[PRP] Wingless (Llyr & Pachua)

[kuropeco]

He could hardly move.

The majority of his back throbbed painfully, rubbed red and raw; though it was difficult to see beneath the scrapes of blue-black blood that streaked across the fair skin. It had taken Llyr much too long to get from Point A (the House) to Point B (the Demon Dormitory), and now that he was somewhat lucid enough to recognize where he was, he could clearly make out that he hadn't even made it all the way to Point B.

He was closer to the Monster Dormitory building; and it was this thought that made Llyr stop where he stood, swaying dangerously on his bare feet. The robes he wore were ripped and torn, a dark stain on his left side that was dripping sickly, one hand pressed against it. His vision kept going in and out, from black to white to somewhere in between, and he stumbled forward, hardly aware of where he was going.

The thought of trying to get all the way to the Demon Dormitory was vaguely nauseating; his feet carried him slowly up the stairs and through the front doors, and now he was moving on autopilot, because even if Llyr didn't realize where he was headed, his body seemed to know. He trudged slowly down the hallway, his breathing shallow, and there was a door he knew was somewhere close by, if he could just reach it...

Maybe...

His legs gave away beneath him and Llyr collapsed to the ground several feet short of his goal, his eyes fluttering shut, hair spread out around him like a cloud.

endejester

 

[endejester]

Perhaps he’d tasted the other Boil on the air, certainly he tasted the blood, or what passed for it mixing with the smell of Llyr. It rousted him, sent him half tumbling outside in his hurry to find the source. It was not a small injury, he knew that, he could taste it sliding down the back of his tongue and sticking to his palate.

“Llyr? LLYR!!” He exclaimed, not even having to travel terribly far to find the Boil, collapsed and unconscious or close to it. He hastily, but carefully gathered the boil in his arms and pulled him towards his own room where he could do what he could to repair the damage done. “Oh llyr…your…your…” He wasn’t sure what to call the fronds that had once protruded from the boils back, but he knew what it looked like to see them torn away.

“Your wings…” He said almost brokenly.
Lacking a softer bed he lay Llyr out by the side of his own pool on a pile of cloth that he more often than not used for shawls or ‘wraps’, carefully unwinding his own leopard skin from his waist and laying it fur side down over the boil’s legs for warmth and comfort before he set out to carefully clean the brutal wounds.

“…Oh Llyr, who could ever…” ?

The question wasn’t likely to receive an answer, not yet. But he’d find out, he would find out and then…

His wings arched, spreading slightly to either side as his eyes narrowed, a soft hiss escaping as he imagined crushing the culprit in his coils.

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

He wasn't sure how long he had lay there before he heard the pounding of footsteps and the faint, slightly muffled sound of a voice calling his name. Then gentle hands were touching his shoulders, his arms, and Llyr gave a little whimper of pain as he was swept up, a flinch passing across his pale face. Dimly he was aware that the person holding him was familiar in a way that made him feel safe and warm.

The distance to wherever they were going as not far, thankfully, and the next thing he knew, he was being settled onto something soft, and a hiss escaped Llyr's throat, past his gritted teeth as he rolled over onto his side, long fingers curling in the fur beneath him as though trying to hold onto something steady.

When the next wave of pain had passed, his vision cleared slightly, and Llyr could smell water and hear a familiar, soothing voice.

"...Pachua?" he mumbled. "I...is that you?"

A hand reached out, seeking the other boil's.

endejester

 

[endejester]

His own smaller hand curled into Llyr’s, squeezing gently.

“It’s me…It’s me.” He repeated as though repeating the words would give confirmation where saying it once would slide away like sliding a feather through fingers.
“What happened to you?” He hissed anxiously. “Who did this, who could do such a terrible thing?” He asked, though he still didn’t expect an answer. He shouldn’t even be asking. He should just reassure the other boil for now so he could heal.

“I should get Cricket, I should take you to her.” He said anxiously.

He gently cleaned the wounds again with the softest cloth he had, the lightest of touches. He’d even pulled out some of his own down feathers to place around him. He had to be cautious though because he had no desire to let those feathers stick should the wounds start to properly coagulate.

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

Relief flowed through him because out of everyone, Pachua was the one he trusted the most, and instinctively Llyr felt safer, his fingers curling around the other boil's, Llyr's eyes fluttering shut again. He let out a small breath, shifting slightly, and said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "H...humans..."

He only vaguely knew who Cricket was, something about a nurse, but he didn't want anyone else to see him in this sort of state, Llyr shaking his head just a fraction of an inch. The moment the cloth touched his back he gave a little whimper and turned his face into the fur beneath him, fingers clutching the fabric as a shudder ran through him.

"In the...in the House..." Llyr mumbled, pale faced. "Th...there was a human, and he...he wasn't very nice, he...attacked me..."

endejester

 

[endejester]

Pachua’s feathers spread out, wings arching wide to either side; even those in his hair rose in fury. He let out a hiss, an explosive burst of air.

He had to draw his hand back lest he clench it on some painful spot for Llyr, and there was no way he was going to do further damage to the poor innocent Boil.

