Closed Insomniac (Aela)

[Alori Sai]

Aela settled against the hard, rocky surface of the mountain side. The night was still, and she could no longer hear the rage of the Zith. She wasn't sure if he had retreated, or was simply reading himself to attack them again. The thought was horrific, and she couldn't see anyway of escape or survival. The little Avora wouldn't give up, she couldn't because there was so much she had to accomplish, so much life to explore. It was a warming thought, and her heart was in the right place, however, she was so tired and her entire body ached with pain. The wounds on her chest and back burned deeply and a strange cool started to tickle her skin. She was groggy, her body felt heavy, and she could barely feel anything in her limbs. Aela was slipping away.. Through obscured vision, she stared out into the darkness seeing only the closest of the ground in front of her. Lifting her head, and resting it back against the rock behind her, she looked upward towards the upper ledge again. She had called to Aidara moments ago, but was yet to hear a response. She feared the worse and started to wonder if the Zith had come back and finished her off. "I-I have to do something." Forcing her body to roll against the wall, Aela turned over and lifted her arms, fingers stretched and searched to find any grooves in the rock that she could use to pull herself up. Once she found a few, she held on tightly and tried to climb up. Sadly her body was too weak and after trying in vain more than a few times, she finally slumped down to the ground and laid on her side. Aela was beside herself, never in her life had she felt so vulnerable and useless. "This can't be it....It can't be." She wrapped her arms around her chest, her head lowered, and her eyes closed as she curled her body. The mountain side became a void, swallowing up everything around her and the small piece of earth that she was stranded upon. Aela would have never thought that it would end this way. Would have never imagined that she wouldn't get to live out her dreams, or even reach the age of 18. It wasn't right, she thought, and it wasn't fair. Suddenly opening her eyes and tossing her head back, she cried out as loud as she could. "Someone help me! Someone..."

[Aidara]

Even though every Endal knew the basics of how to bandage a wound, most of them were left to do so on themselves in such situations where they were badly injured. Their technique was usually terrible and Addy had complained more than once to Sira about the state in which these individuals would arrive at the Infirmary. Probably more to humor her than anything else Sira had agreed to let Addy teach her how to properly fashion a bandage. At the time, it had seemed almost foolish since Addy was nearly always with Sira when she was hunting or doing anything equally dangerous.

The blood loss made it hard to focus, but Addy found herself smiling faintly to herself at the memory as Sira bound her head in the rough fabric. Not too tight, but firmly secured and with enough pressure that Addy would still be able to function. “Very good…” the little woman found herself murmuring as Sira pulled away and tried to help her stand.

The first try was unsuccessful, as the moment that Addy had her feet under her the ground came rushing back up towards her face as she toppled. Sira kept a good grasp on her arm the second time, Addy gratefully wrapping an arm around the woman’s waist for support. “Where is Aela? Is she okay?”

When Sira didn’t respond, Addy immediately felt the drowsy haze that had envelop her disappear as panic rose in her throat. “You haven’t gone to her yet?! The Zith! It has Aela!” It was at that same moment that both women heard the faint, pleading call of the young woman from below.

Urging Sira to change, panic making her voice shrill, Addy clambered onto Sira’s golden, feathered back and held on as best she could with both her arms and her knees. Despite her grip, the world swam when Sira launched into the air, Addy tilting precariously to the right as a result; it was all too much movement for the woman, who should be laying still after the blows she had received to her head.

It took only ticks for Sira to find the ledge that Aela was stranded on, though the Zith was no where in sight. As soon as her talons touched down, Addy slid from the Wind Eagles back and stumbled over to where Aela sat, enveloping her into a great hug without thinking that the girl was probably hurt as well.

“Goddess above, are you alright?!” Pulling away to hold Aela at arms length, it was only then that Addy noticed the deep gashes that crossed the young woman’s pales skin. They were straight, but deep and still oozing blood. Addy turned with her heart in her throat and searched for Sira.

