Seared

== Full Text ==
Akkey Black: The impact on her wound as she fell into the water was agonizing, and Akkey almost blacked out from the pain. It broke the makeshift ice, blood flowing out in a steady stream and mixing with the murky water. She choked, air bubbles floating to the surface. She was running out of air.The surface… get up there… She struggled underneath, releasing herself from the now motionless puppet. The motion whirled her around, and she caught sight of dolls previously thrown in, broken and seal-less. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar body, frozen in the muddy seabed.Did she freaking lose it again…
Akkey’s head thudded and she choked again. Desperately she swam for the surface, feeling weak from the blood loss. Only barely did she make it, breaking through the water and draping herself over a floating object, coughing violently.
Hrinthe: Two dragon talons swooped down, lifting her up by arms and armor and pulling her into the air. The black nadder with the silver spikes flew with her in tow, depositing her gently on the shore of the lake.
Then the illusion appeared, revealing the young girl looking extremely worried.
“You are hurt!” she cried out, sniffing at the wound.  “It is bleeding.  It must be stopped!”
Akkey Black: She rolled over, gasping her thanks to the girl.Didn’t we fly…?Akkey shook her head, the pain too distracting for her to register anything else, “I can’t hold out much longer. The ice barely worked… I need to find Hunter.”
Hrinthe: Hrinthe gazed down at her.  The chief was losing blood quickly, thanks to a wound that had not been closed.  She quietly recalled some of the things she knew about humans; how dragons dealt with wounds, and what might possibly work…
“Chief,” she spoke, bowing her head.  “Your armor and shirt.  Open so I can see wound.  You are human, so it will hurt.  Bite down on something.”
Akkey Black: “What?” she weakly rolled her gaze towards Hrinthe to look at her. She felt her shirt being lifted, exposing the wound to the bitter wind. Her eyes widened, “Wait a minute, what–!” There was a flash and a flame was lit, and she jolted as she felt it right on her stomach. 
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” 
She didn’t even have time to prepare. The pain was immense, nothing she had ever experienced before. And it didn’t stop. It went on, starting from the inside, burning nerve endings and searing the wound together, slowly, meticulously. She thrashed under Hrinthe, tears running down her cheeks, an endless scream ripping from her throat. She wanted to get away, make it stop, it hurts, gods it hurts, make it stop make it stop-!!
Hrinthe: The dragon had dropped her illusion the moment her flame lit, and she did what she could to make it quick.  She used her claws to hold Akkey down, ensuring that she did not accidentally injure herself or cause the flame to miss.  
It took time, and it was messy.  Hrinthe was not used to working on humans, who were so much smaller and more frail than dragons.  It was hard to block out the screaming, but she did everything she could to focus and sear the wound closed.  She hoped she didn’t cause any extra damage.  
Finally, it was done.  She remained on top of Akkey, holding her down, in case of more flailing while the burn cooled.
Akkey Black: Her screams still carried over the battlefield long after the flame was extinguished. Blinded by tears and pain, she struggled underneath dragon claws as the burning faded away. It finally cooled; she stopped moving, one hand gripped on a claw in her previous attempts to get it off, and the other arm draped over her mouth as she hiccuped and sobbed, breathing heavily. The wound reduced to a dull, aching throb.
Hrinthe: Hrinthe bowed her head and quietly moved off of Akkey.  She brought the illusion back up.
“I am sorry,” the image of the girl replied, looking very sorrowful.  “I know it hurts.  But bleeding is stopped.  You will be all right now until you can find a healer.  Sometimes it must hurt to be made better.”
Akkey Black: She didn’t have the energy to sit up. Akkey just laid there, gasping, hand hovering near her abdomen but too afraid to touch the freshly cauterized wound. But the girl… or dragon, was right. It was no longer bleeding; that was what was important.
“You… a dragon?” she weakly looked at Hrinthe and whispered, voice hoarse and scratchy. You seemed familiar…
Hrinthe: Hrinthe nodded, releasing her human image briefly to show her normal self once more.  I am a dragon.  But I look human to other humans if I want.  It makes communicating easier at times.
She brought the human illusion back as an example.  The girl looked very worried, but relieved at something.  
“You will be all right,” she spoke again, smiling.  “Rest for now.  There is still fighting.”
Akkey Black: Akkey squinted slightly as Hrinthe changed forms, Really… familiar… But she dismissed the thought, hearing the clash of weapons around them again. “Right… right, fighting. Sending dolls to the lake… that’s what I was doing.” She rolled over and slowly got on her knees, sweating profusely at the effort, one hand clutching her stomach, “Thank you for… helping me….”
Hrinthe: Hrinthe smiled and helped nudge Akkey to her feet.
“You are Chief.  You are fighter.  This is war,” she replied.  “I help rebels.  You must live through battle.”  She tilted her head, chuckling in an odd reminiscent way.  “You get in trouble a lot.”
She jerked her head towards the battle.  “I can bring you to healers first.  Or we can fight.  Healers are better.”
Akkey Black: She glanced at her, still confused. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was air of familiarity. She bowed her head, grinning apologetically, “Yeah, healers are better. But we don’t have time for that. There are too many coming too fast…”
Hrinthe: Hrinthe stood up straight and banished the illusion.  The dragon gazed back down at Akkey, bowing.
Then we shall fight.  I will fight alongside you and keep you safe.
There was a pause. 
Until the Dragonsong strengthens.
Akkey Black: “The Dragonsong?” she asked while unsheathing her sword and replenishing her water supply. A Valhallan soldier came running straight for them and Akkey shot an ice shard his direction, the wound still hurting.
