Moving into the dark (Closed)

Kyleen watched him closely, hearing him chuckle at her question only made her feel a bit foolish. But then she perked her ears a little and smirked a little.

"you could have just asked. Instead of killing everyone."

She pulled her small pack onto her shoulder and was clearly already to leave. Though she did watch what he did with that injector, unsure if he will still use it or not.

"I guess lead on..."

Kyleen said quietly and full of uncertainty. There was still quite a bit of hesitation to follow him but she did follow none the less staying a couple of steps behind him. In the distance she could hear Rayna howling as she eventually returned from her time in the moutains, discovering most of the manor was catching on fire along with the rest of the town. She tried to catch Zions' scent but there was far too much smoke clouding both her sight and scent. Though she did know where she last saw his bike and she headed off into that direction, hoping that she can still catch him.

Rayna wasn't planning on stopping him with whatever he was doing, whatever he did she knew Thanatos deserved what he got. Or whatever was taken from him, that's when she caught a glimpse of Kyleen talking to someone through the windows. With that she lingered in the distance on the roof top waiting to see what was going on.

He gave a little chuckle, slipping the injector into his backpack when Kyleen accepted his offer and at her question. He paused for a moment, camouflaging himself before shifting back to the form he had originally been in, but he didn't change his scent. Switching off the camo, he glanced back at her with a smile.

"I do have a reputation to maintain you know. My bike isn't far from here."

He was sure his presence wouldn't be questioned, as it looked like he was just rescuing Kyleen from the burning house. He didn't lead her out the front back, but through the back wall towards the abandoned factory where he had hid it. It was only a couple of blocks from one of the burning buildings, with plenty of activity and smoke to cover them.

He opened one of the compartments on the rear right side before climbing onto the bike himself, starting the engine. There was a soft whine for a moment before it went silent, but a vibration through the bike was enough to show it was on.

"Just put your bag in there and sit behind me. There's a bar behind you to hang on, or you can hold onto me. It will be a couple of days of riding to my place."

Rayna tried to follow them out of the manor, though since she wasn't inside the building, she easily lost them within the smoke. She tried so hard to pick up any scent that indicated it was that stranger, yet all she could smell was the smoke. Even Kyleens scent was difficult to pick up on, but it was enough for her to follow it a little ways noticing where he hid the bike.

It shocked her to see Kyleen willingly going with him, also a bit of jealousy stung her slightly. Rayna growled and was about to chase after them till another gust of smoke burned her eyes and nose.

Kyleen still wasn't sure about all this, no knowing why she was so easily going with a man that just killed most everyone she ever knew. There was some sadness deep within her, especially when she thought about Ulfric, he was always there for her.

With one last look at the place she used to call home, she did as he instructed and even hid her tails away so they wouldn't get caught in anything. Or worse, become a giant rats nest with the wind, but she did keep her ears visible as she decided she liked them far better.

She didn't say anything more to him though as she slid onto the bike and for now, held onto the bar behind her. It felt strange to be on a hover bike and she really didn't trust it all that much, even if it did hold him quite well. When she held onto the bar, it was with a death grip and her heart raced at an unbearable pace. Other than that, she was ready to go wherever that was.

Rayna heard the soft hum of the bike and she bolted in that direction if nothing else, to hopefully see what direction they were going in. At this point it wasn't so much about chasing after him, it was mostly chasing after Kyleen to find answers. All of this looked like she was in with all this destruction, she didn't fight that man off, she even had a pack with her. None of it made sense to Rayna.

He glanced back for a moment to make sure Kyleen was somewhat ready before turning back around. As he put the bike into gear, it rose slowly to a foot off the ground. Keeping to the outskirts of turn, he soon had them on the main road out through the mountains.

He could only imagine what kind of monster she thought he was. He also understood she wasn't like the inanimate objects he had stolen, but a living being. However she could also be the partner he was looking for, with the right type of work. Judging from finding her with her bag already packed, he knew she had planned on running away anyways. However she had also been sheltered from the way things outside her little bubble had been.

They had passed through the mountains by the evening, so he pulled into a abandoned trailer park just off the main road. Most of the place had become overgrown with weeds and wild flowers. There was a small run down building with a sign reading OFFICE above the door. He pulling the bike around behind the building before parking it.

