Luck was not a constant gift - it was fickle and ever changing. Sometimes small changes, sometimes big, but things could not always be in your favor. Today was a reminder of that fact, and it was a lesson he would well remember...if he survived it.
The sun had sagged low in the sky, casting purplish orange fingers across the darkening sky. It was likely the elongated shadows that had helped them elude capture, for it was not their fleet of foot - there was a fair amount of staggering to their fleeing this day.
For the first time Sorin felt he was the reason for their level of danger, rather than the one helping them to escape it. He'd not been sharp enough - his ears and eyes and nose had not been keen enough. Perhaps he'd simply not been 'enough' of anything. The arrow had not grazed, but pierced cleanly into him, at his back, above his hip. He knew it had hit something important, and he knew his body was straining to keep him upright even now.
Lavi had little Lumi on her slender back, marching along with determination despite the sweat on her brow and the worry pulling her puffy lips into a frown. Sorin stumbled along behind her, trying to keep unnaturally vivid, bright green eyes on the girls so as not to get lost. The edges of his vision were fuzzy with tendrils of unconsciousness, and he could feel life leaking out of the hole in him, the sticky trail traveling all the way down his leg to meet the Earth. Luckily it seemed She had not abandoned him this day, for where he left a bloody trail, She sent up shoots and knobby things to grow into the crimson and cover it, hide it, so that he could not be so easily followed by his pursuers.
Lavi had never before been in charge of getting them somewhere safe. She did not know where to take them, where to go. The forest was thin here, and she did not feel safe. All she knew was she needed to get brother somewhere he could rest - if he died, she did not know if she had the ability to keep herself and Lumi alive. They relied so much on him...the least she could do was try and find a safe place.
Instead, she ran into a town.
Freezing on the other side of the hedge ,she just stared at the lights springing up as night engulfed the land. There were houses here, people. While most might see this as a welcome thing, it sent nothing but a pit of fear and hopelessness into the depths of her stomach. This was not where they should be. This was the worst place for them! But could they turn back? She did not know where the hunters were...and brother...could he bring himself to backtrack?
Coming to a lurching stop behind her, Sorin blinked unfocused eyes at the view before them. Their feet had led them to a pit of snakes...yet perhaps it was what the Gods wanted for them. To hide in the place you are least expected...
Wheezing and rasping with exertion, Sorin did not bother trying to speak. He simple nudged Lavi, and motioned weakly to a house on the outskirts, near enough for him to make it there.
Without question, the silent girl led the way to the cottage, and then charmed the bolt on the hind door to allow them entry. Somehow they slipped in with silence, the door closed and locked behind them.
Sorin had enough lucidity to notice they were in a storeroom of sorts, likely a corner of the house near the back, before his shoulder brushed a wall and the sense of solidarity forced him to crumple to the wooden floorboards.
Lavi breathed in sharply through her nose, and set Lumi's bundled form onto the ground so she could tend to him. The little blond child watched with no real understanding, save that it was best to be quiet - a lesson she had learned in her time with them.
Sorin still bled from the wound in his back, a slow leak of life. He'd broken the shaft of the arrow but left the head inside of him, and Lavi had been told not to remove it until they could be still for a time and staunch the bleeding.
Unfortunately her brother was all but dead to the world, and she could barely pull him forward enough to see the wound, let alone tend to it. Besides, for this, she would likely have to fill it with ointment or stop the bleeding with a hot knife...she had neither the ingredients for healing nor a fire to use.
An abrupt sense of helplessness overwhelmed her, and silent as the dead, hot fat tears rolled down her cheeks.
It had been a rather mellow, normal day, which was to say that Alexander had spent the day gossiping with the townsfolk at market, as usual, and had finished up with his chores in time for Mass. While he didn't always make it everyday, he did try to attend as often as possible. True, he knew most of the words and lessons and scriptures by heart, but it was a habit more than anything; his late wife had been faithful and felt it was only appropriate to attend daily, and so he still did out of respect for her memory.
And because, in a way, it made him feel closer to her, even if she'd passed on.
Mass had just ended; it had been a long one today, and not only that but he'd stayed behind to talk to the Father. Smelling of incense, Alexander stepped out of the church and into darkness, feeling a little sore from sitting so long on a hard bench and amazed at just how much time had passed. Ah well, time to finally get home, fix supper, and get to bed!
Stepping into his home, he found a candle and lit it, then went about lighting the other candles in his home. He had just made his way to the kitchen and lit the room when he saw it.
Or rather, them.
A boy, crumpled on the floor, and two children huddled nearby. A streak of blood on the wall, sliding down as though following his descent. Dear God.
Alexander nearly dropped the candle. He at least had the frame of mind to set it aside in a holder before he rushed to the scene.
"Ansgar's mercy!" he breathed. The boy looked pale--unnaturally so--and he dropped down to his knees beside him. It didn't occur to him that they might be criminals or dangerous or anything other than lost, wounded youngsters, and even if they were, he had never been in the habit of turning away those in need. Grabbing the boy's shoulders, he pulled him forward so he could see where he was wounded and sucked in a breath at the sight.
