A/N: Sorry for the delay. No excuse really. On the bright side, I finally have a storyline for this. Hopefully, Kurogane and Syaoron will appear in a couple chapters.

Chapter summary: In which depth perception is a problem, the trio finds a pack of shapeshifters who may or may not be friendly, and have a brief brush with an undead redhead.

4: On the Wing

Fai wobbled precariously once more as his wounded eye pulsed in pain. He knew the injury needed to be cleaned and taken care of, but there was nothing he or his coven could do about it until they reached a society of some kind. He could feel the numbing sensation that came with shock working its way through his body. It wasn't a good sign, but at least he could work with it to an extent. As long as the pain wasn't immediate, he wouldn't hold back his coven. But it would also make it more difficult to deal with the injury when he finally got the chance to.

Subaru was the first to notice the sound of running water. A quick run found them at the edge of a rushing river. Fai didn't hesitate. He quickly kicked off his shoes and rolled up his pants so he could wade into the freezing water and splash his wound. It burned as he gently rubbed the cuts, careful of the eyeball itself.

Gentle hands pushed his own away and suddenly Kamui was there cleaning his wound. Fai allowed his sire to rub the cold water over his face, scrubbing any dirt and blood from the wound as best he could. Then he offered his wrist.

"Drink," he ordered.

Fai's brow furrowed in consternation, but he was in no position to refuse a direct order from his sire. Besides, they both knew his sire's blood would speed his healing. So without further hesitation, he took Kamui's wrist in his hands, pressed his lips to the pale underside and sank his fangs in.

He was careful not to take too much blood. He only took enough to kickstart the healing process before pulling away. Kamui said nothing. He just stood and brushed a hand through Fai's blonde hair before walking back to the riverbank. Fai remained in the water to clean the blood from his face before joining Kamui on the shore. It was then he noticed Subaru's absence.

"He's searching for a road," Kamui said in answer to Fai unasked question.

Fai nodded and waited until Kamui narrowed his eyes and bolted upstream following along the river. Fai followed without question, although his speed and agility were limited due to his lack od depth perception. Eventually, they met up with Subaru again. The Beta was standing just behind the tree line near what appeared to be a main highway.

"If we follow this road, we'll reach a city eventually," Subaru said. He glanced at Fai in concern. "It would be best if we shifted. Do you think you can handle it?"

Fai hesitated, taking stock of his body and magic levels before nodding in relief. "I can," he said firmly. "My depth perception is off but otherwise, it shouldn't be too hard to follow you."

Subaru nodded. "Then I'll lead." He glanced at Kamui who remained silent, staring at the road and the humans driving along it in open distrust. "I'll look for a chance to get a change of clothes for us more suited to this world, but..." He shrugged. "Hopefully, we'll find a coven to rest with for the time being. We're in no shape to jump dimensions right now."

Kamui nodded reluctantly, shooting a grim smile at his twin before shifting to a raven and taking flight. Subaru and Fai shifted as well and took to the skies. Subaru took the lead followed closely by Fai with Kamui taking up the rear. If they reached a city before nightfall, then they could find some clothes to wear that were more acceptable in this world. That way they wouldn't stand out as much. Fai also needed something to cover his eye to prevent contamination during the healing process.

It was a little harder to run than he hoped it would be. His injured eye burned from the persistent wind crashing into as he ran at top speed. His depth perception was also shoddy. Twice he tripped because he misjudged the distance and location of a root or curb. Thankfully, Kamui wasn't harsh or lingering. He merely paused long enough to jerk Fai back to his feet before they both caught back up to Subaru. They followed the road staying just out of sight in the trees.

The further they went, the more Fai began to wonder where they were. This didn't feel like the Rocky Mountains he meant to teleport to. What if he missed? He was exhausted from traveling between dimensions, he was injured, his magic was crippled as long as his eye wasn't whole, and his Prey was gone forcing him to rely on Kamui for sustenance until his eye repaired itself or he returned to his Prey. Whichever came first. He would settle for either one, although he preferred both.

He only consolation was knowing that Kurogane had Mokona. Syaoron would never let anything happen to the princess. The last Fai heard, Kurogane was providing a distraction with the Dragons of Heaven holding back the human forces long enough for the princess and Tsukuyomi to escape back to Clow on Terra. It irked Fai that he couldn't be by his princess's side, but when he sensed his sire's despair and debilitating terror, Fai had been compelled to come to Kamui's aid.

Good thing he did too. When Fai had arrived, Subaru had been almost catatonic and Kamui had been hysterically trying to defend his twin from Seishiro Sakurazuka. Fai had been stunned. The last he heard, Subaru and Seishiro were lovers and Subaru even went so far as to sire his lover upon request. Why would Seishiro be attacking?

