[Jaykobell]

Despite his solemn warning, Alcippe ignored her partner's silent head shake and turned to the Soveris with menacing eyes. "Not bad, birdbrain. You're not as slow and clumsy as I thought you would be," she complimented, but Koralia wasn't interested in accepting praise from a Paragon who spoke only empty words.

"Thanks. I could say the same," Koralia replied simply, withdrawing her wings but without tucking them away. They were warmed up for a real race; tucking them away would make the Soveris comfortable, and she couldn't afford to let her guard down.

Alcippe narrowed her eyes at the Soveris bouncing the words right back at her, but her anger turned to cocky confidence as she grinned and turned the other way. "Fine. Have it your way, birdbrain. See if you can manage this flying course," she said as she motioned towards a bunch of trees and rocks up ahead, all layered over the few plateaus that were outstretched far ahead and which turned all around the mountain, starting at its left and continuing all the way around the back. The obstacles had clearly been put there by Paragon, with different trees of varying breeds and sizes littering the course, together with rocks of different colors and sizes, some of them stacked one on top of the other. The point was probably to race across the terrain without getting your wings caught in the trees, and without careening straight into a tower of rocks.

Alcippe flew just a few inches above the ground as she settled herself right behind the starting line. She looked over her shoulder at the Soveris with a dark grin. "First one to clear three laps around the mountain wins, birdbrain," she explained, keeping the rules clear and simple; just to make sure the newbie could understand them. "Think you can do it?"

With her back still turned to him, Juro continued to shake his head at Alcippe from afar, his teeth now gritted in frustration. Why was she being so stubborn? He was trying to keep her from embarrassing herself, yet she kept going against his advice.

Koralia, as for her, was ready to put the Placid in her place. She flew up to the starting line, her green wings outstretched and ready to do what they did best. "I don't think so: I'm sure," the bird answered, the insult going right over her head. If anyone had a birdbrain between the two of them, it certainly wasn't her.

Alcippe grinned with pearly white teeth, and as she turned to face the course, she gave the starting signal. "Then fly!"

[Jaykobell]

The moment Alcippe gave the signal, Koralia spread her wings wide and started flapping. Leaving a trail of dust and rocks flying behind them, the two females dashed away through the sky, almost leaving trails of colors behind them.

In order for her to truly be in control of the sky around her, Koralia had to observe the racing track before everything else. Some of the trees were so ridiculously high that it was impossible to avoid flying close to them, even if you tried to fly up high. Going all the way over them would cost you too much time as you bothered to ascend and descent, so making sharp turns to avoid them was the best strategy. The rocks weren't that much of a problem, but if one tried to fly lower, the wind would change because of the rocks blocking it and redirecting it. If one wasn't careful, they would turn their supposed advantage into a one-way trip to failure.

It was an eventful track from the side of the Hive up to its back, and then it settled down to be flat and uneventful as they flew across the front. Overall, from the first lap, Koralia knew what she could do. She could abuse the change in wind patterns to speed herself up by flying lower to the ground and the obstacles, and after that, she could follow the best wind current available on the front of the Hive. If she managed to stay focused and keep to her strategy, then the Soveris was positive that she could win the race.

As they crossed the starting line for the first time, Alcippe was a little ways ahead. Meanwhile, Juro was watching from his spot, looking at the race unfold. Maybe he'd judged the Soveris's abilities wrong, since it seemed like Alcippe was well on her way to victory. He had doubts again, however, as he noticed Koralia darting towards and steadying herself closer to the ground and closer to the obstacles. What did the Soveris have in mind? He would have to wait and see; but he could say that she was rather daring if she wanted to fly right in the middle of all the obstacles.

The Nago patiently waited for the two females to come his way again, keeping his eyes on the front of the Hive. He couldn't see what was happening while they were flying behind the mountain, but he could see them coming while they were flying in front of the mountain.

What he saw as they started to clear the second lap left the Nago with his mouth open. Although it was only by very little, Koralia was leading the race, with Alcippe behind her in hot pursuit. He squinted, and he could see the Soveris turning and ascending just at the right times, where she would keep her speed constant, and where she could even pick it up just slightly. Before long, the Soveris crossed the line in the leading position, with the dark Placid hot on her tail. Juro narrowed his eyes at the two, and he got a bad feeling as the two females disappeared behind the mountain, starting the third lap.

[Jaykobell]

While Koralia was comfortably leading the race, Alcippe was starting to panic. The birdbrain was beating her at her own game! She gritted her teeth in a rage; there was no one else in this Hive who could fly faster or better than her. No one. And she would play dirty to keep her title: the end always justified the means.