That looked bad. Far beyond his skill. While he knew a little about tending wounds, his knowledge only extended to flesh wounds, wounds that could be patched up on the field so you could keep on fighting. Wounds that hit vitals? He dared not touch it.
Turning to the oldest child--bless her, she looked terrified--he pressed his hands to the boy's wound to try and staunch the bleeding even as he spoke directly to her. "Girl, I'm going to need you to listen to me and do as I say. Understand? I need you to go outside and fetch the wise woman. She's not far. Her home is the small cottage by the pasture, to the right of the church. You'll see it. Just tell her to come to Alexander's. Can you do that?"
He'd never seen any of them before, and this town was tiny enough that everyone knew everyone's business. But hopefully she could do that much. Sometimes, having something to do could keep even a child calm--and it was either that or he left to fetch the woman and hope the child was strong enough, and brave enough, to bloody her hands and keep the boy's life from seeping out.
Brother may have had faith in the Gods right up until blackness overtook him, but Lavi was beginning to have her doubts - especially because the owner of the house had just arrived, and no amount of wishing could suddenly make them all invisible. For a moment her heart seemed to stop, and she wasn't sure whether she should stay with brother, or make a dive for Lumi to get her to safety. As far as she was concerned, anybody that was not Brother or Lumi was out to kill them - an enemy that she now had to face by herself.
She'd like to have been so brave as to stay by Sorin's side even as the large man approached, but in the end the need to flee overwhelmed her. Lurching, she grabbed the ceremonial knife from her brother's hip and then leapt away, silent as a cat.
...He was touching brother! How dare he put hands to him like that!?
Any normal person would have yelled at him to get away, but words were so scarcely used that instead she simply bared her teeth and hissed, the curved silver blade held in both small brown fists toward the stranger.
She stomped her foot for good measure, wishing she was able to transform or somehow become bigger - her magical powers were so limited, how could she hope to keep both family members safe?? She stood between Alexander and Lumi at least, hoping that perhaps if nothing else she could act as a deterrent, though the tiny blond child seemed utterly perplexed as to what was going on.
If Alexander had a spare moment to notice, he would see a rather suspicious object slung on the back of the unusually pale, bleeding young man. Apart from the quiver of arrows and bow sitting low, there was a long gnarled branch with knobby 'fingers' that held an amethyst colored stone.
Really, such an object...there was only one thing it could be.
Well, that went over well.
Alexander startled as the girl leaped away, held the out knife--one fancier than any he'd ever seen--and actually hissed like some feral beast. That was not something you saw often, and it was unsettling, but he couldn't think much deeper on it. They didn't have the time.
"Girl, I'm going to ask you again. Can you do what I ask?" he said, speaking as calmly and slowly as he could. Blood was leaking between his fingers, though, and at this rate, she may not make it there and back in time anyway. With a frustrated sigh, he changed tactics.
He moved his hands only long enough to strip off his shirt and, working quickly as he could, he wrapped it about the boy's injured middle and tied it tightly. Then he went about removing the boy's bow and staff. "If you can't, I'll have to fetch her instead. But you'll have to press on this wound here and not let up. Either way, if we don't act fast, he will die. Understand? So either--"
He cut off then, noticing the details of the staff for the first time, and let out a breath.
She wasn't sure what was really going on anymore. This man, he was an enemy. He was not one of them, and that made him dangerous. Even her young mind knew as much. But he appeared to be attempting to aid brother, not hasten his trip to the other side. Was he confused? Did he think they to be one of his kind? How long before he realized it to be untrue?
Not long at all, or so it would seem.
She was not aware of the tears still running hot streams down her brown cheeks, for she was too focused on trying to hold the blade steady and look as intimidating as possible as she stared down the large man. She had to use her words, but it was hard to remember them in the midst of everything else.
Finally, she managed to scrape together the few words needed to say the most important thing.
"....Don't hurt brother...!"
Her small voice was raspy from lack of use, but it was full of raw emotion. It was unlike the words of others, so laden with second meanings and withheld intentions. It was pure and unfiltered.
Now he likely already understood her fear and aggression. They were like hunted animals, feared and despised in this land, and in their panic they had gotten themselves trapped in the house of man.
She wanted them all to be safe. For them all to live and leave this place together. She couldn't imagine a world without Brother in it. He was all that was left. Her only family.
Why had it turned out like this??
"...Oh, hell."
Alexander made up his mind in that moment.
Whatever they might be, whoever they might be, he couldn't let some kid bleed out onto his floor. He had known a mage before--a marked one, a monstrous one, one that looked only part human and part something else entirely--and despite her flaws she had been sweet and pious. And these? These were just kids.
Magic might be evil, but so was standing back and doing nothing while a boy died, while his sister begged for him.
