Chapter 16- Raging
They were taken to the medical center of the hold were a woman immediately set to work stitching the wound closed on Desstina’s leg. Zanas let out a hiss as a burning salve was placed on the gashes on her shoulder, the woman explaining a scratch from the harven was poisonous. Her vision began to blur and her speech became slurred, so Zanas was inclined to agree with her. The dark blue liquid the nurse placed in her hands, slid down her throat like ice. She felt tired as she was led to a bed and it felt wonderful to lay her head down, her eyes so heavy.
She awoke disorientated in the cold stone walls of the room. A movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she turned to find Desstina. The blonde girl was lying in the bed next to her, her thin neck wrapped tightly in a bandage. Desstina’s face had begun to bruise, and it looked as though she was developing a black eye. Her cold green eyes stared at Zanas. Zanas was hit with a burning in her toes and fingers and she began to run her hands together furiously.
“It’s the last bit of poison,” Desstina said. There was a melodious quality to her voice that Zanas had never heard before. Or perhaps it had always been there, but the anger that the girl usually showed was so overwhelming. “Harven are deadly creatures, you cannot stop them once they have been frenzied, and your only option is to kill them all… or be eaten,” the girl said with a wicked grin, her doll face lighting up. She looked down at her hands, her face growing serious.
“It’s quite obvious you were meant to be a Pursuer,” she began, “It doesn’t matter if you came from above. You’re not going anywhere, this is… where…. you… belong.” The girl struggled slightly getting out the words. She lifted up her eyes and once again looked at Zanas. “You are on my team… and I should have treated you like you were. Regardless of him,” she said with a whisper, so quietly that Zanas had to strain to hear it. Desstina gave Zanas one last look, and then she closed her eyes, settling into the furs.
Zanas could tell by the change in her breathing that Desstina had fallen asleep. She thought about what Desstina had said, as she stared across the room at the blonde’s still form. Desstina looked so small and vulnerable, her pale flesh even more so, except now the tone verged on a sickly grey. She was a slight girl, whose extraordinary strength and agility was surprising. It might be easy to overlook her underlying emotions, but the girl felt, and she felt deeply.
Her body was still a little shaky, but she felt fine when she sat for a moment on the end of the bed. She tested her feet on the floor, waiting for sudden pain or dizziness. When she felt none she placed her full weight on her feet and stood up. No one had told her how long she needed to stay, and she felt well enough to rest in her own room.
She started down the long hallways with determination that soon faded to exhaustion. It seemed as if the long shadowy corridors went on forever, and she began to forget the way in confusion. Had she just turned? Which hallway was she in? Her hands held heavy to the smooth rock walls, her legs growing shaky. She almost cried in desperation.
Two arms lifted her up like she weighed nothing, and Zanas let out small sigh of relief as he held her in his arms, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She heard his soft laughter in her delirium.
“Only you would try and wander the halls full of harven poison. Tell me, Zanas…” She felt a soft shiver has he hummed her name. “Where are you heading?” Zanas did not believe that he expected her to answer, nor would she have been able to if he had. Her vision started to turn hazy as the venom worked through her again with relish.
The soft creek of a door drew her attention and she opened her heavy eyes to see her door pass blurrily by vision, and then she was lying in her bed, deep in the furs. She could hear him poking at the fireplace, and the warm glow of the roaring fire bathed her skin. Zanas opened her eyes with a struggle one last time and his bright eyes stared into hers. Her eyes finally collapsed closed and she was unable to reopen them. Her consciousness fading, Zanas felt reality begin to slip away. She thought she felt a soft touch of his lips to hers and then the deep growl of Maleek.
She’s mine…
... ... ...
The hall was filled with the voices of Pursuers as Zanas ate her meal. She could hear the laughter of the twins as Desstina teased them. The atmosphere of the team had changed from tension filled, to jubilant. Zanas had become a part of the group, the others listening when she chose to enter a conversation. The relationship between her and Desstina had continued to improve, and she found herself more and more drawn to the girl, who seemed to be caught in a dark brooding at times.
Dressdon continued to treat her with a separated coldness that infuriated Zanas. As her days went on in the clan, she began to notice the way the female population regarded Dressdon. It was clear that many of the women knew him on a more personal basis, although he didn’t seem to give any of them a second glance. Just like Desstina, he was prone to a moodiness that seemed to cause him to withdraw from those around him. He was always on guard and seemed to hold himself apart, always watching. He thought very deeply about what went on around him, but he never seemed to voice his observations.
