Walker McMullin's Story

Walker's Story
Walker smiled at Luca.
"And I never give favors to people unless they've earned them." He said, and then listened to Berach. After Berach spoke, he stepped forward.
"Sir, with all due respect, we are not in a war zone. If we were, Maya would never have acted the way she had, rather using Quetzal's air control to create vacuums around her knife, which she would be using due to actual training with it, in order to make clean cuts that couldn't be mended while moving too fast for the opponent to catch. As for me, I was assisting in what WOULD have been a decoy maneuver in order to distract and delay from the final goal as repayment for being freed from the net I was stuck in. Perfect strategy does not mean perfect victory, and neither does teamwork. As for my own fate, I would have simply made myself and Brenna lucky to the point where a giant with a billboard couldn't have hit us if we were even on the frontlines, instead of acting as a medical unit, which I'm more capable of dealing with. Gym class is not war. I should know, I've been in too many to count.

Maya's Story
Maya snapped to consciousness in the infirmary, feeling her stomach to see if the hole was still there. The amount of pain she felt proved no, it was healed, and yes, it still needed time. She closed her eyes, and felt Quetzalcoatl's presence flying in from the lake. She then laid back in her bed, and relaxed herself to prevent straining herself, and blew a piece of paper off of a table nearby, and using a combination of wind and reaching a little bit to make a pencil roll towards her. Once both were attained, she started drawing out a picture of Quetzal in mid-flight, looking as if he was going to soar right out of the paper.

Berach Vullian

He glared at Walker when he spoke and then took some steps toward the boy, "Training is meant for war, it means you practice for war, it mean you are at war. You should have done the right thing, but you didn't, so next time you will."

He knew kids like Walker, those who thought they were always right. Berach had been just like him but he also knew what hard consequences came with that kind of attitude so he let the boy go even if he didn't understand what Berach was trying to comunicate to him.

When all the students were gone he went to the teacher's lounge and sat on the couch, "So how are things going?"

"Not so good I must say," answered one of the teachers, "The North Front Army is backing up and coming close, I do hope the students are ready."

"They are. Fighting wise," Berach sighed, "but not for war."

Aslan Portegar

Aslan went to the cafeteria and ordered his meal then sat at a table where no one came to sit with him. Everything that had happened at training went terribly wrong, the only good thing was that they defeated a Behemoth but so many people came near death because of it. Aslan had to show more authority or no one would listen to him.
Maybe I should start a fight. . . He thought to himself.

No you won't, we just got out of a fight so leave them in peace, Babur intruded Aslan's thoughts.

"Sir Portegar," an errand man came to see Aslan and handed him an envelope, "for you."

The errand man left right after leaving Aslan to see the emblem of his family keeping the envelope shut. He opened the letter and started reading but when he was finished his eyes stayed wide and the letter slipped from his fingers falling to the ground.

"It can't be," were the only words he could whisper between his lips.

Walker's story
After Walker got back from the trip, the first thing he did was go to the infirmary to check on both Maya and Rue, making sure he had disguised himself as a nurse, and was lucky that no one had recognized him when he had slipped into Rue's room with a lunch consisting of pan-fried fish he'd prepared himself, with a chile-lime mayo sauce he'd made himself that always proved to be a hit down in the Wharf, as well as a light salad with a raspberry vinegarette on the side and a slice of handmade chocolate cheesecake with a raspberry glaze, also his own work. His taste test earlier had proved ithis meal to be one of his best works yet. He placed the meal down in front of Rue.
"Lunchtime, Miss Tyryl." He said, hiding his accent with all the skill of the finest of con men. "Oh, before I forget, a boy named Walker McMullin came by earlier with this meal, and said he wanted to apologize personally to you, but protocol said otherwise. I told him I'd handle it for him, and it took a bit of convincing to get him to agree. He also left me a message to tellyou, what was it... Ah, yes: 'Hope you get well soon, your brother gave me hell trying to keep me from making sure you were safe after you passed out. I'll try to keep away from running into you anytime soon, unless you feel like at least talking.' And that's it. Well, I need to be off, so eat while it's still hot, and enjoy!" As he said that, he slipped out of the room and over to Maya, who had turned her sketch into a paper airplane and was flying it around the room. Maya grunted in disgust.
"What do you want no-... Walker?" she asked, as Walker smiled and took the makeup he'd been using earlier off and removed the nurse's outfit he'd had on. "Damn, and I thought I'd seen all your talents."
"Nah, you've only seen my biggest talents." Walker said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. "Speaking of, what the hell were you thinking back there? Granted, I owed you, so of course I was going to help, but why do something like that in the first place?" Maya looked out the window.
"Well, I couldn't have let it be TOO easy for everyone." Walker laughed at this, and smiled.
"Riiiight. Well, just remember that our relationship is over from here on out as lovers, got it? Friends only, it was too awkward being the one left in the dust." Now it was Maya's turn to laugh, then grunt a little at the pain.
"Well, that saves me the trouble of trying to avoid you like the plague now!"
After that, the two continued to chat until Walker had to leave due to visiting hours.

