Completed Won't Back Down

[Tallis Ishtari]

The way she said his name gave his a pleasurable shiver through his body. Her accent purred into his ears. “We should go then.” He said softly as he looked into her eyes longing to taste her lips again. Taking her hands into his and kissed her again and turned to lead her off the floor. The music changed again and there was a rush to the dance floor.

As he pushed his way through the throng he finally saw them. It finally donned on him that he had been careless. “Quick! Go through the kitchen.” Tallis said loudly to be heard over the music. He had not expected to see slavers in the tavern and wasn’t too sure that they had been following since they crossed the bridge near his apartment.

He pushed through the crowd in hopes that he would not become separated from Marx. “Go around back!” One of them said and two men split off back out the front door. Tallis knew their only hope of escape was to get out the back before the slavers men made it there. He wasn’t going to let them ruin was going to be a magical evening.

[Marxander]

She was confused and thrown completely out of her previous lustfilled state "What?" She couldn't understand. She needed her eyes to hunt, or to flee in this case, and she couldn't see them all that well. She heard a yell, an order. They were trying to circle them in? She didn't know who they are, but they were defiantly after them. Tallis pulled her, and she tried to keep up, but where once this scene was another integrated part of her life, it became a major obstacle course. Marx wasn't use to having avoid moving people, she knew grasslands and trees and rocks. None of them ever moved.

None of them ever separated her form Tallis ether. A group of partiers, too drunk and oblivious to know what was going on cut off their hand hold. She yelled"Tallis!" But it was too late, the crowd pushed him now towards the back where he desired. She could feel it now, sense the eyes of the man hunting her. She looked to her bondmate, who was trying to fight his way back to her. She shook her head, and with all her might sent to him the feeling of home, hoping he'd understand.

She whipped around, just as she did, a man grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it painfully tight to keep his hold on her. Marx shifted, shoulder melting away from his touch, though he still had a grip on her shirt. She twisted around, growling and yelping wildly. People moved out of her way as her haunches and tail whacked them. Her paws reached for her shirt, where the man was trying to get a better grip on her and fixate a collar to her neck from underneath the shirt. Her claws ripped open the fabric, cutting the man's hand as she did. He let go, in pain, and she was free.

She darted through people's feet, snarling for them to get out of the way. Instincts and fear taking over she ran, not caring in which direction. It was a more terrifying version of what she had done when the boat had come to shore. She had jumped out, not caring and ran into the forest. BUt just like last time as well, she remember Tallis. She doubled back, hoping she wouldn't find the man. She found the Noisy Pelican again and went around the the back, checking to see if he was there. If not, she'd have to go back to the apartment and wait to see what happened.

[Tallis Ishtari]

Separated. For the entire day she had been with him since they had met on the docks. He desperately tried to push his way through the crowd of revelers. It was no use he lost her. How could she disappear so easily? He spotted each of the slavers but there was no sign of Marx. He hoped that would meet up with her outside. She had heard him say to go through the back door. He was almost certain of it. He could only hope. He tore out to the back door and was met by people he had hoped to avoid as well as the slavers. His underworld contacts finally caught up with him.

“Well… well. Look who we have here. Going somewhere Tallis?” Said Gilroy Sardis.

Tallis looked at the heavy set man with the double chin. Tallis looked at the two other men with him and grinned. “I see you finally have some friends.”

He was then grabbed by the two burley men and slammed against the wall. Gilroy walked up to him and held a knife to his throat. “I see you still have a sense of humor. Now where is the money Tallis? Our boss is expecting it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tallis knew what they were talking about but he wasn’t the bag man on the job. The job went south and his partner disappeared. “Remember I only deliver messages!”

Tallis knew he needed to get moving. The slavers men would be coming around back of the building any second. Then he had to find Marx. He could only hope that she would head for the apartment. He had a feeling that she would.

“Oh that’s right.” Gilroy said with a flick of the knife that grazed his cheek. “You best keep yourself available Tallis, or that girl of yours will be squealing underneath me.” Gilroy waved his hand. “Let him go boys! I think he knows who he is involved with. I’ll be in touch… Tallis.”

Tallis watched Gilroy leave with his cronies in tow and breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted his hand to his cheek and then looked at his fingers. Blood. “Damn them!” Looking down the alley way the slavers rounded the corner just after Gilroy had left his sight. Tallis shook his head and headed the other way down the other side of the alley. He was certain he could out run them.

[Marxander]

Damn. He must have just missed him. From behind her, she could hear a yell "Kelvic! Get your ass over here!" The man whom she had cut was behind her, chasing right after her. Maybe it hadn't been smart to come back to the spot where she had just run from. She wouldn't back down now. The only way through the streets that she knew, was back to the apartment. She didn't have time to look at the stars right now for her guide. She turned around facing him.

The fur on her neck stood, and she bared her teeth, snarling. At first, it seemed to discourage him from coming any closer, but he just smirked "Stupid Kelvic bitch. I know those little games you pull. You aren't going to hurt me." He held up his hand "This was an accident and you know it. Now, why don't you make this easier for yourself and change back so I can collar you." He grinned, feeling confidant.

He was right. She didn't know if she could hurt him again. It was just so against her nature. She whimpered, shaking her head. Her eyes looked to the side, seeing the water. Fight or flight? Flight. Dashing to the side, she hopped right into the water and started swimming away, in ripped clothes that clung oddly to her now wet red fur. The clothes dragged her in the water, but she swam away, the man yelling at her. She was lucky Dholes were so good at swimming, their bodies made for it. She headed away from Tallis' house, not wanting to lead him there in case he was able to follow.

