I'm Dreaming of a Red Christmas [Illia & Orenji]

[Oren]

At Le Cyll's first set of words, Kendryek's mood dropped slightly. So the wolf was declining the acceptance of his own challenge was he? How... droll. He wasn't sure why, but he had almost been looking forward to this fight... It was strange how one, so accustomed and satisfied with the peacefulness of normal life, would one day again be next to begging for the chance to fight for his life.

But wait... Le Cyll was speaking again. This time, though, his words sung a different song. He was blaming the dragon of being intrusive, so to speak. He was evidently a hindrance the the kludde.

But the last words caught his attention the most. So the wolf wanted to fight, after all, did he? That was going to prove quite troublesome. Whether it would be such for Kendryek or Le Cyll, or maybe even Seth, he did not know. But one thing was certain.

Where the wind blows, there is the beginning of a tempest.

People were always hurt during such storms. Maybe not always physically, but something was taken from them. Always.

It was almost a shame, really. No matter how much, or how little, Kendryek was looking forward to fighting, it was not a positive thing. Such few words and pure intentions on his part had lead to this: a fight to the death.

Ah, but that was the thing. Kendryek would be the only one fighting for his life. Le Cyll valued Seth, in his own little way, too much to kill her, and Seth wasn't too fond of put much effort into killing someone herself. Because of that, both the nakki and kludde were safe from harm. Kendryek himself... that was a different matter all together. Although he had no intention to kill either one, both were more than willing to kill him if it proved convenient enough. He was almost certain that Seth would be more than willing to assist Le Cyll with taking him down, and Le Cyll thought him a nuisance. For the wolf, someone being a nuisance was good enough reason for killing them. For the nakki, easy killing was good enough reason to kill.

Therefore, Kendryek was the only one in trouble of losing his life.

Not that he would. He was perfectly capable of fighting these two off. It would take a little effort on his part, but he could do it. In fact, he would do it. It wasn't that he was boastful or prideful, but confident. He was confident that he could do it and he was certain that he would do it. What scrapes he would come away with could not be anticipated, but that was of little consequence. None of them would die today, and that was all that mattered.

Sitting at the base of the tree leisurely, he made a motion with his hand that signified that Le Cyll could have the first move, that the floor belonged to the wolf.

"Ready when you are," he whispered.

[ωΘĿƒ]

It was strange, the look that appeared on Kendryek's person whilst Le Cyll was still detailing his intentions. What was that, there? Disappointment, looming in the distinctly young, Asian features? Kendryek could look so young at times. It usually never bothered the wolf, what with sight being only one in his arsenal of distinctive senses. It was, in fact, the least useful for people like Kendryek. Smell was better. Le Cyll could just smell the reek of cold, slick scales like metal coming from the human body. He could open his mouth slightly and taste that nearly metallic texture in the air. Not to mention he could hear Kendryek's voice - it swam with an undertone of wisended intellect - not the bleak, raw talent that the young wolf himself had for contemplation - but something that came over a longer and more gradual rate of time. It was the immistakeable signs of crumbling age in the young boy. The wolf could feel it in every hair on his pelt. He did not have to see Lendryek's true from to know what it was - he could feel it beneath the frail skin. Therein lies a beast - a thing not man nor monster like him.

It was a venerable, giant flying scaly lizard. And he had just challenged it to a duel.

How terrific...

Le Cyll blinked, clearing the last traces of unneeded energy expansion from himself. He needed no higher thought; no fear, no pain receptors, no advanced planning. There was only the instinct, sharpened like a blade so that it shown blue in the light. Le Cyll needed but a second to become the sleek, powerful computational force for slaughter. He saw his prey, and it was greater than he.

He needed a pack. But, so lacking and having been thrown out of that, he needed a dispersion of attack - something more widespread and varied. The first thing he would have want of was an even playing field. Kendryek did look lovely sitting up in his tree there, but this was no good for the battle. Dragons did not belong in trees, and wolves did not fight long distance. He would need to get closer.

Act again. Poor, pitiful doggie can cry as a wounded animal...

Great, the voice was getting snarky. It was only a matter of time before it would become unbearable to him, and then the bad things would start to happen. Bad things like those chronic blackouts he suffered. Those could be nasty, both for him and whomever is near.

