Finding Her Friend (Part 1 of 2)

Writers: Arale, Miriah
Date Posted: 10th July 2012

Characters: J'ackt, Yarlna
Description: Yarlna tracks down Jenackt in the middle of the night after he doesn't appear as usual.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 8, day 13 of Turn 6

J'ackt

Yarlna was starting to feel a little nervous. Well, no. Not starting.
She'd been nervous for a while now. But it was starting to graduate
into full out concern. The further into the woods she went, the
further away from the familiar trees near her home that she'd played
in all her life, the worse the concern grew. There was a difference
between hiking through a forest and playing hide and seek with her
brothers at the edge of the woodland. That difference being the
tendency to be horribly lost. Which she was becoming more and more
convinced she was.

Only a strange sort of stubbornness kept her from panicking outright.
The idea that she'd find her stranger - Jenackt. That she had to find
him. That she hadn't come all this way just to give up on finding him
now. But it was difficult and becoming more so with every tree she
passed that looked exactly like the tree she'd already passed. She
didn't even know what time it was anymore. If she had enough time to
get back before she was missed or even if she could find her way back
to begin with. How would she ever explain it if she couldn't?

Shoving these worries aside only allowed the worries that had driven
her into the forest to begin with to surface. Where -was- Jenackt? Had
he been caught in the Thread? She thought she would have heard if any
of the men hunting him had caught him, but what if he was hurt or
something? Trapped somewhere, unable to move? Who would think to help
him? Was he eating? The questions swirled around the girl's mind,
driving her feet forward even though she wasn't looking where she was
going anymore.

So, it was no surprise when she tripped over something and fell flat
on the ground with a thud and a pained grunt.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" The soft, but deep voice emerged
from behind a nearby tree. It sounded tired and a little disgruntled.
There was a soft sound of footsteps as Jenackt approached, then
carefully crouched down beside her.

He looked pale in the moonlight that filtered through trees and there
were dark circles under his eyes. But his full lips were pulled tight
with strain. "What in the threaded blazes are you doing out here this
late?"

Yarlna pushed herself up, the bruises that were likely forming on her
knees and the stinging feeling of her palms completely forgotten.
"Jenackt!" She felt her eyes well up as a wave of relief swept over
her. She wasn't lost anymore and she'd found her stranger. He wasn't
dead after all! Without thinking, she flung herself at him, not
noticing or realizing what the tight expression when he'd spoken to
her meant.

"I've been so worried! When you didn't come, and the Thread. I
thought... I thought...," the distraught girl's words were overcome by
sobs as the emotional turmoil caught up to her.

"What the...wait a....OOF!" Jenackt fell back under the onslaught of her embrace
and fire raced down his side as he fell on his back with her sprawled
on top of him. He couldn't help it; a stream of curse words erupted
from his mouth as he gripped his side with one hand. "Shaffit, girl!"
With his eyes
clenched tight, he didn't notice her tears right away. He was too busy
trying to get
her off of his bad side.

He laid back and trying not to move, he finally heard her sobs and
lifted his head. She was crying. He blinked several times and felt a
curdling in his
stomach. "Uhm..." He had never exactly been in this situation and felt
an overwhelming confusion as to what exactly to do. He went perfectly
still and floundered both
from his pain and confusion. "Uh...I was fine? Why are you crying
about it? Can you get off me now?"

Perhaps not the best response, but his addled brain couldn't come up
with anything else.

After a few moments, the girl was able to get herself under control
enough to notice the tense way her stranger was holding himself and
the hand he had clasped to his side. She sat up suddenly and peered at
his face, this was the first time she'd been close enough to get a
good look at him and he was even younger than she thought he was. Not
as young as her, no, but she'd be surprised if he'd seen twenty turns.
There was a pinched look about his face, which along with the shadows
under his eyes and the paleness to his complexion was further proof
that his body had hinted at.

"You're hurt! I was worried you might be hurt and you are. I'm sorry.
I should have asked. I was just so glad to see you, I thought you were
dead maybe! But, I hoped not. I hoped you were hurt. I mean not that I
hoped you were hurt, but just hurt. Instead of dead. I snuck out
Momma's numbweed pot and I brought food from the last three nights'
bundles too." Yarlna babbled breathlessly as she unstrapped the bag
she'd carried and rummaged in it with one hand, the other was wiping
away tears that were still leaking from her eyes. After shoving aside
cloth bundles of food, she pulled a ceramic pot and held it out to
Jenackt.

He just stared blankly at her, his mind trying to absorb her babbling.
It did sink in that she had been worried for him; it completely confused him and
made him a little uncertain about how to feel about it. He wasn't used to anyone
being concerned for him. Even his father hadn't been overly emotional when
it came to his safety. He didn't answer, but just stared bemused at the girl.

He slowly sat up, taking the pot, glanced at it and peered back at her.
"Uhm...thanks." He then frowned. "Is that why you were out here this late?
Because of me?" It clearly confused him. "You could have been hurt.
I'm not worth that."

Now it was Yarlna's turn to frown, "That's silly. You're my friend,"
she added as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

But then, her head cocked slightly to the side and she asked, "Aren't
you?" In her mind, the doubts she'd briefly entertained when she'd
heard that a Holdless boy had attacked a girl darted through her
brain. She'd decided not to make a decision until she'd heard his side
of things, as no one else seemed to care about his side of things. But
then he hadn't come and she'd been too worried about him to wonder.

At that, Jenackt frowned at the girl, glanced at the pot and then
back at her. "Never had one." He shrugged, dipped his fingers
into the numbweed, then lifted his shirt to smear some liberally on
his aching side. "Thank you..." he sighed with relief, placing the lid
back on the pot before handing it back to her.

He leaned back, considering her for a moment and drummed his
fingers on his knee. Everything his father had said to him instructed
him not to trust this little slip of a girl; it was dangerous to trust
anyone. What did she want out of him? All holders wanted
something. But shards, he was lonely. And she wasn't bashing
him with a club.

He stood and offered her a hand. "I guess I am." For now, he
thought. What was she really up to? "Lets get you home before
it gets too late. I know the way."

Yarlna packed away the numbweed pot and took her friend's hand. She
still didn't know the full story of Jenackt and the girl he supposedly
attacked. She trusted him though. After all, once again, she hadn't
been attacked. Even when she was hurting him, he had been stiff and
bewildered by her tears but he hadn't struck out at her. Jenackt was
no danger to her. Whatever had happened with that girl, it hadn't been
his fault. Now she was completely certain of that.

(To be continued in 'Plans and Plots')

Last updated on the August 3rd 2012

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Finding Her Friend (Part 1 of 2)