Alexander had killed magic-users before. He had done a lot of hard but necessary things during his time in the military. Killing innocents had never been one of them. Ansgar himself taught that mages could be saved.
"Stay here," he said firmly, meeting the girl's eyes. "Apply pressure to his wound. If you don't, he will die. Do it, and he's got a chance."
He didn't wait for her to obey. Rising, he left to fetch the wise woman himself--and tried not to think of what he might be getting himself into.
There was, after all, no telling who those kids were.
She was breathing hard, the tears making her stuffy, like she was being suffocated. But she made sure to keep that blade pointed toward the man, with a surprisingly small amount of shiver and shake.
She was dead serious.
Then the man was talking to her, and it took a delayed minute to really comprehend what he was saying. The most important thing was she had to put pressure on the wound. The second most important thing was that the man was leaving now.
She had choices to make.
Lunging forward as soon as the man was a safe distance away, she discarded the knife in exchange for pressing her small dark hands against the crimson blot spreading across her brother's pale skin.
He had told her not to remove the arrow until they could stop the bleeding. She knew she could do that with a hot knife but...she had no way of stopping the infection, which she would have to do. She didn't want to seal the disease into him...so what? Sit and wait? Hope that brother woke and instructed her?
His breathing was shallow, his brow slightly damp, overall his skin clammy.
She curled against him even as she tried to stop any more blood from leaking out. She put all her remaining energy into her hands, willed it to help him. She could run, she could take Lumi and leave. She could even try dragging Brother out of here.
But he had let them come here...and their feet had led them here. If something bad happened, it might simply be necessary. For now she could only trust in Sorin...he'd not led them astray yet, and she could only hope that this time would be the same.
Alexander didn't give the wise woman all the details.
He kept it short and urgent--there was an injured kid bleeding out in his home--and failed to mention the bits where he suspected him of being a mage, that he'd broken into his home, and oh yeah, that there were two younger children with him. It wasn't really an intentional deception; it was more that there was no time for unnecessary details that could be explained and expounded upon later.
The wise woman was blind and so it took longer than he would have liked to get back home, but it was a blessing in disguise. It meant that, maybe, she wouldn't notice the wrongness of the situation. Leading her inside his home, the stench of blood hit him first and he braced himself, half prepared to find a dead kid laying in a pool of his own blood.
He was relieved to find that the girl had listened, bless her.
Along the way, he had explained the situation to the wise woman, describing his injury and painting the best picture he could for her with words alone. All that was left was for him to guide her to the kid and let her do the work; it was amazing how quickly she set to it, pulling the tools she'd need from her bag and ordering him to fetch water, rags, and to get a fire stoked. She didn't even seem surprised by the child holding the boy's wound closed; she simply told her to move away so she could work.
"Come on, girl. Do as you're told," Alexander told her, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's gonna help your brother now."
By the time the humans returned, Lavi had managed to staunch some of the bleeding through sheer will alone. But brother had already lost so much, and his body seemed so tired. She could feel it in his bones. Often she forgot how hard it was for him to keep them all safe, to be on alert all the time. Too quickly did she get caught up in his silent lessons, or swept away in bursts of play when they chased wolves and rode bears. Brother was always helping her, teaching her, erasing the scars of the past with better memories of the present, and keeping her safe. And not just her, but the helpless Lumi as well, who was beginning to turn red-cheeked in the build up to tears.
Brother was so tired.
But the others had swept in and their presence was oppressive and put her on the knife's edge again. She wasn't sure yet if she was comfortable with this woman touching him, and she was like a livewire standing next to her brother, nearly touching him even as the medicine woman got to work.
The hand brushing her shoulder was a bad idea.
Like a bear trap snapping to life, she moved in a blur. A snarl and a snap at those fingers, like a caught wolf seeking to bite anything near enough, and then Lavi was landing a few feet away next to Lumi, crouched low. She was like a wild thing, vibrant and alive and dangerous even in her smallness.
If nothing else, the sound that had come out of her was not human.
Alexander snatched is hand away in alarm, and half expected to find himself missing fingers when he did. "Whoa, there! Easy now, little one!" he said, and though his words were calm, his heart was beating fast. That sound was not natural and neither was the reaction; she was more a feral creature than a child--but she was also scared. This wasn't aggression. He had seen aggression, in men and beasts alike. This was simple fear and defensiveness.
He could work with that.
The medicine woman froze, unsettled, but Alexander urged her on. "It's alright. She's just scared. She's over with her brother now, so you've got room to work. I'll take care of them."
And so while the woman set to work saving the boy's life, Alexander turned toward the two younger ones but didn't make eye contact, looking just to the side of them. It felt wrong, since they were kids, but maybe it was better if he started treating them like animals.
"The boy'll be alright now. He's in good hands. But what about you two? You had anything to eat?"
By the next day, Sorin was temporarily borrowing their 'hosts' bed, though he did not know it. He'd remained unconscious through the medicine woman's workings, through the night, and into the next day. Lavi had refused food, and had continued to keep a wary eye on the large man occupying the same space as her beloved brother and sister.