Hrinthe: Hrinthe sent a few spikes towards the soldier, finishing him off.
The Dragonsong… it was sung the night before Ragnaraok began. And it strengthens.
… Father Midgardsormr… he is angry.  Soldiers massacred the nest at his shrine.  Hatchlings, elders, eggs, destroyed.  He sings.  It will begin soon.
Hrinthe turned to Akkey.  The illusion appeared briefly, a sorrowful, solemn girl.  Then the dragon rumbled.
I am sorry.  I will try to be far from rebels.
Akkey Black: Her throwing hand twitched in the air when she heard her explanation. He sings. I am sorry. I will try to be far from the rebels. Thoughts raced. Why?
“Are you… going to harm us?” she eyed the dragon carefully.
Hrinthe: Hrinthe slowly turned towards Akkey, her golden eyes whirring.
Yes.
It is His command.  I can only warn you because I know it comes.  And I like humans.  But I am dragon.  Humans committed a grave sin towards us.  He is Father of all Dragons, Alpha of us all.  It is absolute.  When he sings, it will happen.
Akkey Black: Akkey froze in place. The dragons will attack.
She wanted to protest, to beg her to stop it before it happened. They were dragon riders! Plenty of the rebels have unbreakable bonds, friendships with their fire breathing friends. She had her own dragon, Maru, a deadly nadder… but she remembered it was war. A war against multiple sides. There will be those whom they have to fight, who die… including the dragons.
She shut her mouth in a thin, sad line. A hand lunged forward towards Hrinthe’s face, who immediately backed up in defense. But the ice shard passed by her side, embedding itself into the seal of a puppet that came up behind the dragon. Akkey turned away, concentrating on attacking more enemies in silence and grim determination.
Hrinthe: Hrinthe was quiet, saddened, but she did her part to lash out at any puppets she saw, any enemies; her flame consumed all.
I will protect you until the song strengthens.  Then I must go.  It is to protect you and rebels and other friends.  I am sorry.  Not all dragons are as close to Father Midgardsormr as I am.  They may not know. 
I do not know who attacked the nest.  But it is Ragnarok.  They fear us.  They fear power and our unity.  So they murdered.
She roared and bit a puppet in half, ripping off its head and tossing it as far as she could.
It is war.
I do not like war.
… I just want to fly with my rider again.
Akkey Black: She nodded mutely as they pressed on, meeting foe and friend alike, fighting and supporting however they could. Akkey went back to opening portals under mannequins and dumping them into the lake; it was fast than trying to target their seals.
“What happened with your rider?”
Hrinthe: Hrinthe burned foes without discrimination, breaking their jaws and necks once they fell to the ground.  She only hoped that the mannequins would stop if she did so.
She is dead.  Walpurgisnacht took her.
Akkey Black: Her eyebrows creased sadly, gritting her teeth regretfully, Must have been one of the people I missed.
“I’m sorry. What was her name?”
Hrinthe: She was quiet for a moment.  Then she stepped on a mannequin, crushing its jaw.
Kiri.
Akkey Black: Akkey whirled around, her mouth gaping. Kiri.
That’s where she’s seen Hrinthe. The deadly nadder that Kiri rode… that’s her, “You’re Dagger.” she breathed, a hand passing over her face. She dreaded asking the next question, but she felt that she had to, “Do… do you know how she…?”
Hrinthe: Hrinthe continued methodically crushing the jaws and necks of every mannequin in sight.
We went to her home village.  We were flying back.  We fell in a trap.  I tried to protect her.  I was hit.  I woke up next to the dead dragon.  Judge Donz and his men were gone.  Kiri was gone.
Donz was not nice to her.
… she is in a happier place now.
Akkey Black: Akkey bit her lip, feeling hot tears gathering in her eyes. “Kiri… she saved me. And I couldn’t save her… Kiri…” she covered her mouth, stricken with grief. She didn’t notice the faint rattles of a mannequin coming up fast behind her, aiming for a bite on her head.
Hrinthe: Hrinthe launched forward and released a spray of nadder spikes.  The mannequin was forced back, pinned to the ground by all of them.
Then she looked back at Akkey as she deliberately stepped on the mannequin’s jaw, crushing it.
It was sad to watch.  It is still sad.  I miss her.  She was already dying.  Judge Donz made it worse.  He made Walpurgisnacht a weapon.  He should die a thousand deaths.
The dragon released an angry hiss, flaring her wings.
Akkey Black: She choked, tears streaming down her face. She managed to thrust her sword forward, right into the forehead of a Valhallan half breed, slightly sickened at the thought of having to kill him, “I’m so sorry… I’m sorry…”
Hrinthe: Hrinthe roared and jumped back up, spraying her flame around.
It is not place to be sorry.  It is place to fight in memory.  We fight!  Soldiers of Valhalla and Odin will pay in blood!
She turned back to Akkey, her gaze determined.
We shall battle now.  Let us go.  And we will see how the day takes us.
Akkey Black: Her chest was tight; she wanted to crawl into somewhere safe and forget all the pain, the destruction, the death. Kiri’s dead. But now was not the time.
She furiously rubbed the tears away, forcing herself to stop. Dagger was right, in her broken English and soothing growls. She nodded, determined, and whirled around, a water tendril whipping and slicing a line of soldiers. Her wound throbbed but she ignored it.
Fight in memory.
Category:Season 5
Category:Events
Category:Akkey Black
Category:Hrinthe Fishgiver