Daine loosed her last arrow, panicking as the hurrok dove towards Numair. The shaft buried itself in the immortal's skull. The creature screamed and its wraithlike eyes widened before becoming blank as it plummeted off the cliff face. She choked back a sob as Numair tried to stand, knowing he wouldn't be able to. She stumbled towards him, her feet refusing to work as she subconsciously shifted them into several different animals at once, trying desperately to get to him as quickly as possible. She tried to take a deep breath, willing her body back under her control.
"Magelet...sweet?" Numair was reaching for her, blood trickling down his forehead, his eyes widening like the hurrok's. The sob she had been holding back broke loose, and her vision blurred. By the time she reached him he had lost consciousness. Her tears mingled with the blood trickling down his scalp as she hulled his head into her lap. The wrongness of immortals faded from her magical mind as the last stormwing she had shot sputtered and took its last breath. Her fingers slid over Numair's throat, and she sighed with relief when she felt the steady bound of his pulse. She leaned her forehead down to meet his, and willed herself to breathe. He was alive, and that was what mattered.
It was hours later, and he still hadn't awoken. She had dragged him to a cave off the cliff side, set up camp, and tended to his wounds. She had spent endless minutes sitting by his side watching him breathe. She stared, counting each rise and fall of his chest, as noon turned to twighlight, then to dusk. Eventually the sky shifted to stars. She wished he would wake up and look at them. He would love the stars tonight. She traced the Cat constellation with her index finger, remembering the night Numair had first showed it to her.
The wind on the top of the tower set her to shivering, and she was annoyed that Numair seemed utterly unaware that it was freezing. He was prattling on about meteor showers and legends of gods sending love letters to mortals through falling stars. Her teeth began to chatter before he turned to look at her. He didn't even pause in his rambling. He simply reached out and pulled her in front of him, wrapping his cloak around them both, and continuing to point out the different constellations. She didn't hear most of what he was saying, simply relishing being snuggled in his arms, but then he started telling her about The Cat. Anything involving animals always caught Daine's attention. She became engrossed in the tale, and its connection to Alanna. Numair seemed to notice that Daine was much more absorbed with this anecdote than his normal lessons on stargazing. He stopped talking. Daine tore her eyes away from the foot of the great mother goddess' constellation, where the cat resided, and turned in his arms to meet his gaze. He smiled down at her, brushing the curls back from her face.
"You know, they say the Cat is a god too...that he leaves the stars sometimes in order to help or to hinder two-leggers." His hand paused, palm cupping her cheek. "Perhaps that is why he is still in the sky at this time..." He gazed back up at the heavens, though his hand continued to cup her face, thumb absentmindedly stroking her cheek. She couldn't remember ever feeling so content. She no longer felt the cold winter air. She was warm in his arms...and she couldn't help but feel like she never wanted to leave. Numair pulled her closer to his chest, his lips brushing the back of her curls as he spoke. "Perhaps he knows that the world is safe with you here to be a conduit between two-leggers and the people magelet."
The Cat was Daine's favorite constellation. Whenever she felt like she couldn't do this anymore, couldn't fight any longer...couldn't be a two legger another second, she would look up and trace the stars, remembering what Numair had said. Mostly though, she remembered what it felt like to be held in his arms. Safe. Warm. Loved. Home. Being part of the pack...belonging.
Her finger traced the last star of the Cat's tail. She started over, her finger moving to his ears. Before she got to the point, a hand grasped her fingers. She turned hastily to meet Numair's gaze. His eyes were clouded over with pain...or worry. She couldn't tell. "Numair, you had me fair frightened." She wished her voice wasn't shaking. She had spent hours telling herself to stay calm, but she was just so happy to see him awake. His palm cupped her chin. She opened her mouth to ask him where he hurt, and what she should do, but he placed his thumb over her lips.
"Shh sweet, I am okay." He caressed her bottom lip with his thumb, pulling on it slightly. He turned his gaze towards the sky. "I see the Cat still trusts you enough to stay at the foot of the goddess." He pulled her down to him, clutching her tight against his chest. This time it was his voice that shook. "You did good magelet...you did so good."
