# Skyfall Chapter 12

Author: Abyssa
Tags: Alien, Anthro, Canine, Human, Hybrid, Laboratory, Magic, Male, Phoenix, Werewolf, Wolf, space

Kato was supposed to be the strong one, the one I
could depend on tonight. I realized now that I couldn't count on Misha for
anything...I always went to Kato when I needed help. But now, he was the one in
need of help. Honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to succeed in this, but
Kato still couldn't use magic, he was barely conscious. 
  Kato, Misha and I stood on
the edge of the plateau overlooking the valley. The cold breeze fluttered
through my fur as I looked down into the dark, still valley. Despite being up
all night, I felt wide awake. This was most likely due to the fact that I was
afraid Sheila would attack Misha and I tonight while Kato was still drained.
Apparently, it was also my responsibility to ensure Sheila did not return from
Eldon. I sighed.
  "I'll be able to contribute
some energy. Follow my energy to the location; it will lead us where we need to
go." Kato said, leaning on me. "Sorry about this..."
  "It's not your fault,
Kato." I said. I closed my eyes and began to focus on calming my mind. "Are you
two ready?" 
  Misha nodded and reached
his hand out. I reluctantly took his hand and wrapped my arm around Kato to
support him. I felt Kato's energy channel into my body. My mind felt like a map
was being etched into it. I furrowed my brows as I felt the lines of energy
draw the location in my mind. 
  Once I was able to grasp
the location in my mind, I focused on taking in some of Misha's energy. I let
his energy swirl up my arm and into my heart, where I had collected Kato's
energy. At my core the energy combined and I began to feel my own energy join
theirs. The familiar tingle of my energy breaking up into different pieces
consumed me.
  I glanced over at Kato,
who's form had completely vanished in a swirl of energy particles. My own form
broke apart and began to shift into the realm that Kato was entering. Misha's
form soon followed us.
   I couldn't see anything. My vision was
blinded by swirling energy particles. I felt nonexistent in the sea of light,
floating along with the tides. 
  Suddenly a sharp pain
entered my being. Every particle of me was slammed with the intense pain.  Misha's energy surrounded me and caused me to
feel trapped. I felt as if I were being strangled.
  My energy was hurled back
into my physical form as I materialized at my destination. I shook and coughed
violently. I clawed at the ground as I struggled against the pain.
   I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Decipher!"
Caliber's voice boomed in my head, "Shit. Kato, are you alright?" 
  "I'm fine. Get the crystal
out of Decipher's bag." 
  "I don't see it!" 
  "Here it is."
  All the echoing voices
made my head spin as I vomited blood.  
  "Decipher, here!" Misha
approached me. I snarled and jerked away from him, staring up at him with a horrified
expression. His energy was repulsive. I would have run from him if I could have
moved.
  "Get the fuck away from
him, Misha!" I heard Kato yell. Sheila's laugh sounded in the distance. 
  "You fools should've taken
horses. Look what you've done to him!" She mocked.
  Kato crouched down next to
me and placed the energy crystal near me. I shivered in fear and curled up. I
couldn't control my body; I was terrified. 
  I felt Kato place the
crystal on my back. Soon the energy was travelling into my body, and I became
still. 
  "Give him space." I heard
Kato say as he stood up and backed up. 
  After a few awkward,
silent moments, I was able to sit up. My chest was covered in blood. I coughed
a few more times in attempt to rid my throat of the sticky substance.
  Kato reached out his hand,
"Come on, we need to get you cleaned up..." Kato said as he pulled me up, "You're
going to attract every predator in Skyfall." 
  "The stream's right behind
the shrubs there." Caliber said, helping Kato support me as I staggered
forward. 
  Misha stayed close by our
sides. I could tell he was nervous. Sheila seemed either nervous or excited as
well. She must have realized she was outnumbered, even if two of us were
disabled at the moment.  
  Caliber and Kato helped me
strip off my clothing and clean the blood off of my fur. I looked up to the
sky, realizing that the sun had already risen. It must have taken us hours to transport here...
  My heart ached, literally.
Every beat sent a wave of pain through my chest. I held on to my chest as I
rinsed the blood out of my fur. At least the painful energy had worn off, and I
was no longer afraid of Misha. I glanced over at him. He was leaning against a
tree and watching me with a concerned, pained look. 
