Partner

I managed to do it. Whew. Actually once I got into it it kind of slid out until the last bit of the dream and then I was grimacing and such.

The only part of this that made me sad was the half-breed. But then... I'm totally on the side of the Sidhe... so... yeah.

Read, Review and Enjoy... as much as one can enjoy this.





The night sky sparkled over head, the moon giving them a clear view of their work field. He looked up, to over head and made Illuva’s sign, asking for her blessing this night. The circle of warriors, a constellation that had six stars encircling one star, was still just beyond the horizon. The smell of sweat and the mumblings of fear moved over the field. After days of setting up, they were going to start work.

Fear clenched at him as he adjusted his weapon. His first job, he didn’t know what to expect. When the others had said they were harvesting a precious commodity, he hadn’t realised what they meant.

The cage rolled over the ground and was dropped from the truck bed in the center of the field. Its occupant made no sound as she grabbed the bars that made up the top of the cage and gave them a shake. A hard shake.

He swore the pin lock moved. His eyes grew wide as he looked over the other twenty men. All armed and ready, they seemed not to notice that there was a little girl trapped in a cage, or that their leader was approaching her with a zapper.

Fucking thing.

He had felt the taser more than once during training.

Their leader looked around, to be certain that they were ready. And then he zapped the poor girl. Where were her parents? Why weren’t they protesting this treatment of-

Thump.

A lone male had vaulted out of the trees and landed less than a foot away from the cage. His head jerked to the side as the moon caught his eyes.

Sidhe.

They were after Sidhe? Sweet glorious Illuva save him!

The others raised their weapons, he quaked. The Sidhe were Illuva’s creatures, not to be touched by man, god or ghost. And he, he was raised a true, good follower of Illuva, just like these men, like all these men.

The weapon shook in his hand as a shot rang out. The man who had taken the shot still stood, as he turned towards the sound, but his head was strangely higher than the rest of him. Something dark spurted and he …

The head was dropped to the side as if it were a forgotten toy and the female screamed her rage as she grabbed the next man and yanked him towards her. She opened her mouth wide and tore into his shoulder and neck with her teeth.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Hold steady,” The leader snapped, “take him down, the rest will follow.”

All guns pointed at the first male. Who snuffled, snorted? He reached into the cage and broke the little girl’s neck.

“Never bring bait from rival tribe,” the male growled out.

Wait. Sidhe … spoke?

He dropped his gun just as something thumped behind him. Fear coursed through his veins, his heart threatened to leap out of his chest. He did the only thing he knew to do, he got down on his knees and began praying for Illuva’s forgiveness.

In an instant, too fast for his eyes to catch, the male had the leader and slammed his head against the metal cage, letting him fall before turning to the others. Taller than all the people present, wider at the shoulders and longer in arm and leg. The male spread his arms wide of his body, bent towards the people and bellowed.

He, there on his knees, prayed louder. Prayed and prayed and prayed as Sidhe swarmed out of the trees. This was not one tribe, no way was this one tribe.

Go away, he thought, pushing whatever was nagging him out of his mind, go away before they kill you too.

He rocked back and forth, watching Sidhe after Sidhe step onto the field.

One man let out a shot. It caught the leader in the shoulder, pushing him back a step but hardly phasing him. The man who had pulled the trigger was disarmed. With a motion, the leader told the Sidhe to disarm the rest of the people.

The Sidhe behind him kicked his gun away. The men were not touched, were not hurt in any way.

The leader had them counted and then stood atop the cage, making certain that all of them could see him as he did so, “You have hunted our lands. You have raped our women and tortured our children. No more. The next people to step onto my land will be killed. Man, woman, child, I do not care.”

He felt he had double vision. Felt that he WAS the leader standing on the cage, looking down at the cringing follower of Illuva and yet the follower at the same time. Rage was all the leader thought, rage and anger and annoyance. The old leader would have nothing to do with this. Would not kill the people who should be pitied for their stupidity.

He had removed him. Like one removes a child who clings too tightly and too long.

At the same time he was fearful of this. Of a Sidhe speaking the words of people of course that meant the gods had returned, this was Illuva come to body. Come to the land. She was going to kill them all as she threatened to do so many years ago should they ever do such a thing.

