Longer Journey to Come (Kavala)

[Kassem]

17th of Winter, 513 AV 15th Bell Kassem stumbled across the rolling slopes of Sea of Grass. His face was stinging from the whipping the winter winds were giving him. A few hours ago his hands felt the same way, but now he couldn't feel them. He could feel his feet, as far as he could tell they were wet. He assumed that it was caused by him wearing open footwear on snow covered ground, but in reality it was the cuts on his feet, washing them in blood. His legs ached so much his feet felt so cold and he could feel a sharp pain in his shins with every step he took. He was trying to run in a straight line, but his body tipped this way and that, desperate for a rest and for a moment of unconscious. He stumbled and glanced behind him checking to see if the companion he stole was still following him. The Kiparon was still there, drearily dragging its paws behind him. Damn dog, he thought, Maybe I should kill it and eat it. Hmm, it took so long to win that dogs affection, and now it's just taking more of my rations. He had been feeding it the dried fish and ate the nuts he'd taken from the Eypharian that owned both the Kiparon and Kassem. But it was hard to decide whether or not he should kill it when his heart was beating so loud that he could swear it echoed across the plains. Kassem's skin was dry and cracking and lips were chapped with, he looked very dehydrated. It was actually much worse than it looked. Fatigue from dehydration had made itself known to the Benshia some time ago, but now it debilitated him to the point where he collapsed into the cold snow. He had fallen hands and knees into a white blanket of snow that sent his body into a painstaking shock. He could see his peripheral vision getting dark, but not before he caught a glimpse of a figure in the distance near what looked like a river. It took a few minutes for Kassem to realize the figure he saw could be a person and the river could be fresh water, even though he had spent a handful of chimes unmoving in his falling position Help! He cried as loud as his raspy voice could as the Kiparon dropped like a dead dog beside him. He stayed there looking at the cold ground while calling out in Shiber, not even crossing his mind that despite there were patches of grass and snow everywhere he had left the desert days ago.

[Kavala]

It was early for the Konti to be out and about, but she'd left Caelum on Ia'del watch in hopes the baby would keep breathing. The premature infant hadn't stopped breathing in a day and a half now, and Kavala considered that a small victory. Ralac was doing well with Cadra and Lariks' care, the boy already tough enough to stand up to the twins lavishing attention on him.

The Konti was troubled, not just because she'd made so many mistakes, but because the events that she'd just went through almost cost her her dearly. They had almost cost her life itself. She could have lost either one of the babies, and Kavala herself certainly could have died. She'd been a fool, thinking she could do it all herself, including giving herself her own prenatal care. And she wondered what Riaris or Recoomas thought and if they even realized how foolish she'd been.

So she'd thrown a yvas on her big grey warhorse Ghost and had gingerly climbed on his broad back. Being thin... skeletal thin... beneath her clothing was something she was hiding well from the other staff at The Sanctuary. But the horse noticed the weight difference and snorted oddly at her. She shifted, gave him a grin, and calmly whispered... "I can keep stuff down now. Don't worry. I'm shoveling it in as fast as I can at meals. I'll be back to fighting weight in no time." Then she'd gently urged him out at a soft trot and winced when she'd found that uncomfortable. She kissed him up to a soft lope and sighed in relief at the four beat pattern of his big hooves carrying her along smoothly. She would never have had the ability to walk as far as the grey stallion could carry her. Once she could have, almost a half a year ago, before her recent pregnancy had started showing and before she'd gotten sick from it.

Now though, now it was all about the road back. Staying in bed didn't get one back in shape. Going outside, getting air, eating finally, and feeling the weak winter sun on one's face did. This was good for her, this gentle lope along the river.. better bay far than sitting in the sun and wishing one had the energy to get up.

Kavala expanded her senses, casting her awareness outward, and used her Konti gift like radar, seeking hunger, seeking curiosity and anything else that would signal the presence of danger or predators. When she did so, after a few chimes of riding, the echo of exhaustion and starvation hit her. It wasn't a feral echo either, but one from something domestic, a dog she suspected.

