Tempting the Wind
"Hell-oh. Guh-ud more-ning."
Her smile rivals the eternal sunset of this foreign land. Fei feels as though he is a muddied pond trying to copy the sun in comparison. Anila is beautiful as she falls into the seat besides him. So different is she from the other women of the village near his former home with their eyes and hair of night. She is moonlight, with her strange hair of faint purple and silver and eyes of bright golden brown. There is more to her than mere superficial differences, however. She is proud, boisterous, forever moving thinking doing. She is more than a simple wildfire; Anila is the very win itself which tugs at ones inner flames, doing and going and being what she pleases, taboo be cursed. It shows in the sharp and ragged strips of her short hair.
Her finger sinks slightly into his cheek, and Fei blinks. Anila giggles. "You were making poetry in your head again, weren't you? I can tell now, you know. You were tracing things into the chair." Fei smiles at that, and for such a soft and simple expression, it carries a wise and secretive weight. In her breast, Anila feels her heart grow wings. "I think I've finally gotten the hang of this Engrish language, you know. Let's try visiting that town we saw while up in the sky. We can't stay in this vessel forever."
There is sense in her words. Nonetheless, Fei frowns and takes her hands into his. The glance he sends to the small and barely noticeable bump in her stomach says it all. She just let's their foreheads rest against each other. "You worry too much, my husband. I will bring my wind blade to calm your fears. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
That's how the newly weds find themselves on a rough forest path. If it were only Fei, there would be nothing but silence. Anila banishes the quiet with laughter and excited observations. Her circular weapon is held lightly, so unlike her other hand which is entwined tightly with Fei's. After a few more minutes of nothing but singing birds, he relaxes as well. He worries too much indeed.
The next thing Fei knows, he's tugged so hard it feels as though his arm will pop and something has impaled the ground where he once stood. Anila's weapon is spinning in her hand. Something rather unladylike is uttered from her lips, but Fei let's it slide as he looks upon the beast before them. Only once has he ever met a being of the divine before, yet this creature... Fei shudders. Something is wrong with it.
This demon - for it can be nothing else - is a twisted being with a round central body and twisting limbs like tentacles. Bizarre markings decorate its torso, following a circular path. Lines and crosses and arrowheads... Right in the center of the circle is a cross with three lines. Fei wonders if they mean anything at all. Luckily, despite its size, it seems rather slow in both mind and body. In almost slow confusion, it tries to tug its arms out of the ground. While it's distracted, Fei looks to Anila.
Pushing him back in the direction of their ship, Anila says, "Go back and watch over our parents! They-"
Fei grits his teeth. Using his grip on her hand, he reverses their positions. Anila stares at him in surprise, but it doesn't matter. Fei only pushes her further. Always always leaps before looking, but not this time. He will protect the two most beloved people in his life this time. Fists clenched, he darts in the exact opposite direction, aiming to distract the demon further by running it in circles. He's just in time; the demon wrenches its limb out from the ground and cumbersomely turns to him. Anila is calling out his name distantly. Fei tries to tune it out and waves his arms to keep the demon's attention on him. Things won't be too hard... This will-
A limb suddenly whips out, lightning fast, and Fei has but on second to realize his mistake. Then pain and darkness and Anila's voice - "FEI!"
She can't see him. Anila feels her heart freeze between her lungs. She can't see him, doesn't hear him fall down from branches or yell. Tears pour down from her arms. "Fei," she whispers in pain as the demon turns to her. "No... Fei!" Even as she screams, the beast stabs a tentacle towards her-
Only to be repelled by furious winds circling the woman. With teary eyes narrowed into a look of murder, Anila raises her wind blade. Slivers of blood drip down from her fingers, staining metal and leaving glowing trails. Quickly, the entirety of the weapon begins to glow. With frightening calmness, Anila murmurs, "Blood calls upon a promise kept." Her clothes of soft silk whip about her legs while her short hair floats about her face. Rage makes her eyes glow. "Chaos."
A miniature tornado bursts to life, dirt and debris making it opaque, hiding the woman from view. Hesitantly, the creatures steps back, shielding its tiny little face. It's far too late for that, however. The wind disperses harshly, revealing a behemoth far larger than the beast it faces. Purple skin stretches over the muscles of its torso and bulky clawed hands, fading to steel gray in its humanoid legs. The most noticeable thing, however, are the three large openings in one of its shoulders and the odd gold-tipped tail that rests behind it. Crossing its arms, it stares at its opponent with a face hidden by three ovals of warning yellow. An ominous, condemning sight.
