Closed Stowaway [Tydus, Cricket]

[Kel Tempest]

Day 32nd of Spring in the Year 514 AV
Location: Six Chimes from Riverfall Heading North Along the Suvan Sea Chanel


Syna trailed her hands delicately along Laviku’s domain, the sea glimmering as the light danced upon its surface. Midday struck and the bright orb in the sky hovered directly over the small casinor that cut through the waves of the ocean. Its white sails billowed as the wind propelled the vessel through the churning water, wood creaking as it held the mast securely in place.


The thirty foot ship climbed the small swells that came against it and then slid down their backs before repeating the cycle again. Water crashed against the hull of the Svefra’s home, sending up a cascade of mist that shimmered like small diamonds in the air.


Kel stood at the stern of the Laviku’s Wrath, shirt and boots discarded lazily to the side, hands wrapped around the pegs of the wheel, his black sash tied around his waist snapping in the wind as he inhaled the smell of the salty sea. The wind blew strongly at his back, the cool air mixed with the spray of the sea giving him faint chills. His sun kissed skin glowed in the sun, tattoos dancing as he occasionally altered the wheel, making minuscule changes in the direction of the ship.


It was good to finally be back at sea.


The black haired Svefra kept an eye on the coast that stretched out along the starboard side, making sure he wasn’t straying from course. Not having a sextant or the best sailing skills, navigating could become somewhat difficult so he found it best not to venture too far from land. It allowed him to maintain the proper heading. He yearned to be out in the center of the canal or the open sea, completely surrounded by the water, no land in sight. But he also didn’t want to waste any time by getting lost.


As much as he hated to admit it, the Svefra in his former pod, the Greytides, were the sailors. He usually brushed off any attempt to help with the sailing of their palivar to instead practice his combat, allowing his podmates to do all the work, much to their irritation. The lia found it easier to allow him to focus on his fighting prowess if not for the solo reason of keeping everyone else aboard the ship sane. But now, a very small part of him wished he had paid a little more attention.


Kel snorted disdainfully as his thoughts drifted into his past, remembering back to when he disowned his former pod before coming to Riverfall. Sailors or not, they were a disgrace to the Svefra name and he was glad he abandoned them while he could. He refused to be held back by the likes of them. Now he was finally able to reach his full potential as a Tempest.


He ran one jeweled hand fondly across a peg of the wheel, a smirk crossing his face as he remembered how he had stolen the Laviku’s Wrath from the lia of the Greytides. The look of shock and outrage that appeared on her face when he sliced through the rope tethering the casinor to the palivar and jumped overboard would be one he never forgot.


But those memories also held other memories, darker ones; ones that he pushed deep within himself and locked away, never to see the light of day. They churned and seethed within him, festering and demanding to be dealt with. But he refused; they brought too much pain and heartache. It was something he never wanted to feel again.


Kel suppressed the thoughts and emotions that threatened to ruin his good mood until he could no longer feel them. He convinced himself that he didn’t care and that none of them affected him. He buried them along with the old memories, locking them away. He began to feel his previously demeanor return as he shut off his brain.


It had only been six chimes since they left Riverfall and already was he feeling his spirits soar. Being landlocked for so long was slowly driving him mad. But now he was free; free to sail and be one with Laviku.


Much to his satisfaction, there had been no disturbances in their journey.
Kel was distracted from his musing as he felt his stomach growl, suddenly realizing how hungry he had become. The Svefra looked over at Tydus’ vessel that cruised along beside him and shouted at his podmate.


“Aye! Ty! I think it’s time to anchor and grab a bite to eat, I’m starvin’."

[Tydus Tempest]

The wound from Tydus' blood sacrifice to Laviku was healing up well enough, though the placement of it was beginning to irk him. At the center of the palm, each movement was slowed and stalled as a momentary twitch of pain slowed his reflexes. It mattered not, for this day, Laviku was on their side, clear skies and calm seas allowing the Svefra, both inexperienced sailors in their own right, the passage to clear through the waves with relative ease. Of course, this was not always so, though the Svefra, with their natural born affinity with Laviku, found the best time in the day to sail.

Oceanus. It breathed a world of knowledge into the Svefra's mind, the ability to tell the rhythm of the tide a convenience and blessing that no other breed was privy to. Laviku blessed each Svefra with his blood, the Tempest scion keen to remember this fact whenever he doubted Laviku's generosity to his people. Tydus spun the wheel in hand, the boom shifting slightly to the starboard side, allowing a movement to the opposite, left side, the Tempest Wind -The name really should be changed... The Tempests are a thing of the past...- shifting so that it was perfectly parallel with Kel's, a distance of six yards splitting the casinor from one another.

