Log:The End of the Line

The End of the Line
"Just get it over with!"
Participants Fiona and Kieran	2017.04.15 Fiona's worst nightmare becomes a reality when the Changeling she left for dead 14 years ago show up.
Location Riverside Park
Fiona was working a longer shift today than usual. So it's easy to catch the woman at work. Or well...winding down from work. It was a little after eleven in the evening and she was the only one in the park. Her truck is parked in one of the darker spots given the park was packed when she got there. There's two ravens that sit in the tree not too far away from it. They seem to be paying close attention to the woman and where she is going. Maybe she feeds them? She gets to her truck and opens the back, depositing the jacket she'd been wearing and the backpack. That leaves her in jeans, boots and a dark green sweater for the moment. Some distance off, two men are in a brief conversation. In turn, each one of them points off in the general direction of where Fiona is currently stationed. Those ravens at a distance might recognize one of her park ranger coworkers. Yet, when the two separate, it's the stranger that's headed her direction, and the other returning back to his post. The jacket he is sporting is zipped up all the way, and the stretched hood is drawn wide over his head, covering his horns in a very snug fit. As a Beast, he's not unfamiliar with the concept of tracking, and is more at home in the kind of terrain resembling the land of their shared Durance. And while he does try to keep his presence more unnoticed, he's not expecting there to be any sort of bird's eye view looking down on him, were that to be the case. So his approach likely won't go unnoticed. Fiona doesn't notice the approaching man, not yet. She's digging through the pack she's got. Looking for something. But her birds notice the man. Huginn focuses in on the man that's approaching. He gives a caw towards the other one and then they move in unison, flying down and sitting on the back of a bench that isn't far from the truck. It puts them in a better light and if Kiaran pays attention to them in the better lighting, he could tell they are hedge beasts. Twins. When Huginn calls out the woman gives a smile and in Irish Gaelic calls, ~What's wrong Hugi?~ she asks the bird. Kiaran knew he wasn't being all that cautious, but he was only expecting eyes on the ground. The twin raven's caws catch his attention, and only when he notices them swooping down to her truck are his suspicions confirmed. If that wasn't all, Fiona's call in a familiar tongue has the beast smirking in anticipation. If this isn't the woman he's been tracking for weeks, he must have the worst luck in the world. He doesn't leave it to chance any longer though. His cover has been blown, and if those birds are what he's wagering, she'll know something's coming and get spooked. So he breaks from the cover, and starts in a full-on sprint her direction. The wind catches in his hood, and flings it off, exposing his face for all three to see when he comes in view. When Huginn and Muninn start to get a bit upset by something, Fiona starts paying a bit more attention to her surroundings. That's when her bright green eyes flick to the figure that's moving...and then sprinting. All the blood drains from her face as she sees the figure. The horns and the frame give him away. Fiona manages to keep her cool for the moment, but he's coming fast and she doesn't want to stay. The back of the SUV is forgotten as the woman turns and bolts. The ravens taking to the sky as well as she heads for the tree line. He's fast. And what's more, is that he's keeping up that fast pace without slowing down as he starts closing the gap. At first, he was moving towards the vehicle, angled to get in front of it, but now that she's turned towards the treeline on foot, he's lined up directly on her rear, following her path as he breaks the treeline several seconds after she does. Nothing is said just yet by the beast, only the sound of his breathing. Fiona's heart was pounding fast enough that she was sure she was going to die from fright. She was hoping that she'd fell on her patrol and she was just having a nightmare. But as the time goes on, she realizes that this was indeed real. Her worst fear manifested and was now chasing her. The Wizened has a long stride that and she manages to outpace him for now. The ravens fly above them, keeping track of the situation from above for the moment. Kiaran's surprised she's keeping pace. But he's intent on not losing this opportunity, tapping into his glamour. Even as roots and branches jut out to trip her, he's hitting every stride perfectly, as if knowing just where to dodge. There's a quick glance around him, briefly taking in their surroundings, making sure he knows just how far they're going into these woods, and that there's still plenty of cover in front of them. When the woods turn against her, Fiona can feel it. And her heart skips a beat. She might seriously die here tonight. But she wills herself forward. Even if she is slower, she had to get away from the man behind her. The forest ahead of them was dense and starting to get easily lost in. There's only a few more seconds left of the chase as Kiaran closes the gap, and kicks off one particular root to tackle her from behind, getting his body on top of her midsection. His two arms reach down to pin hers against the ground, and starts slowing down his