miriel, Jaedon's hard green eyes seemed to moisten, becoming pools of despair and sadness that welled up from within her soul. She was about to confess what had happened in the Cove, but then she heard the rest of his words and her gaze hardened. It came out unbidden and the second that she said it, she regretted it.

"You were feeling pretty good about prying a few moments earlier," her steely voice almost sent shivers down her own spine. She had never conjured such an unfeeling tone of voice before. She covered her mouth with her hand after she realized what she had said, and looked away from Neron. She knew she should have apologized right then and there, but her inward anger and bitterness stopped her. It was amazing how such a small little thing could make her so taciturn, influencing her mood so completely. Neron didn't deserve what he had just gotten, he had only been looking out for her, but she still wouldn't say it. Not yet.

[»Míríel«]

Neron was relieved when Jaedon had mentioned that he wasn't the problem. For once he had managed to escape that title. "Yes it is. " He was lifting his hand, going to brush her face. Her hair kept slipping due to the wind from the fall but it was then that her words came out. Her words were like the hardest slap he had ever received, he felt something within him crack. Neron froze, hand in midair. Even though his face was the same position as before, tilted down at her, his eyes became glazed, unreadable, just like they were when Jaedon and him had first met. "Yes...Yes I suppose I was." His fist balled and his eyes were emotionless, empty. "I'm just a prying person I guess. Forgive me Jaedon." His voice was still low but it held a dangerous note.

Turning on his heels he strode a couple steps before stopping and turning back. "I did this for you Jaedon. I was trying to help." He held up his fist and pressed it to his head, his fist was shaking with emotion. His fist opened in a hand to keep her from speaking. "You obviously can't speak to me about your problems, fine. Don't. Obviously you don't need me, perhaps. " He bowed his head, his bangs hiding his eyes in shadow. "Perhaps I was wrong about you having feeling for me Jaedon. Perhaps I was right. I don't know anything right now, besides one thing. I cannot be in a relationship were I pour out everything and you don't share a drop. Jaedon." A single tear slowly made it's way down his cheek. "if you cannot do this, then it is best that this is goodbye. And..." He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes were glistening with tears being held back. "Don't ever try and play or touch my heart again until you can share what is going on."
This time he turned and didn't come back, walking fast, hand gripping his side. Tears streamed down his face, and he was glad that Jaedon couldn't see. Soon his form faded into the forest. As soon as he was sure he was out of her sight he poured out all his confusion and anger into the nearest tree, hitting it as hard as he could. Pain wreathed throughout his hand, his sides, and his lungs. HE struck again, and again until the bark had flown off of the part and his knuckles were bleeding. Then he stood quivering. Neron's letgs gave way, this whole event had been to much for his system.

As neron slid down to a sitting position, his head bowed, bloody hands resting on his knees, a position of complete defeat, he realized what condition he was in. He was gasping for breath, hands felt raw and pain wreathed from his sides and his hands from the exertion of falling and punching a tree. He felt weaker than he ever had, but it was a different type of weakness. Neron felt empty and broken.
"Go back to her. " The little voice within his head echoed quietly.
"No, I'm done, I done with her."
"She needs you.[i/]"
"She can take care of herself. She seems quite capable of sharing her problems with her and herself only."
"She loves you."
"She loves herself!" Neron said this out loud before sighing and leaning his head back on the tree behind him. "She doesn't need me." His voice was quiet. "How can I make her love me?"
"You can't, she must learn to love by herself."
"Aish, I love her. I love her like I have never loved anyone before..." He brought his head from the tree and bowed it once more. "It is hopeless everything is hopeless."