Big Bog was quick to act, and although the searing pain of burnt skin did not leave his body-- it was almost worse with the splashes of water-- the flames did peeter out. He heard Dragon's roar and felt a great searing shame: had he failed? The pain was almost too great to take and he knew there wasn't much time left. Something was severely wrong with what he had done.

The bat clung to his friend, wheezing now, crawling across the pelt of the great Big Bog. He was, as always, blind-- but his other senses were dull under the roaring pain of his flesh.

"Big Bog I... I must rest..." He spoke softly, in rasping voices, feeling his way desperately into a cavity of the creature. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but his magic drew him close to the Big Bog's strong, pounding heart. It was rather convenient that the boar has a gaping hole in his chest already-- that was where Tal'at went in his struggle to find safety.

Tal'at could feel the world slipping away as he curled up into the pounding chamber of the Bog, but he reached out one last time, breathing out single words now instead of his drumming three word usual speech pattern. He simply didn't have the strength anymore. "Guard... Bog... Proootect...." And then, like the sandman's dust had been scattered across the small, injured bat, the quiet creature grew still and silent.


...

In the distance, an incredibly agitated spider let out a cascade of horrible sounding hisses, retreating further into the swamp's lake. All of Tal'at's suffering was hers, but she would not be graced with the gentle comfort of sleep. Her red eyes glared out at the surface of the water, towards the chunks of gems that were just beginning to form new life-- distrust through her trapped, primitive mind.

©sanctuare-2k15

@Czernobog



TAL'AT WILL RETURN ON JANUARY 10TH

Czernobog could barely hear over the sound of his own panicked bleating and the thud of his heart, but Dragon's bellow cut through the noise, made the boar's head lift, yelp back. "Daaaaaaaad!" It was a frightened screech more than anything, the only thing he could think of to say, a cry for help. But the alligator was still, and the pig let out an irritated, grieving squeal, focused back on the bat, watched as the flames died down, leaving blackened, mutilated skin in their wake. There was... he was... No, no, but Czernobog knew enough to know death when he saw it.

Not even Tal'at could survive wounds so severe.

A low bleat of pain escaped his throat, dripped through the air, legs shaking. Big Bog. The whisper made him still, turn to peer at his friend, lowering his snout to rest against the bat's cheek. Please stay. I. Rest. Black eyes widened, and the words were met with a grunt of protest. No, where, you can't go, just stay here!

But the bat's heartbeat stayed, unsteady and weakening, and he moved, moved, and he was already climbing over muscle and bone to rest within the boar's ribcage before Czernobog thought to stop him. Bile rose in his throat, choked any more sounds, and the pig twitched in place, wanting to crawl out of his skin, leave, because this, this was not worth his Purpose.

Guard. Bog. Protect.

And then he was gone.

And he felt it. The body pressed up against his heart went still, and failure settled into the boar's bones like an old friend, made him wail, ears flicking wildly, head whipping from side to side. Wake up wake up wake up obudzić się obudzić wybudzenia!

But the heartbeat stayed gone, and soon Czernobog's voice fell silent to match it.

@Dragon

When Czernobog finally squealed his name, Dragon blinked and at last surged back into action. But what could he even do? He plunged forward into the swamp, sending a plume of black water up and over the poor pig. No, that wouldn't help--hell, it might hurt, given the pig's gaping wound. And where had Tal'at gone? ...Was he imagining it, or had he just seen the bat crawl inside of Bog's open wound?

When the pig at last went still, no longer whipping his tusked head from side to side, Dragon finally spoke. He reached his great boatlike snout forward to touch Czernobog's, distraught.

"...Is he alive? Do I need to--... Pull him out? Tal'at? Are you in there?"

He was uncertain, but his voice slow and measured, soft, trying to remain calm. For Bog's sake, if nothing else.
"I did not mean to harm him. We were creating new life--carefully. I think he was in pain, and then the life I breathed--as fire... He moved into it. I forgot he is blind," he added softly. Stupid, now, not to warn him what he was about to do. Was it his fault, then...?

