Hey! I only just realized that that the whole of Chapter two of Hunted didn't upload! So, this is the rest of it, hope you all like it!
When Daine woke up, she was alone. This was something new for her, because unless he was asleep too, Numair had always been there to make sure she was alright. She tried to sit up and was stopped by a sharp pain in her thigh. She looked under the blankets and found that her leg was wrapped in a bandage from her knee to the top of her thigh. Seeing this made her remember the events that had led to the injury.
She was running as fast as she could, trying her hardest to just take one more breath, one more stride. It was getting much harder. They were catching up. Suddenly a fiery pain erupted in her leg. She stumbled, lost her balance, and fell, hitting the ground as a human. Funny, she had thought, I should have just changed back in the first place, and then the world faded to black.
She shivered at the memory and fell back on to the pillows behind her. She wanted Numair. He could always manage to find ways to fight the dullness of sitting in a bed all day long, either by teaching her about some new animal she had never heard of or just talking with her. She sank into a restless doze.
Daine woke to the sound of footsteps in the hallway. They stopped outside her door, and she saw the handle turn. She sat up as best she could, hoping to see the long form of her teacher come in, but was disappointed to see that it was only Alanna.
"Oh, good, you're awake," she commented, "you had me worried for a moment there, youngling."
"How long was I asleep?"
"Two days, it's just after the dinner bell."
"Oh,"
"Diane?" asked Alanna, "What is it? Usually I can't get you to stay in your rooms, let alone your bed." At her silence, Alanna gave her a closer look. "What's wrong?" she asked in a gentle voice.
"Nothing," the reply was much too quick.
"Alright then, I'll let you get some rest. Just let me change that bandage."
When she was done, Alanna went outside to dig Numair out of his workroom. He'd been locked in there for the past day or so, and she'd only seen him at meals. If anyone could figure out what was bothering Daine, it was the lanky mage.
Numair looked up at the sound of knocking on his door. He had found something to do today as a means of distracting himself, but keeping his mind in his work wasn't easy. Already he had botched three experiments, two reports, and spilled ink on the piece of cake he had brought back from lunch. Of them all, the ruining of the cake was the most grievous. It was his favorite kind, a Carthaki delicacy, and the cooks had stopped making it after he had been banned from the kitchens unless it had been specifically requested.
"Numiar, Open this door! I know you hear me!" the lioness said through the door.
He reluctantly got up and answered the door, letting her in and shutting the door behind her.
"Daine is up and something's wrong with her. Usually she protests being restricted to the bed but when I went in she just asked how long had she been asleep and looked distant. Go talk to her and see what's wrong." She then grabbed his hand and towed him out into the hallway and to the healer's wing.
Daine looked up at the sound of the door opening. Along with Alanna, two healers, a cat, and Onua had come through the door since she woke up, and she was happily surprised when Numair walked in, being dragged by Alanna.
"Where were you?!" she demanded. "I thought you had gone and blown yourself up and they weren't telling me because I was hurt."
Alanna smiled. It was as she had thought; Daine had just been missing her teacher. Although sometimes, like now, she wondered if a teacher was all she thought of him as.
Numair went over and sat on the bed beside Daine, taking her hand.
"How is your leg?" he asked. "It looked rather gruesome when I brought you in."
"Better," she answered. "It twinges though. And I can't sit up."
"I can't do anything about the twinging, but I can certainly prop you up," he said, grinning. He leaned over her, grabbing the pillows on the other side of the bed, and straightened back up, supporting her with his arm as he arranged the pillows behind her.
"Is that any better magelet?" he inquired.
"Yes,' She sighed as she sank back. "I'm fine now."
He turned just in time to see her smile contentedly and look up at him from under her eyelashes before her eyes fluttered closed and she went to sleep.