Nature of the Beast- Part 6

Nature of the Beast
Written By: Ashen Ravenwing



The wind was howling like a banshee in Abyssinian’s ears as he finally awoke. He groaned deeply, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck in pain, his paw digits gingerly caressing the indented punctures left by Icarus’ fangs. His whole body ached again, every muscle screaming about the abuse they had taken the last few days. He grumbled softly to himself as he stood, looking out over the bluff across the raging ocean below. He blinked his eyes against the stinging wind and gazed at his surroundings, lifting a paw to shade his eyes as sheets of icy rain drenched him from the thundering dark clouds above. He stepped back slightly and shivered… This was familiar…

His heart rate picked up as he heard something hard grind against gravel behind him and spun only to have Hauk standing there a few paces away. Abyss felt hot tears prick his eyes as he saw the long twisted horns and shimmering blades come to life from his nightmare only a month earlier. The jeweled pendent glowed brightly, making his beloved look like an eerie phantom in the wet darkness. Lightning lit the sky and Abyss locked gazes with the smaller male who continued to walk towards him down the hill until only about a yard of distance separated them.

“I prayed… Prayed that this nightmare wouldn’t come true… I never wanted this for either of us Hauk…”

The warrior stared at him with a distant gaze, his posture that of utter indifference. Abyss hung his head, shaking it slightly.

“It’s my fault… My weakness is the cause of everyone else’s pain… and… I can never make up to you the horrors you’ve faced because of me… I’m sorry my love…”

There was no sound but the whipping of the icy wind and the crashing of the waves below. Hauk tilted to the side, taking stance.

“Prepare yourself demon…”

Abyss nodded his bowed head softly, accepting his fate and looking back at Hauk with steady eyes.

“I’m ready… Let’s get this over with…”

The two clashed, Hauk lashing out with deadly skill as lightning lit up his blades. Abyss cringed as one sliced into his forearm and he leapt over the smaller male, using his wings to spin around and kick down into the small of the dragonelf’s back. Hauk hit the grass and grunted, shaking his head a bit before turning a rolling to the side to avoid one of the claws from Abyss’ wings digging into his flesh.

The brunette was on his hooves again in a flash, spinning and kicking into the back of Abyssinian’s ribs, causing the hybrid to cry out in pain. Abyss didn’t care though, he’d take the pain… it let him know he was still alive… He’d fight, and if he should die… So be it… So long as it was Hauk who killed him, he didn’t fear death.

The two males raged on in battle, each one scoring equal hits on the other. Abyss felt his body starting to weaken though under the strain. He was cold and half numb, the blood loss from the blade inflicted wounds making his vision blur slightly. His mind raced, trying to keep up with the other warriors skillful maneuvers. But his body was starting to get sluggish and the weight of his fading body slowed his counter attacks. He growled, pushing himself back up from the ground to avoid Hauk’s hoof slamming into his back, twisting quickly and smashing his wing against the smaller male. Hauk fell back at the impact and let out a yell of surprise as his hoof slipped on the slick grass and he fell back over the edge of the bluff.

“HAUK!”

Abyss ran to the cliff edge and looked over it, seeing his partner holding on to the hilt of one of his blades that was embedded in the rock face. The hybrid felt a wash of fear and dropped to his stomach, reaching his paw down.

“C’mon man! Reach out, I got you! I’ll pull you up! C’mon Hauk!”

The dragonelf blinked up at him and grit his teeth, straining to pull himself up a little and reaching out, grasping Abyss’ wrist tight as the larger male did the same to him. Abyss growled and pulled his knees under him, using his remaining strength to yank backwards and pull his friend up from the cliff. The two landed with a dull thud on the hard wet ground and Abyss panted, weakly shifting onto his knees as the dragonelf slowly rose to his hooves again and came back to look down at him after retrieving his blades.

