Open Rebirth

[Lorcan Gregory]

"There was nothing in sight, but memories left abandoned
There was nowhere to hide, the ashes fell like snow
And the ground caved in, between where we were standing
And your voice was all I heard
That I get what I deserve..."
- Lyrics from Linkin Park, "Across This New Divide"

1 st Fall 516 av

Splicing pain and darkness, that is what he first remembered. A heavy weight pressed against his body as the soft rustle of long grass tickled his skin. He could hear the faint, piercing cry of a hawk as it flew overhead in the distance. He tried to wake, but the sweet promise of release beckoned he return to the comfort of the dark. Semi-conscious, his mind slowly crawled its way back to the light – his thirst to survive overruling his desire to give in. Speckled coloured dots danced across his vision, a groggy groan escaped hoarsely from his parched lips.

His eyelids tried to furiously flutter open, his brow furrowed tight against the jarring headache throbbing through his cranium as the bright midday sun blinded him almost immediately. Squeezing his hazel gaze shut tight, he strained to shake his mind from the cobwebs that clung tightly over him from the realm of unconsciousness.

Fighting through the queasy fog clouding his thoughts, he suddenly realised he had no idea what had happened. His brain raced to fill in the gaps of the events before he had lost cognizance, but every time his mind reached, it’s fingers surrounded nothing but a vast void. Panic and fear swelled deep within his breast.

Despite the agonising pain, he forced his eyes to open – this time more prepared for the blinding radiance of Syna. As he allowed his gaze to adjust, something thick and gloopy stung the corner of his left eye. He tried to lift his arm to wipe it away, but found his muscles would not obey him. They felt as heavy as lead, aching. He pushed past the invisible ties grasping his muscles in place and brushed the back of his hand across the crusty, sticky substance across his eye – only to be met with the fiery wrath of agonising pain.

A gargled cry ripped past his constricted throat, as the pain washed over him with a wave of sickness. His eyebrow stung like a hornet’s nest, the pain sending a shockwave through his body. He bolted upright in a pinch, arms flailing and growls unfurling through his barred teeth.

The world around him swam instantly. Spinning faster and faster, his eyes unable to train anything for more than a mini-tick! He felt as though he could feel the ground beneath him shift and turn with the planet. He could feel his heart racing, his blood pumping harder than usual through his veins as his chest heaved. His stomach churned and toiled as the earth span and eventually the sensation of nausea forced its way up his windpipe!

Lurching to the side, chunks flew! His throat burned, his eyes streamed with tears as he struggled to draw a breath between the heaves. The rough exertion suddenly opened up the blood-crusted, deep laceration above his eyebrow, sending lightening pain lancing through his skull. A sea of red blurred half of his wavering vision. Dots floated above the sea of long grass all around him.

It was all too much. The cold fingers of the black void took a firm hold – and dragged him back to the ground with a resounding thud!

　

[Aoren]

Aoren walked beside his Strider with reins in hand giving himself a bit of a break from being in the saddle for so long. The gentle clop of Katya’s hooves thudding through the grass provided a metronome with which Aoren could direct the flow of his thoughts. Truthfully there wasn’t much to think on besides the road ahead. He was on his way to Endrykas or rather, he was making his way through the Sea of Grass intent on finding either the Tent City or one who could lead him to it. Earlier in the summer he’d departed Syliras, the Fortress City of Peace accompanying a caravan on its way to Kenash. They had parted ways but a short while ago with Aoren’s only bit of advice being to travel westward toward the sea. It was no guarantee that he would find the wandering city of his people but it was all he had to go on. He’d been to Endrykas before but that had been quite some time ago and then his guide had been Caelum, an Ethaefal who knew well the travel routes of the city.

“Goddess guide the way.” He muttered a small prayer to Avalis under his breath before turning his eyes to the landscape around him. There was little to see except the proof of the region’s namesake, a Sea of Grass. The light breeze that wound its way through the plains was the only relief from the heat of the day but Aoren wasn’t much bothered by it. He was accustomed to travel at this point in his life. The past several years had been spent migrating from place to place, seeing what the world had to offer. It was only in the past season that he’d made the decision to seek out a life among the Drykas people. What else was there? The leads he had on the attack that had left him comatose had gone cold in Syliras, despite his efforts. There were some things that pointed him in the direction of Ravok but memories lingered in connection to that dark city that he did not want to touch.