Maleek butted her hand with his nose and she absentmindedly handed him a piece of meat. He seemed dissatisfied with her attention and stalked over to Desstina. The blonde stroked his wiry coat, and he purred slightly when the girl placed a large morsel of meat into his mouth. He seemed to almost smile as he chewed the piece, one eye slightly half closed. Zanas found herself jealous. Maleek had formed an attachment to Desstina. Far more than the friendly attitude he had with Ressna. He seemed to enjoy Ressna’s company, mainly because she always brought him something to fill his belly.
With Desstina, however, he seemed to seek out the small-framed blonde, overshadowing her presence; one hunter engrossed in another. Zanas growled to herself. Maleek is won over by anything that will feed him…she fumed. She was mocked by the soft, amused chuckle of Dressdon.
Her eyes flew angrily up to his. His calm exterior drove her into rage as she glared at him. As usual, all this did was seem to amuse him further, which in turn angered her more. She gathered her plate and stood up quickly, leaving the group. She was at a loss as to what the relationship between her and Dressdon was. He made her so angry, but the few times that he had let his guard down had captivated her like nothing else.
On the long walk back to her room, she tried to calm her nerves. It had been nearly a week since the long journey down into the harven lair. Two of her first days were spent reviving from the poison. Ressna had patiently waited on her, bringing her food and news. By the third day, she had returned to hunting with her team, nothing ever said between her and Dressdon. He spoke to her of useful things, as a team leader should, but nothing further.
Her room was oddly quiet with the absence of Maleek. She opened the shutters wide letting the soft glow of the Ulwahi sparkle down into her room. The town seemed to be full of activity, a tranquil swirling of colors. Her solace was quickly interrupted by the knock she had come to recognize as belonging to Ressna. Without an invitation, the door was pushed open. The fierce anger flowed through her once again.
“You shouldn’t just walk in whenever you want to,” she said with a low growl. Her hands began to shake and her vision turned a hazy red.
“Oh stop pouting over your beast liking me better,” a soft voice teased.
Zanas turned around to see behind the wide-eyed Ressna, to a smiling Desstina. Maleek strolled lazily in last, immediately moving over to the bed and making himself at home. To her surprise, Desstina followed the animal, using Maleek as a giant pillow. Her hands began to settle, and her vision returned to normal.
“You look like someone who is changing too quick,” Desstina said examining her nails and pouting her lips. “Not good, don’t go all crazy, you’ll be very embarrassed when your hormones stabilize. Take it easy killer,” she finished, and then she looked over at Ressna and frowned. “And you, stop looking like your Ma just died, and besides you are
kind of rude. I’m sure she could have said worse,” Desstina finished, an innocent look across her face. Zanas found herself chocking at the boldness of the girl, it was clear Desstina was thoroughly enjoying herself.
“So what’s your issue?” Desstina continued turning her face slightly, staring at Zanas. “It’s because of him isn’t it?” Desstina asked.
“Desstina…” Ressna interrupted trying to steer clear of the subject, but Desstina waved her hands and made a shushing sound.
“Oh come on,” Desstina hissed, her pert nose wrinkling in annoyance. “The boys told me about the dance floor,” Desstina bumbled on. “And now he doesn’t even come near you. Why would he do that? He hasn’t seemed to want to be around you at all. But then again, maybe he just doesn’t want to cloud the last test…” Desstina finished.
“Desstina!” Ressna exclaimed staring back towards the open door and out towards the hallway. “You know it’s against the laws to speak of the tests!”
“Blah, blah,” Desstina said with a small wave of her wrist. “I haven’t said anything.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Zanas asked.
“It’s in my nature,” Desstina said shrugging.
If anyone else had said this, Zanas would have been angered. But coming from the petite blonde girl it was perfect. Desstina may have stopped hating Zanas, but that didn’t mean that Zanas was going to be treated differently than any other member of the team. Desstina could be an overpowering personality who liked the thought of prey a little too much. However, that may have been the part of her that Zanas liked the most. She grinned at the blonde girl.
“Well it’s in my nature to keep my personal thoughts to myself,” Zanas replied.
Desstina laughed, hopping off the bed, running her hands through Maleek’s fur once more before turning to Zanas. “There’s a gathering tonight in the arena room. They’ve cleared the ring for drummers. You should come,” Desstina said with a final smile and walked towards the door, a soft candy smell flowing through the air as she stirred it. “Come on Ressna,” she demanded. Zanas found herself laughing to herself at the way Ressna jumped to attention. The poor girl was getting far too much attention from the blonde pixie.
“I’ll see you later,” Ressna called to her. The two girls were quickly gone.
… … …
Zanas enjoyed a long soak in the bathing pool. To her annoyance, Maleek insisted on following her and then proceeded to soak himself in the pool beside her. He clouded the water for a moment until the swift underground current worked its magic. Zanas reached over to the jar that lay beside the pool and emptied the bath salts into the churning water, the air quickly changing from wet dog, to a light flowery smell. She glanced over at Maleek who stared back at her with an open panting mouth, his tongue hanging to one side, and what truly looked like a big grin plastered across his face.
