Hogwarts in Ruins

Eilir watched Mikel and smiled as his anxiety visibly wore off. "You're fine my chick." she assured him and turned to Alex with wide eyes as he described what had prompted him to ask the odd question in the first place. Her mouth formed a little 'o' of surprise and then she beamed at the boy. "Cool huh? Nothing to worry about." she winked at him and snuggled Kristof against her torso so he was sitting up and able to watch what was going on if he wanted to. Eilir watched Alex's face register pride in the little boy and she smiled fondly, pleased that she'd organised her little picnic.

The young woman was reduced to the same excitable condition as Mikel when Alex began exhibiting his unique abilities. She cooed and made other various sounds of wonder as he changed various parts of his body into eagle anatomy. She clapped her hands together gleefully when he changed his hair into feathers, her eyes shining. When Alex cut off a word that was sure not to be suitable for little ears and turned into an eagle completely, Eilir looked around wildly before spotting a familiar waddling form making its way slowly down to the picnickers. "Uh oh." she murmured, quickly removing all of the items from the basket and gauging whether she'd have time to scoop Alex the eagle up and deposit him into the relative safety of the basket.

A part of her was scared of the sharp talons and razor like beak and by the time she'd lifted Kristof from her lap and sat him down on the blanket, Debbie was much too close to risk manoeuvring the fugitive. Thinking swiftly, Eilir stood up and smiled widely at her friend and commander. "Hi, Debbie! Are you OK?" Her eyes scanned the woman's face for any signs of pain and then blushed brightly at the woman's words regarding her son. "We've decided that bread and butter is yummy!" she said with a sheepish grin. "And he was enjoying it so much I couldn't bear to pin him down and clean him off.” Biting her bottom lip the girl decided that Debbie probably wasn’t up to walking all the way back to the castle just yet. Tipping the basket upside down to form a makeshift chair Eilir smiled. “Would that be easier for you to sit on?” She asked. “We’ve got lots of food; you’re more than welcome to join our little picnic.” The girl figured that if Debbie sat in the space Eilir had recently occupied, Eilir herself could sit where Alex was hiding and either hide the bird behind her body and let him escape or at least sit cross legged with the flowery material – still hiding Alex – pooled in a bundle in her lap. Which would hopefully keep the escapee commander hidden. But first, Eilir would need to help Debbie sit down. Kristof’s baby sister was making it difficult for their mommy to move.

Mikel clapped his hands at the little show Alex was putting too. Although it was not the first time he had seen the man transforming, those transformation had always happened while the man was working or fighting; the kid had never seen the actual trick so close as now. And it was way cooler at his eyes!... But then, the man's expression changed before turn into eagle and hid under that woman's clothing...

Mikel looked around and it did not take him more than a split second to understand as saw Debbie approaching. The boy looked with scared eyes at Eilir for a second, but then cooled off and pulled himself together. He had done things like that before! Lie to survive! What was wrong with him! He knew what to do!!

And he retook his little meal and merely smiled innocently at Debbie as she approached. Stuffed his mouth with food was better than to say something that could give Alex away...

But Alex was not exactly lying silently in his hidding place. The moment he found the safety under those covers he felt weak. And just then he remembered that transform completely had not been a good idea. He had had problems with it when used it to escape from the Hospital Wing... but he had forgotten that little detail the moment he met Eilir and the pair of kids.

His silent and motionless attitud had nothing to do with try to hide from Debbie anymore. It was all his body finally shutting down, out of his control. It was the whole place around him stopping spinning around and becoming darker and darker while the voices of Debbie, Eilir and Mikel became lower and distants.

But he did not even tried for help of any of the outsiders. That indeed did not even crossed his mind, but just sleep. Sleep would be his remedy, he thought, a harmless sleep and then he would be just fine...

Probably unlike anyone else, Kristof giggled and looked really delighted to see his mommy. He was really happy to see the woman joining the little party under the tree, and even held his arms up to her as if wanting HER to pick him and take him on her arms...

But mommy was not paying as much attention at him as she did at the beggining... Eilir started speaking to her and all the older woman's attention seemed to be dragged by the younger one.

Baby Krsistof looked up at Eilir as if waiting for that mouth of her to stop moving so mommy would get back at him.

"Ma! Ma!" he half complained at the lack of attention trying to compete with Eilir the attention of his mother, holding his arms toward her again not even caring if he was all covered with butter.

Debbie froze, "Why is everyone being so well behaved?"

