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=Diamond=

I stared at Sylvan in confusion for what felt like an eternity. I still have no clue on what’s going on right now, but I’m guessing it’s too complicated for me to follow along with. That being said, I never implied that I wasn’t going to try, but merely follow along as best I can.

“What’s a Draconian?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. Sylvan’s prideful demeanor seemed to deflate instantly, making my eyebrow go higher.

“What breed of idiots are raised on this planet? You’re not pulling my wings, are you!?” Sylvan asked me with an annoyed expression written across his face.  I frowned when he called me an idiot.

“If I knew what you were, then I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have asked you the question, now would I!?” My retort was laced with a little bit of venom. If there’s one thing that get’s under my skin worse than fleas, it’s being called stupid or any other simile for it! I’ve worked my ass off in trying to further my knowledge, even going so far as to learn proper Equestrian!

“It seems I’ve hit a nerve. Nevertheless, I’m sure you can imagine my shock when you said you’ve never heard of us Draconi. Just giving a brief summary, we Draconians are probably the strongest race in existence, bar none! We have influence on almost every planet in the known universe, giving us knowledge far beyond that of any other being. That being said, I’m rather perplexed at where we are.” Sylvan trailed off as he sat down and folded his legs up like Silas would do.

“We’re in a Rainforest. I thought the bountiful flora and humidity would’ve given that away.” I deadpanned with a hint of smug venom. Extensive knowledge my ass! He couldn’t even figure out that-

“That is no way for a lady to think, Trevala. Please refrain from thinking provocative things as I scan your memories.” A smug smile from Sylvan was lost on me as I promptly dropped my jaw. Was he reading my mind!? How the hell does that even wor-

“Trevala…” Sylvan drawled out in annoyed tone as his smile deflated into a frown. I shook my head roughly, trying to see if I can-

“This would be so much easier if you would shut up, Trevala. I hate to use such strong language towards an attractive woman such as you, but I am growing weary of your wayward thoughts and proactive mental-speech patterns. Now if you would do me the honor of walking over here, I should be able to pinpoint our location. From there, I shall personally see us out of this dreary flora-enraptured prison cell you call a ‘Rain-Forest,’” Sylvan stated with an air of relaxation. “Besides, I would think it best to find our way back to the ship as soon as possible.”

“I’m not going anywhere near you.” I snapped. “I don’t even know what you’re capable of, or if what you’ve been telling me is the truth. You’re too laid-back: and need I say prideful, smug and a bit of an ass. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a threat to me; which means I’m staying on this side of the quarry, thank you very much!” I turned my nose up and crossed my arms, hoping he’ll buy it.

To be honest, there’s something alluring about this guy. My body feels like it wants to be near him, to smother him with presence forever more, to be exact. I know it sounds creepy, but that’s the vibe my body is giving off!

“Oh spare me the moral act, Trevala. It’s a little late to play the dimwitted damsel, wouldn’t you agree? On a side note, I must thank you for playing that part anyway. You made probing your mind so much easier.” He stood up and began walking towards the water on my left, his right.

“It would seem that Justin thought himself to be unbreakable...or maybe too suave? Nevertheless, his actions has put your life in danger, and he hates himself for it...on top of everything else.” Sylvan wasn’t addressing me as he stared off into space with the his knuckles on the side of his chin.

“That boy needs a hug; or better yet, a firm asskicking: Which is what he’s receiving-”

“GET THE FUCK BACK IN HERE!!!” My eyes went wide as the monotone voice of Sylvan broke, letting me hear the strong yet soft voice of Silas! He’s fighting him for control of his body!?

Sylvan clutched at the side of his head and let loose a mighty dragon-like roar, shaking the trees around us as he was driven to his knees by some unknown force. I think I know who’s doing it too!

“Get him, Silas! Take your body back!” I shouted out, cupping my hands against my mouth to make sure he heard me over the roars that Sylvan was emitting.

“I’M....TRYING...” Sylvan began beating a fist into the ground, leaving small circular craters in the wake of his blows. HE was still roaring and jerking his head about, hand still clutched to its side.

“You...are more trouble...than I thought!” Even though his eyes were closed in pain, I could still see the tendrils of blue flittering from the back-corners of Sylvan’s eyes. His face was scrounged up in supreme agony as began rolling around on the muddy embankment, lathering copious amounts of twigs and mud all over himself as he cried out in roars.

“FUCK...YOUUUUUU!!!!!!!” Silas’s voice boomed one last time as the body halted its writhing, going completely still mid-roll. I was shocked by the display.

I waited, too scared and confused to go over to his position by the river. That being said, I still couldn’t help but feel a little more confident; what with being able to help Silas win his body back...

