[Shieba]

(Hina and Ailys will lifemate over the course of this RP and be lifemated at the end.)

It was still far until the horizon met the Sa'fir Coast in the distance, yet Hina had flown a long way already. If her father or, even worse, her uncle would know that she had taken off this morning, they would chide her without mercy and so, Hina hoped she would make it back before the meeting of the tribe of the Aumakua Paragon with the neighbouring tribe would end. Hina, as the niece of the head of the tribe, was royalty, even though she thankfully didn't have to join in the politics yet. It wasn't like there was anything big discussed anyway - the tribes got along well; there were enough small islands a good distance away from the coast for them to all get along.

The meeting this time had been called for something else, though. Hina had heard the rumors; rumors about a dark aura roaming the small islands, as if a demon had taken residence here. Of course, that was just the talk of the old women who were superstitious beyond measure, but there were enough of these around to rile other Paragon up as well. Neither Hina's father nor uncle believed the gossip, but sometimes, being a leader meant just acting like things were getting done to assure the rest everything was fine.

Hina herself had decided to celebrate her recent finishing of her studies, from which she had graduated with honors. It wouldn't be long until her uncle would now start to teach her in the way of the tribe and Hina fully intended to enjoy her small vacation to the fullest since it was unclear when the next one was coming up. Not to mention that the weather was just nice. So she had used the day to visit a small island to the west on which she had played a lot as a child; it was full of forest and had a small lake with a waterfall in the middle, coupled with a good-sized cave behind it. The place held wonderful memories for Hina and she liked to visit now and then; not to play anymore but to enjoy the peace her little, personal paradise offered.

[Shieba]

Ailys lay between the trees on one of the smaller islands scattered around the sea near the coast. It was uncomfortable to squeeze between them, but she had no choice. She needed cover as she was almost too weak to take flight anymore. The hunger was like an animal inside her; a dull, throbbing feeling in her stomach that refused to leave and got only worse and worse, making her lightheaded. But this was the fate she had chosen. She could live with the hunger, far better than she could live with a guilty conscience. Day and night were blurring around her, it was possible she was here since a few days. The thought that she might die had come to Ailys a few times, it was not a pleasant one but also, just maybe, it would be for the best of it. A thing like her shouldn't exist in the first place.

Her gaze went upwards, where the sky was visible as a few blue dots between her ceiling of green leaves. It was a nice day, some of the rays of the sun even reaching Ailys at the ground and warming her a little. The tree next to her had branches ripe with red fruits; a horrible mockery to Ailys that she tried to ignore the best that she could. Oh, how she wished she could just eat some of them! But instead fate had cursed her to be unable to eat anything even remotely normal and had her resort to...to that.

It was not fair, really. Ailys sighed and tore her gaze away from the fruits and rested her head on the ground once more. She was tired, so tired, even though she had slept almost all day long and could normally go days without sleeping. The hunger was taking its toll on her and she knew it. She would have to search for this sick excuse she had to call 'food' soon or she would be too weak to. Yet the time had not come and she preferred to wait until it was almost too late. She closed her eyes, relaxing a bit and letting her guard down for the first time that day.

The island was almost devoid of anything but the normal forest life, after all. She knew of the Paragon tribes residing close to here, which was why she was hiding in the first place, but she wouldn't approach them before the hunger forced her to in the end. She just hoped that there were quarrels between the tribes so she could...no. This was wrong. These thoughts were wrong. Never would she wish harm and misfortune upon someone else just to survive herself! And yet she had allowed her aura to show to some Paragon a few days back, to instill worry and fear into their hearts... something she now regretted deeply.

Suddenly, a noise startled her and she quickly looked up. A shadow briefly covered the sun - a Paragon. Ailys quickly suppressed her aura again, but feared that it was too late. Hopefully, it was just a guard who would pass and report. She'd have to change islands now, but there was no way she was leaving until the dark. Curling up further, Ailys, now wide awake, waited and hoped that she had either gone unnoticed or that the other Paragon was too scared to search the island. She was in no condition for a fight.

[Shieba]

Hina, skilled in the art of healing like most of her kind were, felt the aura the second it flared up. It was dark and for a moment, she panicked. Were the rumors true, after all? Forcing herself to calm down, she strained her senses. The aura was like the one of a demon, indeed, but it was weak, almost flickering and it didn't feel... evil, for the lack of a better word. It came from a small, uninhabited island and Hina was bold enough to fly straight over it. The forest on it was thick and lush, a good hiding place for a demon.

She stilled her flight and hovered in the air when she had gotten a nice distance to the island without letting it out of sight. The aura had vanished again, whoever emitted it didn't want to be found. Hina knew the smartest choice of action would be getting some of the fighters of the clan and leading them here; having no doubt that her father and uncle would believe her. Yet the strength of the aura worried her greatly - whatever creature this was wouldn't survive for much longer. Maybe it had just wanted to find a place to die? It would not do to send warriors after someone seeking a secluded place to leave this world; a decision like that would harm her reputation and it felt wrong to her anyway. Another part of her wanted to check to see if she could do anything for whoever was suffering there - but then again, this was a dark creature and probably highly dangerous.

Debating what to do, Hina sighed. Talking to her father and uncle would also mean admitting she had gone off for the day, which would lead to more problems. This kind of convinced her to at least take a look. If she remained outside of the deeper part of the forest, she could take flight again if something attacked her and with a weak aura like that, whatever lurked there would be too weak to follow her. She was relatively safe and she wouldn't take her sweet time either. Just a quick look and then she'd decide what would be the best thing to do.

