[IC] Journey to the East

[snelss0]

Elann hadn't noticed her husband until he flew overhead, her eye picking up on his shadow streaking across the ground. Elann didn't have the trained eyes to notice animals or plants among the green. Throw her in the desert and she could pick out a snake or scorpion in the sand three dunes over, but throw a giant bear in some trees and unless it moved, she wouldn't see it.

It was such that she meandered forward aimlessly, just using the road as a guide for which direction to head at first. She hadn't noticed her sister at all until rising up over a hilltop that the road slowly rose up over. There on the other side, down below her, was Aimee trotting along. Above her was Noah off in the distance, and since the wagon train was muffled by the hills, she headed into the forest there.

Noah seemed to anticipate her direction, which was toward the sound of flowing water to the left of the path as she headed toward Zeltiva. Heading North for Elann never felt correct, as nothing in her homeland was to the north except death and the Chaktawe or Eypharian peoples. To the south was always water, Yahebah, and food. Ignoring the feeling, she headed in further, having lost sight of Noah the moment he ascended. She could feel their bond parting as he went higher and higher, but her eyes focused ahead as if any moment she would find a deer.

Noah could see from above that Elann was being far too noisy to allow the deer in the area to stay put. As she would draw near the river, the could that had bedded down there began to move away without Elann even noticing. She was not the best of hunters. Still, she was trying to be sneaky and upon coming up to the river, she could feel the bond between them draw closer and closer.

By the time he landed in the tree, she had come to a small rock formation that seemed almost ancient in nature, covered with moss, but arranged in such a way that she picked up on it. It almost looked like an old foundation of a cottage, but had been torn away by time and covered with dirt and growth. Only a few of the blocks remained and she took a break there to sit on one. As she looked up into the nearest tree, she could see Noah, perched there as if waiting. A small smile came from her and love filled her bond toward him.

She loved how he looked there, regal and how she had seen him play on the winds earlier. While he had refused to leave her and go fly, she was happy her choice to go hunting had drawn him to the sky. She may not have had the ability to praise Zulrav the way Noah did - being that she was frightened of everything and disliked cold winds - but she could at least take solace in the fact she encouraged her husband to spend time with him, and she hoped that he saw that she did care about Zulrav despite her cold body and bad experiences.

"Hello," she said in her typical cute way toward him and blew a kiss his way. She then let out a sigh, as if overcoming the tiredness that had grown in her higher paced walking to this point, and then she stood. It was time to continue the hunt, and she was nearly to the river.

"I'm going to keep following the river and see if I see anything."

She wondered if he would fish in it, having seen him do so before. Up ahead of her path, there was a bend in the river and the trees curved to follow it. She trudged along the shoreline, and unlike traveling through the forest, which was thicker in this spot than last time they had gone hunting, she was more silent. The soft sand cushioned her footfalls and there was no great amount of dried and dead timber for her to step and snap on. Any such things, her eyes could see to avoid, and thus she went forward silently.

[Illumin0sity]

Elann’s voice was heard on the wind as she greeted him. He looked at her in return, catching her blown kiss without any real effort on his part. It wasn’t as if he could clutch at it anyway, unless he lifted a talon, but he didn’t want to do that. No order came as it seemed Elann was resting for a moment. He took the time to rest as well, preparing himself for whatever was to come. Hunting was exhausting and his mind would have to be sharper now than before. He hadn’t been in the skies for a while for one, and for two, a lot of the predators that were gone in the winter were back in the spring. Just like him, they would be capitalizing on the fresh crop of prey in the area.

They had gone away from the caravan now, the noise no longer as loud as it was. He hoped they wouldn’t run into anything, but knew of the unpredictability of what he deemed as his domain. Noah wasn’t at ease in the forest at this moment, or not as eased as he would’ve been should Elann and he be just outside of Syliras. His territory had been forsaken and now he didn’t have any boundaries of his own. His borders were nonexistent and he was stuck in limbo until he arrived at the familiar territory of his father.

Elann stood and caught his attention with her words. He waited for her to continue off, following after her with his eyes, until he pushed off from his perch to take to the skies once again. Noah rose up into the air above the treetops and shifted his vision between Elann below him and the area surrounding her. He was playing guard more than searching for anything to swoop down on. The thickness of the forest was making him uneasy because he was unfamiliar with the region, and nothing of it held anything remotely recognizable save for Elann down there on the ground, walking.

For once, Noah felt as if he was too high in the air and forced himself to drift downward. It lessened how far he could see. The river brought cool air to the already cold winds and it was all he could see when Elann was hidden beneath the growing canopy. Noah fell down to the treetops, skimming over them with his belly and the underside of his wings. He didn’t have to flap in order to stay airborne, channeling the power of his divine mark to keep a constant flow of air underneath his wings even if he was going against the natural wind.

Once he saw Elann again in confidence, he rose back up into the sky, banking off to her right to disappearing behind the trees again. He was going to angle himself in such a way that would allow him to fish from the river, but as he was moving to position himself, he felt eyes on him. The wind shifted in a moody way as if in warning but it came too late for him to do much. He heard another furious beating of wings that weren’t his own. Looking over, he saw another bird, smaller than he, coming at him. Noah already knew aggression had ruffled the other raptor’s feathers, but he didn’t have enough time to react readily.

Noah rolled to turn his underside and talons towards his would be assailer just in time to deflect the grasping talons of what he recognized to be a falcon. He didn’t know the exact species, but it was angry and was trying to get him out of its skies. Noah knew the feeling the falcon felt all too well, but it was something else entirely to be on the receiving end of a raptors aggression. It was incredulous, actually, him being attacked when he usually did the attacking. Yet, he didn’t have time to process what was happening. His instincts of defense were already in gear and his man’s mind blurred over to give way to something geared entirely towards surviving.

Adrenaline filled him and his eyes searched the skies for the suddenly flighty falcon. He waited for the change in the winds to tell where the falcon was coming from and turned in kind to deflect another incoming blow. He squawked out loudly in more raising aggression than for help, his wings beating to keep him airborne because the falcon was interrupting the constant stream he had once been emitting. His small eagle heart pattered heavily in his chest as his muscles wakened and rippled with heightening furor in this aerial battle in which he was purely on the defensive.

