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Seferia patiently oversaw the camp as its members gathered their belongings and packed up all that they could carry. Throughout this time, she insisted that each individual was to carry as much as they could and leave as little behind as possible. Not only did she not want to leave many clues as to where they may have been or were going, but she also did not want to risk losing any valuable supplies.
By the end of the week, she found that the camp was ready to move, so she signaled for them to head north. She took care to inform the military commanders of her intended destination, a long-abandoned Hopi village that was nestled in the natural formation that was known as the Grand Canyon. From there, she instructed a number of her commanders to split off and travel with portions of the refugees so that there would not be one large group moving out.
During these preparations, she insured that Sephiroth would stay in the group that she would travel with, which also included Zack, Cloud, Sekhmet, and Rizon. She also saw to it that her group left last so that she could insure that no one would be left behind. Thus, by the end of the second week from Hope’s death, her group departed.
During the trek, Seferia lagged behind for the most part, though if any questioned this, she would insist that her positioning was a purposeful tactical element meant to guard the rear. However, for the most part, these statements were a cover to hide the difficulty that she had at maintaining speed with her damaged body. Nonetheless, she has chosen to travel in her feline form, for her true form would be too noticeable. She also had carried her share and insisted on carrying at least one of her eggs.
Meanwhile, Sekhmet has remained at the head of the pack, keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble as well as leading the way. The princess has mellowed quite a bit since she suffered the betrayal of a trusted friend. Thus, she has become much more cautious and willing to listen to others around her, even without Ramses’ presence in the group. In addition, if Sekhmet found Sephiroth anywhere near her position, she would immediately inform him that his place is to be with Seferia and not leading.
By mid-day on the fourth day of traveling, the group stopped just south of the Rio de Grande in order to rest and eat for a bit. Secretly glad for the moment of rest, Seferia moved away to lean against a tree. Once comfortable, she closed her eyes in order to recompose herself. She took this time to perform a number of breathing exercises that were meant to help her deal with the pain.
There was a general feeling of discontent and fear around the camp. At least, that was what Rizon had felt when the group began the task of packing up before the Nemesis arrived to their base camp. He personally didn’t want to move and he had expressed his opinion on the matter before, but there was little choice now. They either moved or died at this point.
When he was packed and his group called out to move, he did very little to argue. Rizon simply moved out of the old camp with the group he had been assigned to, Sehkmet’s group, no arguments. A feeling of remorse and regret had washed over him by the time the move had come, and he began to wonder if things were his fault somehow. He certainly hadn’t acted very rationally all the time back when they had encountered the Nemesis…
“My Queen, things could not be any worse, could they? This was mostly beyond our control though.” He had said this to Sekhmet a number of times through the journey. Apart from statements like this however, the young dragon had been silent. He began to play the events over in his mind again… could things have had a different outcome somehow? Then again, nobody had seen the betrayal of Hope coming. Rizon knew one thing however – if he had declined going to see the mother dragon, things COULD have been prevented.
Four days passed and the dragon walked after the group in near silence, carrying what looked like was far more than physically possible for his feline size and height. When he saw the group had stopped up ahead, he stopped also once he had caught up, highly curious.
“Are we there yet?”
Meanwhile, Sephiroth had been in higher spirits. Vaguely.With the task of moving ahead of him now, nothing else was in his mind except to keep the eggs and Seferia safe. When it was time for him and Seferia to move out with their group, he did nothing but stay with her, carrying one of the eggs himself along with the rest of his posessions.
Seferia had been right in one thing in her attempt to cover for her weakness. Being in back gave Sephiroth the opportunity to keep an eye on everyone ahead. There was also a vague feeling of selfishness in this, for if somebody was attacked, the main cluster would be the first to go down rather than him and Seferia personally. Sephiroth was personally used to moving through all kinds of weather and under harsh minimalist conditions so he saw no need or right to complain.
When they had stopped in the middle of the day on the fourth day, Sephiroth took the time to sit down and relax, not seeming to care where he sat. The sun aggressively beat down on him, but he didn’t seem to notice it. He simply took off his coat and placed it over the egg to cover it from the sun, not seeming to care about the fact that his shoulders and back were already badly sunburned. The egg’s survival was infinitely more important to him right now.
