Selena
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Selena looked over at her as the winds grew in strength, and sighed. “I’m… not sure you understand what I meant. Your injuries will all pull at my winds, taking what they need all at once. If I’d had more training from my village healer, I would be able to do as you ask, but…”
Her face was pale under her fur, but she knew she had no choice. “But I can’t. Before I start, you should know that there will be a mark on your body somewhere-a hexagon, with a triangle and then a circle inside it. It will disappear bit by bit as the healing sets into place, but until that happens, you will need to be careful with the amount of stress you put on your body.”
She, on the other hand, wouldn’t even be able to walk. With injuries like this, she’d be lucky if she could open her eyes afterwards-so it was safe to say that she was not looking forward to the results. It was too late, however, and while her message to any of her kind that may still be alive and free had gotten out through the bars of the windows, it was time for her to do what she had been brought here to do.
And the injuries were already beginning to grab at her. The winds all converged under her hands where she held them over the female’s leg, the energy pulling out of Selena and channeling into her patient’s body. As she watched, the leg straightened out, no longer crushed, perfectly healed again. More energy was pulled from her body, more and more, and it felt as if it was never ending.
Selena knew that her ribs would show after this, that she would be thin and her fur would lack any shine to it, but as the last of the injuries healed and the mark appeared on the female’s body, the drain of the energy was just too much.
Her mind went black, and she never even knew when she landed on the floor.
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Selena winced, knowing she was going to be barely even able to stand by the time she was done. “I would if I could, but my training never got far enough for me to learn how to separate different injuries. All I can do is start the process and let your injuries pull what is needed out of me.”
Moving over to the bed, she carefully examined the other female a little more closely, giving her a small smile as she did. “What little I do know tells me that you were really lucky out there not to get ripped apart, but then, you knew that already.” Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. “There will be a wind in here while I’m working, but that’s normal, so don’t worry about it.”
Holding her hands out over the female dragonkin, Selena closed her eyes and concentrated on calling the air to her. Immediately, the wind picked up, catching at her hair, but she ignored it, focusing on channeling her energy into the female lying on the bed before her.
((Sounds like a plan to me! =^.^=))
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Selena smiled at the sight of the cat girl lying in the lap of the Nine Tails female. It was something she often did with Larina, whom she saw as a mother, and who was considered to be Selena’s mother, despite the fact that she wasn’t. Larina was also smiling. “To think that just six short weeks ago, you were that size, Selena. Our people grow up all too quickly, unfortunately-if only we could afford to slow the growth process down a bit, we could enjoy our childhoods a bit more.”
Marina snorted. “Impossible, Larina-we need all the fighters we can get.” Her ears flicked backwards before moving forwards again, and she sighed. “But you’re right-two months is nowhere near a long enough childhood.”
“I don’t mind at all.” Selena smiled up at her aunt cheerfully. “I like being big enough to help you and Mother, Aunt Marina.”
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Selena’s ears shot upright as the sound of footsteps approaching reached her. Fear shone in her eyes as she whirled to face the direction they were coming from. “Xie, get out of here-the Warlocks are coming this way!”
Quickly, she returned to the center of her cage, adopting her usual kneeling position on the floor as she did. She had no way of knowing if he had managed to get away in time, because at that moment, the men came into view, glaring at her as they approached. “Your skills are needed, cat. Get up, and follow us, or face the consequences.”
Knowing better than to refuse, Selena did as she was told, waiting until after they had opened her cage to approach the gate-if she hadn’t, they would have shocked her through her collar in order to keep her back, and she had no wish to feel that pain. The last time had been… Don’t think about the werewolf, Selena. It was three winters ago. But why do they want me in particular? And which skill is it that they want me to use…?
