Broken, A heartbroken Fen find solitude

[Strix Moonwing]

Dark Fowl Island, home of the great blacksmiths of the Northern Kingdom, stood cold and empty in the middle of the dark ocean. Since Luna and the rest of the band left, Circe the gadfeather had traveled on as most gadfeathers do leaving the island empty at their wake. Sure one or two owls were rest there, but its dark atmosphere would send them flying a day later. Without a forge fire lit, the island seemed to have lost its life, its arura of power and greatness that come from the bond of fire and metal. Now, the island looked like nothing more than a giant piece of rock jutting from the ocean.

Only one creature, one broken creature, found any comfort in the island's isolation.

Days had gone by since Fen had left the gadfeather, since she had confessed her love for Ludwig, since she had been rejected, she her heart had been broken. The young eagle's beautiful sandy feathers seened to have lost their gleam and her golden eyes seemed dull as she looked up at the night sky; the stars were the only things that gave her much comfort anowadays.

Fen should have known that Lud would had rejected her. It was all so logical now that she thought about it. There was no way that Ludwig could have loved her. She was an eagle and a know-it-all, as Will and Kody always seemed to put it. There was nothing attracting about her that would have made Ludwig even think about being with her.

At the very thought of Lud, her heart ached. Where had he went? Did he dislike her so much that he'd abandon her alone in the middle of the mountains? A tear fell from her eyes at the thought.

Slowly, snowflakes started to gently float down from the darkened skies. It was the last snowfall of the year for the season of Silver Rain had finally come. Fen looked up at the falling snow and sighed; if only she could be as beautiful.

[TurquoisePheonix]

"Fen! Fen! Where are you?!" The call sounded loudly throughout Dark Fowl. Why did this place have to be so frinking big?! At least the sound carried well here. He had searched for Fen for the past four or five hours. How could he have done such a thing...to protect her, that's why...but he might have been protecting her physically, but not emotionally. How could he have been so stupid?! It didn't help her...it wouldn't have done anything but break her heart. The snow began to fall; great. The last snow before silver rain meant a bad one, certainly. Finding her would be impossible-

"Fen?!" He asked; he could see her form in the hastening snowfall. Down on the ground...He landed, slowly, and he realized that it was Fen. The person he cared about more then anything. A silence passed between them, and Ludwig didn't know what to say.

"..." His usual silence wasn't going to help here.

"Fen. I love you. I needed to tell you I didn't in case Deidara was lsitening. I didn't want him to take you and use those feelings against me. I didn't want him to hurt you..." He whispered. The snow was quickening; the Northeren Kingdoms was legendary for it's quick-striking blizzards. He spotted the cave used by one of the blacksmiths. Would they have to wait it out here? He beckoned to Fen.

"Please, trust me. Let's get inside for now..." Truthfully, he was afraid of facing her; she probably hated him...

[Strix Moonwing]

"Lud...Ludwig?"

Fen's golden eyes widened briefly as she turned away from the falling snow and caught sight of the boreal. There was her one and only love, standing a few feet away in silence. She should be feeling joy or grief at his sudden appearance, but strangely felt neither. She felt nothing at all, no emotion, only a brief shock. It was like it didn't matter whether he was here or a million miles away; her heart woldn't be his either way.

The silence that took place between the two was as cold as any snow. What could Fen say to the creature that she had giving her heart so freely to, only to have it broken? There were no words to describe the emotions that Fen was feeling at that moment, the pain of wanting and needing Ludwig, but being not able to go near him.

Finally, it was Ludwig who broke the silence.

He...he loved her?

Fen's eyes lit up with emotion as she took in everything that Ludwig had told her. Was it true? Did he really love her? For a moment, for one precious moment, she believed him. But then the memory of the pain she had to endure, the pain of having her heart broken into pieces, made her cringe and falter. If he was lying, how would she be able to endure that pain again.? Could she handle such grief again?

"I...I..." Fne didn't know what to do. Snow floated down on her feathers, each as cold as her heart. Was love really worth the heartbreak? "I...I HATE YOU!"

As the cry of anguish escaped her, Fen collasped to the ground, her head bowed as tears and sobs raked her body. She was unable to face Ludwig...unable to face her feelings of love.

"Why am I hurting so much? Why does love hurt...why?" Fen whispered as snow fell all around her.

[TurquoisePheonix]

Ludwig knew this was going to happen, but just hearing it for himself...it was way different. He saw Fen collapse on the ground, and he only stood there, like an idiot, not knowing what to say, or what to do to help. He knelt down next to her.

"Fen, it's all my fault. Love shouldn't hurt...ever. But it does to you because of me. I was too selfish to let you get hurt, but in the end you got hurt anyway. And, Fen...even if you hate me, what will you do? Deidara's bringing back Sklardrog. We have to stop him, Fen. And if I can't stop him with you, I won't at all. To prove that I love you. I'll never leave your side, ever. Even if you sit here and cry until the snow buries you, I won't leave. I will keep that promise. And I know you don't hate me. You're just scared, and with good reason. He tugged on her wing for her to get up.

