Where Rumors Grow [M] [Giraffe]

Goldie · January 17, 2024, 05:50:22 AM

The desert was using Jelani at this point more than she was using it. There was nothing she could do, but it brought her peace to know she, at the very least, was able to keep Pyla from whatever fate their sisters suffered under the thumbs of these slavers.

She had just about given up and resigned herself to the fact that this magic would only stop when her strength completely failed, but then the bird...that damn bird...took to the sky and...

What was he?

She didn't have time to contemplate before the single word he spoke rang like a gong in her brain, severing her connection to the sands. The storm stopped almost immediately and the sand that was still in the sky hovered, frozen, for just a moment before falling to the ground.

Jelani's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed with them.

wandering_giraffe · January 17, 2024, 10:50:38 AM

Pyla didn't know Zephyr could do that. She had rescued him several years ago in a sandstorm. For a split second she thought this must be someone else's bird.
And then he spoke, and all the panic and fear just left, replaced by an almost eerie calm. Eerie, perhaps, because the sand storm also stopped, time itself seeming to stand still before the sand just fell to the desert ground.

Pyla glanced over to Jelani. Who had collapsed. Was...was she dead? Pyla worried about what Zephyr had done. Did it hurt her?
What even did he do? Pyla wasn't sure. She had never read anything like it.

And yet, Zephyr's extra pair of wings didn't go away as he flew back down to Pyla and Jelani, landing on a large rock and preening his feathers.

She knelt next to Jelani, and worriedly checked for a pulse.
"Jelani? Jelani!" She gently shook her with her remaining hand. Her other arm still was in a lot of pain. But there wasn't much anyone could do.

Goldie · January 17, 2024, 11:25:34 AM

The desert had taken much from her, and if she had struggled with its power before, she was in worse condition now. Her skin was pale and blood oozed from her nose and her ears. Yet, somehow, she managed to open her eyes just enough that Pyla swam into view, almost angelic in appearance with the sun shining around her.

"Pyla." She croaked. She couldn't move, her limbs felt like lead. They were a pair, the two of them.

"Are they gone? Are...are you safe?" A rough cough shook through her and her eyes closed again and didn't open. It took too much effort.

wandering_giraffe · January 17, 2024, 09:09:48 PM

"Yes they're gone...I'm safe..."
But then Jelani passed out again.
"Zephyr what do I do? Hakeshna help us." Zephyr cautiously sat on Jelani's chest, watching her for movement.
"Zephyr what are you doing?" Pyla anxiously watched him.
He merely lowered his head, and acted like he was sleeping. His wings glowed again. He was attempting to transfer some of his life energy to Jelani.
Pyla ripped off a tiny bit of her own shirt, dabbing at the blood that was oozing out of her ears.
Jelani didn't look good.
"Hakeshna above, please, let her live. I should be the one you take. She's—-she's the leader. Without her the Metzezei crumble. I can't lead them."
Everything seemed to culminate and overflow, tears falling down Pyla's cheeks.

Goldie · January 18, 2024, 06:27:24 PM

Jelani's breathing steadied and the blood flow slowed significantly. Whatever Zephyr was doing was working, and the leader of the Mtetezi inched back from death that had threatened to claim her only moments before.

The air was as unnaturally still, almost mirroring the woman who had commanded the sands and now remained unmoving.

But she wasn't dead, which was an immense improvement.

wandering_giraffe · January 21, 2024, 11:54:04 AM

Pyla carefully cleaned the blood off of Jelani's face, taking her wrist and checking her pulse once more. It was slower than normal, but it had improved.
Zephyr raised his head and looked off into the distance, then alighted into the sky and looked at Pyla.
"What? A small oasis? How far?"
Zephyr just began flying in the direction he had indicated.
"Weird bird," she muttered to herself.

Pyla sighed and gently picked Jelani up, following Zephyr.

The oasis was small, but the pool of water was clear, and there were a grove of palm trees around the water. The shade provided some much needed relief from the scorching heat, and Pyla laid Jelani down in the shade.
She took the flask and refilled it from the pool, then sat down beside Jelani.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Jelani, before leaning back against a palm tree to rest some.

Goldie · January 22, 2024, 01:56:31 PM

Jelani didn't know how long she was out. She didn't know if she was awake or dreaming. She didn't know if she would ever actually wake up.

Until she did.

