Above the Stars and under the Flames

4. Rescued

Uhrk.. my head.. where am I? Groggy amber eyes fluttered upon, peering sleepily at their surroundings.

"Ah, you're awake!" a female voice came from nearby. "Sister Thellandria Cinderpelt, it is so good to see that you are alright."

Thellandria felt a hand rest on her back; a chill ran up her spine, and she turned her head to see a violet-haired night elf woman smiling down at her. Immediately, Thellandria relaxed and smiled back, if a bit faintly. "Hello," she replied in a raspy voice, finding herself a bit hoarse. "Thank you so much for saving me. Who knows what creatures could have found me in the forest, had you not been there?" She tried to sit up, but found herself rather sore.

"There, there, lay back down again and rest. Don't trouble yourself," the violet-haired woman crooned, reaching over with a damp cloth to dab the druid's periwinkle face.

Thellandria let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up again. "You seem to know my name, probably from a token in my bags.. but what about yours? What am I to call my savior?"

The violet-haired woman chuckled in amusement. "I am Rishe Clawfern," she said, still wiping at the druid's head with her cloth. "You are quite lucky to have not broken anything-not even your armor, save for a few scratches on the way down. Your hippogryph broke the fall very well."

Thellandria became lost in thought. Rishe Clawfern... Something told her she would not forget the name any time soon. Rishe's face was peculiar; her markings were unfamiliar to the druid. They looked almost like little flames leaping up around the sides of her cheeks, cradling her glowing silver eyes. What odd tattoos, Thellandria thought to herself. A family tradition, surely. How interesting!

Suddenly, she blinked and looked around. "My hippogryph! Where? Where is he?" she asked, glancing about wildly.

Rishe placed a hand soothingly on Thellandria's shoulder. "Dear sister, I am afraid there was nothing we could do. At least we can guarantee that he died a swift death, as soon as he hit the ground. There was no suffering."

Thellandria's eyes began to water, but she blinked them away and took a deep breath. "I.. I understand. I am glad he was not in any pain," she replied, then tilted her head. "We? Who else are you with?"

Rishe opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off as another figure emerged from the bushes nearby. "Me," the emerald-haired night elf man said. "Lirandil Clawfern. I am Rishe's brother." He dipped his head, then leaned down and placed a collection of vegetables and fruits on the ground. "I've been out gathering supplies."

"We've been camped here for a few days," Rishe explained, exchanging a quick glance with her brother. "We heard you fall, and we rushed you back here as soon as we could."

Thellandria nodded slowly. "I see. Well, thank you. I'm not entirely sure what caused the fall.. it was as if something had struck my hippogryph with great force, knocking it down." She furrowed her brows and grimaced. "I'm not sure what that something was, though."

"Your mount may have been fatigued, friend. If he was tired enough, even something as insignificant as a gust of wind could have brought him to the ground," Lirandil said, glancing up at Thellandria.

The druid inclined her head in assent, then slowly started to rise up into a sitting position again. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the pain and soreness. "Right," she puffed, then looked around. "Well.. I'd best be going, I suppose. You've been ever so kind, really.. let me know if there is anything I can do to return the favor, but.. I've lost so much time now that I am without a mount; I really cannot spare another minute."