Private Tales Forgotten but Not Broken

[Vesper]

She blinked and then looked back to him with a tilt of her head. "Magic is all around us, Obisidian." She said, as if what his hand just did was as natural as the wind in the trees.

Perhaps he didn't remember, she realized. It was another thing she would have to teach him, the same as fletching arrows. Though it was interesting that he remembered how to speak, but not how he used his magic. What else had he forgotten about himself?

With a smile, she set the bowl of feathers down on her lap and turned her full attention to Thren.

"Does it hurt?"

 

[Thren]

"Well...no." There was no pain, in fact just the opposite.

His fingers furled into a fist, and he tried to breathe more steadily. Some of the hurt was still in his chest of course, he doubted that would go away for a long time, but his fingers felt just as normal as before.

Even his movement wasn't changed. "I did this?"

He asked, himself more than her.

"What the hell else can I do?" The thought of not being able to find out until his wounds healed was practically torture.

 

[Vesper]

She smiled at him and offered a feather, twirling it lightly between her dexterous fingers. "Why don't you find out?"

There wasn't much else she could do for him, at least, not in regards to his magic -- that was something he would have to rediscover on his own. In her tribe, there were spirit guides, wise women, that helped those born with magic uncover their innate talents.

Vesper was not such a woman.

"But... perhaps I could take you to someone who could guide you?" She offered, nodding towards him. "Once your wounds are on the mend."

 

[Thren]

He thought for a moment, fingers tightening almost as if he were still testing the range of movements. Despite the hesitation he had verbalized, he couldn't help but feel this was right.

There was something about it that he felt in control of, like this was his decision. His power. Yet just what he could do with it and how still escaped him completely. Perhaps that was where the fear came from. The not knowing.

"Yes." He agreed quietly. "I think that would be for the best."

He glanced at his hand. "How do I make it return to normal."

The question wasn't really directed at Vesper, more himself.

 

[Vesper]

Vesper smiled to herself as Thren started to puzzle through his new found abilities. Truthfully, she was excited for him and wanted to know more. She watched flex his fingers out of the corner of her eyes while she worked on fletching the arrows while seated next to him on the small cot.

"The herbs will work quickly. Perhaps tomorrow you'll be fit for a ride." She said idly.

"It is a short journey to the village. Sjorn and Aldak will make quick work of it though." She added, looking more directly to Thren.

"Maybe... try thinking about letting go of the wood?"

 

[Thren]

Much to Thren's surprise, the advice actually worked.

It was almost as though he were letting go of a grip, something that he'd been holding on to without ever actually realizing. He pictured himself letting go, and then suddenly the wood on his fingers seemed to peel back and return to normal.

His chest shook with a deep breath, and he glanced up at Vesper with no small amount of surprise and shock coloring his features. "Sure you aren't a Witch?"

He asked in jest, a small smile touching his face.

 

[Vesper]

"Not one like you." She answered vaguely with a coy grin if her own.

Her attention turned back to the work at hand, tying the elegant feathers to the shafts of wood with delicate twine. Once each arrow was finished, she laid it down in a small pile at the foot of the bed.

"My magic allows me to merge souls with another and to understand their thoughts." She explained, as if this was perfectly normal. .

"The shamans will be able to help you more than I ever could." She added, finishing up the last of the arrows.

 

[Thren]

"Oh..." Thren said with no small amount of surprise.

The idea of merging souls with just about anyone seemed shocking to him. He wasn't quite sure if that was his own hangup or something new from his loss of memory. Lips thinned for a few seconds as he considered and wondered if she had already done so to him.

After a few moments he decided that she had not. "I hope so."

Thren said quietly.

"How did you find me?" He asked after a moment more of consideration, glancing at her with a renewed interest.

 

[Vesper]

She reached up to ruffle the hair at the back of neck, grinning sheepishly at Thren. Her shoulders rose in a slight shrug, and she shook her head. "Oh, I wasn't who found you. That was Sjorn and Aldak."

With a wave of her hand, she gestured towards the door, as if that was explanation enough.