  His genuine concern made
my heart settle a bit and the pain dulled. I could tell he desperately wanted
to approach me. His eyes stared at me longingly. Part of me wanted to fulfill
his desire and wrap my arms around him. I was trying to hide how much I missed
him from myself. He looked so different in this setting, with his village
clothing and sunlight flickering through the leaves down onto his face. I met
his gaze briefly. 
  "How are you feeling?"
Caliber asked. 
   I shook my head to rid my fur of the
excess water and stepped away from the stream. "I feel much better." I said as
I slipped my shirt back over my head.
  "Come on." Kato said, "You
can ride on one of the horses for the next hour or so. You shouldn't be walking
in this condition."
  I had completely forgotten
about the horses. I hadn't even seen them yet. Kato led me out to an open area
where three large horses were grazing. Two of them were a deep brown with black
socks and white speckles on their backs, and one was painted with black and
white splotches. The painted horse seemed to have a more delicate build. Her
legs were lean and she looked as if she could run quite fast. They were
beautiful creatures, but they still seemed dull when I thought of Asodar's
star-speckled pelt and massive size. These horses were half the size of Asodar,
if that. 
  Caliber approached the
painted horse with a lightweight saddle, placing it on the beast's back and
strapping it on. I watched Sheila put our bags and supplies on the other two
horses.
  "Climb on up." Caliber
said, gesturing to the horse, "She's a good girl, don't worry." 
  I nervously climbed onto
the horse's back. Caliber fitted the horses head with a pair of reins and
handed them to me. "She knows where she's going, and she's a good girl. But if
she takes off, just pull back to stop." He said with a wink. "Come on."
  We began our trek into the
pass. I could see the two massive mountains towering above us on either side. I
shuddered with the eerie feeling the mountains carried. I perked up with the
thought of Asodar.
  Skyfall holds every answer you have ever sought.  I wanted to jump off
the horse and explore, but my body refused to let me. I sighed. Perhaps on the
way home I would be able to explore a bit. 
   My horse led the other two and followed
behind Kato and Sheila. Caliber and Misha walked farther back with the other
horses.
  "Alright everyone." I heard
Kato call out, "I don't want any shit. If you wander into some death trap made
by a giant spider, that's your own damn fault and I'm not climbing down to get
you. Be smart. Don't stray, or you will die."
  Kato stared right at me
when he finished his statement. I swallowed hard.
  Caliber laughed, "Giant
spiders? That's the least threatening thing I can think of." He said as he
pulled out a longbow from one of the large packs the horses carried. He slung
it over his back and grabbed a quiver loaded with arrows next.
  "Yeah." Sheila said,
spinning her dagger in her hands, "We should be worried about slithurms. Nasty
bastards are coming out of hibernation around this time." 
  I suddenly wished I had
completed my weapon. The blade on its own was rather useless to me. I sighed
and sat back in the saddle. 
  "And drakes! Fucking drakes
are everywhere." Caliber shuddered, "Will we hit the Edge before nightfall?"
  "We better." Misha mumbled.
  "I'm not travelling past the
Edge after dark." Kato said.
  I watched as the shadows of
the mountains covered us. We were walking through the pass now.
  "Hey, at least we have a
wolf with us!" Caliber said, slapping my thigh. "That should make us safe from
those, right?"
  "I can speak wolf." I said.
  Misha turned to me,
"Really?"
  I nodded. He didn't say
anything else.
  "Good, so that means you
can tell all the werewolves, wolves and whatever other canines we encounter,
'fuck off assholes, these are my bitches!' then?" Caliber said, elbowing my leg
as he walked beside me.
   I smirked. Caliber was such an interesting
guy to have around. His obnoxious humor was a nice touch today...I needed some
obnoxious humor.
  "Sure, you can be my
bitch." I said with a toothy grin.
  "Whoa!" He laughed. "Down,
boy!"
  Misha glanced over at us.
Was he glaring? He couldn't possibly be jealous of my joke. I was tempted to
roll my eyes, but instead my eyes remained fixed on his. After a few moments,
he finally looked away. 
  We continued into the pass.
As we explored deeper into the pass, things became more still and eerie, and
the group was silenced as well. We walked in silence for what felt like hours. 
  I began to see shadows
moving out of the corner of my eyes. I had assumed it was my imagination, until
I saw Caliber shoot an arrow at one of them. The shadow burst into a puff of
black smoke and swirled away with a whizzing noise. 
  "Hey!" I heard Kato shout,
"Don't mess with the shades." 
  "But they're so annoying!"
Caliber complained as he retrieved his arrow. 
