She could hear the thunder of fists and  the struggle going on as Draco continued to beat on the human. However the wounds inflicted on her and the rapt to her head tail was enough that she was tettering over the edge of darkness as she struggled to keep awake.

Draco kept wailing until the human wasn't moving but was still breathing. He stood and said, "Saph! The rest of what's left is yours."
When she didn't answer, he turned to look at her. "Saph?" he saw here swaying a liitle, appearing to be a bit disoriented.

He rushed to her side, falling along the way due to his fast blood flow forcing blood out of his leg quicker and loosing even more blood. "Saph?You okay?"

She looked up into his eyes and nodded threw th epain. She would live and it wasn't the worst thing she had been threw in her life as a soldier. Hell her first mission with eclipse ended with her almost loosign her arm when a gernade went off early.

Wilko, still choking but breathing on his own turned his face towards the dueo. "Isn't..this..*cough* nice.."  His face, covered in blood and swelling made him look like a pus filled zit. "Now..you both can die..." Both Draco and Saph  watched as he moved for something in the darkness and pulled out a Thermal Detonator....

It wasn't over yet. Even as the humans corpse started to cool down a small sound was heard. Saphira sat up with force and lookd to where the thermal detonar had rolled. The small blinking light was enough indacation that the human had set it to go off in only a few minutes.

"Draco..."


She said his name harshly and scrambled to get up. That thing was going to go off and it wasn't going to be pretty. A small scaled explosion inside the tunnels would be enough to kill them. Draco reached over and helped her up and the two took off running down the tunnels.

"Perhaps the human would get the last laugh after all." She managed as they turned down the twistign tunnels. ALready they were turned around and with not knowing the caverns they were running in circles.


BOOM!!!



The explosion rocketed threw the caverns and shook them roughtly.  It wasn;t the explosion that Saph was even worried about. It was the after effects. No sooner did it happen that a thunderous earthquake sound was heard. Rocks and dirt began to fall. Pointed scalenites that could kill as easy as a dagger fell in front of them and shattered in all directions..


"We need cover now..."

"Just keep running.."

She panted. Yeah, it sounded easy but it wasn't as they dodged falling stones. A few hitting her on the head as she yiped in pain. Saphira had the better vision though and just down another tunnel she saw something. Yanking him over in that direction she saw it. An opening leading down farhter uner ground.


"There.. move.." She rasped Draco looked at her.

"No way.. we'l be trapped. We don't know if there's another way out.." No hint of fear, just anger that the human had managed to make one last move after all.

"Would you rather die now? Or take the risk to find another way out?"  Saph hissed with pain. Draco shook his head and in they went. No sooner then their feet entered that the way out  was blocked. The area rumbled but nothing else fell. WHen the dust setteled their way was blocked and they were in almost total darkness.

They both were in alot of trouble as she couughed and gaged from the dirt in the ear. Catching Draco's voice she turned in the direction that he was hinting at. Just very feintly she saw a small flicker of light.

"Yea, I see it.. But that dosen't mean that it's a way out."

She replied and drug herself over towards Draco. Her hands found him and she could see that he was in alot of pain.  They didn't have much other then what was on their utility belts.

"We've got to try. No going back the other way." He replied, reaching over for her own hands as they started to go towards the slight feint of  hope that they had.

Saph had to smile at that. He was right, the human was dead but now they were in a worse situation then they were when the evening started out.  Hearing him stumble she turned and caught him in her arms.

"This is no good.. We need to rest..." She replied

It wouldn't do them any good if they fell over from lack of energy. They both hurt  and Saph did have her pack still. So they had the medical supplies but with hardly any light and no water it wouldn't do more then mask the injuries and kill them slowly. Saphira closed her eyes  and leaned against the stone.

"At least..the night *cough* has been intresting.." Draco rasped over to her right.

Saphira let out a hacking stream of coughs then. T hey were trapped and she dind't know how to get out. WIth no tracking equipment they wouldn't be found even by the other VE troopers. Then when she was going to give out and drop her weight to the floor she heard it. Extreamly feint, but..

"Draco.. do you.. hear that?"  She asked suddenly with a scratchy voice. Draco moved to incline his head, trying to streach out his hearing.

"What..." He started as Saphira got up and started moving towards the sound.

"It sounds like running water.." She replied, trying not to give up the sound of hope in her voice. They started to walk down the caverns. Tripping a few times as they turned down another tunnel away from the light.

"Saph.. if we go down there.. the light..."


"I know.. but I think that light really isn't there..." She took in a deep breath and held down a cough. It could have been the trick of their own eyes, or even light from the walls itself from long ago. Either way she knew what he ment. If that was their hope and they got lost on something Draco couldn't hear too well they could surly die int he caverns.


So they walked and Saphira picked up more of the dripping sounds. Draco then started to hear it and their footsteps picked up in eagerness. Turning right down another cavern the sound grew more until they slopped slighty up for a few miles. Saphira could taste water. Hope brightoned up as they entered another room and it was filled with crystal light. They both had to blink back from the shock as they had thought the light wasn't even there. Throughout the room were pools of water. SOme had steam rising from them.  Farther back there was a small trickle of a stream and where water ran there was a way out. Yet for now they needed to rest and heal.

She watched him as he at first tested one of the springs. Only then did he jump in, the water splashing around the edges at her feet as Draco begain to scrub his wounds. Saph waited silently as the warmth  in the air seemed to help herself breath better.  Silently then she slipped intot he water, fully clothed as the heat washed against her achs and pains. 

"Well, least we found something..."

Her words rolled over as she reached under the clear water and touched his wounds gently. Hands fixing the bandage gently as she silently looked up  at him. Her own wound on her shoulder  was still caked with blood, but she took care of him first.

"Hopefulyl a way out.. But I think we should stay here for now."

She replied to him as she smoved farther into the pool. Hissing slighty as  she went in below her shoulder. Blood pooled out and drifted away as it was apparent that her wound needed to be treated.

Hot pain lashed over her body. Saphira felt as if her whole body were one giant flame as she screamed out in pain. Her hands reaching threw the water and grabbing his thighs. Nails dug in against his flesh but she stayed put. KNowing the wound had to be cleaned in order to delay infection. It wasn't the worst thing that she had felt. Nearly getting her arm blown off had been one of the top three of worse.

Her body shuddered in silent pain as the knot was tied tightly. Saphira  leaned against the warmth of the water as she watched threw half glossy eyes, draco moving around to inspect the small flow of the water.

God the pain sucks.. SOme night..


She thought with a few utter whisperes of cursing. A fight she expected. Not this. The night turned out to be of even greater survival.