She had been hiding in the forgotten crevasses of the world.
Maybe the world had forgotten about her. It was difficult to tell. Change happened - Gabriel relinquished his crown to the golden heir, Ezekiel. Packs began to spring up in the West, the North. Face came and went, and some became familiar, and some became forgotten.
The world continued to turn, but China stayed very, very still.
She had fallen into a routine. It was all easier to deal with when there was a plan in place for the day - A set amount of events as specific times that took place, to blandly and precisely ensure that her life continued, exactly as it had for many months now. She rose just before the sun, and would then watch it rise - Splendid reds that filled her with a dull but familiar ache. A pleasant ache. Then she would secret away to the forests, to the places where she could be alone with the emptiness inside her mind, inside her heart.
Sometimes a restlessness stole over her, and she would go to the tree at the border of the bloodland and stare out over the stretching emptiness beyond. Out there was the one she craved more than anything, the one she sometimes quietly wept for. But, out there was the demon who had stolen her voice.
Her flute collected dust and spiderwebs. It had not known music since the day before China had been broken.
It had taken her many months, but a moon prior to this one, she had ventured again up the mountain to the place where the cabin had been. It was empty, but she'd known it would be. He had left long, long ago - There was no longer even the scent of him there. There was nothing to show that he or she had ever been there at all. After that day, the cabin lost all purpose to her, and she did not think of it again.
This morning, China woke, and rather than follow the precise pattern she had set for herself over the long months of loneliness, the girl merely sat in her cave and held her flute. For a long, long time she held the instrument, turning it over and over in her palms, polishing the small carving on its side with blushing fingers. And when she rose, it was with a peculiar lightness, like she had just remembered how to suck air into her lungs and become weightless.
She pulled the tattered denim skirt over now-bony hips, gathered her meager belongings in the soft green satchel and carefully slung it over her shoulder. Taking the flute in one hand, she inhaled deeply, and headed out into the crisp morning light.
Wandering feet found the mansion of their own accord, and although her chest constricted till it was painful to breath, China did not allow herself to stop walking until she stood before it. It smelt strongly of packmembers. It smelt of Halo. Fear skittered through her blood like a spooked hare, and her mind reeled with frightening and ghastly nightmares. For a moment, the girl genuinely considered turning and running. But the reed flute was a reassuring smoothness in her clenched hand, and the little blueblood dove grit her teeth and lingered in the doorway, waiting.
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--
Most days had been good and today was the day where she felt exceptionally shitty, and it infected her mood and would have drawn all the flies in the world if it had been an open wound. In her years of life she had slowly learned how to handle herself. She was generally disliked and she didn’t give a fuck about that, but she had gradually started to draw away from others when she was in a particularly foul mood. She spent most of her days alone these weeks, withdrawn and eager to hide herself away. Perhaps it was because she would give birth any day soon--really, she had expected the children to be born approximately a week ago, but so far they seemed to rest comfortably in her womb.
But ah, she was so restless. The absence of workout wasn’t doing her good in any way, and she was inwardly drowning with cravings to work those muscles. So around and around and around the mansion she paced, long, graceful legs strong and determined, though there was a heavy sway in her lower back that she knew was straining the muscles in her back.
On her fifteenth round, she was met with the sight and smell of someone she actually had learned to hate. Well, hate was not uncommon for the pregnant Triarii, but this little bitch’s face managed to ruin her mood ridiculously effectively. And today was not a good day, and now it was a horrible, dreaaaaadful day. Fists instantly clenched and anger flashed on features that should have been beautiful. But her anger turned her into a demoness. Nostrils flared and indulged in the accompanying stench of fear. Sharp teeth flashed in an unkind grin, though she had already lost too much favour with her leaders--if she had ever had any, that was.
”Go bother someone else,” the woman hissed, waving dismissively at the Lykoi whore before she turned to walk up the stairs.
There was a growing sensation of pain spreading through her. It was dull and deep and cavernous, and it wasn't until little black dots sprung before her eyes that China realized that the pain came from her lungs. She had forgotten to breathe. A gasp of air was drawn in, jerkily, sliced between neat pearly teeth that had never sought another kin's blood.
Then, the other woman was before her, and the fear almost made her swallow her tongue in dread. For a moment, she could do nothing but stand in the glow of Halo's spite and disgust - Her hatred oozed out into the air between them, as potent as the fear-stench that came from the dove. Her lungs spasmed slightly, drawing in too-shallow breaths, and although her mouth opened no words came out.
She was given a serpent's warning, the rattle of Halo's voice as venomous as any bite as it struck her large ears roundly, and rang within them. For the briefest moment, China considered allowing her sparse remnants of courage to flee; but she knew that if the change did not happen now, she would be stuck back with the demons, stuck there in the monotonous self-torture forever. She could not go back to that place, and the terror of returning to it overpowered the fear that writhed within her at the sight of her assaulter.
