Bodyguard,lover,and friend

[Gaias_child]

Tala stirred as the dampness seeped into her bones,her neck ached from the postion she had been lying in. She almost forgot where she was or what had happened until she heard the heavy door squeaking open and she blinked as the sudden light from a lantern blinded her. She held up a hand to shade her eyes as the form of Bron entered her vision. She felt the growl rising up into her throat as she scooted back as far as she could.

"Well,seems my little prize still has some fight left in her."He said grinning as he set the lantern down on a barrel and moved forward. His large hand reaching out to grasp her hair and yank her from her crouching position. Her body pressed painfully against his and she felt his arousal against her stomach. She felt as if she was going to throw up and swallowed hard.

"You will die for all this..."She said simply as she reached up and clawed the side of his face. The furrows reddened and then the blood flowed and he roared in pain. his hand slammed against the side of her head before she could prepare herself for it and she blinked to keep from blacking out.

He reached up and trailed his hand through the running blood and then grabbed her cheeks,smearing his blood over her face. Moving he slammed her back against the wall as his hand then trail down to her hip. He pressed up and under her dirtied tunic and towards her womanhead..her legs kicked trying to stop him from touching her where only Shad'rae had any rights too. Her mind flooded with images of his last failed assault on her and wished this was all a dream. She cried out as she felt his hand close around her and squeeze,pulling her head back she slammed it forward in a headbutt that rattle even herself. She felt him loosen his grip and she fell to her knees.

"BITCH!" he cried out shaking his head, his eyes trying to find her as she scurried by him for the door. his hand reached out blindly hitting the barrel holding the lantern..the latern shattered and its fuel and flame ignited the items around them. Tala felt the heat as she yanked open the door only for his hand to wrap around the back of her neck. "NO!" She cried out as she turned and began to use her fists and legs to fight him back into the room,shoving hard to unbalance him. She didnt wait to see if she had caused any damage as she dashed for the deck ladder.

Her feet slid out from under her and she bounced down the few steps she had managed to climb,this time stunned and looking up at Bron. His face was red as he reached for her,the first explosion threw him into her and she felt the air rushed from her lungs from his weight. The ship rocked as the flames from the lantern found a storage of flashpowder,she felt it lean to one side before righting itself. Bron grabbed her by the hair and drug her long with him up on deck.

"Put those fires out! "he roared and then looked aorund,the men he had assigned watch were nowhere to be seen. He stopped and looked aorund,the lapping of the flames underneath them was all he could hear,the he heard it. the soft dips of oars in water and he grinned. "Your mate seems to have found us...a bit quicker than I would have liked."He drug Tala behind him to the main mast,grabbing his knife as he pressed her against to post. He drug the knife down along her tunic baring her skin,pressing hard enough to leave a shallow slice along her skin.

Tala cried out and then tried to call out to Shad'rae,but Bron's hand covered her mouth before she could. He loopd the rope around her neck,upper chest and under her arms tightly cutting into her skin. Then he removed his hand long enough to shove a old piece of cloth into her mouth before tying it off. He stepped back and smiled as her blood coated the once white garment,then he grabbed the end of the rope and attached it to the wench,yanking as he hoisted her from the ground to dangle above deck,her blood dripping onto the wood planks below her.

Bron turned and looked out into the darkness..."Come for her..your mate is waiting." he called out knowing his voice was heard even though he had not shouted.

 

[Last_Rider]

Shad'rae and his group had been heading to the mainland of the island when they passed another longboat headed in a slightly different direction. A brief conference indicated that Bron himself wasn't on land. That meant he was back on the boat, the same boat Shad'rae had sent on a course for the bottom of the sea. It was doubtful that Tala would be far from Bron, they both felt like they had unfinished business.

Both longboats turned together towards the ship, this time Shad'rae could discern more. Previously there had been too much noise, too much scent. He shifted into the panther, and this time could hear the commotion. He could just make out the sound of Tala amongst the calamity. Much as he wanted to hurry the oarsmen, he knew they still needed as much stealth as possible. Most of the crew were on land, but he hadn't killed everyone on the boat and wasn't sure of their number. With any luck it was just Bron and a few others.

