Faux Feast

[danaphantom]

Very suddenly, C'len was awake.

Likely, it was very sudden because, as he initially stirred, a sharp pain seared through his body. Obviously, moving was not an option. He grit his teeth, face contorted in a grimace as he used all his will to not cry out. Pain was something for him to bear alone.

As more of his consciousness bubbled up, he became aware of another presence within his mind, causing another knife to stab through his chest. Tahmorsth! The Weyrling closed his mind immediately upon this realization, cutting off any and all feelings to the Brown. At least as well as a mostly untrained mind could. Still, the dragonet did not wake, so he must have done well enough. Or Tahmorsth was just deep asleep. As the fog of fellis cleared further, he realized his dragon was fed and oiled. Likely asleep.

This realization caused C'len to glance away in shame. For so long he had dreamed of having a dragon. Now he couldn't even care for his Tahmorsth. How long would it be? How long had it been? Carefully moving his one good arm, he rubbed his face, trying to rid it of the burn of rage and regret. Upon reopening his eyes, he found a plate sitting on a nearby table, laden with what was very obviously leftovers from the hatching feast. Staring at it, he realized it was long cold. Had it only been a few hours? A day? Longer? Food would not be allowed to go to waste; anything not consumed at the feast would have been kept in cold storage.

The healers knew how long he would be out if they had been dosing him with fellis. Not that this realization gave much indication of the time and date. Still, he was supposed to be awake. So he would use it. Gaze drifting from his plate, he realized there were two others, Meltel and a woman he didn't recognize. Nearby were two other dragons, a copper and a red. How ironic, the three least likely to survive had all Impressed. Perhaps they were supposed to rouse as well. Perhaps. C'len didn't make any move to wake them (frankly, he was afraid to move), and instead closed his eyes, mulling over what he could remember.

[ricci]

Ansй had been awake for some time, but she did not move. She did not want to move; it hurt too much, and her mind was still fuzzy and unclear. Her kidney had been removed completely, a dangerous and experimental procedure that only Fallath managed to bring her through alive. Perhaps she should have hidden her pain from him in the way that C'len his his pain from Tahmorsth, but Ansй had found herself unable to. They had numbed the area, but nevertheless, Ansй was down an organ. She felt somehow emptier than before, while at the same time her soul felt more complete.

At some point, she heard the sounds of C'len shifting, but she figured it was him moving in his sleep as the others did. She made no effort to look his way. It still hurt to move, what with the injuries to her spinal nerves. They were not serious enough to cause her to become paralyzed, but moving was not pleasurable, and in some cases likely never would be.

/What a strange sight this is,/ Fallath commented softly. Ansй started. She had not realized that he was awake. She groaned with pain. The mistake had been in moving with surprise...something she knew better to do, but was too exhausted to avoid. The pain eventually faded as the fellis reminded her of its existance.

/The Brown one's rider is awake, you are awake. I wonder if the Red lady's Rider will rise or not,/ Fallalth commented softly. He sighed and settled down, relishing the feel of his recently oiled hide. The Healers were taking good care of him and his siblings, though they would never be as good as their actual riders.

Ansй did not say anything, but she did tilt her head towards C'len eventually, eyes staring across the room intense and focused. She noted the strange tube leading to a needle in her arm, fluids seeping into her arm. Saline and fellis, mixed carefully. The fellis should have kept her asleep, but the pain in her lower back was too intense, it was too much. So instead, here she was, awake. Sort of. And not much of a companion for C'len.