Shaking that away with a quick nod, Le Cyll looked for a way to draw the dragon out.

Ah yes... Seth. She could be persuasive, couldn't she? Maybe she wouldn't mind helping him out, in return for a nice, easy kill.

"Would you mind being a dear and dragging out the lizard?"[/i] Le Cyll asked, politely. "I promise if you do so, there will be a bloodbath. My treat. I'll wear him down so he is more presentable at a slaughter. All I need is a small head start..."[/i]

[/color][/size]

[Iƪƪia]

Seth had spent the majority of their conversation barely listening, her gaze wandering all over the garden. By now she had become quite familiar with the area, not that it really mattered. It wasn't as if she were planning on luring someone out to this place. It was much easier to kill someone in the water. She didn't do well on land, so she'd need to use weapons to bring down a creature here, and unless they were already injured or distracted, that would simply be too much of an effort.

When she noticed that familiar glint of steel out of the corner of her eye, she slowly turned her attention back to the scene in front of her. For a moment it seemed as though things were beginning to get interesting. However, she was wrong and she quickly grew bored of those two and their pathetic fight.

Yawning loudly, she began contemplating going back to her room and going to sleep. It was a thought that she quickly cast aside, deciding that her room was much too far away. The lake was closer, though, so she could always go there. The cold weather might make sleeping in the water just a little uncomfortable, though she couldn't have cared less.

However, when the dog called to her, she decided that she might as well stay here for a little longer. Things might actually get interesting this time. Probably not. There was always a very small chance, though. But she couldn't trust the dog or the lizard to liven things up. No, she'd have to help with that, unfortunately. Apparently, the dog realized that too.

At his suggestion, she didn't bother to give any sign of confirmation. Instead, she simply stepped back a bit, her gaze briefly flickering to the dog's back before she looked toward the lizard beneath the tree. Sighing, she forced herself to shut out all the distractions around her as she concentrated solely on her target.

"Why not.... Step closer.... Just a bit," She offered, directing the full force of the song at the lizard, "Please... Come join us."

[Oren]

Kendryek's senses were working as best they could in this form. His fighting instinct was now running full force and all of his surroundings were clear to him. Le Cyll and Seth had the advantage, he knew, but he didn't particularly mind. If this worked... well, they'd be shocked if it did. If it didn't, they still might be sort of shocked, but the outcome would be relatively the same.

Even though it seemed as though Le Cyll wasn't doing anything, Kendryek knew he was. He wasn't sure at first, but when Seth sighed and looked toward him, he realized. This time the wave of sound didn't hit him as hard as the last two. He saw it coming, and it was relatively easy to ignore. That is, with her voice it was easy. Without her... he wasn't sure if he would still be alive if memories of her hadn't helped him in past situations. This event was no different. No one was immune to a nakki's song. No one that he had met, that was. There were bound to be people who could block it out even more effectively than he could, and he could block it out well.

He played the voice over and over in his head, the beautiful, angelic voice, just singing and singing all the songs she had ever sung. He could have spent the rest of the day like this, listening to her voice, reminiscing on the times they had laughed together, played together, learned together, failed together, and won together. She had been that perfect, to him, at least.

But now was not the time to be lost in memories. He needed to be paying attention to what was happening. Still leaning against the base of the tree, he smiled slightly at Seth and said, "Pretty, but I'd rather not... wait, what are you asking?" He wanted to make it clear that he wasn't effected by her song. Exaggerating his movements, he acted as if he was listening to the song. He was, but just barely. If he listened too hard he would be sucked in, and that would not be good! Not only would it be not good, but he'd be dead. Literally. If his defense was not up for one second, Le Cyll wouldn't waste any time in taking him out.

"Oh, that's right!" he said, not sounding too surprised or too informed. "Actually..." he whispered, stepping out from the tree. He raised his voice to where they could hear him plainly. "Why not? It is a fight, after all. Joining you would be... wise." Neither Le Cyll nor Seth were dumb enough to actually think that he had fallen captive to her song... were they? When someone was in a trance like the one Seth put, they didn't typically talk, and even if and when they did, for surely some idiots did, it wasn't as deliberate as he had just been. He wasn't caught up in the song. Every move he was making was in his own. He wasn't being led by anyone.