Her curiosity was answered minutes later when she was thrown into a room with an actual bed in it, and lying on it was the dragonkin woman she had seen earlier. Just before the door slammed shut, one of the Warlocks snarled at her. “Heal her, quickly. We have a buyer for her, and he wants her in perfect condition. Your healing ability has been unlocked for this task, and you will have to work fast. Understand?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Selena lowered her head in deference as the door slammed shut, the key turning loudly in the lock behind her. She sighed in relief, then turned to the female on the bed with a small smile. She could see that her leg had been completely crushed, but she couldn’t see any other injuries. “Is there anywhere else you’ve been hurt…? I’ll need to know before I start healing your leg.” Standing, she cautiously made her way over, not knowing how the other female would react to her presence.
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Selena withdrew quickly from the bars, her eyes wide as the bolts struck them. She was lucky she’d let go when she had-if she hadn’t, she could have been fried. Seeing how upset he was, however, had her returning to them, a small smile on her lips. “It’s all right, Xie. Just take a deep breath and let it go. No-one’s been hurt, you’re all right.”
She wished she could reach out and touch him, but he was too far away-but she was, at least, able to make a small, cooling breeze for him, in hopes that it would help distract him from the emotions he was clearly feeling.
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“Where would we go, Xie? What would we do?” She shook her head, her hands falling from the bars. There was too much that could go wrong during an escape-not to mention the fact that the Warlocks could track her and completely suppress her powers through her collar.
Her collar. That permanent necklace that prevented her from taking on human shape and walking among them unnoticed, that kept her from using her gift when she wished to. As much as she disliked wearing it, in some ways the engraved words were almost pretty-it had been made to be strong, of course, but that didn’t mean that the spells on it were any less well made.
“I’m better off here, for now. And besides, if you tried to free me, it would alert the humans to your existence-and I don’t want that. They could do to you what they did to me and Borin, then.”
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Rakelle angled her wings so that she dipped into a steep dive, making for her cave deep in the mountain range where she lived. The river outside the entrance rushed by beneath her, tumbling over the rocks, and once again she felt satisfaction in finding a cave like this that was so easily defended by a dragon of her skills.
Back flapping for balance, she landed on the ledge outside, then folded her wings and made her way inside. Inside, there was a number of offshoots, all filled with ice that held various things, be they meat for a time when she was unable to leave her cave or the gold and silver that she had been given over the centuries she had been alive.
She ignored these caves, however, making for the one furthest back from the entrance-her den. Her tail dragged over the ground behind her, in the grove that had formed over the many decades that she had lived here-she often went out to survey the land around her mountains to see if there were new developments, such as more humans arriving or old ones leaving. Rakelle enjoyed observing these tiny creatures, although she always made sure that it was impossible for them to reach her home-the walls of the ravine outside her home were all coated with thick, smooth ice, that she very firmly kept from going too near the water of the river.
After all she had heard of the humans’ activities, she was well aware that she could not be too careful. Usually, when she was home, she sealed the cave entrance with yet more ice, but today, she was expecting a visitor… -
Selena sighed sadly. She missed Borin, too, but there was nothing that could be done about it. “Not all the humans enjoy the fighting, Xienex. Every day I go out there, I see at least one that looks green, as if they were about to be sick. My belief is that someday, those same humans may help those of us in here to escape-and maybe even help us to get out of this city completely. I still dream of the mountains I was born in, of the winds there that held my people safe…”
Her voice trailed off, her fingers finding the bracelet around her wrist. “And where no one is forced to kill another for mere amusement… I have no love for the humans, you know that, but neither do I hate them. It is not the fault of this generation that they are the way they are, but that of their predecessors for teaching them that it is a good thing to treat others the way they do.”
She rarely spoke this much with anyone, really, but with Xienex-well, he was one of the few that could get more than a sentence or so out of her.
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Selena blinked when she felt the disturbance in the air nearby-there was only one person she knew who would go anywhere near that particular cage. Standing, she moved over to the bars, peering through them towards the area in question. Sure enough, he was there, and she smiled sadly before making her breeze tug lightly at his pale yellow hair.
