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FEVER
Her cold unconscious body lay there in the open meadow upon the path of rememberance as her mind whirled and raced with past turmoils. Unwanted memories gratefully disgarded and now re-emerging again only to fight and struggle through the mists of the forgotten. The pain, it throbbed without mercy, unrelentlessly, with a cruel will of it's own. She ached, but remained still and unable to awaken. Shattered by memories of the cruelty of her people that had driven her away...One other had done it, one other had fled and found his way to the surface and once there he made a place for himself amoung the surface dwellers. He was called Dritzz and he was her idol. She wanted to do what he did and cast off the evil of the Spider Goddess forsaking her once and for all. Then, all at once she mustered all the strength she had left and cracked an eye open. Blurry, first one then the other...She began to her scurring and scraping. Then a hissing clicking sound. It was close too and grew closer as though creeping nearer to where she lay. Images were dark and smudgy. She saw what she at first thought looked like the shape of a male Drow moving through the shadows of her vision and the dim lighting, but then it became more clearer and much more horrific. She was back in the cave where she had first encountered Ceru. She could hear the waterfall in the background very clearly now with the gurgling of water pooring into itself, but closer still, in the dim shadows of the night lit cave there was something else much larger and much more frightening. She didn't even try to sit up, move, or even breathe much more than a wisp of light breathes. She had froze with fear of the realization that she was not alone in this cave and Ceru wasn't anywhere to be seen yet. What had happened to her? She very clearly remembered running from this place along a path winding deep into the woods for what had to have been days of running, but yet, here she was, back here. How? How did this happen? A hissing voice came from the shadows closest to her causing her to peer at them involentarily. "He kept you under hypnosis Matron of Shadows of the House of Shadows. I appoligize for startling you though I see clearly that I have. That was not my intention, but merely that I though I should answer your unspoken questions and inform you that you have been deathly ill for days now. While you lay here unconscious the Wizard of Illusions fought a noble battle to take care of you for us, keeping you so safe from us, and hiding you here in this place of magic and deceptions." Realizing again the language spoken was the familiar language of her dark ancestors she found her voice to inquire, "A dream? I was unconscious her the whole time? What have you done with the wizard then and why have you not killed me then for it is obvious you were those chosen to hunt me?" The answers came back to her, "Indeed, I was the chosen one charged with the great honor to lead this elite hunting troupe to find you and bring you back... alive. Yes, you lay here the whole time, far too sick to move and as for the wizard..." He now moved forward into the dim light by her bed side and she could see his features a bit better as her vision had been clearing the whole time as well. He was a handsome Drow once, but his facial features were marred by the obvious appearance of very sharp protruding fangs dripping with a purplish venom off their tips. He smiled which did not seem to have a comforting effect at all and then gestured towards the far end of the cavernous cave where another light source glowed dimmly and she could make out the crumpled fuzzy form of a clothed fox tangled in sever hundred skeins of web. He just dangling there limply and lifelessly. She gasped involentarily with alarm and then immediately regained her composure realizing that her reaction was being closely observed by more than one pair of eyes. She had an audience of eight she would guess by the ruby paired sets watching from the shadows, glowing little red points of lit, including the one right up by her, with his own huge bulbous body disappearing from view and melding into the shadows behind him. The Driders had arrived and now the worst had come to pass. It was time for her to withdraw deep inside herself and observe the situation from an indifferent point of view otherwise Ceru and herself would certainly find themselves in even more danger than they were already in. Remain calm and look for the weakness...the way out of this sticky mess. She needed to check on Ceru and see if he was even still alive or dead...she just needed to know, after all she kind of owed him one, but she couldn't let the watchers know she was so worried or interested in him lest they use it as a weakness against her through which to manipulate her future actions. At least her fever was now broken and with that thought she didn't dare gaze in Ceru's direction again, but rather went about inspecting her leg and foot which was still warm and swollen seeping with the infection. The hole in her foot was very real and the puss oozing from the gaping red rimbed wound was not only real, but angry and ugly looking as well. It must've happend when she tripped outside of Ceru's lair. It had at one time been cleansed out and packed, but not recently. The Drider still closest to her spoke again saying "Allow me my Matron." He took her foot up in one hand and held it firmly there while with the other hand gently picked the packing from the wound. Shadow found herself almost passing out again and she nearly urinated herself, the pain was so extreme. The oozy packing clothe was rancid and dripping with yellowish puss. Then the Drider set that down and squeezed the wound tightly forcing the rest of the infection from the wound. Shadow rolled away from herself and to her side just in time to vomit violently over the side of the bed. The Drider was then cleansing the wound in some medicated fluids, but Shadow could barely keep herself aware anymore. She had begun to drift when he had pulled webbing forward into his sharp fingers and bit into it with his poisonous teeth, then taking the purplish cotton like substance and wadding it smaller he proceeded to stuff it into the wound. The pain began to subside, but with that Shadow had passed out.
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