The alligator sighed softly, unsure.

He wasn't sure about anything, anymore.

This had obviously been a terrible idea. He was already debating merely destroying the eggs.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

@Czernobog

Czernobog felt... numb. He didn't react for long moments after Dragon stormed to his side, scaly snout pressed up against the boar's. He simply stared, blankly, and tried to breathe. With every thump of his heart, he could feel the bat's corpse, and he... didn't know what to do. It took him even longer to respond to the alligator's words.

Alive? Need. Pull. Out? Tal'at? In?

The pig whined, low in his throat, a wavering, child-like sound.

Not. Mean. Harm. Creating. Life. He. In pain. Breathed. Fire. Moved into. Blind.

He needed to focus. He needed to be Good. For Tiny.

"Deaaaaaaaad," Czernobog finally murmured, low and monotone, whispery. "Stiiiiiiiiill." Another whine, and the boar shuddered all over hard, pressed into Dragon's snout and clenched his beady eyes shut. "Huuuuuuuuurt. Couuuuldn't. Heeeeeeelp." I couldn't even save him. What kind of Guard am I? How did he explain that the bat's body was curled up, almost around his heart?

"Tiiiiiiinyyyyyyyy," the pig cried, helplessly, fat tears wetting his wiry fur. "Faaaaaaaailed." Wasn't this the ultimate failure? The evidence was sitting cocooned in electrocuted meat and cradled by rib-bones. Frustration bit at him, made him squeal, shudder again. "Frieeeeeeeeeend!"

He needed Willow, needed a translator, needed some way to tell his father how it felt to have their friend's wings digging into his organs. The claws digging into his gut. The cold gem pressed up to the center of his body. But Czernobog said nothing else, shaking and crying quietly.

@Dragon

The alligator shuddered a little at the pure wracking emotion the poor boar was giving off. He was not an empathetic creature, by any means--but the emotional agony in what he considered his son was palpable.

And Tal'at--Tal'at was nowhere to be seen.

Dragon spoke, sternly, voice carrying.

"Bog. You did not fail. It was an accident. ACCIDENT, you understand? My fault, if anyone's." And though Dragon was a selfish creature, at heart, he did not think to blame Bog. It simply wasn't his fault.

"I need your help," he declared abruptly, mind racing. He didn't know what to do, aside from distracting the boar. He seemed to thrive on purpose, so until Dragon could find someone small enough to literally look inside of Bog's chest, he'd have to distract him.

"Come. This way."

Dragon turned, hauling himself to where he'd left the two egg-stones in the relatively dry dirt. The dirt Tal'at chose.

Dragon pushed the thought away harshly, and turned, eyeing Czernobog--waiting for him to follow.

Waiting for him to see the two, tiny twin eggs.

"Protect," Dragon rumbled, his voice rolling through the mist of Cetus.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

@Czernobog

The tears slowed and stopped of their own accord. All of Czernobog's remaining energy was focused on listening to his father. Bog. Not. Fail. Accident. Understand? The pig swallowed thickly, nodded against his father's scales. It was a comfort, at least, to know that Dragon didn't blame him.

But no one could stop him from blaming himself.

Help. Help. He could help. He could be a Good Bog, because Tiny had asked him to Guard, and Protect, and he would. "Heeeelp," Czernobog repeated, nodding again, the movement jerky and almost mechanical. Come.

The boar followed, unsteady and slow, his gait awkward, chest tipped upwards as if afraid to let the body inside slip out. He moved automatically, instinctively, any higher thought on lockdown. He just... couldn't. Not with his friend silent and cold, next to his heart.

Protect. The word cut through the fog, made him slow to a stop, gaze drifting listlessly. What was he supposed to... there were two eggs, tiny, humming with unborn life, and a choked snort rolled from his throat. Czernobog nodded again, but this was more determined, head raising to meet Dragon's gaze silently before he moved, slowly, gently, lowered down to the muddy floor of the swamp. His massive head moved to sit in the muck.

