broken wings

In the aftermath of the battle with the Void Yeti, Sohalia wasn’t sure what to do.

She was exhausted, for one. The thought of trying to make her way to a skyship and go back to Torchline was terrible. For another, despite Zuriel’s healing magic, the places on her torso that had been torn to pieces by the yeti still ached in a way she wasn’t sure would ever really go away. And besides all that, she was devastated. She’d come here to help, and yet she’d ended up being more of a liability than anything else, failing in her attempt to help her friends and running before she could even see if they were okay.

Coward, the angry little voice in the back of her mind whispered. Failure.

Disheveled and miserable, Sohalia made her way through the streets of Snowcloak. Her clothes were tattered and torn and bloody, and her hair had fallen out of its usual neat twists to hang limply around her face. Most people avoided her like the plague, but she managed to flag down a random passerby and get directions to Sah’s house. It was the only place she could think to go now that everything was over.

Sah? she called through the Attuned bond as she approached his front door. Are you home?

Sah

Sah was just tucking Frog into a blanket for the night when he heard Sohalia through the bond. Giving the pup one last kiss on the head and leaving him on his bed, the hybrid walked swiftly to his front door. Pad looked up from where he was curled by the fire as Lilly fell into step with their bonded. They could all feel the unease coming from the Wild Thunder and it was fully justified. Sohalia's voice sounded wrong.

There was a meekness there. A grief. Something heavy and aching in her tone of voice that had Sahs' intuition on high alert. Reaching through the bond just mere moments after she called for him, Sah opened his front door. Sohalia? What's wrong?

His eyes widened as he took in his young friend's appearance. "Gods, what happened?" Within a heartbeat, Sah was at her side, eyes scanning her, taking in the healed injuries and remaining blood. Gently, and giving her plenty to time to pull away if she wished, the Wild Thunder took her wrist in his hand, "Let's get you inside, okay?" A mental checklist was already forming. A warm bath, clean clothes, hot chocolate, lots of blankets, healing magic, peace and quiet. Maybe not exactly in that order.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Sah met her at the front door, and Soh didn't need to look up to know what his face would look like as he took in her appearance. His appalled tone brought fresh tears to her eyes, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. "There was a Void yeti out on the tundra," she said, her voice flat. "The good news is it's dead now. The Void's gone." She paused, reaching up to touch the new scars showing beneath her shredded top self-consciously. Swallowing hard, she added, "I... got hurt. Deimos's companion healed me, but..."

There wasn't much to say that her appearance didn't already convey, and she looked up at Sah through wide, frightened eyes. When he reached out to gently take her wrist, she let him, then followed him meekly inside. Tarak fluttered down from the sky to land in the snow and follow his bonded into the house, clicking his beak impatiently as though instructing Sah to hurry up. Once they were inside, he quieted, though he stayed uncharacteristically close to Sohalia.

Sah

Sah quickly processed the information. Halo had been attacked, and he hadn't known. Frustrated with himself, he shoved the emotion down and focused on the far more important matter at hand. Taking care of his friend.

Bringing Sohalia inside, he gently led her and Tarak to the bathroom where he sat her down on a chair before turning and using his water and fire magic to quickly fill the tub with warm water. Lilly, responding to his mental plea, walked in and placed a blanket on Sohalia's lap before sitting close by in case the Attuned needed anything else.

Testing the water with a hand, Sah nodded before continuing the conversation with a gentle tone. "That should be a good temperature. Let me know if I need to adjust it. I'll leave a set of fresh clothes at the door for you to use when you're done."

Sitting on his heels, the Wild Thunder tilted his head as he eyed Sohalia softly, "Is there anything else that I can get you?" He hated seeing her like this. She was so young, around Soleil's age if he had to guess. It made every protective instinct, he had, fraternal and paternal, rear its head.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

As Soh was ushered inside, she noted the warmth that overtook her, beginning to thaw her frozen fingers and toes. Tarak accompanied her, staying close by her side as Sah led her through the house. Despite the way her body was beginning to warm, her heart remained numb, incapable of wrenching itself free from the heartache that plagued the Luminary in the aftermath of the battle.

It was easier by far to allow Sah to take care of her, and the way that he did so spoke to a man who had done it countless times before. She couldn’t find it in herself to wonder about the familiar way he ran the bath, the polite gesture of Lilly bringing her a towel. When the bath was ready, Sah prepared to leave her to her own devices. At his inquiry, Soh shook her head. There was nothing that she needed that Sah could give her.

Once she was alone, save for Tarak, she forced herself to move, going through the motions of taking a bath if only so that she didn’t waste Sah’s generosity. When she emerged, the water ran red. Soh cringed at the crimson rivulets that beaded upon her skin, lamenting the stains that she left on the towel as she dried off. When she emerged, fully dressed, with damp hair and Tarak in her arms, she looked a great deal better than she felt.

Sah

After crafting fresh clothes for Sohalia and leaving them at the door, Sah moved to the kitchen and started a batch of hot chocolate while the Attuned got cleaned up. The motions were familiar, chopping up the chocolate, slowly melting it, and then gently stirring in warm milk. His brow furrowed for a moment before he reached up to the top shelf above his stove. Retrieving a vial, he uncorked it to reveal vanilla bean pods. Taking two, Sah scraped them clean and mixed the prized fruit into the pot. It was certainly a day that called for indulgence.

The Wild Thunder was just finishing up when Sohalia emerged, Tarak in tow. Sah briefly scanned her, breaking into a gentle smile, satisfied with the improvement. "I'm glad that they fit. I'm not the best at estimating clothing sizes." Sohalia looked like she was roughly Soleil's size, so Sah had based his creation magic on the measurements he'd previously used for his daughter.

