| Logs |
2012 March 05
| Neverneverwhere |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: Taps Logs |
Never Smile at A Crocodile
Jacko opens the door to his quarters, scowling -- he hates it when people hammer incessantly on his door! Billy-Joe is there, gasping out an anxious message: he needs to speak to the king at once, it's an emergency, Sna'tha sent them for his majesty and the healer Pierce, the Lady has been seriously injured! Also Joe has a note from Sna'tha for the king, she sent both of them in case there was a problem, Joe's gone ahead to try and reach the king more quickly, can Jacko get them in if Joe hasn't yet made it?!
Jacko is a good captain and a smart man -- partway through the message he's already snapped orders to another guardsman to tell Pierce to get ready to move quickly, and to saddle Hermoso and enough horses for a contingent of the guard. He himself is shrugging into his armor as he strides swiftly through the palace with a distraught Billy-Joe at his side, still babbling out the message.
The two men catch up with Joe outside the room the king is currently in -- the lean scout is arguing and pleading with the stern guards there to let him in. A single barked order from Jacko, and the door is flung open -- much to the surprise of the people inside. Jacko waves Joe forward, sending one of the guards to run fetch the king's riding togs. Roy is at first quite irritated at the interruption to his negotiations, but his eyes narrow when he's handed the hastily scribbled note and told who it is from. A few lines into it he swears explosively, bolting up from his chair and yelling for Jacko -- who holds up a hand and says firmly, "Horses being saddled, Pierce prepping, they're bringing your clothes to the stable."
Roy nods and heads out of the room at just under a run so he can finish the note as he goes, with guards and both mud-spattered, upset caravaneers trailing him. Jacko has had more time to deal with this emergency, and he's not in love with the desperately injured lady -- he bows politely to the diplomats and assures them the negotiations will continue once the king has dealt with a small... issue. Until then they are welcome in the palace. After that he wheels and heads swiftly after his king.
Roy, Jacko, six guards, Billy-Joe, and Little Joe are soon cantering swiftly back towards where the caravan awaits them. It's well out in the boondocks around Baton Rouge, on a road that is not ordinarily well traveled. They find the wagons protectively circled, with all the livestock in the center and a big fire roaring there. Sabrina is organizing the more lightly built and uninjured people to help Suze care for the injured -- there are several laid out on pallets. Dominic is holding a cold compress to his head, eyes closed as he tries to cope with a massive headache from pulling too hard on his Tapping ability. Several others are having broken limbs or minor scrapes and abrasions seen to by Suze.
Outside of the wagon circle the Amazons Poly and Pippa are directing many people, who are working very hard to drag out of the swamp, and butcher, what looks like a 20' or 30' gator -- the biggest one anyone there has ever seen. There's also a dead horse lying nearby, still in harness; one hind leg has been nearly sheared off by sharp teeth, and an arrow has been precisely placed between the eyes for a swift, clean death.
Stalking warily on guard around them all are the rough, wolfish dog pack, along with Chanticleer and Buddy. Both men have dropped their glamour, revealing themselves as an ethereally beautiful sidhe armed with a delicately lethal, blooded sword; and a massive, angry, and long-horned minotaur with a huge, gore-smeared axe. They all wheel protectively at the drumming of approaching hooves, and Buddy paws the ground with one broad cloven hoof, lowering his head with a warning bellow -- then he realizes who it is and snorts, returning to his stomping, protective circuit.
There are hauling chains and ropes left dangling around the front legs of the alligator's corpse, and some truly amazing wounds on it: the head is chopped nearly halfway off the body on one side, there are wide claw marks through the heavy armor on the other side of the body, quarrels and daggers stud the head where they were not bounced by the armor -- several completely penetrate the eyes, in fact -- and the entire jaw area, top and bottom, is slashed and shredded even through the upper armor. There's a thick, half-crumbled wall of mud behind the gator as well. It looks like the beast tried to back away into the swamp after lunging out in attack -- but was slowed or stopped by the wall and the chains around its forelegs.