We have to get her back to the Infirmary!

OOCFeel free to fly off and kill the Zith if you want. I know you love doing cool, badass things. Maybe find Ash while you’re at it

[Sira]

Sira had never seen a Zith before, though she had heard of them. They were like bats, only larger, and stood on two legs like a man. They had razor sharp claws, and were dangerous predators of the night sky. Sira was unconcerned. She scoffed at the idea that anything was more dangerous than a wind eagle in the sky, day or night. She ruled the sky, not the Zith, and if the Zith dared to show its face she would rip it to shreds and have a happy meal. At least, that's how Sira saw things. Of course Sira had seen Aela on the ledge below, though she was only a dark fuzzy Inarta shaped blob, but Addy was more important. At least to Sira she was. Still, Sira shifted and flew the healer down, there was no sense fighting it. When she landed, she stayed in her eagle form. If there were Zith about, she wanted to be ready. That, and shifting so frequently was tiring. Sira was trainedshe has the lore to back that up, too ^^ in frequent shifting, actually, but she hadn't gotten a full night's sleep and she was hungry, so it still tired her a bit. As far as Sira could tell though, the Zith wasn't around anymore. In truth, it was hiding from her. Zith were bestial creatures who loved to torment their prey, but they were also highly intelligent. In a one on one match against a wind eagle, the Zith stood no chance. But it would remember Aela and Aidara, it would remember their faces, and it would come back for them. Not that Sira knew any of that. She was more concerned with other things. The eagle studied Aela intently, her golden eyes boring into her. She only averted her gaze when Ash swooped in, trying to land on Aidara's shoulder. When it could find no perch, it finally gave up and landed on a nearby rock. There was a silent exchange between Sira and the owl, as both of them locked eyes with each other. That lasted a few ticks before Ash hooted, and Sira make a squawking noise back, then turned to Aidara. The Zith ran away, Sira said, allowing only the healer to hear her. It was strange, because when Sira was in human form she had no problem talking to anyone. But when she was an eagle, she was an eagle, and the eagles only spoke to those they deemed worthy. And as far as Sira was concerned, at least at that point in time, Aela was the reason Addy had put in danger and that alone was enough to make her unworthy, regardless of whether or not her assumptions were true or not. Sira was also just plain grumpy, haven been woken in the middle of the night after an already bad sleep. It was plain in her voice as she continued to speak in Addy's mind. Can you stop the bleeding? Or are the cuts too deep? I don't want blood on my feathers. If she gets me dirty, you have to clean them. Can she hold on if I fly her? If I carry her in my talons it might hurt her worse, but she looks too weak to hold on. And if we leave her to fetch the saddle, the Zith will probably come back. She is easy prey right now.

[Alori Sai]

It was a beautiful sky that day, the sun bright and warming, covering the mountain in it's rays. It was hot but the heat wasn't unbearable as it was just the early morning. The cool breeze from the night before still lingered, making for a peaceful morning. She saw it then, soaring high above as it left for the morning hunt. Wings stretched across the sky, a hue of gold settle around feathers of brown. The sound that echoed through out the sky from it's sharp beak wasn't scary but powerful and amazing. It was one of the first times that Aela remembered seeing a Wind Eagle. That day, so long ago she had raced after it, wanting to watch it more, to see where it was going. The tiny Yasi had ran as far as she could, until she reached the gates that led outside of the city. She couldn't go any further because she had to return to class. But now, in her private desolate, in a place somewhere between unconsciousness and the world of dreams, she could. There wasn't a gate, and she could follow the eagle for as far as it flew. Aela had wondered that day where the eagle was going, and how far it would fly before it had to land. She could follow it now, for as long as it took to find out. Not even the ground beneath her held her back, even as she reached the ledge, the rocky formation shifted and small pieces of rock pulled away to create a walkway under her feet. She would do it this time, follow the eagle and discover where they went to when they left the city. A voice, caring and sweet woke her, and it was then that Aela realized that she had passed out. Aidara had somehow made her way down to the ledge and was now holding her. "A-Aidara?" she murmured, her words almost inaudible. She could see the healer, but her vision was still weak and the hard shadows curving around them made it even harder for her to make out anything. When Aidara pulled away to examine her, Aela also glanced down, seeing the tattered shreds of what was once a Vinati. The pale skin beneath was reveal and covered in her blood. "I..guess, it got me good." she said softly, her stare glazed as it fell upon her friend. A tick later she started to slip away again only to be awakened suddenly by a loud squawk. Eye's widen, Aela looked up and was surprised to see a Wind Eagle. She couldn't believe it, and in her wounded state seeing things that weren't there was very possible. "You know Aidara, one day I'm going to become an Endal. I'm going to bond to an eagle and soar higher than all the rest. I'll..even catch a goat. But I'll do good...I will."

