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 Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:32 am
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:59 am
Lycoris had spent the last month with Gwendolen, her mother and any patients that visited. It was a safe, happy place and Lycoris had been learning everything she could about the flora in the area. She had never felt scared or alone there. If only she had stayed.
Lycoris lay on her side in a field of short grass. Her eyes stared out hopelessly at the woods just before her.
It was meant to be an easy trip. She had volunteered for it. They needed more healing herbs but both Gwendolen and her mother were preoccupied with other duties. Lycoris knew where the herbs grew and she could be there and back again by nightfall. She had found them easily enough but the collection hadn't gone smoothly.
Lycoris squeezed her eyes shut and took in a few deep breaths. Everything hurt. The sun was setting now. Gwendolen would be worried and go searching. Tears pricked at Lycoris's eyes as she lifted her head to survey the damage. Blood was oozing from the wound in her leg and dyeing her light marks. Her head dropped back to the ground. By the time Gwen found her it would be too late wouldn't it?
It was strange how things had worked out. The same thing that had led Lycoris to Gwendolen would be the thing that destroyed her. Skinwalkers. The beast had come out of nowhere and attacked her. She was no fighter but she had struggled. It had torn her leg with its claws and in an attempt to bite into her had seized her flower instead. It had coughed, hacking and spitting, trying to get the flower out and Lycoris had run. It hadn't followed, it was too busy dealing with the toxin it had just ingested, but the damage had already been done.
Looking back on it Lycoris understood that running had only made things worse. She began to cry. If she was going to die, though, this was better than being torn apart while her heart still beat.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:00 pm
The metal rings on Rezo's tail jingled with each step he took. The warmth of the sunlight on his face was fading. Dusk was approaching. While he couldn't see in the traditional sense, he made well enough use of his other senses that it often didn't matter. During the daylight he could feel shadows passing over him to make out the shapes of his surroundings. At night, that was one more sense lost. He thought that if he could see he would probably enjoy night most of all, but as it was now, night sometimes felt more like a haze of sensory deprivation. He knew he ought to find somewhere to settle down soon before the darkness fell completely and left him adrift.
He immediately sensed when he stepped out of the forest and into open grass. He could no longer hear the crunch of leaves under his hooves or the soft sounds of leaves rustling. It was an open area... and he was not alone. As a healer, there was one scent that he recognized above all others, blood. Turning subtly, he inhaled the air until he could direct himself towards the source. The wounded being was close, was a soquili, and was female. He glided forward over the grass, tail still ringing softly.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:14 pm
Was she dreaming? Lycoris didn't move a muscle as a stranger came into view. A hallucination brought on by fear? It would make sense. Whatever it was had taken on the shape of a unicorn, exactly what she needed. Her ears twitched at the soft chiming noise unlike anything she had ever heard before. No, this couldn't be a product of her imagination. How could she imagine something she had never heard before?
"H-help me..." She called weakly. "Please." She didn't even care who he was at the moment. She was fading and given the choice between placing her trust in a complete stranger and dying a lonely death she was going to pick the stranger every time. Even if he couldn't help her it was better than being alone.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:30 pm
The jangling of his tail ceased as Rezo came to a halt at the injured mare's side. He calmly seemed to regard her, though with eyes shut. Her voice was weak. With the thick smell of blood in the air, he didn't think she had long. She would die without intervention. Fortunately for her, he was there. The red glow around his horn brightened as he gathered his energies and concentration for healing magic.
"Have no fear, my child, for your wounds shall be healed."
He didn't wait for her to answer one way or another. Following the sound of her breathing, he bowed until his horn touched her. He traced it over her skin until it reached an injury. There he stopped, his horn's light pulsing steadily. Beneath his touch the flesh began to knit itself back together. Rezo understood that all bodies instinctively wanted to be whole, and with his energy it could be.
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 8:53 am
Lycoris watched nervously as the uni approached. With each step she got a better look at what was now clearly a stallion. He wore strange garb like a human might and the chiming sound seemed to be coming from some strange object secured at the end of his tail. She stared up at him as he stood over her and watched with growing wooziness as his horn began to glow a bright red color, like blood.
Her entire body tensed with nervousness. Even though he said he would heal her, and she believe her, something about the glow was a bit unsettling. She had been around a number of unis but she had never seen a glow quite like his and it was coming right at her.
Lycoris didn't move as his horn brushed over her until it reached her wound. At that point she winced but not out of pain. She could feel the wound healing and it was perhaps the strangest feeling she had ever experienced. At the same time she suddenly felt she understood why the glowing was so bright for him, it was a sign of his ability. Even Gwendolen's mother had a hard time healing wounds this bad.
Lycoris just looked upon the stallion in awe. Was he sent by the gods themselves?
