Ade Foxe (dracoferus) wrote in emillion, |
The trouble with sleeping under the stars (aside from everything) was the cold. The fact that a rock (which turned out to be a rather small pebble) had made its way under her bedroll didn’t help -- it was thick, but she, apparently, was a good candidate for royalty if that story about the princess and the pea under her mattress was any indication. And then there were the nerves…
There came a point where one gave up. Ari didn’t usually suffer from insomnia, but it seemed that sleep would evade her this night. Well, fine. She sat up in her bedroll, drawing her fur-lined cloak more tightly around her body. She could see her breath. People did this for fun? The world was full of mysteries.
This late in the night, most of the volunteers had settled. But she saw one lone figure sitting up near a fire, and rose to join him, unwilling to share the silence with her worries any longer.
The dragoon would be an intimidating sight, perhaps, to someone who did not know him. To Ari, he was a welcome distraction; she settled herself next to him to stare into the fire in silence.
The silence was welcome. Foxe could close his eyes and almost pretend he was alone. Most had gone to sleep and those that weren't were sticking to their friends or preparing themselves mentally for the challenge ahead. Foxe was no different, really, save for the fact that he could doze and didn't feel the bite of nervousness that some others did. He was certainly anxious to see the task done, but he'd long ago given up on the fear that came with facing the unknown. It was an unproductive emotion and such stress on the body wasn't good before a fight, anyhow.
At the sound of someone settling beside him, Foxe opened his eyes and turned his head. "Ari," he said, voice quiet and welcoming. "You should be resting now."
“Can’t sleep,” she said with a small shrug. “Might as well not lie freezing on the ground and think -- company seemed the better option. What about you?” she asked, curious.
In truth, she didn’t know about the reasons of most of these people for being here. Mag was here for Aspel, Rhys for the potential of treasure, the others… well. Did Foxe know someone who was dying, too, or was he perhaps simply doing ‘the right thing,’ as fighters seemed so keen on? She doubted he felt her same disquiet; she seemed to recall that he’d spent long stretches of time in the wilderness in the past. “Tell me,” she said, “exactly why do people do this sort of thing -- the camping, I mean -- if they don’t have to? It’s miserable.”
“I meditate,” he said. “It’s easier to fall asleep like this than on the cold ground.” The fire crackled before them. Even sitting a few feet away, the heat that came off of the flames was much needed in these temperatures. At her second question, he grinned. “Some people like it. There’s peace in the wild.” For a moment, he glanced around. There were no lamps like there were in the city; here, it was all dark save for what the moon and the stars shone down. No noise save for the wind blowing through the trees and the occasional hoot of an owl or buzz of an insect. “It’s better when you're not on a mission, fretting. And with a companion. More comfortable to sleep on a dragon than the soil.”
She smiled at that and said, “Dragons are both warmer and softer than the ground, I will grant you that.” The only one she was personally acquainted with was Lucy, but she had to imagine that the wyvern’s company would certainly be welcome in these temperatures, provided she wasn’t in a mood, anyway.
She sighed and added, “I think I’ll trade peace for a thick mattress and a down comforter. And maybe some company to keep me warm. I’m not going to be able to feel my toes by the time we come down off this mountain.”