The Cosmic Princess

Pay it Forward

Drip....Drip...Drip.

The steady sound of liquid softly hitting something solid filtered through my ears. Coldness licked at the side of my face and slowly I began to push myself up. My limbs ached from fatigue and bundles of pain filtered through my veins like a slow streaming river. Holding back a whimper of pure undiluted agony, I took a deep breath hearing my chest rattle. Trying anything to take my brain off processing the pain it had momentarily numbed in my unconscious state, I took a leisure glance around my surroundings, inhaling short breaths.

An earthy almost mildew scent permeated the still air. I was in some type of cave cavern. It was nearly pitch black; however, there was a dim glow coming from somewhere that cast the boulder walls and high rising ceiling into dark navy blue shadows. Eyes clenching, another misery filled moan escaped me as pain blossomed from my shoulder and upper arm. From the level of intensity radiating from my that area, I knew something was wrong. Steeling myself for the worst, I looked and it took everything I had not to let out a sob. Based off the pain and how low my arm was hanging, I knew my shoulder was dislocated.

Inhaling deeply, I tried to ignore the flames dancing from my shoulder and locked eyes on what was next to me. The dimness of the cave and the fact that we were all dressed in dark Yetherian clothing nearly made him nearly invisible, but as I moved my knee to nudge him I realized that he was there in the flesh. Hope bloomed in my chest, knowing I wasn't by myself.

"Ike." Clutching my dislocated shoulder with my own, I huddled closer to his still form. "Ike." I nudge him sharper, praying that he would move or just do something. Fear had just started to nip at my crumbling composure, dread filling me and thoughts going to the worse outcomes, when his body suddenly twitched.

A soft groan emitted from his lips, I nearly burst with joy. On his back, he slowly began to push himself up. Appearing slightly out of it in the dim lighting of the cave, he teetered slightly back and forth like he was trying to regroup himself. He blinked a few times and finally his eyes focused on me.

"Avril."

The slow, husky call of my name from his lips was nearly my undoing as I wanted to both cry and jump into his arms.

"Where are we?" His words were slow and fatigued.

"I don't know." I hissed softly at the tightness in my upper arm.

It was like his fatigue nearly vanished seeing my discomfort. His eyes became a little bit more focused, his body a little bit more alert, and his voice a little bit more protective. "What's wrong?"

"My shoulder, I think-I know it's dislocated."

Ike opened his mouth but a set of groans made us both turn our bodies.

"Aeon! Nydale!" I quietly shouted watching their bodies wake up.

"Oh, I'm sore." Aeon groaned lowly as Ike and I watched him push himself up from laying on his stomach. "Feels like I fell from a building."

"I think we did fall." Nydale muttered tensely, still lying on his back.

"Crap, where's Kaiya...oh, she's right here." Aeon's frantic tone turned into relief followed by a misery filled curse. "She's not waking up."

"We need to figure out where we are." Ike said, casting a glance to Mist who was laid between Ike and Nydale. We were all in different states in this circular cavern, placed in various areas so Mist was a couple feet in between Ike and Nydale.

"What happened?" I softly questioned, getting to my knees. Biting my tongue, I swallowed the scream my body ached to release feeling the thrumming pain intensify with each movement I made. Still trying to catch my bearings on my knees and clutching my arm, I watched Ike slowly get to his feet wincing as he stood to his full height.