Chapter Eight: pull the pin and detonate

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Even dragons had to rest, Sakura knew that fact well, so when the voice at the very edge of her consciousness, teasing and tempting, faded, she assumed they would be safe for the next couple of hours. She knew a dragon's sleeping schedule better than any. Though speaking of a dragon's sleeping schedule, she knew both she, Aravir, and their other human companion would need to rest. Lindion too, lest he begin to fade under the might of the being they hunted.

Night had fallen by then, the moon high up in the sky, concealed by a haze of cloud along with the majority of the stars. Sakura took that to be all ill omen. She knew how much the elves loved those little lights in the sky above. Melkor had hated them, loathed the one who had set them up in the sky. There had been a reason his den had a permanent covering of ash and cloud to bar the sight of the sky.

Sakura thought they were quite beautiful, though she had never said a word about it, because she didn't want to be hated. She wanted to be loved. Not that it had ever happened. Not that it would ever happen.

Besides, it wasn't like beauty had mattered in her anger. Nothing really had aside from the need to burn and raze. Humming to herself, she kept up with the rest of the company, a tired smile pulling at her lips when they came to a rest in the next sizable spot within the confines of the forest. "We will be camping here," Aravir informed her then, and Sakura nodded in acknowledgement. "Rest well. It will be another arduous day of walking on the morrow."

"I will," Sakura murmured, pulling out her pack and supplies as preparations for supper were made. There was no need for hunting – their supplies of food already brought, whether it was dried meats or some sort of elven bread which was being shared. Some found its way to her, and she chewed on her allotted portion mindlessly. It wasn't terrible, but it was rather... tasteless to say the least. Well, to her own taste buds – Aravir looked all too happy to eat the stuff. Sakura was hoping they would find the accursed dragon before she grew fed up with the rations, but something told her she wouldn't be that lucky. She never was.

Curling up atop her meagre bedding, hunger sated, pack beneath her head as some sort of makeshift pillow, she closed her eyes, shutting the rest of the world out as she plunged into the world of her dreams. Horrid, twisted things, which would only be made that much worse by her situation. She didn't want to listen as the elves conversed over her head, whispering of strategy, fear, and the excitement which came with being there to hunt a beast from tales of old. She didn't want to watch the elves drift into that odd waking-sleep only they were capable of. She wanted to sleep – sleep and find respite from her memories and all the pain they brought.

And sleep she did.

But she dreamt of fires on the battle plains, of the large shadow she cast as she swept through the skies, unleashing a deluge of fire upon the burning ground. She dreamt of a door, the scrape of nails against the wood ringing out as a voice pleaded with her to let them in. She dreamt of shadows and formless figures who whispered and whispered. One word. Her name. Over and over again, like a chant. A curse. And she just wanted them to—

"Shut up!" she hissed, blinking as she met Aravir's eyes, hands dropping from where they had been reaching for him like the taloned claws she had once possessed.

"Lothien?" Concern rang true in his eyes, and Sakura slammed a hand over her own, fearing as to their state. She hardly wanted Aravir to see her eyes either glowing, or with a slitted pupil akin to that of the being which they hunted.

"Bad dream," she muttered by way of explanation, hoping she wouldn't see the concern she didn't deserve when she pulled her hand away from her eyes. She'd lift it away in a few minutes, after she had calmed down, of course. After she was sure her eyes didn't look as ugly as they once had. "Apologies if I worried you."

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