Kiss of Time

Song of Darkness

             As the day moved on, and Aurin and Xavier became closer to each other, a demon watched from afar, waiting for her chance. A tall and slender vixen of violet eyes stood atop a tree branch a short distance away, her ears perked as she listened to the soft whispers of the newly found companion’s banter, a silken furred paw set absently over a sword of pure ebony, hilted with brimstone.

            Her black mithril armor held silent to her perfectly built body as she stood, balanced so easily upon the branch, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“It has been a long time Xavier..” She said in a solemn tone, her voice so soft and calm, devoid of all emotion. “Now we will see what you have learned.”

            Hours passed, and the sun was setting, twilight was upon the land and the plains seemed to be bathed in the blood of angels as Xavier and Aurin began to walk towards the northern river dividing Sylinden and the ThunderPeak Mountains.

            Still where she stood, the devious vixen in black lunged from her place, landing no more than fifteen feet in front of the two with her sword drawn, demonic blue flames rising off of her sword and arms as she held the massive claymore’s blade before her body.

“Well well Xavier,” Said the vixen in black, a warped grin set across her lips. “Perhaps we will get to finish, what was started so very long ago..”

            Growling slightly as a soft wind ruffled his headfur, Xavier set a paw to his sword hilt, glaring at the vixen in black coldly and spoke in a dull and cold, almost emotionless voice:

“I want nothing to do with you Daelith, leave my sight.”

“I can not do that child..” Replied Daelith, a fiendish tone to her voice as her eyes began to burn, the same fire lighting them as did her blade. “Lord Krechek has ordered me to return you to him.”

“I will not--” Began Xavier, his words cold and harsh, but before he could finish his sentence he was interrupted by the lunging Daelith.

“Then you shall die!”

            Yanking his sword from it’s sheath, Xavier stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the ebony blade as it dropped swiftly towards him, jerking his own sword up to parry as the claymore was shifted in mid-strike, into a sideways slash. Wincing in pain from the pain of the recoiling hilt, Xavier jumped back, the mournful screams of a wailing banshee sounding as his own blade flared a wicked black, dark flames swallowing his sword and arm as he landed several feet away, glaring at Daelith evilly as his own eyes began to burn with the same black flames as to did his own sword.

            With a wicked smile and a blood chilling laugh, Daelith set eyes to Xavier for a moment, never once dropping her guard as she stared him down, her eyes lit with those devious blue flames.

“My how you’ve grown Xavier,” She said in a dark tone, laughing slightly as she spoke. “From a child barely able to hold a dagger, to a man willing to fight his kin.”

“Last chance Daelith,” Xavier warned, his voice dark as his ears folded back. “Leave here or meet the same fate as all who oppose me.”

            Without words, Daelith lunged once again at Xavier, her blade lashing down as him from above as before, and as before he stepped to the side, more quickly now, easily avoiding the strike. Dropping to the ground Xavier set a paw to the dirt and whipped both feet out in attempt to bring the vixen down with a sweep, but nimbly she moved, springing into the air and whirling around, Lashed her sword out into a counter strike, her blade ripping a stripe in the ground as Xavier rolled to the side.

            The sound of bones cracking rang out as the paw which had supported him folded back to touch his forearm. Wincing as he got to his feet, Xavier gripped his broken paw in his teeth and jerked his head to the side, the sound of bones cracking once again ringing out as each bone in his hand quickly realigned.

            Standing no more than thirty feet from the battle, Aurin watched in horror as the two demons fought, amazed and appalled that Xavier had lied to her, but at the same time now, she feared for his life.

            Tears began to roll down the young vixen’s cheeks, of fear, of anger, of sadness and pain, all seemingly focused on Xavier as she watched the two demons, the swords clashing strike after strike, their skills equal in every way.

            Trying to bat a tear from her face, Aurin looked down, letting several fall to the dirt, and at that moment, the same unholy feeling as before overcame her, calming her pain and sorrow, ebbing her anger and warding her fear as it began to coarse through her body.

            Closing her eyes, an azure mist began to rise from Aurin’s body, whirling around her like a maelstrom of moonlight as she began to whisper in an angelic language, and as her eyes opened, the mist began to draw back towards her arms.

            No more than a minute had passed before the maelstrom had faded into Aurin’s fists, and now the young vixen stared absently at the fighting demons, her hands clenched into fists as she stood, tears rolling freely fro her eyes as she held them open to the heavens.

            With a deafening roar, a white dragon of pure energy flew from Aurin’s chest, careening towards Daelith and Xavier, knocking them both from their feet, hurling them several feet apart, and as she flew, the dragon caught the vixen in black by the throat.

            Jaws clamped onto Daelith’s neck in a deadly kiss, the Dragon’s form faded into the demon quickly, and as she hit, she lay almost completely paralyzed on the ground. Tired and drawn, her energy fading, Aurin fell to her knees where she stood, her eyes half open, watching the demons, able only to see their faint outlines as she knelt fading in and out of consciousness.

            Standing slowly, Xavier groaned as he took his sword from the ground, walking over to the stunned Daelith and chuckled, setting the flaming black blade of his weapon upon his shoulder and spoke, his tone dark and demented, though in it’s own way, calm and soothing:

“It’s strange, you and I are even in skill, in power and wit, but a child defeated us easily.” Almost laughing now he shook his head, staring down at the vixen in black armor, flames of both malice and of love in his eyes as he continued. “I called you mother once, but I know you were not my kin, for your lies Daelith, we shall let the ravens have you.”

            Reaching his paw down Xavier grabbed Daelith by the headfur, pulling her to her knees and looked her in the eyes, watching as bloody tears of pain and fear began to roll from her violet orbs. Then, with a swift, almost fluid motion, he let his blade sing through the air and bite with the sickening sound of cleaving flesh and hacking bones, through her neck and spine; lobbing her head off in one perfect motion.

            Holding it’s position for a few moments, the now headless body tilted back, falling across the ground with a sickening sound as pint after pint of crimson blood began to pour from the severed neck, spilling into a pool on the ground around the body; and as he stood, holding the head of the vixen he’d for so long called ‘mother’, Xavier could only grin, ivory teeth shimmering slightly in the last moments of the twilight hour.

            Sheathing his own blade, Xavier took Daelith’s sword into his free paw and thrust it into the earth, letting it’s demonic blue flames crystalizing the ground around the blade. Looking down at the still bloody head in his grasp, Xavier grinned, lifting the head of Daelith into the air, and with the gut-wrenching sound of bones snapping and flesh prying apart, he slammed the head down on the sword hilt, impaling it for the world to behold.

            As the sun set to the west, and the two so very different companions: the demon, and the child, set off once more, they could not help but feel a cold, unholy gaze upon them; nor could they shake the feeling that they were being followed.

            In the haze of distance, clouded by the darkness of the newly born night, crept a wire-thin man, what seemed to be a leather cloak surrounding his body as he moved, the clothing unmoving even in the faint wind which passed him, and as he looked on, the moonlight glittering over his crimson eyes, a wicked grin formed across his pale lips, revealing his vampiric fangs.