Another beautiful day on the homeworld. Gaiganny's wings had healed nicely and she flew at every chance she got. But today she did not fly. She was in a new area, and she was hunting. These lands were very nice, lots of trees, beyond that red canyons similar to the one she had been on when she first met Trajan. In the other direction lay the ocean. She liked a variety of habitat, it meant that there would also be a variety of prey. Too many trees here for her to hunt large prey, but she had spotted a small reptile like creature. These were fast and just as fun to chase as the larger ones. One sat there stupidly resting in her path. Gaiganny creeped forward and leaped out over it. The animal saw her and scurried off. Gaiganny ran after it as the annoying little pest ran under a thicket. Gaiganny kicked at the low branches with her foot uprooting the small shrub. "Ha HA you think you can hide form me? Think again." Its hiding place whisked away, it looked up at her and quickly took off towards a clearing. She hissed, threw the bush from her hand and chased it again.
Form the greenery a glowing red eye watched her every move. It was her, he knew it. It was the one he had helped. He had promised himself he would meet her and today was the day. She would be his, he deserved someone that beautiful. "She's as beautiful as I am handsome." He moved stealthily forward, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself.
"No!" She cried. The creature ran from her toward some boulders at the edge of the woods. If it went under one she'd never get it. It appeared that it had, and she circled around the large rock, poking her beak into cracks on the bottom. Then she saw it! It was sneaking towards another stone! She was still in a hunched over position when she saw a black tipped yellow foot step down right on her prey. "Is this what you were looking for?" said a confident soft voice. She stood slowly and with her eye followed the stranger's form from his foot up to his face. He was a tall thin gigan. He had a bright crimson eye, curled black pincers, two long ears that pointed back like a pair of horns and a silver beak. His neck was long and slender and the skin on it was a light yellow. She had never seen one with yellow skin, for that matter she had never seen one like him at all. Everything about him was different. His chest was a vibrant red that met with the silver of his abdomen. His shoulders were spiked, and a dark grey. Yet perhaps the most striking difference was the black claws. He had very long glossy black claws, his feet ended in this heavy color as well. Finally he had a long tail that terminated in curved black tip. She regarded him a moment but when he lifted his foot, she became angry. "Eew!" Screamed Gaiganny, "That's gross, how am I supposed to eat that now? You stepped on it."
She glared at him hard, she was still suspicious of strangers since her last encounter, then asked, "Who are you anyway?" He stepped toward her in a gallant pose, bright yellow wings forward. "I'm Gogar and you're beautiful."
"Yuch!" She said sticking her tongue out at him. He walked up real close to her and put his arms around her. "I want you for a mate." "AH! NO!" She yelled and punched him in the face. He held his cheek a while confused and looked up at her. "Why not? Look at me, I'm so good looking. No! Don't tell me you already have a mate?" She looked around a little, "No but..." She realized she should have said yes and tried to think of anything to make up. "Uh, but I have my eyes set on another here."
"Another?" He cocked his head, "Who? There are no other males here. Look over there." He pointed with his claw at a grassy patch. "That land had the only other male here, I fought him and it is now mine. He was a loser, you deserve someone like me, I can give you lots of territory." He turned to see her sneaking away toward the woods. "Where do you think you're going my little hen?" He leaped on her and with his weight brought her to the ground. Gaiganny struggled against him. "Oh come now, just accept me." He let her up and stood before her, but at the same time he blocked her escape. She looked up at him and did not like the over confident smile he bore. "Humm, ok big guy." She put her arms around his neck and got close in an embrace. "Oooh, hooo hoo!" His eye flashed and he got very excited. He put his arms around her back. She got really close to him and without warning ignited her buzzsaw. It whirled to life and cut into the side of his stomach. "AAAHHH!!!" He screamed and keeled over in pain as she ran for the woods.
Despite the hurt, he smiled. Gogar got up and ran after her. She looked back and saw him coming. "No this can't be." She thought, "He's as fast as I am. I have to out maneuver him then." There really wasn't anywhere to go for her. Gaiganny noticed the thick tangle of branches above her, and she raised her razor edged wings. They easily sliced through them bringing down heavy branches behind her. She hoped they would fall on Gogar's head.
