Apples and Angels

[Ariel]

The soft footfalls of a vigilant elf barely made a whisper in the soft grass that covered the forest floor. Ariel stood there, beneath the canopy of the ancient tree's, his eye's closed, his chin raised to heavens, his ears deaf to the world around him. His heart beat a steady tempo despite his troubled soul, a steady pulse that belied the heartless form of one familiar to the slaughter of his countrymen. His hands reached up, grasping the golden armor of his winged helmet and tugged it from his wrinkled brow, letting the kaleidoscope of light that breached the forests leafs descend upon his features. It was a perfect scene, a natural work of art that formed by chance and lent beauty to the earth. Perfect, save for the presence of the gold clad Ariel. He was not an instrument of peace or tranquility, he was a construct of war, and a stranger to a life of free will and choice.

A breeze stalked through the foliage, a cool current of air that brought with it smells of the flowers, the plant life, and a stench of battle. Not far from this spot lay a clearing, once filled with song birds and swaying grass, now stacked with the corpses of the weak, the slow, and the unlucky. Warfare was not a child's game, though it was with children that both sides had filled their ranks. Seventeen or twenty it made no difference, as so few of them were prepared for the kind of battle a Dark Elf army waged. The breeze rushed past him, racing towards parts unknown, and his shoulder's sagged. He placed all his confusion, all his doubt and sorrow into a breath of air, and exhaled, letting the weight of his soul travel on the wings of an indifferent breeze. The battle was over but there was work to be done. The helmet slid back into place, and it brought the weight of a warrior onto his weary bones. They had routed the light elf army, scattered them to the wind, but he had other orders. Despite fighting at the very front of the battle his mission didn't end with it's conclusion. There were survivors hidden within this place, and it was Aries charge to rip the life from them. His eye's hardened, as his hand fell to the sword on his left hip. It was time to become a monster, he thought, as he resigned himself to the fate he had sworn himself to.

Or a dark elf came the bored voice of his most loyal friend.

"I wasn't asking for your input Blue," Ariel replied, his tone that of a reprimanding elder sibling.

But you received it anyway oh Mighty Angel. Replied the Beasts sarcastic voice. The long form of the Chinese dragon floated behind the stoic warrior effortlessly. Blue had once been a ferociously duty bound creature. A trait lost when Ariel began serving the Dark Queen. Now, he seemed more like a playful puppy then the swift and dangerous Beast he truly was.

Ariel winced at the mention of his unofficial title. He was certainly not a servant of God, or the voice of some unseen deity. His master was very real, and though he loathe to admit it, fallible.

"I'm no Angel," came the soft contradiction.

Well my name isn't Blue, but that doesn't stop you at all

"Shut up Blue," ordered the Elf as he turned his head sharply towards the east. His entire posture changed from that of a somber soldier, to that of a predator. His weight was shifted to the balls of his feet and his sense were sharpened in case of ambush. "Do you hear that," he asked Blue, and immediately regretted it.

Of course I hear it, I can smell it to the dragon paused momentarily to perform a small barrel roll through the air as he led the way to the source of whatever had spooked Ariel a moment before. There is a fire burning and at least half a dozen wounded elves lounging about. Something we should be doing instead of chasing down the remnants of a beaten opponent.

"You could have told me that earlier," chastised Ariel as he rushed to keep up with his Beast. Blue didn't think much of Ariel's new reputation, and took any opportunity to knock the elf down a peg.

I've had enough killing for one day. Besides" replied the Dragon as it slid from the tree cover out into a small clearing.you didn't ask

The clearing wasn't massive, just wide enough to contain a small hut, and reveal a babbling brook which cut its way through the tree's before pooling slightly in the clearing for the briefest of moments, and continuing downwards, back into the tree line. Whether the pool was created by elf or nature seemed unimportant, especially when there were four light elves resting on its banks. Judging by the expertly applied bandages whoever lived in this small hut wasn't just protecting his enemies, but healing them as well. One of the elves jumped to their feet at the sound of Blue prancing past them, the beast no longer intent on flying, but preferring to announce his presence as he traveled to the opposite bank of the small pond, and proceeded to drink from it. The elf quickly put two and two together as his eyes jumped from the Beast, to Ariel, who was only now emerging from the tree's, his sword still hanging at his hip, his armor, still caked in light elf blood.

The light elf, still young, barely out of his teens, opened his mouth, but no words escaped it for several moments before he finally managed a stammering sentence. "The Dark Angel! Queen's mercy they've found us! To arms!" The exclamation was followed by thundering footsteps from within the hut as a single elf, one hand brandishing a sword while the other held loose bandages across his abdomen emerged, red faced, but not scared. Unlike the other boy this one held an expression of determination. He was a true soldier, not like the conscript that had spotted Ariel in the first place. This one deserved a clean death, and Ariel was prepared to grant him that final honor.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

Blood trickled from the cloth in her hands as Rei soaked a bandage in the cool water. Nearby, her home and the soldiers that currently resided with her waited and healed. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept or had a decent meal. More and more seemed to be coming these days, in fact a day didn’t go by where at least one soldier came to her for healing a wound. Sometimes the wounds were not life threatening at all, merely something keeping them from turning around and charging back into the heated battle. Although she knew her mother would not like the thought, Rei was starting to wonder what happened to a man who took his scars and bore the pain. Men seemed to love the fight but they did not love to endure what came along with it.: death, pain, destruction, not to mention heartache.

Wringing the bandage again, Rei heard a shout nearby and her head picked up as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. She’d tied her skirts up around her hips to keep them dry, but when she stood suddenly they fell down into the water.

“Oh no… nononono!” She started to mutter under her breath before cursing. She dropped the bandage into the water completely and climbed from the bank. As she struggled, her bare feet in the mud she inwardly panicked. Something was very wrong, she could tell by the sounds that came from her home and she feared the worst.

As she started to run she had an idea and turned back. Near the bowl she’d brought the blood bandages in she remembered seeing two fairly large rocks. It wouldn’t be much to defend herself with but it would be something. She grabbed one in each hand before racing back in the direction of her home…

[Ariel]

Of the four elves only two seemed capable of fighting back, or even standing for that matter. It was an unfortunate situation for the soldier to find themselves in. Had they abandoned their wounded friends they may have been able to outrun him, maybe even survived long enough to rendezvous with the rest of the light elf army. But as soldiers their pride, their loyalty to one another had made them do the right thing, instead of the intelligent thing. Ariel understood completely, but that didn't mean it changed his purpose here. His opponents had chosen their fate, chosen to die doing the right thing instead of living with regret. Eying his opponents apathetically he took one measured step forward, then another. With each step he took forward the first elf took a step back, but the second, the one armed with the sword stood his ground.

"The battle is over, leave us be," ordered the brave one, "Your outnumbered," he added at the end. Empty threats aside Ariel couldn't help but frown at the entire situation. These kids didn't deserve to die, not like this. Maybe on a battlefield where the death might amount to something, but to die here, where no one could see it.

yes but your a dark elf now, deserve has nothing to o with it right? Thing like honor, and justice are concepts we don't have time for came the consistently apathetic voice of Blue.

Ariel replied by drawing his sword. The wool filled scabbard muffling the sound of his metallic blade. Duty is the only concept I need be concerned with. replied Ariel.

"Your going to need a better plan than diplomacy friend," said Ariel as he approached the brave one. The brave elf's nostrils flared a moment before he lunged forward his sword, thrusting with both hands towards the abdominal gap in Ariel's armor. It was a predictable move, but Ariel's counter was not. His blade swung in from the side, using the side of the blade to push his opponents weapon to the left, but without slowing down its momentum. The two blades were nearly side by side when Ariel's gauntlet covered hand grasped both blade's about a third of the way down. He slammed the hilt of his own blade against the fingers of his opponent, placing the pommel of the weapon on the opposite side of his opponents wrist.
It was a procedure that took all of one second, and when he pulled his weapon to the right, and simultaneously stepped in the opposite direction. With his hand on both blades Ariel had all the leverage he needed to rip his opponents weapon out of his hands. The longsword flew into the air where it clattered to the ground unceremoniously. His opponent turned round to squarely face the Dark Angel, only to receive a swift kick in the chest that sent him to sprawling backwards into his cowardly friend, who had only know summoned the courage to attack. They both tumbled to the ground on top of each other. It would have been a comical mistake, if it hadn't been such a fatal one.

