Chapter 38 Fog of dreams
The dark of night gave way to a gray morning; the fog was still heavy, swirling and writhing, making everything seem surreal. Trowa could barely make out the silver wolf slipping through mist. At first he thought he imagined the creature. Not unsurprising given the general atmosphere paired with Epion's steady gate lulling him into a strange sort of somnolence. He felt like he was dreaming…he wished he was dreaming. Only the weight of Heero's limp body in his arms connected him to the reality of the previous night. Trowa couldn't be sure how long they had been riding and wasn't entirely sure of the way. Still he trusted the animal would lead him to the others and that trust was what gave him the strength to continue.
Heero hadn't awoken. His head lolled against Trowa's shoulder. They were pressed chest to chest of necessity; One, because Epion had not been fitted to ride double, and two because it was difficult to hold the other youth given the dire burns across his back and shoulders. Much of Heero's tunic had been burned away leaving only tiny strips across his shoulders. The skin too was badly blistered and raw. Trowa had only taken the barest glimpse of the damage once it had begun getting light. His mind shied away from the memory.
Every ounce of concentration was devoted to the feel the other slave's heart beating in concert with his own and the labored breaths against the side of his neck that told him the other was amazingly still alive. Trowa prayed it would continue. Sending silent entreaties to every god he knew up to and including the nameless one. Quatre had identified the Seraph creature Duo had seen with Heero as His beast of healing after all. Not death. It had protected the gladiator in the past. Why not now? He wondered. "Please." He whispered past the lump in his throat, "Please. Don't take him. Don't let him suffer. But don't take him. We need you Heero. Please stay." His arms cradled Heero's sides as gently as possible but his hands remained white knuckled on the reigns.
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"Here, over here, let me see him." WuFei beckoned emerging from the mist-shrouded tree line.
"He's hurt." Trowa managed though his voice sounded hollow.
"Yes I know." WuFei nodded steeling himself for the worst. If he had thought it had been difficult getting Treize off Nataku without further injury this was even more so. It was good the gladiator remained unconscious for even the slightest movement would have caused him immense pain. WuFei drew his breath through clenched teeth when he surveyed the extent of his injuries. The burns of course, bruised flesh, cracked ribs, broken collarbone and concussion.
Trowa hastily gathered a sizable pile of pine needles and covered it with whatever cloth remained in the saddlebags that had been left with Epion and Nataku. The result was a rather fragrant nest for their injured companion. WuFei lay Heero in it carefully as if he were made of spun glass. "I've never had to heal anything on this scale." The eastern youth admitted softly. "I'm not sure I can." WuFei had already collected a good supply of aloe leaves and had anointed the badly damaged skin four times already. He had even used his skills to block as many pain receptors as he could without risk of paralisis. The former temple slave was quickly reaching his limit of healing techniques and his options along with it.
"You can do it Fei, I have faith in you. Just do your best." Treize encouraged, scratching the wolf's head resting in his lap. "But I don't think you will be working alone. I keep thinking of the strange beings Duo told us about and I suspect there is more going on than we know. Heero can heal, I've seen it" He was still unconscious but his eyelids were not completely closed. If the braided seer had been present he wouldn't have known what to make of the luminescent rainbows that swirled in their companions eyes, but Treize was correct. There were forces at work that were beyond understanding.
"I don't know how anything can fix this." Trowa looked dejected as he pointed to the worst places on Heero's exposed back. It was purpled and swelling, Moisture oozed from the cracks; It was disgusting, macabre even…but slowly as they watched it began to change.
The cracks split wider and the edges began to peel back sloughing off like a serpent shedding its skin. Even the least damaged areas of skin glistened wetly like scales before smoothing to once more resemble human flesh. The transformation was slow, painstakingly so and would likely take some days to regenerate fully. But it was a sign of promise that gave them hope.
"Amazing." WuFei breathed. "When I traveled with Master Ron, part of his duties as ambassador was to collect and record stories from the farthest reaches of the eastern kingdom and bring word of them back to the Emperor in Chang'an. I became his assistant because of my gift for languages. That is how I came to know of the people of Wō isle. Heero's looks led me to suspect he came from that place, and there were stories of children born with blue-eyes, but I never dreamed he could be one of the fumetsu. That is to say Immortals. In truth I did not believe they existed. It looks like I was wrong."