The sun was blazing around her making her eyes water and her head pound as a quiet groan escaped her lips. Hakeshna her mouth was a desert and her tongue coarse and swollen. Even half awake she could feel the cracks that had formed in her lips.

What had happened? Where...where was she?

Where was Pyla?

Pyla.

Pyla running towards her hand outstretched.

Hand.

Jelani lurched upright, suddenly lucid and looked around for her sister. "Pyla? Pyla?"

Her eyes found her and she moved, stiffly, to be by her side.

wandering_giraffe · January 22, 2024, 02:14:19 PM

Pyla had leaned back against the palm tree to rest, and then the adrenaline wore off.
She fell into a restless sleep. She didn't mean to, really, her body just took over and shut down.
Pyla didn't even want to think about the past two days. But every time she closed her eyes she could feel...everything.
The men forcing her arm onto the table. The terror and realization of what was about to happen.
The sickening sound of the blade cutting through her wrist.
The fear that she might bleed out.
The redhot iron being used to stop the bleeding.

Pyla's body was so stressed out that it had felt like she was viewing the whole ordeal from above. She couldn't really remember what happened afterwards...Jelani came in like a raging bull and just...obliterated all of them. Zephyr did something weird.
Her wrist hurt. A lot. It was a strange dull but sharp pain.

Then she could hear Jelani's voice. Oh. That was happening right now. Jelani...Jelani's awake!
She weakly sat up alittle bit. She didn't have much energy. Honestly she didn't know how she got Jelani here. Sheer willpower. Probably.
"There's water...flask...near you..."
And Pyla protectively held her damaged arm against her chest.

Goldie · January 22, 2024, 04:14:39 PM

"Oh Hakeshna, Pyla!" Jelani choked, her usual calm and stoic demeanor crumbling beneath shock and exhaustion. She looked at her hand and her mind went blank for what to do. It was just...gone. There was her arm and then her wrist and then nothing.

This was her fault. She had brought them here knowing it would most likely be a trap.

"Oh Pyla I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry..." tears filled her eyes.

wandering_giraffe · January 22, 2024, 04:33:32 PM

"It's not...it's not your fault."
"Jelani...I'm glad you're ok," Pyla said, her throat hoarse from exhaustion, tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.
It killed Pyla to see Jelani like this.
Pyla found the water flask and gave it Jelani.
"I'm the one that should be sorry, not you. If it wasn't for you I'd still be—" and her voice choked up, and Pyla placed her hand on Jelani's, a silent comfort.

Goldie · January 22, 2024, 04:58:13 PM

"We need to get you home." Jelani said softly, doing her best to control herself for Pyla's sake. She wouldn't be much of a leader if she couldn't support her people when they needed her most. She needed to stay strong, needed to be strong.

She accepted the canteen, took a long sip, and then went back to the little lake to refill it with perfectly clear desert water. It was places like this that reminded Jelani that the Gods still watched over them - that they would provide for their people as long as their people continued to trust in them. Now she just needed Hakeshna to help them return to safety. It was a long journey from here back to their mounts, through the desert that threatened them with dehydration and sun poisoning.

She returned and held the water to Pyla's lips, "Drink, sister. Then rest. We will travel once the sun goes down and we can use the stars to guide us."

wandering_giraffe · January 23, 2024, 03:53:22 PM

"Go home? We can't...there's more traders, Jelani. We have to find them. We have to find them!"
Pyla carefully sipped the water Jelani was offering her.
"The pain won't go away," Pyla whispered.
"But it's my fault...he-he kept calling me a slave. I'm not a slave, Jelani, I'm a soldier. I'm a soldier," she repeated quietly to herself, rocking alittle side to side.

Goldie · January 24, 2024, 04:27:29 PM

"Pyla..." Jelani leaned forward and pressed her hands against her cheeks and then her head. Her forehead was burning and not just from the desert sun, "Pyla we can't do anything now. This is a deep rooted organization and we need our sisters. We need our council. We need our people if we're to free our sisters."

She continued to encourage the water, knowing that simple movements like this could help her regain not only her physical strength, but her emotional stability as wells.

"We both need rest, need healing." And sat back on her heels, doing her best to quell the nausea that rose. She needed to be strong for her sister, but she was low on her own strength. Getting back to their starting place would be difficult and they would be lucky if they made it at all.

wandering_giraffe · January 24, 2024, 04:36:01 PM

Pyla thought about that. Well, as well as she could in her current condition.
Pyla drank alittle more water and then pushed it away.
She shivered, suspiciously eyeing the flask of water.
"I'm cold, I don't need that," she protested, hugging herself to try to ground her.
She pushed the flask toward Jelani.
"You drink it."
"We'll rest and then head out, like you said. We'll make it." And despite her pain, she managed a smile at Jelani.

