"Dammit!"
Azalea hissed as she looked at the scrape she'd just freshly earned, carving up the underside of her thigh up onto her left ass cheek. She'd been exploring a dry, rocky ravine, lost her footing and cut herself up good on her way down the steep rock face.
Gods, dammit! She would be entering her first season soon, anytime now, and the last thing she wanted was to present herself with a nasty gash on her thigh! Not to mention if it started to scab, or worse, got infected! She was horrified at the mere thought, showing herself to a male as a full adult for the first time looking like some roughed up, ragtag heathen.
She climbed her way back out of the ravine, deciding that she should probably head back for now, having scouted and explored enough. She wanted to get this fixed, immediately, also because it hurt. A lot. She was never meant for pain, or fighting. She couldn't stand this at all, but there was one thing, or rather, one person, she couldn't stand even less.
Slate.
That... That incorrigible, snarky, smart-mouthed, assholish, egotistical, prideful, JERK of a healer.
Just thinking of him was enough to make her hesitate as she got back up onto the sands, squinting as she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, a breeze blowing her hair and clothing back as she looked in the direction of and found her tribe's current camp.
She bit and worried her lip; if it had been a small cut that was one thing, and she knew enough to know it was nothing serious, but it could be if left unattended, and she knew that, but... Her gut twisted and she wrapped her arms around her midsection, hugging herself with uncertainty as she thought it over.
He'd always teased her, always called her a 'Mosquito', always been insufferable and horrible and obviously, CLEARLY she hated him, how could she not? But lately, over the past year or so, she'd started to... Well. Not feel different about him, cause clearly she had every right to hate him, and definitely should!
But... Every now and then when she thought of the next stage of her life which was approaching so soon, and she thought of what was expected of her, he... Tended to be one of the first few males who kind of... Popped into her mind. And when he did, the thought was usually accompanied by a warmth that spread from her heart to the depths of her belly and made her skin tingle a little and no that had to be her anger with him. Definitely. For... For being so difficult, and annoying, and frustrating, all the time!
But if there was anyone who might be able to get her looking nice and pristine again by the time her season came around, it was undoubtedly him.
"Hhhh, why did this have to happen to me, now, of all times..?" She grumbled, pouting as she begrudgingly made her way back to camp, sand stirred up by the winds making her wound sting as she poked her head inside of his tent.
"Slate..? I... I need your help."
And it was so obvious how much it pained and embarrassed her to say that, by the way her ears were cast downwards and a blush tinged her cheeks.