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icedark_elf Jan. 21st, 2008 12:05 am)
icedark_elf Jan. 21st, 2008 12:05 am)Fandom: Final Fantasy VII/Heralds of Valdemar
Title: On the Side of the Road
Author: GW Katrina aka![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
icedark_elf
Theme: 18-Running(General Table)for![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-community.gif)
30_somethings
Pairing/Characters: Zack, Cloud, Tifa, Aron(oc) mentions of Angeal and Sephiroth
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 909
Disclaimer: As if I owned these guys....
Critiques: yes
Beta:skeren
Summary: While traveling to deliver a message, Zack finds something unexpected.
“You know, you’d think if Angeal could get us as far as this, he could get us the rest of the way to the Vale, wouldn’t you? Especially since we’re taking -his- message to Sephiroth.”
A snort was his answer, and Zack gave his Companion an amused look. “You’re the one walking this. One would think you’d be the one unhappy over it.”
And you are the one that I can knock off my back if I want. Then where would you be?
“On my ass in the dirt, I guess,” Zack said cheerfully, patting Aron’s shoulder. “And you would have to listen to me whine. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Aron snorted again, giving his head a shake. Anyway, you know how it is. Mages can only Gate to where they have been. The Vale has moved since he last visited. And so he sent us the closest to where he knows they are now.
“I know, I know. I’m just happy that we have enough....”
He stopped, tensing, eyes going blank as a vision slammed into his brain. Fire and pain and blood on white.
Zack!
Shaking his head, Zack gagged. He could taste the smoke and ash, and smell blood. “A Companion....”
A wide blue eye looked back at him, and then shook his head. Where?
“East!”
Feeling the muscles bunching under his legs, Zack clung as Aron started that way, looking for any landmarks that were visible in his Foresight.
Turned out, he didn’t need to keep that much of an eye out.
Even as they ran, they saw the fire bloom up, and they could hear a Companion scream.
Aron ran faster, hoofs ringing off the stone as he scrambled up the slope, Zack focusing on reaching out and trying to calm down the Companion as he let her know that they were coming. He didn’t know why a Companion was this far south, besides his own anyway. And she wasn’t alone. Her Chosen was untrained. Zack could feel that, laced through the power.
Reaching out, he could Feel their fear, and the sheer panic in the Herald trainee’s power. Thankful that Companions were much more sure footed than regular horses, as well as smarter and faster, Zack could focus all his attention on this. Animals, even smart ones, were hard to focus on. Only the strength of his Gift let him even make any kind of contact, and he sent fear to the creatures. It was hard, focusing it on them, and not letting it make contact with the two he was trying to help.
Whatever was attacking the two, most of them were running. Between the fire and the fear, even the most predatory of animals were willing to run. Even creatures that came from the tainted lands that surrounded the homes of the Tayledras were afraid of the combo.
By the time they got over the rocks between them and the others, there were only a few creatures for Aron to finish driving off, his Chosen clinging to the saddle, the start of a reaction headache already flaring.
Hooves flashing as he chased the last few...whatever-they-weres off, Aron circled around and trotted towards the other. She was shaking, head low, blood and ash streaking her sides. On her back was a pale boy, blue eyes wide behind shaggy blond bangs. He was shaking just as bad as she was, and Zack didn’t need Aron’s nudge to know that the kid was about to fall off her back.
Tifa. Her name is Tifa. And she says his name is Cloud.
Cloud? He was a fluffy little thing, but Cloud didn’t seem right....
“Hey, Spike. Don’t fall off, please?”
Course, the kid didn’t seem like he was going to listen, and Zack got Aron to slide up right next to Tifa and Cloud. Reaching out, he steadied the boy.
Given the start that ran through the smaller boy, Zack wondered if the kid had even noticed they were there. “Cloud? I’m Zack. You’re okay, though your head is probably hurting....”
And that’s what Zack got out before Cloud made a small sound and went limp. Yelping, Zack lunged over a bit and snagged the kid, dragging him over onto Aron.
Tifa jerked her head up, looking over at him with a bit of wild look in her eye. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt him,” Zack said, headache getting even worse as the sudden contact made his empathy spike. Ow. Thank god for shields. “We’re going to go somewhere safe.” He looked around, seeing the scorched rock and earth.
“Hell. Kid’s firestarter, isn’t he?”
What were the odds of that?
Wrapping the best shields he could around Cloud, Zack rubbed his temple. “Aron, does she need anything?”
A moment of quiet, and Aron sighed. She says no, but I’ll keep an eye on her. She’s going to be exhausted. I’m not sure how long they’ve been traveling, but they are a ways from home. I wonder how they got here?
“Who knows. Anyway, I don’t think we’re far from a town, if not the Vale. Let’s get going, and we’ll do what we have to.”
Head aching, he settled the boy more comfortably against himself. Another few moments as Aron talked to the other Companion, and Zack got everything set, so they started to move.
