# Skyfall Chapter 23 - Re-read!

Author: Abyssa
Tags: Anthro, Canine, Depression, Fantasy, Gore, Human, Insanity, Male, Sci-Fi, Vampire, Werewolf, Winter, blood, snow, valley

23
  Kato
and I played with energy and fire for the next few hours. I would have gladly
done this all day, but he needed to train some other guards and assassins. He
said I could stay, but I was too restless to sit and observe. I decided to
shower off the smell of flames and smoke before I went to lunch.
  The gym showers were empty when
I arrived. It had been so long since I was last here, and I took a few minutes
to reflect on the past. Memories of the first time I had used the showers,
after my pain tolerance test, crossed my mind as I slipped my shorts off and
turned the water on. The steam was thick in the chilled, dry air. I stepped
into the jet of warm water.
  It felt like it had been so long
since that time, but in reality it hadn't been long at all. The way time seemed
to slow one day and pass swiftly by the next was frustrating, and I was
beginning to grow tired of waiting. Only one day had passed in my week of
waiting...I wished I didn't have to wait for the eclipse. I wasn't sure how I was
going to keep myself from starting trouble with Misha. Hale is gone now. I thought. Maybe
I should just run...
  I sighed and inhaled deeply. The
steam in the shower filled my lungs and made it difficult to breathe. I felt
dizzy and tired. A door slammed in the distance, which woke me up a bit. 
  Quickly, I finished washing my
fur off and shut the water off. With a shake, I rid myself of the excess water
and ran the towel over my body to attempt to dry off. My fur was thick and
soaked, and the towel didn't help much. I wandered over to the locker that I
used before in case it still had my things in it. As I expected, there was a
new lock on it and I couldn't open it. I sighed and picked up my dirty boxers and
shorts and slipped them on. The air outside of the shower was cold, so I put on
the jacket that I had brought as well.
  I stepped outside the showers
and walked towards the dining hall. For the first time in a while, I actually
felt hungry and ready for a meal. I reached the main entrance, and noticed a
white lab coat tossed on the ground near the large, glass doors. Curious, I
wandered over to it and picked it up. I brought it close to my face to examine
it.
  Misha's unmistakable scent
filled my nostrils when I inhaled. What was his coat doing here? I glanced
outside at the icy wasteland that the courtyard had become, and noticed deep
footprints pressed into the otherwise-perfect powder. I squinted my eyes at a
black shape in the distance, was that a shoe? 
  I glanced over at the dining
hall entrance and sighed before turning back to the doors. This can't be good... I thought to myself as I stepped outside. 
  I shivered in the brisk air and
my misty breaths were rapid. My fur was still soaked from the shower, and the
snow was cold and sharp on my exposed paw pads. The snow became deeper the
farther I walked, nearly past my knees in some places. I followed Misha's
erratic footprints and made my way up towards the lookout point. I attempted to
use the foot holes that Misha had already made, but they were too irregularly
placed and smeared around from what looked like him staggering around. 
  When I passed his shoe I
wondered if I should pick it up, but then I saw his t-shirt, and went for that
instead. My muscles jerked and shivered violently in attempt to warm my body
up, and my wet fur became crusted with ice and snow. I snatched up the t-shirt
Misha had tossed into the snow and sighed.
  "I better not find him naked and
dead somewhere." I mumbled to myself. I continued to follow his footsteps,
looking out at the vast, white world that the snow had created. Everything
looked completely different. Kato was right. It was beautiful.
  As beautiful as the landscape
was, the stillness of the air was eerie. The silence added to my worry, and I began
to walk faster in the thick snow. By now my paws were covered in clumps of snow
and ice that stuck to my wet fur, and my feet were numb while my legs burned
from the frigid cold. 
  Finally, I made it to the
lookout point, where the footsteps ended. I stepped on something sharp and
jumped, looking down to see a needle sticking out of the snow. I picked up the
empty syringe and glanced up towards my favorite tree, where Misha sat in his
boxers. 
