Welcome to Gaia! ::

Roman only looked confused.

"But then why are your wings out? Why is Dark here?" Roman asked as he motioned toward both before pulling back the collar of his shirt as he slowly approached Micheal. "Come on, you need to eat something, and it can't be Dark at the moment 'cause you know Kiru."

Micheal growled as Roman came closer toward where he sat with the ranger before realizing that he was just trying to help.

"Roman..."

His fangs quickly peeked past his lips as he moved his wing and brought Roman in closer. Pushing the collar back farther, he dug his fangs deep into Roman's shoulder and slowly drank while taking care not to spill anything.

A low pleasureful growl came from Roman as he raised his hand behind Micheal head. If needed, he would pull him away before his feeding would come too close to becoming dangerous. "Just remember when to quit, Mich. I don't like pulling you off."

Micheal then pull his fangs out slowly and licked the area he had bit until the wound fully closed. When Roman's shoulder was completely clean, he he pulled back and closed his eyes. "Well, you've kept a similar diet."

Roman laughed. "You know you're too kind. But is she going to be okay? I picked up those prongs that you left behind. That was how I got the scent of where you guys went. Pretty hidden don't you think?" he said as he looked around the area.

Micheal, reopened his eyes, seeming to be a bit better as he saw what was left of his own shirt laying across Jay. "I hope she will be, and can you blame me? It's the furthest place away from all towns and those stupid things."

Roman laughed again. "I have extras that should fit you, but you'll owe me for it."

Micheal looked at him oddly.

"I would like to play with Dark's mind," Roman grinned, the dragon overhead chuckled lightly.

Roman then looked at Jay and tilted his head. "How long were you two out?"

Micheal then looked at Roman. "Go to the saddle and get one of the watering pouches... and not the one that smells salty."

Roman got up and then did what Micheal said and came back with it. "That long?"

"I'm sure Dulcimer... was no compan-huh?" the ranger said, cutting herself short, raising an eyebrow at his statement.

"Honestly, I'm not in the best shape... physically or mentally right now."

The ranger eyed him knowing she was missing something.

"Dark is here... and also one of my friends Roman is here," he said as he looked at her, holding her gaze. "I didn't want you to flip when you saw them, and Dulcimer seems to be okay with there presence right now."

"Dark? Here?" she said, too worn out to react with any more surprise. "Uh... thank them for me. Wait..." She scrunched her eyes a moment. "That hearing thing... they're in hearing range... maybe?" Jay asked opening her eyes again.

He nodded when he saw her eyes open. "Yes. Do you think you can eat something tonight?"

Oh gods... eat'she thought, possibly turning a touch pale at the mention of food. "I probably should. Don't know... what I'll... keep down though."

-he was glad she didn't say anything about his wings yet.- "Soup for starters then?" he nervously laughed.

"I guess..." she started before leaning into Micheal's chest before her eyes went wide. "Wait... what... your shirt? Crap?" the ranger said, realizing it was skin beneath her face and not cloth. She pushed away to get a better look before her eyes traveled upward and locked on the wings behind him.

"It's okay. Roman promised me a new one for a price." -it's cool but slightly warm from the recent feeding.-

"Good. I'm... not paying him," she said, not bothering to question the wings - at least now. She felt too worn out already.

Micheal watched as a shiver ran through her skin, a chill having seeped into her clothes still damp from the weather of the past three days.

"Of course, sorry. Mind meeting Roman right now?"

"I guess," the ranger grumbled some. "I have to look... like crap when I... meet your friends," she complained, disliking feeling so vulnerable in front of people. "There's a blanket... in the backpack..." Jay mentioned, offhandedly.

Roman walked up with the blanket, his maroon-colored hair now watered down from the rain, and lightly placed the blanket in her lap. "You really don't have to worry about looks 'cause right now your buddy Mich looks worse than you."

( alright fire is started and Roman is gone feeding right now. Dark still sitting and Micheal still holding Jay )

Dark shuffled over to the campfire to stir the embers with his claws before lying back down.

Micheal sat there and watched the ranger sleep in his arms beneath the blanket. It had been a calm and peaceful rest, nothing like the nights of nightmares or fever.

Slowly he began to feel the ranger's heartbeat quicken and it wasn't long afterward that her body began to stir. He smiled as she woke up.

"You feel warmer now."

"Much," she agreed now that she was better wrapped, the fire was going, and the wind blocked by Micheal. She still wasn't up to par, her throbbing leg and arm reminding her of just that. The ranger winced as she tried to move.

