Terra awoke at night, the twin suns of the world replaced by a moon glowing eerily yellow as it traveled across the sky. She preferred it over the suns, as even though the temperature dropped, her carapace kept her from feeling anything that was too discomforting. She flexed her body as show rose from Selok’s back, who was still as stone. She noticed the group was sitting around a fire, a strange black flame emanated from the center as Garrin, Sara, and Ella were talking.

“Finally awake I see.” Garin said with a smile, as both Sara and Ella continued to talk to each other.

“Yeah, thanks for letting me rest, it was very soothing after all of this,” she motioned to the world, as if the whole thing was just a jumbled mess, which it was at least to her.

“No problem, we’re here for each other, hell we are all we have at the moment.”

“Right.”

Terra nudged closer to Garin at the fire, putting her legs out towards it. Seeing her legs reminded her of the truth about her condition again, but Garin didn’t seem to mind like he did before. She recalled as he screamed into the tunnel under the Vault that he wouldn’t let the Skiritix use her again.

She did notice that he still would not look at her face most times though. After the hive, Sara spoke to her about Garin and what had happened to him while she was still under their sway. She looked down at her hands, thinking about all the blood she must have spilt, yet not knowing of it.

Shouldn’t she feel guilty for their loss? She didn’t, she couldn’t. It made her feel terrible, but she could not shed tears for those she never knew. Here was one of her victims though, and seeing the look he gave her at times made her feel alone. He tried, but the pain was still there, hiding behind his smile.

“Garin,”

“Yeah?” he smirked, but his eyes were heavy from the looks of it. His hadn’t slept, she could tell.

“Maybe you should get some sleep Garin?”

“Nah,” He shrugged, “Couldn’t if I wanted to.”

He stared at the fire, his eyes danced with the flames as they rose, “I keep thinking I might hear him if I stay up. Sara says hes there in my head, but im starting to think that he doesn’t want to speak to me. Stupid as it sounds, I miss him.”

Terra nodded knowing that he spoke of Tehran, Garin’s Cheruv. During his stay at the Hive Garin lost all communication with him, and as much as he tried he could not hear Tehran speak to him. Terra could, in fact it was sad only because Tehran was upset as much as Garin was regarding what had happened to them.

“Garin, I am here brother. Please hear me Garin.”

He was alone, and neither she nor Sara could get Tehran to realize that they heard him. Garin was at least able to speak to them, Tehran could not communicate with anyone. Feor assured her that they would find a way to help Garin and Tehran but Garin’s mood was infectious.

“He’s there Garin, and we are here for each other remember? We’ll find a way.” She added a sincere smile as he turned to face her. He smiled back shaking his head, “Yeah sure. Till then I guess I will take you up on that offer.” He turned to lay down near the fire as he faced away from it. His tendrils on his back went lax as he drifted to sleep in seconds, which Terra found to be rather impressive considering the cold. She moved over to Sara and Ella as they faced her. Ella was all smiles for her arrival.

“Yay! You’re awake, does that mean I can touch your hair now?” Ella moved closer as her eyes darted at her spines. She shook her head vigorously as Ella made her way closer to her face. Sara took hold of Ella and set her back down as she fought to be free from her four tendrils grip.

“Nope,” was all Sara said as she held her there in her fury.

“But its so shiny and cute!”

“Noooooope,”

“Only for a little while come on!”

“Nope, nope nope nope and nope.”

Ella went lax as she gave up, her face sodden with failure. “Fine I guess not.”

Sara still held her in place for several minutes as Terra finally sat down near the two. Her head was safe for now.

“So what where you two talking about anyway?” Sara smiled at her as she motioned to the fire.

“Me and Garin? Just about Tehran and his need to sleep.”

“Ahh,” she poked at the fire with one of her free tendrils, her eyes never leaving the flames.

“I know Selok mentioned the east was safer, what do you think Sara?” Terra moved next to her as she continued to poke the flames.

“To be honest I never gave it much thought, but I know enough about Selok to trust him. He doesn’t need to lie to us so there isn’t reason to doubt he’s right about Umbria.”