Well that, and Seferia.
“Are you doing fine?” He called out to her when he watched her retreat under a tree. When he noticed her strange breathing, he began to go through his pack of items. After producing a plastic container filled with drinking water, he raised it up to show her, before tossing it towards her. “Here.”
Sekhmet frowned upon hearing Rizon’s question, finding it to be childish at the best. After shaking her head, she released a tired sigh before she turned to face Rizon. She first started with taking a deep breath to calm herself and form her sentence fully.
“No, Rizon. We are not there yet.” Shaking her head, she crossed her arms. Meanwhile, her ears pivoted back as she listened to the surrounding area. “We are still in the land that was once part of a country named Mexico. We have yet to pass into the former United States. We still have at least three days walk left.”
With that, she turned back around. She narrowed her eyes as she listened to both her surroundings and the other members of her traveling group. She then narrowed her eyes as she pondered simply setting up camp for the night.
Seferia was still controlling her breathing in order to keep her mind from the pain that washed over her body from her wounds. So, it took her a moment to realize that Sephiroth had spoken to her. In fact, it was more the fact that his thoughts passed by her mind that she took notice of his words at all. Thus, she slowly opened up her eyes to look down at him.“I am fine, Sephiroth,” she calmly spoke out. She then focused on the drinking water before nodding in appreciation. “You have my thanks. However, do not worry about my hydration levels. Dragons can go on without water or food for weeks if necessary.”
Despite her statement, she takes the water and sips on it. Soon after, she sat down next to Sephiroth. As she settled down, she surveyed the burns on his skin.
“I am surprised that, even though you have been heavily enhanced, your skin burns like that. Must be quite painful.”
Rizon let out a whining noise in reply, though it was halfway to a groan as well. He felt it was appropriate, for it summed up exactly how he was feeling right about now.
“You mean we’re only halfway there?” He sighed miserably, putting his head down. He wasn’t nearly as fried as some of the other people in the caravan, but he certainly wasn’t any more comfortable. His fur coat did nothing to reflect the heat either. Infact it did quite the opposite, covering him from head to toe like a spotted warm blanket. He began to pant slightly to cool down, but that didn’t help much either.
“So what are we doing?” He asked finally, flicking an ear back in the direction that Sekhmet happened to be looking in at the time. “Are we moving again, or what? It’s very exposed out here you know.”
–
Despite what Seferia said about hydration levels, Sephiroth still let her have the water bottle for now. Even if she claimed that she didn’t need it, he could see quite clearly that she appreciated it and that was good enough for him.
“Hmmmm….” The silver-haired male hummed in mild discontent. “It hurts, yes. But it will go away quickly also. By the time night falls, the burned skin will flake off in large peels. It’s actually not very pleasant. But it heals quickly.” He glanced towards some of the spikey desert plants nearby, pointing to a spiney Aloe plant.
“That plant over there,” He grinned. “It’s perfect for sunburn remedy if you crush the leaves into a paste. This is a good area to take a rest in.”
Sekhmet looked around the area as she pondered over both Rizon’s words and their predicament. Given that most of her group were tired out, herself included, she feels no reason to push them any more for the day. However, she also doesn’t want to risk undue danger. At long last, she sighs and points to a small alcove that is even closer to the river.
“We shall move again in about fifteen minutes. At that point, we shall head to that set of trees there. It should give us ample cover for the evening.”
Upon nodding at her own decision, she turned to face Rizon. She then examined him. After a moment or so, she spoke out her thoughts. “Strange that you, a dragon, have skin that is prone to his sun, especially with your coloration. Meanwhile, I, a black cat, am not overly bothered by this heat. Then again, my mother and her species originally guarded the Cradel in Egypt.”
She frowned as she pondered these elements. However, she decided to just shrug it off.
After taking a small but adequate amount of the water, Seferia hands the canister back to Sephiroth. She then turned her attention to the plant that had been indicated to her.“Ah, I see,” she calmly stated. She then nodded with appreciation and understanding, even though her expression remained mostly unreadable. “At least there are abundant supplies of ailment remedies. That is good.”
