Chapter Text
When it hit her, Vex’ahlia nearly fell from a tree.
Her brother’s quick grip was the only thing that saved her, a hand wrapping into the clothing on her body almost instinctively as her body seized up and she gasped in sudden pain. She twitched in his grasp as her brother pulled her against the rough trunk, gritting her teeth to try and keep from screaming as slow, agonizing pain ripped its way into her flesh without leaving a mark.
“Brother-” she gasped helplessly before she doubled over and let out a horrific scream. She was shaking uncontrollably in his arms, and Vax found himself terrified for more reasons than he could count. They were at least fifty feet up a pine in the dead of night, in orcish territory no less. Trinket, milling around at the lower branches that could support his weight, was now staring up and letting out low cries of fear as Vex writhed above, twisting and screaming in unimaginable pain. There was a sudden hush, a pause as it let up for just a moment, a second where her breaths were raspy and quick, and a whimper escaped her lips the moment her breath allowed it. She managed to get out a breathless “What is-” before her eyes bulged and she screamed again, a long unbroken note of agony, pain her chest sending white hot flashes behind her vision. It was enough for her to writhe and hold her chest, panting for dear life
“All right,” murmured Vax, holding his sister close, “we need to get you down from here,”. She screamed and twisted against his grip, unintelligible babbling pouring from her lips as tears streaked down her face. It took him the better part of an hour to maneuver them down the tree, Vex curled up and sobbing between agonized screams of pain. When the twins finally reached the earth, Trinket lowered himself and allowed the rogue tie his sister to his back before they set out for somewhere safer, movements as quick as possible and eyes shifting between shadows as they fled the woods
By the time they reached the cave, Vex was laying limp on Trinket’s back, too exhausted to move or even speak beyond the occasional sharp whimper of pain. Vax pulled her down slowly, carrying her in his arms for the last few feet, while the bear settled down in the back of the cave to make a relatively nice bed for his mummy. Laying his sister on her pet, Vax’ildan watched as her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out, her labored breathing heavy and ragged as he pulled a few of their sleeping blankets over her. Taking a moment to move a few feet away from her, Vax eventually rested as soon as he was able to see his sister resting.
He woke to the sounds of Vex’s shrill shrieks, regretting every moment he closed his eyes.
Over the next few days, he did everything in his power to help- he brought food and water, tried to quell the burning sensations with damp rags and wrapped her tightly in blankets so she wouldn’t claw at her own skin. When she wasn’t in pain, she was curled atop Trinket, passed out from exhaustion, only to start anew the next day. He found only one explanation for his sister’s repeated nights of pain: their mother had explained this to them when they were young- people who were meant for each other shared pain, as a sign of their bond and love for each other. Love, she told them, was taking on another’s burdens and them taking on yours, and it was truly a blessing for a person to be connected to another like this.
The whole “blessing” part was starting to feel more and more like a lie as they reached the fifth day. Vex was screaming less now, her body now wracked by sobs punctuated by the occasional sharp shriek and twist of her body. Vax sat beside her, fixing her braid and gently brushing baby hairs away from her sweat-coated face.
“Vax,” she whimpered, tears streaming down her face as he tucked a long strand behind her ear. Not trusting his words, he simply nodded, meeting her eyes. “Vax, who would torture them?” Her words were breathless, gasping, begging for an explanation that he didn’t have. He ran a hand over her head, sighing softly. “Why? Why would they torture them?”
“I don’t know, Stubby.” Tears sprung from her eyes, almost threatening his own, and her next words were choked and sobbing.
“Why won’t it stop? ” she wailed, clutching at him desperately with nails tightly bunched in his shirt, her body heaving with each breath. “What did they do? A-are they a terrible person? Why would they be a terrible person?” She was rambling now, an endless stream of words cut off suddenly by a gasp and scream of agony as she twisted in her brother’s arms once again. He clutched her tighter to him, ignoring his own pain from her nails digging into his skin as she shrieked and screamed in sudden burning torment. Trinket let out a low, mournful bellow as his mummy buried her face in his fur with a loud wail, turning to try and kiss her face repeatedly. Vax grit his teeth and, gently moving his sister onto Trinket’s warm mass, wandered to the entrance of the cave to keep a lookout.
He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. For this day and the ones prior, Vex’ahlia would wake and be full of agony, and there’d be nothing he could do. While he felt helpless, he found himself doggedly making sure to not be too far from her side. Her screams would be his signal to dash toward her in less than a few seconds, ready to aid her however best he could, in any way possible. But every passing hour of her suffering made his efforts seem less and less helpful, like there was truly nothing he could do.