Now generally, this would have been a silly question. This was a castle filled to the absolute brim with soldiers and their manners were expected to be one-hundred percent. Yet, these weren't soldiers, were they?

Her eyes moved slowly toward Mikel, innocently shoveling food into his mouth and look every bit the picture perfect angel. She looked to Eilir then, holding her son covered in sticky butter and offering her a place to sit atop their picnic basket and decided it was all too calm. Mikel was never this well behaved, he was either pouting lately or doing whatever it suited him to do at the moment. And Eilir, well, Debbie couldn't find anything wrong there. She was indeed the perfect figure of polite, friendly and helpful as always and Kristof, well, he was just messy.

So why did this whole scene seem so very weird to her?

'Ma! Ma!' Whatever it was, the moment Kristof began calling for her and holding out those fat little arms, her resolve melted away and she scooped the baby into her arms, butter and all. "You messy little piglet!" she cheered and held him up high over her head toward the sky before pulling him close into a hug. She didn't care to mess up her robes, it was something easily fixable and just as Debbie thought it, her hand waved almost lazily through the air and all traces of the butter vanished.

"There we go, all clean!" she cooed and pressed a big kiss on his cheek and then another before wiggling her way to he basket and very carefully working her way toward sitting atop it.

No matter how sickly she felt or how tired Debbie was, Kristof had a way of pushing all of that to the back of her mind with just one of his big smiles, "I'm sorry for interrupting." she smiled and tried difficultly to situate her son into her lap, he was just so big! "How long have you three been out here? Everything seems to be going so well." she offered a tired smile and looked over to Mikel again, amazed he was eating and seemed to be enjoying himself despite his attitude lately. Maybe getting out into the open air and doing something, well, normal for a change was what they needed to get things off of their mind.

Her eyes gazed around the picnic, looking at the little bundle Eilir had pulled together and not focusing on one too many things, for the moment.

Eilir felt anxious. She was guilty of hiding a fugitive, even though said fugitive was a commander of their own alliance, Debbie trusted Eilir and the girl wasn't behaving in a way she should be. The question made her very uncomfortable and she glanced down at Mikel who was currently looking angelic and munching his way through their picnic. Kristof's demands made Eilir sigh in relief as she grinned down at the messy child. "We ignoring you again cherub?" she asked him and smiled. "I'm sorry Kristof!" She smiled at Debbie's words to her son, glad that a 'messy piglet' wasn't a bad thing in her friend's eyes.

Eilir watched with a very motherly expression as Debbie sank down to sit on the basket. She hovered, ready to lend a helping hand until Debbie was settled comfortably and let out a whoosh of breath, relieved that the commander was fine. With a beaming smile, Eilir spun around and quickly folded herself around the floaty flowery material that hid Alex. "No, no, don't worry about it. It's nice to be out in the sunshine. It's not good for you to be cooped up in the castle so much." Eilir said. She settled her hands in her lap, curling them gently around the eagle's body hidden in the folds in the material.

She followed Debbie's gaze and smiled fondly at the boy. "We've been here for about an hour or so." the girl mused, glancing at the sky and then the shaddow cast by the tree she was sat under. "It got a bit too hot for delicate skin, so we came to sit in the shade." The girl tried to hide her growing concern from Debbie. The bird under her hands was trembling slightly. And, if she really was feeling it's heartbeat, it was juddering and much too slow. Weren't birds meant to have a faster heartbeat than humans? She chewed her bottom lip in concern and tried to figure out a way she could grab Alex and get out of sight for a while, time enough for him to get back to the hospital wing.

Kristof giggled as felt ticklish the moment mommy cleaned him up, although he hardly realized she had done so. It was just a funny sensation he felt with the magic working around him.

The presence of mommy was the strawberry at the top of the cake for him. Really he could not remember have so an interesting day like this. All full of new things!

"Mmmph.. ah ah.. bubmm ma ma... mmmh!" he started trying to explain to mommy the experiences of the day, pointing his finger to where Alex had been minutes ago as mumbling as if explaining Debbie all about a man making funny things with his face and hair then pointing at Eilir's flowerish piece of fabric as if trying to draw attention to it. HE WANTED ALEX TO COME OUT AND CONTINUE THE SHOW FOR MOMMY!!

"Mmmph! ma! Ee! mmmph" he finished as if trying to ask Eilir for the show to continue. "mama! mmm..."

Mikel gave nervous looks at Eilir and Kristof as the baby started making noises and signaling where Alex was hiding under.

