Astrid watched as best as her murky vision could at Astarot. Her ears pinned to his every word. Treatment like this was not something she was used to or at least nothing that she could remember. Her memories from before Helovia are fuzzy at best. They are more feelings. He was so kind and she knew in her heart that this should give her great comfort and as much as it did, it also felt foreign. She felt undeserving of his kind words and his kindness. A small and gentle smile wove across her lips and she let gave herself to his to his touch as much as she could. I won’t leave you miss.

The words struck somewhere deep inside her and she felt like she could fall apart right there. Trying to hide the sudden surge of emotions she turned her eyes away from him allowing her hair to obscure her face somewhat. She felt his body press against her and like a reflex she leaned her neck and some of her weight against him. He started humming a tune. She listened to it for a moment trying to think if she recognized it. She wondered in that moment about him, she wanted to know more about him, she wanted to know him better but she will have to wait until this is all over. She took a slow breath in and out, taking in every little smell. Every note that he hummed was all that she could hear in her mind. Her body did not shiver a second time and she tucked her good wing over his body trying to block the wind from him as well. It's okay to let go sometimes. You have to let it out, or it'll only get worse. She looked up and towards his face as best as she could though she may not have looked like she was looking exactly at him. She smiled compassionately at him before she reached her muzzle up to touch his neck back as he had touched hers.

Tiamat began to speak again which drew Astrids ears and eyes away from Astarot but not without another glance towards the direction of his face. These are one of the moments she wishes she could see him clearly. She thought in that moment she already felt better, safer, and she was more relaxed. It was a relief to hear that Tiamat lived in this place of healers. She listened intently to what Tia had to say to Astarot, then as she plucked something from what she said about a purple flower. Astrid did not watch every motion that was happening but instead she listened to Tia’s hair as it brushed against her coat as she had plucked the flower with a small snap of the stem ripping. She could hear both of their breathing through the wind as she felt the motion of Astarot’s sides as he breathed in and out. She took note of the smell of the flower as it was close to her face so that she would remember it later in case she needed to look for it. In this moment something about Astrid began to be molded into something like a key into a lock. There was this feeling of necessity for the information of healing that she realized that she wanted to learn.

Suddenly she felts the hairs of Tiamat against her forehead but before she could pull away she felt a warmth that moved down her face and neck to her shoulders and into her wings. It felt like pins and needles under her skin for a moment as it stitched her fibers back together. Astrid held her breath just as Tia did. She breathed in suddenly as Tia pulled away and the difference was extraordinary. Astrid wondered how this was possible, this world that she has found herself in holds many wonders Astrid has yet to even realize. Astrid tested her should gingerly and noticed that it felt much better, better enough to walk on. Astrid tested her wing a little but cringed as it was not fully recovered. This was at least enough that Astrid could pull her bad wing back to her side.

Seizing the moment Astrid turned again to Astarot and smiled briefly before leaning away from his shoulder so that when she got up she would not accidently knock into him. She hoped that as she rose her body up and with her wings extended that they would there to help her if her legs were still unsteady. One leg at a time she lifted her body up. Rocks, dirt, and blood still clung to her ashen and dark demure coat. Once on her feet she shifted her weight onto her three good legs to take the weight off of weakest leg. It was better but like Tia said, it was only better. Not perfect. She looked over and spoke to Tia.

Let’s go to your home then Tia. Thank you and thank you too Astarot. You have no idea how much all of this means to me.

Her face was pure compassion.


"Talk."