[M] IC. Through the ages. {Dark Pigeon & ScottishGal}

[Dark Pigeon]

Christopher cuddled up against Lily as he knew that they had just started a game of 'who can be without sexy time the longest'. A game he was to win, for his pride was on the line. He would not have her be the best of the two of them! No matter if she had her mouth sewn shut! "Night Night darling" He told her as he pulled her closer, his heavy arm gently wrapped around her as he close his eyes, hoping for an early night of sleep.

.....

Nicklas walked over to the woman and leaned his heavy posture into the windowsill. If you asked him how soon the war would be, he would tell you that it could be any minute. Other elders thought it could take months, hell.. even years. But after what he had seen in that forest, how fast the lightbringer was gathering an army, he knew that they were in for a fight any second now. "I'll listen" He told her gently as he watched the men enter and leave the brothel.

[Scottie]

Just as her head hit the pillow, he had pulled her close to him. His heavy arm resting against her hip as he closed his eyes and cheerfully bid her goodnight. She narrowed her eyes at the wall and sighed softly. She knew that eventually she would win. They would surely awake to some strange noises and Christopher didn't often think with his upstairs brain. Lily just had to bid her time so she let her body settle against his and felt sleep slowly claim her.

.....

The woman let her gaze drag back to the cobbles below them. "I....This is the first night in years that he has not come to visit me. I normally see him coming across the hill tops so that he can rest with me when the sun is high." There was sorrow etched in her voice. She knew that he would not come this night. Not when there were so many opposing him nearby, not when the Light Prince needed him. "I need to decide whether to leave my sisters...my home...everything I know...to join a fools battle. He thinks he is freeing us.....he just wants power for himself." Spite tensed her jaw and she let a single glance slide over Nicklas. "I see that you refused the offer....did all of you?"

[Dark Pigeon]

Nicklas slowy shook his head "Some haf accepted, some have not. We are as devided as we always have been" He told her as he came closer. He brushed his fingers over the cheeks of one of the owls as he had heard it complain about some feathers being a pain. " One of my fledglings has accepted. It brings me great pain. As has Xiao Mei and her husband... they might form a great problem as they already have their own army of highly skilled female warriors" The owl seemed very content as the great Northern man was helping him preening some feathers. "What about you, what is it that you want." He asked her bluntly.

....


For the first time in his life... his upstairs brain was winning this fight. But for how long? Christopher fel asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow.

[Scottie]

The woman let her legs dangle from the window. The breeze slowly picking up her skirts and twirling them around her ankles. It was intriguing to the young vampire to learn who had joined the fight. She did not know which of Nicklas's fledglings had joined but she knew the others....and that they had an army. "I ...I want him back. I want him safe and happy. I do not want him fighting another's war because of debts long ago founded." A small rustle of anger floated through the birds closest to the woman as if they could sense her uneasiness. Her knuckles turned white around the window ledge. "I would not join that fight. My Sire may wish it though. He chooses to follow money." Again, the birds rustled their feathers in annoyance at the young womans turmoil. They would respond well to Nicklas if he gave them a soothing word. "Perhaps I should go find him." There was something childlike in her voice, desperate eyes searched the horizon for a glimmer of him.
....

Lily did not fall asleep right away. Instead, she stared at the brickwork across from her. She could feel sleep calling to her but her mind kept her awake. There had been no more discussion on her threads....nor on where she was to go now. Where would any of them go now? It made her stomach twist with worry as she curled herself into a small ball beside the sleeping lump of Christopher.

[Dark Pigeon]

Nicklas could not help but to ease the birds. The more he talked to animals, the more he found that they were so much easier to deal with than people. It was one of the reasons he just wanted to run back to his part of the North, find a house, bring his fledglings and stay there. Just he, his children, and a bunch of animals. But even he knew that that would never happen, especially now. " Trust me when I say that I do not wish for this. I just want to be left alone and grow old. Let them fight their fight alone, leave us be... I do not care for what has happend to them. Revenge doesnt help. But all of them seem so hungry for it. "I can not help you. Your sire has powerful friends that will just overrule everything I say. He believes to think he has them wrapped them around his golden fingers, but truly.. they have him in their pocket. Gold... power... it clouds the mind as much as love does."

He looked at the girl and showed her a kind smile, or at least as kind as he could while his mind was going a mile a minute. "He will find you, these streets are not safe. Best stay with your animal companions. If you want, I can keep you company as well. Do not feel like sleeping... not in a place like this" He leaned forward and showed her a nervous smile "I normally do not come in places like this. I feel like my wife could run in any minute and clip me around the head with a great axe...." he told her before he smiled.

.....

[Scottie]

The animals grew quiet as Nicklas gave them attention. Luira kept her eyes on the ground, watching the stragglers leave the brothel. He wanted to be left alone. Luira wanted nothing more than to be let go, to have the same life that he wished for. "My sire is a small man with big words." Her words were soft, barely a crack from her lips as she always worried he could hear her. "He will fall first." Her words held weight. Like she knew something that Nicklas did not. "We are toys in this game. That light one does not care for us. He will use us and drain us until we are nothing." Concern reeked from her. It clung to every word that left her lips, she could feel it bury itself deep within her ribs. Twisting around them like a corrupted ribbon. "I do not fear these streets, Elder Nicklas." Wise eyes turned towards the older vampire. "I was raised on these cobbles. I know this city better than anyone who attempts to sleep beneath our feet tonight."