She narrowed her eyes at the Soveris flying down below in-between all the obstacles with fluid and graceful movements. Despite going that route, she wasn't losing speed or being hindered by the obstacles. Why? The Placid couldn't begin to understand it, but she did know one thing: those obstacles weren't stable at all on this rocky surface. Just a little fireball, and...

Koralia was enjoying her first place, although her mind was still focused on the race. She had to put her entire mind to the flight if she wanted to keep her speed constant, and if she hoped to get the slightest cues from her body about changing wind speeds and currents. She had to be careful to pay attention to those cues, all the while paying attention to the obstacles around her. Fortunately for her, her sharp attention to her surroundings allowed her to pick up on one of the obstacles losing its balance and toppling down: right in the middle of her flight path. The massive tree toppled down, and it took Koralia all her focus in order to ascend properly in a way that would allow her to avoid the obstacle without losing speed in the process. What in the world had caused the tree to topple down all of a sudden?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a sharp pain hit her square in the back, right on one of her haunches. She screeched loudly in pain, a feeling of fire licking her fur and feathers by one of her thighs, and the pain was plenty enough to make her lose her focus and speed, as well as her flight balance. "What... what in the?" Where had that fire come from? But then she figured it out; the same thing that had probably toppled that tree—

"Hey, birdbrain!" Alcippe called out from high above, flying right over the Soveris. "You should've quit when you had the chance, squirt. You fell for it!" Without giving the Soveris a chance to fly away or to move, Alcippe darted downwards, right for the bird. She felt her body crashing right into that of the bird, and with the Soveris being unbalanced, surprised, and slightly injured, Alcippe laughed as she saw the bird careening straight towards one of the rock towers below. The Placid stopped in her tracks and turned, just to see the event unfold.

Koralia screeched from the pain of being tackled down, and it took her too long to regain her balance. By the time she was aware of where she was going, one of the massive rock towers was about to collide with her. With one panicked attempt to try to avoid the obstacle, the Soveris managed to fly over the rocks, but not without feeling one of her legs collide with the rocks at such speed that it sent the bird spinning over herself, ending her embarrassing flight straight into the rocky terrain of the mountain with a loud crash.

Hearing and seeing the Soveris crash into the plateau of the mountain, Alcippe laughed darkly from up above. "See you at the finish line, birdbrain!" she called out mockingly before making a dash for it, aiming to clear the final lap and to take the victory for herself.

[Jaykobell]

Juro watched the mountain from his spot, immobile. He narrowed his eyes the moment the two females disappeared behind the mountain. He could see anything that happened while they were flying in front of the Hive, but anything that happened behind it was out of his vision. That's why he knew it was the most dangerous section of the flying for anyone who pushed Alcippe's buttons, because the Placid had no qualms about stooping down to ridiculous lows in order to win. He'd seen the Soveris leading the race, and he could only assume the Placid would try nasty tricks in order to slow down the bird. In general, Placids were quiet, gentle Paragon who didn't like confrontation or competition. It was like Alcippe had been born a Placid, but her heart had been born Grim.

His doubts materialized when he heard a very distinct cry in the distance. It didn't sound like the cry of a Paragon: it sounded like the cry of a bird. A bird of prey, to be precise, like an eagle or a falcon. Admittedly, he hadn't heard the Soveris cry before, so he couldn't be certain it was from her. For all he knew, maybe she had a melodic cry like that of a finch instead of a piercing cry like a hawk. He wasn't any bird expert. Still, he would see the damages once the two females flew over to the finish line.

As Alcippe's form started to turn around to fly forward across the mountain face, Juro's eyes narrowed down to slits. Where was the Soveris? She was nearly as fast as the Placid; he could accept Alcippe regaining first place, but the Soveris would have had to be near her, following in hot pursuit. Where was she? He gave the Placid the benefit of the doubt and waited a few minutes to see if the Soveris had just really fallen behind. No; by the time Alcippe had nearly reached the finish line, the Soveris was nowhere to be seen. The Nago gritted his teeth; what in the world had happened to the bird?

Alcippe casually flew over the finish line as she neared it, flying much slower than she usually did, and carrying herself in a proud, cocky manner as she landed across the line. "Juro!" she called out as she made her way to the Nago and flew up to his face, with a hand stretched out for a high-give. "Another victory for the best flyer! Don't you think?"

The Nago looked at the hand that was presented to him, but then ignored it and focused his gaze on the Placid. "What happened to the bird?" he asked her, and his face was clear enough to say that he didn't want her to try to pull a fast one on him.

