Closed Hearts Of Flames (Aidara/Sira)

[Alori Sai]

Ivak the God of Fire spoke to the little huntress, and his words filled her mind. He hadn't told her what she hoped to hear, nor did she know what to expect either. But one thing that did happen, was with his grace came a soothing touch, something that calmed the blinding rage that she had felt, which caused her to lash out at one of the people closest to her heart. Aela breathed in and out slowly, trying to force the rapid beating of her heart to return to it's normal pace. Ivak had told her to release her emotions, to release everything, and that was what she was afraid of most. Freeing herself of all else hadn't worked in her favor the last time it happened. What was different now, she didn't know.

Suddenly another voice entered her mind, one feminine that spoke with a firm tone. Aela knew the voice, she had heard it before, but couldn't place it. Then she remembered, and the brief confusion all made sense. She remembered that night in spring, the one where she and Aidara had almost died. It was the Wind Eagle..the same one that had come to save them that night. Of course it was..it was Aidara's mount. The girl felt a twinge of guilt from the words she had spat, but they were still just as true. She had survived in the wilds for a season alone, she wasn't about to die now.

Aela didn't lower her bow, instead she held it firmly and continued to aim at Aidara while keeping her gaze between the two of them. The Wind Eagle was right, she could have killed Aela easily instead of going for the deer. But if they weren't there to kill her, then why? Why the stand off, and why was Aidara aiming an arrow at the girl's heart. Did they want to take her back to the city, so that the Endal to give her a violent punishment, or she could be eaten by another Wind Eagle? None of it made sense, and that look...the look in Aidara's eyes. She had never looked at Aela like that, and it hurt the girl to even stare back at the Endal.

"I'll put down my bow when Addy lowers hers!" the girl shouted to them both. Then suddenly in a brilliant flash of smoke and colors, the Wind Eagle was gone, and Sira stood in it's place. Aela's eyes widen, her mouth hung open, and again she felt her heat skip a beat. "S-SIra!?" Sira was a Wind Eagle, and she had never told Aela. Of all the time they spent at the club and the archery range, she never told her that she was a Wind Eagle, or that she knew Aidara. "You didn't tell me....I didn't know." those harsh words that she had spoken only moments ago came flooding back with enough weight to make the rouge huntress want to drop to her knees and sob.

"You never told me! Why didn't you tell me!?" she shouted at Sira, her voice squeaking as she fought back the tears once again. Aela was becoming frustrated all over and the dizzy feeling was returning. She had done it again, she had hurt another person that she cared about and it would not stop. The pain would not stop. What could she say now, what words could possibly undo what the others had just done? Aela was afraid, more so than she had ever been in her life and she panicked. Both women claimed that they weren't there to kill her, but there was nothing friendly about the encounter and it made Aela uneasy. If not to kill her, there could only be one reason they were there..

The frighten teen took another slow breath and tried to calm herself before she spoke again.Yelling, screaming, and threatening had seemed to only make things worse and she knew she had to do something. And so she tried, one last effort to spare them blood. "I just wanted to be like you Addy..That's all I've ever wanted. " Aela said in a much lower and calm tone. She sniffed, feeling a cool wetness around her eyes that dripped down onto her reddish cheeks. " I thought you knew me, I thought you would understand..but I guess I wrong. Have you ever had something that you wanted so bad that you would do anything to have it?" She breathed out again, taking a moment to try and steady her voice so that they could understand what she was saying. "I don't have the egg anymore...It's gone. I was stupid and I didn't know what I was doing. It didn't make it."

The ground work had been set, and judging by their next actions she would know the truth of why they were there. If they attacked her now, she would know the true reason that the woman had come after her, and there would be nothing left to discuss. "So..what happens now?"

[Sira]

A pang of guilt stabbed through Sira when Aela realized who she was, but Sira had expected that. She knew that the longer she waited to tell Aela about the truth, the harder it would be, which was why she never had. But circumstances required she reveal herself, and so she did.

"I didn't tell you because I thought you would react like everybody else. The moment people find out who I really am, they treat me differently, and I was happy with how you treated me."