Brenna's interlude
Brenna hopped through the hall to the cafeteria, where she nabbed a bit of food from the line, then over to Aslan and Erin.
"Hey, Erin, I'm sorry about Walker's actions, he's got a code he sticks to, and I can't really do much about that." She then saw Aslan's face and turned to face him.
"Now, dear, what's got you all up in a heat?"

Rue Tyryl

Someone dressed as a nurse came in and sat next to her bed while Luca was being tended to. He dropped off a large amount of food next to her while smiling and spoke to her. He talked about a boy named Walker and how the young man had wanted to apologize to her about the incident in the woods. Lifting an eyebrow she pulled the covers down from her face and looked up at the man. His face looked strikingly familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"My brother will always protect me," she stated firmly without blinking. After a moment she bit her lip and then turned to the nurse, "But, I think I can accept his apology. Erin is going to be harder to win over," she mumbled the last part. Then the nurse left her and she lay on the bed alone thinking about the events that had happened. She had been startled when Walker had come out to attack Luca, so she wasn't so sure if she could forgive the boy for that. However, Erin did have a tendency to over do it when he was protecting her. In fact, she could go as far as saying he was overly protective and it was sometime suffocating for her. Rue knew his heart was in the right place though, so she tried not to let it bother her.

A heavy body dropped down into the bed next to her and she gave a slight squeak of fear and embarrassment as she realized it was Luca.

“Hmmm? That defiance from earlier has tempered a little. You made me afraid that you weren’t even going to allow me to be inspected alone. Thank you for helping me earlier though.”

"Remember, this is punishment," she said to him, though her voice had long since lost it's edge. Then she blushed as she bit her lip and continued, "I didn't do anything," she muttered, though she knew what it was he was thanking her for. She didn't think it was much, Rue had just acted rather than thought. To her, if anyone should be thanking someone, it should have been her thanking him. He'd done more for her than anyone, even if he wasn't aware of it.

She wiggled around in his arms as he held her, careful not to hurt him too much with her movements. Finally, she was facing him, her head right against his chest and she breathed deeply. He smelled... good, very appealing. She couldn't place the scent but it was enticing. Her fingers stretched out across his chest as her arms were crushed between them. She could feel every muscle in his lithe frame, only then did she realize how very tiny she was compared to him. His arms wrapped around her could have easily swallowed her whole. Slowly her own eyes began to fall closed, heavy with weariness. That is, until she remembered what Blue had said to her and her heart did a jump and she was awake instantly.

Moving her head slightly, she looked up at his face and wondered if he was asleep. She didn't even know if she should bother him with what Blue had said. Maybe the demon was just testing her, or making a joke. Her skin chilled and she shuddered slightly. Though, to her, it didn't seem all that much a joke. She bit her lip then opened her mouth to speak, "Luca," she whispered, "Blue said something... strange earlier to me." She started slowly, unsure of how to proceed, not even sure if he was awake, "He told me to 'consider if he didn't want me to see you, how would I out run something that could teleport?'. What did he mean?"

Erin Tyryl

A tiny little ball of fur bustled up to him as he was waiting for Aslan to snap out of his shock. Erin was becoming a little nervous just watching the boy. The bunny hopped next to him and started talking, startling him somewhat. It was rare for a bond to talk aloud, at least for him. Nemesis never said anything aloud for as long as he'd known him. The dire wolf was all growls, barks and howls as far as Erin was concerned. Next to him, the wolf bristled slightly, recognizing the bond and who it belonged to.

"Hey, Erin, I'm sorry about Walker's actions, he's got a code he sticks to, and I can't really do much about that."

He lifted an eyebrow as he reached over and patted Nemesis' head. Slowly the wolfs fur relaxed and he was once again the sleek bundle of muscle and fur. With a shrug Erin answered the little bond, "Sorry, but it'll take more than a cute little bunny to turn my thoughts around towards the guy. So long as he stays away from Rue, I won't have any problems with him," his eyes shifted to look back at the fluffy bond, "though, you are pretty cute and adorable. Rue would probably love you."

Nemesis growled next to him reminding him of who's bond he was talking to. With a cough, he glared at the dire wolf and then turned back to the bunny, "Anyway, thanks for that. But just keep him away from my sister, alright?" He reached over and gently patted the bond's head before turning his attention back to Aslan.

Brenna switched to her Goblin form and fidgeted a little.
"Well, Walker already ignored that one, he made her one of his best lunches so she didn't have to eat the crap they serve in the infirmary. He may seem a bit chaotic at times, but he always pays his debts, no matter how he ended up with them. It's a part of that code of honor I mentioned." As she spoke, she took a few steps back, ready to either flee or cause mayhem for Erin and Nemesis should they try to get to Walker.

