The Bird and the Wyrm

I looked up and saw Helen standing by the door, giving me a wave. She was still wearing her tactical gear. A nurse nearby glared at her and started to give her a strict telling off.

I quickly hobbled over. The claws on my feet slipped around on the smoothed-out cave floors but I imagined they’d work pretty well on dirt ground, or at least, that’s what I tried to tell myself.

"Do you know where Bran is?" I asked as soon as I was near enough.

The nurse turned to chide me too then saw that I was one of her patients, so she just ’shushed’ me instead then went back to her work.

"Out here," said Helen, gesturing to the door. I went out with her.

"Do you-" I began again.

"He’s fine," Helen said quickly. "He’s in the room beside this one. Still unconscious."

"...Okay" I wanted to ask more, I always wanted to ask more, but I didn’t know enough about medicine or anything like that to make it worth Helen’s while to tell me more. "Can I see him?"

"Probably," said Helen. She turned and craned her neck as she looked into the other room.

I did the same and saw that it was, like the room I’d woken up in, filled with hospital beds. My eyes quickly scanned over the people in the beds and latched onto one blond individual.

"Bran..." I mumbled. I made to go to you, but Helen caught me by the arm.