Early evening found her still in the same vigil she'd taken up the night before - hunched on the floor at the foot of the bed, staring daggers at Alex any time he showed his face in the room. She'd been forced to allow him to tend to Sorin a few times, but she was clearly displeased with the very idea of letting somebody touch her brother.
Lumi had finally conked out near the bed as well, though she was hungry but the exhaustion had won out.
Sorin's eyes finally began to open, as if his eyelids weighed a ton. Everything about him felt heavy, bogged down...his body was so weak. As soon as he started to get his bearings, he knew something was off.
Whatever he was laying on was very soft. Turning his head to the side, he realized with a pit of dread that it was a bed. They were in somebody's home. He steadied his breathing, taking a deep whiff of the bed. This was somebody's, he could smell them. A man, though he was too foggy minded to tell much more than that. He wasn't in his own clothing either, and none of his belongings were with him.
More than anything, he worried for his charges. He made a light huffing noise, and another came up to meet it. Lavi was alright. She made another huffing sound, and he knew Lumi to be safe as well.
He heard movement, and he shut his eyes, feigning sleep. Time to see who had taken them in.
Alexander had just stepped inside the room and caught the quick movement of the boy's eyes. Frowning, his eyes narrowed a little. Faking sleep, eh? Hands full of a fresh load of bandages and a bowl of water, he walked to the nightstand near his bed--which the boy was currently occupying--and set them down on the surface.
"I know you're awake," he said, voice quiet in an effort not to disturb the sleeping children--half because they were exhausted and needed the rest, and half because, well, he didn't want to get snarled at.
"It's alright. You don't have to pretend. I'm just here to change your bandages."
Alex wasn't spared the growl, for Lavi was still more than awake at her post near the footboard. Curled though she was on the wooden flooring, her large, sharp eyes followed Alex warily. It was hard to say if she'd slept at all - unlikely, given her skittish vigil. At the very least, any time the large man had seen her, she'd been staring right back at him alert as could be.
Only the tiny blonde one lay curled up, asleep and drooling slightly. She didn't have her 'siblings' endurance, after all.
Sorin's eyes opened calmly as he was called out, their otherworldly bright green color even brighter against the dark circles beneath them. He stared unflinching up into Alexander's face, but his tired body visibly tensed all over, the lithe muscles of a creature who had spent all his days eking out a living in the wilderness. He felt vulnerable, and he did not enjoy it. His dagger was gone, his staff and arrows too. Not only that, his body was still weak and trembling from his ordeal. At this moment, he was at Alex's mercy - it made him uneasy beyond compare.
All the same, he didn't budge from his spot, possessed of that same eerie silence that the two younger children had. He made no moves to struggle away or resist - he simply stared up at the man. Though it was not obvious by his impassive face, he was searching this man for signs, hints, of his true nature. What sort of human had taken them in? How much did he suspect? What were his true motives? Like with any problem that needed solving, Sorin began with intense observation.
...And there it was. The growl. Seemed he was wrong about the girl child, sigh.
But at least the oldest was no longer pretending.
Of course, so far "not pretending" was all he'd gotten from him, but he supposed that was as good a start as any. The kid had just woken up from a pretty harrowing affair, and he had to imagine he'd be afraid and disoriented, waking up in a strange environment around a total stranger.
He motioned to the boy, vaguely in the general location of his wrappings, and held up the fresh ones so he could see. "May I?"
He was somewhat surprised by the pause the human man gave. Humans were so fast to do things, and slow to think. Or they thought too much, and acted with all the plans of insidious hours spent crafting their plan. This man had the pause of one working with a wary animal. He wondered if that had to do with some background, or if Lavi's own behavior had tilted him in that direction.
They were, after all, closer to animals than to people.
Luckily for Alexander, Sorin was far more well-versed in the speech and manners of man than his two young charges. Those intense eyes glanced down at the gauze, then back up at that bearded face. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, the boy's eyes glanced down at his own body, though at this angle he couldn't really see the wrappings on his bare midsection. He could feel them though, and he was curious as to what had been used on the terrible wound.
Foolishly, he sought to turn over on his own, and a sharp, yet shallow intake of breath was the only hint that he'd caused himself no small amount of pain just then. His eyes rolled to look up at the ceiling, and he let out the breath softly, and the pain went with it like a leaf on the wind.
His body relaxed again, visibly.
"You'll have to turn me over. I lack the strength."
His voice was soft, but startlingly clear. His gaze flicked from Alex's face to the foot of the bed, where Lavi had silently stood to peek over the wooden footboard. He gave her a ghost of a smile, and she almost looked like she might burst into tears for a split second. Then a quiet, peaceful mask seemed to overtake her expression, and she scampered onto the bed quick as anything. Kneeling beside her brother, she leaned over him somewhat. As if they had spoken, Sorin gave a weak nod, and she too relaxed somewhat finally.
