Closed [Flashback] When Three Hunters Collide (Napua)

[Hess]

It was all a horrid blur, as Hess slipped in and out of consciousness. At some point he realized that the Dek girl was literally carrying him. At some point he knew that she would never make it to the city, he was too heavy for a girl to carry! At some point he tried to shift, tried to clamber, or fall, down off her back, thinking to help her help him, that he would walk. But all he accomplished was to make her stumble and go down on her knees. And that was that. He heard her heavy, fast pants. His eyes were open and he saw the strain of exhaustion in her face. She’d never get him lifted again. How far had they come? How close were the gates now? Hess tried to raise his head, to look about for familiar landmarks, but his vision swam and shrunk and expanded and the world tilted. He knew he was going to pass out again. “Go,” he croaked, unsure if he was really even talking. “Go . . . get . . . help . . .” *** The sun was gone, but it wasn’t night. Beyond his closed eyelids, there was light, but it was softer than Syna’s rays, more diffuse than Leth’s glow. He heard a sound, a soft murmur, from not too far a distance. It sounded like voices but the words were not distinct. He had no memory, no idea of where he was, or why he was in a place that felt entirely unfamiliar, until he moved his hand. The intense pain brought back the happenings of the day in a great tidal wave of thought and feeling. Suddenly he could feel every ripped muscle, every torn bit of flesh, of his hand, his back. His entire body ached in a way that he had never known before, and he moaned. There were footsteps, and a voice and he opened his eyes. Though he had been in this part of the city carved right into the mountain, he hadn’t been in this particular room. It was the infirmary, and he was on a bed, and a middle aged man was now stooping over him, peering closely at him, talking to someone one else who must have been behind him. Then he was talking to Hess, and the hunter tried to speak, to answer his questions, but his voice was so weak, his throat parched. A cup was held to his lips and Hess managed to sip some of the cool water, feeling it wash his mouth and throat with moisture. The cup was withdrawn, and he looked up into the probing eyes of the healer. “The – the girl.” His voice was still a rasping torture. “The Dek . . . where is she?”

[Napua]

As the young dek girl continued to walk, her steps became heavier, the man across her shoulder feeling like a giant boulder that she had willingly placed there. She huffed as she walked, one step, two steps, sweat pouring now from her face and her mouth and throat dry from thirst and she felt the unconscious man stir and shift, she tried to place an arm around him to stop him but that only resulted in her stumbling and falling forward heavily on her knee which caused her to cry out in pain. She felt like crying as the pain shot up into her thigh and she gritted her teeth, leaning forward and laying the man down. She had no choice but to, she just could not carry him anymore. She knelt there in pure exhausted, her breaths coming in loud pants and she tilted her chin up, her eyes heavenwards as she sucked in air and held her chest. Her muscles were tired, sore and stinging with exertion and she shook her head feeling disappointed with herself as her grey eyes descended to look at the man quickly.

'Did he just speak.. oh Kihala he did!' She nodded quickly, resting a hand on the man's chest gently and reaching for his injured hand to rest it across him, she tucks the knife under his free hand and curls his fingers around it. "In case.. that is your knife you understand? I will get help.. don't worry, someone will come for you.. we are not far now from the gates." She quickly says and shifts her weight back to stand. Her knee felt like it was set on fire and she limped backwards, a hand reaching out to quickly support her against a nearby tree and she gave one more look to the injured Inartan and hobbled off through the trees. 'What do I say.. I will have to show them where he is and no doubt explain.. they have to believe me.. when they see his hand, his back they will know I'm telling the truth.. I do not even know who he is.. but he must be some hunter right?' She says to herself as she limps back to the gates as fast as her injured knee could manage.