Sira sighed. They weren't really there to discuss why Sira had not told Aela she was a kelvic. They had bigger fish to fry. When Aela began to adress Addy, Sira fell silent once more, just listening, and trying not to let her own heart drop. She understood Aela's desire to move up in the world. Sira had to fight beak and talon to officially be named an Endal. But she had never killed anybody to do it.. she still couldn't understand what could have possibly caused Aela to do that. It just didn't make any sense. Even now she didn't seem to want to kill them.

And then came the part about the egg. That was what really mattered.. and it was possibly the one thing that could have cleared Aela's name. Well, not cleared it. But giving back the egg might have at the very least given her some small chance of not being killed. But she didn't have the egg anymore.. even if Sira and Addy let her go, the others would still hunt her down. Sira didn't know what to say. Her instincts said to kill the woman, but her heart cried out against it. Sira was always so sure of herself, but for once she had no idea what to do.

[Aidara]

As Aela spoke, the steady arm with which Addy kept the bow aimed surely at the young woman’s heart began to shake; the adrenaline that had previously coursed through her body, giving Addy an unnatural amount of calm and collect, began to wane. The muscle of her shoulder began to scream in protest and the taut draw of the bowstring began to slack. Before she could accidently send the arrow slicing through the air just because her arm gave way, Addy lowered the weapon so that the pointed metal tip of the arrow was aimed somewhere to the left of where Aela stood.

Though Addy was hardly as skilled with a bow as either of the other women, there was no point in reminding Aela of this fact. Ignoring the painful protesting of her shoulder, the little Endal struggled to keep the bow drawn as Aela spoke; realizations where crashing down on her right and left and she was visibly staggering under the weight of the information. There was no way to know how she was going to react, and Addy was damned if she was going to let any harm come to herself or Sira simply because her arm was tired.

Not even a full chime later, it all seemed for naught. Aela had come to the end of her speal and hadn’t made a move towards either of them. While Addy’s heart went out to the girl, aching in accompaniment with the pain in her voice, she had to stand her ground physically and emotionally. “That doesn’t excuse what you did, Aela.” Oh, the sharp tone that left the healers lips sliced through Addy just as deeply as it would Aela. But she hid the wince and plastered an expressionless mask onto her face. If this wasn’t a time to be an Endal, then she didn’t know what was.

“You shat on everything that is sacred too us. How could you? What were you thinking? How dare you compare what you did to me. I would have never killed to get what I want. This isn’t a time to blame someone else, god or otherwise, because Ivak didn’t make you do it. It’s time to look within yourself and realize that every action you took and decision you made came from you.” Speaking the gods name almost seemed to make the fiery bracelet on her wrist tingle and burn, though it was impossible for fire to hurt her now. “He marked me too, you know. And I didn’t have to kill anyone to do it.” Of course Aela would know. She would have been able to feel the pull between them, even if she was unable to pick it out from all the other emotions raging through her.

Not taking her eyes off Aela, Addy addressed Sira next, her voice still clipped and cold. Should she look over at her lover, she knew she would lose the cold wall she had built up for the situation at hand. Crying would do her no good, no good at all. “I don’t believe her about the egg. She said she would have done anything to become an Endal, and she has proven she means anything. I don’t think lying is above her at this point.” There was a moments pause, with only the wind whipping through the trees to fill the silence before Addy addressed Aela once more.

“I think some time outside the city will do you some good. You obviously need to do some searching if you think this is the making of an Endal. If you give us the egg… we won’t kill you.” Oh, if only Aela knew what those words were doing to the little healer. Every moment she wasn’t rushing over to comfort her young friend was like a knife twisting in her gut.

But all three of them knew that this was no time for emotion.

[Alori Sai]

Aela's heart went out to Sira, she hadn't known about her past or much else since the woman had chosen not to tell her. "I wouldn't have treated you any different Sira..You ar-you were my friend, and I wouldn't have ever gone against you." she ended her words with an air of spite from the way that she was now being treated. Aela only felt a small amount of relief when Aidara turned her bow away from her. It also gave Aela the change to fire and take out the Endal, but she wouldn't, and the little huntress knew that deep now Aidara knew this as well."Addy..why? Is your caste so important to you?" The little healer spoke and her words were harsh, as if she were speaking to a complete stranger.

