Kragdon

PART 7

Three years later

Three years had passed since Faith had made her decision and not once did she regret it. She had been taught by the kingdoms elders the history of this dimension, things that she had not known, she had also moved her and Dawn into the Castle two miles away from the village. She learned more languages and had Dawn with her when she was learning what was what. Faith had also learned that thanks to her Slayer heritage and the magicks' that went with it that she could change at will and also choose how far the change went. Her senses were more acute, she was faster, stronger and had better control of her rage then she had before. Though that last part she gave the credit to Dawn. For some reason Dawn had a calming effect on her.

Though Dawn had not changed yet it was confirmed that she was a liken also, just a late bloomer. The monks who had performed the tests were sure that she would change also by her half birthday, which was two days away during the new moon. Because they hadn't had any attacks from the hunters in a while Faith had a huge surprise planned for her heart adopted sister.

The days had passed quickly and Faith still didn't feel ready for the night when she would surprise Dawn and take her hunting. Just as the moon was rising she heard a scream come from Dawn's room. Running with all she had Faith burst into Dawn's room just as Dawn was body disappeared out her bedroom window. Rushing to the window Faith saw that Dawn was being carried by a man towards the forest that served as the divider that separated the kingdoms. Running out of Dawns room and out of the castle towards the forest as fast as she could, Faith felt her blood start to boil as she started to change. Slowing down just a fraction as she attempted to stop it she almost missed the kidnapper make a right straight out of the forest and to a cliff.

Faith speed up when she saw where he was going hoping in her heart to get there before he had a chance to do something that she would kill him for. Her worst fears playing in her head as she neared the exit and towards were she thought she smelled the kidnapper. Not keeping focused on what was around her upon exiting the forest Faith tripped on a tree root that was sticking out of the ground, only to slide straight through the mud and come face to face with a pair of combat boots.

It was then that Faith focused her senses and spread them out to see that she was surrounded by hunters, and one of her own. Looking up, moving her eyes past the combat boots and what looked like army pants, and straight to the face of a sneering Riley Finn who had Dawn up against him holding her by the throat.

Fear shown in her eyes for the briefest moment before she suppressed it but it was enough for Riley to notice and get a happy tingling feeling pass through him.

Still sneering at her Riley stared at her revealing in how his plan had worked. He had found a portal a year ago straight into the Hunters Camp and after disposing of there current leader made himself the man in charge. He had been planning this for a long time. After another week of listening and watching Buffy and her friends he got angrier everyday his anger directed at Faith for in his mind she was to blame for everything that had gone wrong in his life and in Buffy’s. He had tried three days before he had come here to get with Buffy again but she just rejected him telling him to get a life and then to have Spike of all people to stop stalking the slayer. That was what did it for him. After he had beat the crap out of spike he left and walked right in his place tearing everything up destroying all the taps he had made and everything else that he could get his hands on. Now staring down at Faith while holding the life of something she cared about literally in the palm of his hands his insides rejoiced and glowed at the victory over the Slut that had destroyed his life and his values. He felt positively giddy. He watched as she slowly stood up, her eyes flashing yellow and orange as she tried to control the rage that was bubbling within her. He could also see shock pass over her features but it was brief. He watched as she surveyed her surroundings and took in his men that were waiting patiently behind him with equal cold smiles and sneers. Riley had been picturing this moment in his head for a long time waiting for the right moment when he would make his presence known and then take and destroy everything she held dear like she did to him.

Faith who had been surveying her surroundings and assessing the situation before her was trying to figure out how to save little D and get back to the castle. She had no idea how Riley had gotten here or why he was with the hunters, Faith had thought that he was a good guy. But looking up at him now, the only thought that was going through her mind was 'save dawnie'.

Riley who was still waiting to see defeat enter Faiths eyes was starting to get angry. No one had moved since Faith had stood up, all waiting to see what he would do. Waiting for some one to say something it was Faith who spoke first. "Let. Her. Go." She said to him in her most commanding tone.

Though there was no threat in her voice, Riley saw it clearly in her eyes as she looked straight at him. Even if he wanted to Riley knew that there was not going to be any turning back now. Mustering all the courage that he had he stared right into her eye, as a maniacal, psychotic smile spread across his face and said "No." just as he snapped Dawns neck.

Though it didn’t kill her as say just keep her down and out for a few days the sound of it reverberating across the clearing was just enough for Faith to unleash her beast. Hitting Riley in full transformation she ripped him to shreds in a matter of seconds though to Riley it seemed as if it were hours before he finally did die. But Faith wasn't finished with just Riley, oh no in her grief induced rage Faith went through every single hunter that was in that clearing. Those who ran got hunted down and torn apart and those who didn't died swiftly and painfully for to Faith all of them were to blame for her sister's death.

As the sun rose in the east Faith woke up in the middle of the clearing five feet away from Dawns body. Faith looked at Dawn lying there, dead, not even caring that she was as naked as the day she was born and covered in blood. Though she remembered everything that she had done she felt that she had been justified it was when she saw Dawns chest move that she started to fill hopeful and a little guilty.

Limping towards Dawn she knelt down besides her and checked her pulse. Much to Faith's relief Dawn was still alive though she could feel that her pulse was weak and knew that Dawn would die unless she got the help she needed. Faith was afraid to pick her up, fearing that the slightest movement would finish the job and kill Dawnie, but aside from leaving her side (which was not an option) that was her only option. It was then Faith remembered the first day that she had become a liken, she had hunted Marcus to that clearing where he called the rest of their kin. Faith thinking on the lessons that she learned she had discovered that it was like a distress call, that others who were like her whether they were miles away would hear it and they would always answer back. Change by will into her animal stated Faith with everything in her called to those who would hear her and help her.

