|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:21 pm
Akos wasn't suppose to wander. But he was tired of constantly having to play with his sisters. They weren't so bad, most of the time. But from the minute they came out of their baskets he hadn't had a free moment to himself.
He could still remember a time of cold silence. It made him shiver to think about it. Momma Aurora had told him it was a memory from when he was in his basket, from when his birth family had died. Akos didn't much care, he just knew he didn't like that memory. But sometimes that quiet aloneness . . . he missed it.
So Akos went wandering. He made sure his sisters were with Momma Aurora and didn't notice him slip away. If Papa Dante had been around, Akos wouldn't have dared trying to venture away. But it was time for a hunt, so Akos felt safe enough, if he was quick about it, in exploring a bit.
The sun was warm and he had munched on berries and a few grasshoppers. Akos was just beginning to think about heading back when he saw something odd in a brambles patch.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 3:09 pm
Akos moves cautiously closer to the small dot of glowing red. Noticing the wings, one pierced and held by a long thorn, he wonders what he's found. Carefully, he stretches his nose out to sniff. The fluttering suddenly becomes frantic, tearing the tiny wing further.
A tiny chime of alarm, so high it is almost past his range of hearing sounds.
Started, Akos pulls back. "Oh, um . . . hello. Are you hurt?" He moves to look more closely. That wing was definitely damaged. He wasn't sure something like that would heal. But the thing was fluttering with an obviously terrified energy. "There now, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." He didn't figure it would survive long on that thorn like that. But Akos felt sorry for the little thing, whatever it was. It honestly looked like a little puff of light with wings.
As the foal leans in again, the chime, high and frightened repeats. But when the threat didn't cause immediate harm, it settles a bit.
Blinking, "Here, look, I'm going to try to help, okay? Just . . . stay still." Akos wasn't sure what was up with the little bit of light, but he felt bad for it. Her, probably, the more he listened to the high chime, the more he felt it was female, whatever it was.
The mote of light flutters some more as Akos comes in closer. But it is quickly running out of energy.
Akos carefully reaches out his nose to touch the little fairy, trying to calm it. "It's okay, I'm just . . . OW!" He pulls back as a tiny sting hits him. It doesn't really hurt, but he rubs his nose against his leg anyway. "Hey now! I'm just trying to help, what was that for?"
The fairy shouldn't have stung him, it's glow was dimming as it struggled. It seemed to know it was close to death, though it's thoughts were by no means complex. The chiming sound that had earlier been alarm softens, becoming almost musical.
With a sigh, Akos looks at the thing again. He was about ready to leave it, until the chiming, on the edge of inaudible, called to his heart. "Okay, okay, I'll help, just don't bite me again!"
As carefully as he can, Akos bites away some of the branches and thorns around the thing, trying not to shake the thorn she's on, causing further damage. But he has to clear a path to get to her so he can pull her off without risking impaling himself on a thorn or catching the thing on another branch or thorn.
Finally, he had cleared enough area to reach in with a clawed foot. Carefully, he cupped up under the thing and brought his foot up to take the weight of the mote so it no longer pulled on the thorn. Of course, to him, he could hardly tell there was any weight. But it wasn't dangling free any more.
Suddenly panicking, she again flutters and struggles, but doesn't chime at the foal again.
"Stop that! You're only tearing your wing further, I won't hurt you." Akos was definitely wondering if this was worth the trouble. But the mote stilled and he carefully pulled it from the thorn. Cupping it towards him, he looked down at it.
"Well, now what am I going to do with you, huh? I can't just leave you, you'd die with your wing torn like that."
The mote fluttered its wings one more time. It turned to look up at him, the bell tone almost a coo.
Blinking, "Oh, well . . . you're welcome, I guess. If that's what you're trying to say, anyway. Um . . .okay. I'm going to set you down, alright? So I can look at your wing." As he spoke, Akos carefully lowered the thing to a bare rock that was flat, dry, and mostly dirt free.
The chime of alarm again sounds from the little puff of light.
Akos looks around, trying to figure out what prompted the suddenly panicked sound. After a minute of looking, following where the mote seemed to be facing, he saw a small trundling bug. "Um . . . okay. It's okay, I won't let it hurt you."
He sighed, wondering what he had gotten himself into. "Okay, let me see your wing." Carefully, Akos reached out with a clawed foot. He didn't touch it unless he had to, but it looked like some of the delicate material of the wing was torn, but the veins were all still there. Which he was certain was better than if they were torn.
He needed something to hold the wing together while it healed. But the thing was so tiny. How was he going to . . . an idea started him smiling.
It took a few minutes to find a bit of spiderweb, but he happily gathered it and carried it back to the rock with the mote. She wasn't as dim as she had been towards the end of her time on that thorn, but she wouldn't have caught his attention now if he wasn't looking for her. Akos wondered what one fed a little bit of light.
"Okay little one, I'm going to try and patch up your wing, okay? Don't bite me again or I might drop you. Just . . . hold still."
As the foal sat on his hind legs, using both foreclaws to reach towards her with the spiderweb, she chimed with alarm.
Akos paused, looking around again. But this time the only thing he could see that she might be referring to was him. Slowly counting to ten, something he had learned to do dealing with his sisters, Akos tries again. "Look. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I just want to help. This will help . . . I hope."
She sounded afraid, and weak.
Thinking about it for a moment, Akos decided she wanted his help. But something was frightening her. With a sigh, he finally figured he just needed to do what he could. He tried to ignore the pitiful chiming as he carefully wrapped her torn wing, laying the spiderweb along the side, holding the material of the wing back into place against the veins. After a short time, she stopped struggling, her light very dim.
He felt bad for the little mote, not sure what else he could do for her. Finally, the wrapping was done and he moved back. "There, look. It's better, see? It's okay."
The fairy seemed to examine her wing. Even though it was wrapped in spider web, it felt better than it had since she had gotten stuck on the thorn. A happy sounding bell-like note rings out. She fluttered the wing a bit, her light brightening slightly.
Akos couldn't help but smile. "Yes, look. It's better, yes?" He watched as she tried it out. It wouldn't support her, but it seemed to be doing much better. He hoped the spiderweb would hold it in place and it would heal.
"Well, I can't leave you now. Not if you can't fly. I can't fly, but I can walk. You'd just starve if I left you. So . . . I guess you're coming with me. I'm Akos. What shall we call you?" He didn't expect an answer, but more seemed to be talking to himself.
A grin lit Akos' face as he raised her towards it. "I know! I'll call you Anne. Hello Anne! It's nice to meet you!" He started to try and walk back towards where his family should be waiting. But he quickly noticed that trying to carry her gently, not dropping her, wasn't going to be easy while walking. And for all that he had wings of his own, he was still having a hard time figuring out how to land without crashing.
A long pause while he thought later, Akos has an idea. "Okay Anne, I'm going to put you in my mane. It's feathers, so it's very soft. And you can ride there, okay? Try not to fall off, I don't know if I can catch you. But we can find Momma Aurora and she can tell me what to feed you, okay?"
He doesn't hesitate as he reaches up to put the little thing in his mane. And once she is safely between his ears, he starts back towards his family again, this time at a quicker pace, though still careful not to jostle or bump her. Akos is fairly beaming with pride as he moves towards where he hears his sisters calling his name. He had found something wonderful and helped it! He couldn't wait to introduce Anne to his family.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
