Nirrvash I hope you enjoyed Easter, I did.
Anyway, here's the chapter!
The lower they descended, the gentler the slope became. The gentler it became, the more speed they were able to pick up. And it wasn’t just about the terrain. The longer they walked, the more confidence Korra gained in her stride. At first, she avoided the large boulders, looking for the smoothest path between them to make it easier for herself and Stella. Now she was not afraid to jump from one rock to another and nimbly weave through tree trunks and roots.
Actually, Korra even seemed to enjoy it.
That was definitely not the case for Stella. Without a saddle, she found it quite a challenge to stay on Korra’s back. There were no stirrups into which she could buckle her legs, no saddle or cantle to settle her butt, nor horn, or at least pommel to grab onto. All she could do was find the most comfortable spot - which for both her and Korra was close to her hind legs just above her wings - press her legs against her sides and hold on to her fur for her dear life.
Stella had ridden horses since she was a little girl, but riding this beast was nothing like that. Sure, the movements it required of her were similar, yet alien at the same time. The beast she rode, her squadmate, however strange the notion was, was not a horse; she was not a hoofed animal; she was a predator, and she moved like one. She was forced to adapt what she knew to the way Korra moved in her beast form, all the while struggling with herself - her damaged body.
When Traiana said she should be glad she was alive, the woman wasn’t kidding. There on that cliff, when Stella came to herself, there were actually moments when she thought she wouldn’t make it. That trip through misshapen space messed her up real bad. One of her lungs collapsed, her organs were torn, and she was pretty sure neither of her kidneys were working back then. Her bones were cracked, her muscles torn too. To top it all off, hardly any of her skills worked as they should.
With the little bit of training and insight Traiana had given them, her control of her skills was much better now, and so was her health. However, Stella was far from well. Even with two healing potions and her showering herself with [Breath of Healing], her body was still . . . damaged, her organs not working as they should, her muscles strained.
She may have been able to ignore the pain, but the burden that every movement caused her, wasn’t so easy to. Sweat was pouring off her, and her feet seemed to be made of stone as she walked. She was weak, so weak, and it pissed her off. Yet whatever she did, didn’t change a thing.
Potions had their limits, and taking too many of them could turn harmful. Moreover, they had no idea how long they would be around, whether it would be just a few hours or several cycles, and whether or not their supplies would be replenished with each new one. One big warning loomed in her mind. What if she wasted all their potions now, and in the next cycle, she found herself all messed up again with only [Breath of Healing] to get her out of it? It was a great skill that could heal many, but its strength was in healing the minor wounds of both her and her squad members, not fixing collapsed lungs and smashed organs. That was a job for a healer, which she was not.
‘Fuck!’ Stella cursed mentally to get rid of at least some of her pent-up frustration. Feeling the beast beneath her, the strength and energy it moved with, she couldn’t help but regret her decision not to choose a regeneration-boosting skill after her class evolution. Her teachers had advised her not to, that her aura skills would make up for it, and she agreed with them back then - and still did; she stood by that decision. Yet, in her heart, she could find nothing but envy for Korra and her strength.
Biting her lower lip, Stella fought to push the nagging feelings away and concentrate on the ride, which she found no less taxing than walking on her own two feet. The difference was that they were making much greater strides now, almost flying through the woods at times.
‘Huh?’ She winced, feeling the heat on her thigh, finding a glowing rune under the beast’s fur. The purple glow of it was so bright that it almost seemed to be white, the heat so intense that it was burning the fur around it. There was no doubt in her mind that if she were to touch it, she would burn herself. “You’re calling Idleaf, aren’t you? That’s the rune, isn’t it?”
Korra let out a growl that sounded like a yes to her.
“You’re hurting yourself...” Stella said, only now realizing the sheer tenacity, or rather desperation, with which Korra was trying to contact her ward.
The beast beneath her fluttered its wings, and the rune began to fade, never quite going out completely. Korra explained to all of Squad Four that when she used the runes, they would glow for a while afterwards, but Stella wouldn’t be surprised if she kept the rune on all the time now on purpose, hoping that Idleaf would find her here.
As much as Stella would wish that to happen, if Idleaf could, she’d be here by now.
“You know, maybe you really shouldn’t be wasting your mana and time, because . . .” she said, stopping short as the so far inactive rune beneath her bottom began to heat up rapidly.
“Wait, wait, wait!” she cried out. “Korra, stop. I didn’t mean . . . would Idleaf want you to suffer?”
The rune faded and cooled.
‘That was close,’ Stella breathed a sigh of relief. She would have had to jump off Korra’s back a little longer, or get her ass burned.
“Sorry, Korra. I know how much you want to get back. I want to get back, too, just . . .” she trailed off, not knowing what to say, what words to say to cheer her up when she herself was in need of comfort. “We’ll get out, we will,” she said, patting the beast on the back.
In response, Korra stroked her leg with her extremely soft tail - and that was an understatement. The thing was heavenly. Well, if you left out the poisonous part, that was. At one point, Korra allowed herself to be talked into getting rid of the poison in her tail so that the members of Squad Four could satisfy their curiosity and stroke her tail without having to drink an antidote. And then, when she tried, it felt as if Stella had buried her head in the softest blanket she could find.
Dreaming of lying in her own bed, a teasing thought crossed her mind. “Couldn’t you light the rune just a little? When it was just warm, it was quite nice.”
The beast beneath her growled, enraged.
***
>> Bitch, > Is this water safe to drink? > Bitch.
