A Cut Too Deep [Syllke]

[Seodai]

Date: Early Fall (TBD) In the weeks that had followed his advent into Seodai’s life, Syllke Skyglow had made something of a nuisance of himself. When he had left the farm that first evening, Seodai had been polite and grateful. Really, the company had been pleasant. He had been anything but inviting, though, in regards to seeing the Vantha again. He was supposed to pass through and leave Seodai to his work. The thought of forming any lasting friendship certainly had not entered the Denvali’s mind. Bala made him happy, as did the farm. Theo gave him love. What more did he need? When Syllke showed up within a few days, with that smile that almost carried mischief and a suggestion or three, Seodai had demurred. The damned artist seemed to ignore his obvious disinterest and spent the next eight hours working hard aside Seodai on the farm. The farm boy had been certain that he would flag after only an hour or two, and wander off again. A sure way to get rid of him. He’d been wrong, and at the end of that evening he had felt indebted to the Vantha. Enough that he’d agreed to go on some wild excursion or another the next day. He had, somehow, been conned or duped into going on half a dozen of those outings since then, and every time he found himself lying in his bed staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out exactly how he had gotten himself into that situation. But, the truth of it was, he didn’t mind. In fact, though it was something altogether new for the painfully introverted young man, it was kind of fun. Syllke seemed to throw caution to the wind, to laugh in the face of any perceived challenge or trial, and to squeeze every drop of pleasure out of a given day. Seo had never known anyone like that before, and while it was exhausting to keep up with, it was also sort of exhilarating. Even if they did nothing at all, Syllke was simply fun. And he told the best stories. Today wasn’t much different in terms of the general layout of the day. Seodai had awoken early, finished all of the tasks he needed to take care of on the farm, and washed up – all before those long, lanky legs led the familiar dark hair up the dusty road to his small, humble home. Seo insisted that they eat before they go; Syllke had a way of surviving on the thrill of life alone sometimes. Seodai had long since learned the lesson of being full before he went off on any sort of adventure with Syllke. With Syna sinking towards the horizon, they had at last set out with a wave from Theo. “What’re we chasing today, Syllke?” he asked, as their feet left little clouds of dirt in their wake. “It’d better not be girls again.” As much as he was slowly becoming comfortable in the Vantha’s presence, that did not seem to extend by default to other people. In situations where the Vantha assumed Seodai would operate just fine socially, he had quickly found that to be the opposite of true. Seodai struggled, clammed up, and eventually just shut down – waiting until Syllke was ready to throw in the towel before trudging off in miserable silence. Syllke seemed bright, though, and though Seo had no idea why the Vantha even wanted to hang out with him, his newfound friend seemed to have picked up on his discomfort and always changed his suggestions and their outings in an attempt to more closely suit his needs and desires. A guy had to appreciate a friend like that, right?

