Pan was finding it difficult to focus, more difficult as the time continued to tick slowly by. With every ragged breath, there was a bite of fire that stung at his lungs, as if they were crawling to escape his own body. His breathing is shallow then and rushed, for this was the only way he could breathe through the pain. Try to focus on breathing. the stranger suggests, and with a heavy swallow, Pan tries to count his breaths like the healers had taught him long ago. One. Two. Three.
It hurt, but his head began to clear some as he blinked at the stranger with tears stinging at his eyes. “Soft at the top…” his voice is quiet and hoarse, but more clear now, as he turned his gaze to their right. “It’s over there… don’t touch it…” As if the last part needed explaining… for only Pan was foolish enough to leap before looking, and he’d do it again too… for the boy had always lived like he was invincible.
With a wince of pain, he twists toward his satchel, grasping onto its leather strap and sliding it closer to Pravda. “Maybe it’s in my book… I… I stole it from the library.” Borrowed, more like… though the boy had kept the book in his possession now for a couple of years. While he couldn’t remember all of the plants within it, something nags at his mind which suggests he might have seen the plant before. Perhaps if he had read its description more carefully, he would have known better… he kicks himself for the mistake.
While they wait for Prigovora to return, he closes his eyes, feeling weariness creeping over him as he fought with sleep, knowing he should stay awake. The boy hummed to himself for a bit, trying to stave away the fear with his usual tricks, but it didn’t help. So his seafoam eyes find Pravda’s again, pleading and warm as he begged a story from the stranger.
“Where did you find the dinosaur? I’ve never seen one, aside in storybooks…” And in his nightmares, he thought for a moment… but Pan wasn’t afraid of Pravda’s pet. Especially since the raptor was the only thing standing between the boy’s health and being lost to the madness which threatened him now, as he teeters on the edge between sanity and sleep.
@Pravda
