Lament of Innocence

I helped Tarrion to the camp and set him gently on the ground. "Aris, Tigger take care of him." I said quietly and walked away. I walked as far into the forest without losing sight of the camp and curled into a ball crying because Fang was the last reminder I had of my family and I doubted he would survive I hated myself for not being more careful except for a locket my mom had given me when I was 13 which Talen had taken and it was as far as I knew still at the castle. I curled into a tighter ball and continued to cry slightly ashamed of myself.

Aris

My head snapped towards Tigger, glad he had finally shut up. "Tarrion, sit down," I said hurriedly. "You too, Sele-" I saw she was too anxious and didn't tell her too, but she did anyway, her head resting on Tarrion's, and I shook away a flash of jealousy. This wasn't the time.
I turned to them both. "Do you have any wounds?" I asked them both. Selene didn't answer, but Tarrion said quickly,
"Nothing that can't be fixed later."
I pulled up his sleeve, where multiple whip marks were. "Tarrion!" I gasped before turning. "Does anyone know how to take care of this?!" I called. Tarrion shook his head- he didn't need it, in his opinion- but I didn't pay attention.
"I do," came a quiet voice. It was a boy wearing dark clothing that I hadn't noticed before. "I'm Kale."
I turned towards him. "Can you help Tarrion?!" I asked hurriedly.
"Of course," he said. "My dad's a doctor." he looked slightly resentful.

TARRION

I blinked at Selene as she sulked away. I didn't want her to go, but I knew she needed to be alone. I looked back at the boy. He walked up to me and held my arm. I winced. "This is pretty bad," he muttered.

"Yeah, well just wait till you see my back and stomach," I hissed. Not in anger, in pain... but still. Aris frowned at me and lifted up my shirt.

"Holy crap Tarrion! What the heck did they do to you?!" she yelped. "No wonder you've been coughing up blood!"

Kale dropped my arm and turned to my stomach. The gash was deeper than I thought it had been... "You've got yourself into a heap of trouble," the boy muttered. He muttered a lot. It was sort of annoying.

"Whatever," I growled. I wanted to go find Selene. I stood up and Aris yelled at me to sit down. Kale followed her lead. "I'm not sitting, I'm going to find Selene." I could hardly stand, but I forced myself to remain upright.

"Pig," I heard Aris mutter under her breath. Was I hurting her? I hoped not. Tigger began to chuckle.

"Tig, would you please knock it off?" I growled. He didn't. I ignored him and staggered off to find Selene.

Aris

The words cut through my like glass. Selene, always Selene, wasn't it? I watched as Kale fixed up his wounds with a kind of ointment.
"So, who's Selene," Kale asked. "Seems like you've got it pretty bad for her."
Ouch. Thanks a lot, Kale.
"Listen, Kale, shut up and do your job." I couldn't blame Tarrion for getting annoyed. Stupid Kale.
"Alright, fine," he said. He finally finished and pulled Tarrion's shirt down. "Okay, you'll be fine for now," he said. "Try, please try, not to rub it off while you're off going after Selene." Kale turned towards me and saw me wince. Great, another person who would feel sorry for me. He looked at me, a bit of pity in his eyes, but I turned away. I wasn't going to talk about feelings with some random guy.
Tarrion ran off and I watched him, sighing.
"Are you hurt?" asked Kale. I turned towards him.
"I'm okay," I muttered.

TARRION

I grumbled when I was pulled back to get some stinky ointment smeared all over my chest and back. I smelled aweful. I already hated Kale...he was making me uncomfortable. I guess I did have it bad for Selene, but was he really that insensitive towards Aris? She was obviously jealous....I sounded shallow, even to myself.

Tigger was smirking as I left and presumed my search for Selene. I found her curled up and crying. My heart lurched. She had lost her whole family... I could sort of feel her pain, even if I had only lost my father.

I sat down beside her and pulled her close to me. She sobbed into my clothes and I hoped I wouldn't get into trouble for getting the ointment wet. I didn't even care. Her tears stung a bit when they soaked through my shirt, but once again, I didn't care.

I would do anything to make her happy right now. I pulled her onto my lap and let her cry into my chest. I rested my cheek on her head and began to hum. What the heck? Hum? Was I seriously doing that? I supposed I was....but the tune was something my mother sang to me and my brother the day our dad died.

I swallowed back my own tears. They wouldn't do her any good...or maybe they would. I let them fall down my cheeks into her hair. I didn't care anymore...I just didn't care.

