Cloud: Psycho Rooster
Sephiroth: Dualism
Zack: Alternating
He'd lost track of time when the wind began to numb the tips of his fingers and nose. Cloud allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he caught onto a breeze that allowed him to drift along the air without pumping his wings. His tunic fluttered about him wildly, the gold bangles on his wrists chiming and his necklace thudding against his collarbone occasionally. He'd gotten in another argument with Tifa about leaving the outskirts of their nesting grounds, and had taken off. She was far too overprotective of him- Vincent had even said so.
Cloud could take care of himself, he was perfectly capable and the entire roost knew it. His eyes flickered open to peer up at the white clouds dusting the sky, realizing that his surroundings had become unfamiliar to him. Cloud allowed a faint smirk to flicker onto his lips. Regardless of Tifa's mother-hen insincts, Cloud had gone off into human territory again. The lands were always prettier- sometimes filled with buildings and contraptions that never ceased to amaze the blond Zephyr. He was far too busy staring at the large castle off in the distance to pay attention to his surroundings. It was a large white and red building with pires and stairwells, even a moat and a thick wall protecting it from enemies. Cloud couldn't help but mildly wonder what on earth humans would need such a wall for.
{Mðrìð} ...Dual... says:
From his perch atop the highest banister of Midgar Castle, Sephiroth gazed at the sky, face drawn in that sharp sort of amusement that he was rarely seen without. Beside him, his second-in-command stood, leaning lazily against the stone wall at his back.
:
"Balamb's moving," Sephiroth muttered, his fine eyebrows arching contemplatively on his face. "I think Laguna may have finally grown a backbone." He turned to peer at his companion. "What do the scouts say?"
The tall brunet at his side glanced at him, schooling the worry of his face. "Not much," he sighed, scuffing his boots against the stone. "But Balamb's been growing more reckless by the day. Ya'd think they'd have learned by now."
Sephiroth shrugged once, turning to face outward, towards the regal, imposing forest that stretched as far as his eyes could see. It was pretty, really. It would be a shame if he was forced to chop the place down in the name of 'progress.' Fucking Shinra didn't know when to lay off. He opened his mouth, about to growl orders at Zack when a slow, meandering movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye.
Eyes narrowing slightly, leaned forward. It was a...not a bird, it couldn't be a bird, it was far too large. But- ...The figure was that of a man, and suddenly Sepiroth's lips curved upwards in a smirk that sent shivers down his companion's back. "Zack," he drawled slowly, the smirk shifting into a feral grin. "Do you see him?"
Zack frowned, leaning forward. "Sephiroth," he said, voice lilting in something that might have resembled distress if it had been a measure more anxious. "That's a /zephyr/."
The tall, platinum-haired man shrugged once, his face amused. "I know that, Zack," he laughed. His eyes narrowed in challenge then, and he tore his eyes away from the flying figure to his second-in-command. "Shoot him out of the sky."
Zack's eyes went wide. "W-what?! Seph, I can't do that, I-"
Sephiroth's face did not change, but the smirk turned dangerous. "Zachary," he murmured quietly, turning back to the blond in the sky. "That was not a request. Shoot him down."
And really, what choice did Zack have? He squeezed his eyes shut in distress, raised his crossbow, and let his arrow fly.
Cloud's almost didn't catch the small dot that was sailing in his direction, but when it's rapid approach became evident, he flared his wings out to stop himself from heading towards it. The blond wasn't expecting the object to be an arrow, and had no time to move out of the way when it whipped through the air, imbedding itself beneath his left ribs with a loud 'thuck'. Agony flared and Cloud released a shout of pain, his right hand going to cover the rapidly bleeding wound as his wings began to flap wildly in an attempt to keep himself airborne. What had shot at him? He looked up, clutching his lower chest around the arrow and trying to single out whatever could have fired it.
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, his smirk widening. Oh, the little birdie knew what was going on now, didn't it? "Alright, Zack," he sighed, his eyes never once leaving the wildly flapping zephyr in the sky. "I'll let you off the hook this time. Guards!" he barked, and a group of four men quickly stood at attention. He nodded towards the creature of flight, his eyes drooping lazily.
Oh, what fun he would have. "Shoot it," he grinned. His hands curled on the stone beneath his fingers in anticipation. "But aim only to injure. I will throw the one who kills him off the roof."
"The four archers glanced at each other, faces drawn in muted horror. Wordlessly, they each raised their bows, fingers shaking on the wood. With a gasp, the first released the string, and the arrow whipped through the sky. A second later, three more followed, shrieking through the air like so many harbingers of death."
