Magnus and Rayne head home after bargaining on a payment for Kara. Salena appears at Kara's house again and Rayne finds what she's looking for, as well as throws a forest fowl at Dracen's head.

MINE.

~Angel~

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“When should I come back to see you?” Rayne asked, making Magnus groan. He was trying to walk quickly out of the witch's territory, half a step beyond the fence when he heard Rayne ask the question. He slumped in his stance before turning back around to stand behind Rayne just outside the hovel's threshold. They had spent the night on the witch's floor with hay and blankets as a cushion and when morning woke them, Magnus wanted to leave as soon as possible. Hadn't they already seen the witch? Couldn't they be done with this now? He only admitted to himself seeing the witch had given them more insight than his mother could have, and Rayne's mood had greatly improved.

“In a month, perhaps after the full moon just in case anyone else decides to show up,” The witch answered from inside the door frame. “I would like to avoid anything else that might attract attention.”

“I won't argue with that,” Rayne smiled genuinely, laughing a little. “What should we give you as payment?”

Magnus cleared his throat heavily, making Rayne turn around to him with a small adorable pout on her face. As if she didn't know why he was getting her attention, honestly.

“I don't know if we owe her anything, she never clarified a payment when I came here the first time,” Magnus stated calmly to Rayne, thinking his point proven. Rayne looked at him, kissed his mouth slowly before turning back to the wolf witch.

“What would you like as payment for future visits?” Rayne asked the witch calmly. Magnus growled as he tried to give Rayne his best annoyed gaze but she ignored him completely, no not quite completely...she was trying to hide her wry smile.

The witch looked a little bewildered, giving Magnus hope that Rayne wasn't going to give away his treasury with things like payments when he apparently had cradles to buy.

“Perhaps...you can help me with something,” The witch confessed, “I need someone to look in the wild for a rare plant. It doesn't grow around here sadly, but I would like to have one for my garden. I don't really leave my home in the summer months, my herbs and flowers need constant attention so if you could bring it to me here, I would call it even.”

“Just a plant?” Magnus inquired with a quirked brow.

“Not easy to find, but it would be in bloom at the moment,” The witch stated as she stepped back into her one roomed home. Rayne and Magnus stood in silence as the wolf witch began drawing with a brush and ink on a piece of pulped paper at the table. Magnus put his paw on her lower back and leaned his mouth close to her ear.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her in a lowered voice.

“Sleepy,” she admitted, blinking slowly before looking up to him. “But I'll be alright for the flight home.”

“You haven't eaten enough,” Magnus declared, knowing the witch fed them but Rayne's appetite had definitely started to increase over the passed few weeks.

“Well, neither have you,” she replied, rubbing her paw along his cheek. “When you stop to get something, I'll look as well.”

“Here it is,” The witch stated as she walked back up to them, drawing Rayne's attentions as well as his own. She handed the paper to Rayne, Magnus looked over her shoulder at the ink drawing. It was quite good, obviously the blind witch had some sort of skills besides her poisons and potions as Magnus observed the strange plant. It was slender stemmed, with leaves looking more like arrow heads and a flower with four equally as sharp looking petals. It was marked as a black bloom, and she listed possible environments it would inhabit.

“This is remarkable,” Rayne praised her with a genuine impressed smile. “I think...I've actually seen this before.”

“Night's Orchid,” The witch said with a sort of dreamy look. “If you could bring me the plant, roots and all I would call it more than adequate payment.”

“It sounds like a deal,” Rayne nodded, “We'll be back in a month, hopefully with the Night's Orchid.”

The wolf bowed low and Rayne did a little bow of her own. With a gentle but firm grasping of Rayne's paw he pulled her finally towards freedom and out of the witch's territory.

***********************************************************************
“You're in love with her, aren't you?”

That was a new one. Magnus usually said things to surprise her, but not in question form. He usually said things as a statement, but this one was an unsure statement.

“In love with Kara?” Rayne asked for clarification, washing off the wild carrots she found in the sandy field they had landed in. He had come back after she had started wading in the creek, finding something meaty for himself. “I just met her...and as far as I know I'm still your mate...”

“That doesn't answer the question.”

“Then you're not listening.”

He lumbered around her and flopped down hard, making the water in the stream splash and shudder around her and almost cost Rayne her footing. Thankfully though, Rayne had just enough time to grab a couple of very shocked fish before they could regain themselves and tossed them onto the shore along with her carrots.

“You would like to be around her,” Magnus clarified, his head and eyes following her around as she made her way back to the muddy shore. “Have someone to talk with besides me.”

“Magnus,” Rayne couldn't help but grin a little. “Just because I get along with someone—”

“She's not someone, she's a witch,” Magnus grumbled at her as Rayne began to pull out a small but sharp knife to clean and gut the fish.