Erin Tyryl

He slapped his hand over his forehead as he listened to the little bond that had suddenly changed form. He wasn't too started with the transformation, but it was kind of strange to see the little bunny turn into a goblin instead. Erin gave a soft growl of irritation as he sat there with his hand over his eyes and face. His free hand clenched into a fist as he sat there.

"Ignore it, Erin," Nemesis growled, "She's not in any danger at the moment. Luca's with her, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Erin replied over their connection, his voice a deep growl as well.

"Ugh, fine," Erin told the bond out loud. Though his eyes narrowed as he looked down at the goblin, "But I swear the next time he tried to harm her, I won't keep Nemesis from tearing him apart limb from limb. I hope he understands that. The boys got a long ways to go with getting on better terms with me, damn it," Erin finished as his free hand tapped the table in irritation. It was hard to keep still and not go after Walker because he'd gotten close to Rue. However, he was sure that Luca would keep her safe if the boy had tried anything. As he thought about it, though, the infirmary did have some terrible food.

Without realizing it, his lips had pulled into a smirk as he let his hand fall from his face and land on his knee. After a moment, he laughed lightly despite his irritation, "Jeez. Well, at least she'll eat well, I suppose."

Amalthea Oprah

She grabbed her tray of food then turned and saw how empty the cafeteria was. Everyone was at the infirmary and she felt guilty about it because she hadn't recieved a single scratch from the fight. Cerberus had gotten a few bruises and cut that hurt her as well but nothing serious. She was about to sit down on her own when she noticed Aslan sitting alone with a shocked expression on his face, one she though he would never had so she went to see him after Erin had already asked him the same question Ama was planning on asking him:

"What's wrong?"

Aslan Portegar

He had never thought that a single letter could change his whole life and all of Tyrillia. The one letter trapped in his hands. He wished it was just a prank, but his family emblem and his father's signature at the bottom made it pretty clear that none of this was a joke.

Erin came and sat down along with Amalthea and they both asked the same question so Aslan erased his scared and stunned expression from his face easily, just like his father had taught him to look attentive during a meeting even though he wasn't. A small goblin he recognized as Walker's Bond came along too and that was when he folded the letter put it into his pocket and stood up.

"It has nothing to do with you, now run along before I get pissed off," he grabbed his tray than walked away and threw it at a chef.

Babur, we have to go see Berach.

What was in the letter?

Nothing good, something that will change the whole world.

Rue Tyryl

“You really are amazing. You’re both strangely considerate and selfish at times, and that makes you adorable,” he kissed her neck, causing her to take a deep, quick breath. Though his earlier reaction was what she'd been hoping for, so she allowed him this time to make her blush once more. Her heart raced as she lay on top of him, his lips moving as he spoke tickled her skin. His lips pressed against her cheek then too, copying her moves exactly. Rue's face flushed further as he continued to talk.

“You’re honesty also makes you irresistible to tease. Although, I may have created a frightening personality as a result.”

To this she laughed, dropping her head against his chest as she tried to smother the sound against him. After a moment she lifted her head again to look at him, her eyes bright as her smile returned, the same wild one she had before. A sly grin as she acknowledged his words. Yes, he was probably right about that, though she could always turn and blame him for it now. She made a mental note to remember that little detail and to exploit it as often as she could. If she could throw him off just as he did to her, then she would be even with him, not to mention it was quite fun.

“So I’ll tell you my second greatest secret for the time being,” her eyes widened slightly, an eyebrow lifting as her smile turned into a small 'o' as she waited for him to speak to her. She was curious to know what it was he wanted to say, but as she lay there, her head propped up by her hand that rested against him, her ears buzzed slightly and all the soft sounds in the clinic faded away. She didn't realize that Luca had done anything until he leaned back so that she could see his lips easily. He said something to her, but her focus was on his mouth.

"I love you."

Then her hearing returned and she smiled after a moment, her eyes still locked on his face. Rue fought off the blush, her heart skipping a beat before jumping into an irregular race. Then she turned her head sideways and lay against Luca with a soft sigh.

"My secret for you, is the same," she said before closing her eyes and breathing deeply. It wasn't long after she'd spoken that she was sound asleep across him.

Erin Tyryl

He watched Aslan get up and stalk out of the cafeteria, his eyes narrowed in confusion. What just happened? Was it something he'd said? Damn it all to hell... he thought to himself in irritation.

"If it's not one thing, it's another," Erin mumbled to himself. Nemesis huffed as well and rested his head against Erin's lap. Reaching down, he started petting the dire wolf without really thinking about it. He'd all but forgotten about the little goblin that had been there with him, but as he remembered the bond, he turned and looked down at it.

"Don't suppose you know anything about that, do ya?"

Aubrey listened to Berach but averted her fuming eyes to the floor. How did he throw a group of more-or-less strangers with only a handful of any real training between the lot of them into a situation like that and expect anything to work out?! She sucked in air between her teeth and almost immediately regretted it as her chest squeezed painfully. But she felt grimly happier when Maya and Walker got a special chewing-out. For the rest of the hovercraft ride she focused on breathing slowly and trying not to think about whatever ‘team-building activity’ was in store for them.

Upon stepping off the flying vehicle, they were practically swarmed with nurses who seemed to pick them off one by one. Aubrey knew she’d gotten some slightly-more-than-minor injuries, but she’d thought she could manage to slip away... nope, not quick enough. Some no-nonsense woman clad in white popped up right in front of her and looked her up and down before tutting softly and dragging her away with a gentle grip on her arm. Aubrey bit her lip but complied, turning instead to muse over the startling size of their infirmary. She supposed with teachers like Berach, it was necessary, as well as with the size of some bonds.

Speaking of bonds, Aubrey looked around with a crease forming in her brow. The nurse guessed correctly, assuring her that they’d be reunited with their bonds soon. Aubrey huffed but sat down on the edge of a bed, watching warily as the nurse went around the room gathering things. She was given a bandage for a fractured rib, ice for the biggest bruises, and salve for the cuts before she managed to slip away, feeling a little bit better.

Once she’d made her way safely past the reach of any nurses, Aubrey began looking around, thinking of where the bonds may have gone. Except that just then Bren rounded a corner and trotted over to her, tail flicking happily. The girl sighed, relieved, and hugged her bond. Maybe they had a bond infirmary? In answer to her questioning look, the griffin lifted his wings from his back, showing her how they’d been treated. Aubrey smiled and ruffled his head, and they both made their way to the cafeteria.

Just as she reached the entrance, out burst a stormy Aslan, too deep in thought it seemed to notice her. She clung to the wall and watched him pass, wondering what had him looking that was as she entered the cafeteria and saw kids that had been healthy or already treated hanging around at various tables. One of which held the white-haired brother of the girl with the phoenix bond and another girl Aubrey didn’t know as well as a little goblin-like creature which must’ve been someone’s bond watching the doors. Maybe they’d talked to Aslan? Aubrey wasn't up to find out and instead used the opportunity to grab some food and sat down at an empty table, grateful to be off her feet after only that short while. She tossed Bren an apple to shove his beak into and started nibbling on a sandwich for herself.

Brenna shrugged, her ears folding back in confusion.
"Feed me to a dragon if I know. Maybe the letter says that Walker is actually a Blueblood and doesn't know it due to one of his parents taking him down to the Wharf when he was a baby so he wouldn't have to live out their stuffy lifestyle, and then dying before he could be told. But hey, the odds of that are a million to one, and just too damn cheesy to actually be true." As she spoke, she snatched a piece of bread out of the air as a passing student's tray slipped just so, quick as a flick of a whip. She took a bite out of the piece of bread, found it to her tastes, and continued speaking, a wry glint in her eye and the kind of grin that makes you want to take a shower on her face. "Of course, the best chances are always a million to one... So who knows?"

Walker's Story
Walker heard the explosions, and then the announcement as he spoke with Maya, and as Maya got up to go, he pressed her back down.
"Stay here. Use your wind magic to screw up winged soldiers. Get Quetzal to only storm up their half of the field, and whatever happens, don't die." Maya nodded, and then stared out the window, ready to make her moves when needed. He then ran through the halls to catch the final bit of the History teacher's speech.
{Well, I wasn't planning on going out into the battle anyways, but hey, this could be fun.} He thought to himself, feeling Brenna tug at his leg as she crawled onto his shoulders.
"Just like old times down at the Wharf, eh, Walker?" she asked, holding on piggyback-style to him as they stood there.
"Yeah, just like-" As he spoke, he gasped, his pupils dilating, and his irises turning golden. "one of THOSE days..." He then turned and walked towards the door, like he'd had earlier plans and wasn't going to let a war get in the way if them. As he walked, he moved at a light pace, almost as if he was just a cat moving through the area.

Rue Tyryl

“Rue? Rise and shine, don't make me kiss you again. I’m sorry but seems i'll have to put off being a pillow again, things may have gone awry... Snow, stick close to me, I’ll likely have to teleport us.”

She groaned as she slowly came awake, feeling his fingers across her small frame. Not wanting to get up, she turned her head the other way and was instantly comfortable again. Rue would have fallen right back asleep had Luca not moved himself out from under her. With a bit of a pout to her lips and a groan, she pushed her white hair from her face and turned to look at him. There was an urgency in his eyes that woke her immediately.

"What is it Luca?" She asked him, but before he could answer her, a nurse interrupted. The woman was relieved they were awake, but Rue was utterly confused. What the hell is going on? She thought to herself, an eyebrow coming down as she watched the exchange between Luca and the woman in white. Not long after that and Maya was taken to be right next to them, her black hair messy from being in bed for a long time. In the next instant, the room blurred around her and the scenery changed. Instead of a warm comfortable bed beneath her, she found herself lying on her stomach in the middle of the auditorium. The cold hard floor greeting her harshly.