Aris

I looked through the trees. There were Tarrion and Selene, together. He was comforting her, not a care in the world for me.
You know how you think stupid things when you're angry, or sad? Well, at that moment the only thing I could think was, it's cloudy. It's going to rain tonight. But maybe that was just the tears and how Tarrion kept kissing her on the cheek over and over, tenderly and lovingly.
I ran through the forest. I thought it was raining, and then realized I was crying- hard tears that went down my face hard, and I couldn't help but bury my face in my hands and sit on the ground, crying.

[NOTE- Kale will be played by my friend john but he wants to use my account to do it]

TARRION

I looked up. Was that Aris? Had she been crying? Moron! I've really done it now... I hated myself for a moment. What had I done? Selene wiped her eyes and looked at me.

I glanced back at her. I felt like she was destroying me...in the most pleasurable of ways. What the heck was happening to me? I couldn't help myself... I leaned over her and kissed her on the lips.

I half expected her to jump away or hit me...but she didn't. At leaste Aris wasn't watching...I could never have lived with myself had she been there. I pulled back and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Ready to go back?" I whispered.

She blinked and nodded at me and I helped her up. The ointment was working a little, but I was still in pain. I winced and she supported me with her shoulder. We somehow managed to get ourselves back to the camp.

Tigger was laughing at us. The little swine....if I wasn't injured right now I swear I would have sliced his cheek open.

Yay! I get my own character now! *pushes Sunny out of the way* My turn to SB Post!

Kale

I glanced around the camp. Was the queen going to come? I had escaped with them all, unnoticed for what I was perhaps because of the rush.
It hadn't been easy, trying to blend in with another group of people who had been in the same cell for days. Especially when I had escaped from a different cell. I could just tell them, but who would believe me?
Maybe I should tell Aris, I thought. She seemed to busy worrying about that boy to pay to much attention to what I was saying.
I walked out into the forest where I had seen her go. She sat on a log, crying. Crap. This wasn't the best time, was it? But she had already looked up, her face wet with tears that she quickly wiped off. "What?" she said, trying to seem nonchalant.
"Whats wrong?" I asked, walking towards her.
"Nothing," she snapped, then looked contrite. "I mean, I'm fine, Kale. What do you want?"
"I wasn't in your cell. I was in a different one I escaped from." I looked at her, wondering how she would react.
"Really?" she asked, looking wary.
"Yeah. But don't tell anyone else. They're worrying enough as it is."
She nodded in agreement. "Let's head back to camp," she said, wiping away the tears and trying to take the red out of her eyes in vain. I nodded and walked towards camp with her.

TARRION

It was already starting to get dark. I sighed and layed down on the grass. Selene layed down beside me and I felt content.

Kale and Aris wandered back into the camp and I pushed myself up on my elbows, ignoring the pain. Aris had been crying. I wanted to puke. "Look-I'm sorry Aris..." she glared at me and I shut up.

Tigger was still snickering. I wanted nothing more than to slap him senseless. He was so insensative. "Goodnight folks," I muttered, kissing Selene on the forehead before rolling over and falling asleep.

I got up as quietly as I could and walked over to Aris and Kale all to aware of the fact that Aris probably hated me but that was nothing new to me. "Tigger could you come over here?" I called quietly he walked over saying nothing. "Ok well guys we need a plan. If we are planning to storm the castle and kill the queen we really need a plan. I propose that we send a spy to find out how many guards there are and that way we could find out how many of us we actually need." I said calmly watching carefully to see if my words had any affect.

TARRION

I had been asleep, but I had waken up. Stupid pain had me wanting to throw up. I groaned loudly. Selene wasn't by my side anymore...I felt somehow abandoned. I was surprised that Tigger didn't laugh at me.

Kale sighed and walked over to me. Selene followed and helped me sit up. I coughed and wrenched forwards, coughing up yet another pool of crimson-right on Selene's feet. I tried to apologize, but I couldn't manage to get anything out. She just stared at them in disgust. Did she like me as much as I thought she did?

Well she didn't back away, I took that as a good sign. Kale muttered something under his breath and glanced at the wound on my back. "He's got internal bleeding. If we can't get him somewhere with the right supplies, he won't last much more than a few days," he said.

I blinked. Aris ran over to me, sitting beside Selene. Tig strolled over, staring at me with that creepy empty look. "Well, we've obviously got to get him to a doctor or something!" I didn't know who said it, one of the girls. I was getting dizzy again.