"It's not working..they're not listening." she thought to herself, figuring that Ivak was no longer listening or watching. Aidara continued to speak and just when Aela was about to retort, the tiny Endal said something, something that Aela was yet to tell either of them, something that she had never said aloud to anyone. "W-What?" she said in a hushed gasp. "How did you know?" Aela had never told anyone about Ivak, she had never told anyone about the events of that day, and yet, somehow Aidara knew.

Something was wrong, it didn't make sense. The teen knew that Aidara was marked, she could feel it as well. But she didn't understand how the Endal knew what had happened to her. Was it a trick? Some kind of horrible game played by the God and one of his followers? Aela began to panic again, first Gods were destroying her life and now Endal could read her thoughts, it was too much. "Stop it! Just shut the petch up Addy!"

Aela dropped her guard, bow and arrow falling to the ground as she reached to grab her head. She closed her eyes tightly, gritted teeth and tried to do anything but let the tears fall. But she couldn't stop them, no more than she could stop her knees from buckling and dropping to the ground. The little Avora cried and she cried hard, letting out of of her frustrations at once. "Why did this happen to me? I didn't want this..I didn't." she rolled over onto her side, curling her knees towards her chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She could hear them still talking, still judging her and she was right, they weren't listening, she had failed. "Fine!" the teen's muffed voice spoke as she slowly uncurled herself and sat up. "It was my fault. All of it! Even though that Wind Eagle almost killed a yasi and almost killed me...It's my fault." she paused a tick trying to catch her breath. "There I said it, are you happy Addy?! It was my fault!"

Aela pulled herself up and stood back to her feet. Her hair was a mess now, bits of crushed leaves scattered into the folds of long red hair. She stood as she was, and didn't bother to wipe away the tear stains that raced down her rosy cheeks."You can even blame me for the Wind Eagle that we killed in the forest.....the one that almost killed you." She glanced towards Sira then, and wondered if the hypocrisy ran through both women. "Did you know Sira? A Wind Eagle tried to kill Addy and I saved her, just like I saved that boy. But it doesn't matter..I don't matter because I'm not an Endal!" she ranted loudly. "If you want me dead so bad Addy then just petching do it!"

[Sira]

Sira listened to it all. Sadly, she was no longer surprised about the fact that Aela really did kill the eagle. It was unfortunate, but Sira had always known it to be true, even if she did not want to admit it. But what truly surprised her was the part about the other eagle. The one that apparently tried to kill Aidara. That was something Sira had never heard about... another secret between the couple.

Was it a trick? A distraction? A lie?

Did it even matter?

Aela was having a break down, that much was for certain, and though Sira still had no idea what to do, she did not think Aela was going to lead her to the egg. Sira glanced over at the healer, leaving her questions about what Aela said unasked for the time being. Her voice rung out in Aidara's mind.

What should we do? If she does still have the egg, I don't think she is going to lead us back to it.. if it's even still alive.

OOCWe need to figure out a way to wrap this up, and get Sira and Addy to leave without killing Aela.

[Aidara]

Heartbreak after heartbreak, every word that Aela spewed sending another bolt of hate directly into Addy's chest. She couldn’t take it. She wouldn’t take it.

“I can’t even listen to what you’re saying anymore, Aela. I thought we knew you. I thought you knew what we all stood for, who we all are. It takes only one missing feather to bring down a Wind Eagle. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they’ve done, if that crucial piece is missing, it all falls apart.” Addy’s voice was quiet, somber even, as she spoke. The winds that had picked up while they shouted across the distance at each other seemed to carry her words to Aela rather than tear them away, as if even nature knew that what was happening here was important enough that even she wasn’t going to interfere.

“You’re missing something crucial. I see that now. You’ve made it more than obvious now that you’re starting to crash and you’re doing anything to keep yourself afloat.” It was obvious that Addy believed every word she said, as each syllable rang out with a sort of finality that surprised a lot of people, as they were unaware that the little woman could possess such resolve. “We’re not going to be brought down with you simply because we stuck around trying to help you. You want no such help. That much is clear. So we will take our leave, and you will take yours.”

