Conquest : A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

27. Hunts

No.

The first thing she felt was disbelief.

There was no way that Maelstrom - her Maelstrom - could be the dragon in front of her, so lifeless and unresponsive.

But she'd known him since she was a tiny dragonet. The dark blue scales, elegant snout, curving tail were all definitely his.

She could distinguish him amongst a thousand dragons who were the same size, colour, and tribe. His features were imprinted in her mind.

No, it can't be.

She ran forward blindly and dropped into a crouch next to his still body, trying desperately to feel for a pulse, a heartbeat, a sign of life.

Her numb brain registered that his eyes were closed. That was one flare of hope - if they had been open and unblinking, he would've definitely been dead. Now he might just be unconscious.

Her frantic talons skipped across his arm to his wrist, checking his pulse. For a moment, she felt nothing, and her heart just about shattered.

Then she felt it - the faint, weak throbbing that told her he was still alive.

A ray of light in the darkness.

Almost drowning in relief, she then checked his breathing, which was shallow, shaky but present.

Now his wound.

That was easy to find - there were many. A series of slashes across his stomach and chest. But the wound causing the most trouble was a deep cut on his stomach.

Sandstorm tried to tamp down her panic. Maelstrom needed her and therefore, she mustn't let him down. She had to figure this out.

First, she ripped off a long piece of cloth from the makeshift beds in the medical tent. Then she wrapped it around his wounds, trying to reduce blood loss.

He was either unconscious or in a coma. She hoped it was the first.

Sandstorm shot to her talons and sprinted towards the boxes in the back. One of them contained the medicine she needed right now - not the advanced ones that would fix his wounds, but one that would stop the pain.

After rummaging in several of them, she found what she was looking for - a bottle with dark liquid inside. Sandstorm seized the bottle and rushed back to Maelstrom. 

The bottle contained a strong-smelling liquid made from crushed poppy seeds and a few other herbs - like the one Hyacinth had used to knock out Hibiscus and her lackeys when they were retrieving the Firestone. 

It was strong enough to make a full-grown dragon fall asleep instantly with just one drop. It numbed pain as well and assisted in surgeries. 

Sandstorm gently pried open Maelstrom's jaws and tilted the bottle, allowing just a drop to fall into his mouth before righting it. His body reflexively swallowed. 

Slightly pleased, Sandstorm turned her attention to the red bandages. She knew that the medical dragons had prepared poultices for wounds beforehand, as to not waste time when injured soldiers were brought in. 

Now she only had to find them. Clay had taught them basic poultices for wounds. She could use that knowledge to treat Maelstrom's shallower scratches. 

On another side of the tent were empty crates lined up against the wall, with ready-made poultices, ointments and bandages. Sandstorm's eyes darted from mixture to mixture, looking for the one she needed. 

There! It was the most common one - a dull brownish-green poultice, all its components prepared and ready for use. 

Recalling her lessons, Sandstorm ran over to where the buckets of water were placed. She seized one and gently cleaned the wounds with water, before carefully applying the poultice. Then she took out some proper bandages and wrapped them around the slashes.