☽Father's Guid to Mate-Finding: Shoot First, Ask Questions Later☾
➳Nesrinn winced, arm wrapping around his middle, as he staggered back away from the last of the dragons as it fell and dissipated. Several gaili and firani orbs lay scattered in the sand in the wake of a battle that had not been expected. He let out a breath as he allowed himself to finally relax. He’d come out into the desert to hunt but had not been looking for dragons, let alone both types. No, Rinn had, instead, been hoping to bring home some meat for his mother and him. Their supplies were running low and he hadn’t had a match at the Pit in a while — so instead of using their last coin to buy food, Rinn had decided he’d use his time to hunt. The orbs, at least, would allow him to either gain some coins or trade them in for food — so the day was not a complete waste. That is if he didn’t bleed out before making it back to town.
Rinn’s brows pinched together as he brought his arm away from his stomach. Blood had already, easily, seeped into the sleeve of his tunic. He muttered as he gingerly touched at the edges of the dragon claw marks. It needed binding, and soon, lest he really did bleed out on the desert sand and leave his mother all alone. He moved, recovering his abandoned pack and glancing around. He’d traveled out farther than he had planned and, by the looks of it, had gotten himself all turned around in the midst of the dragon fight.
He crouched, rummaging around in his pack for his basic supplies to clean and bandage his wound. Once he had himself bandaged up, as well as one could do in the middle of the desert, he collected the orbs and took off in the direction of what he could only hope was Taliuma. It seemed like hours passed before he finally came to a halt and frowned. The ocean laid out before him, stretching as far as the eye could see and beyond. At least that meant that he was sort of heading in the right direction. The port town couldn’t be too much farther away. His body ached and his head was beginning to spin, slightly, from the loss of blood. Best he rested for a bit before trying to head back out into the desert. He moved towards the edge of the water and settled down and began to unwrap his bandages to check on his wound.
•••
Akara let her legs dangle off the side of the rock, into the water, as Lyari nestled down next to her. She let her fingers brush over his head and down his neck as she stared off over the ocean. She greatly enjoyed the time down off the mountains and getting to visit with her uncles. It was so different down here than up where their home was. Trees and grass littered the landscape up deep in the Terra Expanse. Down here it was sand — miles and miles of sand. Then there was the ocean. So much water. It was different than the water of their lake back home, too. Salty to the taste and filled with creatures she couldn’t even imagine. She would definitely love to explore it further out and planned to do just that one of these days.
For now, though, she would have to be satisfied with just being able to play in the water close by her uncles’ home and the water in her lake. She flicked her wrist lazily, bringing up a spiral of water in front of her and smiling. She would be strong, one day, just like her uncle Lithian. She would take on massive creatures and heal the greatest of injuries.
Lyari’s head popped up just as Kara flicked her wrist and sent the water spiraling out away from her. His eyes narrowed as his gaze jerked around, already sensing someone else approaching. When his eyes caught sight of someone, he rose, a low growl escaping his throat. Kara’s concentration on the water broke and the stream of water fell back into the ocean. “What is it, Lyari?” Kara’s gaze followed the direction of Lyaris, brows pinching together and hand reaching out for her bow as it fell onto someone settling down onto the sand.
She wasn’t used to seeing others so close to her uncles’ home, so instinct and worry took over as her fingers curled around her bow. Kara grabbed her quiver and moved slowly, not wanting to attract the man’s attention too early, for fear he was strong than her. She slipped down off the rock, Lyari following after her, and her magic pulsed out so that they didn’t splash and cause any sound. She hurried out of the water and moved down the beach, thankful that the stranger seemed to be distracted enough that he didn’t notice her approaching. She motioned for Lyari to circle around and block him from fleeing.
When he was in place, she straightened up and nocked an arrow, pointing it at the man — who she could now tell was a dovaa and quite young (though he did look older than her). “Who are you?” Her voice, despite her nerves, was strong sounding.
