BONFIRES AND BANDAIDS ( Blake/ Calvin/ JC )

[Foxtrot]

"...This is a really big knife." Blake declared and propped up his body against the cave wall, from afar he could see the light of the bonfire flickering and the shadows of JC looking into the flames. The two kind of seperated for a moment so the order member could clean out his wounds privately. " heh heh.. didnt think I could get something this big inside me" The order joked, not realizing it was dirty until after he said it. " n-no I didnt mean it that way!" Blake defended in a frantic motion towards his friend. " ..either way; we better do the right thing and return this knife to its original owner."

He handed the giant hunting knife with the name 'Dingo' towards his best friend and offered a weak smile. " I just feel bad about the firebird." Blake admitted and moved to rest the back of his head against the jagged walls of the cave. They all decided to stay there for the evening and when morning finally comes all 3 of them were going to head out. He still needed to talk JC about what they were going to do exactly; if he was going to help against Dingo or not. One thing was for sure, 2 legendaries were still out there and from their last meeting Dingo was going to go after them. "...what about you? how are you feeling? "

[Delta]

Calvin was in a little bit of a daze, even now. If it hadn't been for his friend, he knew that knife could've been inside him, and possibly somewhere even deeper and more difficult to recover from. The image was still flashing in his mind's eye vividly and painfully. He took the knife carefully and set it aside, handling it like the deadly weapon that it was. When Blake laughed off his joke, he attempted to play along, but his tone indicated that there might be something else on his mind. "So... now we know that Raf isn't quite THAT big," he teased, forcing a smile and laugh towards the knife before taking a heavy sigh and finishing up covering Blake's wound. It had been cauterized closed by Aristotle, but Calvin had insisted on covering it, just to help keep it protected. He was concerned about the trip now, in fact, far more concerned than when they had first left, but he'd kept it all to himself so far, not wanting JC to catch onto the fact that he was genuinely worried. Regardless, he would always follow Blake, despite any misgivings he might have. The only trouble was he hadn't been able to voice them just yet.

He pursed his lips slightly as he sat down, feeling his heart weighing heavily upon him. "I dunno... I mean... I guess I'm alright, thanks to you," he admitted, giving his best friend a small smile. "But all this... I guess I didn't really think that we'd run into someone so bold. I mean, the place has been here like this for how long, and you and JC are the only two to respond to the danger..." He knew he wasn't making much sense, and it was even tougher to voice his thoughts when he was still having to keep his voice down. "And... what was he talking about killing it anyway? You have any idea why he'd do that?" Cal asked, feeling incredibly confused by the whole thing.

JC, in the meantime, sat quietly by the fire, his eyes almost lost in the flickering flames as he sat next to Magellan, rubbing his rubbery skin almost mindlessly. He had failed. The one reason that he was even here was to destroy the birds and release the legend at the heart of the island, but now... now he'd only made matters worse. He was RIGHT there... he could've sliced the bird's neck, and been a third of the way done. He could've started the path towards balance... But what was next? What was going to happen now? The firebird was still alive, but no longer contributing. Would the master show himself then, with the legendary still alive? He looked frozen in time, deep in thought as the fire cast eerie shadows across his face. He knew that Blake wouldn't understand what he was trying to do. And now that he'd openly stated his goals, what was the point in trying to say something else. He knew Blake had heard him threaten the legendary. Fat lot of good it did, but nevertheless, he couldn't take it back, and didn't want to. Balance didn't come from 3 individuals; balance came from the one. Only the master could see everything and adjust the balance accordingly. The other two legendary birds out there on the otherhand? They would be blind to everything else. It wouldn't be until the bird of life made it to the spot that the firebird had fallen that either of them would truly realize what had happened. And by then, 2/3 of the island would be shrouded in ice, with no source of heat. Where would the balance be then? They NEEDED to release the master. The only question was... how? All JC knew was that if no one else was willing to do it, he would. Somehow.

