Tyranny: Onwards

Chapter 83- Spatter

Blood.

I dare to be slightly pleased to have at last found something, even if it no comfort. Aegis shows no reaction at all with the finding, Hester scowls at it slightly but with a sour potency, Rin gasps a little, Phoenix appears troubled, maybe angered even.

Genesis steps a few of her strides before digging to show us more crimson on the leaves below. The scarlet pools have been dulled from freezing inside the few curled leaves. On and on the trail goes, a few drops at a time, no surrounding footsteps or scents at all; as though he floated away while wounded, but that is one thing I know Luzumi can't do...oh...wait. They can. Wind Bending.

"Do you think Blaze was Wind Bending?" I inquire Aegis while we all skirt along through the trees after Genesis.

"Hm, well I guess it's possible, especially if he needed to move faster then he could run and or was injured; there's no evidence suggesting their were direct strong winds along his trail and there certainly would be." He concludes.

Soon we are crunching swiftly over gentle slopes, no one says anymore, and no one does anything more, just walking in silence. Me and Aegis still plow a trail through the thinner snows behind Genesis. Once the night is full-set upon the lands and the snow shows its brilliance, the slopes have graduated into mighty hills.

"Let us now search for shelter, we can't see a thing." Aegis sighs and I can tell he wants so very desperately to keep going.

"I can go right behind Genesis and we could all link hands, then we won't get lost." I suggest, since no one could probably sleep right now anyways.

"Everyone agree?" He inquires and they all nod. Aegis drops his flames and takes my hand, behind him is Hester, then Rin, with Phoenix at the very back

Every now and again a stomach gurgles in hunger or someone stumbles a bit, but at least we are still extremely sheltered by the wood. My sides still pain me gravely but I push on knowing that Blaze is probably in worse condition then me and Dagwood must be completely terrified.

"Woa-" I somehow walk right into Genesis; who stands still and will not move, did she lose the scent again? 

"What's the hold up?" Phoenix peaks around at me, fire in his free hand.

"I don't know yet." I turn back and crouch down, releasing Aegis's hand, I tip forward onto my knees and hands. With surprise and shock I give  a bit of a frightened yell, throwing my body away from it out  of the pure instinct built heavily into my brain; my mind believing there to be a terrible threat nearby. I stare at my hands, but have seen too much to be horrified, yet my heart still drops. Deep crimson soaks them as paint.

More troubling is that this has no effect on me mentally, how many times have I been soaked head to toe in blood? How many lives have I taken? How many faces have I already forgotten? Most often I wonder if I can even forgive myself; I'm the reason for so many fatherless and or motherless children, I am the reason for so much agony and pain, do I deserve to live after I've stolen so much from others everywhere? Maybe it was worth letting my family dissolve to save others? Why do I care so much about parents I do not know, or money I do not use? Although, I am glad I got to come and meet the Luzumi, get away from Society.

No! This is not the time to be pondering such things, right now everything I have must be focused on saving Blaze and Dagwood, they are far more important; if they died because we were late by seconds, because I was pondering, how could I live with that?

So up a drag myself in the dark and hold my hands in front of me blankly, Aegis sees and washes it by melting snow with fire; since that's warmer than Water Bending right now I would assume. No one else spots it as they are all busy inspecting the find. I nod in appreciation to Aegis, knowing we both want to keep everyone as calm as we can for as long as we can.

There are large hills and steep slopes all about us now, I gaze around in awareness of their looming structures as the others all react to the sight of so much blood. Even worse is knowing without a doubt whose blood it is.

"Everyone go over there for a minute, Claire come here." Aegis commands and we all listen, no reason in arguing or anything right now.

"Yeah?" I arrive at his side in the cloak that may as well have made me invisible in the shadows of night.

"Tell me as much as you can about what this could mean." He breathes frost with his words and points, not looking away from it, maybe trying to show strength in this, or maybe he has also somehow for some reason been taught or self-taught how to eradicate emotions from heart, mind, and soul.

"The human body has about seven percent of their body weight in blood, averaging around five point five for adult males if I remember correctly. But, he is a Luzumi, I have no idea of your anatomy..." I inform him and gaze to his blank face so dim.

"Assess it as though he has Human anatomy. Better than nothing."

"Okay, well, isolating this here, I would say a slash of sorts to the side of the torso maybe, or just under the shoulder blade? Hard to tell, especially in this lighting, but I would estimate something like that." I bend down and inspect the edges to see if it's a spatter or pool. "I think he was being carried, the blood spatters at the edges in a way that indicates he was being held or carried by his hood perhaps? But I have reason to believe they were holding him straight up, I have met only one man who could hold anyone so high and straight for so long and not leave a trace." I look up at him again waiting.