Tessera 81379 Beep... beep... beep... Veaji heard the steady rhythm of a beeping machine. There were voices everywhere but none of them familiar. Something was soft and plushy on her back and it felt so comfortable. There was some sort of weird smell in the air. "Well, at least her fever hasn't gone up." "It hasn't gone down either." "Give her more liquid and we'll check on her later." "Yes, doctor." Fever? What fever? She felt something prick on the top of her paw and she wanted to slap it like slapping a mosquito but she could not find the strength to. It was as if her hands were weighted down. She heard a soft voice in her ear asking her to sleep. But she didn't want to sleep. She want to know why she was feeling so warm but yet so comfortable now. "And this patient?" "He brought her in." "Right. Get me some bandages... and perhaps a blood bag. He seems to be losing alot of blood." "Yes, doctor." Was it Shadow? How did she get here? Didn't he leave her in Vivuli? She tried to open her eyes. However, the only thing she did was sleep.
Upon Entering the hospital last night Shadow had collasped in a fit, He had lost alot of blood and had tried to use one of the nurses as a meal, The panther from the forest had followed them and since a hearty meal from the doctor, lay docile at the foot of the bed. It was his pet now - it seemed. The Doctor came in warily to his bedside, He knew what he was - and who he was. Shadow nodded for him to come in the panther idly swung its tail watching the other arden carefully. The doctor passed the blood bag to shadow, Fixing another one to the steel rod above the bed. He began preparing Shadows arm for a transfusion. The nurse is alright Shadow... If it hadn't been for that pet of yours she'd be dead... The doctor finally said answering Shadows' Question of thought. He wiped the inside of his arm with an antiseptic, taking a small sample of blood, and then cleaning his forearm and inserting a larger needle for the transfusion. She'll be in, in an hour to put bandages on... i suggest you apoligise, all done now.. i'll leave you to feed. Shadow nodded feebly at the doctor. <span style='color:red'>How is she?</span> He asking meaning Veaji. The doctor looked at him. She'll live... Shadow sighed thankfully and as the doctor left he began to drink from the bag his teeth puncturing through.
There it was again. That strange beeping sound and that strange smell. Where was she? Curiousity and a hint of worry gripped her heart. It was not the first time Veaji woke up to not knowing where she was but this was way beyond her comfort zone. This place smell completely unfamiliar and it was a little too quiet, except for the continuous beeping. Her eyes opened and this time didn't fall shut. The first thing she saw was white. Was she already dead? No, she thought as her eyes roamed around her surroundings, she was in a freaking hospital. She saw a needle-like thing stuck to her paw which travelled all the way up to an IV bag. She uttered a curse in Anubian and slummed her head back down on the pillow. She then heard something beside her and slowly turned her head. The panther-like creature caught her eyes first. It looked so very docile and was looking up with puppy eyes to a pendragon. She smiled when she realised that it was Shadow but her smile soon faltered as her brain registered to what he was doing. <span style='color:orangered'>You...</span> she uttered, unable to find the words. Then she asked something she already knew, <span style='color:orangered'>What are you doing?</span>
Never had Shadows face fallen so much in such a short space of time, The blood bag he had been feeding from was dropped onto the ground, and he wiped his bloody muzzle - She didn't know - Dread filled his stomach. He looked around the room as if the answer would be written there, it wasn't. <span style='color:blue'>Veaji - its' not what it loo- well um...</span> Shadow looked at her, trying to read her reaction. The panther - dubbed Khumdap - became more alert her eyes flicking between tohe two. Wisely it slid off, and crept under the bed. <span style='color:blue'>i thought you knew...</span> he squeaked.
The blood bag was dropped but her eyes were still glued to Shadow and his blood smeared muzzle. She heard it fall to the floor with a thud. For that moment, that thud was the only sound in the room as an akward pause wedged itself in the room. Shadow broke the silence. But his stammer only added to her irritation. Shock or surprise was no longer there. She only felt the stirrings of anger. Why had he not tell her? Her stomach did a drop. She could have been killed. They were so close this morning. She could have been bitten. And he thought she knew. How ridiculous. <span style='color:orangered'>I don't recall you telling me.</span> she said, trying to keep her tone calm. Veaji wanted to hurt something. She even thought of painfully torturing Khumdap who was watching from under the bed. But no, she wouldn't. For one, she was weak. And for another, the hospital probably had alot of patients.
