From Sand to Sea [Open]

[Kyle]

"I-it's okay" Kyle was talking about both the arrow and the treatment. He needed to be able to take care of himself, no matter how haphazardly it was, and he couldn't become indebted to others. Being in debt could lead to bad things.

Kyle picked up the arrow Locke dropped and laid down next to the fire, placing the tip of the arrow in, waiting for it to heat up. He'd cauterize the wound himself. Well, he would after the arrow heated up. Aside from that everything seemed to have calmed down no more beasts were coming and the only smell in the air was the scent of the vulture roasting on the fire, not on a proper spit mind you, so it was likely to be quite unevenly cooked when it was done. It wouldn't be to good at this rate, but food is food after all.

[Locke]

"Are you sure? Make sure you... Here, Kyle. Chew this and spit the juice on the wound before you seal it. It acts as an antiseptic."

Locke set to work on his own wounds after giving the younger man a chunk of the fungus. Luckily, they were within his own reach, so he quickly removed his upper robes, exposing more markings and 'tattoos' on his chest and abdomen. He then chewed and spit the foul-tasting mycelium over the gouges, wincing at the sharp sting, before covering his wounds with more leaves and the camelskin. With the tendon string, Locke wrapped and secured the skin over his wounds, then covered himself again before turning back to Kyle, watching to make sure the boy was all right.

[Kyle]

"No thanks." Didn't he know that cauterizing a wound cleans it from heat? Wait. How was he supposed to know what he was going to do? It's not like Locke could read his mind. It wouldn't be surprising at this rate with how he was able to kill those beasts with his bare hands and nothing else. It was something his father would do and it seemed that his father could read his mind as well. It felt good to be away from his father, for he didn't have to feel as bad about himself without him around, but with Locke around it made him feel bad about himself even more. It was understandable that his father could do these things, but random people doing them as well? He just felt pathetic.

Seeing the arrow finally glowing with the embers of the fire he drew it out and held it in front of him. "I deserve this." He mumbled so quietly it could only barely, by the sharpest sensed animals, be discerned from the wind blowing across the late desert night. With that he pressed the molten arrow tip into the wound and slid it across, instantly making it scab over and cleaning the wound. After cleaning his wound he fell over on his side and curled up just staring into the embers that made up the weird cactus fire.

[Locke]

"Get some rest, Kyle. I'll keep watch until the morning."

The manakete moved outside the circle of fading fires, and after a few minutes' absence returned with more cacti, which he used to form a blazing ring of fire before sitting in the sand, his ears cocked to hear the sounds of the desert. At least neither of them had been seriously hurt. That was always a good thing.

Idly, Locke began to pour sand between his fingers. Once the sun came up, they'd need to press onward quickly, so that their stores of food and water wouldn't run out. There weren't many oases in this part to replenish from.

[Kyle]

Kyle wearily nodded his head in response to Locke. Everything seemed to hurt and his head was swimming. He could barely even tell when Locke went and got more cactus for the fire, the only thing he noticed was that the fire got bigger, and too warm, so he rolled over so his back was facing the fire. It had already dried the blood on his face. Now the flames warmed his back and his front was cold. He wished he had his dog. It would have made thing all the easier. With those thought in his head he fell into a shallow slumber, and when he woke up, he would pick up his stuff and be off.

[Locke]

Time slid by uneventfully until the dawn sun splattered its pink droplets across the sky and the dunes emerged from the shadows of night.

"Come, Kyle. We must continue our journey."

The manakete covered the fires, dousing them, and then picked up his satchel. They had a long way to go, but things couldn't get any worse. At least he had company. At least the boy had survived.

And they were on their way, traveling once again from sand to sea.

[Thread End]