by Kay Murky
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Dani looked at the two wilting commanders, and forgot his own woes for a moment. “The two of you needs rest too. You’ve been at it for more than a full day with only what, two marks of rest? If you fall over, nobody will benefit from it.”
“Soon.” Minelbet huffed a sigh, her green wings drooping slightly. “But they’ll probably still be bringing wounded from the battle ground until deep into the night. And we only have two marks of sunlight left. So we’d better get moving. Do you need that break, or can you carry on.”
“I’ll carry on.” For a moment Dani wanted to ask them what was going to happen to his Imperial Captain, but then decided against it. It was only too obvious that the joint minds of Mineltan had moved on to their patients, the Imperial warrior no longer a priority. Best to leave it that way. Hopefully they had not mentioned him to anyone. And the only other people who knew the identity of the man rescued off the hill were Karragh and his partner. Had they discussed it with anyone?
All through the evening Dani kept checking on the man, in between scanning the injuries of the soldiers and warriors brought before him. As it grew later, the injured brought in were the worst of the enemy casualties. The Onla treated them exactly as they did those of the Allies, except for the fact that they were kept separately from the others, especially the Tunlati.
Some time around mid-evening the man stirred, and Dani felt him in his mind again, watching. When the tall black haired medic came past, he asked about the broth Tanika had promised. The woman promptly left and returned with it, helping the man to sit up and eat. She left again, but sent one of the Onla male medics back with that strange utensil they used for bed bound humans to relieve themselves in. If Dani did not have a badly butchered Essian lying in front of him, he would have been tempted to sneak a peek. Somehow, in thirteen years as a medic, he had never witnessed it actually being used, and he was very curious as to how it was achieved.
Eventually, a few marks after midnight, Dani could not go on. The stream of bodies had dwindled to a trickle, and he did not even have the energy to mind send to Mineltan a request that he be taken off duty. He had to send a junior warrior to them with the request.
Tanika herself came to see him, barely able to stand up straight herself. She leaned against his shoulder for support and patted him affectionately on the neck, speaking to him more like the old friend she was, than his superior officer. “Eshi, Dani. I did not realise you were still at it. You can go find yourself a quiet spot now. Min and I have also just been relieved. Don’t report back for duty until midday. And, if nobody else tells you this, let me say it. What you did last night and today was, and is, much appreciated.”
No mention of the man with him. Had she forgotten? Quite possibly. Who else had? Dani murmured suitable responses and watched Tanika walk away from the large healers’ tents to where the smaller ones for the officers’ use had been pitched. Now where had his own group put its camp up? He was definitely NOT going in that direction.
The man, Marteen, was awake again. Three of the four moons were in various positions in the night sky. This provided just enough light so that anyone walking between the tents where there were no torches would not bump into anything. But with the night-sight of a dragon, to Dani it was as clear as daylight.
He furled his left wing, flipping it in place against his side, just holding it slightly higher than normal. Twisting his neck, Dani carefully nudged the man’s thigh with the tip of his nose. {: Marteen? Can you try to get up? Hold on to my nose and try. We have to move from here. :}
It took three tries for the man to get to his feet, and he was perspiring heavily. {I’m sorry, friend. I cannot walk. :}
{: Just stand still. :}
Now that the man was standing, it was easy for Dani to grab the waterskin and hook it around one of his teeth. Marteen had managed to wrap the piece of sheeting they had covered him with around his waist, covering his private parts, so all Dani had to do was to pick up the blankets. With them in his hand-claws, he hesitated for a moment, then brought his head down and tilted it so that one of his eyes was directly in front of Marteen’s face. {: I’m not going to hurt you. But we need to move from here. I don’t want to leave you near any Tunlati warriors, just in case one of them finds out who you are. I’m going to wrap the blankets around you, then pick you up. Just stay calm, and if possible, relax. :}
A few moments later Dani gathered the man to his chest with his claws. He stretched his wings once to make sure that they had not cramped up from sitting still for so long, then with a big jump and one strong downbeat, lifted himself over the healers tents and up the side of one of the hills. Earlier in the day he had noticed the small clump of trees just above where the rest of the Onla were camped, and well within the guard perimeter. It only took him about six wing beats to get there. The landing was a bit wobbly and he had to keep his wings spread for balance. As he slowly relaxed his hold, Marteen crumpled down. Although he sat flat on the ground, he did manage to prop himself with up his arms.
{: That was… interesting. :} The man’s sunburned face seemed pale in the moonlight, his grey eyes large in the hollow sockets. {: Good thing you didn’t warn me what you intended to do. I might have offered to walk. :}
Dani flipped his wings against his back and tilted his head. {: Is that a weak attempt at humour? :}
{: Very weak, I know. So am I. :} The man sighed. {: What now? :}
{: Now we get some rest. Don’t lie down yet. :}
Dani found a level spot just within the cover of the small trees, which were more like large bushes of the local woody variety, and with his hind legs and foot-claws scraped clear a small area. Marteen managed to walk the few steps, hanging onto Dani’s wing, but at last they were both comfortable.
Exhaustion overtook the man quickly and he drifted off into a deep sleep. But tired as he was, Dani could not sleep. Eventually, he came up with a plan of action, and only then did he close his eyes and lower his head, instantly falling into that dreamless state that only the very tired can achieve.
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