OOCI almost forgot about this! Sorry! I know you have a lot on your plate, so if you want to quicken the pace or even just summarize the rest of what happens I won’t be mad. But if you are up for finishing then I’m game to. It’s all up to what works best for you.Asha’s head snapped back and forth as she looked at the remains of her home, searching for her father. Her mother’s pottery lay broken and scattered across the ground and chunks of dried mud that helped cement the wood of her home together had been gouged out, light swirling through the holes. A large hand poked out beneath fallen roofing to her right; a hand she wished she could not recognize but the sight of it filled her with apprehensive dread. She desperately hoped it was not her father lying beneath the rubble but then again at least she would have found him.
She quickly stepped toward the rubble atop the hand, hardly mindful of the sharp, broken pottery at her feet. Her large hands moved deftly as she tossed aside the rubble atop the Jamoura and her breath stuck in her throat as she uncovered the familiar black fur. Tossing the last piece of rubble from her father’s back Asha stared in horror until she saw the gentle movements caused by his breathing. She let out her breath with a relieved sigh and began to visually search him to catalogue his condition. Several jagged lacerations, likely from the claws of another Jamoura, glinted wetly in his chest. Around the open wounds dried blood matted his once satin fur. A sizeable chunk of wood stuck gruesomely from his thigh and Asha felt the blood leave her head.
Asha felt her head rush and blackness ate at the corners of her vision. She couldn’t handle the retched stench wafting off the body of the most beloved figure in her life. She stepped wobbily to a corner of the house and leaned over. She took one large breath and then heaved mightily, acrid vomit and bile spilling forth from her mouth. Once she had fully emptied the contents of her stomach she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gently leaned her forehead against the wall for a moment to collect herself.
She let her gaze sweep the room of broken objects and noticed a ragged and ripped blanket. She didn’t know much about medicine but she knew she had to get her father’s wounds at least covered, if not cleaned. She crossed the room in four large strides and grasped the blanket before returning to her father’s side. Asha gently laid her hand on her father’s arm and his eyes snapped open, startling her. His eyes looked extremely dilated and confusion clouded the depths where once there had been limitless wisdom. The slightest hint of recognition caused his eyes to widen and focus on her.
Her father’s words brought her much sorrow, how could he ask such a thing of her? How could he ask her to leave him to certain death? It almost felt unfair but she knew that thought to be selfish. Her father was trying to look out for her and keep her safe, and she was returning his love with selfishness. She felt ashamed of herself. Centroc’s words cut into her flesh like knives and she hated him for it and the decision she had to make. She knew it was not his fault but it felt good to have something to direct her emotions towards.
“Father, I’m going to clean you up a bit and then block the doorway so no one can come in and harm you. Stay here, I will come back for you. I promise. I have to go find mother, she is not safe either.” Asha whispered, her throat too tight to manage anything else. Quickly she set to work. Near her father she found a wooden bucket partially filled with water. She poured a little of the water over his chest, trying to wash away some of the dirt and dust that had collected in his wounds. She lightly pressed the ragged towel on top of the wound to staunch any further blood flow and keep insects out of the open wounds. She looked at the wood sticking out of his leg but knew it was best not to take it out. The wound clearly needed stitches and she had no knowledge or tools to do that. Taking the wood out would only make him bleed out faster and besides, the blood around it had dried and ceased to flow already. She held the bucket up to her father’s lips and urged him to drink the remainder of the water. She couldn’t do much she could at least stave off dehydration.
With only a few sips of water left her father’s eyes closed in sleep and his head lolled to the side. Though it pained her, she stood to leave him. The ordeal with her father had only taken several chimes but she knew she was pressing her luck by staying longer. She searched around the room until she found some particularly large chunks of roofing that had fallen in. She dragged the pieces to the door, barricading it as best as she could though she knew that anyone who really wanted to get in could easily do so. Standing beside her family’s home and staring at the poorly built barricade she had constructed she felt her very core scream in outrage of her predicament. She would never, never forgive herself if she allowed one of her parent’s to do. She turned to look at Centroc, anger flashing in her eyes. “Well then. Where can I find my mother?”
by Cinna on August 16th, 2012, 9:20 pm 
