Friend or Foe?

[Terenzio DeVito]

Djakael almost cursed when Chase Shifted forms and collapsed, quickly dropping his arms to catch him by the shoulders just before he hit the ground.
"Holy crap-!" He gasped, shocked. Carefully, he set Chase down on his back and stared at him. Holy crap was he tall! Djakael couldn't help but notice his height. He's probably just barely shorter than me, he thought absent mindedly. Then he shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts, and reched down to check his temperature.
"Hmm... No fever. But..." Djakael looked at the door that was nearby, and instantly his mind started working. The cold, fresh air would no doubt help Chase. There was no way the stuffy, tense atmosphere inside the warehouse was helping him any. Nodding sharply, more to himself than anything, he reached down again, this time hooking one arm under Chases' knees and shoulders before heaving him up. Standing, he waited a moment so that he would have all of his balance then headed for the door. Amber and Danny, who were silently watching the exchange, were all but forgotten. Having no free hands, Djakael leaned back ever so slightly on his left leg and kicked the door open completely with his right, the door flying open and slamming into the wall of the warehouse. Djakael barely noticed, caring only for making sure Chase was okay. What if he had some kind of condition that could kill him? Djakael felt a stab of pain at the thought, and hurried his pace. He walked far enough away from the warehouse for it to be out of sight, then gently settled Chase down against the wall of a random building. He crouched down in front of him, his sky blue orbs, which were silver due to the moonlight, worried.
"Hey, Chase? Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" He asked, genuinely worried.

[.: T O K I :.]

Amber cast a worried look at Chase as he slightly swayed on his feet. Although Amber was concerned, her first thought was, how do you sway while sitting? Who sways while sitting? Her panicky thoughts were interrupted as Djakael announced a cry for Chase. Amber too called out, “Chase? Are you ok?” Though both their calls were ignored, Amber wasn’t close enough to do anything, but before she had the change Djakael seized Chase’s muzzle in his thick hands and told him to shift.

Praying for a miracle, Amber walked slowly towards the pair and stopped near by, but gave them enough room to move about. As Djakael calmed him down enough to shift, Amber disbelievingly stared. Just as he had finished transforming, a large teen, almost as tall as Djakael himself, sat on the floor in front of her. His midnight black hair laid flat to the right side of his face as his pale skin nearly shined under the moonlight casting through the break in the door. Just as Amber was examining his features, suddenly, he lost consciousness and fell towards the ground. However, before he landed, Djakael expertly caught him and fruitlessly tried to wake him.

Just as she began scurrying closer, Djakael abruptly picked him up. He turned towards the door in a rush and nearly kicked it off its hinges causing it to slam into the outer wall. Once he was outside, Amber bounded out the entrance, but lost him. She searched left and right, but couldn’t see nor hear him. Worried, Amber turned back and called for Danny. Deciding not to wait, she explained for him to take the skies and look.

Leaving him to his job, she ran down the streets, cautious to stay in the gloomy shadows. The bright white moon had reached its highest peak in the sky and shone proudly over Earth. A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her. What was that? I was wide-awake a few seconds ago. Unaware of her actions, her animal form trotted down the street towards the harbor. Amber didn’t know if they would be headed that direction or not, but it was towards home and Amber desperately wanted to get in her soft bed.
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Nearly dead on her feet, Amber stood in front of her home; she stifled a yawn and walked through the cat door that was installed. They owned no cat, but since her powers came to her, they put one just in case. By now, Amber was sure that whatever happened, it would be ok. Djakael seemed panicked, but looked like he knew what to do. Amber for a fact knew that all that happened was that Chase fainted. It knocks out the person for a few minutes or hours, but eventually they wake up unharmed.

Quickly changing forms, she nearly tripped going up the stairs as she climbed her way to her room. She had lived here all her life and could probably walk it blindfolded, but Amber was afraid that if she closed her eyes she was fall asleep on the stairs. Instead, she forced herself to keep her eyes open, even if just a little bit. After her trek up the stairs, she softly walked down the carpeted hallway to the end.

She pushed the cold door handle further open and took a few steps forwards before soundlessly closing it behind her. The soft click reassured her that the door was closed so her parents would know she came home. Finally trudging up next to her bed, she dropped down onto the squashy smooth mattress, asleep before she even hit the silky covers.

((RECORD - SEVEN (7) PARAGRAPHS; Also for anyone reading this, I CHOSE to leave this story so. Amber's gone, yay. Meh.))

