Chapter Twenty-Three - The Damage Has Been Done

Chapter Twenty-Three – The Damage Has Been Done

The temperature dropped rapidly. I shivered as I stood next to Annie in her tiger form, but not because I was cold. My stomach was beginning to push up whatever food I had eaten that day and I was starting to feel dizzy. I couldn't control it, this feeling at had inside of me. What was wrong with me? It was like my body was trying to tell me something I already knew deep down inside. This battle wasn't going to end in a good way. Something horrible was about to happen. I just wish I knew what.
I glanced over to my side and realized Annie seemed a little nervous too.
“Annie, are you okay?” I asked as she turned to face me. Her beautiful blue eyes filled with worry.
“I'm worried, Dante. I'm worried Jurah will get himself killed.” Annie clenched her teeth as she turned to face Jurah and Saeron. “He's in no condition to fight now.”
“Why not stop the fight then?”
“I...I can't. Jurah wouldn't listen to me.” She looked down in utter sadness. I followed her gaze as my eyes met the floor. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him either, but if Annie, someone he had known all his life, couldn't stop him than there was no way I could.
I turned my eyes in the direction of Jurah and Saeron. After standing in the darkness so long their figures were beginning to look less like black blobs and more like themselves. Both stood in their tiger forms, Saeron in complete silence and Jurah growling low, his body very tense. Just from looking at them I could feel the tension in the air.
And then it started.
Saeron dodged Jurah's attack with ease, his wound clearly affecting his speed and strength, then he came at Jurah with a slightly faster attack that hit Jurah's left side, knocking him off his feet for a few seconds. Saeron almost managed to follow up with another attack when Jurah leaped up and took Saeron by surprise. Biting deep into Saeron's paw Jurah jerked back and forth, causing Saeron to roar in pain as he desperately tried to kick away from Jurah. One of his kicks sucessfully managed to plant into Jurah's face, causing him to release Saeron's paw.
When Saeron fell back to his feet I could tell the wound was severe. I wasn't sure, but Saeron's paw may have been totally broken beyond repair. He licked it a few times and set it back on the ground with a soft whimper. It was most definitely broken.
Jurah stood on the other side batting his paw at his face where Saeron had kicked him. The wound was barely noticeable, but I could see where it would hurt enough to bother Jurah.
In a few minutes they were back at it again. Saeron snapping his teeth at Jurah's face, and Jurah kicking his feet at Saeron's stomach. Rarely did I ever see Jurah suffering from his wound. It bled quite a bit, but only from his constant movement. In fact, Saeron never seemed to aim for Jurah's stomach.
At one point the two were locked together. Saeron having his teeth planted into Jurah's neck and Jurah with his claws in Saeron's back. Both kicked madly at one another, trying to break loose from the other's grasp. It was mostly like this throughout the whole battle. I was starting to think that may nothing bad would happen. And then it started getting bad.
“I just might win Dante after all.” Jurah yelled into the night.
“What's that?” Saeron growled back.
“You're barely trying. I could beat you right now if I wanted to.” Jurah taunted.
“I think you've just given me a reason to try a little harder.” Saeron grinned back. He took a few steps back just before leaping in the air. His teeth aimed for Jurah's neck, but only caught bits of fur.
“Is that all you got?!” Jurah recoiled back sinking his teeth into Saeron's side. He held on for a bit before release, instant blood spewing out. I watch as Saeron fell to his side in pain. My instinct was to run to his side, but I instantly caught myself, remembering this was a battle I couldn't interfere with.
“Poor Saeron. You weren't trying hard enough, and now look what happened to you. Pathetic!” Jurah spat out his works. Saeron struggled to get up. He licked his wound quickly then turned to Jurah, his mouth red with blood.
“I won't let you win. I don't care what I have to do, I won't let you win. Even if I have to kill you!” Saeron's words were harsh and angry. His eyes turned cold with rage and his body suddenly turned tense.
Without warning Saeron rushed in to Jurah, giving Jurah little time to react. However, Jurah was able to dodge Saeron just before he sunk his teeth in. Saeron took advantage of a tree just in from of him, using it too propel him back towards Jurah, a move neither we nor Jurah could have predicted. Saeron landed on top of Jurah, scratching Jurah's inner body with back claws and grasping tightly with his front claws. Jurah roared in agony as blood spilled out purfusely. Though we knew what was happening no one called out, no one stopped the fight. And before we knew it the fight had been won. And though the victor was Saeron it came at a great cost.
“Jurah!” Annie ran forward to kneel where Jurah laid. I too followed her. He lay still, though he wasn't dead, his eyes somewhat open and his breathing labored.
