Bolster and Support

This dream-set is from the other day, but I hadn’t written it down because I wanted my friend to say something to me before I did.  She has, so now I write:
“SHAE!”.  I hear a voice calling me.  I look around but don’t see anyone, so continue to lay out the herbs for drying.  “SHAE!” The voice comes again. I put down my herbs.  “Brin”, I call.  “I have to go help her”.  Brin hands me my cloak and we set off in the direction of the sound.  It doesn’t take me long to travel the elsewhere.  I just locked onto the sound,and the scent of the one who called to me. Oh dear gods.  I am standing right on the doorstep of the boneyard.I have only come here once and was grudgingly allowed to do so, and am not sure of my reception now. “SHAE”! I am called once more.  The cry is asking me to come, and sounds so tired.  That’s it.  I go in..and whomever doesn’t like it be damned. As I enter, I see the hugest raven I have ever laid eyes on.  He looks as if I could be a tasty morsel, so I decide that the best approach would be to just speak to him.  “My friend has called for me and needs my help”, I tell him.  “If you could just point me in her direction, I will collect her and be on my way”.  He stares at me once more, then bends his head as if to give his consent.  Instead of pointing me the direction to go, he takes off in flight.  I watch until he looks back as if to say “well…come on then”. I waste no time in following him. We go past pyres of bones  that have been arranged. Some elaborately so, others done in a haphazard manner as if they were just stacked until another time for use.  I follow the raven to a secluded place in the boneyard, away from the other pyres.  I laugh to myself.  “Where else would such a one have her own personal corner?”, I think to myself.  I see my friend laid upon a pyre.  The bones lovingly laid in an intricate manner that resembles the stitches she herself creates.  But before I can step forward, I see HER. Ravenwoman.  “Damn”, I think.She turns as she catches a glimpse of me.  “I am fucked”, I tell myself.  Just then I hear my friend whimper in pain.  I can see that she is past the point of exhaustion. She needs rest.  Real rest.  Not some psuedo nap promised by someone that slides off into another view of the elsewhere.  She has to stop to allow herself to become reasonably whole.  Well, if I have to fight to help her I will.  I don’t want to, because it will obviously not be pretty, nor will it allow me to take care of my friend. I step forward and let my friend know that I am here.  She has been through much as I survey her damaged body with its bruises and cuts.  She is so tired that she cannot open her eyes to see my face.  “I am so tired”, she says.  “This is no place for you to rest , my sweet”, I tell her.  “Take my hand and I will take us somewhere to rest properly”.  She grabs my left hand and I pull her to stand beside me.  Placing my arm around her waist, I tell her”We are going to walk right out of here and be on our way”.  I think that was actually for us all.  First to reassure myself because to tell the truth, Ravenwoman scares the fuck out of me, secondly to let my friend know what we are doing, and last but certainly not least to tell Ravenwoman my plans.  Yeah I know..why allow an adversary know of such, but I’ve found that knowing or not knowing, they still find a way to try and fuck things up, so I just save us both time and give them a heads up.  I turn us towards the exit and Ravenwoman makes a move to stop us.  she tries to grab my friends hand when a cloud of black flies in between us.  Ravens.  Hundreds of them, like they are building a wall of feathers to keep the divide and allows us to move down the path to leave.  At the entrance is again the great big Raven.  I thank him for his assistance and bid him farewell, then we walk through the gate.  I call Brin from wherever she has secreted herself and she joins us.  “She is exhausted”, I tell her “and we need to find a secluded place for her to rest without others trying to come see about her”. Brin nods then picks up my friend since she is clearly too tired to walk, and we make our way to the dragons lair. I smile as I see the entrance.  It’s secluded and appears to be nothing more than mists hanging in the valley. But  NOBODY comes here without invitation. You either come with dragon guide or have a key.  I happen to have both, but this place is used sparingly by myself. Brin and I make our way to our private glen where there is a twig lean-to with a small fire burning for light in front of it. Brin places my friend down onto the pallet inside and prepares the fire for more heat and the making of tea.  I sit beside my friend and tell her to rest.  She is safe and secure and I will be here with her when she wakes.  She takes my hand, asks me to stay, so I lie beside her and stroke her hair to soothe away her pain.  Her strength amazes me at times, the things she sees, goes through.  I’d build her a pedestal for her heroics, but she’s just place my head on it,lol.  “You both should rest”, Brin breaks in on my silliness.  I agree, but ask her to tell us a story.  Pretty childish, but I’ve learned that even pushed to our limits, if the mind is focused elsewhere then we rest deeper.  Brin smiles and begins to tell of swamps, weavers, spiders and ravens.  “You aren’t going to dump me in the swamp are you”? asks my friend.  I laugh and tell her I might consider it if she interrupts the story again. She laughs as well, then closes her eyes and this time drifts off into a peaceful rest.  We rest …no clue how long since time is not relevant in the elsewhere, but it was enough time to recharge and feel more like ourselves.  I awake to see my friend drinking tea with Brin and giggling over some joke.  “Don’t mind me”, I say.  “I am just the witch with herbs to dry”.  “I’m sorry I interrupted you”, my friend begins.  I punch her lightly on the shoulder.  “Hush”, I tell her”you needed the help and I was able to give it.  End of discussion”.  I take my mug of tea from Brin and we sit and talk a bit, then clear the camp, washing the cups, dampening down the flame of the fire.  Brin leads us back to the entrance of the lair and I hug my friend good-by and tell her “Be careful on the way home..and I will talk to you later”.  She waves goodbye and Brin and I make our way back to the cabin and herbs.  I think of how badly things could have gone and shake my head.  I’ll have to find a special offering to the raven for his assist, but in the meantime, I think I’ve earned myself some rum(not that I ever deprive myself really).