Seeing the everlasting blue...alone...

<font color='#000000'>The twelfth warily padded into what she guessed was Jakhal's foyer, and pricked her fox-like ears. It was pretty quiet down here, save for the crackling and hissing of the torch's flame, and a very distant trickling of water. It was also dark, as pitch as the darkest night, except where the leaping flames sent their spider webs of prancing light. 'Kie moved closer towards Jakhal, suddenly shedding her suspicions about the other femme, and nearly crowded the other into the rocky wall. To be quite honest, the first tendrils of icy fear were beginning to creep and twist in Okkie's belly. Something about this deep gulch, Jakhal's innate bliss, and the primitive nature of her abode, caused the ringed youth to feel extra cautious. She nervously ruffled her alabaster wings, and threw a few sly glances around her. Her inner-Spy was surfacing, and her lash-like tail wound and unwound behind her. There was a pregnant moment of silence as Okkie's wariness seemed to throb, and then Jakhal blithely inquired about 'Kie's opinion of the cave space.

"It's... nice. Kinda primitive, really. Do have a water source down here? Any contemporary appliances? Or do you rough it, basically?"

She abruptly noticed that the maritime female had walked through a threshold shrouded by some sort of animal skin. Okkie prowled towards the doorway, sniffed the skin, and even tested it with her pearly fangs. She couldn't quite tell what kind of hide it was, but it wasn't a pendragon's, so the youth's idle ideas about Jakhal being an ax murderer were put to a final and permanent rest. One more blink and a tail-flick, and then 'Kie slunk past the fur, and into the inner chamber. She reposed upon her haunches near the entrance, feeling as if she was trespassing in some sacred place. She waited, patiently, for Jakhal to say something else.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>Out of the flickering darkness, the shapes of a couch and a few mattresses materialized. Okkie was briefly relieved to see that Jakhal had at least some contemporary pieces of furniture in the gloomy chamber. She would have perhaps padded over to one of the beds and stretched out across its sheets, savoring the cool whisper of fabric on her partially tird body. But 'Kie noticed that there was a figure on one of the cots - a shadowed pendragon whom seemed to be ill. The female suppressed her urge to spread herself across one of the other beds, and continued to sit like a prim sphinx at the entrance of the room. She carefully observed Jakhal and her sick guest.

"Who is that?" Okkie whispered as her comrade turned back towards her. "Is he hurt? Sick? What happened to him? Oh... and I won't be spending the night here, but I'll gladly take a piece of that fish jerky."

There was a collective pause, and then the ginger pendragon walked over to the box Jackhal had pointed out. She opened it and withdrew a few strips of jerky, and then 'Kie returned to her post by the door, now chewing carefully on the sea-bred meat. She was mildly distracted by her own chewing motions, but she blinked and froze for a moment when the crystals blazed beneath Jakhal's touch. More magic? Okkie wondered, but she didn't ask. The youth merely shrugged and continued to gnaw thoughtfully on the jerky.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>Jakhal's words and description struck the young banded female, and she slowly stood and prowled over towards the bed. Her ears pricked and she inhaled; the scent of sea salt and masculinity invaded her nostrils. There was something familiar about it... but could it be? Okkie approached the side of the cot, and folded her ears forward as she looked at the still figurine upon the sheets. It was a little dingy and dark in the cavern, but her beautiful blue eyes discerned a familiar face from the gloom. It was the sea-roaming male, Fe'shi, whom she hadn't seen since she'd met and played with him on the rocky coasts of Boreios Sudesha. He was still and corpse-like, but it was him all right, and Okkie sat hard on her rump at the shock of it all.

"I... I know him. He's a friend of mine."

This was all 'Kie could muster. She peered down at the male, and decided that she'd stay here overnight, if only to wait for him to awaken. She hadn't seen nor heard from him in ages - the least she could do was sit loyally at his bedside until he roused from his mysterious slumber...</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>'Kie nodded as Jakhal rolled over and went to sleep. To be honest, the winged pendragon was no longer concerned with the other female. Her focus was intent upon only one thing - Fe'shi. Okkie peered down at the sleeping male, wishing she could simply prod him awake. But she didn't think it would work. Or would it...? Casting a wary glance about the quiet chamber, the female reached up a paw and poked Fe'shi in the nose.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>When the male stirred, 'Kie was quite startled. She hadn't really anticipated a reaction to her jab, but now that she had gotten one, she gave a surprised smile. He was alive, and awakening, so she back pedaled a few steps to watch his movements. Her large, coyote ears picked up a few soft, slurred words of Ramathian, and then a little bit of incoherent mumbling. Then she noticed - by a sharp grimace upon his visage - that he was in pain, and Okkie moved close to the cot once again, her eyes glittering with sympathy and her voice as airy as a butterfly's gossamer wing breadth.

