Shelter

This is a fanfiction by Commander Firefly.
It is partly inspired by Luster's story Angel and the song Halo, by Beyoncé.
Hymn For The Missing, by RED.
I tried to walk together
But the night was growing dark
Thought you were beside me
But I reached and you were gone
Sometimes I hear you calling
From some lost and distant shore
I hear you crying softly for the way it was before
Where are you now?
Are you lost?
Will I find you again?
Are you alone?
Are you afraid?
Are you searching for me?
Why did you go? I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you
Will you wait? will you wait?
Will I see you again?
You took it with you when you left
These scars are just a trace
Now it wanders lost and wounded
This heart that I misplaced
Where are you now?
Are you lost?
Will I find you again?
Are you alone?
Are you afraid?
Are you searching for me?
Why did you go? I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you
Will you wait? will you wait?
Will I see you again?
==Chapter One==
Mindwalker stood guard over her precious egg in the small, pristine house. She paced back and forth as her husband tried to calm her from the stairs. "Come on honey! Step away from the egg and relax!" He said smoothly. "I can't! Do you know how precious this egg is to me?" She retorted. "Yes, but you do need to relax." She reluctantly sat down, tail swinging from side to side. Her black scales shone in the light, her bright purple eyes glowing with anticipation. She started to whistle quietly, and her husband, Nyn, started to hum along with her. They gazed at each other, full of love for the other. Little did they know that was all about to change.
A crack appeared in the pure black egg. "It's hatching!" Mindwalker cried. She stood up and crooned to the egg, eyes shining with tears. First, a small, cobalt blue head appeared, with pure black horns. It had maroon/razzmatazz eyes, with green spikes. It long ears too. Finally, a dragonet tumbled out of the egg. It had no wings. "What. Is THAT?!" Nyn screeched. "Our dragonet!" Mindwalker hissed, holding the small thing close. Nyn lashed out, making his mate drop the small thing on the hard tile floor. "THAT IS NO DRAGONET OF MINE!!!" He spat, glass shattering as his tail whacked a vase. "Then leave." Mindwalker whispered. "Excuse me?!" Nyn said, shocked. "Leave." She commanded. Nyn glanced back hatefully as the door slammed behind him. He left, never to be seen again. She sat down and cried, holding her daughter in her arms. "I shall call you Halo. My daughter, so full of light, so overcome by dark. I promise, no one will ever hurt you. I promise."
==Chapter Two==
Halo sat crying in her room again, a fresh, bloody scar rippling across her back. Stupid bullies. Why do they hate me?! She bled on her ragged bed, the crimson liquid seeping onto the dusty wooden floor. The ceiling creaked above her. Her small bedside lamp flickered beside her as her salty tears traveled down her snout. She sobbed, breath nearly leaving her as she took huge ragged breaths. She tried to calm herself before her over-protective mother got home. Her thin tail lashed as she tried to compose herself. Her pet tiger, Fire, strode up next to her, purring as he curled up next to her. She stroked his pelt, thinking. The tears were nearly dry, merely a memory now. Her double-colored eyes closed in pain as she thought of why the other dragonets disliked her. She felt like a mistake. It seemed like she was just a bug to be trampled under their talons. Fire snored beside her as she slowly stood up and tip-taloned downstairs. She dug into the refrigerator, searching for the raw chicken her mother had left. She ate it quickly, and tended to the new cut. She felt her eyes start to tear again as she noticed it was right where her wings should've been. She shook herself quickly, and laid on the couch, dozing off.
She sulked on her bed. It seems like even mom hates me. She thought hatefully. Suddenly, a sharp, pained cry rose from the streets of her desolate neighborhood. She screamed in agony, noticing the fire-colored body, with black stripes. She dashed outside, tears flying behind her and spattering the sidewalk. She broke down, sobbing, in the middle of the cracked and splintered road. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" She howled. Blood seeped around her, the crimson liquid staining her shining scales. Fire's neck was bent painfully, and blood had exploded out of it. Halo picked him up, cradling him in her arms and shaking when she saw his head loll to the side. Her ears flattened against her head in pain. Tragedy after tragedy, and it was always HER fault! She screamed again, just from the sheer reality of it all. The darkness ascended upon her, stars and the three moons glittering. Crickets chirped a song in symphony. The nighttime dulled the pain, tiredness sweeping over her like a tsunami. She carried Fire up the stairs, laying his bloodied body on her already crimson-stained bed. She stroked him softly, digging her snout into his cold fur. His green eyes were dull, and unseeing. "Go, my Flame. My little spark. Go join the ancestors and wait for me." She let shining, crystalline tears drop into his fur. Man, I cry too much... She thought sadly. Her claws scraped against the floor as she climbed into bed and turned off the lamp. "One last night, my spark."
