Ascending Legends

[Dragongal]

The skinchanger turn and ran while it could, Kalie shooting arrows into its back as it fled, until Matthias put his hand on her shoulder. Blood clearly showed the path that the skinchanger had taken. They could track him later if they liked. Theodas gently took Arryn from Dayn, taking out a potion and pouring a small amount down her throat. "This will help with the bloodloss." He decided to explainw hat he was doing to Dayn to ensure that Dayn wouldn't kill him. "I'm going to pack the wound to keep it clean and make sure it heals from inside out, alright? She's probably going to be out for a while... but I'm pretty sure she should live. Matthias, Kalie, make a fire and set up camp. We'll use the strand of trees right over there." Matthias and Kalie nodded, running over and beginning to set up camp, trying to help their friend in any way possible.


After he'd bandaged the wound, Theodas carefully picked Arryn up and carried her over to the little camp, laying her down near the fire on a small nest of blankets and bedrolls, wrapping her bloody cloak around her to keep her warm. He looked to Dayn and nodded a bit before backing off.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn walked over and circled Arryn a couple of times before laying down and curling his body tightly around her. He appreciated all that Theodas, Matthias, and Kalie had done, but right now he was extremely protective over Arryn. He had tolerated Theodas' help because he knew Arryn needed it, and now that she was set and stable it was Dayn's job to make sure she was safe and cared for. Dayn nuzzled the bloody cloak away until he could lay his head against her chest, making sure to avoid the wound. It would be sore for certain, but by the time she woke it would mostly be healed. Dayn couldn't help but feel guilty to some degree. He hadn't had a choice. It was either her become a Moon-Born or die. But in some way he felt tormented by having to make that decision for her. What are they going to think of me now? Alistiar, Lenza, Kalie, Matthias, Theodas. They just now accepted me for what I am, now Arryn.....





The tears streaked down his face again. In truth he was a wreck. His fur was matted with blood and tears, but Dayn refused to let anyone touch him. If they even got close to him or Arryn he'd growl, his ears snaking back defensively. And right now, he meant it. I just hope she doesn't hate me when she wakes up.....

 

[Dragongal]

Matthias and Kalie quickly figured out to stay away from Dayn. They retired to a small tent, though the three took turns on watch. A little before midnight, Theodas approached with some bandaging. "Dayn, I'm not going to make you move, and I'm not going to hurt her, I need to change her bandages so she can keep healing. I packed the wound to make sure a pocket didn't form, because that could collapse her lungs. Now I'm sure it'll heal without it at this point, with her new rate of healing, so I need to take it out. It'll help prevent infection if I change the bandages regularly. Will you let me help her?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn growled when he saw Theodas start to come over even if he had bandages. His lips had even curled back to reveal his teeth in a rather unpleasant snarl when the elf strode ever closer. But when Theodas finally started explaining the process of what needed to take place Dayn stopped snarling. He even went so far as to stop growling, some, when Theodas had said that he wasn't going to make him move, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to scrutinize every move the elf made. The second his hand strayed to close to her breast or her stomach Dayn would growl, even if Theodas hadn't meant it in any way other than trying to help her. When it was all said and done Dayn even growled for good measure until Theodas had finally put enough space between them that Dayn deemed suitable. He curled tighter around Arryn, more for his own comfort than anything, before slowly relaxing some. It was going to be a long night, but he refused to sleep even though the others were on guard.

 

[Dragongal]

Seconds ticked by, minutes passed, hours faded, until a few hours after midnight when Arryn stirred. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at Dayn, still in a bad condition. "Dayn...? I'm tired... and sore...." She slowly, stiffly adjusted herself before burying her face in his fur at his neck, one hand over his paw. At the moment she didn't recollect what had happened, but that didn't matter, she just wanted to curl up with her warm wolfy love.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn nuzzled against her before readjusting his position to better accommodate her. <Its okay love. Just rest and regain your strength. We'll talk when you are able.> Dayn didn't know how he was going to explain what had happened to her. All he knew is that he was slowly counting down the days to the next full moon. Got to stay on top of that now. So many things are going to change for us.

