Author's Note: Hi! Two words for you guys: Please. Review! I appreciate all 5 people who reviewed this, but I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts! Anyways, here we are back with Jewel. Not much dialogue so far in the story, but that'll all change in the next chapter...13 is NEVER a good number...well, sometimes, but the next chapter is not the case! ;P!


CHAPTER 12

And there he was. Blu, the pathetic pile of bones and feathers that he was, landed hard on the muddy ground some seven meters below me. I was torn.

The deafening barrage of stormy winds and harsh rain reflected the chaotic state of my mind. He desperately needed my help, but how could I face him now? I had brought this upon us, this horrible fate, and yet there he was, looking for me. How could I just sit there and him watch him die an agonizing death? He believed in me, in my life and my innocence. It felt horrid, and I couldn't stand it.

But then again, maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was better to simply let him pass on peacefully. If I joined him now, he was sure to realize what I'd done. I knew Blu. I might have been with him for only a short period of time, but I knew Blu, better than he knew himself, in fact. He was kind, compassionate, and held me in the highest regards, and I had utterly let him down. I had ruined his life, and I knew that if he realized that, he would hurt. My betrayal would hurt him more than any physical pain he could experience. It would kill his spirit, his soul. I would rather kill him myself…

The scorching question that remained was this: Was I willing, after being solely responsible for ruining his life, killing his children, and leaving him to battle with a predator, to shatter his heart with my final confession and save his life, however derelict it may be?

"Jewel…"

Apparently I was.

His voice drew chills from my dark interiors. It was weak, strained. It was as if his life was being drained from him with every second he lay there in the sludge. On the ground, in that flurry of a storm, he wouldn't last long. If he didn't die of his wounds or hypothermia, he'd make a decent meal for some fortunate ground-dwelling predator. I was required to help him. I couldn't let him die before me, even though it was I who was killing him.

My wings almost failed me as I lifted myself from my perch. The weather didn't help, and seemed to be plotting my downfall along with gravity. Fortunately, I managed to crash a bit farther from Blu than I'd expected, sparing the both of us from even more pain. However, my rough landing threw yet another wave of muck onto my mate's already fragile body. I didn't bother to dust myself off, or wipe the stinging earth from my numerous lacerations. Acting on impulse, I rushed to Blu's side and cradled his head in my wings.

"Blu…"

There was no time to waste, but as I looked at my love's weak shape, I sobbed. I tried to fight it, but the tears kept coming. I had done this to him, I had stabbed him in the back, and left him to suffer the consequences of my actions. He was a disaster, covered in muck and filth, nasty scars and bruises covering most of his body, and his beak had a small fracture on one of the edges. I shuddered, knowing the pain I felt was incomparable to his. I also knew that if I didn't treat his wounds, they'd become infected, and he'd die in a matter of hours.

It was an instinct, the motherly instinct I'd always had but chosen to ignore, that acted upon me that moment. I grabbed the loose skin on the back of his neck in my beak and dragged him under the pitiful protection of the wooden structure. At least the earth wasn't sopping wet. And we were shielded from the worst of the storm and the cold.

Carefully using my wings, I wiped some of the filth off his face, and forced open one of his eyelids. The only response I obtained was a weak exasperated groan.

"Hold on Blu…"

The white of his eye was yellowish and patterned with purplish veins. Something told me that wasn't a good sign. His pupil contracted, which was something of a relief at least, and responded weakly, trembling a bit. He was still alive, for now, and there was still hope, however small it might have been.

Utilizing the texture of my feathers, I brushed my wings all over him in a rather useless attempt to clean the muck from his body, and most importantly his wounds. I was surprised to find that most of the filth caked between his feathers was his own dried blood. Without any humans to treat him, I was left by myself to cure him with my limited knowledge of medicine.

I rushed back out into the rain, searching for a concave leaf. After a few seconds, I found what I was looking for, and promptly began to fill it with the pouring rain. Right before the pool of water it held overflowed, I returned to Blu's side and splashed the cold water on him rapidly.

Blu coughed up raspy gasp, snapping back into a hazy consciousness. I drew back, wary of his reaction. Quite frankly, I still didn't know how long it would take for him to realize where hew was, or who he was…

"Jewel…?"

"Blu, I'm…I'm so sorry…" I moaned, my sobbing reaching uncontrollable levels, tears choking my speech.

Blu simply looked at me, deeply confused and still unaware of what was happening. It didn't take him long to figure it out.

"Jewel, what…?"