Heart within the beast

[Ixidor92]

"Thanks. And yes, it fits fine."


He looked over at the table, where she had taken the photo out earlier.


"Rhea, I would like to head out for a few minutes, it shouldn't take long."

 

[Ricia]

Rhea blinked a bit, "Head out.... right now?" She asked, she worried a bit already. She wondered if he was going to go and not come back because she was asking to many questions or because she discovered him or maybe because she was being really demanding... maybe over bearing... hes never gone out before as far as she knew... but then again she never knew, maybe hes been out before... "O-ok.. I guess I am not stopping you. Just... be careful." She told him. She was over reacting...

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan smiled and put one hand on her head


"I shouldn't be gone any longer than fifteen minutes. Don't worry."


He shifted as he went out the door, nudging it shut behind him before running out. He was in nearby woods within the span of one or two minutes. Above him, a falcon followed, finally seeing the chance it had so long waited for . . .

 

[Ricia]

Rhea tried not to worry so she let out a sigh and moved to make something form the left over's that Sage had left her, though she was almost out... lucky for her that she had just got groceries. Slowly she started to prepare her late breakfast-early lunch.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan sniffed around for a little bit before shifting back.


"Let's see. The type I'm looking for should be--"


He froze in his tracks as the ears on top of his head twitched. In the span of a second, he twirled to his side, just as a feminine figure shot right past him, its foot sliding across the ground from the force of the kick. He turned to face the figure, half-expecting what was there. She had chestnut-colored hair, pulled tightly back into a high ponytail. Like him, she looked to have lived through much hard living. However, she had feathers up along both of her arms, and her feet protruded out into long talons. She wore only leather shorts, as well as a wrapping over her chest.


"Faora. What are you--"


Kurogan brought his hand up to block the oncoming kick. He stepped back a couple of times as he continued to push off the series of blows. He grit his teeth as he caught one of her legs and threw her over his head with a yell. She shifted into a falcon as she flew, easily regaining control and flying directly around at him. She shifted back in midair, her foot coming forward with the full momentum of her flight.


"You know perfectly well what I'm doing Kurogan! How the hell could you let yourself fall so far?!"


Kurogan knelt down on all fours, ducking under her kick. He quickly swiveled around, shifting and running after her. When she landed, she sidestepped his lunge, bringing her foot around for another kick. He jumped off his forepaws, shifting once again and blocking the kick with his arm.


"I can't answer that when you keep trying to bash my head in!"


"I'm just going to knock you unconscious! You're coming back!"


"I CAN'T!"


Kurogan repulsed her leg and rushed forward, ramming her with his shoulder. As he fell forward, he shifted again, running after her immediately afterwards. Faora had the wind knocked out of her, but as she skidded against the ground, pushed up with her arms and shifted, flying out of reach for Kurogan's jaws.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea waited patiently for Kurogan's return, and after she was done eating occupied her time with reading. Though the paranoia nibbled at her heart still.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan let out a primal yell as he grabbed Faora by her ankle and threw her against the ground. He quickly pulled away in pain, she had sliced along his forearm with her talons.


"You refused the will of the tribe! You left the forest! And now you're submitting yourself to the will of humans?!"


Faora jumped to her feet, she had tears in her eyes at this point.


"How could you subject yourself to a pathetic ***** like that?!"


Kurogan's fist impacted with her jaw faster than he had moved during the entire course of the fight. She stumbled back, slightly stunned as she looked up at him.


"You can't just put a label on humans. And you CERTAINLY can't label her like that!"


"Why the hell not?! They killed your mother! OUR mother!"


He swept her leg beneath him, which he leapt over and backward. As he landed, he jumped forward, shifting in mid-jump and ramming her with his head. She grit her teeth but brought her knee into his gut, and both of them stumbled back. Faora jumped up in the air again, as Kurogan slid back and shifted, nailing her with his fist again.


"I know that! But I'm not going to give in to blind rage and trample on everything she stood for! She took you in when you were five! You should remember what she wished for!"


Faora coughed a few times as she stood up


"And the humans spat on her will! It didn't matter, we were less than them!"


She stumbled and fell on to one leg.


"Dammit . . . why were you always the better fighter . . ."


Kurogan clenched his fist as he felt the blood drip down his arm. How long had he been out? Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes? I'm sorry Rhea, but please for the love of gaia don't try to find me. By all that is good, stay in the house! He was practically praying that she wouldn't try to find him. There were so many things that could go badly . . . quite possibly the worst would be actually finding him right now

 

[Ricia]

after a half an hour of Kurogan being gone Rhea went into a bit of panic mode. She knew she just found out about his secret yesterday..but the thought of being alone again scared her badly. She did not want him to leave her alone again... what if he never did come back? What if he really was going to leave... but he said he had no where to go... would he go back to the forest? maybe he decided it would be better there then with her.


Standing up, Rhea put on her shoes and then left the apartment, unable to continue her worry spree. Quickly she headed to the forest first before the city, thinking it was the place she would likely find him first.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Why . . ."


Faora struggled to stand up as she tried to get her diaphragm fully functional again.


"You still have the fire of the wilds within you . . . but you refuse to use it."


"You're not talking about some simple battle! Get it through your skull! You want to initiate a damn war!"


Kurogan walked closer, stopping when there was about ten feet between them


"I refuse to let such a conflict occur. So I left!"