This time as they approached, Shad'rae could hear the soft taunt Bron directed at him. The panther growled, low in his throat, the scent of his Mate's blood stinging his nostrils. He knew Tala was hurt, and his blood burned hotter. This creature, for he deigned to even call Bron a man, was harming his Tala. Was endangering their child.

The crews came up with a quick plan, but it didn't matter to Shad'rae. He was going to his Mate. Again he climbed the side of the ship, strong claws finding easy purchase in the wood. The black form was not truly visible as it climbed over the side and onto the main deck. His eyes were better in this form, and he could see Tala. The only thing that stopped his charge was his cooler head. Bron was a bully, a violent coward at heart, but he wasn't stupid. There was no way he simply tied her up and left. He was here, somewhere.

It didn't take long for Shad'rae to spot him, large and gripping a sword in one hand. The stench of lust, of cheap grog, and more than a little of his own stench hung heavy in the air. The golden eyes were now just windows into the raging inferno of his anger.

This befouled thing would pay dearly.

The panther moved into the light, growling deeply. Bron grinned, his own eyes lighting up.

"I see you came for your bitch of a Mate. Too bad, your bastard child would have fetched a high price."

Then Shad'rae saw the true danger, the sword he gripped was dangerously close to the rope that held Tala above the ground. He could easily slice it and send her falling. It may not kill her, but their child would certainly not survive. Shad'rae shifted back into human form.

"I'll make you an offer Bron. Release her now, safely, and your death will be quick."

The big brute laughed, deep in his belly.

"I think-"

Shad'rae doubted very much Bron thought all that often. During their brief exchange Shad'rae had inched closer, his human form much less intimidating and he'd seen Bron relax just a bit. It wasn't much, and his human body could never have capitalized on it. But the panther was now more than close enough. It happened in almost the blink of an eye, Shad'rae took another half step forward as Bron laughed again, then shifted. He was too close for Bron to react.

Several hundred pounds of black fury slammed into the big mans chest, toppling him off balance, the sword jarred from his grasp from the sudden impact. They grappled, the panther roaring out and biting at his enemy, Bron tried to get distance between them. Shad'rae felt heavy blows landing, but ignored them. His goal was to maim, not to kill. His claws lashed out at the biceps, his deadly hind legs sunk their claws into the meat of his legs, shredding the muscle there. Bron was a fighter through and through though, and fought back hard. More than one rib cracked under his furious onslaught, the two locked in combat.

They rolled and rolled, claws slashing and fists thudding, neither could break the deadly embrace for fear of the other gaining advantage. But Shad'rae was more experienced at this type of fighting, and his claws had done their damage. Most of Bron's tendons in his legs were cut or horribly strained. His arms would be useless at distance, and their grip was weakened from nerve damage. The panther finally slipped out of the grip of Bron, stalking around him. It actually took Bron a minute to realize how badly off he was.

Shad'rae shifted again, golden eyes still burning.

"You should have taken my offer."

Shad'rae left Bron, bleeding and crippled, but not quite dead yet. He scaled the mast, carefully working free the knots that held his Mate. The blood that dripped from her dress brought tears to his eyes. It took a bit of doing, but they got down together. Once there he slowly coaxed Tala, checking her wounds which thankfully weren't too bad. When she was more aware he smiled.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you."

It was just a whisper for the two of them, then Shad'rae moved her hand to the hilt of Bron's sword, which lay not far from them.

"I promised him a slow death, and the bounty hunters need his head to claim the reward. But who kills him doesn't matter to them. It does to me. Fulfill your oath my Mate. He is yours to kill."

 

[Gaias_child]

Tala wrapped her arms around her mate's neck as they descended to the deck,her lips close to his ear whispering gently. "I knew you would come,I knew lost hope." she said the words softly breathing them across his ear. She watched as he moved away and lifted bron's sword to her hand his words falling on her ears as she looked down at the now broken man.

