A heat wave settled in over Ravencross, as Solas flew closer to the islands, his pulsating light enveloping everything below. Zara tried to open all of her windows to allow the mist from the waterfalls in to remedy the problem, but her tower was made of steaming, obsidian brick. As the black stone absorbed the sunlight, she could feel the forcefield of heat coating her body in sweat. She tried to combat her discomfort by putting her long brown hair up in a side pony, but it did little against her jeans and oversized sweater. Zara was used to being stared at in the past for being a Moonblood, so her clothing choices were the last thing on anyone's mind to judge her for. Even still, while alone, Zara dreaded wearing anything that didn't cover the scars.
Zara lay motionless in her hammock, staring up at the ceiling. She continued to ignore the spiraling mass of scales and fur hissing cruel words at her like any other day, but Zara soon lifted her head toward one of her windows when she heard in the distance the beating wings of a large bird. A black blur in the sky settled in on the windowsill, taking the shape of a raven. It wasn't any ordinary raven, however. It held a small brown satchel across its chest which was stuffed to the seams with scrolls. Around the bird was a sheathed sword that was no bigger than a butter knife. On its head was a small metal helmet with an intricate design on the sides and colorful feathers sticking up from the top. "I can't believe she wears that. I can't believe she wears that!" squawked the raven. "It's hotter than Hekla out here!"
"Toby?" Zara narrowed her eyes at the bird. He was repeating words he heard before to communicate with her.
"Yes! Croak! Yes!" replied the raven. Zara sighed and stood up to pick a few berries off the vines growing in through the tower windows. The bird happily swallowed the berries before speaking again. "Moonbloods are bad. We should do something about them." Zara raised an eyebrow.
"I know. I hear that a lot, Toby. Ignore it," Zara said to calm the bird, but he seemed to be in distress, flapping his wings up and down, repeatedly.
"Reaver is too weak. We're going to release the monsters from the Moon Sanctuary soon. Croak! Then Reaver will have to kill them. Croak! Croak!" Zara slanted her head in response to the bird. This wasn't an everyday statement. Toby was trying to tell her something.
"Where did you hear that?" Asked Zara.
"Bad birdie. Scram!" Toby flew out the window again. Zara found herself climbing into the windowsill automatically, knowing the bird wanted her to follow him. She stopped on the ledge as she remembered she couldn't fly. There was no other way up and down the tower, other than the thick vines coating the brick. When was the last time she had left her tower?
"Hey, there." Zara flinched as she heard a voice from below. Sitting on a bench near a cluster of palm trees was a man in a white lab coat. He had curly blonde hair, but his wings were pure white, and his pointed ears were much smaller than Raveniers. The tower was situated on a small island hovering close to a larger one. A waterfall flowed down nearby, missing the island, but it cast a cloud of mist overhead. It felt much cooler outside than it did in the tower. It was tempting to go outside, but Zara's fear kept her where she was.
"Riyu? What are you doing here?" Asked Zara.
"I was in the neighborhood and saw the ravens. You only find them here, so I thought I'd do some bird watching." Said Riyu. It sounded convincing, but Zara knew better. It wasn't safe for Dovelings to be hanging around by themselves unless they had a good reason and today, he was without an escort. Riyu was certainly here for another reason.
Ravens aren't native to Ravencross, but they enjoy flying past the islands during certain points of the year to forage for specific berries on other islands beyond Ravencross. Some do settle down in Ravencross, but they usually only hang out where Zara lives.
"Is that so... Did you see where Toby flew off to?"
"Uh... The one with the satchel, right?"
"They all have satchels. They're messenger ravens." Said Zara.
