The Last Fight
Written by Jaspin
Soon, they had matured into adults. And then their
curiosities about adulthood began to run wild. It felt
natural for the both of them to explore and experiment
hidden pleasures of their bodies with each other. They
never limited themselves to each other, but most of the
time, the never strayed far apart. Darksun had found
himself not just lusting for Quill, but loving her as
well. He wanted her to be his, always, and no one else�s.
He had asked on several occasions if they could be more
than simple lovemates. But she always refused. She
was not one who wished to have herself tied to anything
permanent. Still, Darksun pushed, and insisted, and
always searched for her soulname. It began to frighten
Quill, and she spent less time with him in the furs to
escape his constant hounding.
Not only that, but lately she turned to other activities.
Hunting, running, climbing, swimming. In each and
every area, she became more and more proficient...More
and more like the Chief that she was destined to be. And
she was slowly leaving Darksun in the dust behind her. She
could best him in almost everything, now. No matter how
much she hated to admit it...She was faster, stronger,
and smarter than he was. He tried to keep up with her,
but because of this she seemed to be only one step ahead
of him all the time.
Darksun hadn't bothered to ask her why. Why was she
doing these things? Instead, he played a hurt little
cub, sulking in the shadows and watching from afar.
He felt she was doing this as part of a game, to get
under his skin and drive him wild. It was working, as
far as he was concerned. He didn't realize it was because
of his...possessiveness that Quill spent less time with him.
And now, now Darksun watched his beloved Quill with
another male. Oh sure, he shared her...But she had
been spending too much time with this scraggly youth
named Bone. More often than not, he would see Quill
slinking to Bone's den instead of his. There had been
more nights where he lay lonely in his furs while he
heard the giggles and sighs of other lovers around him.
He wondered how many of those were Quill's and Bone's.
After a while, Quill and Bone seemed to be getting tired
of their games, and embraced each other in the pools.
Darksun could not bare to watch, and turned away, letting
the curtain of his den draw shut.
Grim hadn't been the only one to see Darksun sulk off.
Quill had also seen him slip away as she was entering
Bone's den. Darksun had been more broody, and more withdrawn
lately. She knew it was because she was denying his
advances, but it still touched her somewhere. She apologized
to Bone, and went off quietly after him. She didn't want
to loose all touch with Darksun...She just wished he'd be
less possessive of her. She thought his love for her was
just a phase that would pass, like it had with many other
maidens for him.
**(Where are you running off to, Darksun?)** Quill's send
pierced into his thoughts and he sighed.
**(Just a walk. Why should you care?)** Darksun replied
back, grumbling in his send.
**(I don't know, really. You just look upset...)** Quill sent back.
**(Wow. You're very observant, aren't you? Surprised
you've seen anything beyond Bone lately.)** Darksun sent bitterly.
Quill caught up to him and put a hand on his shoulder,
spinning him around to face her. She looked at him sternly.
**(And just what does that mean, hmm?)**
**(You didn't notice me in my den when you were down
in that pool earlier today.)** Darksun said with a glare.
Quill's eyes narrowed. **(You were -spying- on me?
How dare you? Who do you think you are, Darksun? You
don't own me, I can be with whoever I please.)**
**(You've proven that to me many times over the past
few weeks, Quill.)** Darksun snarled. **(You haven't
spent one night with me this week at all.)**
**(Can you blame me? Whenever we're together, all you
talk about is Lifemating and you search for my soulname.
I feel violated.)** Quill said, glaring back at him.
**(I love you, Quill. I know deep down somewhere you
love me, and you and I will be together forever, someday.
Just wait, Recognition will have us.)** Darksun said,
convinced his words were truth.
**(I would rather Recognize a Human.)** Quill spit back
at Darksun, and then he grabbed her by the shoulders and
looked her in the eye. She quickly shoved him off.
**(Stop it! What is with you?)**
**(What do you think?)** Darksun snarled.
**(You want to know what I think? I think your jealous,
and afraid.)** Quill told him.
**(Of what?)** Darksun folded his arms, propping
his spear in the crook of his arm.
**(Of Bone.)** Quill stated simply, leaning on her spear.
**(You're just afraid that he might please me in the furs
better than you.)** She said, a bit taunting.
Darksun promptly slapped her across the cheek. Quill
reeled a bit, having half expected that reaction. She
looked at him with fire in her eyes, but not as much
as he had in his. **(You take that back.)** He growled.
There was no way...No way he was second to Bone in any
way, including pleasing Quill.
