"The beauty that emerges from woundedness is a beauty infused with feeling; a beauty different from the beauty of landscape and the cold perfect form."
-Xamdú
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For the past few days, Karos had not spoken to Analia or anyone for the matter. The events that played out right before his eyes deemed him speechless. All their efforts towards the dragons were in vain, wrong, and morbidly so. He was wracked with guilt as to how and why he would say those things out loud to Ake after all that they had been through. Still, he clung to that bias, that bitter hatred of a race that may have been seen through the wrong eye. Ake was nothing but caring.
Yes, it may have been for the gem embedded deep inside his chest right where his heart lays. However, he very well knew that was not something Ake was trying to hide.
Karos let out a sigh before pursing his lips and stalked away towards where he heard Ake land not too long ago. He trekked across the inches of snow following the broken trees and branches. Karos knew he was near. If only he could find him. Shouting for him, like the last time, would only cause him to move away. Understandable, he thought. Still, he wanted to speak with Ake. He wanted to see if he was well.
As soon as the trees gave way to a clearing, he spotted a massive black beast curled into a loose ball. Karos watched as his head rose and his blue eyes narrowed in on him. Despite that, he tucked his head back into himself and let out a puff of smoke.
"Ake, are you well?" A growl reverberated through him as a response, his tail swishing back and forth in timed intervals.
He took a couple steps closer towards him. It amazed Karos to no end, how such a beast could take the form of a human. And to see one without it trying to kill him. For once, he can see them as they were.
Karos took his hand down the side of Ake's face feeling his scales. Leather, he thought with a smile. They felt like some strange kind of thick texture he never felt before. Ake pushed him away with his muzzle after a moment, his tail swishing faster. Truly, he looked like something majestic, something from a book, a dream. He was all black of body, glimmering under the rays of sunlight and frost.
Karos tried to touch down the middle of his face causing Ake to show his teeth, but Karos was not frightened. He had never been scared of Ake, not even once. The moment his hand touched down on his face, Ake's eyes had closed and pressed his hand even further onto it.
"Truly, you are the work of the gods..."
He puffed out another air of smoke causing Karos to laugh as it reached his face. As the smoke cleared, Karos went on and checked the wounds still oozing out silver blood.
"You will be well soon, right?" Ake pushed him into the middle of his body causing Karos' hands to scrape his scales.
"Be easy with me!"
He let out another growl that sounded more like a yawn, before putting his head down and continued to swish his tail.
"I know you are still angry with me, forgive me."
Another growl.
"I was wrong to have said those things. I did not mean them."
Karos felt the scales beginning to chip away and, soon, felt his open wounds to his side. "Truly... I did not, Ake. You are a friend to me... much better than I deserve."
His body tightened back into a ball.
"I would never leave you... Analia and Fariel will tell you the same."
Karos' eyes fell as his hands brushed against the four deep gashes going around to his underbelly. He could feel the heat of Ake's body radiating onto him in seconds.
"I doubt you as I doubt everyone. Trust... is not something I can leisurely give away."
Ake snuffed, but his blue eyes stayed trained on him. Karos went on and traced his hand around the cut on his face causing Ake to close his eyes. He knew then, Ake liked the feel of his hand brushing against him much like a dog. The comparison made him smile all the same.
"I know I can trust you. Forgive me."
Silence, nothing but silence.
Karos noticed the snow had melted all around him, green grass sprouting out from underneath him. His heart slowed as an eerie feeling of his past thoughts and prayers of spring came surfacing back to his mind.
"Truly, you are the god's greatest creation. No wonder they have favored your kind much more than ours."
Ake's eyes opened once again at his words. It felt as if they could see through his very soul. It seemed that way the very day they met. The day that they met, he thought with some mixed emotions.
"To be honest, I was saddened when I had lost Andel. I was saddened when I had lost my comrades that day and many days, and many battles, many times. But Ake, you are a comrade and a friend to me as well. I wish for no harm to come to you."
Ake let out another snort full of smoke, his underbelly lighting up before dimming. No matter the minutes that passed by, Karos was amazed at the dragon that Ake became. He once looked at him as a monster, but up close, and this personal, Karos could only be filled with astonishment and a sense of awe.