Later, Zack would get his answers. Right now, he just wanted sleep. And a cup of willowbark tea.
Title: On the Side of the Road
Author: GW Katrina aka
icedark_elfTheme: 18-Running(General Table)for
30_somethingsPairing/Characters: Zack, Cloud, Tifa, Aron(oc) mentions of Angeal and Sephiroth
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 909
Disclaimer: As if I owned these guys....
Critiques: yes
Beta:
skerenSummary: While traveling to deliver a message, Zack finds something unexpected.
“You know, you’d think if Angeal could get us as far as this, he could get us the rest of the way to the Vale, wouldn’t you? Especially since we’re taking -his- message to Sephiroth.”
A snort was his answer, and Zack gave his Companion an amused look. “You’re the one walking this. One would think you’d be the one unhappy over it.”
And you are the one that I can knock off my back if I want. Then where would you be?
“On my ass in the dirt, I guess,” Zack said cheerfully, patting Aron’s shoulder. “And you would have to listen to me whine. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Aron snorted again, giving his head a shake. Anyway, you know how it is. Mages can only Gate to where they have been. The Vale has moved since he last visited. And so he sent us the closest to where he knows they are now.
“I know, I know. I’m just happy that we have enough....”
He stopped, tensing, eyes going blank as a vision slammed into his brain. Fire and pain and blood on white.
Zack!
Shaking his head, Zack gagged. He could taste the smoke and ash, and smell blood. “A Companion....”
A wide blue eye looked back at him, and then shook his head. Where?
“East!”
Feeling the muscles bunching under his legs, Zack clung as Aron started that way, looking for any landmarks that were visible in his Foresight.
Turned out, he didn’t need to keep that much of an eye out.
Even as they ran, they saw the fire bloom up, and they could hear a Companion scream.
Aron ran faster, hoofs ringing off the stone as he scrambled up the slope, Zack focusing on reaching out and trying to calm down the Companion as he let her know that they were coming. He didn’t know why a Companion was this far south, besides his own anyway. And she wasn’t alone. Her Chosen was untrained. Zack could feel that, laced through the power.
Reaching out, he could Feel their fear, and the sheer panic in the Herald trainee’s power. Thankful that Companions were much more sure footed than regular horses, as well as smarter and faster, Zack could focus all his attention on this. Animals, even smart ones, were hard to focus on. Only the strength of his Gift let him even make any kind of contact, and he sent fear to the creatures. It was hard, focusing it on them, and not letting it make contact with the two he was trying to help.
Whatever was attacking the two, most of them were running. Between the fire and the fear, even the most predatory of animals were willing to run. Even creatures that came from the tainted lands that surrounded the homes of the Tayledras were afraid of the combo.
By the time they got over the rocks between them and the others, there were only a few creatures for Aron to finish driving off, his Chosen clinging to the saddle, the start of a reaction headache already flaring.
Hooves flashing as he chased the last few...whatever-they-weres off, Aron circled around and trotted towards the other. She was shaking, head low, blood and ash streaking her sides. On her back was a pale boy, blue eyes wide behind shaggy blond bangs. He was shaking just as bad as she was, and Zack didn’t need Aron’s nudge to know that the kid was about to fall off her back.
Tifa. Her name is Tifa. And she says his name is Cloud.
Cloud? He was a fluffy little thing, but Cloud didn’t seem right....
“Hey, Spike. Don’t fall off, please?”
Course, the kid didn’t seem like he was going to listen, and Zack got Aron to slide up right next to Tifa and Cloud. Reaching out, he steadied the boy.
Given the start that ran through the smaller boy, Zack wondered if the kid had even noticed they were there. “Cloud? I’m Zack. You’re okay, though your head is probably hurting....”
And that’s what Zack got out before Cloud made a small sound and went limp. Yelping, Zack lunged over a bit and snagged the kid, dragging him over onto Aron.
Tifa jerked her head up, looking over at him with a bit of wild look in her eye. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt him,” Zack said, headache getting even worse as the sudden contact made his empathy spike. Ow. Thank god for shields. “We’re going to go somewhere safe.” He looked around, seeing the scorched rock and earth.
“Hell. Kid’s firestarter, isn’t he?”
What were the odds of that?
Wrapping the best shields he could around Cloud, Zack rubbed his temple. “Aron, does she need anything?”
A moment of quiet, and Aron sighed. She says no, but I’ll keep an eye on her. She’s going to be exhausted. I’m not sure how long they’ve been traveling, but they are a ways from home. I wonder how they got here?
“Who knows. Anyway, I don’t think we’re far from a town, if not the Vale. Let’s get going, and we’ll do what we have to.”
Head aching, he settled the boy more comfortably against himself. Another few moments as Aron talked to the other Companion, and Zack got everything set, so they started to move.
Later, Zack would get his answers. Right now, he just wanted sleep. And a cup of willowbark tea.
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