Verana gasped violently and sat up, fighting whatever held her body down, her fingers sliding through the filmy fabric even as light burst across her vision, pulling her from the darkness that she had existed in for longer than she could remember. Her eyes snapped open and two human women were in front of her, grabbing her and holding her in place on the strangely soft surface. 

The two of them smelled vaguely familiar but she couldn't place them, she didn't know where she was and was feeling so far away from the Wild that it felt as if it had been ripped from her completely. Verana's body was burning from the inside, pain lacing through her with every movement and it drew more panic into her mind with every heartbeat . One of the women yelled and suddenly another human was there, holding her down by one shoulder, the one that didn't hurt.

The pain seemed to be coming solely from the one shoulder, the arm the humans were struggling not to jar too horribly.  The pain and heat coursing through her was excruciating as she struggled to understand what was going on. Verana felt like she was on fire as her eyes jerked from one human to another as the room and their faces started making more sense when she forced her mind to think about what was happening, to observe and listen and breathe.

"Keep her still or she'll tear the wound!" A woman yelled and she found that she could understand human language, she remembered that much. The woman was speaking to the male holding her down, her hands gentle but firm as Verana continued to struggle, though her movements became less violent as her memories began to seep into her mind at a painfully slow rate.

Verana screamed in pain and frustration, her vision swimming as someone else grabbed her other wrist, holding it gently but firmly to the bed underneath her, preventing her from moving her injured arm. They were restraining her without giving any quarter but as her mind cleared ever so slightly, she realized they stunk of worry and fear, not cruelty.

"Verana, shh, it's ok. You're safe. Verana... please, you have to stop moving so much." The second human female, Reyani, murmured as Verana focused on her. 

Reyani was her friend and she was holding Verana's wrist. The male was a man named Shelby, his expression concerned, not dangerous, an ally. Understanding continued to slowly seep through her brain, allowing her to think rationally once more and relax. Verana finally let her body go limp, feeling her body shiver with the heat that wouldn't go away.

"There you go." Reyani offered her a gentle smile, eyes searching Verana's face as her hand loosened its hold, "why'd you have to go and do everything yourself? You scared us all out of our wits. Do you remember now?"

"Sencha." Shelby said suddenly, looking away from her and shifting out of view, only to be replaced by her teacher. 

Sencha crouched beside her on the mattress, kneeling on her uninjured arm, holding her in place as one cool hand moving to her forehead. "You're with friends, daughter. Their healers saved your life. Once you're better, once they have made sure you stay safe, we'll take you home. But you passed your test. I'll be here as often as I can and when you're well, I'll take you to the Council."

Verana blinked, looking at him in confusion as he pressed a cup to her lips, coaxing her to drink the liquid contained inside. She knew instantly from the taste and the immediate feeling of relaxation, that he had given her a drug for the pain, sending her back into darkness before she could begin to understand what he had just said.