Sunrays and Moonbeams

Aftermath

"Konrad?" I glanced to the side to see Stephan and once my eyesare on his he continues, "what shall we do with the bodies?"

"Make sure that Conner gets a proper burial. But for Karen, leaveher to the scavengers." I said and heard the gasps at the burial.Burial is important but they all know how badly viewedto hurt a mate is. I wait a moment to make sure that we had theproper tools to bury him right and put Karen's body to be picked atby the buzzards.

Once I was sure everything was done I could still hear the whispersand I growled out, I would not allow this to fester. "Tell me allof you; if someone tried to kill your mate." I looked between themand that immediately quieted those that were whispering as theyremembered that throwing Name from the tree would be the same asattacking one of us with a knife and I see as they begin to think ofit, mentally putting their own mates in the place and starting toslightly sweat on the thought, the constellations decorating theirbodies dimming and even some going completely dark to the point if Ididn't know they did in fact have them I might think that they hadnone.

Confident my point had been made I stretched out my wings and jumpedhurrying over to where I know Lenore would have taken my Name. Myinstincts were screaming at me, get to her, protect her, keep hersafe, Name. Name and Theodore.

Swooping in I see her sitting on the side of a crudely fashionedchair while Theodore was stretching his wings flapping hard. He wasstarting to be able to hover the slightest bit and Name was watchinghim her hands hovering like she wanted to grab him. It seemed strangeto me but I had to remember that she had no wings, had no way to knowthat this was natural and not something to worry.

Smiling a bit I pulled back to allow James back on.

- - -

It took a moment to blink myself back into my head as Konrad gotcomfortable into the space for him in the back of my head. Somehow,someway, Konrad and I had come to some kind of agreement. If it wasbecause we were technically two sides of the same person; Konrad justbeing my most base instincts. Whether this was the natural way of itwhen a Beast took over or if it was just us.

I spread my wings and glided down to where my mate and hatchling werewith a wide smile as I saw that she was safe and sound. Both weresafe. What I wasn't expecting was for her to jump upon seeing me;that in itself wasn't anything that surprised me but what did washow she jumped letting out a shriek.

Right away I was crouched slightly, my wings spread looking quicklyfor any threats. Name. Mate. Protect. Theodore. Hatchling. Protect.Lenore. Friend. Protect.

Theodore was letting out a giggle and he was reaching for me and Namegasped. "Theo," she whispered out in such a desperate tone ofvoice and her hands, which had been hovering looking for danger ofhim hurting himself, now snatched him to her chest. She was obviouslycareful of his wings, acting like they were delicate dust but thatjust made my heart warm as she treated him so delicately. She heldhim tightly obviously worried for him, turning her body to protecthim.

Protect him from something that is behind me.

I turn, ready to destroy whatever was scaring my mate so badly. Butthere was nothing behind me. I turned questioning what Name couldpossibly be scared of, what it was I was missing. But she gave me noanswer, pulling away from me even more and it was then I saw Lenore'sexpression. It took me a moment before I realized what it was thatName was so scared of.

Of me.

I felt myself grow clammy and cold when I realized she was once againscared of me. How was it that all the progress we had made wassuddenly erased?

"Keep calm and strong Konrad," Lenore spoke and I didn't bothercorrecting her. What was the point? If it would just be reset everytime I made the slightest progress, what was the point? What was thepoint of making this world work for both our species if I couldn'teven make my mate happy? If she felt the need to protect Theodore-whoshe obviously had taken as her own-from me? If she viewed me as adanger. As a monster.

"Give her time, you are covered in blood." I looked down andgasped for the first time seeing not only the indigo of the blooddecorating my left hand and stomach from Karen as well as the deepred that was bordering on black, I could have sworn that the blood ofthe earthling was a bright angry red. Now that I'm paying attention Ican feel the strange caked on flaking blood of the earthling and thegoop like feel of Karen's blood. I realize now exactly how I mustlook covered in blood of both our people and I look down thinking howit must look to her. "She will come to understand when she has timeto come to terms to it that you did this to protect her." Sheassured and I nodded glancing up as I heard the flapping of wings tosee Klarissa who had a rag soaked and dripping slightly.

"I had a feeling this would happen." She sighed handing me therag, "you didn't even think to wash off your face!" She shook herhead and I thought back to when she had mentioned as we had flown tothis world that she was an older sister, similar to how I was anolder brother, only that her younger siblings were closer in age toher and their was three of them total instead of the clutch I waspart of being four total.

"Thank you Klarissa." I must have shown how defeated I felt asKlarissa gave me a pitying look and even Name was looking at me with(eye color) orbs nestled between white and black like she wanted toget near me to see if-maybe-I was okay but at the same time scared ofme.

I quickly work to wipe down my face, neck, and chest from the blood.As I'm doing so it also works some of the blood from my hands aswell. As I do so she stops cowering slightly but is still holdingTheodore and Klarissa takes the cloth back. "Thank you. Thank youboth." I thanked them before slowly walking towards Name. I don'tgo too fast, walking slowly enough that she doesn't feel threatenedand if she did flinch I hold still. It took longer than I wanted, butnot as long as I feared, to get to her and was able to scoop her intomy arms, her holding Theodore.

"Nest." I explained to her, hoping she could understand and shelooked up at me and after a moment of wetting her (lip color) lips.

"Home." She answered in the earth language she speaks andI hope that she is right and we can learn a language together. I nodand spreading my wings flew us to our home. Despite Name obviouslybeing held back from me and not being as comfortable with me as shehad just yesterday-and nowhere near as relaxed as she should be withme-but obviously it was not beyond repair and she was still open tome. She could feel how we are meant to be and I see that someone hadleft the fish for us so I take some more shavings to bring the fire;a fire! To cook the food. I find that I enjoy it, enjoy tasting thesmoke that scents the air, and sharing it with my darling Name.

We are learning more of each other's language and the fact she stillclung to me proved we could go through anything.

I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm sorry for the long wait butI'm finally happy with this chapter.