It occurred to the Svefra that this fact could easily, with the unpredictability of the sea, be changed, a frown marking his features as to how the casinor could be connected before Kel mentioned wanting to stop for food. A chuckle escaped Tydus' lips before he too realized that his stomach was growling, six hours spent with neither food nor water beginning to fester complaints within the Svefra body. The blonde nodded, grinning at Kel before he moved towards the anchor. The thing was incredibly heavy, Tydus widening his stance and lifting it, doing his utmost to distribute the weight to his legs rather than the rest of his body.

The result was picking the thing up, but a half-step stumble forward was what compelled Tydus to throw the anchor overboard, a large splash rising water into the ship, a deep huff escaping Tydus' lips, fatigue and aching present in his musculature before the Tempest looked over to his podmate.

"Aye. Let's dig out a few fish. Keep some extra for the lady fer when she decides ta' wake up. Might as well take a dip, too. Haven' had some water in a while, neither."

The Tempest scion allowed a moment for breath to fill his lungs, his body revived with a semblance of strength as he sat upon the gunwale. A moment later, the Svefra threw off his tunic, his trousers removed as well, both garments left in a messy pile just as his sash made its way on top. The Svefra shifted the weight of his naked form backwards, shouting at Kel, "Watch the waters, mate. I'll send some fish into the boats!"

The Tempest did not wait for an answer, a splash marking his entrance into the sea just as a bright grin made its way upon his features.

[Cricket]

Cricket huddled in the nest, running her hands along her fur. She chattered her teeth and scratched viciously at her neck in agitation until fresh blood had flowed freely into her already dirty fir. How long at it been since they left Riverfall? With no sense of time and no understanding how the sun rose and fell, Cricket had succumbed to paranoia. Were they the 'Lavikus' she had been wondering about? Were they angry she had boarded their island without asking. Again she chattered her teeth, somewhat loudly. Thankfully, the ocean was loud and she was far enough away from both creatures beneath her that she doubted they could hear her.

Up and down the lurched, her stomach doing the same. If she had had any food in her belly, it would have been highly uncomfortable for her to be there. Cricket had never had the pleasure of being sick, but if she knew how uncomfortable it was, she probably would not wish that upon anyone. Especially herself.

It was the noise below that piqued her curiosity again. Clumsily, she climbed the edge of the nest and looked below. When had the other island joined them? There was another one of these 'Lavikus' on the island next to them, yelling something back to the man below her. Then he hefted something into the ocean which stopped his island. Her person did the same. On unsteady, land loving legs, she was thrown back into the nest when her island came to a lurching stop. Squeaking angrily to herself, she vowed to never climb a leafless tree again when she felt land beneath her paw again. So far, this was proving to be hazardous to her health.

When she hauled herself up and over the nest edge again, she flattened herself down on the trunk. There had been a splash, but she had missed what had gone in or had come out of the water. She took stock. One person on her boat, the over-sized squirrel. The other person was missing at the moment. Keeping herself flat, she made sure to keep the mast between her and the two legged creature. Cricket did not know what these 'Lavikus' were capable of, and until she was found or she felt secure to show herself, hiding seemed to be the best option.

[Kel Tempest]

Kel watched as Tydus struggle with the anchor before turning back to the responsibilities of his own vessel. Spinning the wheel and ducking under the boom that passed over head, he waited for the forward sail to list before tying the wheel in place. He reached out towards his tavan who lay on the cabin roof lazily and scratched behind Jenkins’ ear, the sea otter rubbing his head against the man’s hand contently, whiskers twitching.


Stepping away and crossing the deck, Kel made his way to the mast, sail listing weakly in the air since he had directed it away from the blowing wind. The Svefra released the clasp on the pulley system that held the rope in place near the bottom of the mast and grabbed a hold of the now free line. Hand over hand, he lowered the sail.


As he squinted up into the sun, watching the sail slowly come down, he thought he spotted a flicker of motion in the crow nest. He stared at it, wincing as Syna’s rays stabbed at his eyes. After a few ticks, he shrugged mentally; maybe it was just the clouds changing position. He turned his attention back to the sail and tied it when it was in the proper place.


