Going Home

Chapter Four

Kaida moaned softly, before sitting up and looking around her surroundings. She was lying on the furs she had been laying on earlier, and her eyes widened as she remembered what had happened. She tried to call out Draco's name but her voice was scratchy. She looked around fearfully, and tried to get up, only to feel a wave of dizziness. Kaida fell back to the ground, scraping her back against the floor. She groaned softly, and closed her eyes, before shivering slightly. Her head felt like it was on fire, and it was moving slowly now that her initial wake up was over with. She looked over to the cave entrance and saw a figure standing there. Her eyes widened as she feared that Cassiopeia had found her, but that fear was diminished once she realized that the form was too big to be a human queen. She smiled as a voice growled into the cave. It was Draco.

"Kaida, are you awake?" Draco asked. Kaida nodded, before wondering if Draco could see her. She decided to respond verbally, just in case he couldn't

"Yes," she said, though her voice was hoarse, and she broke into a coughing fit. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth, only to freak out when she felt warm stickiness on it. When she pulled her hand away, she couldn't see what was on it, and she feared the worse.

Thankfully, when Draco came into the cave, he had brought in some wood and quickly started a fire. It was then that she could see what was on her hands. Her fears were correct. Her hand was covered with blood that she had coughed up.

"We must get you to Ophiuchus,'' Draco muttered, noticing the blood on her hand. He pulled a small rag out of his pocket, and wiped it off, before tossing the rag into the fire. "I forgot that humans have a more delicate immune system when I got those berries for you."

"What berries did you get me?" Kaida whispered, her voice even hoarser than before.

"Humans call them pokeweed berries,'' Draco said. "I didn't realize that they were poisonous to humans until after you passed out."

Kaida tried to stand, but she only fell backward toward the ground, but didn't hit it due to Draco catching her with his large paw. She groaned, and Draco shifted her so he could rest her head against the soft pad of his paw. He brought her close to his chest, and hobbled out of the cave on three paws. He leaped off the ledge, and was instantly flying south, the opposite direction of the queen's palace.

Kaida groaned softly as the air rushed past her quickly, and she tried to focus on something other than her pounding head, and her grumbling stomach. She closed her eyes, which made her head feel slightly better, but not enough to make her easily pass out. She wished she was asleep but she knew she wouldn't be able to nap with the pain she felt in her stomach and head. She wouldn't be able to sleep with the pain that was slowly spreading.

"Kaida, you must stay with me!" Draco yelled as Kaida's breathing started to slow. Kaida jolted softly, and her soft umber eyes met Draco's charoite ones. Draco smiled softly, though he kept a steady pace as he flew through the air.

"You have really pretty eyes," Kaida couldn't help but say. Draco's smile widened slightly before he started slowing down, and letting himself drop slowly through the air until his feet gently touched the ground in front of a small brick house. He had barely tapped on the door with his large claw when it opened, and a tall man took Kaida inside. Draco was quick to transform into his human form and followed them inside. The man was taller than Draco, and Draco was already really tall.

The man placed the human girl on a table set up in the middle of the room. Draco looked around the room, and frowned softly. The room was small for Draco, and he had no idea how the larger man lived in such small quarters. Draco stopped looking around the room when he noticed that her breathing had slowed until it was almost imperceptible. Draco gently shook her, trying to get her to wake up, but her eyes refused to open. Draco grew more frantic as he realized that she had passed out, probably sometime around when he had started his descent from the air.