BREAKING RULES, Combining two worlds (Part 3)

AWAKE

The sledge, pulled by two big, strong moose, shot through the deep snow, but still not fast enough, according to Wende.

"How is he?" Koba's rough voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she gave him a small smile.

"He's... His heart rate is stable and the bleeding has stopped, at least for now..." Concerned, her gaze slid from the two people on the buck to the man lying next to her on the floor of the old sledge.

They'd tried to make Mohr'kad's place as soft as possible with skins from the women's sleeping quarters and insulation blankets the men had brought. But they couldn't prevent the unconscious warrior from being shaken roughly from side to side.

Wende's stomach began to turn again at the memory of Mohr'kad collapsing without any warning and suddenly seeing jets of blood running down his side.

Only after Koba removed Mohr'kad's chest plate did they see the horrible gaping wound in his side, which the warrior had probably suffered when the ceiling collapsed in the underground corridor.

Why hadn't the idiot warned his teammates? Wende wondered, but the answer was always the same: Mohr'kad was a warrior, a fighter, and he would never, never abandon his team because of what he considered a minor injury. And indeed, judging by the small hole at the front of the armour, it had appeared to be a minor injury, but at the back there was a horribly large, gaping hole. If one of the men had been walking behind him, it would probably have been discovered much sooner, but Mohr'kad had secured the rearguard... and since the stupid man was in pain every hour of the day, he hadn't given it much thought. Pain was no stranger to him....

As she stroked his cheek gently, Wende felt a tear roll down her cheek, and then another, then the dam broke and she began to sob quietly so as not to alarm the two in front of her.

The last few days had been hell. Not just for her, of course, but for everyone else as well. But as she looked at the ashen face of the man she had lost her heart to, because she had, she was honest about that now, at the same time the intensely pale face of her daughter crept into her mind. And the thought of losing another one of the people she loved was her breaking point.

Shhh, tac... shhh, tac... shhh, tac...

A soft whooshing sound slowly penetrated his mind, but it was the tapping that annoyed him and slowly woke him from the darkness.

His eyes shot open as he heard a strange sniffing sound beside his face and became aware of a warm body pressed close to him.

Mohr'kad remained still until his eyes adjusted to the soft light of the nightlight beside him, then he turned his head carefully to see who or what was lying beside him.

His heart began to beat faster at the sight of Wende's sleeping face.

"Finally, brother!" A whispering voice caught his attention, and slowly Mohr'kad turned his head towards the door where the all too familiar voice had come from.

Grinning, Reh'tec entered the room and took a seat on the stool next to the bed.

"You sure know how to draw attention to yourself, Mohr'kad! If not by chasing a small female while a blizzard is coming and we are under attack, then by almost dying from being speared!"

Reh'tec grinned, but there was a worried look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tároc! I will try not to get speared next time. But how long have I been out, if I may ask?" He glanced at the small woman to make sure she had not woken from their whispering.

"Six days Roh'kadi! Six nerve-wracking days for your little lady and the rest of us of course..." Reh'tec shook his head, as if to erase the image from his mind.

"You balanced on the edge of death for two days, Mohr'kad. I must confess that I did not expect you to survive... She did however."

The Tároc's eyes softened as he looked into the sleeping face of Mohr'kad's lover.

Looking back at his ikat, he saw the man looking at him suspiciously. "Ohh, don't worry! Your female has already made it clear that she has absolutely no interest in me, and frankly, I can do without a female for a while..."

Unable to hide his surprise at his clan leader's last words, he looked at Reh'tec in surprise. "What does that supposed to mean?"

Defensively, the Tároc shook his head. "Never mind, I'll tell you some other time. Just make sure you get well soon, okay?"

And with that he stood up, gave his Ikat a last nod and walked away.

Mohr'kad turned his head to Wende, who in his mind was still deeply asleep. Wearily, he tried to turn his hips to bring his upper body even closer to her, but a jolt of pain shot through him, hard and fierce despite the strong painkillers, and he clenched his jaws. A burning sensation drew his attention; the computer that controlled the IV had detected the burst of pain and immediately administered the bolus that was now burning in his veins.

"You're awake..."

Her voice was still a little groggy from sleep, but the relief in it made his heart leap, and a smile formed around his mouth despite the pain.

"Sorry, eyséah, I didn't mean to wake you..." His words were stifled by her mouth pressing hard against his.

Salty tears slipped between her lips and Wende lifted her head to wipe them away. "I'm sorry, but I'm so glad you're finally awake, for the last two days you've been floating from half-awake to deep sleep!"

Mohr'kad gave her a weary smile. He could feel the drugs taking effect. "Sorry to disappoint you Wende, but the drugs are kicking in and..."

He couldn't stop himself from yawning. "Will you come and lie on top of me?"

Wende smiled and after giving him one last kiss, Wende nestled her body against his. With her head on his chest, she listened to his breathing, which became deeper and deeper. Tears began to flow again, but this time they were of relief.