Curses (open)

[Dhanya]

or: I didn't plan to die of dehydration today, where the hell did my caravan go? How do you lose fifty people on a plain?

Timestamp: 40th of Summer
Open

It had been said that if you placed an object on an infinite radial plane and that object was a goat and that plane had a mountainous outcropping, then the goat would try to climb it. While time and many nights spent weeping into her pillow had calmed her somewhat, it hadn't healed all her wounds. Dhanya had decided that climbing a plateau would make her feel more at home in herself and more connected to her roots. Perhaps it might have been more accurate to say she wanted to connect with her hooves. She had risen early, warned a travelling companion that she was going exploring on their day of rest and quickly wandered off.

By midday, she had realised her error. The small amount of water she usually lived on in a day was not enough to hold up to exercise. Reaching the top of the plateau had been simple, even enjoyable in the cool of morning. At the heat of day it was a mischief. It had not been a difficult climb and the view had been a sight for her young eyes, with desert spreading out at all sides, golden and shining in the light. The heat, however, was beginning to burn. She could not see her caravan anymore and she was unaware that the group had not moved far at all. They had just moved along with the shade, closer to a small spring they had found.

Dhanya could have sworn she'd brought more water. The skin had seemed full to bursting when she'd left but it was empty now. Her lips were chapped from the sun and she was worried that the heat would inspire some sort of delirium. She wondered if sunstroke made you woozy. There wasn't anywhere to hide from the sun that she could see. She settled for descending on the side that would be shaded in the afternoon. Dhanya moved slowly and carefully.

It was an under statement to say she was annoyed when she slipped. She fell six feet, clipping her foot against the rock before she caught herself. She felt something crackle and turn in an unnatural spin that sent fire up her leg. Dhanya screamed and swore, clinging to the rock as if it were her enemy and she wished to strangle it. She swore and panted, shaking as she waited for the pain to abate. She tried to place some weight on it so she could at least finish the climb down but touching the wall was enough to make her bile rise. In a panic, she chose something she would normally have rathered die than do.

"Somebody help me!" She screamed, burnt face turning white.

She called for help.

[Hirem]

Whether Hirem liked it or not, wandering the desert had become a favourite pastime of his. It was like an obsession, an addiction, but this was far more peculiar than any drug or vice. He felt a certain calm in the daily trials and troubles of surviving in this sandy expanse, a calm that allowed him to clear his thoughts of all the complex matters of his life, and focus only on surviving to the next day. It was a tiresome habit, and a dangerous one, but as long as it wasn't anything religious, he was fine to wander the desert for the rest of his life.

He was making good progress today, at least, good progress in the desert. His water skin was still filled with a decent amount of the life saving liquid, he had good equipment that looked liable to hold for the next few weeks, and his thirst and hunger were quite quenched. He thought of humouring the idea that he had finally mastered this desert and the way of life surrounding it, but it was a foolish notion for anyone to entertain. No matter how comfortable he feeled today, the next day could bring a sandstorm, a bandit attack or a hungry beast to change his mood and disrupt his life. Better to keep your guard up then let it fall lax.

Or, perhaps, a call for help would disrupt today's plans. The call, distant and faint, reached his covered ears and he immediately snapped his head up, glancing about at his surroudings. Far as he could tell, the call was coming from a large plateau to his left, one that was still quite a distance away. The person that made the cry must be desperate indeed. Hirem bowed his head as he started his way towards the cry, his sandals passing swiftly over the terrain.

In a few minutes, he had made decent progress, enough to get a clearer view of the large rock formation. As he scanned the plateau, he managed to make out the small little mass of bright colors and limbs near the top of the stone expanse, hugging the wall in desperation. He was unable to tell the race of the person, but he could tell the thing was in a spot of trouble. It seemed to be scrabbling at the rock face in a panic, and one of it's legs was bent at an awkward angle, an angle that spelt trouble. Clearly, it needed help.

