Stars (Ascension Short)

Stars Part IV

Bolden threw his opponent against the arena wall with deadly force.
The griffin didn't get back up.
That's right, stay down if you know what's good for you! He thought.
"And that's yet another win for Burning Eagle!" The arena announcer narrated. "The griffin we know and love has come out on top once again!"
You wouldn't love me if you knew who I was.
Bolden shook off the truth and rose up on his hind legs, giving an avian cry of victory.
He didn't acknowledge the healers who carried away his brutally beaten opponent, nor did he acknowledge the griffins who came after to shower him with praise. He ignored them all. His priorities lay beyond the fighting ring. He had blown off the steam burning under his feathers and fur. Now he had to face the demons that resided back at the stronghold. His demons. His partner.
She had come so close to killing him today. It wasn't anything new. Victoria was a volcano. Constantly burning under the surface. Waiting to explode.
Bolden knew helping her blow off steam by fighting him was a risk. He risked death every time they clashed, yet he did it anyway.
His loyalty knew no bounds. If he had to die by her talons to make her happy then he would.
It wasn't as if he had a choice. He never had. But he did his best to make his partner happy and help her. He did his best to help keep her from losing herself to her darkest instincts. There was nothing to be done about it at this point.
He had been chosen and that was that.
That day... had been the day he died. In heart and soul. He dedicated every part of himself to her. Everything he had become in the years since they became bonded was hers. His very being was hers to use as she wished.
They both knew it.
Just as they both knew that darkness lingered on the horizon, just out of sight.
A darkness that was coming for them.
A darkness that would devour them.
A darkness that would destroy the very world that they lived in.
A darkness that lay dormant within their daughter.