Dumuduru: Fabletwine

THE TAKING OF ANGEL-ORPHAN DOWNS (WIP: Part 1/3)

Entry: Day One Thousand and Four; The Taking of Angel-Orphan Downs

Soh Dumuduru

"Nearly two cycles of the Mhon after completing my crossing of the Sand Sea of Alzrala'aldin, I passed into the rolling plain lands just south that made up what I knew to be the Angel-Orphan Downs. The land was known locally, however, as Ruu'zirach Savir. Rolling knolls flowed between the looming cliffsides, themselves capped with flowing grasslands and earthen spires. Amidst, atop, and between all of this grew the wealthy trade cities of the Elaltiri people - the largest of which was the capital: Ruu'zirach."

By the time the sands gave way once again to the grasses and resilient flowers of the lands abutting the boundless desert, Soh had nearly entered a state of pure starvation and incoherence. With wobbly legs, he gazed ahead and took in the scene. The landscape stretched afar in a series of disheveled and uneven platforms of inconsistent downs and grasslands. Each of these was cut by sheer drops and stone cliffs. Atop them, at inconsistent paces, large earthen spikes pierced the sky, standing as towering sentinels from long-passed antiquity.

The nearest city in the land on the far-side of the Sand Sea of Alzrala'aldin was, by no mistake, also the largest and most extravagant. It was the capital city of Ruu'zirach. Still, the city was not built directly on the border of the sand sea, and, therefore, required more walking before Soh would reach it. He collapsed less than a hundred spans from the sprawling, webwork, trader-city.

"Wake up."

"Hey." Soh felt a push.

"Wake up."

Another push at his shoulder.

"Come on."

A final push. Soh slowly opened his eyes. Lifting the lids was like pushing anvils. With effort, he succeeded, but his vision was cloudy.

"Take it easy. Here, just sit up now. Good. Just like that."
Something smelled nice, comforting, like the scent of fruit and clean cloth. Moreover, he was beginning to warm. He could feel a soft touch on his face. So soft. "C'mon now."
After a moment of this, his vision cleared, though not fully. Cotton drifted lazily in the vibrant pool of azure. He stared at the movement for nearly a full minute before realizing he must be laying down, because what he was seeing was the sky above him. With a slow shift of his head, Soh registered, confusedly, that the scent he'd caught was in fact the smell of a woman. The soft touch, the silken skin of her hand as she tried to wake him. "Wh...."
His voice cracked. 'How long since I've drank anything?'

"Shh. Drink first." Before he could even respond, a water-pouch had been put against his lips. The coolness of the liquid running over his parched lips, tongue, and throat, caused him to choke. Water spurted upward and spilled down his face as he coughed. "Who are..." He battled to swallow, and then tried a third time.
"Who are you?"

He could see entirely clearly now. The woman was about his age, maybe a little younger. She was otherworldly. Stunning beyond belief. Her hair was unlike anything Soh had ever seen before. It was like strands of snow. The thing that most captured Soh, in an entirely foreign way, was her eyes. They were chasmic violet and, just around the core, yellow; yellow like a Tzhon-bloom.

"I'm Syrka." The words came out as a soft melody, and a small smile spread across her face. "I found you collapsed on the ground. Just there," she pointed to a spot not far off. Soh tried to look, but attempting to move his head was like being asked to shift the world. He felt so weak.

"Collapsed?"
"Yes, unfortunately. Judging by the look of you, I'd say you're water-robbed, and probably going hungry too. How long since you've had either water or food?"
With a battle against tangled thoughts, he replied simply, "Days."
"Let's get you taken care of then. Can you sit on your own?"
There was a spasm of muscles as Soh tried to take hold of himself without much luck.
"I'll take that as a no. Just relax and drink."
This time the water went down more smoothly. After a few minutes, moisture again returned to his body. Following this, Syrka broke apart some dried bits of fruit and fed them to him. Before long, some measure of his energy had returned. He was able, then, to sit without her assistance.