Roleplay

"I'm sure the scent and allure of food helped, they must be hungry by now," Ren agreed. He set his catch down next to the deer, "I hope this is enough for them... we may have to go out a second time if they haven't regained their strength," he murmured, somewhat worried.

"Oh... that's really nice of you," Aeira warbled softly in an appreciative tone, "I'm alright, nothing that a nice nap couldn't fix... what about you?" She asked, eyeing the Guardian's limp with narrowed eyes, "should you really be on your feet? I'm sure Ren and Jorn can just bring the food to you, no need to strain yourself."

She approached the other, curious eyes wandering over the Guardian as she took stock of the conditions of his injuries. "I think you should be resting, still," she said with a huff.

“Probably. We’ll have to see how much they need, though. Hopefully the traps will get something,” Jorn said, frowning as he watched Ciar make his way outside, limping slightly.

“I’ll be fine, thanks to you. I’m just a bit sore, and I don’t like staying down for long,” Ciar answered, looking back at Aeira from outside. ”Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

The Imperial didn't complain as she followed the Guardian outside and took a good look at the catch the two humans brought back. It was a little on the lean side, in her opinion, given that both she and Ciar had just gone through a lot, but it would be enough to keep them going. She licked her chops, eyeing the fish in particular.

"I hope you don't mind if I take some of this... you should have most of the deer, fresh meat will do you some good," she said.

"Should Ciar be on his feet yet?" Ren wondered, overhearing what Aeira said to the Guardian, "I think you should check on him, just to be safe."

"Okay," Ciar answered, grabbing the deer and dragging it a little to the side. He dropped it on a patch of bare ground, settling down to eat. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

He glanced between the deer and the pile of fish split between them, knowing that it was just barely enough to last for the day. Glancing at the sky for a moment, he sighed. There was no way he'd be able to hunt now.

"I will, but he's probably rather hungry. I'll let him eat a bit first," Jorn answered, adding, "Besides, he knows better than to overexert himself right now."

Aeira was quick to pick up one of the fish and it disappeared down her gullet in a flash. "No, no, you need it more than I do... at least I can still go and try to hunt. You need to stay and rest and recover until those injuries heal completely," the Imperial said stalwartly. To her the fish was really more of a snack than a meal, but she couldn't complain.

Ren watched as the two dragons tore into their 'meals', feeling somewhat remorseful that the portions were as small as they were. "I think...I think I might head back to the river. This won't keep them full for long, if at all," he said softly.

"Okay," Ciar quietly responded, not entirely pleased with her answer. He knew she was right, though. He didn't have the strength to hunt now. The Guardian sighed, slowly picking at the deer carcass.

"And I'll have to try hunting again, if the traps didn't catch anything..." Jorn muttered, looking over at Ciar. "I'm going to go check on his injuries, then give the traps another look once they're done eating."

With that said, he stood and made his way to his dragon's side. Jorn stroked Ciar's neck and shoulder gently, slowly making his way around the dragon's body while he ate.

"How do you feel? Still sore?" Jorn questioned. At Ciar's nod, he gave the dragon a small, sad smile. "Alright. Just get some rest and heal, okay?"

Aeria chewed quietly on her food with the occasionally glance at Ciar and Jorn. Her whiskers twitched as she felt a sudden change in his mood, making her paw the ground nervously and curl her tail against her side, but she didn't say anything... Something she'd done must have made him unhappy.

Ren nodded and did the same, putting a hand on the Imperial's flank and checking in with her. She seemed a little tired, still, but much better than before. She seemed preoccupied with something on her mind but at his probing she didn't reveal anything. Ren could only sigh softly - he assumed that she was worried about Ciar, and there wasn't much he could do about that.

Ciar quickly finished off what was left of the deer before nodding in response to Jorn's statement. He got to his feet, moving a few steps to a spot of bare rock lit by the sun and laying down on the warm stone to rest.

Satisfied, Jorn went back to Ren's side, picking up his bow and quiver. "I'll give the traps a quick look. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Ren glanced up from where he sat by his dragon's side, briefly wearing an expression of surprise, "Oh! Of course, do you want me to come?" He asked, then looked at the sunning Guardian and nibbling Imperial, "actually... I think it would be best if I spent my effort at fishing again..."

Aeira chewed on her food but didn't really eat much of it after the first few fish. It was odd, but she didn't feel very hungry. Instead all she felt was a sort of weariness that had penetrated every single joint in her body. She sighed softly and laid her head on her paws, her appetite all but disappearing as she stared off into the distance. From the corner of her eyes she saw Ciar doing the same, though in a distinctly comfier spot.

With a snort she rose to her feet and padded softly to the other dragon before settling down nearby on the sunwarmed rock. "Hey, you feeling alright? Does anything still hurt?" She asked in a soft murmur.

"Yes, I think that'd be the best... though maybe we could set some fish traps tomorrow," Jorn said, slinging the quiver and bow over his shoulder. "But if there's nothing in the traps now, you could come with me to check them later."

With that, he waved at Ren and the dragons before walking into the woods. It didn't take long for him to find the traps, and thankfully one had a doe caught in it. He quickly shot an arrow at the trapped animal, waiting until it fell completely still before approaching. He pulled it out of the trap, taking a few minutes to reset the rope before slowly bringing it back to camp.

"I'm okay. I'm just sore, but that'll go away in a few days," Ciar answered, briefly meeting her gaze. He quickly turned away, staying quiet for a few moments before finally asking something that'd been plaguing him since the day before. "Are... are you still upset? You left because... I made you upset, right? And I'm... I'm sorry if I did... I just don't undertsand..."