The Game of Life

13. Bandages

"𝕳𝖔𝖕𝖊" 𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖘 –

𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖑 –

𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖚𝖓𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖘 –

𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖕𝖘 – 𝖆𝖙 𝖆𝖑𝖑 –

~ "𝓗𝓸𝓹𝓮" 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓯𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼, 𝓫𝔂 𝓔𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓓𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓷

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Mepuru howled with laughter, Kagayaku's eyes narrowing to slits as her friend screeched in euphoria. "Queen Hestia?!" The fox coloured beast exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes as she snickered. "I'm believing you with Makoto, but Hestia? No way, you couldn't have met royalty in the woods, for crying out loud." Kagayaku grumbled angrily. You can't be so sure, Mepuru. This is a weird world we live in, and I'm afraid I've gotten my nose in business that I shouldn't have known existed in the first place. The hybrid thought spitefully, keeping her snout shut to keep drama from arising.

"Anywho, we should probably head through to grab a bite to eat before your mother goes ham on us." Mepuru said, draping her bandaged legs over the side of the bed as she prepared herself to jump down. As soon as the SandWing's legs touched the ground, she gasped suddenly as she reawakened the pain from the wounds that were inflicted on her hours before. "It's gonna hurt like that for a while." Kagayaku pointed out, pushing the covers off her body and standing up, stretching her aching limbs. "I can tell." Mepuru grimaced as she eyed the bandages, awkwardly waddling over to the door. The young hybrid couldn't help but snicker as she watched her friend move around so strangely.

Kagayaku walked behind her friend, spreading a wing and helping her walk down the hallways. Her own wounds also stung, Makoto's ridged talons really took a toll on her face, since that wound was deep and hurt the most, it would probably at least take a few months before it fully healed. The two friends entered the dining room where Boreal and Dromedary, Kagayaku's parents, as well as Kagayaku's elder sister Ace, were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. There were two bowls full of cereal on the table for the two dragonets as they took their seats and sat down. Ace looked up from her bowl and waved at Kagayaku. "Sup." She said, mouth full of food.

The two dragonets said their greetings before eating, although Mepuru stopped to give a quick prayer to Astra to thank her for the world and the food before eating. Mepuru's family were strictly indebted to Astra, they even had their own little shrine dedicated to her where they'd go and pray to her every single day, thanking her for life and everything. Kagayaku's family, however, weren't too into the godly stuff, sure, they respected Astra and everyone else, but they didn't go to such lengths to please them.

The dragons ate in silence for a few minutes before Kagayaku as well as Mepuru excused themselves from the table to go back to Kaga's room to discuss supernaturals.

"So, what're we going to do about your funky weird curse? Now that you've pissed Makoto off even more, it's bound to get worse, and eventually, you won't be able to cheat death anymore." Mepuru said, the two sitting down side by side on the hybrid's bed. Kagayaku sighed. "I know very well now that death does not like to be cheated, but... There's something wrong with Makoto's act.." She closed her eyes for a moment, placing a talon on her head in hopes of stopping a throbbing headache that decided to show up at the worst time. Mepuru raised an eyebrow and looked intrigued. "Oh?"

"You see, when we got separated in the forest, I encountered Makoto and she backed me into a wall. Not literally, figuratively, but she didn't kill me." Kagayaku explained. "She placed a talon on my face and could've easily death touched me, but she didn't, she simply dug her talons into my face and then ran off." Mepuru blinked. "Okay... Weird.. If Makoto wanted you dead so badly, why didn't she seize the opportunity and kill you then?" She asked, cocking her head.

"I don't know, that's what I'm trying to figure out." Kagayaku said, racking her brain for answers. "Maybe I'm immortal or invincible, or perhaps... She held back.. But why?" She thought out loud, tilting her head slightly towards the ceiling. Her gaze was suddenly dragged to the sunset coloured rock on the bookshelf, the one that glimmered smugly at her constantly. She's had this rock for quite some time now, as she picked it up on the beach when she was a younger dragonet. She narrowed her eyes at it before shaking her head.

"I heavily doubt either of those are true." Mepuru stated. "Makoto seems to really hate you, and plus, why on Pyrrhia would you be immortal? That's just wrong. It's weirdly not you, in a way, if you get what I mean." She said. Kagayaku nodded slightly. "I hate to say it, but I think you're right, Mepuru." The SandWing looked smug at this. "Worldwide genius." She commented.

"The unnatural is just so strange, I can't get my puny mortal brain around it." Kagayaku said, groaning. "I can't seem to read any of Makoto's emotions, and that letter I found... She's most likely got another deity on her side, Cyrus, to be exact. If he turns against me, I'm screwed, I can't face two celestials on my own. I'm just a mortal." She said, sighing.

Mepuru frowned and eyed the floor. "I don't want you to die, please don't die." She wimpered. Kagayaku looked up at her and cracked a smile. "Don't worry." She soothed, placing a talon on the SandWing's bandaged face and rubbing her cheek slightly. "I won't die yet, I haven't lost my fight." Mepuru smiled at this. "I wanna see you battle until the end, Kaga, I know you're brave enough to face a celestial."

"Or two celestials."

"Yeah, or two."

The two friends giggled softly, lying down on the bed and gazing at each other. Ace burst into the room suddenly. "Get up, you two, and get ready, we're going out." She said. Kagayaku cocked her head in confusion. "Going where?" She inquired. Ace shrugged. "I dunno, mum and dad ain't tellin' me, they're only sayin' we're going out, so c'mon, up."

Mepuru and Kagayaku exchanged glances and sighed at the same time, watching as Ace left the room.

"This is gonna be a long day."

"Yeah."

ᴀ ꜰᴇᴡ ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ

"Which one suits me better? Emeralds or Sapphires?" Mepuru asked, two necklaces dangling from her talons.

They were in a jewellery store, Kagayaku was looking at all of the pretty gems on the shelves, but gosh, how expensive they were! Kagayaku chuckled. "You're rich, you have money, if you're so torn, just buy both! I'm sure you'll look stunning no matter what." The hybrid said, causing the SandWing to smile and blush slightly. "Thanks Kaga, I will!"

She laughed, but that joy was cut off by a starp pain from her foot, looking down, she noticed a diamond embedded in her pawpad, and that blood was oozing from the wound. She winced, reaching down to pull the little nuisance out. But while she was doing that, the curse had decided to strike again, a sign that an employee was putting up in the store became lose, swinging down towards Kagayaku.

The hybrid didn't notice, not even Mepuru, she simply squeaked in pain as the diamond slid out of her foot, causing more blood to splatter on the floor as she remained oblivious of what was headed right for her.