Fledgling: Part 129

Hi All

It has been a crazy month, and I am absolutely exhausted.

My partner's father had a stroke and is now living with us, along with his geriatric dog. At the same time, I am studying, between jobs, and looking after two new creatures in the house, with two of my pets also being geriatric.

So naturally, writing has taken a bit of a pause for the time being. I have had a bit of a break now, so please enjoy this update.

She had no idea how long she lay at the riverbank unconscious, but when she woke, the pain was significantly worse. Shakily, she sat up. Her stomach rebelled, and she vomited. Weakened even more, she looked down at her leg, hoping that everything had just been a bad dream. However, the strips around her leg were already soaked through, and blood was trickling over the moss back into the water.

“Not enough.”

Her body felt hot and cold at the same time. She was likely hypothermic by now and needed shelter before she was caught in the rain that was threatening. But she needed to get the bleeding under control. She tore more strips from her shirt, this time with clumsier hands that were shaking from shock and cold. She added another layer of moss, knowing that removing the old would cause the wound to rebleed. This time the knots were clumsier, and her strength was waning, but the bleeding finally stopped.

She looked behind her. There were no obvious signs of shelter, but if she could get to a base of a tree, she could keep the rain off her at least. But that seemed so far away, and the threat of a lightning strike was in the back of her mind. It was better than freezing to death.

With what strength she had left, she used her aching arms and her one good leg to push herself away from the river’s edge. But the pain was too much, and she collapsed back into the mud.

The next time she managed to reach for consciousness, she was shivering and in agony. The sun had moved beyond the trees now. It would be night soon, and that would be when she would be at her most vulnerable. She had nothing more to give, and there was only one thought left in her mind as she tried to reach the edge of the forest. Her mind was strained, but she tried to concentrate on getting out of the mud. But then her left foot caught the edge of a rock, and the sheer pain that travelled from her leg was enough for her to black out once again.

From the edge of the forest, just concealed by the thick trunks, two figures stepped out.

“We shouldn’t interfere. We shouldn’t even be here right now.” Said the one as claws scratched at a thick white coat.

“While I would agree with you, we were spotted, and that is why she was hunted as a…what did they call you?” A pair of grey eyes focused on the unconscious Kay on the beach.

“A star wolf.” The creature rolled its eyes. “And it wasn’t for the lack of trying to stay undiscovered. But hell! I was hungry!”

The creature’s ear flicked to the body. “She is in a substantial amount of pain.”

“So Mother said she would be. Is she conscious?”

“Not at the moment, and I doubt she will wake for some time. The moss was a smart move to stop the bleeding, but the infection is going to be…what are you doing?”

The other figure pulled a hood over his face as he stepped forward. He quickly moved to the unconscious figure. Gripping Kay under her arms, he dragged her out of the mud into the undergrowth.

While still unconscious, Kay was muttering under her breath and even vomited once when her broken leg snagged on a root her saviour didn’t see.

“Well great! You got her out of the mud but what now?” snapped the white-furred Vulpine as he exited from his hiding spot.

“Somewhere sheltered with dry material. Her clothes are soaked, and more rain is inbound.”

“And how are you going to convince her and others that she self-rescued?”

“Stop complaining and help me look for something that looks like it can offer shelter that isn’t too far from the riverbank.”

Rubar grumbled and loped up and down the bank; he inclined his head to a half-rotten tree trunk. He loped over to it and started digging his claws into it.

“So much for not interfering.” Said Fledge.

“An animal could have easily carved this out.” Muttered the Vulpine. “It’ll mostly be dry, and look, broad leaves she could reach from a lying position to cover herself from the rain. We cannot do more than this.”

“There is one more thing that I need to do.”

Fledge waited until Rubar had created a cavern before setting Kay inside, lying her on her uninjured side and pulling some of the larger leaves over the entrance to protect her against the fat drops of water that were starting to fall.

“Hold her down.”

Rubar reluctantly did so as Fledge inspected the broken leg. The bone still shone through the tortured flesh, but Kay had done what she could to get the bleeding to stop. It wasn’t enough. With him moving her, the bone tore at the flesh once more, and blood was pooling.

“This is going to hurt.”

Fledge tore at the already ruined shirt, making thicker bandages, which he wound around the top of the break and then the lower part. Meanwhile Kay thrashed and cried out in pain, before vomiting more of the river water still in her stomach.

“That is all we can do.” Insisted the Vulpine. “The rest of her survival will have to be up to her and those she has formed bonds with. The shavings should keep her warm enough, but we have to go, Fledge. Please! You saw what interference can do.”

Fledge felt compelled to do more, but he knew his friend was right. This was all he could do. He looked at his hands and saw they were covered in blood. He wiped it on some leftover material, which he then tied to a rock and tossed a few feet away.

“That is all we can do to keep her alive and make sure that she can be found. The rest is up to her and the connections she has made.”

I hope you all enjoyed that! Hopefully I will be posting more in the coming weeks.

For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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