The Laviku’s Wrath floated in the sea, lifting in the air as a swell picked up the ship and then gently set it down as it pasted by. He found the motion of the ocean calming and peaceful. It was exactly where he was supposed to be, it was home.


Kel followed Tydus’ example and moved to the bow of the ship. A small lever jutted out from the gunwale of the vessel. He looked over the side of the ship, anchor securely fastened to the hull. Kel reached out and wrapped his hand around a thick pin fastened to the ship and pulled it from its home, releasing it and allowing it to hang from a bit of rope. Weight no longer held by the medal rod, the anchor fell and landed with a splash in the churning sea. A length of chain followed suit, rattling loudly as it uncoiled.


The Svefra braced himself instinctively as the ship jerked suddenly, the anchor finding the sea floor and latching on. Having finished the required sailing activities for the time being, Kel cracked his back and sighed contently. A second splash caught his attention and he caught a glimpse of two feet disappear into the waves, water shooting up behind them.


Not having anything else to do until Tydus returned, Kel moved over to the barrel of ale sitting beside his cabin door and pulled a mug off the hook above. Lifting the lid of the cask, he scooped up the yellowish liquid before closing it again. Kel tossed a collapsible chair up onto the roof of the cabin before climbing up beside it and settling in comfortably. His legs sprawled out in front of him and reclined lazily, watching the waves move idly by.


Jenkins stirred from his spot and moved over to the seafaring man and hopped up onto his lap, curling up comfortably. Kel ran a hand down the tavan’s fur absentmindedly as they both relaxed. Freedom, ale and companionship, it was shaping up to be a wonderful day.

[Tydus Tempest]

A breath filled the Svefra's lungs as his mind opened to the seventh sense provided to him by Laviku's glory. It flooded his mind, luminescence staining the blue sea with brilliant, white globes of light, each one moving and expanding, as if breathing in the expanse of the sea as Tydus Tempest closed his eyes. He felt the presences still, the luminous globes flickering in his mind's eye, the blackness of sightlessness illuminated entirely so that it glowed white behind his eyelids. A grin marked his features, his parted lips allowing for salt water to seep into his mouth. The Svefra happily swallowed it, gulping a drink of salt water before raising to the surface.

A breath brought in oxygen to the Tempest's lungs, air filling him with a sense of awareness of his surroundings. He was on the port side of the Laviku's Wrath, the hull jutting out of the water approximately fifteen feet ahead of him. The Tempest submerged into the ocean, his mind connecting to a total of six fish in a school of sixty, coaxing them upwards, commanding them with his thoughts to quickly swim towards him before he too swamp backwards. His legs kicked underneath him, the exertion making itself apparent with a protest of pain, but Tydus was by no means exhausted by the ordeal.

Tydus took several pulls forward, commanding the fish to follow him before reaching back to grab them. A forceful breaststroke kick brought Tydus' head just over the gunwale, his eyes taking notice of Kel in the distance, lounging around with Jenkins, noting that Vesh in his treachery had made his way over to the pair, as well, waddled steps approaching Jenkins before the tavan looked over the mug of ale with apparent interest.

Vesh, you little traitor... At least get me a mug of ale!

The Tempest found that he had unconsciously reached for Vesh in his connection with the creatures fo the sea, the tavan moving towards Kel, waddling at the Tempest podbrother's leg and pointing excitedly at the ale as Tydus noted that the fish had been released in his change of priority.

A frown marred his features before he called to the fish, coaxing them back before raising two, one in each hand, and pushing himself with yet another breaststroke kick. An elbow was strung out to keep Tydus on the gunwale as he flung one of the fish at Kel, switching hold to launch the other before commanding the other four to jump out of the water themselves and make their way onto the deck. The fish flopped on the deck, Tydus then reaching out to them to calm their suffocating bodies in the moment of their deaths, using his arms to bring his torso out of the water.

Tydus' core flexed as he sought to use its strength to bring the rest of his body out of the water, then kicking out with his legs to force the length of his body out of the water before pulling himself onto deck, bursting out with laughter before Tydus went to the barrel of ale and filled a mug with the liquid himself.

"Too bad Adney's not around anymore, eh? Coulda cooked the food... Oh well, we can live with the raw for a few days."

