Distant Leaps To Circinus - Chapter 5 4 Journey To Shelter Pt.2

The explosion of fire from the silver sheep lit the sky with a blinding light. The man made a quick yelp as his body was taking on more burns from the inferno. The blast knocked him back, hurling him into a nearby tree. A brief thud is heard as his back and head smash into the hard bark. His unconscious body slumps over and falls to the side. The once bright fire that tinged the air with hot flames, is no more than just smoke now that gets washed away by the heavy rain.

The silver sheep does not stop its rampage with just his once fearful opponent. It looks toward the child quivering inside the shining circle of light. The boy makes an almost inaudible whimper, when his eyes meet with the anger filled mammals green slit eyes.

The silver sheep take steps toward the scared child. Blowing air from its nostrils to display its hostility, it ever so slowly approaches him. The sheep stops abruptly, there is a change in the wind. The sheep alerted to the smell of sudden nearby creatures, jerks its elongated head to the scent, trying to find out what would dare try and take it by surprise.

The two discovered children slightly stagger back in surprise to the sheep’s fast reaction.

With their presence suddenly known to the ferocious animal and their bodies open for an attack they both take no chances and take a stance to fight back. The agitated sheep, even more, enraged that someone would try and intimidate it widens its eyes and snorts. The sheep let out deep baa, which would sound demonic to someone a century and a half ago. It starts fiercely stomping and sliding its hooves on the ground making its anger known.

To the exposed children, this is what they have always sounded like and did. It would make no difference to them even if it was much lighter in tone, there is an enemy is in front of them and they must kill to survive. Presenting the blade to the sheep and taking a more defensive stance, the girl prepares for the sheep to charge. The silver animal stops its intimidation and instead paces side to side, watching the two for any movements.

[Girl: It’s alone, the rest of his flock probably abandoned him.]

[Zeais: ]

Hearing her voice for the first time, Zeais almost looks away from the sheep to see who was speaking to him but keeps his eyes on the enemy ahead of him instead. Finally hearing her speak for once, he thinks that she has a nice voice and puts his useless thought aside.

[Zeais: It was probably kicked out. Maybe it’s trying to make a name for itself or something.]

The sheep intently watching the two stops its pacing and turns away from them. It assures itself with a quick glance back at two, to make sure they won’t attack it from behind. The children reaffirm their guard just in case it changes its mind. The silver sheep makes another deep baa and runs off toward the plains. Standing up, the girl makes sure the sheep doesn’t try anything or attack the small boy out of anger.

[Girl: Decided it’s not worth the trouble huh. Good decision.

Zeais watches her put the dark blade back into the pocket of her coat. That looks like a really uncomfortable place to carry such a large knife, especially near the stomach, he thinks. He stands as well, listening for the sound of trotting.

[Zeais: As long as he doesn’t try anything sneak we should be fine, I don’t think he will though. Not against three people on its own.]

The little boy drops a small pocket knife hidden behind the crystal marker and runs up to the wounded man. Dropping the crystal marker, which breaks on impact, he begins to sob when he sees the unconscious mans face twisted in pain.

Zeais and the orange-eyed youth run toward the burned man and sobbing boy. The child’s small eyes look up as two approach him, the young child looks to the girl. His hair and were clothes soaking wet. His dark hair matted down from the rain and messy. His bright yellow eyes look to the girl, filled with sadness.

The girl approaches him with a worried look. She looks down at him and pinches his cheek, he winces at the unexpected pain. Taking out her bond of herb wrap, she begins wrapping his small burned neck as she looks into his eyes. She does a short check over to make sure it doesn’t fall off.

[Girl: It’s okay, he’s still breathing.]

She squats down to his level and soothingly rubs his head, being as compassionate as possible, she tries to comfort the boy, she smiles at him.

[Small boy: Please..]

Interrupting him with her finger to his nose,

[Girl: Don’t worry, of course, we will help. As long as you help us take him to safety, he will be fine. We have to be strong, right?]

The small boy wipes his tears away and nods his head. Not quite smiling but he puts on his most courageous face.

[Small boy: mm, you’re right, I want to be useful too!]

Watching her cheer the younger boy up, Zeais can’t help but think she might make a good mentor if she were a bit older. The role previously given to adults was now a widespread ideology. Everyone should try to teach someone younger than them. Life skills, hunting, goods trading, anything useful for the benefit of someone’s survival was needed. So that the human race may someday, revive its glory days. This is what is taught to keep the human race alive on the outer most rings of Circinus.

Teaching children to be strong, courageous and brave early on lets them have some sort of confidence to build skills and have a chance at surviving out in the rabid world.

Zeais examined the man’s wounds, looks onto his half-burned torso and bright red streaks of burn along with his right arm, which had an even worse, appearance. Thinking that he may have used it to shield his face, the boy makes a pained expression. Upon closer inspection, he sees his neck was also damaged, which would make talking after awakening a pain.

[Zeais: We don’t have the medical supplies for this… And regular herb wrap can’t do much but make the burns hurt a bit less.]

[Girl: The rain should help with that though. It should soothe it a bit. It’s not raining as hard as it was before unfortunately.]

The young child looks at his burned companion,

[Small boy: Will we have to carry him?]

[Girl: He looks really heavy, we might have to drag him. Maybe there’s something around to carry him with?]

Glancing around, the girl and little boy look for useful objects, close by, but only manage to see plains and sparse trees.

[Zeais: There’s not much around that we could use in this area.]

[Girl: Well we have to find something before it gets dark or else…]

The girl stopped talking as she put her hand in her coat pockets. Her eyebrows rais and she begins to disrobe, with no coat on, it leaves her with no outer layer and only a black sweater. After removing her coat, she takes out a light thin blanket folded inside one of the large pockets.

Zeais, seeing her suddenly take off her coat, makes a look of confusion and soon realizes what she has in mind. The girl holds up the coat and blanket. Her dry black sweater exposed to the elements now taking on water.

[Girl: We can use these…]

[Zeais: Clothing, makes sense, we’ll need to keep him steady on it.]

Taking three tightly bonded herb wraps out from the man’s pants pockets,

[Small boy: We can tie all these around em!]

Seeing him present the wraps, the girl smiles. Embracing his idea she begins to praise the young boy again.

[Girl: Great! His back isn’t burned so we can wrap those around his chest and around my coat with some sticks as reinforcement!]

The young boy gives a real smile now.

[Zeais: It’s getting darker now, we should hurry before its too dark to see. The grounds getting really muddy]

The three children take off articles of clothing they don’t need and take out whatever cloth they have on their person. Grabbing as many branches from nearby trees, they find all that they can to brace the man. Tying two undershirts to the blanket and the blanket to the girl’s coat, they make a rope to pull on. The coat now with a base made of bundles of small sticks inside, can support the man.

The man makes a pain filled groan and his face twists in pain as Zeais wraps his burned torso with herb wrap. Tying the large adult body takes a bit of work for the youth due to his size. Seeing his adult partner in such a state the youngest of the three looks on at him with a sad expression, but soon turns it into determination when his eyes meet with the girls.

With just the right amount of cloth for the rope, there is enough room for the three of them to comfortably pull the dead weight of the man. Realizing this may work, they eagerly get ready to start moving.

[Girl: We should go to the closest place, Rigas. It’s a lot closer than Brights, and we just have to go over the south plains for about 6 miles.]

[Zeais: Sounds good, let’s go then, its getting cold out.]