Chapter 1 - Old lovers

The heavy oak door opened with so much force that it bounced off the wall with a loud thud. Panther's attention was
torn away from the book he was reading to the man standing in the doorway. Carnelian stormed into the room, long ruby
curls floating around him. His lightly colored skin splashed with the red shades of embarrassment. Panther sighed heavily
at his friend when he noticed the two twin trails of blood leading from Carnelian's nose to his chin.
"Hitting on Lapis again were you?" Panther asked unable to hide the note of amusement in his usually monotone
voice. The red haired Habit just glared heatedly at the other man as he cleaned his face in the washbowl.
"No," He said curtly. "More like the other way around. I think the kid is obsessed with me."
Panther just continued to sit there and roll his eyes not believing the man for a second. With a huff Carnelian joined
his friend on the bed the two had been sharing for a couple weeks now. He glanced without interest at the book Panther
had resumed reading. Never one for lititure Carnelian sighed loudly, laying back on the bed and staring with boredom at
the ceiling. Panther glanced at him from the corner of his eye, noticing his friend's restless mood.
"Panther?"
"Yes?" He asked not bothering to look up.
"I was talking to Onyx today and she told me some interesting things." Panther snorted and Carnelian could see the
look of dislike on his face. Earlier that week the man had told the red haired Habit all about his ex girlfriend Onyx and
the devastating fight that had broken the two up.
"Probably all lies." He grumbled turning the page to his book so hard that the thin paper ripped in half. He sighed.
"That's what I need to talk to you about." Carnelian said sitting up to gaze intently at him. " She says that she sees
you sneak out in the middle of the night every night for the past week." Panther froze in alarm.
Blast that women! He thought bitterly. It's just like her to be up all night spying on me...

"Panther?" Carnelian asked in surprise and concern seeing the vengeful look on the guardian's usually calm and cold
face. "It isn't true is it? You'd tell me if you were going somewhere." He said with so much confidence that Panther
winced with guilt but said nothing for a while.
"It's nothing, simply some tasks I've been forgetting to do. Besides I wouldn't listen to Onyx anyway. I'm afraid years
of isolation and loneliness has eaten away her sanity." Panther said coldly not about to admit the truth of the matter. His
dark eyes darted away from Carnelian's bright amber ones. He really did hate lying to his friend but he knew the truth
would hurt him more. The only other person who knew where he went each night was someone Panther was positive
that no one would ever think to ask...
>Later that night >
The man advanced slowly towards the bed where the red haired Habit Carnelian lay sleeping in pools of lunar light.
His dark eyes, fixed on the other suddenly became visible as he entered the circle of light that gazed in from the
large window. Panther sat gingerly on the edge of the bed taking great care not to wake his friend. The glow of the white
orb hanging outside like a large blind eye painted Carnelian's already pale skin with shimmering, silver shadows. His
mass amounts of blazing red hair fanned around his head like a glorious halo. At the moment their fire was muted as the
outside light embodied them with a ghostly illumination. Tender pink lips were parted slightly to allow his soft, steady
breath out. Panther's throat suddenly constricted on him and tears threatened to run freely down his cheeks but they
didn't. Seeing him like this, an angel lost in a mortal world he remembered how much he used to love him and how much
he still did. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that their relationship was over he just couldn't keep away those
old feeling that still ran so strongly through him.
Silently he reached a pale hand towards him and lovingly caressed his old boy friends cheek and brushed the stray
hairs off his china doll skin. Carnelian shifted, murmuring sleepily while he turned on his side. Panther smiled and stood,
then bent his long thin body down to place a kiss on the mans forehead.
In the doorway he stopped again and spared the man one last look of longing but left without a sound.
The cold night air swirled and played with his black hair and chilled his exposed flesh. Shivering he tightened his
cloak around his shoulders and trudged off into the darkness. Sharp eyes penetrated the night's darkness to make sure
no one else was out here. Nobody seemed to be for it was a brisk winter night and to late for most to be out in anyway.
But still Panther felt the uneasy feeling of being watched. He could see no living souls but that didn't make the suspicion
fade. Finally having made up his mind he fell to his knees and transformed. In the sleek body of a panther he slipped
away silently into the night.

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