[Cricket]

The man was on the move, and it worried her. Since he had moved the cloth down so it made the tree barren of all hiding places, the best thing she could do was scurry around the mast to keep it between her and the human. Digging her claws in, unsure of what he was going to do, she was almost yanked from the mast and thrown to the island when it lurched to a stop. Whatever he had thrown overboard had prevented the island from continuing on its way. Muscles tense, she took very few steps sideways to keep herself hidden from the creature. Only when she felt it was somewhat safe did she peek her nose around the corner. He was dipping a cup into a barrel, what was apparently a liquid that look refreshing. At least, he seemed to enjoy it. Of course, before she could consider stealing some, he recovered the barrel. What fun was that? The thought of drinking suddenly made her hungry as well. Other than that moldy hunk of bread she had had a day or two ago, she was living off air and hope.

The sound of splashing drew her attention to fish flying out of the sea and onto the island. Her stomach growled again, insistent on finding sustenance. Before she could crawl down her tree and think about sinking her squirrelly claws into the scales of one of those fish, more joined them. Then the other man came out of the water, glistening in the sunlight. These Lavikus were creatures all their own. Both were pretty in their own right, from what she could tell. As to whether they were intelligent, she had yet to determine that. At least, Cricket could tell they had strength, which made her instinctively cautious. This clearly was the island of one, if not both, of the Lavikus. She would have to be careful.

The man that had just boarded the boat went for the barrel of refreshing liquid. Then, he did something that she could praise any deity for with no remorse. He left the lid off the barrel. Cricket allowed herself a tick to contemplate what to do. Wrestle a fish or get a drink of water and then wrestle the fish? It seemed that the path of least resistance had to be the barrel. Quickly, and as quietly as her long, unclipped claws would allow her to, she scurried across the deck. Crawling up the side of the barrel farthest from the new man, she managed to perch herself on the edge. Then, with a great squeak of relief, she plunged her entire face into the barrel.

That moment, she would remember and regret for the rest of her life.

Ripping her face from the liquid with a hissing screech, she found herself falling backwards onto the deck. Her hand went to her face, trying to rub the stinging sensation out of her eyes. It smelled, it tasted awful, and it was not cool, clensing water. It was acid as far as she was concerned. Terrible, foul stuff that threatened to burn into her very skull. All thoughts of being sneaky and quiet were thrown out the window as she rolled around, wailing in pain.

[Kel Tempest]

Two fish flew out of the ocean and landed on the deck of the Svefra’s ship, flopping about. Kel’s head jerked up from the position it had been craned where he had been enjoying the sun as he rested his eyes in his chair. He blinked, yawning and sat upright, stretching his arms luxuriously.


“Aye, Jenkins. Wanna grab me that fish down there?”


The sea otter perked his head up from Kel’s lap and twitched his whiskers at him. Before Kel could respond, the tavan stirred and hopped off his lap onto the cabin roof and jumped down onto the deck. Scurrying over to the fish, he sunk his sharp teeth into the soft flesh and dragged it back across the deck.
The Svefra watched as Jenkins struggled with the meal and felt a stab of pity for him. He leaned over the roof and reached down as the sea otter strained to reach up. Kel finally snagged the fish and heaved it up towards him. Resting back in his seat, Jenkins scurried back around towards the stern where the roof was lower and hopped back up.


Kel reached into a small pouch attached to his chair and pulled out a muscle. Holding it out to Jenkins, the sea otter snatched it from his hands and lay on his back, gnawing on the shell, attempting to pry it open. The Svefra grinned.


“Thanks, mate.”


Turning towards his own meal, Kel pulled his eating knife from its place under his sash and shoved the sharpened blade into the top of the fish’s head, between the eyes, efficiently killing it. Muttering a quick prayer of thanks, He turned the fish so its belly was looking up at him, and slowly inserted the knife, cutting the length of the body.


Kel stuck his finger in the incision and held the fish over the side of the ship, digging out the guts and allowing them to fall into the open below. Realizing he needed to clean out the remnants with water, Kel sighed and hopped down from the roof, heading towards the railing. He dunked the dead fish under the ocean and swished it around; cleaning the flesh he would eat.


But a sudden screeching noise ripped through the air, startling him, causing him to whirl around. The sight before him caused him to freeze on the spot in horror. A small thing perched on his barrel of ale nearly falling into it, clawing at its face before collapsing to the deck, squirming in pain.


Snapping out of his shock, surprise quickly changed to outrage the Svefra’s features turning bright red in anger. He threw the dead fish at the strange creature that was still screeching and sprinted towards his barrel, boat rocking violently.


“MY ALE. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY ALE.”


