ShyaraChan: *Rowrr hangs back, two legs dragging slightly now.
Don't follow.
He was to get her out of the cave, and his mission is complete. She's out. He raises his nose to the wind, which has begun to whip once more, and squints, attempting to see beyond the curtain that's moved across his field of vision. No trace of her, not a sign. If he moves from here, he'll be lost again - not in the darkness, but easily equally blind.*

Elae111: *she stares ahead, her head low, eyes vacant of any thought, masked away from any touch of reality. each step is numb, silent on the endless snow field, leading her nowhere at all, she just walks.*

ShyaraChan: *Leans for support against the wall, relaxed for the first time in what seems to have been centuries, and could only have amounted to a few hours. He turns his head to look at his wing, wincing at the slight movement, and sighs at the sight. It's a twisted mass of feathers, stained brown with dried blood. He can't feel anything in it any longer, though, which is a relief. He forces his gaze back on the snow, afraid he'll make himself believe that it still hurts.
He realizes his state of complete loss. Following her could only push her further. He's done that already.
Rowrr shivers.
The mask was there, he knows. Stronger than before. Rescued the body, left the soul. But who's to let her wander this wasteland? He shakes the snow off his back, teeth chattering even harder. He's got to keep moving if he's to stay alive...*

Elae111: *as the snow starts to fall, thick, blinding, slowing her steps, but she does not seem to notice, or even register the fact that she is walking at all. suddenly her head lifts and her eyes seem to clear momentarily, as she focuses on something in the snowfall. a white shadow, almost familiar. it seems to watch her, then turns and disapears. with a silent cry her claws dig through the snow, and she seems to leap forward, legs propelling her farther, and starts to run after the shadow, twisting, turning through the snow, but always seeming to follow something, movement in the silent snowfall*

ShyaraChan: *The cold grows too much for him, the rising wind piercing through his thick coat. Some kind of ambivelent calm falls over him, an irrational contentment. Moving away from the cave's mouth in a jerky motion, he looks idly at his wing again, wondering if it would hurt at all anymore to chew it off entirely. All it is is dead weight now..
Dismissing the thought - it would take too long - he ignores the envelope of stinging snow he's seemed to have wandered into, and moves on, not able to care less anymore..*

Elae111: *she swerves, then stands still, panting, hot in this freezing climate, unable to go on, and she gazes off after the shadow, her eyes unfocusing, masking up once more, as she takes one step forward then collapses into the snow*

ShyaraChan: *The specks of snow flood his vision like some kind of nightmare, blocking even his own paws from his eyes. Not a misfortunate event, either, as the sight of his own blood caked around him wasn't good for his stamina. Nor is the creeping numbness that's once again begun to plague his limbs. The less you can feel, the easier it is to keep going, to ignore the fact that your body is falling apart around you, that it's not possible to have as many injuries as he has and not be dying, little by little -
- so much easier to ignore now. The only important thing is to keep moving forward, to put one paw directly before the other - yes, like that - to keep moving forward. Move forward long enough and you'll find anything..*

Elae111: *numbly wrapping her tail around her, her eyes vacant as she stared out over the endless snow, no thought in her mind, no feeling in her heart..*

ShyaraChan: *Circles. Circles were dangerous.. once you got into a circle, it was next to impossible to get out again. If both his forepaws would only work, it would be so much easier to make sure he was going straight - but no matter what he couldn't feel, he couldn't lean any of his weight on the bad one. He tried it, once, and it collapsed beneath him as if it were made out of paper. A hint of pain had leaked through.. if he ever wants to be able to use it again, he needs to keep off...*

Elae111: *no blood stains the snow around her, a pure white field of endlessly falling snow. her eyes are open, staring out, not seeming to notice anything*

ShyaraChan: *All the while, Rowrr, concentrating so hard on avoiding circles, is at one point three feet from the spot where Angel lies. But so intent is he on moving quickly through the snow that he never even notices the pull..*

Elae111: *she notices nothing, no shadows save those that dance around the edges of her vision, dancing through the snowfall, seeming to run from her, faster and faster. and she doesnt have the energy to keep up any longer*

ShyaraChan: *The wind has begun to die down again, much to the indifference of Rowrr. The tips of his whiskers are frozen, his tail no longer wants to do what he tells it to. He barely notices, used to having limbs stop reacting by now. The snow is chest high, hard to move through.*

Elae111: *her eyes halfclosed now, her breath is frozen as soon as it reaches the air. she is chilled to the bone, but shows nothing of this, no shivers, her breath is even, her emotions masked behind vacant eyes*