For a moment, Alexander worried that the boy was like the children, wild and unable to speak. If he was, this would make things interesting, because he and the wise woman had only been able to tend his wounds by virtue of him being unconscious. Awake like this, if he didn't want Alexander near him, Alexander feared he wouldn't be able to tend to him--not without some injury, at least, and probably to the both of them.
But then the boy spoke, and not only spoke but consented, and Alexander sighed with relief.
That made things significantly less complicated.
Of course, there was still the issue of the girl. Alexander glanced at where she knelt on the bed. Hopefully, she would not interfere, but for now at least this was the calmest he'd seen her.
"Thank you."
Slowly approaching, he set the bandages on the table and showed his hands to the two, to show there was nothing else in them. Then, just as cautiously, he paid his hands on the boy and slid one under his shoulders, avoiding the place where he'd been shot.
"Alright now, deep breaths, relax. This might hurt a little, but I don't mean it to. We're just going to roll you onto your side. Careful, now."
Slowly, gentle as he could, Alexander helped roll the boy over to expose his back, though his eyes were on the girl child.
Despite the obvious exhaustion and weakness in the boy's face, his unusual green eyes were sharp as ever, watching Alexander very closely. Though his face reflected nothing of his thoughts, he found it rather curious that the man was being so cautious even now. He was rather thankful for it however, as he'd never really gotten used to the way humans moved and acted. This pace was nice and easy, smooth and soft, just what was necessary for the tending of such grievous wounds.
Lavi watched just as sharply, but remained surprisingly relaxed. Brother had already told her it was going to be ok for now, and so she did not attempt to interfere. She simply kept Alex's gaze as he stared at her, unblinking and hardly moving, though no longer strung with such fierce emotions.
Sorin breathed in and then out very carefully as he was turned, expelling the pain as best as he could. He made no sounds otherwise, and was soon on his side easily enough. Lavi reached out a tanned hand and steadied his shoulder, keeping him from falling one way or the other, making Alex's job a bit easier.
Alexander was a little surprised that the girl was now helping, but it made his job easier so he didn't question it. Still working at a slow and steady pace, he undid the boy's bandage and began to strip it away, scooping a bit of water onto the bandage where it touched the wound so the scabbing wouldn't stick to it and pull off.
Once that was done, he took a clean cloth and used the water to gently dab at the wound to clean it, and then he scooped some of the poultice the wise woman had left behind onto his fingers and smoothed it onto the wound.
"Almost done," he murmured as he worked.
All that was left was dressing the wound, and that was done in moments. Alexander cleaned his fingers off in the water when he was done and dried his hands.
"It might be a good idea to stay on your side for now, or on your belly," he said. "Take some of the pressure off your injury."
The entire changing of bandages went well enough, and once done, he gave Lavi a look. She eased him onto his stomach, at Alex's suggestion. Still, this leaves him in an even more vulnerable position, and Lavi hovered over him once again, protective. Shifting his head so as to better see his 'benefactor's face, he blinked slowly up at him.
"Let her."
He said softly, and as he did so, Lavi shifted and jabbed a finger at the poultice and spent bandages, before reaching out her hands for them. He was curious as to what was in the mix, and he was just as curious as to the state of his own wound. If it festered, deep as it was, he would lose his organs first. With something that bad, there was little chance of recovering.
Confused by that request, but seeing no reason to deny it, Alexander handed the spent bandages to the girl as well as the remainder of the poultice.
"What is it?" he asked, glancing down at the boy, and added, "See that she's careful. You'll be needing more of that poultice, so be careful not to drop it."
Lavi immediately pressed the bandages to her small nose, inhaling deeply like a hound taking in a scent. She held it for a long moment, and then finally let out a sigh and dropped the bandages nearer to Alex. Her large eyes flicked down to her brother's face, and again they exchanged a strange, silent conversation.
There was nothing yet, but the wound was bad. It had gone deep. He knew as much, but it was a dark revelation. He needed to live...he needed to take care of what was left of his family...
He would survive this, even if he had to rely on the help of a human.
Next the girl sniffed at the salve, and then took some onto her tongue and rolled it about in her mouth. Everything was done slowly, carefully. She was studying it with knowledge far beyond her years. She made a scrunchy face, and Sorin let out a weak breathy chuckle.
She looked at him, her face again blank, before taking a tiny fingertip's worth and pressing it to his lips for him.
He too seemed to ponder it for a long moment, pink tongue disappearing back into his mouth.
"It's not bad. A question now. What is it lacking."
Lavi stared at him for a moment, but her eyelids had shifted a bit, and it was clear to him that she was thinking. Then her eyes shifted slightly.
"Do you know?"
She nodded in response, almost eagerly.
"Don't go alone. Take him with you."
She frowned visibly at that, practically a disgusted look. But his own expression didn't change, and she knew she had to submit. She glanced up at Alex, huffed, and then handed him the jar.
Finally, the strange boy returned his piercing eyes to the man tending him.
"Once she adds what's necessary, next time, you must push it into my wound. You'll only need to do it once, but it should stop deep festering."