The workers straighten and cheer in weary hopefulness at sight of the approaching group, and the two caravaneers wave to the workers but don't hesitate -- they guide Roy and Pierce directly to Suraksha's wagon. It's easy to spot, though: there's a bloody, depressed-looking elephant holding one bandaged leg carefully, and pressed up against one side of the wagon. Her trunk trails around to the tiny back porch, where (surprisingly) Fantine cradles both it and a softly wailing -- and also bandaged -- Alg. Ohkwari is there with a rough splint on one arm, hugging a sobbing Del curled up in his lap. They all look up as the small herd of horses and riders come thundering up, and several of the uninjured folks run forward to take the reins.
Roy nearly throws himself off Hermoso, his face tight as he heads unhesitatingly for Sura's wagon, and Pierce is not far behind -- the surgeon has seen enough battle wounds to realize what he's seen so far isn't that bad... so if everyone's sitting anxiously here, whatever happened to Sura must be truly gruesome. Before they reach the wagon, though, the door opens, framing Sna'tha. The slender sidhe is also grim-faced, and she reaches out two of her arms -- one to pull Roy in, one to stiff-arm Pierce. When the chirugeon impatiently pushes against her she snaps only, "Wait -- she's not in her right mind," and shuts the door firmly in his face.
The others sitting on the porch give the exasperated Pierce somewhat sympathetic glances -- those that aren't in too much pain or grief to do so, at least. As Pierce raises a fist to pound irritably on the locked door, Alg snarls unhappily and Ohkwari reaches up to casually catch the man's fist, rumbling quietly, "Please wait. She wouldn't do this 'thout excellent reason."
Inside the wagon there's not much room -- because Suraksha is in her native, Naga form. Her pale, nude, blood-splashed body is sprawled out unconscious across her cot, with her 20' plus of serpentine tail trailing all over the floor, pushed haphazardly out of the way. The reason for her unconsciousness is instantly clear: aside from the regular scratches and contusions of battle, she's taken a ferocious blow that has stoved in all her ribs on one side. She looks awful; her labored breathing is very slow, with an unpleasant bubbling undertone that speaks of at least a collapsed lung.
Roy makes a small choked sound, stumbling to kneel by Suraksha and murmur to her as he gently brushes her tangled dark hair out of her face -- then he looks up in sudden, indignant fury at Sna'thaid. Before he can say anything, though, she snaps, "She needs you, Roy -- and I need to know if you can keep her calm and not biting, when your doctor has to hurt her to heal her. Can he handle working with this? Will he keep his mouth shut afterwards?" Her hands wave towards the powerfully muscled serpentine body. The sidhe spots, although Roy does not, the slow, weak flicker of Sura's serpentine tongue slipping between her lips and back again, and the ensuing very, very faint beginning of a return of color to the unconscious woman's nearly gray cheeks.
Roy is terrified for his cherie, and he starts to snap at Sna'tha about the irresponsibility of keeping medical assistance from Suraksha when she's this injured. He cuts off abruptly at Sna'tha's sudden movement, though -- moving so fast she's a blur, the sidhe is kneeling next to him, one hand grabbing his shoulder and another holding a dagger to his throat. Her voice is tight with exhaustion and anxiety, "She does not have time for this! Can your doctor handle this body, can you keep her from biting him, will he not speak of it after?!" Sna'tha is experienced with Naga, which is why she's keeping Roy between herself and Suraksha; she has no illusions as to whom the girl will protect first when out of her mind with pain, and she does not wish to put her godsdaughter through the later grief of knowing she unwittingly killed her beloved godsmother. Indeed, as Roy's scent abruptly changes in alarm, Sura's unconscious tongue flickers increase, and she struggles with her labored breathing to bring in more air.
Roy's eyes widen, then narrow as he blinks and hastily re-adjusts his current mindset. He thinks a moment, staying very still -- then nods once, carefully and tightly. Sna'tha sighs softly, the dagger vanishing as quickly as she'd produced it, and seconds later she's hauling the angry chirugeon through the door, slamming it hastily behind them both. Pierce's fierce protestations cut off abruptly as he spots his patient, his face getting a bit grim as he studies Suraksha's current shape. Sna'tha is relieved to see, though, that he's already shrugging out of his backpack as he mutters tersely, "Snakes... ain't never worked with snakes before." He hesitates, looking between the two worried people watching him, then adds with quiet honesty, "Likely she's not going to heal right from somethin' this bad. She may not even survive. I'm sorry."
