Everything hurt. Everything was dark and pain and every step like needles in her skin. Twice she had been hit...with a spell that made her sick. Poisoned her, ripped her apart from the inside...she felt like she was dying. And she could barely remember why. She had been gone, lost, flown into the darkness. She had woken up with blood on her claws. And she didn't know whose blood it was.

She could barely move but she knew she had to...she had to get somewhere safe. Somewhere where the dragon wouldn't find her and attack her again. She had to...she had to.....run...

But she could move no more. There was a ledge nearby, with a crevice beneath. A small cave to find shelter in, but she couldn't make it. Her stumbling feet were numb, they couldn't support her tiny weight anymore and she keeled over, collapsing on her chest. She could barely breathe...she could barely move...she was in so much pain...

s̶͓̓ơ̵͚ ̶̢̈́m̶̦͑u̴̥͝ć̸̱h̸̡͗ ̴̲̓p̵̏͜a̵̅ͅi̶͓̿n̷̜̔...

As her spinning head began to fall into darkness, she reached out desperately with magic. Where she was reaching, she didn't know. She wanted someone familiar. Someone she could trust, no matter how far away they were. She reached all across the caves until it touched the sleeping mind of someone she knew and loved. Wherever Aure rested, his dream would shift and he would see her, lying there in Orion, her breathing so subtle it could almost be missed.

Wilder was dreaming as well now, but she did not move from her place. Her dream did not change as Aure's did, she sat there, waiting, when Aure came before her. She still hurt, even in her state of dreaming, but at least now she did not have the wounds of her body to hinder her. She looked up, either unwilling or unable to rise to her feet, bright eyes dull.

Aure was here...but wasn't it just a dream? She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a pitiful squeak. She coughed, trying to gather her voice before she smiled weakly at her friend. "Hi, Aure. I'm happy you're here. Even if you aren't real." She rested her head on her paws, her ears pressing back against her head, visibly straining to press down harder, as if this would alleviate her pain. But she said nothing of it. Instead, "Are there bad people in the caves? Like truly evil ones?" It may have sounded like a horribly innocent, ignorant, and maybe even a sarcastic question, but it was something that Wilder had never experienced or encountered before, at least not knowingly.

Wilder listened. It was easy to listen. She didn't have to move to listen. She didn't even nod her head, her ears didn't move, her whiskers didn't twitch in acknowledgement. She was motionless besides the rise and fall of her sides as she listened. She didn't react to the news about Aure's brother, she didn't react to the mention of Black. If she hadn't been like this, she would have gasped at what Eythan had done and jumped for joy when he talked about Black. But she was tired and weak and she was lost.

When she began to speak, it was sudden and she spoke in a voice of monotone. "I don't remember. The Collector gave me a job. I needed to go and get information. He wanted info on the Bloodberries too, they live in Tunnel N. I was going there when a big lizard stopped me. She called herself Greed and was very mean and angry. She was going to go kill the Bloodberries and I couldn't...I couldn't let her just murder in cold blood. I tried to stop her but she turned on me and...and..." Her eyes widened, wet and glassy as she began to tremble. "Aure...what if I killed her? I can't remember anything, I blacked out then and I could barely feel. I did a lot of magic and I got hurt and when I woke up...I was like this and she was gone..." She shook her head, finally moving, and buried her head in her paws. "She called the Bloodberries murderes and savages but I didn't believe her...but what if she was right? Or...what if she was wrong? I don't know! I don't know what happened!"

Wilder shook her head, staring at Aure with her dull eyes. "This isn't where we fought. I must have run..." but she didn't know what else to say. Her dreams hurt so bad, but she knew it would be better then what he body was feeling. Though the wounds she had suffered weren't deep, there were a lot of them. And Wilder had never been wounded like this before. The pain was unfamiliar.

She rested her head back on her paws and closed her eyes. "Ok. I will stay sleeping, though. I don't feel too good." She let loose the magic so Aure would be free from the dream and tried to direct it elsewhere. To a less gembound, maybe, or anyone else nearby. But her spell fell on deaf ears and she instead had to force herself to stay asleep, however difficult it was. Even as she began to grow conscious again, she curled into herself, trying desperately to black out again.

The sound of wingbeats woke up the small kitten and she looked up just as the pain hit her again. She yowled in protest as that terrible headache came back, that horrible stomachache, and all the fresh wounds stung horrible. She trembled, trying to contain herself from kicking and screeching and clawing at the ground. Aure was getting closer. When he got here everything would be alright.

It would be alright.

She tried to steady her breathing like she did when she was in a trance but it wasn't working. It was all so overwhelming that she couldn't help but let out small mewls and whimpers. Even when Aure landed, the noises continued. She wanted to say something but all that came out was a high pitched squeak. The spores sprinkled over her and she sneezed but a few moments later, she felt weariness wash over her. Was it from her wounds? Or was it from the spores? She couldn't tell but she gratefully rested her head on the ground, eyes half closed, and enjoyed the dulling sensation that the sleep was bringing. Finally, she drooped off, her breathing easier then before.