Ryoga knew he couldn’t keep fighting around the people.He had to lure Jace away from them.Catching a fist he glared at the white-haired alien.Smiling smugly and growling, “Think you can keep up with me, or are you getting old?”
He hadn’t thought it was possible for Jace’s already red face to get even redder, but it did, and without waiting for a verbal agreement he leapt into the air, landing on a branch a good twenty feet off the ground before jumping from that one to another a few feet higher on another branch a few feet away.Smiling in satisfaction he sensed that Jace had risen to the bait and pushed himself to go a little faster than what he was normally capable of… it wouldn’t take Jace long to catch up to him, but when he did he didn’t want to be too close to the Vale.

A voice sounded in his head and he nearly stumbled, slightly startled because he was unused to the form of communication.

<<Ryoga?What are you doing?Why is he after you and what is he?>>

<<Keisha… I can’t explain right now, but I will if I survive.I promise you.But I can’t devote the time to talking to you right now.I need to be focused on the upcoming battle, if I’m to win, and I’m trying to get as far away from you and the others as I can so that no one else will get hurt.Please… I don’t want to see any of you die… just stay there and let me do what I have to.I’m sorry for causing you this trouble but I’ll do what I can to fix it.>>

With that he slammed a wall around his mind trying to keep his concentration solely on what was about to happen.

He was taken slightly by surprise when something fast flew into his back, knocking him from the branch he was on to the ground.Covering his face as he fell through the trees he tucked and rolled to his feet as soon as he hit the ground and defiantly faced his opponent, cracking his knuckles and letting his battle aura glow bright red.“Now it’s my turn.”

…………………….

Keisha turned back to her husband, swallowing hard.“We have to help him, he’s planning on dying to save us.But he’s just a boy…”

Firesong shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.”At Keisha’s puzzled look he smiled slightly.“No boy I have ever met is willing to sacrifice himself for people he’s only just met.Despite the fact that he’s very young, he is as much a man as the most cherished elder, or the most valued hunter.As for helping him, I’m not sure that there’s anything we can possibly do.The abilities the two of them possess are like nothing I have ever seen before… it most certainly isn’t magic, though magic may be of some use…”

It was Shandi who shook her blonde head, “I don’t care if you consider him a man Firesong, what I felt from him were the feelings of a very lost and lonely boy, someone who seen and done too much in his short life but longs to be happy… who wants to be loved and cared for and who desperately wants a family and friends.He’s very sensitive, with a good heart and that’s the reason he’s doing this!But I won’t let him do this alone, even if it means going by myself, I won’t let him be alone anymore.”

Keisha watched Silverfox nod his dark head, “She knows much ashke.I too sensed some of what she has spoken of, though not to the extent.It would be wise to heed her words.”

Firesong looked at her sister, his lover, and her in wonder before chuckling softly and shaking his head, “How can Ryoga be so alone if through just a brief meeting such as ours has gained him such powerful allies?”But his laughter didn’t last long as he face turned serious.“Let us go help the young man.Perhaps there may be something that we might do in order to aid him.”

…………………….

Ryoga crashed into the ground after being hit and struggled to get back up, sensing only one way to win the fight.If only he could get a hold on Jace… He waited, not moving, until he saw Jace pause, grinning.Slowly he moved forward in a cocky swagger.But when he was just within reach, Ryoga lunged and grabbed him around the waist, pinning him in his strong embrace.Jace, though fast, wasn’t able to break the grip and Ryoga smiled into his frowning face.“I win.”He let his energy build up and then let it go. Sending it directly into his opponent and because of the close proximity and Jace’s own sudden flaring of power, he was also swallowed by it.

………….

Scamp lifted his white head listening to the wind for a second, some sense, one that only Companions possessed, letting him know that his chosen had arrived and that he was in extreme danger.Determination lacing his movements he set forth at an even greater pace, pushing himself so that he might be in time to save his chosen.

………….

Firesong felt the power where he was on the dylei’s back and pitched forward as his magical senses were overwhelmed, knowing in sudden dreadful certainty, exactly where they would find Ryoga.

…………………….

Pain was his whole world, it wouldn’t leave him alone, but despite that he was happy because he knew he’d won the fight, that Jace had been sent back to deal with his own dimension.But though he’d won one battle he was loosing another because he felt himself loosing his grip on life.