Content Warning: mention of blood, hatchling in distress
“Nye!”
Darkness. It’s all he saw, and all he felt. It was a comforting warmth and a terrible silence all in one.
“Nye! Wake up!”
What…who? Who was that?
“Nye!”
The darkness started to vibrate till it turned into a tossing and turning. He felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach.
“Nye! For the love of all that’s…wake up!”
The movement stopped, and nausea gave way to intense pain. He hurt all over and he felt like he had been torn to ribbons. The hatchling let out a soft cry as Nakai pressed herbs into his open wounds, blinking his eyes open only to shut them a moment later when he realized he couldn’t see.
“It hurts!” he cried, his tiny paws reaching up to his face.
“Don’t move! I’m…trying to help you,” Nakai breathed, pulling Nye’s paws down. “Breathe…just….breathe.”
Nye was almost unconsolable, his tiny body twitching with pain, but after a few moments once the herbs finally released their pain mediation, he quieted down and slipped into a slumber once more.
Nakai sat back and choked back the tears that threatened to come down. No, he wouldn’t cry. He had to focus. He had to get the hatchling back to the shrine. Genna was there…Bridget too. They could help Nye. They had to.
Taking the large scarf that was normally wrapped around his neck, Nakai tucked the injured hatchling into it, before wrapping it back around himself and started the trek back towards the mountains.
The wind picked up and a light snow started to fall. The older dragon pulled the scarf closer, trying to keep Nye warm. Just how far had they wandered? He didn’t think they had gone that far, but the trees started to look like he had passed them one too many times before. He couldn’t be lost…could he?
He didn’t have time to wonder, he had to push forward. He cursed himself for not thinking of a way to mark the trail, to prevent something like this from happening. Did that demon do something to him too? He hissed under his breath as he started to see footprints in the snow ahead, immediately recognizing them as his own.
He…was lost.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Nakai leaned against his staff, rubbing his face with one hand. Relax, think. This isn’t the first time this has happened to him. He just had…wait what was that?
A blast of wind that was going in the opposite direction came from behind and Nakai turned his head around, both hands grasping his staff. He glared and waited as the atmosphere came to a standstill. The only thing that moved was the condensation from his breath.
The stillness seemed to last for ten minutes, but it had only been seconds. Before the pair, a ghostly figure came into view, before manifesting itself as a pearlescent spiral dragon. She was draped in silks and furs, and the snow swirled around her. She didn’t seem threatening, but Nakai knew better than to judge appearances.
“Lost, are we?” the spiral asked, her voice as sharp as ice. Nakai involuntarily shivered before clearing his throat.
“It would be a lie to say no, but it also depends on what you want from me,” he replied, fully turning to face her.
The spiral looked from his face down to the scarf, a brow lifting as she saw red stains against the white fabric. “Or…are we out for a late night hunt?”
Nakai noticed her gaze and brought the staff in front of him.
“Not a hunter…but a protector.” The spiral grinned and floated over, pushing Nakai’s staff down with ease. “Don’t worry…not everything in this forest is a threat. I thought you’d know that by now.”
The spiral reached out and unwrapped Nakai’s scarf, her touching freezing against his scales. She exposed the sleeping Nye, tsking as she looked at his wounds. “Did…Jerrett do this?” she whispered, putting the hatchling onto the snow.
Nakai couldn’t move, it felt as if his body was completely frozen. His heart raced as he watched the spiral, fearing she was going to bring more harm to the hatchling. ‘Move…move…’ he thought, trying to at least wiggling a toe.
The spiral sighed and looked up at Nakai. “Speak…I asked you a question.”
Finding his voice all of a sudden, Nakai coughed. “Y-yes. He attacked us…moments ago. Now we’re lost, trying to return to Winterspell Shrine.”
“This one won’t last with all the blood he’s lost if you keep going in circles. Allow me to help him and I’ll also show you the way out.”
Nakai glared at her, the spiral just smiling back. “What do you hope to gain from helping us?”
“If you’re from the shrine, I’d hope you would deliver a message for me. You see, there is a priest there that I have been meaning to see but I’ve been called away for other reasons. I’m sure he misses me, but I’d like to let him know I’m okay,” the spiral explained.
“What does a spirit as yourself want with a priest? You’re not haunting him are you?” Nakai asked, his tone growing serious.
The spiral laughed. “Is it a haunting if I’m just curious about him? Can a spirit like myself hold such interests? I’m offering to save this little one’s life all for just a message to be relayed, how selfish are you?”
Nakai swallowed and looked away.
“If you doubt my word, here. Let me give you my name,” the spiral said, Nakai looking back at her. “Navani.”
“Navani…ah…yes, I should’ve known…Akulli has mentioned you to me before,” Nakai muttered, his body slowly finding itself able to move again.
The spiral seemed to brighten up. “Ah! You do know him! Yes, please just tell him I’ll visit him within a fortnight. He’ll understand.”
Nakai was still wary of Navani, but before he could do or say anything, she reached out and touched the wounds on Nye. The bleeding came to a stop as ice seemed to slip from Navani’s claws, covering the open areas. “This will stop the bleeding, but the ice will thaw in time and he’ll need to be stitched back up and medicated to properly heal. I can show you the-wait…what’s happening?”
The ice that had formed on Nye’s wounds went from a pale blue to abyssal black.
“What are you doing!? Stop this at once!” Nakai shouted and pushed Navani away from Nye. He grabbed the hatchling and pulled him close, glaring at the spiral. “You said you were going to help him!”
“I was! That is not my doing!” Navani snapped back, baring her icicle-like teeth. She pulled herself together, flattening the silks and fur around her. “He’s cursed. Jerrett didn’t only attack him, but cursed him. He needs to be purified once the wounds heal under the ice or else he’ll become one of that demon’s followers. He’ll attack everyone and anyone, bringing their souls for his master to feast upon.”
“What? He can do that?” Nakai asked, realizing he had faced something he had yet to battle against. He was way out of his league with this spirit issue plaguing Winterspell.
Navani sighed. “This place…Winterspell…do you not know about it?” she asked.
Nakai blinked. “I just received a summons from Destina and before I knew it I was here…” he said, and then his eyes grew wide. “I…don’t remember how I got here…I just was…here…”
“Ah…his memory spell must be getting weaker,” Navani muttered, shaking her head. “Your leaders are hiding information from you. From everyone. You might want to talk to Genna when you return…which, come. I’ll show you the way back to the shrine. Keep your promise and I’ll find someone who can purify the little one for you.”
Navani grabbed Nakai’s shoulders and turned him around, before walking in front of him. “Come, we need to get those wounds healed. Also, care to tell me about why you have a portal to Tir Na Nog in a cave?”
More loorrreeeee!!!! More secrets slowly being revealleeddd...aaahhhh...one of these days I'll drop what's been going on, but if you guys want a preview, feel free to look through Destina and Yadin's dragon bios. I feel like there is still a whole lot I need to write and might need to just make a thread for all the stories so it's more coherent ^^; ah well...hoping to use NotN to level up the coliborns since I think that's the last actual bit of the challenge I need to do before closing this out and making a comprehensive lore thread. Genes/outfits can come together if I do a biolocke or something...so much to do ;A;
