Summary: This was an injury that not even Iorek could shake of, simply because Iorek was not conscious enough to say anything. Takes place during the journey to Bolvangar in the Golden Compass.
A/N: I don't own anything, not even Iorek, sigh
A/N 2: I apology already for any spell or grammar wrongs in this text, English is not my first language and currently I have no one to check it for me, except the computer.
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Lyra buried her face deep into the thick white fur of Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear whom she had helped to retrieve his armour and who had followed them from Trollesund, how ever, her friend did not carry his armour now. Lee Scorpsby the aeronaut had made sure it was taken care of when the gypsies had taken it of.
Lyra buried her head deeper into the fur. It was her fault, her fault that Iorek himself had not taken the armour of and made sure it was taken care of. It was her fault that their mission to save the children of Bolvangar had been delayed…
It was her fault that Iorek was injured.
"Lyra?" the voice of Pantalaimon, currently in his wild cat form crossed her mind.
"Oh Pan, what should I do? What if he..." she couldn't bare finishing the sentence.
"Don't worry it's Iorek we are talking about." Said Pan in a attempt to cheer her up a bit. "You know how he is, he will probably shake this of as nothing and grumble about his armour getting rusty.
Lyra found that she was smiling, but she grew sombre again when her eyes fell upon the now well cleaned and bandaged wound in the gigantic bear's side. The memories from the past days flooded over her like the tide upon a beach.
-.-.-.-.-.-.
"Lyra, do not wander of! It's not safe." Fader Coram called after her as she leaved the camp.
"Oh I won't Fader Coram, I just want to see what is on the other side of that ice block, I will not go far." And she had not! She had just wanted to take a look on the other side of the ice block they had camped at. She could clearly hear the Gypsies as they made camp, she could even make out the voice of Lee Scorpsby as he lead the moving of his balloon.
Then everything had gone so fast.
She remembered turning around at Pan's cry of warning, discovering the hunter just a few meters away. She could almost see the Samoyed starting to pull the trigger, but she was to terrified to move. Then she was no longer alone.
With a now familiar roar the gigantic form of Iorek Byrnison leaped over her in the same moment that the hunter fired. Had she not been so relived to see him, she might had noticed the small stumble when the bear landed, and had her ears not still rung from the combination of the rifle shot and Ioreks roar, she might had noticed the small chance in the bears roar as he landed. It changed from fury and pure rage, to, something that sounded like… pain? And then back to fury in a moments notice.
But now she had not noticed, but stood frozen as Iorek launched upon the man and his snow fox daemon. One quick lash with a mighty paw, and the hunter's daemon disappeared.
Lyra felt her face break into a smile, then Iorek turned around, and she was a look upon his face that she did not recognize, then suddenly, Ioreks legs buckled underneath him, and the great armoured bear fell to the ground without a sound.
Lyra however, was not silent.
She hear herself screaming his name as she ran to his side, kneeling by the great head. It was now she saw the red stain from underneath his armour, a stain that grew bigger for every passing second. She hugged his head tightly, fighting the tears and the panic, and losing badly.
"Iorek? Iorek Byrnison can you hear me?" No answer, but the rise and fall of his chest suggested that the bear was still alive, only unconscious
"Please wake up..." she moaned and leaned her head towards his.
Suddenly the place swarmed by people and she felt someone trying to take her away, but she hugged Ioreks head tighter and refused to let go.
"Lyra." Someone said. "You need to let him go, let them work." She vaguely recognized the voice as Fader Coram's, and she felt his hand on her shoulder. After a moments hesitation, she let go, and let him pull her up and lead her away. Not daring to turn around, she hugged cat-Pantalaimon closer to her chest.
It felt like several days later, but it was probably just a few hours, a few hours of worry and fear. She had reached for the Alithiometer more then once, but changed her mind every single time. What if it said that Iorek would die?
So she worried and waited.
Finally Fader Coram let her go out of the tent, she had rushed past him, her eyes seeking the form of Iorek, to big for any tent. They had moved him, so that he lay by the fire, how she did not know. The now removed armour lay on the other side of the small fire.
She was at his side in the blink of an eye, and buried her head deep into his thick white fur.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
She must have fallen asleep sometime during the night, cause when she opened her eyes, the sun was on it's way up again. She found that she had been resting against Ioreks uninjured side, and turned her head towards his.
Two black eyes that shone with something that looked like amusement met hers.
"Good morning child." Said Iorek with his deep rumbling voice.
"Iorek!" she squeaked with happiness and hugged him tightly. "Your alive! You… you… your alive!" she whispered again and again into his strong neck.
"The weakling got a lucky hit." Grumbled Iorek. "And it takes more then a lucky shot to slay an armoured bear."
"Which we are all very happy for indeed." Said Lee Scorpsby and closed the door to his tent. "No less, Lord Faa has decided that we shall wait to continue until tomorrow, if not to let you rest Iorek, then to let the poor dogs that have to drag you here do it." Iorek growled a moment but said nothing. Lyra was on her part to happy to speak. Iorek was going to be fine, and they would soon continue towards Bolvangar to save Rodger, Billy and the other children.
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A/N 3: Well that's the end of this fic folks! Love it hate it? Review for the grace of the Valar! Press the button!
A/N 4: Did you know that in Swedish, Fader Coram becomes Father Coram?