Duty and Friendship

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

It was two days after the WARR Empire had returned to the Mossflower country. The New Azurrian had returned to thier encampments that were by the coastline, their large fleets of ships where near the coastline as well.
Darkhawk had been having sleepless nights as he couldn't bare trying to sleep. So he spent his time in the Training hall. He constantly been trainning.
...Clap....clap.....clap... Darkhawk had been doing push-ups with claps everytime he came up. The sunlight had barely shined threw the window that was high above. Rays of golden light hit the wall next to Darkhawk, and reflected off of his blades that leaned against the wall. Darkhawk's eyes were fixed on the ground for a moment, untill he stopped, sitting down, breathing hard from his lack of sleep and excersising.

[Ashstripe]

Ashstripe yawned and stretched as he entered the room in a groggy state, that was the most amount of sleep he had since...Well as far as he could remember, what with the constant conflict and the volume of hare's it was a wonder he didn't go mad.

He paused momentarily, who could be up at this hour other then himself? Surely not the hare's for even when they were on guard duty would they fall asleep, which raises the question of how Salamandastron remains un-conquered.
"Top o'th' mornin' t'ye Darkhawk.." Ashstripe greeted slowly, he didn't like this, it was obvious thing's were going to go up-hill if Darkhawk seemed this restless.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk turned slightly when he heard Ashstripe. "Morning...." said Darkhawk breathing hard still as he stood up again, then proceeding to do squats. He had a look of determination that he normally didn't show.
"What....are you....doing....up... This early?" asked Darkhawk, still excersing. "Did...I wake you?"

[Ashstripe]

Ashstripe shook his head slowly, "Of course not." He grinned slightly at the question of his presence, he would often rise just as early if he even managed to get sleep and practice his metallurgy and generally train until he dropped in the forge.
"'Tis 'ard to rest with a war going on, but I manage." He smiled again, keeping his tone fairly care-free, "What causes ye such unrest?" He finally ended his small talk.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk was quiet for a long moment as he continued to do squats. He was staring not at Ashstripe, but at the wall he was facing.
"Last time....I fought Rosethorn...." studdered Darkhawk as he kept working out. "...I wasn't strong enough..." Darkhawk gritted his teeth as he instantly changed from doing squats to doing push-ups again. "...I lost my close friends, that day... If I sleep when work needs to be done....Then I'll fail again."

[Ashstripe]

Ashstripe smiled slightly, Darkhawk sure had strange motivation in his eyes. On one side he felt as if he was an utter failure and had no hope of succeeding, on the other he felt as if he had to prove that theory wrong, something quite odd in Ashstripe's eyes, but yet similar.

He shrugged, "Ye'll fail once more if ye work when there's sleepin' to be done." he replied in a matter-of-fact way.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk stopped for a moment to star at Ashstripe, before pushing himself up so that he was no longer on the ground. He stood up straight staring at Ashstripe still. He was still breathing hard from his excersising and lack of sleep.
"I can't sleep..." replied Darkhawk. "The very thought that my father is still alive haunts my dreams...and the prophecy doesn't help with that fact. Every day the war comes closer, the worse my dreams are...the worse my visions of the future are." Darkhawk started to walk off, but stopped at one piece of woven fabric that weighed roughly 100 lbs to lift. Instantly, Darkhawk struck it, and continuously with his claws clinched.
"Rosethorn was a powerful fighter...he was able to kill countless warriors with his blades forged by the materials that had destroyed the Azurrians and Ireans...Me...I'm a weakling..." Darkhawk feicely kicked the bag, making it rock slightly.
"...I was never strong enough..." Again he hit it with a forceful hit.
"...Never good enough...Never anything in my father's eyes...He was right, you know...I was never good enough, and he bet the *stuffing(Censor)* out of me everytime I failed...I have no time to sleep. I have to get stronger, I've got to get better then him." There was obviously a sound of resentment and anger in Darkhawk's voice as he spoke.

[Ashstripe]

Ashstripe shook his head briskly, a rough past usually resulted in a rough future, he could relate to such matters somewhat, although things were a little out of hand in his case.

He placed a rough weathered old paw on Darkhawk's shoulder,
"Break the bone and the body will heal, break the spirit and the body will die.." He replied rather solemnly, "Don't let him break ye spirit, lad." He smile again reassuringly, he was a firm believer in the fact that there is no such thing as fate, luck maybe, but a predetermined path set before you exist? Impossible.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk turned slightly looking at Ashstripe. The whites of his eyes were red from his lack of sleep and him over working himself. He stopped punching the bag as he completely turned to face Ashstripe.
"Haven't you had a reoccuring nightmare that makes you afraid of resting you head at night?...I have...I'm afraid that one day I will go to sleep, and I will wake up, back in the imaginary prison my father made for me...." Darkhawk slowly lowered his gave as he felt a slight pain in his neck do to working to hard. "...He broke my soul once...I doubt he can again..." Darkhawk closed his eyes slightly, before forcing them back open.
"Aren't you nervous? Nervous that if we fall to stop WARR, that they will destroy everything?"