Then Fai had caught sight of the bloody remnants of Hokuto and understood. A quick teleportation spell had been enough to whisk himself and the pureblooded siblings away, but he couldn't save Hokuto. She had been so thoroughly ripped apart, Fai barely recognized her. They had burned her body as was tradition, but couldn't stay long enough to collect all of her ashes or properly mourn her. The humans had been attracted by the smoke and chased them into the forest leading to their ill-fated attempt to jump dimensions.

They were all tired both physically and emotionally. It was a miracle Subaru had found the strength of will to wake himself up from his catatonia for this. Kamui was unusually quiet still. It broke Fai's aching heart. So when the rain began to fall, it sapped their little group of any strength they had left. Blessedly, there were lights ahead indicating a town or city. Whichever it was, it meant a chance to find shelter. Unfortunately, it also meant there were humans

Even though Fai had been human once, he couldn't help but feel trepidation at approaching a human establishment. He could sense Kamui's agitation filtering through his mind as well, easing only when Subaru placed a gentle, comforting hand on his twin's arm.

"Kamui," Subaru whispered softly.

Kamui shook himself out of his dark thoughts, brushed his fingers over his twin's. "It's not dark yet," he said, glancing at the sky. "It will be soon, but the humans will still be awake." His brow twitched lower over his violet eyes. "I have no desire to see those despicable creatures."

"Kamui," Subaru said, gently scolding.

"He's right," Fai said, surprising himself by speaking up. "Even if we did go down there now, we wouldn't get what we need and we would stand out. I think we can all agree drawing attention to ourselves would hardly be wise."

Subaru nodded reluctantly. "Agreed. Still," he turned his grass green gaze back to the town. It was much smaller than he was hoping for. It was relatively easy for a vampire to slip into a city unnoticed. It was harder to do in smaller, more isolated towns such as this one. :I believe it would be better there than here with whatever's in these woods with us,: he said mentally.

:You sensed them too then,: Kamui asked, tilting his head in Subaru's direction without moving his eyes from the town.

:I can sense them but they are distant yet,: Fai thought. :It was hard not to notice their scent. We can be grateful we've been downwind of them for the time being.: He stepped forward to stand even with his sire and Beta. :Do you think they're shifters?:

:Possibly,: Kamui said. :Or werewolves, although this isn't the environment I would expect to find a werewolf pack.:

:True,: Fai admitted. "I agree with Subaru," he said aloud. "I doubt one night's rest would cause too much commotion," he said aloud. "If you would rather we not stay in town, then I suggest finding an abandoned nest or something."

Kamui hesitated. "Very well."

"We don't have money," Subaru said. "At least, I doubt what we have is considered money here."

"I'm sure they won't mind too much," Kamui said, the faintest smile twitching his lips upwards.

Fai sighed. "Kamui," he said when his sire crouched and spread his arms about to shift. The pureblooded vampire stilled and met his childe's concerned gaze in mild interest, waiting for him to continue. :Don't be rash,: Fai said firmly. :I don't think Subaru could take it if something happened to you too.:

Kamui's eyes softened minutely as he nodded. There was a flutter of black feathered wings and Fai watched Kamui fly down to the city in his raven form. He waited until Subaru shifted into a raven as well before shifting himself and following the Beta into the town.

The town was indeed small, but not too small. It still had a coffee shop and a corner pharmacy just down the street from each other. Kamui landed on a stop sign nearby and waited until the door to the pharmacy opened and "accidentally" flew inside. The manager quickly grabbed a broom and began chasing Kamui's raven form down the aisles, urging him none-too-gently back towards the door leading outside. Kamui made sure to flutter near the wall of gauze, snatching a small roll of gauze in one of his talons before succumbing to the manager's broom enforced encouragement and flew back outside.

Fai was cackling in his hoarse raven voice and even Subaru was clacking his beak in amusement. :I won't ever let you forget that, Kamui,: Fai jabbed in good-natured humor.

Kamui aimed one beady bird eye at Fai in annoyance and proceeded to fly away from the building ignoring the manager's frustrated cries. Fai and Subaru followed their Alpha to the forest at the edge of town. Kamui landed in a particularly tall hardwood tree, shifting back into his true form as he did so. He settled near the trunk where the branch was thickest and strongest, palming the gauze as he did so.

Subaru remained a raven, choosing to light on his brother's shoulder. Fai landed on a nearby branch, stumbling when he almost overshot the wood and tumbled to the ground below. He squawked indignantly and hopped to Kamui's lap where he hunkered down to wait for Kamui to bind his eye. The gauze was just itchy enough to annoy but it was either deal with the annoyance or possibly deal with an infection later. Eyes were complicated organs directly connected to a thick nerve. It would take a couple days to heal completely which meant he would have to deal with his troublesome depth perception and itchiness for now.

:Thanks,: he said mentally.

