Bearer of the Signs

VII: ETA

They were being watched, that much Auri was sure of. After an infinity of hunting and being hunted, he knew all too well of those nostalgic feelings; the way his golden skin crawls, or how the back of his eyes prickled as if being poked with millions of miniscule needles.

"But where?" he whispered to himself. He glanced around them, but he could barely see beyond the darkness of the warehouse. Even with the brightness of the light he cast (as if a beacon of some sort); it was still hard to see. Suddenly there was a flicker in the shadows, he snapped his head towards that direction and focused on any detail that might clue him in. he still wasn't sure if it was the right time, but the Skylars are on the move. He came just in the nick of time before the Canes Venatici took the Rowlands. Just as he came to an abrupt halt, the siblings came crashing on his sturdy back, mumbling incoherent words of protest.

He shushed them with the raise of a hand and listened intently to their surroundings. He must not forget that they we're still in a Lion's den.

Cecil didn't like the place. No, it was all too dark, scary, and mysterious for her, and the ominous sounds emanating from her surroundings didn't help either. She heard a clang and yelped, then held unto Jason tighter. This day couldn't possibly get worse.

Jason felt bad for his sister. He knew she was having a hard time coping with all this newfound information, and all this magical... whatever you call this... is not helping at all. A grumble from her stomach broke him from his train of thought, he looked at Cecil.

"You hungry, sis?"

"Yeah, I haven't had Lunch or dinner yet and it's already..." she checked her watch, "15 minutes to 12 o'clock."

"I don't think we can eat yet."

Silence fell upon them, and Cecil broke it, unable to stand the quiet.

"What are we doing Jason?" she whispered.

The heavy rain could be heard, but the drip-drop of the water from their clothes was louder, so was the heavy stomps of their feet as it echoed in the dark.

"Do we have a choice?"

"No...but was it right to just leave? Mo-Gina... may not be our mother, but she still raised us. And our friends...Greg..."she flushed a bit and bent her head down.

He felt so sorry for his sister, she would really miss everyone; her big heart may have been too big for her liking. He stopped walking, making Cecil halt too. Auri kept on walking unaware of the siblings' dramas still. The warm light that surrounded them gradually faded until the two were left alone in the dark, quiet and cold.

Jason faced Cecil," listen to me, Cecil. It's my job to protect and take care of you, to do whatever it takes to make sure you're all right." He paused and held Cecil's shoulders.

"But if you're not okay with how I'm doing it... if you feel scared or doubtful of how I take care of you... I would always back down for you. Remember that time when Peterson was bullying us in the fifth grade?"

Cecil nodded, her eyes brimmed with red.

"I was going to punch him if he kept making you cry. But you told me not to... you said that you wanted to punch him, you wanted to fight him. So I did what you wanted, but still made sure that you didn't get hurt. I held him back while you kicked his arse."

Cecil sniffed and smiled, "yeah."

"So, if you don't like where this is going, we could always go your way. If you're scared of what lies I front of us if we follow Auri, we could go back, or go away, anywhere you want... it's your choice, sis. And I would support it no matter what the others say."