"Fe'shi? Are you awake? It's me, Okkie. Do you remember me? We met a while ago. And fate brought us together, would you look at that."

The femme stifled a grin, lest Fe'shi feel she was laughing in the face of his pain. She gingerly reached up a paw and patted his shoulder.

"Don't rush yourself. Just lie back and let focus and energy return to you. Meawhile, if you want anything to eat or drink, just say the word. I'll be here as long as you need me to be, and my only reason is to help you out."

She wanted so badly to ask him what had rendered him unconscious, how he'd gotten that nasty lump on his head. But Okkie bit back her questions and remembered that Fe'shi's livelihood was her first priority. She wanted to make him as comfortable as possible - it was just in her instinct.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>A soft smile played across Okkie's muzzle as the injured male's eyes filled with glittering recognition. His murmurs and soft exclamations added curvature to her curled lip, and it wasn't long before the female was fully grinning. Her blue eyes glowed with a lush, delicate light as she looked down upon Fe'shi, as she watched him roll his silken cheek over her paw. He portrayed utter joy and enthusiasm at seeing her, just like Jakhal had, and once more, 'Kie was filled a flattered and contagiously jubilant feeling. His obvious happiness also made her feel guilty - she hadn't seen him in a while, had not bothered to find or get in touch with him. She'd left it up to fate... and here they were, once again.

Maw parted, as if Okkie was going to speak, but she just couldn't find words that were adequate for what she wanted to say. She wanted to apologize, to tell Fe'shi how glad she was to see him, alive if not fully well. She wanted to know if he would forgive her for deserting him... she had so many questions. But speech would not come, and so she only peered quietly down at him, as if upon a brother.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>"Oh... oh. I'll get you something. Just lie still."

She slipped away from him, offering a small grin to satiate him until she returned. Okkie then padded over towards the box near the doorway. It had fish jerky in it... was there anything else inside? She opened it up and peered inside. There was a pile of fish jerky, and a few cartons of dry biscuits. But that was all. There was no water packets. But hadn't Jakhal mentioned that there was a water source somewhere in this place...? Okkie blinked and turned to stare thoughtfully at the slumbering female. She didn't want to wake the hospitable hostess, but Fe'shi's comfort was at stake - she'd have to.

"Jakhal? Jakhal? I'm sorry to wake you, but I need to ask you where there's water. Fe'shi - the sick male - woke up, and he needs sustenance. And some pain killers. Do you have any?"

All this was whispered in the sleeping female's ears. 'Kie twitched nervously - she hoped Jakhal wouldn't be angry with her for disrupting her nap.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>Okkie switched feet impatiently as Jakhal surfaced from the world of sleep. Her nervous feelings were being replaced by sentiments of urgency - Fe'shi needed aid and he needed it now. 'Kie wanted to bark at the other female, demand that she get up faster and help her out, but she bit her lip and restrained herself. She didn't want to get tossed out, then she'd never be able to help her injured companion. Thus, as Jakhal rolled over sleepily, mumbling, Okkie was patient and controlled.

"I need to know where I can get some water, and some pain killing medicine for my friend."</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>Can you say two-edged sword? Earlier, she was all springy and helpful. Now all she can do is point uselessly and fall back to sleep in the face of a crisis.

Okkie shook her cranium, and turned away from the snoozing Jakhal. The other female's vague pointing had not helped the caramel pendragon much, so she decided to scout out the necessary items by herself. It couldn't be too hard, could it?

Floppy ears pricked as 'Kie tried to catch the noise of water - a trickle, a drip, anything. It took a few moments, but she finally identified the sound of swirling water over Fe'shi's soft murmurs and Jakhal's sleepy snores. The Kanji-marked youth padded towards the back of the cavernous chamber, her nose to the floor, trying to find the source in the dusky corners of the cave. Finally, she found a small pool of water in a divet near the back, and a small wooden bowl near it. Okkie carefully scooped some of the aqua - which was cold as ice - into the bowl, and then expertly carried the dish back to Fe'shi. With a whispered, "Here..." Okkiebean placed the bowl on the sheets, and stepped back.

Pain killers... pain killers. They'd probably be in a carton or other container, right? The young female peered under the sofa, and then under the beds. Her glittering blue eyes fell upon some boxes underneath one of the empty cots, and she drew them out. Inside, to her great relief, were small packets of powder with medical labels. Pain killers that could be easily dissolved in any liquid medium.

"Pour this into your water, Fe'shi. It'll make the pain go away," the femme whispered as she lay the packet on his bed. "And try to feel better, okay?"</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>Seeing the the male was having problems mixing the med's into the water, Okkie gingerly took the open pouch and poured its contents into the water. She then swirled the liquid around the bowl, and handed the dish to Fe'shi. She never took her paws off it, however, and helped him to balance it as he lifted it to his muzzle for a soothing drink.</font>