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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:09 pm
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Darkness. It was familiar and comforting. It hadn't been so long ago that he had been left gasping for air as his dragon roared and fought for his life.
Now he lay back, basking in a puzzling numbness, wandering just where Ussurianth was.
It was quiet. So eerily quiet. Was he prey once more to that powerful mind, stalked within this peaceful repose? Was Ussurianth waiting to tackle him, to remind him of his true self? He quested outwards, pulling at the familiar, yearning for the bronze's touch against his own mind.
"Ussu... rianth?" He croaked into the darkness, trembling. As he tried to lift his fingers, he found his body unresponsive to his will. Where was he? Where was Ussurianth?
"Lie still." A voice ordered, and Tosk stopped moving obediently. "Your dragon is fine. He received no injury, and was soothed by a queen."
Well. That was strange, wasn't it? {Ussurianth? Are you okay? I can't see you.}
The dragon coiled around his mind, but held back from striking, wavering with such hesitation that Tosk grew worried. The bronze _was_ fine, he could sense that much... But something was amiss. He wasn't himself.
/I am sorry, ToskMine./ His deep mindvoice cracked, broken by misery and worry. /I failed you./
{No... No you didn't... Why do you say that?} Tosk was so comfortable. Pillows cuddled his head. Blankets warmed his body. He was safe. He had everything he needed.
/Not... Everything./
{What happened?} A sharp, sudden realisation brought a moment of clarity. They had been flying Fall. What...
/It was my fault. I did not see the clump, and.../ There was a low moaning sound drifting from so far away, aching with terrible familiarity.
"Ussurianth..." Tosk breathed, opening his eyes. He recognised the infirmary, realising in an instant what must have happened. Flashes of memory flickered through his mind like streaking stars. There had been pain. So much pain. He lifted his arm.
Just one.
His eyes widened in shock, and he touched his face with his right hand.
"You're lucky you didn't suffer worse scarring. We were able to save most of you, but we needed to make sacrifices." The healer trailed off, turning away as he reached for a cup.
Tosk glanced downwards, where an arm ought to have been, and saw nothing. His heart dropped. Gone. Nothing but an ugly, twisted...
/I am sorry./ Ussurianth curled up so small in his mind, almost kitten-like.
{No, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm alive still.} It would be okay. He had to believe those words. No matter what, he had to. For Ussurianth's sake, if nobody else.
"Drink." The healer ordered. Tosk complied without thought, the fellis slipping easily down his throat. His eyes began to close against his will, the pain numbed once more.
{It'll be okay...} His last thoughts before he drifted back into darkness.
Outside, Ussurianth could not bear the weight of his shame and guilt. The queen had stilled his distress, when he had first landed... Now he turned his head, fixing the infirmary with a piercing grey gaze. He needed someone... Anyone who had suffered. Anyone who would reach out. He was lost.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 4:04 pm
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B'den was happily fussing over her riding straps. Being a rider was an absolutely dream come true and she took to it like a fish to water, or maybe a dragon to air. She continued to dote upon her adopted kids as much as her dragon. The woman had perched herself in the shade where she'd be easy to find as she worked in case someone needed her. To her surprise, it was her own dragon who came slinking up.
Riojath had been mingling and sunning with anyone she could talk into spending time with her, which included anyone and everyone. The more the merrier. However, some dragons weren't merry and the young green picked up on that. She felt compelled to help. It's what her rider would do after all. B'denmine, there is someone who needs us. The green called as she slunk up to her rider.
B'den tilted her head. I'm assuming this one isn't a human then? Usually people knew they could simply approach her without worry. That it was Riojath bringing it up, could only mean whoever it was, wasn't human. Which meant it was a dragon. B'den tucked her stuff neatly into a basket. She'd come back to it. "Alright, let's go!" A relieved croon came from the green as she turned and headed toward the infirmary.
Just outside, was a young adult, grey-eyed bronze staring at the infirmary. That had to mean his rider was inside and probably injured. Riojath hesitated a moment. What was she to do? How could she approach him? In an instant, her rider suggested a course of action. The pair walked up. Riojath scooched up beside the bronze and laid a wing over his back in support.
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