'What's that?' A juvenile raptor asked her mother, her light green eyes wide with nervousness.

'What is it?' The mother replied. She was rather busy, being the alpha of the pack, but when her daughter, Leaf, wanted her time she was willing to give it to her.

'Look,' Leaf gestured out to the horizon, where the sun was setting. The mother squinted her eyes, and in front of the suns rays, saw the silhouette of a strange raptor. It was covered with blood, had white stripes and such decorations on its black feathers, and its fiery eyes were narrowed.

The mother tilted her head. Who did this raptor think he was, waltzing into her territory as if it was his own?

But then she saw the scar on his chest.

And she knew exactly who it was.

It can't be, She thought. He's dead! He's meant to be dead! Yet this raptor looks just like him... it even bears the scar I carved into his chest. This is impossible- I refuse to believe this. I can't believe this!

'That's an intruder,' Tree, her temporary second-in-command (since Bone had been separated from the pack) stated, flexing his claws.

With their acute eyesight, the raptors in the pack noticed that the intruder had strings of saliva dripping from its jaws.

'Kill it,' The mother spat.

'Fern? It's just an intruder, we can chase it off,' Tree said, surprised by his alpha's sudden aggression.

'Mother?' Leaf asked uncertainly. She didn't like the look in her mother's eye- it scared her.

'Kill it. That's an order. And under no circumstances can you allow it to see me,' Fern quickly left, leaving the rest of the pack to deal with the issue.

---

Dune could see the pack from where he walked. His sight could not really let him see who was Fern, since it was not as good as your average raptor's, but he knew- she had seen him. He felt the skulls of his enemies press against his skin, and he remembered the four he had already taken out. But all of their skill and strength did not live up to the kind that Fern had. She was in a completely different league. Her skills were already extremely developed the last time he had seen her- he could only imagine what she was like now.

How many years had it been? He hadn't kept count, but it must have been a lot. In those years, in which Fern had been alpha, he had been training himself every single moment of every single day, to prepare himself for this single moment. And it was only minutes away.

Out in the desert, all alone, he had learned to become utterly silent. He never spoke, not even to some of the loner raptors he occasionally stumbled across. Some may have thought he had forgotten how to speak- but he knew very well that it was not the case. He remembered, of course he did- he merely couldn't bring himself to say words to others. Not after what had happened.

The sun beat down onto his back. Dry blood encrusted his feathers, but he had never bothered to preen them off. The blood made him menacing, it made other creatures know that he was a merciless killing machine. Small, fast, and devastating.

He could now make out some juveniles dotted around- youngsters that ranged from two months to a year old. Only one stood out to him- one that looked like Fern.

Now that he could make everyone out, he snorted in annoyance when he realised he couldn't see Fern. There was a large, slanted rock nearby- she could be behind it, since much of the pack was spread around it. He hoped she wasn't dead- after all, he had come all this way and gone through so much trouble to kill her himself.

Either way, he was coming.

---

'Killing it is not necessary!' Stream, the high-ranking beta and Tree's closest friend said.

'It's alpha's orders. She said we have to kill it,' Tree replied.

Mothers and fathers gathered their chicks away from the place, knowing it would be better for them to not see what was about to happen. The only chick not collected away was Leaf, for her mother had left somewhere.

'But we're not even giving it a chance!' Stream became more and more agitated as the lone raptor came closer and closer, her blue-grey feathers ruffling.

'Look, I'm just as hesitant to do this as you are. But we can't disobey Fern, she's our alpha. She knows what's best for us,' Tree said sadly.

'Please, Tree, have mercy,' Stream begged. 'It doesn't have to die. Please. Give it a chance.'

---

Some raptors began to clear away as Dune crept closer and closer. He had known such a thing would happen- a few remained, probably to ask him questions and interrogate him, or maybe to chase him away. He most certainly knew that he would not be able to answer any questions for them.

Fern. Where are you? He thought to himself, feeling his heart hammer against his chest. So many, many years it had been, and the whole time his sister had believed he was dead. She had believed she was safe- how wrong she was. And what a nasty surprise it would be for her to realise that her brother was alive, and that he had killed all of her friends- that he had become strong.

