02-05-2024, 05:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-05-2024, 05:58 PM by Laith. Edited 2 times in total.)
open to one or two others <3
"Laith."
There was a voice calling someone - distant, beckoning, vaguely familiar in nature. For some reason, he wanted to call back, but he was just so tired. His mind was foggy, suspended between wakefulness and sleep, but there was a stab of guilt deep within his chest that told him that he should be doing something. They needed help, didn't they? Help that he was the only one who could provide. They needed...
Who were they?
"Laith."
The voice was louder now - closer, more insistent, perhaps even a little desperate. He wanted to tell them to quiet down, to let him sleep in peace, but both his mouth and his eyes remained stubbornly shut. Had he ever been so tired in his life? This was a bone-deep exhaustion that threatened to dig its claws into him and never let him go.
It was difficult to breathe. Fire licked at the inside of his lungs, flaring whenever he inhaled any deeper than the shallow gasps he was currently managing. It was a familiar pain, they knew, but it seemed worse now, somehow.
He wanted it to stop.
"Laith, please..."
Guilt gnawed at him once more, almost more painful than the lungs that were currently suffocating him. There was a job he was supposed to be doing - they needed-
"We need you."
That was right. They needed him. But he was so tired, and it was hard to breathe, and he'd worked so hard, and surely they wouldn't mind if he slept for just a little longer...
"Laith..."
Just a few minutes. He'd get up in just a few minutes.
"Laith."
Numbness overtook his limbs as the enticing pull of sleep dragged him slowly back into unconsciousness.
Just a few minutes, and then he'd get back up and...
_________
"Laith."
Laith's eyes snapped open and immediately he was choking on corrupted air. He wheezed as he tried to steady himself, eyes wide and body trembling against the frozen ground. His chest was on fire, he couldn't get enough air, couldn't breathe-
But then he inhaled, and his lungs fully inflated for the first time in...
In...
How long had it been since he'd breathed normally? There was a residual burn when he inhaled too sharply, but it was bearable, and Laith wanted to cry from relief.
For a while, it was all he could focus on. Nothing mattered except the feeling of sweet, clean air in their lungs. It was several minutes before they felt steady enough to surveil their surroundings. It was a beautiful day, the sky blue and dappled with puffy white clouds. There was ice underfoot - a frozen lake, perhaps. But that hardly made sense - hadn't it been summer just moments ago? And where were the others?
Laith paused, brow furrowed in confusion.
Others?
That was right. Someone had called his name to wake him up, hadn't they? A pang of guilt tightened his stomach, and Laith glanced around, seeking out whoever had needed him.
"Hello?" he called, getting to his paws and scanning the shoreline. It was so quiet, and empty, and that felt wrong somehow.
Had he been dreaming? Where was he? And where was...
...
His mind blanked once more, and he let out a frustrated sigh. Was there really any point in racking his brain over and over for information that might not even be there? Memory loss was a problem, of course, but it would likely come back over time, and forcing it would do Laith no good.
They stood and shook out their fur, took a blessedly deep breath, and made their way to the bank. Ice was something their body seemed unused to, paws slipping gracelessly every few steps, but at least there was no one around to witness their plight.
It took them longer than they'd care to admit to reach the pebbly embankment, but they managed. It was nice to have solid ground underfoot, at the very least. And after a moment of deliberation, Laith simply sat down, momentarily allowing themself time to breathe and consider their options. It wouldn't be good to wander totally aimlessly. Perhaps they were there to wait for someone. Perhaps they'd slipped on the ice and hit their head, and that had caused them to forget.
Something told them that wasn't the case, but they needed to consider all of their options before making any rash decisions.
Laith's eyes snapped open and immediately he was choking on corrupted air. He wheezed as he tried to steady himself, eyes wide and body trembling against the frozen ground. His chest was on fire, he couldn't get enough air, couldn't breathe-
But then he inhaled, and his lungs fully inflated for the first time in...
In...
How long had it been since he'd breathed normally? There was a residual burn when he inhaled too sharply, but it was bearable, and Laith wanted to cry from relief.
For a while, it was all he could focus on. Nothing mattered except the feeling of sweet, clean air in their lungs. It was several minutes before they felt steady enough to surveil their surroundings. It was a beautiful day, the sky blue and dappled with puffy white clouds. There was ice underfoot - a frozen lake, perhaps. But that hardly made sense - hadn't it been summer just moments ago? And where were the others?
Laith paused, brow furrowed in confusion.
Others?
That was right. Someone had called his name to wake him up, hadn't they? A pang of guilt tightened his stomach, and Laith glanced around, seeking out whoever had needed him.
"Hello?" he called, getting to his paws and scanning the shoreline. It was so quiet, and empty, and that felt wrong somehow.
Had he been dreaming? Where was he? And where was...
...
His mind blanked once more, and he let out a frustrated sigh. Was there really any point in racking his brain over and over for information that might not even be there? Memory loss was a problem, of course, but it would likely come back over time, and forcing it would do Laith no good.
They stood and shook out their fur, took a blessedly deep breath, and made their way to the bank. Ice was something their body seemed unused to, paws slipping gracelessly every few steps, but at least there was no one around to witness their plight.
It took them longer than they'd care to admit to reach the pebbly embankment, but they managed. It was nice to have solid ground underfoot, at the very least. And after a moment of deliberation, Laith simply sat down, momentarily allowing themself time to breathe and consider their options. It wouldn't be good to wander totally aimlessly. Perhaps they were there to wait for someone. Perhaps they'd slipped on the ice and hit their head, and that had caused them to forget.
Something told them that wasn't the case, but they needed to consider all of their options before making any rash decisions.
the staff team luvs u