Alcippe blinked before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, but right away the cocky grin came back. "What of her? She flew too close to the obstacles and crashed into one of the rock towers," the Placid explained, and really, she wasn't lying: that was exactly what had happened... minus a few details. "It'll be a while before she crosses that line! Guess she forfeited in the end." The Placid laughed devilishly, but the Nago seemed far from amused.

[Jaykobell]

Alcippe noticed Juro's serious face, and she raised an eyebrow at him as she stopped laughing. "Hey, what's with you? Come on, can't a Paragon be happy for her victory?" He'd been really aggravating out of late. Every single time she challenged another Paragon to a race and won, he would give her mean looks and ask her what she'd done.

"What did you do to the bird?" Juro asked, as if right on cue with Alcippe's thoughts. He knew how low she could go, and that bird wasn't very old. She also wasn't a Paragon, so they couldn't say for sure just how much damage she could take before break a bone or hurting herself very badly.

Alcippe gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at her partner. "What's your problem? Why do you always ask me the same damn question every time? I flew and I won! That's what I did!" she retorted, getting clearly agitated.

And from that change in behavior, Juro knew she was trying to hide whatever she'd done to the Soveris. "She was winning," the Nago pointed out flatly, as if to say that that was the only proof he needed to prove his case. "What did you do to her so she wouldn't beat you?"

"Okay, Juro? You're starting to piss me off," the Placid spat angrily as she landed on the ground, where she kept her wings spread out and her face in a snarl. "She crashed in one of the towers on her own! You saw how low she was flying earlier! She wasn't fast enough and got hurt. End of story!" Admittedly, she was getting a little nervous that he was really catching on to her tricks. She'd always seen Juro as being birdbrained himself, but he proved to be surprisingly keen and intelligent. His conscience would put her entire image in jeopardy if he kept questioning her like this.

The Nago didn't retaliate to the Placid's aggressive stance, and only kept a displeased expression instead. "I'm going to go find her; then I'll see if you're telling me the truth or if you're lying," he said as he got up and spread his own wings wide, and he immediately saw a change in the Placid's face.

"What?! Why? Let losers be losers!" the Placid insisted, but before Juro was going to let her say any more, the Nago flapped his wings and made a dash for the back of the mountain. Enraged, Alcippe kicked and thrashed for a few seconds. "Fine! Go to your bird! See if I care!" she yelled out after nothing, the Nago already gone behind the mountain.

[Jaykobell]

Although he'd heard her scream and pull a tantrum over his decision, Juro ignored the Placid and continued on his way. He flew next to the obstacles, considering Alcipped had mentioned the Soveris had crashed into one of the rock towers. That meant the bird would probably be grounded, so there was no need to look from high above, where the trees and rocks would overlap one another. With such a distinct shape — he was used to finding Paragon, not Soveris — it would be hard for Juro to miss the Soveris in all the debris. He only hoped that the female was all right; Alcippe could play dumb all she wanted, but crashing into a rock tower sounded rather dangerous. What if the bird had lost consciousness? It could be dangerously problematic.

He had to fly until about the middle of that particular section before finally catching a glimpse of the Soveris. To his relief, the bird was moving, so his guess was that she hadn't been injured too much. He couldn't quite get a good look from where he was, however, and the extent of the Soveris's injuries could only be seen once he started getting closer. The fur and feathers on one of her haunches were clearly singed and burned, and it seemed like she'd earned a few cuts and bruises. Still, those weren't the worst of it; Juro's eyes widened a little when he noticed one of the Soveris's forepaws. It was crooked at an unnatural angle, and just looking at it gave the Nago a twisted stomach. "Alcippe... What in the hell?" he mused to himself, baffled at the extent the Placid had gone to incapacitate the bird. He knew for a fact the Soveris couldn't breathe fire: the burns had to be from Alcippe. His best guess was that the Placid had hurled fire at the bird to distract her, and from that, the Soveris had careened into the rock tower. Her crooked and twisted paw was probably the result of that accident.

Juro landed on the edge of the plateau and slowly made his way towards the bird. From up close, he could see the Soveris's face being contorted with pain and agony, along with tears. Not surprising: just looking at that injury was making Juro queasy, and he'd seen flying injuries before. Admittedly, he hadn't expected Alcippe to go this far. "Hey," he called out to the Soveris, who he could see was still conscious and aware, "are you okay? Let me—" The moment his hands neared the bird to try to pick her up, the Soveris screeched aggressively at him, and the cry was startling enough to make the Nago take a few steps back.