Abyss felt like his lungs were burning from the strain. His eyes were dull and weak as he barely held himself up on his knees, tottering slightly. He blinked hazily as his partner came to stand in front of him, looking down at him with a deep fiery eye. Abyss smiled softly, lifting a paw to gently grasp the fabric of Hauk’s pants.

“…Hauk…Please… Just end it… End this madness…”

The warrior watched him intently in silence, the merciless wind and rain sweeping across them. He lifted on of his blades and shifted quickly, slamming it into the space between the hybrids left clavicle and shoulder blade. Abyss let out a harsh yell of pain, his grip tightening on his friend’s pant leg as he looked up at him through an agonized wince. Hauk watched him again for a moment before dropping to his knee and sinking the other blade into the hilt up under his quarry’s ribcage, twisting it to keep the wound open. Abyss let out a choked gag, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth a blood seeped from his mouth. He panted heavily, his breath raspy as his lungs filled with fluid due to the puncture. He leaned forward, his head resting on Hauk’s shoulder as the warrior stayed in position, holding the blade in place. Abyss barely opened his eyes, staring blinding into nothingness as he lifted a trembling paw to rest over his beloved’s hand that gripped the blade hilt. He squeezed it lovingly, smiling faintly as his body grew numb.

“I-I hope you can forgive me someday… Hauk… for not… being able… to protect you… from your own demons… I’m sorry… t-that I… let you down…. Again...”

He closed his eyes, falling to the side. Hauk sat in the kneeled position for a moment longer, having released the blade as Abyss had collapsed so that it was still embedded in him. His eye numbly stared down at his hand as the rain washed off the crimson that covered it. He stood as the figure of Angel approached him, looking down at the fallen hybrid. Angel smiled softly, his eyes half hooded and he lifted the umbrella he carried up over Hauk’s head to shield him from the icy rain.  His lavender gaze rested upon his bloodied child and he sighed softly.

“He almost looks more beautiful… wearing death’s mask… Don’t you think Hauk?”

Angel glanced over at the dragonelf, taken back slightly as he saw that, despite the empty gaze the warrior held as he looked down at his victim, the brunette was crying. Warm silent tears slid down his cheeks as he stared at the motionless hybrid. Angel smiled with sinister delight.

“Well, what do you know… what a wonderful surprise… You actually did care for him… didn’t you? How pitiful… I love it…”

He lightly grabbed Hauk’s arm.

“Come now… No need to mourn in the rain… You’re no good to me if you die of pneumonia… Leave him here… Something’s bound to clean him up eventually…”

Hauk turned as Angel pulled on his arm, walking back inside the stairwell that spiraled down into the lab far below.

Moments later, two shadows dropped from the dark sky and landed beside the fallen hybrid. The largest one gently dropped to his knee and leaned over Abyss’ body, his wings lifting to shield the other male.

The smaller of the two stepped forward, pushing back the hood of his cloak to reveal his face. The young black buck looked in the direction the other two had departed in before glancing down at his companion and the limp hybrid.

“Is he still alive?”

“Barely… His wounds are bad… but can be healed… We need to get him inside… This storm will kill him if he looses much more body heat…”

“Think you can stop the bleeding Starr? There’s not much point of going through all this trouble if Abyssinian is just going to die anyway…”

The white lion looked up at his young partner. His blue eyes saddened a bit as he looked back down at his ward.

“I think so… but… It’s useless if he’s simply given up on life… Don’t you think Kylelle?”

The young hybrid walked up to them, spanning his wings to block the rain and wind as he stared down at the unconscious male. Abyss stirred slightly, his ragged breath hitching as he let out a whisper soft groan of his love’s name. Kylelle smirked admiringly, his paws resting on his hips.

“Do your best to patch him up anyway Starr… If I know my brother… he’ll fight to stay alive even when there doesn’t seem to be anymore hope …Especially if it’s for someone he loves… Then again, Abyss always was the most stubborn out of the three of us…”

To Be Continued…