Waking Up... Again... And again... And again...

(Traytora POV)

As my mind slowly came to, I felt my own body wrapping itself up. At first, I wondered why but then I remembered what had happened last night... What I did last night.

I started uncontrollably crying again. Tear flowed out of my eyes like it was raining, my sobs being released in a muffled fashion into my own flesh. As I lay there, I felt cold, even though I could somewhat make out the crackling of the fire from just outside my personal cocoon, indicating that I was next to a fire. Despite that I still felt so very cold.

A hand soon rested on my tail which was coiling around my upper body, causing me to flinch as I knew very well who's hand it was with how gently they glided across my scales, caressing them in an attempt to help me calm down. But it didn't work, as the guilt from what I did last night was too great for me to overcome.

I barely heard Dorrak stating that he had returned. The hand that stroked my scales continued to pet me, but with the return of Dorrak, came the return of worse memories, memories of my torment, then my loneliness, then my father leaving, my... m-my f-fr... I shuddered as that particular memory made its way back into the forefront of my mind, and one I wish to never remember again for the rest of Eternity. And lastly the memories of my mother on her deathbed.

All this mental stimulation was too much for me, I couldn't take, I couldn't, I just couldn't, but I can't stop it, it won't go away, I want it to go away but it won't, 'please... go away... I don't want to feel this anymore... it hurts... so bad... please... go away...'

...

My crying starts to get more audible and my body quivers and shivers, feeling colder than before, yet I know that the fire is still burning as I can still scarcely hear it next to me under the sounds of my whimpering.

Eventually I fall asleep again, crying, like a little bitch.

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(Cythistia POV)

I caress Traytora's scales but that doesn't seem to help and soon enough, her crying gets louder as her body shivers. I can also feel that it's getting colder for some reason.

Eventually she stops shaking and crying, presumably she fell asleep again. I look up to my companion with concern in my eyes.

"She doesn't seem to be doing well, and her body is very cold, despite being near the fire." I told him.

"Hmm... I'm not sure what to do here, yes I do have a child also, but she was just sick, not broken." He said dejectedly.

"We could maybe sing her a lullaby? When she wakes up again of course." I suggested.

"Ehh, I don't think that will work, it might just remind her of her parents."

"And she's an orphan, right?"

"Yes, her parents are no longer in this realm."

"Is there anything else we could do?" I asked.

"Hahh, I wish I knew but I'm not sure. For now, just bring her closer to the fire and we'll make a few more to surround her so that she hopefully doesn't catch a cold."

And so, we moved her closer to the fire and made two more to surround her.

"Should I try and sooth her again?" I asked.

"No, that didn't seem to do anything. I think it might have made it worse but I have no way of telling if that's true or not."

I sighed, hoping that the woman I'm starting to genuinely like gets better.

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(Traytora POV)

I feel my mind slowly coming too again, my body still cold and wet from all the tears that I've shed. Fragments of my memories stabbing at my mind like the shattered fragments of a mirror, with each shard reflecting on part of this darkness within myself.

I started Crying again.

I can't stop.

I want to stop hurting.

But I can't.

It won't stop tormenting me.

'Please... just go away...'

...

The unceasing shattered memories playing over and over, never letting me have peace of mind.

I don't know how much more I can take.

I don't what will happen when I can't take anymore.

I'm scared.

Scared of what might happen when I truly break.

Scared of what I might become when I do.

I don't want to become something else.

I want to keep being me...

Even if I have to be alone... I want to keep being me, and not a monster.

I want...

I want this pain to end...

I don't want to suffer anymore...

I hate my life...

...

I miss mommy...

Why...

Why was she taken from me?

Why...

Just why...

Mommy...

Please come back...

...

...

...

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(Cythistia POV)

As I sat next to Traytora, ready to comfort her when she needed me, I noticed that she wasn't crying, at least not very audibly anyways, but she was still shivering like she was in a freezing tundra, and it wasn't getting any better. I tried to brush her with my hand but it was too cold, to the point where it almost felt like my hand would start frosting.

"Dorrak what should we do? She's becoming too cold for a serpent, I fear that she might not make it through today at this rate." I said in distress, not knowing how to help in this situation.

"... There is always force but I wanted to use this as a last resort, but at this rate we'll have to use it a lot sooner than I would have liked." He said with an unhappy tone.

"W-What exactly does that involve?"

"Hahh... It basically involves me striking her with a lightning bolt, which hopefully will make her temporarily forget whatever is making her sad and instead make her mad at me." He said heavily, which I could understand as I wouldn't want to do such a thing myself, but we're running out of ideas at this point.

"What... what if we put her in the fire, like, we make something like a bonfire and then put her in it? that should at least maker her not cold... I hope anyways..." I said that last part rather quietly as I myself wasn't sure if this would work or not.

"It's worth a shot, better that than my. She did say she was immune to fire, though I feel that Might just be limited to normal fire or fire magic."

"She is very cold though, so how are we going to get her into the fire?" I inquired.

"Simple, we build it over her."

"How though?"

"You have nature magic, yes?"

"I do, what of it?"

"Use it to make some vines or tree roots encapsulate her, then we build a small stone ring around like with the other three and set it ablaze."

"Oh, right, I never thought of using my magic like that."

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Dorrak shrugged and got to work on putting the other three fires out and then moving whilst I used my magic to create some wooden vines that wrapped around the self-encapsulated snake.

Once that was done and Dorrak had finished moving the stone into place, we lit the makeshift bonfire up and watched the initial flames swath upwards like a phoenix rising from its ashes. We then just sat there in silence, watching as the fire burned away at the magical vines.

...

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I asked.

"Who knows... I hope she is."

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(No POV)

As the two sat and watched, worrying for the little serpentine girl, they couldn't notice her stop shivering and falling asleep again under the brightness of the flames.