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke grinned back at Seo’s skeptical question. They had now spent enough time together for Syllke to know that Seodai was shy in the extreme. The farm boy seemed to fluster in the company of others – and then clam up like an oyster. So Syllke had begun to avoid dragging Seo along to anything where others would be likely to be involved – at the market or the pier or the common areas of town. Their excursions had became more and more of just him and Seo, trekking about and mainly goofing off, but always with some objective – large or small – that Syllke wanted to accomplish. Seo never had any goals for these little jaunts – they every last one of them originated with the Vantha. At first, Syllke had thought this might be because Seodai was already completely familiar with everything there was to see and explore around the small, isolated hamlet. He put the other boy’s reluctance to accompany him down to boredom. It hadn’t occurred to him that Seo simply didn’t want to go have some fun – or at least what Syllke found to be fun. Neither did he think that Seo might not enjoy his company. Syllke wasn’t excessively egotistical – he was just sociable and figured others liked to hang out with him as much as he liked to hang out with them. He and Seo were close in age, and he found Seo quite easy on the spirit as well as the eye. Syllke was something of a chatterbox; Seo was quiet. Syllke was typically very animated and ebullient: Seo was serene and thoughtful. Syllke saw things one way; Seo, if he could be coaxed into voicing an opinion, often saw things quite differently – but insightfully so. Syllke lived on the surface of life – Seodai drank it in deeply and assimilated every bit of it into his essence and then let small bits of it float into the air during those rare times when he would actually speak at length – and most amazingly so, to Syllke anyway. True, he had a bit of a crush on Seodai – one that he was hardly aware of himself, only knowing how much he enjoyed the young farmer’s company and sought it out frequently. But in the end, Syllke was a boy who made friends easily and for himself, he thought of Seo as a friend, here in his newly adoptive home of Denval. But soon enough, Syllke realized that Seo, in fact, was not exceptionally familiar with the hills and valleys, cliffs and beaches around Denval. In fact, given the short number of weeks since Syllke had arrived in the town, it was surprising to him that he seemed to know more about the surrounding wilderness than the boy who had been born and raised here. This, Syllke finally decided, must be attributable to Seodai’s busy life – the farm required almost constant attention. And Syllke had been made aware of how the Denvali expected every male from an early age onwards to participate in rigorous arms and combat training. With this idea fixed in his head, Syllke became even more determined to seek out Seo and make him come have some fun - all work and no play being an idea completely antithetical to Syllke’s personal approach to life. For all his military training, Seo seemed quite hesitant to the Vantha, who had roamed the frozen wastes about Avanthal at will from his early childhood. Clearly, the boy needed to get out and away from the farm more often. And so it was, on this day as on the others before it, that Syllke took Seo’s half-joking, half-serious hesitation in stride and quickly put his friend’s mind at rest. “No – we’re chasing after a boy this time. And not much chasing involved either. He’s dead.” With that cryptic answer, Syllke patted Seo’s shoulder, adding, “Don’t worry. The ghosts don’t come out ‘til after dark.” He chuckled and walking together, he lead Seo away from the farm, going in the direction of the town and what lay beyond. “What do you know about spears, Seo?” he asked, stooping to pluck a stem of pink tinted foxtail grass from the side of the road and swishing it about a bit, before bringing it up to poke at Seo’s ear.

[Seodai]