A rustling of the grass drew his attention making him tense slightly before relaxing. A large black furred dog meandered out of the brush making its way up to Aoren. The canine nudged his free hand to which the Drykas man rewarded the dog with a fond pat. Isikai had been his stalwart companion for some time. The dog was smart, loyal, and brave in the face of the unknown which was a quality that Aoren was thankful for.

“It’s just us three now, buddy.” He rubbed one of the dog’s ears between his fingers. There was a weight to those words that Aoren hadn’t really felt before. It was uncomfortable but it was a reality that he was ready to face. His future was uncertain at this point but that didn’t frighten him. What scared him most of all, was how unprepared he’d been in the face of what happened over a year ago. He continued walking, making his way through the grasslands as Isikai continued to explore the immediate area around them. There was little Aoren could do except search for what he believed to be signs of Endrykas or wait for one of the Drykas themselves to stop him and lead him to the city. His walk came to a halt when Isikai perked up. The dog came to a stop in front of him, ears perked, stance alert and a low growl in his chest.

“What is it?” Aoren knew that the Sea of Grass had many dangers. He could very well meet his end to one of them. If that time came, he would face it readily, neither beast nor monster frightened him. He feared something else entirely. Stepping up closer to his companion, he rest a hand atop the dog’s head. Isikai padded forward sniffing first at the ground and then at the air. The dog let out a bark then looked back at Aoren. Without hesitating, Aoren stepped up to Katya’s flank and hoisted himself up into the saddle. He recognized when Isikai was on edge.

“Go.” Isikai barked then darted off into the grass. Gently, Aoren nudged Katya forward making certain to keep himself firmly seated in the saddle. He wasn’t so masterful a rider that he could just start out at a brisk pace. Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn’t need to and he could spare both his legs and his groin the pain of a bumpy ride. He kept Katya at a trot not far behind Isikai as the dog chased whatever it was that had caught his attention. Aoren had learned a long time ago that whether it was good or bad, it was better to be aware of what lay ahead than to be caught by surprise. He just hoped he didn’t stumble upon a corpse. If there was a corpse, there was fresh meat, if there was fresh meat, there were predators that wouldn’t be far off. It wasn’t long before he caught up to his dog. As soon as he did, Aoren dismounted slowly landing on his feet getting his bearing. Isikai stood with his head quirked more curiously than aggressively which told Aoren that whatever he’d found likely wasn’t threatening...or had yet to become so. He took his Strider by the reins leading her forward. Immediately he was greeted to the sounds of someone retching followed by the stiff smell of bile carried on the breeze. It made him wrinkle his nose. There was the sound of a thud and soft groans. Aoren pushed aside a bit of tall grass as the form of the unfortunate soul came into view.

Male. Dark hair. Obviously disoriented. As soon as Aoren lay eyes upon him he felt the gentle nudge of the gnosis mark woven across the right side of his face. He made no move to resist it. Whoever this man was, he was obviously in poor health if the puddle of vomit was anything to judge.

“Isikai.” Aoren frowned as his dog sniffed at the injured man. Immediately the canine stepped back allowing the Drykas man to move closer. Up close he could make out the man’s features a bit better. Young. A deep cut over his brow that was actively bleeding. Most likely suffering from some head trauma and disorientation if the groans were anything to go by. Aoren glanced upward. The young man was probably dehydrated as well. He sighed inwardly closing his eyes for a moment. It looked as though he’d found a place to set up camp. Kneeling down he spoke softly regardless of whether the young man could hear him or not.

“Easy. It’s okay. You’re going to be alright.” Reaching out, Aoren gently placed a hand over the young man’s brow giving himself to the grace of Rak’keli that her gift might flow through him. The blessed peace of the Healing gnosis sparked to life passing from Aoren and into the injured man flowing where it would be most needed. It couldn’t heal everything but with time and effort, it could dull the edges of the worst of it. The rest, Aoren would have to treat himself.

This is to separate speech!

[Amunet]

Amunet being called out to birth babies was not uncommon. The call for her healing abilities was growing as the outlying pavilions had need. This was not a hard ride so she was on her tall bonded mare, Shetanae. The red head patted the side of the mare’s neck as they pulled up to a walk. Things had changed as she joined the Stormblood Pavilion. To her surprise, when she made the trip with the Pavilion to fall grounds after the trade caravan, everyone seemed rather amicable to her being there. There were moments of tension that was entirely her own anxiety. The red head knew it and forced herself to relax. No sooner had she unpacked then a rider was at their central fire calling for The Healer. With a chuckle she turned to her friend, Jasmine and told her it was time for her to go to work.

The dear girl without hesitation was on her strider before she could stop her and was ready to go. She went to settle Drak as the boy can be difficult with things like this. Once she found the boy, to her delight, that blonde headed boy was at the fire with Asher talking about small things. The boy was still clingy but it seemed the six year old latched onto the old man. That made it easier as she informed Ashere were they were going and why. The old man would let the Ankal know. It took more than one command to that Hunting cat of hers, Leia to get her to stay with Drak. The one year old cat was getting a bit stubborn these days.

Shetanae was chosen over Toite this time as the eleven year old strider knew well the migratory routes of the herds of Endrykas. Even when Amunet would get lost, the mare most of the time could find her way back even if it was on a meandering route. The girl looked around a bit. “Alright girl, where is home?”

The mare turned her big head around with her ears half cocked as if to say ‘of all this time on the Run, you don’t know?’

Amunet looked at her as she put her little fists on her hips and said to her matter of factly. “Don’t you look at me that way, you know I’m no good at that?” Amunet rolled her eyes as the mare seemed to do the same with the toss of her head.

“My strider, the comedian. “ The red head sighed towards Jasmine.

With that she nudged the mare to a cooling walk as they had been riding steady. They hadn’t been riding hard just steady and Amunet was careful with Ishtanae’s bad knee. It was alright most of the time, but heavy riding did make it swell now and then. The mare came up from a stark stop as her ears pricked over towards a direction and flared her nostrils “Whoa, easy my friend. “ Her legs had to tighten to maintain grip in the sudden movement. “What is it?” She asked softly. Those sky blue eyes would look towards the same direction as if she would see something different. Amunet thought of using that strange magic but was unsure of what trail to focus on. It was very confusing on best days.

The mare was not giving signs that it was dangerous but it was more uncertainty then alert of danger. “Let’s take a look.” Her Strider was all for the adventure as the two shared the same fearless heart in regards to new and uncertain things. ‘this way, check, unknown’ The girl signed as she put her lips to quiet.

Now Amunet was about as quiet as a spearback in mating season. Her and that large mare of hers walked around the section of tall grass as her rustle in the grass seemed to counter the rustle of something else in the grass. Once she came out of the grass, she saw a man kneeling by another man. Her eye for detail didn’t miss the strider as at least one of the unknown men was a Drykas. There was a relieved exhale of air as she got off of her strider as she quickened her pace towards the other two. Amunet didn’t look around as the immediate need was on her face as she took her two water skins off of her strider and came close to both men. There was no hesitation as to the unknown quantity and seemingly no care as to the strangeness that most Drykas avoid due to their untrusting quality to most outsiders. The other man kneeling with the stricken one had something else she couldn’t put her nose on. It was like something with her recognized something there. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“I am Amunet Shimmerstone” She started in Pavi. “I am a Healer with the..” The girl looked at the face of the blond haired man to see the mark on his face was like the mark on her own face. It was another Healer. “I, uh.. “ she took a deep breath and made Pavi work again for her. “What do you need, Sir.” She asked politely with no small amount of surprise in her voice and wonder. The red hair was braided on the sides and pulled back along the crown. The rest of her hair was loose and cascade all the way down to her bottom. The eyes were a light sky blue with gold star bursts that shimmered like gold dust at times. Aside from the graceful curve of the winged serpents, her skin was fair. The clothing she had on was very baggy and belted low along the hips and not the waist. One edge of the top would slip down off the shoulder, which was also would offer a patch of fair skin. The girl beckoned Jasmine closer to them as she looked over to her friend. “Keep an eye out for predators. Jas. Oh yeah. That is Jasmine, we both are from the stormblood pavilion. “

