TOMMY
I fly across the space between us, praying to the powers that I'll get there in time. I slide to a stop between them, staff raised to stop her blade. She doesn't check her swing and I can feel the impact in my arms, shoulders and back. Her eyes are wild with no recognition in them at all. I speak, using a tone that I've used on the raptors to calm them down, hoping to buy a little time. "Easy, little scorpion. They aren't your problem." I turn my head slightly. "Zedd, you and Dar need to get to the castle - now."
"But-"
Dar cuts him off. "She's not herself right now, Zedd. I can feel it."
"She's going to kill him" Zedd snarls back, still looking torn between doing as I say and doing what I know the bond between us is telling him to.
"She's not going to kill anyone if you both just go now!"
"He's got this, Zedd." When his friend looks ready to protest again, Goldar is quick to grab his arm. "I wouldn't leave them if I didn't feel it, let's go." Looking back at me as he all but drags Zedd back towards the castle Goldar's own worry is still clear even if he's trying to hide it. "Help her, Tommy." Like I'd do anything else.
She sees them retreating and tries to get around me, but I block her. I've got to get her into the woods. I brace myself and lock eyes with her - a clear challenge. "They're no threat to you, but I am" I snarl softly, hoping that Zedd can't hear. I really don't need him questioning my sanity again or worse yet - breaking free of Goldar and trying to once more get in my way.
She bares her teeth at me and takes a swing at me, which I easily avoid. I rap her knuckles with my staff and work my way around her. Once Zedd and Dar are in the castle, she'll have nobody else to go after and I'll have a better chance of getting her to follow me into the woods and to the sacred grove.
She launches at me and, fortunately, I'm just a little faster than she is. I can feel Zedd's concern at the ferocity of her attack, but I can't let myself be distracted. At least it's not nearly the level of concern I think he would have if I'd had to deal with this before now. He knows that my skills are almost back to one hundred percent and I kept him at bay - even if it was just barely.
Once they're in, I let loose - unlike when I've been sparring with Zedd lately. I almost manage to disarm her twice before I start backing toward the tree line. As I expected, she follows me, intent on what she sees as her prey.
The closer we get to the grove, I'm getting more and more tired from trying to hold her off. From what I understood from the bird that I've begun to think of as a falcon, this blood lust thing was either going to have her looking to kill or to mate. Well, less blood lust and more animal instinct, but still. Since they were sparring, it triggered - this. Which in the scheme of things is preferable in a way to her trying to have Dar on the lawn. It would have been interesting from a scientific point of view, but I very much doubt that any of them would have appreciated the live porn in the yard. Then again, it seems to take very little to inspire Zedd…
My distraction has cost me and I cry out in pain as the hilt of her sword smashes down on my left forearm. I'm almost positive I can hear the bone break as agony blooms in my arm and weakens my grip on my staff. We finally reach the open space of the clearing. I have got to slow her down to even things out. Steeling my resolve, I change my grip on the weapon and smash it against her leg as hard as I can. Her cry of pain almost breaks my heart, but I'll do what I have to do to keep us both alive.
She grabs for her sword where it fell, but I step on the blade before she can pick it up. I wrench it out of her grasp, leaving her defenseless. I can hear the powers whispering to me what needs to be done. She whimpers as she tries to move her now broken leg.
"I'm so sorry, isosisko," I say sadly. "But I have to bring you back to us - to him."
She kicks out connecting with my knee. Swiftly, I strike out with her sword, cutting her arm just enough to let her blood flow. Completely distracted by the smell, she no longer pays me any mind as she tends to her wound as an animal would, licking at it. Watching her carefully, I lower myself onto a log, keeping both weapons close to me.
As she continues to ignore me, my eyes search the grove for the things we'll need to get back. With her broken leg and my knee and arm, it's going to be a pain. First things first, though. I take a deep breath, block Zedd, grit my teeth and put my knee back into place, barely muffling my howl of pain. I pull my shirt off, working it carefully over my arm.
Before I can do anymore, she gains my attention once again as she starts pulling herself across the ground to me, whimpering softly as she drags her leg behind her. Quickly, I snatch up her sword as I can use it more easily one handed and watch her closely. There's something almost defeated in the way she's moving. I listen again for the whisper of the powers and sigh as I realize what I have to do now. I really don't want to do this, but apparently it's necessary to complete the cycle.
She gets right next to me and pats my good leg. I growl at her and she bares her throat submissively. I set my teeth against it and nip lightly, accepting her surrender. She curls up on the ground at my feet with a sigh and, shortly after, falls asleep. Once I'm sure she's out, I use my staff as a walking stick and gather some sticks and branches to use to brace her leg and my arm and makeshift crutches.
I return to her side and start to tear my shirt into strips. With virtually no grip in my left hand, it's difficult, but I get enough done to do her leg. I ease myself down onto the ground next to her. As far as I can tell it's a clean break and already set, so I use my basic first aid skills and the sticks and cloth to brace her leg. I have to use my teeth to offset my weak hand. Once finished, I look up to see her watching me.
I blush for no reason, as I wasn't ever higher than her knee, but still. I carefully get back on the log and turn my attention to my arm. It's killing me as I probe the area, but I'm fairly certain that the bone is out of place. I'm startled out of my thoughts when I hear, "Let me help, boetie."
I nod, knowing that if she's back to herself, her two good hands will make short work of the bracing I need. Her cool fingers probe the area and I hiss in pain, in spite of my best efforts not to. "I can't set it until we get back. I might even need our mates to help."
I'd expected as much. She tears the shirt down even further and in a few minutes has my arm done for now. She uses the remains of the fabric to fashion a sling and a wrap for my knee. I'm about to help her to her feet when the sound of wings nearby gain our attention. In a tree nearby, there are two birds - the 'falcon' and another that almost seems to glow. We trade a quick glance before looking back at them. The falcon nods at me.
Suddenly, the glowing bird launches off the branch and right at me with a swiftness that I didn't expect. Before I can react, he's hit me in the chest, knocking me off the log even as he's - absorbed - into me. I feel a surge of energy as well as the return of the power. It didn't happen like this the first time, but I welcome it like an old friend. Sending up a silent prayer of thanks as the pain suddenly eases to an almost tolerable level in my arm and knee now, I know the powers will help dull it to a manageable point for at least a brief bit of time, enough to give me a chance to get somewhere safe should I be in danger.
I blink and pull myself together. Carefully, I climb back onto the log. I can see the anxious look on her face and I smile as best I can with the pain I'm still in. I help her to her feet and hand her the branches for crutches. I grab my staff to use as my own crutch and her sword. "Let's go. It's going to take us a while to get back and I have no doubt that both our mates are losing their minds." She nods and we begin the long trek back.