Hina nodded to herself and flew towards the island again. The aura remained hidden and she landed on the rocky beach. Not knowing this island well, she was unsure in which direction she should enter the forest, but as long as the edge of it remained in sight, she would be fine. Carefully, she took her first steps, folding her wings as close to her body as possible.

[Shieba]

Ailys' senses were far better than those of a normal Paragon and she felt the intruder immediately. She recoiled even though there was no reason to yet, but she had no idea how far she was really in the forest and if the lonely visitor would dare to venture in enough. Ailys' hunger flared up, but there was nothing to eat. Her demonic senses felt curiosity and worry from the other Paragon, but no fear, rage or intent to kill. Instincts started to battle within her; a part of her just wanted to turn and run deeper into the forest while her hunger screamed at her to let her aura back up to full force to scare whoever had entered her makeshift camps and then eat, just eat.

But Ailys knew full well that giving her position away and, more importantly, confirming the suspicion the other Paragon most likely had about her dark nature would probably result in a battle. And she didn't want to harm anyone or, even worse, kill. And it was easy to kill if your strength was of demonic nature.

When the intruder drew nearer, Ailys got up as silently as she could. The world started spinning around her when she got to her legs for the first time in maybe days and, in her weakened state, it took her far longer than she wanted to to get a grip on her own body. Panting without having done so much as taking a step, Ailys waited a few seconds longer, but the other Paragon was still approaching her general direction. And so she turned and started to dash through the trees, hoping to lose her probably larger pursuer.

After just a few seconds, however, Ailys noticed that if anything, she was losing space between them. Was she that slow and weakened already? It probably was true; everything was spinning again and she had to blink rapidly since her vision just went black sometimes. There was no way she could keep up even this speed. She looked up, but there was no way she could take flight right now; the trees stood way too close to each other.

The race continued and Ailys was unable to tell if she hurried through the forest for one or ten minutes. But when she stumbled over a stone and crashed into a tree before she could catch herself, her vision finally went black. She tried to regain her senses for a few, endless seconds during which she heard nothing but the beating of her heart and her own heavy breathing, but then, the dark surrounded her completely and she knew that she, quite possibly, would not wake anymore.

[Shieba]

Hina had ventured far deeper into the forest than she had planned to, simply because, with the dark aura suppressed, she had started to feel something similiar to her own and had followed that faint trace. Then she had seen the other Paragon dashing away from her and her intuition had been confirmed; it was another Placid and one who was obviously hurt. Hina's first idea had been that the dark creature had harmed the Paragon who now thought of her as the demonic attacker and so she'd given chase. But the farther she followed the other female, the more she felt her aura flickering and then leaking darkness again. This had baffled her; this was a Paragon and not a monster, but there was no mistake possible. However, Hina, more than determined to not turn back since another of her kind needed medical attention, had been unable to catch up to the fleeing Paragon, even though she was (and how she hated to admit it) really short, even for a Placid and had a much easier time to weave through the trees. And then, the aura before her had vanished - and Hina had stumbled upon the unconscious female.

Focusing her attention on any possible wounds at once, Hina channeled her healing powers, but there was no flesh to close. Hina took a deep breath. She was no expert healer, but she had been taught to get rid of the most common illnesses of the Sa'fir Coast region. Then again, the other Paragon was unknown to her and was possibly from far away. Still, she had to try and so she let her magical senses seep into her patient - and withdrew them immediately.

Whatever this Paragon was, she wasn't a normal Placid. Hina tried again, more carefully this time. Her senses met a beating heart and a working brain, but beyond that... nothing. Or almost nothing. Whatever other intestines should be there were missing or so crippled that it was impossible that they were working. Yet there was something like blood circulating through the body, only much thicker and moving slower. Hina stared at the body lying in front of her. Was this a Paragon? Or a demon? Or both? At any rate, she had no idea what to do; she couldn't tell what was wrong since everything seemed wrong. How was the female even alive? From the outside, she looked like a normal Placid.

Hina knew her patient would die if she didn't manage to find out what made her so weak and there was no time for her to get help from the professional healers of the tribe. Her only chance to save the dark Placid was to get her to wake up and actually tell Hina what needed to be fixed. Hina started shaking and talking, trying everything she dared to do to someone in such a state, but the other Paragon showed no reaction whatsoever. Blindly channeling a healing spell into the body helped just as little and Hina felt the lifeforce of the dark female flickering. Panic and desperation set in. She... she wasn't trained for this! She didn't want someone to die right before her eyes! What could she do?! What should she do?!

[Shieba]

The darkness was bliss, but something in Ailys screamed for her to just wake up! Her first conscious thought was that she really cursed this body which was so faulty yet just refused to give up and finally grant her peace. And then she listened more closely to her demonic instincts and what actually brought her back. Food! everything in her screamed. Food right next to you!

Ailys groaned and fought to open her eyes; anything; just trying to get enough control over her body to eat. But the second she managed to move a bit and win the battle to open her eyes just a little bit, her food vanished instantly. "N-No..." she whimpered. "D-don't! F-food!"