 

[Dragongal]

"Alright," Arryn conceded, nuzzling against his neck before falling back to sleep. In her dreams, she was sparring with Alistair again. "You got really close to the border, are you alright? The Guard let me off for a bit when I noticed." "Yeah, I'm still foggy on what happened, though. However, I did wake up, so, it's not all that bad. I'm alive, apparently, and so is Dayn. Could be worse.""True, you could end up like me." "Exactly. Oh, and Dayn's going to help me get back to being able to use my sword. And we went to see the griffins. It was odd, they actually came to us, playing with us and asking for petting." Alistair smiled. "Sounds like it was wonderful." Arryn nodded. "Not sure why they did that, but it was really nice." "I'm glad you had fun. I'm getting called back now. We're still chasing whatever may have escaped. I'll find a way to see you soon." Arryn adjusted herself slightly in her sleep as her dream transitioned, and she wrapped her arms around Dayn's neck, letting go fo his paw.


Her dreams took a turn for the worst. The skinchanger was back, but Dayn nearly killed it and it fled. He turned to Arryn with a smile, before a look of horror crossed his face. She didn't understand, what was wrong. She noticed a puddle and glanced in, seeing herself as a wolf. But he's a lycanthrope, this makes no... it was then that Arryn realized her eyes had gone almost completely black. She wasn't a Moon-Born, she was a lycanthrope, a monster like the one that had hurt Dayn. Next thing she knew, she was standing on top of him on all fours, and he was dead, blood everywhere, chunks torn from his throat and chest, and she couldn't stop herself. She woke up with a jolt, holding onto Dayn more tightly and running one hand over his fur before falling back into a dreamless sleep.


When dawn came, she hadn't woken again. Kalie worked on getting breakfast, staying on the opposite side of the fire from Dayn, Matthias glancing over protectively every once in a while. "We should stay here until Atria wakes. Theodas, will she be able to travel?" Theodas thought for a few moments, then replied, "Quite likely, if we don't push her. It'd be best to get her into controlled conditions, and we should be back in Rorich by tonight if we keep a decent pace - one that she could keep up with."





About fifteen minutes later, Arryn stirred, looking up tiredly at Dayn and smiling. "Morning, mo chroi...." She looked at Kalie, who offered her food and hot tea. Arryn shook her head. "No thanks... I'm not hungry...." She cuddled closer to Dayn, still groggy and not remembering what had happened. "Arryn, you should at least have some tea, you lost a lot of blood, you need to drink...." Arryn shrugged a bit, too out of it to really care. She felt some irritation and looked down at her hand, noticing that it was around her silver engagement ring. Must have been the cold.


Arryn looked at Dayn's paw, taking it in her hands. "Remind me to put some more balm over the wound, the scarring is forming and I need to work with it before I can't."She was concerned for him. She didn't want him having scars that would cause problems like hers. She let go of his paw and nuzzled coat to Dayn again, though she faced him. With a slight smile, she reached out and slowly, loving ran her fingers through the fur on his head.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn smiled, leaning his head into her hand. Despite what had to happen the previous night, Dayn was beyond thankful to have Arryn alive and beside him. <Please love, at least take some tea. You could use something on your stomach.> Dayn was still very protective over her, but it had lessened to some degree now that she had woken up. <Are you cold?> Dayn asked before cuddling up around her, trying to make sure he touched as much of her as possible but also keeping her open to the fire as well.

 

[Dragongal]

"Only a little." Arryn looked at Dayn for a few moments, then looked back to Kalie and nodded, taking some of the offered tea. She took a few sips then looked Dayn over again, saying, "That's a lot of blood... is it all mine, or are you hurt?" Matthias looked to Kalie and Theodas. They all silently agreed to let Dayn choose when to tell her everything.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's ears laid back as he looked to Arryn. He knew she deserved to know what had happened, but he didn't know when. But she had asked about the matted blood, he couldn't lie to her. <No, I fared rather well this time. This is yours love.> Dayn leaned forward and licked her gently. <I'll tell you everything when we get you back home.>

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled a bit. "Okay. We should get going, right?" She fnished her tea and got up, checking her bandages. They'd do for now. Surprising, she recalled getting hit by an arrow (which she assumed missed her heart) but the wound was awfully minor for that....

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn stood up and was at her side within seconds. <Don't push yourself love. We are going to take this at your pace.> It took some time to get the rest of the way back to Rorich, but in the end Dayn and Arryn made it back to their borrow home. Dayn had insisted on Arryn having some privacy, and that if there was anything that would came up he would get alert them. In truth he just wanted to be alone with her for a while, his protectiveness now getting the better of him again. He had made sure Arryn was comfortable before shifting back and slipping into some pants. "Arryn, we need to talk."





