His words were like a calming salve to my soul. The warm balm of the sun after a long night waging war on myself. She was okay, better, she was doing well for herself in my absence. I couldn’t deny it didn’t sting a little that my disappearance had barely entered her radar. But her well being was the reason I left in the first place, when I noticed that I was slowly losing my mind. I couldn’t bare the idea of placing her at risk, in harms way of the abhorrents that lurked within my very core. She had been the reason that I had managed to keep them dormant for so long. They would know of her meaning to me, they would have torn her apart. Her last breath would have been taken from her, with her thinking her undoing was down to me, when the truth was is that I would die before harming a hair on that pretty dial of hers.

A slight flash of the green eyes surged through my veins as it registered with me the look on the brutes face when he spoke of her. It was the way I looked when I thought of her. This stag, the one who had caused me trouble from day one, the one that I had just agreed to enter into collusion with had the very same feelings for my dove that I did. Would this be a problem? I mused over it briefly. I decided not. If he had gotten close to her, I was pleased. I was glad that she had someone else to look out for her. Not that she needed it of course. She could more than look after herself, for she had proved it time and time again to me. But still, it never hurt to have someone on your side. It wasn’t a feeling I had all too often these days.

I returned my attention to him as his guttural lyrics started again. I blanched a little as he spoke of taking them down from the inside. It meant returning to the clutch of the crazy. Something I hadn’t planned on, at least not yet. Not until they sent the rabid bitch snaking after me at least. But plans and intentions changed on a dime in times of war. I, of all beings knew that, being a warrior from birth. This was to be my next move, I knew this now. I had returned at this very point to ensure that this were to happen. Oxy and I finally had a common goal, a reason to work together, rather than against.

I was grateful to him. He didn’t treat me with pity, or barely alluded to my poor state of health. He clearly knew well enough that I was perfectly aware I wasn’t currently the best sparring partner. My ego wouldn’t cope with having it thrown in my face right now. I would get myself fixed, it was well within my best interests as well as his. “Very well, I'm with you, for as long as our interests meet. I will enter the fray again, with you as my equal. The question now is, is when?” I wanted to know if he had anything in mind, or if this would be a meeting of the minds, and we would come up with something together..