She then turned her head to examine over Sephiroth once more. As usual, her expressions were stoic at best since her species naturally doesn’t use many facial movements to express emotion at all. In fact, aside from a few movements such as snarling, baring of fangs, and occasionally panting, Seferia had no instinctual drive to move her facial muscles in order to express her emotions. After a few moments, she spoke into Sephiroth’s mind.
~You are not as tall as you once were due to your altered state. Have you been fairing well? I imagine that your stride is not as long nor quick as it once was.~
Rizon flicked his ears back, seeming frustrated at the situation. He let out a tired sigh and grunted in reply to Sekhmet before speaking. “I’d stand in my dragon-form, but it’s too much of a red flag for the Nemesis… she’d just track us down by looking for the rainbow scaled dragon.” He sighed miserably. “So, I morphed myself into a cat, literally. A spotted one that blends in easily Do you see any dragon at all? It’s more than just an illusion, or a form. It’s a cat, a proper six-foot tall digitigrade bipedal feline.” His tail swayed low around his heels. “And it’s not liking this heat either…”
“So how much further? Some of the group can’t take much more. We need to give more water to the youngsters and people need to rest.”
–
Sephiroth slowly shook his head at Seferia’s question.
*”Did I shrink in size?”* He wondered, looking down at himself as if to check. *”I feel pain now and then, but it is better than it was. I think this travelling and things like that are beginning to get to me.”*
At his point, he decided to retreat under the tree next to Seferia, glad for the vaguely cooler temperature under the branches.
“I hope we find a more secure place soon. I feel exposed out here.” He frowned. “And I did not come this far to die now.”
Upon hearing Rizon’s explanation, Sekhmet spent a few moments to carefully study him. As she examined him, she took in several breaths in order to get a good read from his scent. After a few more moments, she nodded her head.
“I see. I always thought that it was-” her voice trailed off as she reconsidered her words. After a second, she continued again. “Well, Seferia looks like a feline, for instance. However, she maintains traits of her true form. I would not suggest trying to pick her up, for instance. However, I am fully willing to believe that you have perfected your form more than she has. Or perhaps, she is not as willing to make herself fully be what she changes into? I do not know.”
Upon hearing Rizon’s question, she bared her fangs in frustration. “Did you not listen to me? We are going to move to that alcove there. It is within sight. Once there, we will rest and recoup. We should be there within the hour. The river is also nearby, so we can gather water.”
Seferia tilted her head at Sephiroth’s question over “shrinking”. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered if he just simply put his altered age out of his mind. After a bit, she calmly responded.~Sephiroth, your physique matched your age before our mental bond fully formed, remember? If I had to guess, I’d say that you had the physique of a male human in his mid-twenties then; however, I am no expert on humans. Nonetheless, I can clearly see that your appearance now matches my maturity as a dragon. You do not appear much older than sixteen. Remember?~
Upon finding that Sephiroth has sat down next to her, Seferia reached out to gently stroke her hand through his hair. She then examines him once more. For the most part, she enjoyed the act of examining his facial movements so that she can study how he and other humanoids express themselves.
Rizon made the slightest hint of a hiss in frustration, but he knew any more than that may be interpretted as defiance. Maybe even mutiny. In any case, he knew better than to hiss openly at what was essentially the queen.
“I know what you said.” He grumbled. “And I don’t mind resting. But we can’t keep moving for much longer. We’re going to need to find another place to set up before too long. And then we need to be able to fortify our defenses.”
–
“Oh I remember,” Sephiroth frowned. “How could I forget? There still remains a problem though… I shrunk? I thought I would have reached my adult height by now. I was short before puberty, and then I shot up like a sunflower. I never thought to compare myself between then and how I am now.”
Sephiroth didn’t seem to notice the fact he was being observed. He just twisted the edge of his mouth into various discontent expressions as he observed the others in the surrounding area. He knew they had been the last ones to the rest-stop and so he wasn’t worried about any stragglers.
“Is the mortar cup and pestle packed away in a hard to find place?” He wondered. “I think I might want to get it out now while we are resting, actually.”
Sighing with frustration, Sekhmet shook her head. She then looked into Rizon’s eyes. “Yes, I understand that we can’t move on forever. We will make it to the village as soon as we can. I believe I told you how many day’s walk we are from the village. From there… We shall see what happens.”
