Adrift

[Sinami]

Part I - Night Terrors

Demons! The demons were everywhere! They kept raining down from the sky like fallen stars, making the earth shatter and bleed with the impact. And from the wounds green blood poured, vicious, burning and tainted. Their shrieks and screams heralded the oncoming wave of destruction and it swept across the lands like the violent rush of tide. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
“Sinami Swifthowl. From today onward, I am yours forever…”
The words were barely above a whisper, but they still reached me through the din of clashing weapons and the agonized screams of the dying.
“…on this earth, until the very afterlife…”
Notch. Draw. Release. Arrow after arrow. Demon after demon. One laboured breath after the other. And yet they kept on coming. I fought on.
“…may the spirits punish me were I to ever break these vows…”
But I was so tired. Every arrow I notched to my bow seeped my strength a little bit further, wore me down bit by bit. I was a lonely island of life amidst a sea of death and corruption. A tiny flickering flame, its glow dimming by the minute.
“…and may our songs forever be joined together.”
The demons pressed closer and closer, smothering the very air I needed to breathe, the air I needed to stay alive. I kept on fighting… and fighting… and fighting… until my flame was finally snuffed out… forever…

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I woke with a silent scream of defiance and grief still on my lips. My throat felt raw and constricted and my heart beat wildly in my chest. A dream. Just a dream. I took a few gulps of air, such precious, wonderful air, and rested my forehead against my up drawn knees. Breathe in. Breathe out. My breathing sounded ragged but at least the deep breaths helped me regain control of the panic still surging through my body.

I raised my head again and found a pair of turquoise eyes studying me warily from across the fire.
*Again?*
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. I reached beside me and picked up my waterskin, taking a few mouthfuls to help soothe my sore throat.
*How many nights has it been now?*
“Five… six..? I don’t know. I can’t remember.” My voice came out a hoarse croak.
Ashensong let out a deep growl of annoyance as she padded around the fire to stand directly in front of me.
*This has to stop. You will drop dead from exhaustion otherwise.* Ashensong snapped her jaws in frustration, mere inches from my face. I didn't even flinch. I just stared back at her, annoyance flaring briefly in my own eyes.
“Any suggestion as to how I can make the dreams stop? My mind keeps replaying the horrors of the past few weeks over and over…”
*I have been right there with you every time. I know very well what your terrors show you every night.* The Garn’s rage was a living thing, beating against my already battered and fragile mind.

I closed my eyes and hung my head, seemingly not frightened in the least by having a fully grown, and furious, Garn snap her jaws so close to my face. Most others would probably have pissed themselves in fear and tried to turn tail and run at the first opportunity, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew the underlying reason for Ashensong’s fury and I knew it wasn’t directed at me. Not really. The Garn wanted simple solutions to her problems. If it was a threat, you killed it. But the night terrors weren’t simple and they definitely weren’t an easy kill. The lack of control frightened her and it frightened her even more to see her beloved pack sister’s strength fade away day by day, especially when she, a fierce and fearless Garn, was helpless to stop it. So I let the wolf snarl and snap, allowing my wolf sister’s rage on my behalf to wash over me like a soothing balm.

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*I found it!* Ashensong’s excitement registered faintly in my foggy, sleep deprived mind, and I felt a tiny flicker of hope ignite in my chest. We had made slow progress today. I kept stumbling and I was barely aware of where I was going, but yet we still walked on. Ever searching, ever looking. We had to be even more careful these days, due to my diminishing strength. All it would take was one mistake and we would both feed the demons.

Another excited yip from Ashensong and I forced myself into a slow jog to catch up with the wolf, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.
*It is several days old, but it is there!* The Garn was almost dancing in place, joy and restless energy coursing through her body.
I took a deep breath, sniffing the air. Nothing…nothing…there! It was so faint that my senses barely even recognized it. If Ashensong hadn’t been absolutely positive it was there I probably would have dismissed it as a figment of my imagination, a trick played by my mind. It was a marvel that the Garn had even managed to pick up the scent at all since the air was so polluted with the stench of fel, but now, for the first time in weeks, we had hope.

[Kozgugore]

Whoop, Sinami stories! Been a while since I've last seen those. Nice to see her back "in the game" again! And there's even a brief appearance by yours truly! Very nice to see Ashensong given a voice as well though. Animal interactions are fun! Very curious to see where this'll lead on to. I hunger for more!

[Nosh'marak]

Damn, this was a good read. MOAR! <3