Dancing With The Reaper
Breathing hurt, even thinking hurt. Bailey subconsciously decided that everything hurt.
“Where am I?” she thought,
“And why do I get the feeling I’ve been here before?” Bailey gave vent to a mental sigh.
“Well, time to join the living.” And she bullied her brain into reluctant action and forced her eyes open. They opened slowly and at first her vision was blurry, but after a few blinks it cleared and Bailey looked around
She found herself, once again, underground. The room was just like a cave that had been smoothed out. But it was furnished comfortably and it was pleasantly warm, the bed was soft and the sheets were clean. There was a thick, bright rug on the floor and on the table next to the wall was a softly glowing lantern of some kind.
There was also a chair, one made to accommodate a Steef’s body shape. And there was a Steef dozing in the chair.
“Stranger.” Bailey croaked, her voice hoarse and rasping in her sore throat. Stranger stirred and was awake in a moment. He saw Bailey awake – abit pale, but awake – and an expression of intense relief swept over his features. He came over quickly and stood by the bed. He gently wrapped his arms around Bailey lifting her into his arms. He sank to his knee, closing his eyes and burying his snout in her hair.
“I thought I’d lost yer kid.” He murmured. Bailey swallowed and managed to ease one arm around his neck, taking hold of a handful of fur. She gave it a gentle tug so that she could see Stranger’s eyes. She smiled tiredly and kissed his nose.
“Nah,” she croaked, “You’re stuck with me fer a little longer.” Stranger gave a relieved chuckled and rubbed his nose on Bailey’s cheek. He drew back, putting a hand on Bailey’s forehead and smoothed back her hair.
“What am I gonna do with yer?” he asked fondly, “I turn my back fer a few weeks and yer go an’ git yerself almost killed.” But he smiled. Bailey quirked a half smiled,
“Hey, I had a dinner date with Death that I had to keep.” she said weakly. She then coughed, a violent, hacking cough and groaned feebly. “Ow…” Stranger sobered quickly, he gently laid Bailey back in the bed and drew up the sheets before dragged the chair over to the bed and sitting down. He touched Bailey’s cheek with his nose again.
“How’re feeling liddle one?”
“Breathing hurts.” Bailey rasped, “Actually, everything hurts.” Stranger smiled briefly,
“Try not ter talk too much an’ don’t breathe too deep, yer ribs took a beatin’.”
“Where am I?” Bailey asked, “And what happened?”
“Yer in the winter quarters of the last Steef tribe in Oddworld.”
“But I found a valley,” Bailey protested, “With Steef.” She added, Stranger chuckled,
“I know they were jist gittin’ ready ter leave and yer dropped in fer a visit.” Bailey laughed gently but the laugh quickly became a wrenching cough. “Bailey, shallow breaths, yer need to calm down.” Stranger propped up the young human and rubbed her back.
Eventually Bailey’s coughing fit subsided, her breathing though still rasping slowed and became easier and regulated. Stranger made her lie back and relax,
“What,” she coughed again, but only a couple of times, “Happened, after I crashed in on those Steef?”
“I dunno, first time I saw yer, yer were gittin’ yer butt kicked by Jorken.”
“J-
who? And I wasn’t gettin’ beat
that bad.” Bailey protested,
“No, it was a lot worse…” Stranger muttered, “Jorken, the big Steef.”
“Oh…him…what was with him? I mean, I’m not surprised, they don’t trust humans…but he seemed abit…extreme…” Stranger chewed his lip,
“Hrm…” he hummed, “…D’yer remember when the old Steef told yer that when the humans started dying, that some Steef disappeared?” Bailey sat up and nodded, wondering where Stranger was going with this. “They neva proved it, but some of the tribe think, that the humans may have killed the Steef.” There was an uncomfortable pause, “One of his kids disappeared.” Bailey’s eyes widened for a second.
“That explains few things…” she muttered,
“But it didn’t give ‘im tha right ter pound yer.”
“He didn’t pound me though, you came and rescued me,” Bailey grinned half rueful, half embarrassed, “As always.” Stranger chuckled, leaning back in his chair. Bailey smiled but then wrapped the bed sheet and blanket around herself, hooding the sheet over her head, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and looking dejected. Stranger smiled slightly and gathered Bailey, sheet, blanket and all, up into his arms and cuddled the young human. He gently tugged the sheet from Bailey’s head and smiled down at her, curling some of her hair around his finger. “Stranger?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want ter stay in bed.” Bailey moaned, “I’m sick of waking up in recovery rooms.” Stranger could have said something about her not being so reckless then, but mindful of Bailey’s feelings – and memories of her recklessness saving his own hide – he didn’t, just held her close and told her a less harsh truth,
“Jist mind yer ribs and yer’ll be up an’ about in no time.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” There was a comfortable silence. After a while Bailey noticed the soft bandage on one of Stranger’s forelegs. She touched it gently,
“This why you couldn’t get back sooner?” she asked, Stranger rested his chin in Bailey’s head,
“Broke it.”
“How?” Bailey asked, innocently curious. There was a moment of silence.
“Bailey, we have more enemies then Sekto and his boneheads. You remember the battle don’t yer?” Bailey nodded,
“I remember.” Bailey whispered, “What were those things?” she asked.
“I don’t know, nobody does… They just came before I did and they’ve been attacking ever since. I was in another battle, three months ago, an’ one of tha liddle monsters broke me leg.”
“I shoulda come sooner.” Bailey muttered, Stranger suddenly looked very depressed,
“Why did yer do it?” he asked plaintively, “Why didn’t yer wait fer me ter come fer yer?”
“Three months Stranger, I waited, and I got worried…and…” she faded off.
“And?”
“I needed to come, needed to be here.” And left it at that.
There was another silence, neither Bailey or Stranger feeling the need to say anything, communicating with actions instead of words as Bailey yawned, Stranger looked at her with a firm expression and Bailey, getting the message, relaxed against the Steef. Her eyes drifted closed and she slipped into a warm, secure sleep, feeling safe and comfortable to be back with Stranger.