~ The Forbidden Dragonet: Chapter 15 ~

                                    

                                          
Hare shivered as the night air touched her scales. She tried to remember where she'd seen Clay's prison. It was a little harder to make out in the darkness, but fiery scales helped her find it.
"Peril!" Hare cried.
She landed on Clay's column, staying on the opposite side of Peril.
"Hi," Peril said. Her blue eyes shone with concern. "He's not doing too well," she told Hare. "He's still in a lot of pain."
Clay groaned. He was laying with his head on his talons and his wings set out limply. He looked almost dead. Guilt struck her.
This is my fault.
"He's alive," Hare said, taking off her pouch. "That's what matters."
Hare pulled out the willow bark and lifted her friend's head. He opened his eyes a little as she did, though one eye had a horrible, sizzling wound under it.
"I need you to swallow this," Hare told him gently. 
Clay didn't say anything. He just opened his mouth and let Hare place the willow bark into his mouth. He weakly chewed it, then swallowed a few moments later. 
"I threw mud onto his frost wound not too long ago," Peril explained.
"Good," Hare said as she pulled out the aloe vera. She carefully cut the plant open and pulled out the gel. "This might hurt a little," she warned Clay. She treated his eye first, rubbing the gel into the affected areas. Clay yelped and tried to pull away, but Hare quickly grabbed his head. She held him still and rubbed the gel in until there was only a thin layer left on her talons. 
"That part's done," she said, inspecting the wound a little before releasing his head. He hissed in pain and turned away, pawing at his face a little.
"No," Hare ordered, grabbing his talon. "I know it hurts, but you need to keep it on. It'll help."
"We don't even know where it came from, how do we know it'll help?" Clay mumbled. 
"We need to try everything we can, and aloe vera helps with poison," Hare explained.
"How do we know it's poison?"
"We don't," Hare said, opening another aloe vera plant. "But we're still going to try it."
"Does it feel any better?" Peril asked.
"No," Clay grumbled. 
"It obviously won't feel better right away," Hare pointed out. She pulled the gel out of the plant, then rubbed it onto the wounds on his chest. He instantly tried to pull away. Hare did her best to hold him still and treated his wounds. After what felt like ages, she backed up and flicked her talon. 
"Alright, that's been treated the best it can be for now," Hare said. "I'll come back to check on it in the morning." 
Hare reorganized her pouch, then looked at Clay again. He was groaning in pain, though the sizzling had almost come to a stop.
"Would you be able to keep an eye on him?" Hare asked Peril.
"Of course," Peril replied with a small nod.
Hare looked down at her pouch uncertainly. "Maybe I should apply a little bit more, just to be safe."
"No, no more," Clay mumbled, his voice weak with pain. "Please, no more."
"If anything happens, I'll come get you right away," Peril promised. 
"Thank you," Hare said, dipping her head respectfully.
She turned to leave, but just before she took off she felt a talon wrap around her hindleg, the grip extremely loose.
"Wait, Hare," Clay murmured. "Don't go yet. I haven't spoken to you in so long. None of us have. Please stay just a little longer."
Hare smiled a little, then turned back to him. "Alright, I don't mind staying to talk for a little while."
"Has Scarlet been treating you well?" he asked. "I mean, you've clearly gotten better treatment than us, but is it still good treatment?"
"It is," Hare admitted. "I have my own room and I'm treated well. But... Well it doesn't feel right. Why should I get all this special treatment all because of who my mother is? Your parents don't affect any of you."
"We don't know who our parents are," Clay pointed out.
"That doesn't matter. It still doesn't affect you. So why should it affect me? Why should I be treated like an honored guest while you all are treated like mice?"
"It's better for us to know that at least one of us is safe," Clay said. "We can sleep knowing you're okay."
"But what about you?" Hare said.
"We'll be okay, we have been for this long."
"You haven't."
"I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Alive and miserable."
"But still alive."
Hare huffed and sat down. She opened her mouth to argue but Clay interrupted her. "How's Hvitur?"
"Alive," Hare replied. "He's healing, Rose said he'll survive."
"Good," Clay rasped. "He may have been awful, but I wouldn't be able to stand it if he died."
If he died it would've been my fault.
"What about Asha?"
Hare blinked in surprise. She'd forgotten about Asha! 
Idiot! How could I forget about her?
"I haven't seen her," Hare admitted. 
"Kestrel?"
"I haven't seen her either."
"I hope they're okay," Clay said, looking up. He winced in pain and laid his head on his talons, groaning a little. Hare laid beside him and wrapped her wing over him.
And I hope you'll be okay.
"I'm sorry to ruin this, but I was hoping to talk to Clay," Peril said after a little while, shifting a little.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead." Hare got up and brushed her wing gently against Clay's. "I'll be back tomorrow, Clay."
Peril looked unsure, but she didn't say anything. 
"Goodnight," Hare said, dipping her head again before taking off into the sky.