Roy snarls at Pierce, "Just fix her! Do it!" Sna'tha murmurs to the doctor, "She's venomous. Keep his majesty between you and her head as much as possible." Pierce gives Sna'tha an appalled look -- then simply nods once with determination and kneels next to Suraksha's body, unceremoniously pushing Roy forward so there's room for him. The sidhe adds tiredly, "Patch her up enough that she's not just dying -- this is her native form -- and once she's conscious she can either change shape or eat enough that her body will start healing itself. They're incredibly resilient if they can get enough energy to heal. She's just utterly tapped out right now." She sags against the door as she adds to Roy, "Talk to her, your majesty. Nothing pulls a Naga back like their Chosen needing them."
Roy nods silently at Sna'tha's words and leans so he can whisper in Suraksha's ear. He is weeping, unnoticed tears sliding slowly down his cheeks as he whispers to her: reassurance that she'll be fine, she has to heal up -- she can't leave him! He needs her, and now he's found her she wouldn't dare leave him alone again! Pierce is carefully using his small healing Tap ability to try and heal the damaged internal organs, even as he does his level best -- which isn't a great deal, unfortunately, given the state of medical help available at this time -- to use his limited tools to patch Suraksha back together.
The long-bodied, unconscious Naga doesn't move much, although her breathing becomes a little less labored as Pierce relieves some of the pressure on her lungs. Roy watches without understanding when her soft, warm black tongue flickers around his fingers a few times, especially when his light stroking of her face touches her lips. Sna'thaid knows what that means, though, and her own anxiety eases a bit at sight of the paleness slowly fading from Suraksha's face as the Naga's chosen mate's closeness and strength reassures and assists her.
Eventually Pierce has to do something that will hurt Sura. He warns them all, and Roy puts a restraining arm across one of Suraksha's shoulders, while Sna'tha tries to shield Pierce from the long, powerful tail. Pierce wrenches carefully, and simultaneously there's a disgusting sound of bone grating against bone -- and Suraksha hisses angrily, her tail lashing as her eyes fly open and she slips almost effortlessly out from under Roy's arm, lurching upright with her mouth agape and a pronounced set of fangs springing forward from her upper jaw. Roy just has a split second to stare in shock at that, as Pierce shouts in alarm and Sna'tha snarls, "Hold her, Roy!" from where she's struggling with way too much entangling tail -- then the king reflexively throws himself in the way, shouting, "Cherie, no!" -- and at the very last fraction of a second, Sura's blindingly swift strike turns slightly.
There's a blur of confusion, with shouting, struggling, entangled bodies -- then suddenly Suraksha yanks back, rearing up and swaying slightly as she stares down at the three other entities caught in the tiny wagon with her. Her slitted golden eyes are blurred and coldly serpentine, her dark curling hair a wild, tousled mane behind her. There is a strangely terrible beauty about her: for all her clear menace in this non-sapient state, she still is obviously dying -- she has to brace herself upright with one hand against one wall, she's panting hard for air, and her tongue flickers several times as if she's struggling to figure out what's happening.
All three entities stare silently up at her for a moment... then Pierce starts to swear as he straightens. Simultaneously, Suraksha's blurry gaze sharpens and whips towards the chirugeon, a hiss escaping her as her fangs snap forward again -- and Sna'tha whispers softly and fiercely, her intent gaze not leaving Suraksha, "Shut! Up! Be still!" There's a very, very long moment where Pierce freezes and all three people watch the confused, blurry Naga visibly searching for a target. Finally her mouth closes, and Sna'tha relaxes a bit, sighing softly and whispering, "Talk her down, Roy."
The king is holding his right hand over his left upper arm, and he laughs a bit shakily as he steps forward, saying, "Sure hope you meant what'cha said 'bout bonding, cherie... 'cause ya bit me." He tips his hand down enough to look at the neat puncture wounds, with a little blood seeping from them and smeared on his hand and arm, and doesn't see the tall, slender Naga woman's tongue flickering repeatedly, or her eyes suddenly flooding with understanding. The end of her tail slithers along the ground to curl about one of the king's booted ankles, and she whispers softly, "Roy..." -- before she abruptly runs out of energy again, and collapses over him as if her strings were cut.