It took a chime or two for her professional side to kick in as the clinician came out. Those little fingers went to his pulse, it was a little rapid for someone who was out cold. She gently took her thumb and looked at his eyes. The dark haired one’s eyes were very dilated. “He is very shocky. “ It was a term she used often. Perhaps not very clinical, but those around her who wasn't trained in medicine understood it. Those little hands were on the skull as she very, very gently fingered around the skull inch by inch till she came to the part of the forehead where the deep cut was to feel around. She exhaled slowly. “He needs cold cloths and something for swelling. “ she said softly really to no one but she wasn’t sure she had the herbs for this kind of injury.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine rode on Chaser beside Amunet and Shetanae. The blonde had latched on to the little red head in the previous season. Ever since finding out about Amunet's secret the woman did not want to be far in case her help was needed. Leisurely riding using her legs to keep Chaser from bolting she yawned some. For some reason the blonde found herself becoming more tired than she was accustomed to being. With a smile the woman watched the pair entertained to say the very least.

“Don't worry. Chaser and I do not always see eye to eye,” Jasmine said looking over.

Nudging stallion with her legs the woman continued on with the pair. Chaser snorted and backed up suddenly. Jasmine put one hand on the striders back to keep herself up; she noticed that even Shetanae had stopped and gone rigid. Clicking her tongue the woman pushed him on up beside the mare, nodding the girl turned him the same way. Staying quiet blue eyes searched the grass for any incoming danger. Pulling back some the blonde spotted the pair of men as well as the dog that was with them. The one on the ground seemed like he was in immediate danger of some kind. Glancing up the blue orbs spotted the strider before glancing between the men once more. Only one appeared to have what could be windmarks. The other appeared barren of such marks. Looking over to the red head she nodded and moved Chaser to where she could look out.

“Right,” Jasmine said.

The blonde nodded her head to the pair of men before turning to watch the grass. There was no shortage of predators that would see the small group a good prey target. Chaser snorted and looked at the men before joining his rider to look out at the grasses flicking his ear some while listening. The girl began to get a bad feeling with all the silence, turning back to the group.

“Not to put a rush on this, but its far too quiet out here. We need to get moving soon,” Jasmine said calmly.

[Lorcan Gregory]

Mumbles carried in the distance, it was almost as if the man’s ears were submerged beneath an ocean. As the invalid felt himself float deeper into the dark depths of catalepsy, he vaguely acknowledged an odd warmth tingling through his veins. Was this what death felt like?

As the Golden-haired Samaritan placed his hand gently upon the cerise -oozing laceration, the patient grimaced and moaned softly, incomprehensive to all that was transpiring around him. Deep within his motionless frame a war brew. His swarthy skin was littered with beads of sweat and it wasn’t from the scorching temperatures of Syna’s highest rays. As Aoren’s Healing Gnosis soothed the fiery wrath from the gash across his brow, the healer’s convalescent fell into a more peaceful sleep. His heaving chest slowed, his muscles relaxed.

Somewhere on the cusp of consciousness he felt the cold touch of two delicate fingers to his throat, pressing for his pulse before they continued to examine the rest of his cranium. Through the thick fog of incognizance, he fought to register the realization that these were people knelt by his side, struggling to help a stranger. This was not death.

As the workings of Rak’keli washed through his being, he tried to speak, though nothing but a harsh croak escaped his chapped lips followed by a small spasm of coughing – the invalid too spent to even really process the emotion of gratitude that surged through him.

“Not to put a rush on this, but it’s far too quiet out here. We need to get moving soon.”

It was almost as if the girl had jinxed the small cluster of altruistic rescuers. Suddenly to the north of the group, a flock erupted to the skies! In a flurry of ebony feathers, beating wings and shrieks of danger, they scurried off far into the distance - the bird’s screeching cries echoing eerily across the dense, tense air.

