[ooc: collaboration between me and dragon-lady, sorry I took so odd-damned long to post it… ]
Yer okay…? she almost laughed at the words. “Do I look it? Of course I’m not okay…!” she sob-howled at him, jerking her tail up to her chest and curling into a convulsive ball. “Why did you have to pick now to come along, anyway…?” her voice sank to a whimper. “He was going to kill me.”
The big green creature – Spider, she guessed, from what she’d heard pass between the two a minute or two beforehand – cocked his head, looking a little shocked at what she’d just said. "Jus' what has happened in yer life that makes yer think yer no longer worthy of it?" he asked gently.
She didn't answer, just hugged her arms round herself and wept.
"Obviously yer had a rough life so far young one..." he sighed, "What's yer name?"
"Aurora..." came the muffled reply, "Aura for short – not that it matters any more..."
Spider thought a moment...trying to figure out exactly what to say. Finally he said:
"Well Aura… we all have our tough times, and personal demons that haunt us… hell, mine haunt me every single frackin' day. But I have learned that yer shouldn't let the past control yer life. Learn what yer can from it… but that's it, don't let it consume yer. Because if yer der… and yer give up on life… those demons and those peeps that have hurt yer would have won. And yer don't want those bastards ter win, der yer?"
She hugged her tail up to her chest, barely feeling the fire of the wounds the red one – Malice, that was his name – had inflicted; her heart was the most wounded, and that was what hurt most. “Leave me alone,” she wept. “Jus’… leave me alone, an’ let me die with all the lack o’ dignity I had in life.
He straightened; he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting her to say, but it hadn’t been that. “Hey, stop that, it’s stupid-talk. Besides, I ain’t lettin’ no-one die,” the massive creature gave her a stern look, and nudged her gently with his snout. “Come on, kid, surely things ain’t so bad…?”
“He lied to me,” she whispered through the tears, trembling. “He said he’d never tell anyone - he promised me, dammit…! And now the whole damn world knows…” she crushed her eyes closed.
Spider just gazed down at her, for a while, as though trying to decide what he should do.
Finally; “Come on, kid, y’can’t lay there forever.”
“Watch me,” she managed.
He sighed. “Stubborn little thing, ain’t yer? C’mon, I’ll carry yer.”
“Don’ want ter go back,” her shaking tones had turned into a petulant little whine.
“Yer want ter bleed ter death instead, that it?”
“Pretty much.”
Spider shook his head, solemnly. The little creature was a mess – he was amazed she’d actually gone to Malice, of her own volition, to willingly have him do this to her… Her psyche must be shot to pieces at the moment.
He gave her a cursory visual once-over; none of her injuries were particularly life-threatening on their own, but combined together she probably would bleed to death if he left her here, and quite quickly, as well… Her left hand was bleeding quite freely – there was a finger missing, he noticed – and a whole flock of little bites ran up the outsides of each arm. The paler skin around one eye was already blooming in an ugly purple bruise.
“Listen…” One last try, he thought. And if I don’t get anywhere I’ll give up and just take her to Pyke. She’s probably got friends there who can help her. “I know as well as anyone that peeps can be cruel, but… sometimes they don’ mean ter be. They ain’t all like him,” he jerked his head in the direction Malice had fled. “We ain’t perfect, no-one is, an’ we all make mistakes. Sometimes they hurt people, but mistakes don’ make peeps evil,” he gave her another gentle nudge. “Give ‘em another chance, yeah?”
Aura just hugged her tail and cried.
Oh well. At least I tried… Spider shook his head, carefully gathered the mutilated little body up into his arms, and headed off back towards Pyke.
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