Autumn's Beginning, Autumn's Breeze [2]

Arabella--

I didn't like that the shadows had ended so abruptly.

There were a lot of thigns I didn't like...

There was also taht one thing I did like. He was walking beside me, not speaking. The silence became annoyingly awkward after a while.

"Hello," I said softly. What a genius conversation starter -- I mentally smacked myself.

Ramere-

I nodded my head in acknowledgment and smiled slightly. "Hello."

A long pause stretched between the two of us. Finally i broke it.

"Why are you all the way back here?"

Arabella--

I blinked a few times. I hadn't expected anyone to notice how far back I was. It was unusual.

"No one cares where I am," I replied. This was true, in my mind. If they truly cared about where I was, or if i was okay, they would come check, not just continue walking. I looked up, meeting his gaze.

Kayla

"W-what?" I stuttered, damnit, I thought I was done with that with him.

"Welcome to the family," he repeated. I felt like I was going to faint, and glad when we started flying again, I knew my knees would be giving out on me soon if I'd left them to stand too long.

Ramere-

I watched her carefully for a moment before putting one arm around her shoulders.

"I care," i said quietly.

I didn't know how she would react, to be honest. She seemed more distant than the rest of us, almost as though she didn't know what a hug felt like. Or love, for that matter.

And I felt bad for her. All my life, i had been surrounded by my family. My loving, caring, over-protective, lazy family.

I wondered sadly if she knew the meaning of the word.


Caspan-

I scooped Kayla up, smiling broadly. "Our family is always open to those we find worthy. You, love, are much more than that."

Kayla

He must enjoy the look on my face when he said stuff like that. It wasn't just that he was flirting with me, but that he thought that he should flirt with me. That he found something special in me. Part of me wanted to smack him for it and another part wanted to kiss him.

My heart skipped a beat as I imagined how it would be like to kiss him.

Arabella--

I stiffened at his voice in my ear.

He....cared...

Quietly, I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Never, in as long as i could remember, had someone uttered those words, or anything near them. They gave me a strange feeling inside my chest -- it was light...almost as if my heart had flown away.

"Thank you," I whispered into his neck, hoping he wouldn't notice the sudden tears. I hadn't cried in so long...it was unlike me.

Ramere-

I wrapped my arms around her gently, letting my forehead rest on her head.

"You're welcome," i murmured softly. I felt a warm wetness touch my shoulder and realized she was crying.

Turns out that, sadly, I had been right. And I felt horrible for it. For her.

I couldn't imagine life without my family. Though they could be irritating at times, we all looked out for each other. We helped each other. Taught each other.

Loved each other.

And, in a few cases, we had died for each other.

I couldn't picture it.


Caspan-

No one else followed us into the air, so i hovered over them. To my intense dismay, Ramere was hidden under the trees, so there would be no chance of dropping things on him. Damn.

I looked down at Kayla again and smiled. "What would you like to do? The sky is no longer a limit."

Cara-

Cara had thought someone had put a flame to her cheeks when Caspen pronounced the name right. They switched between flying and walking from then on. When they took off into the sky again Fire jumped up in the air ahead of them as Christian picked her up. She jammed her eyes shut and waited until they evened out.

"Still nervous?" Christian laughed in her ear. She nodded smiling. She watched as teh others talked.

"What will we do when we get to the town?" She asked,



Storm--
Storm moved swiftly under the others. When they flew he just picked up his pace. He was thinking alot.

If anyone would know about the the dragons would be Crest, but he wasn't about to suggest that to anyone, he didn't want to deal with teh dragon. Especially sense he barely left his mother, and he didn't want his parents following them.

Arabella--

I did not let Ramere go. I was comfortable -- I felt safe. It was unusual, but nice.

(WALL)

Ramere-

I held Arabella in my embrace, finding comfort in her company. It had been so long now that someone like her had entered my life...if they could even begin to compare to her. Not that there had been many in the first place.

Finally, i drew back, smiling gently.

"Thank you," i said softly.

Arabella--

I nodded gently in his direction, my way of saying you're welcome. I brushed what was left of my tears away with my sleeve and noticed that the others were a good distance away. Some of them were a bit above us, in the air.

Right at that moment was when I finally noticed Ramere's scent.

I inhaled deeply as he put his arm around me and began to lead me down the trail.

His blood smelled sweet, leaving me a little hungrier than I had expected. I wasn't used to scents being this good, and this close. Pushing the thought of feeding to the back of my mind, I tried to focus on something else. I looked at Ramere out of the corner of my eye.

Ramere-

I felt Arabella's gaze on me, though I didn't turn my head. I spotted Caspan and Kayla high above us in the sky, appearing to be talking. Cara and Christian were also in the air, along with the wolf.

Storm was up the path, walking quickly. I finally glanced at Arabella and took her hand in mine, murmuring soft words. We lifted a few inches in the air, then I stopped us, letting her see what I was doing.

I looked at her questioningly, asking if she minded.

Arabella--

As Ramere took my hand in his own, we began to float gently upward. He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I smiled a crooked smile, wondering how he'd react if I made my wings visible. I had never willingly showed them to anyone, for fear of being judged, but I was so comfortable with Ramere.

I could feel tears coming again. Why I was so emotional at the point in time I could not fathom. I forced them to stay hidden, as Ramere and I floated higher and higher. He pulled me into his arms again, smiling at me. I smiled back.

Without realizing it, the glamour slowly began to fade. This was an odd thing, that only happened when one was too happy to pay attention to the small amount of magic it took to remain glamoured.

Within seconds, my wings, black and feathered, were completely visible.

I considered running. I considered flying a good distance away and going invisible.

Instead, I stayed and waited for a response.

Ramere-

I glanced at Arabella's wings, then met her eyes. She looked away.

I put my finger under her chin, bringing her eyes back to mine.

"They're beautiful," i whispered.

Without a second thought, I pressed my lips lightly against hers.