Seferia hummed with thought as she pondered over Sephiroth’s concerns about shrinking. She then thought back to the state that she originally saw when she met him. Her ears twitched slightly as she pondered, but there still was no real emotional cue from them. After a moment, she looked at him again.~Yes, I can firmly state that you are a few inches, at the least, shorter than you once were. It is not much, but it is noticeable to me. However, I am fully willing to accept the idea that I am hyper-sensitive about this matter. I do feel guilt over selfishly forcing you to exist like this. However, it is not enough guilt for me to want to sever my ties to you. I do want you, and thus I shall remain selfish.~
After finishing these statements, she turned silent as she once again pondered over how much she cared for the human male that sat next to her. However, his question snapped her out of her reverie.
“Motar cup and pestle?” A small frown tugged at the right corner of her lip as she became confused. “I am… uncertain.”
“A village? We’re heading for a real-life proper village?” Rizon seemed genuinely surprised. “I wonder what supplies it has. Maybe we can raid it, if there’s nobody left alive.” He lowered his head, thinking. “Nobody survives forever, afterall.”
“What if there are survivors? Will we have to barter with them, or do you think they will let us inhabit their grounds while we pass through?” Rizon seemed very uncertain at this statement however. He had a strong suspicion even then that there was nobody left alive for at least a hundred mile radius.
–
Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders at the fact Seferia didn’t know what he was talking about. It hardly bothered him, for he could always explain.
“A mortar is a cup. It’s usually made out of granite, or something else that’s hard and not easily crushed down.” He made a crude bowl by cupping both hands together, as if to give a visual demonstration. “A pestle is made out of the same thing as the mortar. The pestle is basically a rod with a balled end.”
He sighed. “You’ve seen it before without even realizing it. The medics use the mortar and pestle to crush things into a fine powder. It is the most efficient way of making medicines out of things without polluting them with something else.”
“The way that Seferia placed it when she told the group leaders of our destination, it is a foothold, but was long abandoned even before Nemesis came,” Sekhmet sighed as she explained these matters, feeling that Rizon should already know these matters. “The village was once inhabited by a native human race called Hopi. However, they were run off and relocated hundreds of years ago.”
She then turned to face Rizon. Frowning at him, she shook her head with disappointment. “Rizon, I do hope that you pay more attention to briefings at the start of a mission or movement next time. These matters were spoken of then.”
—-
Seferia carefully watched and listened to Sephiroth as he made his explanations. At the end, she nodded her head.
“Yes, you are right. I have seen it before. I simply never put those names to those items.” She bowed her head in order to show her gratitude. “I thank you for providing this information to me. However, I still cannot say if it accessible. I do not believe that I was the one who packed those items. For being useless on that matter, I apologize but do not agonize myself.”
She then returned her attention to his face. “I do wonder though…”
“It doesn’t matter very much,” Sephiroth told Seferia. “Now that you know, it won’t do very much for you.”
Soon after though, Sephiroth raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced back at Seferia, frowning.
“What do you wonder?” He queried. After another few moments had passed, he found himself glancing around the area, then at his own bag of supplies. Now that he had stopped to rest, the aching pain that had been radiating up his legs from walking all day was going away. That didn’t give him much relief though, as the sunburn across his shoulders and back began to bother him instead.
He couldn’t stand it any longer. He carefully set the egg down under the tree, making sure it was still covered in his leather coat to keep it incubated. Then he moved to his supply bag and began to scour through it, looking for a suitable substitute for the mortar and pestle he had kept going on about just moments beforehand.
–
“Yes, my Queen….” Rizon said in a small voice, feeling rather foolish now. He didn’t mind too much however, as submissiveness to his leader felt comfortable and even natural to him.
“Next time I will read the briefing.” He said quickly, straightening his stance once again. “Hopi tribe, heh…?” He bit his lower lip at the mild irony of that.
As Sephiroth set the one egg down, Seferia scooted closer to it so that she could set the egg that she had been carrying next to it. Once the egg was securely set on the ground, she reached over to pat both of them. Thus, for those few moments, she managed to avoid voicing her thoughts.
However, she pulled her attention back to Sephiroth as he moved away. So, she took in a deep breath before forming her thoughts out in a proper manner.