"Food?!" Hina, absolutely relieved that the other female had woken after all, looked around. There were some berries on a bush nearby, but how could someone who had no internal organs but a brain and a heart eat? "Berries?" she asked quickly, leaning down so that the other one would understand her better. "What can I do? What's wrong with you?"

Ailys weakly shook her head. She barely had the power to speak, how was she supposed to explain? "No...c-can't...digest."

Hina nodded quickly. "That's what I figured! I tried to heal you, but there's...everything wrong with you!"

Ailys smiled wryly. That was, bluntly, the best way to describe her indeed. "I...I eat emotions. Negative...emotions. Please...remember your...panic. Your despair...just...anything bad."

Hina blinked dumbly at the other Paragon for a second. Emotions? But why not, there were tales of demons who ate the pain of other beings and drew strength from sadness and fear. "I'll try, give me a second..." Hina tried to grasp at what she had felt just a second ago, just to fail miserably. As a magical creature, she had been trained to control her emotions to control her magic and besides that, she found it absolutely impossible just to feel panic on the spot. She tried to think of anything else; something that made her sad, angry or miserable and while there had been situations like that in her life, she absolutely couldn't conjure up the fitting emotions right now. Desperately, she grasped at straws and tried to run through imaginary scenarios in her mind, but everything was in such a haste that she just ended up feeling stupid. Was the only possibility in the end hurting herself to feel pain?!

Ailys looked at Hina. She didn't like doing this, especially not to someone who was worried about her, but it mattered little right now. She closed her eyes with a sigh when the whole trick she hated to use so much worked; the more Hina failed to relive emotions, the more desperate she grew without even noticing and Ailys, for the first time in days, allowed herself to eat.

"I'll...I'll just hit my foot against a tree", Hina hastily suggested and was about to get up, but Ailys quickly stopped her.

"No, it's alright." She smiled sadly. "It wasn't even half of what I needed, but I feel better now. Thank you. I apologize for making you do that and tricking you. You did good, so don't worry. There is no need for something terrible like that."

Hina paused and settled down again when Ailys seemed far more healthy than a minute ago. "I actually did it? That's kind of surprising." She sighed. "But good if it worked. You worried me quiet a bit. So was this all you needed? Are you sure? You almost died on me! Why did you run away?!"

Ailys hurried to get into a sitting position as well. Her body still felt stiff and weak, but she managed after two tries. "I thought you were out to kill me. A few Paragon of the tribes of the region spotted my aura a few days ago and I was hiding here. It seems I...underestimated my condition. And yes, food was all I needed."

[Shieba]

Hina nodded. "Word of a demonic aura has gotten out. My father and my uncle are holding a conference today with the tribe closest to here to determine what to do about it." She tilted her head to the side. "That said...what exactly are you? You don't seem hostile, but your aura is the one of a demon. And your aren't a normal Paragon, that much is clear."

Ailys sighed. "I am...a Halfling. Have you ever heard about those?"

Hina looked at the other Placid blankly for a second. "I have. But these are but legends."

"Normally, yes. A Halfling is a creature born from a normal, living being and a demon. A being normally not able to live, thanks to the fact that demons don't have an organism like other creatures and these children ending up with crippled intestines. Like me. Like mine. I have a working heart and a working brain, but unlike every other Halfling ever born, I live. This...blood-like substance, this essence in me is demonic enough to circle through my body and keep me supplied with...air, I suppose. I don't have lungs, but I still breathe. I don't understand it either. My strength is much greater than the one of a normal Paragon. I can smash through steel easily if I desire so...and my wounds heal like at an amazing pace. Just my bones are made from hardened essence. They're harder than normal bones, but if they would ever break, they'd never heal again and no spell could change that."

Hina took this in, slowly. She had no idea what to make of all of this. It explained a lot and there was no reason why Ailys should be lying - this was not something to lie about. Yet it didn't explain her intentions and it was Hina's duty, as one from the tribe, to make sure that no one would attack. "So what are you doing here, far from the coast? If you eat negative emotions to keep alive, does that mean you want to attack the tribe?" Well, Hina had never been one to beat around the bush.

[Shieba]

Ailys frantically shook her head. "N-no! I would never! This is...this is why I am hiding. Because everyone just keeps thinking I would attack. But I'd never do such a thing. I fled from the mainland, hoping that maybe I could stay on a neighbouring island to the tribe and eat without them noticing, but there is no island close enough. You...you said your uncle and father are the heads of the tribe?"

Hina nodded. "Yes. My uncle is, but my father is his vice."

Ailys bowed her head. "Then please tell them that I'm sorry for causing troubles and that I'll leave the region. Now that I feel a bit better, I think I'll be able to travel back to the mainland."

"But didn't you say you were fleeing from there? Were you chased away? If so, you shouldn't. There are ways to the next continent. It's not that far." Hina sighed. "There are islands to rest on in between."

Ailys looked at the ground. "There is no place for me to go, no matter which continent." It was a sad fact, but one she had accepted long ago. "For me, there is no place in this world. I shouldn't be alive to begin with and yet I am. Though I will not get very old, for my heart will not be able to pump this essence, much thicker than blood, through my veins for as many years as normal blood."

"Then you should enjoy your life all the more?" Hina had little patience for creatures wallowing in self-pity. "Your abilities are unique. You should be able to do something with them."

