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 Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:23 am
The fledgling watched the medic swoop down again, and heard bits and pieces of the conversation below. Her own mind numbing fear had made her forget that Tousled was hurt, but at a higher altitude and with a clearer head she started to worry a little bit. It was hard to fly when something hurt, she knew that. Tousled would probably want to stop often, and fly from branch to branch like a fledgling. This perch was a good one, that was why Craneberry had stopped here, but now the injured female would need the space.
Craneberry tried to shake the raindrops from her feathers and preened to be fit for flight soon again. Up and over there was another nice branch, and it was close enough for her to fly to, despite the drizzle.
"I'm going up," she hooted and struggled her way to the new perch. A jolt of happiness shot through her as her talons gripped the branch. She did it! Encouraged by her own success she turned back to watch the adults.
"Over there is a good perch," she hooted.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:04 pm
After one last miserable glance aimed at Tousled, the white mus moved painfully slowly towards Whirlwind, ears glued to his gleaming white back. The medic waited patiently, barely paying attention as her eyes seemed to be fixed on the ghost fledgling but she lowered her body just a little when her companion reached her. Wit jumped to the dark feathers of the medic’s back with unusual roughness but it was unclear if Whirlwind had noticed it for the medic did not seem to show any reaction to her companion’s actions.
“Alright, nice find, Craneberry!” The medic hooted loudly against the wind, joining the fledgling with a few quick wing beats. “Tousled, come slowly! From here, we’re moving on that direction.” She said, pointing a wing into the darkness. She waited for other deep woods to reach her before beginning the flight to the higher shelter.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:22 am
Tousled's heart went out to the little companion, but she knew better than to try to call him back again. He would probably be okay soon enough, and she did have other, more acute things to worry about.
She glanced at Craneberry, making sure that the fledgling didn't move too far away on her own, and then fixed her gaze on Whirlwind. Nodding quietly at the medic's instructions, Tousled unfolded her wings again and beat hesitantly at the air for a while. The pain in her chest immediately surged, but it was still manageable.
She could do this.
Drawing in as deep a breath as she dared, Tousled put some force into her wingbeats, and jumped into the air. A few struggling seconds later she landed next to Whirlwind on the higher perch, scrabbling frantically at the bark to find purchase. She hunched over, pressing her wings tightly against her sides in an attempt to lessen the pain, and panted as if she had flown a mile already. The pain in her chest had gone from dull to agressive, and was radiating out into her wings.
She glanced up at Whirlwind, whispering hoarsely between gasps:
"May-maybe I should... stay here... Until I get... a bit better." Suddenly, the shelter didn't seem all that dangerous anymore. She could rest there, surely, and then fly home on her own once she felt that she was able to.
Yes, that did sound like a perfectly reasonable plan right now. Braving the threat of predators felt a lot easier than having to fly further with this pain. "I'll be... okay..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:59 am
Craneberry didn't hear much of what Tousled said, but she did manage to catch "stay here" and "better" and was creative enough to fill in the blanks.
"No!" she yelled, "We're going somewhere safer. You said so! You can fly with med'sine."
"W... willow bark," she pleaded, "Or... or... elm bark... We're close to the ground, we could find Meadow-wort! We could find..."
The fledgling trailed off. She was born in the winter and had yet to learn how the summer flowers looked. She had learned that Meadow-wort had clusters of white-yellow flowers, but she didn't know how they looked in spring before they bloomed.
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Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:06 pm
Whirlwind caught Tousled’s movements with visible concern. It was bad enough that she seemed to be in pain but by the look of those ruffled feathers it was obvious the female was scared out of her wits!
“I suppose… we… we should all go back then.” The medic said softly. Being so close to the ground was a frightening option but she couldn’t in good conscience, force a possibly injured sentinel to fly. “It’s likely that you’ll need more than just rest, Tousled. We can’t risk a serious injury. I don’t suppose you hop through the branches either. Unimportant… it’s not as if we can find a path anyway. Let’s go back in.”
Splitting seemed to be the worst alternative possible but staying so close to the ground wasn’t much better in her opinion. Acknowledging the fledgling’s words with a quiet nod, she looked with worried citrine eyes as she readied herself for the short flight.
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:23 am
At hearing Craneberry's anxious little voice, and then the well-meaning medic's suggestion to have all three of them turn back, Tousled felt an embarrassed fluffage coming on. She couldn't very well ask Craneberry to go back into the hollow, not after seeing how terrified she had been in there, and she felt really sheepish about quitting like this before she had even really tried going anywhere.
Sure, it hurt. A lot. But it was a dull sort of pain that felt more like a bad bruise than anything torn or broken - and it was already starting to fade again. With a bit of determination and plenty of pauses, she might just be able to get to safety, just as long as the pain didn't get any worse.
Tousled berated herself for being such a weak-willed little feather-head, and relaxed her body as much as she could, giving Whirlwind a sheepish smile.
"N-no. No. I think... I think I just overreacted." She tried to calm her breaths, too, and found to her delight that it wasn't too hard to do so. "I'm sorry. I'm already feeling a bit better. I-I think I can make it, if we just take a lot of breaks..."