Claws clicked too loudly on stone, and she had spilled out into the room behind Halo's turned form, the flute held out slightly as though it were a cross to ward of the hellion she baited. The pregnant woman was higher up, having mounted the stairs, but as China's feeble tone swept breathlessly out she knew it would be heard. "I'm sorry," There was more she needed to say, more she needed to ask, but this had to be voiced first. Pale blue eyes graced the beautiful swell of the Triiari's form, and the hope embodied by such maternal grace gave her the strength to speak again. "Halo, I'm sorry." The world was turning, turning. She craved to turn with it once more.
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--
As the dirt-gray girl’s timid voice rose to disturb the remains of the branded woman self-control, Halo turned into a still picture. For a moment, and only that, one could hope that her path into the second chance of motherhood had made a difference. But there was a calm before the storm, and now was time to leap across the sky and spew rain and thunder. Lips that had settled after the toothed glare she had offered the girl moments ago again leaped away to portray the perfect row of teeth, still milky white and unstained with youth that slowly was fleeing from her features for each passing year.
Regret was a wasteful thing; it couldn’t fix what was already broken. At best, it was a weak glue potent to fix a shattered piece or two, but China had fallen too far from grace. Truthfully, Halo Lykoi was no better where it mattered, but nothing would quench her sickened hate for this particular girl. It was impossible for the auburn mother-to-be to adjust to an objective view, and the idea of mercy didn’t even cross her heating mind.
Within the lash of a soundless whip, the Triarii form had descended from the stairs with the pace of something unnatural; a warrior goddess’ leap untouched by time. But such an expression could not belong to an immortal, and Halo was flesh and bone and so very ugly. One eye narrowed and the other did the exact opposite; widening sickly with its pupil drowning, drowning in sharp hues of freshly drawn blood. An accompanying eyebrow rose and rose, as if in disbelief of what she was seeing. ”Are you here to beg forgiveness?” China had been warned once through the sharp edge of the warrior’s voice, and now would have been a very good time to disappear.
It was the wrath of the huntress that burned her now, far fiercer than the flames of any mortal fire. Those red eyes, such a hue that the girl saw behind her closed lids alone, bore through flesh and deep into her skull. The fear became a thing greater than fear, a living terror that burrowed deep into the marrow of her bones. Shadowed Lapis Lazuli dwarfed pupils that shrank as the woman's snarling face was thrust closer to her own, and the lifeblood within her ran as cold as unbroken ice.
There was too much oxygen in her, fluttering breaths drawing in too much, and her head spun dizzily. Her malnourished body trembled, but remained standing, of no defiant will but of a lack of remembering how to function. Her tail clung to smooth, youthful thighs. "No, Triiari," Little more than a whisper. Who was the father of Halo's children? Would she love them as fiercely as she hated the rest of the world? Suddenly, the fear within her relinquished a small portion of the girl's soul to sadness, and she felt that sadness deeply as the gazed into the enraged bloodied hue of the other woman's gaze.
Surely, Halo had once known innocence, love, life. Perhaps the world had stopped turning for her, too. Perhaps these children would bring it back to her, and fill the gaping chasm that stupid, pretty China could see beneath the bubbling rage of her visage. Halo was an empty vessel, pooled with her anger, but maybe these children would be as beautiful as-
As-
... As-
"No," The quiet admittance. "I came... I c-came to make peace," And she knew quite suddenly why this morning was different to the others, why it was that she had remembered how to breath, why it was she loved the carving on her flute. She remembered these things, and that left a little less room for the other memories, the ones that had festered within her the cold, empty moons. "I came to tell you that I am sorry,"I am sorry I love him. The other question lingered closer to her tongue, but she was frightened still, and it would not slip forth so easily as the rest.
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--
Dominant ears sharply jumped to point towards the building’s dusting roof to form an incomplete crown worthy of this queen of scorn. Perhaps, beneath all the ugliness, she envied this girl. Though, all Halo had to cling to was this rage and chaos that seemed to have been with her always. It was what she knew. She didn’t know the details of China’s relationship with her only son; whether it had been a chaotic one night stand or something more. But if she had known, her heart would be afire with such envy as well. Beautiful eyes of ice’s blue did not belong to her, and even if they once could have, the chance was lost forever, and Halo was headed down the path of self destruction, all alone.
Every happy thought from the last weeks evaporated into nothing, and it was this girl’s fault. China was an innocent victim, always, but Halo simply couldn’t cope as she looked into the mirror and saw herself dressed with silver, blush and blue summer skies. There would never be peace in her soul for the rest of her life, and today, it was China’s fault. The woman’s face turned away in a disgusted motion, as if the sight alone could bring up previous meals. And all this time, her heart pulsed, pushing black into veins until her body was a living bonfire of pain. One fist came undone to hold on to the breaths of life inside her, afraid of what the poison inside of her could do to these precious beings.
