Of Kin

Act II: Blizzard

Chapter 12

[For future reference, when the character is thinking, their thoughts will be enclosed with <>. So:

<It should look something like this> thought the author.

The thoughts will always be from the person whose point of view the chapter is being told from, so in this chapter, Corvi.]

Kald's flock proved to be much less hospitable than Fryse's. The Whitesky argents shunned their Winter's Mouth brothers and sisters and, by default, Scarlet's Kin. The red argents huddled together on a small ledge for warmth, Silvermane sticking Close to Corvi as usual. The bitter cold was a dramatic change from the comfort of the Redwoods, but even then Corvi had barely gotten any sleep, and yhe exauhstion was catching up to her.

Her head dropped as she finally managed to doze off, but she had hardly closed her eyes when Sandman's face jolted her back awake again. Corvi burned with anger. Even dead, the serpent still managed to haunt her.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Sundown, at some point, had snuck up beside her. She gave no reaction. She didn't owe him an explanation, and the less people knew about her, the better she felt. She didn't need their judgment, or their pity.

He stayed silent for a little while before opening his mouth again. "Um .... listen. You and I got off on the wrong foot."

<No kidding> Corvi thought to herself. She was too tired to even give the effort of telling him to shut up and let her sleep.

"Look, I was just intimidated. You were a stranger that was faster and tougher and smarter... I just didn't want you to outdo me.

<I didn't realize we were in a competition, but I definently outdo you.>

Sundow swallowed. "I actually really afmire you, and I guess I'm just trying to say..." He trailed off and took a deep breath. Corvi was about to muster the stregnth to tell him to go away when he blurted out the words: "I think I like you."

There was silence as Corvi processed what he'd just said. He liked her? That's why he was such a jerk to her? Because he LIKED her? Why did people see the need to show affection by being rude to eachother? Corvi shook the thought out of her head. That didn't even matter. "No," she said dryly.

Sundown cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry... no?"

Corvi stared at him emotionlessly. "The answer is no, and it always will be. Don't ever bring this up to me again. Don't even speak to me."

She waited for him to give her a cold glare, to throw his worst insult at her, but all she saw was devastation and his eyes, the hurt of her words gripping his heart. He opened his mouth again and then shut it, before turning and flying away. Guilt ate at Corvi's core. He wasn't a bad guy, but everyone dies, and Corvi had had enough of people she attatched herself to dying on her. Besides, had become something she hated, a monster of Sandman's creation, and she wasn't willing to pass that burden on someone elses shoulders.

There was a poking on her wing. Silvermane stared up at her. The little hatchling tilted his head. Corvi realized the hypocrisy in her decision immediately. She had turned Sundown away because she didn't want to attatch herself to anything she could lose, and yet here she was, allowing this little hatchling to cling to her like it belonged to her.

"It's different with you," she whispered to him, not sure if he even understood, "You've been through the same thing I have. We were connected before we even met." She sighed, too tired to hold her eyes open any longer. Her extreme exauhation managed to keep the nightmares at bay and allow her to sleep for the first time in days.

[Dramaaaa :D]

~CL1