Honor Bound | (On-going)

Healer, Heal Thyself

All was darkness and distant, muted pain. The wolf-mind curled up with Roland's human mind and together they slept the sleep of near-death. However, through that all-encompassing darkness, a probing sensation filtered into his mind.

Fingers ran through his fur. Softly and gently they prodded at his wounds. The touch was delicate, light, and filled his whole body with a pleasant warm glow. Pain subsided into a dull, distant ache. Firm but careful hands deftly massaged the wounded shoulder. It was a nicer experience than he expected, considering the shoulder was nothing but a piece of hamburger and broken bones. The wolf mind-yawned, allowed its awareness to briefly expand, then curiously reached out towards that glow.

Roland blearily opened his eyes, but they were not his icy blue human eyes. They were the hybrid hazel-blue of both wolf and man. A blurry face turned towards him, leaned down near his face, and moved its mouth. The hot rush of breath washed over his fur-covered cheek. The face and scent of its breath were familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Another blurry figure stood over him and waved a hand. It raised a gun and shot at something, but there was no sound.

Everything hurt.

Even with the gentle warmth that knitted his flesh back together, everything still ached. The darkness of oblivion called to him, but the probing hands kept drawing up his consciousness. Sleep... Oh, how he yearned for it. Why wouldn't they just let him sleep? The wolf huffed in disgusted irritation and faded back into the recesses of his mind.

Oh Erthes, blessed mother, bring sleep to these tired bones. The sight of the two others faded, eyes fluttered shut. Sleep. Yes... blessed peace.

"Roland!"

Suddenly, there was a rough, blunt pain in his side. It lifted his rib-cage slightly off the ground. Air rushed out of his lungs in a tight huff. Blearily, awareness returned and with it the throbbing pain that wracked his body.

There was a commotion above his head. Someone again shouted his name. Roland's eyes snapped open and he snarled. All he wanted to do was sleep, and he was willing to maul anyone who kept him from it.

"Roland!"

The shout was right in his ear. SNAP! His teeth shut on nothing but air. However, the effort it took to do even that much, drained his limited resources. Again someone shouted his name, but from a safer distance, and poked him with something. Snarling with more of a threat, he lifted his head towards the familiar voice.

"Lynda! Don't do that! I just healed that!"

The second voice was softer, but full of anger and fear. The words hissed out as if spoken between clenched teeth. Muffled, multiple-shot gunfire rattled nearby. Blurry vision made it difficult to see faces or make out anything beyond basic shapes and shadows.

Irritated, anger-fueled, curiosity drew him further into full awareness.

"I don't care, if he doesn't wake up he's going to..." the first voice was tense and angry - Lynda.

But, wasn't she fighting two hyena-things? More gunfire, now louder and clearer, chattered through the air nearby. He blinked again and shook his head. Leaf litter and dirt kicked up into the air and into his nostrils. A sneeze sent a wave of pain throughout his torso, back and neck, and echoed inside his head.

"No! He's not!" A sharp intensity laced the second voice's tones, then faded into fearful denial. "I won't let him..."

'Won't let him... won't let him what? Wait... Was that Dawn?'

The soft embrace of sleep crept back into his brain. Everything hurt and the darkness of unconsciousness beckoned invitingly to him. Softly, almost unnoticed, he sighed and relaxed, letting exhaustion drag him back down into darkness.