He sat down next to her, laying his hand over hers as he sighed. "You almost died last night. If the arrow hand't pierced your heart out right then it nicked it for sure. Theodas managed to pull it out and tried to heal you, but the internal damage was too great." Dayn's hand started trembling as tears streaked down his face. Dayn took a shuddering breath and looked Arryn in the eye as he regained his composure. "I.....I had no other choice love. I could feel your heart beat fading as I held you. I....I....I bit you, to save you. You are like me now. You are a Moon-Born."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn stared at him blankly for a few seconds. He'd done what? Why hadn't she felt this? Shouldn't she have been able to tell? This was surely a joke... until she remembered that her ring had been bothering her. Her silver engagement ring.... She looked up to Dayn with tears in her eyes. There'd been a clear reason why she never wanted this and now was the time to tell him. "Dayn... but... we don't know that. What - what if.... I mean, what if... I'm not? What if I'm not a Moon-Born, what if I became a beast like the one that turned you? I-I mean... I don't want to hurt you."

 

[BookWyrm]

"Arryn....love.....I am sorry." Dayn was trying not to break down. The guilt was almost overpowering. "I couldn't lose you. I couldn't go through that....not again. When Theodas said there was nothing he could do.......I can't blame him for this love....but he said I was the only thing that could save you." Dayn reached up and cupped her cheek. "Arryn, I don't think you would become a beast. If anyone should have it was me. I was the one bitten by it." Dayn was failing to make himself feel any better, and he figured that it wasn't helping Arryn either. He couldn't hold it back any longer. He fell forward, his head laying into her lap as his body shook with tears. "Please.....don't hate me for this Arryn. I know you never wanted it, but I couldn't let you go."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn was crying too, more at Dayn's display of emotion than her own feelings. She hadn't meant for him to feel bad. It wasn't his fault, she couldn't blame him for doing this. She didn't want to leave him alone in this world either. She gently picked him up by his shoulders so he was facing her, and ran her fingers through his hair before pulling him close. "I'm not mad at you, beloved. I'm just... I'm just a bit scared. I told you that if I was dying, you should bite me... and you did. It's not your fault at all. You saved my life. We're just... we're just going to figure this out. Together. Right?"

 

[BookWyrm]

When Arryn had lifted him up he had almost tried to hide his face. His shoulders sagged and his head hung low for several seconds before he could muster up enough strength to look up at her. When Arryn had ran her fingers through his hair he had closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, only to wrap his arms around her when she embraced him. "Yes love." Dayn lost his voice as the sobs shook his body again. "We are going to figure this out, together."





Dayn held Arryn for several long minutes until they both had been able to finally regain their composure. Dayn pulled back, though he caressed her neck gently as he wiped away her stray tears. He looked down at her hand, a sad smile on his face. "I guess we are going to have to do something about that ring now."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn looked down at the ring, smiling sadly. "I don't want to take it off, but it's really starting to irritate me... I can have Ferin dip it in an enchanted mix to coat it like it were steel... I feel bad taking it off, though...."She smiled a bit shakily and said, "I guess now we can see if you were right and I would look good in red."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn smiled. He didn't want her to take it off either. "It won't be too bad until your first full moon. After that silver will have full affect one you." Dayn squeezed her hand as he grimaced. "Arryn, I'm not going to beat around the bush about this. Your first shift is going to hurt." Dayn shook his head, pushing that memory away. "But we will burn that bridge when we get to it." Dayn had to smile at her comment though. "Well, I think you look sexy no matter what, but I can't say that I haven't given it some thought before." Dayn pulled her into another tight hug. "I'm going to help you get through this love."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled and kissed his neck, though her body shuddered at the thought of her first shift. She was still scared about being a beast instead of a Moon-Born. "Thank you, Dayn." She leaned against him, then said, "Love... I'm kind of tired... can we go to sleep...? Please?" Once they were curled up together, Arryn let herself fall asleep, immediately being plagued by another nightmare. This time she was normal, and walking with Dayn... during the Harvest Festival in Riverbend? Odd. She saw a fight going on, but it was four to two, that wasn't fair.... It wasn't even a proper fight at all, the four were trying to mug the two. This angered her, as it usually would. The surprise was when in the next instant she was wolfed and standing on one of the men with his throat ripped out, blood dripping from her mouth. Dayn tried to stop her before she went to the next one, but she ignored him, immediately tearing into the next one... the Guards soon arrived with silver weaponry... Dayn got hurt trying to guard her, but that wasn't fair, it was she who deserved to get hurt, not him....