"Enough to avoid the pointed end of one," Seodai retorted. He lifted a hand to swat at the grass as it brushed his ear, shooting an annoyed glance toward Syllke. It was only in jest, though, and Syllke knew him well enough already to laugh in the face of his scowl. Seodai's fingers brushed back through his unruly blonde hair. He really needed a haircut soon. The golden curls had taken to falling into his eyes of late, which meant that his calloused fingers were constantly lifting to brush them aside. Syllke had teased him about his vanity, though nothing could be further from the truth. If Seodai possessed any real beauty, inside or out, he was absolutely oblivious to it. He saw in himself the gift of Bala and the ability to create life, and he saw in himself the flaw of his blood. He couldn't see beyond that. "A dead boy? I hope you're playing games with your words, Syllke, or this will be the worst idea yet." That said a lot, because Seodai thought several of Syllke's ideas were absolutely terrible. Like the incident outside the Academy, with the small throng of girls who had taken a shine to the Vantha since his arrival. Mixed blood was a dangerous thing on the small outcropping; Seodai could attest to that all too well. And so, when a handsome outsider sidled into town, it attracted interest of all sorts. More than one young, beautiful thing would be more than happy to have a little half-Vantha or two, if only it meant that the Denvali would live on, and with strong blood. Syllke, with his gregarious nature and infectious smile, was especially popular. Seodai couldn't figure out how he managed to win the attentions of the Vantha when some of the prettiest, unattached girls in Denval were practically pawing at him. But, somehow, he did. And when the little impromptu party that had formed in the dusty streets had gone awry, what with a girl seating herself completely unannounced and all, Syllke had been a good sport about it. Seodai had stood so abruptly that the girl had fallen into the dust. With her pride bruised more than her bottom, the pretty thing had huffed and flushed and pointed out Seodai's awkwardness in less than kind terms. Syllke, who had been faring much better with a busty blonde, hadn't hesitated when he was forced to choose his allegiance like that. Soon they were walking the dusty road back towards Seo's house in a silence that was thick. And, for once, Syllke had apparently understood that speaking wouldn't help. He had laid one hand atop Seo's shoulder, gave him a squeeze and a smile, and then promised to see him on the morrow. It had been particularly disastrous, and so it set the bar pretty damned high in regards to what might be a 'bad idea'. Seodai was dragged from his reverie by the tickle of that grass along the line of his jaw, to the corner of his lips. His eyes were as blue as the sky as they lifted from the ground they trod, back to Syllke's own. The shifting colors were fascinating, but he didn't know his new friend well enough to read them. Syllke's expression was perplexing, though - one Seodai didn't know how to decipher. "What?" he asked, sweet naivety coming to the fore.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke snorted at Seo’s reply, momentarily desisting from tickling his ear with the foxtail. “That’s helpful.” He said, though he was grinning. He hadn’t been expecting an elaborate answer, and he decided he would drop the subject for the moment, if Seo was going to be snarky about it. It wasn’t that he took offense at Seo’s offhand attitude . He loved it when the young farmer was willing to give as good as he got, teasing Syllke back just as Syllke loved to tease his typically serious friend. It had been a rare occurrence at first, but seemed to be coming more and more naturally to the taciturn Denvali. Seo was far too inclined to keeping his thoughts, and his attitude, to himself, as far as Syllke was concerned. But Seo’s categorization of their ventures was one he had to contest. So he said, instead, “I never have bad ideas. The world may be unpredictable – but that’s a good thing. You know - roll with the punches. Learn to be flexible.” His fingers went to Seo’s upper arm – lean yet hard from all the long hours of farm work he put in each and every day. Syllke gripped it loosely and jiggled it a bit. “Loosen up a little – you might find fun in the most unexpected places.” His hand dropping away, they walked along apace and Syllke added after a moment, “No . . . I wouldn’t take you to see a dead boy – not really. That would be pretty petching awful.” His own voice had dropped to a more serious tone, as he recalled the young Frostfawn woman that he had seen a year ago – though that was death in the extreme. He wouldn’t wish such a sight on anyone, especially not anyone he cared for. His thoughts drifted for a short moment to Nanithel, and he wondered how she fared. In a natural way, thinking of the Vantha girl brought his mind, and his gaze, back to Seodai, and he reached out again with the grass. With head slightly tilted, he drew it lightly along his friend’s jaw, down to the corner of his full lips, thinking of those oddly hued ones, contrasting them with these pink ones, and wondering. At Seo’s look, and question, Syllke merely shrugged, his eyes, tinted with red, shifting away to look down the road before them. “Nothing.” He said easily, tossing the foxtail aside. “C’mon – race you to the edge of town.” Without waiting for a reply, the Vantha sped off, his feet slapping hard on the packed down earth of the road, his elbows pumping at his sides.

[Seodai]

