Midnight Sun

His head bobbed up immediately at the sound of his name, though appeared rather odd considering it was hidden with the rest of himself underneath the blanket. Saifu uncovered his face quickly as he dared and looked at her, stating the obvious before he even knew the words were running through his mind.
"You look awful."
 
Artem glanced at him and covered her eyes with her arm, "Thanks." She gave out a strained laugh before wincing and rubbing the wound on her neck, the wold was still fresh so blood wiped onto her hand. "I'm just... happy that... they... didn't harm... you...First thing in...in the mor-...ning and we will... leave." Her words faded in and out as she tried not to pass out. The toll it took on her body was what she had started to fell. She shivered suddenly feeling cold and her arm fell from her eyes. She turned her body from him and squeezed her arms. She was shivering. She bit her lip to hold back the small cry that tried to escape her lips. She was ashamed for allowing him to take her blood and in pain from the bites. She hid, she'd been trying to hide the side of her that she wished not anyone see.
 
He saw. There wasn't much she could do to hide it, and any effort she made to seemed clumsy and disoriented.
Saifu took the blanket off his shoulders and stood up, stepping forward and draping the warmed blanket over her best he could. He then knelt by the bag, rummaging through it for the herbs he had saved from last night. There was one in particular he was looking for....
 
Artem flushed when he put the blanket over her, here she was in pain being comforted by the rabbit. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself feeling the warmth trickle over her. She couldn't muster a thanks in fear he might hear her cry, she took a deep breath before speaking her voice so small in comparison. "Are y-you not cold?"
 
"I'm freezing," he replied quietly, continuing to rummage. He eventually found what he was looking for: a few soft reddish-green blades of a grass; these were very sweet and rather fragile. Each leafy green seemed about the size of his index finger, and he took three from the stash, leaving a few others for the next time they might come in handy. "But you need the warmth more than I do, this time. I'll survive for a bit."

Saifu gently ground the leaves between the heels of his hands, forming a slightly-sticky whiteish paste from the sap secreted by the herbs. He found a place beside her, starting to shiver again, though he ignored the cold best he could manage. "L-let me see-ee it. Th-the bite marks."
 
Artem bit her lip as he said he was cold, she squeezed her eyes shut until he stated she needed it more than he did. She slowly sat up and looked at him, the tears streaks were evident on her dirt-stained face. Artem looked at his paste covered hands than him, "W-why?" Her hand flew to the bite mark a worried look on her face.
 
With semi-clean fingers, he tried with painstakingly gentle slowness to dislodge her hand from her neck without setting her off somehow. "It's c-cold at first... but better th-than loosing more blood."
He did his best to explain, though his fingers were slowly going stiff from the paste drying.
 
Artem stared at him in a mistrusting manner but slowly lowered her hand so he could apply whatever it was he had. She leaned closer to him so that he might hurry, she felt that she might faint any moment. Her eye were becoming heavier by the moment.
 
It didn't take more than a second, and though the salve was almost as cold as the stone walls of the room itself, pain was lessened considerably upon application. A useful (though often undermined) skill to have, knowing one's herbs and saving them.

He asked—twice—if there were any other bites on her.
 
Artem flinched at the coldness but allowed him to apply the palm when he asked if there were any more bites she held out her wrist and looked at him tiredly. "Thank you rabbit." Her vision was getting blurry and her head felt light from forcing herself to stay awake. Once he applied the balm to her wrist she grabbed him arm. "When-When you finish, com-come and lay in the blanket. It-it's not fair for me to take all." She let his arm go before laying on the bed falling into a light sleep.
 
Saifu nodded, letting the remainder of the paste dry onto his hands before crawling underneath the blanket beside her. It was warm, and his shivering ceased immediately.
 
She had her back to him breathing slowly in her sleep, a whimper could be heard every so often but she was mostly quiet. Later in the night, she turned to lean leaning into him for warmth her tail curled around them and her ears twitching every so often. When the morning came some color came back to Artem's face bit it did not wake her.
 
At first, he thought it was the cold that woke him.
Saifu opened a lazy eye, but found himself in the darkness beneath the blanket, where it was warm. The cold had no place there.
He snuggled closer, just a little, savoring the heat. Everything else told him it was daylight, but he didn't seem to care. He went back to sleep.
 
Artem hugged the small warm thing she had covered murmering in her sleep. Her heavy eyes opened squinting at the light above the blanket. She groaned and hid back into the blanket with Saifu, she hadn't yet noticed he was the small thing keeping her warm.
 
He sneezed. It was a little muffled, but it caused his entire self to shake with a small shockwave. There was no going back to sleep for him.
 
Artem rubbed her eyes looking down she noticed him under her, at the moment she saw him as a rabbit, her vision was still blurry from having just woke up. "Rabbit?"
 
"I have a name," he mumbled, rubbing at his cheek, though not opening his eyes. His red hair looked like a mess and was in deep need of a brushing.
 
Artem's nose scrunched as her vision focused, "What time is it?" Her tail was down rubbing against their legs with every swish. Her ears were down and her hair was coming out of the braid it was in. She blinked and her vision started to focus on the boy underneath her, "Saifu?"
 
The boy yawned and pulled himself out into the frigid air, ending with a hard thunk on the floor. He rubbed his head and squinted in the daylight. "Morning, I think. Can't be past noon."
 
Artem plopped herself on the bed shaking her tail out in the process, she stood on the floor stretching and paused when he spoke. "It's already that late?" She rubbed her neck wincing at the soreness of her bite. "We shall leave now, please get ready."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top