The slight, almost delicate looking man in rough woolen clothes seemed very out of place and a little terrified as he trudged his way slowly up the rocky path. Why did I come north into Connlaoth? And during a time of unrest over magic use, no less. The faster I get over these mountains the safer I'll be. He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair and then pulled his cloak tighter around himself.
Oren didn't necessarily travel alone by choice. In fact he would have preferred to be part of a group. Less likely to be taken by bandits that way. Unfortunately his gifts sometimes acted up while he was sleeping and, given the situation in Connlaoth, it was probably better to be captured by bandits than to reveal himself to someone who might turn him in. If he can make it over the mountains he can probably find a way back around to Serendipity.
Oren stumbled on an old, gnarled root sticking out of the ground as his thoughts wandered and promptly twisted his ankle. "Oh, good. That's exactly what I need right now," he exclaims in mild frustration. He sits on a nearby rock to take a look at his ankle and then casts his gaze carefully around to see if anyone was watching. Upon not seeing anyone he placed one hand on either side of his ankle and the tendrils of a soft purple glow wrapped around the injury.
Through the eyes of a crow she watched the mountain pass, hoping for some easy hunting. Or some less than easy hunting. Something for the Red Howlers to do.
In a thick murder, the bird she was using to watch the pass wheeled low, cawing, and she caught a glimmer of magic out of the corner of his eye. Hmmm... "Southwest down the pass," she murmured to the wolf at her shoulder.
Aeris huffed. "Target?"
She shook her head, blinking as she shut off her Sight. Back to the darkness. "Stranger, traveling alone. A healer, I think, from what I could make out. Could be useful."
Her foster brother huffed again and she felt his paw on her shoulder. "We don't need a healer, we've got you."
Shyla rolled her eyes. "You have a half-decent field medic. It's not the same thing. C'mon." Before he could react, she sprang to her feet and took off down the side of the mountain.
Aeris growled and barked, "Fall in!" and some half dozen lycanthropes were suddenly running behind her. Stones clattered beneath her feet as Shyla circled around to the stranger, pulling up short in front of him. She may not be able to see, but her memory of the layout of the land was next to perfect.
Two blades drawn and crossed in a defensive stance, she barked to the wolves behind her, "Hold, all of you!" No need to scare the man. Milky eyes fixed on the stranger and she quirked an eyebrow. "Now. Who exactly are you?"
As stones clattered off the walls of the pass, combining with the footfalls of lycanthropes, one could almost be convinced an earth slide was nigh. Oren jumped at the sudden sound and very nearly fell backwards off the rock he had been perched on. In the movement his cloak opened to reveal more plain clothing and very little of interest except for a small knife and an unsatisfying coin purse on his belt.
As he steadied himself he had no time to even think of reaching for the knife. Not that it would have been much use to him if they chose to fight. He'd always been better at fixing wounds than causing them.
Oren first focused on the blades, and the way that they seemed to be held by someone well practiced in using them. He froze in place, replying quietly, "I, um, appreciate you not wanting to scare me but those blades look just as deadly as your...friends? I am Oren, though I don't think my name really matters in this case. I don't have much money, but you can have it, if that is what you are after."
He started to reach towards his coin purse and then stopped as he thought it best not to move unexpectedly. Instead he chose to look at the leader's face, hoping to see that she didn't mean to harm him. He made no comment about the eyes, though he recognized the telltale milky swirl of blindness present in them.
Shyla smirked, and she spun her dagger and short sword back into their sheaths at her hips. A bit of showing off, but that never hurt anyone.
She gave a sharp whistle and the six members of the pack who'd been with her on this scouting mission melted out of the scraggly trees and underbrush to flank her.
"We don't want money," the young woman said easily, leaning back on her heel. She sighed and shot a baleful glower at her foster family, though she couldn't really see them at the moment. "See? I told you to just let me handle things like this?"
Her sister Stella growled low in her throat, but Shyla waved her off and turned back to Oren. She stepped forward, the pack staying where they were, eyeing him warily. "You're in dangerous territory, stranger. We know these mountains, we could be helpful to you."
The implication was clear- if he stepped out of line, they could be the opposite of helpful.
Oren let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding into a decidedly unmanly sound. Much like a quiet whimper. He relaxed a tiny bit as the weapons were stowed but the approach of the others made him decide to remain seated.
He gives a nervous laugh as he looks between the gathering of people more or less surrounding him, "If you aren't after money and you aren't going to eat me, and I really hope that you aren't, what is it that you do want?"
His eyes flit towards the source of the growling, but return to Shyla when no attack comes and she resumes speaking, "I can tell that not all of your companions are as willing to help as you claim to be. That offers me two choices, I think. Either I put myself at your mercy, and I think I already am, or I can try to make a run for it back the way I came."
Oren looks back the way he came and thinks for a moment before turning back and struggling to give a lackluster smile, "I think I would rather take you up on your offer." He slowly stands up and extends his right hand. "So, if its not too much, how did you come to be leading this pack of...wolves?" He gives a bit of a confused look at the pack members standing behind Shyla.
Her pack chuckled, low and rough, and Shyla smirked. Aeris leaned in close and murmured that the stranger was extending his hand to shake, and she stepped forward to take it.
"Well now, it's not very nice to judge someone by their looks," she said with a little grin, eyes staring blankly over his shoulder. "What makes you think my pack doesn't want to help?"
Stella hid a laugh into a cough, and one of her brothers elbowed her. Shyla rolled her eyes. "And I don't lead them, exactly. That's Aeris's job." She nodded to the massive, burgundy maned creature on her left, and her smile went crooked. "I'm just the public face, so to speak."
She drew her hand back and turned to move toward her family. "Come on, then. We made camp further up the mountainside, it's just this way."
Oren shakes Shyla's hand and it is a reasonably firm grip, though a little clammy from nervous sweat. He raises up his other palm and attempts to step back, forgetting he is still shaking her hand, "No, no I'm not judging anyone by their looks. Just the growling. And the glares."
He awkwardly moves to use the free hand to dust himself off and straighten out his cloak, "And I did notice you didn't say what you wanted." He nods towards Aeris, "Nice to meet you too then. Please forgive me for assuming. " He seems much more hesitant to offer his hand to Aeris.
Turning back to Shyla he adds, "I suppose I could understand why you would do the talking, uhm... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name. What should I call you?" He seems a little confused why she was shaking his hand for so long but doesn't mention it.
Oren slowly follows her after she releases his hand, trying to make it clear that he is leaving enough space between them that he is not a threat. "Do you all live here?"
"Well, who really lives anywhere?" she tossed cryptically over her shoulder. Aeris rolled his eyes and nudged her.
"Stop that, Shy," he rumbled. "And you said we were gonna scare him."
His half-elven sister crinkled up her nose at him, then twisted to add to their guest, "Name's Shyla, by the way. Not Shy." A pointed glare in Aeris's direction.
The lycan chuckled and dropped forward onto all fours to move faster up the mountainside, his siblings falling in beside him.
"So, what exactly are your going rates?" Shyla asked pleasantly. "Mind yourself, the path gets really steep here," she added as she adjusted her step accordingly.
Oren raises an eyebrow, "My family lives on their farm back in Serendipity. At least I hope so. They should have been ok after I left."
He looks between Shyla and Aeris as they talk to each other but says nothing.
He smiles when she says her name, "That's a nice name, though I would never call you Shy. I don't think you are." He stifles a chuckle at the wordplay.
He looks very nervous when she mentions rates, "I-I don't think I understand. What rates do you mean? Oh. OH," he stops walking entirely, "You must have seen me then. Not that I understand how given your...please don't report me. I'll help you as much as I can, free of charge." He looks even more scared of being "reported" than he did when he saw the pack.
Oren's right hand inches towards the handle of his knife out of reflex.
"Oh gods." Shyla rolled her eyes again and stopped to turn and face him. "First of all, no one's reporting you anywhere. You think *this* lot is friendly with the Connlaothian government?" She gestured to herself and her pack with an incredulously raised eyebrow, then continued, "Second- please don't get all weird about the blind thing. It gets so tiring, you wouldn't believe it. Trust that I can navigate well enough and just leave it at that, yeah? And third..."