Faora grit her teeth and flew at him. Kurogan barely slid far enough to his side to prevent her knee from hitting his face


"You'll just let them get away with what they've done!"


"I won't let myself fall to a primitive beast!"


"YOU ALREADY HAVE!"


Faora rushed at him again with tears in her eyes as she tried to punch him again and again. But she was not thinking, just striking blindly. In a strait-up fist fight, Kurogan easily one over in terms of both endurance and strength. He simply caught both of her arms, glaring at her.


"You tell me what takes more willpower Faora. To strike at out at someone with everything you have, regardless of power? Or to know you can kill someone, but refuse to?"


Faora shook her head as she kicked him repeatedly


"Let go! Let go! Why won't you understand? I just want--"


"You just want to make sure you're right!!! And I'm flat out telling you you're not!"


He let go over her as she sank down, finally out of fight.

 

[Ricia]

When Rhea heard some yelling, she meandered to the direction quickly. When she saw Kurogan with someone else, she stopped mid and starred at them. The girl with him looked like a bird... maybe she was right, maybe he really was leaving her... but the girl looked sad... she was crying. Kurogan was also hurt. "K-Kurogan?" Rhea asked out loud, though she had a small feeling she might regret doing so.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan's ears twitched as he picked up the small voice behind him. He quickly turned around


"Rhea? How--"


Faora's eyes were practically burning as she heard the voice. She was running at Rhea within a split-second


"YOU *****!!!"


Kurogan grabbed the chestnut-haird girl by her arm, throwing her to the side against a tree


"Dammit Faora! Enough!"


The girl grit her teeth as she looked up


"She's the one . . ."

 

[Ricia]

Rhea cringed, taking a few steps back when the girl charged her. When Kurogan pulled her away, she got up and hid half way behind the tree, as if the bark would protect her. "Me?"

 

[Ixidor92]

"You're the one he's--"


Kurogan's hand slammed into the wood beside the girl's head. Her eyes bolted open from the shock.


"Faora. I'm not going back. I CAN'T go back."


Faora looked up into her eyes, holding back the tears there. She said nothing more as she slowly limped away, holding her side.


"I'll be back . . . I'll be watching you . . ."


Kurogan let out a sigh and turned around, finding Rhea hiding behind the tree. What was he going to say?


"You all right?"

 

[Ricia]

"I am fine.... are you alright? Your bleeding... and your hurt... I though... you were leaving... I thought I was asking to much so you wanted to leave.... I didn't want to be alone again... I was coming to tell you I was sorry and I won't ask any more questions I promise... just please don't leave me alone..." Rhea said, though she started to cry, she did not move from behind the tree.

 

[Ixidor92]

"You--"


Kurogan's eyes widened a little as she spoke. She had been worried about that?


He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her into his chest, his head tilting down over her. He seemed to almost engulf her as he spoke.


"I'm sorry. Believe me, I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you alone."

 

[Ricia]

"I am sorry... I am really sorry..." She said though teary breaths, "But... your hurt... You... we should get you patched up... is your friend ok?" Rhea asked, taking a step back to look at Kurogan's wounds.

 

[Ixidor92]

"She'll be fine. She's been through worse."


He looked down at his arm. There was a lot of blood but most of the damage there was superficial. He was slightly more worried about some of his organs, where she had nailed him with her knee. Still, as long as he took it easy . . .


"Don't worry, this isn't as bad as it looks. Within a few days it'll be as if nothing happened."

 

[Ricia]

"Well... lets... lets go home... so I can bandage you up... please." She told him, gently taking his good hand, "I don't want anything to get infected..."

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan felt her grip around his hand. Something small and delicate . . . he subconsciously closed his hand around her own.


"I'm sure I'll be fine . . . but I won't refuse . . ."


His ears twitched a little as he pulled together his senses after the fight


"It's this way to the apartments."


He started to walk, gently pulling her along with his good hand.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea nodded and followed with him. When they get back to the apartments, Rhea pulled out a medical kit, it was failure to him as it was the one she pulled when she came home after being attacked. Soon she sat him down on the couch and then sat next to him and started to clean his arm, "This might sting a bit." She told him quietly.

 

[Ixidor92]

"It can't be any worse than--"


He hissed through his teeth as she started


"I retract my previous statement . . ."


He clenched his other hand, letting her work as she needed to. At the very least, he had managed to grab what he had set out for in the first place. Though it had taken significantly longer than he initially intended

 

[Ricia]

She smiled a little when he had made the joke, though she was still teary eyed from earlier when she started to cry. She had so many questions... but she decided to stop asking... so he would stay. Next we started to wrap his arm in a bandage, it looked like a rather professional looking work. When she was done, she double checked her work before looking at him, "Did you get hurt anywhere else?" She asked quietly.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan ran his good hand over his torso before answering.


"No. I'll be just fine."


It wasn't really a full lie, but it was the first time he'd told her any untruth. He looked down at the bandage that she had wrapped


"This is quite good."

 

[Ricia]

"I read a lot of medical books... I want to be a doctor like my brother... I want to get his practice back..." She told him, blushing a bit. "Do.. you want anything to drink... ice? Tea? Something to eat?" She offered him.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan smiled at her


"I said I would fix dinner didn't I? I can still do that much, though I admit some tea would be nice."


He stood up and walked into the kitchen


"You're brother was a doctor?"