You Will Burn

After her near death experience on multiple fronts, Aurelia immediately sought out supplies to treat herself with. While she had managed to ward off any unforgiving blows to her vital organs whilst fighting for her life, she did have some nasty punctures leftover from the mountain lion’s claws across her back and shoulders. It hindered her movement- causing a limp on the side where she had been attacked. Though, thankfully, her waning adrenaline supported by her instinctual drive of self-preservation did a lot of heavy lifting. Once she felt that had put a reasonable amount of distance between herself, the cat, and Sephiran, she began to seek out supplies to treat herself with. In a slower- meandering pace, Aurelia slowly worked her way off the mountain and bit toward the south, collecting useful herbs as they fell in her path. There was a method to her madness- ensuring that she took enough to treat herself immediately, as well as another time or two in the future as needed. Feverfew- a light, oral pain killer to work in tandem with the endorphins as they slowly began to fade from her system. Dandelion- a weed, also to be taken orally for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. That, coupled with a topical concoction consisting of Marshmallow, Chamomile, and Yarrow to ward of any infection that might set in, and promote tissue regeneration. Once she got herself patched up and her overstock safely tucked away, her next urgent need was to rest.

As the adrenaline subsided, the fatigue began to set in. Each stride became heavier- less coordinated in the ground she covered. The further south she went, the more dry and rocky the terrain became- the more the natural warmth lulled her into a haze that threatened sleep. As she came to a narrow vent in the surface, she didn’t think twice about taking the leap to the other side- it was a gap that could be easily stepped over. However, what she hadn’t been expecting, was the earth to crumble away beneath her paws. Aurelia didn’t have time to grasp the sensation of falling. A yelp had already began to escape her lips before she hit the ground in a clatter of dust and stone. While it hadn’t been a long way down- it was still enough to force the breath from her lung with no good way to get back to open air the way she had came. As soon as she was able, she pulled herself back to her paws to shake the debris from her coat. It took a moment for her cyan gaze to adjust to the dull glow of the narrow cavern, though it did appear to run parallel with the over-world. Her only hope now was that she could find another exit.

It seemed that she had staggering through the network of hell-caves for quite a while. It was so uncomfortably hot, she could hardly stand it. She could feel her own mind’s clarity hastily slipping away. So when she odor of metallic blood and … vomit … cut through the overwhelming presence of sulfur, she wasn’t certain if her mind was playing a trick or not- but of course, that was when she saw him. Aurelia stood there silently for quite a while, staring. Gaping. Bewildered. Confused. Truthfully, a little curious. She could see the lacerations across his rigid frame- they were far worse than her’s. But based on his posture, that wasn’t his only concern. He swayed on his paws in attempt to balance, and was clearly nauseated based on what lay smattered across the cavern’s floor. She should have turned and run, but the urge to play their game was irresistible. “Oh, dear Sephiran. What is it that ails you?” She asked, remaining fixed to the shadows that she hoped did a fairly decent job at concealing her position.

"Aurelia Veratti"