Seodai gave an exaggerated eye roll. That, alone, was an expression he had learned from the Vantha. Syllke had taught him so much, about life and living. About humor and fun. And though he was hardly a little social butterfly with the skills to charm anyone, he was more alive than he had ever been. And the Vantha... Well, he was damned fast. With a swallowed laugh, Seodai picked up his feet to run after his friend. Even in running they were remarkably different. Syllke ran at things in a blind fury, expelling every ounce of his energy towards the goal. He ran across the dusty streets in the same way he ran at life; head on and without an ounce of hesitation. He poured every ounce of his spirit into whatever he took on, including this race. It was an all out burst of energy that held nothing back for the 'later'. Seodai, in contrast, was measured from the very beginning. To an outsider it may have seemed as if he would never catch up with Syllke at that pace. One foot fell in front of the other in a very precise way, almost methodical. If life was a race, he wouldn't win it by exhausting himself in the first few minutes. And so Seodai ran along behind Syllke at a steady pace, slowly gaining on his friend until at last they reached the center of town. Here it became necessary for them to slow to a walk, lest they seem uncouth as they pushed through the people milling about. Life teemed out of the streets. Children laughed and danced about their mothers legs, chasing each other around other adults as the business of living went on. Everyone seemed to recognize Syllke, and speak to him. It was oddly inappropriate, really. Seodai had lived every moment of his life in this place and yet the visiting Vantha was clearly more socially familiar with the mass that was Denval than he was. Seodai felt the difference awkwardly, and was almost regretting that it was so. That is, until they were stopped by a familiar brown head. Pretty girl, she was. Simple, in some ways. Brown hair and brown eyes, a coloring that indicated she spent plenty of time outdoors. She was slim, a bit curvy, and had a nice smile. She wouldn't turn heads in a bigger place, an enormous city filled with all the beauty of the world. But here, she was easy to look at. "Seodai," she smiled, taking advantage of a brief halt. A coffin was being carried across the street, and neither he or Syllke had been fast enough to dart around the sad little processional. Seodai, having just caught up to the Vantha, dropped a hand on his shoulder. In the first days of their acquaintance he had rarely ever touched the artist, but even that seemed to be fading. "Aria," Seodai returned, shuffling back as if in defense. How many weeks had it been since he had talked with Uncle Theo about this very girl? How long since he had harbored thoughts about those dark eyes, that silky hair. It was laughable now, he thought, to consider that he'd ever thought she was the one. Seo had been so starved for affection outside of the circle of his surrogate father's arms that he had taken her kindness and internalized it, made it into something it could never have really been. "How's your mom?" That wasn't so awkward, right? She smiled, and someone more aware, more worldly would have recognized the expression on her face. She was clearly quite smitten with the golden farmer who was, by now, half hiding behind his Vantha friend. "She's doing better. Thanks for the basket you brought. She loves those apricots." The girl twisted the basket in her hands, shooting a coy smile upwards towards the taller blonde. Seodai completely missed any cues he was supposed to take. "Ah, welcome. That was mostly... Theo..." Seodai received a rough nudge to the ribs, and he shot a wary glance towards Syllke. His bright eyes clearly said "What?!" in response to the smooth smile Syllke offered up. "Oh! Aria, this is Syllke." There was a thoughtful pause, and then Seodai continued, uttering a sentence he'd never had the privilege of stating before. "My friend. Syllke, this is Aria. She.. er.. she ..." "I grew up with Seodai," she explained, stepping in to introduce herself, since Seodai was doing a rather poor job of it. "Are you new here?" Seodai shifted his weight from one foot to the other as the two played the game of social niceties, talking to one another as if they weren't strangers, as if it wasn't hard. Both kept attempting to drag him back into the conversation, but Seodai was awkward enough to avoid it entirely and still remain innocent to his efforts. Eventually, she excused herself. The funeral procession was gone, and so Seodai spurred Syllke onwards again. He didn't really want to dissect that encounter. Not in the middle of town, anyway. "See you later!" Seodai called over his shoulder as he darted off again, out of the last streets of town and into the open space that led to the coast. The air was clean and crisp, cooler for the clouds that hid Syna's rays. Seodai enjoyed this sort of day almost as much as the golden ones, because impending rain only meant good things for his crops. Not so much for an outing like this, probably, but the distant rumble of thunder was quiet and lazy. Perhaps the grumbling god of the storm would give them a few hours before the inevitable downpour came. Whether he did or did not, the fact of the matter was, Seodai was only feet from reaching the very edge of the beach. Only a few feet from winning the race. Before he could find that victory, however, a blur of Vantha pushed past him desperately, laughing all the while. Seodai hadn't realized Syllke was so close and so when that slender shoulder brushed his with some force, his next footfall was uneven and the rocky shore they had found invited Seodai downwards into it's stony embrace. He fell rather ungracefully, reaching out quickly to brace himself. "Ow! You git..." he called out, though he was laughing after Syllke nonetheless. "You cheated!" Seodai groaned as he picked himself up from the stony cradle, feeling a sore place on his ass that would inevitably be an ugly bruise. Worse, though, when he curled his fingers into his palm he felt moisture. A glance downwards revealed a gash where the sharp stone he'd reached for to brace himself had punctured the flesh there. Seodai cursed. He was more annoyed with the inconvenience this would inevitably cause than he was with the pain of it, but Syllke couldn't know that. The Denvali farmer began to step all the more gingerly across the rocks, towards the place where Syllke stood catching his breath. The sight of his own blood always made him feel a bit like throwing up, and so he chose not to acknowledge it at all. The sea was too pretty, the call of the birds too inviting, and the press of friendship promised to wipe away his hardship. "What'd we come here for?"