“Annie, it's alright.” He looked up at his cousin lovingly as she held his perfect face in her hands and started to cry.
“No it's not! Jurah, I don't want you to die!”
“I'll be okay, Annie.” He said just before rolling over on his side to cough up blood. My eyes grew wet with sadness as I realized what the feeling in my stomach had been. Jurah wasn't going to be okay. I stood back and stared out in the distance. All I could hear now were the voices, but I had no comprehension of who they came from or what significance the words had.
“We need to get him into the castle and nurse him back to health!”
“Hurry!”
“Jurah, I'm so sorry. I should have stopped this from happening.”
“Every things going to be okay, Jurah. Don't you worry.”
“Dante. Dante! Dante are you okay?” I recognized this voice. I turned my eyes to focus on Saeron. He was the only one left outside. I looked at him for a moment before falling into his arms, my eyes instantly filling with tears. His squeezed me tightly in his arms.
“I had to do it. I'm sorry.” His voice was soft.
“No, it didn't have to be this way.” I stated in a voice just as soft as his.
“Yes, Dante. Yes it did. In order for me to win I had to try as hard as I could. I had to use every advantage I could.” There was a long pause before I spoke. I knew who had been in the wrong, and it wasn't Saeron.
“You're right. I should have stopped him when I had the chance. It's my fault.” The tears were getting heavier now.
“Dante, love, it wasn't your fault. Please don't take it out on yourself.” Saeron held me closer to him, comforting me in his warm embrace.
“I feel like it was.” I said through a sob.
“Don't beat yourself up about it. Nothing you could have said would have changed his mind.” I thought about this for a moment. I might have been able to call off the fight by offering myself to Jurah. But would saving his life have been worth the pain I'd have felt for the rest of my life, knowing deep down that I loved Saeron and not Jurah? No, it wouldn't have been fair to Jurah if I loved another, nor would it have been Saeron if I had pretended to love Jurah when I really loved him.
“We should probably head inside.” Saeron spoke to me in a sweet tone as he pulled my face gently away from his chest. I nodded in response to him.
When we got back to the castle all was quiet inside. I assumed they were all in Jurah's room tending to his rooms so I suggested to Saeron that go there and visit him.
When we walked in the first thing I could smell was the scent of blood. It stuck out far more than any scent in the room, including the smell of the medicines and alcohol.
I walked to his bed side and looked down at him as he lay resting. I allowed my hand to rest on the side of his face. It felt so cold and almost lifeless.
My eyes widened as his hand moved to the hand rested on his cheek. Suddenly his eyes flashed open and a smile lit up his pale face.
“I'm glad you came to see me, Dante.” Jurah spoke faintly. “I'm sorry I lost.” His speech was interrupted with a cough and he grabbed for his mouth just in time to catch the drops of blood. I grabbed for a towel and handed it to him. He smeared the blood hastily on it and quickly turned to me. “I still love you, Dante. I always will till the day I die.”
I gulped, realizing that day may not be too far from now. A tear fell from my eye, Jurah's finger catching it on my cheek before it could fall to the floor.
“Please don't cry,” He said sweetly. “I'll be alright.” I realized he said this only to make me feel better, but it only made me feel worse. The crying grew worse and I had to turn away before it got really bad. Saeron took me in his arms again and I wept a loud as I needed to, my voice muffle by Saeron's shirt.
“I'm sorry.” I heard Jurah say to Saeron. “I hate to see her cry like this. Please, do all you can to make her happy again. If there were any last wishes for me it would be for her to be happy.”
“Don't talk like that,” Zayne said aloud. “You're going to fine, Jurah.” I heard Annie stifle a sob in the background just before she let go and took a hold of Zayne for comfort.
“It's alright, Annie. Everything will be fine.” Zayne assured her. “You'll see.”
“I do hope so.” Mel's voice came from the other end of the room. “I'd hate to lose you Jurah.”
“I'll...I'll be aright.” Jurah said before another bloody cough. “I just need to get better.”
Suddenly, without warning, Saeron's weight fell down on me. I used all my strength to pull him back onto his feet.
“Are you okay?!” I asked, shaken out of my state of sadness and now thrusted into a sense of worry.
“My side. I need to get it bandaged.” Saeron's words came through clenched teeth. The pain was clear on his face as he held his side.
“Your going to need some rest too.” Annie came forward with a basket and handed it to me. “Here, take this to Saeron's room. Bandage him up and get him to bed. He'll need rest if he wants his wounds to heal.
I nodded, then turned to help Saeron out the door.