[snelss0]

Elann didn't require a response from her husband, even in the form of their bond. She would try to repair their relationship even if he didn't. As it was, she hardly saw anything from him and she didn't care. The kiss was genuine and as she headed toward the beach, she had new drive to push forward.

While she had her husband in view for a moment on the beach, as he rounded to come back, she couldn't see him. His angling himself up for a run on the river was unknown to her and her eyes were forward focused. She began to round the bend of the river when through her bond she started to feel her husband's tension. She paid attention to her bond, looking for him, but then suddenly adrenaline and that wild sense took her. His loud squawk didn't sound like his normal piercing cry and sounded like he was being attacked.

Elann's heart raced, not because of her own worry, but because of him. He was frantic about something as if he was in fight or flight mode, but she was none the wiser about what was going on. Through their bond, she could tell he was ahead of her, so she ran. Concern filled her as she rounded the bend in the river and the rock outcropping. Careful not to fall in the river, she came to the other side of the rocks with eyes skyward. It was there she could see him, see what was happening.

To Elann, it seemed silly at first, some tiny bird of some sort attacking Noah, but then she could see how fast it was and how Noah tried to fight it off, but it was just too speedy. Naturally she drew an arrow defensively in care of her husband, but as she looked to the situation, she realized there was nothing she could do. At the creaking of her bow, a loud roar sounded in threat, much closer than she would have liked.

There on the edge of the treeline, in plain sight not twenty feet from her was a huge brown bear. Elann's eyes went wide and her face drained of all color as the large beast stood up during the roar. With already an intimidating presence, it now seemed ten times more frightening. The curls of its lips folded around huge teeth that threatened to be biting her any moment, and in reaction. Elann, pulled her bow rapidly and shot. It was a good shot despite her weak pull, her fright, and every other element that could have gotten in her way, yet despite the good shot, the arrow went no deeper than into a plank of wood. The bear's hide was far too thick.

Being shot, that was the final straw. Though Elann didn't know it, nearby in the brush, under ferns were the bear mother's 4 month old cubs, two of them. On top of that, Elann's nearby presence was a threat, the eagle fighting in the sky was a threat, and her proximity to the beast was a great threat. Immediately she moved to pull another arrow, though she shivered in fear and troubled to notch it as the bear flung itself to the ground and began charging. It reminded her of a horse charging, ready to trample her, and all she could think to do was yank harder on her bond than she ever had. It was then she felt the soft brushing of Yahal on her shoulder. Her God had come, and she was filled with purpose and purity of mind as he filled her with his power. Radiance ignited the bow and arrow, and for a moment it almost seemed like the winged tattoo on her back flared to life like real prismatic wings.

Elann looked like some sort of divine angel standing there on the beach, the golden light emitted from her far more pure than anything seen before on Mizahar. It was a purer light than the sun could, or any known device could make, and as she drew back her arrow, she looked like some sort of celestial goddess warrior. The arrow loosed as the bear drew within ten feet, already in mid leap to kill her, and the arrow this time not only penetrated its hide, but its skull through to the back of it, and the arrow, even after leaving her bow, seemed to retain said brilliance in a flash of light. The flash was like a lightning bolt, but more like a flash of a camera, and this holy arrow seemed to render the bear dead before it even could mentally react. Though guided by her God to move, it was too late. He seemed to shift her in a protective way so the bear slide just to her side instead of absolutely destroying her and then the light and his presence faded.

Looking into the power and light of Yahal was not just like looking into light, it was like looking into purity itself. It was convicting to see a being of power so pure and just being in his presence made Elann know how impure she was. Not only that, but peering into the golden radiance also seemed to display his faithfulness, as if looking into it, you knew every burden, promise, wrong doing you've done and how protective he was to carry you to never do them again. It was able to drop Elann to her knees as if dead both times she had witnessed not only him, but his mighty power. He had come for Noah's wife, and had chosen to protect her, and for the briefest moment, he could even be seen in the flash of light, as if he himself had pulled the bow with her.

The fight was over and the light faded from Elann. Before it had even reached mid jump the bear had died and no longer breathed. Where the arrow entered on its skull, the fur had been stripped back as bark from a tree and worry took the bond once more as she looked to her husband up above.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah only called out once in his defense and the falcon completely ignored the call though it was understood. There was blood in the falcon’s eyes and if Noah wouldn’t leave its area, its skies, it had the full mind of ending the eagle’s life regardless of it being the bigger bird. The falcon used its speedy advantage greatly and constantly beat at Noah with its wings and scratching talons. Each time Noah was able to deflect a blow, or lessen it, but he knew he couldn’t keep up with the falcon forever. It didn’t help his situation that there was another panic in him that was of Elann’s creation following a roar the rocked the area. The birds roosting in the trees watching the aerial altercation suddenly were thrown into the sky as they cried out in mounting fear, a fear that only made Noah’s stomach sink all the more.

The eagle rolled in the air to deflect another blow from the falcon who disappeared into the openness again. Noah flew over the treetops towards the river in an attempt to escape and also figure out the source of the roaring. That was when an unfathomable and painful wretch came to his chest and entire being. His sights were ripped entirely away from searching and pinpointed themselves on Elann and the bear charging her. Panicked, Noah cried out in useless fear. He immediately shifted his position but exposed himself entirely to the falcon’s next incoming assault. His worry for his bondmate superseded his own safety and it wasn’t until the falcon’s talons were digging into his back, raking at him, did he continue to realize he was in trouble as well.

Noah buckled in the air, sharp pain shooting through his body from the center of his back. His wings faltered and the wind that was beneath was suddenly gone all in the briefest of moments. The eagle regained his control, not faltering enough to plummet to the ground. His back burned hotly and each beat of his wings only caused more pain that was unable to be ignored despite the numbing adrenaline. His mind was still more intently focused on his bondmate than himself, and as he regained his control he was observing the scene far below him on the shore of the river that flowed.