He ran fast behind her when he saw a pair of peach colored wings shoot up in front of him. They were laced with beautiful oval shapes of sea green and light blue, but he saw they were tipped with sharp metal edges. He knew what she was up to. The branches rained down. He jumped into the air just short of them as they fell before him, and flipped over the wooden heap landing safely on the other side. Gaiganny looked back expecting to see him crushed, only to see him fly at her still smiling. Again he jumped on her back pinning her to the ground. Gaiganny lay face down and he sat on her. "I think your wings are very pretty." He said.
"Oh yeah? Well then have a closer look!!!" She flapped her right wing slapping him in the temple. THUNK! It knocked him off. Gaiganny ran off again, and saw a large tree before her. The little gigan clamored up the trunk and made it to one of the high branches. Gogar shook his head, and stood. "She's strong. Heh heh I like that. Little hen! Where did you go?" He was right under her tree and she looked down on him and hisses. "Hissssss. Up here! Leave me alone." He slammed the tree with his shoulder spikes causing it to shake violently. Gaiganny nearly fell out. Her arms flailed about trying to regain her balance. Gogar put a claw on the trunk to see if it still shook and just looked straight up at her. He thought, "She could have fallen and hurt herself, I'll have to be more careful." Gogar called to her, "Aw, come on down little hen, you'll love me." Gaiganny looked around and realized this was one of those big orange fruit trees, and it was in full bloom. She grabbed a branch above her and pulled with all her might. She strained as the potential built up inside it, and suddenly she let it go. It whipped forward, the force flings its fruit down and at an angle. Large mushy orange oval fruits flew down onto Gogar. He turned away to avoid being hit head on, but was nailed all over by them. He stood drooping, and covered in pulp. "Ha ha ha ha ha!!!" Gaiganny laughed so hard she had to hold herself. Gogar was a dripping mess. His ears were down and it seemed she'd finally put a damper on his ego. He lifted his claw and saw a good portion of fruit still on it. He took it in his beak and ate it. Gogar smiled and looked up at her, "Mmmmm, not only are you beautiful, but you'll make a great cook."
"AAAAAHHHHH!!! You are so stupid!!" She screamed down at him, and flew out of the tree.
Gaiganny ran again, if only she could get to a clearing she'd get in the air and out fly him. She had to, that's what she did best. She'd never met another that could ever keep up with her in the air. The clearing wasn't far ahead and she finally reacheed the forest edge. The land opened up before her into beautiful red canyons, the perfect place to lose someone in the air. Gaiganny finally spread her wings and took off. "Ok you want me? Catch me if you can!" Gogar came to the clearing and looked up, with a loud CHING his wings opened like a fan and he took off after her. She rolled and banked. She was fast and agile. Gaiganny looked back to see Gogar gaining on her and copying her moves. He was fast and agile too. She WOULD lose him and she knew how. Ahead of her was a canyon. She knew it well and would use this knowledge against him. She knew every twist and turn on this perilous path, he did not.
The walls of the canyon narrowed, and Gaiganny sped up through them. More bends and turns came at her, to make it out one had to be a very precise flyer. A left, a right another right a dip and a left. She flew on faster still, and the walls narrowed ever more. A steep right angle turn to the left. Gaiganny pulled her wings against her body as the cliffs closed in around her. Finally in the next turn she had to fly on her side or her wings would not make it through. She cames to a final dip and a small opening. She folded back her wings completely and made it through. The canyon opened up and she continued on, but slowed her flight considerably. She looked back. "HA!" She thought. "He probably crashed into something." But soon he cames through the small opening at great speed. Gaiganny shrieked in surprise and took off again. "How? NO he couldn't. How did you..." He cut her off in mid sentence, "Radar my dear, that I got form mommy and daddy Gogar." His annoying smile cames again. "AAAAHHHH!!!!" Gaiganny screamed. Gogar folded his wings back and accelerated. He flew along side her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Lead the way, baby and I'll follow." He fell back behind her. He thought the case was cute. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!!" Yelled Gaiganny she did not think it was cute though. Gross he kissed her! She couldn't believe that he could keep up, something had to be done.
