It was just another sweltering night on the plateau, it was now well in to
the dry season and everyone in the tree house was eagerly awaiting the
rains that would break the heat. Marguerite, heedless of the rule that no
one leave the tree house alone at night, quietly slipped out of her room.
Marguerite was always a comfort-loving creature and was sneaking out to the
pond for a bath.
As she reached the forest floor she realized she had left her pistol next to her bed, she thought about retrieving it, but decided against it. "I will never hear the end of it if John hears the elevator" she thought "And besides, it's the middle of the night and even cannibals and raptors have to sleep."
Marguerite slowly wound her way through the jungle and to the pond. When she reached its shores she put the towel she had been carrying down on a rock and began to slip out of her clothes.
"As much as I would like you to continue, you know that you really shouldn't be here."
Marguerite nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice "John what in hell are you doing here?"
"I heard the elevator going down and I saw you from the balcony, and like always I had to trail you here to protect you. Even you have more sense than to wander in to the jungle alone at night."
"Even I have the sense? Are you implying that I am a foolish of stupid person Lord John?"
"Don't start this now Marguerite", Roxton replied, "You know I didn't mean you were stupid. But you have to admit that you have a tendency not to think things through."
"I will not admit to any such thing, you came down here of your own accord so don't start blaming me for anything I didn't ask you to come, but if you insist on staying you must turn around so I can finish undressing."
"Marguerite you are not finishing your bath, we are going back to the tree house immediately, it isn't safe out here at night and you know it."
As if it was a sign, three raptors burst upon the bickering couple. Roxton immediately shot one in the head and a second in the heart. Grabbing Roxtons rifle, marguerite shot the third in the chest. But the fourth one had pounced on marguerite before either could shoot it, it snapped at marguerite's chest before Roxton shot it dead.
He quickly ran over to examine her wound, it was deep and the skin around the gashes had been lacerated by the raptors claws. She was bleeding profusely and needed medical attention fast. Roxton took the towel she had brought with her and quickly pressed it to her chest, "Don't you dare die on me now, damn it!" he quietly swore. With that he picked her up off the jungle floor and rushed back to the tree house as fast as he could.
As soon as the tree house came in to view Roxton started screaming in an attempt to wake the sleeping occupants. "Challenger, Challenger Marguerite's been hurt, Challenger can you here me?" Roxton rushed in to the elevator and wished that it would move faster.
Challenger awoke around midnight to someone screaming his name, he thought it a dream and ignored it until Veronica came in to his room and told him that she saw Roxton carrying an unconscious Marguerite. He was instantly out of bed and gathering supplies in his lab. He grabbed bandages and salve, he grabbed herbs for tea to wake her and he grabbed thread and needles, all the normal precautionary items.
Roxton stumbled in and Challenger told him to put Marguerite in her bed. Roxton did so quickly and then went to boil water, he was no doctor but he knew that those gashes were deep, and they would need stitches.
Challenger slowly removed the towel that was now soaked with blood. He unfastened the tattered remains of Marguerites corset, wincing when he saw the extensive damage to the woman's chest. She had four deep gashes where the raptors teeth had punctured her chest, and the skin on her abdomen was flayed from the raptors scratching claws. Challenger knew instantly that Marguerite needed stitches and she needed them now.
Challenger called in Veronica and asked her to start boiling water to sterilize the needles, Veronica brought him the pot that Roxton had set to boil. Challenger set several needles in the pot and waited for them to sterilize. Roxton came in to the room and sat in a chair by Marguerites side; he took her hand and noticed how cold it was.
"You can't leave me like this, I need you so badly, who am I going to bicker with if your gone. Marguerite I know that you never let anyone tell you what to do, but damn it just once I need you to listen to me, you can't go! I won't let you. I can't lose someone else, first William, then Arthur, but I won't lose you. Don't you see Marguerite, I can't lose you, and I need you. I need to see you in the morning or my day isn't complete, and if I can't see you before I go to bed I will have a troubled sleep. Please Marguerite, you can't go, I need you, I love you, you can't leave me, not yet, please." Thought Roxton, as he watched Challenger prepare to stitch up Marguerites major wounds.
Roxton was for the first time glad that Marguerite was unconscious, she had given him stitches on many more than on occasion and they truly hurt. At least she wouldn't have to feel any more pain at the moment. Challenger was none so great when it came to giving stitches, in the past Marguerite was always the one to stitch up an injured member of the party. Challenger knew the first thing Marguerite would do when she woke up would be to scrutinize the stitches he had given her.
I t took challenger about half an hour to stitch up Marguerites chest. The entire time Roxton clutched her hand for comfort, more for himself than for her because she couldn't tell he was there.
After Challenger had given Marguerite her stitches, Veronica put a salve over her wounds and wrapped her chest in fresh clean bandages. Veronica brewed a pot of tea for the heiress to drink when she awoke. Veronica then brought a blanket for Roxton, no sooner had she placed it on him then he was asleep.
Roxton awoke when Marguerite pulled her hand from his near dawn. She couldn't believe how much pain she was in, all of her limbs were cold but her chest was on fire, like she was burning from the inside out. The only part of her that was comfortable was her hand. When she turned her head she saw john sleeping slumped over in a chair clutching her hand in his own. She gently pulled away from him but he awoke any way.
"Are you alright Marguerite?"
"I'm fine John, well as fine as anyone who has just been mauled by a raptor can be anyway."
"I see that not even a near death experience can rob you of your wonderful sense of sarcasm."