Roy catches Suraksha reflexively, muttering something about this becoming way too commonplace a way to spend time with her! Pierce swears sulphurously, scrambling to his feet and lunging for his backpack. He yells angrily at the faintly smiling sidhe woman, "Dammit, why didn't you tell us she was venomous before we came? If she's killed Roy because I don't have the right stuff here, I'm holding you responsible, witch!"
Roy glances over a bit uncertainly, his quiet, "Hey, now..." missed as Sna'tha heaves herself tiredly to her feet; she manages to look incredibly graceful even when exhausted. She chuckles quietly, reaching out to brush her fingers through one of the bloody, re-opened wounds on Sura's body, "Oh, we have what we need -- because her Serpent has claimed him, even if she's been too scared yet to do so consciously. Look." She points with one hand at Roy's ankle, where the snake tail curls about it like a gaudily colored piece of rope. As both men look down, Sna'tha brushes her fingers against Roy's lips, leaving a bloody smear across them. He jerks his head back reflexively, his tongue starting to come out to lick his lips -- then he freezes where he stands with Sura's nude human half lying limply over him, staring in alarm at the sidhe. She chuckles tiredly again, shaking her head as she settles down on the end of the cot, "Nothing bad -- just the antidote for her venom. Go ahead. You need it in you."
Roy cautiously licks his lips, gently shifting the still-wounded girl to lie on the bed again. Her ribs make an unpleasant noise once more, and she hisses an unconscious exhalation as her head lolls back in Roy's arms. He freezes again, then tries his best to be very, very careful with her. Pierce's eyes light up at Sna'tha's words, and he starts pawing through his kit, muttering something about swabs. The sidhe laughs tiredly, shaking her head, "Only works for Roy, man, and he likely shouldn't leave her side for the next, oh... day or so." Pierce gives her an angrily disbelieving look, and she holds up a hand, "Scout's honor, doc. Magic or something... energy flow, whatever -- I don't know for sure." As he continues to look dubious she wryly adds, "Don't you think I'd have done it myself if it was that easy?" To Roy she adds, "If you get dizzy, just have more of her blood."
Roy simply nods, carefully settling himself so he can rest Suraksha's head in his lap, tenderly combing her hair back out of her face. He doesn't seem to have noticed -- or perhaps more accurately, does not mind -- the coil or two of tail remaining wrapped gently about his booted ankle, and now curling up his calf as well. Pierce sighs disappointedly, then shakes his head at the bloody bite on Roy's arm. He mutters, "Need to bandage that after she's fixed up," and carefully goes back to work on the damaged body of the unconscious Naga... although he's relieved to see there's color in her dusky face again, and her vital signs are improved.
It's then, of course, people hear the cautious tap on the door, and Ohkwari's soft call, "Sna'thaid? Captain's mighty worried 'bout the king after alla that shoutin'. He don't like bein' held at quarrel-point either. King awright?" Pierce is busy and does not look up, but both Roy and Sna'tha do. Roy looks confused; the sidhe sighs and grins, "Shoulda known we couldn't push him off like the others." She peeks out the door, where there are something like six crossbows leveled at a stock-still but angry looking Jacko.
The dark man glares at the sidhe, speaking through clenched teeth, "I trusted you. You had better convince me his majesty is fine, or I'm going to shout for the other guards -- regardless of whether these people shoot or not!" The carnies aiming the crossbows do not waver, but they also don't look happy. The other guards have apparently been persuaded to go help with the giant gator, since they're not in view at the moment.
Sna'tha nods briskly, "He is fine, Captain. Majesty, would you reassure your Captain that you're well?"
Roy calls quietly, "'S all good, m'man!" Jacko's eyes narrow for a moment... then he calls back a code phrase that sounds like a simple query. Roy chuckles and answers correctly, and Jacko relaxes, though he still doesn't look happy. Irritably he adds, "Why are they keeping us separated, majesty?" Sna'tha waves off the caravaneers, who lower their crossbows as Roy promises to explain everything later. Jacko is still not happy, but he agrees to wait.