...I hope.

“S...Silas? Silas are you there?” I asked timidly, half-expecting the body to suddenly fling itself towards me.

No answer.

“Please answer me...Silas?” Even though I was nervous and fear-locked into place, my body still found the reserves of my courage and allowed me to take a single step forward. Once my paw touched the ground, however, I felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and energy.

It put my nerves on edge, making me adopt my all-fours stance and perk my ears up. I willed them to swivel as the normally buzzing cacophony of the Rainforest became quiet. The birds had stopped chirping and the bugs had stopped buzzing. This is the classic sign of danger, where nature itself doesn’t want to be found by whatever is prowling about right now.

My blood ran cold as I threw a sideways glance at Silas, only to see him still frozen in place. I gulped loudly, shifting my attention back to my ears. I could faintly hear the sound of pawed feet slowly striking the ground, leading me to believe it was some type of predator. Having that distinguished, I closed my eyes and focused harder.

Now I could hear the heavy exhales of something big. Something very big. And based on how these footsteps are steadily growing louder and louder, I’m willing to bet that it’s getting closer and closer!

“Silas!” I whispered quickly and powerfully, my adrenaline-fueled body bolstering my bravado as I made my way over to him. He was still stuck in time, making me roll my eyes as I began shoving the heck out of his body,desperately trying to shake him from his stupor.

He didn’t budge. Ah shit!

“Playtime’s over now, Silas...” I drawled out worriedly, “We really need to go before whatever is coming actually finds us!” I yelled in my whisper voice as I began slapping him across his face with moderate strength. His head didn’t even jerk from the slaps, his face still scrounged up in pain.

I began whimpering as the sound of four or more paws thudding against the ground shook me to my core. Something was coming, and it was coming fast! It must have picked up on our scent!

I gave Silas one more powerful smack, the impact making an echo that rung out into the vastness of the Rainforest. When nothing happened, I made the decision to just take him and run. But we need to hide our scent before what-

*ROARRR!!!*

I nearly lost my bowels instead of my bladder that time. I slowly turned my head around as the sound of brush being cleared filled my ears. There, just in front of a particularly large bush...was a lion. It was a male, based on the shaggy, dark-brown mane it was sporting. Red eyes that seemed to be on fire strafed the area, seemingly completing reconnaissance or something along those lines.

What struck me as odd, however, is the lion’s coat. It was bright gold, overwhelmingly bright unless you fix your eyes to the brightness. After I did just that, the lion looked at me and Silas as if we were it’s dinner. Hell, it even licked its chops like a fat pup with diamond!

This lion extended its claws and retracted them, getting a feel for the ground beneath it as it began pacing back and forth; for we had our backs to the sea, so to speak. Running isn’t an option and it knows that. This means the lion has some type of sentient thinking, or maybe I’m overthinking things because I’m faced with a do-or-die situation.

The lion was easily three times bigger than me, and about the same for Silas as well...who was still frozen in place next to me. The lion’s constant growling put me on edge as it continued pacing, waiting for us to do something. The beast probably wanted us to run, to enjoy a chase before it sunk its canines into our jugulars and snapped our necks.

I shivered at the image my thought carried with it.

Still, I kept my full attention on the predator, thankful for the fact that it had not pounced yet. This works out to my benefit, because I can now think of a means to escape this hazardous predicament.

I could try grabbing Silas and jumping into the river, but his body is locked up and I’m willing to guess that it won’t float very well. Two, I could try being a distraction for Silas until he wakes up and helps.

I shook my head at the absurdity of that thought. This lion is three times my size and by nature, should have a longer reach than my own. Fighting it head on would be suicide. Still, it’s a good plan to fall back on.

I could try running off with Silas into the brush, but that could end up going very badly. I could either get us hopelessly lost, or we could be lunch, since that’s what this lion wants. Damn it! Nothing seems to work out to my benefit in this situation!

I growled to myself in frustration. This growl did not go unnoticed by the lion, however, for it stopped pacing and made its own growl louder. It looked at me with a visage of challenge and pride, almost as if I had disrespected it with my semi-conscious act of frustration. Whatever the case may be, I can honestly say that challenging this hunk of killer instinct was not in my agenda!

The lion thrusted its head forward and roared at me, a snarl playing on the left side of its mouth. This snarl showcased a very long canine that was almost the size of my fucking arm!

In response, seeing as how I’ve already angered him, I took out my trusty iron dagger from its sheath behind my left leg, opting to stand on both my legs for however long this fight will last. At least, I hoped the lion wouldn’t-

With another roar, the lion blazed a trail straight for us. I hurriedly thrusted my dagger at its heart, my own heart plummeting into my chest as the weapon literally bounced off its fur. How the hell does that even work!?

