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Floral Stripes [DragonSong]

Started by Juno, September 01, 2016, 01:43:20 PM

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Juno

The mage was oblivious to Akio drifting off until a few minutes later when he realized he was almost done with his weaving and the shifter had said nothing more. At first he was startled, his heart working up to a frenzied pounding in his chest again as he stared at the still shifter. Cautiously leaning over him allowed Irah to hear the faint whisper of breathing and finally catch sight of the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

With a tired huff he shook his head and doggedly continued his work, only stopping once he was finally able to drape the makeshift blanket over Akio to at least keep his body warm in his weakness. After carefully tucking it around him Irah all but collapsed to curl up beside him. It was easier to remain alert while the sun still peeked through the trees, but as night fell the mage slept in short bursts to keep an eye on him.

By morning it felt like an eternity had passed, exhaustion still hanging on him heavily as he watched over the shifter. His eyes were trained upon his chest, just observing the steady rise and fall while he occasionally brushed his fingers over his wrist to feel the brief reassurance of a pulse.

DragonSong

The shifter was alive, but a fever had taken hold of him, dragging him down into dark, strange dreams that refused to release him back to the light of day. His brow was drawn in a tight frown, lips parted slightly as he panted, skin glistening with sweat in the early sunlight that manged to filter down through the jungle canopy.

Juno

Irah watched over him, feeling rather helpless as he observed the shifter's labored panting. The moisture gathering on his skin was a concern, but he couldn't even attribute it to the rising sun as he wasn't sweating buckets himself.

The mage sat up straighter, carefully pulling back the makeshift blanket from Akio's body and narrowed his eyes with concern as he traced his palm over him in absent worry. His skin was hot to the touch, probably dangerously so.

With a muttered curse he rose on shaky legs and snatched an old shirt from his pack. With wary steps he made his way back to the bank, eyes scanning the shallows with caution as he tore at the fabric to split the garment in two. The last thing he needed was to leave them both vulnerable if another of the giant snakes wanted to make a meal out of him.

Crouching down he dipped one half into the water, holding it under for a moment to soak through before he returned to the shifter's side. He carefully wiped away the sweat on his brow with the dry piece of cloth before neatly folding the damp one to place over his forehead. He hoped it might help cool him off but he didn't dwell on it, immediately taking up the dry cloth again to wipe him down and wick away as much of the gathered sweat from his body as he could.

Despite how drained Irah still felt there was a whisper in the back of his mind telling him to use more of his magic, that he could help Akio more if he did. For the moment he was able to resist it, making himself weaker probably wouldn't help them and the shifter seemed relatively stable.

DragonSong

He had no idea how long he drifted in and out of unconsciousness, but when he finally opened his eyes and they stayed that way, he was a cool cloth on his forehead and Iran was...

Still there. Huh.

Thank you.

He tried to say it, really he did. But all that came out of his parched throat was a raspy, "Water..."

Juno

With the shifter seeming relatively stable Irah had taken to preparing a salve for Akio's wounded leg from what supplies he had in his pack. It probably wasn't the best idea but he allowed a bit of his magic to flow through his fingers as he worked, weaving it in to enhance the potency of the medicine. It left him exhausted again, his body still not recovered from how much of himself he'd used to cleanse his wounds the previous day. Dark circles had formed his eyes but he remained focused and worked tirelessly until he'd crafted a small jar of the greyish-green mixture.

Pawing through his things in search of his roll of cloth bandaging Akio's sudden, rough voice gave him a bit of a start. His tired face brightened, though, eyes shining with genuine relief as he nodded and hurried to uncork one of the waterskins and shift closer to lift it to Akio's lips so he could drink his fill.

"You're okay," Irah murmured gently, a little amazed that he was conscious enough to speak. That was probably far too low a standard for okay but it was the best indication he'd seen yet. He reached out to adjust the cloth over his forehead, carefully flipping it over to the cool side. He took a moment to study his face, eyes lingering on his own as he set the waterskin aside with a weak chuckle. "You look like shit, is it still hurting badly?"

DragonSong

Akio gulped down as much of the water as he could reasonably manage, sputtered, swallowed, and drained the skin.