Pouring two mugs of hot chocolate, the Wild Thunder placed them on the kitchen table and gestured for Sohalia to join him. "Here. Chocolate makes everything better." Even if just a little.

He took a sip of his own mug, pleased with the results, and patiently waited in case his young friend wished to speak. If not, Sah was content to simply provide silent company and comfort if that was what she needed. As curious and worried as he was, Sah had no intention of prying or pushing Sohalia if she wasn't ready to talk about her ordeal.

Lilly emerged from deeper in the house and curled up Sah's feet, nudging his lower leg gently. She was worried too.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Sohalia joined Sah at the kitchen table, feeling both clean and very dirty at the same time. Physically, she might now be spotless, wrapped in clean clothes that actually did fit quite well; but she couldn’t have scrubbed her hands enough to wash away the feel of blood on them, and when she closed her eyes she still saw the gush of red across the ivory snow.

”Thank you,” she said as she gathered the hot chocolate in her hands, allowing herself to savor the warmth as it seeped into her hands. Tarak curled up on her lap, jostling her arms out of the way until he’d made himself comfortable and drawing a small, sad smile from his bonded.

Soh took a sip of her hot chocolate and hummed her appreciation, even if it was a little bit muted and not nearly as cheerful as the last time she’d seen Sah. She stared into her cup for a few moments, until the silence became too much to bear. ”I don’t think we meant to trigger a battle,” she said finally. ”We were just seeing if there was anything that could be done, but there was a void-infected yeti, and it was…” She shuddered, unable to think of a word that felt sufficient to describe the terror and desperation that she’d felt out on the tundra.

Sah

Sah let out a soft croon, "I can imagine. The infected guardians of the Oerwoud and Greatwood were terrifying." Noah had been nearly killed both times and the hybrid would never get the sight out of his mind. Too much blood, too much damage, no way out. The desperation that had fueled those fights had been almost overwhelming. The infected sea panther and ursur had only been marginally better.

Frog, his quiet and shy pup appeared in the Wild Thunder's shadow. The little one quietly and cautiously approached Sohalia and leaned against her leg. Sah was unable to keep the shock and awe that filled both his companion bond, and the one shared by all Attuned. With wide eyes, he slowly smiled, letting out a soft laugh. He could feel Lilly and Pad's surprise as well.

Frog let out a soft whine, nuzzling the distressed Attuned. Sah smiled sadly, giving Sohalia some context. "He lost his entire pack to an abyssal leviathan. He's trying to tell you that you'll be okay. Maybe not now. But eventually." Sure enough, forest green and bright gold shapes filled the bond between the pack. Even if Sohalia couldn't sense it, Sah hoped that the determined reassurance and hope that his youngest companion was trying to give her was getting across.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Soh nodded numbly, her thoughts far away, back out on the ice with the yeti and her blood coating the snow. If the yeti was as terrifying as it had been, she had to imagine that the guardians of the Greatwood and the Oerwoud would have been just as bad. Not that she was in a headspace to consider that just now.

Instead, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, allowing the warmth to seep into her bones. Perhaps if she simply sat here long enough, she’d begin to believe that she was alive, even if she wouldn’t consider herself well. Sah’s gentle presence was a balm to her wounded soul, and she would have been content to stay like that for a few moments if not for Frog.

The wolf pup inched forward little by little until he was pressed against Soh’s leg, and for a moment, she froze, unable to move and unwilling to break the magic of the moment. She stared down at Frog, listening to Sah’s explanation, and reached out a gentle hand in an attempt to stroke the pup’s head. ”I’m sorry,” she murmured softly, feeling a certain kinship with the pup. Like him she’d lost everyone she’d once considered family, too.

Sah

Sah could feel Frog's surprise at the sudden hand but externally the pup only froze for a moment before tilting his head to allow Sohalia to pet him. The hybrid marveled, glad to see that the shadowfang was coming out of his shell to let someone besides Sah pet him for the first time. He wished it were under happier circumstances, but it was undeniable progress.

The Wild Thunder took another sip of his hot chocolate before smiling softly at Sohalia. "You're welcome to spend the night here in the spare bedroom if you'd like. There's also a nice bed and breakfast down the street if you'd prefer that." Sohalia just looked exhausted and Sah wanted to make sure that she had somewhere safe and warm to sleep off her horrific day. Whether under the safety of his own roof or elsewhere.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Feeling marginally better - if not still in shock - Soh was distantly pleased when Frog allowed her to stroke his head gently. She crooned soft, nonsensical words to him under her breath for a moment before removing her hand. The pup had seemed so timid that she didn’t want to scare him away.

When Sah offered her a room, she looked back up. ”If you’re sure you don’t mind, a room here would be great,” she agreed. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone right now, and she at least trusted that Sah would keep her relatively safe. ”Thank you for all of this,” she added. ”I’m sorry to have disturbed you, I just - I didn’t know where else to go that would be safe.”

Sah

"Then consider it yours for the night. I can show you where it is when you're done with your drink." The sun had already set, and fatigue was surely setting in. At her sudden apology, Sah's eyes widened, and he shook his head, "Don't apologize. I'm happy to help." As well as honored and humbled that she saw him as a safe space. The hybrid gave the Attuned a gentle smile as Frog quietly walked off, "After all, what are friends for if not to be there for you when you need them?" His offer was also a selfish one. Sah was worried about Sohalia and having her nearby where he could help if needed was reassuring.

When she was ready, the Wild Thunder led his young friend to the spare room, laughing quietly as Lilly appeared with more blankets to cocoon the young woman in. "If you need anything, my room is down the hall on the right." Bidding her goodnight, Sah settled into his bed, staying awake for a few hours; in case Sohalia sought him out. When she didn't, he finally let himself fall asleep.

-[FIN]

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?