False Start
The duo continued on for a while even after the bears stopped pursuing them. Remy had taken to leading the way once again. Still, blood swamped down Logan’s back, time enough had passed for some of it to start scabbing, but still, fresh blood leaked down over it. All told, Logan was a mess.
Without Remy there to actively guide him, Logan had no doubts he would have just collapsed after fleeing. Instead, the Rizzel nudged him onwards time and time again, eventually leading Logan to a decent sized stream.
Meaning to strip off his shirt, Logan instead lost strength and fell into the shallow water. Instantly a pool of red bloomed out around his body, as the slight current pulled the thick clotted blood and dirt from the rents across his back. The cold and blood loss caused Logan to start shivering uncontrollably, but he stuck with it, waiting for long minutes until he dragged himself back out of the stream.
Once there, Logan knew he had more pain coming. He needed to ask Remy if any dirt was still there, and to clean it out if there was.
Remy, can you take a look at my back… if there’s any dirt or muck, I need you to scrape that out.
-Ok…-
The Rizzel’s normal enthusiasm was gone, replaced with a slight trepidation. Still, he hopped to the task Logan had set out for it, clamoring onto his back. Then, without warning he began, the stinging pain on Logan’s back intensifying significantly in spurts, Logan unable to see when Remy was about to begin.
For long minutes, this went on, until Remy started trying to wash off Logan’s back as he lay there. He had managed to stay awake so far, but now, exhaustion and pain sent Logan spiraling into sleep, with no chance for recourse.
Remy stayed diligently at work, even once his companion passed out, the Rizzel slowly wiping the blood off from Logan’s back, until the wounds were raw, but clean. Then, Remy curled up next to Logan, also pushed by their long day, and rapid escapes.
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Amar hadn’t thought that she would become annoyed at a Goddess. However, Selerys was starting to push that preconception to its limits.
Ever since Logan’s outburst and subsequent disappearance, the Goddess had been in seemingly constant contact with Amar, requesting that she chase after him, regardless of the dangers of being alone in unknown territory. Just the wildlife was enough of a threat, and that wasn’t even touching on the potential for enemy troops that had been scarcely encountered by scouting parties.
Still, the Goddess had insisted, until the point where Amar had been forced to flat out tell her that she wouldn’t do it. After saying such a thing, Amar had expected some sort of divine punishment, but Selerys had just sighed, and accepted Amar’s position.
Her last words still hung heavy in Amar’s mind, however.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
‘That boy is more important than even I know. Make sure no harm comes to him, my child, or we all may pay the price…’
Sure, Logan had some impressive Divinity, but she had witnessed Gregor trounce him many times in training, leaving Amar wondering about his significance. In fact, when she stopped to question it, many things about the young man were mysterious, from his origins to how exactly he had met her father, Jeremiah. Although they had traveled from Alteep together, and he had been willing to try and comfort and connect with Amar over her father, she didn’t really know much about him.
Neither did Gregor, if their brief interaction after his meeting with the Prince was anything to go by. He had said the young Royal hadn’t taken the news well, and from Gregor’s pale face, Amar believed it. She already thought the man had acted like a spoiled child, so a tantrum wasn’t far out of place.
However, for all her questions, she only knew of one person who could answer them, and he had fled out into the woods after letting loose an ear popping shriek. Amar no longer had contact with Logan, so she signed herself up for the next scouting patrols, hoping to change that situation.
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Even in his vision of the Void, Logan’s back ached. The telltale throbbing of the deep injuries had managed to follow him into his subconscious, as he floated among the stars and endless nothingness.
However, thankfully Logan was once again alone in this space, allowed to simply float, and absorb the helpful energies of the Void. It did much to lessen the pain, letting his mind free itself of his bodily limitations as it floated off.
Instead, he focused on the fonts of the Void energies in the distance, the stars. Maybe the energy came from some other source, but at this distance it seemed to trail from the bright lights dotting the starscape, leaving Logan to revel in their beauty. His gaze drifted out among the stars, leaving the pain of his body far behind.
Then, slowly, he made his way back. As much as it tempted Logan to truly explore the Void, he knew that it would mean death for him. He couldn’t leave Remy there, by himself. So, Logan brought his mind back to his body in this strange vision realm.
Nothing really changed, and Logan just sat there for a while, stewing in the cosmic forces. He didn’t know what had happened to the Being that resided here, but Logan was glad for the respite. Lately, it felt like life kept moving faster and faster, and a chance to catch his breath was appreciated.
However, Logan eventually felt the pull that meant it was time to wake once more. As he gradually slipped back to reality, he realized he was lucky to wake up at all, there had been every possibility he died in his sleep there. Instead, he had managed to survive the worst of it, and push through.
As the dreamscape shattered, Logan just wondered what he would do next.
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Logan woke up with his face in the dirt, and morning sunlight in his eyes. The noise of the stream burbled in his ears, as his lips kissed the earth. He could feel Remy pressed up against his right hip, as his body splayed across the ground.
Strangely, although his back ached, the wound didn’t feel as raw and pulsating as before, instead just mildly excruciating instead of all encompassing like it had been previously. It was still raw, and ragged on the edge of Logan’s mind, but he felt like he could put it to the side for the moment.
Instead of focusing on his pain, Logan managed to push himself to his hands and knees before the subject was forced. Even though Logan could force himself to move past it, the reality of the human body required him to be patient, and not jostle his injuries too much. Slowly, Logan made it the rest of the way to his feet, as Remy started stirring.
Looking around, Logan saw where exactly Remy had led him to in their mad search for water. They were in a small ravine that the stream ran through, surrounded by the tall trees on either side of the banks. Now that Logan was thinking about it, it was likely the natural cover kept them safe from other predators that may have enjoyed an easy meal.
It seems like luck had played a large part in Logan lasting the night. Even his wounds felt like they had healed more than they should have, but Logan couldn’t see his own back to verify. Remy teleported onto Logan’s head instead of his normal shoulder perch, as he didn’t want to hurt Logan further.
The duo didn’t have any destination in mind, but they set out regardless, taking a slow and steady pace, once again teleporting to avoid difficult terrain. The definition of said terrain was expanded since Logan’s injury, so their time was still excellent, but Logan and Remy frequently had to take breaks to rest up.
It was on one of those breaks, later that day, that the companions realized they were not alone in the woods. They were perched up in some trees, catching their spiritual breath, when Remy’s ears started twitching.
What’s up, Remy?
-People!-