Of course the little whore was sorry. But it made no difference at all. One step after another shrank the distance between them, and she wondered how much courage would be left when she was close enough to reach out and tear out those precious blue eyes of hers. ”There will never be peace.” the wicked voice spat, glowing with emotion that had been bottled up and hidden within all this time. "Nothing has changed." Many moons had passed since Halo had attempted to claw life out of the silver and blush pixie frame, but nothing had changed. She still wanted this girl's life. ”And you will never be free. Our dear leader might have saved you once, and my unborn children might aid me to spare your life today, but know, China Lykoi, that one day, and very soon, I will come for you.” And there it was, the spontaneous threat, spoken genuinely as any promise. If it couldn’t be fixed, it could always be destroyed.
There was a rawness to Halo, a growing sharpness about her form, as though China's eyes were clearing and seeing her in clarity for the first time. There was great wickedness within her, but it was an infection, not a defect. A creature lingered beneath the layers of grime and hatred - A beautiful creature, perhaps suffocated now, perhaps dead as the ghosts that haunted this mansion and the eyes of the beautiful warrior.
In days gone by, the innocent China would have wallowed in sorrow at the crime that had been done here, to herself, to the older Lykoi woman, to them all. But this China only watched on in horrified silence as the wench drew nearer, her soft blue eyes rounded and made large with fear.
The voice curdled her blood, made her limbs heavy as lead. She had been naive to think that perhaps motherhood could curb the bleeding fury of the true Infernian princess, and saw this error in judgment now, too late. But she had been beaten bloody by the woman's rage before, and was quick to back away as the heavily pregnant form drew dangerously nearer. Claws clicked lightly on the ground, unsure, as her too-thin form edged back towards the doorway. Satellite ears were met with harshest, cruelest words, and the threat made the hairs along her spine and her nape quiver and rise, much like the cold fingers of death traipsing up and down her back. Mortality lingered there, in the threat that rasped from between the Triiari's deadly jaws.
Her heartbeat fluttered, filling cold veins with adrenaline, urging her again to run. Huge eyes remained fixed on the other woman's face, that which writhed at her in such true detestation, but again they saw only a bitter reflection of what she could become. There was a sickness in their blood, and both she and Halo had experienced it's wickedness first hand. "I h-hope your children are born healthy and well," The words bubbled out from her in a fast stream, as paws continued to edge backwards, flute and palm raised between her and the siren. "I hope that you can learn to love them, Halo," So fast, she spoke, all in one breath, desperate to be free from the penetrating fear that came from the woman's bleeding gaze, "I pray that you can let yourself love them." There was immeasurable sympathy within her for the unborn spawn of this woman; They would be brought into a cold, hard world, and Halo alone would be able to show them love and happiness here. If she was unable, then many souls would be lost again to the hungry, dark soil of Inferni.
Almost back at the entrance, back out into the sunlight, she paused. The light from beyond framed the thin girl, haloing her silver fur with clear gold. Lapis Lazuli grew static on the other's face, and her shoulders stiffened, just slightly, just enough to show the return of some form of courage within her. "I am leaving to find your son. I will not return to this place again." There was a sureness within her. Once free of the bloodied chains of this place, the little songbird would fly; Either to sanctuary, or straight into the burning heart of the sun.
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--
It angered her more to see the lack of faith within the girl. This poor, pathetic canvas of pretty didn’t belong in a place like this. Inferni needed strength more than anything, and China was this little porcelain doll that really had to be shattered against the floor. And such words were demeaning. I hope you an learn to love them? Fingers brushing against her unborn children twitched at the invisible insults she found in the girl’s words. Thunder rumbled within throat painted pale cream as red glared into pale blue. Doomsday was approaching quickly now for this poor filly.
The young whore maintained the distance between them by stepping in the opposite direction, and she was backing out through the door frame. Just as well, because if Halo’s fingers managed to reach her, sharp nails would rip through the girl’s fragile canvas. Although it was known that she was a failure, Itachi had grown into something she could have been proud of if it hadn’t been for the dark streak that had sent him heads over heels out of the clan he had been born into. Instead of spitting curses and acid, the rumble finally sprung out between parting lips, revealed as a ridiculing laughter.
Yes, go.”Rest assured that you won’t be missed.” Oh, how she hoped she had interpreted the little slattern correctly. But coyote ears would not forget the soft spoken girl’s final words. Well, then she hoped China would find the lost son and her happiness. Hand leaped to cruelly grasp for the door, and with a muscled whip of her arm, she slammed it shut, and banished China from the mansion as well as the clan itself. Never again would the girl be welcome here; Halo was going to make sure of that. .
