[Jaden Wolf]

Dawnbreeze (Dawn), Tekk

The bleached ran through the halls of the shrine, eyes flicking over the walls curiously. Skidding to a stop, she spun around in excitement.
"Hay, you were ri-...Night? Night, where are you?" she called out, as she realized she was alone. Again gazing at the walls that were much darker than where she started due to the few candles lighting the rooms, she started walking in the direction she had come from. Eventually, she found herself surrounded by darkness and pillars. When was the last time she saw a candle? The only light she could see was moonlight coming through a hole in the ceiling. Moonlight? How long was she here? Well, it was apparent she was lost. The fellox didn't have that great a sense of direction anyway.
She looked around at the darkness and set off in a random direction, hoping to stumble upon an exit. The darkness didn't scare her. Even when she was young, she didn't fear it, for she could sense spirits and so knew if something was out there. Well, except the living...that was different.
Soon, she found herself in almost total darkness, her eyes straining to see the pillars in her path. Then something flicked across her line of sight, much too fast to be living. Yet she could sense nothing. Deeming it being from her mind, she resumed walking.
"You shouldn't be here alone." The fellox jumped at a voice behind her and turned to see slightly glowing temple markings coming towards her, two orbs for its eyes, which were set on her.
"Then why are you alone?" she asked, sitting down.
"Are you not frightened?"
"Why should I be? You didn't answer my question. What are you anyway? I can't see you." She moved forward, trying to make out the creature's figure. It stepped back and its eyes narrowed.
"There are many things down here, dangerous things. Even those who are not alone should not venture into these halls recklessly. As I see you are persistent, I shall answer your questions. I am not alone. If I never had a companion, then I am not alone. I...live down here. This is...home, as you'd call it. I am a fellox, like you. Now, follow me and do not try to look at anything you may see."
Now that the fellox could make out the figure of the temple, she could see that he was indeed a fellox like herself, and a male she was sure. He turned and walked off, stopping only to check that she was following.

[Jaden Wolf]

With a bounce, the bleached followed the temple markings ahead of her. Maybe NOW she could get out of here.
"So what's your name anyway? I'm Dawnbreeze but everyone just calls me Dawn. Wait...home? In a place like this? I don't think so. Maybe you live here, but this is NOT home. Hay, stop!" she chattered away, then as what he said sunk in, she ran up beside him; jumping in front of him when he didn't stop. Surprised, he stopped then narrowed his eyes at her.
"You are quite persistent, Dawnbreeze. If ever, I am called Tekk. Why is this not home? Perhaps you have the wrong idea of what that is. Home is where you reside, where you live. I live here, this is home. It is also dangerous. Keep moving." With that, he pushed past her and kept walking. To his surprise, Dawn launched herself in front of him again. Baring his fangs, he snarled.
"You don't scare me. We are not going anywhere! First off, call me Dawn! Second...listen...Tekk, you have the wrong idea of home, not me. Home is not where you live. Home is where the heart lies..." she snapped at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. His words had somehow hit a nerve, a hidden memory of Dawn's...a memory that she hid even from herself.
"I guess you don't realize it. I have no heart." He growled, not realizing she was crying. Then he saw the tears just before she turned and bolted. His growl caught in his throat and he dashed after her.
"No, Dawnbreeze! Come back, it is much too dangerous...stupid fellox female." He shouted after her, then when he realized she wasn't listening, muttered under his breath.

[Jaden Wolf]

Dawn ran through the darkness, barely avoiding the pillars as she ran blindly. She didn't really care where she was going. She'd have to find an exit eventually, and it wasn't going to be with the help of one who has no regard of life. This was unlike her, she knew, and breifly wondered if her surroundings were having some sort of effect on her.
Suddenly, she collided with something solid. Falling down, she started to mutter something about running into a pillar, when she was grabbed by something and thrown into another pillar. She heard a rough hissing sound and looked up to see a small shaft of moonlight fall onto a hideous dark...thing. It had no specific shape, but still looked like some sort of monster as the black stuff on it rolled to the floor like mist. It hissed again and wrapped a long tendril around her, sending her flying through the air. She screamed, scrambling to sever herself from the tightening arm (or whatever it was) that continued to swing her around in the air. Quickly, the arm-thing threw her against a pillar...hard. She felt the wind knocked out of her with the impact and was suddenly aware of a searing pain in her head.
Dizzy now, she attempted to stand or even crawl, but she couldn't make her body move the way she wanted it to. Dawn looked up and saw the creature...and its mouth. Yes, its mouth, hanging over her with sharp black fangs hanging down over its lips as it grinned maliciously. It was going to eat her...she knew she was done for...

