Phalakros noticed her look and became concerned. When she spoke, he realized that he’d probably startled her with his age.
“I am only as old as I am because of Lucitius, mine Lord. He is the Creator and Protector of Ahkrethians, and… is like a father to me,”he commented, sighing sorrowfully. He missed Lucitius.
He listened closely to her answer, intrigued. He had encountered many creatures in his service to Lucitius, but never Skin-changers. When she mentioned the children, he chuckled, smiling a bit. He then shook his head at her question.
“Nothing. I only have two forms. True Ahkrethians have three. True form, full form, and human form. Most Ahkrethian full forms are also dragons. Mine mother was avian, or something like that, and that is why I have a bird as mine full form,”he explained.
Valiel nodded. "Sounds like a good mentor. Do you see him often?" She could tell there was some level of sadness surrounding the name, and she wondered if that meant a death or separation or something else.
She looked thoughtful when he described his ability to shift. "So it's a tad more restricted. But we can both fly, so that's helpful. Can you speak in your other forms?"
Phalakros smiled thoughtfully for a moment, though it faded into melancholy.
“I used to see him frequently. Yet, I decided to leave and explore some years ago, and I have not seen him since. I know he is busy, yet I always imagined we would cross paths in mine travels,”he said, sighing.
Phalakros shook his head at her next question.
“No Ahkrethian can speak in their full form, whether they are full-blooded or a Strangeling. Except for those locked in their full forms, who must learn how to speak again. Lucitius’ brother is like that. He was wounded in battle and nearly died, yet he lost his other forms instead. I miss him as well,”he explained.
Valiel rested her hand gently on his shoulder, trying to be comforting. "You may yet find him. Don't give up hope." She could tell he felt deeply about this.
She nodded thoughtfully when he explained his forms. "So I'll just have to get good at reading you, then" she smiled.
"Well, you ready?" She stood and shifted to a wolf, reddish furred and sleek, before scenting the air. "We'll hunt together, as long as you can keep up." She teased, before sprinting off into the woods.
Phalakros reflexively shied away from her hand, but didn’t reject it. He appreciated the comfort, even though he typically avoided being touched.
“I know not. He travels far more than I,” he said with a shrug.
He chuckled a bit at her words, then shrugged. When she morphed, he did as well. He then quietly followed her, searching for potential prey.
Valiel had picked up the scent of a deer, although it was quite a ways off. She slowed from her sprint, keeping up a steady lope, until the scent got strong enough, she thought the deer must be close enough for Phalakros to see from overhead.
Phalakros smelled the deer as well, and slowed when Valiel did. He then settled on a branch, watching the deer from a reasonable distance. He didn’t know if he could help kill it, considering that he was a water bird. And, though he could easily morph, it would mean losing the advantage of stealth, and he didn’t want to do that right now.
Valiel looked up, noting her companion had landed. She shifted from the wolf to the panther, the black fur blending seamlessly into the night. She stalked the deer, managing to not make a sound, and pounced on it, dealing a killing blow to the back of its head, breaking its neck. She dragged the kill back over near the tree where Phalakros was sitting and dropped it.
She shifted back to human and flopped backwards onto the ground, winded. Her shoulder burt pretty badly after all that exertion, and the extra effort of working around the wound had tired her out.
Phalakros watched Valiel, stiffening when she became the panther again. The serpents adored her panther form, and seemed to use it like a beacon to find him.
A few moments later, the black mist swirled around her body, and a swarm of those serpents crawled off of Valiel, waiting for him. They then noticed the deer and charged, tackling it and snapping its neck mercilessly. Phalakros blinked, a shaky chirp escaping him, and he watched the panther carrying the deer back, followed by the serpents.
When Valiel was human again, the serpents faded away. Phalakros breathed deeply, then dove down, landing next to the deer. Morphing to his true form, he looked at Valiel with concern.