“You should put some of these in your mouth, perhaps your breath will smell better,” she said her eyes narrowed. Zanas knew that it was silly, but she still felt a little resentment towards the beast. She had thought originally that his friendliness towards her was unique, but apparently, he made quick relationships with anyone. Maleek began to growl as though he could hear what she was thinking, and didn’t like what he heard. She caught feelings of adoration radiating from him. Realizing how silly she was being, she began scratching Maleek behind the ears, sending out soothing images.
What was wrong with her? She had never been so overcome with whimsical emotions before. Zanas remembered what Desstina had said. Her body was changing; she guessed that it would be plausible that her hormones were changing as well. She hoped that she did not turn into some fight-ready bully. But she doubted that. All her changes were, in reality, just extensions of qualities that she already possessed. She just had to be patient, and stability would return.
Back in her room, she dressed and for once left her hair loose. The soft black expanse curled down her back and halfway down her legs. The sight of the hair gleaming by the fire reminded her of her sister, the ache in her chest began throbbing. She missed Asenya. Once again, she comforted herself with the thought that she would see her again. It was just a little longer now…
A charred piece of wood caught her attention as it lay be the fire. Leaning down, she picked it up, turning it in her fingers, the tip leaving a dark smudge. She brought the black tip to her eyes, darkening the edges. Her sister was here, flowing in the long curls of her hair and looking through the black smudged eyes.
As she left, Maleek rushed passed her, his thick fur brushing against her legs. He flashed her images of dirt, and that he was unhappy. He was entirely too clean and planned to remedy it.
Zanas could hear the steady beating of the drums from the floor before she started up the staircase. When she got closer to the fourth floor door, she began to hear the haunting melody of a voice, moving eerily with the beating of the drums. She emerged into the rec floor, the hallways crowded with swaying bodies moving from one spot to another. As she walked down the hall, her body unwittingly moved with the beat.
The room was thick with Pursuers. No pastel colors floated through the mass here. They crowded out the roaring light of the huge fire at the center of the room, their bodies just shadows in the dark. Zanas could see the drummers and a tall black clothed woman singing at the far end, her eyes closed, her red lips parted in a cry. The flashing green eyes of hunters sparkled from every corner of the room.
Not thinking, just reacting, Zanas made her way into the crowd. She closed her eyes swaying her body to the beating of the drums, the woman’s voice sending chills through her. She felt hands on her and she opened her eyes to the glow of a dark Pursuer. His eyes seemed to flicker as he gave her a sleazy smile. Zanas normally would have been repelled by the bold Pursuer, but the same hormones that inflamed her fury also inflamed her passion. She danced with him, moving her body with his, and then turned to dance with another muscular Pursuer that danced towards her left. He reached out a hand, placing it on her waist and pulling her close in an aggressive manner growling in her ear.
Zanas did not know what had taken over her. She felt as though her sister was shining through her, in the seductive way she moved. Just as before it was as if the crowd of bodies were one, dancing to the pounding of the music. But unlike the hall, she now danced with a growling crowd of hungry-eyed male Pursuers. She felt another arm grab her roughly from behind and she twirled around to face Dressdon.
His eyes burned more passionately than all the other prowling Pursuers. He pulled her close bringing his mouth to her ear. She could hear a low growl vibrating in his throat. He tightened his hand on the small of her back, bringing his lips close to her neck, his teeth gleaming. Zanas could feel the raging beating of his heart and the sharp pressure of his teeth. It seemed, for a moment, that he would close his mouth on the soft skin of her throat and taste her flesh.
She was dragged back to reality by Dressdon pulling her through the crowded dance floor and out into the hallway.
“Go to your room, girl,” he growled. “You’re oozing pheromones and sending all the male Pursuers with a pulse into frenzy. It’s hard enough for a real man to resist your charms, let alone young and inexperienced, testosterone filled boys. Go home before you do some damage.”
She felt that hot anger overcoming her again and she pushed out her arm to shove him. He anticipated the movement and reached out, snatching her hand in the air and pushing her up against the cold stone wall of the hallway.
“Go home,” he growled, letting her go and returning to the hall.
Zanas felt her cheeks burning, infuriated with his petulance. She sighed realizing that he was right, and turned to walk down the torch lit hallway, when she saw another pair of eyes watching her.
She recognized the young face of the boy she had met the first time she ran the course. His face was pale as if he looked at a ghost. Zanas took a step forward to ask him if he was okay, when he turned, and disappea
red into the crowd.