The Unknown RP

Chapter 28- Kairys

Kairys~

Who sneaks out of camp in the middle of the night to see a dragon when they have to wake up at dawn the next day?

Me, apparently.

Lane turned over in her sleep and muttered something. I paused, waited five seconds, and then tiptoed around her body.

The night air was more chilly than usual. I shivered, hugging my clothes to myself, and took the familiar path around the back of the camp, through the trees and the heavy-hanging bush. My thin ragged clothes did little to prevent branches from scratching my skin, and I walked faster. I needed to be back before anyone realized I was gone.

Isaren was in her usual position: completely still and somewhat invisible. The shadows made her look as if she were a really big rock, or a statue of a sleeping dragon.

It's been a while, Kairys.

Even though her voice was in my head, I didn't miss the sarcasm. "Sorry," I whispered. It seemed more appropriate to whisper, because it was nighttime and every little noise seemed loud. "I just had to tell you something. I don't have a lot of time, but I'm going on a raid."

You're raiding...

I shrugged. "Who knows where? The north, according to Eduír. I don't know anything...it's not like I've actually been anywhere except for Lyr Terïn."

You have been in the home of the angels, when you were little.

For a sarcastic dragon, Isaren was quite literal. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yeah, I know. I don't remember it though, so it doesn't count. So, any advice?"

Advice? Surely your training will suffice.

"Uhh...not really. This was more of an impromptu, surprise tactic, red alert, last minute kind of thing, you know?"

Isaren slid her eyelids open lazily, displaying huge gold pupils that lit up the night. I'm not sure what the north refers to. North of Valasea, or north of Ellond?

I shrugged again, as if to say, how would I know? "There's supposed to be a kitsune camp there, or something."

Kitsunes are nomads, constantly travelling. If there is one there, I haven't heard of it. Strange, because apart from the isolated villages along the way, it is merely forest - deserted land. The Angels only reside in the Citadel...

"Well...that's helpful."

I opened my mouth to say more, but the abrupt return of darkness cut me off. Isaren had closed her eyes, extinguishing the pale light they gave, and a moment later I heard rustling, like leaves.

You should go.

I knew better than to argue, so I stood. Carefully and quietly, I made my way back to the camp and entered the wood-house. Lane rolled over as I stepped past her sleeping form, and again I paused. She wasn't exactly a light sleeper. I had to be more careful.

The only thing on my mind was falling asleep, because I would only get a couple hours of it at this rate. I hadn't even finished my talk with Isaren. There was more I wanted to ask her, more I wanted to talk to her about my magic. My sleep-heavy mind reasoned, just ask her tomorrow.

Tomorrow...

I had only closed my eyes when I had to open them again. Through the cracks of the wood, I could see the pale sky, which was a dark-blue colour, streaked with stray glances of light. An older girl stood over me, dark hair cropped short, and dressed in the uniform I associated with raids. I recognized her as Jessmy, a half-angel, half-sidhe, someone I saw often but had never spoken to. She was recognizable by her faerie wings that had been broken and damaged beyond repair.

"Wake up, halfie," she sniffed. Like she wasn't one herself. "Rise and shine. Put these on and meet us outside. Don't keep Eduír waiting." She tossed me a bundle of clothes identical to hers. When I shook them out, they looked a size too small.

Jessmy left and I slipped into my clothes, which actually fit perfectly. They were light brown and hugged my skinny body, with hidden pockets and sheaths in my wrists and ankles that would be useful if I actually had any weapons.

I rolled my sleeping mat and what other clothes I had into a tight bundle, and found something to tie the roll together, then left the wood-house. Eduír was standing with an impatient edge to his body, like I had kept him waiting an hour or so. When I joined him, he gave me a patronizing look and glanced at the sky pointedly. Mora winked at me; I rolled my eyes.

"Come on," Eduír huffed. "Let's go." Without waiting, he jogged towards the forest. I was the first to follow, eager to prove myself.

He glanced at me, a smirk playing on his lips. "Slow down there, nameless."

I gritted my teeth.

We walked for a few hours, and by then the air had gone from nice and cool to hot and humid. I used a little of my magic to give me energy so I wouldn't spontaneously crash on the ground, and then I felt like I could go forever without food, water, or rest. That was until we stopped - then all my exhaustion came crashing down on me.

It had been about three or four hours. My angel metabolism was keeping me going, but I was going to tire eventually. Caeron spoke up, voicing words that I echoed mentally. He was a half-kitsune, half-human: not exactly strong. 

"How about we stop for a rest?" he asked.

Eduír looked at him with something close to disdain. "Are you tired?"

"Yes." He said flatly.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "We're not stopping now." He kept walking, and I hurried to catch up to him before Jessmy stepped on my heels.

"Come on," Caeron tried. "All we've seen is trees, man! Trees and more trees. For four hours straight! We're going nonstop through and endless forest, and all I want is to pause these robot legs. Five minutes ain't gonna interrupt your schedule!"

"You want to stop because you're tired of the view?" Mora said.

"Yes!" Caeron said. "Finally! I want to stop because I'm tired of the view and I'm just tired."

"Is anyone else complaining?" Eduír raised an eyebrow. Silence. "Well, then, you'll get your rest when we're tired."

For the next hour we walked in silence. Mora murmured in my ear from behind me, "Now you get to find your own hair dye instead of asking me."

"I get to meet Compies in real life!" I whisper-yelled. Compies was the term we used for people that weren't like us. Pure-bloods. Whole people, accepted by everyone else around them. I guess I had seen them when I was born, but seeing Compies was almost like an honour among the Tainted.

I was imagining what Compies would be like when I bumped into Eduír. "Do you mind?" He said snobbily. I mumbled an apology, unaware that he had stopped.

"What is it?" Mora asked.

Eduír stepped aside so we could see. Ahead of him were two giant wooden gates, barring our way.

Behind them was a large crowd of Compies, staring at us with utter hostility.