[A/N] BTW, people who read the short story about five-year-old Drizzt,
that was sort of a one time thing, and I'm sorry about spelling 'Vierna'
wrong, I couldn't find the spelling to save my life. ANYway, I hope you
all enjoyed reading it! I might do something with Legolas as an elfling,
plot bunnies attacking again, AAAAHHHH! **Coughs discreetly.** On with
the story!!
Chapter Twenty-One – Anguish
Gabriel walked over quickly, noticing from across camp Drizzt's quickly deteriorating condition. From what he saw without removing any of the bandages worried him and he feared for what would happen if he couldn't do anything about this. With Catti-brie's help, he carefully removed the ranger's tunic and shirt.
Closing violet eyes, he lightly touched the ranger's face, his fear for what was happening rising when he felt the heat emanating from the ebony skin. He looked briefly at Catti-brie, quickly and carefully began to remove the bandages encasing Drizzt's slender upper body.
"No," he breathed when he saw what was there. Acting quickly, he called for one of the soldiers to find his bag of healing supplies, and another to pour a large bowl of cold, clear from the nearby stream. Pulling a clothe from the closest pack, he dipped in the water that the Luchiélt soldier was quick to bring.
"What be wrong with him?" Catti-brie asked quietly, looking at the deep welts as they were exposed to the cool afternoon air. "He's been actin' strange all mornin' and afternoon."
Gabriel sighed, looking the young woman in the eye. He brought her attention down to the red, hot edges of one of the cuts. "The red indicates something that iI have been trying to prevent since I first treated his wounds. The red indicates that the wounds have become somehow infected." His violet eyes met her blue ones. "The infection may kill someone, if the actual wounds do not."
He looked down at the ranger, and saw that Drizzt had fallen into a fever- induced sleep. His eyes were moving frantically behind closed lids and he was moving restlessly. Gabriel didn't want to lose him, not now, not this close to arriving back in Silverymoon on-the-mend.
Whispering soft words, he carefully added herbs to the water, and crystalline liquids that had already been carefully prepared. He gently cleaned the deep welts, looking closer for any signs of what might've caused this to happen. He had thought that he had taken all the proper measures to keep this from happening, but apparently not.
Catti-brie listened to the soft chanting as he cleaned the deep welts. There was a faint violet glow around his hands as the Luchiélt High Lord went about his work, as she hadn't noticed that before when Gabriel was taking care of Drizzt. Maybe it was the chanting, but she didn't know.
All she hoped for was that Drizzt would be alright.
* * * * *
It took hours, but after Gabriel had finished cleaning all of the wounds with the carefully prepared healing salves and water, he re-dressed them and made sure that they were all completely covered. He slowly rolled Drizzt over to lay on his back. The ranger's ebony skin was still burning hot to the touch, even hotter then before, and he was still moving restlessly in an uneasy sleep. His breathes were fast and shallow, as though he was having trouble breathing.
Catti-brie and Regis still sat next to him, watching as Drizzt's condition slowly deteriorated. Bruenor and Wulfgar had wandered away, not able to see their close friend in such a helpless position. If he couldn't do something before sunset the next day, there would be no chance of bringing the ranger back from the Abyss. Sighing and digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, asking a close soldier to fetch another bowl filled with the coldest water he could find. As the soldier hurried off to carry out his Lord's orders, Gabriel turned back to the companions watching him worriedly from Drizzt's side.
After receiving the bowl of fresh water from the soldier, Gabriel thanked him quietly, folding a clean clothe carefully and dipping it into the water. He placed it over Drizzt's burning brow, and another at the back of his neck, hoping to lower the fever to a point where he would survive. Catti-brie and Regis watched his movements, watching them closely.
Gabriel handed the bowl to Catti-brie, already exhausted from having expended his own energy into trying to gather the infection from the many lacerations on his back. She took them carefully, looking into those dark violet eyes, her own sapphire ones filled to the brim with worry.
"Try to keep the cloths cold, it might lower his fever, but I'm not so sure yet." Gabriel was trying to explain the best that he could. "If we aren't able to lower his fever by tomorrow, than I will have to separate from the group and fly him to Silverymoon myself for better care, or else. If we aren't able to break the fever by tomorrow at sunset, then there is no hope for his survival. I will do everything that is in my power to break it, but all we can do is pray that Mielikke is watching over him."
Catti-brie nodded, tears sparkling in the corners of her dark blue eyes. "I'll be tryin' that." She carefully took his hand in hers once again, placing the other over the clothe covering his burning forehead. "I'll be doin' everythin' I can to help him."
