• Nova froze as he watched his best friend into the water. His blue eyes wide and mortified. The face Sarai had left him with was unbearable. He was going in after him.

    “Nova! Stop!” Gero grabbed Nova from behind. The boy struggled in his grasp, “It wont help Sarai if you go and get yourself killed.”

    The ship shook from another cannon ball blast to the side. Gero slipped and fell onto the soaking wet deck.

    Gero growled, “Those bastards. Thinking they can get away with damaging my ship. What are your orders Lady Rahna!?”

    “Nara! Have us head toward the enemy! Gero, return fire!,” Rahna shouted through the storm.

    “Yes Lady Rahna!” Both men shouted.

    Gero headed below deck. Nara turned the the ship toward the Navy Vessel. Char changed the direction of the winds around the Red Twilight.

    “Tiger!” Rahna shouted.

    A woman standing by Rahna's side spoke, “I'm right here.”

    Tiger was a tall and slender woman. She had long black hair and piercing eyes like a tiger's. She had an air like a tiger's too, pretty to look at but deadly to touch. Still no matter how frightening she seemed she was no match for the fury in Rahna's green eyes.

    “I need you to stand by my side tonight.”

    “Is it one of those days?”

    “They hurt my Rai. They cannot be forgiven.”

    “Understood.”

    Rahna reached out with her mind to Lunell, one of the mage apprentices.

    Lady Rahna? Lunell answered back to Rahna's mind.

    Contact Linxus. Tell him to search the waters for Captain.

    Of course. Lunell broke the connection.

    “Ready?” Tiger asked Rahna when they had gotten close enough to the Navy ship to safely jump the gap between.

    Rahna's muscles tensed. She grabbed onto the hilt of her weapon, a set of sai. “To spill the blood navy scum? Of course.”

    With that she jumped the gap. Her landing was graceful, with a bit of a strong impact vibrating through her muscles.

    She unsheathed her weapon, and unleashed herself on the crowd. Her body weaved fluidly through the soldiers. Those taken by surprised were easily dispatched.

    Navy men came at her from all sides. She hit two coming from her left and right and sent them flying into their comrades. Her eyes widened as the one ahead charged. He hit her in the gut. It made more of an impact that she thought it would. She stabbed the attacker in the arm. A hammer hit his head and cracked his skull. Gero was always so reliable.

    Tiger dropped behind her. She got rid of those too close for comfort. Rahna sidestepped Gero and charged further on. She ran straight into someone. She slipped her arms under the figure's. She pointed the sai at it's back.

    “Rahna,” Rahna dropped her sai and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug. It was Nova, “Calm down. You're still weak from last week's attack.”

    She nodded weakly into his chest.

    He was right. Her injuries were catching up to her. Her muscles ached. Her breathing was harsh. The world even started to get hazy now that she had slowed down. The only reason she had even made it his far was because of an adrenaline rush fueled by anger, frustration, and death defying stunts.

    She looked around a bit worried. It was dangerous to stay in one place for too long. The Navy crew was being annihilated and started retreating. Some were so desperate to get away from the pirate demons they were jumping overboard.

    Some of the Red Twilights started panicking. They were pointing at something that was in the direction behind Nova. Rahna craned her neck over Nova's shoulder to get a better look.

    A giant sea serpent broke the water's surface. It's red scales glittered in the flash of lightening.

    “Linxus,” Rahna whispered.

    “Idiot,” Nova hissed, “Is he trying to get us all killed? Come on we have to go.”

    “Nova, I can't.”

    “Rahna we have to!”

    “No I can't move!”

    “That's okay.”

    Nova lifted her up into his arms and broke into a run. Nova wasn't strong enough to leap the gap with both of their weight. He searched for a rope to get them across. Tiger ran up to his side.

    “I'll take Rahna,” Tiger said to Nova.

    “No, I can handle it.”

    “Nova, this isn't a time to be strong,” Tiger said irritated.

    “It's okay Nove, I trust Tiger.”

    Nova's sky blue eyes connected with Rahna's olive green ones. He nodded and handed Rahna to Tiger. He made the jump alone.

    It was strange being held as someone jumped the gap. The weightlessness made Rahna's stomach churn. It was different than jumping yourself. You could control how you moved then, but when you were with someone else your life and path was in their hands.

    The impact of the land shook Rahna she had Tiger put her down but still had her of support. She looked over at the Navy vessel.

    Linxus lifted his body high into the air and dropped. How his serpent body landed on the middle of the ship reminded Rahna of a belly flop on rocky waters. His body winded around the ship another time. His lifted his head out of the water a second time and let out a deafening roar as he split the ship in two boa constrictor style.

    Linxus' head disappeared under the water again. His body slowly slithered away from the ruined ship. With one last slap of his serpent tail, Linxus had completely disappeared under the dark waters.

    Rahna shivered at the sight. Linxus had strong morals about killing . Something horrible must have happened to Sarai if it had pushed the shifter that far.

    Linxus' red scaled appeared next to the ship. His body raised into the air again. Rahna saw Gero tighten his grip on his hammer.

    Linxus transformed. His turned into a long dark shadow and retracted into a small form in the sky. He landed on deck in his human form, without flinching from the impact (a skill that came from constantly dropping down from insane heights).

    He was drenched more than any of the other members of the crew. He made eye contact with Rahna. His orange eyes had a reddish tinge and were puffy. Tears that the rain couldn't disguise rolled down his cheeks.

    Rahna took off running. Her muscles screamed at the action. But she needed to get away, away from everyone, everything.

    She fell to her knees in the captain's cabin. She broke out into uncontrollable sobs. She needed something of his, something material.

    She grabbed his pillow and held to her chest. She started crying into it. He was gone. The impossible had happened. Her Rai. Her baby brother. The one she had sworn to protect when he was a baby. His smile and his shining blue eyes bore into her mind.

    Arms wrapped around her. Once again she was in Nova's embrace. She turned toward him and buried her face in in his chest.

    “Nova! He's gone! Gone Nova. Gone....” She bawled. Then her words faltered into broken mumbles.

    “Rahna...” Nova was crying too, “We... we have to be strong. Okay, Rahna...?”

    “Nova...” she rasped. Her whole body shook as she cried. Nova just held waiting patiently as she cried and let tears run down his own cheeks.