[stephy]

He winced, expecting to feel his head hit the hard unforgiving earth below him but instead being caught, and gently layed down. His eyes fell closed, lazily like honey falling from a jar. He groaned almost incoherently, as a warm hand touched his forhead gently. I'm.. I'm me again.. He would have laughed if he had the strength, but all he could concentrate on was the feeling of being lifted upwards.

Who was lifting him, he was too tall, he.. taking small intakes of oxygen, he felt himself immurge into the night once again. A cold gust swept past him, his hair blowing mildly in front of his face, the bottom of his trench coat swaying beneath him. He shivered slightly, the warmth of the body next to him conforting in it's presence.

Mom? His mind wandered, but things were getting clearer. Slowly he was lowered, delicately placed against an abandon house on the outskirts of area. His eyes opened wearily, and he blinked away the blurriness. A single lone Lamp post adorned the sidewalk accross the street, giving just enough light to see from, moonlight washing down upon them bathing them in it's soft white glow. No, I was hullucinating. He grinned at his own stupidity.

"Hey Chase, are you ok? Do you need to go to the hospital?" His soft emerald eyes flickered towards the sound, and it took a moment before his vision completely returned. Djakael was kneeling right in front of him, his face contorted with worry. A sharp pain went through Chases' heart at the look, a flushed pink colour appearing on his cheeks without thinking. He coughed a couple times, bringing up a raw red hand to mouth, a few tears coming from the corners of eyes from the force. Good thing he wore waterproof eyeliner, he almost laughed to hide his emotion, whiping the corner of his eyes with the same hand.

"I-I'm fine." He got out, his voice cracking slighty, and he cleared his throat quickly. "I'm sorry, I've just.. it's been a long day." He smiled softly, a kind genuine smile he didn't use often. I owe this man so much..

[Terenzio DeVito]

Djakael beamed when Chase opened his eyes and spoke, relief rolling through him like waves. He let the feeling show in his expression.
His relief was short-lived, however, as he saw Chases' raw hands. A small stab of pain went through him, and he carefully took Chases' hand to examine it once he had wiped his eyes; was he crying? He idly noted to black eyeliner that Chase wore. Djakael brushed the tears off for later, focusing instead on he raw flesh of Chases' hands.
"How much do your hands hurt, Chase?" He asked, looking up from the flaming red hand to deep forest eyes. He smiled slightly as soft pink tinted Chases' cheeks, chuckling lightly, and said, "How about this? You need shelter, medical attention, and a friend. I have a spare room in my appartment. I'm going to take you there tonight because he both could use a good nights' rest and then tomorrow you can decide if you want to stay or not." He said, leaving no room for discussion. "Now, can you stand? Don't push yourself, either. If it hurts, let me know. I want you to get better, not get worse." He added, chuckling at the end.

[stephy]

The smile on Dj's face made him feel so much better, as he relaxed slumped against the rough grained wood of the house siding. Maybe just this once he could allow himself a friend, Whoever's up there can't hate me that much, right? A small throbbing pain pierced his hand as he realized Dj had grabbed it to check it out.

"How muh do your hands hurt, Chase?" He met the caring gaze of the other once more, and his cheeks felt hot against his face. He blinked to himself, feeling rather stupid but words not exactly forming in his throat. I must be catching a cold. He reasoned with himself, not in the mood to overthink right now. His companion chuckled softly, and a small smile formed on his lips again. "I have a spare room in my appartment." A place to stay? How long it had been since he'd been in a real home.. But he couldn't could he? He braught himself into a more straightened sitting possition, his previous slouch beggining to hurt his back. "I'll take you there tonight," A soft bed, clean sheets, maybe some hot chocolate.. He missed that so. "Then we can decide if you want to stay or not." Everything out of the boy's mouth seemed almost too good to be true. His smile widened, his white teeth gleaming slightly in the moonlight glow.

"Now, can you stand?" He took a deep breath, cracking his head to the side and listening to it give a satisfying cracking noise. "I think I can." He composed himelf, his smile feeling so at home on his features he almost wondered why he'd discarded it for so long. Just this one thing, it felt like a blessing, and he started to rise.

"Ahhh!" He held a hand to his head, it felt like lightning had fallen from the heavens and pierced his brain with it's shock. He immediately fell back down to the ground.