  He was silent, and didn't seem
to notice me. His face held a vacant expression out towards the valley. My eyes
followed his gaze, and I gasped.
  The sea of grass had become a
perfect, white pool. I imagined what it would be like to fly and dive into snow
so perfect and thick. It bubbled up in round shapes where the terrain changed,
but didn't lose the seamless, smooth contours. The sight was incredible. I had
never seen anything so flawless.
  Nervously, I forced myself to
turn my attention back to Misha. He wasn't shivering. He was mostly still and
looked dead, but I saw his chest rise and fall with small breaths that came out
of his nostrils in puffs. 
  "Misha...?" I asked, stepping
towards the base of the tree.
  His eyes slowly met mine.
"Decipher."
  "What..." I began, looking down to
the syringe and the t-shirt that I held. "What are you doing out here?"
  He smirked. I took a moment to
look at his pale face. I noticed that the side of his face was bruised where I
had smashed it into the wall, and the deep purple was very apparent against the
rest of his pale skin. I swallowed with a tinge of guilt. 
  "Misha!" I yelled. "Come on." 
  "I'm fine." He sighed, but his
words were slurred. "I'm just testing it..."
  I held up the syringe. "This?
Are you testing this?" I asked. "What was it?"
  "The phoenix." Misha smirked
again. "I never thought to try being a phoenix before. Feels warm."
  I stared at Misha. My paws had
gone numb and were feeling warm, maybe that was happening to him? There was no
way he was actually warm. His skin
was patched with red blotches and the rest of him was pale and turning shades
of bluish gray. 
  Misha stared at me, "I can see
why you like being so warm."
  I tossed the syringe aside and
climbed up next to him. "Here, put this on." I said as I held his t-shirt out
towards him. I wasn't sure what he meant by his phoenix comment, but I assumed
he had tried to become a phoenix. I remembered Kato, shivering in the cold, and
became confused. Even if he had succeeded in becoming a phoenix, he should be
more susceptible to the cold now...
  "Why?" He asked. 
  "Because you're freezing. You
just don't realize it." I sighed.
  "That's not what I mean." Misha
said, letting his black, dead eyes rest on mine.
  "I don't know what you mean." I
said as I moved closer to him. "Come on...I think we should go inside."
  "Why are you helping me?" Misha
said flatly, narrowing his sunken eyes. "I didn't ask. I didn't make you, just
like I didn't ask for you to cling to me and beg for my attention." 
  My ears fell and I stared at
him. "I made a mistake." 
  "Go back where it's warm!" He
shouted. He pointed his finger at me and leaned closer. "They warned me not to
touch you. So I triiiied to stay away!" He let out a laugh, "but you just kept
comin' at me! What was I supposed to do? Things were going to be different this
time, but look what's happened...Fuck. I guess you like the cold."
  Before I could think about what
he said, Misha stood up on the branch shakily and stepped towards the edge. I
jerked forward, grabbed his arm, and dropped his shirt. I watched as the white
t-shirt floated down into the valley and disappeared into the snow.
  He looked back at me and smiled
weakly. "What?" He asked. "Don't want me to die?" 
   "No. I don't." I snarled, looking down at the
mounds of snow. He probably wouldn't die if he fell, but he would be injured,
and I didn't think I would be able to make the treacherous climb back up the
icy cliff side. 
  "You never answered my
question."
  "I don't know!" I yelled. "I
guess I feel responsible for you. I wouldn't want Hale to punish me for you
hurting yourself."
  "Yeah. Hale loves me." He said,
sounding sarcastic.
  "Misha, please, let's just go
back..."
  Misha gave me a terrifying,
emotionless grin. "They warned you, too."
