Blood-Bound (Argen's Adventures) Chapter 2

Blood.

Crap. It's everywhere- it’s dripping-

Snap out of it

Please

It’s just blood

“Argen? Come on, wake up!”

Someone was shaking her.

She couldn’t escape her mind, couldn’t follow the voice back to safety, her eyes practically chained in place, staring at her bleeding hand.

It’s so…smooth…and warm…it…smells…i…i can smell it..

It…smells good..

She felt her canines extend, fangs beckoned out by the metallic aroma of her blood as something stirred inside her. Something new. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me- stop getting turned on by your blood!” A sudden pain blossomed on Argen’s cheek like fireworks, snapping her out of her trance and causing her to let out a sharp gasp. Someone had slapped her. She looked down at her bloody hand again, processing what just happened as her chest heaved to calm her racing heart. “Oh no no you don’t, I’m not slapping you again,”

A rough, strong hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet their eyes. Crow.

Well, she couldn’t exactly meet his eyes, not because she didn’t want to, but because of the bird yokai’s mask. It was crafted from the skull of a ram, if she remembered correctly. The horns had been sawed off, but the base remained, adorned with gold jewelry in various shapes and designs that added contrast to his dark feathers. She had never seen Crow’s eyes, but then again, Raven wore a mask as well, though his was the skull of a stag, so Argen just assumed it was normal.

Despite the ram skull, Crow was unmistakably a bird yokai.

Dark feathers, the color of the night sky fanned out from the base of his mask, arching upward like a crown. Longer feathers cascaded down his back in layered sheets, thinning the farther they reached. Lighter plumes curled over his shoulders, sweeping inward toward his chest. More feathers clung to him in seemingly random but artful places, gatherings at his wrists and tufts around his ears where they tangled into his dark hair.

His clothes were loose and layered, mostly in earthy tones such as faded greens, dusty blacks and deep browns. They hung loosely on his slender frame, lightweight enough so he could fly with them. His belt was cluttered with small pocket bags, stitched on seemingly in a random placement. He wore no shoes, leaving his feet bare and his talon-like nails exposed. Gold trinkets glittered across him, looped through his belt, hooked into feathers and dangling from the remnants of the skull mask. Against his warm, caramel-toned skin, the metal stood out like stars.

But it was his wings that truly captivated you. Vast and powerful, they stretched behind him like a cloak of shadow. Each feather was a deep, inky black that gradually faded to dark gray at the tips. His arms were separate from his wings, and just as striking, inked with elegant black tattoos: phrases written in the language of birds. His fingers ended in curved, talon-like nails, sharp and threatening.

Her chin was held by his hand with the onyx ring on it, the very one she’d stolen from him once when they were kids. He’d gotten it back quickly though, he always was one step ahead. Even now he was ahead, pressing a rag into her bloody hand, letting go of her chin. “Clean yourself up, you fecking clutz.”

A small smile hinted at the corner of her lips as she rolled her eyes but listened. Her gaze once again drifted down to her blood as she wiped at it, sighing softly. He always had the effect of snapping her out of her trances. “You’re awfully rough on someone who's injured ya know.” She teased softly as she dabbed at the blood, amusement laced in her tone.

“I didn’t slap you that hard. You’re fine.” He scoffed, bending down to pick up the broken pieces of the dish that she had dropped. “Be more careful next time. You scared your poor mom,” Argens eyes snapped back to Crow, guilt surging through her. “Is she okay?”

He paused before glancing at her, tilting his head ever so slightly, making Argen wish she could see his expression. Instead, she was left guessing what that meant as she stared at the skull of a corpse. Crow let out a small sigh, looking away again. “Yeah. She’s fine, don’t worry. Just…take it as a cautionary tale.” Argen watched him, silent as she gave a slight nod. “Okay.” An awkward silence hung between them, both too engrossed in their thoughts to speak.

I wish I knew what he was thinking. It's not fair that he can always tell how I’m feeling but he never tells me anything. She put her bloody rag in the sink, moving to the doorway, noticing his head turning in her direction. Sometimes I want to rip that stupid mask off of him. Or maybe I’m looking into it too much. I..I..hate…ugh nevermind. I just need to get a grip.

Argen let out a sigh that came out more frustrated than she intended, pushing open the sliding door. It was cooler than it was before and the lighting had darkened, but it wasn't unusual, just clouds blocking the sun. Her shoes crunched on the gravel as she crossed to the grass. She didn’t exactly know what she was doing, or why she was doing it, and she felt a bit rude; but outside was her sanctuary. She needed it after her mothers bombshell.

“Because we’re moving”

The moment replayed in Argen’s mind and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to stop thinking about it.

“Did you forget about me?” Crow's voice from behind startled Argen, her eyes shooting open as her cheeks warmed. “No. Kinda. Sorry. It…” She trailed off, eyes moving to his, instead being greeted with small black pools of shadows in his mask. Real inviting.

“It’s nothing.”

Despite how brave Argen was with all things involving outside of her home, she couldn’t bring herself to open up to Crow. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that he was a safe person to confide in, she couldn’t bring herself to communicate how she really felt. How was she supposed to bare out her soul to someone who she hadn’t even seen the face of?