She slowed and he caught up. Gaiganny turned and hovered before him. When he was close enough she kicked her feet up. One managed to rake him across the face. "AH!" He yelled covering his eye in pain. She just floated there growling and ready to fight. But to him this was a game she was playing. He thrust his tail forward and his tip wrapped around hers. He had her now. Gaiganny became angered and swiveled to throw him away, but he turned as well and now the two were spiraling in a tug of war. Still Gaiganny would not lose, she pulled hard as they spun side ways and she slammed him into a wall. He let go on impact. "HA! That ought to mess up his circuits." And with that she flew away again.
"OOF!" Gogar shuddered in flight from the collision, but regained himself and flew after her once more. Gaiganny saw the sun. Gogar was persistent she'd give him that, but she knew of a way to get him now. What luck, it was the right time of day. He wanted to play follow the leader, well then she had one last trick for him. The rock faces became wider and now both flew with wings fully extended. There was a lake up ahead and Gaiganny flew low over the surface. Gogar followed behind her. Suddenly the sun came up directly over the cliff before them. The rays of light struck the water with brilliant force. The shinny surface reflected them in all direction and intensified the light. The entire place became a white blinding mass. Gaiganny closes her eye, and when she reaches the wall she flew vertically along it. She'd done it many times and did not need to see where the rocks were. There was a circular opening in the cliff and she flew through it. It was the only escape from the searing light. Gogar was too close when it happened, there was no time to use his radar and he did not know this area as well as Gaiganny, he smashed directly into the cliff. Gaiganny hovered on the other side. Ah, that was the sound she had waited for. But now she waited for another, yet it never came. She should have heard him splash as he fell back into the lake. This was odd.
Without warning rocks exploded onto her and Gogar emerged form the cliff beside her. He'd managed to tunnel through in time and flew down onto her. Gaiganny slashed his face with her hand as he put his claws around her. "Ow, oh you're strong. You'll discipline our kids very well." He said with a confident look. "Kids?!?" She yelled in disbelief. Gaiganny struggled to get away but he was too strong and wouldn't let her go this time. "Oh come on little hen, why don't you tell me how you really feel. Just give in to it." "Alright." She went limp, he held her gently. She put her arms around him and once more started her buzzsaw, but this time he saw it coming and started his own. The two blades met and sparks flew. Gaiganny screamed when she felt the friction. "So little hen you like water?" He pulled on her taking her back toward the lake. She kicked his legs and finally he loosened his grip and she slipped out. "Oh you want water huh? Then follow me!"
"Lead the way." He called to her. She flew toward the beach now, and this would be the end of it.
She began to fly up, up straight up. He kept up well, and soon was on top of her again. Gaiganny banked hard to the left and in a side loop ended up on top of him. She righted herself and took of straight up again. When she felt she was at a good distance above him, she dropped. Her wings pulled back like a flacon she dove straight at him. There was no time for him to move as she slammed into his back with her shoulder. The force was so great she knocked him out of his flight and hurled him straight down. Gogar turned his slender neck back to see her doing this. She was so beautiful. What a pretty girl.
Gogar hit the ground first. His chest hit the sand at the edge of the cliff that bordered the beach. He bounced once form the impact and landed hard on his back. Gaiganny hit next, the momentum of her attack was too great for her to pull up and she fell rolling to a stop on her stomach. Gogar sat up slowly and held his head with his claw. He turn and saw Gaiganny in the sand behind him. She too was trying to get up and held her head as well. He walked over to her and stepped on her wing, not to hurt, but just to hold her down. Gaiganny's eye flashed, the memory of Trajan's attack was still fresh in her mind. She concentrated her strength and flapped her wing. The stroke of her blade cut Gogar's leg and part of his arm. "OW!" He cried. "That hurt." She now stood before him panting heavily. She was very annoyed and shoved him. Winded from the fall Gogar fell back and as he did Gaiganny grabbed his wing in her claw. It tore and now she held part of the membrane in her hand. He stumbled back holding his wound. He breathed hard and slowly he looked up at her with a look of sadness. She really was trying to hurt him. He finally realized it.