Koralia glared at the dark male, her blue eyes on the verge of more tears, and her whole body ready to fight off any predators if her life depended on it. Her paw was in so much pain; by everything almighty, she couldn't even stand to look at it without feeling the pain increase tenfold. Still, if it hadn't been for her feet scales, she could only imagine just how much worse her paw would've been. The scales had cracked from the shock of the hit, with a few having fallen off because of it. That hadn't prevented the paw from twisting into that unnatural angle, one that didn't even allow her to walk. With the toes pointed backwards and the palm of the paw twisted to the side, it was a miracle no bones had pierced through her skin. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry all the agony away, but she couldn't afford to do that here. No, first, she had to find a way to drag herself to the Healer's Den so she could get help. And she would get there herself, even if it meant more pain.

And that was because trusting that Nago was also trouble. He was the friend of that devilish Placid that had hurt her, and she wouldn't hesitate to hurt him back. One could call it the pain working on her, but she was also enraged at the nasty tricks that had been played on her during the race. "Don't touch me," Koralia warned the male Paragon, her other feet still capable of causing injuries. "I'll peak your eyes out."

[Jaykobell]

Rumors had been going around the Hive about the true nature of those Soveris birds. Something about them being aggressive by nature, birds of prey that wouldn't hesitate to swoop down and claw your eyes out if you gave them the chance. When he saw the bird just earlier, he thought it was impossible for a small thing like her to look threatening in any way. However, getting one of those sharp cries right into his ears, topped off with the threat of peaking him out, he had to admit that even he found the bird somewhat menacing. Then again, with an injury like that, any creature would be ready to bounce at any sign of danger.

"Hey. I don't want to hurt you. I'll get you to Nyala to help with all this," Juro tried to explain, but his flat tone was often misunderstood by others as him just pulling a fast one. He was naturally quiet and laid-back, but really, he wasn't that much of a bad guy. He had reasons to hang out with Alcippe, but none of them were about tricking others and hurting them in order to win a petty little game of race. "I know Alcippe's a sore loser, that's why I told you to watch your tongue earlier," the Nago explained, trying to cover his ground and say that, really, he'd tried to get the two of them to avoid racing.

Koralia narrowed her eyes at the Nago, and her rage only intensified. Admittedly, it was better to feel uncontrollable anger than unbearable agony. "Are you kidding me? That was your cryptic warning?" He might as well have told her that apples grew on trees and that chickens laid eggs! What kind of unclear warning had that been? She could remember him trying to get Alcippe to stop bullying her, but he never once stated that she would stoop to such lows. Had she known that, she never would've agreed to race the Placid. Koralia thought she was setting herself up for an honest competition, despite the Placid's nasty nature. "No thanks for your help."

Despite her entire body being either burned, scarred, messy or twisted unnaturally, in the midst of it all, both of her wings had managed to avoid getting injured. After crashing into the rock tower, Koralia had had the fortunate reflex to tuck her wings to her side as tightly as possible to keep them out of harm's way, such as tree branches and more rocks, as she was careening downward. Thanks to that, her wings were a little ruffled, but they were otherwise completely operational. She didn't need her paws to fly, and if she took it slowly enough, she would manage to make it to Nyala's den. The pain was already unbearable, and flying would put more stress on her body, but she would endure the pain. She didn't feel comfortable trusting this Nago; if his friend could pull such nasty tricks on her, then obviously he was capable of doing the same thing.

Although he had to commend her for having an incredible tolerance to pain — much more than his own, he had to admit — it was still dangerous for her to fly off on her own in her current state. What could he do to prove he wasn't interested in hurting her further? He couldn't really blame her: he did hang out with Alcippe, and he was probably her one and only very close friend. Still, that didn't mean he always agreed with her, or that he found her tricks acceptable. "Hey, I can't really blame you for not trusting me, but I'm honest when I say I want to help," he pressed, taking a few steps towards the Soveris, but without pushing his luck. "Anything I can do or say to convince you I'm being honest?"

[Jaykobell]

Koralia had already enough with her injuries and the pain they brought her; she didn't need for the Placid's friend to follow her along as well. Her focus was overwhelmed as she tried to focus her energy in her wings to fly all the way to the Healer's Den; she couldn't afford to spare an ear or an eye to make sure the Nago wasn't going to pull a fast one while she was down. "Don't do anything or say anything," Koralia hissed as she awkwardly limped away from the Nago. She didn't get terribly far, however, as the agonizing pain of her injuries quickly caught up to her. The burning sensation shot through her other legs, even if they hadn't been damaged all that much compared to everything else. It was her body as a whole that was in pain, and not only her crooked paw and burned haunches. She fell to the ground again from the pain, her wings falling to her sides as her focus wavered. The damage was too much for her to take her mind off it, and she needed to stay focused in order to be able to fly.