Panicking as the beast closed the distance quickly, I covered my eyes with both my paws and hunkered down into the dirt, awaiting my end with a couple of tears streaming down my face as I shook and whimpered.

With a roar that was close enough to cause a little...leakage, I heard a sickening thud come from in front of me. That’s it then...I’ve died.

I waited for the pain to come in, but it never did. It took some time before my ears could register what sounded like grunting and growling. Slowly, I took my paws away from my eyes and nearly did a spit-take without anything to drink.

It was Silas...and he was fighting the massive lion back with his bare hands! They were currently wrapped up in a struggle for power with both of them on two legs, their massive arms trembled from the force they were pushing on to one another.

Their strength was a perfect match! I heard a chuckle as Silas peered over his shoulder at me, his eyes going back to normal. The tendrils of energy receded back into his eyes as the water-drop shaped pupil turned slitted again.

“Nghh...Hey there, Princess! You sure like being the damsel in distress...ngh...dontcha?” He asked in between grunts of exertion, a smug smile gracing the little bit of mouth I could see.

“...You’re such an idiot.” I stated happily as tears welled up in my eyes. That earned me a chuckle as he turned his head to face the hulking mass of death in front of him.

“By the way...I noticed how your deadeye shot with that dagger of yours bounced off this furball. Which could only mean one thing...” His voice still sounded smug, even though he was being pushed back by the growling lion that even tried sneaking in a few bites to his arms.

“...I get to play Heracles!” As he finished the exclamation, Silas displayed the greatest feat of strength...ever. He wrapped his hands around the lions bulky forearms, avoiding a couple of snaps from its powerful jaws and pulled the beast towards him. From there, he ducked and turned his back so that his butt was facing the lion’s groin.

My face skewed in horror as I thought about how this ‘Heracles’ bested a lion! Surely he didn't allow it to sodomize him!

From those two motions alone, the lion was sent over Silas’s shoulder and onto the ground with enough force to make me stumble, the thud resonating throughout the Rainforest. I winced from the impact myself as the lion let out a mighty roar of pain before shutting up with a gasp for air.

Dazed and confused, I quickly sprinted by the lion and into the brush from whence it came, drowning my body in its scent as I rubbed against the leaves. From my newly acquired vantage point, I could watch the fight unfurl from a safe distance.

Silas jumped back after slamming the lion down, earning himself some distance just as the lion started to stagger back to its feet. A hearty chuckle left the alien’s mouth, ending in a sigh of what sounded like content.

“You know, it’s not everyday you run into a Nemean Lion...especially in a Rainforest. I thought you bozos like caves and wide-open savannahs with high grasses and- Woah!” Silas sidestepped to avoid a huge arcing claw swipe, aimed for his head. The lion pressed on, trying with all its might to just hit the alien once.

Silas was laughing while dodging every attack, doing little ballerina moves as he danced around the hulking predator like it was nothing.

“Oh, I think you nipped me!” Silas exclaimed as he front flipped over the lion’s body, narrowly avoiding a devastating horizontal slash. “Alright, I think I’ve got your attack pattern figured out!” Silas joked, making me facepalm loudly.

“Syncing Sylvan Power Rings to Sirios Unit, six-seven-nine-five-zero. Synchronization completed. Activating Sylvan Power Rings to ‘Blood Limit One’; Code: Vongola!” Silas spoke rapidly, two rings appearing from azure flames around his middle fingers. From there, they continued to glow until I became blinded by the light, a shrill whistling-which could be likened to one of Judgement’s turbines revving up-filling the air.

Then just as quick as the glow and noise came, they vanished.

“Activation completed. Activating S.E.T function: Flamma.” Silas was now sporting what appeared to be iron gloves, but the iron was black while the middle was silver and looked to be leather in appearance. A large, round cut of sky-blue diamond was socketed into the ‘backhand’ part of the gloves.

Then, his forehead became the centerpiece for a medium-sized sky-blue fire that danced about madly. His eyes appeared to glow from the fire, giving him an...attractive visage. I couldn’t help but bite my bottom lip a little bit.

“Activation complete. Thanks for catching your breath there, ugly. If you had attacked me during power-up phase, I might have been a goner.” Silas flexed his gloves a couple of times, getting a proper feel for the added weight. Once satisfied, he quickly snapped them shut so that his hands were now fists, the jewel on the back of the gloves nearly bulging from its socket.

“And now I get to kick your ass...and skin you.”