"I thought...I thought may-be you would...like me? I guess I thought wrong."
"AAAA!!!" She screamed as she slamed into him. The force of her lunge pushed him into the water.
"GAH!!!"
She turned on him, her eye ablaze. He thought, "What am I doing wrong?" as he began to shakily stand in the warm ocean water.
"Why would I like YOU?? Grrr!!!" She yelled at him.
"Because when..." He paused a moment and thought then continued. "You didn't even know did you?" He said looking up at her.
"Know what?" She responded as she tried to dunk him underwater. She fired one of her blue forehead gems and hissed. He pushed her off but was grazed by the beam. "OOF. When you fought Theromin, you didn't realize did you? You were unconscious." She fired two blue beams at him this time. "AAAHH!!" He cried as he fell to one knee but tried to remain standing. "Who's Theromin? I don't know him. Don't touch me again!" She responded.
"The...the one who attacked you weeks ago." He held his new wound. Gaiganny only became angrier, not caring about what this Gigan was babbling about. She increased her attack skipping from two to four beams. They hit Gogar in the chest and he was thrown backwards. "Hnnn!!" Again he fell into the water on his back, but he still sat up and looked up at her. "Who do you think saved your life? He was going to kill you."
"Huh?" She muttered as she pulled back surprised he knew of the fight. She wondered how he knew.
"I couldn't let him. You're too beautiful." He said softly as blood dripped from his beak, hitting the water and diffusing. She thought, "No its gotta be a trick, there's another compliment." She fired all five beams, though she was still holding back. He looked down at his wounds once more, "So beautiful..." They struck him in the head, chest and neck. "GHNNNN!!"
YAA!!! Stop it! That's it!" screamed Gaiganny.
"Why...why don't you like me? I...I think I love you." He softly spoke nearly in a cry as he stumbled about. A little tingle came over Gaiganny, a new feeling, but she ignored it and concentrated on her rage. She blasts all five beams and her mouth ray at once. It's all she had and she let loose. He smiled weakly at her. "You're so pretty..." Never once having defended himself, he was nailed all over, he took it head on. The water exploded around him straight up in all directions in a deadly fountain. Gogar was thrown back onto the beach on his stomach. He hit with a THUD and sand kicked up around him. Gogar tried to push himself up but fell. "Hnnn...." Gaiganny looked at him, something was wrong. Had he finally... A thin lick of blue fire curled out of his mouth. Soon it increased and burst from him. "AAAAHH!" Screamed Gaiganny, she couldn't look. "What's going on? Why's he doing that?" She thought the perhaps now he would finally retaliate, but then Gogar's eye exploded, fire sprayed from his mouth, holes opened up in his flesh and more fire poured out. Gogar was not retaliating, but paying for not having done so. He had taken all her attacks, and all that energy now wanted out of him. Gaiganny turned away. She could hear his screams and even though she did not look, she could see him in her mind. His buzzsaw tilted on a sickening angle as his surrounding tissue burned.
"I...saved you..."
She could only cover one ear and had to hear everything.
"What? Him?"
"That dark figure you saw...you must...have seen..."
Gaiganny thought a moment remembering. "I didn't...I saw...I..."
Fire coursed out of his mouth and ran down his neck. His tail flicked wildly. A charred skeleton was visible where the flesh had burned away.
"I was so weak, there was nothing to see but my attacker." She stopped and thought a moment about her encounter with Theromin, when in her mind she saw her rescuer's form.
"YOU? Wait! I remember something! I did see something. I saw a dark angel. You were my dark angle?"
"Y-yes...me..........." The fire raced up him and consumed his tounge, his face, he fell. Flames erupted from his chest, arms and neck.
"My dark angel?"
"...love...you....." He tried to mouth. She forced herself to look as the fire poured out from his charred remains. Then he lay silent, still.
Again Gaiganny turned away. She did not want to look at him. Up to the last moment he was still trying to... Last moment? No it wasn't, she hadn't done that. It wasn't something she was capable of. "Humph" she thought to herself. "What a jerk. He shouldn't have come on so strong." He would get up and walk away she hadn't...
"You killed him."