  "Just wait until mommy
shadow comes out." Sheila hissed, smacking the back of Caliber's head.
  "Seriously, Caliber." Kato
said sternly, "No shit. Stay alert for real threats." 
  "Fine." Caliber grumbled,
slinging the bow across his back. 
  The silence returned to the
group shortly after, and the darkness of the shadows made me uncomfortable. We
walked through certain areas that were extremely tight, barely enough room for
the horses to walk through the cracks in the massive rocks that had fallen ages
ago. The horses were all very calm and seemed to know exactly what they were
doing, which made me feel better.
  As we continued on I began
to feel more exhausted. My body felt completely drained of energy, and I had a
difficult time sitting up. I leaned forward and rested on the horse's neck. The
gentle rocking of the ride eased my mind and made me drowsy. 
   I began to drift into what must have
been a dream. The white mist flowed through my mind and carried me to a strange
place. Everything was so blurry...
  I saw a brown jay
fluttering in the white sky, dodging silky petals that floated down from the
trees above. I was lying in a sea of white petals, they felt airy and soft. The
white faded and the muted blue sky shined through the haze.   Clink.
  My ears perked forward as
I heard the chime. It echoed in my ears just once. One sharp, distant,
   Clink.
  There it was again! I sat
up slowly, searching for the noise.
   My
eyes scanned the field. All I could see was an endless sea of white petals and
fields of silken grass.
  I stood up and walked
through the petals, waving my hands to try and move them out of the way. I
couldn't see anything. The clinking noise continued. 
  I stepped onto a hard
surface, hearing my claws tink against
it. I looked down and saw a blue crystal stepping stone. As soon as I saw it,
the entire landscape changed. The colors instantly became inverted. Everything
was black now with shimmering blue highlights. I heard what sounded like a
distorted lightning crack. The sound was fuzzy with static. The shrill, distorted
cracking happened a few more times. I covered my ears and fell to the ground. 
  I sank trough the black
petals and hit a hard, crystal surface. I looked up to see a hole in the
ceiling of petals. 
  The floor you walk on is slick; there is no true ground for you to
stand on.   I shuddered as the voice crawled through my
head.
  It begins with blood; walk past
the wasteland of your life. The voice surrounded me, shaking my entire
being. There were trees, yes, but they grew
in the soil of lies.
  A massive wolf stood in
front of me. Her shadow danced around me, carrying a life of its own. Her face
was barely illuminated by the glow of her deep, violet eyes. 
  You have taken my form. Do you deserve to wear it?
  I shook as her eyes probed
me. I knew I couldn't hide anything from her. This was the Goddess...  
  "I don't know what to do."
I whispered, falling to my knees.
  The wolf's face twisted
into a snarl, revealing shimmering, crystalline teeth.
   Very
well. Continue your path of destruction, your destined path.  
   The crystal surface I stood on
shattered. The world around me broke into pieces and released a horrible sound.
I screamed in pain and clutched my ears.
 
With a gasp, I jumped awake. I panted heavily, clutching onto the
painted horse's back. She whinnied and jumped at my sudden grab.
  "Thank god you're awake,
Decipher!" Caliber said. "We're almost to Eldon." 
  "Al...Already?" I asked,
shaking as I slowly sat up. 
  "You've been passed out
for a long time." Caliber said. "We stopped and slept a night in an inn and
everything!"
  "You're joking." I said as
I rubbed my eyes.
  "He's not." Kato called
back. "We couldn't get you to wake up. Misha said you had gone into a coma due
to loss of energy. I'm glad you're awake! By the way, are you alright?"
  "Uh...Yeah, I'm okay now. I
think." I said.  I couldn't believe how
much time had passed. I glanced around with a twitch of panic. Where was Misha?

  I saw him walking behind
one of the larger horses and sighed with relief.
  "Did you speak with Asodar
again?" Caliber whispered. "I can tell you had some sort of experience..." 
  I shook my head, "No
actually...I-
  "Shh.." Caliber cut me off
and jerked his head towards Sheila, who was walking ahead of Kato. "We'll talk
later."
  Caliber didn't want to
have a religious discussion around Sheila, it seemed. I nodded. 
   Misha
approached us, "Decipher! I'm so glad you woke up." He said. He reached his
hand out to touch me, but awkwardly pulled away and scratched his head, "I was
worried you would miss our arrival into town!" 
   I glanced backwards. The mountains were
far in the distance. The path in front of us was a wide, dirt road that snaked
through a large meadow of tall grass. I could see a few small buildings in the
distance. 