His offer for company rang something within her. He was lonely. His children were either gone or preoccupied. A small smile twitched onto her lips. "She would not be the first." A large tawny owl ruffled its feathers beside Nicklas, almost as if it were upset. It grumbled softly to itself, words only Nicklas could understand. "Not fair. This always happens." Luira could tell the complaint was voiced and raised an eyebrow. "Many wives have entered through these doors, their husbands often dragged back out by their ears or they run after with their trousers round their ankles" She chuckled softly as the owl huffed again.

.......

It was starting to knot in her stomach, slowly making her hungry and tired at the same time. She wanted to sleep but her thoughts kept her awake. She wanted to eat but the mere thought made her sick. She needed to clear her mind and already Christophers snores were filling the room. She let out a small snort of annoyance and sat upright on the bed. Her fingers playing absentmindedly with her hair. What did this mean for them all? Was this war? Or was it just a silly attempt that would be crushed by the four? Did that mean that the four would come into their small life and ruin? What if this meant her family could perish...her brother...her friends...Christopher. Dread burrowed deep into her and she started to chew at the inside of her mouth out of worry.

[Dark Pigeon]

As she changed the subject, so did Nicklas. He just did not know what to say to make it all sound better. Nor did he know this could be salved without anyone dying. A war was comming.. but then again, they always were. He gently stroke his fingers through the birds feathers, the owl tilted its head and started to tell Nicklas which feathers needed preening as he himself could not reach them. Those big fingers, clearly made for hard work looked so very gentle as Nicklas started to work on a few feathers that were giving the bird a hard time. "As they should. A man should be loyal to his wife as she should be to him. " he said as he seemed consentrated on the bird, and the delicate work of preening. "But I might be one of only men in this world that thinks that." He said, as he thought of how his wive believed the same. But he would not speak that out loud, as he did not want to talk about her... not infront of a new stranger.

[Scottie]

She could hear the soft cooing of the owl behind her, he was loving the special attention. Eyes were rolled as the owl nearly clambered onto Nicklas's arm to get close to him. Hearing that word made her tense up, her shoulders rolled forward as white knuckles strained against her skin. "He is loyal to his love but..I am not his wife. It is not allowed." She said with a heavy heart. "He will come...He will.." Her words trailed off as the owl demanded another particular place be scratched. The woman leaned forward, her breath catching in her chest. Luira glanced back at Nicklas and a smile had blossomed over her face. "I knew it." Pushing herself quickly to her feet, she turned towards and sighed deeply. Her body slipped backwards from the window sill and she was gone from view.

The thump from below didn't come as a large tawny owl swooped upwards. Gold speckled through its wings. A happy squeal came from its chipped beak as it soared towards a bird in the distance. Large wings were all that could be seen with their human eyes. But for Luira, the red stripe was clear. But something didn't feel right. The birds were excited to see each other but something felt off. There was a gentle metallic clinking from somewhere in the city.

--------

A gentle tugging in her stomach started. Someone was calling her. It wasn't Taranis...Or Christopher who lay snoring beside her. It wasn't Nicklas who stood upstairs in the rafters..it...She couldn't put her finger on it, the call changed constantly. No one else could really call on her properly unless she'd had their blood within them. She sat upright on the bed, the mattress sighed free from underneath her form. The sun had not risen above the hill tops yet. She could just go see. Lily felt the call drag herself to her feet, fingertips brushed against the thin material of her night gown. As if in a trance, she reached down for a robe. Each movement felt like it was not her own.

[Dark Pigeon]

Nicklas looked at the owl next to him "She always just up and leaves like that?" he asked the bird, who just nodded and rolled his eyes "Every single time" the bird said as he moved his head back under Nicklas his fingers, hoping that he would keep preening just little while longer. "you need to bath, soak those feathers.. makes the preening easier" Nicklas told the bird. The others chuckled, which made the bird under his fingers throw an angry look. "he's afraid of water, his reflexion you see... such an.... " Another bird said before he was stopped by an small barnowl. The owl under his fingers felt incredibly stupid, but thanks to his large posture he was rarely picked upon. He would deal with the other owl later... when nobody was looking...

[Scottie]

A small sparrow behind them ruffled its feathers violently. Not asking for attention to be scratched but because had chilled through its bones. A gentle squawk behind him sounded. Then another. And another. Until every animal in the attic was screeching one word. “Luira.” Over and over again. The clinking was continuing and a few knew that sound. They knew it very well as their children had been torn out of the sky beside them. The panic rose deep within the room as the screams were ignored. She was too far away. The large owl that was closest to Nicklas whacked its head against his arm. “You need to scream it. She’ll hear you. Go. Hurry. Hurry.” The fear was clear in his voice as wide eyes returned to the sight before them.

The large tawny owl was soaring through the skies, her full concentration on the hawk far infront of her. It was swooping closer and closer to her. She had waited all night, she needed to see that he was safe. She needed to see that he was still going to stand by her side. A large scream came from the bird before her. She could never truly understand him in this form but she could tell the tone was fear.

A loud whistle came towards her, she turned just in time to feet the metal clasp around her. The heavy net folded around her, trapping her wing in place and forcing her into free fall. She was falling towards the cobbles, down and down. The hawk dove after her, trying to save her but they dropped beneath the tops of the buildings before they could see what happened.

--------

Her mouth felt dry. Bright blue eyes looked dull. Another tug. It felt stronger now. Like it was wound around her spine, yanking her violently forward. White knuckles gripped the handle and she wrenched the door open. A cool breeze kissed her cheeks as she left the room, leaving the door half open. Bare feet slapped lightly against the floor as she headed for an exit. Any exit. She needed to get outside.