"We'll stay here for the night."

He opened a compartment on the right front, pulling out two MREs, putting one on the seat for her. Then he pulled out a rarity, two bottles of water. He placed one on the bike for her as well.

"I'm sure you've got some questions for me, so we'll head inside. After you, little one."

There were a couple things she was at least glad she did before all this happened. One was choosing to wear the simple cotton tank top with shorts instead of a nightgown. And secondly, that she had braided her hair otherwise that would be far worse than it was when they stopped.

Kyleen never let go of that bar, though there were a few times she wanted to just to get feeling back into her hands. There was also a mixture of scents that poured off him as they rode and only one was familiar to her, the smokey scent of a dragon. Not that she knew what a dragon smelled like, let alone knowing they were still around in the world but that was the scent that made him different to her.

While he was moving around, giving her a couple of things Kyleen just watched him the whole time, though she did take the water. When he mentioned going inside for the night it finally hit her that she is completely alone with this man and now in some strange place. She glanced around the place taking in the surroundings and her ears laid low as she didn't really know where she was, let alone run away from him.

There was some part of her that didn't think of him as a monster, however, she also really didn't know what to think of him either. For a time she kept quiet as she slid off the bike grabbing the things he gave her and proceeded to go into the building. It gave her the chills knowing he was behind her as they walked and she didn't like that, didn't like not knowing his intentions.

Kyleen froze a little just as they got to the door and with her heart pounding, she forced herself to go inside the little office. Though she didn't go very far in, unable to move her feet once inside as another fear washed over her, something she hadn't really considered till now.

Once that fear kicked she backed up a little, retracing her steps only to back up into him and she froze again.

"What are you going to do to me? And why me? I have nothing that would benefit you.... Why am I your prize?"

Her voice tried to sound strong but it failed as more of that fearful thought took over, all she wanted to do was run but he was blocking her way out for the moment.

"I... I... I want to go back."

clearly a lie beyond any doubt as she turned around and tried to slip past him.

He followed her inside the office, stopping for a moment to look behind them for a moment. He doubted anyone was able to get away from the confusion to follow them, but he just had to be sure. He raised an eyebrow for a moment at her questions and the smell of her fear. It was subtle, but he smelled it and could see it on her face as well as her body language.

"I don't plan on doing anything with you at the moment. As far as benefits from you...you are unique as far as the world is concerned. I call tell how priceless you are. You might say it's in my nature to value and collect the priceless treasures of the world."

He took a moment to open his water bottle, taking a sip from it. He placed the lid on it once more before turning so she could get by. He knew how dangerous things were, this far from civilization. Call it a test to actually see how she would act, continue fighting or give up to run back home to her cage.

"If you want to go back to the gilded cage, that is your wish. I can give you greater freedom than 'daddy' has."

It actually stunned her that he would allow her to leave, after everything he went through to 'claim his prize', he would just move to the side. The state of mind she was in didn't really allow her to think past each moment, not even coming close to thinking this was a test.

Out the door she went running off in some random direction and into the pitch black of night. Kyleen lasted all but five minutes out there before she shifted into full kitsune form and came running back inside. The silence of that time of night was the scariest part for her, the only sounds that were heard was a pack of wolves off in the distance and a few crickets. There was no moon, just a blanket of stars which made the forest ground pitch black and under normal situations, this wouldn't have bothered her so much as she can see fairly well at night. Tonight was different though, the outside world..... her world has changed and she wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

What really made her run back inside though was something metal crashed to the ground behind her. If she would have stuck around she would have discovered it was just a rodent seeking food. Instead she shifted and ran back inside to where he was, curling up on a couch.

Maybe I can wait till morning....

her voice rang into his mind as she spoke from her kitsune form, thinking if she stayed in this form for now, he'll be less likely to try something.

What should I call you? It's obvious the name you gave Thanatos isn't real.

The exhaustion of the all the excitement was slowly started to kick in as she tried to relax a little more, all the while considering her new options. Kyleen couldn't keep her eyes off him as she both watched and admired him, she couldn't help the slight attraction she still had for him. Even if she never admits to it.

