A Trio Of Tigers: Blood-arc Series, #1 - (BoyxBoyxBoyxBoy)

Chapter 10 - The Price Of Scars

To Gunner, silence was immaculately vast in all its forms. The first is the silence of mistake, made when people didn't know what to say, yet wanted to speak with thousands of words. It is hollow, barely filling in the air around it. It wasn't over-bearing, instead weak and brittle. Silence like this, Gunner learned to avoid. Something that easy to break was too risky to chance. It was useless, taking up all the space that is supposed to be given to the more worthy. If fooled by this, it becomes lethal. A killer to the voice of the unspoken.

The second was the silver silence. Bendable at will, fading but shining with a rusting radiance. This is what Gunner saw as the silence of grit and faith. With its severe touch and firm ankles on the air, it will fill only half the cup full of sound. Just enough to satisfy, yet not enough to hold a definite shape... This silence served a higher purpose, like the sun to the grass, like the stars to sky. To Gunner; beneficial. Something everyone needed. Something believable if mastered to the extent of abilities. Like a rocking wave in the sea, it can wash away the shores of discomfort and doubt if it wishes.

Third; untouched silence. This was the heaviest silence of all, weighing down on both eyes and souls until they drop from exhaustion. Pushing them down until they fold from the sting and burn. It is thick, and will choke you of all your air. The silence steps with unrelenting knocks, hardened soles of a thousand lies pound the ground beneath.

This was the silence that broke apart a child's teeth to reach the burning throat, or the silence that tainted saints and paradises. Frightening murderers, and bringing the dead back to life again. It can't be controlled by any means of will, not tied down by strings of fate. Instead it roams, like a beast free in unknown lands. Untamed. A powerful force.

But despite all this, the third silence was the gentlest of them all. Underneath all of that rests a bed of soft kisses and hopeful prayers. Most are blind to this, living for nothing but the burnt parts... Yet, if you are brave enough to open an eye and catch a glimpse of it, you may just get those wings you've always dreamed of having.The third silence holds two sides, both violent and healing. Life to death and morning to night.

Silence echo louder than words ever will. Silence will always show more than words can say. Words are wasted too often, thrown around the wind like paper planes on drunken souls.

But this time, the silence was choking Gunner. Deadly. He recognised the warning instantly.

Time slowed, coming to a frightening standstill. As Gunner gazed up, he was immediately filled with a sense of unease...Yet somehow, a small strong glimmer of trust still lay there underneath it all.

In front of him, the three men started shifting. With a glare, Mikkel's head dipped and his jaw tensed, tightening as he met Gunner's eyes. Then, with a lowered voice. "Do we seem that useless to you?" The man spat in distaste, a dark look in his eyes. "Let you help us? Have we ever asked for your pathetic help, you filthy weakling?"

Despite the nervousness that started to appear in Gunner's chest at Mikkel's frantic eyes, he simply kept his face blank with a single raised brow in question.

"Look," Gunner manage to swallow the lump in his throat and meet the man's eyes. Sighing, he wiped a palm down his face before shrugging. A small smile and pause. "All I'm trying to do is help you—that's all."

Viking's eyes shifted from Mikkel's to Skaris's backs before settling on Gunner. His head dipped. "You don't need to, human. You should leave it before you are killed."

In front of Viking, Skaris tensed as he drew in, light eyes narrowing.

"...How can you face danger and not cower under it?" He hissed out and gave a frustrated shake of the head, stopping just a couple of inches away from Gunner.