Once a powerful,cruel man now reduced to a mass of nothing. his life's blood slowly running from his body as he turned his eyes up to meet her own. She could see deeply into the fading depths of his eyes. The flashes of her family and her people rushing through her mind,she could still hear the cries of pain,smell the burning huts. The bodies of her family lying broken and assaulted in the dirt like mere animals left to the scavengers of the forest if she had not returned to bury them.

She lifted the sword upwards,the blade still held touches of her own blood, her chest heaved as she took in a deep breath. the blade lifted,her arms straining under the unfamiliar weight of Bron's sword. The fading light glinted on the blade as she took in that last held breath then let it out...the blade descended and the heavy stell blade buried deeply into the deck next to bron's head. his gasp and then his muttered pleas to kill him filled the air.

"Kill me! You must...I will not let them get me!"his weak pleas fell on her ears and she looked down at him. Her eyes were blank as she focused on his face,forever etching his begging visage into her brain before speaking to him.

" I made an oath to kill you as I stood over my families graves. Grave's of my mother who had yet to bring my younger brother into this world. My father who died protecting his family and the people he loved. My brother and sister who had just begun to live their lives. Lives cut short by you...Lives that will never be replaced." She took a deep shuddering breath as she looked to Shad'rae.

"I have kept my promise to my family,people and myself. I will not kill him,but knowing he will suffer a fate that he deserves. A quick death he is not intitled to,not by my hand. I leave his fate to those who are waiting for him."She said still not looking away from Shad'rae,her eyes took on another gleam. A gleam of anger as she moved back to her Mate's side. "Now I have one more thing to do before I can be at ease. I have to let the one who put our child at risk...the one who sold us out,our people out." She didnt speak Trialle name but knew that was who it was.

"Shad'rae...take me home. Your home. Our home."She whispered as her energies waned and she let her body rest against his and closed her eyes as she tried to mute out Bron's curses behind her. She could hear others now arriving on the ship and knew that Bron was not threat to them now.

 

[Last_Rider]

Shad'rae watched, golden eyes almost never blinking as Tala raised the sword overhead and stood over the helpless Bron. She wavered, not in fear for taking life, but something else. He could almost see it in her eyes when it shifted, and the sword slowly lowered to the deck and clunked dully against the wood. Normally in stories someone like Shad'rae would nod approvingly of Tala's decision, Shad'rae didn't. This was her choice, and Bron would most certainly suffer. His arms went around Tala, holding her close to him.

"Of course my Mate."

His lips touched hers briefly as they moved away from the cursing Bron. Normally he would have stayed and watched, perhaps even added to the torment. But not with Tala. She was more important and needed him now. The rest didn't matter. They got into one of the longboats and were on their way back to the ship in no time. Shad'rae took Tala down to his bunk and got her settled in before he went back up top to check on the rest. Bron's ship was sinking, but the rest of the bounty hunters were off and heading back to the ship. He could just make out the bag that would be carrying Bron's head.

He returned to his cabin then, with a few warm blankets in his arms. While Tala's injuries weren't serious they could use tending too. A sharp pain when he pushed at the door reminded him of his battle with Bron. A little tending wouldn't hurt him either. He entered the cabin and set the blankets aside before turning to Tala.

"Come on, lets get those cuts dressed. You wouldn't know a quick fix for broken ribs would you?"

 

[Gaias_child]

Tala stirred as she felt more than heard Shad'rae return,his words had her eyes flying open. She slid from the bunk,mindless of her nakedness to hurry to his side. her eyes quickly pulled his tattered shirt from him and she hissed as she saw the bruising across his ribs. Her own injuries forgotten she led him over to the bunk and made him sit down. She looked around the room and then almost let out a happy whoop as she spied some binding laying across an old trunk.

She lifted the binding and began to wrap his ribs,slowly she secured the ribs and felt his pain as deeply as her own. her hands tied off the bindings and rested just above his navel. her eyes met his,tears brimmed to the edge of them. "I wish there was not so much pain anymore,but until one more thing is taken care of it will not go away."She whispered to him softly as she focused on him.