Ailys smiled wryly. "As I am able to sense emotions so well, I started a career as an assistant to a healer. As a Placid, that's what is proper to my species, isn't it? And I was good, really good. I can locate pains easily thanks to my demonic senses. But...in the end, I couldn't do it. All these people, they were so grateful for me helping them. And there was I, eating their pain and feasting on their anguish. How could I ever look at them again?"

Hina fell silent. "I...understand that you felt bad. How harmful is it to eat emotions? I didn't feel anything when you did."

"And you won't. It's something people will give off - like aura or sound. I eat these 'vibes', if you want to call them that. It's not harmful in any way, please don't worry."

"But..." Hina was, in a way, relieved, but also a bit confused. "I don't understand. If it's not bad for anyone, there should be no problem!"

Ailys laughed sadly. "There isn't. It's just me feeling guilty for doing so in the first place."

Hina took one more look at Ailys. It might just be her demon blood in the first place, but... "You are awfully thin. You've been starving yourself, haven't you?"

Ailys sighed, but nodded. "Yes, I have. I hate eating, as much as I need it."

"You...you moron!" Hina glared at the other Paragon. "How can you do something like that!? If you had learned anything from your profession, it should have been that every life is precious, including your own!"

"My own?" Ailys laughed bitterly. "I am a monster!"

"Only if you decide to do so." Hina's voice was hard. "Not birth but virtue is it what created heroes and not birth but life is it what makes you one in the end - or not. You do not kill for fun like demons do, so it doesn't matter what it is that flows through your veins. You alone decide what your life is worth. And you seem to have done an awful job with it so far."

"Hn." Ailys stood up. "Life is not as pretty as you want it to believe. You're sheltered royalty, nothing else. I have since then scrubbed the dirt off people's floors; a job so simple and yet making me feel good about myself; about making a difference. And the second they learned about my blood, they drew their weapons and hunted me down like an animal! You know nothing about life, princess! Return to your tribe and tell them I'll be gone soon. There is nothing else to say."

"As you wish." Hina gave a curt nod and got up herself. This woman was obviously happy in her own-sought despair. "I will tell them, be assured. And then return to my sheltered, little life, I suppose. Farewell." With her head held high, Hina left Ailys in the forest. It was true that she was still rather young, but she had never been spoiled but instead worked hard for the tribe all her life. If the other Placid was so occupied with pitying herself that she could not see beyond what prejudices told her, there was nothing Hina could or wanted to do. But at least she had gotten the matter of the mysterious demon solved - she had no doubt her strange new aquaintance would leave in the night.

Ailys waited until Hina had reached the edge of the forest and had taken flight again; her aura and emotions disappearing out of Ailys' range of sensing. She knew she had angered the other Paragon greatly; she had felt it with every single sense of hers. It would have been another nice meal, but since it had been her fault to begin with and the other one had wanted to do nothing but help, Ailys had refused herself the food. Sighing, she lay down again. There was nothing she could do now until night fell and she could leave this place.

[Shieba]

Hina, still in a rather foul mood, flew into the direction of the island her tribe lived on. She regretted leaving so quicky a bit; the other Paragon was a creature unlike every other she had ever met and Hina was naturally curious about most things. Then again, she had little patience with people like the other Placid and so, it was maybe for the best that she had left. The other female obviously didn't want help or assistance and while she had talked about her 'condition' quite freely, it was obvious to Hina that she had just done so because she had felt the need to explain the eating of emotions.

Hina's wings felt heavy and tired from flying too much this day and so she was glad when the island finally came into sight. The sun was almost already beginning to set and she hoped she could sneak in before the guard for the night took up his post. This seemed, luckily for her, to be the case and she managed to get into the settlement without being seen. However, it seemed to be less a case of luck than a case of mystery - the whole settlement seemed rather deserted. Hina quickly located one of the old women of the tribe who usually stayed together. "Grandmother, hello! Where is everyone?" she quickly asked.

"Hina, my dear." The woman nodded. "Where have you been if you haven't heard?" The old Paragon stared at Hina a bit strangely and the Placid looked at the ground, nervously. Luckily, she wasn't known for leaving without telling anyone. "Anyway, you have heard about the demon aura? It has been located by the other tribe not that far away. The warriors have left to deal with whatever it is."

Hina suddenly felt cold. If the warriors found the Halfling in her weakened state, she had no doubt they'd make quick work of her. "Do...do they know the exact location?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

The woman shrugged. "Not really, but they'll find the beast, I'm sure. They said they'd be done with it and back by nightfall."

"T-thank you." Hina bowed her head quickly and then hurried off until she was out of sight. It was one thing to leave the Halfling, but another to do nothing and let her encounter certain death. There was little hope the warriors would listen to the other Paragon as long as they were assured it was her who carried the aura; demons were known to be decieving and none of the fighters were Placids who could feel into the bodies of others to find out about her not being a full-blooded monster. Even though she was tired, Hina took flight again.

She saw the group of warriors from far when she came near the island the Halfling was hiding on; luckily, they were searching two islands south of it. Hina waited until all but the guards keeping watch had landed, then she passed by them using another island with a few trees on it as cover. Landing on the rocky beach again, she quickly entered the forest. If the other Paragon was still here, she had suppressed her aura completely, but Hina could, after a bit of searching, see where she had entered the forest and left a trail of broken branches in her wake. Following her own path, she set out to search for the other Placid again.