How to tell a baby to SHUT UP without being too obvious?, the kid wondered not knowing what to do at Kristof's reaction. It wasn't that Kristof could understand that Alex was actually hiding from Debbie.

"There!" the boy had a sudden rush of inspiration and handed the baby another of those buttered breads he had been eating just before his mother stepped in. He wasn't sure how the kid would react but hoped it would just take the food and be quiet before Debbie could suspect Eilir was hiding something...

Eilir was distracted from Kristof's chattering by the feeling that something was wrong with the bird beneath her hands. Something was not right and Eilir was desperately formulating a plan to escape Debbie's eyes to check on Alex. The girl was so accustomed to Kristof's word sounds by now that she didn't really think anything could be of concern as he nattered to his mother until Mikel's voice drew her attention. Her mouth formed a little 'o' of surprise as she saw the boy nearly shoving some bread into Kristof's hands. She glanced at Mikel, reading a little tension from the boy but not understanding it.

"I'm sorry baby, were you still hungry?" she cooed at Kristof, whose eyes were locked on her. She wriggled a little bit, figuring out a way to carry the floaty material and Alex without it seeming odd. With a slight huff of breath, Eilir decided it didn't matter if her actions seemed suspicious, she had to check on Alex. "Uhm, Debbie? Are you ok to watch the children for a bit. I don't want to waste the sunshine or bring the picnic to an early end, But I need to use the bathroom quickly." she smiled, trying to cover any tension she was feeling.

"What are you so fascinated with?" Debbie wondered. Her eyes searched the ground, looking from Eilir to the basket and back to baby Kristof, but nothing seemed of much interest. Then again, Kristof didn't need much to be excited. Despite his grumpy looks, that was one of the happiest babies she had ever seen. Buttered bread? Fantastic. A teddy bear? Superb. A flowery piece of fabric? His whole day was sunshine.

Her eyes settled on that fabric then before Mikel could shove the bread into Kristof's hands. "Oh, is that what you're wanting? You can't do anything with that you silly boy." she cooed.

Debbie laughed and picked up a napkin instead, running it over her son's face. "He wants that fabric, I think. I guess it's something to play with." She ran the napkin a few more times over Kristof's face, laughing at the disgruntled looks he kept giving her while he tried to his bread.

Yet when Eilir spoke, her eyes shot up. 'Uhm, Debbie? Are you ok to watch the children for a bit? I don't want to waste the sunshine or bring the picnic to an early end, But I need to use the bathroom quickly.' That was oddly. Debbie could have sworn she heard a slight tremor in Eilir's voice. It could very well have been her imagination though.

"No, I don't mind. Is everything alright?" she asked and moved to sit Kristof on the blanket. He would be find playing down there for a few minutes. "Here, go take your time. I'll be find sitting here for awhile. I wanted an excuse to get some air." Her voice sounded slightly worried but she smiled none the less and moved to grab the fabric from her lap.

"I'm sure this will keep Kristof amused for awhile." Debbie laughed and her fingers wrapped around the fabric, giving it a tug in her direction.

Eilir's attention was riveted on the lethargic heartbeat beneath her almost trembling hands. She'd managed to tuck her fingers around the eagle's body so that when she stood, it'd be comfotrably supported until she could cradle Alex against her body like a baby and dash from sight. Eilir nodded abrstractedly as Debbie mentioned Kristof's interest in the floral fabric so integral in hiding Alex. The girl shifted into a kneeling position, Alex sit held safely in her lap, as she prepared to leave, hoping Debbie wouldn't mind.

She flashed a weak imitation of her usual bright smile at the woman. "mmhm, everything's .... okay thank you." she said, not able to keep her focus enough to put a lot of effort into her acting skills. To make Alex's heartbeat seem even slower, Eilir's had sped up in anxiety. If she didn't leave soon she'd end up leaping to her feet and running. Very suspicious actions indeed. Instead she drew in a deep breath and nodded at Debbie's words. "I shouldn't be long." She said, already shifting her weight to stand up. It wasn't until Debbie's hand tugged the fabric that Eilir became aware of the impending dilema. Her eyes widened as the slippery fabric twisted around her fingers, loosening her hold on the eagle.

With a half strangled noise between a cry of shock and a wail, Eilir performed a strange acrobatic twist of her body that allowed her to keep a hold of the bird and simultaniously tuck him under her arm like a rugby ball. Her eyes flashed to Debbie's in horror, appalled that she'd been unable to protect Alex for discovery. She pirouetted swiftly, forgetting her ruse of needing to use the bathroom and bolted towards the tree line, leaving Debbie holding the swathe of pretty coloured fabric.