"Right... Sorry, I'm not great at identifying birds from the others..." Riyu stood up and looked around at the iron bars that formed a large birdcage over the island. Moss and ivy grew over the rusting bars and some areas had eroded over time, falling off. This didn't stop the ravens from using the bars as nesting spots and for perching. It was stunning to watch the ravens as they perched or flew under the rainbow that formed overhead or through the sparkling mist from the waterfall. Riyu looked like he wanted to say something when he saw the cage but hesitated at first. He always held the same expression, but usually let go of whatever he wanted to say. "Do you like it here?" He asked suddenly. Zara knew what he meant. It wasn't the location that bothered him. It was the cage. Although Zara wasn't a prisoner, her decor certainly gave others that impression.
"It keeps unwanted quests away." Said Zara with a half-smile. Zara wasn't fond of it, but it worked well to keep the juveniles away who listened to the scary rumors about a moonblood that lived alone there. It also gave the ravens a place to live.
"Zara it's--"
"Not good for my health to be alone?" Zara finished, resting her chin in her hands as she lay across the tower's perch. Riyu huffed and stuck his hands in his pockets. He was unsure of what to say next. It was clear they'd had this conversation countless times before. "I'm a danger to others no matter what I do. It's better to be alone. Fewer casualties that way."
"Zara," Riyu sighed. "You have others that care about having you around."
"I know. They won't leave me alone long enough to forget that."
"Then what about Reaver, Talius, or Nikita? Not even Vikter? If you don't care about yourself, do you not care about your friends and family?" Asked Riyu. Zara narrowed her eyes. He was learning a lot from Diiva, she could tell.
"I already said I wouldn't tell anybody so you can stay here." Said Zara. Zara thought Riyu was worried about deportation, so she tried to reassure him.
"It's not about that. I'm a high-ranking healer, Zara. I can find work outside the Doveling Sanctuary without you. I'm here because I want to be!" Zara was taken aback by his outburst but said nothing. She sat crisscrossed with her hands in her lap and her head down like a scolded child. Riyu sighed. "Do you not believe in me? Is that way you don't want me around?"
"No-"
"Then what is it? Are we, not friends or am I just your doctor?" Riyu demanded. Zara bit her lip.
Friends?
Zara had always seen Riyu as a healer. There was nothing beyond that. He had shown up when her life was in its darkest hour. There was no room for her old friends. Why would she make more? And yet, hearing him ask this made her chest feel warm. There was something about someone still wanting to be friends with her despite knowing what she was that left her confused, guilty, and less alone all at once. Zara frowned.
"We can't be friends, Riyu," Zara said, unable to look him in the eyes. "But... You can be my doctor." Zara could tell from his expression it hurt him to hear this, but he understood it was a compromise. Zara could get close to him without fearing the worst. If she saw Riyu as a friend, a relationship would be impossible.
"Then let me be a doctor," Riyu said, putting a hand to his chest. "I'm not afraid of you. I promise." At his words, Zara lifted her head slowly. She contemplated it for a moment.
"Fine. Come up."
"No, you come down." Zara glared at Riyu.
"What?" She asked.
"My magic is stronger when out in the open. Maybe if we try it outside on such a beautiful day, I can make a difference." Said Riyu. Zara knew what he was doing. He got through to her again but is acting greedy, taking another step closer. Zara looked around her; the sunlight was blinding. She was most vulnerable outside. Out here, she felt too free.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Riyu," Zara said, looking down. The tower was quite high, and it was up here where she could keep the monster contained. She looked behind her when she heard a low, guttural growl. A large fluffy white head of antlers poked out of the window. Its clawed fingers trying to crawl out. Its slit yellow eyes stared back at her. It was hungry. A beast that hadn't eaten in centuries was a ticking bomb.
"Please." Said Riyu, holding out a welcoming hand. Zara looked back at him. If only he could see what always followed her. Maybe then he wouldn't be so trusting. Zara hesitated a moment longer, but eventually, she climbed down the tower. Just before she reached the bottom, she stuck a foot out to test the group. Zara could feel the heat even through her boots. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Asked Riyu. He smiled.