Ariel twirled his own longsword once so that the tip was pointing downwards, ready to pin the fallen elve's to the floor. The Dark Angel went about his work in the same stoic, unavoidable manner a farmer maintained his crops. Of course, Ariel was about to reap an entirely different sort of crop. At least, he would have, if he hadn't been interrupted by a crossbow bolt that struck him several inches above the left knee. The bolt managed to pierce the heavy padded armor of his long Haidate. It wasn't as strong as the armor which covered his chest and arms, but it had absorbed must of the bolts impact, even at this close range. As it was, instead of driving straight into the bone, the bolt had only pierced two and a half inches. Enough to provide a fair bit of resistance as Ariel ripped it free from his body. To his credit, Ariel didn't cry out in pain, he merely tossed the bolt to the ground and stalked towards the archer. The elf with the crossbow was one of the two Ariel had written off as being incapacitated. Despite being covered in sweat and obviously feverish, the female light elf that was hurriedly trying to reload her weapon was still willing to fight. It was time to end this fight.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

“NOOOO!” Rei shouted as she ran, her voice jumping with each footfall. Her hair and skirts billowed behind her as she ran with everything she had. She could now see the progressing battle, and the injured Knights that fought to defend themselves. Only that morning she’d began the arduous process of healing them and she wouldn’t have them slaughtered before her very eyes.

“No!” She commanded again, throwing herself into the middle of the battle and extending her arms in front of her. The Woman archer had managed to get to her feet. She wasn’t as badly off as her companion however. “There will be no fighting here! This is not the battle grounds!”

She’d forgotten how she held in her hands the two rocks and she prepared herself for throwing them at the Knight in gold. Apparently he had the intention of killing her patients and she wouldn’t have it. She’d die before she allowed it to happen. Looking up to him, she did not fear death. She already lived life in a death-like state. She ate, drank, breathed air, and healed, but really her life didn’t exist past that and so she cared not about losing what she didn’t have.

Knowing it was probably useless, she commanded once more, “Stop!” But a man that would attack the injured and off the field of battle was probably not the kind of man to heed the command of a mere peasant healer.

[Ariel]

Ariel stopped as another elf charged on to the scene, her clothes billowing behind her in manner that he found disturbingly attractive. In truth, it wasn't the clothes that he found attractive, so much as the women beneath them. Long raven back hair paired with a dark complexion one rarely found on a light elf. She was in a word beautiful, but that meant nearly nothing to Ariel. He served one of the most sensual and powerful women on the planet, and had learned how to ignore something as petty as physical appearance. No, what had stopped Ariel in his tracks was the look in her eyes, the willingness to fight to fight was evident in her expression, but her eyes were missing the usual motivations. This woman wasn't afraid, wasn't fighting for survival or out of malice and rage. She was defending people she held no allegiance to, no obligations. In short, he was intrigued.

As soon as he finished slaughtering these light elves, he was going to have find out exactly who this woman was. Or at least what she was thinking picking a fight with a professional soldier armed with nothing but what appeared to be a sling. Two swift footsteps were the only warnings Ariel received to alert him to the incoming attack from one of the elves behind him. The cowardly one had armed himself with a knife, and, despite being branded as a coward in Ariel's mind had charged ahead rather recklessly. It was a brave, if foolish move. Armed with a longsword, Ariel didn't need any special maneuvers to strike down his opponent. He turned on heel, using his right foot as a pivot point as he raised his sword, and brought it down heavily in a diagonal arch. The elf attempted to block with his knife but the force behind Ariel's much heavier longsword was more then enough to break the opponents guard, cutting him from left shoulder to right hip. In one devastating attack. Ariel's hand lashed out, snatching the falling elf's wrist and pulling him forward. The whistle of a crossbow bolt on flight was ended with a wet thud, as it buried into the upper torso of cowardly elf. No, the elf deserved a better title then that. He had died proudly, and deserved to remembered for such valor.