She didn't think he was able to. She went under many bridges, and turned through tons of canals. As much as she loved swimming, right now wasn't considered one of those times. She was able to climb out of the water in a very quite part of town. She thought she was by a hospice, but she couldn't read any of the signs.

She snorted, dripping wet, cold, and dressed in raggedy human clothing on her Kelvic body. This was not how she thought she was going to be spending her night. She wished she could change back, but the clothes were too damaged to repair. And a naked woman wandering the street brought more attention then a wolf like creature going about. She forced the rest of the clothes off her and dropped them in the water. She shook herself dry as any dog would and looked up at the sky, easily picking out where Tallis' apartment was.

She would just have to navigate through the streets to get there. She was glad she made a mental note of where the Noisy Pelican was too, because she avoided it like the plague. She hoped Tallis was alright. Where ever he was.

[Tallis Ishtari]

He was worried for Marx. She couldn’t know where she was in the city. There were very few landmarks that she could get her bearings off of. He had known many tourists that had got lost that he had helped on their way. Marx was smart though, she would have tried to remember the path they took to the Noisy Pelican. He had to count on that. First he had to ditch the slavers that were running after him. If they caught him it was all over for Marx. They would torture him for sure to get him to recant the bond. There was no way he was going to let that happen.

Darting down the docks he decided to loop back to his apartment the long way. There would be no way he could lead them back to where he lived and jeopardize Marx’s safety. He could hear the slavers voices yelling something at him, but he couldn’t make out what it was. The distance was growing between. He smirked. “Damn bastards need to lose some weight.”

Once he was sure he had left his pursuers far behind he let up to catch his breath. Running full speed for as long as he did would take its toll. He needed to walk for a while and think. Not only had the slavers caught wind of his Kelvic he had made contact with his underworld handler, Gilroy. He could not figure out why they had waited so long, and why the threat? They knew he didn’t handle money exchanges. He made a point not to.

He looked up to the night sky and then to the buildings. Once he had his bearings he planned a path to his home. It would take much longer than he wanted but he would not be followed. He could only hope that Marx would find her way in the city at night.

[Marxander]

Moving through the city was harder than she thought. She was still wet, and tired. Avoiding the tavern had made her journey back home take many twists and turns. She had nearly made a semi circle around both of the places before she decided it would be safe to take a more direct path. Her paws ached. She would complain throughoutly about it when she got back and make him rub them until they felt better.

Her tail swung low to the ground. She hoped Tallis wasn't hurt. She would simply fuss over him if he was. When she saw the building, it perked her up. She wanted to trot over faster, but she had been moving slowly, keeping herself little and unnoticed in the dark. She calmly walked over to the apartment complex.

[Tallis Ishtari]

Living in Ravok for twenty-four years had its advantages. One of them was knowing your way around in the dark. Everything was as familiar as it was in the daylight. He made his way over bridges and down back alley ways with ease and actually made it to the apartment complex faster than he had hoped. Once at the front door he took a look down the canal and narrow passageways that lead to his home. He didn’t see her.

Clicking his teeth together a few times he hoped that she had beaten him home. He could stay outside and wait but that would just invite trouble should the slavers be wandering Ravok in search of them. Slavers knew Ravok almost as well as he did. He would wait inside, at least for a while before would go searching.

Walking up three flights of stairs he stopped on the landing to look down the hall. No sign of Marx. His heart was in his throat as he was now worried. He could only hope she was in the room, but she didn’t have a key. She had to still be on the streets. “Come on Marx… please make it home.” He said under his breath as he opened the door to his apartment.

Once inside he found a wash cloth to clean up the cut Gilroy’s knife had made. “Owe… that stings.”

[Marxander]

She went around the building, going to the front door. She took the knob in her mouth and turned it with her teeth. She walked in, sighing in relief when it closed on it's own. She went up the stairs, feet no where near as soft as her padding around earlier was. It was a heavy, slow, dull sound. Her fur was moist, and she took her times getting up. On the third floor, she stepped into the hall.

Her front paws climbed up on the door, banging her body weight against it. She was much too tired for any kind of carefulness now. She whimpered, and scratched at the door, trying to get his attention and let her in. Her mind was a little foggy though. She hoped it was the right door.

[Tallis Ishtari]

The wound was clean even though it was still trickling blood. He had reopened it during the cleaning process after it had congealed on the way back through the city to his apartment. Not knowing what Gilroy had cut up with the knife before he sliced his cheek bothered him. It had to been cleaned out. There was no question about it.

While he went about examining the wound in the mirror he heard banging at his door. His heart jumped. It had to be Marx. He couldn’t be sure though. Under the bed was his ten inch knife that belonged to his grandfather and his father before him. His father had given it to him for his twenty-first birthday.

He pulled the knife out and went to the door and opened it. To his relief it was Marx. She looked wet and with some of her human clothes hanging about her. He breathed a sigh of relief before ushering her into the apartment. “You’re safe! I was so worried about you!” He set his eyes about her body to check for any wounds through the matted fur.

[Marxander]

She fretted over him as well, seeing the cut and blood made her protective instints go into hyperdrive. Marx whimpered and licked his cut, cleaning away the blood and any infection that might have come with it. She pushed him to the floor and sniffed over the rest of his body, checking for anything more. When she found nothing she sighed in relief.

She shifted back and her tattered shirt absoulty completely fell off of her. The pants were salvageable, but, for now soaked. She grunted, pushing them off her legs, wrinkling her nose at them. Her attention re-return to Tallis, who was still lying on the floor from having been pushed there. She kissed him, stroking his cheek "I'm glad you're okay too," She glimpsed at the cut "for the most part. What happened? How did they get you?"