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Post by Frodobursh on Mar 31, 2007 8:41:24 GMT 9.5
The old man came to the entrance of the barn and his eyes fell on Erik, who was hunched over and staring with silent awe at his open wound. He didn't really know that Rain and the old man had come in the barn.
"What happened?" The old man asked Rain. He ushed Erik to lie down, but Erik became stubborn.
"Don't worry about me," Erik groaned.
"Erik, lie down already," The old man said, almost harshly.
Erik obeyed, knowing he was only make the old man angry. He lie down on the hay pile, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Is there a town doctor?" Erik asked tiredly.
"Yeah, but I'd have to leave you alone for a while," The old man turned to Rain. "Can you take care of him while I'm gone? There's some water in by the back of the barn. He'll probably need his injury to be cleaned. Can you do that?"
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 31, 2007 9:12:27 GMT 9.5
Rain's eyes darted from the old man's fading eyes back to Erik's pain smothered expression. She felt helpless, small, and useless, though she felt her head nodding.
The man left the barn in a swift walk, and Rain looked around for a container to hold the water. She found a pail and walked out the door, the clouded sky turning pale with morning. She stood under the eves of the barn and scurried to the back, looking about for anyone who may be walking in the early morning. She saw none and quickly filled the pail with water and dashed back to where she came.
She neared Erik still writhing on the floor of the barn and then set down the water. She looked at his wound, which she responded with a grimace, and then remembered that she had no idea what she was doing. "Now what?" Her voice said, full of anxious worry.
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Post by Frodobursh on Mar 31, 2007 13:06:44 GMT 9.5
Erik let out a painful moan, and then reached for Rain. He grabbed her hand, held it, and then replied, "I can wash it... don't worry about me." He ripped a piece of his cape, soaking it with water from the bucket, and then padding his wound. He winced some more, hissing frustratingly.
When he had cleaned most of it, he leaned up and took of his jacket to his bare chest. He ripped another clean piece of cape off and wrapped it around his side tightly. "You don't need to... worry about me..." He kept repeating the same words over and over. He felt terrible that she was stuck in this position with him.
"I'm not important..." Erik said as well, but he paused and shut his eyes, weariness settling over him. He took in a deep breath and then let it out. "Thank you..." He let go of her hand and soon after, he fell asleep.
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 31, 2007 14:15:05 GMT 9.5
Rain continued to kneel by his side, feeling very sympathetic and worried. Her bright blue eyes darkened and flinched while he cleansed his own wound.
She smiled when he finally fell asleep, and leaned back on her heels to watch the pain melt from his face. The door opened and she turned to see the old man, with a strange man hauling a black bag. She immediately crept into the shadows of the barn, letting her intence eyes focus on the stranger.
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Post by Frodobursh on Apr 1, 2007 0:25:12 GMT 9.5
The doctor and the old man came over to Erik and where he slept on the floor. The doctor looked up at the old man. "He needs a good place to rest and not on the floor. How badly injured is he?"
"He has a gash on his side," The old man replied, "But it appears that it's been bandaged up and cleaned."
"I'll probably have to reopen it and swab with alcohal otherwise with the material used to block the wound, it could become infected," The doctor replied, looking around. He grabbed Erik from underneath the shoulders and dragged him to where there was a small matress beside a cattle stall. In the stall were two sleeping calves.
Once they lifted him on the matress, the doctor took care of Erik, who didn't even awake. After he finished, he closed his eyes and told the old man, "You know this is the mark of the Enemy?"
The old man sighed bitterly, "They've been after the poor kid for years. He's only eighteen.. and already he has the Enemy hunting him down."
The doctor nodded and stood up. "Be careful. The Enemy shouldn't come out in pure daylight in town, so he should be alright. He just needs plenty of rest. You let me know if things worsen." With that, the doctor left out the door.
The old man sighed and looked over to where Rain was hiding. "I'm going to make you two some stew. Would you watch over him for me?"
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Post by laurabeth on Apr 1, 2007 1:32:59 GMT 9.5
Rain crept from the shadows and walked over to Erik's bed and nodded to the man. He turned and left as quickly as he came. She turned to Erik; he looked different than he had before, more important and mysterious. She felt protective of him in some way, maybe because of his kindness to her.
The man returned carrying two bowls in his hands. Hunger reappeared in Rain, for she had forgotten why she had come here in the first place. She sniffed the air hungrily, impatiently, and took a bowl which the man handed to her, and ate it quickly.
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Post by Frodobursh on Apr 1, 2007 1:38:54 GMT 9.5
The old man set the other bowl beside her and sighed roughly, "Y'know the boy's been through a lot. He's lucky he has a nice girl like you to watch over him. For a while he was engaged to a girl who owned a horse ranch, but the Enemy burned it down. That's where he got his horse from, so his horse is very important to him. He hasn't had much company to look over him. He's strong though, and I can tell you are as well."