ShyaraChan: *Rowrr stops to rub his eye - a comically normal thing for him to be doing at a time precisely like this..
What is he looking for?
Off track again.. off track again.. He curses himself. Keep your priorities.*

Elae111: *she knows the danger of falling asleep in a place like this.. you never wake up. and that is why she does nothing to stop her oncoming wave of drowsiness, relaxing, uncaring, into the snowfall, waiting*

ShyaraChan: *He sits, almost buried in the snow, with a vague amusement at what he's about to do.
He howls.
The howl hasn't got any sort of a hopeful note to it, not at all expecting a reply - that wasn't the purpose. It was an alert.*

Elae111: *she hears nothing but the wind, the snowfall, the shadows. sees nothing but the same. and she waits*

ShyaraChan: *That done, he stands once more, not having to balance much - the piled snow holding him up as he centers himself. He takes one step forward - and conks his head on a rock overhang.*

Elae111: *she blinks, her eyes closing a fraction more, as she stares out, her eyes riveted on the shadows that flee*

ShyaraChan: *backing up, so startled that he sits, he stares at the blank rock in front of him, a chill sweeping through him. Is this the rock he'd just left? Or something different altogether?
Terribly confused, with his optimism suddenly stripped, he continues to back up, finally twisting midstep to race back, maybe to find the other wall - he doesn't know anymore.*

Elae111: *the whiteness seems to turn dark around her, a negative image, the whole sky, white with the snow, now black with it, raining down around her*

ShyaraChan: *He can't get lost. He's not the lost one. He's not the one who needed to be saved. He can't get lost, can't. But the abrupt wall has him back in reality now - he's not where he was when he went in. That doorway wasn't the entrance, was it? To face absolute reality - he no longer has a clue where he is. And if the wall cut off that sharply, where could Angel be? Thoughts bolt though his head like gnats, barely noticed but maddening all the same. Too late he realizes that the wall may not have spanned as long as he'd thought, but he can't go back now. He needs to find a reference point, something to start from again.
He's lost.*

Elae111: *she stares out from half closed eyes, loosening the mask ever so slightly as she stares up at the falling darkness, enveloping her within it, herself a white beacon in the blackness around her*

ShyaraChan: *Using his stiff tail as somewhat of a rudder in the sea of snow, Rowrr plows forward, almost frenzied. The cave wall wasn't this far back. He's going faster now, he should've been there. He should have -
He stumbles over something, but barely. The snow is too high for anything of stumbling size to be seen..*

Elae111: *the blackness seems to darken around her, and she just stares out at it, waiting, her eyes clearing more by the moment*

ShyaraChan: *Cursing at himself, at his leg, at the snow, at the world, he turns in a lull in the blowing snow to look at his assailant, and sees - nothing.*

Elae111: *nothing*

ShyaraChan: *eyes high, he's confused now. It was something solid, he knew, and not ice.. it gave slack. If it was a rock, it could mean he's closer to his destination. He steps forward, reaching a paw to test the snow*

Elae111: *nothing*

ShyaraChan: *It's not snow.
It's fur.
Rowrr jumps back at least three feet, scared witless by this revelation. Eyes wild, he scrambles forward again, searching for a confirmation with his eyes and the scent, eyes even wilder with what he finds.*

Elae111: *she feels..nothing. nothing but the oncoming darkness*

ShyaraChan: *He hisses through his teeth, bringing his paw over the top of the snow, brushing it off in a quick motion, the snow cascading in a pile to the side. He spits profanity in irregular patches, wildly trying to dig her out. The mask was there... he saw it... it flashes back weakly. Why this, then?*

Elae111: *the darkness is fading back, into a grey blur, pieces of reality coming through in flashes, quickly dissapearing, replaced by the grey, a flash, grey... she sees eyes, snow, hears words, silence; grey...*

ShyaraChan: *He stops his wild digging when she's almost fully uncovered, bristling like something mindless when the wind blows snow right back. Swallowing over and over, fearing the worst, he looks for a cloud of breath, a minor heave of the chest, anything - one paw on either side of her, he listens for her heart. He can't hear a thing above the wind's whistling.. He shakes her, over and over, unable to keep his breath. It catches in his throat, chokes him itself. Tears no longer come. *

Elae111: *her eyes fully open, focus, then blink, slowly, sadly. in one fluid motion she stands, shaking the snow from herself, and starts to walk away. her head hung low, tail trailing in the snow, her wing against her back, almost half open. and she just walks, her steps not faltering, her eyes not glancing back*