Upon nearing the gate she exhales a breath of relief but doesn't waste anytime in calling attention to Val, the gatekeeper for help. She raises her arms, waving as she limps forth towards him, her words strained due to her dry throat, "Gatekeeper... gatekeeper Val! I need help, -please- quickly.. someone.. someone's hurt.. a bear.. it.. mauled him... I tried.. I tried to carry him.... I could.. I could not.. please.. help.." She can barely speak but she presses. She looked quite the sight too. Her shapeless tunic bloodied and torn, her knee cut and bruised and bleeding now from where she fell heavily on it. She had not even noticed it was indeed bleeding til she felt the warmth of the blood spill down her shin but she kept going towards the gates, limping, her cheeks flushed and her face sweaty.

Thankfully Val realized this was no joke and he fetched help which came quickly. She stood there as people gathered about, her palms going to her thigh and she pointed behind her back from where she came when ordered to tell what happened by one of the Avora hunters before she bent over and vomited to one side of the road due to exhaustion. She exhaled a shuddering breath, her hands shaking as someone passed her some water which she rinsed her mouth with first then drank the rest of it in long gulps, muttering a thank you before she turned around and hobbled back the way she came as the group followed the exhausted dek girl to go rescue the injured Inartan.

As the trek became increasingly difficult for Napua, the hunters dismissed her with a wave when she indicated that beyond the trees and fifty paces in they would find the man. 'Go on back to the gates dek, we'll take it from here. I'm sure you have a master to get to, you shouldn't even be out here.' Came the voice of one Avora hunter as the others around him nodded with agreement and smirked at her. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist but surrendered. She really hated how she was treated and how ungrateful the higher caste were of what she'd done but it is what it is and she slowly turned and made her way back to the gates. 'He will be fine.. Kihala will let him live..'

[Hess]

The healer’s expression grew puzzled, as he heard and tried to interpret the import of his patient’s barely intelligible words. He bent over Hess, placing a calming hand on the Avora’s shoulder. “You should rest. I don’t know anything about a Dek girl. It was several of your fellow hunters that brought you in. Try to sleep now, son, and I’ll make some inquiries.” Hess wanted to tell him. He wanted to tell him about the girl, that had saved his life. But he had no strength, no strength at all. He would sleep, and ask again, later . . .

[Napua]

After that day, Napua didn't return to where it all happened until about two days later when the swelling of her knee had started to go down. The bear's corpse still laid there, smelling and rotting now but she went closer still and kept her gaze alert as she took the things belonging to the injured stranger and headed back towards the gate. Her journey was quiet and her thoughts contemplative as she eyed the trees and looked upwards to the heavens. She wondered about what she did, if she could've done better and then on the other hand she was upset that no one cared that she helped that stranger and as a dek she was just shoved aside and forgotten.

She returned to the city and headed down the street, turning corners and keeping her gaze down to avoid as much attention as possible as she walked with a bag over one shoulder, containing the items belonging to the man she had saved. When she reached the infirmary she spoke to one of the avora healers, indicating to the bag and the things inside belonging to someone brought in just two days ago with bear injuries to the back and had and she described the man best she could and only was met with a nod.

She exhaled a breath of annoyance, shoved the bag onto the counter and left. She hoped the stranger's belongings were returned to him and she knew she likely would never see him again.

[Phoenix]

Hess

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	3
Hunting	4
Weapon (Bow)	3

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Shoot a Deer, Dodge a Bear
•	A Hunters Reflex
•	Sustaining Wounds via Defense
•	Retaining Conciseness Throughout Considerable Pain
•	Saved by a Dek
•	Unable to thank his Savior

Napua

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	4
Hunting	1
Weapon (Bow)	1
Medicine	3
Leadership	2

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	An Almost Perfect Shot
•	Rushing to a Strangers Aid
•	Carrying Someone Twice Your Size
•	Staunching the Bleeding
•	Medicine: Applying pressure to a wound

The Order of the Phoenix

Great thread! I am always a sucker for action. I tried to give you all I could, Hess, but you were in pain most of the time, and suffering so there was little I could do!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.