What are you? I've never met anyone with your scent before.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile Rayna was a little over an hour behind them, taking her time in following the faded scents that was left behind. Theirs were the only scent along the road and it was dead of night so for this part, it wasn't that difficult to figure out the direction they went. She followed the scented trail and the road till she figured out where they stopped, however she didn't go anywhere near the building. For the time being she wanted him to think they weren't being followed, finding a place of her own to rest as the smoke still burned her eyes. Rayna wasn't all that tired after sleeping for 12 hours, but it has been one hell of a night for her too.

He gave a little chuckle for a moment when she ran past him into the night. He didn't bother to follow her, knowing there wasn't anything around for miles. Chances are she would come back before long. Instead he just went further into the office.

He sat down in an old chair that was behind the desk, dropping his bottle and MRE on the desk. He had just opened the bag, pouring out the contents when she came running back in. He picked up his knife and sliced open the large packet of spaghetti, mixing it up with the spoon. He looked towards her as he heard her speak in his mind.

"You are right, that wasn't my name. The name given to me was Zion. No last name. As far as what I am, I believe the scientists referred to me as a hybrid. I'm am half human, half dragon, or some mixture of the two."

He ate a few bites before continuing.

"It doesn't surprise me about meeting another like me. Four of the five dragons that came during the Great Incident ended up dead after appearing. I believe the survivor, a red dragon, made his nest somewhere in Europe."

He pointed towards her own MRE and water.

"You can't exactly eat or drink like that. Oh, almost forgot...."

He pulled off the cloaking discs, laying them on the desk. Next he pulled off the spent anti-magic discs, tossing them into an empty trash can.

Against her better judgement she shifted back into the human form knowing that he was correct, well almost, she could easily eat in that form. It was just messy sometimes. There was something about how casual he was after everything that bothered her, his calmness and the way he spoke, it was all as if nothing happened at all. That's the part that she couldn't figure out, with her, the shock of everything was still fresh and she was still a bit freaked out over it.

"He isn't my 'daddy' and never will be."

Finally softly speaking after contemplating over what he said as she reached for the food and water he gave her, using her sharp claw-like nail to tear into the packet.

"In fact he was one of many that killed my kind, experimented on them. I bet he never mentioned that part did he? Always Making himself look like a good guy."

Kyleen had a hard time eating with her gut wrapped up in a tight knot, but it has been a while since she ate and the adrenaline was fading quickly. For the first time tonight she wasn't watching him or keeping her eye on him while she ate, in fact she seemed lost in thought.

"So what happens now? It's obvious I won't get very far on my own, and if you are not going to kill me or.... do anything else to me. What do you expect me to do other than be a burden?"

She couldn't manage to say the word rape, the thought alone left her speechless with fear, a fear that she was forcing herself to push to the side.

He finished eating as he thought about the answer to her question. Using the bigger bag, he carefully placed all the trash in it before setting it aside. He took a few sips of water before answering her.

"Well, I can offer you a choice on how things can proceed. Since you already had your pack together, you were obviously planning on leaving sometime in the future. I just happened to come along and speed things up."

He leaned back in the chair, putting his feet on the desk.

"If you had left on your own, without my interference if you think of me that way, you wouldn't have survived long in the bigger world. You could end up wander along till you perhaps starved, get captured and turned into a slave, or Thanatos would have just hunted you down like a rabbit."

He took another sip of his water.

"The choice I offer is to come with me, allow me to give you the tools to survive, and stay with me. I have no plans to keep you in a gilded cage like Thanatos has done. Your other choice is to leave on your own and face the dangers of the world alone."

He took a deep breathe for a moment, folding his hands on his chest. He had a plan for how to deal with Thanatos, but that was something in the future, if she decided to stay. He figured she would take him up on his advice and offer, but he would give her till morning.

"There's no rush to decide tonight. I suggest getting some sleep on it and let me know if the morning."

Kyleen fell silent after hearing what he had to say, his offer to help her learn how to survive in a world that thrives on hunting down her kind enticed her enough that her ears perked a little. Though the thought of Thanatos hunting her down only caused the ears to lay down again.

"Starving would be the last thing that would happen, I at least know how to hunt and steal little things. Yes, you did interfere with what I had planned. But it also helped me get further than I would have on foot."

