When Chiya and Ketvia finally came, hours later-- still earlier than they had come the day before, as if to make sure he hadn't done the same thing today as he had done then without their knowledge, but they still came too late for Cacopheny's comfort-- they found him buried in blankets again, talking to himself, whining really, without really paying attention to what he was saying. He hadn't noticed that they'd come in-- hadn't heard their knocking, or the lock flipping open of its own accord, or the door opening. Chiya just suddenly was kneeling beside him, pulling back the covers that hid him from even the dim light of the room, murmuring something in dragon-speech.

Cacopheny was so distracted, and surprised by the entrance he hadn't heard, that he let one of the shadows react, for him. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, a snarl on his lips, crowding Chiya into the opposite corner with a threatening growl rumbling in his throat. For a moment he froze there, posed with one hand on the wall, blocking escape, and the other raised and claws ready to slash-- the one he had cut on the mirror-- trying to remember how he'd gotten there. He shook his head, and a shadow fell free of him.

Then Ketvia hauled him back, roaring, "What do you think you're doing, you mangy kit?" He let her toss him back onto his blankets, a little dazed and certainly confused. He would never try to hurt Chiya, just like he'd never try to hurt Ketvia-- though for different reasons, of course. He didn't remember, didn't know what happened-- and suddenly he realized what had to have happened. What had been happening all day long, only without anyone else to torment but himself.

Full of fear and fury for the completely unacceptable timing and action, he shoved himself further into the corner. "You're not supposed to hurt Chiya!" he wailed at the shadows, through the sounds of Chiya hastily telling Ketvia not to hurt him, through Ketvia's growls, and through their own chattering. "You're not supposed to hurt anybody!"

And why not?

We're here to protect you, aren't we?

And now you're ungrateful!

An ungrateful little pup!

Moaning, he held his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. Chiya was trying to talk to him, trying to ask him questions, her voice and shadow equally frightened and concerned. The only one that made it through the shadows was, finally, after what felt like an eternity of the fluid speech rushing by his confused ears, "Cacopheny, you're supposed to go out to meet the dragons in just an hour. You have to talk to me."

"K-k-kant ko," he muttered, trembling. "Nononono, k-k-kant. Hurrrrrrt somevon. I vill. No."

"Cacopheny--"

"No!" he said again, more firmly, trying to be heard over the shadows. Chiya jerked back at the volume. He cracked his eyes open, trying to force his face into an apology, into something other than a growl. His face was wet, his eyes were leaking tears. "I k-k-kant," he said again, voice coming out strangled. "Been leek ssiss all tay. Vill not leef me alone. K-k-k-kant ssstop ssem." He whimpered faintly. "P-p-pleess, if I ko oot, vill hurrrt ssomevon. P-plees to not make me."

"Oh, Cacopheny...." Chiya somehow understood what he meant, and gathered him up against her. He shuddered, but couldn't resist, biting his lip to keep from sobbing. He hadn't realized he'd been so tired and so afraid until now-- but he was. It had been a very long, very bad time since he'd woken up.

Oh, so now you're going to go crying to little miss mommy-dragon about the big, bad shadows.

Such a little baby, you are.

We were just having a bit of fun.

It's so boring here.

"Go away," he whimpered, burying his face in Chiya's shoulder. "Go away go away go away go away--" The dragoness stroked his hair, murmuring soothingly in dragon-speech. He didn't even try to understand, just saying those two words over and over, slurring them into each other and not caring, as if the endless repetition would make the wish actually happen.

Through the low babble of shadow-voices, he heard Ketvia say, "Well, guess I'd better go give his apologies to Aloia. She'd better know if he's not coming." Chiya just nodded, not answering with words that might interrupt the soothing flow of reassurances and endearments. Ketvia stood there for a moment, her shadow hissing of disgust and pity, and even a strange kind of love, before she stalked off and out again.

By the time the Fire dragoness was back, Cacopheny was laying quietly in Chiya's embrace, eyes shut and shadows mostly leaving him alone. The soft, endless murmur of affection and reassurance was hypnotic, and wore down his fear and despair slowly but steadily. It stopped, however, as Ketvia opened the door and came back in, and Chiya looked over at her-- and who followed her in. Cacopheny opened his eyes, squinting into the brightness of the lights that someone had switched on at some point. A pair of golden eyes, full of sympathy and compassion, stared back.