[Syllke Skyglow]

Blown, Syllke bent forward slightly, hands on thighs, as he watched Seo picking himself up off the rocky ground. He hadn’t bumped into him on purpose. The rocks made running treacherous and he had swerved in order to find a better footing. In fact, he hadn’t even been aware that he had caused Seo’s tumble until he heard the exclamation, which brought him to a premature halt some few meters from his friend. Hearing the curse, and seeing Seo looking down at his hand, apparently, Syllke called between gasps, “You O.K.?” Seo, already upright, merely nodded and walking forward, appeared to not be too badly injured in any way that Syllke could see. The Vantha looked in the opposite direction, further down the beach, and then looked back, saying, “It’s just a bit further. C’mon. I’ll give you the win, seeing as I bumped you in the stretch.” He laughed. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Seodai nodded again. “I’m fine. Come on – I want to see what it is that’s supposedly so interesting – and not a bad idea.” He grinned and Syllke smiled back, turning to lead Seo another fifty meters down the beach. As they walked, both catching their breath, Syllke considered asking about the girl. The looks she had directed at Seodai were fairly obvious and quite transparent. But Seo had never mentioned her before – not to Syllke, anyway. So the young artist was quite curious, as always, but he knew Seo well enough to realize how expert he was at evading even Syllke’s well-honed interrogation skills. Maybe later . . . after they had finished what Syllke was intent upon accomplishing . . . maybe when Seo was caught in a more relaxed frame of mind – he would ask. The smell preceded the visual of their objective, and even Syllke had to make a wry face. Before Seodai had a chance to protest, Syllke said, “Yeah, I know – it’s a bit overwhelming. But trust me, it’ll be worth it.” The next few steps, with Seo’s pace having slowed to a hesitant crawl, brought them within a distance to make out the large whitish-grey lump that sprawled half in and half out of the lapping water. Some six or so meters in length, even at this time of year, a cloud of flies rose from the smelly mound at their approach, though the skin seemed intact. Long, somewhat tubular, with a tell tale spout on its head and the object of Syllke’s quest protruding some three meters from its mouth, the dead narwhal lay bloated on the rocks. The source of its demise wasn’t readily obvious unless you ventured to the other side of it, which Syllke had, earlier. There, long rents in the flesh gave testament to some attack – by shark or killer whale. But the body as a whole was not badly decomposed. The whale had not been dead for too long. Even so, a bevy of crabs scuttled from its corpse as Syllke stepped closer, the gulls above them raucously calling as they circled and swooped. Crouching beside it, pulling his shirt over his nose in a futile gesture, Syllke reached with his other hand to touch the spiraling “horn.” “Beautiful,” he murmured. Twisting to look up at his friend, he added, “We’re lucky – first ones here. I need you to help me.” Unslinging the leather satchel from his shoulder, the Vantha extracted a small saw, and a hammer.