Hirem pulled down the strip of cloth that covered his mouth and cupped a hand around it, trying to bolster his cry enough so that it may hear him. "Hang on! Help is on the way!" Whether it heard him or not was a question that he didn't try to answer. Quickly, he started to jog up the rising slope of the ground, intent on rescuing this person. As he made his way up the rocky terrain, he felt his weary spirit start to become more energized and frantic. For once, he had something exciting to do, and it wasn't a matter of his religion or his false philosphies. For once, he had a chance to do some good that no god or person could dismiss. It was refreshing, to say the least.

[Dhanya]

Dhanya had begun to fear that she was entirely alone and that her remaining time in the world would be determined by the strength of her fingers. Scrabbling at the wall as sweat and fatigue made her slip was exciting and nauseatingly terrifying. Her good leg was beginning to tremble from the effort of keeping still.

She was a long way from the ground. Thoughts of Gods and Goddesses and divine intervention flashed at the forefront of her thoughts, though cynicism dictated that such beings would have no time for someone like her. The value of her life now seemed exponentially higher in the face of losing it.

Then she heard Hirem and almost let go out of surprise and relief. Her fingers dug into the rock, clutching and drawing blood, breaking her nails. She sobbed in her breaths, feeling weaker still now that help had arrived.

"Gah!" She shouted, where she had meant to say 'yes'.

Tears were welling in her eyes now, leaving streaks down her dirty face. She resolved not to die because dying then would have been beyond comedic and she did not want the story of her life to be a dark comedy.

"I can do this, I can do this." She whispered between clenched teeth, giving her something else to think about other than the seconds that would pass before the mystery man arrived.

She couldn't see his face, had barely any time to recognise his voice past hearing the words. She prayed that he was strong and that she would survive what she considered her own rampant stupidity.

[Hirem]

Try not to think of how high you are, Hirem thought as he rushed up the side of the plateau, getting closer to this person and increasing her chances of survival. Try not to think of the painful death you each will get if either of you fall. Try not to think of the sweat forming on your hands, slippery, treacherous sweat. Try not to think of how high you are. Try not to think of how high you are.

He instead tried to draw up more pleasant thoughts as he mounted the rising rocks. He thought of the peaceful winds that blew through the desert, as he scratched his legs on the jagged stone and bruised his knees on the unrelenting earth. He thought of the sea of colors that awaited him each sunrise as the heat cooked his brain and stamina in it's intense heat. He thought of the smiles, the friendly faces that he had met throughout his lifetime as this person came closer and closer to her death with each passing second.

In the back of his thoughts, he formed up the puzzle of this person. A high, if strangled, cry had greeted him as he rose up the plateau. Thick, youthful legs were dangling from it's position. The wild thrashings of it's arms, intent on seizing life while it was still in it's grasp. It was a young woman, barely out of her childhood by the looks of things. He could be wrong, but now was not the time to debate such things. Now was the time for action.

In a minute or so, he had made fast work of the rising plateau, and had nearly reached her. His body was not well for the journey though. Bruises and cuts adorned his legs, souvenirs of his reckless struggle up the cliffs. Luckily, his leg was fully healed after a season of recuperation, so his wound was no longer an issue. Now, it was just him and the limits of his physical form that stood in the way of rescuing this woman.

Hirem grunted as he pushed himself up onto the final rise of rock, and he glanced upwards. The woman was above him, not in arm's reach but tantalisingly close. He briefly considered venturing around for another way up, but it was clear that any second now the woman would fall. Hirem positioned himself under the woman in a suitable place to catch her, and then yelled at the top of his lungs, "Fall, I'll catch you!"

[Dhanya]

Though sound, Hirem's suggestion was not within the realms of comfort. Having clutched until her nails began to bleed, the thought of letting go was no closer than the capacity to do so. Dhanya wasn't sure she could do it.

"You're crazy!" She shouted, sniffling under her breath. "I'll die!"

Dying was not a conclusion she desired. Her relief was enough to make her limbs shake even more, so it seemed her decision would perhaps be made by physical weakness and not her mind. Still, her fingers did not relinquish their grip.

"Thanks for coming, I can't let go." Dhanya babbled, words coming quickly and without much thought.