The brave one managed to retrieve his sword in time to erect a defensive stance moments before Ariel pressed the attack. The two blades clashed for a several seconds in a series of thrusts, parries, and counters before Ariel managed to take advantage of the situation. With a strong parry, the brave elf was set off balance, granting Ariel the chance to send a swift thrust towards his opponents exposed throat. The sharp blade sliced through he elf's skin with ease, and while it didn't tear out the brave one's throat, it was a deep enough gash that despite the elf's best efforts, he would likely loose consciousness from the blood loss in the next few moments. Just like the first elf, Ariel snatched the brave ones wrist and wrenched him so that his body was between him and the archer.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

For an instant, Rei made eye contact with the soldier and she wondered if her commands had any effect at all. But she’d forgotten about the light elves, and when the one armed with a knife attempted an attack from behind on the golden Knight, he was apparently that she didn’t have any choice in the matter. There would be more blood shed, but the question was whose?

Dropping the rocks in her hands, now that they were pretty much useless, she turned to the archer who was barely conscious. She had to get her to safety somehow. One who couldn’t defend themselves should not be in a fight at all.

As she started to wrap the archers arm around her shoulder and hoist them up, she looked back to the battle just as the Knight slaughtered the first of the two fighters. Inwardly she felt a pang of anger. This happened every time she could not save a life. It wasn’t fair for something so precious to be snubbed out so easily.

“Come, we must get you inside.” She grunted slightly under the weight of the archer. She didn’t know why she bothered. Her home was not sturdy enough to resist a full on attack and she imagined if this Knight wished to get inside he would do it with no issues. But she had to try something rather than just stand there and scream…

[Ariel]

Two down, just a few to go. Ariel cast a glance at the light elf still laying outside. The boy was unconscious, his gold blond hair ruffled by a soft breeze, but he didn't stir. He was likely dead already, and if he wasn't he likely wasn't going anywhere soon. Ariel watched the healer pull the archer into her small hut, a delaying tactic that wouldn't do anything more then postpone the inevitable. Still, he had to give credit where credit was due. She wasn't a soldier, yet she actively defied someone who had just executed two trained members of the light queens army. It was intriguing to say the least. A soft push sent the brave one to the ground, his legs to weak to hold his wait thanks to the loss of blood. He crumpled like a house of cards, blinking once before his eye's settled on the apathetic Blue, and held it there.

The Chinese dragon raised it's head from the pond, water dribbling downs it chin as it stared back at the lifeless elf on the floor. Ariel could tell something was wrong simply by the fact that Blue rarely focused on anything.

"What's the matter?" asked Ariel, his tone more of an order then a question. Despite his serene expression Ariel's heart was pounding, pumping adrenaline through his veins and calling his limbs to action.

Company, replied Blue before his head shot straight up as quickly as if he had just been slapped in the face. Bad company!

It was all Blue could exclaim before a massive form bounded from the tree line. All Ariel could see was a mountain of brown fur, before the heavy mass collided with him, one giant paw slamming down on his lithe form. The small defensive measure Ariel had erected, which constituted of raising his blade above his head as if he were parrying another sword, caved in beneath the bulk of the charging beast. One heavily clawed hand pushed passed his blade, and hammered down onto his right shoulder pauldron. Ariel collapsed to one knee. Drawing his sword horizontally, drawing a long deep wound across the beasts forearm. The roar that erupted from the creature was deafening, but nearly as painful as the second swipe it launched at Ariel. The heavy paw lifted the elf bodily from the ground, and spinning like barrel Ariel crashed to the floor, his helmet tumbling from his head. He had underestimated his enemy, and it had cost him dearly. Assuming he survived, this encounter, he promised to never make that mistake again.