The Konti reined the bridleless horse in, using her tailbones to signal him to back his pace back to a walk, and looked around. Soon enough she caught the image of the dog and a man lying along the riverbank. Had she not been utilizing her gift, she would have missed them completely. It was the dog that drew her, worry and loyalty for the fallen man filled it. It was also incredibly thirsty, but laying a few feet from the water.

Kavala brought Ghost to a stop by them, slide off gently, and approached cautiously. "Hello? Can you hear me? I'm a healer. Do you need some assistance?" She wasn't sure what was wrong with the man. For all she knew he could be drunk and passed out. But there was something about his gear.. about the way he lay, that seemed to mic utter exhaustion. She waited quietly for some response.

If none was forthcoming, she'd move forward and see what she could do to help.

[Kassem]

Kassem had been on his hands and knees for a handful of chimes when he heard steady trotting on the snow and grass followed by a voice he couldn't quite make meaning of, none the less he looked up to try and focus his blurry vision and make sense a large grey figure and saw a pale one slip off from riding it. The pale silhouette was saying something to him, but his heart was beating louder than its voice and he was too exhausted to comprehend that she was speaking to him in a language that was not from Eyktol. We need help. Please, we need water. Kassem slurred, still unaware that this figure wouldn't understand his native tongue and oblivious that the source of fresh water was a tumble and a fall away. He tried to pick himself up, but attempt was in vain only leaving him hissing in pain and falling back to the snow. This time when he hit the floor, his stolen companion was before him. He grabbed its soft red fur and gently shook it. Hirem. Hirem, get up. He spoke hysterically in the Eypharian language this time. He knew it was the only language the Kiparon could understand. He cried when the dog didn't get up for a second, thinking it had passed away so near to help. Despite earlier thoughts of consuming the beast, he had began to see the dog . After all, he had bothered to name it Hirem himself. He calmed and embraced the dog when the animal struggled up. When he hugged it, he could feel them both trembling. Kassem was suddenly aware of the figures again. This time he could make out the pale figure was a woman by her white hair whipping in the wind. He trembled to an upright position, ignoring the pain caused by hairline fractures in his leg, and begged. Please, Miss. My and my companion are very thirsty. Where is the nearest tribe? Is Hai or Eolab nearby? Kassem pleaded, trying to show the desperate state Hirem and he was in. It didn't even occur to him to ask the woman for water, because in the desert, even when it is covered in sleet, ones water is worth more than his or her life.

[Kavala]

Kavala frowned, not understanding his language. "I don't understand what you are saying." She said in common, then repeated it in Pavi and Tukant. She turned to back to the stallion and pulled a waterskin off his yvas and walked over to the dog. She knelt down, reaching out cautiously and touching the dog's soft fur on his head. Her animal empathy was wide open and she was doing all she could to project benign help. She uncorked her waterskin and made a cup of her scaled and webbed hands, holding the water under the dogs' snout. She gave him a moment to drink if he would, refilling her hand as he needed.

Animal healers had strange priorities.

Then, once the dog had satiated his thirst, Kavala moved to the man, gently took his head, and offered him the waterskin - holding it to his lips. "My name is Kavala. Your dog is incredibly thirsty so I think you must be too. You are only a few feet from a river though... so I know you are not doing as well as you should be. You look like you've been wandering around with no supplies, probably up from the south by the looks of things. Can you ride?" She asked, moving her hand to his shoulder, not to support him, but to touch his skin and get a good feel for what was wrong with him. Tapping her gnosis, she flooded him with Rak'keli's power. It wasn't a specific type of healing, more of a easement of fatigue and muscle pain. She could tell he needed food, drink, and a lot of rest before he would be anywhere near normal. The dog was in a similar state.