He approached the pack. Two raptors stood at the front, seemingly arguing, while the others watched uncertainly. Some of the older members seemed to have a flash of recognition, yet they did not say anything.

'Look! It's come! We don't have to kill it, we can just tell it to leave!' A blue-grey one said, looking passionately into her opponent's eyes.

'Orders are orders, Stream!' A brown one snapped back, his snout wrinkling as his lips lifted up into a snarl.

'Please! Run!'

A small juvenile raptor ran to Dune, her voice high and breaking with worry.

'Mother wants to kill you, but it doesn't have to be like that! Please, go, before she sees you!'

It was Fern's daughter.

'Leaf! Get away, he might be dangerous!' The brown raptor shouted at her.

Dune just stared at her for a moment. She was a spitting image of his sister, though her eyes were green instead of blue.

'Wait— that stench!' The brown one snorted. 'Those skulls— no! It can't be!'

Dune, with absolutely no warning whatsoever, grabbed Leaf by the shoulder and gripped her as she yelped in surprise. As the brown one angrily stormed to him, Dune whipped his claws dangerously close to Leaf's throat.

'Tree! Stop!' Stream exclaimed, and the brown one (Dune presumed to be Tree) stopped in his tracks, glaring.

'I don't know who you are, but don't you dare lay a finger on her!' He snarled, baring his teeth.

Dune just looked at him silently, while Leaf cried out 'mother!' and writhed in his grip. He only pressed his talons harder against her neck, and she stopped moving around when she understood that she was at his mercy.

'Who are you!?' Stream asked. 'Please, we don't want any trouble! Let her go.'

She took a step forward, and Dune's claws broke through Leaf's skin. The young raptor whimpered as she felt a small rivulet of blood trickle down her neck.

Stream stopped, and looked at the rogue raptor in disbelief- how could he be so heartless to hurt a defenceless child?

'I recognise him,' a nearby raptor, older than the others, said. Dune recognised him too- it was Rock.

Stream and Tree allowed themselves to take a quick glance to Rock, but then instantly glued their gazes back onto Dune.

'Who is he?' Stream asked, but Rock did not reply.

'Tell us!' Tree snapped.

'...You are too young to know, but we do not speak of him. Ever. It was forbidden by Fern,' He spoke.

'ENOUGH!'

Dune's heart stopped.

He recognised that voice.

He looked up to the top of the rock, and his eyes widened as he processed who it was.

White feathers. Dark underbelly. Black stripes and spots. Striking blue eyes.

Fern.

She glared at him with utter disgust. Dune almost felt a jolt, and his claws sunk deeper into Leaf's neck in his anger. So many emotions began to swirl in his chest, he couldn't tell which was which. It was like he was being crushed from within.

'Let go of my child, Dune,' She spat out the last word, as if it was a piece of rotting flesh stuck between her teeth. 'Or else I will make your death much more painful than it needs to be.'

Dune narrowed his eyes at her, but did not budge. Leaf's breath was speeding up.

'You killed all my friends,' she snarled, voice breaking for a moment. 'If you kill my daughter...'

Dune ruffled his feathers, and the huge scar on his chest became even more visible than it already was.

Fern pounced down from the rock, careful not to land on the jagged stones below. Everyone else in the pack watched her in complete silence. Dune realised she had grown since the last time he saw her, now being the same size as Bone- maybe even bigger. 'None of you can interfere in this unless I say so,' she told them. 'That is an order.'

Stream and Tree crept away, leaving Fern and Dune to face each other.

'Let her go,' Fern growled.

Dune exhaled. He didn't need to hold onto Leaf anymore, since he had what he wanted now. He threw her aside brutally, and she fell writhing to the floor, clutching her neck while tears leaked from her eyes. Fern's face twisted into a look of maternal concern when she looked at her daughter, and when Leaf was dragged away by Stream, her face reverted back to utter hatred when she looked at Dune.

You care so much for her, yet you tore her brother apart with absolutely no mercy, He thought, his pupils piercing at Fern's like thorns. He felt all the emotions inside of him, pressing against the walls, bursting and writhing.