"Blood has a distinct scent." She added and then stood up off the bed to grab the bloodied rags off the dirt floor. "I need to burn these before something else picks it up."

"Can I get you anything?"

 

[Thren]

He shook his head. "No."

The Barbarian at this point wasn't entirely sure if that answer was the truth. He did not know himself, he did not remember himself. Everything was a blur and it appeared that his body was more whole that he had thought.

Everything was...confusing.

"No." He said quietly. "I just need time."

Time to remember, time to bring the pieces of himself back. Time to move again and figure out who the hell he was.

 

[Vesper]

And so time was what Vesper afforded the Barbarian. She smiled one last time to him and then slipped out of the small hut. He was left alone for a few hours as she set about tending to the rest of her daily chores.

The soiled rags needed to be washed and boiled. Clothes needed mending, the herb garden needed tending, and the raptors needed to hunt. She didn't venture out of the camp, since she didn't want to be outside of ear shot of Obsidian called out for her.

Every so often she would return to the bed side with a fresh batch of herbs and a bowl of water for him to drink. By the time she was finished with her work, the sun had long since settled below the horizon.

This time when she entered the hut, she was carrying a tray with cooked meat and a few vegetables. It wasn't a large meal, but it was enough to keep any hunger at bay.

"Here. You should eat."

 

[Thren]

The scent of food entered his nostrils and Thren practically began to salivate.

His time alone had been spent in quiet contemplation. He had thought...or had attempted to think about everything. The black void in his life, the odd abyss that greeted him there. His magic. All of it had gone through his mind.

At the end of his time time alone though the Barbarian had no answers and only more rage. His fingers where white knuckled, and his eyes were half lidded. "I suppose I should."

He sounded dejected, but he would not waste her efforts.

She had saved his life, and giving up now would be a betrayal of that. The least he could to was ensure that he survived. If only to properly thank her down the line.

 

[Vesper]

Vesper could hear the disappointment in the man's voice and she offered an understanding smile in response. She would have been miserable too if she was trapped inside a dark hut with no memory of who she was.

Her eyes flicked over his form briefly and she clicked her tongue. "How do you feel? If you're up for it... maybe you'd like to come sit by the fire outside?"

It was a simple offer, but a genuine one.

 

[Thren]

Outside...sounded good.

His fingers flexed for a brief moment, and then he looked up at Vesper. "Yeah."

The Barbarian agreed quietly. There was little he remembered. His name, what he was, hell, even his own face, but he remembered that he liked being outside. A breath filled his lungs, and then slowly he pushed himself up.

Pain lanced through his body, but with an aching and deliberate pace Thren did his best to sit himself up on the bed.

 

[Vesper]

Vesper picked up the tray of food, giving the Barbarian a chance to move on his own. She got the sense this was something he needed to do without her help, so she let him without protest.

Instead, she waited patiently by the bedside with the tray in hand. She didn't hurry him along or tell him to take it slow. It was all at his own pace.

She had no where to be, no schemes to plot, no great battles to be fought. Her life was a simple one that moved in rhythm to the jungle. A tree's roots did not spread in a single day, after all.

A warm smile touched her lips as he moved and she dipped her head in approval. He was strong and fiercely stubborn. She liked his tenacity, she decided.

"It's a clear sky tonight." She replied rather cryptically and offered one last smile before she turned to lead him out of the hut.

 

[Thren]

He found pain in nearly every step.

His legs worked fine, hell in a strange way it even felt good to finally be moving. Yet the weight of his own torso on his chest was practically crushing. Lips thinned, and he had to keep himself from grunting every single time he put one foot in front of the other.

"I remember a few of those." He commented through a grimace.

It was odd, how his memory now seemed to work. Part of his mind were a complete and utter haze, nothing left there save a few vague things he could pick out. Other pieces were still there entirely

Even now he could remember himself standing in the middle of a battle, a blade in each hand and blood splattering his face.

Lips thinned for a moment. "Did you find any weapons with me?"

Thren asked as they walked.

 

[Vesper]

"No, there weren't any weapons around... But there was definitely signs of a fight. Whoever attacked you must have taken yours." Vesper explained as she led Thren over to the fire that burned in the middle of her small camp.