She suddenly smirked again, cocking a hip and planting a hand at her waist. "We don't much believe in work for no pay, so I'll ask again: what're your rates? We've got a few small injuries back at camp, but it's the sickness I'm worried about. We need a proper healer, and it's hard to find one out here."
Oren frowns but moves his hand back away from his knife. "Well I'm sorry if I'm a bit on edge. I've only spent months trying to hide my gift and running for my life when I get found out or decide I need to use it to help someone. I don't know much about Connlaoth, otherwise I would have never come north." He punctuates the last bit by kicking a rock towards the wall of the pass in frustration.
Oren takes a deep breath and a moment to calm himself and there is more of a hint of compassion in his voice as he resumes following Shyla, "I should not have mentioned your eyes. Clearly whatever sight you possess is beyond my understanding."
He puts up his hands as she begins lecturing him about not working for free. "Ok, ok I understand. I'm sure we can figure out a fair trade. First, I would require food and shelter while I stay with your people. Second, in return for the smaller injuries I would ask for supplies so that I might survive my trip north until I can reach the next bit of civilization. Third, if, and I can't promise anything, I can help with the "sickness" I would ask to be escorted safely through the mountains. I only ask for what I need to live. My gift is not for making money."
Aeris and Shyla exchanged a glance, then nodded. "Alright, that sounds fair enough."
The half-elf paused a moment, waiting for him to catch up with her. She held a hand out in his direction, not even pretending to look toward him. "Here, take my hand and follow my footsteps exactly. Path is tricky here."
She refrained from mentioning that the path was treacherous because the Red Howlers had spent a good amount of time trapping it. Never hurt to be extra cautious.
"Great," Oren smiled with relief that the terms had been accepted so easily. Well at least I won't go hungry tonight. I really hope this sickness is something I can actually help with.
He extended his hand out to lightly grasp hers. It was less clammy now but the man was definitely still a little nervous, hiding it only a little as he was distracted by carefully watching her steps. He made a few missteps here and there but for the most part he followed her direction.
"Yeah, that was a hell of a root that tripped me before you showed up," he grimaces remembering the pain that had shot through his ankle. He brushed his hair out of his face with his free hand, "Have you lived here long? You seem to know your way around."
"Right, roots." With luck that would be the only thing tripping him up.
"Practically all my life," Shyla answered his question as they continued the climb. Subtly, she reached out with her Sight and slipped herself in behind Oren's eyes. His gifts were healing, not telepathy, so hopefully he wouldn't notice.
Her step paused for a moment as she adjusted to seeing through his eyes, seeing herself as she led him along. It was only a moment's hesitation though, she was used to such adjustments, and she continued leading him up the path.
"Exactly where I step, remember," she coached as she sidestepped a hidden snare.
Oren was puzzled at the comment about roots. It almost seemed like he was missing something, but there was no reason to ask about it. Regardless, just focusing on not falling was a good enough reason to drop the matter.
As Oren continued to climb he tightened his grip just a little bit Shyla's hand without realizing it. He could heal any minor injuries he incurred if he did fall but it was best not to use any more of his power before seeing who needed to be tended to and how badly they were hurt.
With a grin he replies, "Well then I guess I stumbled upon the best possible mountain guide I could ask for." And with that he continued watching Shyla's steps. There was no resistance to the reaching out of Shyla's Sight.
Oren's vision wavered for just a second and he blinked a few extra times. He was grateful for the brief pause as he waited to make sure nothing was wrong with his eyes. For the shortest second the perspective Shyla was getting from Oren's eyes took on a very faint purple hue and then returned to normal. When nothing further happened he shrugged and continued on. I don't sense anything wrong, maybe I just got a little sweat in my eye.
To anyone else it probably just looked like Shyla had paused for whatever reason and Oren just blinked a few more times than usual. The purple tinge would have only been visible to Oren, and by extension Shyla.
Oren's focus was mostly on where they were putting their feet, though he did occasionally glance up to see where the rest of the pack was and to get a better idea of just who Shyla was. She's dressed for the climate and well armed, but traveling light. Iron? He takes a closer look to see if she is carrying tools of iron or not.
"I'm not a child, I can follow your directions just fine," he says quietly as he just barely avoids stepping into the snare
"Mmm..." Shyla was preoccupied with the odd haze of violet over his vision. But it had passed quickly enough, so she didn't dwell on it too long.
"I'm sure you can," she murmured, though she didn't let go of his hand. Almost like she was humoring a child. "Aeris! Run ahead and tell the pack we're coming, yeah?"
"Already on it!" That was Stella calling back to her, the female lycan pausing a little further up the path as she waited for her sister. "So. You got much experience with mountain trekking, outsider?" Stella asked as they got closer.
As Shyla spoke Oren jerked his gaze back to the ground, realizing that he had been too distracted by examining how she was dressed and what she was carrying.
With his focus back on where he was going it was a lot less likely for Oren to step in the wrong place or trip on something. A small amount of pink embarrassment crept its way to Oren's face as he realized by the tone that she was humoring him. Still he didn't let go either and continued letting her lead him up the trail.
Oren turned towards Stella, trusting that he wouldn't make a mistake in the brief moments it took to respond, "No, the only mountains I've been in were those between Serendipity and Connlaoth. And I was with a trade caravan at the time. I wouldn't be here if I had a choice, no offense. I'm no adventurer." He pauses for a moment before adding, "I can't really tell you all apart yet but I don't think we've been introduced. May I know your name please?"
She snorted and replied shortly, "Stella."
Lowering her voice, Shyla murmured, "She's got more gray in her fur than most of the others." She knew her family were sensitive about how outsiders saw them.
"Nice to meet you then Stella, I'd offer to shake your hand but it is kind of occupied at the moment," he smiled in an attempt to ward off the awkwardness. Don't think she liked me being unable to tell them apart
Oren returned his focus to following Shyla, "Not that I'm bothered by it. I appreciate someone trying to keep me safe."
That made Stella smile, for lack of a better term, wolfishly. Shyla snorted and rolled her eyes as she tugged Oren further up the path. "Yeah, well don't get used to it. They don't pay me to babysit."
Stella snorted. "We don't pay you at all, pup," she rumbled, ruffling Shyla's hair.
Oren was greatly relieved to have the others joking between themselves, even if some of it was at his expense. Teasing he could deal with.
"Whoa, careful now. I can't reattach my arm if you pull it off," He grins towards Shyla even as he picks up his pace a bit to follow her. "I can take care of myself. Mostly." Well that sounded weak. They did find me alone and unprepared.
After making sure Shyla wasn't going to pull him off balance, her turned his attention back to Stella, "Are the rest of your group as friendly? I have to be honest that I've never worked on anyone like you all before."
Both Stella and Shyla rolled their eyes this time. "The Red Howlers are mercs, Oren," the elven girl said pointedly. "Friendly isn't really part of the job description." She shrugged. "They'll be nice enough for a healer though. Just don't expect hugs and kisses for your work."
Oren also shrugs, "I don't care what you do for a living. I've met unfriendly people before and so far you don't qualify. Honestly as long as my patients don't want to kill me that is enough."
It's Oren's turn to roll his eyes, though he does it in a way that he hopes no one can see. "We already discussed how I would like to be paid for my work. I don't expect anything else."
Yet another exchanged glance- though it probably seemed an odd gesture coming from a blind girl.
Neither Stella nor Shyla commented however, save for the lycan woman to call out suddenly, "Oi, incoming!"
The path suddenly flattened out as it reached a curve, and it was revealed that just around the corner there was a sort of plateau, a wide stretch of land that evened out up ahead, with the mountains rising into a high wall of protection all around it. A few smallish waterfalls fed into a trickling stream that flowed away from the plateau and into a larger fall near the northeastern edge, and the water provided a sudden burst of greenery- compared to the mountains' usually scraggly vegetation.
An obviously temporary but still impressively sized camp had been set up across the flatter land, some two or three dozen tents big enough to hold a small family, with three larger ones set back against the mountain face on the western side.
