Topic: Ashes to Ashes

Dakota Steele · Date: 2010-01-31 02:21 EST

Nothing really scared him now that Jade was gone. He was really emotionless. The only thing Dakota Steele feared now was never getting his wife back. He hadn't seen Claira in months. He felt sorry about that, but he knew it was better. At home, she would find out that her mother was dead. He talked with her everyday though. Rhy and Dean took very good care of her. He told her he was sick, very sick. In fact, he was, but not in the sense she was told of. Sick with grief, sick with madness, but thanks to Eric he wasn't in an alcoholic rage everyday. Dakota still drank, this was true. He had to sleep somehow. But he was not a drunk.

The ritual was very confusing, and took a lot out of him just to try and understand. The notes Jade had laid out were dumbed down for his understanding. He could tell that. But the ritual was so far beyond him, so far from him. He knew he could do it, though he was still missing the key element. Ashes. Not just any ashes, Jade's. His wife's. Who had them? Her sister, Icer. And she happened to be a dragon. A very pissed off dragon at that. But he had to have those ashes back. He had to have his wife back. Nothing would stop him.

Dakota crept slowly upon the lair. From the stories he'd heard from Jade, he knew this was the place. Waterfall out front, way out away from anything, magical field around it. Yeah, he'd found it. Out of nerves, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Yes, he was nervous. But not frightened. No fear. Though, he went on this mission with no gameplan. He probably should have. Dakota had a feeling that asking nicely wouldn't do it for Icer.

"How dare you show your face around my lair!" A roar was let out as a thud shook the earth.

Dakota found a lump in his throat. A big gulp. Gentally, he turned around. He looked up at the dragon while she was at full height with her wings outstretched. He was amazed at how scared he would have been if he was on a mission. He'd never seen her so mad. It was strange. She was always good natured, and he had always been on good terms with her. Now Dakota wasn't. Okay, he was on a mission. Head in the game.

He started lightly, "Icer, I know yer mad..."

"Mad?!" She boomed, "You deserve nothing but death!"

Dakota sighed, and shook his head, "You don't understand. Most of Rhy'Din doesn't. I am a killer, and nothing will make that better. But we had a reason."

"We?!" Icer shook her wings out and cranned her neck closer to him, snarling her fangs and him, "My sister didn't want to die like that! The only thing I have left of her and her painful death his her ashes!"

He didn't like when people second guessed him. He was getting that a lot lately. "Yes, she did. She didn't wanna go out that way, but it was the only way." Pause, he looked her in her eyes, "I need those ashes back, Icer. I do."

Her nose flared and in a blink of an eye, she pawed him to the ground. Not lightly, mind you. "You murderer! How dare you ask such a thing! You shall never have these ashes! You do not deserve them, only imprisonment! If it were I as the judge, your fate would be death in the same manner as she died!"

As he slammed against the ground at her action, it knocked the wind out of him. And her heavy paw pressing on his chest didn't help. Dakota took a gulp of air before starting, "Listen! We didn't make a pact to kill her! This was her idea, not mine!" He didn't try to remove the paw, because he knew she would only press harder if he did.

"Your words against her's, Dakota Steele! And now she cannot speak her's!" She leaned above him, looming. Spit even dripped down upon him as she spat words at him.

He grimaced at the dragon drool. Would it stain his clothes? Lord of the idle thought, he shook his head and narrowed his brows at her, "Icer! She wanted to be human! And the only way she could do that is to die! She had to die! I didn't want this! She and Claira were only things with meaning in my life! Why would I want to ruin the only things that were worth anything? Now with her gone, I have neither of the things I truly ever loved with all my heart." He felt the tears starting to sting at his eyes, but he wouldn't cry. Not now. Not until he had her back. "But I can get her back, Icer. You just have to give me her ashes."

Dakota Steele · Date: 2010-01-31 02:27 EST

Her eyes widened, but she snarled close to his face once more, "Give me proof."

Dakota looked down at him impaled body, "You'll havta get offa me first."

A deep frown set itself into her scales. She said nothing, but raised her paw off of his body. He stood slowly, dusting off his shirt. Icer glared at him all the way up. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a founded up piece of paper, "It's a ritual. To bring vampires back from the dead, in a new human body. This is the steps she wrote for me. Trust me, you can tell its her writin'." With that, he unfolded the paper and handed it to the dragoness.

She looked down at the paper. Icer stared for a long while as she narrowed her eyes. They scanned the page. Finally, she looked to Dakota, "You tell the truth. But... Why?" She held out the paper to him.

"I told you, she wanted ta be human," he said softly as he took the crinkled, aged paper, folded it back up, and shoved it back into his pocket. "And she wanted a child. Not that she didn't love Claira, oh boy did she. She just... never felt complete, not havin' a child naturally. An' she knew, eventually I'd die while she lived on. She didn't want that. Jade wouldn't even think about turnin' me inta a vampire. She didn't want me ta be a monster like she was."

Icer looked down to the man, "She was right, you know, Dakota? I've seen many a raging vampire in my day. You wouldn't want to become that, and I know Jade couldn't turn you into that. It would kill her. Even if it meant you two living together forever."

"I know, Icer... I know. I just wasn't ready for all of this..." He looked to the ground, kicking at a little spot in the dirt. His hair had grown out and fell into his eyes.

"No one is," She moved passed him and towards the lair. "I will be back, Dakota." With that, she went through the waterfall, into her lair.

He shifted and leaned against the rocks surrounding the place. This was taking a lot out of him, not only from the slam to the ground - but emotionally. He hadn't really talked about all of this to someone. Or something in this case. He could really go for a cig right now, but he didn't think that Icer would like it. His chocolatey eyes found the noon sky. Dakota let the cold wind dance upon his face as he pulled his light jacket closer to him. Weather never really got to him, seeing as he was always warm. But it seemed to be colder near Icer's lair. Oh yea, she was an Ice Dragoness. Duh, Kota. Way to think.

As he drowned himself in thought, Icer suddenly came out from under the waterfall. When she moved closer, Dakota saw something tucked under one of her wings. She settled infront of the man and shook her neck out. Icer lowered her face closer to his face, "Dakota, I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. I'm sorry that Rhy'Din believed you a ruthless killer. They will not know your pain." She held out a vase that she took from her wing. "She is your's, friend."

The vase was black, with light green swirls. It was Jade in all aspects. And it held Jade. As he took the vase, he cradled it. He bit his lower lip. Dakota felt a cry comin' on. He thought all his tears were gone, until he held her. He knew this wasn't her in body, but this was the closest he's gotten in a long long time. His eyes widened that a sob was ready to free itself. That took him back to the here and now. He cleared his throat and looked up to Icer. "Thank you, Icer. You had every right to be pissed at me. For all you knew, I had killed your sister. You're a good friend, and a better sister." He reached over and gave her a one armed hug, "But for now I must get to work."

Icer gave the scaley hug back, "Please, bring her back, Dakota. Go on now."

"Thank you," Dakota Steele nodded as he shifted out of the hug. "I will try. We can only hope. Goodbye, friend." And he started off towards town, towards home, with his wife... in another form. He had plans to plan and work to do.