She drank a bit of water before resealing the packet with a little spell, saving the rest for later considering she seriously couldn't eat right now. After going back to the couch she opened the window a little to let in some fresh air, she was trying really to not be picky or act spoiled. The truth was, she was already missing her bed as she curled onto what was left of the couch, wrapping her tails around her.

"It honestly seems as if I don't have much to think about. Thanatos will search the ends of the world for me before any slavers caught me. If they catch me first, he'll be one of the first to know about it. I have no real choice but to go with you..."

He smiled hearing her accept his offer. He would have found a way to make her stay anyway, but that was beside the point now. He watched her move about, opening the window before laying on the couch.

"Don't worry, my home is someplace he won't be able to find you. Now get some sleep little one. We will leave at first light."

He watched her for a few moments longer before closing his eyes, falling asleep. He had caught a familiar scent on the night breeze when Kylern had opened the window, but chose not to investigate.

It was a little before dawn when he finally work up. Looking around for a moment, he noticed his MRE bag was gone, probably taken by the mouse that had started Kyleen earlier. He got up from the chair, stretching for a bit.

He moved over to the couch, watching her sleep. He reached out for a moment, running his fingers lightly over those soft fur tails. After a few moments he spoke softly.

"Time to wake up."

It actually took Kyleen a while before she truly fell asleep. everytime she closed her eyes all she could see was Ulfric in her room with his spine ripped out. Then there were a few images of Thanatos finding her with the most angry look in his eyes, a look she knows all to well.

There were moments when she would wake up to find herself in a strange place, old musky scents that hurt her nose and then there he was. Sleeping in the chair as it was the most comfortable place to be, she honestly couldn't see how anyone could sleep like that.

Soon sleep finally did manage to catch up to her and she at least got a couple hours, maybe three at most before she felt something touching her tails. At first it startled her a little, but the touch was surprisingly gentle and comforting, it even brought out a soft purr.

His voice made her wake up fully however and then she remembered where she was, everything came rushing back to her. After a moment or two gathering herself, trying to not think too much on what had happened, she looked at what she was wearing. When she realize how revealing it was in the daylight, she blushed brightly and hid within her tails a bit more, her pack was still outside in the bike.

Kyleen quickly thought of an outfit to wear and the pj's shifted into jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt. Only after she changed, she stood up and looked around for her water.

He laughed for a moment as he watched her change her outfit. He reached over for a moment and picked her bottle, holding out to her.

"Nice outfit, it suits you. Drink up and we'll go."

He reached out for a moment, placing his hand on her cheek for a moment. He turned and grabbed his own water, finishing it off. He looked to her for a moment before going out to the bike, putting away the empty bottle. He started up the bike after climbing on, looking around as he waited on Kyleen.

The heat rushed to her cheeks at the compliment and towards the touch of his hand, even Ulfric wouldn't touch her like that, always afraid of what Thanatos would do. But she pushed those thoughts away when he pulled away and left, he was a far cry from Ulfric and much, much more better looking too.

She finished off the water and shortly followed him outside, the bike still intimitated her a little as she climbed onto the back of it.

"Well, it isn't like I can go around in my pj's all day on the road..... You would enjoy that too much."

She teased a little before deciding this time she will hold onto him instead of the bar, not knowing how far they were going to go, she didn't want her arms to fall asleep again. All the while she hid her tails again to keep them safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayna was awake with the sun feeling a bit more refreshed with the little sleep she got, her eyes weren't burning nearly as bad anymore either. From a short distance she watched them both get on the bike, noticing how Kyleen held onto him and she growled slightly under her breath. That little tid bit of jealousy tickled her again and she was beginning to seriously hate that feeling. Never in her life has she been jealous of anyone and she didn't want to start now.

However, she would a little while for them to leave before trailing after them.

He smirked for a moment at her comment.

"And non-revealing can be just as sexy as revealing."

He looked back at her for a moment as she decided to wrap her arms around him this time. It took a moment and they were back on the main road again. They reached the outskirts of old San Fransico around noon. They journeyed through the deserted outer limits for some time before they reached New San Fransico, where he turned onto the highway.

Some attempt had been made to keep the roadway together, but it was showing wear. They hit traffic, the air thick with heavy smells, sounds, and various sights. Vehicles of all types drove around them, all wheeled. There were even a few trucks filled with slaves and the occasional military vehicle.

