Once More, Unto the Breach

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

    Epilogue

  Ten days later:

"Oriana," Fox said, sounding slightly relived when he saw me
waiting for him outside the dinning hall.

I smiled as he walked towards me. He wrapped his arm over my
shoulder. "How are things back on Prid?" He asked, pulling
me forward a bit as he keep walking.

"Ken is recovering decently... the doctor says he will stay
in bed for close to a month. He is awake though."

Fox smiled, nodding and pulled me a bit closer. "Jadin?"

"She is a natural, though no one is quite sure how she got
to where she was found. It also turns out her name is
actually Jadith. Sora misunderstood it."

He nodded. "Right then. How about you? How are you feeling?"

I frowned, down casting my eyes. "I am... better."

Fox stopped walking, and moved to stand in front of me. "I
haven't had a chance to ask you this yet, but... why?"

Closing my eyes, I gulped, the air hurting my throat as it
went down. Slowly, I tried to find the right words. "I...
don't really know," I whispered, "not then... and still not
now. It was as if my training took over, leaving me as a
passive viewer. I did understand what the cost of my actions
would be.. and I was able to make certain that I avoided
them.

He looked at me, his eyebrows twitching slightly. "What
about you, not your training, but you?"

I turned my head away from him, looking at the floor. "I
knew exactly what I had to do to end this... no battle, no
fight... I would just have had to murder him."

Fox breathed deeply, placing his hand against my chin. "I'm
here for you. You do know that."

I nodded, taking his hand from my face and holding tightly
it in my paws. "It's... hard... so many times I've want to
die for what I've done... what I will have to do..."

Fox hugged me, one hand on my shoulders, the other pressing
lightly on the back of my head. He held me close against his
body. "Don't Oria... I've..." His voice was wavering, "I
don't want to lose you... you're the closest friend I have.
You've been with me longer then anyone else. I'll be here to
help you, and I'll be here to hold you... but don't kill
yourself... it's not worth it."

I found that I had started to cry against his shoulder.
Slowly looking up, I looked into his blue eyes. I saw my own
reflection in his glasses, and it hurt to see it. "I love
you." I whispered.

"I know," He whispered back.

I fell back against his chest, he held me there, pressing
against my head lightly, but still firmly. We stood that way
for a few minutes until Fox's grip lessened.

"Hello Thrysten," he said, his voice slightly horse.

I jumped back, whimpering the fur of my face against my
sleeve. The gryphoness stood a few feet away, dressed in the
normal clothing of the world. She had her arm's crossed over
her chest and her wings pulled tight to her shoulders. A
slight smile bending over her beak.

"I see the pair of you are becoming reacquainted." She said,
tilting her head a bit.

Fox nodded, his own smile forming on his lips. "As you
say..."

She chuckled softly. "I would like to thank you for your
help with the treaty. You may not have been necessary, but
it was still good to have you with us."

He shrugged. "I've done it before, I expect I will do it
again. Oh, by the way, I have something for you." Fox turned
to me, "you brought it?"

I nodded, pulling out a small box from my pocket. Fox had
charged me with retrieving it when the rest of us had gone
back to Prid.

Taking it from me, he removed the lid. Pushing aside some
sort of packing he removed a single gold coin. The side I
could see had a silhouetted fox head (a real fox, not a
morph) embossed into the metal.

Taking Thrysten's fore-claw, he turned it up, and set the
coin on her palm.

She closed bent her fingers down and pull the coin up,
holding it carefully. "A new coin."

Fox nodded. "You may need me again."

She smiled, putting the coin away in a pocket of her
clothing, then crossing her arms. "You're going then?"

"Yes, I have some things to take of." He frowned slightly.
"If you want, I can still take you home."

She smiled then broke out into a soft laughter. "Fox, this
_is_ my home. I'm quite happy, happier then I would ever
have been back on my world."

"I know, I just couldn't let myself not ask," he smiled with
half of his face, the other side staying fixed. "It's been
great seeing you again."

"Agreed... It's been as interesting time as ever."

Fox smiled. "Maybe I'll see you later..."

"Wait..." She said, digging some folded up papers from her
pocket. "This is all the notes from the old wizard on my
gem. Ken may find them to his interest."

He took them from her, putting them into his jacket. "I'm
sure he will have a hay-day with them."

She reached up and dug her claw-fingers into the feathers of
her neck. With a tug she gave a gasp of pain. Pulling a
single feather away she handed it to Fox. "To remember me."

He smiled, taking it from her fingers. Holding it gently he
brushed his fingers down one edge. "I always will."

Thrysten smiled, then turned and slowly walked away, her
tail hanging low to the ground.

Fox draped his arm over my shoulder. "Let's go home."

I started walking again, Fox keeping pace with me. "You two
used to have something didn't you?"

He slowed his walking a bit. "Ah... not exactly... I thought
I loved her... but as it went I realized it was more lust
then anything else."

I nodded, patting his hand with my paw. "I understand."

He lifted his arm from my shoulder as we started up the
stairs to the battlement.

"What was with the coin anyway?"

Fox smiled. "A calling card. If she breaks it in half I'll
come running. Just like I did."

I frowned. "How can that be done."

He chuckled as we walked to where the fold was. "Easy...
though with years of research... I'll explain it later." He
grinned at me and opened the fold.

Together, we went home.

-----

This story is (c) 1997 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.