“Xienex. I’d say it’s good to see you again, but you’re risking your freedom by being here-Borin would never have wanted that.” Her voice was quiet, carried to his ears by her breeze, soft with sadness over memories of the friend that they had shared. Borin had been the one to teach her not to hate the humans, to show her how pitiful they really were-and the one that had helped her gain control over the small amount of power she had been allowed to keep.
She never liked to see Xienex here-every time he visited the cage, he risked capture, and that was the last thing either she or Borin had wanted. As Borin once said, better that one of the three of us be free than all of us caged.
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Name: Rakelle Clearstorm
Gender: Female
Age: 580 years old
Abilities: Selena’s abilities are all to do with water-she can create a shield to protect herself, use it as a weapon, or even turn it to ice if she so wished. Most of the time, however, she only uses it to water the crops of the humans in the area where she lives in secret, creating storms that aren’t very strong, but give just enough water to help the plants flourish.
Personality: Rakelle is quiet gentle for a dragon-she cares for all around her, even humans, and aids all as best she can. If there is a drought, she will do her best to keep the lakes filled, a flood, and she will guide the water into the rivers and streams so as not to damage the land.
Unlike other dragons, who hoard gold and steal from humans, Rakelle only takes what she is given-jewelry is kept deep in her cave, frozen in place to prevent thieves from easily taking it away again. She hunts only in the mountains, far from where the humans live, although if they offer her any livestock she accepts it gladly. Other than that, she avoids the humans, and works at making the area where she lives thrive as best she possibly can.
Rakelle doesn’t speak often to others, preferring to sit quietly and assess the situation before speaking in aid of the one she believes to be in the right. She aims to be just and fair in all she does-but if her anger is roused, the results can be devastating. Only a few things will do this, though-deliberate cruelty, murder of one that has helped you, or the beating of a human that she may be particularly close to.
Rouse her anger, and the storm that would result would be unlike anything ever witnessed, destroying everything that the person who has angered her holds dear-be it their property, their family, or their crops. Another dragon would be forced to fight her, facing her ice spears and other dragons shaped from water with claws and fangs as sharp as Rakelle’s own.
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Rakelle Clearstorm
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Selena knelt in her cage, legs folded neatly under her, hands in her lap as she watched the fights quietly. Her tears had stopped now, and she didn’t regret taking the dragon woman’s prey-better that Etak be killed by a cousin of his people than by someone else, after all. His bracelet was now wrapped around her wrist, hidden by the thick, double layered fur.
She’d briefly taken the chance to examine it-it was literally just a piece of wood with his name scratched onto it, attached to a few pieces of thread that had been knotted into a fairly pretty pattern. Selena already knew that she would prize the bracelet for the rest of her life, as a memorial for the child that had been unfairly killed by her hand that day. His name, like so many others, was now engraved on her soul, and she would never forget him-of that she was sure.
The Warlocks glared at her as they passed her cage-as she had fought that day, she had earned her keep for a few more days at least, and there was nothing they could do unless the crowd demanded she fight again. Her sword had been retrieved, then taken to the armory with the other weapons. Unknown to them, she could summon it whenever she wanted to-her gift over air was just strong enough to bring it to her in the cage, not that she would. She valued her life too much for that.
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Putting up her sword, Marina shoved Selena onto one of the life jacket chests. “Stay there. If you move even an inch, Selena, I’ll have your tail.”
Selena shivered nervously as her mother joined them, smiling cheerfully. Rakelle wasn’t far behind, a small smile of amusement playing about her lips, too. “Always getting in trouble, Selena. You can put your weapons away for now, at least-those Hounds have been completely confined in the ship’s Boiler Room.”
“Good. At least this one” Marina slammed a hand down firmly on Selena’s head, making her wince “can’t get into any more trouble, now.” Her sword began to glow a bright, brown light, which then streamed into a tiger’s eye jewel around her right ankle. “Weapons away, Selena-now.”