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"Honored elder, why can I not play with the other children? Why must I always be apart?" the memory was old and crusted over with time. The mind voice was tremulous, as the child he once had been.
"You are not like them Yuy." The elder said as he took the earthen wear jug and poured water into a shallow dish. "Look in there and tell me what you see." The man said. "How are you different?"
He obeyed as he always had. "My eyes are light, like the sky and the sea. My hair is light also like the bark of a tree."
"It is so. None have been born with your coloring since my grandfather's grandfather was the chief of our people. But here you are. And so it falls to me to do what must be done. When the summer sun reaches its zenith you will be five years old. I will take you out in my boat; far out, past the great isle. We must venture further than waters where the fishermen ply their nets. Far out, beyond even the sight of land, that is the place where the Yamata no Orochi lives. This is what must be done to all those born as you are. And once we reach that place we will wait. We will wait with the wind and the waves and it may be that the giant serpent will come to test you."
"How will it test me Dafu?" He asked uncertainly.
"The serpent will rise out of the water and gaze into your unnatural blue eyes. You must not show fear or weakness. You can not look away for even an instant. The Orochi will delve deep into your soul and judge you. I have tried to keep your heart and mind pure. I have tried to make you brave and strong. Since the time my woman died to give you life I have done my best to train you for this day. It may be that the great serpent will find you worthy and breathe on you the gift of the fumetsu making you the greatest of us all. It may find you lacking and devour you entirely. I can not say. But this is what must be done. If the blue-eyes is not given at this time, in this manner, the Yamata no Orochi will come to the islands and consume us all. It has been so since the beginning of time."
"If…If the storm god finds me worthy. And lets us live. Can I …can I call you father?"
The old man's face broke into a tearful smile and his voice was heavy with emotion when he replied, "Yes, Yuy, If you survive your ordeal you will have a name, not just that of our clan. Then you may call me father, and I will call you son. We will be family. And if you die none will mourn the necessity as much as I."
"Thank you Elder." He bowed. And the memory swirled away as another one took its place.
The wind howled in his ears. The rain fell hissing into the surging sea. He clung on, to what he didn't know. He was so tired he felt himself slipping he imagined coils constricting tightly, lifting him up frm underneath, compressing his chest, forcing him to take in half liquid gasps of air. His lungs ached and spots swam before his eyes. He swam in the inky blackness. He struggled and fought pushed to the utter edge of exhaustion. He was ready to die. He was ready to die if it meant the storm would spare the rest of his people, but he didn't think it would hurt quite this much. "I'm sorry Dafu." He cried but there was no answer.
There was a sound a strange sound that penetrated the darkness with annoying persistence. It overwhelmed the sound of wind and wave and stole the peace that stretched out just beyond his grasp. It irritated and annoyed him and he wanted nothing more than for it to stop. To let him go. Yet the shrill clarion continued, it sounded like "HEEEEEERRRROOOOO!"
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"Shut up Onna!" WuFei growled under his breath. "Just shut up already. We aren't here. No one is here, just give up and go away."
"Fei…fei, I think he is waking up." Trowa sounded breathless with anticipation.
The yelling coming from somewhere on the trail below resounded off the surrounding peeks and made blood run cold. "COME KILLLLL MEEE!"
"Omae o korosu." (I will kill you) the voice was soft as dry leaves rustling in the wind. The injured gladiator's hand spasmed clenching toward the place a sword hilt ought to have been, but he was unaccountably unarmed. One blade had gone with Duo and the other had been left at the base of the tree he had been flung into by the explosion. Trowa had regretted not being able to retrieve it but his companion's life had been more important than a simple blade.
"HEEEEEERRRRRROOOOOO!" the echoes were near deafening and likely to trigger a rockslide on the unsteady slopes.
"I'll do it." WuFei reached out to still the questing hand and leveraged himself to his feet. "I don't make it a practice to kill bleeding hearts or women, but I may make an exception for that one." He drew his own sword glad it had still been securely tethered to Nataku's saddle when he and Treize had made their escape.
"It is probably a trap." Trowa pointed out. "I'll go with you."
"Do not harm her, she is Zechs sister." Treize sighed, his noble face showing the strain of his injured leg, paired with the newly acquired splitting headache they shared "I do not know why she has sided with our enemies, but She is important to her people, as Zechs is to ours. Tread carefully."
"No promises." WuFei scowled unhappily and stalked out with Trowa at his heels.
Treize scrunched down as much as he could without disturbing his broken leg, his fingers extended to touch Heero's hand "It will be alright." He told the badly injured youth. "You are healing nicely. I wish I had your abilities. My knee hurts like Hades. I didn't want to tell WuFei. He is frazzled enough as it is, but between you and me, I am dead tired of feeling like an invalid, especially when they get to go out and knock some heads. How many barbarians do you think are lying in wait for them? Five…six? I should know. Unfortunately, that insufferable Quince Barton did me more harm than he anticipated."
There was no sign the injured gladiator heard, much less understood his words but Treize continued speaking in soft soothing tones. "If you haven't guessed by now, I'm just as unique as the rest of you. I can make others know my thoughts and wishes without the need for speech. It is easier with animals, especially those trust me. Sometimes they even let me see through their eyes. When I commanded the legion I used me talents to gain tactical advantage more than once. I could send my scouts in all directions and know almost instantly if there was trouble and send aid. My injury put an end to that though. I simply couldn't focus past the pain. I think you understand what I mean. Even with your abilities, or perhaps because of them, I expect you are no stranger to pain."
Treize smoothed down Heero's sweat slicked hair and tried to stretch his awareness into the boy's barely conscious mind. He braced himself fearful of finding Heero had suffered brain damage from his ordeal. Treize could barely feel the blurry consciousness slide away but caught a hint of suspicion radiating from the injured slave.
"Before you think to ask, I haven't tried to manipulate any of you in any way. When I bought you I had not the ability because of my injury. Influencing people is much more difficult than animals and even if I had been able, I would not have done such a thing. I have never forced my will on anyone, man nor beast. They choose to aid me, or not. I will not push the issue. After WuFei brought me relief my abilities slowly returned. The only time I used them on any of you was to see if I was able to help Trowa when he was ill. You five are part of my pack, just as Zechs is, and I have promised to do what ever it takes to protect my own.
Now, though, thanks Barton, I find my self lame once more and ability severely curtailed. I had to physically touch Argent for him to know my mind. Bryn is with Mi'lord and the others but thanks to the pain I haven been able to check on them. I heard her howl not long ago, they aren't far. Argent will guide them to WuFei and Trowa instead of bringing them straight here. I would have liked to send the eagle to look over the situation but I have neither the strength nor the range for that at present. In fact, even sitting this close, I can't be sure that you hear me. WuFei seems to think I will recover and that gives me hope. But in the meantime, I can't help feeling frustrated.
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It was hard to believe the girl making her way up the slope was the same one that had defiantly challenged them in their camp by the river. The so called 'queen of the world' was grubby and disheveled. Her yellow gold hair was tangled and unkempt. The berry red gown she wore was tattered and stained with blood, mud and ash. Her face and arms looked as if she had forcibly thrashed her way through a briar bush and tears ran down her ruddy cheeks. Her breath was labored and she stumbled about almost drunkenly. One ankle collapsed sending her tumbling back down the steep incline in a shower of loose gravel.
She sat where she fell, threw back her head and renewed her pitiful cry, "Heero Come kill me!" her voice quavered and the expression on her tear streaked face revealed that she meant the words with all her heart. She inclined her head, listening but there was no reply save distant echoes of her own voice. Her shoulders slumped dejectedly. Then with resignation, she struggled unsteadily to her feet and tried to make her way up the slope once more.
"I've scouted the whole area. It looks like she is alone." Trowa whispered to WuFei who was crouched behind some bushes.
"Why is she trying to get up that way?" the dark-eyed slave whispered back. "The incline is not so steep over there, and it leads directly to the path.
"You are distracted by what she is doing and you aren't watching her." Trowa pointed out. "Ignore everything else and just watch her hands."