With yet another groan, she pushed herself up to her hands and knees, forgetting completely her stitched wound. As she pushed herself up and leaned back, she felt the pull of the stitches then and immediately hunched forward to ease the tension, her lips tightening as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from uttering a soft sound of pain. The last thing she wanted was to worry Luca any more than she already had. Snow whirled around her head a few times before landing on her shoulder, her wings extended partially as she was agitated.

"What's happening Luca?" She asked, her eyes locked on him as she sat there on her knees. Absently she reached up and stroked Snow's chest, her fingers running across the downy feathers of the phoenix. For a single moment, her eyes left his as she scanned the room. The auditorium was packed, much like the first day she'd started school. On stage was the president of the school, Berach and their general educations teacher. She was speaking, and from what Rue could gather, the little woman was also supposed to be their special bonds teacher.

The room echoed with the teachers voice as she said that they were bout to have their first, and probably only, lesson on special bonds. However, what really got Rue's heart racing, was her ending words. 'I am going to have to speed up today's class which can be very dangerous so I'm going to ask you to be very serious about this because if you're not you could die'. Die? What was it the other teacher had said? She hadn't been paying attention as she'd been focused on waking up completely and getting herself off the cold floor.

"He said this is war, Rue. There's a war going on!" Snow answered for her, flapping her wings.

"War!?" Rue's eyes shot to her bond as she unconsciously took hold of Luca's fingers. Ice flooded her veins as she stared at the bond, then looked from Luca back to the stage. With a sharp intake of breath she turned around, pulling her stitches as she did so, and looked out into the crowd for Erin and the large black dire wolf. It wasn't long before she spotted them, and as if they were in tune with each other, his exact sharp green eye color caught hers. Nemesis pushed his way through the students, giving Erin just enough room to rush right behind his large bond.

In a matter of seconds, the boy was right next to them, dropping down and pulling Rue into his arms, "There you are. I was afraid you hadn't been able to get here. It's hell out there! There's fighting right outside the school grounds. There's been a couple of hits to the school to. I could hear them on my way here from the cafeteria. I didn't think you'd gotten out of the infirmary," his voice flooded her ears as he spoke quickly, refusing to let her go.

"I'm alright, Erin. Luca was with me the entire time."

To this, Erin looked up off his sisters shoulder and gave an appreciative smile to the boy sitting next to her, "Thanks man. I owe you a lot."

Nemesis planted himself right between them all, his eyes scanning the students all around them, his fur bristling lightly. The dire wolf was highly sensitive to the actions and the threatening presence outside the school. Finally, Erin released his sister and she scooted herself closer to Luca. The room was getting crowded.

"What now?" Rue asked.

"Don't know," Erin shrugged, "But whatever happens, try not to get separated. Got it?"

Rue swallowed and nodded her head, her eyes narrowing to match the determined look on her brothers face. She wasn't planning on getting separated, especially from Luca.

Walker stumbled through the corridor, covered in blood, quite of bit of it his own, and coming from where his left arm used to be. He had been out mending wounds, having taken a dead soldier's medkit, when an enemy soldier with a sand worm Bond had decided Wiggles needed a midfight snack. Brenna had stomped it to pieces afterwards, but his luck was running out, doing all it could to make sure he didn't lose that much blood until he reached safety. He walked down the corridor, grunting in pain as his shoulder throbbed in agony. Brenna was walking alongside him, her face furrowed in the same pain.
"NNgh... Guess this is what we get for playing hooky, huh?" Brenna said, cracking a weak grin. Walker smiled painfully back.
"Hey, that's my line... But you're right..." As he spoke, his head started spinning, and he collapsed against a wall, too weak to even stand up.
"Well, damn. Now who's going to take care of Hayley?" he said, Brenna lifting him up onto her back and turning into her horse form as Walker slipped into unconsciousness.

Brenna galloped past, Walker passed out on her back. As she caught sight of Rue, Erin, and Luca, she remembered Rue's freezing the air and icicles earlier, and turned to catch them.

"WHERE'S SNOW? I NEED HER TO FREEZE WALKER'S WOUND OVER!" The fear on Brenna's face was easily seen, and the fact that her back was encrusted with blood seeping from what was formerly known as Walker's arm made the reason for her fear obvious. Around this point Walker stirred from his coma, and barely opened his eyes to see who Brenna was talking to.

"Great... A girl I wronged, the brother who hates me, and the guy I already owe a favor to... My luck ceases to amaze..." Walker said, eyes dimming even as he spoke with just enough volume to be heard, and passed out again, slumping over Brenna again. Brenna turned to Erin, turning into her goblin form and letting Walker down gently so she could bow in front of him.

"I know he was wrong earlier, he knows it too, but we NEED your sister's help, he could die otherwise! Please, Erin. I'm begging you. Not as Walker's Bond, not as a friend, but as a beggar. I can't do anything for him, and if I run for the infirmary, he'll never make it without some sort of bandage. Let Rue and Snow help him." She looked up with a pleading look on her face, hope mixed in with her fear.