Kamui said nothing, choosing instead to lean back against the tree trunk and pull his cape higher so the collar hid his face from the windy rain.

:You should join us, brother,: Subaru whispered, brushing a feathered wing against Kamui's cheek. :This form is lighter and the rain doesn't bother as much.:

Kamui considered the offer. It would be a good idea. It was either his raven for or mist, and quite frankly he wasn't sure he had the mental capacity to maintain a sense of self in a cloud of condensed air at the moment. His human form was unsteady and too heavy for the tree to handle if the creaking of wood was anything to go by. Not to mention he was getting soaked.

:Kamui,: Subaru pleaded, playing with a strand of dark, brown-black hair, :There's an abandoned squirrel nest in the next tree over that's big enough to fit us. Please.:

Kamui pressed his lips and nodded. Subaru and Fai took flight followed by Kamui. The Beta guided their little group to the nest and landed.

:It's been abandoned for a while,: Kamui said, hopping into the center. :This should work.: He looked up. :Those leave should keep most of the rain from hitting us.:

:I'll take first watch,: Fai said. He hopped to the edge of the nest only to feel a sharp beak snagg his tail feathers and yank him down to the bowl of the nest. He righted himself with some effort and fluffed his feathers indignantly. :Was that necessary?:

:Yes,: Kamui said, tugging Fai closer and situating himself so Fai was in the middle of their makeshift home. :I just wrapped that gauze over your eye. As if I'd let you mess it up by getting it all wet.:

Fai huffed and ruffled his feathers when he heard Subaru chuckle and slide down to join them. Before Fai knew it, he was wedged between Subaru and Kamui, their fluffed feathers forming a protective layer against the cold rainwater. They were all going to sleep then. The Moon Guardian knew they needed it. He could feel Kamui's relief and exhaustion through their mental link and stopped struggling. The warmth generated by their bodies was comfortable after all.

Fai settled in for a long wet night, feeling his sire drift off to sleep next to him. This dimension was strange, but interesting. His magic was tingling; not urgently, just enough to hold his interest. There was something here that felt...different. Not wrong, just different, unfamiliar. A howl in the distance made him ruffle his feathers, fluffing up to keep warm and awake. Thank the Moon Guardian wolves couldn't climb trees. Fai had no desire to be a snack.

He woke to a particularly loud howl coming from near the base of their tree. Fai lifted his head from the warmth of the nest and his fellow coven's feathers only to have a wing smack down on his head. It would have annoyed him had he not recognized the wing as belonging to Kamui and felt Kamui's unease. He nudged his sire's feathered side with his beak asking what was happening, but made no sound. Kamui ignored him and remained absolutely still, his head cocked slightly to the side listening.

:The shifters are below us,: Subaru said softly in Fai's mind.

Ah. That explained the silence. :Can they hear us?: Fai asked just as softly.

Subaru poked his head out from under Kamui's wing. :I'm not sure,: he said hesitantly.

:They're hunting,: Kamui said after a moment. :For what I'm not certain, but they're following a scent.:

Fai hesitated. :Would you like me to make first contact?: he asked.

Kamui considered the offer for a moment before shaking his feathered head. :Let them hunt,: he said. :We'll follow them back to their lair and speak then.:

:Why not now?: Fai asked, shifting to a more comfortable position in the crowded nest.

Subaru tensed, ducking low under Kamui's wing. :Telepath!: he warned urgently. :Guard your thoughts!:

Fai couldn't cast his spells from this form because spellcasting required the use of his hands. But he could hide his thoughts behind a wall of thick ice like the glaciers of Celes. He did just that now, focusing on the ice and nothing more. Giant fissures crackled their way across the glacial surface creating ravines that would ensnare an intruding mind and never allow them to escape. The air was so cold, it froze the still air.

A blur of brilliant red flooded Fai's vision, what little there was from his view under Kamui's protective wing. The red belonged to the hair of a woman crouched in a nearby tree. Her skin was pale, almost deathly so, and her eyes were the shade of blood. The same shade of red as the eyes of the undead creature Aro. She also had no heartbeat.

Kamui screamed at her with his raven voice, alerting the shifters below of the undead woman's presence in the tree. Howls and barks joined Kamui's squawks until the undead thing had no choice but to mutter a curse and leap out of her hiding spot and flee further into the woods. The moment the undead was gone followed closely by the baying of the wolf shifters on the ground, Kamui fell silent once more and waited. When the usual sounds of the forest returned, only then did he relax.

:We're leaving at dawn,: he said. :I would rather not be caught by a coven of undead.:

:That may not be an option,: Subaru said thoughtfully. He sat up from their huddle and gazed out over the forest with his beady eyes. :I have the feeling this won't end in the most desirable way.:

:I hope you're wrong brother,: Kamui murmured.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully.