(Flashback) Dawn Breaks, A New Beginning (Ifran)

[Corvus]

11th of Fall, 511

Reluctantly, Corvus pulled himself free from the dark folds of meditation and headed for the surface of his body. Syna’s bright orange and gold rays crawled through the entrance of the cave, stinging him when he peeled back his eyelids. He quickly slammed them shut, rubbed them with the back of his sand crusted hand and tried again. Slowly, the veil of darkness lifted. The peaceful space of the dark cave was gone and so was Ifran, replaced with long fingers of light that stretched out to sear him. His heart sank.

Blindly, he stared at the light pouring in, unable to look away at that moment. Dread filled his being and he inched slowly away from it, as far to the back of the cave as he could get. It was a painstaking process, his body was clumsy, refusing to follow the simplest command. By the time he’d pushed himself to the farthest corner, he was panting from the exertion and pinned against the jagged stone wall of the tiny cave with nowhere else to go. How long could he last like that?

Pulling every awkward limb into a tight ball, he knew he was going to find out just how long, first hand because he was never going anywhere else. Everything felt so different, he didn’t trust himself to move. He didn’t believe he’d be able to make it back. What was worse than dying here? Being eaten alive by whatever lurked outside because he couldn’t defend himself? Even if he had a weapon he doubted he had the strength or ability to wield it. He might as well lay down and wait for the worst. Better to rot here than bear the sharp teeth of a wild creature shredding him to make a meal of his flesh.

Besides his fear of what Syna’s rays were doing to his body was the rumbling in the center of his core. It was a deep, painful feeling and the gurgling noise his organs were making was foreign to him. Maybe his body was finally falling apart from the heavy weight of this strange place. He even felt lower to the ground, like a part of him was missing, but with Syna glowering in his face and Ifran missing, there was no way he was going to explore the feeling any time soon. He would wait out the worst of this, whatever it was, alone if he had to. What choice did he have?

[Ifran]

Ifran had connections, but he was not a miracle-worker. Once the ethaefal had fallen asleep, a true and sound sleep, Ifran had extricated himself to walk back to Alvadas. It had been a strange thing how in the unnamed one's sleep, he had clung to Ifran like a child, the only person he knew in the world. But with Aru back in Ahnatep, Ifran had taken some clothes his friend had left behind and persuaded the costume mistress to remove the extra sleeves and sew up the vents. After pilfering through the stores of things no longer needed or likely to be needed, he found a backpack and shoved the clothes in, as well as some necessities and food. He returned as quickly as he was able, not having slept more than taking a bit of a nap, but still the sun was in the air by the time he got back to the sea cave. There were still things the ethaefal would need: a weapon, a tent if he intended not to live in the city, and perhaps a horse. Ifran did not know how long it would take for him to have the strength to walk to Alvadas. The despair had seemingly sapped away his energy. Before he reached the sea cave's mouth, he called ahead, not wanting to startle the newly reborn man. He called again, more softly, from the mouth of the cave, staring into the gloom until his eyes grew accustomed to the dim interior. When he could see the vague shape of the man in the fetal position, he carefully came inside, adjusting for the weight of the backpack. "I have food," he said, his voice pitched to sooth.

[Corvus]

The blinding rays that barred the entrance to the cave were swallowed by the size of Ifran’s frame. At once, Corvus was two things; relieved to see the other man, and grateful, because the painful sun had receded in his presence. Ifran had to be like a god if he was capable of preventing Syna from touching Corvus. It made him wonder.

As Ifran came into the cave, Corvus realized for the first time, how truly small it was. He was so worn out last night that he hadn’t noticed, but even in the strange way his body seemed not to take up as much space during the day, it was still crowded with the two men holed up inside. The Ethaefal had been so happy to see his new friend that he hadn’t been able to follow the words on his lips, only just registered that he’d said something in his singsong voice.

Relief didn’t last long, however. Something about the way Ifran smelled made the pain in his stomach worsen. He gripped it tightly and moaned from the tightening in his abdomen. The noises had come back and he wasn’t feeling very well right along with them. He looked up at the man, who he’d been able to look down on the previous night and wondered if his savior had the answer for this too, or perhaps the frightening power to cause it.

[Ifran]

Ifran did not move to help for a moment, then made the intuitive leap that such a creature did not remember what hunger felt like to a body. Kneeling in the soft sand, he pulled a fresh baked loaf of bread out from the backpack and broke it in two. He tapped the man on the naked side, nonplussed by the fact that he looked nothing like his vespertine self, then held out a piece of bread. It was not large, but if that stomach had not taken food in however long, he didn't want it wasted and vomited up. When the man didn't seem to understand, Ifran took a smile bite out of the loaf, chewing with his mouth open, which was disgusting, but educative. Then he closed his mouth to chew properly, and swallowed. When he opened his empty mouth, he hoped that the unnamed one would understand the instructions as he didn't seem to understand language. "Food," he said. "Eat."

[Corvus]

Corvus followed Ifran's movements, watching him carefully while his belly rumbled. He understood the basics of the gesture, it seemed like something he should remember. The smell of whatever he was eating was driving his stomach crazy, making it even harder to resist. Even though he felt like his stomach might rip apart if he moved too quickly, he reached out to take some of what Ifran had in his hand.

Slowly, he lifted it to his lips. The strange smell of it under his nose made him cautious. Gingerly, he touched it to his lips. When his mouth watered in response, he opened his mouth wide enough to shove it in. Watching Ifran's actions as he did, he moved his jaw in the same fashion, crushing the food between his teeth, then swallowing. He almost choked on the first few bites, but the motion quickly became second nature. The small piece left him hungering for more. He pointed to Ifran and gestured that his stomach still felt empty.

[Ifran]

Ifran assumed that the body would take over to get what it needed if the Ethaefal's mind did not remember the processes. When he was ready for more, Ifran offered him a waterskin first. Dehydration was a quicker malady than starvation. First he took a sip, swallowed, and handed it over. He wondered how long it would be before he had to teach the man to urinate, and whether defecation lessons would be necessary. Once he managed the water, Ifran handed him more bread, slowing this first meal down to a stately dance, the better to allow the newly earthbound body to remember what it had forgotten. He ate little, but then he only ate substantial meals when he had made great efforts of body and mind. While he was getting the hang of things and eating and drinking mostly on his own, Ifran placed a hand on his chest for emphasis and said: "Ifran. Ifran."

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Corvus XP Award: N/A Lore: Sun Aches First Feelings of Hunger Notes: Name:Ifran XP Award: Larceny- 1 Lore: Packing Supplies Spotting Hunger Notes: Larceny is for taking provisions. Any other questions, just ask. Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM