Bearclaw Valley You must be, or you wouldn't have come here

this thread takes place at the same time as this thread

She didn't know how long she had been staring at @Aventus, waiting for him to stir. The seconds felt like minutes, and minutes like hours. She started to feel like he might never wake up and she would be alone here, without anyone she cared about, again. That just made her heart start to race and she had to check for his breathing again to calm herself. 

She tried to rack her brain for a reason this all would have gone so badly. What has she done to anger the bear? And she knew it was her to anger the spirit because now she was threatened with her worst fear. Maybe the spirit was punishing her for Val and his betrayal. She had been so sure that he was worthy, and he was nothing even close to that. Or maybe she was being punished for letting Indra get away. The girl had been part of something important and now she was gone. 

The bruin-heart shook her head to despel all of those thoughts that would not help her right now.

She settled over the bruin-jaw's chest, comforted by the way her head moved up and down with each breath.

In the yawning blackness of his mind, there was a lynx.

Strange, thought Aventus as he floated in nothingness, untethered, suspended, that it was a lynx and not a bear. It didn't occur to him to question why he would see any animal in the dark of unconsciousness. That felt normal here. He had always expected it would be a bear, the great spirit his father believed in, the great spirit Merrick carried within his breast. Wasn't it only natural for the son to inherit the father's will? He had lived his life in service to Merrick and his ursine god, the devoted son of Ursus.

After all that, there was no bear waiting for him. It was a lynx. An ugly thing, really, with its hind end lifted higher than its shoulders, its hideously large paws and small head. The leggy creature was no taller than he and lacked the bulky strength of a bear. He thought he could dispatch it with little effort if he wished to. Yet when it turned illuminant white eyes on him and disappeared without a sound behind a wall of fog, he was stricken more than he ever had been by any bear.

Merrick was gone. The wrenching grief of that knowledge skimmed by him in this quiet abyss, leaving only the objective truth of it. Merrick was gone, and that meant Aventus was, for the first time ever, free to live his own life and not the one fashioned by his father's manic worship. In his heart of hearts he had always known the bear was a thankless and unforgiving spirit. He had always feared fulfilling its desires would only lead to more pain. What had it ever given Ursus to offset all that it had taken? Even if it had delivered revenge into Aventus' hands, what price would it exact?

Perhaps living as a bear was not the answer Merrick had always hoped to find.

Perhaps living as lynx — cunning, elusive, silent, but no less deadly — was the way.

---

Aventus groggily came to, and when he did, it was with a flash of panic. The last thing he recalled was emerging from Mosskeep and knowing he must deliver news of his father's death to the pack. Where was he, and how had he got here? The vast walls climbing skyward around him weren't familiar, but brought to mind the canyon formerly held by the Saints. That thought, fractured in his aching head, made his panic grow.

There was a dead body here. The smell of blood was so strong he could taste it. He could see its fur, eerily still in the stifling air of the canyon. It was no one he recognized, for which he was immensely glad. Suppose it had been Arielle or Val, wolves for whom he cared? It didn't mean for sure that they were not here with him, but it gave him some small comfort that perhaps he was the only Saints captive.

Again came the blooming panic, so strong now that Aventus kicked out his legs and struggled to regain his feet. His head swam and blackened at the edges with each abrupt movement. Pain erupted behind his eyes and hit his stomach with such sudden nausea that he gagged. The blood didn't help. That was when his frantic eyes lifted and found... No.

No, no, it couldn't be. They couldn't have her! Arielle, he said in a voice that slurred thick and soupy like marsh water. How had they come to be here? How had the Saints captured them both?! The Saints... His thoughts were slipping away from him faster than he could conjure them. His head hurt like hell. They must have knocked him over it with something. Had they been responsible for killing Merrick and Laurel and laying the scene as a trap? No... No, that was days ago. Wasn't it?

Where... What...

She didn't bother to try and denote the time in any way while she waited for the other half of her soul to wake. All her focus was dedicated to the rise and fall of his chest while he slumbered. 

Arielle jumped up when she felt the movement of one of his legs against her side. He tried to stand but she knew he wasn't ready for that yet. Aves Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks again. The gargled word that resembled her name was filled with panic, and that broke her control over her weak tears. They flowed freely as she threw herself down to gently embrace the bruin-jaw. It's okay, Aves, I am safe and so are you. She could only imagine how disoriented he probably was right now. She wondered what he thought he was seeing. We are in the valley, down in stillrift. She hoped that would help him orient himself. 

Stuck in her throat were the words that would shed light on her failure. She would have to tell him but not right now. She only wanted to make sure he was okay. You hit your head and lost consciousness for a little bit, she told him, sniffling.

His efforts to stand were futile, as much because his body wasn’t responding well to his mental commands as having Arielle’s weight on him. It would take a little while before the effects of being stunned would wear off enough for him to find his feet. Panic smashed through him in waves. Stillrift? How could that be?!