Quill glared at Darksun, then took the blunt end of her
spear and smacked him in the head with it. This was not
the first physical fight they had gotten into...She
didn't think it would be the last. **(No. What I said
is true, you are afraid.)**
**(She-snake!)** Darksun shouted, recovering from the
blow to the head. He took his own spear and hit her in
the belly with it, knocking the wind out of her. He
turned to leave it at that, but she dropped her spear
and tackled him from behind, sending them tumbling in
the sand as he dropped his spear as well.
**(Dungbeetle!)** She screamed in his mind as she put him in a chokehold.
Darksun quickly flipped her over his back and then
tackled her into the sand. The two of them wrestled
around a bit, occasionally getting a hit in now and
then. They were both starting to tire out, and Quill
had almost forgotten why they had gotten into the fight.
Darksun had not, however. He pinned her to the ground
in such a way that she could not move. He had her
face down in the sand, sitting on her rear end with
her hands behind her back.
**(Tell me, Quill. Tell me you don't love me and I
will leave you alone.)** Darksun growled into her mind.
"I don't love you." Quill spit out aloud.
**(No...Send to me, Quill. Send me that statement,
and I'll never bother you again.)** Darksun said, and
Quill remained silent, unmoving. **(You can't, can you?
I told you, somewhere deep down, you love me. You
know it to be true. I am yours, Quill. And you are
mine...)** Darksun growled as he leaned closer to her head.
Quill growled and screamed, then lifted her head hard
into Darksun's, knocking him off kilter a moment. He
let go of her and stumbled backwards, landing on his
back. Quill took the opportunity and stood up, looking
down at Darksun. **(I am NOBODY'S!)** She shouted
into his mind, then leapt for him. He brought his feet
up just as she was over him and grabbed her arms.
His feet connected with her stomach and he threw her
over him, then spun around and grabbed his spear.
The next moment he was standing over her, his spear
thrusting towards Quill's throat in a deathjab. Then
two sends pierced him at the same
time, and he froze midstab.
**(Darksun, no!)** Wind's voice pierced him.
Wind and Cactus had heard Quill's scream and came out
to investigate. It was lucky they came in time, Darksun
was just a hair width away from killing Quill. He
looked down at her fearful face in horror, and immediately
dropped his spear. He knelt down beside her, and pulled
her into his embrace, tears in his eyes. **(Oh High
Ones...Quill...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to--)**
**(DON'T TOUCH ME!)** Quill screamed in his mind and
Darksun gripped his head, letting go of Quill as she
shoved him off of her into the sand. She stood, horrorstruck,
dazed, and hurt. **(Don't...Ever...Touch me...Again.)**
She said to Darksun, then looked to Wind and Cactus,
and felt her pride crumble. She ran away from them
back towards the Pride, tears streaking down her cheeks.
Wind and Cactus quickly followed after her, leaving
Darksun curled in the sands, weeping.
For a long time after the sun had fully set, Darksun wept.
Then, he was silent. He made a decision. He would leave...
If he didn't, he would just hurt Quill more. And surely,
she would kill him for what he had done to her. His bond,
Grim, came looking for him.
::Darksun? What happened? Quill came back...She was crying.::
Grim nuzzled Darksun and purred, trying to soothe his companion.
::Go back to our Den...get some things. Waterskins, dried
meats. We're leaving. I can't stay here, I'll hurt her.
I can't do that...I love her.:: Darksun told his bond softly,
nuzzling him back.
Grim looked at Darksun a moment, then trotted off back to
the Pride. A little while latter, he came back with what
Darksun had asked him to bring. Darksun picked up his spear,
and got on Grim's back. They two of them rode off into
the night, in silence. A heavy burden lay on Darksun's
heart, and the only way he could get rid of it was to run away.
Darksun frowned with a sigh as he looked out over the
bathing pool from his den. His eye were watching a
certain fiery haired maiden and a scraggly young male
laughing and playing in the water. The maiden's name was
Quill, and she was the object of all of Darksun's desires,
hopes, fears, and hates. Ever since she was born, she'd
been a thorn in his side. Taking away the attention he
received as a cub. They were only a few years apart, and
so it was natural they grew up as friends. But they
were bitter rivals as well. As cublings, it was not
uncommon to find them at each other�s throats.
Often times they had to be separated by their parents.
Later on in the day, when the sun was starting to set,
Darksun went for one of his brooding walks in the desert
dunes. His bond, a cheetah named Grim, followed behind
him. Darksun shook his head. "I'm sorry, my friend.
But I'm going alone, I must think." Grim gave a bit of
a growling whimper, but nuzzled his bond's hand and
licked it, then slunk back to the other cheetahs.
Darksun knew he was being followed, but didn't turn around.
Maybe she would go away and leave him be to think. Maybe...
But doubtful. Once her mind was set on something...
**(Darksun, stop!)** Cactus's voice pierced him.