I decided to write the scene that Dolly loses part of her ear, just for the sake of writers block. Enjoy!
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I back away from Orion's advance, before tripping over my feet and falling onto the ground. He aims the throwing knife carefully at me as I scramble to get up. My heart pounds in my ears as I stand, frozen in place.
"This will teach you, stupid brat." Orion snaps. "Learn to listen to your superiors."
I wince and duck my head down, before I feel myself being shoved to the side. My shoulder collides with the floor painfully, and I roll a few feet before coming to a stop with my back against the wall.
I can hear a girl screaming, and when I look up I can see Dolly in my place, holding the side of her head as she lays on the ground. Blood seeps through her fingers and soaks her hair. Behind her, the throwing knife lays on the floor, still spinning.
In front of her, Orion looks surprisingly panicked, and he actually kneels and tries to shush her cries. She smacks away his hand as he reaches for her, before letting out a shrill call.
"Momma!" She shrieks, and I push myself to my feet and stumble to her side. "Papa!"
"Shush, it was an accident." Orion pleads, glancing over his shoulder. "It's not that bad we'll fix it. Just be quiet."
Except when Dolly shifts her hands, I can see that it is that bad. The top half of her left ear has been severed. It's an ugly mark, with jagged edges. She holds the wound tightly, with wide gray eyes that look completely betrayed.
Behind Orion, the door bursts open and Jenny runs through, tugging Allister behind her. She looks both angry, and concerned. Neither are expressions that usually play on her normally kind, but calm, face.
"Why is my baby crying?" She demands. Even her voice has more snap than ever. "What the hell did you do to her?"
"She jumped in the way!" Orion snaps. He rises to his feet, trying to push her back and keep her from us. Dolly whimpers softly, and I pull her against me. The blood is warm and seeps through my coat, but I only hold her tighter.
"They're twelve years old!" Jenny snaps, shoving Orion out of the way roughly, despite the nearly twenty-five pounds he must have on her. "They shouldn't be here!"
Orion falls back, and she falls on the floor in front of us. Allister remains standing behind her, looking terrified.
"Let me see, sweetheart." She murmurs, reaching for her daughter. Dolly sniffles and pulls away from me to go to her mother. I've never seen either so worked up over anything. Ever. "It's okay, I promise. It'll be okay."
She pulls Dolly close and carefully gets to her feet, with her daughter scooped up against her chest. I get up and follow her, casting a glance back at Orion. He glares at me.
"Look what you've done." He snaps. There are no more throwing knives in his hands, they're scattered about the room. But if he even had half of one, I know where he'd aim it. "Idiot boy."
I let out a small squeak of a cry before scampering after Jenny, nearly running over Allister in my haste to put some distance between my father and I. Or, mentor, I mean.
This is bad. Very bad.