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 1:07 pm
Rezo passed from wound to wound. This mare seemed to have no lack in them. As soon as he finished with one, he would feel the healing energy pulling at another part of her body and he would move to that injury. His thoughts slowed to a standstill while he healed her. All of his focus went into restoring her body and he had no space in his mind left for anything else. It was a deeply meditative state and not unpleasant, though tiring.
At last, he felt that he was coming to the last one. The red glow had diminished to a mere glimmer now and the healing came more slowly. He had spent most of his lifetime studying the healing arts but the extent of the mare's injuries were almost out of the range of what he could heal. By the end of it, his horn felt like a lead weight on top of his head. His cloak was red, the color of blood, and he cleaned his bloodied horn upon it before raising his head once more. Though he was heavily fatigued and it was now dark enough that it was difficult to discern anything around him, he held himself straight.
"I have done what I can. Your body will do the rest."
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 3:37 pm
"Th-thank you." Lycoris murmured at the stranger as he finished what he could do. There were still cuts, scrapes and bruises on her body but at least now she didn't have to live in fear of bleeding out. She wasn't exactly safe just yet though. Lycoris's body was still weak, too weak to run, walk or even stand. She needed rest, at least a day and perhaps more, before she would feel right. As she glanced around at the shadow filled world around her she wondered if she would get it.
What if that skinwalker came back? Her flowers were poisonous, that much was true, and eating one would leave a creature a vomiting mess but it was unlikely to be fatal. What if it came back for revenge? Lycoris suspected that even those beasts had sense enough to remember what revenge was. Would she spend the rest of her life a target of that creature because of her blossoms? It seemed likely.
"Ummm...would...would you mind...staying?" She asked the stranger cautiously. "I have a friend nearby who is probably looking for me right now...could you wait to leave...just until she's found me?" She hoped she wasn't asking to much. This stallion had already saved her life for nothing but a stammered thank you, where would he draw the line?
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:26 pm
"Very well. For now, I will remain."
It wasn't Rezo's habit to stay too long with those that he healed. He would usually leave them to their own devices after he helped them. It felt unnatural for him to linger too long. He wouldn't have considered staying this time either if night wasn't falling, and if he wasn't so drained. Of all sensations, this was the one he hated the most. Darkness closed in on him and made him feel as helpless as a stumbling foal. Even though this mare had just almost died, she was still more capable a being than he was at the moment. Rezo desperately envied her that.
"Skinwalkers and kalonas, though terrifying monsters, are often as cowardly as they are fearsome. They would attack a solitary soquili, but far fewer would dare to bother two."
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 11:04 am
Lycoris let out a small sigh of relief. She felt safer already just knowing that he wasn't going to abandon her. There was truth in his words though she wasn't quite certain about his assessment of them being cowardly. It seemed more like a calculation of odds. The odds of killing one were better than the odds of killing two. Likewise the odds of dying alone were better than the odds of being slain together.
"I'm sure it won't be long until she arrives." She said focusing her gaze on the woods from whence she had come. She didn't want to be a bother to her savior. He probably had more important things that needed doing that didn't involve baby-sitting a grown mare.
It had been a long day. Gwendolen wasn't sure what it was about the warming weather that made everyone act like loons but she was quite certain she hated it. She'd healed more sprains and cuts than she could count and by sundown Gwen was thoroughly exhausted. When the steady flow of patients ebbed she finally had a moment to look around only to discover that Lycoris was missing. They had sent her out to get herbs hours ago. Something was keeping her. With a quick word to her mother Gwendolen departed at a quick trot.
To be gone for this long could only mean trouble for her bright friend. That was the downfall of Lycoris's coat as pretty as it was it also drew far too much attention. Hunters could spot her from miles away. If something had happened then Gwendolen needed to find her immediately. "Ly!" She called as loud as she could to make her voice carry. "Ly! Where are you? Ly!"
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:57 pm
It wasn't until Rezo heard a name called through the forest that he realized he didn't know the name of the mare he had just healed. It wouldn't have been abnormal for him to heal someone and then leave without exchanging details, but if he was going to be spending some time with her, social niceties must be followed.
"Are you Ly?" he asked her, facing her with a softly questioning blind gaze. "If so, then it would appear as if your friend has arrived." Once her friend found them, would he be left alone? Alone in the dark with a skinwalker prowling the area. It was a dangerous situation for even a fit soquili who had their vision.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:15 pm
Lycoris's ears twitched forward at the sound of a voice on the wind. She would have assumed it was a hallucination if not for her savior's question. He had heard the voice as well. Keeping her eyes glued to the trees she slowly clambered to her feet ignoring the protests of her weakened body. "Gwen!" She called back trying to take a step forward. Her legs gave out and Lycoris pitched forward landing awkwardly. Wincing she repositioned her legs until they were no longer twisted beneath her all the while wishing that she hadn't given in to such a reckless impulse.