"When you do... go back home... I will not harbor ill-feelings for you." Karos gave another light brush down the bridge of his face before backing away. "You deserve to go home. Everyone does... " Though the loss of a friend is a deep one, a scarring one.
He sighed at Ake's silence, knowing well enough he would not be able to understand him. As he tried to walk away, Ake's rose from the ground and circled his body around him again. His eyes stared into Karos' and it made him feel something like some form of unease.
Soon, Ake bowed his head down and nudged him.
"What is it that you want?"
Ake nudged at his side again causing him to look at Ake. He pushed his hand and Karos knew then what he wanted. He pressed his hand on the side of his face and saw as the wound healed itself.
"Are you saying that you forgive me?" Karos leaned his head onto Ake's. "Truly, I do not deserve you as a friend."
Karos was quick to raise his head when he heard noises come from the nearby trees. Soon, Fariel appeared from them with something of a smile and concern.
"It has been days, Fariel. Where have you been?"
"It is not as if you were as concerned as you are about him," Fariel glowered. "If you must know, I brought a little gift for the both of you."
Karos eyed Fariel.
"Do you not trust me now?"
He moved away from Ake and towards him. His clothes smelled of burning fires and flesh. It was not every day you would see someone as prideful as Fariel looking as if he were a beggar.
"I feel as though you are not telling me all that needs to be told," Karos said waiting on his response.
"I am quite saddened you feel that way, Karos." Fariel looked at Ake and was quick to snap his eyes back to him.
"What is it with you and Ake?" Karos questioned after weeks on end of wondering.
"Another time, Karos."
Ake circled back into a ball ignoring both of their presence altogether.
He started to walk from where he came from causing Karos to follow close behind. Ever since Ake had met with Fariel, Fariel had seemed to change. As if his past had resurfaced.
"Fariel, tell me!"
"You do not need to know."
"You know all that there is to know of me. I thought I did as well with you."
"Are we the best of friends now, hm?"
"Do not act haughty with me, Fariel." Karos grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Do not think I had forgotten about the single truth you seemed to have left out about yourself."
Fariel's brown hair was sprawled all across his shoulders giving more way to his disheveled appearance. Truly then he looked tired and a wave of concern washed over him.
"Are you well?"
"I am not well. I am ill at ease and it will not stop until we reach Asalph."
"Fariel—"
"Ake will be human soon and it is best if you go and fetch him some clothes and food. He will be rather naked, tired, and hungry." He looked at Karos, his brown eyes seeming to grow darker.
"Are you well, Karos? Analia had told me you have yet to speak a word to her. Yet, here I find you with Ake spouting off all sorts of nonsense."
"What is wrong with you Fariel, truly?"
"Ake will never be your friend," Fariel hissed. "He is a dragon of high honor, well-loved, and well-missed."
"What is it that you are trying to say?"
"If something were to happen to him, the dragons will drown this land in a sea of blood and fire as you humans had thought in the very beginning." Fariel pushed Karos out of his way. "If something were to happen to you, your father, the praetor of all of Ganash, will proclaim war against the dragons."
Karos' eyes widened.
"The phoenix and the gwasas only serve as catalysts to ignite our inner nature, to grow our bias, and ignore the facts and look to hate."
His lips parted as Fariel grabbed his arm and dragged him towards their fire.
"Do you not see what the gods had done?"
"You never met by mere coincidence. Your meeting was not a simple chance encounter." As soon as they reached their camp, Fariel pushed him towards a man he had never seen in his life.
"Fariel, what is this?"
"Karos, he was sent here to dispose of either you or Ake."
Karos' mouth parted as realization dawned on him. "The phoenix." A shiver went down his spine. He could feel the coldness seeping into his cotton shirt now.
"If you were to die, so would Ake," Fariel said.
Karos shook his head. "That cannot be possible."
"Listen to me, Karos. You are connected by much more than you can imagine. You see, Karos, this was always meant to be." His eyes lowered, but Fariel lifted his chin back up. "He will be the death of you."
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