He weaved through the traffic as best he could. He did occasionally reach down to make sure Kyleen's arms were still wrapped around him. The city grew up on either side of the highway, beautifully built. He soon pulled off in a rest stop a few miles outside of the city. A few other vehicles were there, people roaming after.

He brought the bike to a stop as close to the building as possible. He glanced back at Kyleen.

"Bathroom break if you need it. Make it quick though so we can move on."

Kyleen didn't like the city as they drove through it, the buildings fascinated her and she was curious about a lot of things. The downfall of it all was simply the smells and far too many people for her comfort level. When they passed by certain vehicles and she caught how people were looking at her, she would bury her face into his back with ears flat.

The slave trucks were the worse as it seemed like the slavers were drooling over what they saw in her and she refused to give them attention. When she felt his touch on her arms the reaction was just her tensing up and holding onto him tighter in fear of what was around her. There was no way she would ever make it such a place, if she even made it this far to begin with.

The further they went, the more she missed the manor and the mountains, the fresh scent of trees. Out here was something she didn't think she could get used to.

When they stopped and he mentioned a bathroom break, that was when she finally looked back up to see they were clear of traffic and the city. Though when she glanced at the restrooms watching the people come and go from them, she scrunched her nose a little with disgust.

As always though, the situation didn't allow room for her to argue as she did have to go. Reluctantly she slid off the bike and made her way into the restroom. It smelled awful to her and she hurried up just to get to get out of there more than anything.

Kyleen looked up at Zion when she came out, noticing all the stares she was getting from random people, most the men that were around. He can see that she didn't like it here and her thoughts were going a million miles an hour, just about each of those thoughts flashed through her blue eyes.

"Is there somewhere we can eat. I'm getting a bit hungry."

She spoke quietly, almost as if she was afraid to speak at all by the way a couple of men were glaring at her. After waiting for him to be ready, she climbed back onto the bike and hid her face against his back.

After she climbed back on, he laid a hand on her arms for a moment. He strategy the bike up, but didn't drive yet.

"Yes, I know a little place a couple hours up the road. I'll get us there quickly."

He did notice two guys talking between themselves before starting towards them. He gave a smirk for a moment before throttling up and racing them out of the rest area. He could imagine their cursing at his sudden departure.

Their journey was soon flanked by green pastures, dotted with the occasional abandoned house. They were parrellel to the ocean, only a few miles from the coast. The air was soon clear, the smell of the sea and salty air reaching them.

They soon arrived at a quaint roadside diner, mostly deserted of tourists. It was a family-owned place, a family of five elves who were welcome to see the pair.

The fresh air seemed to perk her up a little more and she appeared to relax some as they hit the pastures and ocean. Her nose was going wild at all the new scents and her ears perked up with excitement when she watched everything go by. This area she clearly liked especially when she saw how beautiful some of the older houses were and could see herself living one of them.

When they stopped at the diner, Kyleen slid off the bike and stretched out stiff limbs, the smell of food made her gut grumble with anger. Soon she followed him inside, her nose almost like a little hound as she looked around her surroundings. This place was far better than the rest stop was, even if a few people noticed her just like in the city, only kinder looking.

"Where are going anyway?

She asked after ordering the special which was hamburger with fries and also she wanted a banana split milkshake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayna was able to trail for most of the way to the city, but once in the city she had to slow down by a lot and was forced to more time between them. This part of her hunt took careful planning and lots of listening to rumors and news, she was sure that people don't see blue kitsunes very often and news like that travel fast in cities like these.

She eventually found an abandoned apartment complex on the outskirts of the city after having to steal a car. Being in wolf form in the middle of the city was a bad idea and then there was the slavers that were always on the hunt. For now, she had to wait things out and find the right places to sit and listen. For the most part she can guess they were heading for the coast by the general direction he was going. However, she wanted to be sure.

Once they sat down at a table, the wife greeted them and took their order. Zion ordered a large steak and potatoes, with a glass of milk. As they waited for their meal, he looked out the window.

"We're heading to the coast. To place where no one will be able to find us unless I want them to."

He watched some seagulls in the distance for a moment before looking at Kyleen.

"We can keep going to my place, well our place now, but we won't arrive till after midnight. Or we could find someplace to rest for the night and continue in the morning."