"What? Why?" WuFei frowned but did as the other slave suggested. His eyes widened in surprise. "She's blind!" He breathed.
"Yes, I remember Heero had her by the arm and pulled her around. He was closer to the explosion and you saw what it did to his back. I expect she took the blast full in the face. If we had killed her, she would have become a ledged inspiring the people, But injured as she was, it is if the gods turned against her. There were too many witnesses. She is useless to them now."
"So they abandoned her on the mountain? That's a terrible injustice!" WuFei scowled.
"That's Barton." Trowa sighed. "At any rate, it is our fault. She's our responsibility now even if she wasn't Zechs sister. With any luck the blindness won't be permanent. And as I understand it she is this Deorlind we've come looking for. How do you think we should approach her?"
"You re asking ME?" WuFei raised an eyebrow, nonplussed.
Chapter 38 notes
TCM and Burns People who have sustained extensive burns experience a considerable amount of pain and suffering and are at risk for infection. But many of these people have been helped through ancient Chinese medicine to treat burns used alongside modern treatment approaches. It has been found that acupuncture as an ancient Chinese medicine for burns helps to release endogenous opioid-peptides in the body. These substances are actually natural pain killers that the body produces on its own. With acupuncture, these substances are increased so that the pain is reduced naturally. It also helps to release endorphins into the body, which are also natural pain killers. Both of these substances help to naturally reduce the pain. There are also burn creams that are on the market, produced according to ancient Chinese medicine's specifications for burns. These creams help to remove the heat from the burn and relieve the pain. In addition it promotes tissue growth, reduces swelling and blistering. It even helps reduce scarring. Aloe, Jojoba, Imperatoria, olive and hyssop are plants known for their medicinal value that are native to both the alps and china. These five are especially noted for their ability to soothe and heal damaged skin. So I suspect WuFei may have been able to make a cream able to help with Treize's bruises as well as Heero's burns and dry skin.
Yamata no Orochi ("8-branched giant snake") or Orochi, translated as the Eight-Forked Serpent in English, is a legendary 8-headed and 8-tailed Japanese dragon that was slain by the Shinto storm-god Susanoo. Polycephalic or multi-headed animals are rare in biology but common in mythology and heraldry. Multi-headed dragons, like the 8-headed Orochi and 3-headed Trisiras above, are a common motif in comparative mythology. For instance, multi-headed dragons in Greek mythology include the wind-god Typhon who had several polycephalic offspring, including the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra and the Ladon. The seven-headed dragon is found also in the Scottish dragon-myth, and the legends of Cambodia, India, Persia, Western Asia, East Africa, and the Mediterranean area."
The Orochi legends are recorded in two ancient texts about Japanese mythology and history that date to 680 AD. According to both versions of the myth, The storm god Susanoo was expelled from Heaven for tricking his sister Amaterasu the sun-goddess. While in exile he meets two "Earthly Deities" who are weeping because they were forced to give the Orochi one of their daughters every year for seven years, and now they must sacrifice their eighth, Kushi-inada-hime (wondrous rice-field princess" Susanoo transforms the girl into a kushi "comb" for safekeeping and goes off to deal with the monster. He makes a trap of fences and gates and bates it with refined liquor. The creature comes gets drunk and falls asleep then Susanoo is able to kill it. In my mythos I combine the storm god and the great serpent who facets of the same being while retaining the sacrificial element. Snakes are linked with healing and immortality in many cultures because of the way they shed their skin and so I used that image here. "Fumetsu" is Japanese for immortal, undying and indestructible. It seemed a proper gift for our Heero, though he might want to steer clear of Alcohol just to be on the safe side.
Flash blindness is visual impairment during and following exposure to a light flash of extremely high intensity.[ It may last for a few seconds to a few minutes or lead to permanent blindness. It is caused by bleaching (oversaturation) of the retinal pigment. In daylight the eye's pupil constricts, thus reducing the amount of light entering after a flash. At night, the dark-adapted pupil is wide open so flash blindness has a greater effect and lasts for a longer time. It is unclear whether pain is directly associated with flash blindness. Reaction to flash blindness can be discomforting and disorienting. The retina has no pain receptors, so reports of pain may be due to more psychological reactions.