“Still, it sounds like a trap if I ever heard one. Just travel across the burning scalding desert to a supposed oasis waiting us at the other end? Sounds suspicious.”

Sara smacked her with her free hand upside Terra’s head, “Selok’s helped me save your sorry butt, you don’t question the help of good people, and you thank them for it.”

Terra knew It was silly to think anything wrong of Selok, but the thought was there and she wanted to be sure where Sara stood on it. It made her feel better about the destination after she felt the blow. Her head was stronger with the Skiritix change so it did not hurt, but the blow knocked her to the side a little.

“Thank you?” she said with a chuckle as she and Sara laughed about it. Ella joined in as well though she felt Ella wasn’t sure what they were talking about. Realizing Ella was free, Terra tried to move, but Ella was quicker and tackled her to the ground. Trying to struggle she tried pushing Ella off but after a while she let her touch the strand of spines on her head. Ella cooed as she felt them which started to actually feel a little nice to Terra as she gave in.

“So soft, how do you have such softness?” Ella rubbed them fervently as they began to bob on their own. It startled Terra as they started to move the rhythm of Ella’s feathery hands. Sara noticed and started to join Ella. Defeated she slumped as she was weighed down by their advances.

“If you two don’t stop it I will spit acid on you.” Terra couldn’t do it but they didn’t know it as they both backed off of her head giving her peace at last.

“Sweet personal space returned…”

Sara caught on quick that she was faking, but she seemed satisfied with her attack earlier. Ella seemed on edge about being near her at all, her big purple eyes following her every breath.

“No acid yes? I won’t touch… well maybe I could just a little?” Seeing Ella’s hungry gaze drove Terra to run, using her tendrils to increase her speed. She knew that she wasn’t fast enough to outmatch Ella, but the alternative was a sensitive head rub, which she had enough of. She heard Ella fly past her in a flash, but strangely she did not try to grab her. Instead she noticed three more flyers zoomed past her.

She knew they all couldn’t be Ella, so her instinct kicked in. Her wrath ignited within her as she felt the animal inside cry for their flesh. One flew next to her with claws outstretched trying to pierce her flesh. She dodged deftly as she grabbed the hind leg of one of her assaulters. It tried to fly off, but her grip was iron as she smashed the flyer against the stone on the ground. She could feel Feor coming to life as she scanned for the others in the dark.

“Oh dear, was that necessary.” Her worry carried through, but Terra was deaf to it as she spotted the other two heading back to camp. Startled she began to race back to the group hoping to catch their attention. She screamed at them as loud as she could to her friends

“Sara, Ella!” she screamed as she saw the shadows descend on them.

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Sara fought off her assaulter, her four tendrils assaulting the flyer with ease.

But Terra noticed that Ella looked at her as she screamed, not noticing the other grab her.

It hauled her in the air, digging into her shoulders with its crooked talons. Terra jumped up to grab her, grabbing hold of Ella’s talon as she slowed in her ascent. Struggling with the talons Ella squawked at her assailant. Terra could make out a snicker as she felt a grasping claw take hold of her back. The claws did not enter her flesh, the carapace she had blocked that thankfully. The weight however threw off her grip, sending her back to the ground in a heap.

Sara picked her back up as she faced the flyers. They looked almost similar to Ella, but their eyes carried a malice to them as they hovered over the fire with their prisoner.

Garin had just awoken, his illuminating body glowing with bluish red light. His rage was apparent as he moved to attack. Holding a crooked wingblade to Ella’s thoat, one of the captors positioned to set the blade to her neck.

“Swreakk SQREAK meerwwwaaak.” The captor said as she held the blade tighter to Ella. Terra couldn’t understand, but Garin seemed to understand their meaning as he nodded to them.

“They’ll kill her if we attack again.” Garin looked down as he said it. Sara began to turn a shade of purple as she grinded her teeth.

“They can try to, after I rip their wings off.” Sara seemed to glow with a sickly energy as her mood shifted. Terra knew they might end up killing Ella if they acted. Feor seemed to agree with her as she knelt to the ground with her hand behind her.

“We cannot help her with that blade to her throat, so let’s surrender.”

