A Heart’s Angst

By the time it came for Crystal the following month, Jay was fully prepared. She went into labor the morning of Easter. It was just early contractions so far. Jay was patiently waiting just inside the nursery entrance, just listening to her heavy breathing. Lucifer screeched to a halt in front of him out of nowhere in a horrific panic. Grabbing Jay by the shoulders, gasping for breath, he looked up with desperate eyes. "He's coming...the dragon," Lucifer finally let out. "IT'S FAR TOO EARLY!" Jay shrieked, immediately dashing off towards his Father.

He ran right up to Logan and roared "The dragon is coming! RIGHT NOW!" "Are you sure?!" Logan urgently replied. Lucifer finally caught up to Jay, still having not acquired his breath back yet. "I'm positive." he said. "I've had some of my demons keeping an eye on him since we received the warning. Unfortunately...some of them have decided in fighting alongside him. But don't worry, they're not immortal like me and I'm going to remind them who their boss is," he said with a growl. "The last demon that double crossed me, I eviscerated them from existence."

Logan ran to the center of camp and let out a mighty roar to gain everyone's attention. "Everyone get to your battle positions! This is not a drill!" Everyone's eyes widened with fear as they stumbled away trying to run. Jay wildly dashed off towards the nursery while Lucifer followed after Logan towards the field out in front of camp. All of the pride's males were set there for the war that was about to erupt. Roman and Blizzard's mates were guarding the nursery entrance as all of the females filed in, protecting the youth. The medical den had been grossly enlarged since Jay's rescue, now fireproof and enforced with an adamantium micro-mesh. Logan was determined not to lose everything all over again.

Jay found Crystal tucked away in the corner, still breathing heavy, while Jewel and Diamond were tending to her since the doctor was off to the fight. He kissed her on the head and whispered "I'll see you when this is all over… both of you," softly caressing her swollen belly. He locked serious eyes with Diamond for a brief second, her making a silent promise, before running off to join the rest of the men outside the camp. Even Lucifer had summoned a legion of his most loyal demons to fight by their side and against the friends that betrayed them.

It was about midday now, with a Winter chill blowing through the air. Dark thunderous clouds had filled the sky with a gentle flurry of snow wafting down. A spine chilling roar crackled from above the mountains, he was here… Emerging from the clouds, the huge dragon dove to the ground, landing with such a force that the whole earth shook. He eyed Logan and spoke so everyone could hear him. "I heard that you've found your heart again. I'm here to rip it out of you, permanently. You'll never dare care for a single soul ever again!" Now furious, Logan roared back "When I'm done with you, Hell will own your soul for all eternity." "We'll see what my new friends have to say about that!" With a single flick of the dragon's tail, his demon allies appeared from the shadows in an attack charge. With hesitation, Jay, Lucifer, and their demon allies leapt at them, flames erupting from their spirits. Draken and his brother Darkness, along with the other older members of the border guard joined in, explosions of fire going off everywhere from demon deaths on both sides. The rest of the group, Logan leading the charge with Brian at his side, ran at the dragon in a formation they had practiced a thousand times. Him and his son made their way onto it and took out its leather like wings by shredding them. Roman and the others were keeping him distracted by attacking his feet and face, dodging his fiery breath. In the background, all that could be seen through the dirt clouds and smoke was Lucifer and Jay fighting back to back, surrounded by demons on all sides. Hell's King wielded a sword of legend, known only as Ascalon, forged in the bowels of Hell's fire. Jay held no weapon, he didn't need one, he was one. "This curse of his will be his undoing," he uttered. The Dark Prince stretched out his metallic wings, yelled "duck!" to his friend, and in one twist he cut the heads clean off of three demons in front of him. Then in the heat of the moment he turned and ripped the throat out of another with just his fangs. Clothes torn and blood covered, they slayed the entire enemy armada within fifteen minutes.

Logan's voice rang out across the battlefield, "B formation!" Jay ran towards his brother as was part of the plan, but before he could reach him, the dragon stepped right on Brian and didn't let up. Jay's monstrous side took over with a ferocious roar of terror and anger. Though it wasn't entirely part of the plan, he dove claws and wings first at the Achilles tendon of the dragon foot his twin was trapped under. He gruesomely went straight through the back of the dragon's leg. He was definitely drenched in blood now, but he no longer cared when he heard the creature screech in pain and fall on to his side. Brian safe, with his indestructible bones keeping him alive, he crawled out just barely out of breath. He smirked too at seeing Jay's unfortunate gory state. "Oh yeah?" Jay said. "Well now it's your turn. I'm altering attack B. We're gonna kill him from the inside, not just blind him as planned. Brian's face became horrified and squeamish as Jay quickly told him his plan.

The dragon let out a ferocious roar, trying to get back up. Unfortunately for him, Logan and Lucifer had seen what had happened and took the advantage to take out his other legs. He frantically swung his limbs and tail around desperately trying to damage anyone he could. The evil creature finally yelled "I curse all that carries your bloodline to never know normal, to be rejected by the outside world. Mutants and monsters are what they shall be, suffering for all eternity. You will endure this whether I live or die." At that very moment Jay, carrying Brian with his foot long claws fully extended, took a steep dive from the sky at the dragon's face. Barrel-rolling to avoid one of his fireballs, Jay released his weapon of a brother like an air bombing. Brian soared down yelling a battle cry, and dove his entire body into one of the eyes of the dragon; piercing it like a bullet to the brain. The beast's head dropped with a great thud. Brian scrambled things around inside just to be sure, as his brother and Father tugged on his back legs, pulling him out of the dragon's skull. "That was a brilliant idea!" Logan exclaimed, hugging his sons. "It was Jay's." Brian said with disgust, clearly loathing his brother for his current gruesome state. "I'm going to smell like brain juice for months!" he cried. Finally feeling light hearted and free from looming desolation, Logan and Jay just looked at Brian and then each other, and started laughing so hard that they fell to the ground. "Not so elegant now are you brother?!" Jay cackled out. Still laughing on the ground, their Father joined in. "The two of you look so awful right now I bet your Mother is laughing. Hell, maybe all of Heaven is too!" Now Brian was laughing too, he did look horrid. His fur was not only stained dark red with blood, but it was also spiked and matted with eyeball and brain fluid, as well as soot and mud. Everyone was staring at the group of them laughing hysterically, as if they had lost their minds. The only reason they finally stopped laughing was because they could no longer breath, their sides ached too much.

The group gathered together on the field as Brian switched from warrior to Doctor and went to their health aid. Other than many with deep lacerations, charred skin, and one guard knocked unconscious, there were no fatalities and to a degree everyone was fine. His Father and brother just stood in the midst of all of the post carnage, just smiling at their achievement and awaiting any call for help. Even Lucifer sat contempt at the edge of the field on a boulder, looking over their kill rather pleased with himself. Jay's ears suddenly perked up and he locked eyes with his dark friend, freezing for just a second. Above the crackling of the fires, and moans and wails of the injured, the crying of a baby could be heard. Jay took off with his vampire speed, his friend trailing right behind him. He had been so caught up in not dying that he had forgotten about his wife.