His eyes, overly alert in this moment, were only further distracted by the blinding flash of pure light. The eagle closed his eyes and rolled away from the foreign conjuration despite his muscles shouting for him to land. There was hot blood rolling down his feathers and down into the river below. His large hollow frame attempted to achieve the aerial acrobatics it was more than able to do, but the searing pain made it a near impossibility. He was almost sluggish as his mind split between his bondmate’s wellbeing after the flash of light, his own pain, and the whereabouts of the falcon who was trying to end his life.

Noah knew he needed to land but it was too much of a pain to decelerate to the point of making a safe landing. He was below the canopy and his mind’s distractions were a heavy disadvantage. Again, he was assailed, the falcon’s talons grasping and wings beating. For another time they ripped at his feathers and Noah’s forceful disengagement caused them to rip out in the same way they tore in. It was then that he buckled entirely under a pain he couldn’t bear any longer and fell from the sky, bleeding the entire way down. Unable to angle for the deepness of the water, he had nearly resolved himself to his fate until his feathers were forced on end, a buzz on his mind. In the next instance a lightning bolt struck down into the river’s small clearing, a deep rumble of thunder coming from what was only a patchy cloud sky.

A surging of wind rushed up from the ground as well, catching in his wings to slow him. He landed with a soft thud and splash on the shore on the bank opposite of Elann. Weak or not, his flash of transforming light was just as bright and magical, but the man that lay on the shore was bloodied. His breathing was heavy and his now large heart pounded away in his ground-facing chest. There was another splash behind him as the now roasted falcon plopped down into the river where it continued to flow with the current downstream. Noah’s lower body was submerged in the water, his torso above, his pale skin was streaked with crimson.

There were several bleeding marks on his back, more down his right ribcage and on the outerside of his right arm. They burned hotly and only did moreso as he calmed. He realized that he hadn’t broken anything, but felt that his exhaustion and confusion did more to his body than anticipated. Noah had very little experience being on the receiving end of an assault; most times he managed to escape without a scratch, but this was the second time he had his blood drawn by another beast. At the moment he didn’t feel like a king of skies anymore, just another who had been toppled. It didn’t help that his bondmate was endangered as well.

He used his unafflicted arm to pull his lower body out of the water. When he was fully settled on the sand of the bank he turned and sat up, careful not to get sand in his burning, hashmarked back. The pain grew more and he was able to pinpoint its origin on and between his shoulder blades, explaining why it had been difficult to fly after the wound was inflicted. With his left hand he dusted wet sand off his chest and looked around the now deafly quiet clearing. The bear was dead and he could see Elann across the water. However, in the distance by the treeline, he could see another figure.

It was a woman dressed in dark greens whose skin was fair and her eyes burning with a seething hatred. She scalded Elann with her gaze and roared out much like the bear did before. The bear cubs had flocked to her and she crouched with them surrounding her. Looming behind her still was a gigantic bear, larger than the one Elann had slain. Its brutish body lumbered forth towards Elann as the woman roared again. Noah had heard stories of a woman in the forest who treated the bears like her children. A lowly god by the name of Oriana had graced the Benshira and Kelvic with her presence, but this was not a benevolent visit. There was anger in the goddess’ soul for Elann.

The same pure light that had blinded Noah early returned but in a soft and ethereal form. He recognized it as Elann’s patron deity, Yahal. The god didn’t manifest himself entirely but hovered around Elann. Oriana’s angry eyes bore still on Elann but she didn’t roar again. Her rage was still burning hot when she rose, turning towards the deepness of the wood taking the bear cubs with her. Her lumbering giant of a companion followed, leaving Elann under the defense of Yahal. Once Oriana’s frame couldn’t be seen again Yahal faded once more.

Noah sat in the sand utterly bewildered, his body burning hotly.

[snelss0]

Elann had looked up to find her husband, but couldn't locate him. In her frantic search she only managed to find him when the water splashed and he transformed. It was as if a beacon to her untrained eyes. The last she knew, he was far higher than where he was then, in the river.

She could see him crawling to the shore and she held her mouth with her free hand, wondering what had happened to him. It couldn't have been related to the bear right? Everything was so chaotic to her and it was nothing like her previous trips hunting with him or his family. It was as she was about to rush to him did she feel the burning presence of another gaze on her. Another roar came from the woods and Elann dropped her bow in fear, scrambling to pick it up as she looked. Strangely it was a woman, yet her face communicated death would soon come to Elann anyways. There was a gigantic bear, likely a dire bear of some kind of great proportion and it lumbered toward her at the woman's command. Elann felt the sudden feeling of her God protecting her once more, yet this time it was in warning.

She could not only see him beside her, but this time - unlike other times - he wielded a weapon, a long polearm of some type that Elann didn't know, but figured it was some kind of spear. It was then Elann saw the reason behind the woman's rage; two innocent cubs heeded her call as did the large bear as she began to move away.

There was a tinge of guilt through her bond as she looked down to the bear at her side. With a loving look to Yahal, his eyes moved to her and she pouted slightly. She felt bad that she had to kill the bear, but that spoke just all the more to Elann's purity. Her god seemed to vanish then, but his comfort lingered with her. As Oriana moved away and began to fade, she wouldn't let the bear lay there and rot. People around the world likely hunted bears, but this was a mother and likely why Oriana was so mad. It didn't matter anymore, all that mattered was Noah.

Elann rushed to toward him. At first, the river was deep and there was worry within her, but in the middle there was a sandbar and she rose up, able to get to him by clamoring over rocks. Her furs were soaking wet, as was she, but she didn't seem to care.

"Are you okay?" she shrieked with worry. "Oh my goodness Noah, what happened?"

[Illumin0sity]

Noah was glad that his lower body hadn’t been injured in anyway. It meant he could walk, albeit with some pain as his body would jumble and irritate the wounds. He wouldn’t be able to fly without a great deal of pain as it were, and so he would be grounded. That alone was enough to make the situation all the worse. He was thankful that Zulrav had interfered and didn’t blame his deity for taking as long as it did. It wasn’t a clear shot for Zulrav to make, the lightning being as random and volatile as it could be. Smote, Noah’s adversary was no more.