[Seodai]

His hand hurt. And it made him feel grumpy about it, because he wished (as he did every single time) that his hand could hurt like a normal person. It would ache, and bleed, and clot, and then it would all be well again. But the crimson that he could feel dripping down his fingers, splattering onto the stone below? It was persistent. It wouldn't end. And sometimes... sometimes that pissed him off. Seodai chose to ignore it, then, as if that would help. As if he could will or wish away his blight, his disease, his curse. "Syllke, it smells like..." he began to complain, but was quickly cut off. He screwed up his face in disgust, coughing against the foul scent that rose up to envelop them. He lifted one arm, his uninjured one, and pressed it to his nose. This was less than amusing already. By the time they reached the creature itself, Seodai had skidded to a near halt. Only the badgering of the Vantha urged him onwards, until he was standing and staring down at the sleeping giant. He was moved with pity for it, though he couldn't name why. He had seen many animals born and many die before. Death was a part of life, and it seemed apparent that this wasn't a cruel death. It was nature. Nature in it's own cruel cycle. But, without explanation, the loss pricked at Seo's heart. By the time Seo was working the small saw from his bag, by the time Seo recognized the aim for this outing, he had shuffled back a step. Perhaps two. He was not, apparently, helping in the way Syllke had imagined. Seodai ignored the Vantha when he called to him, staring instead at the beautiful tusk and the Vantha hand on it. People were like the vultures above, he decided. He recognized that Syllke was only doing what someone else would. If they didn't take it, someone else would. It would be foolish to act upon his emotion and walk away from something his friend clearly wanted. And so Seo drew a breath in, and stepped forward to crouch down. His eyes were bright, glossier than they should have been, and so he diverted his eyes and lifted a hand to help steady it. Emotionally pricked as he was, he had forgotten about his injury. He'd forgotten about his blood, and so when his hand curled around that ivory, he immediately painted it red. "Poor thing," he uttered quietly.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke’s attention, and his eyes, were fixed on the whale, as he tried to decide where best to begin sawing. The horn was, of course, in reality a tooth, growing out of the upper jaw. Without being bothered as Seo was about the sadness associated with death, Syllke grabbed at the mouth and pulled the lips apart. With his left hand holding the flesh back, he positioned his saw at the very base of the tooth where it exited the jaw. Hopefully, they would not have to attack the jaw with the hammer, but he had known such tusks to be stubborn at times. Ready to begin, he took a quick look at the position of Seo’s hand, to make sure he had grasped it in a place high enough to hold it steady but low enough to push down on it and make it pop up a bit, easier to get at. Syllke frowned, momentarily perplexed. Surely there could be no active bleeding – this animal had been dead for many hours. And especially . . . “Your hand. It’s bleeding.” He said, stating the more than obvious. Letting go of his grasp on the lip and placing the saw aside, he straightened a bit. He reached for Seodai’s hand. “Let me see.” He said bossily, his voice tinged with concern. His eyes had moved up to Seo’s face and he added, “Are you crying?”

[Seodai]

"What? No, 'course not. It's the damned stink," Seodai retorted, clearing his voice in a sound that was like a cough. He was hardly obsessed with the notion of his masculinity, but even Seodai, kind Seodai, would have been humiliated to admit that he was crying over a dead animal. It didn't matter that he felt some deep sense of remorse over the way they were scavenging the carcass as if it had never possessed a living, feeling spark of existence. He reminded himself that someone else would do it, and had rubbed at his damp eyes as if the smell of death around them burned. When Syllke spotted the wound on his hand, Seodai felt that same initial rush of dread that he always felt in regards to situations such as this. It was a creeping sensation that trailed along the inside of his spine, making his breath cut short and his fingers tighten their grip. He didn't want to deal with this, not here, and certainly not like this. He wanted Syllke to see him as whole and normal, as he had thus far. "Ah, it's nothing," he evaded, simply sliding his hand upwards along the horn. The fingers that trailed after his, curling around his hand in an attempt to pry it free, were ignored. "Really, I'll be fine. Get cuttin', I'd say, or you won't have a chance. That storm won't stay out forever." With plenty of goading such as this, Seodai coaxed Syllke into finishing what he had come to start. Soon enough they were in the relief of fresh air again, with the spoils of their effort safely tucked away in Sykke's bag. Somewhere along the way Seodai had wrapped his hand tightly in a linen bandage. The stubborn flow of his blood, though, made it a poor substitute for the gift only nature could have given him, the gift to heal himself in the most base and simplistic means possible. What Seodai wouldn't do for a scab. Seodai should have known that Syllke wouldn't be thwarted so easily; he'd never known anyone so stubborn. And so as they walked slowly, in the lightest of sprinkling rains, he eventually held his hand out palm up and allowed the artist to look at it. Of course, all he would see was the hastily wrapped bandage and the blood that absolutely soaked it. "Syllke, really..." Seodai complained lightly, attempting to tug his arm back. "It'll be just fine in a day or two. You're burning precious daylight!"