breath. Sure, it worked him up a bit heavier than normal, but he doesn't seem that worse for wear. If anything, reinforcing the idea that he could've kept going. "Gotcha," he growls out in between breaths. Fiona doesn't really think she's got enough stamina to outrun the hound. It's terribly frightening for her and a kin to her nightmares that she's had of him. When he slams into from behind, she falls forward, hitting her chest and face hard on the ground. She can taste the blood in her mouth already. Even though he's got her pinned, she struggles, trying to break free from him, but it's of no use, she's just going to tire herself out more. Kiaran keeps her pinned until her struggles start to fade. He keeps an eye out, making sure no pesky birds are going to start swooping him, before he lifts up slightly off of her, forcing her over onto her back. Looking down into her face. His expression though isn't one of anger or contempt. There's that natural scowl from his rather long canines, but it doesn't seem personally directed at her. He takes a few seconds, breathing, before finally saying, in Irish Gaelic, albeit with an American accent. "You look older." Fiona tries to fight more, but she's exhausted. When he lifts off of her, she tenses, but then he forces her onto her back. She's pale, terrified and she's going to be bruised. She tries to catch her breath and calm her heart, but it's no use. Her eyes are frantically looking for her ravens, damn them. She freezes though when he speaks her native tongue and she slowly looks to him, "Small talk before you murder me?" she whispers in a pained tone. There's a snort through his nose, that scowl stretching to a smirk. "I don't suppose I should make small talk" he asks, speaking in a rough-sounding Gaelic, a natural growl to his voice, as orange eyes lock with hers. "After all, you never did when you left me for dead." He relaxes a little bit, leaning back, and giving one more look around. "But no, you didn't kill me. A busted rib and a bloody lip with that kind of fear you must've felt is probably revenge enough, wouldn't you say?" "I'd prefer you just get it over with." Fiona tells him, her chin jerking up a little pridefully. Apparently if he was going to kill her, she was ready for it. Then she frowns softly, "You were trying to kill me. I was trying to escape. We both probably did things we wish we could change. But we can't." she tells him. "No, I didn't kill you." she agrees. "That fear has never left." she growls at him. "You'll have to kill me though...I'm not going back to him." she tells him through gritted teeth. "Wouldn't you prefer to live instead? Are you so quick to resign yourself to whatever fate you've imagined?" Kiaran's smirk fades a little. It's almost as if there's a faint frown now. "Don't tell me you've lost that spunk from years ago." There's a little shake of his head. "Tell you what, let's make a deal. I won't take you back to Him, and you won't try to run off or scream or harass me with those little birds. We'll have a little talk, and then, if you want, we don't have to see each other again. Deal?" Fiona looks at him like he's got three heads. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but it was clear that the woman didn't learn to trust people yet. Much less the man she left for dead so long ago. "Not lost anything...just knew this day might come." she admits. When he gives her the deal there's a moment she looks to his eyes and then she nods her head softly, "Deal." she tells him quietly. Kiaran lets out a little sigh. Relief? And slowly rises to his feet, lifting off of her midsection, and stepping aside. His hands fish into his pants and extract a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, sparking one up, and taking a long, slow drag as he looks down to her. "Well, first of all, I have not, and will not, work for Him. You broke whatever little spell he had on me when you drug me out of the Hedge with you. Like a cold bucket after you've had too much to drink." He then offers out the pack to her. Fiona scrambles backwards and plants her back against a tree as she watches him. And she listens to him carefully. She gives a soft shake of her head when he offers her the cigarettes, "I don't smoke." she tells him quietly. Then she quirks an eyebrow at him, "You've been out since we came out?" she asks him. A bit shocked, a bit regretful. "I should have stayed with you...but I was scared." she admits. "So...what are you doing here?" she asks him. He slides the pack back in his pocket, taking another long drag. "I don't normally, unless the blood gets flowing," a hint of a smirk. "Yep. Another one of our kind found me, took me in. And you had every right not to stay with me. You might've been safe, as I didn't really remember anything." He takes up a tree opposite of her, giving her space. "I came looking for you. Not out of revenge. But..." giving a little shake of his head. "My circumstances had changed. I was kind of curious as to what happened to you." Fiona brushes the dirt from her sweater and pants. Running a hand through her hair. She then looks to him, "I...am glad that you did not die. It has weighted heavily on me over these years." she admits to him. She gives him a curious look when he admits he came looking for her, but doesn't state exactly why. There's a moment of looking at him like he's crazy before she softens a bit, "Are you hungry?" she asks him. "I don't even know your name." she adds.