Here is where the pain was loudest. While Akira had been learning to keep it under control, this was something different. War was a terrible thing. Invasion was just as bad. They took no prisoners, or so the rumors went. Akira was inclined to believe it. She wanted to see the damage, and despite the urgings to stay with her younger siblings, she could not idly stay at home.

Everything seemed smaller in matters of size now, yet more things seemed bigger with importance and implications. What didn't seem to have meaning a month ago was suddenly much more heavy with it's weight now. For all except life. Life was important, and meant exactly the same thing in death despite how it was extinguished. As with many places along this coast, the death here was unusually high due to the invasion of the insectoids. Many were injured, even more dead, on both sides. Broken wings, missing limbs, the pain each felt screamed at her far beyond the capabilities of their voices alone.

Akira gazed at the line of people waiting for their turn in a healing shop while contemplating the irony of her current situation. About a month ago, she was a six year old child. She would be standing here, asking questions as to why they were hurt, and if she could help. Now, she was standing at about four foot eleven, probably would not grow more than six inches by the time she's done growing, at thirteen years of age. Today, she understood exactly what was going on. Instead of attempting to assist them, another sound assailed her senses. The sound of a child crying. Akira went to investigate.

The war that had fallen upon the city had more casualties than the leadership would admit. Soldiers had pushed back the invaders from the heart of the city, but not before damage had been done. Anger was felt deep within certain citizens while others felt an unshakable fear. For the Balatro family, it was a feeling of sympathy mixed with anger. Their shop was over flowing with patients that desperately needed help. Their personal residence was in use as well to help those that needed to recoup a little longer. Each of the small clan worked diligently to aide those that they could. Dae shifted his gray gaze to see his mother sweating once more. The struggle of constant healing magic was draining her consistently. She took little rest to restore herself, and there was little any of them could do in order to convince her to do otherwise.

The young son clenched his jaw again as he began to wrap a young girl’s arm that had been burned in one of the many fires that had sprouted up in the lower portion of town. On her own, the girl had made her way to the shop for help. Dae felt pity for her. There were tear track stains on her cheek that marked through the ash on her skin. The black haired boy wiped them away with a cloth before getting up to move on to the next patient. He had no time to sit with anyone to soothe their woos. Dae walked over to his blonde sister to help her set a broken bone. He was stronger and was able to hold the adult down while his sister did the resetting. A cry out could be heard in response to the painful technique. There was no change in facial expression from the young girl that was healing. She could not afford the allowance of emotion then. Too much work was needed.

Dae moved over to begin making new packs of linen bandages. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kieran supporting Teu with a hand upon her back. It was clear that he had figured out how to support her magically to bring color back to her already pale cheeks. A new large stack of fresh bandages were now waiting to be used. His head turned quickly to a newcomer crying about the people in the street that could not get help. It took little time for the boy to grab his go-bag and head out of the shop. No words were exchanged with his family, but Alairia could read her brother’s expression as he left. They would manage without him.

The shadowed child felt his jawline flex as he finally witnessed the outside destruction. Pieces of the invaders and those being invaded were strewn about. The clean-up was going to be monstrous. Dae pulled his gaze away from the sights and pushed forward. Ears perked at the sound of a crying child. Instantly, he dropped low and went into a sprint towards the source of the cry. Multiple turns were taken until he came upon what looked like a fox girl holding a three year old. He stopped for a moment, not even the slightest out of breath. ”She needs care. It appears not only contusions and cuts, but I can detect an internal injury. Please allow me to examine her,” he spoke softly. His voice rarely was used, and it felt odd to even hear it himself.

It was a child, a toddler. Her heart twisted at the mangled sight of her, her ears picking up more than just her crying. Akira could easily imagine it being her baby sister. She approached the child and took her into her arms, providing the comfort the young one sought. Holding the toddler made it clear that the pain she heard wasn't superficial, but something much deeper, more dire in necessity. 

Just as she was thinking how nice having Celeste with her familiar here to assist in assessing the damage within, someone approached. Akira's golden eyes glanced up, hopefulness dashed into slight disappointment as she realized that she gazed upon a boy and not Celeste. What surprised her, however, was his ability to detect the internal injury. "Yes, I can hear that, too." Her voice was equally soft as she returned her gaze to the child. Instead of releasing the child to his care, however, Akira reached for her waterskin on her hip, unsealing it.

