The stars are alive, child! Did you know that? Everything out there is alive, and there are grand purpose abroad!
Usually it starts with a nightmare. Some sordid dream that creeps in on a saccharine song, souring as it hits its peak. This time it came in silence.
Moving to the night order was the best decision I’d made in a while. Though I felt bad leaving dusk, and all its people, that guilt was drowned by the feeling of release. Things here are busy enough that I’m never left just to think. But there are enough healers that I can step away if needed. It’s not like the hospital in the swamp, where herb collection is constant, and there's no one else around. It’s not so… lonely.
I’d been making some salves with the other healers. Some of the stronger ones take some time, and we’d been running low after the winter, but with spring's arrival it’s far easier to source the ingredients necessary. One minutes I was fine - life here is good for me, - the next I felt a wave of dizziness, small, but enough for me to trail off from the conversation I’d been having with the others.
“Are you alright?”
I looked over to Aleris, one of the younger healers, with a soft smile. “Just tired” I could feel Picoro sigh softly onto my neck. He always knew, I'm sure he felt the shift in my balance, though this time he stayed silent. A second wave made itself known though, strong enough that I nearly dropped the pestle I’d been using. “You should go rest” the sloth murmured.
“Actually” I started softly. “Are you alright to finish these without me?” I could see concern flicker in some of my companions eyes, though no one questioned me as I set down the pestle beside its mortar. I turned to leave the chamber, my uneven hoofbeats masked by the grinding of herbs. I was careful walking back to my room, as waves of dizziness slowly came over me. I was taken aback, usually I had a warning of some sort. I did recall a fit of coughing the night before, but I’d not thought much of it. Pollen could do worse.
As I made my way into my room, I pulled down the drape of finely woven silk over the window. I had no candles to blow out. I’d move them all to one of the meeting chambers, with the excuse that they needed the light more than I did. Really I just couldn’t settle with the flames flickering over the walls. They told me they’d find more so I wouldn’t have to sit in the dark. I hope they don’t. I’ve tried to hide how much it unsettles me to stand so near them.
I settled on the bed of moss in the corner. As I laid my head on the stone floor, I was shocked by how cold it felt on my face. I wondered how long I had been feverish that day. If everyone had looked at the glaze in my eyes and ignored it for fear of being impolite. Picoro nestled in beside me, braiding my mane with nimble claws so that it didn’t cling to my skin when the fever undoubtedly grew worse. The headaches would come soon, and the best I could do was try to sleep through it.
Before I could close my eyes though I could hear hooves clacking on the stone in the corridor. The cadence of the steps was familiar, and I could already feel the wash of cold that always clung to his cloak of shadows. I hadn’t seen much of Tenebrae since I had come back to the night order. Whenever I did, It was just around a corner, a fleeting glance. We were both busy I suppose. Something seemed off, though I couldn’t quite place it. I lifted my head, already wincing at the stiffness - It was almost funny how quickly it came on - wondering if he was coming to say hello, or simply passing by.
@Tenebrae
Moving to the night order was the best decision I’d made in a while. Though I felt bad leaving dusk, and all its people, that guilt was drowned by the feeling of release. Things here are busy enough that I’m never left just to think. But there are enough healers that I can step away if needed. It’s not like the hospital in the swamp, where herb collection is constant, and there's no one else around. It’s not so… lonely.
I’d been making some salves with the other healers. Some of the stronger ones take some time, and we’d been running low after the winter, but with spring's arrival it’s far easier to source the ingredients necessary. One minutes I was fine - life here is good for me, - the next I felt a wave of dizziness, small, but enough for me to trail off from the conversation I’d been having with the others.
“Are you alright?”
I looked over to Aleris, one of the younger healers, with a soft smile. “Just tired” I could feel Picoro sigh softly onto my neck. He always knew, I'm sure he felt the shift in my balance, though this time he stayed silent. A second wave made itself known though, strong enough that I nearly dropped the pestle I’d been using. “You should go rest” the sloth murmured.
“Actually” I started softly. “Are you alright to finish these without me?” I could see concern flicker in some of my companions eyes, though no one questioned me as I set down the pestle beside its mortar. I turned to leave the chamber, my uneven hoofbeats masked by the grinding of herbs. I was careful walking back to my room, as waves of dizziness slowly came over me. I was taken aback, usually I had a warning of some sort. I did recall a fit of coughing the night before, but I’d not thought much of it. Pollen could do worse.
As I made my way into my room, I pulled down the drape of finely woven silk over the window. I had no candles to blow out. I’d move them all to one of the meeting chambers, with the excuse that they needed the light more than I did. Really I just couldn’t settle with the flames flickering over the walls. They told me they’d find more so I wouldn’t have to sit in the dark. I hope they don’t. I’ve tried to hide how much it unsettles me to stand so near them.
I settled on the bed of moss in the corner. As I laid my head on the stone floor, I was shocked by how cold it felt on my face. I wondered how long I had been feverish that day. If everyone had looked at the glaze in my eyes and ignored it for fear of being impolite. Picoro nestled in beside me, braiding my mane with nimble claws so that it didn’t cling to my skin when the fever undoubtedly grew worse. The headaches would come soon, and the best I could do was try to sleep through it.
Before I could close my eyes though I could hear hooves clacking on the stone in the corridor. The cadence of the steps was familiar, and I could already feel the wash of cold that always clung to his cloak of shadows. I hadn’t seen much of Tenebrae since I had come back to the night order. Whenever I did, It was just around a corner, a fleeting glance. We were both busy I suppose. Something seemed off, though I couldn’t quite place it. I lifted my head, already wincing at the stiffness - It was almost funny how quickly it came on - wondering if he was coming to say hello, or simply passing by.
@Tenebrae