[Jaden Wolf]

Dawn was sure she was done for, and yet couldn't turn away as the thing came closer.
Suddenly, she heard a vicious snarl and a figure lauched itself at the monster. With another strange hissing sound, the monster tried to shake off its attacker. She couldn't concentrate. Her head was spinning and not to mention hurt like crazy. Not just that but she was suddenly tired too, giving up the notion of movement and lying on the floor, trying to steady her breath. She could hear the monster fighting...who or what could that be? She couldn't think right now. She noticed that the shaft of moonlight was on her now, lighting her bleached fur and shining on her face.
Dimly, she was aware of something walking towards her, and just as the idea of the monster appeared in her mind, she noticed that she couldn't hear it anymore. She gasped in recognition as the figure stepped into the moonlight, admiring the way the light danced on Tekk's sleek fur as he approached her. So...he came after her did he? She wondered why.
"G-guess...I was...scared...Tekk." Dawn whispered, and faded off into unconciousness, the image of a moonlit Tekk fresh in her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blinking, Dawn opened her eyes, aware of being in a candelit room, but not of much else. What happened? How'd she get here? Then she remembered as a jolt of pain went through her head as she moved. Ignoring it, she looked around and spotted Tekk wandering out of the darkness of the doorway. She could see him clearly now, and though he seemed a bit grungy from being down in those halls, he was still handsome. She didn't think he was her type though. She blinked again, realizing that he was talking to her.
"Hmmm? What? Sorry...I'm still kinda..." she closed her eyes and sat up, swaying unsteadily with the motion. Her eyes snapped back open as she felt him brush up against her, supporting her weight. She looked at him, but he was busy examining her head, which she just noticed was wrapped in a bandage.

[Jaden Wolf]

Dawn fought off another wave of dizziness as Tekk continued to examine her head.
"I did warn you, Dawnbreeze. You are lucky that I came when I did. The Shadow Beings don't take well to intruders, especially when those intruders annoy them in some way. As for your head, it did not damage your skull, though I imagine the contents would be quite shaken around. Not to mention that you cut a fair length of your head...I'm surprised you aren't still unconcious." Tekk's voice somehow woke Dawn up a bit as she bristled at his neutral tone. She jumped away from him, turning her head to glare at him despite the wave of pain in her head. She was...angry? She never knew she could be like this. She was always so happy...outgoing and warm...perhaps the separation from her sister and being trapped in a dark, empty place is what did this to her. She really hoped she could be herself again. She hoped she could get away from this fellox who let off so much negative energy, she could feel it surpressing the little positive energy she had left.
"So why'd you come at all? You don't have a heart, right? So you shouldn't care what happens to me...or anyone else who comes down here. You should've just let me be eaten...or if you just wanted to kill that thing, then you should've let me die. I just w-" she growled at him, then cut off with a gasp and staggered sideways as a wave of numbness swept over her. Then she felt him again, catching her and easing her to the floor...a difficult task in forms such as this. Still mad, she snapped at him and blinked in surprise when he didn't recoil and let her jaws close around his ear. She could taste blood as her sharp teeth pricked through the thin skin of his ear, yet he did not even blink as he watched her sideways.

[Jaden Wolf]

