VEUX

Sixty

?

The tides came and went.

Saoirse's mind spun as she felt the waves push her forwards just to then roll her back. Every time that she felt close to breaking the surface, another force of strong water would pull her down and her lungs burned like she was breathing in fire. When her eyes did pop open, that pain in her lungs scorched her every limb and she was made useless.

Cold earth floor surrounded her, winds howled into the cave's mouth and snowflakes glistened underneath the only visible ray of moonlight. A fire cracked for breaths of air not too far from her, illuminating a lump below the bear hide on the other side. The tail end of an arrow glowed in the amber light.

Tears shed from Saoirse's eyes at their own will, she could not control them.

"Gabby," Her sore throat rasped between the feeling of drowning. "Gabby, I can't move."

Saoirse couldn't immediately see her niece inside the cave with them, and barely had the strength to lift her head and look around. She didn't remember starting the fire, or collecting the fire wood, and striking a branch to create flame.

"You're ok," A male voice startled her from above her head.

Saoirse twisted her neck up with deep-rooted agony to stare into the brown eyes of a forgotten soul.

"Eye?" She whispered airily, voice swallowed into the nightly wind.

His body sat crouched above her head, silhouette outlined by the moon above his shoulder. Feather-light hands gently lifted her head and rest it across his lap. As Saoirse gazed up at him with saucer-wide eyes, she became transfixed on the white gashes across his neck.

"I'm sorry," She began to sob. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry," The ghost soothingly ran his hands over her matted hair. "We've got you."

--

?

The water Saoirse found herself drowning in gradually became a lighter shade of blue, and soon she swore she could feel the sunlight just below its surface.

Her body jumped from the floor, coughing up what felt like a lung. Her vicious coughs echoed off the short cave walls and she quickly tried to quiet herself. At a first glance, nothing had changed from the few times she woke up throughout the night. The fur lump had not moved. Gabby was not in sight. But the fire she didn't remember making had long since burnt out.

Elbows and ankles cracked as she stretched, protesting with pins and needles as she fought the static of stars behind her closed eyelids. Morning burned bright into the cave.

Too weak.

Some other voice cried within her head.

Too tired.

"I am not too weak," Saoirse argued back as she swallowed undeniable pain in her body.

Waited too long.

Going to die here.

Food now.

"Shut up," Saoirse sat back on her thighs as she tried to adjust. Her balance felt wobbly, vision impaired, stomach tight in knots up to her throat.

As she crawled slowly across the cave, the speed at which her energy-deprived body would allow her, she searched for her missing niece in every dark corner. Warm sunlight brushed against Saoirse's back once she was out of the shadows, and illuminated the confirmation of her suspicions.