"Come on! You can't just lay there! You'll die if you do! Fen! I care about you more than anyone, and I'm not letting you do thsi to yourself. If you keep it up, you'll tear your life apart!"

[Strix Moonwing]

"Ludwig..." The sobs that raked her body slowly grew still as she listened to the soft chime-like voice of Ludwig. His voice had always had a calming effect on her. It was like music....distant music.

Sklardrog was coming back? A twinge of terror went through her gizzard at the thought. Would Ludwig really risk the fate of the world in order to stay by her side? Would he risk freezing himself with her just to prove his love? Would she allow him to do so? She couldn't allow her love to do that, not for her.

Fen remained motionless, even as Ludwig tugged at her wing, shouting at her to get up. Wasn't her life already torn apart? Her father was dead, her brother and friends were missing, and her home was at war with itself. Nothing made sense anymore. She didn't make sense anymore. For Glaux's sake she was in love with an owl!

She was in love with Ludwig.

At last, Fen moved her head and turned to face Ludwig. Ice and snow hung from his feathers; it was obvious that he was freezing. Why didn't he just leave her? She wasn't worth dying for. It didn't make sense.

But, then again, maybe love doesn't make sense.

A soft voice in her head whispered to her, making her gasp. Love didn't make sense, not at all. Love made you feel happy, but it also makes you feel pain and sorrow. Where was the sense in that?

Love is joy. Love is sorrow. Love is relief. Love is pain.

Love is love.

"Ludwig...." Fen's whole body trembled, not from the cold but from the emotions spilling out of her. For the first time since Ludwig's rejection, her heart seemed to warm just a bit. "LUDWIG!"

Fresh tears spilled from her eyes as she jumped up, spraying snow in all directions as she did so, and wrapped her wings around Ludwig in a tight embrace. Though she still cried, it was not tears of sorrow and confusion, but of love.

"Ludwig....I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "I'm sorry that I hated you. I....I could never hate you. I love you Ludwig. I love you so much." She buried her head in his soft feathers. "I'm so sorry."

[TurquoisePheonix]

Ludwig understood now. Her feelings, her thoughts, all of them made sense now. He returned her embrace, gently touching the back of her head with his wing.

"It's okay. I think I understand you better now, Fen. I love you, too." He said. He guided her into the cave that the blacksmiths used, ingniting the flames with the few coals left from whoever else stayed here for comfort. Ludwig stayed by the fire, holding Fen gently. Tears were in his eyes, but he was comforted knowing that Fen was there, and really cared about him. He could feel each of her soft feathers pressed against his, the wetness of her tears on his chest. He never wanetd to cause her pain again. He held her a bit more tightly, and he noticed that the majority of warmth seemed to come from Fen more than the fire.

"I missed you. Fen, I don't want you to ever feel that way again." Ludwig said. He hesitated; should he do this? Well, he really wanted to see what it would be like with someone he really loved. He looked into her soft, golden eyes and decided that there was no reason to be embarassed. He got closer to her, their bodies seemed to be pushed together; his face was an inch from hers. He tilted his head and gently let his beak press against hers. The first kiss he ever willingly gave to someone.

[Strix Moonwing]

An aurora of emotions came to Fen at Ludwig's kiss. There was happiness, joy, excitement; there was no fear or regret, only the purest and most blissful of love. Never had Fen felt more certain about anything as she kissed Ludwig back. Ludwig truly did love her and she him. There was no confusion, no doubts, no anything....

Just love.

When they withdrew from the kiss, both of their eyes were shining, not from the firelight from the love that burned within them. No words were spoken between the two, but, then again, no words were needed. The small comfort of having eachother was enough. Only when the steady snowfall came to an end and the palest streak of dawn was approaching did Fen speak.

"So, I guess we should start looking for the rest of the gang." Fen said, her golden eyes turned the palest of yellows in the early mornings of dawn.

[TurquoisePheonix]

"Yeah..." Ludwig agreed, still holding Fen's body pressed against his. " But what're we gonna tell them? My dad won't like this...They'll probably think I'm confused about these sorts of things. But I'm not. I'm sure that there isn't anyone else...I already found them, it's just, I dunno what to say..." He finished abruptly. He thought about it; they would never accept them like this, would they? No...nobody could understand something like this. But it felt so right, so natural to him. But then, a strange thought occurred to him.

"Let's stay here, Fen. Just the two of us. We could live here. Nobody questions people's ideas in the Northeren Kingdoms. If we lived here, everyone would accept us." He said; he wanted to stay with Fen, but he already knew he would hate it if owls would constantly ask him why he would want to be mates with an eagle. That's why the Tree really wasn't an option, was it?

