87th of Fall, 516
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It had only been days, but to Aladari, it felt like weeks. She had waited (per Petrious' stern directions) at home, watching the days tick by. But, just as he had promised, her arm slowly began to heal.
The first day it started with a burn. The heat from the wound was palpable through the tight wrapping, and she found it only worse under water. On the second day, she removed the wrappings to change them, and nearly dropped her jaw at the hideous sight. Pus oozed from the soft and deathly pale skin, while the faintly covered wound pulsed with a rush of blood. She quickly washed the wrappings and covered it again, already dreading the next cleaning.
She didn't unwrap her arm again until the fifth day. What she saw, however, was miraculous. Despite ugly purple and green bruises beneath and a persistent ooze of clear liquids, the wound looked considerably better. It was scabbed, and appeared smaller to the Vantha's previously panicked eyes. She left the wrapping off that day, allowing it air, and the life returned to her pale skin.
The scabbing, as she came to find, was accompanied by a price. Her arm turned into one massive, intense itch on the sixth day. She tried rubbing all sorts of things on it, including water and a pinch of soft leaves, but found nothing to relieve the itch. Instead, she lay in bed, moaning and pouting while Tar licked at her fingers in empathy.
By the eighth day, she was able to leave the house, albeit tentatively. She walked around the block, taking the "fresh" Sunberthian air deeply in her lungs. It felt good, but there was such chaos outdoors that she quickly returned, in fear of another attack.
Today, the day she came back to Petrious to returb his wrappings, she found that she could flex her arm without causing cracks and bleeding in the scab. She demonstrated for the doctor, but rather than a smile as she might expect, he waved her off.
"Don't get cocky now. Just go on."
Her saddened blue eyes went unnoticed.
"You said you wanted to leave, didn't you?"
He was right. She wanted to leave, but she was afraid. She was just as afraid of traveling home, it felt, as she was of the streets of Sunberth. But what could she do? She couldn't stay for much longer, if she valued her life.
Going home, they would be disappointed that she had done nothing. She had accomplished so little, and they had such faith in her. The gifts, the years of teaching, and their proud smiles as she left- they would all be for nothing. But she would be safe. That's what mattered.
Without a word, she left Petrious behind.
Word Count482
The first day it started with a burn. The heat from the wound was palpable through the tight wrapping, and she found it only worse under water. On the second day, she removed the wrappings to change them, and nearly dropped her jaw at the hideous sight. Pus oozed from the soft and deathly pale skin, while the faintly covered wound pulsed with a rush of blood. She quickly washed the wrappings and covered it again, already dreading the next cleaning.
She didn't unwrap her arm again until the fifth day. What she saw, however, was miraculous. Despite ugly purple and green bruises beneath and a persistent ooze of clear liquids, the wound looked considerably better. It was scabbed, and appeared smaller to the Vantha's previously panicked eyes. She left the wrapping off that day, allowing it air, and the life returned to her pale skin.
The scabbing, as she came to find, was accompanied by a price. Her arm turned into one massive, intense itch on the sixth day. She tried rubbing all sorts of things on it, including water and a pinch of soft leaves, but found nothing to relieve the itch. Instead, she lay in bed, moaning and pouting while Tar licked at her fingers in empathy.
By the eighth day, she was able to leave the house, albeit tentatively. She walked around the block, taking the "fresh" Sunberthian air deeply in her lungs. It felt good, but there was such chaos outdoors that she quickly returned, in fear of another attack.
Today, the day she came back to Petrious to returb his wrappings, she found that she could flex her arm without causing cracks and bleeding in the scab. She demonstrated for the doctor, but rather than a smile as she might expect, he waved her off.
"Don't get cocky now. Just go on."
Her saddened blue eyes went unnoticed.
"You said you wanted to leave, didn't you?"
He was right. She wanted to leave, but she was afraid. She was just as afraid of traveling home, it felt, as she was of the streets of Sunberth. But what could she do? She couldn't stay for much longer, if she valued her life.
Going home, they would be disappointed that she had done nothing. She had accomplished so little, and they had such faith in her. The gifts, the years of teaching, and their proud smiles as she left- they would all be for nothing. But she would be safe. That's what mattered.
Without a word, she left Petrious behind.
Word Count482