  He tipped himself over the edge
of the branch. My feet slipped and we both went spiraling off the edge. I gripped
onto the branch with my free arm and was barely able to stop myself from
sliding off the slick bark. I looked down to Misha, who I was still grasping
onto. He didn't seem to have any reaction to what was happening. The moment was
surreal, and I briefly considered just letting go and falling into the white
pools. I stared at Misha's eyes, which were darker than I'd ever seen before,
black pits contrasting against his ghost-white skin.
  With a groan, I swung my leg
back up towards the branch and carefully pulled Misha back up. I dragged him
off of the branch and tossed him onto the snowy plateau. When I released him, I
felt my claws stick to his flesh. I noticed scratches in his arm, but his body
was too cold to release any blood. 
  I collapsed next to him and
panted heavily. My muscles burned, but I was freezing. My hands weren't working
as well as they should have been; all my joints felt sticky. 
  "Misha." I panted. "Come on.
Let's go."
  Misha remained motionless in the
snow, and I sighed. He wouldn't be getting up. I lifted myself up out of the
snow and tried to shake it off my crusty fur. I grabbed Misha and pulled him
up. His body was dead weight, and he wouldn't even walk with me supporting him.
  "COME ON!" I yelled.
  "I'm sorry."
  I ignored his apology; I couldn't
afford to believe he meant it. I sighed and scanned the energy I had left. I
tried to reach the bit of fire Kato and I had been playing with, and was able
to warm my frozen muscles just enough. I brushed the snow off of Misha's naked
chest and wrapped him in my jacket. I carried him back down towards the lab.
  What are you doing, Decipher? My mind questioned me. Just let him die.
  "No. He doesn't deserve to die."
I mumbled out loud to myself. "He deserves worse." 
  Misha stirred in response but
his eyes had closed and he seemed to be unconscious. His weak body convulsed on
occasion with a shiver, but remained still most of the way. I glanced down at
his still, dying figure. It would be so
easy. My mind taunted me. So much
easier than what you're doing. 
  I staggered forward. Using the
holes that I made on the way up, I was able to descend rather quickly, which
was good because my energy was almost gone. My muscles began to sting again,
and the cold against my chest was making it difficult to breathe. 
  Finally, the courtyard was in
sight. I saw a few guards making their way outside the building. 
  "Help!" I cried out.
  Both of them were wearing
helmets, and I didn't think I recognized either of them. They ran over to me.
  "What happened?" One of them
demanded.
  "I don't know. I followed his
footsteps to the lookout point and found him sitting naked in the snow." I said,
shivering violently when I stood still.
  "Your I.D.?"
  I sighed. "Two-fifty-seven." I
moved my shoulder towards the man to flash him the number.
  The guard helped carry Misha and
led me inside, while the other one spoke into an electric device and called for
Caliber.
  I was numb all over when I
entered the lab. My body burned at the sudden change in temperature as the ice that
stuck to me began to thaw. I watched the guard carry Misha into the medical
wing. 
  "What did you do?" Caliber
snapped.
  I glared at him. "I just fucking
saved Misha's undeserving ass."
  "I'm sorry." Caliber sighed.
"I'm just worried about this...I don't want you to get into trouble, and after
what you pulled the other night..."
  I sighed and wobbled. Caliber
reached out and helped support me. "Come on. You should take a warm shower." 
  My skin was already tingling and
burning all over, I didn't want to make it warmer, but I agreed. 
  Caliber led me into the gym
showers and helped me step out of my clothes. "Are you going to be alright
alone? I need to check up on Misha and make sure there's no serious damage."
  "I'll be fine." I mumbled.
  He dashed out, leaving me in the
empty showers. I turned on the water and let the warmth flow over me. It caused
me body to sting and burn intensely. I whined as my muscles defrosted. I sank
down and sat on the floor of the shower, leaning my back against the wall as
the warm water stung my body. I felt ashamed and confused by my choices. I
never should have caused trouble...
  After a while, my body began to
feel normal again, and I did not want to move anymore. The cold had exhausted
me. I sat under the warm water stream until I heard someone else entering the
shower area. 
