Nightlight

Despite her pain, sweating, and grimacing she still wanted to see the worms. What had let them set up shop here in the cold reaches of the Armada? Was it the miasma from below the mountains? Keeping them warm? But the cool draft from within was similar to her old drafty den. Was this a new species? Another grunt of pain took her breath away and she had to close her eyes against the image of the fascinating worms. Will they still be there after the tunnel is excavated?

She pressed her face into the Warlord's fur with a moan. She missed the exchange between Warlord and Songbird, she just wanted to lie down.

Yara's words were hurried and muffled in Ignita's ears, the concern palpable. She wanted to reassure them both that she was okay but she knew she was not. She must have strained something when she had stretched up to get a closer look at the strange glowing worms she knew as Arachnocampa luminosa.

Bas's voice close to her face was clear as a rumbling bell. She knew that if she ignored his warning he'd just scoop her up and take her to the den anyway. At this point, she had no strength or words to brush him off. She nodded, she was close enough to them coming she may as well start nesting properly.

"Yea..o-okay." She relented. Maybe they could get someone else to help dig into the tunnel. Yara was right, they needed to explore it, if not just to make sure it wasn't open and might let another tiger in.

She was close enough to the clinic that she could grab Vesper or one of the healers to help her back to the den. The stairs on the path to the den were a little daunting.

"Don't... Destroy them. Important ecosystem. Vesper can tend me for now. Until... Yara available." She said breathing harshly through the pain. Would she even make it up the stairs before she collapsed?







Year 21 Spring group Nav seasonal 1500 words

"Ignita"