Although he'd been told to not do or say anything, Juro continued to follow the Soveris. "I've rarely seen Paragon injured like that, y'know," he told the bird, breaking both orders Koralia had told him just earlier. "I don't think you'll manage to get to Nyala's on your own." He tried to emote through his flat tone of voice, but it was hard to do something like consciously. The way he spoke just came to him naturally, so a laid-back, flat and seemingly uninterested tone of voice is what echoed. Part of him did feel bad for the bird, but it was hard to vocalize it. "I'll be careful?" he added, somewhat asking the question, wondering if that would ease the Soveris's trust a bit.

It didn't do much in that category, for the bird simply glared at the Nago with narrowed eyes and continued to ignore his offer. "If I were alone in the wild, I would..." She trailed off, and she didn't find it in her to continue her sentence. It came to mind that Taniqua had helped her when she was just a baby; if the Ambia hadn't been around, who knows what would have happened to Koralia? The same answer applied here: she knew she was in no condition to fly. As it were, if Juro — as untrustworthy as he was, really — weren't around, what would have happened to her here? Needless to say, Alcippe wouldn't have come back to pick her up. What happened to animals, sentient or wild, that got injured in the wild, and who were all alone?

They died. That's what happened to them.

At this rate, however, she figured that eventually, someone would notice that she was missing. Taniqua would start to worry; she knew it didn't take this long to deliver just a little basket of eggs. Some kind of Paragon would notice that she was missing, someone would notice that she wasn't around. At some point, they would go look for her. They would search for her. Right? They would search for her... just liker her biological family had. Right? They would... not look for her. They would assume she got lost. They would assume she'd be back on her own. They'd assume... that they didn't need to go look for her.

[Jaykobell]

Whether from the pain or from her insecurities, Koralia felt the tears streaming down again, with her heartbeat quickening and pumping inside her head. A sense of defeat and worthlessness washed over her, her thoughts of broken cacophony from the fears and the pain that mingled inside her head. She really did just want to curl up and cry it all out: cry everything out.

While the Soveris was starting to lose it — at least from Juro's perspective — the Nago tried to think of a way to help her in a way that didn't involve him quite so directly. She obviously didn't trust him, for obvious reasons. That was fine: he didn't deny that many Paragon had come to see him as underhanded because of his hanging out with a Paragon like Alcippe. Still, there had to be a way for him to help the Soveris to show that he, regardless of the Placid, was genuinely sorry for what had happened to Koralia.

That's when he started to wonder who knew this Soveris. Many Paragon had heard of her, but who truly knew her, either as family or as friends? Maybe if he could find a winged Paragon in that category, he could lead them here and get the help she needed. He knew he had to find a way to stop her from putting stress on those injuries, especially the crooked paw. He knew Paragon that had ended up with permanent problems due to injuries that weren't treated fast enough, or that were put through too much stress.

"Hey," he called out to the Soveris, who didn't really look like she was all there any more. Another common sign that her wounds were starting to get the best of her, "I'll go get a Paragon that knows you, a'right? Would that work? I know Paragon that got small handicaps because they were stubborn like you and put stress on their bones," he told the Soveris as he took a few more steps towards her, stretching his wings in the process. "Don't move, and I'll come back with... whoever I can find first," he said, hoping the Soveris would at least give him some kind of benefit of the doubt. The Hive had enough Paragon to have a least a handful that knew the bird personally. Even if she lived down on the small farm with Taniqua, she still came by the Hive every day. A Paragon was bound to be willing to help.

Koralia would've protested, but she'd barely truly heard the Nago's words. Her mind was filtering out all outside noise to focus entirely on whatever horrible things could happen to her now that she was crippled. Subconsciously, her mind forced her wings to fly, to take her away where she needed to go. They flapped limply on her back, not nearly powerfully or quickly enough to carry her. What was going to happen now? She wasn't sure she knew where she was anymore. All she could feel was pain, heartbreak, insecurity, fear, sorrow; and so many more that she couldn't quite vocalize, or put into words. They were hitting her head all at once, to the point where her mind felt numb. The negative words and the horrible scenarios had all been replaced by static noise, to the point where she could see images, but everything we muted. Eventually, the images started to go, too. Was she on the ground? Or flying? No, flying wasn't possible. It wasn't clear. Her mind was so foggy. She couldn't think anymore. Couldn't move. Everything was dark and silent.