Gabriel nodded. "I'm sorry that I am not able to help you further this night. I have near no more energy and sleep is a necessity at this point. If you see something happen and you don't know what's wrong, wake me. If something else happens during the night than I will have to bring him to Silverymoon sooner than later."
Regis nodded, watching both Catti-brie and the restlessly moving, unconscious drow. He had a really bad feeling about all that had happened over the last few days, like something worse was going to happen and they just didn't know it yet. He had told Bruenor and Wulfgar about Drizzt's strange dreams, and both of them had looked worried. He could tell, just by looking at her that Catti-brie was near the fine line between breaking and being alright. Never before had any of the Companions of the Hall seen their friend in such a condition.
But then again, none of them had seen him so horribly injured and starved.
He prayed, looking at the quietly moving drow, that everything was going to be alright, and that his intuition was wrong.
* * * * *
Catti-brie remained by the drow's side, even after everyone else had gone to sleep, even Regis. It had been hours since the sun had set, and she had finally let the tears fall. She was scared, more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. She was afraid that she would never see him, that she would never see his smile or hear his laughter. A sound from where Drizzt laid on the ground caused her to look at where he was laying, moving restlessly.
His breaths were short and shallow, as if he were struggling or running away from someone. His eyes were darting around frantically under closed lids and his ebony skin was still flushed with heat. His was speaking through his fever-induced nightmares, melodic voice filled with fear so thick that she felt she could almost touch it with her hand. Gabriel had told her of the nightmares and hallucinations that people with fever got, but, listening to the words spoken in his native drow tongue, it stilled scared her.
"Nau," his hand clenched tightly around Catti-brie's causing her to flinch in pain at the surprisingly strong grip. His spine bowed upwards as a spasm of hallucinated pain waved through him. "Sevir uns'aa maglust!1" His normally soft voice was filled with a fear that Catti-brie had never before heard. "Xuat xta'rl uns'aa!2"
His eyes opened, wide, unseeing. The normally ebony black pupils had changed to frightening milky white. Tears fell down gaunt, haggard cheeks and his voice became softer, more fearful, and he seemed to be begging, pleading with someone. "Qualla3, ori'gato ilta alu4, qualla, dorn xun jalbol5, qualla. Fridj ori'gato ilta alu.6"
The last awakened Wulfgar and he walked over to where Catti-brie sat, sapphire eyes wide with fear and she held onto Drizzt's desperately clutching hand, tears falling down her cheeks. The ranger's frantic mutterings had awakened him, though he, like everyone else, couldn't understand a word of the drow tongue.
Then, as he watched, without warning, his already beaten and battered body began to convulse violently, thrashing this way and that.
Her eyes wide and panicky, Catti-brie told him to quickly awaken Gabriel, since he was the only one who could help. By this time, the camp was slowly awakening because of the soft sounds of Drizzt's mutterings.
Coming to his senses quickly, Gabriel knelt by the ranger's side, desperately trying to keep the delicately slender body still. Wulfgar helped, keeping pressure on the thrashing legs, Bruenor (already up and alert), rested his weight on the writhing arms, and Regis used his weight to try and keep his chest still. Gabriel, eyes closed, chanted softly under his breath, keeping Drizzt's head still, keeping his from knocking himself into a further coma from a head injury.
After what seemed like hours, the seizure finally came to and end. Catti- brie had ended up forced to the side in the chaos that had ensued. Now that things had eased down enough that she could, she knelt once again by his side, slender shoulders shaking in quiet sobs as she held his hand once again in her own. Closing her eyes, she laid a gentle kiss upon one of his knuckles.
"I'll have to bring him to Silverymoon, now." Catti-brie watched as he carefully lifted the unconscious drow into his arms, spreading his long wings and preparing to take off into the air. "If he doesn't receive better treatment immediately, he'll die."
"Is there any way that I'll be goin' with ye?" Catti-brie looked into those violet eyes, worry and fear shining in her own. "I won't let him die on me, at least not by himself."
Slowly, the Luchiélt Lord nodded, understanding her request perfectly. "Raliën, follow me and carry Lady Catti-brie in your arms. She will accompany us to Silverymoon."
A young soldier with pale, pale grey eyes and dark, nearly black hair separated from the rest of the soldier and, with Catti-brie insistence, allowed her to climb onto his back. A few minutes later, the both took off, leaving the other three companions to follow with the rest of the Luchién soldiers when they could.
* * * * *
[A/N] I know, this is late in coming, but I've had writer's block and my parents were out of town. (My mom took that laptop with her on the plane.) BTW, here are the translations for the different drow phrases.