Once the man had drank his fill or the waterskin was dry, Kavala gently left him to lead the stallion over to where he was. Once standing beside the prone man, Kavala whispered to the horse and reached out to tap at its great hooves with the toe of her boot. "Down." She whispered softly and the grey creature began to fold its legs and lay down. It went down like a horse bowing, and then settled on its haunches like a dog. Her warhorses were all trained to the command. They had to be. To many soldiers got wounded in the fields and needed to get off the battlefield in a manner that didn't mean others throwing them up on a horse.

Once the big horse was down, Kavala half dragged and half helped the man over to the stallion and onto his back. Then, moving towards the dog, she urged him to rise and come with her. She had no idea if the Kip would come with her or not, but she filled her mind with images of safety, full water and food bowls, and tried to project that thought the dogs way.

If she could get it to come, she'd get the dog over the horse's back as well, draped in the man's lap. Then, Drykas style, she could run lines around him and fasten it to the yvas, which was nothing more than a horse blanket draped over the horse's back and a sursingle girth wrapped around his middle. The lines would keep the man from falling. And before the stallion stood, Kavala slipped up behind the weak man and wrapped an arm across his waist, holding him gently against her small torso.

"Up Ghost... lets get them home." She whispered, toeing the stallions' flanks and asking him to rise. Ghost was a big horse, and this wans't an easy thing for him, but he got his hooves under him, surged up quickly, and found his feet with just one major lurch forward and one backwards for his passengers.

"There is a safe place we can go to rest you up and get you some food. But you'll have to trust me." Kavala said in common again, careful to make sure she kept her words slow.

[Kassem]

Kassem was somewhat confused when the woman aided the dog first, but he knew he wasn't in much of a position to claim, nor did he really have the energy to either. When the time came and the woman pressed the container against his lips, all his usual manners and civility were forgotten and drank the water as though he were desert sand, tensing only for a moment, when Kavala placed her hand on him. After a short moment he hadn't felt as tired and his legs weren't hurting much anymore. He silently listened to the woman, at least this time he knew what language they had in common. He spent the silence between them wondering if he could trust her with his current status of being a runaway slave. If the wrong person knew, he could be sent back to Ahnatep if he were to slip his mouth to the wrong person. Because of this he remained silent as the woman picked him up and pulled him over to the horse next to him. After Hirem was on his lap, they were up and off. Kassem held tightly onto the horse when it got up. It moving one way then the other made him lose his balance. Luckily, Kavala was holding him by the waist. One could tell by his apparent fear and alarm of being on a horse before. The lack of experience made the ride uncomfortable. Still he said what words would be unnecessary. Whoa! I-I've... uhh... I've never ridden a horse before. Are there- He was about to continue when he almost half slipped off the back of the horse. His reflexes kicked in and he squeezed his legs to keep on the horse and used his arms to try and wrap around the horses back. After realizing that he could be making the horse uncomfortable, he loosened his grip on the trotting animal and continued talking. Yup, never been on one before. I'm sorry if I'm giving you a hard time." He wondered where he would be going, but she had asked him to trust her. Did that mean she felt it was best he didn't know where he was going? "Kavala, yes? Uh, will there be any Eypharian where we are going?" He immediately felt a surge of stress and embarrassment when he realized how suspicious the nature of the question was. All he could do was wait to know what she would think of the question and how she would react.

[Kavala]

That he could speak a language she could understand surprised her. But it made things so much easier. He seemed scared… very hungry… and very tired. The dog was in no better shape, but she could tell by its attitude the man with him was a good one. “Just relax. You aren’t riding now.” She said with a soft chuckle, reaching forward to lay a hand on the dog and stroke his head a moment, keeping the animal calm draped across Kassem’s lap and Ghost’s whither. “You are simply being a passenger. There’s a difference between riding and sitting on one… just relax. He’s not going to do anything to throw you off." The Konti said.