The Saints, he slurred, rolling his wild-eyed gaze to the sky above. No, no, the Saints could not have infiltrated this far into the Valley without resistance. Unless everyone else was dead. Val? he wondered at once, pushing aside every soothing word Arielle said as he sifted through his confusion. In that moment, he realized he didn’t really care about anyone else in Ursus, but Val...

Val was worthy. He was a friend. He was like a brother, even though they’d only known one another a short time. Is Val okay? he asked, blinking hard when his head began to ring again. There was something wrong about asking that, something... But he couldn’t grasp what it was.

The Saints? What was he talking about? Aves, What do you mean? We have not see the Saints since we fought them in the mountains months ago. She was more worried now, even with him finally awake. Maybe he just needed a few minutes.

But then he asked about Val and her face crumpled into a mixture of despair and anger. Val betrayed us, she bit out. You commanded us to kill Indra and Abel, and he helped Indra escape. She took a step back and looked him over. Are you hurt anywhere other than your head? she asked, trying to focus on something other than her rage over what had happened. 

She ran her nose through the fur of his chest and down to his flank. Are you able to stand? She would need to get him something for the pain, and she needed to clean the wound on his head.

He knew that Arielle was speaking sense — she wouldn’t lie to him, ever, not even if the rest of the world did — but there were pieces missing in his mind. Stillrift. Stillrift was not the canyon. Why did he think...?

Then Arielle said something even more nonsensical and Aventus shook his head. To him, it felt like his ears were flapping against the sides of his face at lightning speed, but in reality, it was a slow and disbelieving shake. Val, no, no, he wouldn’t, why would he...?

She asked questions that he answered, for once, with a truthful, no, because he didn’t think anything else hurt. On command, he made an effort to stand. There was no pain except for an insistent prodding at his temples, but his vision dipped and bucked wildly at the edges, making him stagger. Wugh, he groaned, planting his paws and dropping his head between his shoulders to try to quell the spinning.

All the while, his brain nattered on: Val wouldn't, he wouldn't, he couldn't—

She wasn't surprised when he doubted her words; she wouldn't have believed it either if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. But it was the truth, no matter how difficult it was to process. She wasn't sure if it was better to have seen it or to be told and have to come to believe the truth with little proof; both hurt equally. 

He said he wasn't hurt anywhere else, but she never knew if he was being truthful with her about his injuries and pains; she usually just accepted him at his word because he was too stubborn and she had to pick her battles. 

She remained close for support as he tried to stand, which she realized instantly was a mistake. She wanted to get out of this damned rift, but she wouldn't rush him. Aves looked like he might throw up or pass out, maybe both. The bruin-heart moved to his side. Come on, I'll help you sit back down, she told him gently. Once she could get him back to mosskeep, she could give him something for nausea and for pain.

It was a shaky descent back to his rump, and from there, Aventus slid to the stony ground. He was so confused and lost, but he kept his eyes on Arielle; she was his rock and she would steady him. He felt like he had disappointed her, being unable to leave right away, but he didn’t have the capacity to dwell on it now.

Maybe if I just nap here, he said drowsily, muzzle drooping toward his legs. Sleep was all he wanted right now. It was too much to watch the world spinning or to try to fill the gaps in his memory with what she told him or to process Val’s betrayal, but maybe when he woke up, he would be able to remember.

His eyelids were so heavy.

She wished she could let him sleep, but she would feel better if they could get to mosskeep first. She hated the way his head drooped and how sluggish he seemed. She wished there something she could do but there wasn't much, especially here. Arielle carefully nuzzled his shoulder. I think we should try to get back to mosskeep before you go back to sleep, she told him. I'm sorry, I know that's not easy for you right now. She supposed she could run and get what she needed, but for some reason, the thought of leaving Aves here alone was unbearable. But once we get there, you can sleep. She only needed him awake to drink a tincture, the rest she could take care of while he slept. 

We can stay here until you feel up to trying to get out, she added softly. It was clear that there would be no more discussing what exactly had happened here; he wasn't well enough for it, and she didn't want to upset him anymore. I will stay here with you until you're ready.

For a moment, he was upset and angry; couldn’t she see how tired he was? Then the emotions disappeared, replaced by another wave of confusion when he realized he could not recall what they were talking about.

He latched onto the name of Mosskeep. Yes, he said, rather nonsensically and to nobody in particular. The lynx might be there. What lynx? That hadn’t been what he meant to say at all. Aventus frowned and stared off in the distance for a short while, then seemed to recover himself again.

Let’s go, he said thickly, getting to his feet again and trying to ignore the way everything lurched around him. He had to get out of here, get to Mosskeep, and then he could sleep. It proved a potent motivator, for he managed several shaky steps forward.

The lynx might be there. Arielle frowned at him with confusion and worry. What was he talking about? He was probably just confused. She told herself it would get better with time, but fear still settled heavy in her heart. 

At least he seemed willing to get up and move to mosskeep. She stayed close as he stood and started to move, ready to help if he needed it. 

She would stay close the whole trip. Hopefully they would make it to the healing den without any issues.

fade here?