The shadowed creature stood over her, bearing down in a way that Jael couldn't describe. The pressure was immense, and she knew she was fighting for her life. Bleeding from the head, bleeding from the shoulder, trying to catch the breath that was just ripped from her lungs. Though Jael fights to maintain control, the world around her had long since started to grow dim around the edges. The vignette took over, and everything in Jael's world went black.
Wake up.
She doesn't know how much time passes before a voice cuts through the darkness, through the nothingness, but who? Fighting the crust of sand and blood, the girl shudders, tries to open her eyes. Her vision is blurry, and it's all she can do to slowly move, to wipe the grit away. How long had she been out? She'd gotten her ass handed to her, something to be expected with the size difference and the exhaustion, but... this wasn't the man that had hit her. He comes into focus, though her vision swims. Jael could still feel the phantom waves buffeting her, like she was still lost at sea. Adrift, and yet... what was that ringing in her ears?
A nasty blow to the head had her consciousness. As the world around her came back into view, Jael could see the crumpled figure in the sand not far away. Beside her though, beside here is the man that had woken her up. He'd saved her. Why? She coughed-- once, and then again, harder. Turning her head away from him to spit the mixture of blood, sand, and saliva on the ground beside her. Bleeding from her head, her shoulder, her near crushed ankle... it's all she can smell. Can barely even smell the man settled beside as she shivers, crumpled into the sand.
"Thank you for saving me." The words come after a few long moments, fighting to find them through the nausea and the ringing in her ears. She doesn't know why, she doesn't know what his plan is, but it's thanks to this man that she's alive. Though Jael is not typically a trusting creature, he'd had every opportunity to harm her and hadn't taken it, so she'd perhaps allow herself a bit closer to chase away the chill before it settled in her aching, chilly bones.
Professor