[Terenzio DeVito]

Djakael smiled happily as Chase began to stand, believing he could, only to cry out and fall back to the ground, his hands clutching at his head.
"Chase!" Gasped Djakael, instantly dropping down from where he had begun to rise. "Chase! Speak to me, Chase! Are you okay? What's wrong?" He pleaded, terrified. Maybe he really did need to go to the hospital and he just didn't want Djakael to know. Djakael, worried but knowing the cold air was no longer doing him any good, scooped him up swiftly and began racing for home.
It was hard, but eventually he made it. Of course, he was exhausted from his frantic race and carrying Chase, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins allowed him to ignore that. Knowing his front door was unlocked, he reached up with his foot and pushed the handle down while shovingthe door open. It flung open, and Djakael hurried inside, shutting the door behind him with a quick kick.
The warmth from the heater made the entire appartment cozy, like a safe haven. Ignoring that, Djakael laid Chase down on his couch and pulled the warm blanket that had been on the back of the couch over him.
"Chase?" He asked, voice strained. It burned to talk, thanks to the icy cold wind, but he ignored that. All he needed was a cough drop and he'd be fine. "Chase, are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked again, this time reaching up to brush Chases' bangs out of his face. It was flushed, whether from the cold or illness Djakael did not know.

[stephy]

No, NO. I let my guard down! Pain shot through him like a knife stabbing at his conciousness. "Chase! Speak to me!" Everything was starting to fade into nothingness faster then he could have imagine. Why did he think that he could have a friend! /Why/ had he let himself come so close! You know bett-Another piercing tremor shook through his mind eye.

He was being lifted again, and the wind rushing past his ears distantly made him understand he was being run somewhere. Weakly he took a hand away from his head and tried feebly to be dropped, but Dj's grip was firm. "No.." He whispered through the pain, the spoken words sending sparks behind his eyes. "Run.. From m-Ahhh!" Whisper turning to another weak scream. He opened his eyes a crack, blackness opening as the world around him, colours drifted as if they never existed.

He was laying on something soft, he could feel the textures and warmth around him. "Run away.." A dark shape loomed over him. Dj? My.. my friend right? His breathing was comeing out in short rasps as the pain was getting worse, he couldn't scream anymore he didn't have the strength. His toes wiggled inside of his boots, his hands clentched together, fingernails digging into his own skin as they grabbed at his head. Everything was so warm. Everything was so.. warm.. soft.. "Mom..?" He smiled through his pain, the figure above him he no longer recognised. His eyes blinked softly and he took another gulp of air. Even the blur above him was dissapearing. "Run, please.."

Everything went dark.

[Terenzio DeVito]

Djakael was confused. Chase, with what little energy he had, was telling him to run. No, pleading for him to run. But why? Djakael could see no good reason to run while his friend was lying sick and he had no clue as to what was happening to him. There was no way he'd run. No way! Determination rolled over his features, and he quickly retrieved an ice pack from his freezer, wrapping it in a hand towel before gently placing it on Chases' forhead after moving his bangs out of the way.
For a moment, Djakael stood there, at a loss for what to do. Then he sighed and plopped down in a comfy chair across from Chase. "I might as well watch him to make sure he doesn't get any worse," He mumbled, voice husky from the icy wind and his fear.

[stephy]

Frigid Green eyes opened 5 minutes later, their depth hidden any emotion from view. He took a careful breath inward, and let his eyes dart around the room without moving. He was inside of a building, someone's household. New setting, he'd deffinately enjoyed his last visit to one. One thing caught his eye, the man sitting opposite him, his eyes glues intently on him. His iced green eyes had only been open for a matter of seconds, he would be running over any moment. He exhaled his breath, cool and calculated he blinked. And waited.

[Terenzio DeVito]

Djakael blinked as Chase finally woke five minutes later, slowly looking around the room as if he didn't know where he was. That was understandable, though, seeing as how he had been in such pain when he had got there. It wasn't surprising that he was disoriented.

Then Chase looked at him, warm forest eyes icy cold. A chill rippled down Djakael's back, his gut instinct telling him to run and run and not stop running until he was well away from this boy. He roughly shoved the desire aside and, proceeding with caution, stood slowly. "...Chase?" He asked. Once again, his throat burned, announcing it own problems. Djakael ignored it all together. He started for Chase, but stopped a few feet away. 'He reminds me of... Danny....' Djakael gasped silently. Whatever was wrong with Chase, it was something similar to Danny's usual - or, at least, what Djakael figured to be his usual - attitude. He was dangerous.

On edge, Djakael mentally prepared himself. Anything could happen. It could turn into a fight. Chase go break down. He could go insane and just start screaming. Or nothing could happen and he could go back to how he had been before it started. Either way, Djakael was tensed and ready. He didn't want to hurt Chase, so it made him somewhat relieved that he had learned a few techniques from Trinell that would work in his current situation.
"Chase? Are you okay? You know who I am, right? Djakael?" He asked, not caring enough to feel silly about his questions.