  I slowly stood and shut the
water off, snatching a clean towel and wrapping it around myself as I tried to
shake as much water off of myself as I could. I glanced up to see Kato entering
the showers. 
  "Hey, what are you still doing
in here?" He asked with a puzzled expression. 
  "I...Misha was out in the snow. I
had to carry him back." I mumbled as I staggered out of the shower. "I'm still
so cold. Fur was so wet...doesn't dry."
  "Whoa, hey." Kato said, offering
me a hand. "Do you need medical attention?" 
  My head was aching and I had an
ache in my stomach that might have been from hunger. I shook my head. "I don't
really know." 
  "It's alright." He said as he
took my hand and led me into the dressing area. "Here, let's get you more dried
off."
  He grabbed another towel and
began rubbing my back as I sank down on the bench by the lockers. I began to
shiver again.
  "Having long fur like this must
be a pain in the cold." Kato laughed, "You went out in the snow like this?" 
  I nodded weakly. "I saw Misha's
coat by the door...and found him naked at the lookout point." I mumbled. 
  Kato stopped drying me and
looked me in the eyes. "Oh." He said with a surprised facial expression. "What...was
he doing?"
  "There was an empty syringe...he
said something about a phoenix and it feeling warm. He said he could see why I
liked it." I paused, deciding not to tell him the rest. I was just barely
piecing together the conversation. Was
Misha jealous of Kato, or did he want me to be with Kato instead of him? He
told me to go back to where it was warm... 
  At that moment, I felt Kato's
warm energy flowing through my body as he helped dry me off. I stared up at him
and swallowed hard.
  "Interesting." Kato said. He
probably knew what Misha meant as well, but neither of us were ready to discuss
it. "Do you think he was finally able to make a serum that worked?" 
  I shook my head. "No. He was
clearly still cold." I sighed. "Besides, aren't phoenixes more susceptible to
cold?" 
  He nodded, and we both became
silent. I wasn't sure what else to say...Kato was smart, he would be able to
figure out as much as I had, even without me telling him all the details. I was
tempted to ask about Misha's history with Kato, or his perspective on
phoenixes, but I resisted. 
  "How are you feeling?" Kato
asked as he pulled away. His warmth went with him, and I shivered again.
  "Fine, but cold."
  "Here." Kato said, holding out
his hand. "I'll use some fire to help dry you off."
  I placed my hand in his, and
welcomed the warmth that spread through my muscles. The heat melted the tension
in my cold, stiff muscles, and I felt my fur bristle. After a few moments, I
felt a shockwave of heat go through me, and all my fur was sticking up off of
me. Kato laughed and took his hand away as I shook myself off in attempt to
settle my frizzy fur. His warmth stayed with my muscles this time. I smiled. 
  "Sorry." He laughed. 
  I snorted. "At least I'm dry." I
said with a small smile. "Have you eaten?"
  "Nope. I just got done training,
and was about to shower." Kato said. "But if I don't smell too bad, I suppose I
can come eat with you, first." 
  "I don't smell a thing." I
assured him, but I didn't lean too close to find out. We stood up and walked
towards the dining hall. 
  "How was training?" I asked in
attempt to make small talk and keep my mind off of more serious matters.
  "Fine."
  I sighed. "Are you as tired of
waiting as I am?"
  Kato nodded and sent me a
pleading look. "I'm worried." 
  "Me too."
  We entered the dining hall, and
Kato pointed to a table. "Go sit down." He said, "I'll bring you some soup."
  I nodded and sank down into an
isolated table. There were a lot of people around, it seemed like everyone was
having a late lunch today. I habitually looked around for Misha, and then
realized that he must be in the medical wing. I wondered if I should check up
on him...
  Kato sat down across from me and
slid a bowl towards me. "This soup is delicious." He said with a smile.
"Perfect for cold weather." 