Arryn woke up with a gasp, wrapping her arms around Dayn tightly as she started sobbing. "Dayn, I can't do it, please Dayn, I don't think I can do it."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn woke up, startled of course, before wrapping his arms around Arryn. "Arryn.....love, it's okay. It was just a dream." He gently ran his hand through her hair as he waited for her to calm down some. He knew what she had probably dreamed about. The same dreams had plagued him before his first full moon. "You are going to be okay love. You are not going to become a killer just because you are a wolf love. Remember back before my first shift? I had the nightmares, and look at me now. You are going to be just fine love."

 

[Dragongal]

"No, Dayn, I don't have the temper for this, I'm going to lose it over something stupid, I'm not like you. I don't have a setting between calm and irate, you've seen me, it's just going to get worse the more comfortable I get being around people again. I don't want you getting caught in something and getting hurt because I couldn't keep my temper." Arryn was scared to even try to find out if she could hold the wolf back if she lost her temper. Dayn could, he only really lost it when she was hurt, that was the only time he seemed to really get mad. She didnt' want to be a burden on him either, make him have to avoid things because of her or walk on eggshells around her.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn pushed Arryn off of him slightly so he could sit up and look her in the face. He placed both hands on either side of her face firmly to get her attention, yet lovingly in a way. "Listen to me Arryn, you are the most incredible woman I know. I do not deny that you have a temper. Hel, your friends and family keep warning me about it. But I need you to focus on what I am telling you right now. I know the struggle of containing the beast inside, and I've dealt with it longer than I've been a wolf. The reason I am able to control my wolf side is because I've had to learn to control the darker side of me." Dayn chewed on his lip nervously as his eyes darted from her eyes to the bed and back. She needs to know. "The night Kara and Lia were killed, something woke inside of me. Something I never want to see again. I told you what I did to those men, to her brothers, but I didn't tell you what happened to me afterwards. Arryn, I spent weeks trying to die. I longed for death, yet I felt that I still was owed revenge. I took out my pain on whatever I could find, all the while trying to end my pathetic life before I could do something so horrible again. It took putting myself into a sanitarium before I finally managed to get a grip on reality again, but by that time I had already ruined things between me and Kara's family."





Now it was out in the open. He looked at her, shaking his head slightly. "Some of those things that Kara's family accused me of.....some of that I really did. But I learned how to move on love. I learned how to control the darker part of me. That is why I seem so in control of my emotions, except when you are in peril."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn looked at him, tears running down her cheeks, before she pulled him close. She couldn't make any promises about herself, but she did wish she could. He put himself in a sanitarium, he had to understand. Was he... scared of this darker side he mentioned even now? He understood her more than she expected. "I just... it's just this drive to... it sounds crazy, but to make things even, or fair. You've seen how I lose it. I just... I don't know, Dayn. I'm going to try, if only for you and nothing else, my love." She gently ran her fingers through his hair as she held him close. "My Dayn.... you've been through so much pain... yet you still have the heart to love me. You're so amazing, mo chroi. I love you so much."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn collapsed into her embrace, his head resting against her neck as they held each other. He held her tight against him, gently kissing her neck before he pulled away and smiled. "I love you Arryn. You are my closest friend, my lover, and my betrothed, and I will be here with you for every step of this journey."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled back. "Thank you Dayn. I love you so much... I don't know how I survived without you." No, wait, she did, it was hiding in the woods absolutely insane, running from one illusion and right into the next, sleeping only when she'd collapsed from exhaustion. She blinked away her remaining tears and kissed him gently, then looked at him searchingly before taking his hands in hers. She reached off the edge of the bed and pulled out some balm, gently working it over the scars that were forming on his hands. She liked taking care of him, and she worried that if she didn't work on his hands now, they'd get too hard to work with. She smiled once she'd finished, gently pushing him against the bed and nuzzling against him. She had no words, but that was okay.