A flash of blue scales, and another deafening roar signified the presence of Blue. A glimpse of his features demonstrating the true fury of the small Blue dragon. A battle of savage intent raged for several minutes before Ariel gained the strength to try and stand, and act that ended in failure as a crippling pain shot through his clavicle and shoulder. He didn't know how severe the damage was, only that he wasn't going anywhere for the time being. A heavy crash and painful moan signified the fall of Blue's enemy, but it sounded far away. The pain was drifting away, and Ariel knew that that wasn't a good sign. His eye's drifted to the brave one, his bloodied features were still frozen in place, but his eye's were closed. It was obvious whose beast had attacked Ariel with such severity.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

Rei heard the roar outside and the collision of the beasts just after settling the archer down on the bed. Her head whipped around to look out the window and she witnessed the attack. “Rest here.” She breathed to the archer before walking to the door. She watched the Knight fall and the battle rage between the two creatures for a moment before she slowly made her way to the fallen and dying soldier.

It was fairly obvious that one of them was dead already, but the other was nearer to death, his eyes closed, blood flowing constantly from his open wound. Rei dropped to her knees beside him, ignoring the others for a moment. Her hand gently touched the mans forehead and she closed her eyes. He would not live long, but he was in pain. With a sigh she moved to kneel above the head of the fallen soldier. Her hands were slow and graceful, taking his head into her hands and pausing. Then, with one sharp movement she rolled it in her arms, cracking and breaking the neck of the soldier and putting him fully to rest.

Even though her heart hurt, she didn’t shed a tear for this lost life. Instead she felt the usual dull anger that came with death. This war was ridiculous. So many good lives were being lost over nothing but power.

After gently laying the mans head down on the soft ground she turned then to crawl over to the body of the golden Knight. He was in pretty bad shape, open, bloody wounds were visible on his head and torso. She raised her hand and touched it to his forehead as she had with the other Knight. He was alive but needed aid. Looking up to the Blue creature she frowned. “I can help him.” She explained before carefully beginning the long process of removing his armor….

[Ariel]

Fresh blood dripped from the dragons maw as he tore out the throat of the beast that had brutalized Ariel. It was a truly powerful thing, several hundred pounds of brown fur and claw, like a grizzly bear that had never stopped growing. How Ariel was alive at all was a miracle, though Blue would have been lying if he said he were surprised. Ariel had a habit of not only surviving hazardous situations, but turning them to his advantage. Of course, Blue had been paying more attention then. The Dragon turned its head to the fallen form of Ariel, and couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sensation of guilt and fear. He had been angry at Ariel, angry for what he'd done, angry for his willingness to follow orders they both knew to be morally, and ethically wrong. Mostly, he was angry at the fact that he knew Ariel would never change. More and more Blue had come to see Ariel as a rock that was dragging him deeper and deeper into the depths of a swirling abyss. At times, Blue felt as if he might be able to escape, may reach a semblance of normality if he could manage to cut away the dead weight.

Seeing Ariel in his mangled condition now however, he realized just how childish he had been acting. Blue had been trying so hard to not focus on the battle, that he had failed to take notice of the massive beast barreling down on their position. It was an obscenely rare chance that Blue would have missed something like had he been paying even a modest amount of attention. His senses bordered on preternatural, and it was his greatest asset. To have Ariel taken by surprise like that wasn't just unfortunate, it was his fault.

When the healer emerged from her hut Blue became almost immediately aggressive, that was until she spoke to him. It was obvious that despite the fact that Ariel had slaughtered half of the elves she was caring for, the woman bore no grudge against them. While Blue was suspicious of her motives, he wasn't about to turn down medical attention. It seemed the dragon had little choice, and had to be content with laying down a short distance from Ariel, and watching, this time his senses on full alert, just in case.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

Seeing the blood drip from the beast and how hostile it acted when she approached the body of its master, she almost shrieked back in fear. She did not like large beasts at all, that was probably why Rei didn't have one of her own. But after she spoke the creature seemed to settle down and watch her. She'd had other people watch her this way, as if making sure all could possibly be done to save the life of their loved ones and ready to jump in if they thought something didn't seem right. Usually Rei was very annoyed with these kinds of people. However for some reason she actually felt sorry for this beast and wished to show that she had nothing but helpful intensions, even if this soldier did just come and slaughter two of her patients and allowed another to die. He still had a life, and as long as it was in her hands she would do her best to save it.