The Red Howlers milled about the camp, at least a hundred of them, probably more in the tents or out scouting. A familiar mahogany shape loped toward the newcomers on all fours, then straightened up and huffed. Aeris looked them over, than offered a savage grin.
"Welcome, outsider," he said, waving a hand at the camp behind him. Shyla dropped Oren's hand and drew her Sight back into herself. She didn't need it here.
For a blind woman, she sure acts like she can see a lot. It's a little unnerving but who am i to judge? Oren was jolted out of his own thoughts by the sudden warning and he flinched before realizing what she meant.
He took in the area with wide eyes. He expected something a lot smaller than this. There were more people in this camp than there were in his home village. Of course they had been farmers so they were more spread out. He'd always enjoyed watching as people went about their daily lives and he tried to take it all in. And that was not even including the sight of the waterfalls.
Oren had to shake his head to focus as Aeris addressed him and he barely noticed that Shyla had dropped his hand. "It's beautiful. I don't know what I expected, but this is far better than I could have imagined." He regains his composure and then in a more professional tone he asks, "Well should I start seeing to your injured?"
"Wait until Aeris introduces you," Shyla murmured out of the corner of her mouth.
Her brother nodded and clapped a hand on the healer's shoulder. "Come on, it'll be easiest if ya meet the council and get things over with-" His voice cut off in a brief, hacking cough.
Instantly Shyla was at his side, one hand on his heavily furred arm. Her head tilted as though she could look up into his face, though her eyes were fixed blankly on a point somewhere beside his left ear. "Ri? You alright?"
He waved her off with a grunt. "'M fine, just a cough. Quit worrying."
Oren nodded at Shyla, forgetting for a moment that she was blind, and then quickly added, "Ok."
He winced as the large hand clapped down on his should just a smidge too hard, but before he could agree to meet the council he was interrupted by Aeris' coughing fit. With a raised eyebrow he too turned to look up at the man. "If I had known you were ill I could have tried to treat you before you ran all the way here," he chastised, "Is this the sickness you were talking about?"
Oren clasped his hand over the larger man's and with a tone of compassion added, "If you need me to meet your council first I understand, but I will need to see to you. Preferably today."
"It was just a cough," Aeris repeated, irritated. "I'm not the one who's sick. We've got about a dozen fighters laid up a lot worse'n me, worry about them."
Shyla glowered in his direction. She couldn't very well say something in front of a stranger, but she was worried. Aeris was nearly twenty-five. He only had two years left, if he was lucky. Any little cough or fall or- or anything could be the end.
Oren planted his feet and stared Aeris in the eyes, "I will see to your people in worse shape first, but don't think I'm going to forget about you. Last thing you need is to become, as you put it, 'laid up' like the others."
After seeing the extra emotion on Shyla's face Oren turned to her and added in a softer tone, "If you need me to step away while you two talk, I can. I will stay within eyesight of course. Otherwise we should probably see this council so I can get to work."
Shyla shook her head quickly. "No. We should get you cleared to work on the injured as soon as possible, come on."
She started off toward one of the bigger tents- and for the first time in a long, long time she wasn't paying attention, she didn't know where she was walking, and her foot caught in an uneven dip in ground; easily avoidable if she'd been looking, and so commonplace for her to typically sidestep that none of her pack thought to warn her.
With a soft cry of surprise she went down, instinctively bracing her hands and knees. Damnit this is gonna hurt.
"Then lead the way. Fair warning: I don't really give off the best first impress- hey, be careful!," he was cut off as Shyla began to fall.
Oren was also getting used to Shyla navigating fine without her eyes but he had been prepared to follow her, guessing correctly that she would decline his offer to step away. For this reason he was in a decent position to notice her trip over the spot where rain and wind had worn a deep groove into the stone.
Without hesitation he leaped towards her. He didn't really expect to be able to catch her, but there was no reason not to try. He had just enough time for a single thought as he reached his arms out, At least I can fix it before it hurts too much
An almost imperceptible spark of violet light flicked between Oren's outstretched fingers in anticipation of being called upon to heal Shyla.
One hand caught her arm and somewhat deadened the impact of her fall, but it still certainly didn't feel good. She hissed out a breath between her teeth and tried to jerk away from Oren- because of course it was his hand, none of her family's hands were so small.
"I'm fine!" she snapped, angry and embarrassed, hands and knees stinging. Though not nearly as badly as she'd expected them to. In fact, the stinging was fading rather rapidly.
She frowned and twisted in what she thought was Oren's direction. "Did you heal me?"
Oren was surprised that he was able to reach Shyla so quickly. He hadn't kept her from falling but with one of his hands on her arm she hadn't hit the ground as hard. As his hand touched her, the tiny sparks of violet light jumping between his fingers grew into small tendrils that crept across her skin. The feeling was unexpected, but as they traveled across her skin they felt warm. Not the sickly warmth of a fever or the burning heat of a fire on a cold night, but the comforting warmth of an embrace from a loved one.
The injuries were slight, so Oren knew it would not take much of his power to heal. Even as Shyla protested the helping hand, tiny cuts and bruises that would not have revealed themselves for a day or two faded away. In fact any lingering cuts or bruises she had previously also faded. The magic did not however reach out to her eyes.
Oren ignored Shyla's embarrassment and claims that she was fine. He held on to her arm with a gentle but firm grip as the last of the minor injuries were healed and the magic faded from view. "Of course I healed you. That's why I'm here isn't it?" His smile faded as he saw her frowning. To give her an excuse to reduce the embarrassment he added,with a wink, "Wouldn't be good for the healer you hired to introduce himself after ignoring an injured member of your group."
With that he let go of her arm, assuming she would prefer to stand on her own. He stood next to her with his hand offered to help her get up if she chose to use it. Otherwise he politely waited to be lead to the council.
"Hmph." Shyla tossed her hair, trying to hide her embarrassment. She hated it when things like that happened- it was why she made a point of being so confident on the path. She could get along fine. Even without her Sight.
"Just- don't waste your magic on me," she grumbled. Aeris huffed, reaching out to touch her shoulder, and she shrugged him off. "Come on, it's this way."
The small group trudged toward the largest tent in the camp, then Shyla paused and braced her hand out beside her to stop Oren. Aeris nodded at her and ducked inside.
"We need to wait for him to announce you," the elven girl muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
Oren stood silently next to Shyla and grinned when she stood back up without his help. He felt no awkwardness or embarrassment even as he put his empty hand back down to his side. He was elated to be healing people again without the risk of being killed for it. Oren looked over Shyla again and recognized that she was uncomfortable with what had happened and his smile faded a little. It seems like she doesn't like needing help from others. Maybe she thinks it makes her look weak? Wouldn't be the first time I had a patient like that.
He leaned towards Shyla to whisper quietly to only her, "I'm sorry for healing you without asking. I acted without considering how you would feel and will ask first next time." In case others were watching he spoke a little louder for their benefit, "Your injuries were minor, it took barely any of my power."
Oren followed the others to the large tent, taking in the sights of the active camp. He smiled without showing teeth and nodded at anyone who seemed to look at him and made sure he didn't stare anyone in the eyes too much. He didn't really know how to act with the lycanthropes around but he remembered some basics about how to act around wary dogs. It probably wasn't applicable here, but it was the best he had.
As Shyla paused by the entrance to the tent, Oren also stopped. The hand holding him back was almost funny. He supposed it was her turn to assist him when he didn't really need it.
While waiting Oren tried to use his fingers to tame his hair a bit and fidgeted with his clothing. He really wasn't dressed for introductions but he would have to make do. He was also nervous that he might say or do the wrong thing and anger this council of theirs.
Shyla grunted in acknowledgement, gruff, but it did make her feel a bit better that he planned to ask before healing her again.
She could feel his fidgeting and rolled her eyes. "What are you fussing with? It sounds like your rubbing a bunch of cloth together, could you please stop?"
Well this is going well. Hope the others aren't too proud to take my help or it'll quite a short stay.