Seth had a point, though, in her song. If they were going to fight, it was going to take more than responding to actions. It was going to take both offense and defense, on both sides. With the exception of Seth of course. Kendryek only really expected her to defend herself if she was dragged into it. She probably wouldn't fight, not with metal weapons at least. She seemed the type that would use the excuse of it being too much work, no matter how skilled she actually was. Speaking of which, he wasn't quite sure how skilled either of these two were with weapons. He had never seen them fight and only had a small idea of what Le Cyll could do and had no idea of what Seth could do. Other than her singing of course, which was pretty, to say the least, but he would never listen to it. It was a pity, really, that something so nice could be so deadly.

Enough thinking, though. Now was the time to focus on where he was. He was closer, to be sure, but only a little. Only a few steps after all that thought. It was amazing how fast one could think while only seconds went by.

Catching himself thinking again, he popped his neck and rolled both his shoulders. Moving should get him away from thinking about thoughts. It was time to think about movements and surroundings.

Le Cyll was twenty feet away and Seth was only about ten feet farther than that. A good distance, he supposed. Deadly close, of course, but that was okay. This was a fight, after all.

[ωΘĿƒ]

When Seth began to sing, Le Cyll could detect a small drop in Kendryek's concentration - very small, but it was there.

The wolf had no idea what it was that made Kendryek so resistant to Seth's potent, syrupy song; but whatever it was, it was letting him keep his wits. Now of course, no one could fully prevent a Nakki's song from affecting them. There was simply a small window of tolerance. He, for example, had been able to stave off the song for longer than most could, however Kendryek seemed all but immune.

But again... no one was immune. What Kendryek needed was a higher dose of poison; and Le Cyll was positive of this: the dragon did not have an antidote for this kind of poison.

"Kendryek, don't be showy. That's not like you" the wolf smiled, layering in a little more to Seth's first wave of mental manipulation. "Can't you understand? She's asking a simple question."

As Kendryek went on, saying it would be wise to fight, again he added a bit more to the sound of Seth's voice.

"Now you're mocking us? That's in bad taste... Why don't you just watch me? Watch me."[/i]

That was it, the perfect amount. He could tinker with the quality of it later, but this concoction of two powers was enough for Le Cyll to work with.

He sheathed the sword so it would not be in his way; then, without warning, he vanished.

Well... not exactly vanish. More like, he was going much too fast to properly see. Bits of color would appear from side to side as Le Cyll measured the range of Kendryek's peripheral vision. He had been measuring it all along, really, but this was a little more detailed.

Moving without sound and without indication through the perfectly white field of snow, Le Cyll appeared suddenly before the dragon.

A quick flash of black fur and the first well-aimed clip towards a large enemy. Le Cyll aimed for the neck, then stomach, then legs; his attacks a scattershot of anything that Kendryek might need to live. Pulling out of Kendryek's range, Le Cyll waited several more seconds before dippng back into a scattershot attack.

And that... was the way a wolf fought. There was no energy to it. Le Cyll could do this for days.

He just needed a sufficiently distracted enemy.
[/color]

[Oren]

Le Cyll added a little bit of his own mental power to the mix of telepathic waves traveling across the garden. That was... unexpected. Who would have thought the wolf had so much talent in so many areas? He had so much potential! If only he would stop being such a stubborn little puppy, he might get somewhere. That would make Kendryek's life a little easier, and that just couldn't happen! Not ever would life allow that!

Busy chuckling at his own sarcastic thoughts, he didn't see Le Cyll move. That was mistake number one. Three strikes and you're out. Only two more to go.

Those would not happen, he'd make sure of that.

In one blink, Le Cyll was before him and already making an attack. That was when he realized his mistake. His natural reflexes taking immediate complete control, his body flung itself backward. The first swipe barely made contact, causing a few drops of blood to drip down his neck. The second caught his shirt again, and the last one didn't even hit. The wolf was fast, to be sure, but the natural reaction of a seasoned warrior was... how to say... different. They could barely be compared. Yet here they were, being compared in this manner, seeing who had learned more over their years in this cruel world. It wasn't quite a fair test, but that was kind of alright. He wasn't sure which side had the advantage yet, and fighting it out was the only way to decide.

Fighting also seemed the only way to speak to the wolf. A hunt had brought them together, and then this encounter also entailed physical connections with malicious intent strapped along.