[Ooc: This took me a really long time to decide how to respond. o_0]

Debbie could swear her heart skipped a beat. "Eilir?" Her eyes were locked onto the frightened green of Eilir's and found herself unable to move. 'No, no, no, no. Not again.' She could feel her panicked breath forcing it's way through her lungs, it felt like Debbie had swallowed glass. In a normal situation, Eilir had moved almost too quickly for anyone to catch what she was doing.

The soldiers milling around the green grass wouldn't notice, they wouldn't be able to see the bundle held tightly in her arms or horrified look in her eyes as she ran full speed away from Debbie and toward the trees. Yet, she wasn't dealing with another soldier.

Debbie's eyes shot down to the bundle and immediately recognized it as a bird, taking in the minute chance to glimpse any bit of detail; an eagle. "Eilir!" This time her voice held far more force, eyebrows knitting into a line of tension. Debbie only knew of two eagles, Alex and spectro, and they were both suppose to be inside the castle. That thought alone sent her heart racing wildly. She trusted Eilir, she had trusted her explicitly. Yet now the woman had just bolted from her with a bundle in her arms, something she was extremely nervous about and didn't want Debbie to see.

Debbie felt the cold lump forming in her chest as she gripped Kristof tightly and brandished her wand, "Eilir, stop or I'll force you to stop!" She threatened and nearly choked on the words. Her hand was shaking terribly.

She couldn't do it. Debbie inhaled a ragged breath and dropped her gaze down to Kristof and her large stomach, then over to Mikel and realized she couldn't handle this again.

Josef would be furious.

"Expecto Patronus." She murmured and the tip of her wand lit up to a brilliant white. Yet the figure slinking onto the grass looked lethargic and wilted as it sprinted toward the castle. Debbie was Auror Commander and second in charge of Hogwarts, it was her duty to do whatever need be to stop the girl from running away, innocent or not. But Eilir was going to run straight through those trees and out of Debbie's reach. She could taste a sourness in her mouth and stumbled backward, clutching Kristof to her.

(O.C. Nice and dramatic huh? Lol. Who knew a picnic would lead to this?)

Eilir's stomach rolled violently, her reaction had surprised herself, Debbie had seen Alex, the damage was done and Eilir knew next to nothing about his injuries or why his heart seemed to eb faltering. Surely it would have made sense to stay and explain everything to the commander. But she'd wanted to hide Alex, give him a chance to sneak back into his hospital room without notice. And as she became more aware that something was wrong, Eilir had worked herself into a panic. So when her plans had gone awry, her instincts had leapt into action, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Fight or flight. It only made sense for Eilir - still not used to reacting to danger with her magic - to run. She could run very fast. The speed of her passage ripped away any sounds from reaching her ears. If she'd have heard Debbie, she would have been shocked enough into thinking things through. As it was, all she could think was to get under the cover of the trees.

Eilir cared for Alex a lot, he had been the first person she'd met and he'd helped her find a job and fit into the castle's inhabitants. She loved the hippogriffs and all she'd wanted when arriving at Hogwarts was a job, a way to help. Feeling the man perhaps dying in her hands didn't help her think rationally. Tears pooled in her eyes as her limbs felt like jelly, but she ran until she was hidden in the relative saftey of the trees. Dropping to her knees, Eilir began testing the bird's reflexes, all the while talking to him in a trembling voice. "Alex? ALEX! Change back, what's wrong? What should I do?!?" Her voice cracked and the tears finally found their way to stream down her cheeks.

The girl's actions caught up with her mind as she checked the bird over. She was horrified by her actions and bit her bottom lip. How could she be so stupid?!?! Running was the last thing she'd have chosen to do. It would have been one thing to have gotten away without Debbie realising what was going on. But Eilir's actions surely resembled a threat to Alex, if not the whole castle. Kidnap....well, bird-nap was a bad thing. The girl’s tears intensified. One moment of thoughtless action and she’d ruined a whole year of life at the castle. She gulped. It wouldn’t take long for the soldiers to find her....if she left Alex, she’d probably be able to get away, live the rest of her life as a muggle. Eilir stood up, poised ready to continue running through the trees but collapsed back to her knees and scooped the eagle back into her hands, holding him close to her chest. “I can’t let him die. I’ll just have to face the consequences.” She said through her tears, body shaking with sobs.