Oren could almost feel the eye rolling coming from Shyla as he waited anxiously to be led in before the council. "Just making myself presentable. I can stop if it is bothering you so much. How long is this going to take?"
He really was going to just let his clothes be, but all the eye rolling stuck in his mind. The hint of a grin crossed his face and he shuffled a bit to make his cloak rub against his shoulders one more time.
"Okay, now your just doing it on purpose," Shyla muttered, twisting slightly to give him a deadpan look.
Before she could snap at him, Aeris and Stella returned. "Come on," he brother said brusquely, gesturing for them to follow inside the tent.
Oren did his best to hide his smile as he raised his palms up in surrender. Before he was able to take a step back from Shyla the others had returned to open the flaps for the tent and bid them enter. He was glad that whatever reaction Shyla was about to lash out with had also been interrupted, though he expected some sort of retaliation later.
Oren simply nodded to Aeris and Stella and followed them into the tent. In his rush, anxious to get this over with, he didn't pay any mind to whether he should have let Shyla go ahead of him or just follow the others as they had asked.
The large tent was certainly no castle, not that Oren had ever been inside one, but the interior was comfortable enough and clearly the people here had designed it to show their respect for the members of the council. What struck him the most, however was the pressure that important people were here and awaiting him to judge his worth. Just the thought of what could go wrong made his stomach lurch.
All the very limited knowledge Oren had of etiquette cycled through his head as they entered. Do I bow or kneel? How should I address them? I'm not prepared for this. In the end he decided that he would keep his head respectfully bowed and just try to be as polite as possible once he was called upon. Maybe with some luck one of the others would speak first and give him an idea of what to do.
Inside the tent, the council were sitting around the embers of what had once been a rather large fire, most in various states of "lounging". There were twelve members, and they rotated monthly, to ensure that the pack was run with input from as many of its members as possible.
"This is Oren," Aeris said bluntly as the group ducked inside. "He's a healer, and we're in sore need of one. Any objections?"
The full dozen council members gave the human a quick once-over, and most shrugged or grunted an affirmation of their consent.
Shyla nodded, as though she'd seen the entire interaction. "Alright. If you've got anything to declare, now's the time," she told Oren under her breath, nudging him forward a step
All of Oren's ridiculous expectations and worries flew straight out the vent at the top of the tent. These people barely even seemed to care who he was. No matter, he wasn't here to be noticed and to be honest he didn't really want to be questioned either.
When the council didn't seem to object to his presence in their camp, he breathed a sigh of relief. That was much better than I expected, I don't even have to speak and I can get right to-
His thoughts were interrupted by Shyla, and the nudge was enough to make him step forward and stumble. He nearly fell, but steadied himself as the heat of embarrassment rose inside him at nearly making a fool of himself in front of so many people.
He cleared his throat and started, hesitantly, "Um, I'm Oren. I-I can heal your people with my touch, but I can't tell you what caused any diseases. I told the others what, uh, compensation I would like but I can negotiate with you if you aren't happy with it..."
"You're fine, lad," one of the men said with a wave of his hand. "We just needed to know who you are. The council rules that you're free to practice your arts in this camp."
Aeris nodded with a soft huff. Shyla turned to lead Oren back out of the tent, calling, "Come on, I can lead you to the infirmary-"
Before she could take more than two steps, a new lycan came charging into the tent on all fours, skidding to a stop before looming onto her hind legs, panting. "Erik-" she gasped between breaths. "Out hunting- he fell- bleeding bad-"
Before she'd finished, Aeris scooped Shyla up by the scruff of her neck and dropped her onto his back as he fell forward onto four paws and took off. The elven girl buried her fingers in his ruff as she leaned low over his neck.
"Oren! This way, hurry!"
Oren had started to trail off but finished silencing himself completely as the man spoke. He once again was thrown off by how casual the council was being. He wasn't upset, as it was a good thing for his needs, but it stuck in his mind that someone with more ill intentions than him could pose a serious risk to these people.
Oren bowed respectfully, if a little clumsily, towards the man who had spoken and then replied to all of the council members, "Thank you all for your time. I will do everything within my power to help care for your sick and injured people."
With a quiet but audible sigh of relief, he turned to follow the lead of Shyla. At least now he could get to things he knew how to do. He figured that depending on the number of the most severe patients, he should be able to see to quite a few before sunset. At the very least he could determine a priority for the rest.
Oren only had enough time to take a single step towards Shyla before the new Lycan woman came sliding her way into the tent. Oren was glad he was following the others, as if he had been in front he might have been bowled over by mistake. As it was he flinched and jumped a little away from where the woman entered.
As what the woman was saying started sinking in Oren's heart started thumping and a serious look took over his face. Gone were the palms sweaty with nerves. Oren was actually calm despite his body preparing to leap into action. He always had been calm when preparing to use his power.
This hunter was very likely bleeding out from what the woman was saying. Oren had no time to hesitate or think and didnt even reply to Shyla. Instead he started running after Aeris as fast as he could. There was no way he could keep up but he was doing the best he could.
Winter, the she-wolf that had come with the news, grabbed Oren by the scruff of his neck and threw him onto her back as she went tearing after Aeris and Shyla, not bothering to ask permission or even really warn him. She'd just been told he was the healer, and that was enough for her.
Ahead, Aeris panted, "Even if we get there in time...he may not be able to do anything-"
"Don't say that," Shyla snapped, curling her fingers tighter in his fur. He's only twenty-six, it's too soon...
Oren flailed for a moment and gave a yelp as he was startled by being grabbed from behind. Humans weren't really made to be grabbed by the neck. It was a little painful but the sudden loss of control over where he was going was more jarring. As Oren realized what was happening though, he stopped trying to fight her off and let her pick him up. Not that he really had a choice in the matter of course, as his feet dangled above the ground. He felt his power start to tingle in his neck but suppressed it. Better to save everything he had left for the seriously injured person.
Landing on top of the running she-wolf knocked the wind out of Oren. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to quickly grab hold of the thick fur around her neck and he squeezed his knees as best he could against her back. He then could safely take a breath and look around him.
Oren had never even been on a horse before, so the experience of riding at this speed and seeing things go by that fast was mildly terrifying. Right. Priorities. If this gets me there faster, there's a better chance I can help. With that he closed his eyes and focused on holding on as tight as could.
He did lean a bit closer to the woman's head and yelled so she would be able to hear him, "I know you need to save your breath for running so don't worry about trying to respond. When we get there it is important that the injured one doesn't get moved at all. Not an inch until I can put my hands on him." And even then I may not be able to do much if he has lost anything too vital. Hope they don't blame me if that's the case, he thought to himself.
Winter didn't bother to respond, and soon enough the small group reached the crevice where Erik had fallen. The lycan was caught between two jagged rocks at the base of the dip, and there was an awful lot of blood painting the stone.
Shyla, using the ravens that had already begun circling as her eyes, hurried down into the gap. She could fit better and faster than the lycans. "Hey, brother," she murmured quietly as she approached, reaching for Erik's hand.
His paw twitched weakly as he fingers touched it and he gave a ragged, chuffing laugh, then coughed, red staining his lips. "Hey there, pup."
Winter and Oren arrived shortly after Shyla climbed down to check on Erik. When Winter stopped, Oren opened his eyes again, let go of her fur and slid down to the ground without wasting any time.
He walked over to peer down into the crevice and get an idea of the situation. Noting the large amount of blood, the difficulty breathing and the red stains on Erik's lips Oren guessed there were significant internal injuries. Most likely the man's lungs were injured, maybe punctured.
Oren turned toward Winter and Aeris and in a stern voice he started giving instructions, "One of you two help me get down there without falling or knocking loose rocks down onto him. Then you can stay up here to keep an eye out. The other will come down to help hold him still if need be." He turned back towards Shyla and called out, "Shyla, I need you to keep him calm and still. Slow breaths, but don't force him to make them too deep if he starts coughing."
Oren then took of his cloak and tossed it out of the way. With the help of one of the lycans he lowered himself carefully down to where Shyla and Eric were. He rolled up his sleeves and kneeled down in the blood next to Erik. "Erik, my name is Oren and i'm going to heal you. Just try to be as calm and still as you can. Focus on Shyla's hand." He then closed Shylas' hand around Erik's fingers.