“Are you bothered because she and I get along? Or is this still about her being a witch?” Rayne sighed heavily, looking up at him as she flicked the scales and entrails into the stream. “Because I'm getting sick of that excuse.”

“We shouldn't trust her so easily,” Magnus, once again repeated.

“You know for someone who doesn't LIKE repeating himself, I think you've said all this before,” Rayne snapped at him as she started to peel the carrots. “And I told you, like I said before, I don't think she's going to hurt us or tell anyone. After what happened with the skunk I think you should trust her.”

“I don't WANT to trust her,” Magnus growled down at her.

“No, you don't want to like her,” Rayne corrected him. “You think for some reason if you like one singular witch who isn't going to peel the scales off your hide, that you're less of a dragon.”

“That is NOT true. I don't want to like anyone but you, and even you sometimes get on my nerves.”

“Magnus,” Rayne pressed, turning to him quickly. “She's giving us a chance, why can't you?”

“Because—chances with witches are like—swimming with leeches. Oh yes they seem docile and harmless until they latch onto you and never let go. They feed off of your life,” Magnus replied. “She said the offspring is powerful, what if she is waiting until she can take it from us? Use its magic for her own gains?”

“Honestly, you are getting paranoid for no reason at all,” Rayne muttered, washing her paws off in the waterline. “She didn't seem power-hungry to me.”

“That's what they are good at! Hiding their true intentions!” Magnus exclaimed. Rayne was about to let her temper loose on him, but reigned it in moments before it exploded. He was concerned for her, and the cub and she had to keep that in mind. He was being protective because it was in his nature.

“I need to go back and see her,” Rayne replied calmly. “But if you think we should at least be suspicious, then we will be BUT you have to at least try to be civil. You found Kara after all, and talked with her before I even met her.”

“That was when I thought this was going to be a one-time visit,” Magnus pouted. “I didn't realize this was going to become a monthly event.”

“IN ANY CASE,” Rayne interrupted loudly. “I trust you enough to sense if something is off with her—BESIDES her being a witch. If you feel something is truly amiss, then we won't see her again.”

He let out a gentle growl-purring, at least satisfied with that answer. Rayne finished off cleaning her fish and carrots before offering them to Magnus, who put them in his paw and sent a long stream of flame over them to cook them. Rayne sat down against his chest scales, resting her head back until her food was finished.

***********************************************************************

Kara had felt the presence of Salena arriving again, although it hadn't been long enough for the skunk to need more ingredients or supplies. Kara simply sat sipping her tea and waited for the door to open, not really feeling up to sparring witty and back-handed remarks but something told the wolf witch that normal banter wasn't the reason the blood witch had come.

The door burst open and Salena stalked into the house, her magics spiking in anger as she breathed heavily in and out.

"Hello Sister," Kara greeted, "Something the matter?"

"I remembered where I saw her marks," Salena hissed, "I know who her father is."

"Do you?" Kara questioned but never leaving her position as she sipped her tea again. Kara had never thought to ask who Rayne's father was, or mother. Neither seemed to be mentioned in their conversations even though the dragon's family was, several times.

"You best poison her the next time she comes here," Salena warned, "Or she might burn your house to the ground."

Kara frowned a little, as far as she knew Rayne worshiped the old ways, and although she feared Kara slightly, she wasn't one to take others lives. Kara turned slowly around to the seething blood witch behind her.

"I remember the marks from the Lord who killed the Red Moon's former Luminary," Salena growled. "My mother."

Kara's eyes grew as did her frown, telling Salena to continue with the look.

"I was little, hiding out of sight while my mother worked during the full moon," Salena stated, sitting next to Kara. "A knock came at the door and my mother answered, knowing already someone was there even if I didn't. A tiger came in, asking for her help with a young tigress. He was obsessed with her but she wouldn't give him the time of day, no matter how sweet or forceful he became. So he paid my mother, shining new gold coins to make him a hexing potion to seduce the tigress. She did as was asked of her and sent the tiger on his way.

"Then the purging of the old gods came, and he arrived at our home some odd years later, dressed as a Lord and had knights burn the whole house down around us. My mother used all the powers she had and made a portal around my sisters and I, sending us to the Red Moon temple to be protected. I know those stripes. I saw those stripes in my nightmares. That is Lord Bywren's daughter, and you best kill her the next time she stalks around."

"Are you sure?" Kara asked in a quiet manner.

"Absolutely," Salena said without hesitation. "It doesn't surprise me if he's angry with her for running off and marrying some vagabond, but mark my words if he's looking for her, then he'll come here and kill you."

