"Arrelle is missing," came the words Hwestlaeriel could hear in the back of her mind. That same part of her brain that processed those words tried to force Hwestlaeriel to stand up. It told her that she must search...she must aid her friends in finding this companion. Most of her mind, however, kept screaming to her that Berethion was dead.
She felt Dimithil's hands on her arm, hoisting her up. Hwestlaeriel locked her knees, allowing herself to stand. She looked around, and saw her weary companions preparing themselves for something. She wondered what was happening now.
"We must search for Arrelle," Dimithil said, seeming to read her mind and responding in a fairly gentle voice, "She is missing."
Hwestlaeriel looked at Dimithil for a second, then looked at her brother's body below her and wondered how long she had been crying. And what was she to do? She could not go home now, for her parents would probably not accept her back. They may even blame her for Berethion's death.
Hwestlaeriel gave a submissive sigh. Dimithil responded to her self-pity with reason.
"We must move on. Just because one member is lost, we must not forget the others. Arrelle is probably alive. We must keep hope and find her."
This made sense to Hwestlaeriel. She walked, still rather numbly, over to the others.
"Where shall we look?" Hwestlaeriel said in a hoarse voice.
"We should not travel alone," Tallin said, sensibly, "We do not know what is out there."
"I shall go with you," Hwestlaeriel said to Tallin, surprising even herself in this statement.
The group broke off and went searching for Arrelle. Hwestlaeriel desperately tried to keep her mind on her search and to keep it off of Berethion's demise, to almost no avail.
__________________
"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time." - Hobbes of Calvin and Hobbes
|