|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:07 pm
Grateful for the dismissal, Nicoletta started a swift gallop back to the rest of the herd. She didn't think that anything could be done for the usdia either, but miracles happened. As she ran, she noticed another soquili going somewhere in a hurry away from the herd. Who was that? It almost looked like Mi Ren Ko but she couldn't be certain in the fading light. Besides, Mi Ren Ko seemed far too sensible to go running around while pregnant.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:20 pm
Roarke was growing frustrated with their khaleesi. She had a heart larger than any he knew but at the moment that looked like it was going to be their downfall. "Daenerys, listen to me, if that beast left her alive it likely did so for a reason. We're all easy targets right now. I know you want to help but..." Roarke hesitated. He could see how badly this was troubling her but they simply couldn't stay without taking a huge risk. "If we stay there's a good chance that more could end up seriously wounded. Possibly all of us." Roarke thought of Mi Ren Ko, a perfect target for a skinwalker. They loved loss of life. Killing Mi Ren Ko would mean more death for the cursed creature.
Roarke scanned the Khalasar, he couldn't see his mate but she was probably just behind one of the taller mares resting. Then he scanned the air, the creature had wings which meant it could probably fly. Nothing but birds. If the skinwalker came for them is was somewhere on the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:38 pm
As the usdia shuddered beneath her wing, Daenerys felt a little of her dragon anger awakening. "I said that we are not going anywhere until I'm ready!" she snapped, glaring at her guardian. Drogon hissed and smoked on her shoulder, picking up on her agitation. "We are going to wait until-" The usdia shuddered again, kicking out blindly with her back legs.
Helki was nowhere in sight, but Daenerys had the feeling that she knew what was happening. The usdia was dying. "It's all right," murmured Dany, trying her best to ignore Roarke's disapproval. "What's your name?" Daenerys cursed herself for not asking that first. "Little one, what's your name?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:42 pm
Ostara was only barely conscious now. Her body trembled uncontrollably, but then slowly stopped. Something about the way that the bigger mare's body curled around hers reminded her of huddling beside her mother when she was a foal. Of course, the mare was the wrong color...
Ostara's eyes shut, flickered open, then shut again. She was too tired to think anymore. It was time... time...
"My name is Ostara," she whispered, before fading forever.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:50 pm
A childish part of Roarke considered hissing back at Daenerys's tiny dragon. He resisted the temptation. It wouldn't help him get his point across, she was stubbornly refusing to listen to reason. Instead of grouching about it Roarke drew himself up to his full height. Hopefully the reason they hadn't been attacked yet was because the skinwalker didn't want to tangle with Roarke. It was a fool's hope but that was all he had to go on until Daenerys was done comforting the dying Usdia.
It was a sad thing to watch. She lashed out and trembled. Her eyes couldn't stay open. Then she spoke her last words. Roarke frowned. Her name. The first thing usually given to a child upon entering the world was the last word on her lips as she departed it. Roarke swallowed. No amount of sensibility could save him from the sorrow...but it could distract him and get them to safety.
"She's gone." He said as softly as he could manage. "Leave her in peace now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 5:06 pm
Roarke was right. Ostara was dead. Dany had her own childish impulse to stay a little longer to spite Roarke, but like Roarke, she managed to refrain. There was no point in trying to comfort a corpse. Sadly, she drew away from Ostara's body and stood. She looked like a bloody mess and felt like one too. Heartsick as she was, now they had to start moving the herd to safety.
"Now, I would appreciate your assistance in rousing the herd." There hadn't even been time for Helki to come over. "At least we tried," she thought wearily to herself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 5:20 pm
While Ostara lay dying, Mi Ren Ko ran. As nonsensical as it was, she didn't feel safe with a herd right now. They had been in a herd when the attack came the last time, after all. She wanted to stop and catch her breath but her legs just wouldn't cooperate. She cried out and ducked when a shadow flew overhead, but it turned out just to be an early-waking bat. "I need to calm down," she thought, but that thought came a moment too late.
A swell of earth hid the gully from Mi Ren Ko until the last moment. It was too late to stop by the time she noticed it and she went sliding over the edge, legs flailing wildly. She tripped and fell, rolling down the steep incline instead. She felt a stab of pain when she hit a rock and then another larger one when she reached the bottom.
Dazed and in pain, Mi Ren Ko moaned. She didn't think she'd broken anything but... the children! She rolled to her side and nuzzled frantically at her belly. The rock had hit her there but she wasn't bleeding. It couldn't be that bad if she wasn't bleeding... could it?
"Roarke?" she called out, weak with misery. Suddenly, sharp pain radiated from her belly. "Roarke!" she cried again, now with horrified urgency.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 5:28 pm
Roarke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Daenerys stressing the word now. He liked her well enough but there were moments when she treated him more like a pet than a guard. Raorke let his feet fly out beneath him in wide strides as he made his way back to the rest of the herd. Daenerys would be coming shortly behind him but the others needed to be checked on. The closer he got the more he realized that something was amiss. Where was Mi Ren Ko?
"Mi Ren Ko?!" He called urgently turning about. He could see everyone but her. "Has anyone seen Mi Ren Ko?!" Raorke looked from face to face waiting for one of them to reply. Had the skinwalker struck after all? Had it taken one of them while they were focused on the usdia? He needed to find her before the unthinkable happened.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 5:47 pm
Nicoletta had given up on bringing over the healer once it became clear that Daenerys and Roarke were abandoning the presumably dead usdia. She was with the others when Roarke arrived back, and grew still when she heard him shouting for his mate. She thought back to the soquili that she had seen running away, the one that she had decided couldn't possibly be Mi Ren Ko.
Swallowing nervously, Nicoletta spoke up. "I think I saw her running." She gestured with her head the direction she had seen the mare running in. In a rare moment of humility, she threw in an apology with the information. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it was her... but now... it has to be."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:20 pm
Running. Mi Ren Ko had been running, not dragged away. It was a comforting thought even though it barely helped. At least the skinwalker hadn't gotten her but Roarke couldn't make sense of why she would be running in her condition. Roarke didn't stop to thank Nicoletta before running off in the direction his mate was reported to have gone.
"Mi Ren Ko!" He called as he raced along. He needed to find her. She could be hurt. "Mi Ren Ko, where are you?!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:42 pm
Mi Ren Ko cried as another wave of pain went through her. This was wrong, very wrong. She didn't trust herself to stand now so had no choice but to continue lying at the bottom of the gully. Had anyone even heard her call? Unhappy, she called out Roarke's name again. Maybe he would hear this time. Maybe he would come.
Her ears pricked. What was that? It was a distant sound, but it sounded almost like.. "Roarke!" She renewed her efforts in being heard. "I'm here! I'm here!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:46 pm
Daenerys arrived at the khalasar right as Roarke left. It didn't take long to find out the reason he'd bolted off. Mi Ren Ko was missing? Daenerys didn't waste time in taking to the sky. Mi Ren Ko was so brightly colored that she would stand out starkly in the twilight dark. Besides that, she could stay on the look-out for skinwalkers from that height too.
She flew approximately above Roarke, scanning around for anything he'd missed. Unfortunately, the wind blew too loud in her ears for her to hear anything, and the gully that Mi Ren Ko was trapped in obscured her from view from the air as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:44 am
Even over the pounding of his hooves Roarke could hear the sound of his mate's voice. "I'm coming!" He called charging towards the sound only to come to a skidding halt when the ground suddenly dropped away. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he looked down into the gully. Sure enough, his mate was down there, laying on the ground.
"Mi Ren Ko...what happened?" He asked slowly feeling a slight tremble enter his voice. Slowly, gently, he made his way down into the gully picking each step carefully so that he didn't fall and hurt himself. Then he would be no use to Mi Ren Ko. "Are you alright?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:00 pm
Seeing Roarke brought tears of relief to Mi Ren Ko's eyes. He was there. She managed a weak smile before another bout of cramping stole the smile off her lips. "I fell," she said miserably, looking up at where she'd fallen over the edge. "I don't think anything is broken, but... something's not right." Her voice caught and she choked back a sob.
"Something hurts. I'm afraid that..." She was terrified to give voice to her fears, as if naming them could give them more power. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she continued. "I'm afraid that something happened to our children during the fall."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 8:26 am
Roarke slowly brought himself closer to Mi Ren Ko and lipped gently at her mane for a moment not daring to try for any other, more physical, reassurances. He looked her over carefully but honestly didn't know what he was looking for. It wasn't like there were bones sticking out and she didn't seem to be gushing blood from anywhere. Roarke was a warrior, not a midwife, he couldn't tell what was right or wrong about a pregnancy. He knew how to make a baby and that eventually they would come out but beyond that he was hopeless.
"Everything's probably fine." Roarke said sounding completely uncertain himself. He just didn't want Mi Ren Ko to get hurt further in panic caused by worry. "Can you stand? There's help near by." Roarke could just make out Daenerys in the sky. She was female. Obviously she would know more about pregnancy than he did. "Daenerys!" He bellowed trying to get her attention. "Daenerys down here!" Roarke took a few steps away from Mi Ren Ko before pushing himself onto his hind legs several times to try and draw their Khaleesi's attention with motion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
