Fighting Battles [Private]

With some free time before gathering around the fire for song singing, Nox decided to head to the darkest place in camp, where he would be able to practise shadow manipulation. He absent-mindedly placed a hand between his collarbones, where his cross hung. It was enchanted to return, of course, but he remembered warnings to never venture the woods unarmed. And knowing the cross was there always made him feel safer.

The son of Nyx melted into the shadows as he walked further into the trees. It was night. With the moon hanging low, a beacon of light shone down on him. With it, he was able to peer into the darkness. Where other demigods could not see, Nox and his siblings were able to look into the night.

From a distance, he heard a series of high pitched shrieks. Alarmed, he raced off towards the noise. He covered himself in the shadows about two metres away, to see what the commotion was.

He saw Dawn there, against a large hulking shape that he couldn't quite make out. The next thing he noticed was that she'd taken out her knife, but clearly had no idea how to use it.

Without thinking, he charged into battle.

It probably wasn't the best idea to wander out to the forest, and alone as well. Not to mention, she had somehow forgotten the small fact that it was evening as well. At first, she had only intended it to be one short stroll before the campfire, but time was meaningless in the forest. It had been so dark that Dawn had retrieved the vial from under her shirt, the one containing dawn light, to illuminate her surroundings.

That was when she saw the creature.

It was a hideous thing, malice and a sort of animalistic hunger glittering it its eyes. The beast was as tall as her on all fours (Dawn herself was actually quite short) and would most certainly be taller than her if it did rear up. It had the legs of a horse, and seemed to be a hybrid of a wolf and a bear. Dawn whimpered softly as she stood rooted to the spot. It growled lowly at her, showing off its sharp pearly (surprisingly) whites. Slowly, she reached for her brush. Almost as if sensing her distress, the brush rippled and transformed into her familiar knife.

The sight of the blade must have triggered a natural defensive instinct in the creature, for it gave a threatening bark and lunged for her. Dawn screamed and stumbled back a few paces, her back pressed against a tree. She had to fight somehow, to escape, but none of her limbs seemed to be immune to her paralysing terror. It lunged again.

That might have been the end of Dawn Morgan, had another person not ran in and blocked the creature's path. The beast stopped abruptly, surveying this new threat before giving a loud cry and reared up, fully intending to strike this new challenge down with its hooves. "Nox, watch out!" Dawn cried out, a new kind of fear gripping her as she recognized who it was that had arrived.

Nox gulped when he saw clearly what he was up against. For once, he wished that he didn't have night vision. Perhaps that would blur the figure and fear wouldn't grip every fibre of his being. It was a monster unlike any other he'd ever set eyes on. He didn't know it existed, much less that Chiron would allow it to be stocked in the woods. The beast seemed hungry, too. Still, he couldn't help but smile at Dawn's worry about his safety. Her shrill voice reminded him that he had an audience. He forced himself to swallow the abject terror shown in his eyes, and face the monster before him. It was ready to trample him to death, and he quickly sidestepped to avoid its hooves.

He quickly yanked his cross off. The beast growled at the soft glow of the Stygian Iron. Oh, how he loved the blade. Stygian Iron, he felt, was better than Celestial Bronze. It dispelled monsters for a longer period, and it's illumination was less hateful to the monsters. He thrust the blade forward, but the creature whacked it away, sending Nox sharply to the right, and to the ground. Believing him to be out of action, the creature turned its attention back to Dawn. His felt abdomen hurt, and he figured there was probably a large cut where his head hit the ground. But with adrenaline coursing through him, the wounds were hardly there.

He propelled himself off the dirt. He couldn't let her get hurt. Not her fragile frame, her sweet demeanour. He shrouded himself in shadows and snuck up on the beast. He jumped onto its back, and it stood up on his hind legs, angry. It ran backward into a tree before he had time to react, and bashed Nox. Sharp, intense pain flashed through his system. His body cried out in protest for him to stop, but he couldn't. He was getting creamed, and he knew it. He collapsed on the ground in a heap as the monster turned to Dawn.

Don't let her get hurt, he told himself. He took a deep breath, giving himself three seconds before charging into battle again. Suddenly, he remembered the session he'd had with Dawn, and threw his beloved blade forward. The tip embedded itself in the creature's foot. It howled in pain. Despite his wounds, the blood dripping down his face, Nox found a grin within himself.

Gods, Dawn felt useless. All this time when Nox was fighting, she just stood there- Like some limp puppet with no one at it's strings. She breathed a small sigh of relief when he managed to sidestep the first attack, but her relief was short lived when his blade was knocked out of his hand. The next moment, he was following the same path as his blade, and landed on the ground.

A strangled cry left her lips as she rushed forward a few steps, only to be stopped by the menacing glare of the monster. Her eyes darted between the two- and paused. Oh gods, is that blood?! Dawn gasped, there was so much of it, from what she could make out with the dim lighting. She grasped her knife even tighter, fully prepared to throw it when Nox moved and... and... Vanished. Tge beast hadn't noticed anything, and lunged towards her again, snapping. Dawn stifled a cry and darted back, fully expecting to feel the piercing pain of teeth around her when it rammed backwards into a tree.

