PM to join [Avitar River] Drink Deep (Viper and Lynn)

[Viper]

Thank the gods! As if Litani's increasingly familiar presence couldn't have pleased him more. There she was, astride his loyal Strider. Now he only hoped his memory of their dream hadn't played some cruel trick on him. Viper prayed she really was still the healer he remembered. As she approached, he knelt to the ground, gingerly laying her down as softly as he could. His breathing was heavy, yet he still had plenty of energy with all that adrenaline flowing through his veins. Then came the to be expected question. 'What happened.' Viper threw up his hands in a manner absolving him of actual guilt."She's a Kelvic! She was in a deer form...I...I had no idea she was anything other than what she appeared to be..." His voice trailed off as at this point, what happened really didn't matter. What mattered was patching her up....quickly!

Standing there staring at Litani, he waited anxiously for something to do. Fortunately for him, he didn't have long to wait. For Litani rattled of a small list of things to keep him busy. His head jerked an understanding nod as he bolted toward his horse. Quickly he rounded up the canteens, and snatched her satchel up. Only a matter of a few seconds later, he was by their sides as he deposited the requested items at Litani's side. Viper then rummaged through to the bottom of the satchel and withdrew her flask, handing it to her in the same motion.

Another moment later, he speedily took his shirt off and began tearing it into shreds. Thus revealing to both, his muscular form as well as several large scars on his right shoulder and chest area. In his haste, his first piece did not turn out to terribly well. In a slightly frustrated huph, he drew his knife to help cut his shirt into more usable and useful pieces. This whole time, he didn't speak another word. Instead staying silent so as to give Litani every ability to concentrate on her craft. His eyes danced back and forth between the two, watching carefully to see if there was any other way he could be of assistance...

[Lynn]

Whether they ran for a year or only a chime, she could not say. All concept of time seemed to fade away as they moved forward endlessly. Lynn's head bobbed and lolled against the hunter's chest, her tenuous hold on reality slipping with every step, until -- "Oh bleeding light, Viper!" A woman's voice. Who..? Another eternity passed before she came into view. A woman, yes, and a beautiful one at that, though the details of her face seemed to elude Lynn. Despite her beauty, the sight of her was frightening -- a stranger, an unknown -- and the Kelvic shut her eyes with a whimper, willing it all to go away. Please gods, a dream.. let this all be a terrible dream. Take it away, let me sleep.. As if in answer to her prayers, she felt herself being gently lowered, her body coming to rest on a soft bed of earth and grass. Yes, sleep. I never woke, the hunter was not real, the arrow.. the arrow -- ! At the thought of that blasted arrow, the pain in Lynn's shoulder returned in a vicious wave, reminding her that her ordeal was very much a reality. As she slowly became more cognizant of her surroundings, fear and instinct reared their ugly heads, urging her to flee, to fight, to put as much distance between herself and these strangers as she possibly could. The woman was kneeling right beside her, but her attention was on the hunter.. if she bolted now, she might be able to get away! In her delirium, Lynn did not notice as the woman returned her attention to her once more; but when she felt a warm hand on her forehead and heard the promise of Rak'keli's grace, the haze seemed to lift, and she finally saw the woman for what she was: a healer. The Goddess had heard Lynn's prayers. A slow smile spread across her face, all signs of worry and fear gradually fading away, and she whispered, "Rak'keli," in a voice filled with awe. She heard the words that this servant of Rak'keli spoke to the hunter, though she could not decipher their meaning; she watched the man go, but did not truly see. When the woman urged her to look into her eyes, to stay awake, Lynn was all too happy to oblige, nodding and shaking her head in turn to show that she understood, would do as she was told. Her eyes never left the woman's face, never noticed the hunter's return. In just a few short moments, the healer had become Lynn's whole world. Then the healing began. At first, there was only pressure. Lynn kept her eyes trained on the healer, her gaze steady through the mild discomfort. Then came the pain. She could feel something move and twist deep within her, a wholly foreign sensation that sent all of her instincts into a frenzy. Her back arched as she moaned in pain, a low, guttural sound that spoke the fear of an animal trapped. Every part of her screamed that this was wrong, her body shouldn't work like this. Lynn had never expected that this art which she so revered could feel so unnatural, so perverse; it took all her willpower just to keep still, to let Rak'keli finish the work that faith and logic told her was necessary and good, even as her body clamored in dissent. As her flesh continued to knit itself back together, Lynn heard the healer speak in a tongue she did not understand. Though the words meant nothing to her, their cadence was soothing, almost lyrical; as she listened, her anxious breathing slowed, and she was reminded of a prayer that she had learned as a fawn. After a few moments, Lynn began to sing in a tremulous, barely audible soprano, her normally clear voice made dull and rough by the pain. "Priskil, let your hope shine though me, radiate your endless light. Even should the dark pursue me, guide me though the black of night. Banish fear that would consume me, should I falter, set me right. Priskil, show to me your Beacon, I shall not lose hope tonight." Eventually, miraculously, the pain faded. It did not disappear; Lynn could tell by the deep ache that lingered in her shoulder that the wound had not been fully healed. But thanks to the woman who still knelt at her side, and Rak'keli through her -- thanks, even, to the hunter who had carried her so swiftly -- Lynn would survive. She reached out her left hand (her good hand, she realized with a wince), searching for the touch of another, wishing to somehow express the deep well of gratitude that had sprung within her.