[Aidara]

“There is nothing I can do for her here. You’re going to have to deal with bloody feathers and I don’t appreciate the attitude. We’re dying here.” Woozy from the blood loss, Addy didn’t bother responding in kind, speaking instead where Aela could hear them as well; the pair had just been through a lot together, and Addy was simply too tired to care.

Some of the irritation fled at Aela’s words, a smile dimpled her bloodless cheeks as some of the exhaustion fled. The gratitude in her voice was enough to make the entire struggle worthwhile. “I’m sure you will. But I bet any goat Sira and I catch will be bigger.” Trying to lighten the mood, Addy gestured Sira closer to where she held Aela upright. “Sira is going to have to carry you back home so I can fix you up. It might hurt more but….” Trying not to think too much about what her little night adventure had ultimately cost her new friend, Addy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It’ll hurt more. But everything will be okay.”

Nodding to Sira, Addy stepped away from the girl, using once of the Wind Eagles wing joints to climb onto her back. The feathers were slippery and her muscles were tired, the small amount of momentum she put into her jump onto Sira’s back nearly sending her over the other side as her fingers failed to gain hold. Catching a handful of feathers at the last moment, Addy righted herself and clamped her legs down as best she could, wrapping her arms tightly around Sira’s neck Be as gentle as you can. It was only a whisper in Sira’s mind as the little healers forehead pressed down into the warm comfort of Sira’s neck, fighting to stay conscious. Hurry.

The flight back was a dark blur. Lacking the superior eyesight of her lover, Addy was unable to tell where they were in the darkness, each tick stretching for the length of a bell as every wing beat nearly jostled the tired woman from her precarious seat upon the feathered back. It was much slipperier than it looked, and Addy wasn’t doing as well as she pretended. The couple times she tried to listen, the whipping of the wind as they flew drowned out any sounds Aela could have been making. Blind and Deaf, Addy silently urged Sira faster. It was taking all her strength just to stay on and awake, the pounding in her head reaching a terrible crescendo.

By the time they reached the Infirmary, Addy was scarcely able to walk, her footsteps dragging into one another as she shuffled along ahead of where Sira supported Aela; her lover wouldn’t be too happy about potentially getting blood on her flesh either, but Addy couldn’t have cared less.

The Infirmary was swathed in the silence of sleep rather than the silence of emptiness, the torches burning low so that the slumbering patients weren’t left in the dark. Miquel or Keah would be in her office at the far end of the infirmary, and Addy knew that the slightest of noises would bring them out to the front. Sure enough, though she had only scuffled a few feet into the room, Keah seemingly appeared out of thin air by Addy’s side.

“Oh my god, what happened?!” Was all the woman heard before the blackness took her.