   We approached the buildings quickly. They were
simply built and rather small when compared to the lab. The cottages were
sprinkled throughout the edge of the meadow. Eager to stretch my legs, I hopped
off the horse I was on and began to trot down the path. It felt great to walk
on the soft, warm dirt again. 
  "Let's take the horses to
the stables and then head to the inn." Kato said. 
  We walked down the road,
which turned into a brick path once we reached the outskirts of town. 
  It was early afternoon
when we entered town. We brought the horses to a stable at the edge of town and
removed our packs from them. Caliber spent time petting the painted horse's
nose and saying goodbye to her before we carried our packs out. 
   "We'll be staying at the tavern across the
way." Kato said, pointing towards the lively building across from us. 
  We stepped inside the
tavern. I looked around at all the people; the place was alive with music and
friendly conversation. A few people looked at me with a puzzled expression, but
then continued to mind their own business. My mind flooded with memories that
were not my own.
  A man in the corner of the
room was playing a lute, strumming wildly and filling the log building with a
resonating, lively tune. I smiled. The
business here was always good. The tavern sat on the outskirts of town, where
people came to relax from the busy work and lifestyle of the town. This was one
of the few places you could go and have a friendly conversation with just about
anyone. The thought echoed in my mind as if it were my own. 
  "There's five of us." I
heard Kato say to a man behind the counter. "We've paid already. We'll be here
a few nights."
  The man behind the counter
tossed Kato a bottle of ale. "Good to see you again." He said, glancing at me,
"Who's the fuzzy one?"
  Kato beckoned me forward.
I nervously approached the counter.
  "This is Decipher. He's
some sort of werewolf hybrid with amnesia." Kato said. "We think he's
originally from here, though. Decipher, meet Nikolai."
  The bartender nodded,
reaching out a large, strong hand. I reached out mine to shake it, but he
grabbed my hand and shook me so much I jerked forward. 
  "Call me Nik." He said
with a grin. His face was square with blocky features, and would have been
intimidating if he didn't have such a genuine smile. "Pleasure to meet you!"
  "Yes." I said as I gained
my balance again, "You as well." 
  Misha and Caliber had sat
down at a table, and I didn't see Sheila anywhere. I joined them while Kato
continued chatting with the Nikolai.
  "So, do you remember
anything yet?" Caliber asked, leaning forward expectantly.
  "I...yeah actually." I
said. "I remember there's a fountain at the center of town..."
  For some reason, the
image stuck out in my mind. It was a beautiful with a sculpture of a sea
serpent coiled around a shimmering crystal. The crystal that sat at the center acted
as a battery for all the energy used to power the town. The image of the
sparkling stone burned in my mind, it must have somehow been an important
location to the werewolf who's DNA I had taken. 
  "We should take you
there! Official business doesn't start for me until tomorrow." Caliber nudged
Misha, "How about you? What are you even doing here?"
  Misha shook his head,
"No, I have business to attend to. Doctor Hale wants me to retrieve some more
ingredients for various things. Some are found in the forest, and others I need
to visit the local medicine woman for."
  I remembered my
assignment and cringed, "Oh. I have to stay with Misha." I said.
  Misha and Caliber turned
to me at the same time with similar expressions. Caliber was confused and had a
raised eyebrow, while Misha looked confused but hopeful.
   "Am I allowed to talk about my assignment?" I
asked, scratching my head nervously.
  Kato approached our table
and sat down a tray of drinks. "That's right." Kato said, "You were telling me
about that right after I got drugged. Did we ever talk about that?"
  "No." I said as I took
one of the large mugs and lapped at the golden liquid. The fermented taste of
the ale stung my throat, but a sweet aftertaste came with it. It was delicious.
"How are you feeling, anyway?"
  "Very well rested." Kato
said, taking a swig of his own drink. "And, being your trainer, I  was informed of your assignment. Since it's
your first official assignment, I'm supposed to stay out of it."
  I felt a bit nervous. I
had assumed I would be on my own against Sheila, but knowing that Kato wasn't
technically allowed to help me made me uneasy.
  "Where is Sheila?" I
asked.
  "She bitched about her
assignment before running off into the woods." Caliber said as he chugged half
of his ale, "Gods, I am exhausted."
  Misha nodded, "I think
I'll go up and sleep for a few hours before I head to the gardens." He said,
"It's best to search for the herbs at night, anyway."