It took almost an hour for her to remove enough of the metal. She had to tug gently, avoiding as much of the wounds as possible as she did so. Undoubtedly he would be very sore if/when he woke, but the metal was only a hindrance. She could retrieve it off the ground later. After removing the heavy pieces of gold, she got up and rushed back to her hut to light a fire. Many of his wounds would need cauterizing, a very painful process but necessary.

It was a good thing she'd left the patient bed open and put the Archer in her own bed. She knew as soon as she was able to walk Rei would have to make the Archer leave so as not to put her in any more danger, she only hoped she could get away without that creature outside attacking her. Maybe she could make a distraction...

Quickly lighting the fire, she fetched the strange stretcher contraption she'd made for herself a few years back. Moving a fully grown man by herself was a difficult process, but it had to be done. It was a strange thing, with one end that dragged on the ground while the other had a harness she wore. If she bent over enough, and strapped a body on the stretcher, she could move a person several feet without much stress.

Glancing a few times at the beast, still a little fearful of it, she set herself to work on moving the man, noting his features as she did so. She'd thought he was older when she first saw him, but now he seemed fairly young.

Crouching down, she reached beneath his arms and counted to three before hoisting him up and using all her strength to drag him onto the leather matting of the stretcher. She grunted under the weight before walking around to the other end and dawning the harness. The little hut seemed farther away now, but she focused on it, putting one foot in front of the other and pulling with all her might…

[Ariel]

Spots of light hovered in and out of focus, swirling through his vision with such intensity that he could hardly make out where he was, or why the world was spinning. He was vaguely aware of how serious his injuries was, the tingling sensation he had had before turning into a strong burning pain that made him draw his breath in deeply, like a diver emerging from the water. The pain brought a clarity to his situation that few other influences could have, and his eyes struggled to open. After a few minutes struggle he managed to get one partially open, and realized he was been carried, or rather, dragged, away from the brook he had collapsed by. He tried in vain to locate his sword, but failed to locate it among the foliage. For a moment, the elf was struck with a sense of desperation, of terror that he had lost his weapon. After so many years it was practically a part of him, and while he suffered from no illusions that it was anything more then a finely crafted piece of metal, at that moment he was more terrified of it's safety than his own. The thought of being taken away without finding it would have been unbearable. Fortunately he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Blue floated anxiously alongside the healer, His blue head hung shamefully as he tried to think of some way to help his fallen master. He couldn't think of anything other than staying out of the way. For all his abilities, healing such savage wounds were beyond him. Instead, he had to content himself with sitting outside the huts doorway, licking his wounds while he hoped for the best. If Ariel recovered, then he would never again be so careless, he would try and not let the short comings of his truest friend ever let him forget how important the elf was to him. Blue may have known many things, but even was to concerned with Ariel's well being to realize he had begun bargaining, making generic promises to an unseen deity in the hopes that by some miracle, everything would go back to normal. As if Blue could find redemption with a second chance.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

Grunting under the weight, Rei felt the man wake and his movement shifted the cot, making her almost topple over. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. Being annoyed seemed to be her vice. Her mother never grew annoyed with her patients, but Rei seemed to be getting annoyed a lot lately. Trying to make her voice sound as calm as possible she stopped, “Hold still! I’m trying to help you.”

It was unlikely he even heard her. It was unlikely the man was even fully conscious. He’d lost a lot of blood and was loosing more by the second. Focusing back on the door she continued to drag the body, pausing anytime the man moved or shifted. She inwardly prayed he didn’t tumble off all together and do more damage to his body.

Finally, she arrived indoors and at the bed beside the fire. She thought about closing the door but upon seeing the monster sitting, watching her, she left it open. With another grunt she managed to get the man atop the bed. It wasn’t as tall as a normal bed, She would have to kneel to render aid to anyone in it. But it was warm and comfortable.

Not noticing the blood that streaked her arms and clothing, she started to tare at the tattered clothing across the mans body, opening them completely until only his under garments covered him. She wasn’t shy or embarrassed about this. She’d helped heal patients since she was a small child, and having them undressed was just part of the ordeal.