The grounded eagle looked at his right side, the heat of his trickling blood drawing his attention. The wound in his ribcage was worse than his back, probably because he had jerked away from the falcon when the talons were digging in him. It must’ve been how his prey felt, he deduced sourly. His hands were covered with sand and he knew better than to directly touch the wound in this state, but the bleeding wasn’t slowing quickly enough for him and it only hurt. His breaths were taken sparingly as the adrenaline died, any stretch of his lungs against his ribs sent growing waves of pain until he exhaled.

Noah looked to the sky and noted the still rolling thunder as Zulrav sent cool breezes over him. He kind of nodded to the sky to say he was okay because that’s what Zulrav was asking. As if relieved, the storming deity sent another, low rumble of thunder through the skies. Noah then looked to his left, splashing in the water catching his attention. At first he thought it was something else coming after him, to which his heart skipped a beat because he’d be dead for sure. He didn’t know if he had any fight left in him, but it was Elann. He let out a breath of relief, quieting his fear of the unknown because it was actually something, or someone, he thought he knew well.

Noah didn’t want to fill his lungs enough to yell back so he just nodded. His quietly buzzing end of the bond would tell that he was okay emotionally, but the pain burning in his side and back told of his injuries. Already he was sure that the red on his fair skin was an indicator that he was bleeding. He waited until Elann was closer and upon him to answer her question.

“A falcon,” he said in brief, wincing at the pain the taken breaths did to his side. “This is its territory… I am… trespassing.” He swallowed the iron tasting spit in his mouth and let out a more ragged breath. “I’m okay,” he tried to assure.

Noah didn’t want Elann to get frantic or freak out. The thing he wanted right now was her to resemble his calm in the situation. It was a part of his life, this situation, and he had been in it before. It wasn’t as bad as the mangling done to his leg by the jaws of a wolf, so he felt much calmer now than he did then. Another difference in the situations was that he didn’t have Devi to heal him this time, just Elann, and whatever healer was present at the caravan.

Noah grit and bore through the burning in his side, his tolerance for pain being considerable and was probably chalked up to dire blood flowing out of his body. He was primarily concerned about his situation and wanting to get out of it. If there was one thing that mankind new how to do it was take care of the wounded, and it was one of the few things he was appreciative of. The concern for himself overshadowed any concern he had for Elann at the moment because she had been saved by her deity. There was a sense of uselessness in him emotionally, but the physical stinging was at the fore.

[snelss0]

Elann couldn't tell whether Noah's lower body was injured or not. She could only see the fading streams of blood dripping down his back. She had heard the lightning, seen and felt the flash; it was why her hair was much more frizzy than it used to be, but she still had no idea what had happened nor had she had the time to process that it could possibly be Zulrav who helped her husband.

He nodded back to her calling and despite appearances, he seemed okay. She could feel the burning pain in her own back as she shared with him through the bond but it was likely a shadow of what he felt.

As she came up to him, his voice was brief, full of winces as he explained. Elann began to wonder if this was some sort of divine battleground that had taken place here, using Noah and her as some sort of tools of combat in their own wills, but who really knew? The Gods were beyond her. Perhaps it was all as it seemed.

Elann was soaking wet below the waist, but her clothing above was dry. She took off the outer vest, revealing a white undershirt underneath.

"You are bleeding pretty badly. Let me tie this around you tight." Emotions came flooding into her as she was reminded of when she saw him last time he had been injured. She took in a breath, trying to be mindful of the calm he was exuding and she took off her shirt.

"We need to get back to the caravans, but we also need to stop this blood" she stated. "Do you think you can turn into your true self and I can tie this around your waist? Then I can easily carry you back?"

After slipping her fur back over her half naked frame, if he didn't protest, she went about making a long strip to tie about his waist and to keep pressure on the wounds. Her shirt being too small though would likely not wrap fully around him as a human even if she used the whole length.

Though Noah didn't care about the benefit of being kind to people in his speech, Elann did, and through it, much like Aimee, Elann would know who was able to help him in the wagon train. It was the kind of good that came from treating others with kindness. She still had the tea and cream to help keep infection from him, as well as a type of tasty food she could make that they used in her tribe to help fight it as well. She just had to get him back. Elann waited to hear what he had to say.

[Illumin0sity]

Thankfully Elann wasn’t overwhelming him with any heightened emotions. In this state he wasn’t sure if he could take her intensity, not without it working at his own intended calm for the situation. There was, however, a surging of emotion as Elann studied his wounds. She wasn’t the only one remembering the last time he had been hurt. He wasn’t going to dwell on it though. That was in the past, this was now, and now, as she said, he was bleeding badly. Her pointing it out made him look down at his side again and he nodded once to her to agree. He looked back up to see her shedding her furs and then stripping her shirt.

Noah took a staggering breath at her asking if he could shift again. The pain in shifting would be tremendous now that he was calm and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to will himself through that. It was easier to be injured and heal in one form than switching between the two. Shifting to his smaller form would be easier than coming back into this, but this was what healers were used to, but it would be easier to transport him as an eagle.

“Okay,” he said hesitantly, knowing the risks in his shifting.

He exhaled then forced himself through the process again, calling upon the magic in his soul. At this close range Elann could clearly see the full process of the shifting. There were no bones moving involved but his pale skin grew whiter and more vibrant until he began to shrink, all the while what couldn’t be changed into the structure of a bird was shed away and turned into the whimsical dust that surrounded him. The process was much slower than before as he bore through the pain of it. Noah came out on the other side three feet shorter and several pounds lighter, donned with feathers. The side effect of it was his dizziness.

He was passive to Elann’s touches afterwards, not doing as much as cooing in his discomfort. He barely squirmed even, just there to be manipulated with relative ease.

[snelss0]

Elann watched as the flash seemed to overtake her husband's body. He was alright with her plan, and while Elann didn't particularly wish to destroy her shirt, it was needed for his sake. He looked so pitiful as the eagle down there in the sand and she felt worse for him. Blood continued now to come out of his back to which she carefully knelt down on her knees and proceeded to tie the bandages around him so it kept pressure on his wounds.

She was no medical expert, but she figured the shirt wouldn't last long as his protection from disease and infection. Thankfully she was wearing her wrist guard and he was able to step up onto the offered arm without hurting her with his talons. She tucked him up close to her, and as love won out over her fear of small animals, she kissed him lightly on the head before standing. She would have to leave her bow and the bear behind, but her first hurdle was the river.