[Sira]

Addy's sharp retort was humbling for Sira, and she fluffed her feathers up and turned her head away in shame. It was true. They were injured, Aidara was injured, and Sira was complaining about blood? As if she didn't get blood all over her feathers when she ate? The wind eagle glanced down at Aela, hearing her comment about the goat. Good luck with that, she said so that they both could hear her. Goats are fast and agile, very hard to catch. It wasn't an apology, far from it, but it was as close as Sira would give. Most Inarta, afterall, considered it a great honor to have a Wind Eagle speak to them.. except for the Endal, who took everything for granted. And she was going to get to fly.. though it was too bad that it was dark and she probably wouldn't enjoy it all all. Sira tried not to complain as the two Inarta clumsily climbed onto her back, and once the actual flying began it was as close to a smooth ride as Sira could possibly make it. For all she liked to gripe, Sira didn't want either woman falling off her back mid-flight. In the dark, there would be no saving acrobatics to catch them. The flight itself didn't take that long, but in the darkness where every beat of her wing had to be done with great care, it seemed like bells. When they finally landed Sira shifted immediately, taking most of the weight of Aela as she and Aidara led/carried her into the infirmary. "Oh my god, what happened?!" Addy didn't have time to answer, she blacked out, and it didn't look like Aela would be speaking much either. "They were attacked by Zith. This one looks like she got hurt pretty bad, and Addy has a head wound." "Help me get them into beds," Keah said, pausing briefly as she noticed Sira's bloody, naked body. "What about you, are you alright?" "I'm fine. Just help Addy!" Sira helped Keah get both the women into beds, and then Keah went to work on Aidara. She knew there was no point arguing with Sira. In her mind, Addy would come first no matter what.. and logically, if Aidara were awake, she could help with Aela. "Did you tie this? Not bad," Keah commented as she undid the makeshift bandage Sira used on Aidara, mostly to help calm the kelvic more than anything. "Here, see if you can clean those up," Keah said, referring to the other wounds Addy had suffered, "And I'll deal with the head." While Keah worked on Addy's head in hopes of getting her awake, Sira nervously began cleaning the other gashes caused by the Zith. She had been handed some sort of alcoholic solution, by the smell of it, and quickly applied it to one of the rags before she began wiping away at the blood. The alcohol itself might even wake the healer, simply from the sting of it, but Sira didn't know any better. She tried her best to wipe away all the blood, and when it had been cleaned enough, Keah was there applying bandages before Sira even knew what was happening. Wanting to be helpful, but knowing that she couldn't do much, Sira turned away from her love to examine the other woman. Though it was hard, Sira knew it would be best if she just stayed out of the way and let Keah get Addy healthy again. Instead, Sira grabbed up another rag and some more alcohol, and proceeded to clean Aela as best she could. All the while she was whispering prayers to Priskil and Rak'keli both that they would be alright, and that Addy would wake up and make everything all better, just like she always did.

[Alori Sai]