What on Earth?... The reason for its strange behaviour was soon made obvious when a figure fell to the ground, in obvious pain. Do something! Now! She finally shook herself out of her stupor and drew her shaky arm back, then throwing her knife forward. It hit the beast about the same time Nox's blade it, only that hers had landed in its neck. It gave a chilling howl and fixed her with a deathly glare before exploding into a golden dust that the winds blew away. Dawn didn't care though, she ran forward towards Nox, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You're.. you're hurt." She stammered, kneeling down beside him. She brushed her fingers against his face, and pulling them back to find them covered in a dark liquid. She couldn't see the extent of his damage in this darkness though. Then she remembered. Dawn reached for the ribbon around her neck and unstoppered the vial that dangled from it. With deft fingers, she pulled out the strands of gentle, pale, dawn light and weaved it into a wreath. Dawn grasped the circle of light and brought it down closer to his head. "Oh look, a halo." The girl joked weakly, sniffing a bit. Then she shut up when she saw the cut on his head. She was no healer, but at least she knew her basics Dawn shrugged off her jacket quickly, exposing her shoulders to the cold air, and folded it into one long strip, intending to use it as a bandage. "Don't you dare protest," she warned.

Nox had trouble breathing, as Dawn came toward him. The monster had finally been vaporised. His cross was returned to his necklace. She opened a small vial, and a small halo of light encircled his crown. Dawn attempted to make a joke, but stopped abruptly as her eyes reached the large cut. As far as he could tell, it stretched from the middle of his forehead and curved around his right eye, reaching his cheekbone. His arms were pretty banged up, and he felt like lead.

Dawn stripped her jacket off, and wrapped it around his head. He hissed in pain, but refused to make any more noise. He could see that tears streaked her cheeks and made her eyes glassy. Together, they propped him up against a tree. Personally, Nox felt like the made it a much bigger deal than it really was. The campfire was soon, and they'd be expected to report. "Just take me to the infirmary," he told her, laughing inwardly. After all, the infirmary was where they'd met. Where he'd noticed her for the first time...

He slowly lifted himself off the ground, using the tree to push himself up. He stood up, and did a quick survey of what hurt. His legs didn't seem too bad. They ached, and his left ankle hurt slightly, but he could shake it off. His arms were decorated in cuts and bruises, since they'd taken the brunt of his fall. His back was the worst. Having been rammed up against the tree, it had taken the hardest hit. Other than the aforementioned cut on his forehead, there was another one on his jaw.

He was sticky- blood, sweat and tears mixed together for an gross cocktail of bodily fluids. But rather than shy from him, Dawn helped shoulder his weight. He couldn't help but notice how her body felt against his own, and he flushed. Thankfully, she couldn't see that.

"We should meet, you know. Like make a point to, but we meet a lot accidentally anyway."

Part of him wanted to kiss her, but it wasn't the time. Not when he was like this. He could wait until he'd been cleaned up, until it just wasn't like this.

"I don't know, the campfire's closer, and the Apollo people will be there." Dawn mused, grasping him around his fore arm to help him up. Holding up a finger, Dawn reached up and collected the already fading remains of the light wreath. These rays didn't last long out of her bottle- especially at night.So she stuffed what was left into her vial and did a quick survey of her friend. He had those splotchy bruises all over him, and almost every exposed skin was covered with cuts and scratches. His face was worse, for there was actually blood running over it. He looked like he came from hell.

And it's all my fault. Dawn realized with a jolt. If she hadn't been out here in the first place, she wouldn't have encountered the beast. If she knew how to defend herself, Nox wouldn't have had to save her. If he didn't have to save her, he wouldn't have gotten injured. "I'm sorry," Dawn whispered guiltily, "It's my fault you got injured." And what if it had been her father?

Her gentle painter of a father, well into his forties, would not have survived an attack like that. He would have been crushed, eaten or mauled, since he couldn't defend himself like Nox. He would have died. What kind of a half blood am I if I can't even defend myself?Her mind spun as she placed Nox's arm around her shoulders so she could support him.

Her father. Dead.

"You want to meet?" Dawn asked, startled from her thoughts. Did he hit his head too hard? Why would he be thinking of something like this at such a time? "Okay. Maybe pegasi riding?" She wasn't a master at that, but she could hold her own. Plus, it would br funny to see Nox astride a delicate pegasus. They weren't that delicate, but you get the idea.

Ahead of them, there was a glow. The campfire. "So, here or the infirmary?"

He disliked her blaming herself. The truth was, if he wasn't such an idiot, he'd be fine. If only he'd shot his sword at the monsters right away, they'd be fine. But no, he had to go forward and face it head on. Moron. And now, he was probably going to land her in trouble. Not only was he a retard for attacking the monster like that, but he was also an idiot for trying to ask her out. Sure, it'd been on his mind for days, but it obviously wasn't the right time. He just really, really liked her that he couldn't exactly stop himself. Luckily, she didn't seem to think of him as such a stupid head. Instead, she accepted his invitation, although he detected skepticism and reluctance in her voice. Her pity was likely what brought her to agree.