Rinn jerked around, hiding a wince as the movement pulled at his wounds. “Wha…” He clamped his mouth shut at the sight of an arrow nocked and pointed towards his head. His eyes narrowed onto the girl, who could be much older than sixteen from the looks of her. “Why on earth are you pointing that thing at me?” He gestured towards her bow as he went to push himself up.
Kara tensed, brows pinching together as the man stood. “Who are you and what are you doing on my uncles’ beach?”
Rinn froze as he looked the girl over. She was obviously a hybrid, that much could not be mistaken. He wondered what possessed someone such as her to be brave enough to face up against someone that looked fully like a pureblood, nevermind that he wasn’t — that didn’t matter. He tilted his head at the questions, surprised that the beach even belonged to anyone. “Your...uncles’ beach?” He shook his head before continuing. “I had no clue it belonged to anyone. I needed to rest.” He took a slow step back, faltering at the sound of Lyari’s growl. Rinn’s head jerked around, eyes narrowing in on the khehora — obviously the girl’s bonded.
He sighed as he turned his attention back towards her. “You’ve obviously got me at a disadvantage,” he said as he raised his arms in surrender. As he did so, the shirt he’d be holding closed fell open and Kara’s gaze jerked to his stomach. “I don’t want any trouble, yeah?” He frowned at her gaze, body tensing as he realized he’d let his shirt fall open. He opened his mouth to speak but didn’t manage to get any words out before she was letting her bow lower — though the arrow was still nocked — and she was speaking.
“You’re hurt…” Kara’s brows pinched together as her healer instincts took over. Much like her uncle, her need to help others was greater than her dislike of a certain race or group of people. Healing came first and as long as the person she was healing meant her or her family no harm, she was more than willing to help them. She finally let her arrow fall away from her bow when she noted the blood spilling out of the wound and dripping down his stomach. She moved forward, stopping when she noticed that he inched backwards at her approach. “Let me help you,” she said stubbornly as she sheathed her arrow and strapped her bow back onto her back. “I can heal that.”
The girl moved forward again and Rinn’s muscles bunched, body tensing yet again. Was she trying to trick him? Would she get close and stab him with some kind of hidden blade at the last minute? He narrowed his eyes on her, trying to discern her motives. When she reached out, it took everything in him not to pull away even more. Instinct told him to run, despite his wounds, but something made him insanely curious about this brave girl standing before him. His eyes widened when her fingers brushed lightly against his skin and he felt her magic seep into him. It was soothing and cool to the touch, almost as if he were sinking down into the cool ocean water. He watched as her eyes closed and her palm laid flat against his stomach, careful not to put too much pressure on his wounds.
His body shuddered as he felt the ripples of magic coursing through him and healing the claw marks. Her magic was much more gentle than that of the Pit healers and the cheap healers he could pay outside of the Pit. It was as if she were still hesitant too, not completely confident in her abilities. Rinn let out a breath as she pulled her hand away.
Kara’s brows pinched together as she swayed slightly. It hadn’t taken an exorbitant amount of energy to heal the man but it had been enough to make her slightly dizzy afterwards. She felt hands grab hold of her arms and steady her and she blinked open her eyes. “Mmm…” Kara mumbled something quietly as she pulled away from the stranger and her gaze flicked to his stomach. On the outside, all that remained were scars. The inside, though, she wasn’t sure. She had done her best to knit the tissues back together but it would be best if he were to see a more experienced healer to make sure.
She opened her mouth to speak but frowned as her words were cut off before they even left her mouth. “My name’s Nesrinn.” Kara looked confused, wondering why in the world he would tell her his name. “You asked me before...I figured it’s the least I could give you for your help.” He rolled his shoulders, watching as a small smile curled up the corners of the girl’s lips.
“Akara.” She motioned towards his stomach. “You should have that checked by someone more experienced. I did the best I could but you want to be sure it’s all healed inside.” Kara was thoughtful for a moment before offering a suggestion. “Come back to my uncles’ with me. One of them is a healer. He can look over you.” At first she thought he would argue with her but soon the tension in his shoulders relaxed and he moved to gather his things back up and she was leading the way back home, Lyari close behind and keeping an eye on the strange dovaa.
Word Count: 1,815