'I know why you are here, Dune,' she snarled.

I once trusted you more than anyone.

His emotions strained and stretched, slashing and hitting. He felt a strange tension inside his chest.

You broke that trust. You tore away any chance of me ever learning to trust others again.

The emotions changed into a strange, chaotic ball, held inside of his breast, crawling up towards his throat.

I hate you. I HATE YOU.

He sprinted to her, feeling the emotions seep into every fibre of his being, feeling the anger, the sadness, the pain, the hatred. He opened his jaws, and he felt the emotions slither out from his throat.

After years of utter isolation.

After years of unbearable pain.

After years of nothing but emptiness.

His mouth was producing words.

'TRAITOR!!!' He screamed wildly, his voice carrying years of suppressed agony. It felt strange, to say something after years of nothing but silence, yet it also filled him with ecstasy.

He slashed at her with his claws, blinded by fury, and she blocked most of his attacks with ease. The few that reached her only managed to carve a few shallow cuts into her skin. His orange eyes bore straight into her own, and at that moment, she saw nothing but a blazing inferno of sadness, regret, pain- and, most importantly, rage.

There was once a time when being around her gave him a sense of comfort and familiarity. Seeing her after so many years, Fern was almost unrecognisable to him. She was not the sister he always approached for advice or comfort- she was just another stranger. Her unfamiliar eyes impaled him as the images of what she did to him flashed before him.

She kicked him in the face with one smooth movement. Dune grimaced as he was thrown back, and he scrabbled away, staring at her. Pain pulsed through his visage, and a small stream of blood leaked from his mouth.

'I trusted you,' He snarled, his voice as hard and sharp like shards of obsidian.

'I never asked you to trust me,' Fern snarled back.

I trusted you because you showed me that I could on so many occasions... why did you abandon me? Did you not feel any shame? Did you not feel any remorse?

The two circled each other, glowering threateningly. The other members of the pack watched in fear, with Leaf silently begging that her mother made it out okay.

Fern ran to Dune and jump-kicked him in the chest. He cried out as he felt her sickle claw stab into his chest-scar, and he whipped out his arms and whacked her leg away, snarling.

Fern stared him down, her feathered brow furrowed. Dune breathed heavily, taking a step back.

With a roar, Fern ran at him with open jaws and bit down onto his neck. Dune screeched out in pain as he felt her blade-like, serrated teeth pierce into his flesh. Frantically, he began to hit at her cranium with his forearms, desperate to be freed. He felt his sister's claws grip his struggling body.

('Brother! I spent so long trying to find you, but now that I've found you, look! I found this weird, shining rock- isn't it pretty?')

Dune pushed Fern off of himself with a powerful blow to her head, and trotted around her as she shook herself in an attempt to lessen the disorientation. When she turned back to him, Dune noticed three bloody cuts sliced onto her cheek, leaking red. Her face twisted into a look of pure loathing.

'I'll kill you,' He muttered to himself. 'I'll kill you.'

Fern spat into the ground as her tail swished from side to side.

Dune instantly kicked sand into her eyes. A spray of dust flew at Fern's face and fell against her orbs. She reared up and screeched in anger, scratching at her eyes desperately. Dune quickly latched his jaws onto her throat, feeling her blood dribble around his mouth and splatter to the ground. Fern struggled, trying to raise herself up too high and force Dune to let go. But he didn't let go- he allowed himself to be dragged around, he allowed himself to be lifted up, his jaws remained firmly in place.

('Dune, don't be afraid- father isn't going to kill you. He's gone, I stopped him. I won't let anyone hurt you.')

Fern wrapped her claws around Dune's snout, wedging her fingers between his teeth and her flesh. Gripping his jaws, she slowly pulled them away from her neck, grimacing as she felt his teeth press against her scaled fingers.

('There is no family when it comes to power')

Dune wrapped his claws around his sister's throat. He squeezed, growling, feeling her vertebrae jut against his hands. Fern let go of Dune's jaws, eyes wide and confused and afraid. The jaws latched onto her neck. She lashed out mindlessly, panic rising- he was biting and strangling her at the same time.