It was already starting to get darker when she finally found the her. She was sleeping, probably in expectation of traveling through the night. "Hey! Wake up!" Hina shook the other Placid, hoping she would wake easier than before when she had been near death.

"...Hn?" Ailys slowly opened her eyes and immediately snapped to attention when she noticed someone was there. Had she been discovered?! Was she being attacked?! Confused for a second, she quickly scanned her surroundings before her eyes settled on her earlier visitor. "You again...?"

"We have to hurry!" Hina grabbed the other Paragon. "Get up! The warriors of my tribe and the neighbouring one are searching for you nearby! If they find you here, you are dead."

[Shieba]

Ailys scrambled to her feet, her senses noticing how panicked the other Paragon was. Yet she could feel they were the only ones on the island. “There’s no one else here.”

“But they are close, two islands to the south. I know of an island where you can hide for the moment, it’s to the west and few but me even know about it.” Hina dragged Ailys along for a few steps until the other Placid followed her on her own will. “We need to take flight as soon as we can. And if you can eat while walking and flying, by all means, eat. The last thing I need is you being too weak.”

”Why are you helping me?” Ailys asked. It seemed the right thing to ask – while she could tell with her demon senses that she wasn’t being lied to, it seemed such an odd thing to do; to help a dark being like her.

Hina snorted. “Because while you are being a moron, you don’t deserve death and death is what you will find when the warriors will meet you. They can’t tell a Halfling from a demon for sure.” Hina looked up, the forest had thinned out a bit. “Ready?”

Dumbfounded, Ailys nodded. Someone wanted to save her? That made no sense to her; no one had ever done something nice for her. She was a monster, after all! Yet the other Paragon was sincere. Ailys waited until her strange new friend had risen into the air, then she followed. She was still weak and hadn’t flown in so long, but thankfully, her body worked with her this time and she managed to leave the island via air after the other Paragon.

They stayed close to it for some time, flying around it until they saw where the warriors were right now – only one island away now, but luckily not in the direction they were taking. Ailys followed the other female and, when they had no other islands or obstacles like rocks in their way, allowed herself to eat some of the panic her savior still radiated, even though most of it had vanished. Her senses not fully concentrated on the flight anymore, Ailys fell back a bit but then hurried to keep up when she indeed started to feel better again.

After at least half an hour, they reached the island Hina had meant; the same island she had visited at the beginning of the day. She flew right over it, with the lake with the waterfall almost in the center of the island, there was enough space around it to land onto. Her wings more than tired, Hina sighed in relief when she had ground under her feet once more. She waited until the other female had landed next to her, then she pointed at the waterfall. “There is a cave behind it which is good cover, but I don’t think you will be found here anytime soon. At least not today and I will come back tomorrow and hopefully have heard what’s going to happen next. I know you said you wanted to leave, but now, there will be guards circling the area and it’s too dangerous.”

Ailys nodded, being able to sense no deceit but only worry. Obviously, the other Paragon was really only looking for her wellbeing. “Alright. If the cave is big enough, I’ll probably stay there, but I think I’ll be able to pick up your aura anyway when you get near.” It felt strange and rather dangerous to place trust in someone again, especially since Ailys knew nothing about her savior, but there was no other way for now and the island seemed safe enough; she couldn’t sense anything but local wildlife. She hesitated. “...Thank you for your help. My name is Ailys.”

Hina smiled. “I’m Hina. Pleased to meet you.” She sighed. “I better get back as soon as possible now. It’s very possible I’ll already get in trouble and the last thing I want is to be seen coming from this direction. My word will be believed, but I don’t want to lie to the others if I don’t have to. Try to get some rest.” Hina waited until Ailys had nodded, then flapped her wings again. She would hurt all over in the morning, it had been a long time since she had had to fly so much. Quickly, she took off and hurried back towards the island of her tribe. With some luck, there would still be no guard about thanks to the recent commotion.

[Shieba]

Ailys indeed slept in the cave behind the waterfall, even though the noise distracted her. But she was still exhausted enough to sleep deeply and it was definitely nice to have water nearby, even though she couldn't drink it. Thanks to the recent weather, the lake was rather warm and she swam a bit in the morning, enjoying the peace the place offered. It was really a nice island and, after some quick inspection of the area, the forest around the lake also offered enough cover. Though it was rather boring, Ailys was used to stay hidden for whole days and so she waited patiently for Hina.

When the sun was about to set again and Hina had still not appeared, Ailys was almost certain she had either walked into a trap or the other Paragon had decided to forget about her, which would be very understandable. But just as Ailys was about to retire into the cave again, she felt Hina’s aura approaching the island. When she was close enough to land, Ailys also sensed great worry.

Hina, indeed with rather sore wings, smiled at Ailys when the other Paragon walked towards her. “Here I am, as promised. Don’t worry, I haven’t been followed. As I thought, there are patrols flying around since the search yesterday turned up nothing, but it’s not that bad. My uncle is still unsure if the whole demon-talk isn’t just superstition and said if nothing happens for two weeks, he’ll withdraw the guards. So that’s how long you have to stay here, it seems. And keep your aura hidden at all times.”

Ailys nodded. “I will, thank you. Did...something else happen? You are very worried, I can tell.”

”Heh.” Hina smiled. “Of course I’m worried. I left so late that I’ll probably get in big trouble when I get back. But I had no idea how to get panicked enough otherwise to provide you some food, so there was little else I could have done. So go ahead and eat now, I can’t stay forever.”