  "Oh, thanks." I said as I took
the spoon and began to eat it. The soup was salty with a tinge of savory meat,
with a creamy base. It warmed my body as I ate it, and made me even more
relaxed than the shower had. My stomach began to feel much better as I ate. Kato
was dipping a sandwich into his soup, and glanced up at me to smile every now
and then.
  "Feeling better?"
  I nodded. "I feel amazing."
  I let out a content sigh once I
was finished and leaned back in my chair, sitting there with my eyes closed. I
felt like I was going to pass out. 
  "You should probably get some
rest." Kato said, shaking me out of my daze.
  I didn't want to move, but I
slowly opened my eyes. Realizing I should probably check on Misha, I leaned
forward and sighed.
  "Can you make it back to you
room?" Kato asked.
  I shook my head. "I need to
check on Misha..."
  "Why? He's in the medical
facility, they'll take care of him."
  "I just want to make sure
everything's alright." I mumbled.
  "Are you worried that you'll be
blamed for something?"
  "Kind of..." I shrugged, "I don't
know. I'm just curious as to what exactly happened. Plus, they might have some
questions for me...I was the only one out there."
  Kato looked skeptical, and I
knew what he was worried about. 
  "I'm just confused." I said. "I
just want to know what's going through his head...and honestly it probably was my
fault. I shouldn't have told him off like that the other day, now he's
unstable!"
  "It's not your fault he's crazy!"
  "Maybe it is!" I shouted without
thinking. We both fell silent. I stood up. "Look, I just have to go. I just
need to make sure everything is still okay. I'm just stressed."
  "Do you really feel responsible
for him, Decipher?"
  "I don't know..." I sighed. "It's
not like that. I just wonder if I can do something, anything! Maybe I can help
him somehow. I have to try." 
  Kato nodded. "Well...alright." He
said, staring at me with a concerned look.
  "I'll see you later. Don't
worry, I won't do anything irrational. I haven't forgotten what he's done." I
said as gathered my dishes and stood up. "Thanks for everything, Kato." 
  He nodded in response and
watched me walk away. I sighed, unsure of how to ease his worries. I wasn't
sure why I was obsessed with figuring out what had happened, but I was curious.
Did I feel guilty? Perhaps... It was clear that Misha felt some sort of jealousy
towards Kato, but what was it? I did not think Misha was jealous that I liked
Kato...I hadn't really shown any sort of outward attraction for him...perhaps Misha
wanted to be more like Kato.
  I shook my head as I walked towards
the medical wing. My steps weren't as steady as I would have liked them to be;
I was still exhausted. I made my way to the reception desk, where the young
nurse I had seen the other day sat.
  "I am looking for Misha." I said
to her.
  She glanced up. "Who?" 
  "Misha Aras...or Doctor Aras."
Referring to him that way left a bitter taste in my mouth.
  "Oh, of course." She smiled.
"He's in room twenty." 
  I walked down the hall and found
the room labeled with the number. The door was closed. I briefly considered
just leaving, but my curiosity wouldn't let me. 
  I opened the door to see Misha
passed out in the bed with some tubes connected to his veins. I wandered over
to him. He was covered in a few blankets, and his skin was still pale. He
remained still and lifeless. For some reason, this sight troubled me.
  How can I even care? I asked myself as I stared at his still body. I only saved him because I want him to have
a worse fate than death... I tried to convince myself, but I wondered if that
was the truth. I wasn't sure anymore.
  I looked down at his still body
again, and saw that his arm was bandaged where I had grabbed on to him to save
him. I wondered what he was thinking about, and then remembered when Hale had
invaded my thoughts using energy. Perhaps I could do the same thing. I could
look into his brain cells and examine the memories that way... Carefully, I
lifted my hand up and examined it. My energy was shaky, chaotic...I shouldn't be attempting this right now.
  My hand moved down towards
Misha's forehead, and I rested my padded fingertips on him. My energy began to
probe at him without thought.
  So many small details guarded
what I was looking for, and disjointed thoughts assaulted my inexperienced
mind. 