A bright violet glow lit up the crevice as it poured out form Oren's eyes and hands. He leaned over Erik and placed one hand on the man's chest and the other on the side of his neck. As he made contact tendrils of light began leaping from Oren's hands and traveling across the lycan's body, investigating every injury big or small but focusing most of their energy towards his torso.
To Erik this would have felt as if all of a sudden his body was being submerged into a nice warm bath and his pain was dulled but not removed entirely. Oren was focused more on trying to heal the injuries than giving comfort. The first phase of trying to heal an injury like this was to scout out the damage and determine which things were in immediate need of focus and which could wait. Oren wasn't a trained physician and his power didn't work that way. His diagnosis was more of a series of feelings that he got as the tendrils of light made their way across the body. His main focus was on stopping any major bleeds and making sure Erik could breath without choking or drowning in his own blood.
While Oren worked he did not notice or care that his clothes and hands were being completely soaked by the blood. Indeed while he was concentrating on this task he didn't notice much of anything outside of what was happening to Erik. He could hear and respond to the others if needed but if he broke contact, things could turn out badly for both of them.
Shyla watched through the eyes of the circling birds, clutching Erik's hand. There was...something off, something wrong with the healer's attempted magic. As though something in the lycan was actively fighting against being saved.
"Please..." Shyla didn't realize she was speaking out loud, bowing over her brother like a mourner. "Please, please, please..."
Oren could feel the extent of the damage inside Erik's body. He could tell that his power could repair the internal injuries and keep the lycan man from bleeding out. The trouble was every time one of his tendrils of healing magic tried to seal a tear the man's body seemed to be doing everything it could to oppose him.
What is going on here? This is something far beyond normal injuries.
Oren was confused by how the body was fighting against his every attempt to heal. He would have to ask the others what was going on later, but he couldn't drop his focus on what he was doing for even a second. Determined to keep Erik alive he poured more and more healing energy into him. Much more than he normally used on a single person. For every little tear that would normally have one tendril working on it he sent three.
Beads of sweat began to run down Oren's face. He knew he couldn't keep up with this amount of healing magic for too long. He had passed his usual safety limit and was starting to see black spots. All of a sudden all the violet light ceased pouring from Oren's hands and eyes and he slumped over onto Erik's chest. A few lingering tendrils of violet light danced through Erik's body and then dispersed.
Shyla cursed quietly and leaned forward to catch Oren, easing him gently to the side with one arm while she still clutched Erik's paw with her other hand.
He wasn't breathing.
Tears stung at her eyes and she clenched them shut, cutting off her Sight with the ravens. "Aeris-" Her voice cracked and she bowed her head.
Winter whimpered, then howled quietly. Aeris gave a soft, pained sigh before slowly climbing down into the crevice to take the unconscious healer from Shyla's arms. "Get him back to camp," the girl whispered. "I- I'll stay with Erik."
"Shyla..."
"Just go."
Oren's limp, blood-soaked form didn't put up any resistance as Aeris carried him. He was breathing and his heartbeat was fine but otherwise he was dead to the world. Oren never dreamt when he was like this. To him it was like one moment he was desperately trying to heal someone and the next he was clawing his way out of thick mud to reach consciousness again.
He winced as he tried to open his eyes and was nearly blinded by even the dimmest of lights. His head pounded and he had the distinct impression that the world was spinning around him. Oren coughed, trying to find his voice to ask where he was.
He couldn't use his power to heal even his headache, but it normally subsided after a bit of time and some food and water. The trouble was, he knew that he had failed. He had felt Erik's body going limp even as he had lost consciousness. Oren wanted very much to puke.
"Easy there." Feeling the healer stir, Aeros paused and tried to set the younger man up in a seated position. "You alright, lad?" he asked gruffly after giving Winter a quick nod to go on ahead to the camp and bring the others the news.
Oren squeezed his arms around his head trying to reduce the headache and keep the world from spinning. Sitting up had helped a bit but he still couldn't open his eyes yet. "I'll be ok in a while." He frowned deeply, "I tried so hard. Why didn't you all tell me there was something else wrong? Something was fighting me."
He paused to take a deep breath, "I'm afraid I may not be much use to you all if that's how all your injured are. At any rate i'm tapped out for today. I might be able to see to a few minor wounds after a few hours but if I start to black out again i'll have to stop. I'm sorry."
"Nah, don't push yourself." Aeris laid a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. "Look...it's sort of a long story. Not all our injuries are like that, Erik is- he was getting close-" He sighed. "It's complicated. And personal. Kind of a family secret. But I'll...explain what I can. Once you've rested up, alright?"
Oren wanted steel himself and push back. To insist on being told the reason he wasn't able to heal the Lycan. If he had known.... no that would have changed little. Oren would still have done his best to save Erik and still probably have pushed and pushed until he blacked out.
Besides, Oren's head was still pounding hard enough to make it difficult to focus. The nausea had abated a little but he didn't trust himself to not fall over. "Water. Can I have some water please?" he asked weakly.
Still with his arms wrapped around his head he turned toward where the hand on his shoulder lead. "Is everyone going to be ok dealing with this loss?" He winced as the pounding in his head worsened and he decided to rest back against Aeris again.
"Back at camp," Aeris responded gruffly. His grip was gentle though as he tried to pull the healer to his feet. "Don't have a flask on me, but we can get you something to drink and maybe some food once we get back."
He didn't bother answering the second question. They'd be okay; the Red Howlers were used to losing members of their pack. That never made it easier.
The promise of water and maybe even food was enough to distract Oren a little from the splitting pain in his head. "Ok, then lets get back there. I think I can walk with a little help." He wavered and stumbled, nearly falling again, but with the gentle help of Aeris he made it to his feet.
Oren stopped holding onto his head so that he could cling to Aeris' arm instead. He opened his eyes just a crack and the whole world around him started swimming. He started to get dizzy and quickly shut them again. It would be better to just focus on walking and let Aeris make sure he didn't trip too much.
It was excruciatingly slow but they were able to start heading back to the camp. Oren didn't comment about how Aeris hadn't responded to his second question. There was no good answer to that type of question, no matter how many times he had tried asking it in the past.
"Here." Aeris picked the healer up by the back of his shirt and craned around to drop him onto his back. "This is easier for everyone. Just hang on."
Oren moaned as the sudden movement made his head spin but he was glad for the offer. If truth be told he really preferred to be riding and not walking in his state. He buried his face in the softer fur of Aeris' back and clung to him like a child.
So warm and comfortable, I think I could just...No! I can't sleep now or i'll fall off.
Oren held on as best he could and by the time they started getting back to camp his headache had abated quite a bit. Enough that he could open his eyes and look around again, though he chose to keep his face buried in the fur instead. He didn't want to look at any of the faces of the others until he had to.
He wasn't quite ready to deal with their disappointment and sadness. Some healer he was, unable to do his job and then he couldn't even comfort the survivors either. Hidden from view, he brushed his face against the fur to wipe a few tears out of his eyes.
Aeris continued on to the camp in awkward silence. They arrived a few minutes after Winter, so the news at least had already been delivered. A younger Howler approached their leader cautiously, murmuring, "We sent Lila, Tan, and Alan to get Shyla and- and the body."
Aeris nodded solemnly, kneeling down to let Oren get off his back. "Get the lad to a bed, he needs rest."
Oren was too consumed with holding on and letting himself recover on the way back to break the awkward silence. Not that he would have known what else to say.
They lost someone and only time will help them move on. There's nothing I can say to make it better.
Oren half climbed, half slid his way down to the ground. He was standing and could walk but he was still a little wobbly on his feet. At least he could open his eyes and watch where he was going though. "Thank you for helping me back Aeris. I'm sorry." He was about to ask the younger Howler to assist him with walking but then he finally looked down to see the blood. "I can walk, I don't want to get blood on you." He walked towards them to follow towards wherever he was supposed to go. "But water before anything else please."
