fiammetta
by fire be purged
She did not understand why she gravitated to Susil after every defeat, but something about the calm pools scattered among bare-faced rocks made her feel relaxed. It was the only place in the world where she could, for a moment, forget about the heavy yoke she had taken up after The Burning. For the moment, she tried not to dwell on the pain of failure and instead concentrated upon the agony of her wounds. The one upon her side had already healed well enough, crusting over in a scab that tightened her skin but protected her from bacteria, but her eye socket was weepy and uncomfortable. Whenever she shook her head, thick gobbets of yellow pus flung from her face to land on everything nearby, stinking in the hot sunshine so that she knew infection was setting in. Disgusted, she moved from where she had been lying to another shallow pool nearby, stretching out upon the rock above it with both fore paws hanging in the cool water.
The pond was shallow but clear, and so she could see the white sand at the bottom. Because of this, her reflection was muted and she could make out little other than the fiery redness of her remaining eye staring back at her. With her head facing down, warm fluid began to drip off the end of her nose and into the water and she sighed. If she couldn't find somebody to help her out with the cleaning of her puncture wounds it wouldn't be long before she fell sick, unless Atlas had gotten her earlier call for aid and was coming to her. The idea was bitter-sweet, for seeing him would mean telling him of her most recent loss, and she could only imagine the disappointment in his eyes. Her face fell, and she let it sink down until she had submerged her head up to her crown beneath the surface of the pool, leaning forward in order to accomplish the feat.
Icy water immediately rushed into the holes in the flesh of her damaged eye socket, freezing her warm blood-vessels and scouring the area with nature's best remedy. Enjoying the sensations, she opened her red eye and looked at the alien world around her. Everything became instantly more beautiful, donning a blue shade that grew increasingly more vivid as shards of sunlight pierced the aqua world with spring's fervor. Bubbles tickled her nose, dribbling to the surface in a silver stream that brought curious, brown fish out of hiding. They floated in the shadows of the rocks, watching this strange creature invade their home with deer-like panic, mouths opening and closing in a silent plea for help. She remained there for several seconds, enjoying the immersion into a para-reality that required nothing from her other than her presence, until her lungs began to cry out in her chest. Sneezing and spluttering, she withdrew her pert face from the shining wavelets, shaking her head so that her fur fluffed about her like half a halo, her burnt skin more puckered than usual from the water's kiss.
The sun immediately began to warm her frigid muzzle and she shut her eye, drinking in the soothing rays as she had the water before she tainted it, single ear flicking to catch every sound. She kept her consciousness deliberately emptied of thoughts to prevent overwhelming emotions from swamping her, and focused on the outward awareness of being alive.
No Home - No Family - 6YO - 22 in, 32 lbs