"I could not kill him...It would have made me no more better than him."She whispered as she continued on wanting Shad'rae to understand why she did what she did. "I want our children to know that killing doesnt make things better." She said as she took his hand and softly placed it on her still flat stomach. their unborn child resting beneath their hands.

"I need to do one more thing,moreso for our child than us. Our child's life was threatened with a treachery of another and I will not stand by for that."She said as the anger flared in her eyes. "I will confront that person when we return to our people."She said with a low growl as she watched him. She would have to reveal the traitors identity soon to him but until she had to it was a fight shew as looking forward too.

 

[Last_Rider]

Shad'rae winced several times when the bindings were cinched around his middle. Tala was careful to make sure none of the ribs were totally dislocated, thankfully each rib was only cracked or broken once and would just take time to heal. When they were back on land he knew of plants he could chew to dull the ache in his ribs.

"I do understand Tala, though even had you taken his life you wouldn't be like him. He killed your family for no reason, for blind greed and he killed those who posed no danger or obstacle. You could never be like he was."

His lips touched her cheek, then he winced when she tightened the bindings again. This was going to be an uncomfortable few weeks while the bones mended themselves. When he was as cared for as he was going to be, he started looking Tala over more closely. The only injuries that needed attention were the ones on her wrists where she'd been bound, and a couple nasty scratches. Shad'rae carefully bound her wrists with clean cloth and dabbed the others clean.

"I know someone told them, there was no way anyone should have been able to get that close to us. Whoever it was will pay dearly. I know where our people have gone, and when we return to them that issue will be settled."

 

[Gaias_child]

Tala sat quietly while Shad'rae tended to her own injuries then she lay back on the bunk and curled her body as close to his as she could get without causing him pain. She let her eyes close and thought of their unborn child,their future. She felt herself drift into her dreams,her own self clothed in a flowing white gauzy gown. She walked along a grassy bank near a pond. She looked aorund and found herself next to the pond where she had first met Shad'rae but in panther form.

She stopped next to the rock she had lain upon when she first spied him,crouching in the marsh reeds. She felt no fear,not even then. then the dream shifted as she found herself standing next to Shad'rae holding a small child in her arms as another ran about their legs laughing happily. She smiled down into the golden eyes of a daughter,her hair as golden as her eyes. the boy that ran about them hair darker his eyes ebony tried to engage his father in a wrestle.

She jerked her head around as the sky darkened and she was once more alone,nothing around her but the screams of the dying and unjured.She looked down at the sword held tightly in her blood covered hand. the body lying in front of her moaned once then was silent. the massive shadow that blocked out what little light there was stopped in front of her. " Your destiny lies not in the hands of others,but in your own by the choices you make." the voice thundered in her ears as she looked closer to the body on the ground. She looked into the dying eyes of her own body.

She jerked upright from the dream and looked around the now dark room. She looked at the sleeping form of Shad'rae and slid carefully from his side. she padded naked to the small window portal and looked out over the water. She didnt like being on the water,she liked to swim but only if she was close to something solid. She wrapped her arms around her body and stared out into the night,trying to figure out what the dream meant.

 

[Last_Rider]

Shad'rae slept fitfully. For one thing his injured ribs sent little jolts through him when he breathed too deeply or rolled the wrong way. His dreams were constantly interrupted by motions that jostled his ribs. When he was finally able to get into something of a restful sleep it was filled with shadowy images, some peaceful and wonderful, some war torn.

He felt Tala move, and slowly roused himself. She stood, nearly naked, at the port hole looking out over the waves. The journey back shouldn't take as long as the one out. On the trip to find Bron they'd had to be cautious, now there wasn't nearly such a concern. They still had to be watchful, but the odds of running into pirates or the like was lesser. These waters had been Bron's, and news of his death wasn't public yet. Shad'rae gingerly got up from the bed and slipped his arms around Tala.

"It's not so bad, though I know you don't like the ocean. We'll be back in a day or so and then we'll go looking for our people. Is something on your mind?"