Their relationship seemed to revolve around the deadly circle of fighting.

He would have to fix that eventually, but that was for a later time.

In the few seconds before Le Cyll's second attack, he already had six kunai out and ready. His mind was now focused and his attention was not going to be distracted again! Dodging the claws, he spun once, swiftly and soundly kicking Le Cyll in the rib cage while he was still in the air. Light on his feet, he hesitated to allow him to regain his footing. There was no reason to constantly attack. That would be too easy.

It also wouldn't get his point across, and that would defeat the purpose of them fighting, now wouldn't it?

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll dodged in and out in a mesmerizing fashion. A little bite here, a little swipe there. He wasn't expecting Kendryek's immediate response... as well he should have.

Kendryek was a warrior - a very old warrior. Of course the wolf had provided for variations in the animalistic fear that came with a predator attack - a kick, or a hasty strike of self preservation - but he wasn't dealing with something trying to save its life. He was dealing with a fighter.

Ooops!

Le Cyll noticed the kick, rolling with it at the last second. For the entire time they'd been standing in this frozen wasteland, only the image of a man could be seen, even when Le Cyll attacked. But now, caught off guard, a very big, very angry wolf rolled snarling over the snow. He caught his footing quickly, not missing a beat, and yet he took the time to shake the white down from off his pelt.

He could already tell that Kendryek had allowed him to regain his footing. Seeing it as such, he didn't mind pausing the fight purely for the sake of vanity. After every snowflake was shaken off, Le Cyll continued his attack, beginning by circling slowly.

He pities you... Pities you... Don't you think?

Le Cyll did not think anything at this moment, nor would he for a while. It was better this way. There were less distractions when he could calmly follow his instinctual response, rather than rely on his intellect.

Besides, he was sharing space with his intellect... He could have instinct all to himself.

Very calmly, he ignored that sound accompanied by its prickling feeling on the back of his neck. Instead he paced, slowly, languidly - a big dog trotting through the heavy snow. He waited for another opening, ignoring the rising sound. So loud... Why was it so loud? Was the moon close? What about the night? Stars? Anything? Then why was it so very loud...

And there it was. An opening. Le Cyll took his chance and dove in again, another flurry of well-aimed attacks. This time though, he compensated for Kendryk's ability.

The scared animal was different than the one that would fight back. Although both could defeat you and both could harm you, one was that much smarter than the other.

One of them had an appropriate sense of fear...

Le Cyll slid in past the weapons, getting far too close for them to be useful. Maybe the next round, but now he was safe.

A few more attacks and another leap out. Now he wasn't shifting from form to form. Warily, he watched the kunai. He attempted another dive, careful in case Kendryek used his weapons.

[Oren]

Kendryek dodged the now permanant claws. Le Cyll was serious now. It took too much concentration to continually switch between forms like he had been doing. He was smart to stop and simply stay in his lethal form. Being a human was dangerous, do doubt, but claws, teeth, and wings trumphed that any day! Kendryek only wished he could join the wolf, but then the fight would be over soon, and he did not wish for that. Lessons were not learned by a quick fight. Only when it was drawn out was the lesson really learned, or shall it be, when the lesson was most prominant.

But, what was he wanting to show the wolf? He didn't want to show just how strong he was. Le Cyll already knew everything about his strenght that he needed to. So, he was showing him his patience? Well, sort of, but that was just a small line in the book. He knew what he wanted to show the wolf, but it was always good to remind one's self.

He wanted to show Le Cyll that, although he was so much stronger and could easily make his life akin to misery, he wouldn't hurt him. He wanted to show that he was here to be a friend. Someone who would always be there if he ever needed help. Someone to show him his mistakes, not judge him for them, and help his fix them. He wanted to teach the wolf, learn from him, observe who he was, and accept him no matter what.

The wolf had never had someone like that. It showed, practically shined, from his whole being. He had never been loved by a friend. He had never had this thing called 'friendship'. He wouldn't accept it without persistant prodding, and even then Le Cyll would limit what he could help him with.

This was only one reason why Kendryek was doing what he was doing, but it was an important one.