After a moment, Dawn let go, glaring at the wall. She could still taste his blood in her mouth as he stood and walked away, looking out the doorway at the darkness. His eyes surveyed the area, then set onto one spot and he growled. In response came a scuttling sound that faded away as the owner fled. Dawn looked up again, examining his ear. It was bleeding slightly but Tekk didn't seem to notice...or care for that matter.
"You need to leave...but I see that you are not yet able to move about...you will have to stay here." Tekk did not look at her as he spoke, but Dawn still looked away. Her ears flattened and she growled, surprising herself. She had never growled before...tears ran down her cheeks as she realized just how different she was down here. She didn't like it. She closed her eyes and sobbed. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to leave.
"What are you doing?"
Dawn looked up to see Tekk standing over her, the neutral look on his face as usual. She glared at him, the tears dripping onto his paw as she turned her head.
"I'm crying. It's something you probably don't know, since you say you don't have a heart!" she screamed at him, changing to human form and swinging her hand forward to slap him. Then a human hand caught her wrist, and she gasped, looking up to see a humanoid Tekk. His uncomfortably clear eyes bored into her as he knelt next to her. His face was still blank when he pulled her forward into him and put his arms around her. She could feel no emotion coming from him, but still found she could not pull away. Her sobs came louder now, emptying her of the sadness welled up in her heart. She realized that he was comforting her, letting her relieve the pressure in her heart. Had he always been like this? So...void of emotion? No...he saved her. Surely she was no one, just a lost fellox...so why'd he save her? Why, if there was anyone else, did he save them? No...his heart was hidden, much like her memories...but what made him do it, and was it a concious decision?

[Jaden Wolf]

After Dawn had cried herself out, she lingered for a moment, broken inside. Then Tekk moved away, no doubt sensing that she no longer needed such comfort. He gently removed the bandages on her head, and she saw that the white fabric was stained red on one side. Just the sight made her sick, and a forgotten memory tickled at her mind, but she could not recall what it was. Instead, she watched the male stand and move across the room, noting his long-sleeved, tunic-like shirt, with a hood hanging off the back of his head, about to fall at any moment. She noticed it simply because of the temple marking on the back and front, something she had never seen before on clothing. His face was just as handsome to her as his fellox body was, with black hair that hung to his ears, most hidden behind the fabric of the hood, and blue-ish highlights on the front left lock. His eyes were soft, but still cold, color unknown to the iris, leaving the entire eye white with a metallic blue center. It wasn't long before Tekk noticed her watching him, and he paused, staring back at her.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked in a monotone voice that Dawn found annoying. She frowned and shook her head, snapping it away. She made a point of examining the room instead of him. She quickly realized that there wasn't much to examine. The walls were not intricate, like the rest of the shrine was, but a few strange patterns marked them here and there. As for decoration, it was sadly lacking, with a stone trough of sorts built into the wall, catching a stream of water coming from the ceiling, only to drop it into another hole a few lengths away. Another hole was on the other side of the room, and seperate from either of these things were various objects, like a box of medical supplies, some food (boxed or not) and a couple of things like knives, bowls, etc. Into the normal hole, Tekk dropped the soiled bandage, then picked a new one up from the open medicine box. Kneeling again next to Dawn, he began to wrap it around her injured head.

[Jaden Wolf]

Sitting in silence, Dawn watched Tekk, who was sitting opposite the doorway, staring into the darkness, still in human form. Perhaps because she did not bother to change back either. Looking down at her pale yellow dress, she frowned at how grungy it was, and noted a few tears in the trim. Her long pale hair was in a braid, so she could not tell if it was dirty as well, but she was certain it was. Playing with a pale pink lock of hair hanging loose in front, she looked back up at Tekk. It was quite boring down here, and she could hardly stand it, particularily with the emotional black hole sitting not 3 steps away.
"Why did you save me?" she blurted out, not able to stand the silence any longer. Tekk's head turned towards her, his eyes peircing her and making her quite uncomfortable.
"Because it is my duty."
"So it doesn't really matter what happens to me?" she asked angrily. She couldn't understand why she kept getting so angry, but a dull ache was starting to form in her chest, and she hated it. Tekk's head tilted, seemingly unconciously.
"Why does that anger you so?" he asked, a tint of curiosity in his voice.
With a snarl, Dawn jumped up, Tekk's eyes following her.
"I'm leaving. I'll be careful this time. DON'T follow me!" she growled at him as she strode out the doorway into the darkness. Her head throbbed but she ignored it, focusing on each step that would take her away from that...creature. He didn't really care about what happened to her, so he wouldn't follow...right?

[Jaden Wolf]

After a while of walking, fear settled into every fiber of Dawn's body. Were there other creatures like that other one out here? Were there...other things she could not sense? She couldn't understand this feeling at all. It seemed like the darkness seemed to drain her of energy...but how? Come to think of it, Night was always keeping her out of extremely dark places. Dawn had never really noticed before now.