Ailys stared for a moment. Hina had done this much...for her? There had to be a catch somewhere, no one would ever do something like this for a dark creature. No one had ever been that nice to her, period. And so Ailys remained on guard, closing her eyes to fake eating while in fact rather keeping the area in check.

Hina waited for a minute, then growled softly. “You are not eating. Why not? You ate my worry yesterday, so why not now? I know it should be enough.”

Ailys’ eyes snapped open and she stared at Hina. “You can tell?”

”Of course I can! I can feel your aura growing stronger when you eat and I can very easily tell it’s far from how strong an aura should normally be, so you must be hungry. So what is your damn problem?! I told you how stupid you are, not eating when you hurt no one with it and I fully mean it! Heck, I am offering to you right now, so now that you also got me sufficiently angry, go ahead and eat!” Hina sat down slowly, even though all she wanted to do right now was throttling this difficult female.

”I’m...I’m sorry.” Ailys sat down as well, being rather shocked at the reaction she had gotten. “It’s just...no one has done something like that for me before. It’s...nothing I can really believe.”

Hina sighed, but said nothing more. She didn’t really want to calm down, not if it meant food to the other Paragon, so she just kept her anger flaring up right now and luckily, Ailys seemed to have gotten the hint, as she finally started to eat for real.

They stayed silent for twenty minutes; Ailys finally eating enough since days. Hina’s anger faded with the time, but the worry rather grew, so the Halfling had enough of a source for food. Hina herself watched Ailys’ aura carefully and was satisfied to see how quickly it improved over something as simple as a meal, however strange of a meal it was. So when Ailys, sated for the first time in months, finally sighed and stopped, Hina gave her a small smile. “Good. That’s what I wanted you to do.”

Ailys returned the smile. “It’s been a long time since I felt that good”, she admitted. “Is there something I can do for you in return?” There had to be something; Hina couldn’t possibly have done all that for her with no price in mind. She was a princess, after all.

Hina more intuitively sensed the direction Ailys’ thoughts were drifting in than that she knew. “I don’t think there is, really. Stop thinking that everyone is out there to get you, that’s just dumb! Just accept someone being nice to you. I can’t believe that I’m the first one to ever do so.”

”But you are”, Ailys insisted. “I’m a monster, why should someone be nice to me?”

Hina sighed. “I’m glad you’re stuck here for a bit. Maybe I can use the next two weeks to get these silly thoughts out of your head. I have to go now, for my father has issued a meeting for later this evening, but I’ll return tomorrow – late again, so you get enough food – and then we can talk in earnest.” She had to admit, she was curious about Ailys; not only because she was a Halfling but also because she had such a dark view of the world. “If you really want to do something for me, then just tell me your story. I want to know what happened to you to make you think so badly of yourself.”

[Shieba]

And Ailys did talk, though hesitant at first. But when Hina returned the next day and the day after that as well, the Halfling slowly started to trust the other Paragon. Hina made sure she could stay at least for an hour, sometimes more, and while she did get caught in the evenings and also got a good scolding for being out so late, she also quickly learned when the change of guards on the island took place so she could sneak in. It was never enough to stop her from worrying, but that wasn’t something she wanted to change since she also needed to provide food for Ailys.

And the more she learned about Ailys, the more she had to admit that maybe her life was sheltered. Not in the way that she was spoiled but in the way that she had never known anything bad but the small quarrels the tribes sometimes had and which were almost always settled with a few meetings. When Ailys talked about war and bloodshed, about murder and crime, Hina couldn’t relate. She had read about it during her studies, but hearing it from someone showed her for the first time how bad it was on the mainland. Ailys had lived most of her life hidden in the slums of the big towns and while she talked about buildings out of marble and clothes made of silk, it became quickly clear to Hina that this wasn’t the world Ailys lived in. The other Paragon had never found anything but hate towards what she was, so her life was a tale of her hiding her condition, then being found out and hunted down until she found another place for some time where the whole circle started again. Hina had trouble to imagine such a life where one had to fear death every day.

When Ailys showed interest, she almost felt embarrassed to talk about the life of the tribe; it seemed to be so bright and wonderful in comparison. Yet when Ailys encouraged her to talk – only by silent, interested looks; Hina quickly learned the Halfling tried not to ask for anything, period – she did so and tried to describe her life and the everyday life of the tribe as detailed as she could.

The meetings with Hina quickly became Ailys’ highlight of the day. Not only because she had someone she could talk to for the first time, but also because of all the stories Hina told. It seemed like fairytales to Ailys; about a life where one didn’t have to run away, where one had a home, a family and friends around. Like Ailys, who had always worked as hard as she could when she had had the chance, Hina was a hard worker as well who did her best to grow up to help to lead the tribe one day and Ailys admired that.

As different as their lives were, they quickly realized how similar they were in character. Though Ailys was shy and reserved and Hina tended to be rather bold and direct, this was just how life had shaped them and underneath, their ways to think and feel was the same. Over the days, they stopped just telling stories but started to share opinions. Hina showed Ailys more of the island of her childhood and they explored it together all over.

For the first time since years, Ailys had found a place where she felt just at peace. She knew she would leave sooner or later and that it wasn’t really safe, but Hina made her feel like she had just found a home. Ailys learned which of the fruits of the island Hina liked and made an effort to gather them during the day; Hina ate some of them while Ailys ate Hina’s emotions and some she took back to the tribe as an explanation to what she had done. Considering Hina the only one who had ever deserved being called a friend, she was happy to help not only her but also her tribe.