Alexander watched the silent exchange with a perplexed expression, brow drawn and eyes locked on the pair. How the boy could tell so much from a taste, he didn't know--but that was also why he wasn't a healer, he supposed, and had made a life soldiering.
The conclusion that the salve was lacking something, however, made his crinkled brow rise, and his knee-jerk reaction was to ask how that could be. The wise woman had been tending their village for years, and she had helped many a person survive ailments that they might not have otherwise overcome. Surely these strangely couldn't know more about herbs and medicines than her? Especially not children?
And then to have the boy wake up and immediately start ordering him around...?
...A near-death boy.
With a worried little girl.
Alexander bit back his irritation, which, he guessed, was more from lack of sleep from tending the boy than it was due to the actual situation, because the request wasn't so outlandish, and certainly wasn't something he couldn't humor. He was no healer. He didn't know how this worked. And if it would at least ease their fears and make them relax a little more, alright, fine. And maybe that was the point--to give the girl a task so she would stop fretting. What was the harm? Worry that he'd be robbed blind while they were out?
Drawing himself up, Alexander let out a quiet sigh through his nose.
"Very well," he said, and gave the boy a quick once-over. "I think I can handle that. Mind telling me what it is we're looking for, and how you're sure this thing won't just harm you more?"
Sorin stared up at Alex, unblinking, for a long unsettling moment. He likely should have foreseen this sort of response. He debated on whether or not it was worth trying to explain.
It wasn't.
"I doubt you know it by the same name we use. I know it will help. Even were I wrong, this situation would not turn out much differently. I would die. I may still die."
Lavi tensed up visibly at the very thought of Sorin dying, and she clearly struggled to keep the pain and fear off her face. It ended with a red nose and watery eyes, but she managed to keep an otherwise blank expression.
For his part, Sorin had spoken rather dispassionately about dying. Ultimately, it was simply a fact of life. After all, every natural creature dies at some point. Of course, he'd rather his time not be now, but who was he to say? All he could do was the best he knew how.
He gave Lavi a glance, and she sniffed and nodded curtly before bouncing off the bed. She scooped up the still sleeping Lumi, and settled the toddler into the bed near Sorin, under the covers. She then marched silently up to Alex and glowered up at him with large eyes. It was time to go. Hopefully this big thing could keep up.
It was all a shot in the dark, but Alexander, personally, trusted the experience and knowledge of the wise woman over this kid. But with a sigh, he simply shrugged and nodded. "If you insist."
He didn't have to do this, any of it. He could easily refuse. But the girl would probably run off anyway, and as they weren't his prisoners, he would let her. But he didn't feel good about letting her go alone, anyway--she was so strange, she would stick out like a sore thumb and draw suspicion, but if he went with her, he could come up with something. Relatives from the north or some such.
Yeah.
He would figure it out.
Either way, he knew less about herbs than anyone here, so...so be it. If this went wrong, it wasn't on him.
"But," he said, frowning down at Lavi. He hadn't bothered with her before, and had been too occupied with the boy to deal with her anyway, but if they were going outside, they were going to have to take care of a certain problem real quick. "Child, you can't go out like that. Wait here."
Alexander left the room briefly, and returned several minutes later, a small bundle of clothing in his hands. He held one item out to her--a small knit tunic, child-sized. "There. Put that on. It's, well...it never got any use, so I figure..."
Sorin actively worked at keeping his face entirely passive, even as Lavi gave him a look. This was a good opportunity for her to handle things herself. As Alex returned with the clothes, she gave her brother another look, but still received nothing.
Finally her sharp gaze was returned to the large man, and she wrinkled her nose at the tunic. Ugh, it smelled just like this place. Humans really did have a habit of covering every available piece of skin aside from their faces, didn't they? No wonder they couldn't feel the earth or sky. All these scratchy clothes in the way.
Snorting like a displeased cat, Lavi turned and scampered out of the room and toward the back door. That big thing could follow her if he wanted. She needed to go into the forest from where they arrived, to search out the herbs necessary. The only real fear she had was that those whom had been hunting them might still be lingering - and she didn't really expect any sort of protection from Alex. Honestly, she wasn't even sure why brother had insisted on them going together...unless he wanted some time to himself to think out a plan without having to entertain that big thing's questions? That could be it.
And just like a wild thing, the girl turned and scampered away from him and the tunic. Or, perhaps, less like a wild thing and just...a child. Children often hated wearing clothes out of some sort of rebellion. According to his parents, as a toddler he'd torn his clothes off and gone streaking places he really ought to have been dressed.
She was a little too old for that sort of behavior, though, but judging by their clothes and set up, they weren't exactly...civilized. Well. As long as they lived under his roof, they would just have to act civilized.
With another sigh, Alexander walked after her and found her near the back door. Tunic still in hand, he put his other hand on his hip and motioned to her with the tunic. "Now, young lady, I don't think so. We're not going out there until you're decent. If anyone sees you like this, child, they'll...well, it will be awkward. Let's just make this easy, now. Put this on, then we can go and get the thing your brother needs. Okay?"