He then glanced at the deer, freezing at the sight. One of the serpents sat on top of the carcass, grinning evilly at him as it used one of its clawed feet to tear open the deer. Grey ichor and tar oozed out of the wound, quickly pooling on the ground and sliding toward him.
Phalakros gasped in horror, backing into a tree a few feet away from the deer. A few moments later, the entire image vanished, revealing that the carcass hadn’t changed since Valiel had dropped it. Phalakros slid down the tree, curling up as he stared at the corpse, worried that the serpent would return.
Valiel was distracted with her wound, which has started bleeding again, but she did notice Phalakros's horrified reaction. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked softly when he finally landed near her. She knew some cultures handled death and prey and food differently, so she wondered if that had something to do with it. She kept her voice soft, not wanting to throw him off more. "I'm sorry if I did. Just tell me and I'll try to fix it."
Phalakros jolted when someone spoke, startled by the voice. But, he calmed a bit once he realized it was just Valiel. He shook his head at her, not noticing that she was bleeding.
“No, ‘tis not you. ‘Tis…”he trailed off, a small whimper escaping him.
“Th… They never leave me alone,”he breathed, hiding his face in his knees.
Unfortunately, that seemed to encourage the serpents to start whispering to him. He grew increasingly tense as those whispers came closer, taunting him, promising that he wouldn’t escape them again.
Valiel frowned, and forgot her shoulder for a moment. She scooted over next to the big man, but refrained from touching him, remembering how he'd flinched last time. "Phalakros… Who won't leave you alone? You can tell me." She kept her voice soft, gentle, wanting to help him however she could.
Phalakros heard Valiel move closer and tensed even more, worried that she was just another serpent. Though, her question didn’t fit what they would’ve asked. He shakily glanced up, watching Valiel warily. He avoided looking at the deer, as three serpents were waiting for him.
“Th… the shadows. S… serpents. Beasts. Th… they stalk me. Have for m… millennia. Lucitius scared them, yet when I decided to leave, they started swarming. Th… they… they…”he trailed off, curling up and whimpering.
Valiel immediately understood, at least partially. She pulled on the light and pushed an overwhelming wave of comfort in his direction, aiming to clear his head, trying to make him feel safe. She remembered to keep the light out of the feeling, so he wouldn't burn, and focused on healing his heart, even if only briefly.
Phalakros was starting to cry when the wave of calming magic hit him. He breathed deeply a few times, looking up after a moment. The serpents were completely gone, for now at least.
He glanced at Valiel in confusion, noticing her spellcasting. Was she why he was suddenly so much calmer? It seemed like it.
After a moment, he wiped his eyes, noticing that one of them had grey ichor for tears. Instead of freaking out like he usually did, he simply sighed.
“Those… ‘serpents’, if you wish to call them such, follow me because of this,”he mentioned, showing Valiel the ichor smeared on his fingers.
“They… they are not real, yet… they seem like it. Especially in mine dreams,”he added softly, wiping off his hand.
Phalakros took a deep breath and shook his head, fighting memories of the horrid nightmares he’s had.
Valiel watched him, checking to make sure she was getting this right. The ichor was concerning to say the least. He shuddered from the nightmares, and she tried to help calm that reaction.
And promptly blacked out.
She had ignored her shoulder, which was bleeding again, and had pushed hard on the magic, which was a strain. She was tired and hungry and trying to be careful but she was a small and not particularly physically strong person, so it all took its toll.
She collapsed near Phalakros, the veneer of being in control disappearing, just leaving her looking like a small, vulnerable girl.
Phalakros managed to push away the nightmarish images, likely with some help, and turned back to Valiel just as she collapsed. His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly realized that her shoulder was still bleeding, and that she’d likely exhausted herself by caring for him.
Phalakros moved until he was right next to Valiel, and remembered that she put the bandages in her pouch. Carefully, he searched the pouch until he found the bandages, making sure nothing else fell out. He then freshened up the wrap on her shoulder, not sure what else to do. Unfortunately, he didn’t really know any healing magic, so he couldn’t help exactly like he wanted to.