Thankfully the river had been easy to cross, for if it wasn't, he'd likely still be separated from her. As it was, she was able to get him back across to the other side without endangering him by falling into the water. She walked at a brisk pace, unable to run as it would shake him too greatly and she would likely fall in the thickness of the forest.

As it was, the sound of wagons grew louder the closer she got to the road, and far off to her right, coming toward them, the wagons had rounded the hill. Given the smooth ground, Elann would be able to move a little faster, but she would only move so fast as to keep his body from moving. As she drew closer to the lead wagon, she began to tell them what happened in some minor detail, that they were attacked by the river while hunting, and there was a downed bear there. It seemed they wanted to stop and go harvest the bear, as it could feed the people for a few days and she asked them to retrieve her bow.

Once things were settled, which only took about a minute in time, she hurried to the one who was skilled in medicine. He was a physician heading to Zeltiva with his wife and he likely could help Noah. The wagon was a few before theirs and she came up to their flap in the back and called out.

"Emery? We need your help." Once the man opened the flap, sensing there was something wrong already given the stopping of their wagon, and he asked what was going on. "It's my husband, he's been injured by a falcon. It looks pretty bad."

Emery seemed to welcome her on up and instead she lifted Noah up in her arms to rest on his wagon bench. There she untied the bandage on his back so that he could transform as the physician was no vet.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah attempted to be ginger with his talons when they came down on Elann’s bracers. He wasn’t sure on the material but it looked thick enough to withstand the deadly points. The thing was, his grip wasn’t as sure when she hoisted him up and brought the wrapped eagle into her warmth. His own wasn’t fleeting, but there was a sure weakness in him. Usually it didn’t take any energy to shift between the forms, but when he was laden with an affliction, it was difficult to put himself through the bodily changes. It was the same as a Kelvic woman being pregnant, in a way. Towards the end of her pregnancy she wouldn’t be able to shift without risking miscarriage; an affliction or injury nearly handicapped them.

Towards the camp they went and Noah noticed Elann had forsaken her bow for his sake. It was a sad thing to see, yet there was no time to delay. Zulrav was above watching Elann with his Stormwarden carefully, or watching Noah’s condition as his Benshiran partner trekked hurriedly through the wood and onto the road. In this moment he was but a silent observer, near powerless to help his warden because life was not within his domain of control. He held the winds, the storms, and the sounds of thunder, not life.

The eagle heard Elann speaking to the slowing caravan and knew that aid would come to him relatively soon. He remained passive in the moment, partly afraid to do anything, but also knowing that he could not help himself. In the next moments Elann called to a man named Emery and mentioned Noah. The Kelvic listened to their exchange of information as Elann gave the briefest and most direct summary of what had happened. The mighty eagle had been felled and was now under the care of a doctor he didn’t know. He supposed it wasn’t entirely different from Devi, and that calmed him slightly. Attempting to compare this situation to the last time he was gravely injured didn’t entirely quell the anxiety within him however.

Elann set him down and Noah assumed he was supposed to shift again. Instead of shifting right away Noah looked at the doctor with a wary gaze. His eyes flicked between Elann, the doctor, and his daughter. Devi had treated him to the best of her ability in this form and so he had assumed this one could as well. After his own consideration, Noah willed himself to transform another time, unsure of what the suddenly taxing action would entail for him.

The transformation happened at the same slow pace as Noah forced himself through it. When the white dispelled and his human form sat on the bench, Emery looked over his wounds under Noah’s careful eyes. Emery called upon his wife to fetch his medicines, tools, and poultices as he maneuvered the Kelvic into a semi-comfortable position on the bench. First, he was placed on his left side so that Emery could address the most serious wound on the Kelvic’s right side along his ribcage. The flesh was mangled and torn once the blood was cleaned away. Noah didn’t have a problem with the cleaning, it was when the wound was being touched did he react in a low but aggressive growl produced in the barrel of his chest.

Emery had slowed at first, making sure that it was okay to proceed before doing so. Noah calmed when his eyes set upon the doctor’s child, a young girl that he had seen Aimee playing with before. Though the mother was seemingly afraid of Noah and his reactions, the girl was fascinated and the eagle could plainly see that. As her father worked, she approached Noah against the wishes of her mother and father.

“It’s okay,” she assured Noah quietly, reaching her hand up to place her small one into Noah’s. “My daddy’s a good doctor.” She smiled despite the situation and nodded to affirm the answer though Noah didn’t outwardly question it.

There was something in the girl that Noah saw and aligned with. Perhaps it was that they were the same age, though appearances could hardly denote that, or perhaps it was her fascination for him that was innocent. She held his hand by the thumb and he held hers weakly, a look of pained concentration on his face that softened the longer the girl was there tending to him. He let out a small stifled grunt that the girl shushed caringly. Her other hand came up to place warm fingers on Noah’s cheek, where they stroked delicately.

Sometime during the procedure and cleaning he slipped away into a lightly breathing state of unconsciousness, the girl’s warmth and smell acting as an anesthesia of sorts. While she had come up to him, he didn’t have any strong emotions radiating towards the girl. All he could focus on beforehand was the pain in his side and back and the doctor probing around to fix him. The girl brought a calm to him and that was seemingly it. For the duration of the procedure she stayed near Noah, holding his hand loosely with one of hers and stroking his face with the other.

[snelss0]

Elann couldn't help but notice how slowly her husband transformed, and the nervousness within him as to what was going to happen. Elann was close enough at the edge of the wagon to rub along Noah's legs once he had laid down, but she wanted in. She hummed to the doctor to briefly gain his attention after Noah growled and he waved her down, that it was going to be alright. Emery's wife was a little afraid of Noah and so she came to comfort Elann, speaking about how he would be alright and many other comforting things that in Noah's case, helped her from letting the crashing emotions overwhelm their bond.

Neither of their Gods were gods of healing, but that didn't mean she didn't pray to one. She didn't know her name, but she asked for safe healing of her husband and bondmate then. She continued lovingly and soothingly rubbing his legs, listening as the little girl was being sweet with him.