She climbed out of bed the next day, thumping down on the floor, uncaring. She picked Fire's dead body up and trudged into the pouring rain, stomping into her backyard. She used her talons and tore apart the ground, mud piling into a mound around her. She gently laid the orange and black body in the ground, covering him with the wet dirt. She laid a beautiful crimson and gold flower on the mound of dirt, and slowly started to carve a headstone. Lightning flashed in the dark sky and thunder boomed, but she carried on. Finally she put the smooth stone in front of the pile and stood in the rain, water dripping of her scales as she closed her eyes, sitting in front of the grave. The water dripped around her as she glimmered in the rain. Her tail wrapped around her as she stared at the mound, the fact that her best friend had just passed away. She closed her eyes, cloaking them in darkness, and laid her snout on the grave.
==Chapter Three==
She awoke hours later, snout still on the mud. Her light eyes gleamed as the rain trickled down slowly onto her body. She looked down at the grave and sighed. "I will miss you." She trudged back home to gather her school things. Leaping onto the bus, she took her seat at the back. The ragged blue leather scraped against her scales and she looked out the misty window. She ignored the taunting of the other students. When they reached the school, she jumped of the bus and strode into school. Once inside, she scrambled to her locker and taloned in the combination. Suddenly, she felt a cold paw on her shoulder. She spun around and snarled. The prissy, snobby, bratty girls were here. To bully her. One lone, new student stood at the head of the pack of brats. She smirked and hissed, "So, you're the worthless little loser these girls have told me about. Well, let me tell you something." She slammed her paws into Halo's chest, knocking her to the floor. "You're a worthless maggot, nothing but a worm for us to step on. And by the way, the name is Deepfreeze. You'd do well to remember it."
She flinched and crawled back. "O-ok." The bell rang and she scrambled up, slamming her locker shut and rushing to class. She sat down at her worn and scratched desk, looking at the blurred words that were etched on the board. She took out her pencil and started to draw on her paper. Her mother always said she was a very talented artist, but she didn't believe her. She drew a dragon she had named Freedom. She was a thin dragoness, with large wings and eyes that glimmered with hope. She drew Hope next, another dragoness, who was kind. She then drew Honesty, a male dragon, who never lied. And on and on she went. Loyalty, Joy, and Love. 
Love. The one thing she craved. She wanted love from another besides her mother. She wanted someone to protect her, someone she could protect back. 
The bell rang. She and her classmates strode outside, and she sat alone on the wall of the school. Her face was covered in shadow as she drew silently, alone, again. She felt a gentle paw on her shoulder and she squeaked. She looked up and saw the face of another NightWing. She believed his name was Ashfall. She looked at him, afraid. "Wha- what do you want?" She whispered. "I just wanna ask you something. Would you...maybe...be my girldragon?" He asked shyly. "Why do you want me?" She responded sadly, though inside she felt as if she was floating on air. "You're special."
She looked at him. "I- I can't." He looked at her sadly. "Ok." He stood up and walked away, casting a broken-hearted look over his shoulder. She let the tear fall. The single drop landed on Love, and destroyed her. 
==Chapter Four==
It was dark. She had to stay at school for a few hours and clean for the teacher. She walked home, only the small, dim streetlights leading her home. She stopped in front of a shadowed alley. The wind whispered around her, and she felt enticed to go in. She crept around a large, creaking, rusty metal trash can. Suddenly, she was pushed against the wall. 
A gun.
To her head. 
She wanted to scream. But she couldn't. Fear gripped her.
It tore her to pieces.
An IceWing. Deepfreeze. Wants to kill her. "Deepfreeze, stop. Please. Please."
The cold blue eyes locked onto her own. They showed a turmoil of emotion. Hatred, pain, sorrow, empathy, pity, and love.
Love for death? Love for murder? Love for destruction?
"Please."