More hesitation on the demon's part. Another foolish mistake. A rumble comes from the strange holes in the behemoth's shoulder, and air is harshly sucked in. The demon tries to resist, but the pull is far too strong. Helplessly, the demon is whisked away... Sucked into a point of no return. The behemoth tilts its head to the side in curiosity. Foolish Unverse the being rumbles, voice slipping under the skin of any who would hear it.
Dismissing the quick battle, the being turns to the tree. Quietly, it reaches in with thick clawed hands and pulls from the tangle of broken branches a figure. As Fei is laid gently on the ground, the wind stirs. Thick muscles and purple skin fade away. Sitting by her husband's side is Anila. Shaky fingers ghost over the various cuts in his clothing, the shallow wounds in his cheeks and arms. The worse is a large gash on his palm which she hastily bandages by tearing a strip from her dress. It's a weak treatment at best; they need to get to that town. Choking back tears, she picks him up by his armpits. There would be no use trying to wake him, out cold as he is. After only a yard or two, however, she has to stop, breathing hard. Pandemona is such a powerful ally to call upon, often overtaking the inexperienced. It is not experience which troubles her, but the unborn life she carries within. Squeezing her eyes shut, Anila exhales hard. "Curse it all," she hisses, stomping her foot in frustration. The world may fall apart beneath her feet, but she is getting her beloved help!
Voices, suddenly, in the distance. Anila's head snaps up in surprise. She can hardly believer her luck. Hastily, she digs through her memory for the right word-
"HELP!"
------
Something warm is wrapped around his hand.
Turning his head to the side, Fei feels himself relaxing. He knows that hand. Every curve, every bump, the tiny scar on the thumb. He knows it. With difficulty, he pries his eyes open. The place he is in it peculiar indeed. The walls are solid and strong white. The bed he lies in is simple, a structure supported by strong metal. When he looks to one side, he sees a row of beds with the exact same design and pale green sheets. There is also a wooden door with a little square near the top that shows a hallway or perhaps just another room. When he looks to the other side, there is a very large window... and her. Softly, Fei smiles at the look of peace Anila has in her slumber and how her hand holds his.
Right as he's pondering the place he's in and how this bed can keep him up like a chair, something metal clicks. A man is swinging open the door, and Fei can't help but raise his eyebrows. The stranger has unbelievably dark skin, a brown like fertile soil after a healthy rain. Thick and curly hair covers his head and stretches down his face in a light beard and the beginning of a mustache. Whatever hesitation Fei has at meeting such a person so vastly different from himself is banished when he looks into the young man's eyes. There is so much to learn from eyes, as they tell so much. This man's eyes tell him of determination and leadership and loyalty.
A good man to be sure.
Upon seeing Fei awake, the man smiles widely. "So you're finally awake! That's good. Your girl was pretty worried." Dragging over a chair to the other side of Fei's bed, the man takes a seat. "Name's Barret. I don't suppose you can speak English any better than Anila here?"
With his free hand, Fei gestures to his throat, drawing a line across it. As Barret's brow furrows in confusion, Fei repeats the gesture. He then shakes his head for good measure. Barret's eyes light up in understanding. "Y'mean you can't speak at all?" Fei shakes his head again. "But- Hold on." Barret speaks slowly. "Do ya understand me?" Giving a little half smile, Fei nods. The devices of their vessel have been most useful and he has always been quick with words, even if Barret has more of an accent than the vessel. "Hey, this train's gettin' somewhere! Here, lessee if ya can write." From the bedside table, Barret pulls out a stack of paper held together by a thin and twisting piece of metal. Holding it in his hands, Fei has to marvel at the marvelous simplicity.
Then he is introduced to the pen.
For a moment, he only stares at the odd tool Barret has handed him. It is not made out of bone or metal or any such thing. Its nub is only vaguely similar to that of a quill's and Barret gives him no inkwell. It takes a few minutes for the black man to show Fei that ink is already inside. Once more does Fei have to marvel at this world of twilight. Stacks of paper bound so one may never lose a single page and ways to write without teh constant monotonous breaks of having to dip a quill in an inkwell. With a small nod of respect to the wise men of this world, Fei then begins to write his and Anila's story.
When all is explained, Barret leans back and whistles, impressed. "Man, you two have been through Hell. Ain't right for a momma to have to face one of those freaks or for a skinny guy like you to get smashed to a tree. Well, you don't gotta worry now. You got friends here. Got it?"
Fei only smiles in thanks and rubs his thumb over Anila's hand. Demon aside... Perhaps this land will prove to be more beautiful than they expected.