[Foxtrot]

Blake laughed along with his friend, his laughter actually making him wince a little from the pain and instantly he reached over to hug his body from the stinging sensation. " ow ow ow.." The boys face was bright red from the fact they were talking about Raf and when the subject changed to something more serious his own expression started to calm down. " Call me crazy.. but I dont think he killed the bird. He would of done it in front of us if he did.. He's doing something.. I dont know what it is.. but whatever it is its not going to be good. " His eyes drifted over towards the other Master and the orders brows furrowed slightly from concern. He knew where JC stood when it came to this; but he wasnt sure if he was willing to help them out on the crazy mission the order was starting to plan.

" He took down that firebird pretty fast.. if he was a true hunter; he would be more excited on catching something that legendary.... but if you noticed; it was like an every day capture." Blake added with a small nod. "He's after the big guy.. he wants the one hidden..and for that, your going to need all 3 birds. Taking one will break the cycle and to tell you the truth; i dont know what the effects are going to be. I dont know how its going to be here on the island.. and i dont know how its going to be in our world. " Blake sighed a bit and sat up from his position. " ..thanks for coming with me again Cal, I know I can always count on you.. for anything."

[Delta]

Calvin forced a smile and looked down at his plate of food, not really feeling that hungry. "You've always been around for me. We kinna gotta look out for each other, man," he replied, his tone low and a little overwhelmed. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, it was blurring to the Canadian. "So, what're we gonna do about it? We weren't exactly prepared to fight that guy the first time..." Not to mention, Calvin thought to himself, we found out what happened when he fought unprotected. His beam was formidable, but using it left him literally blind and therefore defenseless. The wound in his best friend's side was a result of that. Because of his own handicap, Blake was forced to take that hit for him, injuring himself to save Calvin's life.

"Do we even know what to expect? I mean, you said it yourself, it's all just legend... What if the big one doesn't wake up? Or worse... what if he does actually get captured?"

[Foxtrot]

"awww.. your mushy" The order leader teased and reached over to nudge Calvin with his feet. " B.F.F.L! Best friends foe LYFEEE" Blake laughed and high fived his friend only to wince after doing it. " ow.. okay, none of that for awhile." The order winced and slowly got up to his feet. " Theres no use on worrying about the what ifs Cal, we just gotta focus on what we can do right now.. and right now; we're going to need all the help we can get. " He nodded towards JC from afar, he knew they had a small disagreement earlier but Blake wasnt too proud to ask for help especially if he needed it. " cmon.." He whispered to the other order member and limped over towards the only bonfire in the cave.

"...hey" Blake rasped out and sat on a flat rock that was next to the other hellion master. " SoOo.. uhhh.. you got any plans on what your going to do in the morning? "

[Delta]

Calvin let out a laugh, even as Blake winced in pain. Even though he was obviously concerned for his friend, the Order member couldn't help but feel a little amazed at how his friend was taking everything. He remembered a time when Blake would be afraid of almost everything. The Order had definitely changed him, made him more positive and confident, which Cal admired greatly. When Blake looked back over towards JC, his smile faded slightly. He bit his lip, glancing over towards his friend. "You think he'll really do it?" he asked before following the leader over.

JC had lost track of time in the flames, his eyes going narrow and glassy from just sitting there with the embers casting their ghostly glow over his face. When the other master came by and sat down, he didn't look over at him right away, but instead kept his eyes on the flames. "...What's it matter? I fucked up. It's all gonna get fucked up 'cuz of me, man," he said, finally looking up at Blake with deeply furrowed brows. "I mean... what's the point? You saw how he fought... And he didn't even break a sweat to take the bird... The whole place... it's gonna freeze over..." He was partially rambling, more just saying the words that were in his head without making any real meaning to them. From the look in his eyes, they were lost, almost blind; well beyond a sense of fully rational thinking.