He stayed out of the kludde's reach, feeling the air move as each swipe or snap searched for its mark. He threw a few shuriken, lightly of course, toward the wolf, purposly missing. He dropped a shuriken with all appearances of it being an accident, as if he had been holding it too lightly and it had slipped from his hand when he jerked away from the swinging claws. He even went to reach for it, jumping back when Le Cyll came close again and giving a dissatisfied look at it as it layed on the ground. If he layed the trap just right, if he could do it without being detected...

He would win the fight no matter what. If Seth ever decided to join them, it would be slightly more difficult, but for now it was just him and Le Cyll. Part of him hoped it would stay that way, but another wanted Seth to join as well. It woud only drive in harder what he wanted to show him.

And wasn't that the whole point of this fight, to him at least? To prove a point?

[ωΘĿƒ]

Pay attention! So stubborn... I can help, and you don't listen. Listen... Listen...

That sound crept in, so softly, from the level of thoughts that murmured just above his quiet, concentrated instinctive level. Perhaps it was because he saw what Kendryek was doing. What was he doing..? That was no way to fight. No way at all.

The level of murmuring grew louder as he approached it, seeking intellectual guidance for the things he noticed of Kendryek's behavior.

And with that came the inevitable sound.

Listen! Look! What do you see...?

Le Cyll saw sloppiness, to the tiniest degree. No fierce concentration, no imperiled attentiveness - simply something of a foreign nature that the wolf had never seen while fighting before.

He lies with his actions... Not a fight... Watch...

The wolf was moving quickly, never stopping and never allowing himself to be targeted by Kendryek - and yet he may as well not have bothered. The sensation rung true - the dragon was lying. Not with words, but with actions.

Black claws crunching in the loosely packed snow, Le Cyll continued to evade, dissuade, persuade the sight of the dragon. Anything that might confuse him, or anything keeping him from seeing clearly the black outline of the huge wolf in the white snow Le Cyll did, and did with effort.

There was no effort with Kendryek.

Watch him... He's laughing at you... Watch and see. The dragon plays his games; but that isn't how you play.

No, it wasn't. Kendryek was not committed to this fight. Perhaps he took this to be something other than it was. Knowing the dragon, something meaningful and helpful. Something inherently beneficial was to come of this ill-conceived event.

Kendryek missed the point. This was not a lesson to be learned, it was a plan to be set, a hunt to be fought for, and a battle to be immersed in.

He misinterpreted the entire point of the hunt.

Watch him... Watch. Now focus and you will see... See the red hues darken...

Le Cyll's long, wolfish muzzle split into a wide, toothy smile. Yes... That he could see. The red. The concept of life, manifest from every sensation into the color red. He could see it, and he could feel the gravity of that color sinking in; taking hold and making him feel so wonderful. So light.

Perfectly clear and dimming the colors around it, the red of Kendryek's manifest life was the only thing that shown in a black and gray world.

The wolf closed the gap between them in finality, jaws gaping, digits outstretched each with a shimmering blade of obsidian at end. He made the cu de gra, the killing blow. With one swift movement, he trained all his precision and force into one grizzly assault on Kendryek, and hooked his claws to snag on the dragon's shoulder blade.

It was a classic wolf maneuver, and it embodied perfectly the response Le Cyll had for this interesting game Kendryek was playing: Wolves do not play games.

Twisting in mid air, Le Cyll redyed himself to tackle Kendryek to the ground, pulling with his claws into the bone itself and effectively severing the tendons all along that one shoulder blade.

Play no games... Eat or be eaten. This is law.

[Oren]

Kendryek could sense Le Cyll's patience lessening. He obviously wasn't in the mood to play games. Kendryek himself wasn't actually playing a game. Truthfully, he was taking this fight more seriously than he had taken the whole Civil War. That was mainly due to the fact that it was currently one on one and Le Cyll's state of mind actually meant something to him.

In every situation, be it fight or play, solemn or joyous, there was always a lesson to learn. The importance of the lesson varied, but many small lessons helped when faced with understanding larger ones. Sadly, the lessons that had taught Le Cyll were from a pessimistic point of view. He had only been shown the gritty, cruel side of life. He had accepted it and agreed to it's set of rules. He now embraced it, thrived off of it, trying his hardest to teach others the same lessons.