The old man added a smile. He easily picked up the protectiveness Rain was feeling. "He'll be up by the afternoon, don't you worry. He's been through worse." He got up and left.
For a moment, there was a silence, and then Erik shifted slightly, and then moved his arm to the side of the matress as if reaching for something. He touched the side of the bowl and his hands traced the circular opening of it until it hit where the spoon was. He moved his hand back to his side and took in a deep breath. It was as if he could hear what was going on.
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Post by laurabeth on Apr 1, 2007 1:56:50 GMT 9.5
Rain scooted closer to him and looked around, through the slats of the stall to the cattle and then up into the lofts and rafters. She could see a bit of sunlight sifting underneath the door. Hearing Erik, she turned to see him feeling the bowl.
She moved closer and lifted up the bowl. "Hungry?" She asked.
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Post by Frodobursh on Apr 1, 2007 2:30:55 GMT 9.5
Erik opened his eyes slightly and smiled at Rain, his expression showing that he was relaxed. "Yeah..." He replied tiredly, trying to lean up. Instantly, he winced as the pain ran through his side, but he chose to ignore it. He didn't have a descent meal in a long time.
He reached for the bowl and instantly began to eat, yet with manners. Once he had finished, he looked back up at Rain and felt an instant amount of guilt. "I'm sorry about all this..." He looked down sadly.
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Post by laurabeth on Apr 1, 2007 3:02:32 GMT 9.5
"No, it's okay." She replied quickly, "I'm glad I met you." She smiled, though it soon faded. "I think it's my fault, though. But I'm glad you came along. If I had run I would have been caught in the storm all alone..."
She fell silent and just sat and stared at her paws, her fur crispy from the mud she had gotten in the struggle. "I wonder where your horse is?" She said at last, looking up at his tired face.
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Post by Frodobursh on Apr 1, 2007 3:36:15 GMT 9.5
He shut his eyes and smiled. "My horse is probably fine. She'll come back; she always has. I just worried she'd get sick, but I can easily get her back to health." He opened his eyes and studied Rain's face carefully, and then held it with one hand. "Thank you."
He put his hand back down and then thought for a while. "So tell me about yourself, Rain."
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Post by laurabeth on Apr 1, 2007 3:51:59 GMT 9.5
She felt shy and nervous when he asked about her. She wasn't sure what to reply, though few there was to speak of. She took in a deep, thoughtful breath and let it out in a sigh.
"Well," she spoke hesitantly, "I don't really know what to tell you. I just wander about looking for places to stay, and things to eat." She nearly laughed at the latter, but stopped. That was another story. "Sometimes I go far off to places I've never heard of, just to see what it's like." She stopped. "I've never been here before, either."
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Post by Frodobursh on Apr 1, 2007 4:04:35 GMT 9.5
Erik smiled gently and replied, "Yeah that sounds like me, as well. I've been a lone wolf for all these years; it gets lonely." His smile disappeared and he looked down at the stable floor. "Except for my horse, I don't really have company. I wish I did." He shut his eyes peacefully.
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Post by laurabeth on Apr 1, 2007 6:08:33 GMT 9.5
She turned her gaze to the floor with his, being deep in thought after speaking so much, yet so little, about herself. It was hard to put into words things she had never spoken aloud before, and barely thought on. She had never imagined herself meeting a human who treated her like a Sirin would.
After a very long pause, minutes to hours, Rain looked up to Erik. She wasn't sure if he was awake or asleep, yet quietly she voiced her thoughts: "Why does the Enemy want to attack you?"
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Post by Frodobursh on Apr 2, 2007 4:44:10 GMT 9.5
Erik listened carefully to the question and thought about it deeply. He didn't know if he'd be able to tell her the portion of his past that troubled him the most, but he found a deep bonding trust he had never felt with any other person.. Not even his old beloved who perished in the fire.
"My parents died when I could just barely walk from the attack of thieves. They stole me and raised me under their care, but it was poor treatment. Pretty much, the group of thieves I was with didn't think before actions.. They stole things from the enemy. Well one day, the Enemy had caught up with them and they decided to bargain. They pratically sold my soul to them..." He took in a deep breath. "I managed to get out of there.. but.. they still look for me. I tried to rename myself and start a new life at that horse ranch, but they had found us.
"They had attacked at twilight when we were all in bed and I tried.." he opened his eyes, a look of pain on his face. "They took everything I ever loved.. I travel alone because I don't want anyone to become cursed like me." He sighed roughly. "I don't have much of a chance when it comes to destiny; my future has been laid out already for me."
His eyes stung with tears, which were restrained not to leave his eyes. He forced a smile again. "I'm so tired."
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