When Noah slipped into a state of unconsciousness it was all within her to not worry. The constant care of the doctor's wife, rubbing Elann's shoulders helped. They had delayed the whole wagon train with their problems and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty for it. It would mean they were likely going to be traveling into the night to make up time.

During the whole surgery, she never left her husband's side, gently loving on what little she could from the edge of the wagon. Tears lightly had rolled down her cheek at some point, but it was brief and she deemed not to think of what could have happened or what could. The action and gossip eventually spread among the people, wondering why they had stopped and ultimately somehow they had found out that where Noah was was the place to be. Idly people stood around talking and it was then that the doctor wanted to close the flap. His wife climbed out the back as Elann's hand had to pull away from her bondmate's body, and the doctor's wife assured Elann that everything would be alright.

While her words were encouraging, it didn't replace the loneliness and want to be there with him. In a way, she wanted to be the little girl, innocent and loving of her husband, coaxing him into a lulling state of sleep. Noah perhaps didn't look at her that way, but she was no different in heart and mind than the little girl. She thought the best of everyone she met, she loved people regardless of their faults, and despite the anger in his words to her previously, she still cared for him immensely. Elann hugged about her waist, and upon seeing that she was not able to do anything, she went to change out of the wet fur-lined clothing and into a dress that she could wear and not be as cold as she was. Fortunately, the sun was out, and once changed, it warmed her as she headed back to the wagon.

She looked up to the cloud lingering above and voiced to it, and likely just to herself.

"I am trying my best. I love him too."

[Illumin0sity]

Though his sleep was shallow, he was unwaking. He thrust his subconscious trust into the girl and her warm touches. There was a shift in the air flow as Noah was disconnected from the outside at the closing of the flap. He could hear the murmuring voices of the people outside that only grew duller once the flap was closed entirely. It was then that his bondmate drifted from him, herded out by another moving presence that Noah assumed was the doctor’s wife. Warmth stayed around him despite the loss of blood and he found himself entirely within the care of the doctor and his daughter, though she wasn’t doing much. The girl’s quiet shushing could be heard just barely whenever Noah’s face contorted in an unconscious wince.

Noah did not know how long he was being operated on, but at some point he felt the doctor’s hovering presence slip away. The little girl’s didn’t waver though, the soft stroking of his face continued as they held hands, Noah on the bench and her kneeling on the wagon floor. It seemed she did not wish to budge either, only moving to help her mother drape the naked man in blankets after his surgery was done. Soon the wagons starting to move woke him slightly, but his slitted eyes met the girl’s deep innocent ones. She gave him a look of assuring, that he had survived the ordeal and now her father was done treating him. All he had to do was rest now was what the look said, and so Noah rested, falling back to sleep to the slow rhythm of the wagon rocking.

He was unsure if Elann was in the wagon with him, but his steady waking and sleeping happened every few minutes. She would be able to tell when he was conscious because their bond would buzz with his quiet activity, though he wouldn’t open his eyes. If anything it was a brief assessment of the world around him before he slipped away again.

Three hours after his already three-hour long operation, Noah finally stirred in full, opening his mouth to groan dryly. The pain in his body was apparently seen on his face, the creasing brow and cracking eyes whose irises searched for someone familiar. He didn’t spot the girl immediately, the ordeal apparently taking a toll on her as well because her mother had put her down for a nap. He swallowed dryly and whimpered through a closed mouth the next time. His hand moved, fingers searching blindly for something to grasp in his sudden sense of fear and loneliness.

[snelss0]

After the operation, it wasn't long until Noah was soothed into sleep under the doctor's medicine. It had only been his constant sewing and cleaning that had kept him on the verge of unconsciousness thus far. Once the operation was done though, he fell deeply into that sleep. Elann was encouraged to come be by his side, but the little girl napped on the floor beside Noah on a little blanket. At some point, instead of having his head on the hard wood, she had become his pillow. Her thigh fed heat and warmth to his cold body and her hands lulled him deeper into that sleep by brushing his hair.

As he woke a couple hours later from her taking up position next to him, she could feel their bond fully ignite and with it, fear and loneliness. He was met with love, comfort, and calm as her fingers met his.

"Shh...try not to get up. You need to rest some more."

Elann had already felt the dryness of his throat as she did his wounds. They were duller than what he experienced, but present. As it was, she had already asked for a glass of water for when he woke up and now that he groggily stirred, she helped him with it.

"Here, drink. The doctor said it went well. Everything looked clean and I got you here just in time."

She didn't want to overwhelm him so she just made it clear she was there for him.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah’s eyes searched groggily while his fingers lifted weakly. The bearings that usually came to him soon after waking were not there and he thought something else was direly wrong, thus the fear came to him instinctually. As he stirred, Elann’s voice came and brought his eyes up a little more to find her lips, the first thing that came into focus. Next came the rest of her face and then the muddlement of her words dissipated. He didn’t hear her warning of him to not get up, nor did he hear her saying he needed to rest more. It was the tone of her voice that drew him to seek her out and the feelings that came to his bond that dispelled the panging loneliness and fear. He wouldn’t try to get up regardless, not wanting to put himself through the torture of moving. If that wasn’t enough, he was too discombobulated to even process getting up.

The most movement he did was to drink from the water, sipping thirsty to quell the dryness of his throat. It was a minor discomfort to him in comparison to the ache in his side and back, but it was a discomfort he wanted no part of. After he was done drinking his head settled back on her lap, turning to look off the edge of the bench to where he could hear the little girl’s heavy breathing. He couldn’t see her but could see the edge of her pallet on the floor. His hand slipped off the edge of the bench and swayed downward, landing gently on the girl’s arm. It was more in reassurance that she was real and not an apparition imagined during his state of distress.

Now confirmed, his hand crept back up to his side and slid underneath the blanket. He turned on his left side afterwards, a slight groan of discomfort coming from him as he turned to face Elann with his body. Next, his hands crept up to grasp at the loose cloth of her dress. There was a vague dizziness about his head that he didn’t like, used to having it clear and fogless. Because of it, he was turning towards a physical manifestation of his comfort, Elann, quiet the entire time. He was awake, eyes closed, but didn’t have words.