“You aren’t giving me a hard time. It’s fine. Just try to relax. I’m going to take you to my place. It’s a healing place for animals. You can clean up, get some food in you, relax, and I can see to your dog that has some wicked cuts on his paws that look likely infected.” Kavala said, chuckling suddenly at his next question. “You are just outside Riverfall. I know of one Eypharian in the whole city and I think she has a noted distain for her own kind. The rest of us are Konti, Akalaks and humans like yourself. There are slavers in the grass near here though… a place called Rattling Chains… so I’d be careful wandering alone and injured. Though, truth be known they want women more than they want men. Women they can sell, men they can only dispose of. So its best if you come with me. Do you have a name?” The Konti said, replacing her arm loosely around his middle. Kavala wasn’t afraid of the stranger, but she wasn’t sure what his situation was.

“Where do you come from? Do you have a name? You aren’t running from something you did that was bad are you?” She asked, noting his incredible thin-ness and the other signs that he may have not been a free man or even particularly suited towards being out on his own.

Soon enough she had guided the stallion back onto a road, crossed a bridge over the river, and urged the big horse into a smooth lope that carried them a few miles down the road. They turned off on a small side road headed towards the coast. And before he knew it, she was leading the stallion through the gates of a massive walled facility. They slowed to a trot into a courtyard that was flanked on either sides with bars and a smithy… and then headed towards an enormous arena. Kavala reached down, unlatched the arena gate, and let it swing open a bit… the big horse pivoted, she grabbed the gate, and the horse backed in allowing the woman to close it without letting the horses that were currently loose in the arena out.

“Does your dog have a name?” She asked him as she pivoted the stallion again, passed through the herd of horses in the arena, and repeated the process passing through a second gate which lead to another small courtyard and a large building that seemed to dominate the scene. The horses in the arena looked young. Some where foals, but most were going on two or three with unusual coats of black, and white that was crisscrossed by iridescence. They were big animals too. Several looked like Ghost, though the stallion he sat on wasn’t shimmering like the ones in the arena.

In the Courtyard she halted the big horse, tapped her heels on his stifle, and ordered him softly to go down. The great beast folded his legs and gently settled to his belly like a dog stretching out to watch a feast it wasn’t invited too. Kavala swung off, took the dog in her arms, and asked him if he could stand. “Can you walk on your own?” She asked, stepping back with the big dog in her arms. She was small, no more than 5’7” and the dog looked huge in her arms. There was something not quite right about her though. Her sleeves revealed painfully thin arms and she seemed to have problems holding the dog.

A man appeared almost out of nowhere. No, not a man, a feral looking boy. He was a teen just on the cusp of manhood. “Aunt, let me take it.” The boy said, immediately moving to pull the big dog from her arms. Kavala nodded, offering the youth a smile. “Thanks Larik. Sir, this is Larik my nephew.” She said, in way of introduction. If he could walk, she’d lead the way into the healing clinic where she could get a better look at both of them. She bypassed the exam rooms and went into a large infirmary with rows of beds. “Pick one. Larik lay the dog in one next to him. I’ll go get some supplies.” And with that she vanished a few moments, back towards the exam rooms to gather a cart of supplies.

Larik remained there, watchful, golden eyes piercing into the strangers. He wasn’t big and he wasn’t old, but there was something fierce about him.

[Kassem]

