Monochrome Lives

Chapter Seventeen

Castella looks up in a hint of anger and fear, both for two good reasons. The anger is for how he lied to her cruelly, for making her believe there was a connection between her Animbas that was beginning to grow. The second, fear, is for the look of pure hatred that seeps from his whole body; his scales even bristle up like spikes on spears. The talons over her and Arcus are sunk deep into the ground of the cave, and the knuckle behind the claws are tight. But worst of all, the green eyes that are a lighter shade than Arcus's, but not by much, explode in uncontrolled ire. 

Castella inches her slim fingers against and over the cave floor, sliding her hand to Arcus's. He grabs her hand tightly, his calloused hand feeling comfortable in hers. 

Arcus gazes to Castella, his immediate concern, other than the fury that wants to explode out of him. He knows he's more dangerous than anyone, human, Shifter or dragon, but in this state, he knows he's trapped. He also acknowledges the fact Animbas is more perilous than Cumulo, for instead of merely spitting nasty things, he acts upon his emotions, and won't stop until he's satisfied. 

Arcus squeezes Castella's hand to let her know he's going to protect her, and waits until she looks back at him. His whole body tightens under the look of uncertainty, for it's a look he's never seen on her, and one he never wants to see again. He's always known her to have everything under control, and when he sees the look of confusion on her face, and the anger and fear in her eyes, he almost loses it there and then. 

But, a tiny voice whispers in his mind, be kind, Arcus. Be kind, just like Castella was to you. You're going to get nowhere if you're angry at Animbas. He's a hot-headed dragon just like yourself, and won't understand or even begin to comprehend the extra anger from my side. Using kindness will confuse him, but not make him more upset. 

This allows him to draw a deep breath in, and he lets his lungs inflate as his fascinating green eyes flutter shut, but for just a second. It's enough to gather his anger at the back of his mouth, until he needs to use it, or swallow it down and forget it. He doesn't want to blow it in front of Castella, for he wants to show her he's capable of change. 

"Animbas, please remove your talons." Arcus says as nicely as he can, but he can't help the little growl that underlines his very deep baritone voice. He looks up to see Animbas's green eyes flash with surprise from the apology, and he loses his concentration for a second. It comes back in a clear vison when he snarls, "I would rather die at this point. I've lost everything, and dying now would change nothing. Don't you understand? I have nothing to lose, and my life amounts to nothing much."

"Don't make the same mistake I did, Animbas, for being angry the rest of your life is a quick way to travel downhill. I'm only learning to change now, but I can see the benefits of happiness." Arcus says before another astonished look swipes across Animbas's face, and he asks with a snap of his jaws, "Do you even hear yourself Arcus? What have you been doing? Yoga or constantly mating with Castella? Eating more or drinking more? What the heck has happened to you?"

"Don't make assumptions, Animbas." Arcus growls, feeling defensive, his good attitude slowly melting away. His blazing green eyes go darker under the threat of turning to his dragon form, but only when Castella's hand squeezes his harder, does he relax. But only slightly. He doesn't want to be kind for no purpose. He wants to see Animbas change, and he doesn't want to be trapped under his talons, all small. 

"She just helped me see the better side of things." He says slowly, speaking that way to give himself time to chill. He can feel Castella looking at him with a smile, and it gives him the controlled manner to continue with a kind voice. 

"I know you feel hurt, and you want to hide that with your anger. Believe me, I know what it is like to be that way." Arcus pauses to gather a breath, looking up into Animbas's dark green eyes. He doesn't like the way they're filled with anger, all toward Castella, and to continue his sentence, it takes a lot of control, especially with Animbas's look of victory. That spikes Arcus like a thorn, and he decides it's rather nasty to be low on the scale of command.