He didn't tell her yet that this would probably be the last she sees or smells the ocean and countryside for awhile. Her training was going to keep her in the base for several weeks at least.

Kyleen thought about the choice he gave her and for a moment her ears perked when she thought about being able to stay here. Though it faded almost just as quickly, suddenly feeling a little too childish, also another thought popped in thinking that he most likely just wants to go home.

"We can keep going, midnight doesn't sound too bad."

While she ate the food she kept looking out the window and soaking in the scene. It looked like a scene off a postcard and she couldn't believe she was actually here. There was some effort on her part to keep control over the excitement, last thing she wanted to do was act like a fool.

He wasn't in a hurry to go home, but he went along with her decision. Once he finished his meal, he decided to explain about where she would be going.

They would be entering by a service elevator large enough to handle two fully loaded semis and then some. They would go down underground six stories. The base was built to sprawl out over an area of one square mile. The first floor of the base was the maintence floor. It contained the base generators, oxygen scrubbers, waste recycling, vehicle garage, vehicle maintence, an enclosed driving track, and a well stocked armory.

The second floor was the residential area. It contained enough rooms for one hundred fifty personnel to live. Each room held a king size bed, two dressers, and small bathroom with shower. There was also a large kitchen, large dining area, hydro phonics lab, indoor garden, two gyms, indoor pool, and running track.

The upper two floors was the research labs. Everything the scientists researched during their time there, between weapons and the genetic engineering done to create him was done there. He also told her about the human formed robots that had been built to act as the maintence crew for the base. Zion als did a bit of maintence himself, making sure the robots were working right himself.

Once he finished tell her about the base, he ordered some homemade strawberry pie for the two of them.

"Any questions for me so far?"

The place sounded intriguing to her and she liked the idea of being able to explore such a place, though there was only one downfall and the more he spoke a gut feeling was sinking in.

"Underground?"

That alone told there would be no windows, no connection to the outside world, no more open windows for at night or balconies. She looked down at the rest of her food and the pie he had ordered, though she ate like nothing was wrong, her ears and eyes gave her away.

It was so deep underground at that and had everything a person could ever want, which told her a few other things already getting the feeling of having made a mistake. Kyleen was trying so hard to be strong as it all started to sink in more and she still didn't fully trust him either, for her there was no telling what he'll do once he brought her back there.

"I won't be going outside anymore will I?"

Kyleen wasn't as naive as most people think and being that far underground meant coming up was a rarity, after all, that's what it was meant for. The scientists she knew hardly ever left their labs, a life she couldn't possibly imagine for herself.

"You found and chose a treasure that thrives on being outside.... And you are taking it to live deep underground... Free from one cage and tossed into another."

What little strength she did have was hanging on by a mere thread the more she thought about this, making another attempt to just leave now was there. There were plenty of abandoned houses she could easily snag, though the rest of her survival out here alone also hung on that same thread. No matter her options, she knew things were better off staying with him.

"I hope you don't expect this to be easy for me."

Kyleen said quietly while keeping her head low as she picked at the rest of her pie, not even looking out the window anymore while she tried to accept all this.

He shook his head softly for a moment as he listened to her questions.

"No, I don't expect you to live there permenently like that. You will be able to go outside. I never planned on having you hide underground like that. True, the base was setup to live like that for long periods of time. However it doesn't have to be that way. You will be able to enjoy the outdoors."

He reached over for a moment, laying his hand over hers for a moment.

"It will not be a prison like you have placed in while Thanatos was holding you."

She watched as his hand reaches for hers and she smiled a little feeling the comfort it provided, though she was still fairly iffy in what he said. Thanatos fed her the same thing, only to find excuses to keep her inside, however Zion did have a different vibe about him. Beneath all that rugged exterior, there was some sort of compassion that she could see and his eyes showed no sign of lies.

"Do you promise?"

Kyleen finished off the pie while holding onto his hand for a little longer, in reality she had no choice but to trust him. And she did have to admit to herself that it did feel safe being around him, even after everything she saw him do.

"I'm ready to go when you are."

Just as she was getting ready to get up, she heard the two men from the rest stop come into the diner. This made her hesitate a little, especially when they looked in her direction and whispered to each other. Soon enough she forced herself to finally get up and stayed close to Zion.