My name is Kassem, of the sons of Eliada. He introduced himself to Kavala as a proper Benshira. He let out a quiet, small laugh, wondering how funny she thought he was for freaking out for simply sitting on a horse. After Kavala let Kassem know of the Rattling Chains he figure she already knew he was an escaped slave, and he concluded that for her compassion with Hirem and him, she could be trusted with his predicament. I was a nomad with my family and tribe in Eyktol, but we were attacked when-Putting trust in Kavala's word that the horse would not send him flying, he picked up his arms and pulled the right sleeve of his colorful light cloak back to his elbow and showed her the tattoo reading Minajim. This brands me a slave for a Eypharian smith in the city, Ahnatep. Slavery is all I'm running from. I don't think I did anything wrong. Is it bad, what I did? He let out a sigh, wondering if he was right to trust the Konti. Although the ride to the sanctuary was quiet and relaxing, his arrival there filled him with wonder and awe. Never before had he seen such a large structure. There were horses of all ages, colors, and kinds. His mouth dropped as he took in this new environment and it would take a few minutes to close. As the journey came to a complete halt, Kavala asked if Kassem could walk. Instead of telling her he could, he showed her with a few wobbley steps and an assuring smile. "Aunt, let me take it." He heard a boy say to Kavala while she held Hirem in her arms. He noted their colse bond as Hirem was handed from one pair of arms to the next. He saw her arms, and the sight of them made a concerning frown cross his face for a second. He did not know what on Mizahar could make a woman that thin and pondered on how she was able to hold Kassem during the ride here and how she could possibly hold a dog that size. He assumed that since she did not complain about it that she had a very independent nature, like his mother, and might be upset if a stranger pried on a matter that might be personal. He followed the Konti down to the infirmary carrying what was left of what he took from Ahnatep. After taking a bed, he thought would be out of the way, he stood up voice his appreciation to Kavala only to find she had gone, leaving Kassem and Hirem with Larik. He could only think to speak to relieve the tension building in the room. Hi Larik, my name is Kassem. Uh, thank you for the hospitality and help with my companion. He tried to break the eye contact between him and Lariks strong gaze by glancing around the room only to return to the same stare that he was uncomfortably trying to avoid.

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled, though the man could not see that riding in front of her. "It' is very nice to meet you Kassem. No, its not wrong what you did. I do not agree with slavery and have fallen victim to it myself. So I understand where you are coming from. Do not worry.. I do not know you but I can tell you there are no slavers where we go and you should be safe. There are, however, plenty of ex slaves. My niece and nephew for example, have been recently liberated. We won't turn you in. There is no one here to turn you in too. The Eypharians are not well liked in Riverfall and no one would care if you were their property or not. To them you look free enough. And all you need to stay that way is to get some fresh ink over those marks that denote your slavery... hiding them for all time behind a design that means more." The Konti said, well aware that she was bringing another stray home.

It seemed to be a hobby of hers.

Once they were in the clinic safe, and Larik was busy staring Kassem down, the runaway slave tried to break the silence. Larik blinked at his words, and shook his head slightly. "My apologies. I'm not very good with humans." He said, looking for all the world to the newcomer like a human himself.

Kavala returned, a young red-head girl in tow that looked a whole lot like Larik. She had a basket with a bottle of fresh water, and a pile of fresh sandwiches. At the bottom of the basket was a fresh bowl of meat. It was choopepd up fine and soaked in water that had been sweetened. "Hi! I'm Cadra! Kavala's niece, and Lariks' twin." The girl said, almost purring as she elbowed her fierce looking brother out of hte way, and handed Kassen the basket. "Eat eat..." The she retrieved the bowl from Kassen's basket, and took it over to the bed the dog was on. She left it in easy reach while Kavala went to examine the dog.

"How long have you two been traveling? We can probably put you up here for a day or two, let you get back on your feet and some food in you." Kavala said, knowing how rough it was being an escaped anything... be it from slavery or just from the drudgery of someone's everyday life. She pulled a stool up beside the bed that held the dog, and sat down on it gratefully. She looked, in that moment, very tired. Carefully, one by one, she picked up each dogs foot and infused it with healing, mending the torn and worn pads using her Rak'keli's mark. Then she let the dog alone, finding nothing else really wrong with him save malnutrition and exhaustion.

She carefully moved to Kassen's bed, bringing the stool with her, and sat down. "You look like you got sunburn, then windburned... you look as if you've been traveling for a good while. Is anything broken or hurting you didn't tell me about? Any wounds I can't see that are infected or deeply cut?" She asked, sparing him the indignity of being searched. "Or are you just... really tired and really hungry? Because if thats all it is, we can help." She added, offering him a tired smile.

