Fragments
His breath is still slow, but has lost its strain. Hide twitching slightly, the Hzataalar glances at his two 'followers,' before extending a forepaw towards Kemeneth. "Come here, apprentice," he says, folding his wings and straightening himself.
Kemeneth looks up and pushes herself to her feet with a pained snarl. She's not angry, just in too much pain right now to want to do anything. Stil. She does obey and staggers over to him, tears beading her face.
"Settle down," he motions to infront of him, before purposefully spreading his wings out and curling them towards her slightly, beckonning. He's sat on the ground, knees jutting out of his sculpture at different angles, tail trailing off behind him.
Kemeneth whines a note the is silent, sitting down in front of him, her gaze lowered. Her injured leg was stretched out behind her and she shuddered, her forepaws covering her face as she wept.
The blue-silver hybrid stretches his left hand out towards her, resting it against her forehead, before leaning forward and reaching out with his right paw, without warning placing it palm-down onto the bleeding wound, his claws piercing into the scales around the same, anchoring himself there. Even before she has much of a chance to protest reflexively, a fierce tickling sensation, overwhelming, maddening, spreads across what had only just been enveloped in pain.
Kemeneth howls in pain and writhes weakly, before she sags, her shape almost crumpling. Falling silent, she shudders a little harder then gasps breatily. Kanti sets Atiyath down and watches, completely fascinated.
She can feel the wound closing, the veins and arteries spreading like spidewebs across the aching wound, muscles stretching to accommodate the space. Her blood vessels' reaching feels alien, too tangible, like maggots or worms trying to eat her from the inside, mentally disturbing - but before she has opportunity to be grossed out, the process completes, leaving her with the most horrible itch under her skin, and only barest remnants of an ache.
Kemeneth blinks slowly, eyeing the spot before she looks up at her 'master'. "Thank you," she whispers, tearing her gaze away from him, shuddering hard but not with revulsion, just shock and grief. She quivers then and looks away, remaining sitting where she is.
He nods acknowledgingly, wings withdrawing and layering themselves on his back again. "I assume you keep books," he addresses Kemeneth. "I have no wish to remain on this ghastly world - its very design drains of energy neither of us can spare." He inspects the two dragonesses, before settling his gaze on Kemeneth, waiting for her to tell him where their library - or semblance thereof - was.
Kemeneth eyes Kanti then snarls, pushing herself to her feet. The other dragoness blinks from where she is sitting net to Atiyath. Kanti blinks, raising her eyebrows and flicking a look to Shahrivrath. "Uh...?" she trails off.
Kemeneth snarls, taking a step towards Kanti. "Get away from my brother!" A wing trails slightly and her lips skim back from her teeth. Kanti blinks and backs away. "I..." she starts to say before Kemeneth lunges.
Kemeneth gives herself a shake then peers up Shahrivrath. "I... eh.." she struggles to think then. "Out of this place, take the tunnel to the right then take the third left then the second right." She pauses. "Then the first left and you're in the library." She flicks a look to Kanti then and half snarls, but only weakly, before she slumps. "Leave my brother alone..." she whimpers lowly.
The stranger peers across to Kanti as Kemeneth addresses the 'scavenger.' "She won't harm him, Kemeneth," he assures, patting her head a few times in idle gesture. "I'm sure you'll agree it's a better solution than leaving him behind," he chuckles wickedly, before rising to a stand.
Kemeneth trembles as she is petted, before she cringes as Kanti openly laughs at her. Kemeneth shivers a little harder. "It is, but I don't trust her," she snarls then, but still weakly as she heaves herself to her feet; staggering slightly as she does so. She glares at Kanti then. "If any harm coems to him..." She pauses significantly. "And it's not his doing..." She flicks a look to Shahrivrath before glaring at the other dragoness again. Kemeneth snarls. "I will rip you apart and only he will be able to find you."
The intruder chuckles almost fondly at Kemeneth's fury, but doesn't intervene. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me - or so the theory. He beckons them both to follow. "Let us go now," he verbally underlines his gestures. "Kemeneth, pay attention. I'll need your knowledge with the books in the library to find a suitable world for us to settle on for the time being."
Kemeneth growls weakly then nods. "Okay," she whispers. Swallowing hard she looks away as Kanti lifts Atiyath again and follows Shahrivrath. She speeds up then, following the larger dragon, grief clouding her vision and making her stumble a few times. She wouldn't accept help though, snarling in affront if it was offered.
It takes a while, but they eventually reach the - small - 'library.' The stranger immediately begins to inspect the books available, expression stern. He's far more energetic now that he's eaten - rejuvinated, even, or so it seems.
Kanti crouches near the door, setting Atiyath down and watching carefully as Kemeneth slowly followed Shahrivrath. Neither made a sound, although Kemeneth did glare at Kanti from time to time.
Kanti shivers, finally speaking. "I lost a brother..." she trails off, chewing her lip."I know how it feels." The 'scavenger' looks apologetically at Shahrivrath; clearly not holding it against him any more, at least visibly.
Kemeneth snarls. "Sure. Whatever," she snaps, dismissively, too lost in her own grief. She flicks a look to Shahrivrath then. "May I have some... eh... alone time... please?" she blinks slowly then, barely being able to see due to tears. "I will return to you... I just need... some space..." she looks away.
The stranger arches a brow. "No." It's simple enough. Time alone? He was no fool. Just because he was probably the first of the Hzataalara to trust easily did not mean that he trusted easily by everyone else's standards.
Kemeneth whimpers. "Please..." she begs. "I'm not about to flee or try anything. I daren't. Not when you have my only brother." The tears pour faster down her face. "I only wish to bury my family," she whispers. "Please... I won't ask anything of you again." She scuffles her hindpaws then, lowering her head. "It's the last thing I can do for them... - I... was a bad sister... a bad child, I..." She shudders. "I don't want to die and I will do whatever you wish me to if you will allow me this."
The stranger watches her apathically during the course of her essayed plea. "You want to bury those who caused you the pain you're currently going through by refusing to sever their mindlinks to you... that called you a murderer of your lineage... that didn't listen to you?" he inquires, tone one of patience.
Kemeneth nods, shivering harder. "Yes," she whispered. "I do." She sobbed in pain then, shaking her head, Nawleth's last 'words' echoing around her skull; taunting her cruelly. She sagged then, clutching her head in both forepaws. "It's the only thing that I can think of that will make this pain fade," she croaks, through her sobs. "It hurts so much..."
"Trust me, it shan't make a difference," the stranger informs, matter-of-factly. Then, a huffed sigh. "Experience," he adds, bitterly, before shifting his attention back to the books.
Kemeneth quivers and nods slightly, dragging herself over to Atiyath and huddling in against his side, snarling softly at Kanti for looking pitying.
Kanti moved aside then sighed softly before she moved off after Shahrivrath. "Why does she hate me?" she muttered.
Kemeneth buries her face in Atiyath's side, sobbing silently; clinging to her brother, the only family she has left. "I didn't do anything to her, or her family..." Kanti adds.