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke could easily accept his friend’s explanation for his watering eyes, for indeed the foul smell of rot was more than a bit strong as they hovered right over the body. His casual denigration of his injury was another matter. Beyond just plain concern to see how bad the cut was, Syllke was wanting to make sure Seo did not place the open wound anywhere near the decomposing flesh, and thereby risk contamination with the whatever it was that caused flesh to slough off of bone and dead matter to melt back into the earth. So, even though Seo sidled away, Syllke was not so easily put aside. Finally he had grasped Seo’s fingers and yanked his hand forward, peering closely at the cut. A ragged gash ran from the web of skin between thumb and forefinger about an inch in towards the center of the palm. But based on other injuries he had seen, Syllke was relieved to see the cut was minor – it wasn’t deep and should soon stop bleeding. But just to be on the safe side, they had stopped long enough to wrap a strip of cloth around it – as much to make a barrier to contagion as to stem what should have been a minimal blood flow. With Seo’s urging, Syllke quickly – and gratifyingly easily – had the tusk off with no problems whatsoever. There were indeed gray clouds scudding in over the water, and just as he finished – the bloody stump of the tooth clenched in his fist – the first drops of rain spattered about them. Washing the saw in the lapping waves and carefully drying it, Syllke replaced it and the hammer in his satchel and hoisted the nine foot long tusk over his shoulder, like a pole for a sigil banner. With eyes cast up towards the threatening downpour, he hurried to walk beside Seo, who had already turned his feet towards town. After just a few paces, Syllke reached for Seo’s injured hand, but his friend demurred artlessly. Syllke came to a halt. “Let me see it.” He said in a tone that meant business. ”Syllke, really . . . It'll be just fine in a day or two. You're burning precious daylight! Seo pulled his hand back and took another step forward. “Let me see it!” the Vantha repeated, his tone one of concern and not of imperiousness. Without waiting for another denial, he let the tusk clatter to the stony ground and grabbed for Seo’s hand, pulling it forward gently but firmly. The cloth was soaked through, bright crimson, and Syllke hastily unwound it as he gasped. Surely the cut had not been so bad. Guilt over his part in causing the injury washed over him as the wound was once more revealed. Peering closely, Syllke was dumbfounded to see what he had missed before. A tiny, but steady, stream of red welled from the thin line of the cut. It looked as if it had just now happened, instead of half an hour ago. It didn’t seem possible, and Syllke pulled the hand almost to his nose to squint at the injury, wondering if it was far deeper than he had suspected before. But he could see nothing other than a simple cut. Even the possibility that Seo’s continued use of his hand while they had worked on the tusk extraction wasn’t a plausible explanation. For, once Syllke had realized that the other boy had an open wound, he had told Seo to kneel on the horn to keep it steady, so the cut would not have to come in contact with the dead animal. Frowning, Syllke looked questioningly at Seo, as the rain began to fall in earnest. He didn’t know what to do, and obviously this wound needed seeing to by someone who did. “That’s petching weird. I’ve never seen a cut bleed like that. Maybe there’s something in it.” It was a specious explanation, as Syllke’s own eyes had seen nothing in the cut. But he supposed anything was possible. “We need to get you to a healer, Seo. Come on!” He reached down to pick up the tusk and then plucked at his friend’s arm with the intent to begin running back to town, hopefully with no more mishaps.