The two weeks passed and even though the patrols stopped like Hina had said they would, Ailys stayed. Hina had told her about the vacation she had after her latest studies and Ailys wanted to stay until Hina would have take on her training again and would have to stop coming. Neither Hina nor Ailys wanted to think of what would come afterwards; both knew Ailys couldn’t stay forever without a source of food. The thought of the Halfling again returning into a life of danger and being hunted was terrible for Hina and Ailys alike; they both had grown close, but neither saw a way how they could stay together.

[Shieba]

Three days before the end of Hina's vacation, Hina and Ailys watched together how the stars slowly appeared on the darkening sky. They were sitting together next to the lake, their tails playing with the water. Neither felt like talking for the moment as both were just thinking what would be in a few days. The topic had woven more and more into their thoughts with each passing day and now the change of life was almost upon them.

Hina watched Ailys out of the corner of her eyes. She knew exactly what she wanted to do: To take Ailys with her, to her tribe. Surely no one would be against letting the Halfling stay if Hina explained clearly about Ailys’ condition. But just as sure was that Ailys would refuse. She was the kindest soul Hina had ever known and the last thing the other Paragon wanted was to be a problem. While Hina had found it unnerving at first that her friend was so timid it made her want to scream, she had long realized that Ailys lived in the constant fear that the people hunting her were still out for her blood and Ailys was just scared that someone close to her would have to suffer for being around her and Hina could relate; she wished as well to protect her tribe as well as she could. But...

Hina felt like crying. The thought of losing Ailys, of losing someone she had grown so close to and she got along with was absolutely devastating to her. She completely failed to understand why someone would want Ailys dead; she doubted that, while Ailys had admitted she had killed before because it sometimes happened when she was attacked and since she had her demon-strength, Ailys would ever want to hurt someone. Hina couldn’t believe Ailys didn’t even hate the people hunting her – Hina for one hated them with every fiber of her being – but instead just admitted that she could understand them in their wish to not have someone with demon-blood around. It made Hina angry that no one had ever tried to understand Ailys and grow close to her. Ailys, to Hina, was absolutely beautiful, no matter how black her blood was. She saw Hina as what she was, not as a princess like the rest of the tribe. It was not just Ailys who had found someone she finally felt absolutely at ease and happy around.

Ailys herself just tried to forget what would happen soon. It had been so easy to get used to a life without hunger and with someone caring for her, she knew it would be twice as hard as before to return to what she had had before, now that she actually knew how peace and happiness felt. Just sitting next to Hina made her feel safe; she was sated and happy and, after having flown with Hina to the next island over, which had been the home to a tribe that had left, and exploring it, she felt absolutely content. Hina’s friendship was the greatest gift she had ever gotten and treasured it deeply.

”Come with me, to the tribe”, Hina finally said, breaking the silence. She knew the answer, but she had to ask. She had to do something; do anything to stop the future which presented itself to them as it was right now.

“I can’t.” Ailys smiled, calmly. She had wondered when Hina would ask. “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t do that. I don’t belong there, to that life you lead. I wish I would, really, but I don’t think I can.”

“But I don’t want you to leave!” The desperation was clear in Hina’s voice.

“I don’t, either.” Ailys was determined not to cry; she was able to, but she cried black essence, her own blood, instead of tears and it hurt. It also was something she didn’t want Hina to see.

Hina shook her head. “Then you won’t. I will find a way and if I have to drag you to the tribe and tie you to a tree! I won’t let you leave and return to these...these people who hate you for such stupid reasons!”

Ailys choked back a sob. She was still unsure if she deserved so much kindness...and she knew that Hina meant it. That Hina would, if she had to, try to get her whole tribe from stopping her leaving. That she, Ailys, meant so much to Hina. And with that, Ailys knew what she had to do. She couldn’t and wouldn’t have Hina do such a thing to her – it wasn’t right. She would have to leave before that.

She would have to leave tonight.

She leaned against her friend. “Please don’t.” Her voice was a whisper, she didn’t trust it and she knew she was pleading in vain anyway. “Some things can’t be changed.”

”I will change them. My uncle and father taught me that fighting for the future I want will never be fully in vain. And I want you in my future!” Hina leaned against Ailys. “I will think of something until tomorrow. And you will agree to it. I will make you.”

Ailys smiled. “I doubt I will.”

”You will.” Hina gently, but with resolution, nudged Ailys. “You will, because deep inside, you want to.”

”You know I do, but...” Ailys sighed. There was nothing she could say. “Tomorrow then.”

”Yes, tomorrow. I’ll see you then.” Hina stood up and flapped her wings. “Sleep well, Ailys.”

”You, too.” Ailys smiled and waited until Hina had risen into the air, not taking her eyes away from her friend until she had disappeared against the darkening sky. ‘And farewell, my friend.’

In the dark of the night, Ailys cried; her tears as black as the sky. She walked around the lake and into the cave for the last time, taking in all she had ever called home. Then she spread her wings and soared up high, leaving the island she had lived on for the last month, hovered in the air for a few seconds and looking in the direction where her best and only friend was sleeping right now next to her family, she took off, towards the coast. Back towards her old life.