He could feel her writhe against him, but he did not let go. He had trained for years; no matter what emotions he felt, he would not obey mercy. Mercy was for the weak who were afraid to get the job done. Mercy was for runts, imbeciles, cowards. If he showed her mercy, he would die, for she would never spare him anyway.

And yet, that little voice in the back of his mind was getting harder and harder to ignore.

Stop, It told him. She's your sister.

No. She betrayed me. She tried to kill me.

You've taken enough lives. You did it out of bitter revenge, not necessity!

I want the world to know that I am not to be played with.

You could have shown that in another way, that did not involve killing.

I must be ruthless to survive in this world. I am a runt; everyone is naturally inclined to be against me, so I must make them fear me instead.

You could have let it go, and no one would have suffered.

I want them all to suffer.

Do you not see something wrong with that? Do you not think inflicting unnecessary pain is cruel and irrational?

Did they not inflict unnecessary pain upon me as well? An eye for an eye.

Look at her.

Dune looked into his sister's eyes. She had tears in them, and was looking in the direction of Leaf, her child, with nothing but pure desperation.

You have felt that very same fear. That very same pain. She does not want to die. Spare her.

Dune trembled. Those eyes- they reminded him of a time he would rather forget. But he couldn't forget.

He snarled at himself. He began to feel guilt and mercy, and that made him angry- angry at himself. He had spent years working for this, blocking out any and all compassion, yet now, it was seeping into his system and poisoning him.

He bit harder- he just had to focus on killing her, getting it over and done with. Maybe then the strange feelings would leave him alone, and he would go back to his old self.

I must kill her!

You mustn't do this!

She betrayed me!

Utterly furious at the feeling of being ripped apart from the inside, Dune suddenly pushed Fern away from him harshly. She collapsed in front of him with a yelp, shivering as blood poured from her neck. She shut her eyes, waiting for the final blow, too dizzy to get back up.

Dune put his hands on his head, snorting angrily. It was a war inside his head.

Kill her?

Or spare her?

Fern's breath shuddered. The rest of her pack watched nervously. Some seemed itching to jump in and protect their alpha, but they knew they had strict orders not to interfere- besides, alpha's being killed in such ways was a natural thing; this was just a case where the alpha was liked to the point where no one really wanted her to lose her as a leader.

'I... can't do it,' Dune whimpered to himself with a voice almost too quiet to hear, looking at his sister sprawled out before him, breathing heavily.

You idiot. Kill her.

He shook his head, wincing.

Fern looked at him silently, not getting up.

'Get it over with,' She snarled at him. 'Or are you still just as weak as before?'

Dune took a step back, still shaking his head.

He didn't understand what he was feeling, or why. It was strange, complex, and somehow, painful. Whatever it was, it hurt him. One part of him wanted to end her; crush her out of existence and finally finish his vendetta by attaching her bloody skull onto himself. And yet, there was another part of him that didn't want to kill. It regretted all his previous kills too.

He grabbed at the vines around his arms and legs. One by one, he tore through them with his claws, then gently took each skull and placed it on the sand in front of him, in the order in which he had taken their lives. Fern watched him, not getting up.

Kill her and the world will take you seriously.

Kill her and what is left of your soul will be all but gone.

Dune watched the skulls, and a low sigh escaped his lips. Everything was illuminated golden in the setting sun.

'...Why...?' He grumbled slowly, shutting his eyes. He was tired- tired of everything. It was as if the weight of the four he killed was crushing his back.

'...Why? Why what?' Fern growled at him.

'Betrayal,' Dune said, opening his eyes and looking at his sister.

'Why did I betray you?' Fern said, then chuckled. A stream of blood flowed down her mouth. 'I had every reason to do so. And, considering what you did to my friends- the kind of hatred that you are capable of holding inside- you deserve nothing more than torture and death,' She spat, her snout wrinkled in hatred.

'You carry hatred too,' Dune replied bluntly. 'You turned me into this,' He gestured at himself- his bloodied, ragged self.