Waking up Marcus stretched and flexed his muscles on top of his makeshift bed of leaves and twigs, rubbing his eyes as he heard a call in the distance. His ears perking up as he recognized the call, though it had been three years since he had heard it. Remembering that it had been coming through his own mouth at the time three years ago. Though this call was not like the regular warning call, this call was filled with so much grief that as he listened it made his heart sink and his eyes to water. He wondered what on earth could have happened to cause such pain. It was then that he caught a scent in the air that he recognized as Faith's.

Marcus tilted his head back and smelled the air, it smelled of death and defeat, getting up from where he was Marcus ran towards the cliffs where both the smell and call was getting stronger. Upon exiting what Marcus saw before him brought him to his knees and bowed his head in sadness.

Faith who had been calling from the depths of her soul for help stopped as soon as she saw Marcus. She tried with all her might to hold back her grief as she used the link that she had with Marcus and the others of her kin. Though try as she might she only held it back a little, causing Marcus to flinch at its force and those within a mile radius to feel it.

Raising his head Marcus looked at his surroundings with tears in his eyes, looking straight into Faith's eyes he nodded his head then got up and ran. He ran, and ran. He ran through the forest, through the great clearing, past the lake, straight into the castle and into a troupe of castle guards dressed in war garb.

One he recognized as Tomas stopped him from going any further, demanding to know what had happened. What was the reason of the call?

"Monks," Marcus said out of breath, "the Monks are needed."

"Why? What’s happened?" Tomas demanded.

"The Queen... something happened to Krayl Dawn... sent me to get the monks." Marcus answered his hands on his knees as he took a deep breath for each few words trying to calm his breathing.

Tomas sent two guards to get the monks as he had Marcus tell him everything that happened. By the time Marcus had finished with his explanation the monks had arrived carrying a wooden box with them.

They set off going as fast as they could, reaching the cliffs. The monks having had to push though all of the villagers to get to the clearing. Faith who was still in her animal form sat a foot away from Dawns body growling at anybody who tried to get nearer to Dawn.

When she saw the Monks and Marcus she immediately changed back to her human form. Looking over at her for a moment, they shook their heads and looked over Dawn. They knew that she was going to die no matter what they did; though they couldn't save her body they could still save her soul. The light in Faith's eyes died when she heard that Dawn was going to die her anger and grief hitting everyone surrounding her. At the mention of saving her soul got her attention however, making her feel hope again. The monks explaining to her the consequences of such magicks’ and what it might do. Faith didn't care. The only thing that she cared about right now was pounding her fist against deaths door, waiting for him to answer. To everyone's astonishment she told them to do it.

"But my queen, you can't possibly...” On monk said trying to persuade her against it.

"I don't want excuses just do it now." Faith interrupted him, the light turning to fire.

Exchanging looks with each other the monks reluctantly agreed with there queen not wanting to cause her more pain. They went about to perform the ritual. Taking some of Faith's blood and some of Dawn's, they opened the wooden box that they had carried with them, inside was this green energy mixing the blood with that energy they said the words that hadn't been spoken in a millennia. Dawn's body started to glow green, the glare got so bright that those who were near had to shield there eyes from it. When it disappeared they looked back to where Dawn's body should have been but instead found grass. Seeing this Faith grabbed the monk closest to her and pulled him to her face demanding to know what happened.

"Where is she?"

"Umm... we don't exactly know," he said nervously.

"What do you mean... you don't know where? She. Is." Faith asked quietly, her grip tightening on his robes, anger flashing in her eyes.

"There are factors about where she went, most likely to a dimension similar to this one. Probably to someone who shares part of your blood line," he stammered as the others looked on waiting to see what Faith would do next.

The fire in Faith's eyes dimmed as she thought of the implications of what was just said to her. Looking up into the monks’ eyes she saw the truth in his words, breaking the contact she saw the rest of her kin looking at her with bated breath. She knew that they had figured out what had happened from the bodies that they could see. Taking a deep breath, Faith put the monk down and started to move towards the crowd who separated for her as she passed the only ones who followed her was Selena, Sar'ah, Marcus, and after some hesitation the monks. She walked straight through the forest to her castle where she climbed to her personal wash room without saying a word. The women who had come to the forest with there mates or husbands slowly left to go back to the village to tend to there kids, while the men and castle guards stayed to bury the dead. Those who had followed Faith waited for her in her room, well Selena and Sar'ah did while the monks and Marcus went to the observatory tower to figure out which dimension they had put Dawn.

*****

Sunnydale: Someone New

The sun was almost completely risen in the sky as Buffy and Giles reached his flat. It had been a long night and a long couple of days. After the fight with Dracula, Buffy felt exhausted but she needed to talk to Giles, so she stayed and waited as he brought out some tea and 'ohh, cookies'. She had realized that Dracula was right when he said that she was hunting. She didn't want to be that person, like them, she wanted to be the Buffy she was before, the Buffy she was in high school only less naive.

They talked for awhile and decided that Giles would start training her again. The talk alone was exhausting and Buffy just wanted to go home and sleep. Walking through the door with a resigned sigh Buffy marched up the stairs towards her room. As she reached the top of the landing, she noticed that her door was slightly ajar. Having a slight suspicion as to who it might be, she slowed her determined walk to her room. Pausing outside her door she heard rustling, placing her hand on the door she pushed it inward, crossing her arms over her chest as she spied her culprit.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked, as she watched the little thief turn around.

In the next room a door was closed as Buffy and the thief both heard Joyce call to them "Buffy if that's you I need you to take Dawn school shopping."

Both girls turned to the door saying at the same time with the same whine "MOM!"