Several hours of very hard work later, those who can are relaxing and eating gator steaks as the caravan creaks slowly onwards towards Baton Rouge. The caravan guards are still hyper-alert, and augmented by Roy's bodyguards. There are quite a few more folks than usual sleeping in Sabrina's wagon, so Suze can keep an eye on all of the injured at once. Roy managed to coax Suraksha into swallowing some carefully prepared meat which, combined with several hours of sleep, means she woke up enough to be gently coaxed into shifting into her tiger form. She had not wished to, but when Sna'tha pointed out she'd bitten Roy while trying to attack Pierce, she'd blanched and agreed to shift as soon as she could.
That had taken an immense amount of effort, and she's now limp across her wagon floor once more, her massive and heavy tiger head in Roy's lap. The door has been left open so her people can see and visit with her. For some it's enough to simply peek in and see her still breathing as she sleeps; others (like Alg) have either carefully curled up against her gorgeously striped and heavily bandaged form, or are sitting with Roy and regaling him with the story of what happened.
The king is quite amused by now, although some of his unwitting mirth is due to the venom working its way through his system: he's got a truly legendary assassin keeping watch while he eats excellent giant-monster steak prepared by a mythical creature, with another giant monster sleeping on him, while he brings home her massively supernatural caravan family to his beloved city -- so she'll stay there long enough to heal! He wonders amusedly when his life got so surreal. Several steaks wait next to Roy, for in case Suraksha awakens, and the caravaneers who are there are also eating as they regale him with the exciting story of what happened.
Apparently the alligator lunged out of the swamp at the caravan as it passed on the narrow road. The great beast managed to snag a dodging horse, which had screamed and struggled free with the panicked assistance of its harness-mate, but was clearly dying. Fortunately the next wagon was Sura's, being drawn at that moment by Gajara the elephant. Sura ripped through her clothing as she sprang instantly forward in tiger-shape, and reflexively wrapped herself around the alligator's jaws. She held them firmly closed as she madly clawed and bit at the gator, snarling furiously. It lashed its head back and forth, trying to shake her off so it could bite again -- gators have relatively weak muscles to open their jaws, as opposed to the massively powerful 'closing' muscles -- then simply started sliding silently back into the dank black water.
By that point people were running forward, yelling at Sura to let go so she wasn't dragged into the water and drowned. The huge tiger was aroused and furious by that point, though, and knew if she let go then the gator would just charge out again later in the caravan. By then arrows and daggers were bouncing off the thick-armored body as people tried to help her, and Gajara flung off the wagon harness, trumpeting as she charged the alligator. She looped her trunk around one foreleg, bracing herself as firmly as she could in the mud and refusing to let the gator slide away into the water with her friend.
That gave others time to get there to help -- Alg came screaming and bouncing over the tiger to shred one reptilian eye, and the Amazon shield-sisters and Sna'tha made a pin cushion out of the other. The massive jaws of the agonized monster lashed back and forth, and that was when Suraksha was smashed violently into a nearby cypress. She coughed in pained shock, clinging on just by her claws -- but before the gator could wipe her off and bite her in half, Ohkwari came at a gallop from one end of the caravan and Buddy from the other.
Both beast men were roaring in fury as the gator slowly forced the grimly braced elephant deeper into the water, the broad tail lashing up the water as they struggled. Ohkwa landed next to it in bear form, his claws actually managing to score through the heavy armor, while Buddy swung back his heavy, double-bladed axe, throwing all his not-inconsiderable minotaur strength behind the blow -- and sank it with a heavy *thuck*! deeply into the less armored angle between the alligator's armored shoulder and head, at the neck.
That caused the gator to wrench powerfully backwards in pain -- but just as Gajara was starting to slip and stagger, Del came galloping up with her "big boys." She dropped their reins, leaving them snorting and eyes rolling as she grabbed a heavy chain with an iron hook on the end -- an attachment to their harness for hauling wagons out of the mud. After that she sprang fearlessly up and onto the blinded, enraged gator, running lightly over its writhing body until she could throw the chain down and around the gator's other foreleg -- and the hook caught. Del shouted to the horses, and they leaned forward in the harness, lurching and pawing at the ground, fighting to pull the gator forward out of the water.