1 Leave me alone. 2 Don't touch me. 3 Please. 4 Let them go. 5 I'll do anything. 6 Just let them go.
Chapter Twenty-One – Anguish
Gabriel walked over quickly, noticing from across camp Drizzt's quickly deteriorating condition. From what he saw without removing any of the bandages worried him and he feared for what would happen if he couldn't do anything about this. With Catti-brie's help, he carefully removed the ranger's tunic and shirt.
Closing violet eyes, he lightly touched the ranger's face, his fear for what was happening rising when he felt the heat emanating from the ebony skin. He looked briefly at Catti-brie, quickly and carefully began to remove the bandages encasing Drizzt's slender upper body.
"No," he breathed when he saw what was there. Acting quickly, he called for one of the soldiers to find his bag of healing supplies, and another to pour a large bowl of cold, clear from the nearby stream. Pulling a clothe from the closest pack, he dipped in the water that the Luchiélt soldier was quick to bring.
"What be wrong with him?" Catti-brie asked quietly, looking at the deep welts as they were exposed to the cool afternoon air. "He's been actin' strange all mornin' and afternoon."
Gabriel sighed, looking the young woman in the eye. He brought her attention down to the red, hot edges of one of the cuts. "The red indicates something that iI have been trying to prevent since I first treated his wounds. The red indicates that the wounds have become somehow infected." His violet eyes met her blue ones. "The infection may kill someone, if the actual wounds do not."
He looked down at the ranger, and saw that Drizzt had fallen into a fever- induced sleep. His eyes were moving frantically behind closed lids and he was moving restlessly. Gabriel didn't want to lose him, not now, not this close to arriving back in Silverymoon on-the-mend.
Whispering soft words, he carefully added herbs to the water, and crystalline liquids that had already been carefully prepared. He gently cleaned the deep welts, looking closer for any signs of what might've caused this to happen. He had thought that he had taken all the proper measures to keep this from happening, but apparently not.
Catti-brie listened to the soft chanting as he cleaned the deep welts. There was a faint violet glow around his hands as the Luchiélt High Lord went about his work, as she hadn't noticed that before when Gabriel was taking care of Drizzt. Maybe it was the chanting, but she didn't know.
All she hoped for was that Drizzt would be alright.
* * * * *
It took hours, but after Gabriel had finished cleaning all of the wounds with the carefully prepared healing salves and water, he re-dressed them and made sure that they were all completely covered. He slowly rolled Drizzt over to lay on his back. The ranger's ebony skin was still burning hot to the touch, even hotter then before, and he was still moving restlessly in an uneasy sleep. His breathes were fast and shallow, as though he was having trouble breathing.
Catti-brie and Regis still sat next to him, watching as Drizzt's condition slowly deteriorated. Bruenor and Wulfgar had wandered away, not able to see their close friend in such a helpless position. If he couldn't do something before sunset the next day, there would be no chance of bringing the ranger back from the Abyss. Sighing and digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, asking a close soldier to fetch another bowl filled with the coldest water he could find. As the soldier hurried off to carry out his Lord's orders, Gabriel turned back to the companions watching him worriedly from Drizzt's side.
After receiving the bowl of fresh water from the soldier, Gabriel thanked him quietly, folding a clean clothe carefully and dipping it into the water. He placed it over Drizzt's burning brow, and another at the back of his neck, hoping to lower the fever to a point where he would survive. Catti-brie and Regis watched his movements, watching them closely.
Gabriel handed the bowl to Catti-brie, already exhausted from having expended his own energy into trying to gather the infection from the many lacerations on his back. She took them carefully, looking into those dark violet eyes, her own sapphire ones filled to the brim with worry.
"Try to keep the cloths cold, it might lower his fever, but I'm not so sure yet." Gabriel was trying to explain the best that he could. "If we aren't able to lower his fever by tomorrow, than I will have to separate from the group and fly him to Silverymoon myself for better care, or else. If we aren't able to break the fever by tomorrow at sunset, then there is no hope for his survival. I will do everything that is in my power to break it, but all we can do is pray that Mielikke is watching over him."
Catti-brie nodded, tears sparkling in the corners of her dark blue eyes. "I'll be tryin' that." She carefully took his hand in hers once again, placing the other over the clothe covering his burning forehead. "I'll be doin' everythin' I can to help him."
Gabriel nodded. "I'm sorry that I am not able to help you further this night. I have near no more energy and sleep is a necessity at this point. If you see something happen and you don't know what's wrong, wake me. If something else happens during the night than I will have to bring him to Silverymoon sooner than later."