Why was this big thing being so persistent? Lavi pressed her back against the door to keep as much distance between them as possible. She was NOT going to wear the scratchy thing, especially not while outside.
Still apparently unwilling to speak, Lavi instead gave out a hiss and then squeezed out the door in a flash. Her tiny dark frame went streaking across the lawn and into the brush just outside the forest, her footsteps silent. She moved like a wild thing, all liquid grace, and was out of sight in a moment's hesitation.
Alex was going to have his work cut out for him, keeping up with her.
In the darkness between two trees, a puffy head of hair popped up as Lavi stared at Alex, a very clear 'well hurry up already!' look on her face.
"Wait!" Alexander made a grab for the girl, but too late. She was already out the door and into the trees. With an aggravated sigh, Alexander set the tunic on a nearby table--he wasn't going to be getting much use out of it now, from the looks of it, and he wasn't about to wrestle with her out in the open. Too much noise, and the point here was to not attract attention because oh dear Ansgar. Things would not go well if people spotted the little shirtless girl, running around with her strange necklace and looking so obviously Not From There.
"If this is how you want to do things..."
Stepping outside, he shut the door behind him, looked both ways, and then jogged to the treeline. Reaching her, he crouched down next to her, feeling pretty ridiculous, sneaking about like that.
"So, here we are. What now? What are we looking for?"
Alex should likely stop expecting much different, for once again Lavi simply stared at him with intense eyes, not offering up a single spoken word. Turning about, she pattered off swiftly into the undergrowth. The ground was moist and spongy, and she enjoyed the feel of it beneath her feet immensely, and dug her fingers into it whenever she happened to use them to vault her forward.
Now and again she would pause, on her knees, and sit motionless. Other times she would sniff at the air, or turn her head slowly as if scanning the tree line. She essentially ignored Alex's very presence, although she was very much aware of the great big thing was.
Finally, she stopped and began digging at the roots of a plant with both hands, blunt fingernails peeling away the earth rapidly.
Seemed she had found what she was looking for.
Yeah, he really should stop expecting an answer of any kind.
Much less quiet than the girl, Alexander strode along behind her, a few times having to take a different route than her since he couldn't fit between all the places she could. He wasn't used to moving as quietly as she was, though, for he hadn't had to live among the wilds, so rather than move silently, leaves and twigs crunched between his boots, plants rustled as he passed them, and branches whipped back when he pushed them out of the way.
Though they didn't speak, he was content to follow and watch, simultaneously fascinated and horrified by her behavior. She...the child truly did act like an animal. The way she moved, the way she sniffed the air...
What on earth was the story behind them?
Because while he had heard legends of feral children, children raised by wolves and such, he had never believed it.
It was fairly unsettling.
But soon the girl paused and began to dig, and Alexander grimaced as dirt went flying and she soiled her hands. Coming over to her, he crouched down beside her. "If I had known there would be digging, I could have brought a spade. Do you need one?"
Lavi simply grunted softly at Alex, not bothering to even glance at him now. Honestly she could close her eyes and know exactly where he was. The man couldn't be silent even if he tried. Even his breathing was horridly loud.
Ugh humans...
She tore up the earth surprisingly easy, muscles working in her small back, and finally she was rewarded with a prize - a gnarled root. Bending down so close she nearly kissed it, she whispered something into the earth. Only after that did she break the root off, and then she carefully replaced all the dirt into the hole.
Hands covered in soil, she stuck the root into her mouth and then took off again into the undergrowth, holding her prize between her teeth.
Much quicker now, she appeared to track down another ingredient - this time a flower. Once again, she leaned in so close she tickled the petals with her nose, and whispered. Then the flower too was plucked, and both plants ended up poking out of her lips. Not the least bit disoriented in the maze of forestry, she stood up to look at Alex, and then was off again in what was the direction of the town.
Alex would likely only catch up to her because she had stopped fast, frozen, next to an otherwise inconspicuous piece of ground. She was staring at it, mute and wide-eyed.
Barely visible was an indentation - likely a footprint. By scent and sense alone, she knew to whom it belonged, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
Watching all this, Alexander furrowed his brow. Was she...speaking to the ground? Or the root? So she could speak after all! Feeling a small chord of discomfort--both at the fact that she could speak but chose not to, and the fact that she was talking to the ground or the root. A chill went through him, a reminder of what he was dealing with here, and what he had suspected--mages. But not just that, potential witches. And he was harboring them.
Unsettled, he followed her as she collected the flower and repeated her...her ritual, feeling that same sense of dread. Mages were one thing, people who had magic but didn't necessarily use it. Witches were another, people who did use their power. And if they were witches...God, but he wasn't sure what he would do. He couldn't keep them here, not without putting himself in danger for harboring them, or the village in danger from the magic. But he couldn't in good conscience turn them in to be executed. Not children.