Shadows eyes dropped to the ground as he was stuck on what to say - truthfully he didn't want to tell her... in case this happened. Dread filled him once again. His eyes looked up from the linoleum. He knew this would happen.. if not with veaji then with someone else - The thought of morichai stabbed his heart once more, she had been the only one that had accepted him for who he was. <span style='color:blue'>i was born this way... My father was vampire... my mother a were. i didn't have a choice...Veaji</span> Shadow looked at her directly, regaining his backbone once more. He steeled himself like he had done many a time. <span style='color:blue'>Never once did i bite you... </span> Shadow whispered to her remembering the patients in the room opposite - the walls were like cardboard. It was true, he never showed his vampiric side to her, never fed on people or threatened anyone with his abilities. He had been nothing but a good soul - most of the time. <span style='color:blue'>i hate my life... as this thing! why should i tell everyone what i am?! </span>
<span style='color:orangered'>You needn't tell everyone what you are,</span> she said, <span style='color:orangered'>But you could at least tell me.</span> After she said those words her line of thoughts changed. What right has she got to know? Since when did she cared to know about anyone? Was it because... no, it couldn't be. She wasn't one to take interest in anyone. At these thoughts, her anger stirred more but it was directed to herself. And between her anger at Shadow and herself, she became more frustrated. She realised that Shadow was right; he was a saint all the times he was with her. But, she thought to herself, he could have told her what he was. She trusted him. He should at least trust her back... right? She brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself. <span style='color:orangered'>Why did you bring me here?</span> she asked, looking away.
Shadow looked at her watching the tide turn onto veaji. A slight pang of guilt stabbed at his chest, maybe he should of told her, now he didn't have a choice on what to do. Khumdap began to shuffle forward from under the bed, mewing quietly at the thill. <span style='color:blue'>I'm sorry, i just wanted to be... </span> Normal? cool. he never knew what it was that he wanted to be, all he knew was he'd rather be anything else but a vampire. He wished he was truly like his honorable mother. Full of courage and grace... But he was his fathers child. And how he hated it. Why did you bring me here? Veaji said breaking his immersion in thought. She looked away - didn't she like hospitals? He cleared his throat. <span style='color:blue'>because i didn't want you to die...</span> He said softly, not sure if she heard him, He remembered the moment he lost her completely, when she didn't rouse when he called. Funnily enough it was the panther that had helped them to the hospital in more ways than one. Khumdap was yet another creature desperately trying to survive. <span style='color:blue'>you don't like hospitals? do you?</span>
Veaji listened with perfect silence to Shadow's unfinished sentence. She actually knew what he had wanted to say. Heck, she even felt that way most of the time. She had wanted to be a normal person; not the daughter of a priest... and certaintly not the daughter who murdered her mother. She rested her head on her knee. She must not cry. She will not cry. It is of no use crying. Everything has passed. It has been such a long time ago. She won't cry. But what Shadow whispered about not wanting her to die made her even more emotional. Everyone, including her father, wanted her dead. Except Shadow (and perhaps Dev but he's so far away now). Why? you don't like hospitals? do you? Now she turned away from him. Her tears refused to fall and she shut her eyes close, hoping they would just go away. She took several deep breaths and opened her eyes. No tears came out but she knew her eyes were red. Then she said, <span style='color:orangered'>Both of us lost someone close to us. I lost someone in a hospital.</span> She turned back to Shadow. <span style='color:orangered'>I don't trust hospitals. They always have this sickening smell of death.</span> The dark creature rested its head on the edge of Veaji's bed and mewed at her. Veaji only looked. <span style='color:orangered'>Why is this creature here?</span>
Shadow kept his gaze on Veaji as he finished his part of the conversation, She rested her head on her knee, Things were beginning to get on top of the thill, She hadn't really spoken about her past... but he could easily tell it had been a hard one. Whether she realised it or not, her eyes would say more than her words. That's when she turned away fully, He could hear her breathing intensify as she tried to stop her emotions from rolling down her cheeks. He finally recieved an answer to his last question... and he regretted asking it. His eyes took on a shine of sympathy and understanding... losing someone was hard... Quickly he blotted out the pain. It was veaji he needed to look after, And with a painful movement he swung his legs over the bedside, grabbed his bloodpack from the steel support and began his shuffle over to her bed to try and comfort her. The panther was already there, mewing at the thill. Veaji asked why Khumdap was here, Shadow wasn't sure why? <span style='color:blue'>i'm not sure... but she helped me get here...</span> And shadow finally managed to reach her bed his arm grabbing the side rail for support, he sat on the space between Veaji and the panther a paw warily resting on hers.
