(I got nothing to say for this chapter other than I'm a sadistic human being)

     The sound of his own heavy panting and his blood rushing through his veins filled his ears as he ran. His blue green eyes were wide and took in as much information as he could while he ran, pushing aside branches and bushes as he rushed towards the sounds of the fighting. Growls, snarls, shouts, metal clashing against one another- he could feel his mate's desperation and her pain through his Bond.

     Tso'sun burst through the foliage and into a clearing, his runes aglow with his fury and his fear. He snarled as several hunters turned to him, his mate, a large silver dragon, struggling against chains that held her powerful body down. He barely took note of the cliffside they were dangerously close too, which dropped down into a steep canyon.

     "Well look who it is, the Half Drow Prince himself," one of the hunters hummed in a voice that dripped with venom disguised as a polite greeting. Tso'sun snarled, baring his teeth as he gripped his staff in his left hand.

     "You leave her alone!" He hissed. Kit gave a roar as she thrashed against the metal chains, a hunter jabbing at a soft spot under her wing. Tso'sun growled as he used his non-dominant arm, casting a rune onto the very human hunters. They screamed as the rune ignited into flame, burning their skin and down into their muscles. But there were jut so many human hunters there.

     "Oh, what will you do? Not much, with that broken arm of yours," the lead hunter grinned as he unslung the rifle from his shoulders with frightening grace. Tso'sun hissed, holding his right arm close to his chest.

     Only about a month ago, his arm had been broken horribly by another set of supernatural hunters and was slow to healing, even with magical help. Though with the hunter's prompt, it because very clear that it was, in fact, a mere extension of whatever group of supernatural hunters was running rampant these days.

     "I'll make you wish you never saw my face," the half drow snarled as he charged forward, his runes aglow with his fury. The hunter quickly leapt to the side as Tso'sun swung his runic staff, the half drow missing. He managed to whirl around just as the hunter came at him with the rifle, the half drow quickly realizing that the firearm had a bayonet attached to the end. He staggered out of the way as the hunter made several quick jabs, having to hold his still healing arm close to him to keep his balance.

     He gave a cry just as Kit roared in agony, a sharp pain digging into his side. Quickly feeling to see there was no blood Tso'sun turned and looked at Kit with wide eyes, only to see a spear driven into the soft underside of her wing.

     The edges of his vision became shrouded in red as he gave a furious battlecry, charging forward at the ones surrounding his mate. Losing himself in a haze of fury he clubbed a hunter upside the head with his staff hard enough to crack his very human skull. He whirled around and blasted another with pure energy, blowing a hole through their chest. Something struck his side, but he didn't feel the pain; instead he whipped around grabbed the other male's bayonet equipped rifle and spun it around, before driving the blade through his head.

     Sini Rumag... came the silver dragon's weak mind link. Tso'sun turned and watched as Kit managed to stagger upright from under the chains, seeing as no hunters were there to hold her down anymore. She looked at the spear in her side as she became surrounded in a faint white glow, before shifting back into her elven form. She staggered backwards, Tso'sun's eyes widening as he realized that the cliff into the canyon was, in fact, a lot closer than he had estimated before.

     Time seemed to slow as he ran forward, watching as Kit lost her balance over the edge of the canyon. Tso'sun barely heard himself cry out in shock as she vanished over the edge, the drow runeweaver quickly leaping after her. The rune in the dead center of his chest glowed and surrounded him with a bright blue green light. He gave a scream, which turned into a shriek, of agony as he shifted into the massive Roc form he had come to rely on.

      His right arm, which had been on the way to fully recovering, completely shattered and twisted under his skin from the powerful runic magic.

     He managed to grab the now unconscious Kit into his talons as he fell, the world becoming a haze of burning, piercing agony as he he tumbled towards the ground. He had enough sense about him to wrap his mate up in his wings and turn so that his back hit the ground first.

     The air was knocked from his lungs as soon as he collided with the hot, dusty ground of the canyon floor. Struggling to get air into his lungs the giant Roc laid there as the world spun, the edges of his vision flickering with black and red and swirling nauseously. The pain of his shattered arm bones and the pain from his mate was simply too much to handle, the giant eagle passing out where he laid.

*** *** ***

     Sini Rumag! Please! Wake up! You have to get up! A familiar voice cried out to him from the darkness of his imagination. He knew that voice...he loved that voice. His heart ached at the desperation and distress in that voice...but where was it from? He was so cold...yet so hot at the same time. Where was he?