Water streamed out, coating her hand as a bubble. The foxling placed her bubbled hand upon the child's abdomen while gazing into her face. Magic reached out as tendrils from her hand, probing and healing the damage within. How had it happened? Any longer without medical attention, and the child would surely have perished. The unheard screaming of the danger lessened, soon to cease entirely. When she was done, the water returned to the skin. Akira shifted her golden eyes to the boy with a small smile.

"Mother believe it best to allow some wounds heal natural." She winced slightly as she realized how broken her speech still was. Old habits, six years of uneducated habits, were extremely difficult to break. "She'll survive, now. Would you bind her … external wounds please?" Akira set the toddler down, gently pushing her toward the dark stranger. Yes, she could see the shadows that shroud him, though she didn't understand them. 

Dae stood a short distance away looking down at the pair. Gray eyes examined the fox girl and was unsure of how to judge her. The young man decided to hold out of judgement later, if there would even be a later. He arched a brow as he waited to be handed the injured toddler, but she held back from the exchange. Gaze narrowed as he was not used to people denying a request that was made from him. It was recognized that his presence was usually only within the shop and therefore would be few to reject a worker in a healing house. Either way, Dae did not take all that kindly to being ignored.

He watched carefully as she adjusted the child to reach for her waterskin. Dae knew that he was frowning, but he said nothing to the fox demon as she created a bubble. The healing felt familiar as his mother. Now, he waited for the healing attempt to be made. What made him relax internally was the lack of pain written across the little one’s face.

His gaze lifted from the child to the fox demoness with an arched brow. Her speech pattern was odd and childlike. What she said made sense when it came to the logic of it, but he shook his head slightly while taking a step towards the pair. ”Yes, some injuries should heal naturally to help with the immune system in the future.” Dae kneeled in an attempt to be at the same level as the child. A slight smile grew on his lips as the toddler made her way over. ”I can handle the bindings, which shall not be an issue.” Dae held out a hand that was gently taken by the little girl. ”You will be just fine little one.” The young man did his best to hold back the surprise at how deep his voice had gotten lately. His growth had changed greatly in the recent times, and he was still not used to it.

”My mother owns a healing shop not too far from here. If you would like to join us, we can get her handled. Being out here in the open is not a smart decision in the wake of this war. We cannot guarantee that there are no lingering enemies either.” Dae stood up while holding the little girl. Her arms wrapped tightly about his neck for the feeling of protection. Instinctually he wrapped her and held her close. Dae nodded towards the main street and began to carefully pick his way through the rubble. ”How long were you out here for? Are you from the city?”

Whoever this boy was, obviously just a bit older than she, he was kind and gentle despite the darkness. Akira watched the child switch from fox to elf, almost as if he was recognized. Which became no surprise as he mentioned being the son of that healing shop Akira had been eyeing earlier. She nodded as she stood, with a smile. ”No, but others need help, too. They not safe either.” Just as he was careful, so was she, stepping over debris and such.

”I was at your shop, looking at line. Many need help, but Aki– I left when I hear… Heard child cry. Have baby brother and sister at home. But we not from here. We from Sularia.” Akira truly was trying to keep her speech to her mother’s standards. While people tend to think that she was adorable with the broken speech, that was months ago when she was only six or seven years old. Now, she appears uneducated and unintelligent should her speech sound so childish. Or at least, that is what Celeste had warned her of.

A wave of drowsiness washed over her momentarily, causing the young fox to lean against a wall. Her magic was still fluctuating due to her accelerated apothecarial growth. Akira had to continue though. There was a reason she had come here, and she intended to see it through. No lack of sufficient energy was going to stop her. Regal had been flying overhead, searching below for Akira. He had finally found the foxling, swooped in, and landed on Akira’s shoulder, causing her to jump, startled.

The rabbit sized chimera glared up at the boy with its onyx eyes. With a small giggle, Akira placed her hand over the rabbit mouth. ”Hush now. He nice. Son of healer.” As if the chimera had said something, she gave the elf a puzzled look. ”You just saying that to make me nervous.” But she sounded unsure. ”Would introductions help? Fine, just hush. I’m sorry. This is Regal, my over concern familiar. I am Akira Sno-Nash.” She hesitated a moment. ”He doesn’t like your shadow…” Then she pushed herself off the wall and rushed passed to lead the way to the shop for the child.