Tripping on a rock, Dawn ended up sprawled on the ground. The darkness appeared to be thicker here, and she could barely see her own hand in front of her face. Struggling to get up, the fellox found she could not, as she could not seem to find her footing without the use of her eyes. Finally, she managed a sitting position and curled up as if her thin shoulders could protect her from her fears. Burying her face, Dawn cried yet again. After a few minutes, her sobs reduced to sniffles and a hand brushed against her shoulder. Startled, Dawn threw herself to the side and scrambled backwards until her back suddenly hit a pillar. She felt a presence in front of her as she drew away, totally and utterly afraid. The hand found its way to her knee, unfamiliar warmth emanating from it. Just as she was going to slap it away, a voice whispered.
"Have you calmed down?"

[Jaden Wolf]

She wanted to smack him. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to complain about how he had scared her. But she did none of those things. Instead, she launched herself at him, her cheek brushing his in the darkness as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He fell backwards with the momentum, his body stiffening with surprise as she fell forward on top of him. Dawn squeezed her eyes shut and drew her arms around him so tight, it was amazing he could still breathe. She found great comfort in the presence of another person in this abyss, even if he was shaking. Shaking? After a moment, Dawn realized that she was the one shaking as he sat up, twisting her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her reassuringly. Back in his cave, he had seemed so cold, so...mechanical that it was hard to believe he was the same warm, comforting person she now cuddled up to.
She could even hear his heartbeat, strong and steady, calming her own erratic pulse. Relaxing, she nuzzled her face into his neck in a way that she would never had dreamed she would.
"Dawnbreeze, we should go back. Can you stand?" he murmured to her after a moment. This time she did not find his monotone voice irritating in the slightest, though she could have sworn she heard a slight concern in his voice. In her mind, she too thought they should head back but her body disagreed, pressing into him in fear at the thought of letting go. Without hesitation, Tekk hooked an arm under her knees and lifted her up like a princess. For a moment, the thought crossed Dawn's mind and she blushed. As he began walking with complete confidence in his sense of direction, she allowed herself to relax, leaning on him and being lulled to sleep by the rocking motion.

[Jaden Wolf]

Dawn was thoroughly startled as Tekk suddenly broke his even pace and skittered to the side. Crouching down, he set her on the ground and she realized that things were lighter here, a shaft of moonlight poking through the ceiling nearby. Tekk's face was impassive as ever as he scanned the space ahead of them, though there seemed to be a hint of fear and worry in his eyes.
"Tekk, wha-" she started to ask but was cut off by a sharp Shh. Following his gaze, she squinted into the darkness as if she could somehow get herself to see what he saw. After a second of silence, he stood up and took a cautious step forward and then two, all the while scanning the area.

[Jaden Wolf]

Without looking down at her, he gestured for her to stand and join him. Slowly, she did. As she did however, she accidentally kicked a rock which skittered off into the darkness. She and Tekk were both momentarily distracted by the stone and a massive dark lump chose this moment to detach from the nearest pillar and launch itself at them. Tekk noticed it instantly and jumped forward, pulling Dawn behind him as he did so. With a snap resembling that of a whip, the creature lashed out at him and Dawn watched in horror as his body went flying into a pile of rubble.

[Jaden Wolf]

Dawn was on the verge of panic, with a massive Shadow creature ambling towards her and an unmoving Tekk behind it, unable to help her. Turning, she ran towards the light, trying to circle around to Tekk. The creature seemed to realize this and turned towards its fallen prey. Frightened for Tekk and for herself if he were not there to help her, Dawn ran for him with all the strength her body had to offer. Of course, she had no clue what to do when she got there...after all, he might already be dead. Dawn gave a sharp laugh of relief when she saw Tekk's hand move. The movement was slow, almost unnoticeable had she not been watching intently for signs of life.

[Jaden Wolf]

Just as she slid between them, something in her clicked and an eerie calm settled in her, bringing a warmth with it.
"No!" she cried, the sound seeming to echo through the halls. The Shadow recoiled with a hiss and slunk off, vanishing behind another pillar. Behind her, Tekk groaned and just as fast as it came, the calm disappeared and Dawn whirled around to crouch over him.
"Tekk! Are you okay!?" she cried in panic. He groaned and tried to stand, but stumbled and almost fell over. Catching him, Dawn hooked his arm over her shoulders and wrapped her free hand around his body, stumbling in the direction that Tekk leaned towards.