Autumn's Beginning, Autumn's Breeze

Bella~

I bit my tongue, knowing Max would be unhappy if he heard any of the thoughts running through my head.

What's so bad about not minding the biting? I thought, hoping Max didn't noticed my silence. The only thing that frightens me is the slim possibility of him killing me...but it's so slim that there's not really anything to worry about...and the pain... I tensed slightly at the memory. I knew it could be painful when he bit me, but I had heard that vampires had some control over how much it hurt, and if it was necessarily a bad pain. I wonder if that's true.... I wouldn't mind being one either...it would let me be with Max even longer...God he'd kill me for this... Max looked down at me and I smiled.

Max

"You know I really wouldn't mind being a vampire," she said.

"I would, your aunt made me promise to take care of you." I looked at her sternly, "that means no vampireage."

She looked dissappointed. I grasped her hand and pulled it up to my lips. I bit. I knew it hurt her, I heard her gasp. But I didn't let go, I kept my lips there just as long as I had before. When I let go she looked as if she might faint and I swept her up into my arms to carry her.

I hoped she didn't hate me for that.

Isabella~

I knew what Max was trying to do. I knew that he was trying to frighten me.

I examined my hand as he walked, pretending that I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. I wasn't crying -- I had more pain tolerance than that. I had more pain tolerance than most anybody I knew.

I wouldn't let Max frighten me. He wouldn't do permanant damage, of that I was sure.

Max

Isabella knew I was just trying to frighten her, but I didn't care, she needed to be frightened. Why didn't she run at the mear sight of me? She knew what I was, that I could-and would-hurt her, but she didn't care.

Something about that just didn't seem human to me. But of course she wasn't completely human was she? She was a mage. Maybe having magic was bringing her courage.

Isabella~

After I while, I managed to talk Max into putting me down.

"You do realize you're wasting your efforts, right?" I asked, leaning against his warmth.

"What do you mean?"

"It's pointless to try scaring me, and you know it."

"Who said I was trying to scare you?"

"It's obvious," I replied, sighing loudly. "I doubt you'd hurt me without good reason, and that seems like the only possible solution."

Squishing myself back in here...

Riley-

I wrapped my wings around Ariana affectionately, brushing my lips lightly against her hair. It shimmered and glowed in the soft moonlight spilling from the gaps between leaves; constantly changing and shifting in the breeze.

"I love you, too," i whispered.

I glanced carefully at the others. Max and Isabella were talking quietly a few feet away. Val was carrying the unconscious Natan, seeming completely unburdened by the weight (and even if she WASN'T a vampire, she still could've carried him with ease. He was practically skin and bones. The kid needed to eat more). Davnix trailed grudgingly behind the rest of us, a hard, stony look to his usually bright eyes. Velna walked to the side, her brother close by, murmuring soft words into her ear. She too still held the anger burning within her.

All of this passed before my sight in a little over a second, all the while a single thought was running through my mind and on the back on my eyelids every time i blinked, imprinting the words into my vision.

We needed to get to the tower...and soon...or else our friends minds, bodies, and souls would be lost forever, i feared.

My body tensed unconsciously. I dug my nails into Ariana's flesh; not hard, but enough to leave marks. She squirmed against me.

"Ouch," she said. I immediately loosened my grasp, apologizing quickly.

Trent-


Trent gave up on calming Velna down and walked over to the others. "I don't know how Max pulled through, it seems hopeless with Velna. I don't even want to try with Davinx or Natan if he was awake." He frowned scanning the area, they needed to stop or something.

"I think the only thing we can do is go to the tower." Riley frowned,

"Why don't we stop somewhere, rest for a little while." Trent suggested,

"Where?" Max asked looking around, "I don't see anything."

"I scouted around here earlier there is a cave up ahead. We could stop there." Trent said, "It isn't that far."

Valentina~

"A cave sounds like a decent idea," I agreed, joining the others. Natan was beginning to stir, and I didn't want to be holding him in my arms when he came to.

"But, how do we know that it's safe?" Max pointed out.

"I scouted around, and trust me, it's safe," Trent assured us. I nodded.

"Let's get going then," I said at the same time that Natan groaned.

Riley-

We traveled to the cave as quickly as possible (for Val's sake) and i quickly got a fire going. Val laid Natan in a dark corner and retreated away. I noticed Isabella, Val, and Max talking quietly, Isabella and Val's eyes straying to Natan every few minutes.

I sat by Ariana and the fire along with Trent. Davnix stood stonily outside, his arms crossed and his back to us. Velna sat in another corner, her own harm crossed and her eyes hard.

I yawned widely. Suddenly i was incredibly tired, which probably wasn't helped with the fact that it was now getting late into the night and I had been trying to coax angry people to come with us and fighting demons all day. I was beat-down dead tired.

Laying down on my side, i watched the flames of the fire dance in my sight.

Ariana

I laid down next to Riley, and he wrapped his wings around me, helpping to keep me warm.

"So we're," I cringed, "flying tomorrow?"

Riley nodded, "afraid so."

I shuddered. Heights.

Riley-

I felt Ariana shudder against me and chuckled softly. "Don't worry, love, i won't let you fall. You have nothing to fear."

She shifted against me. "It's not falling-well, i guess that partially it-but it's just heights in general that scare me."

"I can't see how you don't like it. I love flying...and heights! It feels so...free."

Ariana

"I feel trapped in heights," Ariana said, "not in control."

"Not in control?"

"Not having control of where I'm going, I like to have my feet on something solid."

Riley-

I nodded slowly. "That i can understand... but flying, well, you have control over how high or low you want to go, where you want to go, and you don't have any annoying obstacles in your way. Like trees. Annoying little things..."

I trailed off, muttering to myself.

Ariana

I giggled as I listened to Riley jabber on about how flying really was free. "I suppose," I inturupted, "if I was in control of the flying, not riding with someone else, I'd enjoy it a lot more."

Riley looked down at me and smiled, "you know I think there's a way we can do that."

I couldn't tell if my eyes were widening in horror, wonder, or if my heart was picking up speed out of horror or wonder.

Riley-

I saw her eyes widen, though i could not tell what emotion danced across their mirror-like surface. I smiled tentatively.

"How?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Again, i could not tell what she was thinking.

"Well, how do you think i became an avian? I was not born this way, i assure you, but i have never died. I am no fallen angel. So what do you think?"