Kara leaned her back against the table top's edge, trying to think of anything that would have led her to believe Rayne's father was indeed the monster Salena, as well as many other witches now living outside Lord Bywren's province knew. In history witches had never been welcomed and loved like healers, but they were far more powerful and as time would always show more helpful. What frightened the mortals was what they couldn't understand, and witches understood so much more.

His great Lordship had led attacks on several covens after the death of King Kenton, which everyone knew was a murder by his own son, King Adder. King Adder had brought about the change of mortal gods, having been influenced supposedly by some sort of priestess from far beyond Kara's own magical reach. Since that moment, King Adder and his lower Lords were trying to keep their lands pure of dark magics, Lord Bywren one of the more ruthless.

"Lord Bywren hates all magical creatures, and magic," Kara stated. "Why did he come to your mother in the first place?"

"Why else, Sister? Even Lords can become desperate males trying to get up a female's skirt," Salena answered. "Isn't that why they always come?"

***********************************************************************

Heated summer days had become the norm for the majority of the final month of the season. Rayne had been on her wits end in finding the Night's Orchid, almost out every day to seek it in the territory. She knew she had seen it before, and the drawing said it would keep blooming until the fall's cooler nights. She was now high up a tree, resting beyond the grasp of the mosquitoes for the time being in the deeper shade of the thick branches. She splashed her head with water from her canteen and ate the whole leg of a forest fowl she'd packed. The rest had been eaten by her very large white dragon, but she managed to bring some with her this afternoon without him sniffing her bag down. She looked down at the little bulge forming on her lower abdomen as she tossed the bone to the world below. It was a very strange feeling, knowing something was in there and growing, now the proof was starting to stick out. She blinked back tears as she looked away and tried to calm what Kara had referred to as a mood swing. One moment she would be absolutely fine, the next moment she would get the overwhelming urge to shoot something, then start crying for shooting at it. Volatile, Magnus called it. He had been around when his mother was pregnant with Dracen and his younger sister, Glynwen and said she almost broke Arjun's horns off of his skull more than once AND made a volcano erupt.

Right now she felt the wave of connection to the small being inside her, knowing it was hers, wanting to keep it safe. She barely remembered the time when she was afraid of what the cub could be and now only held a very deep rooted bond to it. She rubbed her eyes a little to clear them of tears, before getting her canteen situated in her side satchel and beginning to carefully climb down. She wasn't supposed to be climbing trees according to Magnus, but she just wouldn't tell him about it. If she could get up and down a tree before she grew any larger, she was going to do it. The gods only knew when she would actually be able to climb them again.

When at the bottom, she grabbed her quiver and bow and started the search again. It was possible that the Night's Orchid had already stopped blooming and this was a wild fowl chase, or it had burned when the forest had. Rayne was determined to scour every part of the forest and now section of prairie, three times over if she had to. By mid afternoon she was still fruitless as the saying went, leaning heavily against a larger but still very young tree and settling in the tall grasses around its base. Huffing, she let the wave of exhaustion go through her body as her energy plummeted. Three times a day it seemed like Rayne hadn't been consuming enough food to feed herself, even though she sometimes thought she was eating as much as Magnus.

A roaring triggered her to open her eyes and become alert, frozen in place. Her heartbeat was steady and slow but the cub's would still be fast and could easily draw a dragon's attention. She watched a shadow pass over the field a few yards from her before she chanced peering around the trunk. She let out a relieved sigh at the sight of blue scales and black wings, Dracen bringing the band back to Magnus know doubt and announcing his presence. He hadn't seen her or heard her and kept on his way towards Magnus' cave. She carefully stood up and stretched, thinking she better get there fast to prevent Magnus from beheading his baby brother.

She kept her steps quiet but fast as she entered the thick tree trunks. She wanted to see if she could get more fowl on the way back to make sure she had something to eat that was more fresh. Magnus had stolen several cows recently and actually carved meat from them for Rayne, drying it after roasting it for her but dried, flame-broiled beef wasn't always a good choice for a finicky stomach. She had made some into a stew a few days prior, but the fowl sounded much more appetizing.

She found a flock, wandering in a sort of steeper ravine, sneaking closer to them and aiming her arrow carefully. She took the shot and hit the largest one of the group, sending the others flying off into the trees in a frenzy of brown and white feathers. She smirked and carefully made her way down to get her prize, pulling the arrow from its eye and looking it over, when something caught her eye.

She sniffed the air and smelled water, but only heard a small dripping noise of a cave opening not a yard from her. It was well hidden by ivy and slender trees from above but now on the same level it was easily spotted. She walked towards the cool, damp air, holding the fowl from its feet and letting it dangle against her thigh. It could have been inhabited by a feral bear or other predator, but she didn't think so with the forest fowl so close. She leaned around one of the edges into the darkness, letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light and watched the dark rock walls inside shine with dripping water.

