A Heart Of Ashes - RHYSAND STORY

◘Minë◘

A crack of thunder ripped through the thick grey clouds, a flash of lightning following and briefly illuminating the blackened sky. Just as the echo of the previous grumble of thunder passed, another would take its place, vibrating the land below it. The rain poured down like metal spears, clashing with the landscape like a million tiny bullets. All living creatures had taken shelter from the storm, even those who preferred the damper weather. Large puddles had begun to form in the muddy ground, the rivers, lakes, and ponds rapidly filling to the point of overflow. Night had fallen not too long ago, and with the moonlight being shrouded by the thick clouds, seeing was close to impossible through the bucketing rain. Not a single sign of life could be seen for miles.

All but one.

He soared through the pouring rain and harsh winds, staying low in case anyone had their eyes out for the skies. Thunder rolled above him, and every now and then a flash of lightning would cast ominous shadows over the land, silhouetting his body in the sky. Every so often he would give a couple flaps of his powerful wings to gain some altitude when he descended too close to the ground, but other than that he stuck to soaring, avoiding too much movement if he could help it. And he had his reasons. The deadly black arrow that jutted haphazardly from his left breast was explanation enough for anything that may have spotted him flying passed.

Rhysand fought to maintain his breathing as he soared through the drenched air, but the pain flaring in his chest was making that task difficult. His breaths had gradually turned into nearly ragged heaving as his huge wings carried him farther and farther from the battle field, where he had been struck with what should have been an instantly fatal blow to the heart by a black arrow, which had been fired by a elf-like he now wished to kill in the most creative of ways. But there had been no time for that. After he had destroyed nearly the entire army of repulsive elf-like bastards, he had suddenly felt an explosive agony as the arrow pierced him, and the next thing he had been toppling into the bloody ground. The pain had been, and still was, like nothing he had ever felt in his life. He did not know how he wasn't dead right that very moment, but he knew that would soon change.

He had remained still for a few minutes or so, having been immobilized by the pure agony of the arrow, but when the bastards had begun to cautiously gather he knew he must force himself up, or else one or more of them would have finished the job. They'd run forth and drive the arrow the rest of the way into his chest once they saw he was still alive. So, he had gathered his strength, and a chorus of horrified screams and exclamations had rung throughout the surviving bastards when he had suddenly sprung to life. Clumsily, he had climbed to the top of one of the rocks, letting out a roar of pain when he had jostled the arrow, and he had spread wings. It had been over an hour since then, and he had nearly reached his limit, his breaths having grown ragged. That wasn't the only source of pain. Somehow, his left wing had been torn during the fall, and the skin was bleeding, but it wouldn't bleed him out. The arrow would do that on its own.

By the time he had been flying a little passed an hour, he was fighting to remain conscious. His head bowed in the air, facial features wincing as he felt the arrow deep in his body. He decided to land closer to the mountains, finally satisfied with the distance he had put between himself and the field. Even if they dared to hunt him down, they wouldn't find him probably for weeks. It wasn't heartbeats later he spotted a large rock formation below, and he realized it was a cave. It would have to do.

He landed carefully in the open, grassy area, which was surrounded by thick trees. His feet sunk into the ground under his weight, the soil having softened from the merciless onslaught of rain, and it took all he had in him not to collapse right there. His steps were heavy as he entered the empty cave. Finally out of the harsh weather outside, he turned around to face the cave's mouth before he practically collapsed against the wall, careful to lay partially on his side so the arrow wouldn't be driven in by the ground. His chest heaved with every ragged gulp of air, each breath feeling like his body was being torn apart from the inside out. Damn those bastards who tried to kill him. Damn them all!