Nirrvash I hope you enjoyed Easter, I did.
Anyway, here's the chapter!
The lower they descended, the gentler the slope became. The gentler it became, the more speed they were able to pick up. And it wasn’t just about the terrain. The longer they walked, the more confidence Korra gained in her stride. At first, she avoided the large boulders, looking for the smoothest path between them to make it easier for herself and Stella. Now she was not afraid to jump from one rock to another and nimbly weave through tree trunks and roots.
Actually, Korra even seemed to enjoy it.
That was definitely not the case for Stella. Without a saddle, she found it quite a challenge to stay on Korra’s back. There were no stirrups into which she could buckle her legs, no saddle or cantle to settle her butt, nor horn, or at least pommel to grab onto. All she could do was find the most comfortable spot - which for both her and Korra was close to her hind legs just above her wings - press her legs against her sides and hold on to her fur for her dear life.
Stella had ridden horses since she was a little girl, but riding this beast was nothing like that. Sure, the movements it required of her were similar, yet alien at the same time. The beast she rode, her squadmate, however strange the notion was, was not a horse; she was not a hoofed animal; she was a predator, and she moved like one. She was forced to adapt what she knew to the way Korra moved in her beast form, all the while struggling with herself - her damaged body.
When Traiana said she should be glad she was alive, the woman wasn’t kidding. There on that cliff, when Stella came to herself, there were actually moments when she thought she wouldn’t make it. That trip through misshapen space messed her up real bad. One of her lungs collapsed, her organs were torn, and she was pretty sure neither of her kidneys were working back then. Her bones were cracked, her muscles torn too. To top it all off, hardly any of her skills worked as they should.
With the little bit of training and insight Traiana had given them, her control of her skills was much better now, and so was her health. However, Stella was far from well. Even with two healing potions and her showering herself with [Breath of Healing], her body was still . . . damaged, her organs not working as they should, her muscles strained.
She may have been able to ignore the pain, but the burden that every movement caused her, wasn’t so easy to. Sweat was pouring off her, and her feet seemed to be made of stone as she walked. She was weak, so weak, and it pissed her off. Yet whatever she did, didn’t change a thing.
Potions had their limits, and taking too many of them could turn harmful. Moreover, they had no idea how long they would be around, whether it would be just a few hours or several cycles, and whether or not their supplies would be replenished with each new one. One big warning loomed in her mind. What if she wasted all their potions now, and in the next cycle, she found herself all messed up again with only [Breath of Healing] to get her out of it? It was a great skill that could heal many, but its strength was in healing the minor wounds of both her and her squad members, not fixing collapsed lungs and smashed organs. That was a job for a healer, which she was not.
‘Fuck!’ Stella cursed mentally to get rid of at least some of her pent-up frustration. Feeling the beast beneath her, the strength and energy it moved with, she couldn’t help but regret her decision not to choose a regeneration-boosting skill after her class evolution. Her teachers had advised her not to, that her aura skills would make up for it, and she agreed with them back then - and still did; she stood by that decision. Yet, in her heart, she could find nothing but envy for Korra and her strength.
Biting her lower lip, Stella fought to push the nagging feelings away and concentrate on the ride, which she found no less taxing than walking on her own two feet. The difference was that they were making much greater strides now, almost flying through the woods at times.
‘Huh?’ She winced, feeling the heat on her thigh, finding a glowing rune under the beast’s fur. The purple glow of it was so bright that it almost seemed to be white, the heat so intense that it was burning the fur around it. There was no doubt in her mind that if she were to touch it, she would burn herself. “You’re calling Idleaf, aren’t you? That’s the rune, isn’t it?”
Korra let out a growl that sounded like a yes to her.
“You’re hurting yourself...” Stella said, only now realizing the sheer tenacity, or rather desperation, with which Korra was trying to contact her ward.
The beast beneath her fluttered its wings, and the rune began to fade, never quite going out completely. Korra explained to all of Squad Four that when she used the runes, they would glow for a while afterwards, but Stella wouldn’t be surprised if she kept the rune on all the time now on purpose, hoping that Idleaf would find her here.
As much as Stella would wish that to happen, if Idleaf could, she’d be here by now.
“You know, maybe you really shouldn’t be wasting your mana and time, because . . .” she said, stopping short as the so far inactive rune beneath her bottom began to heat up rapidly.
“Wait, wait, wait!” she cried out. “Korra, stop. I didn’t mean . . . would Idleaf want you to suffer?”
The rune faded and cooled.
‘That was close,’ Stella breathed a sigh of relief. She would have had to jump off Korra’s back a little longer, or get her ass burned.
“Sorry, Korra. I know how much you want to get back. I want to get back, too, just . . .” she trailed off, not knowing what to say, what words to say to cheer her up when she herself was in need of comfort. “We’ll get out, we will,” she said, patting the beast on the back.
In response, Korra stroked her leg with her extremely soft tail - and that was an understatement. The thing was heavenly. Well, if you left out the poisonous part, that was. At one point, Korra allowed herself to be talked into getting rid of the poison in her tail so that the members of Squad Four could satisfy their curiosity and stroke her tail without having to drink an antidote. And then, when she tried, it felt as if Stella had buried her head in the softest blanket she could find.
Dreaming of lying in her own bed, a teasing thought crossed her mind. “Couldn’t you light the rune just a little? When it was just warm, it was quite nice.”
The beast beneath her growled, enraged.
***
>> Bitch, > Is this water safe to drink? > Bitch.