“You’re drifting again. Come back down to us, astronaut.” It was small, timid and barely a blur of movement, but he raised his hand before letting it drop again. He’s so confusing! Pushing aside her active mind, Argen plastered a small, natural looking smile onto her lips. “I still don’t know why you bother with that nickname. It sounds like gibberish.”

Crow snorted softly as he rustled his wings, his demeanor seeming back to its normal sassy stance. “It’s a human word. An old one.” Argen’s brows raised and her arms crossed. “So it's creative because it's a human word and I’m part human? Bet it took you all day to think of that.” Sarcasm was her best trait, it was a part of her that she learned from Crow, but she would never tell him that.

“No. It means something else.” She could almost hear a smile in his voice.

“And what would that meaning happen to be?” She inquired, her head tilting ever so slightly in the direction of the house. Talon scrapes. Must be Raven.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what’s on your mind.” Crow offered, and based off of the way his head inclined, Argen knew he heard Raven too. He continued on. “But I know you won’t, so I’ll just grill Raven later, and you’ll never know what an astronaut is.” He made a small ‘tch’ noise, shrugging as he sauntered in the direction of the house.

I swear- he acts more like a peacock than a crow…

Just as her mind mentally did an eye roll at the sassy steps of Crow, her face lit up as her gaze locked onto her favorite being. “Raven!” Argen cried, dashing over to the taller, more grown looking bird, who laughed and happily received her in his ready stance. His arms and wings folded around her, their own version of a hug. She felt a little silly for her reaction, seventeen was probably too old to run into someone's arms. But if there was ever someone to break the rule with, it would be Raven.

“Good to see you, Argen!” He said, scruffing up her hair as he let her go. He looked similar enough to Crow, but was obviously a different species of bird. He wore the same feather headdress as the younger bird, however his feathers were tinted a gorgeous dark blue, and his bone mask was from a stag. The jewelry that adorned him was a sharp silver color, and his skin was several shades darker.

His clothes were similar in color and design, and a cloak hung on his shoulder which seemed to add an air of mystery to him. Unlike Crow, Raven was warm and approachable, making it easy for Argen to hear the smile in his tone. She loved that about him, it was something she sometimes wished her mother had.

When she was younger and accepted that she would never see her dad, she resorted to daydreaming. She fantasized of a future where Raven would marry her mom and he could be her Dad, and it would be a happy little family. She later found out that he was married, which put a stop to her plans. But as long as she had him in her life she was content.

“It's good to see you too! How’s Meldri?” She asked, enthusiasm leaking into her voice. “Ah- she’s uh-” He started to answer, pausing before tilting his head towards the sky. It was a bit darker, but nothing unusual. He glanced at Crow, who nodded back at him. It was only for a moment that Raven seemed to falter before continuing. “She’s great! She’s visiting her sister right now, and they’re close as ever. How are you feeling about the move?”

Argen went quiet for a moment, her smile stalling. She heard Crow let out a quiet, stifled gasp. “What?!” He coughed, clearly shocked. “It…it's new. For sure.” Argen kept it simple, since her mother hadn’t told her anything else. Wait. Her mother.

Argen’s eyes snapped up to Raven’s mask. “How is my mother doing? Is she alright?” Raven let out a chuckle, nodding and resting a hand on her shoulder. “She’s fine, don’t worry.” She let out a breath, but before she could respond, Crow piped up. “Raven- do you feel that?”

Argen quieted, listening and glancing around to figure out what was to be felt. Raven paused, waiting for a moment before answering. “I shouldn’t be feeling it.” He looked up at the sky then back down. “I..something isn’t right.”

Then she felt it. Small prick points of wetness landing on her hair, startling Argen. It started slow at first before it started coming down faster, the cold liquid leaving wet imprints on her clothes. She stared up at the sky, blinking before glancing back at Raven. “What is this…stuff..?”

She held her hand out, her palm facing the sky as she slowly started catching the clean dots.

“It’s water. It’s called rain.” Crow answered, sounding amused.

“Why is it so cold?” Argen asked curiously, staring up at the sky again, a small smile appearing as the “rain” came faster. “Rain should not be in the boundary.” Raven muttered, glancing back at the house.

“Is something wrong?” She murmured, growing curious and slightly concerned.

“No- it’s all fine-” Raven looked over at Crow, seeming uneasy. “I think we just need to get you out of here earlier than usual-”

A loud shriek cut through their conversation, and Argen’s mother stumbled out of the house, falling to the ground when she tripped on the root in the door track. “Raven!” She cried as he raced over, helping her off the ground. The panic on her face was tangible. “He’s coming-” She was cut off by violent coughs, blood spitting from her mouth.

“What?” Raven and Argen asked at the same time, staring at Melverosa. “Argen- her father- he’s coming early.” She gasped, wiping blood and hair from her face. Raven tensed, his head whipping towards Crow. “Take Argen and leave, quickly!”

“What is happening?” Argen demanded, looking in between Raven and Crow. “Why is that a bad thing?” She jumped slightly as Crow grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the barrier. “Crow? What’s going on?”

“It's nothing bad, don’t worry about it.” Raven called after her, trying to carefully pick up Melverosa. “Crow? Crow- answer me-” Argen was growing increasingly concerned as the rain started to pour, soaking them both. “Please just trust me, Argen.” He whispered, glancing back one final time at Raven. “Please.” Those were his final words before his arms wrapped around her, taking her through the barrier.

Then everything went black.