Goldie · January 24, 2024, 04:38:46 PM

"Rest." She brushed Pyla's hair from her face and turned to find the bag that she had managed to bring with her. There wasn't much, but there were some pieces of ash bark that could be used to help with the pain.

"Chew on this." Pyla would know what it was and hopefully wouldn't fight her own it. Then she turned to refill the canteen while soaking a cloth in the cool oasis water to use on Pyla's head.

"I'm here. You're safe. Sleep, sister."

wandering_giraffe · January 24, 2024, 05:04:59 PM

Pyla chewed on the bark, wrinkling her nose at the taste. Stuff always tasted worse than she could remember.
"Can't sleep," she mumbled, the exhaustion and stress taking hold of her.
"The men...they're coming," she said, the fever making her agitated.
She grabbed Jelani's arm with her one hand.
"Are you safe?"
Then the exhaustion finally took hold and her eyes closed, sending her into sleep.

Goldie · January 25, 2024, 06:07:00 AM

Jelani did her best to ensure Pyla was comfortable where she leaned against the tree, using whatever she could find to help support her. Then, very carefully, she pulled bandages and salve from her bag and began dressing her wound. The balm had numbing properties, but she doubted it would do much for this situation. The most important thing was to stave off infection. Even cauterized the way it was, that was no guarantee it would heal without issue. If they had been anywhere else, she would have better materials to work with.

She was done quickly – there wasn't much she could actually do – and clean bandages covered Pyla's stump and extended up close to her elbow to ensure it didn't fall off. She then gently laid her arm across her body and began preparing some fabric from her cloak to use as a sling after she awoke.

"Hakeshna, help us." Jelani murmured, dashing tears away from her eyes. She had failed her. Gods she had failed as a leader and as a friend. How had any of this happened? How had she been so careless to chase after a lead that was very clearly a trap – a trap she was fully aware of – and still get caught in the net?

"Pyla, forgive me." She took a deep, shuddering breath and then leaned back on the same tree to wait for night.

wandering_giraffe · January 25, 2024, 02:06:02 PM

Pyla woke up alittle before nightfall. Her arm was killing her. Moving it at all was absolute agony, but at least Jelani had fixed it the best she could.
"Jelani," she whispered, pushing against the tree to sit up more.
"Don't beat yourself up," she winced as she finally found a more comfortable spot, "really. I'm alive, we're both safe, and once we get back home, which we will, safely, we can formulate a plan."
Zephyr was fast asleep too. Pyla nudged Zephyr.
"Wake up."
She glanced toward Jelani.
"Do you want to rest some?"

Goldie · January 26, 2024, 07:24:15 PM

"Rested enough." She lied, and the bags under her eyes proved it. She groaned as she pulled herself to her feet and found more ash which was immediately handed to Pyla. Then she pulled a flask that was buried at the bottom of her pack and handed it over.

"Drink. All of it." A command, "It will mess with your head but it will make the journey bearable. Then, and I'm sorry, we need to move as quickly as you're able."

wandering_giraffe · January 26, 2024, 08:10:06 PM

Pyla took the flask and took off the lid, sniffing it. She almost threw it purely from the smell.
"This smells like it's going to kill me."
She took a drink and wrinkled her nose.
"It tastes like it's going to kill me." She cautiously took another swig.
It was even worse the second time.
She sighed, and drank most of it, before suspiciously looking at the flask.
"You..." Pyla paused as if she didn't recognize her own voice.
"You should have the rest."
Pyla looked in the flask, as if she was searching for something.
"Orrrrr...second thought...I should."
She clumsily stood up.
"You sure you don't need to use the sleep?"
She downed the rest, and held out the flask to Jelani.
"My lady," she bowed and just about face planted into the sand, somehow catching herself.
"You're a good woman," she said as she passed Jelani, going straight towards the lake.
"Not you," she glared at Zephyr.
"Because...because you're a bird. Birds can't be women."
And she laughed at the thought, turning to look at what she thought was Jelani, but was actually a palm tree.
"Cmonnnn, we've gotta get to...where are we going?"