She said it with assurance, but Garin and Sara seemed unconvinced.

She turned to them with a deadly glare, “If you care at all about her you kneel, now!”

She didn’t know where she kept such confidence but it seemed to carry through as both her friends knelt, each being dragged away. She was the last to be taken, the one she had hit before it would seem. A fifth one flew in beside them, making Terra feel that this was more than just a capture, rather it was preplanned by something.

She did not get the feeling of the Skiritix Hivemind from these creatures, which brought her a slight relief as she began to ascend with the group in tow. She noticed Selok watch them as they flew off into the sky. She silently hoped the Telika knew where they were heading to get help, because she could see them flying to a higher location than before.

The mesas she saw in the distance began to close in as she noticed more of the flying creatures awaiting them at the bottom. If by revenge or by spite she did not know, but her ferry let go of her over the fire that lay in their camp. She felt the flames lick her for a moment, before she grabbed the side to pole vault herself away from the fire.

The others were dropped, however they did not land as softly as she did. Garin crushed the fire with his body as Sara smashed into him with a few burning embers tied to her. They still held Ella with the blade to her throat as she squirmed in their grasp. It was all Terra could do just to not let her instinct take over and murder the lot. She felt the losing grip of her sanity as her dark side began to take. She fought it down, her rage calming her as she helped her friends stand up. As they all turned to face Ella, she spoke to them, translating for the other harpies.

“You all will be bound and placed in the draxta, now move or she will die, the traitor!” Ella was shoved along with them into a makeshift cage. The bars themselves were sturdier than she thought as she tested each support. Ella was placed into a separate cage just outside of their reach. She seemed scared out of her mind as she looked at Terra and the others.

“We need to get out! Before she arrives!” She broke down, covering herself with her wings as she shivered. Terra knew not of who she spoke, but Garin understood. He began to pace in the cage as he explained.

“Ella has a sister. Those creatures answer to her, but her sister sees Ella as a traitor. If we don’t get out of her before then.” He stopped as he went back to checking the supports.

Terra sat on the floor, staring at Ella as she shivered and cried amidst the group of her breathren who mocked her.

“Weakling traitor, to think she is the Matriarch’s sister. Such poor blood must flow through this youngling.”

“Yeah, and denying her these tasty glowing ones. She’s going to sever her wings I’m sure of it!”

“Enough, distribute the blood. She maybe a weakling but the Matriarch wills it.” At the mention of blood Ella shot up in stark fear.

“NO! Get away from me with that! I won’t turn into you monsters! My sister is wrong and corrupt to use the black blood, don’t you see?”

She pleaded with them, but it might as well be in a room filled with the deaf. They took out a cup flowing with a vile liquid sloshing inside. They pushed the cage open, Ella fighting claw and talon to prevent them from giving her the cup. It took the four to hold her down as the fifth fed her the blackened concoction. Ella coughed as she tried to gag the liquid from her body. She could not though, as her captors would just feed her more as she spat out the rest. Terra could feel her pain as she cried.

“I don’t want to hurt people, please stop!”

It was as if she played an echo of her own thoughts just then.

Terra grabbed the bars in fury.

She bent them with her strength as she grabbed her friend from the fiends that held her. She tugged Ella away from the Harpies as they tried to retake her. It was as they took hold of her that she felt the Skiritix part of her take hold. She shot out a piercing scream, knocking back the five as they released Ella to her.

She had passed out from the struggle, no longer conscious of her movements.

Placing her inside the cage with Sara and Garin, She came out, still in the sway of her instincts.

She grabbed one of the recovering creatures in her tendrils as she tore at her wings, screaming in bloodlust at her enemy. It screamed in agony at her as she sickly heard the ripping flesh from the creature. She opened her mouth to pierce the skin of her captive, ripping a piece of her throat and spitting it out.

She pushed through to the others who had stood up. She shot out her tendrils to her left and right as they began to charge at her. She twisted her body, swinging her tendrils as flails at the remaining three. Recovering quickly, they began to circle her, but just as they reached her the loudest rumble broke through underneath them all.

A massive beast shot up as large as the mesa that they stood on.