ShyaraChan: *almost dead with relief, he scrambles after her, landing on his face once when he tries to walk on his forepaw. Rising quickly, he manages to lurch in front of her, blocking her path. He tries to talk but fails, breath coming in gasps, puffs of white smoke. His eyes speak for him, wide, panicked, looking as though they've tried to cry for a long time now.. they stare into hers, pleading without words, begging.*

Elae111: *she glances away, turning as her gaze turns, to continue walking, her yes on the snow, not masked..but still empty*

ShyaraChan: *he rises and moves right along with her, breath coming more easily* Angel, we - have to go - back.

Elae111: *she stiffens, and almost seems to jerk her head away from him, and his words, that name. saying nothing, she continues to walk, away from him, her angle becoming more severe as she walks*

ShyaraChan: *head low, he reaches out one paw, then follows close behind, staying always in her path. He no longer speaks, but he knows he can keep up..*

Elae111: *she walks, a straight line away from him, not turning in the snow that surrounds her, nothing bars her way*

ShyaraChan: *And he follows right behind, never coming within three feet, but never straying beyond five. His quiet persistence is maddening, as he makes no effort to speak or stop her, knowing only not to lose sight again, not in this place.*

Elae111: *her paws barely leave prints in the snow, they are filled again as soon as she steps onward, her pace even*

ShyaraChan: *in a low, quiet voice, Rowrr begins to talk. Not talk - to sing. Softly, his voice muted by the snow, he sings something soothing, the words impossible to hear. It seems more to himself than for anyone..*

Elae111: *she does not seem to react, her steps come in an even rhythm, unhurried, but not pausing*

ShyaraChan: *His voice fades into the snow, barely missed. He hardly notices he's done it, let alone stopped. Move forward, forward, can't afford to slack. Right behind.. it's not hard anymore. Keep up and it won't be again..*

Elae111: *she walks on, her head low, looking haunted as she stares out, her eyes unblinking*

ShyaraChan: *Rowrr is having a harder time than he's convinced himself. The snow no long holds him up for him, as he's following in Angel's path, and it's harder to hold himself up after so long on three paws.. He staggers once, holding his head all the higher for it.*

Elae111: *she walks on*

ShyaraChan: *he follows on*

Elae111: *and she walks*

ShyaraChan: *and he continues to follow. His head, head high after the stumble, lowers slowly, steadily, back down to his chest. Fatigue sets in on his body, not his mind. It's not something he can stop..*

Elae111: *and she walks*

ShyaraChan: *He stumbles once, and after what seems an eternity does it again. And again. Once all but one leg just seem to give out, leaving him in a twisted mess on the ground for a moment before he can collect himself.*

Elae111: *..and she walks*

ShyaraChan: *It happens again, and he just doesn't get up.*

Elae111: *she doesnt look back*

ShyaraChan: *consciouness has left him. It wasn't possible to do what he thought he could. Blood loss, head injuries, and lack of sleep have caught up with him - he hasn't eaten in a week, and not because there was no food. But the threads he'd puppeteered his own body with have been severed, and he's lost his control... a miserable, pathetic sight, a scrawny bryar, covered in dried blood, twisted and broken, lying in the snow.*

Elae111: *the sound of paws on snow come near him, and eyes glare down at him, as if waiting for something*

ShyaraChan: *his heart beats erratically, undernourished, overworked, and it's alarmingly faint.*

Elae111: *she frowns and steps closer, eyes on his face, and watches him unconcious. finally she reaches over and ~chomps~ down on his ear--very very hard.*

ShyaraChan: *No reaction, not even a twitch. Even unconscious, he numbs himself to pain - a glance at the crumpled wing or shattered paw explains..*

Elae111: *her glare deepens, as she walks around him to his side, and steps onto his crumpled wing, forepaws both placed squarely down. she concentrates, hard..and when she re focuses on his face, and the snow around him, she wavers, catches herself, and waits for his eyes to open*

ShyaraChan: *they don't, though his mouth opens slightly. A trickle of blood from a tooth, broken when he'd hit the ground, stains the snow around his face, spreading into a crimson blemish on the perfect white sheet*

Elae111: *her eyes narrow as she almost snarls out, her young voice dangerous* you're supposed to wake up now. *and she steps harder onto the wing, placing all of her weight on one spot...and waits*

ShyaraChan: *One eyelid flutters - A jerk, a gasp, and Rowrr promptly chokes on his own blood, coughing and heaving, but barely able to sit up*

Elae111: thats better. *she eyes him, deep in thought, still on the wing*

ShyaraChan: *he wipes his mouth on a paw, easily getting more blood on his face than off* You.. again..

