The Night Rider

Chapter 33 - Past

 Rin had attempted to return to her notebook for a second time, pausing every so often to peek a glance at the smoky horizon obscured in dust and smog. The smoke churned into two young kids giggling as they played together in the vast garden, chasing one another in a game of tag.

"Who?" Hack asked, still grumpy from being denied to ridicule Mantis.

His eyes kept shifting towards the Scale Shrieker, still wary of her over eagerness as her tail twitched constantly. The Sand Wraith struggled to avoid flinching as Odi moved a little too much for his liking and even though Thea's sympathetic smile helped somewhat, Hack's stony glare never faltered.

Hawkins resisted the urge to chuckle, understanding the Thyraxians hesitation and the Sand Wraiths stubbornness towards protecting the injured dragon. Thea had a duty to provide her patient the essential needs but Hack had an obvious history he didn't feel like sharing and even without it his overprotectiveness would still be justified. That's just how he was, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Odi was a little more restless at the prospect of being boxed in, desperate to stretch her wings and claw her way up towards the Land Above. The arkalite country of Opalis. Hawkins could see the longing in her eyes, her neck craning to stretch towards the horizon and fly up over to the shining Land Above. 

Hawkins breathed in and out slowly, the feeling of uncertainty washing over him as he recognised the feeling as not his own but Odi's. He could feel the heat surrounding him as a much younger Odi led the ragtag group wading through the scorching sands. 

A Traited, A Sand Wraith, A Tinker Mole and a Scale Shrieker made quite the unlikely group but as they made their way towards an unfamiliar border Hawkins knew why Hack was so loyal to her.

 He watched helplessly as the lone Traited was dragged away from the group in chains, surrounded by red clad Fire Traited threatening to take her to 'Hellgrind' and forced Odi to flee along with the others. But Hack didn't flee. He stayed. 

He fought off every single Fire Traited and allowed himself to be taken away and sentenced to become a Sentry on the nobles orders or Odi would be hunted down and killed. He had protected her for all these years. Silent under the watchful eye of a Lockbind. Long after the Traited that sentenced him had died.

"Noble kid. She comes round with her crazy friends just to burn our place to the ground. Damn snooty bitch. No wonder she scared her Agar to pieces. She's insane." 

Mantis' angry voice drifted back into focus but Hawkins' gaze was transfixed on his mentor, too afraid to say anything but to commit to his earlier theory. Memoriam wanted him to understand and so he would wait to finally do so. Until Hack told Odi his story for himself.

"Sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to…" the Air Traited suddenly apologised, the Mediator only just noting Rin's expression. 

It was a mix of anguish and guilt as she struggled to make eye contact with anyone, only looking down and fidgeting only for a gentle hand to grab hers. Mantis looked up at her awkwardly, smiling sadly as she tried to comfort her the only way she could think of. 

"It doesn't matter. Dommy- I mean, Domino doesn't know anything about this anyways. Her family will always hate us for who we are and what we had to do to survive. That won't change." Rin reminded them unsteadily, taking a deep breath as if she had just run a marathon. 

Hawkins blinked as his smoke began to shift into a memory he didn't recognise just beyond the horizon where it kept watch. Outlined in opaque forms of grey and translucent shapes showing the minute details of the expressions it was unmistakable what his Trait had created.