"I wish that I was still unconsious"
"Do you want me to bring you some tea Marguerite? Veronica just brewed a pot."
"That would be heavenly John, just heavenly."
As she reached the forest floor she realized she had left her pistol next to her bed, she thought about retrieving it, but decided against it. "I will never hear the end of it if John hears the elevator" she thought "And besides, it's the middle of the night and even cannibals and raptors have to sleep."
Marguerite slowly wound her way through the jungle and to the pond. When she reached its shores she put the towel she had been carrying down on a rock and began to slip out of her clothes.
"As much as I would like you to continue, you know that you really shouldn't be here."
Marguerite nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice "John what in hell are you doing here?"
"I heard the elevator going down and I saw you from the balcony, and like always I had to trail you here to protect you. Even you have more sense than to wander in to the jungle alone at night."
"Even I have the sense? Are you implying that I am a foolish of stupid person Lord John?"
"Don't start this now Marguerite", Roxton replied, "You know I didn't mean you were stupid. But you have to admit that you have a tendency not to think things through."
"I will not admit to any such thing, you came down here of your own accord so don't start blaming me for anything I didn't ask you to come, but if you insist on staying you must turn around so I can finish undressing."
"Marguerite you are not finishing your bath, we are going back to the tree house immediately, it isn't safe out here at night and you know it."
As if it was a sign, three raptors burst upon the bickering couple. Roxton immediately shot one in the head and a second in the heart. Grabbing Roxtons rifle, marguerite shot the third in the chest. But the fourth one had pounced on marguerite before either could shoot it, it snapped at marguerite's chest before Roxton shot it dead.
He quickly ran over to examine her wound, it was deep and the skin around the gashes had been lacerated by the raptors claws. She was bleeding profusely and needed medical attention fast. Roxton took the towel she had brought with her and quickly pressed it to her chest, "Don't you dare die on me now, damn it!" he quietly swore. With that he picked her up off the jungle floor and rushed back to the tree house as fast as he could.
As soon as the tree house came in to view Roxton started screaming in an attempt to wake the sleeping occupants. "Challenger, Challenger Marguerite's been hurt, Challenger can you here me?" Roxton rushed in to the elevator and wished that it would move faster.
Challenger awoke around midnight to someone screaming his name, he thought it a dream and ignored it until Veronica came in to his room and told him that she saw Roxton carrying an unconscious Marguerite. He was instantly out of bed and gathering supplies in his lab. He grabbed bandages and salve, he grabbed herbs for tea to wake her and he grabbed thread and needles, all the normal precautionary items.
Roxton stumbled in and Challenger told him to put Marguerite in her bed. Roxton did so quickly and then went to boil water, he was no doctor but he knew that those gashes were deep, and they would need stitches.
Challenger slowly removed the towel that was now soaked with blood. He unfastened the tattered remains of Marguerites corset, wincing when he saw the extensive damage to the woman's chest. She had four deep gashes where the raptors teeth had punctured her chest, and the skin on her abdomen was flayed from the raptors scratching claws. Challenger knew instantly that Marguerite needed stitches and she needed them now.
Challenger called in Veronica and asked her to start boiling water to sterilize the needles, Veronica brought him the pot that Roxton had set to boil. Challenger set several needles in the pot and waited for them to sterilize. Roxton came in to the room and sat in a chair by Marguerites side; he took her hand and noticed how cold it was.
"You can't leave me like this, I need you so badly, who am I going to bicker with if your gone. Marguerite I know that you never let anyone tell you what to do, but damn it just once I need you to listen to me, you can't go! I won't let you. I can't lose someone else, first William, then Arthur, but I won't lose you. Don't you see Marguerite, I can't lose you, and I need you. I need to see you in the morning or my day isn't complete, and if I can't see you before I go to bed I will have a troubled sleep. Please Marguerite, you can't go, I need you, I love you, you can't leave me, not yet, please." Thought Roxton, as he watched Challenger prepare to stitch up Marguerites major wounds.
Roxton was for the first time glad that Marguerite was unconscious, she had given him stitches on many more than on occasion and they truly hurt. At least she wouldn't have to feel any more pain at the moment. Challenger was none so great when it came to giving stitches, in the past Marguerite was always the one to stitch up an injured member of the party. Challenger knew the first thing Marguerite would do when she woke up would be to scrutinize the stitches he had given her.
I t took challenger about half an hour to stitch up Marguerites chest. The entire time Roxton clutched her hand for comfort, more for himself than for her because she couldn't tell he was there.
After Challenger had given Marguerite her stitches, Veronica put a salve over her wounds and wrapped her chest in fresh clean bandages. Veronica brewed a pot of tea for the heiress to drink when she awoke. Veronica then brought a blanket for Roxton, no sooner had she placed it on him then he was asleep.
Roxton awoke when Marguerite pulled her hand from his near dawn. She couldn't believe how much pain she was in, all of her limbs were cold but her chest was on fire, like she was burning from the inside out. The only part of her that was comfortable was her hand. When she turned her head she saw john sleeping slumped over in a chair clutching her hand in his own. She gently pulled away from him but he awoke any way.
"Are you alright Marguerite?"
"I'm fine John, well as fine as anyone who has just been mauled by a raptor can be anyway."
"I see that not even a near death experience can rob you of your wonderful sense of sarcasm."
"I wish that I was still unconsious"
"Do you want me to bring you some tea Marguerite? Veronica just brewed a pot."
"That would be heavenly John, just heavenly."