She turned her head before stopping in her tracks, blinking a few times to make sure her eyes had adjusted properly and she wasn't seeing something made only by shadows. She walked towards the strange looking plant, kneeling in front of it before pulling out the small ink drawing Kara had made. The sharp black pedals and dark green leaves, one bloom where another one was only a bulb on the end of its stem. A Night's Orchid.

Rayne pulled the cloth and small rope from her satchel, digging into the damp ground holding the flower's roots in place and lifting it out carefully. The moss it had embedded itself in made picking it up far more easy than Rayne had anticipated, placing and holding it upright while she wrapped the cloth around its roots to protect them. She tied the rope around it as well and splashed some water into the cloth to keep its dirt moist for the trek home. With the flower in one hand and the forest fowl in the other, she walked back out of the cave and headed towards home.

A couple of hours later she finally found her way back into the shadow of the mountain, walking through the prairie and hearing the animated talking of dragons.

“Magnus!” She yelled up after she made it close to the lair's entrance, unable to really climb her ladder with both the flower and the fowl in paw. She heard and felt his footsteps come to the entrance, before his tail appeared and snaked down around her carefully, lifting her like he were lifting glass. If only he had been this gentle when they first met...

When her feet finally hit the ground again, Magnus turned to greet her, his muzzle gingerly nuzzling her face and neck before nuzzling her bumped out belly.

“Look what I found,” Rayne boasted, showing him the flower as his eyes focused on her.

“You found one? Where?” Magnus inquired as he leaned his head up and back.

“In a cave I've never seen before,” Rayne answered as she started to walk around him. She saw the familiar blue scaled body of Dracen, his back to her as he seemed to be avoiding her gaze but she walked around to greet him properly.

“Hello Dracen, I see that you—ha—hahaHAHAHAHAHA—AAAAHHAAHAHAHA!”

Dracen's eye was swollen, dark purple and black like he had been hit by a boulder! She wanted to ask what happened but she couldn't manage to stop laughing! She leaned against Magnus' leg, unable to hold herself up and she didn't want the flower to be damaged—but his EYE!

“Did—did you—HAAAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm sorry!” Rayne laughed on even as Dracen showed all those big teeth in a gusty growl.

“Mortal females are even more cold hearted than Dragoness',” Dracen replied as he pouted and wilted in his stance. “I couldn't find ONE willing to be with me. And the INSTANT I became grabby, one of them hit me in the face! ME! A DRAGON! Then they—FEMALES all threw me out of their little drinking hut!”

“Grabby?” Rayne giggled, “You—you can't just—oh never mind!”

“I've returned your cursed band!” Dracen growled to Magnus before stomping off out of the cave as Rayne tried to cover her snickering. “AND I WON'T BE COMING BACK!”

“Oh Dracen! I'm sorry!” Rayne yelled to him, before another wave of emotion rushed through her like a strong burst of wind. She sniffled, rubbing her eyes before she started full on sobbing. She felt Magnus jerk a little, but his tail curled around her as he bowed his head down and leaned it against her shoulder. “He's mad with me!”

“He's just sensitive that he didn't get to have a mortal,” Magnus tried to soothe her, but she still felt horrible. “He's not angry with you.”

“But he's leaving! And its MY FAULT!” Rayne wailed as she slumped down to the ground, dropping the fowl and rubbing her eyes and nose on her shirt sleeve.

“I'm not leaving,” Dracen suddenly stated, peering around his brother with a frown of concern. “I didn't mean to upset you...I didn't know you were so attached to me Lady Morsel.”

Then another wave went through her, tears stopping almost immediately as her glare came full fold with her rage. She grabbed the dead bird with her paw, standing up before throwing the feathered fowl at Dracen's swollen eye! Nailing him and making him whimper loudly as he covered it with his paw.

“YOU BASTARD!” Rayne swore, unable to stop the anger from flowing through her. “YOU SCARED ME! I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT FROM YOU! GETS THE HELLS OUT!”

Dracen looked at his brother with his good eye, terror there before Magnus mouthed something to him. Dracen nodded a little but Rayne's eyes narrowed on Magnus.

“Did you just tell him I'm having a MOOD SWING?!” Rayne bellowed at her good-for-nothing dragon!

“My mate, the plant,” Magnus stated quickly, before Rayne realized she was grasping the canvas cloth too tightly for its tender roots.

Then she was beginning to cry again, she couldn't help it! She had only found one of these and what if she had just killed it?! She couldn't live with herself if she had!

“I think it will be alright,” Magnus stated, jerking for Dracen to leave quickly before he shrunk down to his tiger form and took the plant from her. “It was cushioned with all the—dirt...”