Monochrome Lives

Chapter Twelve

"What? Afraid of himself?" Castella raises her white scaled eyebrows, "Are you sure?"

"I'm not lying, Castella." Tilu says in her timid voice. "He's afraid of what he can do. He holds so much power he's unsure of what he's turning into."

"Interesting." Castella mumbles before thinking, I know there's more to the story. There's something else that makes him afraid. Something that is a bigger problem. 

"Thank you for this information." Castella says as her eye catches her mother, who is laying with Hurikan. Her white heads are under his, and his wing is over her, showing that they're off limits. 

"Where are you going? Don't leave me!" Tilu cries before stressing in a quieter voice, "Ostra might come back, and I - I'm afraid of her."

"You have plenty of reason to be afraid." Castella assures before she says with a look at her mother, "I'll be just over there."

"With Cirro? Is she your sister?" Tilu asks before Castella replies darkly, "No, my mother."

"You look so similar." Tilu states before Castella senses her anger rising. She doesn't want to resemble her mother right now. She made a foolish decision in making a deal with Hurikan, and now she's watching her mother lay with her new mate. 

"Yeah." Castella mutters before marching over, watching Hurikan's eyes blaze as Castella gets inappropriately close. His black soot black lips fold backward into a warning hiss, right before Cirro looks to Castella, and she says almost disdainfully, "My dear Castella. Who did you just hit?"

"I hit Ostra Fannal." Castella replies with a scowl, wondering, wouldn't my mother hit a fool in the snout? Who wouldn't? I had a good reason to.  

"Why would you do such a thing?" Cirro asks as Hurikan folds his wing back, revealing Cirro's belly which is getting bigger every day. Castella's heart spikes with a bit of hurt at seeing how Cirro could give herself away so soon after her father's death, and growls, "She needed a punch in the nose. She starves her younger sister."

"That's their fight, Castella." Cirro says as she stands beside Castella. She puts her wing over her daughter as Castella thinks with a rising heartbeat, stop trying to baby me! I know how to deal with Shifters humans and dragons! And quit it with the 'it's not our problem' kind of attitude! I just want to help others. 

"I don't think it is." Castella replies as Hurikan gets up, coming to stand beside Cirro. He eyes Castella with a protective glance as Cirro says, "Darling, let them figure out their differences. I'm sure they'll sort it out."

She's about to walk away, leading Castella along like a dog on a leash when Castella's anger makes her halt, and Cirro's wing falls off of her. Cirro turns around as Hurikan does, just to face Castella's dark scowl, and Cirro asks, "What is it, Castella? Why have I upset you so?"

"Upset me so?" Castella growls, almost ready to blow, before Hurikan says, "Watch your tone, Castella. Your mother made a deal so she could save you. Not to hurt you."

"I don't care!" Castella roars, silencing those around her. Everyone's heads turn and stare at Castella, who doesn't seem to notice the looks, shocked at the sudden outburst, which normally comes from Arcus. 

"Don't raise your voice at me, Castella." Cirro says with a tut-tut attitude. She puts her wing over Castella's back once more before saying, "Come and take a walk with me and Hurikan. We'll see this through."

Castella swats her mother's wing off of her back and lets out a feral roar that reaches to every corner of the cave, and frightens Cirro as well as Hurikan. The display in and of itself is a sign to back off, but the rage that pours from the eyes speaks volumes. After her loud and defiant show of emotion, Castella shuts her jaws that clench immediately, and snarls, "Enjoy your afternoon, Cirro and Hurikan."