Elae111: *she dips her head in a short nod*

ShyaraChan: *He turns his head toward the already- disappearing path, shaking some of the snow off his head* I don't even know what happened..

Elae111: you passed out, stupid. *her voice is even, but her eyes glint as they stay on his* i told you to light your own way. if you cant even help yourself, how do you expect to help her?

ShyaraChan: *spits out more blood, disgusted* She doesn't want my help.

Elae111: so why are you so intent on giving her that help, tell me that.

ShyaraChan: *silence, eyes closed*

Elae111: *she shrugs but doesnt move from her position on his wing, waiting for him to voice something*

ShyaraChan: *without moving* If I keep going like this, I.. I'll die or something.

Elae111: so DO something about it. *she glares at him*

ShyaraChan: *blankly, vaguely, settling back into the frozen stupor, eyes falling shut again* Do something..?

Elae111: do i have to spell it out for you? *her eyes are narrowed angrily as she glares at him through her gold streaked manes*

ShyaraChan: *eyes closed, head back on the ground* I don't kn...

Elae111: *she snarls silently and grinds her paw, claws out, into his wing*

ShyaraChan: *without opening his eyes* The wing doesn't have feeling in it...

Elae111: so how do you know what i'm doing. *her voice is even, but challenging* and if i wanted to i could make it have feeling.

Elae111: and a lot of it too.

ShyaraChan: I can feel the movement.. *his eyes open once more, though not looking at her.* Why do you hate me so much..?

Elae111: *simply* cause you lie.

ShyaraChan: I lie?

Elae111: *she nods*

ShyaraChan: How do you.. *pauses to sits up painfully* figure?

Elae111: *she eyes him* think about it. it wont take long.

ShyaraChan: I can't think right now.. *half-shut eyes, paws digging into the ground*

Elae111: so do something about it.

ShyaraChan: *faintly* Suggest away..

Elae111: your turn.

Elae111: take a look at yourself for once.

ShyaraChan: Looks like I lost..

Elae111: dont look at that.

ShyaraChan: *still vague* What to look at..

Elae111: look at you.

ShyaraChan: Me.

Elae111: *she nods*

Elae111: look at rowrr.

ShyaraChan: *faintly* Rowrr could be dead..

ShyaraChan: And I doubt anyone would notice.

Elae111: but he's not.

ShyaraChan: No.

ShyaraChan: He should be.

Elae111: and I notice. *she gets a very stubborn look on her face* now look at yourself.

ShyaraChan: I thought I already did. *giddy*

Elae111: no.

Elae111: you looked at what you think of as being you.

ShyaraChan: *wearily* You tell me.

Elae111: that is something i cant do.

Elae111: now look at yourself.

ShyaraChan: *blandly* I see a pathetic bryar who did a wonderful job ruining the life of someone he cares about. A freak, sitting in the snow, being yelled at by some little kid.

Elae111: stop it. i told you to LOOK AT YOURSELF. *she glares, her breathing coming a bit heavy* will you listen to a word this little kid is saying to you?! i cant spell it out for you, its something only YOU can discover. and its in you. there's proof, right on the surface, now REALIZE IT.

ShyaraChan: I don't see. *glances at her with his large, mournful eyes* I've been blind to a lot of things for a while now.

Elae111: yah, and its time to wake up. stop feeling sorry for yourself and for her. *she swears out a word that her mother would ~certainly~ not like her saying and glares* you know as well as i do that it wont help her one bit. you neither.

ShyaraChan: *mildly* You expect me to get up again.

Elae111: i expect you to realize something.

ShyaraChan: *a beaten expression still lingering* I'm listening.

Elae111: *she takes a step off his wing and stands there, staring at him, waiting*

ShyaraChan: *still mildly* You seem so convinced that I can actually do something.

Elae111: maybe you can. you just havent realized it yet.

ShyaraChan: I thought I could for a long time..

Elae111: you weren't looking then. look now.

ShyaraChan: *Gives her a dubious look, then actually bows his head and concentrates for a moment.*

Elae111: *waits*

ShyaraChan: *opens his eyes again, confused, but solemn now, no longer vague or faint.*

Elae111: *waits*

ShyaraChan: *finally* I don't.. know..