<span style='color:orangered'>A creature helped you to the hospital...</span> she said skeptically as she looked down at the puppy eyed Khumdap. <span style='color:orangered'>Hmm... seems like the smart kind...</span> Then she felt Shadow sit on her bed. She turned to him and saw that he was weaker than she last saw him. She saw the bandages and the blood bag. Oh, don't think about the blood bag... she looked away. A paw rested on hers and she realised what had happened during the whole two days she was with him. She wanted to take his mind off his depression. She was sure he lost someone. And here she was, talking about her dead friend, bringing back the past and probably a new wave of pain for Shadow. <span style='color:orangered'>You never talked anything about yourself, Shadow.</span> she looked at him. <span style='color:orangered'>It seems to me that you know so much about me, yet I don't know anything about you.</span>
<span style='color:blue'>well then... what do you want to know?</span> He asked absently stroking Khumdap after he had fixed his bloodpack to his wing, so he could still get the blood he needed to get rid of this awful dizzy feeling. Khumdap retired to the cool floor under the bed. Her nose and paws peeking out at the pair. Veaji hadn't had a drink yet and he was quite thirsy - in a non blood way - He looked at the water picther at his bed , shuffled up from his position, to lean and swipe it from the desk. He landed with a soft "puff" on her bed. Poured a drink for the two and handed her a drink. He was thinking on where he could start...
She took the glass from him, thank him, and took a sip from it. Her mouth had felt dry and she was glad for the water. <span style='color:orangered'>I don't know...</span> she shook her head. This was silly. <span style='color:orangered'>I guess time will tell... where are your parents?</span> She looked curiously at him. He knows where she came from, he knows what she is, he knows who she is. Now's her turn to know. Why she wanted to know, she didn't know. She took another sip. She was confusing herself.
Shadow stopped drinking from his cup as he heard the dreaded words - his mom and dad? - Shadow bit his lower lip as he tokk a deep intake of breath. His cup now empty was placed on Veajis' desk. Another deep breath. They died. He saw his whole family torn to shreds, and he couldn't do a thing. <span style='color:blue'>well i must have been maybe six at the time...</span> He paused. <span style='color:blue'>My old tribe in mountain range... Thats where my parents were. That was untill the feud. A nearby tribe, had found one of their priests dead... He had been bitten they had claimed to us... My father was the clan leader - he wouldn't listen to the threats the other tribe gave to him. He was a Vampire you see, my mother was his wife - she was a were... it was what had joined these two tribes in peace until the incident.</span> All i remember is the darkness in the town that night, My mother running into my room, picking me up into her arms. She had been crying. Shadow lasped into his story of the past. "we're going away..." She whispered to her child, who was still drugged with sleep. She seemed frantic, grabbing his warmest clothes and exiting his room with him. She looked down at her son, but upon looking up, There stood his father looming over her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. And where do you think you're going... He hissed at her, grabbing her by the shoulder roughly. She lookd up at him, defiant, for the protection of their child. "You know what's coming tonight..." she snapped back at him, His father just looked at her with anger, he knew, oh how he knew. The long peacful tribe his wife had come from would attack them tonight - and he hadn't told a soul. His mother in law had told her child to run from them, come back when it had all blown over. And run she would. A dark howling could be heard in the near distance. They were here. His father looked at the two with realisation of what was happening. He looked at his wife - his dear son sleeping in her arms. He would kill them all if he didn't let them go. Run... The arden ran out from the house, sounding the war gong in the town. Many of the men rushed from their houses, The weretribe tearing into the wall of bodies like paper. His wife looked in horror as she watched her love die in front of her. his last dying gasp proclaiming his love to her - The tribe began raizing the houses. His mother hid in the under growth, watching the war with teary eyes. Desperately she held onto the mental link of her husband before it finally tore from her heart. And then she began to run. Shadow began to break as he told veaji of his family. <span style='color:blue'>she never got away, she traded her life for mine... Her own brother tore her throat out. If it hadn't been for my grandmother... i wouldn't have survived... i i hadn't been born they would still live today... i killed them...</span>
Could it be? That his story of his past was worst than hers? He had no one while Veaji still has her father (who wants her dead by the way). No, she thought. Both of them fall under the same unfortunate luck. His parents loved him. If given a chance, they would still be loving him if it hadn't been for that unfortunate incident. The way Shadow broke made Veaji's heart feeling as if it's slowly tearing itself apart. It was the first time that Veaji had seen him break. Without knowing what she was even doing, she slid both her arms around Shadow and pulled herself nearer to him. She hugged him. <span style='color:orangered'>Ah, Shadow. You didn't kill your parents. That's impossible.</span> she said softly into his ear. She was thinking about her mother. No, she won't drag out her past now. It's Shadow's time. <span style='color:orangered'>Those 'dragons have no brain of theirs.</span>
Shadow looked at veaji as she moved into hug him. He didn't think didn't speak. All he did was return the embrace, hugging her firmly in his arms. His head rested atop of hers as his frantically beating heart was soothed by the thill in his arms. <span style='color:blue'>even if i didn't mean for it to happen...</span> Shadow sighed... it had been him that had killed the weredrgon in the camp... He had heard him shame his family with slander, the priest was too old to fight back - in a state of meditation when he had struck. there was so much blood when he had bitten him, Shadow had been so frightened, he only wanted to scare the priest - the only thing that had kept him going was that he had stood up for his family... in turn it only caused its' destruction... <span style='color:blue'>i killed the priest Veaji, i started the war... </span> at that moment he he brushed his cheek against hers seeking the warmth that comforted him so... HIs head sitting against hers... his eyes a dull blue with sadness. The panther remained under the bed, her almond eyes watching the pair embrace.