[Shieba]

The weather was still nice and the night mild. Hina had told her that a season of storms would be upon them soon; it was one more reason to leave now. Ailys had entertained the thought of staying and just hoping that Hina would be visit her sometimes, but if they would be bound to their respective islands by storms and Ailys had no way to find food at all, it was too dangerous, which was why that idea had been discarded.

For now, Ailys silently soared through the air, watching the dark sea underneath her passing by. She knew it would be a long time until she would feel so strong again, hunger would in a few days creep back into her body. It was nothing to look forward to. A part of her – a big part – just wanted to turn around, to enjoy the last two days she had in happiness, but she knew it was time to leave. She didn’t want to cause problems for Hina. Not Hina, never Hina.

Lost in her thoughts, Ailys watched islands drift by. Soon, she would be able to see the coast and the lights of the cities of the mainland in the distance. She wondered if she should return to Aldrect and hope that she had been forgotten there by now and could once again try to take on a simple job for a local, wealthy man. She had rather liked cleaning, it was as if it was helping her, whose very existence soiled the world, to clean herself of the blood she had shed.

Ailys smiled wryly; Hina would have hit her for those thoughts. She had long stopped saying them aloud in Hina’s presence. For some time, she had forgotten to think them as well after that. Such a happy time...

Suddenly, Ailys felt the presence and emotions of two beings behind her. She sent her senses out, to figure out what had happened and—

Big mistake.

She knew it in the second her senses read the emotions of whoever was behind her. The curiosity faded into shock and then determination to hunt the moment she had made the mental contact. Whoever that was had the ability to detect demon senses – and was now alarmed.

Ailys dived down, immediately masking all her aura again. There was no island to be seen around her, but there had to be one where she could hide. She just had to hurry! Staying close to the surface, she quickly turned to the left. She found no island, but a collection of huge rocks. Maybe she could hide behind them? Uncertain, she hovered above them for a few seconds, wasting precious time.

Her pursuers appeared as black dots in the distance, but her supernatural senses managed to see them anyway. Two Grim Paragon, coming quickly closer. Ailys was, thanks to her demon-blood, immune to their poisonous fumes, but their hearing ability would tell them her position as long as she was flapping her wings. And there was no place to land on the rocks.

Why were they there, anyway? Hina’s tribe had stopped with the patrols – so maybe it was the neigbouring one? What could she do? She was strong enough for a fight, but she had two enemies and she didn’t want to kill them. Continuing to fly, she knew the Grims had spotted her; they were active mostly at night and could see well in it, Ailys knew.

An island appeared in the distance, but it appeared to be small. No hope of losing two opponents on it, now that they would see her land and it also was the only island in sight. At least the Grims were still a distance away and Ailys was fast enough to keep it that way. There hopefully would be more islands to come.

Her senses kicked in one second later and one moment after that, two more Paragon appeared in the sky, rising from the small island. Ailys immediately changed course, but the maneuver cost her time and allowed the others to close in. And one of the new ones was a Windgill, a species much faster than her – less than a minute later, he suddenly appeared before Ailys. She stopped and dived, but then the others were there as well and she found herself surrounded.

[Shieba]

Ailys sensed their emotions. They were ready to kill her, but were hesitating, most likely because they were trying to determine her strength. Maybe she could deal with them, maybe she couldn’t. She was much smaller than them, but stronger, too, but they were four. Still... Hina’s tales were in Ailys’ thoughts. How she talked about her tribe and the other tribes surrounding hers. About the happy days of peace she had and how everyone mainly got along. Maybe, just maybe...

“My name is Ailys”, she tried. “I am a friend of Hina Aumakua, of the Aumakua Paragon. Do you know her? She can confirm it. My aura is dark, for I am half a demon, but I am no monster. I do not wish to fight you, but I also do not wish to die. Please, can we resolve this peacefully?”

She saw how the other Paragon exchanged glances. “We know of Hina”, one Grim said. “But we don’t know of demons who don’t try to trick others.”

“Then let me prove it.” Ailys felt they were wary; it was clear to her that these Paragon were indeed not used to demons or killing and would like to avoid it if possible. “Take me to Hina. I will follow peacefully, you have my word. And if you believe me a demon, you also know that demons consider it below them to lie, though they do twist their words. So have my clear statement: I will not attack anyone, in any way, if I don’t get attacked first.”

There was more silent communication between the guards and finally, the Grim who had spoken before, possibly the one in charge, nodded. “Very well. We will believe you, for now. We will bring you to a small island near our clan – not the island of the clan, so don’t even think of taking hostages. We will keep you there until morning, strictly guarded, and talk to the head of our tribe. If he wills so, we will take you to the Aukamuas later. They were the ones who raised the talk about the demon anyway, so you should probably be theirs to deal with anyway.”

Ailys took a deep breath of relief. “Thank you. That sounds good.”

”Good. We fly, then.” The Grim beckoned towards the others and they all flew slowly, Ailys in the middle, towards where Ailys had come from. Their progress was slow and Ailys knew she was watched every second, but she had hope to maybe make her way out of this unharmed. How she would deal with Hina then... she did not know.

They led her to a small island indeed. It was full of rocks and only had a few trees growing on it; not enough to give her shelter, but she understood that she needed to be seen at all times. So she searched for a spot where she could rest without being bothered by too many sharp stones and just tried to sleep a bit. There was nothing else she could do at the moment anyway.