The Commander's Wolf

Six

Pain ripped through Tala's shoulder as she opened her eyes. The sunlight was blinding her eyes but she ignored it to the best of her ability as she attempted to sit up; and as she finally managed to sit up, she saw that she was completely alone in a forested area. "Cullen? Adanaya? Anyone?" She called out as she stood on shaky legs, but when she went to take a step she fell forward and felt the wind getting knocked out of her. "Oomph!" She huffed out as she closed her eyes in pain. Opening them again, she sat up on her knees and looked around to see bodies of both groups of blood mages and red Templars, lying around. She saw blood splatter on tree trunks, leaves, bushes and blood pooling on the ground. What happened here? She asked herself looking around until her eyes landed on a familiar form lying deathly still and that form caused her heart to stop in its tracks. No! Her thoughts derailed as she stared at the lifeless form. As her eyes grew wide, everything from before came haunting back and she felt hot tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. She couldn't move or breath even as familiar voices called out to her, all she could do was stare at the figure lying before her and found her body automatically standing and limping over to the form, well more like standing and falling repeatedly as she attempted to go over to the figure. No please...don't be true...you can't be...I don't... I won't believe that you are dead... "Grandma!" She called out which alerted the voices, that had been calling out to her, to her location. Tala felt her weak legs give out from under her just before she could reach the body of her grandmother and so rolling onto her side and reaching out with her good hand, which fell short of her grandmother's, she began to feel shadows closing in around her as running footfall and a familiar masculine voice called out to her. But the voice sounded as if its owner was miles away rather then coming up on her. "Grand....ma...." with that Tala felt the darkness take her as she dropped out of consciousness as if she was tied to a block of concrete. When she next awoke, she felt the sheets of a bed around her and sat bolt upright, which jarred her injured shoulder and caused her to yelp out in pain.

"Tala!" Cullen's voice all but shouted in worry as he rushed to her side immediately. "Tala! You shouldn't be sitting up so soon. Your injuries are still quite severe!" He informed her as she kept her eyes closed. She wanted to snap at him, to tell him she didn't care about her injuries but her mind and mouth both just could not form the words. She felt him ever so gently force her to lay back down.

"Where is my grandmother?" She asked as she finally managed to open her eyes to see that she was not in her own room, but in his and she turned her head to see Cullen frown as his gaze turned away from her.

"I'm sorry Tala. She...she is no longer with us...you both were ambushed by Blood Mages and Red Templars when you two left to find some herbs. The guards that were sent along with you were also all killed. You are the only survivor." He told her as she closed her eyes and turned her face back to the ceiling felling tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry..." he managed in a choked out whisper. Tala knew that both of them weren't the only ones mourning the loss of her grandmother. The 'Elder of Skyhold' had become a favorite at the fortress and now it would become almost too quiet without her. "Tala?" Cullen asked when he received no response. She opened her eyes and blinked away tears.

"I can't..." she said as he brushed her hair back. Closing her eyes again she felt a tear slide down the left side of her face and into her hair. Cullen remained quiet but he did manage to walk over to the other side of the bed, climbed on top of the sheets, helped her sit up and pulled her close as she began to sob with her entire body shaking as she did. When the time for her grandmother's funeral came and went, Tala could walk but it wasn't without some difficulties. Her right arm was in a sling to allow it to heal properly, her left leg was the most troublesome as her knee had been fractured which was amazing in the least to say, but now she knew that her injuries would begin to act up on cold days and nights.