Fledgling: Part 130

Greetings Readers

I am trying to get back into my writing. So here is the weekly update.

Things are getting a little better at home, despite the looming threat of having to move soon. I am hoping to get more writing in but we will see.

Please enjoy the update!

Kay woke with her face pressed into what felt like soft wood shavings. She could hear the rain coming down all around her, but she was dry, or at least somewhat dry. She wasn’t freezing, despite her shirt being in tatters, but she wasn’t warm either. She rolled over, confused as to where she was.

Pain tore through her body as pressure was placed on her broken leg. If she had had the energy to scream, she would have done so, but it only elicited a whimper from her. She could see nothing. It was dark, and the storm raged around her. Where was she?

“Useless.”

The voice startled her. She looked out into the dark and saw no one.

“Pathetic. Watch her die.”

She knew that voice but knew it shouldn’t be here. It had passed so long ago; it shouldn’t be here now.

Her mouth was dry, and her body was on fire. Her mind was fading from the pain, but she needed to see if what she heard was who she thought it was.

“Should have gotten rid of you long before you started to talk.”

She grunted and tried to lift herself, only for the top of her head to brush the top of the structure she was in. With no more strength, she collapsed once more, feeling that her stomach wanted to rebel once more, but there was nothing to vomit up.

It was dark, so she couldn’t see her leg, but she could feel it. The open wound burned while her foot felt cold and lifeless. The leg was throbbing, as if something wanted to break free, but there wasn’t enough space. The skin felt tight.

She knew she was in danger, but there was nothing she could do. There was no way to get back to the village for help, and the only people who knew she was out in the forest were Silens and Mitis, and they thought she would be out hunting for a few days.

She was going to die out here, and she could rely on no one to save her.

“Should have planned better.”

Part of her brain knew that this was the pain talking and that no one was there, but a more primitive part of her brain was panicking. This voice brought pain and hatred. She had outlived it before; she could do it again.
That was the last thought she had before her consciousness was lost to the night.

Consciousness returned when sunlight hit her face. She could finally see where she was. Through swimming vision, she reached above her head to feel the inside of a tree trunk. Had she managed to crawl here by herself?
She turned her head toward the sound of the roaring river. Her vision was obscured by the leaves at the entrance of her shelter. She looked up, recognised the species. It would do nothing for what was happening in her body, but it wasn’t poisonous, and the funnel-shaped leaves had other functions.

Shakily, she reached for the closed leaf, trying to sit up, and biting back a cry of pain. There was just enough space for her to half sit up and pull the funnelled leaf to her lips. The relief as cold, fresh water hit her lips made her forget the danger she was in.

She had water, and shelter, but nothing else. Even if she had food, the injury she had sustained would kill her in a matter of days.

Releasing the leaf, she risked a glance at her leg. Despite the dressings in place, liquid was oozing from it, attracting the flies. Kay cursed. The rain had provided her with drinking water on hand, but now that it had dissipated, the insects were swarming, looking for a meal before the rains started up again. And an open, bloody wound was the perfect meal for them.

“See. Flies were always attracted to trash.”

Feebly, Kay tried to wave the annoying insects away, but that only brought a fresh wave of pain and nausea. There was nothing she could do. Helpless, like a child. Mocked by a voice that had never wanted her.

“Shut up.” She mumbled as she lay back down.

The sun then decided to disappear behind some clouds, and the rain started up again. The shelter managed to keep the water off her, but it wasn’t enough to keep her warm. She was shivering, and that caused her leg to jar painfully.

She longed for unconsciousness, but this time, she wasn’t embraced by the darkness. Her vision swam as a fever set in her bones. Fire cruised through her body, swiftly followed by ice. Nausea and pain were present in equal measure. She vomited a few times, trying to direct it away by twisting her head. There wasn’t much. She hadn’t eaten in at least a day, and even the water on hand barely stayed down.

Everything hurt, and the rain had strange whispers in it as darkness fell on her second exposed night. Was anyone looking for her yet? Did they even know she was out here? Did anyone care?

Pain radiated from her leg, which pounded at a rate that made no sense to her. Was it her heart rate? Was it burrowing insects? Was someone squeezing the wound? She didn’t know. Her mind faded, but consciousness remained, being kept in place because of the pain.
As the sun dawned on a new day, Kay wasn’t sure where she was or what was happening. She had tried to wriggle from the shelter but was shocked by the pain. Barely able to keep her eye open, she looked to her leg and was sure that something was trying to burrow into her skin. She saw something white and tried to reach for it.

Her hand absent-mindedly reached for the bone protruding from her leg, thinking that it was causing her pain. Her fever blinded her to reality. Her clumsy movements caused her to jar the sharpened bone, sending her into convulsions of pain.

“You’re going to die here.”

“Useless.” She mumbled.

“Yes, always was. Where are your friends now? Should they not have started looking for you yet? No. You wanted peace and quiet, and they granted it. You are going to rot here, and no one will know or care.”

“Lies. I am valued. I have a home.” She mumbled but did not truly believe it.

She didn’t even know who she was arguing with anymore. She could barely keep her eye open. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Was it dark again? How did it get dark so soon? Where was she? Her lips hurt, and her tongue was thick. The taste of vomit was in her mouth, but she didn’t recall vomiting.

There was a smell. Sickly sweet and ripe. She couldn’t place it. She didn’t have the strength to think anymore. Was it light again? Was the voice back? No. There was no one. No one cared. She was nothing. She was trash. Thrown away. No one was looking for her. She should have known that making connections would have led to the same outcome that it always had. She was abandoned.

With that final thought, Kay closed her eye and willed the burning sensation to just stop and release her.

If you all throught that Saita had self-loathing, she has nothing on what Kay have been put through.

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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