Once she was re-situated, Lycoris decided it was time to remember her manners. She wasn't alone out here. "I'm sorry." She said to the unicorn. "I just...got a little...excited... Yes, I'm Lycoris and that is definitely Gwen, my friend. She'll be able to help. You...you don't have to stay any longer if you don't wish to."
Gwendolen lost her footing when she heard her own name called out on the wind and promptly tripped over the gnarled root of an old tree. Gwen ended up careening into a tree to give it a rather painful kiss. She stepped away groaning over her clumsiness. The end of her muzzle was going to be tender for a while but she would be okay. The dull ache wasn't the important thing right now, the important thing was that Lycoris was alive and nearby.
The fluttercorn turned herself about in the direction her friend's cry had come from and took off faster than a frightened rabbit. She charged down clear patches and leaped or pushed her way over or through bushes. Her wings were plastered against her back to keep them from flapping about irritatingly. She pushed herself on, hair flying out behind her, until she came upon a clearing.
"Ly!" She said breathlessly when she took notice of a shape not too far in the distance. Gwen continued to run on until she noticed that this shape didn't look like Ly and there was something else laying on the ground. It felt like ice water was running through her veins. That shape, the one on the ground, looked like her friend.
Gwendolen didn't slow and lowered her horn after only a moment of hesitation. She was a healer, an assistant but a healer nonetheless. She wasn't supposed to injure people herself. The spirits, however, were soft in the head if they thought she wasn't going to help her friend. It didn't matter that they had only known one another for a short time. They were still friends and friends always had each other's backs.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:14 pm
Rezo knew they had been joined by another mare, but nothing about the mare's identity, or even her breed. She sounded light on her hooves, implying a winged breed. Whoever this Gwen was, she was rightfully very concerned for her friend. Lycoris was fortunate to be alive. Rezo somewhat doubted that Lycoris would have been stable enough for recovery by the time her friend arrived if he hadn't intervened.
"Do not fear," he told Gwen. "For I am Rezo the Red Priest, and your friend has been healed." His tail chimed softly in a movement that was somewhere between subconscious and intentional. Though his world was shrouded in darkness, he stood calmly and with authority, waiting for the mares to settle themselves. He himself had long since abandoned displays of excess emotion.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:52 am
Lycoris didn't try to fight off the large smile that appeared on her face when Gwen suddenly darted out of the trees. The absence of that smile currently was due largely in part to the fact that Gwendolen looked like she was about to make an attempt at impaling the stallion that had saved her. Lycoris gasped in horror and looked about ready to make another attempt at standing when the stallion, apparently known as Rezo, spoke. 'Please, please let her hear him.' She thought anxiously wondering if she should scream at her friend to stop.
Thankfully the words of Rezo reached Gwen loud and clear even over the sound of her thunderous hoof-beats. In the space of a second she found herself slowing to a walk with a fresh chill running down her spine. She wasn't sure if it was hearing that her friend had needed healing or the eerie sound of metal chiming that had caused it but somehow Gwendolen didn't want to test it to find out.
She intended to ask what had happened almost immediately after hearing that some trouble had befallen her friend, but for some reason the thoughts wouldn't find voice until she was barely a body's length away from the two. "I owe you my thanks for helping her." She said to the stallion nodding her head politely. For some reason he just radiated a feeling of being completely in control and that feeling left her with a sense of respect for him. Still there was something odd, why wouldn't he look at her? For some reason he kept his eyes shut.
She would ask about it later, there were more pressing issues to be dealt with now. "Ly, what happened to you?" She asked doing a quick survey of what she could see which wasn't much. Really, it didn't even look like she had been hurt at all in the lack of light.
Lycoris let out a sigh of relief when Gwen stopped charging and then another smaller one when she met the stallion with manners. In tense situations Gwen occasionally forgot any form of politeness that she might have once used. Then, she swallowed as Gwen's attention settled on her. Lycoris didn't really want to think about what had happened.
"It was a skinwalker...not...a very smart one though..." She said quietly before silently thanking the spirits. They were clearly looking out for her well-being these days even if they also seemed to be leading her into as much trouble as usual.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:56 pm
"I do not need to be thanked for my actions, but I accept nonetheless." This was one of the times when if he had been a sighted soquili, things could have gone differently. As it was, he hadn't seen Gwen's display of protective aggression so had not responded to it. Such was the case more often than not, in his experience. He found that soquili in all sorts of emotional states could be calmed by a stable presence.
"If the skinwalker is still near, then we should make haste to leave this place." He turned his face to receive the incoming breeze but could detect no scent that was out of place. If any beasts still lurked, they were not the sort to be detected as simply as that. "In fact, there are many creatures in the dark that would be drawn by the scent of fresh blood." There were dangers much more common than skinwalkers and kalonas prowling this area. A wolf or a bear could just as easily follow the scent and arrive slavering to their group.
"Gwen, you must help your friend to walk."
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