damned_institute | Nightshift 30: M-A Block Hallway

Valyn had next to no sense for these things at all, and was caught off guard when the creature slashed at his chest, tearing his shirt and the bandages beneath. Damn it, he should have realized! Why had he bothered yelling at Shana?

The elven Lord staggered back, lifting his knife and lashing out with it, ignoring the thin ooze of blood down his front. He'd suffered far worse, and the others were still in danger. He aimed for the nearest creature, attempting to get his blade in the thing's back.

Shadow cursed as he saw the creatures attack his friends and he rushed forward, pulling his knife out and slashing at the large cat that attacked Shana. The attack didn't last long and when they ran Shadow turned, knowing what to expect.

"They're coming back," Shadow said as he was suddenly rushed. The creatures breath was rancid and foul as it lunged at Shadow. He reacted without thinking, trying to stab at the beasts neck as sharp claws raked down his arm.

"Get back in the room," Shadow shouted as he ignored the pain and casted a levin bolt though he was sure it would only stun rather then incapacitate.

Too slow for the first attack, but now the cats had lost the element of surprise. They had to be careful and agile and quick. The patients attacked and the cats fled, skidding to a stop and raising their hackles at them. They hissed, eyes reflecting the light from Shana's flashlight. Blood ran down the side of one of them, Shadow's knife having cut its left flank. The other had run before Valyn had been able to sink a hit.

Now they had a particular conundrum - there was light speeding at them. The cats split and ran as the bolt came at them, but the injured one couldn't get away fast enough. The magic hit it and it hissed, screaming as its muscles spasmed and it fell against the floor. The other turned and growled, darting back toward the group and attacking Shadow again.

"One's down!" Shana disagreed, seeing one fall, aiming a kick at the one lunging at Shadow. She wasn't armed, but she knew how to fight with or without weapons. She could have sent another levin bolt like Shadow's, but she held off, knowing it would weaken her, wanting to make sure it would be worth the use of magic, when other means were still available. "Valyn, your knife! Quickly!"

Despite his own injuries and fear, Valyn was spurred to fight when the thing went for Shadow. His eyes narrowed and he summoned a firebolt in one hand and raised the knife in his other, risking the drainage in the face of his cousin's danger.

"Shadow!" He hurled the fire at the creature as he lunged without any direct aim with his dagger, shoving Shana out of the way and hoping she got the hint to get behind him.

The bolt had taken a lot more then Shadow had expected and he was weak the moment the cat attacked him. He put his arms in front of his face, feeling the heavy weight topple him over onto the ground. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and he only vaguely heard the sound of Shana and Valyn screaming his name. The claws dug into his shoulder as he felt the creature's jaws clamp down on his already scratched arm. It was such a surreal moment that he didn't even scream. Instead, he lashed out with his knife once more and prayed that the creature didn't think to pull his arm off and run away with it.

Keman wasn't proud of it, but he had frozen as soon as the cats attacked. It was...like he'd been far away, watching from a distance. Everything seemed so surreal.

It wasn't until one of the filthy, rotting excuses for felines went for Shadow that his brain finally kicked into gear and the world sped up. He wasn't as good with his arms and legs as Shana was, but he still knew a few tricks from watching her grow up. He dropped to the floor and aimed a low kick at the cat that was already injured, hoping to break its neck. Even if it was down, it wouldn't be out until he killed it. Shadow and Valyn had the other one to take care of, and one more person attacking would just make the situation more chaotic than it already was.

So many things happened at once, but when Shadow hit the ground and the cat got a good bite in, it was satisfied for a moment. In that moment, however, two people attacked it and it fled again, singed and cut down its right flank. These people were attacking too quickly, too many numbers and it could see its companion receiving a grevious injury. The stunned cat couldn't move fast enough and Keman's kick hit it hard, putting it out for the night.

Too many people and not enough power meant this battle couldn't be won. The cat hissed at the four patients and then darted off into the darkness, leaving the other cat to die.

"Fire and Rain, Shadow!" Shana exclaimed in worry as she dropped to her knees beside the fallen halfblood. Acting quickly, she ripped off the bottom hem of her shirt, even as she leaned over him, quickly examining the seriousness of his wounds. Valyn was wounded too, she'd seen - slashed - but at least he was still upright, And Keman...