Rue Tyryl

Empty. She felt utterly empty. There was no connection, there was no other part of her there to reassure her, to tease her to have silent and private conversations with. There was a hole in her being and she felt it like a burning dagger right to her chest. Rue had cried before, but this was different. She was sobbing in pain. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, each moan and cry making her throat go hoarse. Then she felt someone crash into her, strong arms wrapping around her tightly and holding her against a well formed frame that she knew without even looking. His scent, his feel, his warmth was all so familiar to her.

Turning, she buried her face in his chest, clutching the shirt tightly with one small hand. She felt like a little child as she cried hard against him. For a long time Luca was silent as he held her. Her tears soon soaked his shirt, but she didn't move. She didn't want to move at all.

“Rue…you're really alive... I’m so sorry Rue, but thank you Snow,” his voice was soft, the sound of relief clear as his worry had been for her only. Rue knew that Snow had done it for her, but she couldn't believe the empty feeling that overtook her right after.

"Luca," she sobbed, the tears burning and she choked on the air around her. A cough wracked her small frame, causing her to shake against him. She took in a deep shaking breath, her crying still hiccuping through. She lifted her head up to Luca, her eyes red from crying so much and her face wet with tears. Rue tried to get a hold of herself, but it was difficult to stop the tears and soon she was hiccuping lightly from crying so much. Behind her, she startled as a cold nose pricked her back. She could feel the cold wet nose and knew that it was one of the wolves. After looking around Luca's arm she spotted Nemesis crawling to Erin who was leaning wearily against the opposite wall.

Turning she looked into the bright blue eyes of her mothers bond. Rue refused to look at her parents dead bodies laying not to far from them. The white wolf turned her head off to the side and then stretched her neck and licked Rue's face. The warm tongue was startling to feel against her face and she sat there in shock. A hiccup escaped her lips as she stared at the wolf. Slowly, something began to tingle in her core. The hole that Snow had left behind seemed to be filling. The white dire wolf kept eye contact with her for the entirety of the bonding.

Rue never looked away either as she sat there, still against Luca's warm body, her fingers twisted in his shirt. Then she felt a conscious press against her own and she startled, at first shutting it out. The wolf before her lowered its head and the bright blue eyes seemed to pout. So, Rue let down her guard and the presence filled her with warmth and new found strength.

"Rue. It is finally nice to meet you like this. I've watched you grow since you were small. I knew this day would come, but I was bonded with your Mother already, so I could not bond with you. Snow has played her role, and now I will play mine for you. We are one, and we will always be one, you and I."

Her breath sucked in sharply between her teeth causing another, louder, hiccup to erupt forth and the white wolf before her sat down on her hunches and gave Rue a toothy smile of amusement.

Tapping Luca's chest in urgency she turned to him, her eyes wide, "Luca! She... she just... bonded with me," she said breathlessly.

"I can never replace Snow, my lovely Rue. But I am yours forever, from now till the end of our days. I'm called Ivory."

It was the first time she'd ever heard the name of her mothers bond. Both of her parents had never told her or her brother their bond's names because they thought that Rue and Erin were not worthy enough to know. To call their parent's bonds by name was considered a privilege earned and nothing else. Rue's drying eyes seemed to fill again and she quickly fought off the wave of fresh, hot liquid that stung at her eyes.

"Ivory," she whispered, then slowly reached out and patted the wolfs large head. Ivory leaned into the touch, a feeling of relief and relaxation flooding Rue via the dire wolf. In turn, the girl leaned heavily against Luca. She felt tired beyond belief, and could probably sleep right there, but she knew they were in a danger zone and should probably try to make their way back to auditorium.

Then from the hallway, there was a loud galloping sound and Rue looked up warily from Luca's hold.

"WHERE'S SNOW? I NEED HER TO FREEZE WALKER'S WOUND OVER!"

Rue winced at the name of her lost bond, but her eyes didn't move from Walkers condition. She wasn't sure if Luca was going to let her up, so she stayed put. At the same time, she didn't know if she still had the phoenix's power to do so.

"Yeah, well she can't," Erin replied heavily his voice laced with pain as he sat against the wall.

"I'm sorry, but Snow..." Rue turned away and put her face back into Luca's chest, unable to speak anymore.