The voice came from behind her. Gaiganny froze and just looked out over the water. It was Trajan. He had been in the near by forest and heard her angered screams, and felt her rage cut through him like a bolt of lightning. "You are getting stronger." He continued.
"Yes I am, huh? No. I didn't. I didn't kill him." She wouldn't turn to look at Trajan, instead she looked out over the water.
"Is that what you expected?"
"No I didn't. I only used beams."
"You killed him."
"NO! Something happened to him. I just..."
He stepped closer to her, "You killed him Gaiganny. Look at him." Instead she looked out over the ocean for answers trying to deny that Trajan's words were true.
"I can't. I didn't mean to."
"LOOK at him Gaiganny."
"Aaaaahhhh!!!" She screamed out at the taught of having to look at what she Had done. Trajan walked up behind her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Gaiganny reached up to his fingers with hers, when suddenly he pushed down on her hard, brining her to her knees. Next she felt herself being hurled into the air by her neck.
"I said..."
"AH! Ow that hurts, let me go."
"LOOK AT HIM!" He set her down in front of Gogar and while still holding her. She struggled in his hand. "NO! Let me go." She looked up at the sky. Trajan twisted her head toward Gogar's corpse, the smoke still rose form him while small flames died down.
"See what you have done."
Gaiganny dimmed her eye and finally shut it off completely, the equivalent of closing it. He pushed her down closer so she could get a whiff. "AAAHHH!" She screamd out.
"Can you smell it? This is death, Gaiganny."
"Eeeeeeee!!!"
He pushed her closer still, a single inch between her and Gogar's charred beak.
"Open your eye!"
She was scared now.
"This is what happens when you take another life. Look at him."
"AAAHH...I..I...I didn't!"
"Look at him, Gaiganny. NOW!" She slowly opened her eye and saw Gogar's remains. A horrid sight, she shuddered.
"How could I do that?" She cried. "I don't have fire. I only shot beams."
"No. You did not." He kept her face less than an inch form Gogar. She tried to pull free with no use.
"You fired on him without mercy, in rage. You murdered him with a power you developed and did not control. You lost control, Gaiganny. And when you did that, Gogar paid for it. His blood is on your hands. His death is your doing."
"NO!" She screamed unwilling to accept it. "Those aren't my powers! I only wanted him to go away. Why wouldn't he leave?" Trajan let her go.
"But they ARE your powers Gaiganny. They are now. Your powers are growing. You are getting stronger."
Gaiganny lay in the sand. She felt sick to her stomach. Had this really happened. She still tried to think of ways to deny it. Trajan looked down at her and saw that she still was not heeding his words. She had to learn. He continued, "With that power comes responsibility. But for an instant you lost control. You killed."
"No! That's..."
"Death happens when you lose control."
"I didn't mean it!"
"Yes you did."
"I didn't want to kill him."
Trajan glared at her, "You have a power inside you now that must be controlled. You knew it would kill him, and in a fit of rage you allowed it to happen. You wanted to kill him, Gaiganny." He looked back at Gogar. "You did."
"AAAAHH I I I I !" Tears clouded her visor.
"Killed him."
Sand stuck to her face. She wanted to get up but could hardly move. "Know why he died, Gaiganny. Know why he will never fly again." A lump formed in Gaiganny's throat. Those words shook her. She finally realized what she had done, and that she HAD killed him. This was her fault. He would never fly again because of her. She herself knew what a terrible fate that was. Never to fly again. Never fly again.
"Get UP!"
"No." She cried. She had never committed an act such as this and now he wanted her to get up? "Get up, Gaiganny" She managed to sit up, for she knew he would not let her stay down.
"What have I done?" she began, "I can't believe it. He's dead isn't he?" she said staring down at Gogar's corps.
"Yes, Gaiganny he is. He is dead by your hand. I want you to see the death you have caused. See what it is. Understand what it is. Know that you have taken a life." Trajan looked at her deep in the eye as he spoke.
"Everything's changed." Gaiganny whispered.
"Yes, everything has changed. You have changed." Before he could continue she turned from him, looking out over the ocean once more and said, "I...I...need to think."
"Think, yes you do that."
Said Trajan as he turned and headed back towards the forest. "You
do that."