[Jaykobell]

It lasted for just a few minutes; then it felt like the noise was starting to come back. It was aggravating at first, sounding like gibberish that her mind couldn't decipher. Strangely enough, she could apply colors to those words that she couldn't translate. They all had certain tones and pitches that were different from one set of noise to another, yet they were consistent. It was hard to explain. Voices? Maybe voices were what she was hearing now. The words slowly started to fall into place; the veil that had been draped across her mind was finally starting to fall off. Where was she now? She wasn't laying on the ground. The more her mind came back, the more she realized that the agonizing pain was no longer there. Her senses were starting to come back.

She then she suddenly got the feeling of her falling, but just a heartbeat. As suddenly as it had appeared, the feeling disappeared and everything fell into place. As if her mind had been taken out of her head and then suddenly dropped right back where it belonged. She suddenly fell heavy as she took note of her own body weight, along with all the sense and limbs that went with it. It felt like her mind had flickered out for a second, only to come back completely the next.

Her first reaction was to open her eyes, although it still felt like her eyelids were glued together. She squinted her eyes open, and she was surprised to see no one around. That was one thing; the other thing was the fact that she was in a den. Specifically, she recognized the herbs, the poultries, the gels, and the many strange smells and wares of the Healer's Den all around her. It took her brain a few seconds to register that she was laying down on one of the nests inside the said den. Why was she here? Somehow, her mind knew exactly why she was laying down here, a general feeling of numbness encasing her whole body, but it just refused to tell her outright.

And then the memories, too, were placed right back where they belonged. She'd left the farm this morning to deliver eggs to Francis, and then they'd talked about her origins; how she wasn't from the Hive, and how her original family had never came looking for her. Then things had spiralled downhill when she bumped into Alcippe, and she challenged the Placid to a race. The accident was a little blurry, but she could remember crashing into the rock tower, and then Juro came to help. Juro? Some his words were stuck in her head still, when he said he would go and try to find someone to help. Had he actually helped, then?

Everything had happened so quickly, in retrospect. There was just one thing that was important in her mind, though: she had to home. She had to go see her mom and tell her she was okay, and that everything was okay. She felt horrible for the stupid mistake she'd made of racing with Alcippe, but she had to let her mom know she was okay. She had to be sick with worry by now, whatever time it was.

Her instincts pushed her up, but her body quickly disagreed as pain once again surfaced and coursed through her muscles. Her injured paw almost cracked under the small pressure it received, and the Soveris screeched in agony. She'd remembered near everything, except for the fact that she wasn't supposed to walk on that leg.

[Jaykobell]

The agony came back full force, and her body was aching from head to toes. Even her wings ached, even though she knew they hadn't been all that damaged. Her whole body was in mild pain, but her paw was the most painful. When she did bother to take a look at it — something she had to steel herself for, considering how horrifying it had looked after the accident — she was pleasantly surprised to see that it had been twisted and popped back into place. Although it was still painful, she could feel it working as it should, together with everything facing the right way. She was still shaken by the pain, but she could bring herself to sigh with relief.

As she was still taking in her surroundings, she heard some shuffling and noises coming from the room behind her, which was sealed off by a thing skin curtain. A white Sandshark head emerged from it, and the Soveris recognized the female right away. "What's all the screeching about?"

The white female Paragon slipped out from behind the curtain, her lack of eyes or sockets for them not keeping her from getting around just fine. "What did you do?" the Sandshark asked, putting her nose close to the Soveris.

Koralia withdrew just a little, and then her ears drooped. "I... I stepped on my leg," she confessed, and she was steeling herself for the scolding of the healer Paragon. Nyala wasn't quite known for being gentle with her patients, although she did know how to take care of them. Her blindness, which was often used against her, never stopped her from healing her tribemates and keeping them healthy.

"No, no, no. Don't step on it!" the Sandshark replied, a hint of worry in her voice; something particular to hear from Nyala, or at least Koralia had heard. After warning her, the Sandshark tapped around the Soveris lightly in order to find the right leg, and she lifted it very gently and slowly. While she couldn't see it, she knew the bird could. Without wasting any time with petty details, the healer went straight to the meat of the matter.

"It feels like you ripped the muscles around your joint, and I'd dare to bet you might've fractured the bones too; but that's hard to tell." Those were already some dire news, but unbeknownst to the Soveris, there were more. "I have gels and herbs that will speed up the healing process. You must not put pressure on it. You could potentially become unable to ever walk on that leg again if you worsen it. At best, you'll probably have to get used to limping," Nyala explained, unable to see the expression of shock on Koralia's face, but certainly capable of feeling it through the leg she was holding.

[Jaykobell]

She'd literally just recovered from the accident during the race, and already she was being told something just as equally terrifying. Koralia's eyes widened and her beak opened up, as the Soveris failed to connect the dots. She frowned and shook her head to try to clear everything up, but everything was still too fresh. "Wait, hold on! What's going on? What happened to my leg?"