Formulas for serums...poisons, learning how to poison different creatures,
how to kill them, how to heal them...learning how to alter different creatures,
failed suicide attempt? Hale is upset. Fuck. Hale won't like this...oh no... I'm
so sorry. I'll be better.
  My energy latched on to that
thought and began to paint a picture. A clear image of Hale holding Misha in a
headlock flashed in my head. He then poured a glass of deep, red blood down
Misha's throat. Misha was coughing and the blood was dripping from his mouth as
Hale poured it in. The sight was disturbingly messy. Hale then bit into Misha's
neck and hissed a sharp, terrifying sound. When he pulled away from Misha, the
wound was huge. His blood was spurting out all over the floor and his bones
were showing.
  Hale released Misha, who began to
vomit the blood and writhe around on the floor.
  "What the fuck are you." Hale
hissed.
  I yelled out from the strain in
my head. My eyes were squeezed shut, and all I saw was jumbled images of blood
splattered against flesh and Hale's sharp fangs. I ripped myself away from
Misha, who had begun to toss and turn. I tried to blink away the memory as more
images flashed through my mind, these images were blurry, but I could have
sworn I saw Hale holding Misha close to his crotch...but wait...I stopped my mind there, and refused to explore the image
further.
  I attempted to recover, but the
memory I had accessed had left me shaking and feeling ill myself. I sank down
in the chair next to Misha's bedside and stared at his neck as he squirmed
around...his skin was flawless, as if the wound had never occurred. I glanced
down at my own scarred arm and wondered how he had healed so flawlessly. I
looked at his shoulder and realized the knife wound from Sheila had disappeared
completely, yet when I touched the area where I had been stabbed, there was a
bump under the fur where the scar sat.
  Misha jerked upright and began
to heave and cough. I glanced around and quickly grabbed the trash bin as he
began to vomit. He retched violently, and gasped for air. When he was done, he
sat panting and stared up at me. I sat the trash bin down and stared at him nervously.

  "Decipher?" He asked. 
  I nodded, unsure of how to feel.
He reached a shaking hand towards me and pet my chest. I allowed him to do so for
a moment, but staggered backwards after a bit. He's not a good man. You can't
pity him. I reminded myself. Don't
you dare forget what he did to you. 
  A doctor came into the room with
a flustered look. "What's going on in here?"
  "He just vomited." I said, swallowing
hard as I tried to make my own nausea subside. 
  The doctor nodded and began
speaking with Misha, who answered his questions, but kept his dark, wide eyes
on me. I slowly stepped out of the room. 
  With a deep breath, I blinked
hard as I tried to center myself back in reality. Misha was something else;
even Hale wanted to know what he was. Did the lab drugs heal him up so well? I
don't think they could have...his skin is so perfect, so flawless...and his young
face...How old was he? Sure, he had looked younger
during his relationship with the werewolf he killed, but not young enough to
account for the years that had passed...and were he and Hale lovers? I wanted to
slap the thought out of my mind, but my curiosity wandered on it for just a
moment. Misha had been with so many men, why was that? How could Hale ever put
up with Misha's shit? Misha was not a normal human. He had to be lying about
what he was really searching for; he didn't need a way to become nonhuman.
  My thoughts tormented me as I
walked back towards my room in a daze. Why had my hatred suddenly melted into
curiosity? Why was I feeling like I couldn't resist knowing Misha more? I
shivered at the thought. Perhaps the magic compulsion was affecting my
thoughts. 
  "I have to get out of here." I
whispered to myself. "I have to get away from him."
  I
entered my room and collapsed onto my bed with a blank stare. The cold air and
the fading sunlight sent chills through my body. I wrapped myself in my blanket
and tried to silence my fearful mind, but the image of Hale's sharp fangs and
Misha's flawless skin stained with blood continued to cut into my head. 
   Don't you dare. My mind
growled at me. Don't you dare forget. 

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/589735

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