     Kit, this arm has to come off for him to recover. The bones are too warped to repair, even with magic. The infection is spreading, another voice spoke from the dark corners of his unconscious mind. He knew that voice too...so stern yet so familiar. Now that he focused a bit- agh! The agony of the twisted bones and torn muscles in his arm hit him like a bull. He heard his own voice whimper briefly, before crying out in agony. The surface under him was so rough, it irritated every bit of skin that it touched. He was burning, yet he was freezing at once.

     "Please...Please don't take my arm," he heard his own voice whisper. He felt he had no control over what happened...that wasn't him speaking, was it? No, it was. He just had to focus a bit harder...

     His eyes opened, blurred images of familiar faces meeting his eyes. He gave a cry and closed them again, the small amount of light filtering through a light source burning his eyes and drilling into his skull.

     "I have to, Tso'sun. It's the only way we can save you in time," the stern voice spoke calmly. Wait, he knew who that voice belonged too. Sigel, his father. The other...that was Kit. His love, his mate, his Sini Rumag. Emotions whirled through his head and his heart- despair, distress, anger, fury, pain, helplessness.

     "No...please..." he whispered as he gave a groan, sweat rolling down his head. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, each beat spreading the infection further through his blood.

     "I'm so, so sorry Tso'sun. I have no choice," Sigel's voice whispered as he set a freezing hand onto Tso'sun's forehead. The half drow distantly heard his mate sobbing before the pain slowly started to fade. The sounds blurred before they vanished, as did the agony. Soon enough he was back into the comfortable darkness of unconsciousness.

*** *** ***

     He didn't know how long had passed since the last time he was even remotely conscious. Tso'sun groaned as he stirred, the faint sounds of his surroundings hitting his sensitive ears- someone breathing softly next to him, distant and muffled chirping of birds, people talking in a separate room. With a massive effort he forced his eyes open, his blurry vision taking in his surroundings.

    He was...at home?

     He was laying on a bed, a blanket covering him up to his neck. He looked over to see who was next to him, his heart filling with relief- his mate was alright. Kit was laying next to him, cuddling into his left side and peacefully asleep. Feeling weak and woozy he snuggled closer, only to notice something- a distinct weight was gone. He weakly forced himself to sit up, his eyes widening.

     Where his right arm had once been was now a scarred over stump.

     He stared at where his arm had been, a chocked sob escaping him against his will. He felt Kit shift, slowly looking up at him.

     "Tso'sun?" She said, her voice soft yet distraught as he looked down at her, his blue green eyes filled with tears of shock.

     "K...Kit..." was all he was able to stutter out. Her own eyes watered as she hugged him, her normally warm skin feeling cold against his feverish body. Apparently his body was still fighting the remaining infection.

      "I'm so sorry Tso'sun. I should have been more careful. Then you would still have your arm," she said, her voice becoming muffled as she buried her face against his chest, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. Tso'sun gave a sigh as he wrapped his remaining arm around her, nuzzling her gently.

     "It's okay Kit, don't cry. Please," Tso'sun said softly. "It'll be alright...we're both alive, aren't we?" He added softly. His throat was raw and dry, making his usually smooth voice rough and harsh. He figured that was from either the fever or him screaming...or both. He couldn't tell.

     "But your arm is gone," she sniffled as she looked up at him, her gold eyes overflowing with tears. Those golden eyes that he loved so much, seeing them filled with as much sorrow as they were made his heart pang with guilt. He never meant to make her worry.

     "I'd rather my arm than your life, Kit. Whatever they did to you...they made you shift and pass out. They had to have used powerful magic to do that to you," he whispered as he held her close. Her bottom lip quivered as she looked at him, a sob escaping her.

     "Shh, it'll be alright Kit," he said as he closed his eyes. His head was swimming, the room spinning around him. He wanted nothing more to stay up and comfort his mate more, but he simply just...didn't have the energy.

     Kit didn't say anything as she continued to sob, clutching his shirt as she cried into his chest. He knew it would be hard to get her to forgive herself, to get her to realize that she didn't do anything wrong. But for now...

     They were both alive. And that was all that mattered.

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Sigel and Tso'sun belong to me
Kit belongs to Liznightangel