Nyala didn't answer right away, but Koralia could sense the displeasure in her grip. A Paragon's presence did a lot to tell another creature how they felt. "Don't you remember? You twisted the entire thing while you were racing Alcippe behind the mountain." The Sandshark humphed and grumbled quietly. "According to her lackey, anyway," she added, and much like Koralia, it seemed that she didn't quite trust the Nago, either.

"Juro?" Koralia chipped in, but then she shook her head again; she knew what had happened to her! That wasn't the problem. "But no, I remember what happened! What I'm asking is why I might never get to walk on this leg ever again," the Soveris asked, wanting more details on that. Hadn't Paragon bruised their wrists and ankles, and they hadn't suffered from those injuries permanently. Why was it different for her? She didn't want to be handicapped for the rest of her life; she was still young!

It took a certain time for the Sandshark to reply, and she eventually tilted her head. "I am more knowledgeable in Paragon," Nyala admitted, but her words were also covered with a hint of indignation. "You are a bird: my guess is your bones are much more fragile than ours. Juro told me you'd put a lot of strain on it because you refused to let him help you." The female wanted to add that the child had brought this upon herself, but she bit her tongue. According to Juro, this whole incident could've been avoided had Alcippe not attacked the bird. It wasn't fair to blame Koralia for a mistake that wasn't entirely hers, although it had been a foolish decision to deny help. The healer figured being stuck with a limp her whole life would be punishment enough. "You will most likely be able to walk on it, but only very carefully. Absolutely, categorically, under no circumstances: do not put pressure on this leg. I will tell you once you can try to walk on it." With everything explained, Nyala let go of the leg and gently placed it back down. For a Paragon with a tongue merciless as the sharpest of claws, the Sandshark could be surprisingly gentle.

Although Koralia didn't quite know what to think or what to say, she just silently nodded to the healer. All she understood was that she couldn't use her leg for an undetermined amount of time, and that the best case scenario was that she would earn a permanent limp from it. Worst case scenario, her leg would be in pain forever to the point that she wouldn't even be able to put any weight on it. One way or another, that leg would be a reminder of how quickly one's life could turn upside-down.

[Jaykobell]

Nyala left Koralia's side only momentarily in order to go and shuffle through her stock. Koralia could hear the Sandshark shuffling through her bottles and herbs, hearing the various noises, but she didn't bother to look. She could only stare down at her injured leg, which looked just like all the others at first glance. Well, the scales had been cleaned and they had to grow back, and the leg was swollen compared to the others, but other than that, her legs all looked the same. Yet, that one leg would forever leave her in pain, and she would never be able to walk straight ever again. That's what it came down to, right?

The shuffling noises eventually stopped, and Nyala back to the Soveris, holding a small bottle in her mouth. She dropped it in front of the bird before sitting down in front of Koralia. "You will apply this gel on your leg twice a day. It will numb the pain and help the bones and muscles to heal faster. It should be strong enough to allow you to function during the day and sleep during the night. I must repeat that you have to be very careful not to step on the leg," the Sandshark explained, demonstrating how to apply the gel with her own leg. They weren't identical to Koralia's, but the bird got the idea. "I will see how your leg is once you have used up the whole bottle." She paused for a little while, just to make sure the Soveris didn't have any questions about applying the gel or about her injury. "I am letting you go as soon as you are ready to leave. You will have to rely on your wings more often, and your three other legs."

Koralia blinked and looked up at the Sandshark when she heard that she could already leave. "R... really? You don't want me to stay here? I thought I had more injuries," the Soveris pointed out, feeling a particular feeling of burning by her haunches.

Nyala could feel the Soveris staring right at her, and the Sandshark shook her head. "No. You had other minor, exterior injuries that were taken care of and that will heal very quickly. There is also no reason for me to keep you here: your leg will take a few weeks to heal, so you may go back home." There was a pause from the Sandshark. "I also figured you would want to be there when Izotz punishes Alcippe for what she did to you, as well," the healer added, her voice tinted with scowl; the Soveris could see her face slowly turning into a snarl.

What had happened to her was one thing, but to hear that Izotz would punish Alcippe for it was a surprise. How had the leader found out about the accident? "Wait... how long have I been unconscious? What time is it? What day?" If Izotz had found out, had Koralia been out cold for a few days? Who had told the Frost? Had another Paragon seen the scene behind the mountain?