In moments, the gigantic monster was curled around the impromptu nest, no inch of the eggs left unguarded. "Proooootect," he rumbled out, eyes dropping to half-mast, watching his father. His father, who had Lost too. Czernobog snuffled, a hoof twitching as if it wanted to reach out. "Aaaaaccident. Youuuu," he tried, snout wrinkling in frustration, deeper in disgust when a wing slipped, folded against his throat. "Noooot. Faaaaaail. Aaaaaaccident."

@Dragon

Dragon peered at Bog, something within him twisting just a little as the boar--injured, miserable and afraid--not only took up his task, but paused to reassure Dragon. And here he'd thought the creature simple.

The idea that he'd--even for a brief instant--considering eating the boar brought searing bile up in his throat, and a sense of shame he'd never thought he'd have to face. He shoved the memory away--hard--and eyed his son.

Wounded. Badly. His carcass was open, yet healing, at least; Cayenne had seen to that. Yet his tusk--jagged, pointed. If only there was something he could do.

"I am--... Thank you. Yes. Accident." But was it? No. It was a mistake. A stupid mistake. Tal'at was blind: he couldn't see the fire, couldn't know that Dragon was about to blast the stones. Stupid. Foolish.

But he would not tell the boar that. He didn't need to know--not out of any shame of his own, but simply that it would be a lot to explain, and no good would come of it. He had to reassure him.

He eyed Bog again, eyeing that broken tusk. There was something bleeding from it--magic, if not blood, not marrow. Maybe he could at least mend that.

"I am going to try something. Try not to move."

With slow movements, the alligator dragged himself over to his "son," moving to gently clasp Czernobog's tusk in his massive jaws. He called upon his magic only very slowly, calling on the heat to try and meld over the wound at the edge of what should have been bone, but was instead green gem. Could he fix it?

The alligator focused, trying to work, for once, with delicate precision rather than the brute violent force he normally called upon when tending his fires. Trying to heat the tusk without cracking it, to sear it over, close it shut--to mend the wound.

Please, don't let this backfire.

Unfortunately, his caution at working on Czernobog--his fear of harming him--kept him from realizing that he was actually gathering all the heat within his own maw. He realized too late: the searing heat burned, boiling away at his own tongue and jaw, and with a startled cry he pulled back, eyes wide and fat jaws puffed out with air.

For an instant, he stared at Czernobog, horrified at his own stupidity, at the pain ripping through him. Smoke boiled up between his teeth.

"I'LLBERIGHTBACK--"

Then he turned, charging down toward the Heart of Cetus, open jaws slamming into the swamp with a loud splash and a roaring hiss of water-on-flame.

Sullen, pained, he realized he'd have to stay here for awhile... it was a good thing he'd assigned the eggs to Bog.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

( @Czernobog ; exit Dragon)

I. Thank you. Czernobog simply blinked; assuring his father was, after all, a given. With everything that had happened, the boar was almost beginning to doubt that his trial remained ongoing - perhaps he had been found innocent after all, if Dragon was taking such pains to be... kind. But then, he'd always been kind. He was a good Dad.

Try something. Not. Move. The pig stilled, settling in place, eyeing the alligator curiously. Could he fix Tiny? But Tiny was curled in his chest, heavy and cold. No, it couldn't be that. His father moved closer, took his broken tusk between shining jaws, and Czernobog's eyes widened quizzically. Could he... mend the connection? Stop the curse from killing any more of his plant friends? The boar didn't think anyone could do it - but then, if anyone could, it would be Dragon.

Only moments later the alligator released his tusk with a sharp cry, and Czernobog only just managed not to flinch back, too afraid of hurting the eggs. Could the curse hurt Rots, too? The thought made his stomach roll, watch silently as Dragon ran off, curl even closer around the nest, determined not to mess up his task. He'd never hurt a baby, and he'd be damned if he broke the record now.

With an exhausted snort, the boar fell into a fitful sleep.

The cold gem pressed to his heart kept waking him up.


EXIT CZERNOBOG