Cinder had spent her entire young life studying from her parents and from any noul in the Homewood who had had the patience to withstand her constand pestering and questions. In a word, she had gleaned much from mentors while growing up, and now that she had her gift, she felt ready to venture out beyond the Homewood on her own.Her mother was a navigator, and Cinder had learned to read the stars and the sun's movements to orient herself. From her father, she had learned the basics of healing, with or without the abilities that came from the gift of Vivify. A few passing wanderers had spoke to her of the trials and tribulations out in the Barrens and beyond, while nouls of almost all other roles inside the Homewood had taken their time to impart some of their knowledge on her.
None of this was terribly specific knowledge, and certainly none of it could count as expertise. But the doe figured she had armed herself with enough basic knowledge that she could survive on her own, and as she traveled and saw the world for herself, she could build upon that knowledge to figure out what she really wanted to specialize in. In short, it would suffice, and though Cinder hated to be anything less than adept at anything, she had to accept that she was still young and there was only so much she could learn in a limited time.
So she set off.
After a quick goodbye with her parents, she pointed herself toward the Barrens and trotted off. The plan, for now, was to take a quick tour through the Barrens and into the Ruins of Erli, where she could spend a couple of days looking for animals to help and testing her understanding of navigation. Then she would return home to analyze what she had done and how she could be more efficient on her next trip.
As she moved through the Barrens, Cinder found her mind beginning to wander. She had set a comfortable, swinging pace with a rhythm that she could easily get lost in, and it let her start to think about things other than the stifling heat of the expanse around her. There was much to consider - not only did she want to reach Ascendancy, she wanted to be the youngest doe to do so, while also learning as much as she possibly could about the abilities that came with her gift. It wasn't enough that she could reach a certain level of power, she wanted to be able to do it all, so that her achievment was undeniable. To do that, she would have to make sure she didn't get complacent, that she kept moving forward toward her goal. For now, she'd have to content herself with learning to use her ability.
Somewhere along the train of her thoughts, Cinder was pulled back by the sound of a squawk. The noise punctuated her musings, and she slowed to a halt, ears pitching forward to catch more. Where had it come from? What else was out here? Her eyes scanned about the barren wasteland before settling on the fragile husk of a long-dead tree. Underneath huddled an indiscernible shape, close enough that Cinder could see it shudder. She moved toward it, drawn by an instinctive understanding that the thing was hurt.
"Hello?" She said carefully as she approached, as much to let the creature know she was there as it was to try to elicit any sort of response. The figure let out a sigh and when it moved, she could see it was a cockatrice babying one leg that was cut. The bleeding had long stopped, but the wound was open and it didn't look clean.
"Oh, that doesn't look good," she said, instantly concerned. Her training from her father told her that the wound needed to be treated immediately. Cleaning it would be the very first step, but there was more that could be done. Poultices and herbs in a wrapping would do it wonders, but they were out in the Barrens and those things came few and far between. "Please, let me help. I can clean the wound so it doesn't get infect."
The cockatrice stared at her with beady eyes, but it didn't protest. It was clear its injury had happened a few days ago, and by now it was happy to receive any help she had to offer, even if it didn't necessarily trust her at first glance. The bird seemed to understand, though, that as a noulicorn, she had an innate desire to help. Few of her kind were evil, as it were, and Cinder suspected she wouldn't have thought to come over here in the first place if her intentions had been to harm him. That injury alone, coupled with being out in the Barrens, would likely be enough to get him if he was left to his own defenses.
so Cinder leaned down and drew upon the power inside her. Cleanse it, she thought, directing what felt like an invisible energy down to the cockatrice's leg and through the wound, detoxifying it and leaving it clean and dry.
The bird looked down at it with wonder. "Thank you. I wonder," he said softly. "If you might be willing to let me tag along with you for a few days? Until this wound is healed. I have trouble getting around this forsaken place with only one working leg, but I'm a good scout and a good lookout for danger."
He had to be. He was a bird.
Cinder studied him carefully. "If you're sure," she said. "I'm heading away from the Homewood, I'll let you know. You won't be headed closer to safety, if that's what you're looking for."
The cockatrice fixed his eyes on her. "I've never sought safety in my life, my friend, and I'm certainly not about to start. I just thought we could both use some support right now. You needn't worry about me."
Cinder thought again, and then nodded. "In that case, hop on board."
