Breathe Again [Amory/Tel]

[Gonna have her miss it for now, since I dunno how fast the crystals/fungi become apparent in a wound [unless I missed it somewhere in the info lol]]

The sensations were so strange after so long in Somnium, and she took a moment to consider her answer. “Somnium is… different. You can touch one another, but it’s not like the solid touch of life. You don’t feel pain, your age and ailments and injuries fall away, though you can choose to keep them, perhaps as reminders of your life and lessons learned… When you encountered me I felt about as solid as this mist.”

She frowned, head shaking. “Perhaps the gods wish to give those in Somnium a second chance? Or… perhaps this is fleeting. Perhaps there are more like me, and we are needed here in the living realm. I don’t know, I’m afraid.”

She followed the young Adravendi woman, and recognized the direction, a smile touching her lips despite the grim task ahead. It’d been so long since she’d actually stood in the place she’d brought her first and only biological children into the world, seen them grow, tended the wounded during the Siege of Valhalla… memories would surely be soaked into the stone walls of the caves. Echoes of the past, both good… and bad.

As she stepped up into the main chamber, she took in the changes, the scents, the flicker of… fire? From the tunnel that led deeper into the hill. How did one bring fire into the earth?

Then she followed her descendant to one of the alcoves. It was grim indeed. The girl was visibly addled, orifices weeping, impeding her ability to breathe. Erani, more experienced, recognized the lack of lucidity, and the fear; but before she could step in to block Amorielle, the young wolf had already ducked forward to clear the tall girl’s airways.

She was repaid with an unthinking bite. Erani drew in a hiss of breath, a muttered Old Tongue curse, bending to check the injured paw, keeping a sidelong eye on the frazzled child.

Gently, she murmured, “First rule of working with a patient who may be in an altered state of mind, observe them; talk to them until they answer clearly, let them know you’re going to do something, what it is, and if they understand. If in an emergency, restrain their teeth, with a stick if need be. Wedge it as far back between their back molars as you can so they cannot snap down on you. I know a healer’s first instinct is to rush in and tend a hurt, but with maladies like this, you must take precautions…”

It was likely Amorielle had already been taught this rule, but in times of stress such as these, a slip-up wasn’t out of the ordinary among young trainees, even if it could be costly in the long run.

“Try and get that cleaned up; I’ll see if I can do anything for her. Maybe draw her out.”

Her eyes shifted back to the girl where she curled into a ball. Which path to take here? Slowly, she stepped forward, examining the young wolf – just a yearling, she thought with a pang – from a short distance, outside of biting range. Copious amounts of glowing fluid wept and ran from the girl’s eyes, orifices, and Erani’s ears flicked forward to take in the erratic heartbeat and counting the frenetic thumps.

Calmly, she spoke, lowering herself slowly to her belly, attempting to exude comfort and power toward the girl. She didn’t know if it would work—she might be able to soothe nightmares that followed into Somnium until her visitor was calm, but who knew… worth a try.

“Tel, can you hear me?”

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think