[Jaykobell]

It wasn't exactly Nyala's style to dwell on such things, but if the patient asked, then she would comply. "You slept for about a day. The pain was probably much too terrible for you to handle," the Sandshark started with, and then she paused as she tried to put all the events down in order. "Dunstan and Juro brought you here. Juro gave me a good summary of what had happened to you; after that, he left to go report Alcippe to Izotz himself." An admirable gesture, to be quite honest. Nyala hadn't expected it from the Nago, who apparently wasn't completely clean himself in this whole ordeal, but at least she could commend him for making the right decision.

Hearing Nyala say that Juro had gone to report Alcippe to Izotz himself surprised Koralia as well. She'd only known the Nago for a very short time, but from that alone she had been able to tell that he wasn't exactly reliable. He sounded too laid-back and uncaring to do something like that, but hearing the healer say that, maybe Koralia had been wrong to doubt him. "He went to report Alcippe himself?" she echoed, although she wasn't expecting the Sandshark to repeat herself.

"By early afternoon, Izotz knew the full story. He then announced that he would pass judgement once you were awake and feeling better. I believe he must want you there as well," Nyala added as she, in fact, did not pay much mind to Koralia's statement. "I believe he is discussing the matter with Slavica and Balthazar in order to pass fair judgement. If Juro hadn't gone to get help, you could've been in terrible danger," the healer added as she shook her head. "No one truly goes by the back of the mountain, so wild Paragon sometimes use that side to cause trouble."

Hearing that almost made Koralia's heart leap right out of her chest. Considering she'd lost consciousness, it only made sense that she would've been easy prey for any wild Paragon that happened to pass by. She really could have been killed. A simple situation where she'd tried to stand up for herself, where she'd tried to put someone back in their place, and where what was supposed to be a friendly competition had nearly killed her. If she'd met Alcippe alone, she most likely would've died. When one put things that way, it was quite a big realization to take in.

Part of her wondered if her mom had learned about it. Part of her wondered if she'd come to look for her, if she'd gotten worried for her after a while. If she had, how had she reacted to finding out her daughter had nearly been killed? Was she heartbroken? Worried? Devastated? Did she care? Where was her mom now? Was she around? Had she come to see her while Koralia was unconscious?

[Jaykobell]

As if she were on cue with Koralia's thoughts, Nyala continued with the events of the previous day. "Of course, Taniqua started to panic by the afternoon when she realized you still weren't back. When she learned you were unconscious in my den, she just about tried to invite herself in," the Sandshark growled, clearly unhappy about that. She had a den for a reason, and that reason was because her patients needed peace and quiet to rest and recover. Hysterics and screams were the complete opposite of that, and the healer just couldn't stand loud Paragon in her den. "I forced her out since it's no one's place here, but for myself and my patients," the Sandshark clarified out loud, just in case the Soveris was wondering why her mother wasn't already clinging to her neck. "When she learned what Alcippe had done, she just about tried to kill the Placid herself."

Everything sounded fairly normal, up until that last part. It took a few moments for Koralia's brain to register it, but it did eventually catch on to the words, "kill the Placid herself". Still, the Sandshark had probably just exaggerated. While she was relieved to know her mom cared enough to cause an entire uproar, the Soveris doubted the Ambia would've gone as far as to kill another Paragon.

When Nyala went on, however, Koralia was shocked to hear that the Sandshark hadn't been kidding. "Izotz had to order her to stop. I don't think any punishment he passes will be enough in her eyes, considering what she did to you. I think her mane turned grey overnight from all the stress." There was a pause, and the Sandshark visibly snarled. It was hard to really read the healer since she didn't have eyes, but her expression and her tension alone were enough to tip off the Soveris that the healer was also upset over the ordeal. "I hope Izotz drops the act and passes down fair judgement. I hope he realizes she used underhanded tricks that nearly killed you." Any Paragon that hurt others for no reason were horrible, fiendish beings to Nyala. She healed to save Paragon from those fiendish creatures, and really, if any of them came to her for help, she would tell them to turn tail and to suffer the same way they'd made others suffer. She strongly believed that Paragon like them deserved a taste of their own medicine. It was hard to say what Izotz would do, considering he was much too benevolent and understanding.

There was an angry sigh from the healer, and then the Sandshark got up and slipped back behind the curtain at the far back of the den. That left Koralia alone, and it took the Soveris a few seconds to catch on that the conversation had just been abruptly cut. Although it felt a little awkward to stop there, she figured it probably meant that there was nothing more to it. In a nutshell, she'd been unconscious for about a day, Juro had reported Alcippe, and Izotz was going to punish her: supposedly very harshly. "When is Izotz going to pass judgement?" Koralia asked the Sandshark beyond the curtain when she realized the exact time and day weren't mentioned in that abruptly interrupted conversation.