[Kassem]

Oh, it's alright. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Larik. Kassem said, unintentionally mimicking the straight forward, serious behavior he saw in the boy, offering a crooked grin. Mirroring the behavior of people he was speaking to was a habit he developed in an attempt to get closer to others. When Kavala and her niece entered the infirmary, Kassem left behind the quiet tone for a much more energetic one. Hello Cadra! It's wonderful to meet you! I'll eat with pleasure, thank you so much! He couldn't help smiling over how strange everyones name sounded and how upbeat Kavala's niece was. Kassem began to eat, but it was not long before his mouth was required for conversation again. He put the food in his hands down a moment, being starved could not make food more important than a nice conversation with people.Hirem and I must have been lost out there, for around half a season. I should really be dead. Us escaping wasn't planned very well, more of a spontaneous though a few days before we actually escaped. We had enough food for maybe half of the trip, but mostly Hirem was relying on basic instinct to keep him fed, and had I not had grew up nomadic, I would have died at the hands of the weather long ago. He stopped talking for he felt the food in his skeleton-like hand was growing tired of waiting. My legs, they do hurt whenever I put pressure on them, especially on the lower parts. It feels like my bones are taking so much weight and I feel it whenever I run. For the past few days. But there's nothing else, really. Kassem pointed out the stress fractures that developed in his shins over his long journey, all the while conciously trying to hide the self inflicted cuts traveling up his wrist. He kept eye contact with Kavala while he ate again, noticing a smile that lacked the energy that filled the room.Umm... Kavala, your hospitality is much appreciated. I'm in your debt. A-Are you feeling alright? I apologize for prying, it's just you seem rather tired. Is it anything I can help with? He asked, tipping his head to the side, an inquisitive look spread across his face.

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled at the man, looking thoughtful. "That's quite a story. I wouldn't tell it to many other people though, especially humans or desert dwellers around here. And if those are slave marks, we should take you to the tattoo artist in town and have them changed into decorative marks rather than informative ones. He's really discrete about things like that. You should probably stay here a day or two, maybe more if you need to and recover. We've plenty of room and you'd be welcome. And Cadra loves to cook for people." Kavala said, giving her niece a grin. The kelvic was already fussing with another basket she had, as if she was worried Kassem wasn't going to have enough to eat.

For a kelvic teen, the girl had a maternal streak a mile long. She'd often told 'Kavala it was because she was grateful for her own rescue from slavery. So when he greeted her again, she refilled his basket with more fruit, little hand sandwiches and squares of chocolate Kavala got from the market imported from Kenash.

Kavala nodded at Kassem's words in regards to his legs. She was already running her scaled hands over his ankles and lower thighs, feeling the bone with her gnosis beneath her hands. Kavala's hands warmed instantly to Kassem's skin, and he felt a pull of power flood down into his legs, the pain slowly easing as the bones knitted together under her touch. Muscles uncramped and tendons eased as well as the Konti concentrated on channeling Rak'keli's power through her gnosis. "Thank you Rak'keli. This man has walked a long way and was deserving of being whole again." She said softly, then pushed back and instead of getting immediately up, seemed to rest on the stool.

"I'm fine." She answered, offering a soft smile. "I gave birth just a few days ago... it was a difficult pregnancy. It nearly cost me more than I had bargained for. I had twins, unexpectedly. I'm better each day. Today was my first day out riding, and I'm glad I was. We would not have ran across you otherwise. " Kavala said softly, then paused. She concentrated, bringing djed flooding into her vision, and looked him over with auristics. She was attuned to look for nerves firing, pain flooding areas. They showed up in her field of vision as warm spots. When she saw one, she reached out and gently soothed her hand over his body, using the method to erase abrasions, smaller bruising, and in the case of his hand, where his palm had been cut perhaps during his fall by the river.

"If you need help getting established in Riverfall... I can show you around. I even know places you can get a job, a new identity, that sort of thing. You said you were a slave, but what sort?" She asked, considering, wondering where she could get him set up independently from anyone finding out he was an escaped slave.

"Or I could .... maybe I should anyhow. I should get someone in town to forge a bill of sale on you and then an emancipation. That might ensure if there was any questions ever, you were purchased and freed by a Kuvan of Riverfall." Kavala said, smiling. "It wouldn't be the first time I have bought and then freed slaves." She added, laughing slightly.