Zara looked at him, then passed him. There was an endless sky full of floating rocks of varying sizes and shapes. Nestled on most of the islands were obsidian castle structures that crumbled due to the constant shifting of the islands. Despite the hostile living environment, Raveniers still found a way to live. There wasn't much of a choice otherwise. It was either adapt or fall to whatever awaited you below. Despite its dangerous nature, Ravencross was beautiful and colorful. "It is really hot today."
"Yes, it is." Riyu looked at his white-gloved hands and smiled. "I can feel Solas's power growing strong in my veins." Zara stared in awe at the glowing light forming in his palms and quickly fading as he balled them into fists. It must be nice knowing you could save anyone with a single touch...
Stay away from him. Dangerous.
Zara's eyes widened as she felt a tad dizzy. The Moonblood made it difficult to handle sunlight at times. It wasn't so much the heat, but something about the darkness made the beast more comfortable. Unfortunately, whatever it felt, she felt.
"Are you okay?" Riyu said, helping her find the bench under the shade.
"I haven't been in the sun in quite a while. It isn't happy right now."
"When is it ever," Riyu said in a low, annoyed voice.
"What was that?" Asked Zara.
"Oh, nothing...," said Riyu. "Hmm... Your feathers are looking better." Riyu glided his hands softly across her ebony wing, smoothing out the misaligned feathers. A chill and a tinge of pain ran down Zara's body. Riyu seemed to sense this and drew back his hand. He then returned his hand shortly after, summoning the light into his palm. When he placed his hand on Zara again, she didn't feel pain anymore. Rather, she felt instant relief. It was like sinking into a warm bath. Zara turned on the bench to allow him full access to her back. This was the first in a long time that her aches and pains from the incident didn't bother her. She wished it would go on forever, but the relief only lasted so long and despite the power boost, the moonblood wasn't willing to allow her any pain relief. It loved suffering which meant its host had to be under intense pain for it to be happy. That's why it was so afraid of Riyu.
"Riyu, I think..." Zara raised her hand to stop him, but something inside her caused her whole body to pulsate. Her brain began to feel an onslaught of pain, like a rat trapped in her skull, trying to claw its way out. Her hands flew toward her head, cradling it as if that was the only way she could stop it from exploding. Riyu ignored her plea, placing both his hands against her wings to achieve something different. Unfortunately, that difference wasn't what he was looking for.
There was a loud screech from a bird above, causing Riyu to fall off the bench. Blood splattered across his lab coat and for a moment he thought it was his own until his eyes focused on Zara. She was sitting properly on the bench again, hunched over with a needle-sized blade through her hand. Toby flew above, watching Zara closely. He was the one to stab her in the hand, but this wasn't her hand anymore. Something went wrong and Zara's hand had changed to a monstrous paw with long, sharp claws. Riyu's eyes widened as he realized he was close to being mauled by it. "Zara?" Riyu called to her. His chest was still rising and falling heavily. Riyu crawled away as Zara clutched her moonblood hand.
"Leave. Now." Zara demanded. She raised her head, locking eyes with Riyu. He didn't want to fly away and prove to her that she was dangerous to be around, but in that moment, there was no denying the danger. Riyu wanted to heal the hole in her hand, but he knew not to poke the bear. Riyu struggled to his feet.
"It's okay, Zara." Riyu could barely get the words out. His mouth was dry and hoarse. Riyu hadn't realized how afraid he was. He didn't even hear his scream of terror or feel the trembling in his hands and legs. Zara lowered her head as she felt the air around her shift from Riyu's sudden liftoff. She squeezed her hand as hard as she could, causing it to transform back into her own. Zara raised her hand, stretching it out after she ripped the small sword from her hand. Raveniers could regenerate over time if the wound wasn't too large so Riyu or Diiva wasn't needed.
"Is the birdie, okay?" Toby landed on the back of the bench. He lowered his head, showing his guilt, but Zara knew he was only doing what she had asked him to.
"I'll be okay, Toby..." Zara said, staring down at the blood splatter on the ground. At least it was her own and not Riyu's.