She gritted her teeth against the fear and pain. Dhanya felt as if she was frozen in front of some great predator and she knew that she would need to move or die where she lay. She was suspended, waiting for something to break the revery.

The ledge she was clinging to gave way, tipping forward and stopping just short of tipping after her. Dhanya lost her grip, loosing a scream that would have curdled blood and shattered glass. The fall was awkward, her wounded leg hit rock on the way down, but she at least fell towards Hirem.

[Hirem]

Hirem had one last brief thought as she fell from her position on the rocks and sailed down towards him, screaming her head off. He had one last brief comment on the situation before he opened up his arms to catch the girl, taking a few too many steps towards the edge of the rock that he was standing upon, had one last brief idea as his left foot slipped off the side of the rock.

I hate heights.

Then she slammed into him, the upper area of her back slamming into his torso, pushing him free of the ground that he had been standing upon and sending him falling backwards. His arms, not yet reacting to his fall, instinctly closed around her chest, hugging her to him as he realized his current position. He took one sharp intake of air as he realized that he was, in fact, falling down from the top of the plateau with this woman atop his chest, screaming her head off. A peculiar and terrifying development, and Hirem closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable.

Thankfully, the fall was kept brief. The nearest rock lay about four feet below him, so in a few seconds after falling off the rock and catching her, his back slammed down into the stone, the individual pebbles stabbing into his clothing and skin. The impact knocked the wind out of him, so for a few terrifying seconds he felt like his lungs were wrapped tight in the grip of an iron fist, thin needles of pain piercing their way through him.

Hirem finally was able to draw in some air; albeit a painful, strangled kind of breath where he was thankful to get in any oxygen at all, and he took a few more breaths like that in rapid succession, trying to fill his body with as much air as possible. The pain that had erupted all over his back had calmed considerably by now, so he was able to have some clear thoughts.

I really, really have to get people to stop landing on me. Hirem bent his neck a bit, winced at the ache that he felt upon doing so, and weakly said, "Are you okay?"

[Dhanya]

The pain eclipsed her sight, sending the bright desert black. Hirem heard no reply. Dhanya was dead weight upon his chest, her scream cut away when they fell. Had he shaken her, she still would not have woken. It took long minutes before she began to stir. Hirem could see large bruises on her chin and temple. She'd clipped the rock she'd been clinging to on the way down.

Hirem might have noticed her hair, which was dark on the upper layer and pale beneath, and he certainly noticed her eyes when they blinked open. Her horizontal pupils slowly focused and became thin in the harsh light, her golden irises brought into stark relief. The world was blurry around her. She could feel her bile rising against the splitting headache that pierced rational thought. Dhanya wasn't quite sure where she was anymore. Her memory failed her, even attempts at finding her own name felt confusing.

"Father?" The first concept that came to mind. "Wait, no, where?"

Dhanya raised a hand to her mouth and narrowly managed to pull herself away from Hirem far enough to reach a ledge. The world once again spun on its axis, she had moved far too quickly and she found herself vomiting over the edge while clutching at her hair, trying to keep her brains from falling out.

She whined under her breath against the pain, wanting nothing more than to fall unconscious until the cruel sensation went away. Sleep pulled against the throbbing of her head and the horrible taste in her mouth.

She was concussed, though the extent was currently unknown.

[Hirem]

Hirem quickly pushed himself onto his knees, and stretched out his muscles as he combed his mind for a way to treat his delirious friend. A brief memory surfaced to the forefront of his thoughts, and an unbidden smile took to his face. He was a small boy again, and had just bumped his head on a tree while with his father at an oasis. His father had made him sit down, and he made Hirem drink and drink until the boy could once again process clear thoughts.

His father had then instructed Hirem on how to deal with similar injuries to the head, and the young Benshiran shepherd had been a diligent learner. Get them to have a good, long rest or sleep. It will help clear their thoughts and refresh their mind. They also need a lot of drinking water, but remember to conserve some for yourself so you can make further trips into the wastes. A thirsty belly can kill you out here.