It was beyond his comprehension, the good side of life. Left to his own means, he would never understand what love was. He wouldn't befriend the feeling of accomplishing something of importance or great value and meaning. He would never feel the strange joy that came with helping a complete stranger. He would never experience the burning rage that comes with defending a friend in trouble.

All these things were a part of life, experiences that Kendryek would never trade for anything.

"You don't understand," he whispered.

As Le Cyll came at him again, he prepared himself for the attack. It couldn't exactly be considered easy to dodge the attacks, but he did so effectively. The wolf was going faster now, definitely faster than his human eyes could trace. That always tended to put a damper on situations...

Feeling the presence of the kludde behind him, he readied his mind for the unavoidable impact. Just as the massive paws and sharp claws hit his back, he spun around causing the wolf to miss the intended target but pain still shot down his spine and up to his head, causing him to be dizzy for a second. But only a second. By the time they hit the ground his head was cleared. The pain was still red hot, as it always was, but it was bearable.

Anything was bearable.

Though now it was time to make the marks even. At his uppermost speed he moved, aiming to slice Le Cyll's leg and paw with the shuriken still clasped in his hands. With the distraction in full play, he darted out of the wolf's reach.

He stood up quickly, ready for another attack. The large gash from the top of his shoulder blade to his side would definitely hinder his movements, but he could still win this. He still wasn't fighting to the best of his abilities. Then again, in this from he would never be at his full potential. Unknown to the wolf, he had been working hard from the second he had been attacked. His mind was coming up with a plan while his body reacted slowly, his training in complete control but still not as good as a wolf's skill. He would be able to keep his ground, but gaining any was near impossible.

If only a split second could be gained, he could continue with his little... trap, if that's what one wished to call it. It was what would end the fight eventually, he was pretty sure, but it might take another few minutes for him to finish laying the pieces. The two now laid were both almost completely covered with snow. Hopefully the wolf didn't notice the ring slowly forming around him. Hopefully Seth wouldn't care enough to warn him.

[ωΘĿƒ]

So dark, this bloody hue... So familiar, but it was an old familiarity. It was something of a state of mind so often used that it has a worn in, comfortable feel; yet something that has been so far set in the past that it must have the proverbial dust brushed off of it - the feel of it was so familiar yet so long forgotten that it had a strange, new feel. All the old familiarities coming back to him all at once, like the flooding meltwaters of spring.

But this was no clean, fresh, clear pool of water. This was something thick and deep and long stale with old rage. He did remember this feeling. What an odd sensation... He remembered hating everything this way. At one point, this was all he had seen - this red.

This blood to be spilled.

It reminds you of the woods... The woods where you once lived...

Yes... That precise period, long ago. He had done well to forget about that. It was such a petty waste of anger, thinking back on it now; but he had to admit, when he was young and painfully impressionable, it did seem the appropriate thing to strive for the evisceration of all things living. Why not? Everyone else was doing it. Or was it just him? Did the rest of them bear those hellish times with calm resolve? Did they not mind it at all?

Ah well. Such is life. It always was that way, wasn't it? And there was no real sense in being angry. There never was a reason for such anger, even when he thought back to those flashes of memory where his father was involved. Oh yes, he had been angry; but what was the point now?

Now there was only that calm, steady precision. That clean, clinical sense of perfect balance and control. And he could only imagine the things he could do with this control... this pleasant robotic clarity. This lack of feeling.


How nice, it would all be, if only he could not see that red. But he indeed could, and he was remembering it now. Such anger... he could not see the world now without it being warped by that cynical impression - and he saw Kendryek though it as the dragon moved barely out of the way. He felt his claws carve deep into Kendryek's back, and come away just a few centimeters shy of their mark.

Such anger... Such frustration. It served him right for being reminiscent.

"I don't understand?!?"[/i]

Kendryek delivered a blow of his own. Le Cyll pivoted to avoid it, but that red color made it very difficult to maneuver properly. He skidded, and Kendryek's attack fell at nearly its full brunt upon his front leg.

He staggered, immediately regaining his footing despite any pain or damage he might have been dealt. He really would have liked to take a look at the wound and determine whether or not is was really healthy for himself to continue fighting, but then again, he was not himself right now.

He was tired, but he did not have much say in the matter anymore.

