To hold something for a moment and judge it's weight is one thing- it's weight when you're carrying it and running for your life is another, and Silva quickly found that the thing was a lot bigger and heavier than she had realized, almost as big as she was from head to toe and definitely not hollow.
I can't get far, not with this... Panting now, the cold air cutting at her throat and burning her lungs, she looked ahead. A darkness rose up in the distance, the familiar shadow of trees. ...A LOT of trees, that shouldn't be there. A new wave of adrenaline came from realizing that she wasn't even close to where she was before, and she forced her legs to pump faster.
Just into the trees, I'll have at least a chance then, but not until then, no stopping until then... Silently she thanked the animals for keeping her in shape and prayed that it wouldn't be as far as it looked.
It was as far as it looked, bad for her muscles and painful to her lungs but good for her safety. After at least ten minutes of running for her life Silva set the thing on the ground and sagged against the strong trunk of the nearest tree. The longer she ran, the more it felt like she could... fall... again at any moment, as if shadows of emptiness were grasping at her every step. The leaves that made a ceiling of velvet blackness above hissed rumors in the strange smelling breeze, making her want to curl up near a fireplace with a blanket. Just a little farther in to be out of sight, then you can rest Silva, just a little farther... She forced slow, deliberate breaths into and out of her lungs for another minute before hefting her baggage back up into her arms and trudging forwards again.
Soon the trees started to thin out again, and the strange smell on the cold breeze got stronger. Silva breathed through her nose, expression puzzled. That CAN'T be what I think it is. There's just no way, it's too far.
Shocked, she set the thing down and stumbled ahead, out of the trees, and then stood dumbstruck- a few feet of grass ended in a sheer drop before her, giving an unblocked view of the ocean, going forward, left and right forever. It's darkness touched with silver light blended with the sky and stars, making it look as though it might overflow and sweep her away. She would have wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, if she hadn't been so stunned.
"Blazes", she whispered breathlessly, voice harsh in the cold sea air. "Just how long was I knocked out for?"
"Oh, a day or two."
Silva spun back to face the trees that the voice had come from and began to back away slowly, searching frantically and with wide eyes for the source of the young, cocky male voice. "What in-"
"Careful there dear, you don't want to fall and hurt yourself. I daresay that would be even more foolish than the way you're acting now."
Silva bit her lip, remembering the edge that must be close behind her, and that the healing- thing- was now separated from her by the voice. So that rules out running away... Daring a quick look down and to the side she could see that the fall wasn't far enough to kill, but even with the small beach at the bottom, it would almost definitely knock her out and break whatever limb she landed on. A narrow slope of land made a ramp down along the cliff like the dangerous mountain paths in cartoons, but she certainly couldn't run down and swim away fast enough to escape anything, not tired as she was. Lovely, so that leaves...
With a deep breath she took a step back towards the trees, trying not to look terrified and grateful that the darkness would hide the exhausted trembling of her leg muscles. She put out one hand in what she hoped would be recognized as a peaceful gesture.
"Hello? I don't know who you are, and I can't see you, so how about stepping out?"
A grumbling, impatient sound. "You're being awfully optimistic there dear, to throw yourself on the mercy of a stranger with those four after you."
Silva let her hand drop, wondering a bit late if this person was safe to talk to and how they knew about what she had run from, when something moved in the shadows and fell forward onto the grass-
The small, bat like creature from the cage peered up at her with it's sharp red eyes, not just in her direction like a normal animal but right at her. She looked back to the trees for the person that it must belong to, nervous under it's stare.
"Uhm, so is this your pet, then?"
"Hrmph! Either you're slow, silly, or the possession injured more of your brain than they realized. Girl, I'm the one you're talking to." It sighed, as if she were trying it's patience. "Evening."
Silva turned to look back at the animal, neck moving an inch at a time like a rusted joint, chest suddenly tight as if to keep her from breathing. It... is not... talking. Outloud. To me. Animals do not do that. Her mind seemed to bump helplessly at the thought as she looked back at it -and it actually made eye contact with her. Everything seemed to start spinning, the darkness swallowed the stars and then turned to her...
"Woah! Woah, hey there, we can't have that! They would sense that from a mile away!" Suddenly too dizzy to protest, Silva watched as the black thing flapped up into the air, let it grab her by the arm and pull her over to the orb. With a groan she dropped to her knees and put her hand on it... the darkness slowly faded away, and she blinked as her mind cleared.