Slower than her mad dash of an exit, Eilir began a slow traipse up the slope back to the ruined picnic. She couldn’t run, not wanting to seem threatening. And if she’d wanted to, her body wouldn’t have let her. The adrenaline was gone from her system leaving her feeling weak and shaking. “Be okay.” She murmured to Alex as she came within sight of the picnic. Her heart fluttered wildly as she paused within speaking distance. The tears shone on her face, eyes holding fear for both herself and the eagle. She had to swallow to be able to speak, and her voice came out barely above a whisper. “I think he’s dying.”

[OOC: I bit of drama is so much fun every now and again. <3 Especially since Eilir's technically immune from trouble with Debbie. ]

Whatever she had been expecting, it was not to see Eilir's slumped form traveling back toward the picnic. Kristof had become antsy and pulled restlessly at her hair, grabbing fistfuls and showing his displeasure of the whole situation. Yet she didn't make a move to stop him.

Debbie's wand was in a death grip in her right hand and poised in the air, not at the girl but up and ready should she need it. She didn't know what to think of this situation nor of how to handle it. In reality, she didn't even want Josef to come down or all of this would be ended in one unmovable order. "Stop." she whispered and jerked her wand in a slashing motion. The patronus died midway through the castle, hopefully never reaching her husband.

'I think he's dying.'

Her eyes widened in horror, "Who's dying?" Debbie demanded and looked warily down to the bundle in her arms. It was an eagle, she had been correct. "Why on earth would you ru-Alex?" Debbie's voice was a sharp hiss as she realized mid-sentence and snapped the patronus back out just as quickly as she had extinguished him moments ago. The animal shot through the grass, winding past several soldiers who had gathered close to her spot.

"You have an awfully great deal of explaining to do." she warned and moved closer, throwing away any sense of caution to examine the creature closer.

It was indeed Alex. Debbie had hoped she would be mistaken but the man was like a brother, he was unmistakable in her eyes. "I don't know anything about healing, hopefully Dawson is in the castle." Her eyes skimmed over the bird and carefully laid a hand atop his feathers in wait.

(O.O.C - haha, she's got Debbie wrapped around her little finger she's too cute hehe)

Eilir wobbled as Debbie slashed her wand through the air but maintained her balance, fingers still monitoring the faltering heartbeat. Her tear filled eyes watched Debbie with a sense of defeat emenating from her whole being. "Alex...." she choked out past the sobs, perhaps too quietly for the other woman to hear. As she questioned why Eilir had ran, the girl hunched her shoulders, not quite certain of her actions herself. Eilir flinched at the bright silvery light of the patronus and futher hunched her body protectively over the bird, attempting to hide him from curious soldiers' eyes.

With a shuddering breath, Eilir simply nodded as she moved her hunched position enough to allow Debbie to examine the still feathers cradled carfully to her chest. They probably made a peculiar sight, one woman holding a baby and the other a bird, both standing close, both touching the featherss with almost matching expressions. "I'm sorry Debbie." Eilir whispered. "I panicked." she sounded thourighly disgusted with herself and swallowed nervously as she kept her eyes focussed past the blurry tears and onto the slight motion of Alex's breast, feathers barely acknowledging the faltering life they harboured.

News about the Mysterious Commander escaping the Hospital Wing reached his ears the minute he stepped into the room. The man was furious! Honesty deal with an injured Alex was like deal with a child. He just could not keep his a** put!!

"How on earth that happened!! I gave you specific instructions!!" he was just starting lecturing the assistants when suddenly Debbie's patronus rushed in requesting his presence at the fields!

Forgetting Rees, he could not help but think on Debbie's pregnancy and a possible emergency delivery as ran through the corridors and out at the open. His eyes looked around the fields not stopping his pace at any second; the crowd forming around a specific spot was enough sign for him of which path to take.

"There is nothing to see here! Go back to your work!!" he called out as rushed through the little crowd around looking ahead for any sign of Debbie who he finally found... sitting and perfectly healthy...

"W...what is going on?" he asked clueless for a second, till he approached enough to caught sight of what they had really asked his presence for.

"You idiot!!" he could not help to say as bended down besides the motionless bird "which part of 'Do not transform' you don't understand!" he said angrily as put a hand over Alex's chest and checked how much conscious he was.

