Ascending Legends

[Dragongal]

Arryn was confused. Why was this hurting Dayn for so long after this shift? It didn't mormally. Is it because I still hurt from earlier? No.... "Do you know why you're sore still? Do you want to go out hunting? I'm sure they won't mind if we went out real quick. " She ran her hands gently over his head, trying to use her magic to ear his pain. By now, there was nearly no difference between him and a human. When she first started healing him, it hurt enough to make her wince, but that soon passed. Her magic was still getting readjusted. She gently ruffled his ears, saying quietly, "Would you like to go for a run? I'll ride if you like."

 

[BookWyrm]

<I think a hunt would be nice, and we can go for a run afterwards if you feel up to it.> Dayn nuzzled against Arryn. <Thank you love. I know you are helping, your magic has a very soothing touch.> He looked up to her, a little more jovial look on his face as his ears perked up a bit. <Would you ask if they mind me going out? I'll be quick.>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn looked to Matthias on the ladder and said, "He's going to go out for a quick hunt, he'll stay I the area. Alright?" Matthias nodded, and she looked to Theodas, and he nodded As well. Kalie couldn't be seen, but Arryn heard no protest. Arryn walked outside with Dayn. "I'm going to stay here by the barn. Don't go too far, love."

 

[BookWyrm]

<I won't.> Dayn nuzzled her hand gently before turning around and taking off into the woods. His body was still stiff, but eventually he managed to break into his normal stride, slowing down as he came to one of the many game trails that ran through these woods. As followed the scent he began to smell something odd, something that didn't belong there. It was a musty, pungent odor that stung the nose. Dayn slowed his pace and kept his guard up. The woods felt wrong, almost like something was there that shouldn't have been.


As Dayn came around a corner he spotted a herd of deer anxiously munching away at a large patch of clover. Several of the bucks were on guard, keeping watch over the herd. Dayn crouched low, preparing to launch. He had just sprung out and tackled one of the bucks when a massive form came barreling through the trees, swatting at the deer across from him with paws bigger than a warhammer. The buck collapsed with a sickening crack as the beast lumbered into view. It looked like some kind of massive bear. Dayn looked up from his kill, his hackles bristling and lips curled back into a menacing snarl as the bear turned and looked at him. <Those eyes, thats not an ordinary bear.>





<Moon-Born.>


The bear thing reared up on it's hind legs and roared loud enough to alert the others back at the barn. Dayn snarled and barked before dodging a massive paw as it came down at him. He leaped onto the bears back, sinking his claws and teeth into the beasts thick skin. The bear roared in anger as it grabbed Dayn and threw him off. Dayn landed with a yelp before rolling and getting back onto his feet. He snarled and growled as he reared up and caught the bear's arms before pulling the massive beast off balance, throwing him to the side only to have the beasts claws rake across his face. Dayn whined in pain before pouncing on the downed bear, doing his best to stay off to it's sides to avoid the powerful blows. Blood filled his mouth, his own and the bears, as they continued to tussle and fight. The bear roared, finally getting a hold on Dayn as it picked him up and squeezed, trying to break him. Dayn howled and yelped before lunging out and biting the bear's nose, causing it to loosen up enough for Dayn to bring both hands down across it's face, leaving mangled claw marks along the bear's exposed skin.


Dayn took the moment and ran back towards the barn. His adrenaline was pumping, and his body was already healing some of the damage, but he knew he'd be hurt for a while. As he broke out of the tree line Dayn barked loudly, trying to rouse everyone's attention. <Quick! It might be following me!> Dayn slid to a stop, his body covered in blood and injuries, and put himself between Arryn and the forest. <I've never seen anything like it! Its huge!>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn heard the barking, and so did the team, running out into the forest by the barn. "The Hel was that?!" Kalie nocked a silver arrow on her bow string, ready to aim at whatever came. Matthias had drawn his blade, and Theodas had drawn both of his. "Theodas, vantage point, Kalie, vantage, Matthias, ground with me." All three nodded, Theodas and Kalie climbed two different trees. When Dayn came running, Arryn reached down, running her hands over his cut face. "What is it?! If it's that big... we should have bought the dwarven crossbows!"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn looked at Arryn, his eyes wide in fear and his ears laid flat against his head. <It was some kind of bear, but it spoke. It...it knew what I am. It said Moon-Born and then it attacked me.> Dayn was shaking all over, his adrenaline leaving and the injuries now becoming evident as he whimpered and whined. Out in the forest the bear roared again in anger. Dayn turned, backing up against Arryn protectively as the bear burst out of the tree line. It's massive bulk came to a stop several yards away from the group as it's mangled face twisted in anger. But when it caught scent of the other people in the area, even noticing several weapons drawn, it roared one last time before charging off away from the group


Dayn sighed as he watched the beast leave. He tried to turn around, only for his legs to wobble underneath him before he fell to the ground with a painful cry. He whined and whimpered, tears running down his muzzle. <I think I've got some broken bones.>

 

[Dragongal]

"Double-guard, Kalie and Matthias. Theodas, I may yet need your help." Arryn knelt down beside Dayn, gently running her fingers across his muzzle. "I'm going to focus on setting the bones then, okay? I'll patch up the cuts at home. I'm just going to use some diagnostic magic right now, it won't hurt." She continued lightly running her hand over his muzzle, avoiding the cuts. "Broken ribs, you sprained your left ankle real bad, and you got a crack on your jaw. That's excluding bruises and cuts, of course. This might sting a bit, I'm sorry, love." Arryn gently laid her hand on his left leg, working on fixing his ankle to a point of stability, which she then did for his ribs and jaw. Not enough to heal, but enough to make sure that he'd not damage it by moving. Afterward she was tired, but she made sure all of his cuts weren't bleeding before sighing heavily and blinking tiredly. Theodas sat with his back against a tree, waiting to see if he'd be needed.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn yelped when Arryn fixed his ankle, though not at her. Each process was painful, but making sure everything healed correctly was key. Dayn did his best not to flinch or move, but every now and then a tender spot would elicit enough pain to cause a spasm. <How are we getting back to the house without being seen?>

 

[Dragongal]

"Either we wait it out here, or... well, we could do classic distraction...." Arryn looked at her friends, who exchanged glances. Matthias shrugged. "I can do it, use the bear as a call for people to focus on. The idea is," he explained for Dayn, "that they're so distracted by me that they wouldn't look toward the house. There's risks, of course, of you still being seen, but it would likely work... if you can get to the house."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn nodded before looking to Arryn. <I can try.> Dayn got into position and pushed, whining slightly before moving his weight around and finally standing on shaky legs, though he leaned against Arryn slightly. <I think I can make it back.>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn nodded, then looked to Matthias. "Get a head start, and start yelling a warning about the bear. You can say that it's what injured Dayn, nobody will try to go near Mom - they know she'd come at them with her crossbow for going anywhere near the house. She's done it before." Arryn left Dayn for a few moments to gather his clothing, then returned and gently rubbed Dayn's ears as Matthias nodded, getting a head start, but staying in view for as long as they were in the woods. He took off when they reached the fields, and began yelling as he neared the village, running toward the village center. Candles could be seen being lit in houses as people ran out to find what the commotion was. After a few moments, Arryn led Dayn and her crew to the house, luckily at the corner of the village, with Theodas and Kalie in the lead in case anybody saw them. Arryn opened the door and helped Dayn through. "Mother, please, we could use some help." Lenza walked in from her room, still dressed from the day, as she'd fallen asleep while reading. She paused, looking at the bloodied wolf next to Arryn, and Arryn's pleading eyes. "The Hel happened?" "Bear-thingy attacked him. Cracked bones and some nasty cuts." Lenza nodded, saying, "Bring him in the back room, I'll see what I can't do," as she set about closing the shutters. She looked at Theodas and Kalie, waving them off, which they quickly obeyed. In the back room with the many beds, she said, "Alright, let's have a look at you."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn was thankful to have made it through the village without difficulty. He winced slightly when Lenza looked down at him, still slightly nervous about being a wolf around her, though everything seemed to be fine as they made their way to the back room. Dayn laid down carefully in the floor as he waited for Lenza to look him over. Thankfully some of the injuries were healing, though the shock was causing him to shake. <Arryn?> Dayn looked up at her, whining slightly. <I don't know what it was. It came out of nowhere. I tried to fight it off....>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn sat next to him, gently taking his head in her lap as she slowly ran her fingers through his fur. "And you did very well, love. It's not going to come near the village - it wouldn't approach us, it won't approach the village. Y'know, I don't think it's too long until dawn either, okay?" When Lenza came in, Arryn looked up at her and said, "I'm not moving." Lenza shrugged. "Good. I appreciate that you're so close you are actually refusing my normal rules. I wouldn't have forced him out when you were bad the last few days either. Besides, I'd prefer it if you did stay. What's wrong with him?" A bit surprised, Arryn nodded. "Broken ribs, badly sprained ankle, cracked jaw, lots of cuts and bruises. Bit of shock at the moment." Arrryn didn't stop petting Dayn the whole time she spoke with Lenza. Lenza nodded, kneeling down in front of Dayn, bringing a bag filled with medical supplies down with her. She took out a rag and soaked it in a wound rinse, and was about to begin wiping the blood off Dayn's face to clean the wounds, when Arryn gently caught her hand, took the rag, and began to do it for her.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's shaking eased off some when he felt Arryn begin petting his head. His breathing slowed some as he focused on the feeling of her fingers running through his fur. She was so gentle and loving, when she wasn't pissed off of course. He watched as Lenza soaked the rag in the wound rinse and tensed slightly as she brought it towards his face, whining just a little bit. He knew it was going to hurt to have them cleaned, but they did need to be tended to. He eased off some when Arryn took the rag and began to tend to the wounds on his face. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lenza, but something about Arryn doing it helped him relax that much more. <I might stay like this to help with the healing, unless you need me to shift.>

 

[Dragongal]

"I'm okay with you staying as a cuddly fluffball. I was going to suggest it for your ankle, actually - three legs would displace the weight better than one." She explained what he'd said to Lenza, who nodded. "That might do well. I'm going to bind your ankle, it might hurt a bit." Lenza took out some stiff bandages and set to carefully binding his ankle so it couldn't move easily. She then got to work heating up bunches of bandages and putting oils and potions on them, then holding these compresses over his ribs. Arryn continued cleaning his open wounds until they were all done, then set to work on his jaw, making a smaller compress like the ones her mother had made and holding it over where the crack was in his bone. "We won't be holding these on you forever, love, just for a bit, then we'll do it again later." She continued to slowly, gently pet him, feeling herself getting tired but hiding it.

 

[BookWyrm]

<I figured you wouldn't mind cuddling some. I know you love it.> Dayn sighed heavily. The shaking had stopped finally, and despite the pain he seemed to be relaxing more and more. <I don't have to use my mouth to speak anyway.> Dayn felt his stomach rumble, causing him to give a short snort. <I still didn't get to eat. I just don't feel like chewing anything at the moment, though.>

 

[Dragongal]

"You know me so well," she said with a smile in response to his cuddling comment. She had to think about what he could eat for a bit. "If you were a human you could eat pudding or something soft, but... as a wolf? I'm afraid all you can get is water. You can open your mouth, though that may hurt a bit, but chewing... no.... I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

 

[BookWyrm]

<Livestock blood mixed with milk, or bread soaked in blood, or even marrow if you could find it.> It wasn't the most appetizing meals but they were healthy and he could digest it as a wolf. <Other than that water will have to do.>

 

[Dragongal]

"At the moment, I don't think getting livestock blood is the best idea. We're trying to stay on the down-low. I'll see if Theodas can't get some tomorrow, though. He's our reconnaissance guy for a reason. Tonight though, it's best to risk as little as possible." Arryn got up, gently moving his head from her lap, and found a shallow bowl, filling it with water before returning and replacing his head on her lap, laying the bowl nearby. She explained to Lenza what he'd suggested for food, making her smirk a bit. "Yeah, we're definitely putting that off until tomorrow." Lenza removed the compresses from his ribs,and began sorting through her bag before pulling out a thin vial and handing it to Arryn. "Get him to drink the whole thing. You can figure it out." Arryn nodded and poured the contents into her cupped hand for him to drink.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn stared at the vial curiously before lapping it up from her hand. He grimaced slightly, in both pain and at the taste, but managed to get it swallowed. <I can wait to eat until tomorrow I guess.> Dayn did take some of the water from the bowl though. <I might try to rest now, unless you need me awake for something?>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn shook her head, setting the compress aside. She grabbed her pack and placed it behind herself, before leaning back and moving hi head so it laid on her stomach, still petting his head slowly. She'd have liked to curl up beside him, but with his broken ribs and cracked jaw, this seemed the all around best option. Lenza left the room and returned a moment later with a large blanket, laying it over both of them. While she realized Dayn likely wouldn't need it, she did it anyway. Arryn smiled as Lenza walked out for her own bed, and closed her eyes.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn felt the warmth of the blanket and looked up at Lenza, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly as she walked out of the room. As he settled down and closed his eyes he found that rest was coming on easy for him. <I love you, Arryn.>, was the last thing he remembered before he faded into sleep.


Dayn woke up a few hours later feeling a little dry and very sore and achy. He tried to yawn but only managed to open his mouth slightly due to the pain in his jaw. Dayn licked his nose before managing to move his head up under Arryn's chin, touching the cool tip of his nose to her skin.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn woke up a bit, starting to pet Dayn's head again without opening her eyes. After a few moments she did open her eyes. "What's wrong, love?" She looked at the pale light filtering between the shutter slats. "It's barely dawn."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn looked at the window and sighed, laying his head down gently on her stomach. <Sorry, I didn't realize it was so early. Could you possibly pull the bowl closer?> Dayn accepted the water gratefully, but he drank it slowly and carefully so as to not cause himself pain. He laid his head back down and moved some, snuggling closer to Arryn. <I kind of miss being your pillow.>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled tiredly. "I'd like that, but I don't want your jaw laying on the ground...." Arryn gently moved his head off of her stomach and got up, grabbed one of the pillows off of the bed, laid it out for his head, then moved around and carefully laid against him, laying her head on his shoulder, where she knew there was no serious bruising or broken bones, curling up close to him and pulling up the blankets. "Better?"