"I got it." A different Howler stepped forward, offering an arm for the healer to lean on. "C'mon. We can get you into one of the communal tents," he offered.
The group that had gone to recover Shyla and Erik's body returned soon after, the elven girl much more subdued than normal.
"Where's Oren?" she asked Aeris, who'd been talking quietly with Winter about funeral arrangements. Her brother nodded toward one of the larger tents and she moved toward it almost in a daze.
Oren sighed, he really did prefer to have someone help him so he wouldn't risk falling. He felt like it made him seem really weak though, especially considering he hadn't been able to help Erik. Oh the fragile little human man, making a big show of collapsing even though he didn't do anything.
He reluctantly accepted the arm to lean on and followed the Howler with just a quiet little "thank you." With the Howler's help he slowly made his way into the indicated communal tent. Once he could sit down inside he asked politely for some water to drink and a bowl to wash his hands in. The blood-soaked clothes could wait a little longer but Oren preferred to at least clean his hands. Eventually he would want some food too, but that could wait a bit longer. He may or may not have been thinking straight. It had been a while since he lost a patient.
Oren had managed to drink a little water and scrub most of the blood off his hands by the time Shyla and the rest returned to camp. He had asked someone for a new bowl of water so he could finish cleaning. Despite being in the tent, Oren shivered a bit from sitting in the damp clothing.
He looked up as Shyla entered but his face held very little emotion on it. He told himself he had come to terms with the death itself, however that was mostly a lie and he would still be reeling from the pain the others were experiencing. He had lost a few patient before but normally he would have left their loved ones to their grief. That wasn't exactly possible here and, if he was honest, he wanted to stay and try to help these people even if he could have left.
The dull throbbing of his head snapped Oren out of his thoughts and he rose to try to speak to Shyla. "Shyla, I'm sorry... I..." What is there to say? Is she angry? Does she regret bringing me here? Is she going to hurt me to ease her own pain? He gave up and sat back down. The only option was to let her decide what she wanted to do first and then try to deal with that as it came.
The girl waved him off brusquely. "Don't do that. You did your best, it's not your fault," she muttered flatly.
Aeris, having ducked into the tent after her, rumbled low in his throat and shot the healer a look. "Shy," he said slowly. "We owe the lad an explanation."
She glanced sightlessly in his direction. "You sure?"
He rumbled again and nodded, raising her hand to his chin so she could feel the gesture. Sighing, Shyla turned back to Oren. "If you're feeling up for it, come walk with me."
Blunt. Well I guess its better than some other ways she could be acting
Oren probably shouldn't have agreed to walk around with Shyla. His headache was still there and he was liable to get dizzy if he exerted himself too much. There was something important going on here though. Something that Oren absolutely needed to learn about if he was going to stay and help any of these people. He also didn't want to keep looking so weak in front of everyone.
"I'm fine," he lied even as he held himself off from wincing at the headache, "I'll follow you, just take it slow please." Oren dried his hands off on his clothes, being careful to avoid getting any of the blood back on his hands. He then stood up and walked over to follow Shyla out of the tent. "Also you can take your time explaining whatever is going on here. It's obviously something very serious and whether you want to show it or not you are in pain."
"No, it's fine." She shrugged, easily making her way to the edge of camp even without a proxy sight. "We're all used to it now."
She sighed quickly and picked her way into the low shrubbery that surrounded the encampment, gesturing for Oren to follow. "There's a thing around here somewhere...ah! Here."
She found-- well, "stubbed her toe on"-- an old, gnarled stump and took a seat. A brisk nod indicated he should do the same. "Alright, this'll probably be easiest if you tell me what exactly you want to know, one question at a time."
'Used to it'? How many of their people have died like this?
Oren was a little confused why she was leading him into the brush around the camp, but he wasn't about to ask. He was tired, hungry and his head was throbbing. Fortunately it wasn't long before she found what she was looking for. With her toe, of course. Oren didn't even bother to ask if she hurt her foot. She would've just shrugged him off anyway. He simply eased himself down to sit next to her on the old stump. A stray thought passed through his mind: It's quiet here partially hidden from the camp.
"It felt like his body was actively fighting me every step of the way. I used more than triple the normal amount of healing energy than should have been necessary but it still wasn't nearly enough. Do you know what was causing that?" Sitting down was good. As long as he wasn't exerting himself he could focus on his thoughts and speaking. He wouldn't be very eloquent or probably even all that kind with his words, but he would do his best. Oren was still a caring person and Shyla didn't need someone getting angry at her right now. Even if he had been brought into a situation he was completely unprepared for.
Shyla sighed and drew one knee up to her chest, face turned out over the mountains as though she could see the rocky view.
"It's...sort of complicated," she murmured. "And I-- I'm sorry it was like that. For you. I didn't know it would drain you like that." She sighed again and shook her head. "We've never had a magical healer around before, I thought you might be able to...help."
She pursed her lips, quiet a few moments longer, then mumbled, "It's a curse. Everyone has it, the whole pack. Well, everyone except me."
Oren wasn't really sure what to do. He looked over towards the mountains but he clearly wasn't getting whatever she was out of the view. It was pretty, he guessed, but they were just rocks to him and held no special meaning.
She's blind you dummy. This isn't about the actual view.
He wasn't sure why he had to keep reminding himself of her condition. Perhaps it was because she seemed stronger and more capable than him despite his eyes, at least for the most part.
Oren tried patting her on the shoulder in a very awkward attempt to comfort her. "You-you really don't have to apologize to me. I'm ok," he winced, "or I will be. How can I expect you to know how my magic works when even I only don't fully understand it?"
He grimaced when she finally told him that the pack was cursed. A curse that strong was not something he would be able to break as far as he knew. Not that he would even have the faintest idea of how one would try. Everyone except you? Why... never mind, that can come later.
"Does the curse prevent all healing or just for certain injuries? Also is this the 'sickness' you were talking about? If so I don't know that there will be anything I can do." It was more than one question at a time, but he was hoping she wouldn't mind too much.
Shyla exhaled harshly and shook her head. One question at a time.
"As far as we know, the curse only prevents healing injuries that are-- are meant to kill someone, I guess," she murmured. "And no, it's not the sickness. This is...different. Older."
She lowered her head, staring blankly at her lap. "Every member of the pack will die before their twenty-seventh birthday. Sometime's it's weeks, even a month before, sometimes it's a matter of hours or minutes. But all of them will die, without fail." She shook her head. "Erik was twenty-six."
Oren could have smacked himself. He had been wrong. He was going too quickly in his haste to get this over with.
He forced himself to slow down, take a breath, and listen carefully to what Shyla was saying. Pushing too hard, too quickly would only result in both of them getting frustrated or hurt. She was still talking so he took that as a good sign.
"So the pack is cursed to never be able to grow old then? I guess at least I can help your younger members for sure. As long as this sickness isn't related to the curse I should be able to help with that too. After i've helped who I can maybe we can try to figure out more about this curse, but it isn't really something I know much about."
Shyla shook her head. "The sickness is just a sickness. We haven't been able to figure out what it is, but we at least know it's not magical."
She shrugged and wrung her fingers together. "And it's more than the age thing. The curse. It's also why they're all..." She gestured vaguely. "Furry. They should be lycanthropes, wolf shifters, but they're all...stuck. Caught halfway between one form and another."
Oren's face softened and he tried to put as much compassion into his voice as he could, "Shyla, if it's not magical I should be able to take care of it. Any other injuries that aren't being... enhanced... by the curse too. It may take some time but I don't really have anywhere else I need to be."
Unfortunately the curse was something entirely different. Everything he learned about it seemed to point to something carefully designed to make it difficult for the pack to live while also ensuring they could not fit in to normal society. It was no wonder they had to make camp up here in the mountains.
Someone really wants this pack to suffer in isolation don't they?
Oren couldn't help himself. He put his hand over Shayla's to try and stop her from wringing them together. In a very gentle but stern voice he said, "Stop. One thing at a time. I'll heal the others and then I promise to try to help you figure out more about this curse. I don't think there's anything else I need to ask you about the curse tonight."