~

Gross. He kissed Fen! Fen! His sister! Fendor couldn't believe it; he was looking for any of the group for a long time, but he didn't expect to see this; Ludwig beak turned and locked with his sister's! And she was letting him...no, it was worse than that! He saw her wings wrapped around his body, and her eyes were closed; she was returning the kiss! What was wrong with her?!

"Guess I'll go tell the others about this..." Fendor muttered to himself before flying off.

[Strix Moonwing]

Fen paused and blinked her golden eyes, both thoughtful and confused at his proposal. Stay here at Darkfowl Island? Forever? She was sure that Luna wouldn't mind, but what did she want? All her life she had lived at the Tree. She had been born there and her dream had been to become the head ryb there. Her family and friends were there as well as Ludwig's. Could they really leave all that behind?

Slowly, Fen shook her head, smiling softly. "No, Ludwig...we don't stay here. We can't leave our family and friends. We have a duty to them. Yes, the creatures at the tree will be curious about us. So might even be angry..." Fen looked at Ludwig, her tone sure. "But do your really think our family and friends will care? They love us and will always care about us no matter what decisions we make in life."

"In life there is no right choices...only different ones. Sure there will be problems, but we can't just run away from them. Like Will would say, we need to face them headon."

[TurquoisePheonix]

"Yeah, but aren't you scared? What your friends'll think? I mean...it's not normal, but it feels that way. But..." Ludwig smiled back. "Ya got me. We can't be scared of this. You were always the best at making a point. That'll be helpful to beat anyone who questions us. Anyway...what where you thinking when I left you? I did it wrong. I could have at least shown you caring when I did. If I had, you wouldn't have been hurt. I rushed too much. I was eager to protect you, but in the process, I made you hate me. Why did you think I denied love? Did you think I didn't like you? Maybe you thought I didn't think you were beautiful? What was it? I probably made it seem that way, didn't I? Either way, let me make this clear. I don't like you. I love you, simple as that. And you must be the most beautiful female I've ever seen. Even if you weren't pretty, I would still love you regardless. Were there other things, though? I just want to understand those emotions..." He asked, now feeling even more horrible for what he did. He didn't want to leave just yet; there were still many more things to talk about, and now was the time to discuss them; now that they were alone together, anyway. It would be the only chance they really got for a long time, wouldn't it?

"Were those the thoughts you had? Just tell me everything. The thoughts you had, the emotions. I need to know the damage I did. I need to know if I can ever make it better."

[Strix Moonwing]

"Ludwig...."

Fen placed her talon on his and gently squeezed it. She turned to face Ludwig, her golden eyes filled with enough love to wipe away the barriers of the prejudice that they were sure to face back at the tree. Of course she was scared of what was to come if they returned to their home. Owls and eagles alike will be shocked by their relationship and some might even resent it. But did it really matter as long as she was able to stay by Ludwig's side? Ludwig's heart belonged to hers and hers belonged to him. His love was all that mattered.

"Ludwig," she repeated again in a loving whisper. "You've already made it better. Just knowing that you really love me has made my own world better. When I thought you rejected my love, it seemed that the whole world had lost its meaning. There was nothing left fighting for...no hope. I could feel nothing...no emotion at all. But now, being around you........it make everything so clear....so bright."

"It's like seeing the world for the first time."

[TurquoisePheonix]

"Yeah..." Ludwig said, having felt that Fen already said what he wanted to say. "I had to protect you. For this moment...I never thought I would feel something this beautiful. I've never really thought of love as much...but now, I think I see why it's such a big deal to everyone." He said, knowing now why love was so important...it gave you something to fight for, and someone to be there for you when you needed them most, one who wouldn't ever leave you...

He squeezed her talon in response, and he noticed that outside, the sun was almost through rising. He looked back at Fen, losing himself in her golden eyes. He knew that tough times were to come, but he didn't care anymore; Fen was with him, so everything seemed just a little easier. He squeezed her talon once more.

"I love you, Fen. Forever. They say that owls and eagles aren't compatible...but how do we know, unless we try for ourselves?" He questioned.

"I don't know what'll happen. But I do know that I'll always be here Fen. And that I need you, too." He finished, the sun completely above the horizon. He clutched Fen's body clsoe to his for a few more moments, before releasing her.

"Let's get going..."

(OOC: Post one more time, then we can worry about a new topic...)

[Strix Moonwing]

Fen smiled, gazing at Ludwig like he was the only precious thing in the universe and in truth he was....well, to her anyway. The sun was above the horizon, casting the snow in a golden glow. It looked like a whole different world.

"Right, let's get going." Fen agreed and as one, the two birds lifted their wings and took off into the skies. Their bodies outlined in the rays of sunlight.

Yes, it was a different world, truly it was.