Deepfreeze looked at her again. It seemed as though a spell had been broken. 
Then, a single gunshot.
==Chapter Five==
She opened her eyes.
No pain. No blood. But most of all, she was still alive. Unharmed. 
The dragoness in front of her was not. 
Deepfreeze lay on the cold, broken ground, life pouring out of her. Her eyes were dulling. "What have I become?" She whispered. Her eyes clouded over, and her chest lay still. Bloody crimson stained her once sparkling snowy scales. A small trickle of blood leaked out of her opened mouth. Her eyes stared forwards, unseeing. Her talons curled over the black metal of the gun. Blood curdled around her opened chest, the metal of the bullet still gleaming.  
She sat down next to the dead child. She closed Deepfreeze's eyes and ran out of the alley. 
She collapsed in the threshold of her house. The lights were out. She crawled upstairs, blood spattered across her. This time, it wasn't her own. She sat on the bed, and strangely, felt emotionless. Dead. Nothing. A robot. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "So, so sorry."
"For the monster I am. For the little freak I am. For the bullied, crybaby, disgusting thing I am."
"But I'm even more sorry you died for it." She crept downstairs, and went into the kitchen. She looked at the clock. "Mom won't be home till tomorrow. I have enough time." She pulled out her mom's carving knife. She looked at the metal, gleaming under the moon. 
Then, the phone rang. 
She picked it up. "Hello?" "Hi honey! I know you've been depressed over Fire lately, so I was going to get you a present. Love you!" She hung up.
Love you. Love you. Love you. The words she needed to hear. How could she ever think no one needed her? She sobbed. And the knife fell to the floor. 
==Chapter Six==
The next day, everything was normal. She packed her bags. She gathered her school things and hopped on the bus. She looked through the window, watcching her smiling mother wave. For the first time in months, she felt a smile grace her snout. She started to draw again, waiting for the long, bumpy, road to school. She put her paw to her chest and felt her heart beat. 1. 2. 3.
She walked to her locker and grabbed her binder, then walked to class. No bullies. 
When it was time for recess, she sat by the wall. She saw Ashfall come over again, and she winced. "H-hi." She whispered."Hey. Um, could...could you maybe rethink my offer?" He asked quietly. "Yes. I do." She answered shyly. He hugged her and stood up. "Meet me at eight tonight, Marrow Hill." "Ok."
She walked home and deposited her stuff. She ran to Marrow Hill, trying to get there on time. She collapsed, panting, on top of the hill, next to Ashfall. "Hey." He said, smiling. "Hi." She responded, sitting next to him. He wrapped his wing around her. 
The sun set slowly, spreading soft golden rays across the city, light rosy colors tinting it as the night settled in, turning the sky royal purple, dark, beautiful blue, and pure black, already shining with stars. Her eyes gleamed with the gentle colors, which soon went away. 
And there they sat, looking at the stars. Watching. Waiting. 
For the first time in her life, Halo was happy. 
==The Final Chapter==
Soon, winter moved in. 
The lakes and rivers froze over, so Ashfall offered to take her skating. She happily agreed.
She put on her skates and they had Ashfall's parents drive them over. She and Ashfall twirled around on the whiteish-blue shimmering ice. "This is fun!" She exclaimed. "I'm going to go get a drink." Ashfall stated, then skated away. "Ok!" She called after him. She just slipped around on the ice, playing alone. It was fun. Soon, she was headed back to shore. Then, everything went wrong. 
She fell through the thin ice. The cold water engulfed her and she went numb, unable to move. The sun shone icily down at her, mocking her. She struggled, but only succeeded in pushing herself down farther. Her last breath was lost, and she looked up one last time. 
Ashfall had jumped in after her. He was trying to swim after her, pull her back. She shook her head, to make him go. She didn't want him to be hurt. She didn't want him to die. 
He sunk down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. He thought, I'm not letting you go. And Halo smiled. 
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
One step closer
[Chorus:]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
[Chorus:]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
One step closer
One step closer
[Chorus:]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Halo stepped into the light. Fire tackled her, and she laughed. Ashfall was next to her. Deepfreeze approached her, and said, "I'm sorry." She hugged Halo, and stepped back. Halo smiled and said, "I love you. All of you."
No more destination.
No more pain.
Category:Content (Commander Firefly)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)