Detlan is strong, one of the strongest in the Seal Clan, and so you watch in sadness his resent towards his old leg injury wishing he could see past it to his worth. Comfort/fluff
A Painful Past
age in bio when interacting. minors do not interact.
Word Count: 819 / Read it on AO3 / Wattpad
Detlan had been the strongest Seal Clan member. Bale and Asrif were his friends.
Together, the three of them would always go fishing.
When an illness hit the island, it took Bale's younger brother.
Detlan had a younger sister, and he was glad she lived. Bale's loss saddened him, and he understood Bale's pain.
The three of them, Bale, Asrif, and Detlan, had headed to the Sea Eagles to trade.
The Sea Eagles lived in an area where the beach connected with the forest. It disgusted the Seal Clan that an islander would dare to mix the forest with the Sea. However, they didn't judge much, as they needed the resources that could only come from the forest.
Torak was Bale's kin, and he had come to the island at one point.
Tenris, the Seal Mage, had convinced them that the only cure for the illness was a root at the top of Eagle Heights.
Bale was the best climber, but he had decided to hang back and help Torak get to the top.
Detlan stayed in the boat and watched as Torak and Asrif tried to get to the top.
Unfortunately, Asrif had taken the wrong path and his harness had been caught.
Detlan watched as Torak grabbed the root when suddenly his boat had been hit.
Detlan screamed out and his mouth filled with water. He had been in the Sea most of his life; he knew how to swim.
He tried to swim to the top, with every movement was agonizing.
He dragged himself across the sand, coughing out water as he did. He rolled over and laid on his back, resting a moment as tears rolled down his cheeks. He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and sat up.
His ankle was very obviously broken. He would be lucky if he could ever walk again.
No one knew what had caused the Hunter (Orca) to act out like that. They typically avoided people.
Unless their young had been hurt.
Tenris would keep that secret until the very end. He had killed the Hunter's baby, and the mother was out for revenge, trying to find her baby or the man who had killed her child.
Bale and Asrif had hauled Detlan into one of their boats. There was no saving his. They brought him back to the Seal Islands and took him to the mage.
He was told that he would never be able to walk again, not without crutches. Since he couldn't walk, he was now left to do what the women did every day: cook, clean, and take care of the children, while the men did the hunting and fishing.
Detlan was a very friendly guy, and he waved so hard he had nearly fallen over when Torak left.
Detlan's little sister was happy that Detlan could spend more time with her. He wouldn't have to leave every morning like he used to.
Detlan began to become sad over the inability to use his ankle. He couldn't walk without the crutches and now, he was like one of the women: forbidden to leave the island.
He wanted to fish again, to be in a boat, to hang out with his friends like he used to.
He couldn't and while his friends did interact with him from time to time, it still wasn't the same. It seemed to him as if they were treating him differently now.
You watched as Detlan slowly went from being a happy person to a sad one.
You knelt as Detlan worked at washing the clothes, tears streaming down his face. Occasionally, he would wipe them away. The ones that weren't wiped dripped into the clean, fresh water.
You put your hand on Detlan's shoulder and he stopped working.
You wrapped your arms around him and he dropped the items in his hands to wrap his arms around you.
You weren't sure what to say or to do that could make the situation any better, but you knew that you wanted to make him feel better.
"I wish my ankle would stop hurting…" He said with a sigh as he went back to washing the clothes.
"It will one day. You know you're doing a good job."
He stopped working and looked at you. No one had ever told him that, not since he had been injured.
"What?"
"You're doing a good job."
"How so?"
"Well, without you, we wouldn't be able to get the fruits from trees, carry, or lift heavy things."
Detlan looked down at the fresh water and gave a small smile.
He nodded and thanked you.
"You're welcome." You said as you stood and gave his shoulder a gentle pat.
Slowly, day by day, you would help to work up Detlan's confidence and help him to feel better. It would take some time, but you weren't going to give up on him.