"Is it dead?" she called to her brother, asking about the remaining downed feline. She kept glancing over her shoulder warily, making sure the other one didn't decide to return.

"We need to get the bleeding stopped and the wound cleaned and bound," she said quickly, most of her attention still on Shadow. "Yours, too," she added, flicking a glance at Valyn.

"I'm fine." Valyn didn't even pay attention to his own wounds, he was on his knees beside Shadow as soon as he had his thoughts about him. His own injuries meant nothing in the face of his cousin's.

His own clothes were no good for bandages, bloodied as they were. "Keman, could we use your shirt?" He certainly wasn't going to ask for Shana's.

The pain made Shadow feel lightheaded and delirious. He smiled at Shana as she ripped her shirt, laughing as he realized he was at the perfect angle to look up and see quite a bit of what was underneath. "Is my arm still attached?" he asked, not bothering to look at the source of the horrible pain. He was enjoying the view as it was and looking at his arm would just spoil his good humor.

"I...think so," Keman called back, trying to catch his breath. "But I'm going to make sure." Standing up, he walked over to the pitiful creature and examined it. He almost felt...bad for it, and his earlier conversation with Orihime came to mind. They didn't have a choice in this, no more than the nurses did. Reaching down, he grabbed its head and made sure its neck was firmly snapped.

There. Now, at least, it wouldn't have to suffer.

He blinked when Valyn asked for his shirt. Oh, right. Bandages. Stripping, he tossed the shirt over to his friend.

"Yes, it's still attached, but it's bleeding pretty badly. And Valyn. While Shana treats Mero, I'm going to take care of your wounds, all right? Same goes for you, little sister. You've got to let me take a look once you're done with Shadow."

"Don't worry about me, it missed. For once. Apparently it found Shadow tastier than me tonight," Shana retorted, bent over the task of seeing to Shadow's wounds.

She ripped Keman's shirt into several strips, handing a couple to Valyn. "Let Keman bandage you up, I can see to Shadow." Or she could try. She'd seen worse, but with limited magic and so few supplies, treating injuries was tricky here. Especially with no water.

She really needed to find something tomorrow she could sneak back to her room to shift into a canteen or container of some sort. Who knew how useful it could end up being?

"I'm fine," Valyn insisted, trying to wave away the attention. He was more focused on his cousin than anything else. "I've had far worse, it's just a few scratches." That were bleeding, yes, but they'd stop stop soon enough.

"Everyone is fine," Shadow repeated, deciding he'd heard enough of everyone talking about seeing to him. His arm hurt and his fingers felt cold, but he could easily wrap a bandage around it and go on. He hoped, at least.

Shadow began to push himself up, his face pale as he kept his arm pressed to his chest. "Those things might come back. We need to move and Shana needs a new shirt."

Keman grabbed the bandages out of Valyn's hand and started to bandage the elf (in spite of his protests). "We really should get to the clinic...but I don't remember what room it's in!" He'd been a little too...unconscious at the time.

"Mero," he said firmly. "You're not fine. You're as white as a sheet, and I'm not usually given to hyperbole. To hell with exploring! We need to make sure that you and Valyn don't lose any more blood than you already have. Bandages won't work, for long."

"M35," Shana answered quickly, recalling the room Tamaki had taken her to the other night. "It's halfway up that hall there."

She put her hand on Shadow's chest to keep him from moving. "Don't sit up until I have you bandaged, we don't need you passing out on us, and you're too heavy for me to carry," she chided him, then quickly bent to work bandaging up the bite on his arm. It was makeshift, but it would hold till they got to the clinic, or till morning, whichever came first.

That done, she turned to his shoulder, next.

"Shadow's the only one of us who needs the clinic," Valyn pointed out. "I really am perfectly alright." He frowned. He knew Shadow and Shana had wanted to explore and get things done.

"I'll take him there" he said, batting Keman away just long enough to pull off his white silk shirt and offer it to Shana to replace her own. "I'd like this back, please" he told her, "and if possible, no more ripped than it is now. The two of you can at least get something productive done."