He stared in horror into the contents of the barrel, seeing small hairs floating in the yellow liquid. Delicately reaching into it, he plucked them out before whirling around, brandishing his eating knife wildly and pointing it at the kelvic.


“What the PETCH are yeh’ and what the PETCH are yeh’ doin’ on me ship?! Yeh’ didn’t pay teh’ be here! Ty! What the PETCH is this?!”

[Tydus Tempest]

Tydus focused on the meal at hand, licking his lips as he noted the struggling state of the fish on deck. He pierced through one fish with his dagger, the fish flopping against the dagger, staring up at Tydus with one open eye before it went blank. The Svefra watched as the rest of the fish continued to flop about as Tydus tore through the fish with his hands, ordering its organs upon the skeleton before tossing it overboard, leaving himself to consume the rest of the fish as Vesh made his way towards the collection of fish.

He took a single fish and slid it down his throat with a happy waddle, the penguin moving over to Tydus. The Svefra strode across the deck with the intent of taking some ale before it happened. Some strange animal went down towards Kel's barrel of ale and began taking what appeared to be a drink from it, stopping after what appeared to be interpreting the taste of the liquid as something that it did not like. Eyes widened as the screech pierced through the air, the Svefra looking over as Kel rampaged towards the barrel, nearly knocking Tydus over before beginning to scream at the animal in both Common and Fratava.

The entire situation was simply hilarious, the Tempest bowling over in laughter before he roared out at his podmate, eyes closed in his moment of laughter,

"Ha! Looks like ye got a rat in yer drink, Kel! Gonna taste a bit furry now, ain't it. But, hold on a tick. This 'un looks a bit strange."

Tydus said this not because of the creature's appearance, but its mannerisms. An animal with no intelligence would simply drink and drink. He'd seen mammals, and birds (Vesh, of course) drink sips of alcohol with nary a reaction, and this seemed to hint at something else entirely. The Svefra couldn't be sure, but he decided that the animal was, at the very least, intelligent enough to care about what it put into its mouth. Perhaps it was intelligent in other ways, as well?

Tydus decided to test his hypothesis, stepping forward and plucking the critter from its place if it didn't move out of his way. Either way, he would grin, a chuckle escaping from his lips as he looked at it. Curiosity set into the Svefra's tone as he layered djed into his words, intention to breach through and influence the creature's mind, if only slightly as he spoke to it, weaving suggestion through his words.

"A little critter, eh? Perhaps not... Sometin' more? Sometin' different? Why not show us what ye are?"

The Tempest scion wondered if he was right or wrong, but the suggestion flickered into his words regardless, a smile gracing his features.

I want to communicate to him what I really am.

The thought would enter the critter's mind, though if it chose to listen to the suggestion or not was up to it. Tydus released the critter if he was holding on to it, taking a step back and taking a seat on the ground. He had wanted to drink some ale, but there was no intention of doing so any longer, with the critter's fur tainting it as it was. Maybe Kel would purify it later, but for now, it was undesirable.

[Cricket]

She was not able to snap out of her delirium fast enough to evade the fish. Thankfully, without all of it's organs, it was a bit lighter than a complete fish would have been. It's wet scales connected with her fur, causing her to stop screeching in pain and start howling in fury. She leapt up, swinging her furry butt so that she was facing the screaming creature. The Laviku was yelling at her in some foreign language. Was it their native tongue, this strange compilation of words? Tears matted her fur, trying to flush the ale out of her eyes. The angered man was busy flipping hairs out of the liquid, and the other was cackling like a mad hyena. Even though she had been taken away from Kenash at a young age, the children of the caravan had told her stories of the cackling beasts.

The knife made her freeze. He was now speaking in her language. Even if she hadn't understood, the blatant rage was evident in his tone and level of noise. He was red in the face, which did not help her interpretation. He was petching pissed. What had she done? It wasn't her fault that they were drinking animal urine and not water. Didn't they know that water was better for drinking, and far tastier? It was when the other Laviku offered words in their native tongue that she decided it might be safe to step backwards. Of course, that was short lived as now both of them were focusing on her.

He was on her faster than she could squeak. He had a firm grip on her scruff, and she kicked out her legs. Whatever it was doing was uncomfortable, especially since it was the raw portion of her neck. His fingers would most likely have trace amounts of blood from cracking the scabs where he was holding on. The thought of clawing him crossed her mind, but suddenly it left when he spoke in her tongue again. Yet, it was different. It made her relax. Hanging there, she breathed deeply and raggedly. Of course she was something more. Why didn't they see that? Flicking her tail, she pondered what to do next. Attack or...