~I am aware that I am not as expressive as most creatures of your species or those like them. I have tried hard to learn these movements, and even understand the ones that I see on you. However, it does not come naturally for me to use them. I also have noted that while you may usually appear passive, there is still quite an amount of expression on your features at any given moment. Thus, I do wonder if my ways disturb those like you.~
—-
“Yes, Rizon. The tribe of people were called the Hopi. I am more than certain that the word has nothing to do with the english word,” Sekhmet frowned at the disguised dragon as she noted his humor. “No matter. Start gathering people for me. We should get moving to that alcove now.”
Rizon nodded his head. “Alright.” He turned around to face the rest of the group, clapping his paws.
“We are moving out. Up ahead is a small village that is no longer used. There will be a river and water. You may set up camp there. I know we’ve been a long way, but it’s only a little further up the river. Let’s move.”
With that, he picked up the items he had been carrying again, and resumed hauling them with him on the journey.
Sephiroth continued to search through his posessions, listening to Seferia’s comment all the while.“No, I don’t find it disturbing. I haven’t heard anybody else describe your lack of expression as disturbing either… I’m not sure what to say, really.” He found a knife in amongst his stuff, sighing when he heard the yelling up ahead.
“Looks like we’re moving again.” He looked at Seferia hopelessly, then picked up his posessions, slinging them across his back again. He kept the knife out though, and promptly hacked half a dozen Aloe leaves off the plant beside him, stuffing them into one of the side pockets along with the knife.
“Did you want to carry both eggs, or did you want to hand one back?”
“Ah, well, for that much, I am glad. I have been trying to learn how to replicate these actions for years, but I still need a lot of work.” Seferia felt quite relieved that Sephiroth did not find any uneasiness from her lack of expressiveness. She did her best to give him a grin of appreciation.
Upon hearing Rizon’s announcement, she released a deep sigh before she slowly pushed herself up to her feet. She then looked up Sephiroth once more.
“I fear that I cannot handle carrying both eggs, no. So, I do humbly request that you continue to carry at least one of them.”
“You’re doing fine. I don’t think expressions are something you just practise, however.” He shook his head and frowned, pondering that statement further. “To most people, it is just something that comes naturally.”
Without saying another word, Sephiroth reached down to pluck up the egg that had been wrapped up snugly in his coat, carrying it with him. He walked ahead in silence, egg under one arm, keeping an eye on the road ahead. He would be glad to finally get to the camp and set up his tent to get out of the heat. Both his sunburns and legs were bothering him, but he made no hint of complaint towards either.
Prior to leaving, Seferia took a moment to insure that she had a firm grip on the egg that she has decided to carry with her. Thus, she set off to follow the group once more. As she traveled, she once again lagged at the rear of the pack. During this time, she kept her attention down on the egg in her arms.
“I do hope you hatch soon…”
Once they reach the alcove of trees, which Sekhmet had choosen for their camping site, Seferia moved to help Sephiroth set up his tent. Even though the black-clad man had not spoken of his discomfort, Seferia had been able to feel it quite clearly through their mental bond. Thus, once the tent was fully set up, she moved to usher Sephiroth inside.
“You need to take care of yourself, Sephiroth,” she softly spoke, doing her best to keep herself unheard by anyone other than Sephiroth.
Sephiroth was quite pleased and relieved when they arrived at the destination. He didn’t mind putting the tent up at all, and once it was done, he found himself being pushed inside by Seferia. He didn’t mind that either however, for he was eager for a rest, and to sit down.
“I will take care of myself,” He tried to assure her quickly. “I took those Aloe leaves before we left, didn’t I? All I need to do is peel them and crush the inside. I had wanted to do that when we were stopped, but now we are resting here, I suppose I can do it properly now.”
He smirked. “I hear you can also eat Aloe if you are desperate.”
Seferia calmly looked at Sephiroth as he responded to her coddling. She then shook her head. “Yes, I am aware that you intend to take care of yourself. I was simply stating that the time is right.”
With that, she sat down in the tent as well. She then moved to set the egg down on a mat which she had brought specifically for the eggs. Once she felt that the egg was safe and secure, she turned her attention to Sephiroth once more.