He wasn't even that bad anyway. Okay, maybe it was true that he was covered in various cuts and bruises, but he wasn't on his deathbed or anything. All he really needed was a little ambrosia or nectar- and he had that in his cabin. He'd snagged a stash from the Hermes Cabin sometime back, and kept it safe since. For an occasion like this one. However, Dawn did have a valid idea. Apollo campers would be able to help him at the campfire. It was just that that would mean roping a bunch of people in. He was already hurt, he didn't want others to think he was a wuss, too. It would be better not to involve the Apollo campers. It was too embarrassing.

"I'll stick to the infirmary," he replied. He was fine, really, save for the wound on his head. But the cause of the wounds were stupid- they showed that he wasn't so formidable fighter as he thought he was. And he didn't want to trouble others at the campfire. He decided that he'd leave Dawn here, then go to his cabin, while allowing her to believe he'd gone to the infirmary. "You go ahead. I can manage by myself."

Just to prove his point, he stepped away from Dawn to let himself carry his own weight. But he was lightheaded from the blood loss, so he managed to take a couple staggering steps before stumbling onto the ground. That was the final indication that perhaps, professional help was necessary. He was glad that at the very least, Dawn survived unscathed. He'd taken most of the battle, so she got away fine. That was a relief. He'd blame himself if she got even a little wounded.

Nox was silent for a bit, and Dawn noticed that they seemed to have come to a halt at the point where tge forest path ended. In front of them stretched a short road. If they were to go to the campfire, they would take the right. If they decided to go to the infirmary, they would go straight. Dawn looked towards Nox, raising an eyebrow. She frowned as he spoke- Was he crazy? No way was she going to let him walk alone to the infirmary like that. "If you think I'm going to let you go off on your- Hey!"

Dawn lurched forward as he pulled away and out of her reach, and onto the ground. The girl's snagged the edge of his sleeve, trying to keep him from falling. What she couldn't account for was his weight. Not that he was overly heavy, but Dawn's fingers were used to guiding light which were... well... light. But they weren't used to keeping teenage boys from face planting on the ground. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Dawn felt herself tipping forward, dragged along by Nox.

She braced herself for a hard landing on the ground, bringing an arm up to shield her face as the ground got closer-

It all happened quickly. He fell, and she, holding on to his sleeve, came along for the ride. She shielded her face with her hands, but he knew that was unnecessary. He was her bolster- shed fall on him. And she did. He reached his arms out to break the fall, and she landed on his back. He yelled out, in pain mostly. His arms were already weak and were further aggravated by the fall. He turned to face Dawn.

"Are you all right?" he asked her. From what he could see, she didn't seem to be injured. "Can you stand? Walk?" Nox yanked his sword off, and used it to hoist himself off the ground. He leaned heavily on the metal object, and offered a hand out to Dawn.

"Imma head over to the infirmary. You go ahead to the campfire." Then, hesitantly, Nox kissed Dawn softly on the cheek. He wasn't ready at the moment to take it any further. He was bogged down by his past relationships, and he was terrified that he'd hurt her.

Dawn squeaked as she landed on his back, and immediately rolled off into the soil. "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" She bit her lip guiltily, mentally chastening herself for being so stupid. You're an idiot, Dawn. He's injured, and you had to fall on him. Worriedly, Dawn grasped his hand and stood up, brushing bits of twigs and dirt off her clothes and her hair.

"I'm fine, but what about you? I'm not the one that got sat on." Dawn muttered, tugging on a strand of her hair. Was he mad at her? Oh gods, what if he is? He still wanted to go to the infirmary alone, and basically telling her to bugger off to the campfire. Does he need space? Am I being too annoying? Her rambling thoughts were abruptly cut off by the feeling of his warm lips against her cheek.

Did he just... Dawn blinked once. Then twice. Slowly, the corners of her lips turned up into a shy smile, and a red blush rose to her cheeks. She hadn't ever been kissed before, and she had no idea what exactly to do in response, but she liked the feelings he gave her. "Um," Was the supposedly intelligent reply that Dawn managed to get out as she stared at Nox, her stupid smile still fixed on her face.

Dawn grinned, a silly expression on her face. One that matched his own, he might add. It was a stupid, little kiss on the cheek, but it wasn't meaningless. He figured she probably hadn't had a boyfriend before, and he, well, he was scared of moving to fast. Tones of pink and red brushed Dawn's cheek lightly, adding colour to her features. A lock of hair was in her face. She wasn't perfect. Not close. Considering he used to date an Aphrodite girl, he'd seen a lot better. But he didn't want a star. He didn't need someone out there.

He needed someone so ordinary, yet so special. He needed the dawn; a new beginning.

"I'll see you later, sunshine." With that, he hobbled off to the infirmary.



OOC: End thread? You start the next one.