“Yes, Aunt Mari.” Flushing underneath her fur, Selena did as she was told, giving her bow and arrow quiver the mental command to turn to light and store themselves in the blue lace agate bracelet at her wrist, noticing that Larina was doing the same thing, too.
“No need to be so hard on her, Marina. She’s only a child, after all.”
“A child that almost got herself killed, Larina. And you know that she’s my responsibility until my own daughter is born.”
Keeping her head down, Selena sighed as her mother and aunt continued to argue with each other about how strict Marina was being with her.
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Selena faced the lion child in front of her, trying not to cry at the sight of the injuries he bore. She wanted to drop her sword, to wrap her arms around the child and whisk him away to where she could heal his wounds and care for him as he should be.
That would spell death for the both of them, however, and so she would once again be forced to kill in her own defense. She didn’t hate the humans-she simply ignored them most of the time-but she did resent that her gift over air had been restricted the way it was. Unable to control it, she felt the single tear roll from her eye and into her fur.
“I’m sorry, boy. I have no choice but to fight you. You understand, right?”
The boy nodded, then somehow managed a smile. He was that badly injured that Selena was amazed he was still standing, and she could smell the stench of infection from some of his wounds. She sighed. “Will you tell me your name, child?”
“My name?”
“What did your mother call you?” She ignored the screams and roars from the humans above her-they weren’t what mattered.
“Oh… I… I think she called me Etak…”
She smiled-and ran forwards, sword held behind her as she approached as swiftly as she could. With his injuries, Etak had no chance anyway, and while he did make a half-hearted swipe at her with his claws, he didn’t really fight back as her blade sank into his chest. “I’m sorry, Etak. I wish I could have helped you.” Her voice was a whisper as she spoke, more tears falling on the child’s face as she pulled her sword back.
Etak didn’t answer-he was already dead. Selena briefly closed her eyes, then drew back from him. In one hand, she now held the tiny knotted bracelet he had worn. You will live on in me, Etak. Forever. I won’t forget you-just as I will never forget the others I’ve been forced to kill in this accursed place. Turning, Selena threw her blade to one side before stalking towards the gate she’d entered the arena through.
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Selena smiled as she placed a hand on Stitch’s head. “I can more than see her-if I needed to, I could heal her as well, although if she needed that kind of help I would be better off calling one of my superiors.” She tilted her head in annoyance at the announcement, fangs bared. “Slipped on at the previous destination…? Hell Hounds don’t just randomly board shi-yeep!”
She winced as her shield was ripped down from outside, revealing a very angry looking cat woman with brown hair, eyes and clothes, wielding a broadsword as if it was practically nothing. “Selenaaaaa….!”
“Um, hi, Aunt Mari…” Selena smiled sheepishly as she stepped in front of the kids. “Nice… um… nice fangs…?”
“Don’t you give me nice fangs!!! You went off on your own again, you silly little brat!!!” Marina’s hand flashed out and she grabbed Selena’s ear, making her yelp in surprise as Marina pulled on the appendage, hard. “For a new born Acolyte, Selena, you have a bad habit of getting into trouble!!!”
“Now, now, Marina, let her ear go, now.” Another snow leopard woman had appeared in the doorway, her eyes sparkling as she smiled playfully. “You and I were just as bad at her age, after all.”
Marina snorted. “I doubt that, Larina. You and I were kept inside the Temple until we were both ten, after all. And neither of us were stupid enough to chase after Hell Hounds when we were three months old!”
“Weren’t we?” Larina smiled and raised an eyebrow, making Marina flush under her fur as she finally released Selena’s ear, looking away as she did. Selena glanced curiously from her aunt to her mother, then smiled ruefully.
“Um… we’re still expected up on deck…”
Marina’s eyes snapped back to her, and she grabbed Selena’s scruff to haul her towards the door. “We are, yes, and I am not letting you out of my sight until after the tickets have all been checked and those Hounds cleaned out. Got that?”
Selena winced. “Yes, Aunt Mari…”