Terra broke from her unconscious trance as she took notice of the creature, a massive scorpion with a gaping maw instead of fangs, as it shot at the Harpies, who took flight to escape the beast. The scorpion seemed to ignore her completely as it raced after the flying creatures, faster than its escapees but unable to reach them. It chased them down the mesa as the harpies retreated, yelling revenge at her and the others. Sara and Garin both burst out of the cage behind with Ella in Garin’s arms.

“So, that was a thing…” Sara said watching the scorpion chase after the harpies in a frantic rush. Garin came over to Terra and gazed at her. He seemed to see through her with those strange red eyes of his, a soul searching look that would not allow secrets to remain.

“That was something familiar Terra, something I though we took care of when we freed you.” He said with a dangerous tone.

Terra felt a twinge of fear as she took notice of what Garin meant, but her instincts screamed at a chance to fight against such a strong opponent.

Feor spoke to her as she fought to keep her instinct in check.

“You really must ask for help when you need it sister.” She could hear the smile in her voice as she felt the Skiritix part of her fade back in her mind. “Truly you are not alone anymore yes?” Feor retreated back inside her mind as Terra turned to Garin

“I’m fine.” She pushed past Garin as she checked on her kills. The two she got were already gone, nothing but black ooze poured from their wounds that she had inflicted. It made her think of the concoction they forced down Ella’s throat. Would she turn into them, these blood thirsty creatures?

Would she share something with her?

“You are going to be alright, right Terra?” Even Sara had saw her mood shift.

“It’s nothing, I’ve got it under control.” Terra pushed herself to believe her own words knowing that even Feor may not be able to help her next time. Could she trust them with the knowledge that she still had that link?” Feor seemed to think so.

She shook it off as she checked on Ella in Garin’s arms. She was still breathing thankfully, but Terra could see something black oozing through her veins on her neck. She looked up at Garin.

“She may become an issue Garin, I saw those flying things give her a black liquid to drink. She knew what it was from what I could tell, we should probably try to wake her up.”

“Don’t you think she’s been through enough? Let’s wait, we can deal with it whatever it is later.”

“Garin I don’t think that’s-”

“If you know what’s wrong with her speak up, otherwise shut up.” He pushed past her.

Terra really did not know what the black liquid could be but neither did Garin, so she pushed him right back as he placed Ella on the ground in a blanket.

“You may have helped me Garin, but that doesn’t make you the final word on everything. She could be infected, hell, she could be a monster waiting to kill us. Taking care of her now would save us the trouble of-” Garin’s tendril shot out at her with such force she couldn’t see the blow. The other tendril grabbed her face.

“I said shut up! We helped you against my judgement at the time, and you turned out ‘fine’ right? Don’t make us regret that Terra.”

Terra saw the look of pained rage behind Garin's eyes and realized that he was prepared to end her. She could have been splattered on the ground right now and not even her instinct would save her against Garin's wrath.

She went lax as Garin let her go.

Sara went over to her as she pushed herself back up, her crooked insect legs working to right herself.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Sara said nothing as she checked her for any marks. She carried Terra over to where Ella was as Garin and she were wrapping her up in a blanket left by the Harpies. After they had wrapped her, Sara carried her on her back with her four tendrils. She made it look easy as the back two made a makeshift cot with their length while the other two held onto her. Sara turned to Terra and smiled at her.

“I don’t regret helping you Terra, and neither does Garin no matter what he is feeling. But understand, Ella was his friend long before he knew we were alive. He won’t give up on her, not ever, so don’t push that button.” Then Sara got the purple hue that Terra saw earlier, which she was beginning to believe meant she was thinking dark thoughts. "promise me.”

Terra gave her a nod in confirmation as the hue began to fade.

Sara turned as both she and Garin made their way back to their previous direction, which Terra could now see.

On the mesa they were perched on she could make out the faintest glimmer of green in the distance.

Terra was beginning to think that staying alive would prove a better challenge than keeping her instincts in check. Regret welled up in her as she trailed behind the two friends she slighted. In her rage she also seemed to recall a lack of their friend Selok. She hoped that he was alright, but knowing him the rock spider was probably better off without their influence.