"No, Kendryek, I'm perfectly fine right now. It is you that doesn't understand..."[/i]

And there it was. Kendryek was running. Le Cyll did not mind so much, but he would have to do something about that. He could not just let Kendrek attack and then slip past his line of fire. This was simply unacceptable.

Although how he came to that decision, he did not exactly know...

As if he had already decided what to do, Le Cyll moved in closer, faster, trying to bridge the distance between them as much as possible. He was using his teeth mostly now, jaws snapping with a resonating clip every time he aimed and attacked at Kendryek.

Fighting Kendryek was a bad idea, he came to the conclusion.

Le Cyll raked across Kendryek's legs, trying to trip him so he was able to do... something. Most likely tear out his bowels or some other such finishing injury. This was a practical and useful thought for the current situation, but it was also not quite as invigorating as it should be.

You must kill him now...

"Why?"[/i]

Despite his second thoughts, the mindless slashing and snapping and raging continued. He chuckled a bit inwardly. It was strange, to see things like this. He wondered if he could stop this?

No.

"Too bad. My leg hurts."[/i]

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blood spreading out in a decidedly unhealthy fashion. He really should bandage that... Maybe something to staunch the bleeding? It did look bad.

However, as he thought this the onslaught continued. He hardly noticed now.
[/color]

[Oren]

Kendryek turned around and looked at the wolf, now a good fifty feet away. Taking a deep breath he sighed. He just never quite got it, did he? He tended to take what the dragon said and twist it, misunderstand it, and throw the perverted reasoning back at him. Only someone truly mislead could do that so well as Le Cyll did, and unconsciously, too. It hurt Kendryek to see someone so lost, so alone, and so frightened. Anyone in their right mind would never ever call Le Cyll frightened, but everyone was frightened of something. Well, almost everyone. Crane probably didn't fear anyone or anything, just had healthy respect for them. Same with White and a few others.

But maybe saying 'afraid' wouldn't fit the wolf.

'Wary' would be better. The wolf was wary of many, many things. He kept careful eye on many people. He trusted no one and isolated himself with only his work. It was truly a sin to leave Le Cyll to his own resources. He would forever be in pain and suffering if no one ever offered to help. This was how many people were. There were often very few people that could take the time and effort to help them.

"Understanding and being perfectly fine are not the same thing, Le Cyll. They do walk hand in hand on occasion, but often times one is present, and although it calls for the other's company it's desire is often unrequited." He left the wolf's claim about not understanding alone. It wasn't something to be addressed at this time. Maybe someday they could discuss understanding and not understanding, but today was not the the and here was not the place.

What words Kendryek had already said had most likely fallen on deaf ears.

The assumption was proven as fact when the kludde ran toward him. With another sigh, Kendryek readied himself to dodge the attacks. He hated when words were wasted. He already didn't like to talk, but when he did he would rather that someone was listening. Seth surely was, but she wasn't taking anything to heart, he knew. If someone could be unreachable, if their hearts could be unbreachable, that 'someone' would be Seth. Poor thing...

But then there was no more time for deep thought. Le Cyll had reached him and was attempting to hurt him in any way possible. As he dodged his side throbbed and he could feel his strength slowly disappearing. Blood loss wasn't something he worried about as he was a large dragon and his actual blood supply was ginormous. Pain, on the other hand, was just as severe no matter how large you were, and pain tended to make one want to sleep.

Although he couldn't feel the immediate effects, he could see the blood being sprayed. Le Cyll's blood. Make no mistake, Kendryek shirt was quite wet with his own, but his jeans were getting a makeover of red splotches. Maybe he shouldn't have stabbed the wolf...

When he could get a good enough footing, he sprang over the Le Cyll, landing between the nakki and kludde. It was obvious that Seth planned to do nothing. She had contributed all she wished to and was now just here to watch. That, for Kendryek, was a good thing. It allowed him to turn his back, though he never let down his guard.

As the barrage of attacks continued the dragon's pants became quite torn and the splattering blood was now hitting his legs. Hm... that really should be taken care of. The wolf was in more danger of dying from blood loss than he himself was, so...

He made up his mind. First he'd find a way to bandage Le Cyll's leg while fighting. He wasn't sure how he would, but all he could do was try. Then, after the leg was bandaged or he had found the task impossible, he would finish the trap.

This... this was going to take a while.