apostascy said:
heal, take care of them when they get sick // ✎
–––––––– Yara leaned down to look at her brother. He was suffering because of her inability to keep him from the rain. She rested her cold hand on his forehead to check his fever. When he first showed signs, she feared the worst. Had he been bitten? She checked his entire body for rips or tears from any kind of demon that could have snagged him. She found nothing of the sorts and figured it was a simple fever that struck him. The rain must’ve brought it out, she declared, making him lay down and rest. The fever was still warm, hot against the palm of her hand, which made her worry.
❝ I’m gonna go get us something to eat, ❞ Yara whispered, gripping the bow that rested against the wall. She pulled Lev’s quiver over her shoulders and looked at him. ❝ I won’t be long, I promise. ❞ She took a breath and moved from the shelter to the outside. The rain still pitter pattered against the leaves as she moved wood to block the entrance. She tried to make it look like there was no way in so Lev could stay safe. Soon, she was walking through the woods, an arrow set against the string of her bow–––Lev’s bow. She had given it to Lev when they left their home island together. She had a pistol, she didn’t need her bow anymore. She was able to shoot just as well with a pistol as she could with a bow. But, since Lev was now fighting off a fever, she held the bow for the time being. It was quieter than her pistol and it could easily kill an animal without damaging the meat.
Her feet crunched through the dead leaves, she was listening to the jumping of the rabbit she heard a little while back. Rabbits were easy to catch, they stood still long enough for her to line up the arrow for a perfect shot through the head. She breathed slowly, looking through the brush as she heard shuffling. Looking around, she picked up a rock and threw it over to the left of the shuffling. Just as she predicted, the rabbit jumped right out of the bushes and into the clearing, startled from the sudden noise. She wondered how it was able to evade the demons so easily to stay alive. Her arrow was drawn back, sitting next to her cheek. Another breath and she let it fly, straight into the rabbit’s head. Blood splattered against the wet ground, confirming her kill. She moved quickly, keeping low behind trees to free the newly dead rabbit from the ground. Her food scrapped the ground to cover the blood, to hide the scent so dogs couldn’t track her. She set the arrow back against the string, shoving the rabbit in her jacket pocket, and made her way back to the shelter were Lev slept.
Her cold fingers removed the covering to the shelter as she moved back in. She immediately went to Lev, where he was situated on the couch, to makes sure he was still there and alive and not being eaten by demons. And, he was there, resting as he should be. She sighed, removing her raincoat and looking around. Lev was shivering underneath his own raincoat. She didn’t know how bad his fever was, but she knew she could do something to help him stop shivering before she made the fire. Looking for fuel, she was also looking for a blanket. It belonged to the Old World and she felt like she shouldn’t even think about touching it. Dust slept on the knitted quilt as she came up to it. Lev was suffering, he was cold. She inhaled and pulled the quilt off the bed, shaking it of dust, bringing it back to him. She pulled off his raincoat that was still wet and tucked him into the quilt.
There were a few things she could burn to make a fire so that she could cook the rabbit. And so she prepared it, taking her knife and skinning it, placing the meat on some stick with vines. Then, she made a fire. The building was old and there were some open spots where sticks fell from tree, but they were also wet. She took some of the wet ones and a broken down chair and headed back into the main room. She crafted their fire and sparked it to life. Immediately, the warmth of the fire hit her cold hands and she sighed with relief. She took the rabbit on the stick and began to cook it. Her back to the couch. Hopefully she could get this cooked before Lev woke up.
The smell of burning meat slowly filled their small sanctuary and she wasn’t sure how long Lev would sleep for. She looked behind her to see him, curled up in the knitted quilt. She wondered how the Prophet would react to her touching Old World things, she wondered how her mother would react. Yara knew exactly how her mother would react. She shook her head, turning back to the fire and the rabbit meat. The room was significantly warmer as she twirled the stick, making sure it didn’t catch fire. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, free hand resting on her left knee. Yara heard him stir, the quilt shifting as he began to wake up. She turned and smiled, the meat on the stick not leaving the fire.
❝ Hey, how are you feeling? ❞ she inquired softly, glancing to check the meat. ❝ This should be finished soon, then we’ll be able to eat. ❞