'You turned yourself into what you are now,' Fern growled.

Dune felt a rumble rise at the back of his throat. He was still deciding whether to end her or not. If she and the others had not betrayed him so, he would not have killed them, he would not have become the broken beast he was now.

'You are but an empty shell of your former self,' He growled to her. 'It makes me sad. Every time I looked at you, I would feel this comfort that I could trust you no matter what. Now, when I look into those cold piercing eyes of yours, I realise only one thing- I must never trust anyone. I wanted to trust others more than anything, but you, the one I trusted the most, abandoned me. You proved my biggest fears to me, sister. You threw it all away like it meant nothing.

'The most excruciating pain was not my shattered bones, or the slashes carved into my flesh. No- it was the knowledge that trusting others always ends in the cruelest ways. Knowledge proven by you.'

Fern stared at him in silence. Slowly, slowly, she raised up her body. Dune saw the bite he had inflicted on her throat was not quite as bad as he had thought, though it still looked very unpleasant.

He felt cold strings down his cheeks, and realised that he must have been crying. Ah, yes- he felt a tear fall from his eye. He felt his chest constrict as he realised everyone could see his lament, and the urge to rip his own eyes out almost overtook his rational mind. But no matter what he did, he could not stop the tears. He decided to pretend they were not there at all.

The two siblings stared at each other, blood leaking from the scars they had inflicted on each other. Fern carefully limped towards him. Dune did not move, he merely stood watching her with sadness swimming in his eyes.

You cannot trust her.

I want to be able to trust someone.

Kill her before she kills you.

I just want to be loved.

Fern stood right in front of him.

She is why you became what you are now. Slaughter her so the world sees your strength. Slaughter her so everyone knows that you are not to be played with.

Forgive her. Have mercy.

She hugged him. Dune froze, and his thoughts stopped. Everything was silent. No one moved.

He wanted to melt away. He wanted to disappear. He should push her away- but he didn't want to. This was what it was; to trust others. He despised that everyone was witnessing how he wept, how he began to hug back, how he was nothing but a weak little runt who needed consolation like everyone else. He wanted, more than anything, to be the unfeeling, stone-hearted reaper of lives which he used to be only a few days ago. But that was not who he was. He was a sensitive being, capable of feeling deep emotions, though not necessarily understanding them. He didn't quite understand what he was feeling right now, in fact.

He gripped Fern, sobbing into her feathers, shutting his eyes. He did recognise one feeling: comfort. The comfort of a friend consoling you. He hadn't felt that in a long, long time.

'Oh, Dune,' She said. 'Maybe I do regret what I did.'

She suddenly closed her fingers around his neck. Dune's eyes snapped open, and his head was pulled in front of hers as she pulled him out of the hug.

'But you killed all my friends,' She snarled, her teary eyes narrowed. 'You must face the consequences for what you have done.'

She crushed his airways, staring him in the face, a pained look on her visage. Dune looked back, not knowing what to do.

I must kill her. She wronged me a second time.

I must spare her. I deserve this.

Either way, I just don't want to die! I don't want to be weak! I have made it this far without love or mercy- I don't need anyone! I don't WANT anyone!

Dune noticed everything beginning to blur- he could not tell if it was because of the tears in his eyes or because he was dying. His jaws opened in a futile attempt to suck in air, but it made no difference- he could not breathe.

I refuse to die in vain like this! I SHALL KILL MY SISTER AND FINISH WHAT I STARTED.

Dune grimaced, feeling the blood rushing in his ears. With difficulty, he strained his arms, dragging them upwards, until— yes! He closed his fingers around Fern's throat and crushed with all his might.

Fern croaked, and for some seconds, the two stood locked together, neither wanting to let go of the other. She could feel Dune's quick pulse hammer against her fingers. The pack around them watched in horror— Leaf seemed to be crying silently— though no one intervened. Fern felt something in her chest as she noticed her child's tears- no matter what, she had to stay alive. For her.