She didn’t give warning or moved to hastily, but no sooner had she removed his clothing did Rei begin to tie and buckle straps around the mans body, holding him to the bed. Then she reached for the iron poker in the fire. She glanced at the beast, hoping he’d know this was for the best of its master before she prodded the end of the sharp rod into the first gushing wound. Many of them would need to be closed, and she only hoped the man would be asleep enough to not feel the pain. The smell of blood and burning flesh quickly filled the air…

[Ariel]

The long whiskers on Blue's face twitched nervously as he anxiously watched the healer tend to the wounds of his fallen angel. The dragon refused to believe that after all they had survived, his master and closest friend would die. It was an ignoble death, and one unsuitable for a man of Ariel's reputation and history, and so it was that naturally cynical beast chanced a foray into the realm of irrational optimism. For once in his long life the dragon hung his head, and was still, only the twitching of his long tail and whiskers to indicate his anxiety. The healer was already covered in the blood of his master, and while Blue may not have been an experienced healer, even he was aware that that was a bad sign.

Ariel was floating in and out of consciousness. The blood loss was making him weary it was true, but the impact of the beasts massive paw against his helmet had dazed him severely. Of course, even though he had begin to regain some of his senses, the blood loss was taking its toll. He felt weak, unable to move even if he had had the inclination to do so. His whining and struggling stopped, but he didn't close his eyes, he refused to let his life slip away from him . Ariel was a fighter through and through, whether that was on a battle field, or in a hospital bed, he never surrendered. In the twilight of his memory he would later recall vague recollections of being undressed, but at the moment that the healer had begun to remove his garments, Ariel was aware of nothing but her face.

In the end, he mused, there were worse ways to die.

Blue's large head rose swiftly, aware of the straps that the healer was begin to place around Ariel's body. He knew that Ariel would likely not survive his injuries without medical attention, but that did not mean he was going to let this woman end it any sooner. His nostril's flared in obvious antipathy, before his eyes fell onto the form of the female archer. He held his gaze on her for a moment before leveling his eyes at the healer. The message was clear. Either Ariel lives, or the archer dies. The muscles in its powerful jaws tensed when the healer jabbed the heated metal into Ariel's wounds. Blue knew how painful it was, as well as the need for such a procedure. Ariel had treated most of his wounds in a similar manner on the battlefield when healers were not around, so at the very least, it didn't catch Blue off guard.

[Rei Layla Shikhem]

Rei was too concentrated on her patient to notice the threatening glares the beast cast towards the archer. With every sizzle of the scalding poker she had to hold back her own wince. It had to be very painful, and still the man bore it and that was rather worrisome. Maybe he was further gone than she thought. Her hand touched to his forehead quickly and the amount of pain she felt coming from him was enough to make her draw back instantly.

Finally the deed was done and she threw the power back into the hearth. She would sterilize it later. Getting up she hurried over to a locked cupboard and promptly opened it. Inside hundreds of hundreds of jars sat. They all contained in them some form of herb or something to help. A few of them were poisoned, thus why she kept them locked up, but the rarely used the poisoned ones.

After gathering all she needed she locked the herbs back up and set to work on making a paste to slather on the wounds. It was a long process, but Rei wasn’t one for doing things the easy way. Soon, she returned to the Knights side and began to carefully apply the paste. After each application she took up a bandage and carefully wrapped the wound. The man would need water soon and she was glad that earlier that day she’d made the trip to the stream for fresh water.

Finally, he was wrapped and her final task was pulling a blanket up over the man to keep him warm. With a sigh she got up and grabbed a small leaf from a little bowl on the table and chewed on it. It would give her some energy while she headed on into the night. She wouldn’t get any sleep, but stay constantly at the Knights side to see that he made it through.

The dead outside, she knew, would have to be buried. Not far from the house there was a place where she buried the bodies of unknown soldiers, but that was a task that would have to wait, and as much as she hated the idea of the bloody corpses outside her door decomposing, she knew she didn’t have a choice.

Silently, she proceeded to wash the grime and blood from her arms as best she could, now looking to the animal.

“It’s going to be a long night.” She said to it, “You should try and get some sleep.”