Aela was delirious from the pain and blood lost, her jumbled words held no meaning, and although she could hear words spoken she offered little emotion in response. She watched Aidara, trying her best to stay awake and wondering who she was talking too. The Wind Eagle behind her had grown silent after the awkward squawk and yet Aidara's words sounded like a response. If she was talking to the Wind Eagle, or if something else was going on, she couldn't tell. She smiled a bit to Aidara's comment about catching a goat. She started to reach for her friend, but found herself squeezing her arms tighter around her chest. "It's really getting cold out here...What happened to the warmth of spring?" Aela glanced up again when she heard another voice speaking, one that she'd never heard before. Her conscious state was wavering, but she knew that it wasn't Aidara's voice that she heard. She stared in silence at the bird for a few ticks, unsure of what to say. During any other situation, Aela probably wouldn't have had a lot to say to a Wind Eagle, but in her weakened condition, she could only stare before lowering her head again. Sitting up and trying to stay awake was all she could do at this point and took all of her strength to accomplish. She nodded to Aidara after she reassured her that all would be well and smiled gently as the healer moved away. Feeling herself slumping over again, Aela tucked her legs beneath her, leaned forward and placed her hands onto the ground. She watched as Aidara boarded and wondered if she had the strength in her body to do the same. Breathing in deeply, she winced as she started to move, the pain stretching across her body as her limbs moved. She wasn't sure that she could make it, but she had to try. Aela continued to crawl behind Aidara, even though she felt as if she were swimming and her vision continued to flicker, like the dieing flame in a lantern. Following her friend, Aela made her way onto the back of the Eagle, the board was unsteady and she had to hold on to Aidara to stay on. Riding on the back of a Wind Eagle was a dream come true to all who wished to become an Endal. But in her injured state she couldn't feel anything beyond the pain, and wouldn't likely even remember the ride. Oh the back of Sira, she wrapped her arms around Aidara, pressing her shivering body against hers, begging for her warmth as they soared high in the cool skies. Aela didn't blame Aidara for what happened, nor did she blame herself. What she felt was weak, and useless. Every since she was a yasi, Aela had worked to become stronger, to become a leader, and now years later she was still weak. She was completely powerless against the Zith and wasn't able to help Aidara at all. "I..I have to become stronger.." The words came out into a whisper, lost to the winds around them. The rest of the ride came in flashes between the moments when she started to drift off, only to be suddenly awaken from the pain with the most subtle of moments from the eagle that she rode upon. When they were finally back in the city and had reached the Infirmary, Aela followed Aidara, taking careful steps to climb down from the eagle. The injured teen's feet barely touched the ground before she gave in and collapsed onto the ground. Her eyes blinked slowly, vision obscured to the point of only seeing shadows around her. Who are how many people stepped in to help her up was a mystery to her. "Walk...Just Walk..." The words echoed in her mind, pushing her forward until she lost consciousness completely.

[Aidara]

A tight, relentless pressure on her forehead was what pulled the little woman from unconsciousness; the splitting headache that had developed along with the strange, annoying pressure was probably enough to wake a dead person. Groaning, Addy opened one eye before she even tried to move. The light stabbed painfully as soon as she did so, the healer immediately closing her eyes and screwing up her face. “Is it morning already? I slept through the whole night?”

Though she hadn’t seen anyone, Addy knew that Sira was nearby, and Aela as well. The vague memory of a voice tickled somewhere in the back of her mind. There had been someone else in the infirmary as well, if only she could put her finger on who… a wince and Addy was forced to let it go, as thinking was physically painful.

“No, there are still a handful of bells before dawn.” Of course it was the irritatingly familiar voice that responded. “We have the mage lights lit, but they are dimmed.. What’s wrong?” There was movement by her bed and Addy picked out the creaking of two stools.

“My head, it’s killing me. Light sensitivity, then. Opening my eyes was painful.” Wrinkling her nose and testing out her arms, Addy discovered that moving them didn’t cause all that much discomfort. Feeling around her for the edge of the bed, the little woman took a deep breath and hooked her fingers over the side, using it as leverage to pull herself upright.

“No! Lay back down, Addy, your head…”

“Is fine. Who are you anyway? I’m a healer. I know.” She hadn’t meant to snap, but exhaustion and leftover fear gave her words a bit more irritation than normal.

There was a poignant pause, and the soft sounds of movement all but ceased. “Addy, it’s Keah…” The answer was but a whisper.

“Huh. Keah. What are you doing in my infirmary?” Without waiting for a reply, as if she wasn’t really concerned with the answer, Addy began to rapidly fire off her questions. “Where is Sira? Aela? Did she survive? Will you turn off the lights so I can open my petching eyes without them burning out of the sockets.”

Silence still hung heavy for a tick or two before the darkness behind Addy’s eyelids deepened further. They had extinguished the lights. Slowly opening her eyes once more, Addy blinked owlishly into the darkness, her hands held out before her face until her eyesight adjusted enough to the darkness that she could see each individual finger. After that, her hands went straight to her head, felling for the source of the uncomfortable pressure.