[snelss0]

Elann sighed as he drank the water. It was refreshing not only to him, but to her as well. He wasn't alone in his pain, his grogginess, his distress. She was there sharing them as she had promised she would. It was a fear of his, that when things got tough she would rip apart their bond, but things had gotten pretty tough in the past few weeks, and all the moreso today, and yet there she was faithful to him.

At first, even when injured, he didn't call out for Elann, he focused on the little girl, and even as he woke, he seemed still to care more about her than Elann, but she didn't care. She didn't want him to experience what she would go through if that were true. Instead she just sat patiently there, waiting for him and drinking a tiny sip of the glass herself when he was done with it. Continually she comforted him, and ultimately he did show her attention, putting her heart at rest.

She had spent a small while watching the doctor clean up and had even helped a bit with the bloody sheets of cloth, and as the wagon went, they were sitting in a bucket with soap and vinegar getting a wagon bump cycle. The floor had been covered with his blood, but now was so clean, the girl was there laying on the spot on a blanket. She hated experiencing him being in pain, and while it had lessened with the medicine, it was still there, all the moreso now that his bond was more active. Elann just closed her eyes and endured it with deep breaths as she stroked his hair and begun to quietly hum a song for him.

Thankfully the doctor's family didn't mind them sitting in their wagon, as they would likely until his medicine wore off in a few hours. Elann sang in Shiber, the language of her people, a song of praise to Yahal for saving her life, and though she didn't see what the lightning had done, she had assumed it had scared the bird away, so she thanked Zulrav as well, blessing both of them for their kind attentions. Elann made sure her husband was well tucked in, being careful of his incisions. Any time there was a large bump and should Noah wince, she too would comfort him much like the little girl, but as he may have remembered back when his leg had been hurt, she did the same thing.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah couldn’t drift back to sleep with the constantly jostling wagon. He tried to use Elann’s presence and scent to act as his aid for sleep, but it didn’t come. Despite the drugs in his system and numbing the outward facing bits of his wound, there was an internal pain that wasn’t shaken. Elann’s breaths were deeper than Noah’s, his still shallow for fear of harming himself with deeply taken breaths. They probably weren’t going to hurt as much now that he had been healed, but the few he took while he was conscious on the riverbank were enough to scar him from trying in that moment.

He took a breath as the caravan struck a deeper rut in the road. That breath was expelled through clenched teeth as he winced and whined lowly in his pain. Elann’s touch in his hair and her quiet humming took place of the little girl whose name he had yet to learn. It was easy to be grateful and thankful for the little girl who had come to him despite his growling and protest of being healed. It seemed she saw through it to him, and saw the whimpering and frightful beast that was lying there. Elann probably saw through it the same way, but their fight was still very fresh in his mind and the shutting off of his moods was a heavily weighted thing in his subconscious.

Eventually, he drifted back off until the caravan trip came to an end for the night. Emery came to administer more medicine to the groggy Kelvic who took them without protest. He was wakeful after Emery treated him again and his stirring brought the little girl to life. She was, like him, tired and groggy, yet cute all the same. Her big eyes and tiny toothed smile brought the smallest one to his face. He had sat up in preparation to move from the wagon to the tent grounds. Elann sat on his right, if she still sat upon their stopping, and the girl sat on his left.

“Hi,” she said shyly in her tiny, sleep choked voice.

“Hello,” he chimed back. He was willing to forsake the pain in his side to seem cheerful for the girl, and it wasn’t all in façade either. Her permanent cheerfulness was contagious, and though she smiled shyly because of Noah’s unrelenting gaze, he smiled slightly in quiet happiness.

“My name is Alena,” she said quietly.

“Alena,” he repeated in a whisper.

“What’s yours?” she asked curiously.

“Noah.”

“Nice to meet you, mister Noah,” Alena happily said. “Do you feel better?”

“A little,” he answered, nodding some.

She nodded too, humming goodly. Her smile still showed, and Noah’s hand slowly came up to the girl’s face, pushing her dark hair behind her ear. Her hair wasn’t tamed yet, having just woken up, but it was an obvious gesture of care done from Noah’s end. They said their goodbyes with the Alena’s mother called for her to leave Noah alone to rest and to help set up their tent for the evening. “See you later, mister Noah,” she said before leaving. He waved goodbye to her as she jumped down playfully from the wagon’s back, landing with a soft thud that turned into more thudding as she ran off towards the clearing they were setting up tents in for the night.

[snelss0]

It was strange to Elann how Noah associated with the child so much more than with her. It was like as if he could be civil to her. Despite his pain, grogginess, and being the frightful beast he was, with her he could be civil; smile to her, speak kindly. Perhaps it was her cheerfulness, but Elann remembered it. Regardless of her thoughts, the little girl brought a smile naturally to Elann's face. She thought of her as cute, curious, and a pleasure. Not many kids would do what she did and to Elann she was appreciated. While Elann had known her already, she hadn't exactly bonded as much as some people had. Still, Elann had enjoyed playing with all the children of the caravan as they had went along. There were little games they could play as they moved forward: tag, throw the stick in the hoop, and roll the wheel.

As Noah waved, Elann did too with a kind smile. She didn't have to say anything. It was clear that the girl was fascinated with what her husband could do; being a kelvic, but also his personality was easy to attatch to.

It was dark, and given the time he had spent laying down, Elann wondered if he had healed enough to move. She would want to ask the doctor there shortly what his plans for his family were and if they were going to use the wagon to sleep in. Slowly she rubbed his cheek very lightly with her thumb as she thought about many things, chief of them being that Aimee was likely so far disconnected from the camp that she hadn't even heard about Noah yet. Elann hadn't seen her since he was injured and since she went hunting, yet she had wished she had come when it was imperative for her to help out. Now Elann would have to somehow figure everything out.

She let out a sigh and ran her hands up through his hair.

"Do you want me to go get you some dinner or stay here with you love?"