Shut up, you idiot, there’s no such thing as gods.

Go away, go away, before they catch your scent, I don’t need them knowing about me. The follower rocked faster, prayed louder. He knew eyes fell on him, he knew the change in the winds would take his scent to the leader.

Thump.

He had always been taller than the other boys.

Thump.

His mother had once tried to poison him and he had been fine. Had gotten better from the cough.

Thump.

This wasn’t right.

Thump.

He hadn’t chosen to exist. He was a good boy, a normal boy. It wasn’t true what they said.

“Half-breed.”

He choked on his own tears. They should have told him what they were hunting. He never should have come. But his father needed the money and his mother was sick and the others needed feeding.

A hand, ever so gently, lifted his face upward. He kept looking down.

“Ah… yes. A half-breed indeed,” the fingers were a caress, “Whisper says one must live. People will not listen to a half-breed,” a grin spread on the leader’s face, “We will take him with us. He has a few more years before he shatters. And when you do. My boy, I am going to unleash you on your precious leader’s city. Pick one of the others. Slaughter the rest. Slowly.”

“And this one?” a jab at his shoulder.

The leader reached over him and swiped at the one who had jabbed him, “treat him with respect. Take him to the tree. Tell my mate to care for him.”

What the fuck was going on?

Go away, go away-

The hand caught him again, the leader drew his face upward once more, peered down into his eyes and gave a sniff, to one side, then the other of his face. Opened his mouth and took a breath in as if tasting his scent.

“Power,” he sighed out, “if only your mother had survived your birth. We could do with one with blood such as hers. Out and out, nah, nah, don’t look away, I am simply… detaching.”

A thrust and he hung, suspended in the air before being slammed into the body of the man who stood next to the idiot fucking bastard they shouldn’t have brought in the first fucking place. He knew there had been something wrong with that fucking moron the moment-

“Kill that one first.” A finger jabbed at him, “ah… wait until this one is gone.”

The cunt was lead away, fucking bastard, half-breed, should have killed him in his sleep for that fucking card. Knew he should have fucking killed the bastard in his sleep.

“Now…” the leader moved in front of him, “how many Sidhe have you killed?”

The circle constellation rose over a field of blood and murder. The people had died relatively quickly, but he could recall each pain, even after the poor soul had given up and fled the body. Bits were flung everywhere and more time was spent making it look bloodier than it actually was. The leader’s head was stuck atop his truck, for the people to find the next day when they came looking.

Identifiable parts were left lined up neatly to be found. A tattoo here, an earring, still in the ear, there. The man who was left alive was covered in blood and did not have to be told twice to flee.

The screams still echoed in his ears, as he hung there, suspended and quivering and afraid. Not certain what to do.

The leader looked upward, directly at him, “Whisper only said there need be ONE survivor.”



Mik woke with a start, covered in sweat and a strangle cry dieing in his throat as he recalled that Paw was laying beside him.

Paw sat on the edge of the nest, back to Mik and head in his hands. At Mik’s cry, he looked over his shoulder and frowned.

“Nightmare,” Mik whispered between puffs, “I haven’t had nightmares like that in years.”

Paw’s reproachful look softened as he slipped back into the nest and pulled Mik into his embrace, “tell Paw about it,” the Sidhe murmured.

“There were Sidhe hunters and Sidhe and the Sidhe killed the bait and then just started slaughtering everybody and I was everybody as they died and-”

“Shhh,” Paw rocked him just slightly, running a hand through Mik’s hair slowly, “over now.”

“It’s not over,” Mik shook his head, “It’s only begun. Only one survivor. Only one survivor. Can you die in a dream?”

“Yes, Sidhe can. But not people. And Mik have no Sidhe blood,” Paw murmured comfortingly, “so Mik not die, Mik not dead.”

“Have you…” Mik frowned at a few odd bits that come floating back to his mind, “have you ever had a dream so vivid, you thought it was real?”

“Mm, every night,” Paw murmured, “Mik should go back to sleep. Dream over. Not come again.”

Mik allowed Paw to push and prod him back down into the blankets, allowed Paw to drape himself over Mik’s body. He let his eyes drift shut slowly.

And wondered why Paw’s last words had sounded more like an order than comforting words.



.