[Foxtrot]

Blake allowed his own sight to land on the flickering flames in front of him as JC started on what he needed to say. The order leader was listening very carefully; he could sense the defeat in his voice. Though the masters moral was down the order was going to try his best to keep on going. It was a belief he always had; even though hes scared of the result he knew he couldnt just sit there and allow it to happen. ".. I can see why your feeling that way." The order muttered and rolled his shoulders. " But you see...I cant help but wonder if theres a reason to why we're here. why.. we're the ones who answered to the call and not any others. Out of this giant island we're on.. we happen to find each other in a field.. sure we were chased by raptors but thats kind of a normal thing that happens to me and Cal all the time." Blake admitted with a little chuckle.

" JC.. your really good. I was struggling to keep up with you and I've done alot of training. Trust me on that. When went against Dingo we werent prepared for what he had. All 3 of us went in their blindly... " Blake ranted on and allowed his dark eyes to glance over. " Cal and I are going to go after him tomorrow.. Its going to be really hard to beat him without your help..."

[Delta]

JC listened to what Blake had to say, still looking out blindly against the far wall. "...I came here to kill them," he finally admitted, his head turning towards Blake to meet up with his eyes. "All three of them, all they ever do is destroy one another's land. And that's what we call balance..." The master felt his eyes narrow almost with a sort of hollow rage. He glared at Blake for a few seconds before he turned back into the fire. "My grandpa told me the stories about this place. He said the balance here guides the whole world. What the birds do here, that's what happens all over the world. It's what causes wildfires in the spring, and blooms in the summers, and storms in the winters. The birds keep the cycle going, he said." The trainer swallowed and blinked his eyes hard, clearly holding back his emotions. "I asked him what would happen if one of them died..." he opened his mouth, the memory playing back in his mind as he was slowly reciting it. "He said... he said that's why the Great One is here... he can keep the balance by himself." In a way, it was childish, but to JC, it was a very real feeling, deep in his core. "The cycles killed my family..." he explained looking back up at Blake. "This isn't balance... it never was."

The master lowered his eyes back to the fire for several long seconds before suddenly speaking again, his voice hollow and empty; someone who'd given up. "...How are we going to do it?" he asked, without really knowing why. Despite everything he'd just admitted to. He knew, deep down, that he couldn't do it. He wasn't going to be able to kill the birds. He hadn't before, what made him possibly think that he'd be able to now?

[Foxtrot]

"I'm sorry to hear that. " Blake replied back with a soft tone, his own expression sad from what JC admitted to. " ..I understand your point of view on this and.. I know maybe my own beliefs wont change your mind. To tell you the truth, I dont know whats going to happen if the balance is off. I dont know if the worlds going to go in chaos. You might even be right that the true legendary has the power to set things right... however"

He gulped and allowed his eyes to return to the fire, the sound of the flickering flames was the only thing they could hear in the quiet cave. " Theres one thing I do believe in.. and thats the precious life of that bird. Dingo didnt kill it in front of us, he would of shown it to us as his trophy if he did so. He's a true poacher.. I know his kind. I unfortunetly experienced a few in the past. "

Blake sighed and panned his attention back on the other master. " Life is always precious..and no one should ever deserve to die.. or be hunted. Tomorrow morning, Calvin and I are heading towards the opposite end, where the forests grow. We're going to look for the bird of life. "

[Delta]

JC looked back down at Magellan with sad eyes, communicating with his familiar silently. He didn't say anything for a while, and it wasn't until Gel brayed at him, nudging him harshly with his wet nose, that the master turned back towards the fire, his face a little red, as if embarrassed. "And what are we going to do once we get there?" he asked, using we twice on purpose.

[Foxtrot]

"...we're going to appeal to its better nature." Blake snorted and allowed a very small smile to grow. " We're not alone on this journey JC. We have friends.. and plenty of them." The master replied with a soft tone. " ...so what do you say? "

[Delta]

He looked at his familiar one more time and sighed. "I say... we should get some sleep." His gaze shifted back towards the other master. "We have a long day tomorrow," he added, a grim, weak smile faintly passing over his own face.

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