Despite his hands on her dress previously, she just wanted to be wanted by him. Part of her wondered if he would ask her to stay. Even though things on the surface seemed fine in their relationship, her intuition and the small things that had happened spoke otherwise. Still, Elann couldn't stay on the negative and instead chose to think better of him, even if it wasn't deserved. She would resolve to hope that he would want her to stay.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah listened for Alena’s footfalls until he couldn’t hear them any longer, too muffled to hear over the rest of the activity outside. Noah enjoyed the little girl’s company, and deeply appreciated her fearlessness and fascination with him. They shared the same interest in one another, Noah seeing her as a child writhe with innocence, and Alena seeing him as a Kelvic harboring an insane ability to shift between animal and man. He was almost glad that he had been grounded because he would get to see her more. He did hope he wasn’t as in such bad shape too. He wouldn’t be able to play with her like Aimee did because of his injuries.

Elann’s touch on his cheek brought his attention away from the open wagon’s back and to her. He turned, looking over at her with question in his eyes. She didn’t speak at first but hs attention didn’t retract. It stayed, able to enjoy her hand as it coursed through his hair. Her sigh was curious and sounded weighted in his opinion. Then her question came asking if he wanted her to stay with him or get food for him. Truthfully, the Kelvic was hungry. He hadn’t eaten and had been through a lot that day. Elann had been through the same ordeal, but her would be attacker was slain by a divine energy before she was touched, and her god managed to ward off the attack of another goddess.

Noah shrugged at first, unsure of what he wanted. “I’m really hungry,” he admitted guiltily in the next breath. He sat on the bench with the blanket over his lap and his hands over it. He played with the fabric, bunching it up in his hands to release and do again, waiting for Elann’s reaction to his admittance. “Could you come back and eat with me?” he asked in brief, curiously.

[snelss0]

Elann hadn't eaten all day, which wasn't an issue for her, but given her stress and the pain she had gone through, her body was yearning for it as well. Noah had perceived her sigh as heavy. It was, not just for the emotional side, in which holding back all her emotions was taxing, but also the physical side. She shared his pain and also his discomfort, yet unlike him she had been awake the whole time. It had been pure torture and food could make it better.

He accepted and she grinned at the guilt of his hunger. His curiosity and question made her smile more.

"Of course I will. I don't know if it's ready or not. I don't even know what happened, if they were able to find my bow and the bear or not. I've been here the whole time."

It showed she was faithful to remain by his side in everything, and as she stood up, it was painful. Still, in stubbornness, she bent over despite the pain he sent her and gave him a kiss before slipping out the back. It was clear she was moving a little bit slower, but there was a relief in her as well now that she was able to finally move.

As Elann rounded the wagon, she saw the fire pit as well as the doctor and his family. There was quite a gathering of people around the blaze as food was being served, and as she approached, she felt like a celebrity. Just about everyone hoped that she and Noah were okay, would give hugs, and eventually ushered her to the front of the line. It made her feel a bit better, and especially since on a grill over the fire were large bear steaks and some soup.

"Ahh I was going to bring you some," said the cook.

"Well, here I am."

After a brief exchange of words on Noah's condition, she stepped to the side and talked just a little bit more, letting him serve others. Ultimately she left with a plate of a couple bear steaks and a bowl of soup with a knife in between her fingers, but before she could head back to the wagon, she had to ask the doctor some things.

"He is sitting up now. He seems groggy and in a lot of pain."

"I would imagine. He'll likely be in pain for a couple of days and then likely will be very sore after that."

"Um..." she muttered nervously, "Would you mind if we trespass on you tonight? I think it'd be far too painful to climb down from the wagon right now."

The doctor nodded and explained how his family was going to sleep in a tent anyways, and that in the morning, they'd see what they could do about moving him to their own wagon for his recovery. Satisfied, Elann headed back and came about the back of the wagon.

"Here is food," she said as she lifted it up onto the wagon chair to set it down. The action was extremely painful to her, given where his injuries were and she couldn't help but whimper tiny bit.

"I still didn't see Aimee. She was out way ahead this morning."

Elann then climbed up into the wagon and would help Noah to feed himself; cutting the steaks; bringing them up to his mouth; wiping his chin of any juice; feeding the soup to him; to which all of it would involve the movement of his arms, which given where his injuries were, would hurt greatly. Elann knew that for a fact, because as she moved, she could tell. If she was hurting as bad as she was, he would die in pain if he moved like she did. Elann loved being a servant to people, especially her husband, and as she fed him, there was a special kind of love within her bond for him. A loving care and gentleness.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah nodded to Elann as she left, fingers of his left hand playing on his lips where she had kissed him. He watched her as she left from the wagon, stepping down and moving slowly from there on out. In her absence he tested his mobility. He could stand, he knew that because his legs weren’t aching or afflicted like his upper body. It was just that standing and walking would jostle everything on top. Bending was difficult and he was almost forced to sit up straight at the cost of a constant ache in his back. Using his upper arms was nearly impossible without pain in the middle of his shoulder blades. His right arm had been slashed on the outward facing side and so any muscle movement there was annoying to deal with as it effected his ribcage on the right. He found that using his arms below the elbow was fine and could be done with minor annoyance.

Elann came back with food and Noah could smell it before she arrived. He could see her discomfort in movements clearer now. He didn’t consider that he was transferring all his pain to her, the thought slipping from his mind in his own consideration for himself. Not liking the whimper, she made, he dulled the transmission to spare her, thinking this instance was an exception to their established rule. Afterwards, he hummed in agreement to Elann’s words on Aimee.

“I saw her,” he admitted since Elann had seen the wolf as well. “She’ll be back in a little bit.” Noah spoke confidently, believing he understood his sister’s behavior and could predict it.

When it came to his feeding, Noah let Elann bring the first few pieces of steak to his mouth. Though he got easily annoyed with himself for not being able to do it. He didn’t like feeling useless and voiced it, asking if she could just put the pieces into his left hand so he feed himself. There was some strain in his first movements as he tested his maneuverability with it. Even if she directly hesitated in letting him feed himself, he would insist with a silent look that said as much. Regardless of how much love and gentleness she put into her willful feeding of him, it would annoy him because of the handicap he had. He had been in the care of people all day, strangers to him at that, and so he wanted to feed himself to some degree. Aside from the bear steak that took effort to chew, Noah didn’t much want the soup being spooned into his mouth either.

“I don’t want anymore,” he finally said when he felt his stomach approaching fullness. “Am I supposed to stay here tonight?” he asked afterwards, wiping the bottom of his chin with his left hand.