“Yes, I imagine you can eat it. That plant has been used in many salves and remedies. It is a good choice for you to have grabbed it.”
With that said, Seferia turned her attention to Sephiroth’s legs, becoming curious once more. Not long after, she spoke up. “I was under the impression that your training had included marching for hours upon hours. Why do your legs ache so much?”
Sephiroth glanced down at his legs, then over at the backpack outside the tent as if motioning to them.
“When you carry more than your own weight for an extended period of time, it puts stresses on certain areas. I am not entirely surprised that my legs ache.” He shrugged. “They just need to rest. I will be fine. I am just tired from walking.”
He moved to his feet again and began to sift through the bags once more. He immediately seemed quite pleased upon finding his mortar and pestle. Once he had gathered the items up as well as the aloe leaves, he carried everything back into the tent and began to work on them.
Casually reaching beside him for his knife, he began to strip the tough exterior of the leaves off, scraping the soft parts just under the skin into the mortar, as well as the entire innards of the leaf, being quite careful as he went.
Seferia tilted her head so that she could follow Sephiroth’s moves as he points out what he had been carrying. She then nodded her head with understanding.
“Ah, I see. I would offer to carry more. However, I am burdened enough as it is.” She sadly shook her head as she momentarily thought over her weaknesses. However, she chose not to dwell on these thoughts for long.
Once Sephiroth returned to the tent, she repositioned herself so that she was now sitting behind him. Upon making herself comfortable, she gently set her hands on his back so that she could call upon her magics and send a few healing waves through his body.
“I hope that soothed some of the discomfort.”
Once she was done with the spell, she reached up to gently pet the top of his head, as if he were one of the felines that she grew up with.
Sephiroth, not being used to having his head patted, tolerates it at most. Though if Seferia keeps her hand ontop of his head for a few moments, she may discover that the exposed area of scalp where his hair parts is also sunburned.
The male continued to carefully cut up the Aloe leaves, finally figuring he had enough when he had taken apart three of the largest ones he had picked. He picked up the pestle in his left hand and began to crush the leaf innards, pulverising it into a liquidy slimy goop within a few minutes. Once he was satisfied with the texture and consistency of the crushed leaf, he began to apply it straight onto his exposed shoulders, not seeming to care how much of a mess it might make right now.
“It’s all fine,” He finally responded. *”We each do what we can do. That is all we CAN do.” He paused, pondering his own statement. “If that makes sense.” He quickly added.
Seferia slowly nodded at Sephiroth’s statement. “Yes, I am aware of that much. However, that does not leave me without wanting to be able to turn back the clock and be back in my prime, undamaged. However, I have a duty to perform. I cannot allow such thoughts to ruin me.”
Thus, she continued to pat his head. However, she paused upon noticing that his scalp had become quite tender.
“The sun most definitely did not like you today, Sephiroth,” she softly commented. She then lowered her hand. So, she chose to study his physique rather than touch him for the time being.
Sephiroth grunted rather abruptly, though whether that was because of his soreness or the statement, one could hardly tell. “You couldn’t turn back the clock. And even if you could, you would probably have done the same thing all over again.”
He sighed tiredly, rubbing the aloe liquid into his shoulders. “You are right…. the sun hated me today. I have fair skin which burns more easily.” He shrugged. “But I also have fast regenerating cells. By morning I will probably need to wash in the river, because half of my back would have flaked off during the night.”
Seferia narrowed her eyes in thought as Sephiroth mentioned the idea of bathing in the morning. Soon after, she released a soft sigh. “I hardly think that we will have the time to afford such a luxury. We shall see.”
Releasing a soft sigh, she leaned forward to wrap her arms about Sephiroth’s waist. She then closed her eyes, for she was incredibly content.
“If you need assistance in the morning, I will provide it…” She softly spoke before she leaned in to start licking Sephiroth’s back, hoping that the healing agents of her draconic saliva will help heal the burns.
As she licked his back, her mind once again wandered upon the subject of their mental bond and Sephiroth’s physical state. ~Sephiroth… I do wonder one more thing. You do realize that you will probably appear to be this age for at least twenty years? You will most likely not appear to be an adult again for well over fifty years. Probably even closer to a century from now..~
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