Healing Dreams

Selene once again drifted in the space between sleep and wakefulness, her body weightless, her mind untethered. She was beginning to wonder if this was a special place that should not normally exist in the world. Perhaps another unexpected outcome of carrying the child of a goddess.

A thick, inky darkness spread out around her in every direction, endless and silent. She floated, her thoughts as light and buoyant as her body felt, until a soft glow mixed with shadows shimmered into being before her. Selene blinked and a figure stood before her—tall, ethereal, draped in both darkness and light. The air smelled faintly of moonflowers and the crisp, electric scent of an oncoming storm.

The goddess smiled, though there was no warmth in her expression, nor was there cruelty—only a gaze that saw too much and gave too little.

"You always seem to find me, even in hiding," Nyara murmured in her voice that was both light and deep, not too loud but not too soft, and her expression was thoughtful. "Perhaps you needed me for something else this time."

The goddess reached out, pressing a hand against her side. A jolt of energy seared through her, not painful, but intense—like ice water on skin or the heat of the sun on her fur during a run. She gasped, but her voice was stolen by the void surrounding them. She tried to scream, but it was also sucked into the void.

Nyara leaned in just slightly, her silver and black hair drifting like smoke. "A gift for your troubles. Don't tell fate," she said, with a twinkle in her eyes.

As suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone, and Selene herself was swallowed by the darkness.

Selene's eyes flew open.

She was in Ruvala's hut, the dim light of pre-dawn radiating from the small dots in the ceiling. It cast the room in a soft, hazy blue glow and deepened shadows along the mud and stone walls. Her breathing was fast and shallow, her heart pounded hard against her ribs. Had she even fallen asleep? She couldn't remember. The dream clung to her like cobwebs, too vivid to be mere imagination, as she fought to clear her mind. 

She pressed a hand to her side, expecting to find something—tenderness, aching, piercing agony—but there was nothing unusual. In fact, there wasn't any pain when she pressed her fingers down against the bandage. She sat up slowly, the only indication that she had ever been wounded was a small pulling sensation under the bandages.

The scent of woodsmoke and sizzling meat pulled her from her thoughts. She slid her legs off the bed and stood up. Nothing hurt so far. She walked over to the doorway and turned her head, spotting Ruvala by the small cooking hearth. She moved with long practiced ease, her silver hair pulled back into a loose braid. She didn't glance over as she stirred something in a small iron pan, the firelight casting a soft orange glow along her sharp features.

Selene swallowed, trying to shake off the lingering fog of her dream. "You're up early."

"So are you," said Ruvala quietly. She walked over to the table and slid the contents of what looked like scrambled eggs out of the pan and onto a plate with a few slices of meat and some vegetables. "Eat."

Selene hesitated for only a moment before walking over to the table and sitting down in front of the plate. She had not eaten a full meal in days and her stomach ached with hunger from only eating small rations and water. The dream could wait. For now, she would take what was offered and figure out the rest later. 

She picked up the eating utensils beside the plate and began to cut. As she look up, she could see Ruvala's sharp gaze resting on her, sizing her up. "You're moving better."

Selene nodded to herself, keeping her expression neutral. "I feel… stronger this morning."

Ruvala didn't press, but Selene didn't miss the way her gaze lingered on her side. She supposed that it was fairly obvious that something was different. After all, she had managed to walk from the bed all the way to the table without assistance, when before, it was all she could do not to yell in pain when she sat up. Still, Ruvala said nothing, merely turning her attention back to finish cooking the rest of her own meal.

By the time they finished eating, the sun was just peeking over the horizon and the sky had brightened considerably. The air was crisp and cool outside and Ruvala wasted no time preparing for departure. This time, however, she loaded the cart differently—pouches, bags, and bundles of supplies stacked as high as Selene's torso as she sat on the cart, filling nearly every available space. Selene found herself wedged into a small section at the head of the cart, her legs pinned between a sack of dried goods and what smelled like rolled pelts. Orren, unbothered by the extra weight, huffed softly as Ruvala tightened his harness.

Selene shifted, trying to find some comfort against the packed supplies. "Are we expecting that long of a journey?" she asked dryly, glancing at Ruvala, who glanced back at her with an arched brow. "No. But it's dangerous and if we're to make it, I have to make the most of it." Her gaze returned to the harness as she tied the last few cords of leather. "A lot of this is trade goods. Pelts, skins, tools, dried goods. I will resupply. Nothing goes to waste."

Selene sat back. It made sense. If travel was dangerous here, trips would be something that required more than one purpose. She thought about the supply caravans that would arrive at her estate—suddenly grief swelled up out of nowhere and she choked it back silently. Did her family's estate still stand? Did she even have a family to go back to?

She always tried to think about it as little as possible, which is easier than expected when you're writhing in pain on the floor of a tree trunk or cart. She sent a silent prayer to whatever goddess would hear her, that Fate would treat them kinder than her.

With everything secured, Ruvala took her place at Orren's reins, giving the great elk a firm pat before clicking her tongue. The great beast started forward, hooves crunching against the dry earth. The cart groaned under the added weight, but it held steady as they began their journey toward the village.

Selene leaned back against the bundles, eyes drifting toward the horizon. The Ruined stretched ahead of them, once again, in endless waves of cracked land and listless vegetation.

She exhaled slowly. Whatever lay ahead, she could only hope the goddess's gift was enough to see her through it.