Pana: Flight from the Past

Finding a Place to Rest

Traveling with a broken arm was much more painful than Pana had expected. For a while they had tried to deal with it, but it quickly became apparent that they would need to rest.

But they couldn't rest for long. One night after they had gone to sleep, Waveskimmer woke them up, signaling that there were people nearby. The two of them finished packing everything and had just gotten back into the air when Pana spotted Varé in her bright fur coat and the pale Kai moving on the ground beneath them. Whether or not Varé could hear Pana yelping in pain as each wingbeat jerked them around, they didn't know. Regardless, there was no way they could proceed as incautiously as they had before. They would have to find a new way to travel, avoiding aggravating Pana's injury whilst staying hidden from their pursuers.

"If only we knew what else was out there, we might have an idea of how to hide and where to go next," Pana said. Waveskimmer nodded wistfully.

A day or so later, they came across a group of people traveling in a cart pulled by a pair of yorbacks. Whether or not they would be terrified by a dragon, Pana didn't know, but they both knew Pana needed actual help soon. They followed the group from a distance, formulating a plan to approach them. In the end, they decided that Waveskimmer would drop Pana off well ahead of the cart, and then disappear into the forest while Pana waited for the group to wheel on by.

The figure sitting in the front of the cart gave a start when they saw Pana. A friendly smile on their face turned into concern, and they ran their hands over their bald head. They pulled back on the reins and the yorbacks stopped, digging their clawed feet into the ground.

"Are you alright?" the figure called, his words almost blending together as he spoke.

Pana nodded, grimacing as a jolt of pain ran along their arm. "I'll be fine, I think. But I fell on some rocks. My arm isn't in great shape. I haven't been able to properly bandage it on my own."

Without giving them time to say more, the person jumped off of the cart and whistled. Two more people followed him off of the cart: a tall, black woman with curly hair, and an elderly bespectacled woman whose tied-back hair may have been blond or white. The first woman helped the latter get down from the cart.

"My name is Bob," said the man who had been directing the yorbacks. He gestured to his companions. "This is Tallie and MC. Can we assist you?"

Pana nodded, and immediately Tallie got to work checking and rebandaging their arm. All the while, Bob continued to speak, distracting them from focusing on the twinges of pain every time Tallie touched them.

"I'm a carpenter, though right now the three of us are working and living out on a farm. Bringing some vegetables into town today actually. Don't do much healing myself. Work a lot with wood...A LOT with wood. Built most of the ranch we work on: fences, sheds, the house, even this cart. Also some neat contraptions, just to help with the work, you know? We used to have to lug water all the way from the river, over a mile away. And now, the water runs to us! Imagine that. Built a little channel that brings enough for us to have drinking water on-hand. Also helps with the farming. There's plenty of rain of course, but it helps to have some extra water, you know, just in case you ever need it. MC here helped map out a route for the channel. Don't know what I'd do without her."

"Well," said the bespectacled woman, eyes darting between the ground and the trees around them and anything that wasn't Pana, "anyone can find a path, you just need to know where to look." She fidgeted with a sheet of paper in one pocket and a piece of charcoal in the other.

Tallie looked up from her work – though she didn't stop wrapping Pana's arm – long enough to say, "Oh MC, how you are able to create such exquisite maps I'll never know. She can get you anywhere. Most knowledgeable and well-traveled person I've ever met." And with a final tug, she tied the bandage around Pana's shoulder, securing their arm in place.