Brenna looked at the ashes in pain, and then smiled, an idea coming to her head. Everything Snow had done while in her sight clicked in her head, and old memories flooded back like they had occurred yesterday.
"Ice... ice... ICE! SHE'S A CRYOPHOENIX!!!" When no one really reacted, she continued. "None of you realize icebirds follow the same rules as their fiery counterparts? WE STILL HAVE TIME! I'll need peppermint, wintergreen, and lotus root. It won't exactly be the coziest of nests, but it should be more than enough for what we'll be doing here. We're bringing the dead back, people, ALLONS-Y! Heehee! I always wanted to say that!" She said, running to the kitchens to fetch the ingredients needed, leaving Walker in their care while she went to go fetch the necessary items to bring back a cryophoenix. As she dug through the kitchens, Walker slipped back into consciousness, the sudden shock of Brenna sticking her nose in mustard more than enough to kick his heart rate up a bit, luckily having just enough clotting to make sure he didn't pass out again from blood loss. His voice was a little stronger than earlier, but still weak.
"Ugh... Rue? Erin? Luca? Goddess, my head... I have a feeling my luck has run drier than a banshee's voice. If I kick it here, Rue, make sure Brenna and Hayley are safe, okay? Erin? Make sure Maya stays in bed until the hole in her stomach is healed... And Luca? I still owe you one... That doesn't end at the mortal crossroads. Erin. Keep things safe around here, even if I live. Or I'm gonna have to whomp you one..." With that, he smiled, and started singing, half delirious from losing more blood than most people needed to live, his voice weak.
"The pale moon was rising above the green mountains,
The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;
As I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain,
The stands near the beautiful Vale of Tralee,
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;
Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading,
And Mary all smiling was listening to me;
The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding,
When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.
Though lovely and fair as the Rose of the summer,
Yet 'twas not she, that beauty that won me;
Oh no, 'twas the truth in my eyes ever dawning,
that made me love Hayley... my Rose of Tralee..."

Luca M. Feygor

"Luca," Rue coughed to him, her soft voice broken and barely audible amidst the fit of tears. Turning into him, her sobs found their way onto his chest, staining the perfectly white cotton top as she released her sorrows all in one go. He could feel the shuddering of her entire body she lay against him, her tiny fingers working their way around his shirt as if grasping for relief. Luca allowed himself to be pulled in closer to her, leaning gently down to comfort her as she wept all the while.

With a face ruined by misery, Rue looked up at him after a long moment, eyes puffed red from too much crying and nose snivelling in a desperate attempt to compose herself. She’d cried so hard there hardly seemed to be any tears left. Her soft, silky features glistened as the light reflected of her cheeks, revealing a sliver of the immense grief and loneliness she must’ve felt. It was his first time witnessing her cry and Luca felt the acute sting of her pain resonating within his own heart. It made him wanted to help her, to alleviate her sadness in any way possible, even if only a little, yet he felt utterly helpless to do so.

Looking at the results of their conflict, Luca could only sigh woefully, his breath ragged from the relentless pain still wracking his ribs. Observing the cold bodies of Rue’s parents and Snow’s dusty remains, the setting bore a staggering resemblance to his own past, hurting him with the memory of his own horrid existence.

"Luca! She... she just... bonded with me,"

His face met hers again, greeting her wide eyes with equal surprise at her statement. Luca’s gaze fell to the white wolf, the tension in his shoulders building warily as Rue’s small hand reached out to softly touch it. His muscles relaxed as the wolf made no motion but to ease into her hand affectionately. Rue’s weight fell against him fully then, exhaustion written across her face.

"WHERE'S SNOW? I NEED HER TO FREEZE WALKER'S WOUND OVER!"

Luca winced at the sound of galloping, the clutter of hooves against masonry alarming him to the approach of the bond immediately. Walker lay on top of the horse, but something was clearly wrong. Blood dripped profusely down where his left arm used to be, leaving a dark trail behind the horse at it approached them.

"Yeah, well she can't," Erin replied, the fatigue clear in his tone.

Walker’s bond smiled suddenly, an idea sparking it into action. "None of you realize icebirds follow the same rules as their fiery counterparts? WE STILL HAVE TIME! I'll need peppermint, wintergreen, and lotus root. It won't exactly be the coziest of nests, but it should be more than enough for what we'll be doing here. We're bringing the dead back, people, ALLONS-Y! Heehee! I always wanted to say that!"

Luca’s mouth immediately opened to protest as his eyes narrowed at the mutilated stump of Walker’s left arm, but the bond was already gone beyond view. “Damn, you don’t have time to be worrying about that,” he cursed, Walker’s delirious chorus prickling his ears.

Standing unsteadily, Luca carried Rue along with him until they reach Walker. “I’m getting you muppets to the infirmary first, Erin! Help me carry him for a moment here,” he waved Rue’s brother over after having set Rue down beside him. He half-grinned at Walker, not sure if the young man could even hear him, "You can consider staying alive as your favour to me, now hold on tight." Without wasting further time, he teleported the group and their bonds into the relative calm of the infirmary. “This man needs aid!” he yelled immediately upon entering.

>the infirmary only Maya is in because he had teleported everyone else out earlier, and Walker seems to be the only student with enough knowledge of medicine to do something as extreme as fixing up someone whose entire left arm is missing, and is unable to help due to reasons already explained
Ten paper daggers floated in the air in front of Luca, Maya glaring from her bed, shaking at seeing the bloodied people, too scared to realize who they were.
"I swear to the Goddess," she said, her breath shaky as she aimed the paper blades for the mothers of all paper cuts, "If you try anything, I'm not afraid to kill you." Her shaking, however, said otherwise, her fear of taking the life of another too much to bear.