Micheal frowned a bit. "Do we need to add more smelly stuff?"

"Ha ha," the ranger mocked. "Yes. I have to check if it's infected," she added, hoping that wasn't the case.

His frown didn't change. "Okay. Can you sit on your own now?"

"I can try." She attempting to lean forward but another wince slipped from her throat that she wished Micheal would not hear.

Micheal smiled and closed his eyes. "Maybe you should lie down. It's only a few steps."

"It had to be in the back..." Jay muttered as she switched from leaning forward to leaning back to lie down, still needing to take it slowly as moving still hurt.

Micheal moved his wings out the way and then folded them to where they looked like a very solid looking cloak on his back. He got up slowly and walked to saddlebag he was becoming more familiar with, pulling out everything he used last time before returning.

"See? I am back," Micheal announced.

Jay turned her head to look at the items he brought over.

"Which ones... are those the ones I told you how to use for the spider venom?" she asked, squinting from her odd angle, "or the earlier ones?"

He looked at the contents in his hands. "Honestly, I brought the ones you told me to use after I pulled the prongs out."

"Eh... you might not want to use those," she said with an embarrassed smile, turning her face forward and taking the strain off her neck. "Bring the backpack and the med bag over, and I can explain."

Micheal nodded and walked back to the saddle, bringing back both bags, and setting it under the small shelter beside her so they wouldn't become any more wet from the continuing rain.

"Then we don't have to argue about it. You should still know, however, if you are sticking close." If he was bothered by this, she figured she'd better hold back from telling him any more stories of her past.

Micheal looked back at her as if to say something but instead turned toward the items before him. "So which one to prevent an infection?"

"There is a small bottle with two lines melted into it. There is a liquid inside to pour on the wounds. It's in the med bag. Put the others away if you could," she asked politely though she seemed a little stressed.

He put the others away before lightly grabbing the specified bottle. "Would you like me to do it?"

"Are you going to have a problem with blood?" the ranger asked, forgetting his earlier encounter with it.

He looked at her and smiled. "As long as I hold my breath, I should be fine."

"You'll have to check my back. I can't see or reach it well enough to do anything about it," she said unclipping the clasp for her cloak.

"Need help?" Micheal lightly asked.

"I'll manage," she replied, putting in an effort to do something instead of be prone the entire time. "In the backpack is a small bag of rags. If you can get a few out, we're going to need them... that and the waterskin and a bowl as well," she added as an afterthought, mentally kicking herself for forgetting details she'd normally remember on her own.

Micheal grabbed some rags out as well as the skin and set them next to her. He watched as the ranger flipped over to lie on her front, her body stiffening a moment as she tried to move her arms beneath her head only managing to get one arm beneath it. She left the other arm down by her side.

"Just pour enough water in the bowl so that you can soak the rag and wring it out from time to time," she mentioned when he came back just as the dart wound on her leg began to throb now that it was being pressed against the ground.

After pouring some water from the skin to the bowl, Micheal dampened one of the rags. Looking at the ranger's back there was a large stain of dark red near the base of her spine, the torn bloody fabric adhered to the skin.

"Do you have an extra pair of clothes?" he wondered aloud.

"Backpack," she stated, already having an idea of what her back might look like. "Problems?" the ranger asked, half muffled from her face pressed into her arm.

"I think it's going to pull the dry blood off with the clothing," he said as he looked at the shirt on her back more closely. "Might hurt." He gathered the clothes from the backpack and set them beside her.

"Ah," she answered. "Pour water on it first. Let it soak."

Micheal thought for a moment. "Do you remember all of your dreams when you sleep?"

"Not all of them. Certainly enough though." She trailed off for a moment. "Is there something wrong?"

"Just worried, I think." He then cleaned the rag before he continued trying to clean her back as much as possible.

"Nothing to be worried about. Still here. Got wounds, sure. Still here though." She stiffened some and gritted her teeth when she felt the rag go across the skin.

He gave a small laugh, forced with no feeling this time. "You know, I had a dream last night. It was kinda weird."

"Weird? Try me," she answered a little louder than she meant to as the rag hit another tender spot. She refrained from mentioning how he told her he never had dreams anymore.

He stopped for a moment, weighing what he had seen in her mind and considering how to put it into words - especially as he wanted to mention as little as possible about trying to check on her through her mind at the time.

"I avoid dreams to make sure my wings don't reveal themselves by accident. That's part of why I stay awake. I blacked out, however."