"Wow, thanks," he rasped out as Irah pulled the waterskin away and joked. "Not exactly the best way to get on someone's good side, ya know?"

He ignored the question about it hurting. Of course it hurt, but he wasn't about to admit that.

Juno

Irah only flashed him a tired smirk for that. He didn't want to be too harsh, Akio had saved his life again after all.

Unwavering in his dedication he kept rummaging through his pack until he finally found the bandaging he'd been looking for. Grabbing it and the jar of salve he scooted himself down to sit beside the shifter's legs, gingerly lifting his injured one to rest over him so he could apply the medicine properly.

He tsked softly under his breath, glancing to the tiger's face as he began applying the ointment in a thin layer over his wounds. "This should help a little," he murmured, setting the jar aside to carefully wrap a few layers of the cloth bandaging over it.

DragonSong

The shifted hissed and clenched his teeth, but otherwise didn't react to Irah's tending. "How long was I out?" he muttered, focusing on breathing.

Juno

The mage lifted his head briefly, squinting at the sun through the trees as he tied off the linens around his leg. "A little more than half a day," he decided, gently patting his knee and carefully lifting his leg again to lay the shifter flat. "I should probably get you out of here, huh? Probably not the best place to let that heal."

He had absolutely no idea how he was going to actually manage moving the man, though. Similar in size as they were he knew damn well he didn't possess Akio's strength and even if he did he was still feeling weak from his use of magic. He'd just drop him and probably cause further harm if he tried.

DragonSong

"That long?" Akio sighed and struggled to sit up a little more, gritting his teeth. It hurt, but it was manageable. Probably.

"Look, just...give me a bit of a boost, and I'll manage," he grumbled, hating every second of it. He owed his life to this stupid foreigner twice over now.

He was never going to live this down.

Juno

Irah's eyes widened slightly in concern, eyeing Akio warily for his request. "You probably shouldn't walk on it," he warned, clambering to stand up and flick dirt and leaves from his clothes. Perhaps as a shifter he could heal a good bit faster than he was accustomed to seeing, but he was still nervous to let his "patient" up to hurt himself any further. Even so he outstretched an arm to Akio to help him stand.

"You shouldn't just manage. Maybe just- I could probably carry you on my back if you think you can hold on?" he offered, casting a look towards the path he'd followed through the trees the previous day. It would be slow going but he wanted to get him to safety and away from the forests. The local wildlife had already proved themselves to be rather dangerous and unpredictable.

DragonSong

Oh no. Hell no. Hell fucking no.

"Yeah, no. I'm not going to do that." Akio glowered up at him petulantly. "I don't need to be carried, especially not by a scrawny thing like you."

Juno

Irah huffed, narrowing his eyes at the shifter for the rejection of his offer. "I'm not scrawny," he muttered. "Gods you're so ungrateful. Do you have any idea what it took from me to keep you alive?" He hated the wounded hiss that came through his voice for that and turned his head to look away and just take a deep breath.

The mage had to remind himself he hadn't explained anything to Akio yet. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know, much as he didn't like his attitude. He was probably in a lot of pain but Irah was certain the shifter's sense of pride wasn't going to do him any favors in that regard.

"Just- Let me help you walk at least," he said grumpily, finally turning to look down at the shifter again with an exasperated sigh and stretching his arm to him a little more. "I don't want to see you hurting any more than it has to."

DragonSong

He actually felt a bit guilty for that, but no way in hell he'd ever admit it. "Uhg. Fine," he grumbled, reaching out with almost a pout curving at his lips. "Help me up then."

Juno

The mage shook his head in silent disbelief but his eyes held a warmth of concern and kindness as he reached past the shifter's outstretched hand and hooked smaller arms under the tiger's much larger ones to heft him up to stand. Irah huffed and gritted his teeth, nostrils flaring slightly with the effort but he didn't complain as he got the shifter situated on his feet again.

"Don't be reckless, just lean on me. You'll need it," he warned him, stooping for a moment to snatch up his pack before rising to press close against his side. He slung an arm around Akio's back to try to support him, tilting his chin to study him with a stern eye.

DragonSong

"Mmph." Reluctantly, Akio allowed his weight to rest partially against his companion. He hated every second of it.

"Gods, you should've just let me die," he grumbled petulantly.

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