Blue Hawk
Hawk is not offended when he is told to rest on the roof of the carriage instead of within the carriage himself; it seems unnatural to be unable to see the sky when travelling. He hadn’t been sure that the roof could support his weight, but, now knowing that it can, such a position seems more than fair. He drops into his trance and, after a few minutes, feels the energy of the spirits begin to revitalize him.
The healer’s eyes spring open automatically most of an hour later, feeling refreshed, but still sore. He picks up his drum and calls to the spirit of the shaman who had originally trained him in the chants and rhythms of healing, a man who was more like a father to him than any he has known before or since.
In trouble again, young raptor? he hears an amused voice speak in his head. In the heat of battle, the Wanderor had felt his mentor’s presence, but had regretfully had no time to converse, but now, letting his mind linger on the spell, a fuller connection to the spirit world can be made.
I failed to watch my back, and was injured. I am sorry to trouble you… he begins.
Think nothing of it, the spirit interrupts. We spirits all know the importance of your quest. We will render aid as you require it, if you properly call for us to do so. And I would never refuse you the touch of healing, anyway. We together have seen too much trouble, and you have far too much more ahead of you to be distracted by pain at such a time.
Hawk feels a warmth at his side, and the pain dulls and recedes, leaving only a pale shadow of the original injury, an ache much more easily ignored than the pain that his previous attempt at healing had left in his side.
I will leave you now, his mentor’s spirit says, for there is much I wish to discuss with you, but cannot, until you learn more of your quest. Be well, my student. Before Hawk could object, the presence vanishes, and Hawk is once again alone on the roof of the carriage.
Hawk mourns the loss of contact for a moment, but then remembers that he is being paid for his time and connection to the spirits. He must use both efficiently. He drops back into his trance, and allows the energy of the spirits to restore what was just spent in calling his mentor forth.
When Hawk opens his eyes again, they are another ten minutes down the road, but the landscape is much the same. His own wounds well-tended, he looks around at the others and their horses, seeing that the former carriage-horse is still in much pain, and Ranar, while less hurt, is also feeling some discomfort. He gives the same instruction to Ranar that he once gave to de Courcy, to bring to mind one he has known, who has once laid a kind hand on him, and then calls the spirits forth with his drum to perform the healing.
After checking with Lord Arron, who assures him that they still have at least another hour’s travel ahead of them before they are in the vicinity of the fortress they seek, the shaman descends from the carriage and provides more healing to the horse, apologizing to the creature for his own inattention, which forced him to claim the spirits’ healing power for his own healing and thus inflict an extra hour of suffering upon the poor creature. He calls for the spirits of the horse’s herd to come and heal it, which, a horse’s spirit being much larger and stronger than a man’s, exhausts him even more than healing himself did.
When the horse is healed, and looking at him with an expression that Hawk can only translate as “appreciation,” the shaman is unfortunately, completely spent, and too tired to return the affection. Almost completely drained of all energy, Hawk manages to lift himself back onto the carriage, and then collapses into the restorative trance - it would have taken an effort of will to not be in the trance at this point.
When the tribesman’s eyes open again, the road has become noticeably rougher. He checks to see if that’s what disturbed him, but no, he feels completely rested, and did not wake with the normal alarmed feeling which accompanies being jarred from his trance, or awoken by someone calling his name.
With nothing else to do to pass the time, and not much interested in socialization, he indulges in some bird watching, seeing if he can identify the various kinds of birds which fly overhead, either circling their carriage, or swooping down to get a better look, or watching from the trees, or just flying overhead and ignoring them altogether. It is as he’s looking at a particularly interesting scavenger that he can’t identify, circling overhead, that Lord Arron speaks, letting the party know that they are close to their destination. Hawk’s attention immediately shifts, and his gaze sweeps the horizon.
If retrieving this thing involves danger, and since Lord Arron has hired mercenaries to help him do so, it almost certainly does, then the danger will probably be near to the fortress. Hawk keeps his senses alert and watchful for any danger that might appear as they approach the place they are searching for.