Rue Tyryl

The hallway blurred and before she knew it they were in the infirmary which was busier than she'd ever seen it before. Nurses were running all around, a portion of the wall facing the outside was blown away, a large rock sitting in the center of the room speaking of it's being the reason a large part of the wall was missing. Outside, she could see the raging war that was in full swing. Shots were being fired, magic was being tossed around like paper planes and the sound of steel scrapping could be heard as well. Rue clung to Luca as he held her there and turned to yell for help. Only a couple of nurses turned to acknowledge him.

"I swear to the Goddess, if you try anything, I'm not afraid to kill you."

Rue turned her attention to the small, shaking voice that said those words. Her heart lurched in her chest and she felt an overwhelming burst of power through her veins. The words alone were enough to make her angry, not only that, but the girl was looking right at Luca. Stepping away from the tall boy, her body suddenly ignited in white fire. The power from her phoenix evidently still within her. Rue glared at Maya with her silvery eyes, her lips set firmly.

"Be careful who you threaten," she said calmly then turned her gaze to Walker who was lying on the bed, his blood soaking the white sheets already. She stepped up next to him and reached out with her hand to touch his wound. The icy fire concentrated around her hand and she began cauterizing the wound, dry ice cracked along her fingers and encased his shoulder, stretching out to cover just a small portion of his chest as well.

"It seems that Snow has left you with a beautiful reminder, my love," Ivory said gently as she padded up next to the girl. The white wolf leaned against Rue, the white fire not affecting her in the least.

"Yes. I didn't think I still had it though. I thought it would have been gone when she..."

"She poured it all into you, therefore your possess her power and I believe it will be with you for quite some time. You and I both can build on it and keep it going until the end of days. My power mixed with yours will be a quite formidable."

Rue only nodded to Ivory in response. Slowly she let the power fade and stepped away from Walker. She was tired once more and almost dropped but Ivory gave her strength to keep standing. Turning to Luca she pulled her lower lip between her teeth before speaking, "We should try to rest here. Then we need to make our way back to the auditorium," she said softly. What she wanted most was to sleep and with Luca right there, his warmth was all she wanted to feel for a little while.

Luca M. Feygor

"Be careful who you threaten,"

Upon being greeted by Maya’s air manipulation powers, Luca was startled by the floating paper daggers, but Rue’s calm, unwavering gaze of confidence surprised him even more as she stepped out front of him without hesitation. Using herself as a shield was almost laughable given the size difference between them, but Rue clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with. She lit up like match stick, a beautiful white fire engulfing her entire body, licking her pale features yet seemingly unable to burn her or the things around her. He could feel the unnatural heat from the flames prickling the hairs of his exposed skin from his proximity, and through it, her undeniable determination to protect him.

Luca held silence for a moment before his hardened expression cracked, a minor chuckle indicating nothing but his admiration for her, especially after all that’d she’d been through. She seemed so much stronger than him as she silently strode over to Walker and stoically controlled her ice powers to cauterize his bloody wound. As suddenly as it had appeared, the white fire faded into nothingness as Rue stepped away and turned to him, her normally sharp green eyes dipped in fatigue.

"We should try to rest here. Then we need to make our way back to the auditorium," she suggested, still obviously concerned about their overall safety.

“You’re right,” Luca conceded, glancing towards Maya and Walker. Both students were terribly injured, but Maya in particular troubled him. None of the previous mischievous she’d exhibited earlier seemed to remain as the harsh, bloody reality of war reared its ugly face to her in the form of Walker’s wounded form. Luca was acutely aware that Walker's bond was still outside and cursed the awkwardness of their situation. He'd have to go searching for the bond if it couldn't locate Walker by itself. Looking at Rue's brother, Erin was equally battered and tired likewise from their previous engagement, the scar over his shoulder still raw from the freshness of the laceration.

He wheeled his eyes back to Rue, patting her shoulder to catch her attention, “Thanks for the help,” he smiled at her, pecking her over the forehead. If he could have he would’ve held her for the rest of the day, still trying to recover from the shock of her death like he was, but now wasn’t the time for that. “Once we do return I suspect they’ll try to evacuate us, if they haven’t already ordered the students to do so,” Luca postulated, pausing briefly to scratch the bottom of his chin, “The academy is surrounded by jungles and rivers though so I hope they have a plan of escape. If not, our hopes rest with the Tyrilia army in holding the enemy back or beating him.”

"War is a serious matter. It won't just end here." Blue Horror noted. The demon sat just beyond window, the fires from the battle creating halos over its red robes. Nonetheless it had a book held in a pair of its many hands, apparently unperturbed by the escalating conflict. "If they do evacuate though, they'll likely evacuate the students via air," he added, his veiled head looking up from his book to gaze at them all.