All right, so a black, winged thing with red eyes is talking to me. Deal with it. It doesn't seem to be a threat, it could be worse. Not sure how exactly, but it could. I am not insane. Just don't think about it...
She closed her eyes and managed a deep breath, willing her voice to be steady. "Thank you. That helped. Now could you tell me why it helped or how you knew it would? Or maybe what you are?" Not insane, not insane.
"Not really. I'm a Baiton, but other than that, there isn't time. They're probably looking for you again by now. Besides, you heard enough to understand what's going on didn't you? You must be the right one if you survived all that, what with the season possession and such." It sighed. "I just wish destiny would leave me out of things- why did they have to find my dragon's egg when they were looking for something to stabilize you?"
Silva's mouth opened and closed a few times before her voice managed to come out, confused and shrill. "I -it didn't -dragon's egg? I'm the right one for what?"
The black thing blinked at her calmly. "You didn't know?" It shook it's head. "How you survived with such little magical perception is beyond me, honestly... Yes, dearie, it's a dragon's egg -mine, I protect it- and it's going to hatch soon. Young dragons need a bondmate, you need a dragon to keep you alive and get you to the temple. It doesn't even need to be a healer-dragon, since it's their natural power that you need, not healing power. No promises that it'll be easy for you to bond though. The whole mess has destiny written all over it, wouldn't you say?"
Done talking, it looked up and saw the disbelieving panic in Silva's eyes, apparently noticing for the first time. "What?"
I'm not insane, I'm not, I'm NOT, but the little animal is TALKING, and the thing... egg... thing... does make me feel better for no rational reason, and those people... Blazes, what I wouldn't do to have Lenti here to help me, this is her sort of thing, not mine. She forced herself to keep breathing, slowly, calmly.
"What is bonding and what temple?"
The baiton stretched it's wings anxiously. "Later, all of that can wait until later, we need to-" It stopped talking and froze for a moment as if listening, then cried out and flapped into the air. "Something's coming, one of theirs! Get down behind the ridge with the egg, I'll see what I can do- wait for me a while, but if I don't come back, go!"
Silva didn't hesitate, jumping up with the egg and running towards the edge and down the path a few feet. There she set the egg down and sat, her back pressed against the wall of dirt, trying to breathe silently. Panic edged in on her mind, the sight and sound of the ocean right in front of her lost in the storm of her thoughts. I was just caring for the animals, how, how did I end up in this?
A deep, burbling growl hissed uncertainly above, and Silva clenched her teeth to keep from making any noise. The baiton gave a very loud, attention getting shriek that trailed away slowly to her left. He's trying to distract it, whatever it is. Brave thing!
A sharp, surprised snarl rolled into a rumbling growl that made Silva tremble as it didn't give chase. Hunted by some unseen thing, she could feel that it was looking for her-
and she started breathing again as the baiton repeated it's shriek and broke the thing's concentration. It was going to find me without my even being in sight... Thank you baiton! She could hear it padding softly away to follow the cries... ...which means it isn't facing this direction anymore. She gave the egg a pat for good luck, took a deep breath, and rose to peek over the edge at what the thing had been. Deep down a part of her kept trying to explain things, suggesting that it could just be a hungry wild animal, or sick maybe...
For a second she was relieved, seeing nothing, when movement caught the corner of her eye and she turned, having to bite into her lip not to scream.
Stalking off in the direction of the baiton's diversion, a four legged thing like living shadow. It wasn't black, it was like... a void. The light of the stars disappeared into it, but it was solid... Silva could make out marks in the ground where it's claws tore the earth. The baiton cried out again, and the thing gave a sudden leap, vanishing into the trees.
She sat back down slowly, stunned. For a long while she just watched the ocean, waves sliding in on top of eachother, reflecting the moonlight like living constelations, foam flying into the air like shooting stars too tired to stay in the sky.
Things... are different now. That's the way it is, you're going to have to deal with it. Right now.
With a weary sigh, Silva picked the egg back up and started to walk down to the sand where she might rest, at least a little more out of sight.
To hold something for a moment and judge it's weight is one thing- it's weight when you're carrying it and running for your life is another, and Silva quickly found that the thing was a lot bigger and heavier than she had realized, almost as big as she was from head to toe and definitely not hollow.
The small, bat like creature from the cage peered up at her with it's sharp red eyes, not just in her direction like a normal animal but right at her. She looked back to the trees for the person that it must belong to, nervous under it's stare. 