Veaji didn't know what to say. What do you say to a person who caused the death of his parents and a war? If she remembered correctly, nothing calmed her down after she shot her own mother. That memory still haunts her to this day. <span style='color:orangered'>You were young, it still isn't your fault.</span> was all she said. She hugged him a little tighter, wanting his pain to go away. This moment was depressing. This whole place is depressing. Veaji wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. But perhaps, just a few more minutes. Then, she'll just bust out of here. Fever or no fever. <span style='color:orangered'>I'm sorry I brought this up, Shadow.</span> she whispered into his ear again. <span style='color:orangered'>I was just curious.</span> And she sat there, embracing him, waiting for him to calm down.
Shadow made a snorting noise with some air as he lifted out from their embrace, He had been yopung, but it was still unforgivable. He had to live with that. His mother... may have forgiven him for his mistake... but he would find out until he died. A forced smile played on his face. <span style='color:blue'>it's fine... its only fair, afterall you told me what happened to you...</span> His paw cupped Veajis face, bringing her eyes to look at his. <span style='color:blue'>i never would have told anyone else... you're a special person to me...</span> Shadows smile changed then from a forced to a genuine smile, he pushed his memories back into his mind. The moment broken by a rather nervous nurse coming into the room. The nurse shifted on the spot eyeing Shadow carefully. Her wits came about her. you shouldn't be out of bed, you could damage the nerves... Shadow only nodded to the gray thill. His paw lingered at Veajis' cheek for a moment, his thumb brushing down a piece of stray fur. He offered her a soft smile as he heaved himself up from her bed, and limped back over to his, the two feet between the beds became a mile it seemed. He lost grace and stumbled a bit, the nurse shooting over like a bullet to stop the tumble to the floor. Once back in his bed, the nurse carefully cut open the bandages, yellow infection gushing out from the raw wound. Even shadow found this sickening as he scrunched up his nose in distaste, if that wound had went a centimetre more in, he was sure you could see the bone. The nurse tutted, at the state of the wound, taking the blood pack from his wing and hooking it back to the steel rod. She wiped away the worst of the wound with a antiseptic wipe. Shadows face contorted with pain, the nurse seeing this, quickly injected a sedative into his thigh. Shadow watched as she flused the wound with hot water and iodine, before wrapping it up securely. i'll be back later with some antibiotics, and that should clear it up in a few hours for you, we need to stop the infection from spreading first, so dont be scratching it, okay? Shadow nodded again to the gray thill. She made an attempt to smile before going to do a check up on veaji.
Veaji smiled back at Shadow. She could see that look in his eyes when one cannot forgive himself. She had see it a million times on her own reflection. She knew that no matter what she said, nothing could change his decision. She heard and little movement behind her and she parted away from Shadow. It was the nurse. Her heart raced a little as Shadow's finger lingered a moment on her face. And then it was gone and Shadow was stumbling over to his bed. As the nurse checked up on Shadow, she sat on her bed, thinking of what had happened since a day ago. She had changed so much since she had met Shadow and changed even more when she spent time with him. He was something special to her too. But she could never find the guts to say it like he did. The nurse interrupted her thoughts by asking her a million questions about her state. Veaji frowned while answering. Why is it that doctors and nurses ask a million questions but still manage to loose lives? And whats with the small talk? It's not like Veaji's going to see her again. Veaji wanted to sink her claws into the thill's face but she lay back on the pillow instead, as intrusted to do so. "Your fever's a little better... Could be out in about 2 days." <span style='color:orangered'>I prefer being out today.</span> Veaji replied coldly. Either because it was Veaji's hostility or the nurse saw the murder in Veaji's eyes, she quickly did her thing without anymore small chats and walked out of the room. Veaji gave a small sigh and slumped back down on her pillow
Shadow watched with interest as she checked up Veaji, he could clearly see the murder in his friends' eyes and for some reason found it amusing, a chuckle escaped from his throat. She was a tough one. After the nurse had gone he, lay down on his bed facing Veajis' bed. Khumdap remained under the bed most likely sleeping. two days till she could get out of hospital, fat chance they would have keeping her in for that long. <span style='color:blue'>Say, after i get my drugs how about we bust outa here?</span> Shadow said to her in a hushed but comical tone. If he had said that in the streets he would have the law crack down on him like a ton of bricks. But he wasn't on the street. <span style='color:blue'>Maybe grab a take away... i have a cottage here in the cresent about a mile from the town center. It could probably do with a visit....?</span> Shadow had during his little flow of words, tucked his pillow under his chin, curling up slighty to face the pretty thill.