[Ashstripe]

Ashstripe chuckled lightly, of course he was worried, but then again he was never one to look too far ahead into the future. "Aye, that I am, but th' future not be set in stone." He grinned again, "We only have to make sure we don't fail." Rest had reinvigorated him, faith and all. Even if they died, he was certain that some beasts out there would once again rise up and attempt to destroy WARR, perhaps succeeding, it was notions such as these that gave Ashstripe his relatively reckless outlook on the war.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk was silent for a moment as he turned to look at the sky threw the window. He felt the wind pick-up slightly. He slowly looked down for a long moment saying nothing. He slowly looked at the sky seeing birds fly across the sky.
he paused lookking at a leaf that flew into the room and floated next to him. He put his claw out, catching the leaf.
...The smallest leaf is a symbol that very little know of...The symbol of life itself... No matter how many winters come...no matter how long of time...Leaves return, just as life...And with life comes hope... Darkhawk listened to the voice he heard. He closed his eyes, clenching his claw, as a few tears came down his face.
"I must sound like a self-centered child..." Darkhawk said as he kept his eyes closed, not looking at Ashstripe. Slowly Darkhawk touched his one face feeling a spot that had bleed badly a few nights ago.
Child of dark blooded descent... Child of evil birth...what are you trying to do? Hide from me? HA! Weak, weak child...Your fate was sealed before your birth. The day is nearly upon us...And this world shall see the vengenance of I! Any you shall help me accompish this...no matter what you do to stop it...Everyone you know...everything hold so dear, shall burn in eternal fire...Along with you, and your soul...Hahaha!
Darkhawk gritted his teeth for a moment as he tried to silence the voice. "Do you think that I am evil? Do you think I'm a monster?"

[Ashstripe]

Ashstripe's grin and childish recklessness quickly subsided into a look of a surprise, he definitely wasn't expecting that,
"Now why would I? There be no reason." He replied slowly, still in a bit of shock as to why Darkhawk would ask such a question, yes he was a prophesied scourge and son of a Warlord, but he ceased to show it in Ashstripe's view.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk closed his eyes again. "My father always called me that..." Replied Darkhawk before setting down on the window frame over looking the landscape. He opened his eyes letting the leaf go and fly threw the air.
"You...all of you Woodlanders have shown me nothing but kindness...It feels like a dream...I have lived a life that I have been forced to live...constantly fighting, constantly fighting who I am, vermin armies, and more importantly, my memories...I feel...tired, sad... weak all the time." Darkhawk stared at the mist that covered the landscape, as the sun started to make it over the mountains in the distance.
"Why do you show me such kindness?"

[Ashstripe]

Again with the difficult questions. To be honest Ashstripe had no real answer, he doubted anyone else could come up with one either. So he simply said the only thought that came to his head when he questioned such a thing that was second nature to him.

"...Ye be an ally...And a friend...Tis second nature." He mumbled quietly, still rather unsure of himself.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Friend... Darkhawk closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered his old friend, Daeton, whom he saw died during the battle to liberate the New Azurrians from Zarith, the puppet of the WARR Empire.
Darkhawk opened eyes flashing back, seeing his old friend again looking at him. Daeton was a red fox, like himself, only about 3-4 season (Years), and had the traditional Elite Honor Guard look, except for the helmet, for Daeton never wore it. The fox had strange colored eyes, that were reminiscent of Darkhawk's mother's, a strange blue color. The warrior stood tall, placing a hand on Darkhawk's shoulder.
Hay! You're not giving up already...right...friend? Darkhawk shook his head, seeing a smile come on Daeton's face.
Good!...You're still my friend, right? Again, Darkhawk nodded as Daeton nodded to.
That means you're going to stick by my side, 'cause that's what friends do, you're going to protect your friends...right.
Darkhawk blinked back, realized that he had been day-dreaming for a moment after Ashstripe had told him.
"...F...Fr...Friends...." repeated Darkhawk slowly, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "...And...Friends stick together...right..."

[Ashstripe]

"Of course!" Ashstripe slapped Darkhawk on the back heartily, "Friends, allies, tis no different, we're stuck in the same mess!" He grinned again, regaining his aura of reckless courage. His expression turned into a more stern structure after a moment,

"Which is why, ye should stop takin' all th' weight, we're all stuck in this lad." He chided sternly, he felt he had made some progress today, he never completely understood Darkhawk, he was only beginning to get a basic idea of his mind a few days ago.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk was quiet for a long moment as he felt Ashstripe making a friendly gesture by hitting his back. He just stared for a moment before leaning his head against the window frame.
"I guess I'm just used to taking all of the worlds problems on my shoulders..." replied Darkhawk as his eyes seemed less opened.
"...Ashstripe...Do you think I am strong enough? Strong enough to face that demon from my past?" asked Darkhawk, referring to his father as a demon.

[Ashstripe]

((Bah! I am very sorry about my disappearance, I had exams for a whole week and nearly got murdered for nearly failing.))

Ashstripe smiled, asking him to measure strength was like asking 'What is strength?' which is quite similar to asking him "Why is the sky blue?",
"A good warrior keeps stock of allies as well as his foes, strength can come from many things, hard-work, willpower, friends..." He trailed off quietly, he wasn't quite certain of his answer but felt it was satisfactory.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

"You remind me of an old friend of mine..." replied Darkhawk as he looked at Ashstripe, his red-brown eyes staring at Ashstripe.
"...His name was Daeton...He was one of the few that saw me, as not a son of a murderous warrior, but more as a fox who had just merely lost his way. Ashstripe...What do you see when you look up into the sky?"

[Ashstripe]

Of course, look to the sky and you'll feel all the rage subside he had often been told as a pup. Obviously he hadn't heeded to the long forgotten advice as of late. He approached the window and looked out to the horizon, squinting slightly, part of him saw a simple sun-rise, vibrant orange red and yellow exploding out to welcome the start of a new day. He turned his gaze to the clouds, it was the clouds that had the most meaning to him, second to the stars.

"What is it do I see?" He breathed in slowly, his massive frame quivered slightly as he gazed up with his hazel-nut eyes, "I see ancestors, friends forged anew and old, hero's of the past and now." He smiled again and lowered his gaze, "That is what I see."