A circle of stones surrounded the base of the fire and there were a few logs scattered about to sit on. She gestured for the barbarian to take a seat on one and then she settled onto the ground beside him.

There was movement at the far edge of the camp, something large lifted its head as they emerged from the hut. A chittering sound greeted them and Vesper waved a hand, laughing. "Settle down, Aldak. We are not going to eat him. I told you!"

 

[Thren]

"I bet it was an axe." Thren commented. "I seem like the type to carry an axe."

He had pretty big arms after all.

As he hobbled himself over to the log for a sear, one of the odd reptile like creatures lifted it's head. Briefly Thren seemed to shirk back, his eyes popping open as he spotted the creature. Lips thinned, and he couldn't help some of the color draining from his face. "Your...friends?"

The Barbarian asked wearily.

 

[Vesper]

Vesper finally reached over to touch his Thren's upper arm, reassuring. There was a warm smile on her lips, an amused glimmer in her eyes. "Yeah, they are. It's alright. They're the ones that carried you here when we found you."

One of the raptors pushed off the ground and sauntered closer to the fire, settling back onto the ground on the opposite of the fire, scales glittering in the firelight.

"Do you want me to make you an axe?" She asked the barbarian curiously, tilting her head back to look up at the sky.

 

[Thren]

Nerves were an odd thing. When the Raptor moved closer Thren couldn't help but wonder why he felt no fear. Was it her touch?

Something told him that he should have, but the sensation had already gone away. Was there something in his past? Did he just not care? There were answers somewhere within his mind, but none of them were forthcoming.

"I...don't know." He said quietly.

So much was still missing, so much of himself. He looked over at her, offering a smile.

"I will have to repay you somehow for all this." He commented. "Most would have just let me die."

 

[Vesper]

"Just pass it forward when you can. We all have to rely on each other to survive the turmoils of the jungle." She replied, lightly nudging her shoulder against his with another smile.

One hand gestured towards the beast across the fire, while the other stoked the fire. "That is Sjorn. His brother is Aldak."

She started to nibble on the plate of food that she left out previously.

"I'm glad you survived though."

 

[Thren]

He nodded his head slowly in response. "Not sure I'll get the opportunity."

Thren mused quietly as she introduced the beasts across the fire.

Despite himself he offered them both a small wave. The Raptors twitched their tails, watching the Barbarian as a cat would something that they were eager to play with. The sight was an odd one, but Vesper's calm inspired confidence.

"Think you're probably gonna be stuck with me for a few weeks. He said, gently rocking as she nudged him with her body. Even the small press of her skin, of the warmth felt good.

Reminiscent of something beyond the abyss of his mind.

 

[Vesper]

Vesper noticed the expression on his face and her brow furrowed slightly, as if concerned. "Something on your mind?"

Her eyes lingered on Thren's face, noting every detail of his handsome features. It wasn't a common occurrence for her to cross paths with a person, let alone one she found attractive. For her, he was fascinating.

And she wasn't sure what to do with the strange fluttering in her chest whenever she touched him. The wise women never told her about the sensation.

"And I'd be happy to have you, Obsidian. It's nice to have company, for a change."

 

[Thren]

"Lots of things on my mind." He admitted quietly. "Most of them I can't seem to grab onto though."

Thren hoped that would get better in time, the gaps in his memory which seemed to escape him even in the best moments. There was something there, he just couldn't for the life of him remember any of it. Fingers tightened briefly.

Eventually his head shook, deciding that dwelling and focusing would just lead to spiraling. "You have no tribe?"

He asked.

"Villageg?" He had wondered. "Lover?"

Was she all alone out here?

 

[Vesper]

The woman managed a strained smile, shaking her head. "No. I was never paired and once I bonded with Aldak and Sjorn, I was given to the Outriders -- an essential role for the village, but a solitary one."

She rubbed the back of her neck, turning her gaze to the fire in front of her. The flames danced in the darkness, casting beautiful shadows and flickers of light throughout the campsite.

"Why do you ask?"