Addy lowered her bow as she spoke, slipping the arrow from the string and holding both down at her side; Vulnerable now, all Aela had to do was lose her own arrow and Addy would be done for, perhaps Sira as well. That, however, would only prove the little Inarta’s point and it was unclear whether Aela also believed what Addy had said. “We will go now, and we will leave her here.” This was to Sira, whom Addy didn’t turn and face as she spoke, keeping her hard green gaze locked on Aela. “We won’t tell anyone we even spotted her. She might be a murderer, but I am not. Another Wind Eagle will find her, and then it will be done.”

It was an order unlike any the healer had ever given her bondmate, her words still ringing with that finality that spoke to both her bond to Sira as an Endal and as a Kelvic. Twice bound, the other woman would practically be forced to obey. However, in case some part of Sira did resist, Addy turned and began walking away without any sort of goodbye or remorse; If Sira had to follow her instinct as a Wind Eagle, Addy didn’t want to see it.

[Alori Sai]

Aela stood in silence, red cheeks, watery eyes and a heart beat that thumped along with her shallow breaths. She couldn't say anything more, all had been said. But she couldn't believe it. She had thought Aidara more than a friend, family perhaps. But what was happening now was anything but, what she would have expected. She couldn't believe that the woman couldn't see that she was asking for help in her own way. Asking for forgiveness and for any way that she might right the wrong that she had committed.

But all she received in return for putting her heart out was cold stares and even colder shoulders. Aela felt numb and at the same time, her body was on fire. Her voice was gone now and the only sounds that came through were sniffles. She glanced back towards Sira, but only for a moment, before she turned her back and reached for her bow. If the Wind Eagle kelvic, really wanted her dead this was another chance to do it.

Aela leaned over wrapping her trembling fingers around the body of her bow. She shook hard and the moment that she lifted the bow, it started to shake just as she did. Slipping the bow over her shoulder, Aela took a step forward, and another, just waiting...wondering.

The teen was curious if at any moment she would feel the sting of one of their arrows, or if Sira would shift again and devour her whole. Suddenly, she paused and in a slowed motion, she forced herself to stand up right. Aela thought to say something, or maybe she was giving them the steady target to fire at.

If nothing happened, if nothing ripping through her skin and took her life, the little huntress would continue her slow walk back into the forest, and she would never see them again.

OOCThat was my last post. Unless there was something else you can submit the thread.

[Sira]

Sira flinched visibly at the order. She was not used to being told what to do.. not for real. Addy did not give orders, she asked. Sira glanced back at Aela, watching her turn to leave as well. Addy was walking in the opposite direction, and Sira just stood there in the middle. She could have shifted, flown, and torn the avora apart. She could have taken up her bow and easily shot down the avora. But Sira did neither of those things.

She was still very conflicted about the entire thing. She knew her duty.. but she could not bring herself to follow through. Aidara was apparently done with the avora. They would likely never see her again. Now that she had been found once, she would likely be more careful. Sira should have killed her, then and there, but she did not.

"Addy," Sira whispered, but the healer was already out of range.

Sira didn't know what she would say anyway, Aidara's words were final. In the end, Sira simply sighed, made sure everything in her saddle was secure, then shifted and flew off after Aidara, carrying the saddle with her. Once they were a safe distance away she landed and let Aidara re-saddle her, and then together they returned to Wind Reach, Sira feeling certain she would never lay eyes on the avora again.

[Stardust]

Aela

Skill	XP Earned
Hunting	3
Longbow	3
Persuasion	4
Observation	3
Intimidation	2

•	Lores Earned
•	Dreamless Nights
•	Surprised by Aidara
•	Ivak's response
•	Taking Aim At Aidara
•	Sira is a Wind Eagle
•	Trying to Explain

Sira

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	2
Leadership	2
Intimidation	3
Investigation	2
Strategy	3
Tactics	2

•	Lores Earned
•	The Search For Aela
•	Spotting A Naked LAdy
•	Aela IS the Killer
•	Torn In Two Directions
•	So Many Secrets
•	Listening To Aidara

Aidara

Skill	XP Earned
Interrogation	2
Rhetoric	2
Riding (Eagle)	3
Planning	2
Intimidation	2
Negotiation	4

•	Lores Earned
•	Aela: Stealing Eggs, Stealing Babies
•	Threatening Aela
•	Controlling Anger
•	Wanting to Help, Unable to
•	Keeping Aela's Life Secret

Dream On

This was so emotionally charged! Goodness, a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it! You three are amazing!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.