Aes Sedai Enthusiasts United!

[CorenYi]

Donovan winced as he lowered himself to the ground. His shirt was soaked through with sweat and blood, and if the bleeding hadn’t, the pain would have told him his wound was open again. He looked up at Jitters with a sigh and realized that what few supplies he had were still in the saddle bags. With a groan that started as exasperation, but quickly shifted to pain, he began the laborious task of dragging himself upright to retrieve his things.

 

It was supposed to be a bloody reconnaissance mission but, of course, nothing ever works out the way it’s supposed to. His hand grasped feebly at the metal stirrup as the scene played through his head for what felt like the hundredth time. He had taken it upon himself to locate and follow a small group of those damned Tar Valon witches that had been rumored to be in the area. He knew that the Lord Captain would be interested in whatever information he could bring about the delegation.

 

Pain tore through his side like thunder through a clear sky, and his hand groped blindly through his saddlebags for his things. Everything had been fine for the first two days. The witches had been clueless to his presence, and he had managed to gather some good intel. On day three, his luck had run out. One of the witches’ watch dogs had gotten the drop on him.

 

He had given as good as he got, but those freaks were unnaturally quiet. So quiet that Donovan had only barely managed to avoid a killing blow and get an axe in hand to fight back. The gash in his side was his reward for his negligence, and now he wasn’t certain he’d even make it back to Amadacia, let alone the next town. That Light blasted Warder was probably getting his leg reattached while he was stuck here fumbling for something to wrap his wound with.

 

He set about to the task of shredding his few remaining shirts to wrap his wound. Every motion sent agony through his body, but as long as he was still breathing he would do what he could to survive. Of course, he doubted he’d be much longer for the world anyhow. The witches would likely be on his trail soon enough, and he was in no real state to move, especially not quickly.

 

Once he had the shirts torn, actually wrapping his side presented a whole new world of difficulties. He collapsed against a tree and let himself sag to the ground. He tried everything he could think of to get the strips tight across his chest, but he just didn’t have the strength. Sweat pooled on his chest as he let his head loll pathetically against the tree, and he looked up at his great lump of a horse with resignation in his eyes. “I hope you’re comfortable pal, because I don’t think anyone’s going to be taking that saddle off of you for awhile.”

 

Jitters merely snorted and lowered his head to graze carefully around the blood. “Yeah, that’s right bud, thanks for the help”

 

 

 

 

 

~Donovan Rile

[Nynaeve]

Lorelai kicked a stone. And then another. And another. She wandered out of the Stedding to get some air. Not that there wasn't air in the Stedding. No. Because, well, that would have been bad. Both for her and the other wolfkin. But mainly for the other wolfkin because she was safely outside with the air. Come to think of it, if that were the case, she wouldn't have blamed the air for leaving. The stedding didn't feel as homey as it usually did ever since the confrontation with Owen.

 

Laughing at her own strange thoughts, Lorelai wandered deeper into the woods, checking up on some traps while she was at it. Nothing was caught in the ones she found. No surprise there. The traps seemed more like a comedy relief then actual traps. She wondered who was the incompetent git that set them up. Honestly, did the person actually expect something to be caught? Surely he wasn't entirely braindead. The only way Lorelai could see of something being caught in those traps was if the person who set them up tripped into them himself. She figured the amount of IQ needed to set them up probably matched the IQ range required to get trapped by them. Oh, well. No food for a while. Everyone will live. For a while anyway.

 

Wrinkling her brows, Lorelai stopped. She closed her eyes and sniffed the air. There was a horse near by. A horse meant a two legged. The whereabouts of the Stedding was unknown to any two legged and if Lorelai could help it, it was going to stay that way. She decided she would try to distract him and have him chase her away from the stedding. The fate of the other wolfkin was far more important then hers. Her only hope was that she wouldn't be outnumbered. She sensed just one horse, but that didn't mean there weren't more around.

 

As she followed the scent, she picked up on the faintest smell of blood, that grew stronger with every step she took. Spotting the horse not too far away, Lorelai approached it carefully, trying to locate the rider. Grabbing the reins of the horse, she petted its nose. "Well aren't you adorable." Considering the horse for a moment, she wondered how it would taste, but then shook her head. Too skinny. Smiling, Lorelai continued stroking the stallion's nose. "Want to show me where you master is, boy? Or did you do your auntie Lorelai a favor and threw him off your back? Because if you did you've got a pile of carrots waiting just for you. Yes! Yes you do!". Letting go of the horse's reins, it turned about and walked away until it stopped next to a tree.

 

Lorelai followed until she found the man. He was propped against a tree. Unconscious. His shirt soaked with blood. This was too easy. She could easily leave him here to die and the Stedding's secret would stay safe. But if she left him here and he'd die, others might come to look for him, which would put the Stedding in risk again. She didn't want that. No. Also, leaving him to die would mean days of decomposing. The smell alone would be horrible. The animals didn't deserve that. Besides, Lorelai wouldn't be able to stand their accusing stares for long. Oh well, she could help a two legged for once. She was in a good mood after all.

 

Crouching down next to the man, she examined him. There were a few scrapes here and there but the main reason for the bleeding originated from a wound on his side. Bloody man. He probably asked for it, with a face like his. Sighing, she took out her water bottle and cleaned the wound as much as she could before the blood started pouring out again. using her coat, she ripped parts of it and used it to create a long bandage. She rested it on the wound and extended it over his shoulder and his side and tied it behind as hard as she could, hoping it was enough to stop the bleeding. That was the most important thing. Worrying about infection was for later. Lorelai decided she'd be surprised if he actually made it through the night.

 

Searching for some wood to start a fire, she decided they would start their way in the morning if and when the man came to. She had to lead him away from the stedding to the nearest village, which meant a few days walk. More then was usually needed because he was definitely going to slow her down. Either way, she was getting him back to that village, dead or alive. That way if anyone came looking for him, they would find his body there. Also, the two legged deserved the bed smell.

 

Dropping the twigs and branches she found to the ground, she frowned at the unconscious man. "I loved that coat. Bloody hell...."

 

 

 

Lorelai

Ranger