Regis nodded, watching both Catti-brie and the restlessly moving, unconscious drow. He had a really bad feeling about all that had happened over the last few days, like something worse was going to happen and they just didn't know it yet. He had told Bruenor and Wulfgar about Drizzt's strange dreams, and both of them had looked worried. He could tell, just by looking at her that Catti-brie was near the fine line between breaking and being alright. Never before had any of the Companions of the Hall seen their friend in such a condition.
But then again, none of them had seen him so horribly injured and starved.
He prayed, looking at the quietly moving drow, that everything was going to be alright, and that his intuition was wrong.
* * * * *
Catti-brie remained by the drow's side, even after everyone else had gone to sleep, even Regis. It had been hours since the sun had set, and she had finally let the tears fall. She was scared, more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. She was afraid that she would never see him, that she would never see his smile or hear his laughter. A sound from where Drizzt laid on the ground caused her to look at where he was laying, moving restlessly.
His breaths were short and shallow, as if he were struggling or running away from someone. His eyes were darting around frantically under closed lids and his ebony skin was still flushed with heat. His was speaking through his fever-induced nightmares, melodic voice filled with fear so thick that she felt she could almost touch it with her hand. Gabriel had told her of the nightmares and hallucinations that people with fever got, but, listening to the words spoken in his native drow tongue, it stilled scared her.
"Nau," his hand clenched tightly around Catti-brie's causing her to flinch in pain at the surprisingly strong grip. His spine bowed upwards as a spasm of hallucinated pain waved through him. "Sevir uns'aa maglust!1" His normally soft voice was filled with a fear that Catti-brie had never before heard. "Xuat xta'rl uns'aa!2"
His eyes opened, wide, unseeing. The normally ebony black pupils had changed to frightening milky white. Tears fell down gaunt, haggard cheeks and his voice became softer, more fearful, and he seemed to be begging, pleading with someone. "Qualla3, ori'gato ilta alu4, qualla, dorn xun jalbol5, qualla. Fridj ori'gato ilta alu.6"
The last awakened Wulfgar and he walked over to where Catti-brie sat, sapphire eyes wide with fear and she held onto Drizzt's desperately clutching hand, tears falling down her cheeks. The ranger's frantic mutterings had awakened him, though he, like everyone else, couldn't understand a word of the drow tongue.
Then, as he watched, without warning, his already beaten and battered body began to convulse violently, thrashing this way and that.
Her eyes wide and panicky, Catti-brie told him to quickly awaken Gabriel, since he was the only one who could help. By this time, the camp was slowly awakening because of the soft sounds of Drizzt's mutterings.
Coming to his senses quickly, Gabriel knelt by the ranger's side, desperately trying to keep the delicately slender body still. Wulfgar helped, keeping pressure on the thrashing legs, Bruenor (already up and alert), rested his weight on the writhing arms, and Regis used his weight to try and keep his chest still. Gabriel, eyes closed, chanted softly under his breath, keeping Drizzt's head still, keeping his from knocking himself into a further coma from a head injury.
After what seemed like hours, the seizure finally came to and end. Catti- brie had ended up forced to the side in the chaos that had ensued. Now that things had eased down enough that she could, she knelt once again by his side, slender shoulders shaking in quiet sobs as she held his hand once again in her own. Closing her eyes, she laid a gentle kiss upon one of his knuckles.
"I'll have to bring him to Silverymoon, now." Catti-brie watched as he carefully lifted the unconscious drow into his arms, spreading his long wings and preparing to take off into the air. "If he doesn't receive better treatment immediately, he'll die."
"Is there any way that I'll be goin' with ye?" Catti-brie looked into those violet eyes, worry and fear shining in her own. "I won't let him die on me, at least not by himself."
Slowly, the Luchiélt Lord nodded, understanding her request perfectly. "Raliën, follow me and carry Lady Catti-brie in your arms. She will accompany us to Silverymoon."
A young soldier with pale, pale grey eyes and dark, nearly black hair separated from the rest of the soldier and, with Catti-brie insistence, allowed her to climb onto his back. A few minutes later, the both took off, leaving the other three companions to follow with the rest of the Luchién soldiers when they could.
* * * * *
[A/N] I know, this is late in coming, but I've had writer's block and my parents were out of town. (My mom took that laptop with her on the plane.) BTW, here are the translations for the different drow phrases.
1 Leave me alone. 2 Don't touch me. 3 Please. 4 Let them go. 5 I'll do anything. 6 Just let them go.