[Litani]

Somehow, there was grace. Somehow, there was peace.

Within the voice of the Konti, within the song of the Kelvic, somehow, they together sung her to mending and after long, tense, pain-filled moments for both wounded and healer, Litani found herself gazing down into the eyes of the injured deer, smiling softly even though her own azure irises were glistening with tears of emotion unshed. She'd happily been the conduit for all of Rak'keli's mercy, more than willingly given herself up to the task and a smile painted itself across her features, her lips, the depths of her eyes. To Lynn, softly, she promised, "You will be well now, dear one... you will be well."

A tear shed itself and she turned away, heedless, looking up at Viper naturally as if the act of healing should move her to such deep emotion. Did it not do the same for everyone so marked of the Goddess...? In truth, it nearly always did for her - where else would a child of Rak'keli know her deepest worship, where else would she feel her Mother most sincerely? ...Litani's body tingled softly as if in reward for what she had done and the feeling was hypnotic, exhausting, and altogether delicious. To the hunter, she inquired quietly, already knowing the answer but asking anyway in the event that her spiritual experience clouded her: "Were your arrows tipped in anything...? It matters not, for she will live, I only need to know so that I may treat it properly if they were." She smiled brightly then and looked back to Lynn; she would indeed live, and any sense of accomplishment that the Konti might have was completely eclipsed by the sweet knowledge of her Goddess' work - she was but a fingertip, but a whisper of the voice that was Rak'keli.

Holding the Kelvic gently in her arms, she bid Lynn to rise up just a little, testing her for strength and awareness and ability to move. "I shall see to your stitches when we return," she whispered, "I've a delicate hand and my mentor is a philterer, fear not of the pain. We will set you to right."

[Viper]

Viper listened quietly as the two went back and forth. One with her prayers, the other with her songs. The whole exchange had an almost surreal feel to it. It was very strange being able to see the work being done by Litani's gifted hands and abilities. Before he knew it, what Litani could do for the girl was finished. A wave of relief flowed over Viper as she said the woman would be fine.

He hadn't quite yet finished sighing his relief, when Litani asked a curious question. He had to process it for a moment before finally shaking his head and responding with a firm, "No. I'd never dip the arrows I hunt with in poison. With my luck, the posion would somehow manage to stay in tact, and I'd kill myself when it came dinner time." He laughed lightly, and rubbed the back of his neck before turning back to the woman.

Lowering his arms, his hands fell to her back to help assist Litani in moving the woman to a more sitting position. He gave her a quick smile, not quite sure of what to say. Instead, he turned back to Litani. "You think she would be alright to ride Aeyan back? She's probably to weak to walk...and I can't carry her that far...I'm good, but not that good." A smirk appeared on his face as he waited for Litani's knowledgeable opinion.