She tried to make her smile more encouraging, and and unfolded her wings a bit as if to show how much better she felt. It stung a bit, but she was determined to convince herself that it wasn't really that bad.
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:59 pm
Craneberry flew the short distance to the next suitable perch, and turned around to look at the adults. As long as she didn't have to go back down she was nearly fearless now and her erect eartufts waved gently in a gust of wind.
"Fly like a fledgling," she hooted to Tousled, waiting for the others to move again. It would be a long way to the shelter with this speed, but flying and gliding with frequent stops was something Craneberry was very used to. That was how she had learned to fly and it still felt familiar to her.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:50 am
Whirlwind was clearly not pleased and her thoughts could be easily picked with a single inattentive glance. It didn’t feel right, the medic thought to herself with narrowed eyes that showed something very close to anger. She was sure she had seen pain in Tousled’s expression and a part of medic commanded her talons to grasp the branch as strongly as she could.
“Doesn’t hurt, really?” she asked as quietly as possible over the dying wind when Tousled unfolded her wings. And then with a swift movement, Whirlwind lowered her head to hit Tousled’s chest. Not too hard, of course, she’d never forgive herself if she worsened an injury but still… not a gentle push either. Wit immediately pulled an eartuft with and indignant screech that the medic didn't seem to notice.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:30 am
With a breathless little gasp, Tousled sleeked down as much as it was possible for her to do, immediately folding her wings in close to her body again. She hunched over, trying unconsciously to shield the injured spot with the rest of her body. Her third eyelids became partially visible for a moment, as a tiny whimper escaped her.
She glanced up with a look in her squinted eyes that could rival the medic's own in hurt hostility. Medics weren't supposed to DO that! The pain brought Tousled's indignation to the forefront, and she blinked angrily at the other Deep Woods, the seething in her chest almost enough to block out the worst of the pain.
"It... didn't." She hissed, the accusation in her voice only slightly hampered by her inability to draw a decent breath. "Why... why would you... do that?!"
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:01 am
Craneberry bobbed her head anxiously, trying to see what the adults were up to and why they weren't following. She didn't dare to fly further away since she might get lost, but she was NOT going to turn back and fly closer to that terrible place again.
She chittered nervously and fluffed up on her perch.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:56 am
“It hurt…“ Whirlwind said softly as her narrowed eyes refused to leave Tousled’s. “Bones are tricky, Tousled. Sometimes, they get tiny cracks. Tiny cracks can heal. They can also get worse make the bone snap in two.” Words that started quiet and almost pleading quickly began to rise in volume and anger. “You got hit by a fledgling! But you will be able to fly. You’ll be able to put all your weight on those bones and muscles. Your wings will flap but that won’t hurt and it will certainly not worsen anything you might have. Is that what you’re saying? Are you asking a medic like me to ignore the fact that you’re injured? Are you asking me to take a risk with something that can cost you your life? What is Sentinel that can’t fly, Tousled? What will happen if you get injured permanently?! What kind of irresponsible medic do you take me for if you just expect me to fly in the rain and wind with a freighted fledgling and an injured adult? What if the wind picks up? What if the rain gets stronger? What if you two need help? Who should I go to? Who should I help? I can’t risk losing a Clan member like that. THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO GO BACK TO THE SHELTER! At least… until the wind stops completely.” Even though the last sentence sounded rather subdued, Whirlwind’s eyes, now mere slits, were still burning with anger.
Wit was used to his emotional owner but her words made him slowly slink back into place. Her anger was certainly not something he saw often and he stood on her back very quiet and very very still.
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:52 pm
Tousled visibly shrunk before the medic's rage, ashamed at her own irresponsibility and slightly frightened by the fire in the other Deep Woods' eyes. Her wet and tousled feathers crept as close to her little frame as possible, and she cowered under the medic's glare.
"I-I..." she whispered, blinking uncertainly. "I'm sorry. You... you're right. I was just... I'll go back inside."
She hadn't even considered all the injury that she could cause herself, just like before, when she recklessly dove in under little Craneberry's talons. Why was she persistently trying to be such a hero? Tousled's chest constricted in shame. This was what happened when you listened to too many bard tales and hero songs.
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Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:58 pm
The adults' hushed conversation distressed Craneberry despite the fact that she could only hear a word or a phrase here and there. What was the problem? They were going somewhere SAFER. She inched closer to the tree trunk and pressed up against it, first sleeking herself down miserably but then fluffing back up to regain some body warmth.
"Go back to the shelter" She heard that and went even colder, from the inside out.
"'M not going," she whispered to no one in particular and closed her eyes as tightly as she could.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:33 pm
Happy to have won the short argument even if a little worried she’d been too aggressive at it, Whirlwind lowered her head until her eyes were at the same height as the fledgling’s but failed to hear the little ghost’s whisper. Her eyes sought Tousled.
“Don't move just yet... please. Just wait a moment while I talk to girl. I’d like t be next to you… just in case. Craneberry, listen to me. If the wind doesn’t stop, we shouldn’t let Tousled move. It's very dangerous, do you understand? That’s why we should go back to the shelter. Okay?” At this point, the medic wasn't really expecting any opposition from the fledgling as Whirwind’s words made perfect sense in her mind.
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