The fact that exploring was now completely out of the question for him did not put Shadow in a good mood. He frowned as he let Shana bandage his arm, knowing that if he tried to squirm she'd only hold him down. "What are the chances that you'll forget the way I look and let me come exploring with you?" he asked, knowing his answer before they even spoke it.

"Fine. I'll go to the clinic but I want a report of everything you find. We really need to begin to find a way out of here. I don't fancy being cat food every night. I'm sure I don't taste that good."

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/303653.html?thread=24385829#t24385829) to steal your dragon.]

Hiei was gasping hard again, but refused to stop running. At least not until he turned into the hall before his own, where he smelled the fresh sent of blood and death. That brand of carnage wasn't so unusual for him, and given the rage he'd seen in his missing cohort, Hiei was well aware that it could signal Kurikara's presence.

It wasn't Kurikara, however. Instead, it was another dragon that Hiei knew.

"Kemanorel!" Hiei ignored both Keman's friends and his own fatigue as he stopped sharply, snapping the dragon's name. From what the demon had seen, the inexperienced youth would likely only be a hindrance in the end. But his own powers somehow restricted completely, and Hiei would have to take a chance that his guess was wrong.

"Kurikara is missing." The demon was still breathing hard even as he forced out the words. No one knew how much time they would have to find the dragon, or what was being done. "My powers aren't working, and I can't find him. Do you know where the hell he is?"

"Let Valyn take you to the clinic," Keman told Shadow firmly. "Shana and I will continue ot explore, and we'll tell you what we find at breakfast." It seemed pretty reasonable, right?

"Don't worry. It'll be--"

But then someone was calling his name. His full name. Keman's head whipped around, searching for the person who had yelled at him. Oh. It was Kurikara's friend.

And Kurikara was missing.

"No, I haven't seen him. Not since dinner."

Keman's eyebrows knit together. He was worried.

"Shana," he said quickly, "you may want to go with Valyn and Mero." As much as the older dragon might have annoyed him, he was still a friend, and the only one of his species in this awful place. He was honor-bound to help him.

"I'm going to go look for Kurikara."

Shana opened her mouth to protest, but then quickly closed it again, seeing how much the kid from last night was upset.

Instead, she simply nodded, giving Keman a quick hug. "Be careful," she cautioned him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I don't want to have to bandage you up, too."

Then she turned to glance at Shadow and Valyn. She'd get them to the Clinic and decide what to do from there. "Let's get you up and moving, then," she said, moving to help Shadow to his feet.

"Come on, Shana." Valyn shivered a bit, the hallway cold now that he was down to nothing but bandages and his trousers. Hopefully he could get a fresh shirt in the clinic.

"We need to hurry. Shadow needs medical attention." He glanced at Keman and nodded, a silent 'good luck' directed at the dragon as he offered his shoulder to Shadow.

At least the clinic wasn't very far away.

Shadow couldn't help but feel jealous that Keman was leaving to do something. It was childish especially considering the fact that had any of them been as injured as he was Shadow would have been the first person to take them to the infirmary. But, he was the one who was injured and it just seemed to cement Valyn's earlier argument that going outside of a room was something akin to suicide.

He let Shana help him to his feet but he shrugged off Valyn's shoulder. "I can walk," he said sourly. "And I'll be fine. It's just a scratch."

Shadow knew it was more then just a scratch. He knew that his pale face and the slight wobble in his step told more about his condition then he would have liked. Still, even though he knew all of this, rational Shadow had gone bye-bye and in his place was a petulant, irritable boy who hated having his brilliant plans dashed.

"And don't say I told you so," he snapped at Valyn as they walked down the hall. "I'm in no mood to hear it."

Shana rolled her eyes. She was cursed with moody males tonight, it seemed. Keman was the only one that hadn't thrown a temper tantrum yet, and he was leaving!

Still, stifling an annoyed retort, she merely shot Valyn a quelling look, hoping he wouldn't bicker back, and started guiding Shadow towards the hall that led to the clinic.

"If it's just a scratch, then it will be a quick fix," she replied reassuringly. "No one's going to say I told you so. Not after you took that attack for me. Come on, we'll get you patched up and see what we can do from there, alright?" she encouraged him as they slipped into the adjoining hall.

[Going here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/301449.html?thread=25167497#t25167497)]

Nightshift 30: M-A Block Hallway

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