Gale's Storm

CHAPTER 34

Rock, along with the other people from Mountain Colony, circled the battle from above and launched in-battle ambushes. Especially on the enemies taking on people who were struggling. It was one of Commander Acorn's ideas, and it was brilliant. It helped them keep their numbers up.

But being that high up in a battle, just watching it, scanning it for people who needed help on your side, it was horrible to watch. Seeing the dead River Colony member was horrid, but this felt worse. To see the life be ripped out of people, to watch them bleed out and know you're not allowed to not help, to know that it's your job to be the one to tear their life away.

But it was over, it was all over. And Rock knew how much blood was on his hands. The man who almost killed Lillian, the one who was on Conifer, the one who was on Mark, the one who was on Vivian and Sage, the commander who led the charge, Sophia. And a few others, who were attacking people he didn't know their names of. It was too many, he could feel the blood on his feet in his shoes, from when he tore out so many people's eyes and tongues and throats.

He kept his sleeping bag on him, since he knew Lillian would be giving hers to the injured. It was midday now, they had been fighting for about 2 hours. Two hours of bloodshed on both sides. He laid it out away from the people who needed actual help, he needed to think.

After an hour or so he fell asleep, and he woke up to Lillian climbing in with him at midnight. He had missed this, he had missed her. Rock put an arm around her and held her. Her head was on his chest, he was still wearing his armor but he didn't care right now.

"Goodnight, Rock. I love you so much," Lillian whispered to him. "Goodnight, I love you too." And then she leaned up and kissed him. This took him aback, but he loved it and embraced it.

She leaned back and looked up at him. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled in the starlight and he wanted to stay here forever. He smiled at her and she smiled back before she laid her head back down. He fell asleep faster and calmer than he thought he ever could have imagined that night.

In the morning he woke up at midday to find Lillian out helping injured people. His thoughts went to last night, how it had felt to have her lips on his, how magical it felt. Like the day on the beach all over again, it felt like it wasn't real at all. That it was a fantasy.

Then the blood poured in over that fantasy and his mind went to the battle. His talons ripping Sophia's throat out and declaring the battle won, he didn't need to do that, but he did. He felt like the monster the humans thought he was.

Rock sat up and the visions just raced across his vision even stronger and faster now. Lillian getting sliced, and fighting as she bled, her stabbing the man he had blinded, him tearing out the woman in bronze's tongue who was starting to kill Vivian. How horrible her scream was, without a tongue and filled with blood.

He wanted to scream, but he could only grip the sleeping bag as hard as he could. Rock was rigid now, and his shock made one of the medic trainees from Acorn Colony run over.

Rock could barely hear her voice over the flashbacks as she said; "What's wrong? You're very pale and rigid, more than you usually are. Can someone get me some water?"

He couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't see. The medic trainee laid him down, the visions paling and her face coming into view. The sun was bright, too bright.

"W- What happened? I- I saw blood, too much blood," Rock shivered, his hands were shaking hard. He didn't dare to sit up again.

"Oh, you're in shock from the battle. Lay down and I'll get you what you need. Try to keep your head filled with happy and good thoughts, or just clear of everything in case those trigger it too," she said calmly as someone came with a water bowl.

She helped him drink from it and put a rag with warm water from the humans on his head. He didn't dare close his eyes for long periods of time, he only blinked. He was scared the visions of blood would happen again.

The medic's name was Amethyst, and she talked calmly of things like treetops and the sky, only to find that thoughts of flying triggered yesterday in his head, flying around over the death.

"Okay, you're okay, Rock. You are safe, you are here in an infirmary, and that will never happen again. What calms you down? What images bring you serenity?" she asked after she had him calmed down.

"The ocean, it's one of the few places that will never bring it to mind. It reminds me of Lillian, the quiet side who only wanted to swim and swim," Rock said quietly to her.

"Alright then, you're on a pebble beach up north, the sun is rising over the mountains and casting golden light onto the black water. Like an onyx gem, you know what that looks like right?" she said very calmly. This made his rigid muscles relax, and his breathing slow once again.

"No, describe one to me," he said quietly. She told him in the same small voice; "It's black with swirls of silver, gold, amber or pearl colors on the inside, marbling around in the depths of the gem. It's like a blackstar sapphire but deeper and blacker."

She then went on describing different gems, their colors and meaning. Leaving out the gems that were red or associated with war or violence. After an hour of her caring for him, giving him food and water and describing this so he could imagine them and keep his mind away from yesterday, Lillian came over.

"Wait, why is Rock getting care? What happened?" she sounded so worried as she rushed over. Amethyst stood up and spoke to her quietly so Rock couldn't hear, but he could hear her sharp inhale.

"What is it? What's happening to me? I know you said it was shock, but is there anything more I need to know?" Rock asked, starting to panic and he sat up. Seeing the wounded around him made him go back, and he gripped his sleeping bag tightly.

"Lay down, shhhhhh, shhhhhhh, it's alright, it's alright. I'm here, we're at the beach, the sun rising and your heart on your sleeve," she said calmly, taking his hand in hers. It helped anchor him.

He started blinking rapidly and looked up at her. "This will go away, right? After a few weeks?" She smiled, tears in her eyes and said; "Hopefully, we'll try our best. One day I'll help you face those memories."

So a maybe, it was better than saying no. She started speaking to Amethyst again for a moment before she returned with some water. She was the one to help him for the rest of the day and Amethyst went off to help other soldiers. Lillian spoke of what it was like under the water, like how it was a forest and the surface was the canopy above, she spoke of small things she found on beaches and under the water with Kelp, all things that he never knew of.

Rock couldn't sit up without triggering those awful memories, so Lillian just held his hand and offered him food and water when anything triggered him. Rock didn't want to fall asleep, he was scared he would see the battle in his dreams.

So when it was dusk Lillian had said; "you should get some rest, I can sleep with you again so you don't go into that place." He shook his head and said; "I can't, it's too much."

She crawled in with him anyway and rested her head on his shoulder. Amethyst had gotten him out of his armor and into the clothes that most of the injured wore. Lillian held his hand and squeezed it.

"I'll always be here for you, if you wake up you can wake me too and I'll help you," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek before she settled down again.

He didn't fall asleep for a long time and just watched the stars, listening to Lillian's steady breathing. His mind was empty and he wouldn't fill it if he could. He slowly let himself fall asleep, and like his thoughts, his dreams were gone.