Aris

"Well, we've obviously got to get him to a doctor or something!" I shouted. Tarrion looked terrible, his face pale. We had to, or he would die, according to Kale, whom I shot an annoyed look. A simple "He needs a doctor," would have sufficed.
"How? And if we're going to raid the castle, how can we do both before another innocent person goes through all of this," Selene said, gesturing towards the bleeding, sick, and fearful teenagers seated in the clearing.
"I can go on the raid!" Tarrion said, annoyed. "If Selene is going, then-"
"You're in no condition to go," said Kale, looking exasperated. "Anyone can tell you can't go trouncing into the castle with the wounds you have now.
"He's right, Tarrion," Selene said. Tarrion sat down, not moving. I felt bad, but not nearly as bad as before. If him staying here would keep him safe, then I was fine with it.
"When can we go," said Tigger impatiently.
"After we get Tarrion medical help!" I snapped, then looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, Tig, I didn't mean to be a jerk. I'm just worried."
"It's not like we can walk into the village and ask for a doctor," Kale said. "They probably know we escaped. It was probably big news, and, lets face it, we don't look like the average citizen. We're tired, bruised, and frightened. They'll be able to tell something's wrong pretty quick."
I turned to them all. "Ideas?" I asked.

TARRION

I slumped back. I felt like I was going to die as it was. "There's gotta be somebody who'll take pity on him," Selene murmered.

I glanced at her, but didn't say anything. I didn't think I could say anything. I coughed up more blood. "We have to get him some medical attention NOW!" Aris shouted.

Kale groaned. "Who's going? We can't leave him alone and he can't travel."

I blinked. Everything went black. I heard the girls screach.

Kale

Crap. I had never hoped to have to go back and see my father again. But he was a doctor, and Tarrion needed one. Badly. I turned towards Aris. "I know how we can get him some help, but I need to go alone."
"Too bad I'm coming with you," Aris said with a shrug. "Let's go."
I probably couldn't make her not come. She'd get suspicious. "Selene, Tigger, stay here with Tarrion. I'll go with Kale," she said. I shrugged. Whatever, if she insisted.
We left quickly. The forest had twists and turns that I knew well, and Aris didn't complain or ask questions about how I did know this forest. Well, even if she had, I wouldn't have answered. Eventually we came up to the village. The only problem was the fact that my Father's office was smack dab in the middle of the Town Square, and that we didn't exactly look like kind, trustworthy citizens.
"Let me go," Aris said quickly. "You stay here."
"No way," I said. "For one thing, I'm not letting you go alone. And for another, my Dad's not going to help some random girl heal an escapee."
Aris muttered something indistinct that sounded like it had an insult in it, but I didn't pay attention. As casually as we could, we hurried towards his office and walked in. It was closed, but I didn't give a- well, anyway, we ignored the sign and came in.
"Kale, what are you doing here?!" my Father had probably hoped he'd never see me again either. Ah well, Tarrion needed help. Not that I cared too much about Tarrion, hardly knowing him, but I liked Aris and her heart would be broken if he died.
"We need help," I said simply. Aris looked up and spoke.

[I'll leave it to you, Sunny. Now log on and reply!]

Tigger:

After Aris and that other son of a doctor, Kale, guy left, big surprise, Tar fainted. Selene shrieked and I covered my ears.
"Do him a favor and get him some water," I said while pushing her gently towards the direction of the main camp ground. She nodded once and ran off. I went to sit by Tarrion, even took it so far as to brush a few strands of hair that got plastered down to his forehead by sweat. He groaned and leaned in towards me, I quickly pulled away.
"Selene...," he mumbled. I stifled a laugh and took a deep breath.
"Not Selene," I whispered, "but if you prefer it that way I have a suitable girl voice I could put on." He opened one eye and gasped a bit before frowning.
"Ew. No thanks," he growled. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sighed.
"You're bad off, man. Do you know what happens to a snail when he finds hisself full of trematodes?" He looked at me as if I had two heads and shook his head no.
"It's best you didn't but, I'll just say: You're a bird, Selene's the trematode, and poor Aris is the snail. You don't know what that means yet, and, like I said, it's best you didn't. You'll find out soon enough." He tried to sit up but I pushed him back down.
"What are you talking about," he mumbled. "I have no idea what you're saying."
"You'll find out soon enough." There was a long silence in which I worked on my carving.
"Do you know what one plus one is?" He held up two fingers and scoffed. I shrugged and continued carving. "It equals three." He opened one eye quickly and then closed it again.
"How?" I stood up and threw my finished skull carving on the ground beside him, he reached for it slowly.
"Think about it and tell me when you find out. I'm going to go find some good whittling wood."
"But, Tigger, I still don't..."
"Selene should be here soon. The boomerang always comes back home. Hmm, boomerang, I think I ought to start calling her that." I laughed and walked away.