Elae111: do you need a mirror?*her voice is not sarcastic, but patient..as she waits*

ShyaraChan: I don't know what I am anymore..

Elae111: *simply* you are rowrr.

Elae111: *she watches him a moment then glances to the snow in front of him, as it melts to become a pool of water, their reflections shining back up at them* ShyaraChan: *arches his neck to look at his own face, almost scared to see* Elae111: now, look at yourself.

ShyaraChan: *inhales, and does so*

Elae111: *waits, watching his reflection as well*

ShyaraChan: *the reflections eyes look at hers in confusion*

Elae111: *calmly* what do you see.

ShyaraChan: I see.. myself. And a kid.

Elae111: *even* what do you see.

ShyaraChan: *slowly, confused* Looking like I've seen better days?

Elae111: what do you see, rowrr.

ShyaraChan: What kind of answer do you want me to give?

Elae111: what kind of kid. what kind of you do you see.

Elae111: *shortly* what makes me different.

ShyaraChan: An absolutely lost Rowrr.. and a smart kid who's misjudged him..

Elae111: *repeats* what makes me different.

ShyaraChan: Then who? Me?

Elae111: what makes me different from most of the other lits.

ShyaraChan: You're solemn..

Elae111: thats not what i mean

. ShyaraChan: You can use magic, apparently.. you melted the snow, that orb of light..

Elae111: why can i do that.

ShyaraChan: I would assume because of your father..

Elae111: *she watches him* some, but not all. there are others. *she watches him* with lineage much different than my own. and they still have this. what makes OneWingedAngel a healer, and me able to use magic? what is it, rowrr.

ShyaraChan: I'd been told it was your colors that denote it.. though I don't know if they cause it..

Elae111: *nods as she keeps her gaze even* yes. white...represents healer. black...*she watches him carefully*

ShyaraChan: *a perfect silence*

Elae111: *she lifts her head defiantly, silent as well*

ShyaraChan: *his eyes go dull, the only sign he gives of a very real shock. Finally, he speaks, mouth open a few moments before he does -*
No one ever told me.

Elae111: *she watches him* and so i say again.... light your own way.

ShyaraChan: I have no training at all, I wouldn't know where to begin..

ShyaraChan: I never thought.. -

Elae111: you've got to try. you'll never get anywhere, anything.... if you dont believe in yourself. *she takes a step back, turning slightly away, still watching him* thats the first thing you have to learn to do.

ShyaraChan: You have to understand. *The dullness has begun to fade, replaced by a helpless confusion* I truly don't know where to start..

Elae111: hold your head high. dont be afraid of the future. or of yourself. *she eyes him* and then try to remember. when something happens... when you get very mad..very depressed. do you ever sense a spark of something?

ShyaraChan: *He falls silent again, staring at the ice around his paws with bleak eyes.*

Elae111: *she pauses, trying to put into words what comes natural to her* something...a shadow, its strange to you. but its familiar, too. like.. you know its supposed to be there.

ShyaraChan: *When he can force his mouth to form words once more, he speaks distantly, as though directing the words to someone sitting behind her.* Like a roaring in your ears.. always there, but a different wavelength.. *he trails off, eyes glowing*

Elae111: *she nods, speaking in the same voice* you have to learn to merge yourself with it... open yourself up to it. you can not keep yourself locked away from it forever. it will overwhelm you..

ShyaraChan: *Nothing moves, save his eyes, which lock themselves on the ground.* I'd be afraid to try, that I couldn't control it..

Elae111: sometimes you have to face your fears. *gently* its different every time... sometimes a burst..sometimes nothing. but you can not give up trying.

ShyaraChan: *he turns his eyes on her, asking a simple question.* How long did it take you?

Elae111: *she pauses again, staring off* ..i dont know.... my father helped me, a lot.. *tight voiced* but its always hard... it saps away at your strength, and if you use too much, unprepared... *she falls quiet* well, i'll just say it gives you one hell of a head ache afterwords.

ShyaraChan: *A beaten smile, a half nod* I believe it.

Elae111: *she nods in return, falling silent*

ShyaraChan: *With a sudden air of resolution, Rowrr stands. He no longer trembles, his legs no longer shake beneath him. He raises his head, wincing as he stretches his neck, and flexes his good wing. He shoots a glance at the lit.* Which direction?

Elae111: *she shrugs slightly, turning* south....there's nothing for her here now, she'll be going home....i hope.

ShyaraChan: *echoes* You hope.

Elae111: *she nods, then turns slightly, walking back into the white around them*