The house, he remembered the house, he remembered what that other human had said and his teeth gritted. His opinion of humans twisting into a tight knot bound tight by fury and for the first time he wished, truly wished that…

That what? That he was poisonous. That he could find that HUMAN and show him the kind of pain that he’d inflicted on one of the kindest of boils.

“…Rest.” He said, though his voice was as taught as a bowstring. “Rest… you need it.”

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

He could almost feel Pachua's anger roiling throughout the room as though it was something physical he could touch. Llyr opened his eyes, saw dim flashes of bright blue and green and the rest of the rainbow that was his best friend's wings spread out around him, and the thought was comforting.

His back had settled into a dull ache, less the throbbing pain it had been before. Llyr reached out for Pachua again, trying to find his hand or his wrist or his leg, something he could hold onto while he lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"If I sleep," he said softly, "Will you...be here when I wake?"

It felt like a childish question, but he needed to know.

endejester

 

[endejester]

He wanted to hunt, to bite and crush and… and…
He folded his wings carefully around and over his friend, forcing the surging and surprising anger away before nodding gently.
“Yes….Yes I will be here.” He promised, and having so promised he would not leave until Llyr woke. He would not risk being gone for even a moment; he would not leave him unguarded, unsheltered.

“I will be here, and I will guard you.” He swore.

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

A smile drifted across Llyr's face and he curled his fingers loosely around Pachua's wrist as his shoulders slowly relaxed and he let his eyes close, his breathing becoming slow, deep and even.

He wouldn't sleep for very long; perhaps an hour or two, before he would be awake again, gasping and shuddering from nightmares of humans with red eyes coming at him with enormous weapons. His back had already started to heal, but the pain was still there, and he gave a gasp and a whimper, trying to disentangle himself from the dream and force himself back into reality again.

"No...no..."

endejester

 

[endejester]

"Llyr!" He said alarmed, anxious for further injury by accident. It would not do to let the taller boil injure himself further. "shhhhh, it's alright." He said softly into the shell of an ear. "Shhhhh, it's pachua, you're safe." He promised.

It was more instinct than thought that made him resume his natural form, lifting the now diminutive Llyr on his coils and gently brushing a great wing over him, flicking a slender blue tongue out to brush away tears.

"itssssss okay" the oddly bird like tones, like a songbird lived deep inside the great maw were odd against the sibilant words.

He dipped the plumes of his tail in the water and let some fall over Llyr like rain, hoping to comfort him with his native element

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

The pain had dimmed, but not gone completely; Llyr gave a little moan of despair and rolled onto his side, Pachua's voice gentle and soothing, thrumming through him like a balm. He felt something against his face, brushing away sweat and tears, and the feel of Pachua's scales against his skin was reassuring and warm.

Water dripped down over him, and it was this that had him dragging his eyes open, giving a little shudder and a gasp, Llyr's lashes fluttering. He slid his fingers over the scales, feathers obscuring part of his view, and Llyr wrapped his arms around Pachua as much as he could, trying like a child to find some place to bury his face.

"Pachua," he mumbled, sweat dampening his brow, making his long hair stick damply to his forehead. "Pachua, Pachua."

It was almost a plaintive whine. He wanted to burrow himself away, forget everything else, forget everyone else. Llyr closed his eyes again, exhaling a long, deep breath, slightly shakey. "You're here, you're still here, I don't want to be alone, I'm scared."

endejester

 

[endejester]

“I’m not leaving, I’m here.” He wrapped his wings closing them about you, shifting his long body to make a true nest of his coils, tucking the tip of his nose under the curve of his own wing to make his voice clear he murmured again. “I’m here, I’m here, it’s safe.”

He ruffled his own feathers enough to expose as much down as he could, a softer, cozier nest. “I’m here… I’ll eat anyone who tries to hurt you, swallow them whole.”

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

He'd only seen Pachua in his natural form once or twice before, but it was a reassuring warmth that surrounded him, wings pressing in over him to shelter him from the outside world. Llyr curled himself against the great serpantine form, his cheek against the soft downy feathers of Pachua's wing, and exhaled a breath.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, fingers curving together to form a loose fist, a hiss of pain escaping from between his teeth. "I'm sorry, Pachua, I didn't mean to...to make things harder..."

endejester

 

[endejester]

“How do you think you made things harder? Sssssssilly Llyr, Prrrresious llyr.” He flicked out the slender tongue and brushed it over the Boil.

“Tell me what to doooo.” He added, the plea coming out more chirp than hiss as though the intent behind the words somehow altered the underlying effects.

The tongue flickered out again, tasting the air, the mood, the pain.

“I will find them.” He promised. “I will make them ssssuffer as you ssssufer.”

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

Had Pachua just called him precious? It made his face flush; he'd never been treated so kindly before, and he had never felt so taken care of. His back still stung, and he could still feel tremors of fear running up and down his spine; but the immense desire to be safe was no longer dominating his emotions, because he felt safe, curled up safely with his best friend.

Llyr stretched out a hand, smoothing his fingers along the scales.

"Talk to me," he whispered. "Tell me something...anything. I just want to...hear your voice."

endejester