It took two days for the body to calm.
No amount of balms or concoctions afforded him any rest. The kobel writhed, not so much from the wounds than that demented heart that still beat furiously to bring back some of the lost scales. And one by one they had.
After two days, finally, it let up.
The muffled screams stopped and he laid there, still tied, with empty eyes. Half of his body remained with fur but his chest could not keep up this struggle. He was heaving, crying. Tunu's thoughts were almost able to form again.
This was his room, inside the tower. And there was Etelet who the warriors had just brought in, seeing how the champion had become quiet.
The shaman apprentice approached to check his face.
He started to untie him.
And when Tunu's mouth was freed all he did was cough, cough a pure blood. He fell back on the cushions, exhausted.
"Bring oil and incense, and call for Elua."
The warrior nodded, knocked to get out then made sure to close behind him. The iron lock clicked. The kobel's steps faded on the wooden floor.
"You are cold."
Etelet frowned, his hand on Tunu's forehead. A hairy forehead.
"Can you talk? Look at my finger."
"I can..."
But he discovered how weakened his voice was, a whisper choked at the tip of his muzzle. Talking had made him dizzy. He knew he was recovering, quickly recovering. He knew that in a minute he would be able to talk.
For now just moving his eyes caused vertigo.
"You must drink."
His friend brought a cup to his lips. He drank, even though it tasted like piss. The more didn't spill the more thirsty he got. Two days during which no one had been able to give him anything.
"No more. Your body has weakened greatly. Recover first, I'll bring you more later."
"Etelet..."
The scaled kobel was forcing his shredded voice to work.
"How long... this time..."
"It's fine. You will have plenty of time to worry about such things once you're back on your feet. Now close your eyes and sleep."
He tried to do as told but keeping his eyes shut proved painful, so Tunu kept them open wide.
Part of him was fully aware of just how damaged his body was. More than anyone. He knew about the scales he had lost. He could feel all too weel the missing horns because his perception had shrunk to nothing.
But above all there was his flesh, his very flesh grown soft and weak. Just the weight of his own chest pressed too hard on it.
Etelet had got up to look at that locked door.
"Where is... Savae..."
The apprentice turned back, his face astonished.
"Savae? You are asking about Savae?"
"Did she survive? She got... the worst of it..."
"She is fine. She and the chief are at the training ground. Why would you even care about that devil?"
He was relieved. Relieved and slightly upset that she wasn't here, threatening to kill him for being weak. Already impatience was gripping his limbs.
"What about... the others? How many did we lose..."
"I don't know. Rest, I said."
The warrior came back with a jar first, then the incense on a second trip. They lit it up to fill the room with a soothing perfume. Meanwhile, Etelet was rubbing the fur with that oil, every part of it until the muscles relaxed.
Before the kobel could leave and close the door, the apprentice followed him outside to talk. Once more they locked it. The voices could barely pierce through but he could tell his friend was getting angry.
Time passed during which he tried to fall to sleep and just could not.
No matter how tired he was, no matter how much his body softened, there was still a silent force keeping him fully awake. A single pain point that could not recede.
His heart was aching.
But when the door opened again, Elua entered first, forced in by Etelet. She was looking away, fearing to step in. He pushed her and gestured for the warriors to close behind them.
"Look at him." He told her. "Tunu needs you."
Only then did she dare turn her eyes on him. But before she could meet his gaze she saw his weakened body, gasped and covered her face.
"Oh, Tunu!"
The paltry female rushed to hug him on his bed. He had not felt her so close, he realized, for so long. This embrace, that feeling, reminded him of the days when the tribe had not yet claimed what they called a mountain.
He pushed her back.
All she did was remind him of how weak he had become. Her pity wounded him more than the fight had. So, as kindly as he could, he pushed her back to get up.
His body fumbled. She helped him to at least sit and held him there.
"Here."
Etelet had brought him another cup to drink, of a thick liquid that tasted like honey. Tunu emptied it in an instant.
"How do you feel?"
"It hurts, but I'll manage. Now tell me, what happened, did I?"
He stopped to look at himself, at his arms, at his hands. Red fur, ugly red fur with so few scales to ornate them. His memories seemed a distant dream drowned in the following agony.
But for a moment, for a moment he thought he had been...
"Did I... Was I..."
"Yes. You turned into a wyvern. You killed the winged deer and saved the entire region."
"You were majestic!" Elua praised him.
That gave him a chuckle. That caused him to laugh. And the tears that flowed once more were of joy. He could not really feel it, if anything he felt hollow, but those memories felt more and more real. For a moment he had been a wyvern.
His dreams, his hopes, everything he had aspired for had come true.
Had this heart not been so foreign, he would have drowned in happiness there and then. His mind still could not wrap around this concept.
"A wyvern!" And he looked at Etelet: "I really was a wyvern!"
"You really were!" Elua cried.
"I can do it again! I just need..."
He got up, just one step before his body tripped and fell. She rushed to help him back up but the young kobel at their side forced them both to stop.
"You've still not recovered. If you come out now, the tribe will see you weak and feeble. Give it a few hours, another night. And if the rest of your scales don't come back, we have prepared an attire for you to wear."
"Why? Because of the fur?" And he had another painful laugh. "The best way to fix it is to fight! I can turn into a wyvern and you want me to stay in bed!?"
"You can barely stand!"
That much was true, but with every passing second his body was working to prove it wrong. Just some fresh air, just a jog and the taste of iron was all he needed now.
He had reached the door. The scaled kobel banged on it to get it open.
"Tunu!"
It was Elua. Their eyes met and he saw that she was still in tears. Worried sick.
The female shied away.
"I... I am glad you are back." She said, her voice weakening to a mutter.
"I'm glad to see you too, Elua." He smiled. "I'm not going to go anywhere, don't worry."
And he was gone.
Past the warriors that dared not stop him, to the stairs and down. Kobels and captives alike were gasping at his passage.
In the hall a small crowd of friends and followers, many just warriors, had been waiting through drinks and dice. They saw him, stopped everything they were doing to stand in shock. Eyes wide, almost fearful.
Nothing short of facing a specter.
But one then called his name, cheered up and the crowd quickly welcomed him in turn. The closest wanted to come and shake his arm. All of them struggled to hid the worry on their faces as they smiled.
He pushed back. The scaled kobel wanted to go out and breathe.
So he crossed the room and as he did, he caught a strange sight: two black fawns sit at a table, against the wall. Those captives were not serving anyone but he realized, those were the carriers Etelet used for his baggage.
They were following him with their black, savage eyes.
Once outside, as those in the court saw him in turn, he approached the cliff and looked past. There it was, the rocky ground where the fight had taken place. And all around the charred remains stretching all the way to the source, then to his left toward the stream.
"It really happened..." He muttered.
And he still felt hollow.