Afterward, Phalakros put the bandages back in her pouch, checked her for other wounds, and after finding none, turned to the deer. The serpents were still gone, thankfully, so Phalakros had little trouble in butchering the deer.
He hung up the hide, then built a fire and a makeshift cooking area and started cooking. Though he could actually eat the meat raw, he doubted Valiel could, so he figured he’d be courteous. Phalakros then watched over Valiel, the meat, and his surroundings with an alertness gained only through experience.
Valiel was out for a few minutes, before she woke up. Her head was pounding with the familiar cadence of magical overexertion. Too much, I guess. She noticed her shoulder hurt less, and when she looked at it, Phalakros had adjusted the bandages enough to staunch the wound.
She glanced around, looking for him, and found him sitting nearby, tending the meat cooking over a fire.
She pulled herself up onto all 4 and shifted to a small reddish furred kitten, similar to a panther cub. She didn't exactly mean to, but she felt small and weak at the moment, and her brain filled that in.
She padded over to him slowly, wobbling a little, and plopped down by his feet.
"Are you cooking that for me?" she asked quietly. She could easily eat it raw, as most of her forms would, but she liked it cooked, and was very touched he would even think of that.
Phalakros heard something moving and glanced over at Valiel, watching her morph. He was a bit confused by her choice in form, but didn’t question it.
When she plopped to the ground, he curled his clawed toes, so that he wouldn’t accidentally scratch her. He then nodded at her question.
“I do not know if you can eat raw things, and thus…”Phalakros waved at the cooking fire.
She smiled at him, genuinely touched by his consideration. "Thank you so much, Phalakros." She looked at the meat. "Is there plenty left raw for you?" She curled up next to his leg, not quite touching it, but very close.
“You are welcome,”he replied, smiling softly.
Phalakros shrugged,“I do not mind raw or cooked. Yet, there is still some raw.”
He pointed to where he had neatly placed the handful of remaining pieces of the deer. Then, he glanced down at Valiel, and smiled breifly at where she was sitting. He appreciated her proximity, as it was comforting, but he also liked that she wasn’t truly against him. He’d always been twitchy about being touched, especially after gaining the dark thing inside him.
Valiel shifted back to her human form rather suddenly, surprising herself. I guess I feel better… She stayed seated near Phalakros, but not touching him, and reached for the meat. Her hand shifted to be covered in scales, with long claws, which she used to spear the meat. She glanced at him before she took the first bite. "Did you eat already?"
Phalakros jumped in surprise when she suddenly morphed, then stared blankly at Valiel for a few moments. Afterward, he shrugged to himself.
He then watched as Valiel took the meat, fascinated by her hand. When she questioned him, it took him a second to look at her directly.
“No. Yet, you go ahead. You are hurt, and have exhausted yourself by helping me. It would be rude to let you starve,”Phalakros replied.
Valiel noticed him staring at her hand, and smiled to herself. She turned it slowly, so he could see it from various angles. She had the same reaction whenever she saw particularly experienced Skin-changers shift to multiple animals at once. She still struggled with that skill.
She paused when he answered her. Oh, he's sweet…
"Nonsense, we're friends, partners. If I eat, you eat." She looked at the amount of meat they had. He'd buthcered the deer perfectly. "Besides, how much do you eat?"
Phalakros noticed the way she turned her hand for him. It fascinated him even more, but it also revealed that Valiel was aware of his staring. After a moment, he turned away, a bit embarrassed.
He paused, surprised by her words. He wasn’t used to eating with others, just because of his paranoia. But, at the moment, it would be much nicer to hang out with someone than to be alone.
“I… It varies, depending on mine mood. Yet, I can likely eat three or all of a deer’s legs, if I had a large enough appetite. Right now, after… earlier… more likely one, two at most,”Phalakros explained.
