Guilded Light
Posted on Thu Feb 11th, 2021 @ 3:21am by Chief Petty Officer Remal Kajun & Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Mission:
The Jungle
Location: Jungle - Cave
Timeline: Current
Despite a raging fever Rhenora felt cold. Clammy skinned and pale she lay delusional on the ground, her teammates unable to do anything to assist. The stab wound in her leg had become infected, the humidity fostering the perfect environment for bacteria despite the best efforts of Aurora and the rest of her team.
Rhenora struggled to maintain perspective, to keep her wits about her even in the ravages of the illness that consumed her body and was forcing its way into her mind.
Ronson did his best to mop the sweat from her brow, using water from a nearby rock that dripped centuries old water as it leached its way through the dense rock layer. Even in her stupor she could tell he was worried, despite his attempts and keeping her spirits positive and focused on getting out of there.
She had requested the rest of the team to go on without them, that the lives of the entire crew were far more important than her own. They had protested and the logic to stick together had prevailed. That day when she had become too weak to walk they had found a cave, easily defendable and with a spring inside. Their faces had been a clear representation of their torn loyalties. The needs of the many would always outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.
"Rest Captain, save your strength" Ronson encouraged, adding another handful of sticks to the campfire.
She nodded and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift as the waves of fever washed through her.
Remal appeared in her mind's eye, looking as resplendent as ever in his smart but casual attire. He beckoned her forward, hand extended as though waiting to lead her somewhere. She stood, taking his hand and smiled, stepping forward without pain. She looked down to see both legs perfectly normal, clad in a light summer dress that just brushed the tops of her knees. She hadn't worn a dress like that in years, why was that? She took note of Remal, wondering when she had taken his comforting presence for granted in her life. When had she become blind to the light that he shone?
They drifted along a path, not going anywhere discernible but meandering all the same. She felt content and peaceful in his presence, able to just be herself and not what everyone expected her to be.
"I'm sorry, for not being there for you" she started, the words tumbling out of her mouth unbidden. "I have taken you for granted, your presence, your love" the walk continued as though the oath was unending. A stream meandered passed them, the water bubbling over submerged rocks with the most relaxing of sounds.
For an age there was quiet, no more than the sounds of nature and the minute sound of their bare feet on a grassed path.
He turned and placed a finger upon her lips, then took his hand and cupped it behind his normally earring wearing ear in a motion that said, shhh, just listen. And then he turned back towards the water flowing by and together they took in the peaceful nature of their surroundings. For it was more than the water, more than the air as it bristled by, causing trees to rustle in the soft breeze.It was serenity at it’s finest. And it was demanding to be heard.
They stopped, dropping into the lush grass as though it were a comfortable blanket they could wrap themselves in. The stream babbled by, she couldn't bring herself to speak, to express how she truly felt and how she needed Remal to know. For some reason she felt time was running out, yet she couldn't discern why. Time was like the water, sliding effortlessly across the rocky patches, gliding through the smooth ones. Always moving forward, ever so slowly eroding everything in its path. Carving it's way through life, through her life. Time felt like water running through her fingers yet she was powerless to stop it.
"I…." Words demanded to be said yet she found she didn't want to disturb the peace that Remal had found. Different feelings warred within her, each demanding to be heard in the cacophony that her mind had become. Torment mixed with frustration, gratitude and respect fought with a more than healthy dose of fear. Time was running out.
Back in the cave Ronson looked up as the sound of footsteps approaching drew his attention away from the task at hand. He grabbed the blade he had been left and moved towards the mouth of the cave, using the rocks for cover.