For a long moment everything fell silent...

Then, a soft rustle crackled not a few feet from the east. A snap resounded over the tall sea of grass to the west. Through the gently swaying, lush green blades, the bony shoulder and beige-dappled fur of a jackal could be spotted peeking through the gaps, edging closer in a low stalk.

It was getting ready to pounce upon its prey!
　

[Aoren]

He heard the hooves before he saw them. Looking up, Aoren’s gaze fell upon that of a red haired woman sitting upon the back of a Strider. Aoren was mildly surprised though after a moment he realized he shouldn’t be. If there was a man injured in the Sea of Grass, the possibility that he belonged to the Drykas people was a good one. If he was a Drykas then there was also the possibility that someone who cared for him was looking for him. Then again, there was also that possibility that people who might have harmed him were as well. For a moment, Aoren was suspicious. That was gone as soon as he felt the whisper of something familiar drift across his consciousness. Rak’keli’s gentle nudge alerting him to the presence of another blessed healer possessing the same number of markings as himself. That feeling was stemming from this woman. At the sound of another rider Aoren looked over the woman’s shoulder to spot another female. As Amunet introduced herself and her companion, Jasmine, they both received a nod from him. The large black furred dog that accompanied Aoren practically everywhere came up to sniff gently at Amunet.

“Aoren.” He spoke after a moment of assessing the two newcomers. Aoren pressed a hand to his chest indicating he was referring to himself. He gestured to the dog and then the Strider behind him. “Isikai. Katya.”

Drawing upon his djed he moved it to his eyes blinking. The aura of the injured man came into view and with it a plethora of information that would help Aoren judge his current state. In but a breath or two, Aoren could plainly get a feel for what the man himself was feeling. Pain, but that was to be expected. The dizziness of confusion flittered its way across the aura making Aoren’s head spin slightly before he brushed it aside. The gnawing of desperation had embedded itself into the core of the man’s aura. Desperation for what, Aoren could only guess at but he surmised that it was a desperate clinging for want of life. The blue eyed healer spent no more than a few seconds gathering this small bit of surface information. Those seconds had been filled with silence leaving Amunet’s question unanswered. He let the djed fall back into place within himself.

“I need nothing.” Cobalt eyes came up to meet Amunet’s with a calm smile. “He will live. With a bit of care, time will banish the rest of what ails him.” At Jasmine’s prompting, Aoren nodded in agreement with her.

“Sound advice. Let us go before his wound attracts attention other than ours.” Shifting so that he was situated above the injured man’s head, Aoren slid his hands beneath the man’s shoulders. With a push he maneuvered his patient so that he was sitting upright. Wrapping one arm around the man’s waist, grabbing him by the waist of his pants and draping his closest arm over Aoren’s shoulder, Aoren pulled him up to his feet slowly. It was in that moment that the birds screeching cries filled the air. Aoren looked in their direction calmly.

“We are too late.” He didn’t know what was out there but Aoren was certain they would find out soon enough. Moving quickly he hobbled up to the side of his Strider. Stirring his djed into motion once more he drew upon the power of a different form of magic. It was slower than that of his mastery over Auristics but in short order the gift of the Flux coiled its way into the muscles of his arms. Dropping the arm across his shoulders, Aoren grabbed the man by the hips keeping a tight hold. With a grunt he hoisted him up intent on draping him across the back of his Strider. He felt the muscles of his arms swell with power from the added strength granted him by the shifting power of the Flux. Aoren had to keep a tight grip on his concentration of the magic lest he misjudge how much strength to use and send the man flying over the other side of his horse. Even so, his patient was thrust upward a bit more forcefully than Aoren had wanted.

Releasing his hold on the Flux, Aoren felt tingling in his arms as if they’d fallen asleep. He adjusted the injured man so that he wouldn’t fall off before turning to the other two when a snap resounded in the grass to the west. Aoren’s head swiveled in the direction of the noise, body tense. Whatever had frightened the birds was upon them.

This is to separate speech!