Taut linen met the pads of her fingers, Addy following the strip of linen until she determined that it wrapped completely around her head. “Ah, a bandage. That makes sense. My head was hurt. Its hurt. Still hurts.” Again, stating the obvious, Addy nodded thoughtfully for herself as she lifted her gaze and cast it around her. Sira sat on a nearby stool and Addy smiled, nodding some more. For how anxious she had sounded when asking for her lover, hardly any emotion crossed her face when she looked into the Kelvic woman's eyes. “You saved us. Thank you.”

Sliding from the bed, Addy paced to where she saw the lump of Aela across the room. It took her a bit longer as she shuffled across the smooth stone floor, but when she stopped at Aela’s side, she simply stood there and looked down at the bandages. “Oh good, you fixed her too.” It was true, it seemed, as the young woman was swathed in clean linen as well. Nodding slightly to herself, Addy mumbled under her breath, turned and walked towards the infirmary exit.

Something was very, very wrong.

[Sira]

The waiting was the worst part. Sira knew there was nothing she could do to help either of the women, and even if she tried, she would just get in Keah's way. So she sat, wrapped in a blanket to keep away the chill of the mountain and to cover her body, since she didn't bring any clothes. She sat and waited, nervously, praying to any god that would listen that Aidara would be alright.

When Aidara did finally wake up, several bells before dawn, it was only due to the instruction Keah had given her that Sira did not immediately jump up and overwhelm Addy with hugs and kisses. Sira restrained herself, and let Addy get her bearings first, but when the healer started acting strangely Sira noticed right away. The look of barely held back excitement and joy on her face shifted to one of concern when Addy didn't recognize Keah. She grew even more concerned when Addy addressed her with the strange, emotionless look on her face, and by the time Addy was turning to exit the room Sira was on her feet, the blanket falling to the ground behind her as she quickly crossed the room.

Addy was only a few steps from the door when Sira grabbed her arm, stopping her as gently as she could and coming around in front of her. Something was very wrong, and Sira wasn't about to let Addy just walk away. The kelvic placed herself between Aidara and the door, concern plain on her face, and reached for the healer's hands.

"Addy, where are you going? You aren't in any condition to leave yet, and Aela still needs your help. What is wrong with you?"

[Alori Sai]

Aela awoke sometime after the lights had been extinguished, and the young Avora found herself in a very dark room. She laid still, eyes blinking as she became fully awake. Her body felt stiff and restrained, though once she sat up, she realized that wasn't the case. The pain, and burning had went away and she was left with only a bit of soreness and the stiffness from laying still for so long. "How long was I out?" She lightly placed her hands against the bedding beneath her and swung her legs off and over the side of the bed. She paused suddenly, feeling the linens wrapped around her body tighten as she leaned forward. She sat still for a moment, her eyes staring blankly, until her vision became more clear and she could see the linens covering her chest and stomach, and her hands that were still resting on the bed to either side of her thighs. With more focused vision, she started down upon the nicks and tears that allowed pale while skin to appear from beneath. She remembered the fight with the Zith and how she had been thrown, tumbling down the side of the mountain which ripped at her bryda. Suddenly her eyes widen as her memory came back in full, causing the wounded teen to spring up from the bed. "Aidara!" The moment she stood up, the room became fuzzy, she felt light headed, and a strange warmth over took her. A soft moan escaped her lips as she fell back onto the bed motionless. Aela laid still for a few ticks before she turned on her side and looked around the room. She was in the Infirmary, there were no others around, though it was hard for her to see in the dark. She wondered what had happened to the woman, the Endal that she had just met that very night. She tried to focus her eyes more to see into the darkness, but she couldn't make out any other shapes. Aela tried her best not to think the worse, and if she was able to survive the fight, then it was possible that the Endal had as well. Giving it another try, she slowly pushed herself up from the bed, being careful as she placed her feet back onto the floor again. Unsteady hands reached out, clasping around the table at the bedside as she pulled herself back up. "Is anyone here?"