Aloia! Cacopheny scrambled back from Chiya, startled, blinking in the light. The shadows woke again and hissed with corporate venom, and he had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from echoing them. Aloia was kind. Aloia was good. Aloia didn't need to be growled at. Chiya kept a hand on his shoulder, and he hoped that would be enough to keep the shadows from hurting her or Aloia, or both. Maybe Ketvia should have come and held him down, too.

"Ketvia told me you don't want to come to the meeting tonight," the half-dragon said, kneeling in front of him. He couldn't look at her, staring at the floor fiercely. He shook his head slightly, both in agreement and negation, but didn't trust his voice. He could feel her eyes on his face as she asked, "Why not?" Again, he didn't answer, couldn't answer. If he opened his mouth, it would be something vile, something cruel, that came out of it, he knew it. The shadows were too close.

"He's just had a bad day," Chiya tried to explain. He shook his head faintly again. That wasn't enough-- but he couldn't explain, himself. Dragon-speech seemed very, very far away, and the shadows very, very close. They hung from him, a couple reaching out towards Aloia, and he ducked further back, trying to keep them from her. They just enveloped him further, instead. She didn't seem to notice, though Chiya's hand tightened slightly on his shoulder, and her shadow whispered a few more of those calming assurances which had subdued them moments before.

"I'm sorry, Cacopheny," Aloia murmured. Her shadow shivered and her hands twitched, as if she wanted to touch him, too, but-- wisely-- she didn't try. He shut his eyes against her sad face, drawing darkness around him like a shield. If he couldn't see her, couldn't touch her, maybe she'd go away and be safe.

Oh, I'm sure we could find her if we wanted to.

He tensed again, finding himself mouthing the last words, and resolutely made himself hold entirely still and silent, thinking, I will not let you.

You won't have much of a choice.

"Is there somewhere we can keep him?" Ketvia was asking.

Aloia didn't look away from him, or from the cloud of shadows that hid his face, but she answered anyway. "I will be glad to let him stay here-- if that is what he wishes. Cacopheny, dear, even if you don't want to bond, you can stay here. I'm sure we can find somewhere comfortable for you."

Don't want to-- didn't want to-- what? He dispelled the darkness to blink at her, and tried to dredge up the words to explain. "But-- I t-do. Vant to trrrrrry." She tilted her head slightly, and smiled encouragingly. "I jzusssssssst-- totay-- iss bat. Zzhadowss too close, to rrrretty too hurrrt. K-kant ko out-- voot hurrrt ssomevon. Voot be bat. Jussss-- totay. Nesst tay-- tomorrow-- be bettrrrr." A shadow laughed, and he twitched. "I ssingk. I hope."

"All right," the golden eyes smiled. "Would you like me to give anyone your apologies for missing the evening?"

He started to shake his head, then to his surprise, nodded instead. "Akee-jza. Ssssentchio." Akija might worry about him, and Sentio had so wanted to have more of his questions answered. "Sssay I am sssorry... ssay vai, if you vant." They should know how bad he could be. Why, he didn't know, but they should.

"All right." Again, Aloia's hands twitched, one lifting as if to touch him, but he shrank back again, and the movement stilled. "Let me know if you need anything." Cacopheny shivered, but Chiya nodded for him, and Aloia rose to leave. A shadow snarled after her, and Cacopheny shuddered again as his lip curled automatically, and then shook his head violently and sniffed back another bout of tears. He was just so tired, too tired to even think about going anywhere, doing anything, trying to talk to anyone....

Life's not fair, little pet.

You should have gone.

We'd have liked to meet some of those kits ourselves, you know.

We wouldn't have hurt them.

"Liars," he accused under his breath.

Well, not much, anyway.

Then Chiya took him back in her arms, and he let her soothe him again. Ketvia sat nearby, protective, this time of them both. Chiya stroked his hair, somehow finding more words for him, and though he didn't pay attention to their meaning, understanding their intent was good enough. The shadows make him twitch and moan now and then, but eventually even they, too, quieted. He didn't really know when the smooth melodies of Chiya's voice turned at last into sleep, but both were very welcome.