There were probably other things he could have thought of but at that point there was no need to further stress Shyla, or himself for that matter. He knew enough to do his job and perhaps he could ask anything else that came to mind at another time when they were having a better day.
Shyla nodded slowly, knees still drawn to her chest. "Thanks," she murmured, eyes fixed blankly on the ground. "We'll compensate you for this, I'll make sure of it."
"As far as i'm concerned you are my patient too while we are here. If you need something from me just ask. I believe you when you say that you will compensate me but really that's not my focus. I don't help people for the money. I do it because they need it and because I am able to." Oren smiled kindly even though he knew that Shyla couldn't see him.
Oren figured that maybe a change of subject might help things a little. "So, it seemed like you were familiar with this private stump in the bushes. Do you come here often?"
Shyla huffed a small laugh and glanced in his direction-- a little off to the side, but that couldn't be helped.
"Subtle," she noted wryly, but she shrugged and answered, "Sometimes. If I need to get away from everyone for a bit. We haven't been at this camp long though, just about three months."
The laugh was good to hear. It meant she was actually listening to Oren and not focusing completely on the loss and pain. Baby steps were still progress. He resisted the urge to try to correct where she was looking. It was close enough.
"You've spent most of the day around me, haven't you noticed? I'm the best at being subtle," he grinned at her. "Thank you for sharing your hiding spot with me. Even if you've only been here three months i'm sure it still means something to you. What's it like living with this pack? The good things; i've heard enough of the bad for now."
He was curious but more than that he felt they could use some positive thoughts too.
Shyly huffed a bit under her breath and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling just slightly. "It's...it's basically like living with a couple dozen older siblings," she settled on after a moment. "Really protective older siblings."
"I couldn't imagine having so many older siblings. Two were enough for me," Oren laughed. "Actually once they realized I wasn't ever going to be the big strong farming type like them they mostly left me alone unless I got into trouble."
Oren carefully moved to stand up and stretch a bit as he looked around at the camp and the area in general. "I guess with all those protective siblings you must be pretty safe even up here in the mountains. I think I understand why they mean so much to you though if they're all like siblings to you." His headache had returned and he was a little cold but his attention wasn't on himself. It was the same flaw that had led to him being bedridden in the past when his ability was revealed and everyone flooded his home to be healed.
She shrugged with a soft grunt and pursed her lips. She didn't much like talking about...this. Emotions. Ick.
"We should get back," she muttered, getting to her feet and dusting at her breeches. "You hungry?"
From the face Shyla was giving him Oren was quite sure their chat was finishing. Whether it was the topic of siblings or what he wasn't sure. Either way she was making it pretty clear that it was time to get back, even before she said as much,
"Right, I don't think there is anything else I need to know for now. I'll let you lead the way since you're the expert," it was stupid but Oren felt like maybe she would be happier showing off her ability to get around perfectly fine without sight. At any rate he knew better than to ask if she would be ok finding her way.
"I'm star-," He caught himself before he came across as too needy. Oren was a guest, supposedly there in a professional role as healer, and regardless of how hungry he was he couldn't let that make him rude. "I mean I would like some food if it wouldn't be too much trouble." He prepared to follow Shyla back either way.
Shyla smiled a bit, glancing in his general direction. "You can just say you're hungry, y'know. We don't stand on ceremony much here," she assured with a quiet laugh.
Without thinking, she reached out to grab his arm and pull him back from an uneven section of path that she knew he was moving toward. She'd tripped over it herself more times than she cared to admit, so she knew exactly where it was from memory.
"I'll ask for some grub, and see if we can get you set up in a tent for the night," she continued casually.
If Shyla could have seen his face it would have been very clear how embarrassed he was. "I-I wasn't trying to be fancy or anything. Just I was taught to be polite when you're a guest." In his mildy flustered state and distracted a bit by his fatigue, hunger and his headache he came very close to tripping on part of the path. A few rocks had made the area uneven and quite dangerous to anyone not being careful.
Oren was startled when Shyla grabbed his arm and yanked it and he couldn't fully stifle the tiny yelp escaping from his throat. His face and the tips of his ears felt hot as he realized she was yet again saving him from falling on his face. "Thanks for that," he said sheepishly, "That's all I need now right? More bruises to heal." And still looking like a child who can't keep themself safe. Wonderful.
"Something warm would be great. As for sleeping I feel like I could probably lay down on a rock and still sleep through the night," he said as he smiled. It was true, the promise of a meal and a safe place to sleep sounded just about perfect to him right then.
She chuckled again and nodded. "Well, we can probably do better than a rock, but maybe not by much," she admitted with a wry smile as she led him back into camp.
Shyla directed the healer to wait while she went off to discuss his sleeping arrangements with the alpha. It didn't seem to take her long, she'd returned in just a few minutes, though her expression was a little sour.
"Come on, let's get you food," she muttered a little gruffly, steering him toward the cook fires. "Looks like you'll be bunking with me tonight. It's the only space we've got room."
Oren smiled at the joke about doing better than a rock, but he had only been exaggerating a little bit. He was exhausted. So exhausted that when Shyla left him to go find out about the available accommodations he ended up just sitting on the ground while he waited. As he leaned up against a support for one of the tents he was tempted to just let himself fall asleep right there.
Only the promise of food kept him from letting his eyes close for too long. Still if she had taken too much longer she probably would have found him asleep. When she did return Oren started out of his daze and climbed to his feet, though the action made his head spin a bit and he felt wobbly for a moment.
Shyla didn't look happy and that was a little worrying. All she had gone to do was look for where Oren was going to sleep. How could that have gone wrong? He was a bit put out by her gruffness and frustration but the promise of food had most of his attention. "Great, I really am hungry." The smell coming from the cook fires seemed to intensify as he thought about the food. It didn't even really matter what kind of food it was at that point.
When she explained what the problem was he paused even though he was so hungry. "I'm sorry. I promise i'll try not to snore very much and I can sleep on the ground- no problem." Sharing a room with other people was something he was used to but still. This was her home and now she was being forced to spend more time with him even though she had just spent most of the day dealing with him.
Shyla snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't worry about that. I've got an extra bedroll somewhere, it's not that big a deal," she huffed.
She tried to hide her irritation-- it wasn't like it was Oren's fault, she just didn't enjoy sharing her space. Taking a breath, she glanced back toward where she though he was and said with a little less gruffness, "Come on, I'll take you over to the campfire. You eat meat, right?"
That was certainly a relief. Oren was perfectly happy with a spare bedroll to sleep on as long as he wasn't bothering her too much. Not that he had any real say in either part of that. At any rate he could tell she wasn't happy with the arrangement and he really didn't want to make things any worse.
When Shyla glanced back, more or less towards him, he was glad that her voice was at least a little bit less annoyed. "Of course I eat meat," he nodded, forgetting once more that she couldn't see it. His face brightened at the prospect of food. Hot, fresh food at that. As if to punctuate his thoughts his stomach made aloud gurgling growling noise that he was afraid could be heard for miles.
Oren probably could have followed his nose towards the smell of cooking meet and a nice large cooking fire, but he followed Shyla's direction. She was in charge.
She raised her hands placatingly at him emphatic assertion. "Hey, I've known a few healers we didn't partake of flesh," she replied in a lofty, sing-song tone. "Far be it from me to assume."
As they approached the fire the Howlers greeted them with a mixture of curiosity for Oren and playful teasing for Shyla. For someone who didn't know better, the passing of their brother seemed not to have phased them in the least.
But Shyla did know better, and she felt Erik's absence like a hole in her world. It would fade, with time, it always did-- but she knew it would flare up again from time to time, when someone spoke of his mother or sisters who had died before him, or his younger brother who was sure to come next. Or even just smelling his favorite food, hearing the call of those stupid bluejays he'd loved so much. That was how it had been with Ivan, Veronica, Yuri, Ayla...
"Here, eat." She shoved a plate into Oren's hand and flopped down onto a sideways log that seemed to be serving as a bench near the fire.
Oren laughed, "Well this healer ain't too picky about what he eats. Food is food. Hot food is even better."