"Well, I guess wings popping out at random inopportune times could be a hassle," she mentioned lightly, wondering where this was going. That explained the wings and why Roman would comment that Micheal looked worse off than her. But passing out? She remained silent and let him continue.

"Yeah. Without them, I look a lot less like something hunters want to kill. With them, it kind of gives away that I am not human. It doesn't take any energy to keep them out, but it takes much to conceal them. Then it takes everything to release them."

So he passed out, his wings triggered somehow, making him look as if he'd traversed the void for it. Waking up to that must have been a riot.

"Pricey things aren't they?" she stated after a moment.

He smiled. "Yes, but they are less troublesome when I know they're being released. If I will it and am aware of it, I can hold some of the energy back and be fine for at least a day." The smile disappeared as he continued. "I know it's my fault they're out this time, but I didn't think that you would dream of jumping."

"Jumping?" she questioned before letting out a laugh. "So I ended up in your dream, hmm? You've probably been around me too much then, haven't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's sort of mixed with your blood."

"That's going to happen," she answered, closing her eyes. "This is the fun part. After you let that sit for a moment, you get to dab it all out with the rag."

"Fun?" He looked at her oddly, then he chuckled. "Yeah, I missed you."

"Missed me as in you tried to catch me in the dream? Or missed my presence after being knocked out for..." She stopped in the middle of her sentence, seemingly bothered. "How long has it been again?"

"Over three days, I think." A hurt smile crossed his face knowing the ranger wouldn't be able to see it. "In your dream I caught you, found you, pulled you out out of burning building... I tried everything to bring you back."

"Burning building. I can only assume what that one was," she grumbled while letting her chin stab into her arm out of guilt. That unpleasant nightmare for herself, but what might have been like for anyone else that might have had to go through it?

"Sorry. Wish I could have had some better dreams for you to... experience."

He lightly laughed. "Well, I didn't mind the Kami one, the little ghost hatchling, though I did harm her a little."

"Ghost hatchling?" Jay tried to move her head to look back at a Micheal, but gave up when it involved too much moving.

"Um, yeah. She reminded me of Dark almost... but more innocent," he lightly chuckled as he watched the ranger count out something on her fingers.

"A hatchling you said?" Jay asked, with some uncertainty.

He stopped and looked at her. "Yes, I am sure she is a Hatchling. I am missing something?"

"I'm just wondering is all," the ranger commented while half in her own thoughts.

"Yeah. She thinks you don't like her," he said half in his own thoughts.

"That might just be that damned egg then," the ranger muttered, rolling her eyes before letting her head rest back on her arm.

He looked at her oddly. "You don't like her?"

Jay took the shirt but set it down at her side. "Let's get my leg done with then I can change all at once."

He looked at her, shrugged, and then looked at her leg. "I am sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've learned things the hard way many times," she said as she felt with her free hand for her knife, unsheathed it, moved it toward her leg.

Micheal watched her. "What are you doing?"

"Slicing open my pants so I can see this better myself," she muttered, grunting a little as she leaned forward against the wrap that now pressed against the tended wound at her back. Catching the point of the dagger in the hole where the dart had gone through, she made a small slice down the cloth away from her. She started to make another cut when she clenched her jaw for a moment and put the knife down. "Where did that waterskin go?" she asked holding out a hand for it.

He quickly handed it to her. "You're nuts."

"Like I haven't heard that before," she said, as she poured water over the stain on her leg, letting it soak in to the fabric and the blood.

Micheal then sat back as he loosened his wings to have them rest out stretched a little.

"But this is coming from someone who is holding their breath for what reason now?" she said, trying to get a jab in jest somewhere while she poured a little more water on her leg.

"So I don't kill you." He growled defensively as it came deep with in his chest.

"Fine, I won't push your buttons if you don't push 'em yourself," she answered, taking the chance to raise the hand she was leaning on up into the air, palm spread out as if to signify surrender

He just shook his head as he hand a pitiful laugh like someone was going mad.

Dark then growled. "Mich..."

Being impatient that she was to get this over with, she picked up the knife in the other hand and started to slowly work the cloth off her leg, cutting the fibers at the same time. Gradually, the cloth was peeling back like an awkward four petaled flower, but in the middle of the petals was a swollen and puss-surrounded star-shaped wound with a bright red color. The ranger muttered something incomprehensible.

Roman then showed up panting in a full run and pulled Micheal out with much force that threw him a couple yards away. "Sorry about that." He ruffled his hair looking back at the ranger.