I want to communicate to him what I really am.

Cricket's eyes widened slightly as she was lowered to the island again. When did that thought come to her? With too much to compute, she spun around the branchless and leafless tree. Well, if I made them see I was like them, maybe the other Laviku wouldn't hurt me. But I can climb faster as a squirrel...but communicating sounds like it might be helpful. Since when did I have voices in my head? That's new. Stricken with indecision, it was her stomach that finally decided that she should take the voice's suggestion. They had edibles, and maybe she could convince them to share. A bright light radiated from behind the mast, and she found herself hunched in her naked glory.

Having no comprehension of social norms, she stood up and eased her way around the mast, keeping her back as close to the wood in case they frightened her. Cricket's skin was pale and dirty, blood and scabs lining her neck where the collar had been securely fastened several days ago. Her ribs were evident, her skin taunt with hunger across her body. She was young, sporting no breasts and very little hair across her skin aside from the dirty red hair that tumbled in mats down her shoulders. If her appearance didn't make it evident that she was a stray, her words may have. Touching her lips, she spoke in a cracked voice, "Hungry..."

[Kel Tempest]

A thought dawned on Kel and he whirled on Jenkins in outraged.


“Did you invite this scraggly little mutt onto my ship without telling me?!”


The Svefra waved his eating knife wildly in the air, arms flailing about as he raged at the loss of his ale. At the sound of Tydus’ laughter Kel swerved in a flurry of motion and glared at him.


“You think this is funny?? How would you like it if I ruined all your drink? Eh?! Wouldn’t be so funny then, would it?!”


Kel seethed in irritation as he stormed about his ship mumbling to himself in frustration, twitching as he paced, barely even paying attention to the people on his ship. He paid no attention to Tydus as he spoke. That is, until an explosion of light jerked him around in shock.


The once terrified animal had turned into a naked girl.


The Svefra’s mouth dropped open in shock, air catching in his throat as he gaped openly. He reeled back in alarm, bumping into the gunwale, rocking the boat when the weight shifted, almost going overboard. His heart raced in his chest as his eyes tried to process what he was seeing, his breath quickening as he began to hyperventilate. The former Greytide was jerked from reality and thrown back into the vivid memories of his past as his vision began to fade around the edges.


Belkor gasped in pain as the morpher’s spear like arm shoved through his chest, covered in blood. He dropped to the deck; light fading from his eyes as the magic user ripped his arm free, shoving the body to the side.


Flesh parted and blood spewed forth as Jaxon’s chest cavity was ripped open. He died before he could even cry out.


Elaine cried out as her stomach was skewered through and skull crushed under the morpher’s assault.


The Greytide’s Lia was cut down in front of him, grievously wounded but barely clinging to life.


But what happened next would be forever etched into Kel's mind. It was as if it happened in slow motion. He watched in horror as the morpher’s body began to turn into what seemed like a liquid state. All of a sudden, two sharp bones shot out from his chest, ripping through Gideon’s body and coming out the other side.


Kel’s one and only friend and mentor murdered violently in front of him. The man who was always there for him. Gideon’s eyes widened in shock as the unexpected body parts skewered him. His cutlass dropped from his nerveless hand, clattering to the deck. The spikes slowly withdrew from Gideon's body, reforming back into the man, dropping the lifeless body to the deck.


The Greytide’s, dead at the hands of a magic user.


Kel felt as if a sledge hammer had smashed into his gut as the memories brought back the waves of pain and anguish that he had strived so hard to bury deep within himself. He hid it all under the mask of self confidence and arrogance, refusing to allow anyone else to ever get close enough to him to allow him to feel emotions again.


But with the pain and hurt from his lose also came the hatred and rage. It burned deep within his soul, never really having left, just simmering under the surface. It flared in his eyes, his face twisting into a savage snarl of fury.


His livid blue eyes settled on the cowering girl. The girl who had changed her body just like the man who had killed Gideon. Who knew if that was even her real form. Magic wasn't to be trusted. It couldn't be trusted. All it did was take the people Kel loved away from him. The enraged Svefra reached around to snatch his kukri from its usual home against his lower back but was met with empty air, having placed it elsewhere.


It didn’t matter, armed or not, he’d rip the magic user that took the form of a little girl to shreds with his bare hands.