Dune snarled, every instinct in his body telling him to let go and give in. But he refused. He dug his claws into her throat, piercing an artery. Blood welled at his fingers, and dripped to the sand. It dribbled from Fern's mouth, and he heard a small sob from Leaf.

Fern shut her eyes. The pain was sharp and concentrated, cold and warm at the same time. Death was inevitable now; the blood gushed out like a waterfall. But she still had some time. It was not over.

With all the strength she still had in her, she pushed against Dune. The rock— the rock she had been on just before the fight began. It could help her. It's base was jagged and dangerous.

Dune stumbled backwards, his grip loosening slightly. He was starting to become exhausted. Good. Fern took in a few breaths- even if her artery was slashed, her windpipe was still operational.

The rock loomed above them, casting a shadow. Fern, with the fury of a thousand blazing suns, slammed Dune onto the base. He cried out as small, jagged rocks impaled his side, instantly becoming splattered in red. He whimpered, while blood gathered at his eyes and fell as tears of scarlet.

Fern took a few steps back. They were both going to die; there was no escaping it. But, in her mind, she had won. Dune would not have the satisfaction of taking over the pack as well as killing her.

She turned, and looked at Leaf. Her child. Small, teary-eyed, sobbing. She wanted to comfort her, but sensed she did not have the strength to walk the distance towards her. Hunched over, she could feel her energy draining away.

'I love you,' she whispered to her child. And thus, with one final breath, she left to join the stars. Her legs gave way, and her body collapsed heavily, sending sand up into the air. The only movement from her was her feathers, moving in correspondence with the wind.

I love you.

Those words repeated in Dune's mind, over and over. He hadn't heard them said to someone else in a long time. In fact, no one had ever said those words to him- in turn, he himself had never said that to anyone else. A strange part of him yearned for someone to say that to him— no, not just say it, but mean it. Yet, he knew love was what made others weak- it made one vulnerable.

I do not deserve to be loved, He thought. He felt the eyes of the rest of the pack flit between himself and his sister, but he did not care. He was dying.

I do not need to be loved, He growled softly, feeling the pain throbbing at his sides. He wanted to agree with the statement, so he would know he was still the cold killer he was before; however, deep inside, part of him knew that that simply wasn't true. And, for once, he managed to acknowledge it instead of pushing it away.

Slowly, he got up, feeling the rocks impaling his flesh slide out of the wounds, dripping. He had enormous slashes and gashes on his sides. Wincing, he stumbled a bit as he pulled himself upright. Everything was blurry, and his eyes stung from the hot tears of blood welling up inside. He could hear Leaf weeping over the body of her mother, accompanied by some other raptors. The rest of the pack stared at him.

He turned around, grimacing as red splattered out of his mouth. The setting sun was behind him; it was but a tiny blot in the distance, just barely peeking over the horizon. Sighing, he gazed out towards it. A pain was in his chest— not physical, but rather, emotional.

He felt his body get colder as more and more blood left him. But, he didn't care. The sun was beautiful. He didn't want to go to the stars like most raptors did- he wanted to go to the sun. Maybe there he wouldn't fear love or trust the way he did here.

He clutched his arm, nervously. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand up. But he wanted to stand up for as long as possible. Let the pack witness how strong a runt can truly be.

He realised he wasn't so afraid to die anymore. It was inevitable, unavoidable, permanent. But so what? Let him die. He wasn't going to be forgotten anytime soon. He would experience something similar to what his victims experienced. But he wouldn't go to the stars like they did, no. He was going to the sun.

The lukewarm rays of the sun touched him gently, like they were inviting him to come. As if they were tugging at his crippled soul, Dune felt his strength pull away, out of his body. He fell onto his knees, tears of blood rolling down his cheeks, heart slowing like a tired wind. He felt for the scar on his chest, inflicted all those years ago. It was still there, the old thing, hidden among his feathers.

His head felt light, and in that moment, he understood.

This is it, He thought, feeling the last fragments of life leave his body. He collapsed onto his front, feeling heavy, like he was about to fall asleep. However, his eyes never tore away from the shining God setting in the far away edges of the desert he grew up in, the desert he called home.

I am going to join the sun.

-------

(. . .)