Cloud's eyes went wide as four more of the pointed weapons shot towards him. He gasped, vainly trying to move out of the way while struggling to stay in the air when the first arrow hit the joint of his left wing. Immediatly after, he shrieked when one hit the very same wing closer to the base, followed by one to his right wing and another striking just below his collarbone. A scream of pain broke forth from his lips, vision flashing black just long enough for the trees to suddenly come rushing up at him.
Uselessly, he tried to stop his descent- each flap of his wings shooting crippling pain through his nerves. He gasped for air, hands held out in front of him and heart thundering wildly in his chest as he hit the forest canopy. Branches ripped at him, slowing his fall and ripping at his tunic. He felt something snag his right wing and screamed when his body jerked before the feathery appendage was wrenched free.
He stretched his wings, wincing and gasping as they were caught within the branches of trees before his head connected with a particurlarly thick one. Stars burst into his vision and he slumped against the branch, heaving for air and clenching his eyes shut in an attempt to regain equilibrium and to quell the blinding pain that fired through every part of his battered form.
:
It lasted for an eternity. Time had no meaning, and the blond had no idea how much of it had passed when footsteps crashed loudly through the trees, and a group of six entered the small clearing. There were four - archers by the look of it, and they each had a dull sort of submissiveness to them that rendered them inconsequential. They weren't important. There was another, tall and brunet, face drawn and worried. For a moment, he almost thought there had been a misunderstading - the brunet staring at him looked distressed, as if he'd only just now realized what he'd done. And then his eyes lighted on the last figure, tall and regal and oh so beautiful. Cloud's eyes widened and he shuddered, pressing desperately back up against the tree. No. There had been no misunderstanding.
The tall, platinum-haired man let his eyes drift over the zephyr's body, pausing at the wounds. Cloud retreated further into the foliage, wishing it was deeper, wishing he could fly. "Zack," the man called over his shoulder, though he did not for one moment look away from the figure pressing against the tree. "Fetch him for me."
Zack's eyes darted over to Sephiroth, a protest ready on his tongue until he caught sight of the sharp look from his general. Releasing a distressed sigh, he placed his quiver and bow down on the forest floor and approached the tree, glacing over to Sephiroth one last time before reaching up to grasp a low hannging branch and swing himself onto it. The brunet man did the same to the next branch, curling himself around the base of the tree so he could reach his destination. The zephyr's wings were weakly flapping- trying to break lose from the branches that held them so tight. The boy himself was vainly attempting to lift his injured body from the branch he was draped over to no avail.
"Shh, it's alright." Zack murmured softly, reaching a hand out to the blond creature. It flinched away, hissing and baring a set of fangs- something he knew zephyrs only did when threatened. Zack retracted his hand for a moment, "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." he said softly, taking a step towards the winged boy. Another hiss, and a violent flap of wings that send leaves and twigs raining down upon them. A guttural growl came from low in the blond's throat, but Zack ignored it to reach his hands out and slowly extricate thee closest wing from the branches. He nearly fell off the tree whenever the wing came loose and gave a weak but violent flap at him. He ducked, stumbling back and allowing the blond a moment of space.
"I'm just helping you." Zack swallowed thickly and shuffled along the branch to untangle the second wing. When it came free, he quickly reached down to try and lift the zephyr into his arms. The attempt was in vain- the boy hissed and struggled to a point where Zack lost his grip and the blond fell from the tree. Zack's eyes went wide and he shouted out a warning to his general.
Sephiroth sprung into motion, darting forward and opening his arms. The blond fell into them, pausing, he then placed the zephyr on the ground. He knelt, leaning forward, warm puffs of air escaping his lips and ghosting across Cloud's own as he grabbed the injured appendage roughly between his fingers and examined it carefully. The blond keened and tried to twist away, but Sephiroth ignored the motion, the pressure on the creature's chest unceasing. Moments later, his smirk grew slightly, and he turned his head to the side slightly.
"You're lucky," he chuckled, and it took Cloud a moment to realize the words were not directed at him. "He'll live. Go home today and kiss your wives, and tell them that if any one of you had been a /little/ less good at your jobs, the four of you would be dead."
He turned towards the quivering blond before him, and his lips tilted upwards delicately. Ferally. "You'll be okay, won't you, my pretty little birdie?" he whispered, the words drifting through the wind like poison. He leaned forward, raising a large hand slowly. "Be still, bird," he murmured. "This will only hurt for a moment."
"Sephiroth!" Zack cried, taking a distraught step forward. "Wait!"
Sephiroth didn't
The zephyr released an ear-splitting shriek, bucking upwards into a pained arch as the arrow above his heart was wrenched loose, causing blood to seep from the open wound. He gasped for air, eyes flying wide and hands clutching at the ground. His wings fluttered wildly from beneath him, forcing the blond to jerk about to try and stem the pain that resulted from moving his injured wings and jarring the arrow in his gut.