Eilir practically held her breath as Dawson examined the frail being she was holding. His angry words towards the bird concerned her. She should have cajolled him into going back to the hospital wing, not encouraged him to sit out in the sunshine. She bit her bottom lip and decided to offer a little of her own opinion on the matters to the head healer. Hopefully it would help him save Alex. "I think that's how he esc...got out." she said. The word 'escape' made him seem like a criminal....not that 'got out' sounded very much better. She looked down at Alex and frowned. "He came and sat with us and he seemed ok. He had something to eat and drink." Eilir blushed faintly, knowing that it had been her obligation to return Alex to his hospital bed.

"And then he saw Debbie and hid by changing into an eagle. It wasn't until he was fully an eagle that he...." Eilir's throat closed up and she found herself unable to continue speaking. Afetr a few seconds of concentration she managed to calm herself enough to speak again. "I think he forgot." she stated the obvious and then lasped into silence again.

For Mikel things happened so quickly that he felt his head spinning. One second they were trying to hide Alex from Debbie, then Eilir had run away with him and now she was back and Alex was... what was going on with him?

The boy looked anxiously as the two women caressed the eagle as if they were waiting for his dead. He had seen that attitud before in his life, people just waiting there doing nothing as nothing could be done! And he felt his heart beating painfully.

The appearance of Dawson yelling at Alex did not make things better for the boy although somehow the fact that Dawson was there made the crying he was holding back easier to keep that way, made him capable to stay silent there waiting a little bit longer.

"which part of 'Do not transform' you don't understand!" Dawson's voice still rang in Mikel's head and he could not help but think ALL THIS WAS HIS FAULT. He asked Alex to transform and now Alex was... he could not even think about it...

Debbie flushed and looked from Dawson's face to the bird once he arrived. She aught to be more worried about Alex's condition, but she knew that the head healer of all people would have it under control. Debbie understood what it would be like if Dawson were in a full state of panic and so, as she sighed and tried to shift Kristof on her hip, Debbie didn't feel so bad about stepping back and fussing over her son's weight.

Her stomach was too large and he so was he, Kristof couldn't fit properly on her side and her arm was becoming tired very quickly. Not to mention she had Eilir falling apart at the seams, Mikel huddled just a few short steps away and a husband that was going to be furious when he heard about all of this later on. So what to do first?

She was feeling horribly frazzled herself. To say Debbie wasn't worrying would be an understatement, she was chomping at the bit. But Alex wasn't the only one in distress and she had to work with what was in her power to control.

As she took a deep breath of air and felt it fill her lungs, Debbie's eyes snapped up to the soldiers standing around still and whispering amongst themselves. "He said get back to work." She barked out and moved to put a reassuring hand on Eilir's back. She needed Eilir to put Alex down so Dawson could work properly, but the grass was a poor option.

"Accio stretcher." she hissed, and narrowed her eyes toward the front door of the castle in concentration. Her wand-less magic had gone on the fritz the further she had gone into her pregnancy but Debbie didn't have enough arms to pull out her wand. Yet luckily, though it was frumping rather sluggishly along, she could see a stretcher making it's way down toward their little group.

"I want you to place him carefully down when the stretcher sits on the ground. Dawson can take it from here." Debbie explained and slowly lowered said object into the grass.

Eilir, despite trying her very best to hold perfect still whilst she played the part of hospital bed for Alex, leapt slightly at the sound of Debbie's bellow, cringing away from the loud noise and flinching in surprise as Debbie placed a hand on her back. Her eyes widened in slight confusion as she turned to look at the woman. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted Mikel who looked very guilty and her chest hurt when she noticed the sheen of tears in his eyes. With both arms cradleing the eagle, Eilir couldn't offer the boy any comfort. She bit her bottom lip and tried to regain some composure and managed at least to halt her tears. She nodded her understanding at Debbie's instructions and watched with a dazed expression as the stretcher made it's way towards them.

Very softly placing the eagle onto the stretcher, Eilir had to fight with herself - part of her wanting to cling to Alex or Dawson and beg that he get better/help her friend. With a last smoothing of his ruffled feathers, Eilir backed away from the stretcher to give the healer room to work. Her worried eyes flashed towards Debbie for a second before she wobbled her way over to Mikel and pulled him close to her in a warm hug, pressing her cheek against his hair. She wanted to promise it'd be ok, to apologise, to tell him it wasn't his fault. But no words would come. Instead Eilir simply offered the shaken child as much comfort as she could. And found, in holding the boy who looked on Alex with a kind of hero worship, a bit of comfort herself.