  Caliber sighed, "Yeah, I
suppose I better rest up as well." He turned to me as he finished off his
drink, "I'm sure you'll get to see the fountain, anyway." 
   Kato tossed two rusty keys on the table and
sat up in his chair, "We only have two rooms this time." He said, "I figured
Decipher, Misha and I in one room, with Caliber and Sheila in the other."  
  Misha took one of the
keys and nodded at us, "See you upstairs." He said.  
  "Don't make me room with
her!" Caliber whined, "I already had an eight hour horse ride alone with her."
  "Don't complain,
Caliber." Kato said sternly, which made Caliber sink down in his chair. "Sheila
won't last us the whole trip, anyway. You're the only one she probably doesn't
want to kill. We want to avoid as much drama as possible until it gets done." 
  Caliber gave Kato a
surprised look and then stared at me, "Oh. I get it." He mumbled, snatching
Misha's unfinished drink, "Well in that case, I am going to drink until I pass
out." He said, chugging the drink. Once he finished he turned to me, "Do you
really think you can take her out?" He whispered.
   I nodded, "I think I can." I said with a
shrug, "We'll find out soon enough, anyway." 
  "Well," Caliber
stretched with a yawn, "I'm going to sleep now." 
  Caliber took the other
key and headed up the narrow wooden staircase that led to the rooms. Once he
was out of sight, I turned to Kato.
  "You're a phoenix." I
said. I had been dying to bring this up to him since I had found out, but there
wasn't a good opportunity.
  Kato shivered at the
words, "So Misha told you my story?"
  "Well, you kind of
exploded in a heat wave back in the lab." I said, "I demanded answers from
Misha, yeah." 
   Kato tossed his mug down on the table and
rubbed his forehead. "Why are you bringing it up? Is there something else you
want to know?"
  "I suppose I'm just
curious...how did you become a combat trainer for Hale?"
  Kato sighed, "I enjoyed
combat. I was good at it, and after Hale had let me out of my cage, I decided
to pursue it. It was a good way to vent my anger."
  "What did they do to
you?" I asked quietly.
  "I'd rather not talk
about that." Kato said as he rubbed his wrist.
   "What does the mark mean?" My questions
continued to pour out.
  "It's the mark they
branded me with. I use magic to keep it hidden when I can." Kato sighed as he
answered my onslaught of questions, "It means 'fallen phoenix', a reminder of
what I am, and a warning to everyone else."
  "Why have you stayed
with them...why don't you escape?" I asked. I felt so sorry for the phoenix.
  Kato met my eyes. His
golden eyes were blazing much like I had seen before, and he hissed, "Why don't
you?" 
  I sat speechless. I did
not have an answer for that question. Honestly, it was because I was too much
of a coward to experience the rest of the world. My chest tightened as I spoke
my next words.
  "Kato..." I began, my
breathing uneven, "I am...not from here." I whispered.
  Kato raised an eyebrow,
"We know that." He said, folding his arms, "Are you keeping secrets about your
home?" He was irritated and wanted answers from me. Kato deserved answers. 
  "I don't really have
amnesia." I admitted, "I am not from this planet! I travelled from the stars,
from a horrible place. I ran from my home after something terrible happened...I
never expected to live. My craft crashed into the Skyfall mountains where I
encountered a werewolf..." My confession spilled out, "I am able to mimic DNA
structures in other living things...so that's what I did, but the werewolf was
only halfway through it's morph. That's why I turned into this!"
  Kato stared at me with
an astonished expression. He looked around to see if anyone had been listening.
Luckily, the musician seemed to cover up all conversation unless you were right
next to the person. My heart was pounding as I waited for Kato to respond.
  "You can never tell
Misha the truth." He finally said. His dark tone sent a shiver up my spine.
  "Why?" 
  "Misha studies genetics,
Decipher!" Kato nearly yelled, "If you tell him, he will tell Doctor Hale, who
will almost certainly order Misha to do terrible things to you. They already
wanted to test some new drugs on you that had the potential to destroy your
internal tissues!"
  I thought back to Kato's
conversation with Misha in the showers that had happened many weeks ago...could
this have been want they were talking about?
  "Do not tell Misha."
Kato said. "We'll talk more later. Come on, I need to get some rest."
  I followed Kato up the
creaking staircase. "Hey, Kato." 
  He turned to me with no
answer.
  "Maybe I can help you...be
a phoenix again." I said. "I can help you transform again."
  He gave me a sad, small
smile "Maybe, Decipher." He said. "You are too good to me, friend."

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/565836

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