He slowly crawled over to the retching woman, and wrinkled his nose at the awful smell. He stretched out his right arm, and pat her on the back between the shoulder blades jovially, nodding his approval. "That's it. Get it all out." Once she was done her bout of vomiting, he pulled his filled waterskin from his pack and handed it to her. "Drink this, please. It's safe, I promise you that."

While this was going on, he observed her carefully, trying to pinpoint who, or what, she exactly was. She was at the age he had guessed, right out of childhood, and appeared very fertile and pretty, in an innocent, girlish kind of way. However, her face contained the subtle hints of maturity, experience, loss. It was disconcerting to see such age and features on a face that appeared to still be in it's childhood, but that was not the thing that gave Hirem pause.

This woman's eyes were of the most unusual color, like the orange sun of the desert in the waning evening or the thick honey that Eypharians dribbled atop their favourite delicacies. Not only that, her pupils were irreguarly shaped and very, very thin, not at all like the eyes of a Benshiran, or an Eypharian, or even a Chaktawe, which were all the races Hirem had ever met.

In the recesses of his mind, a vague retelling of a story floated into his thoughts, a possible explanation as to this woman's story. Animals, they are... sharp eyes like those of a cat, or a dog, or a horse... but they also look like us, talk, move and act like us... Shapeshifters, they are... Was this woman a shapeshifter? It was certainly an interesting idea.

[Dhanya]

Her hands slipped on the skin, thoughts of ill-intent beyond her. Hirem could have handed poison then and she would have drunk it, spilling with every tremble of her hands. She did waste it first, coughing most of her first impulsive gulp. Hirem had to clasp her hands to steady her. The hours spent in the heat of the day had not been kind to her.

Her bruises seemed to be blooming as quickly as her confusion. It was easy to see that whatever sense she had would not be forthcoming. She had no idea where she was or where she should be. The thoughts seemed to be nursing themselves, close but out of reach. She closed her eyes.

"It's so bright." Her voice was still meandering and bordering on slurred.

She released the water skin to Hirem's care and curled her fingers up, resting on her closed eyes. It was easier to try to think about her rescuer than herself. She was sure she'd never seen anyone like him. Dhanya cursed each painful minute until the aching began to ebb away and gave space for thinking. Each breath seemed to open roads in her mind.

"I was climbing and I fell." She said, painting over the gaps made by her concussion. "I'm a bloody idiot."

Words were easier again and only moreso with time.

"Thank you, for doing that." She blinked, though the light was still too bright, getting as good a look as she could at the man that had come to rescue her.

[Hirem]

Well, she could talk clearly again. That was definitely a good sign. Thankfully, she hadn't drank all of the waterskin, so he could take a little sip of it himself. The small trickle of water was sweet and cool as it ran past his parched lips and down his warm throat. He took a deep breath of contentment, slipping the waterskin back into his pack.

She was reprimanding herself, which was not unexpected. Hirem had spent weeks in Ahnatep and out in the Burning Lands critizing himself for the mistakes he had made about the Eypharians. It was best to stop focusing on the past, or the future, and focus on the now. "Do not worry about it. All will fall astray under the sun's blinding heat."

As for the thanks she had offered him, Hirem gave her back a small smile, patting her back again to assure her that he was friendly. "It was nothing. I could not let you fall to your death." Besides, Hirem felt rejuvenated now that he was not in danger. He had just saved a person's life, a service to the soul if there ever was one.

He was not sure what to do now, though. She needed rest, and he would be more than willing to let her use his tent, but he needed a place to sleep too. The nearest settlement couldn't be reached for days, and the chance of reaching a Benshiran Tent was very, very unlikely. Perhaps this woman still had friends or companions about in the dunes, and a bit of searching would reveal them. One step first, though.

Hirem stood up, and looked at the bright sun hanging high above them. "Can you walk? I think we should find shade, and get down from this rock." Without her consent, he bent over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her up to her feet. She was still very wobbly on her feet, but they needed to get moving. He started to walk down the rocks, supporting her all the way.