with burning ash, she wanted nothing so much as to be away from them all, to do as she did before and heal the dense trees. She would give it all of herself, every drop of her blood and soul to make it whole and free again.
Aida screamed as arms came around her. Kicking and clawing at her unseen assailant, the anger burst free. Sizzling through the air in wild arcs of scalding cerulean, sparks drifted to hiss against the dirt in shades of sky and sapphire. Brought flush against a wall of heat, the thunderous rumble enveloping her commanded her compliance. Drawing her muscles slack with every rolling resonance, it left her limp as the scent of cedar and musk invaded her every sense.
“Breathe, Aida. You are far too innocent to wish anyone that much pain,” Er’it said through the comforting purr.
Not realizing her lungs had stilled, Aida gasped, dragging in a breath made of howling winter winds that seared the back of her throat. Tears made of ice and bitter despair trickling down her cheeks, she let her head fall back on the loose column of her neck to see Er’it. Turning her face into his cupped palm, she took solace in the touch no matter that he did not mean it. It felt so good to be held once more, to have him petting at her hair in slow, easy strokes.
“Not him. That,” Aida mumbled, forcing her arm to point at the wavering line of trees.
“Do you see something in there?”
“Death. Pain.”
“I will not let it harm you.”
“It hurts to see it!” Hiccupping around a sob, she buried her face against his chest, blocking away the awful sight of the rotting forest as Er’it drew her closer.
“You feel it? What was done to it?” he asked against her hair, adding a brief nuzzle against her crown.
“It coats my skin, suffocating me. All of it… I can… I…”
With wordless sounds of comfort whispered into her sweat-soaked hair, Er’it cradled her against his chest and purred louder for her, letting the rich sound flow over Aida, giving her no choice but to bask in its solace. Though he continued for however long they traveled until Kal came to a stop, Aida’s eyes were red-rimmed and bleary from tears and fatigue.
It took him mere moments to dismount and pull her down into his arms. Yet it felt like ages, a span of eons where darkness howled and screamed inside her skull, gnawing at her soul, threatening to suck her into the Abyss. Letting Aida coil her limbs around his torso, Er’it held her tight enough to crush her. Neither cared if she bruised as she tried to get closer still.
Feeling his fear and worry, Aida buried her nose against his neck, breathing him in as a small shift brought their chests flush. That space within her aligned with him, a spark turning into a blaze as she hummed her satisfaction at the rushing wave of completeness. A comfort no amount of petting and purring could provide, she felt it all the way to her soul. It gave her a sense of rightness she never experienced before… of what home must feel like.
“Get away,” Er’it said through an ominous growl. As Aida clung to him, he tightened one arm under her thighs, holding her aloft so he could free his other hand.
“It is only food and water. The stream still flows here. Go,” Tor’en said with a smack of flesh and metal.
Peering over Er’it’s shoulder as he carried her away, Aida saw Ath’asho and Endi standing with gaping mouths. Tor’en’s face alight with a grin, he slapped a hand to their backs and gave Aida a satisfied nod before turning to the warriors milling about with orders to break for a meal.
“It’s not as bad here, kou’va,” Er’it whispered, easing into a crouch with her still wrapped snug around him. “You must eat and drink.”
“I feel ill.”
“You need to eat. You must replenish what you spend.”
“Please, I will be sick!”
Grunting, Er’it stood and pushed Aida’s legs from around his hips, forcing her to stand on her own, though he made no move to unwind her arms from his neck. Movements swift and jerky, he jostled her back and forth. Aida inhaled hard through her nose when she realized he was undressing.
“N-No, please. I cannot… Not now, please!” Throwing herself back, she tripped over her own feet in her hurry to be away from the more than half naked man staring at