Even then it was a close thing. The gator was thrashing and tossing its head, while Gajara and the boys fought to hold at least its head up on the bank, where Sura was still clinging grimly to its jaws with all her waning might. The massive minotaur and the powerful Kodiak bear were hacking and slashing as best they could at the heavy armored form, knee-deep in the mud and frothing water, while other people swarmed the gator with ropes, swords, daggers, whatever they had to hand in their efforts to help... and then Dominic finally arrived, panting and pale. He stopped, crouched and put his hands on the ground, concentrated... and the earth itself shuddered and rumbled in answer to his call.
A thick, heavy wall of mud rose wetly up behind the gator, preventing it from leaving -- and Dominic slowly tipped over. Many willing hands pulled him to safety, but after that it was just a matter of time; the gator could still injure others if they were unwary, but it was dying and wasn't smart enough to realize it. As Suze quietly confirmed by the story's end, in a way they'd been incredibly blessed: they'd had to put the terribly injured horse down (much to Del's grieving dismay), and Suraksha had been saved by the skin of her teeth and the power of the healer Tap... but the poor horse was the only actual death they'd suffered in killing the massive gator.
Oh, there were several broken limbs or cracked ribs, one concussion from being flung off the struggling gator's back and landing badly... lots of bruises, scratched hands and knees and such, and everyone was exhausted -- and very grateful for the timely arrival of eight more strong men to assist in keeping everyone safe -- but that was it, really. Suze smiles quietly as she eyes Roy sitting with Sura's big stripy head in his lap, adding, "Nothing some time and tender loving care won't heal."
People just sit and talk then, as the wagons roll slowly but surely onwards through the night to Baton Rouge. The actual individuals sitting on Suraksha's back porch, chatting quietly with Roy and each other, change as folks get tired and head off to bed, or come wandering by after having slept for a few hours... and Roy sees firsthand just why Sura's large family is so important to her. All of the people there share stories, reminding themselves of who they are and that they're a family. They reminisce about times and peoples past, they relate how they first met Suraksha and each other, how they joined the caravan; stories that are amusing or sad or poignant or tender... stories that bind them all together... and at some point Roy realizes they're quietly adding him, Suraksha's beloved, to their circle and their family by doing so.
There are several other realizations as well during that oddly peaceful night. Suraksha wakes up and devours all the steaks there, and asks for more. Once she's full she simply rests, curled up with Roy and whomever is there as well, listening to the stories and occasionally purring as Roy rubs her round, furred ears. She chuffs soft laughter, wincing at the pressure on her ribs, at the funny stories -- including those about her -- and she tiredly grooms Alg, where the goblin has curled up between her huge front paws. When Fantine, Suze, Sabrina, Ohkwari, and Del all calmly agree they already knew she had another, more dangerous form, her ears flatten in embarrassment and she manages to slur out a sheepish apology for keeping that from them.
When Pierce comes by to check on Suraksha and Roy, she's shocked to realize she really did bite Roy -- then incredibly worried, since she'd not known what the next step was in the bonding process. She'd been young and brash when she last left San Francisco, after all -- she had no time for that "settling down with a mate" nonsense! -and so she'd not bothered to learn that important bit of information. She sighs and makes a note to very seriously thank Sna'tha later, and apologize profusely to Roy, when she can talk more clearly. Roy grins and teases his cherie a bit, until her ears unflatten and she huffs and nips lightly at him -- then he settles back smugly, well pleased with himself for easing her out of that bit of unnecessary self-recrimination. He says nothing about it, but he's feeling rather... nice right now: useful and needed and loved -- and though his cherie doesn't seem to be doing it consciously, she's kept a paw or her tail curled around him the whole time he's been there with her!
Much later, a sleeping Suraksha is very carefully carried into the palace on a covered stretcher, with six men all sweating and grunting with the effort of doing so. Roy stays within arm's reach, both because he's worried about her, and because she seems agitated even in her sleep when he's not near. Sna'tha supervises Sura being carefully deposited on Roy's big bed -- which looks rather small with a giant, groggy tiger on it -- then explains what the next day or so should be like for the couple: Suraksha should shift back into Naga form as soon as she can, as she'll both heal and bond better that way. Roy should stay with her, and that will necessitate people at the palace covering for him for a bit. There should be a bloody great lot of meat available for Sura... and Sna'tha and the caravan are all going to go sleep for a month or something now!
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