The curiosity of the rest of the Howlers around the fire felt a little weird but Oren didn't mind. Once his gifts were known to people they usually treated him with some mixture of curiosity. He tried not to act too timid or weak in the hopes that he would make a good impression. It probably wasn't a very good job of acting.
Oren was surprised at how they all seemed to have moved on from the death of one of their own so quickly. he had to remind himself that based on what Shyla had told him they were sadly used to seeing a lot of their pack-mates fall at a young age. Perhaps they were just decent at hiding their grieving. He looked over at Shyla and though she had a tough face on she seemed just a little bit distracted. Enough for Oren to believe she was thinking about the loss.
He was pretty sure there was nothing he could do to help her or the rest of them with the grieving. That wasn't the type of healing he was capable of. Instead he quietly and gratefully accepted the plate of food and sat down near Shyla on the log.
"Thanks for the food," he said around the mouthful of food as his hunger defeated his manners. "And thank you for trying so hard to keep me from falling on my face today," he added in a much quieter tone. It was probably still audible to the others around them but Oren wasn't really trying to be all that secretive about it.
"Hey, no problem." Shyla shrugged a little awkwardly. "I mean, for both. Either. Whatever." She shrugged again, "looking" out away over the campfire. "Honestly, if I didn't have help I'd be on my ass half the time wandering these mountains," she admitted with an almost nervous little chuckle.
That was a lot of shrugging. It was like she was trying extra hard to make it seem like nothing that was going on was a big deal. Oren couldn't get a read on her. Earlier she had been so stubborn and sure of herself and then she had been hiding her distress at the death of Erik. Then this new awkwardness had shown up. Maybe his head was just messing with him but she seemed like she might be more vulnerable than she was pretending to be.
Once more with that staring off into the distance too. People with normal sight did it sometimes when they were actually thinking about other things but something about her doing it while blind made it more fascinating. He wondered what it was she saw in her mind when she looked out over the fire.
Distracted by rambling thoughts of his own and the mouthfuls of glorious warm food it took Oren a bit to realize he had let things fall into a weird awkward silence with just the sounds of the other people coming and going.
What was she saying? Oh right, needing help to survive.
Oren swallowed the food he had been eating and took a break to speak again, chuckling a a little because he couldn't imagine Shyla actually having difficulty getting around. "I think you'd do a lot better without help than I would. Although with me here any little falls you might have can be fixed real quick."
The girl tilted her head slightly toward the sound of his voice, lips twitching slightly at the corner in the barest hint of a smile. "Oh. Right."
She was so used to people just knowing about her Sight that she'd forgotten it wasn't something...well, obvious about her.
It was...sort of funny.
Rather abruptly, she turned toward him and extended a hand slightly. "Can I see you?"
True, she'd seen him through the eyes of birds and her packmates, but that was...distant, in a way. It was Sight, true enough, but touch and sound and scent were her real eyes. She knew Oren's voice, the sound of his footsteps, the way his breath caught in exertion-- those were easy. But there were aspects of "seeing" that she needed permission for.
Oren had first thought she was making some sort of very strange joke. One that had clearly flown right over his head. She was blind, why was she asking if she could see him?
But then it had hit him. She wasn't actually talking about sight itself as far as he could tell. She didn't experience the world in the same way he or anyone else with "normal" sight would have. She didn't get to see the color of someone's eyes or the many little expressions on a person's face as they spoke.
"Um... I guess? At least I think I understand what you're talking about." In a world with magic he could never be entirely sure she didn't have some unusual ability or something. He slowly raised one of his own hands and held it near hers to give her a starting point. A reference for where he was that was more tangible than just aiming for where his voice seemed to be coming from.
Oren had very little to hide. He didn't think he was much to look at, personally, but who was he to judge someone for wanting to understand the person they had been traveling around with all day?
Shyla smiled, and it was a surprisingly soft expression. "Thanks."
Her fingers found his, exploring with a feather-light touch for a moment. Then she let her touch travel up his arm to his shoulder, brushing gently against his collar for a moment, before ghosting up his neck to trace the line of her jaw.
Her eyes were focused, unseeing, almost on his-- somewhere just beneath his own gaze, on his cheek almost. Carefully, she lifted her other hand to join the first, brushing her fingertips gently over his cheeks, jaw, nose, lips, up to his brow, even incredibly softly ghosting across his eyelids.
Eventually, she pulled back, smile still in place. "Thank you," she repeated with a little dip of her head.
The soft smile on Shyla's face looked good on her. Oren figured she probably didn't get to smile like that too often if she was always worried about her packmates losing their lives earlier than they should have been. He was secretly glad he was, at least in a small way, a part of the reason for her smile.
He watched as she used her fingers to work their way up from his hands to his face. It kind of tickled and sent a shiver down his spine. "So, do you just remember what you are feeling right now or do you make some sort of picture in your head?" It was an idle question and though he was curious he didn't really want to interrupt her too much. Plus by that point she had reached his face and he felt like he should just keep still for a bit.
Oren stayed there quietly waiting as she finished the rest of her tracing. He closed his eyes well before her fingers neared his eyes and kept them closed until she pulled her hands back away. As he opened them he was glad to see she was still smiling. "You're welcome. All I did was sit here. I hope that helped you." The plate that had previously held food lay mostly empty in Oren's lap. His focus wasn't on it anymore as his hunger had been sated and he was starting to feel a little sleepy there near the fire.
The elven girl tilted her head as she drew her hands back and settled them in her lap. "It's...a little of both, I think," she answered his question carefully.
No one had ever actually asked her that before. She wasn't quite sure how to articulate her version of "seeing". "It's sort of like...my eyes aren't my eyes, they're everything else. Sound, scent, touch..."
She shrugged again and returned her attention to the last bits of food on her plate. "Anyway. Eat up, you should hurry to get to bed. I'm sure the pack will want you helping the ill as soon as you can."
So she had to have at least some memory of what she felt but that clearly wasn't the whole thing. As she described it apparently all her other senses combined to give her an idea of what was around her. It was very hard to imagine so Oren decided to not even try. He did however have something somewhat similar in a way.
"The closest thing to that I have is the way my gift lets me examine someone for wounds and injuries. I'm not actually looking with my eyes but feeling out with the tendrils of magic. Not exactly the same thing but..." He trailed off because it started to sound like he was trying to compare himself to her and he didn't like that.
Her comment about the food snapped him back out of it and he nodded before going back to finishing his own food. "Right, sleep sounds pretty good too," he said around the last few mouthfuls of food. Oren waited while Shyla finished her food and he was starting to feel his eyelids droop. If he had known where to go to lie down he would have done so but instead he needed to wait to follow Shyla.
"I've hear that," Shyla commented softly. "From other mages, I mean. That magic acts like a sort of sixth sense."
She was quiet a moment, then shook herself and got to her feet, holding a hand out in Oren's direction. "C'mon, I'll show you where you can sleep. And you should get as much as you can. You'll be needed quite a bit tomorrow, I should think."
So she had met other mages before. Well Oren supposed that made sense. There were a lot of mages running around Serendipity so it made sense she would have met some of them. Plus if she was trying to figure out a way to break the curse on the pack then trying to meet with as many mages as possible made sense.
He watched her face as she was silent for a little bit and wondered if he had said something to upset her. She didn't really seem upset, but it did look like she might have been lost in her thoughts a bit.
Then she had suddenly snapped out of it and offered a hand to lead him to wherever it was that they were going to sleep that night. Oren took her hand with one of his while using the other to try to cover a big yawn. "That sounds good," he replied, feeling very sleepy from all the exertion of the day and finally having warm food in his stomach. "I don't think i'll have trouble falling asleep."
With that he happily followed along after Shyla.
Shyla smiled a bit, but led him back to her tent in silence. They got more than a few curious stares as they made their way back through the camp-- she didn't need her Sight to know that, she could feel the pack's eyes on her back like a brand on her skin.
Putting it from her mind, she brushed the tent flap aside with the ease of long practice of knowing where it was and gestured toward her bedroll. "You can sleep there for the night, I guess. I'll use one of the spares."