Children who probably had no idea what they were dealing with.
As they made their way back to his home, he struggled with himself. He would have to find out what was going on first before he decided on anything, and there might still be time to save them. They were young, after all.
There was time.
He was still wrestling with himself, strangely quiet, when the girl came to a sudden stop.
Or more than that. She hadn't just stopped. She was frozen. And staring at a point in the ground.
"What is it?" he asked, though he didn't expect an answer, and moved closer so he could get a better look at whatever it was she was seeing. Which...didn't seem to be much of anything. There was a slight indent in the ground, but it had no discernible shape. At least not to him.
"What's wrong?"
Lavi shuddered, as if shaking her body free from something unpleasant. She shifted her lips about, making the two plants wobble, before she finally stared blankly up at Alex. Of course he couldn't even see that which was plainly there. She hadn't expected much else.
Spotting this evidence of their pursuers, however, simply made her want to get them out of here that much faster. Brother had to heal quickly...they needed to get moving again. They were like sitting ducks, waiting in that house for somebody to come and find them.
There was even the potential that this big thing would turn them in himself. He was probably too dull to realize what they were, but eventually he would catch on and they would be helpless.
Unless she could get her brother healthy again.
She took off into the undergrowth one last time, not stopping until she had already raced across the short grass and made it to Alex's back door. She didn't bother waiting for him to catch up, and instead pressed her hand onto the door to use her magic to move the latch, before slipping back indoors.
She went into the kitchen to search for a mortar and pestle, or something similar. She'd use his tableware if she had to.
Whatever it was, it had spooked the girl something fierce. With a grimace, Alexander took off after her and had enough difficulty keeping up that he lost her in the undergrowth and didn't find her again until they reached his home...which...
She had apparently already gotten inside, somehow?
Hadn't he locked it? Maybe he'd forgotten to lock it. He had kind of been in a hurry...
Scratching at his beard, eyes narrowed, Alexander finally went to the door and stepped inside.
Noise coming from the kitchen drew his attention, and so Alexander slipped inside to find the girl searching around for something. He cleared his throat loudly to get her attention.
"This would go a lot easier if you'd tell me what you need," he said, and added, "I know you can understand me. And I heard you talking to those plants."
Turning on Alex, root and flower bobbing about between her lips, she gave him a withering sort of look, yet those large eyes were rimmed in red. It was hard not to cry. This was still scary. They were stuck in this place, with one of
them and Brother was dying and it was just her. And those others were out there still, searching! She felt trapped, and she did not at all like it. She had been trapped only one other time, and it had ended in the deaths of everybody she'd ever known or loved, save Sorin. She would never forget his rescue of her, of their escape, regardless of how young she'd been. She'd never forget what these humans had done, and she'd never forgive them either.
She had to protect Brother. She had to save him. Not just because she didn't want to be alone. Not just because she loved him more than anything. Because he had done the same for her, and she couldn't betray that.
So she took a deep, shaky breath through her nose, and let the plants fall into her dirty palms.
"Mortar and pestle."
She spoke, her voice scratchy with disuse, but soft and quite mature. She wrinkled her nose then, knowing he had no idea what she'd said to those of Nature's bounty. He wouldn't understand. Too slow, too loud, to dulled. Humans didn't know how to see, didn't know how to listen, didn't know how to speak.
It was endlessly frustrating.
@Rhi-Rhi
"You speak Common, too?" Alexander said, and could have laughed. All this time, all those charades, and she could have just spoken! But even as he said it, he moved to fetch the items, snatching it off a shelf and handing it to the girl. It was a little dusty from lack of use (his late wife had done all the cooking and had use it to grind up things for baking), but it would work fine.
"Why haven't you spoken before?" He made sure to keep his voice soft, not wanting it to sound like an accusation. "I can help you better if you do. You and your friends. And I do want to help you, but I can't if I don't know what's wrong."
He kept his distance as he spoke, though, hanging back away from the girl to give her space. She was skittish and distrusting as a wild thing, and like with any wild thing, trust had to be earned, not forced. "Something spooked you out there. Someone wounded your friend."
For Alexander had personally seen to the injury, and he had treated many a friend on the battlefield. And he had hunted plenty. He knew what wounds made by people looked like. It was an arrow that had done that to him. "Whoever did that, are they still out there?"
Lavi snatched the items from Alex's hand lightning fast, immediately squatting onto the floor to use them. The plants went in, and the little girl hunched over her work, working them into a useable state for adding to the salve. She didn't bother answering the big thing's questions, nor did she believe he wished to help. She did not trust humans, could not trust them. Even if he was helping them now, he would soon change, she was sure of it. They had to leave as soon as possible. She had to help brother get better, no matter what, even if it meant being temporarily stuck in this man's home.
Task completed, she stood with the mortar cupped in her hands. His final question elicited a response, those staring eyes turned on him for a moment. Her jaw was set, her lips pressed into a grim line, shoulders tense. The answer was there to see, if he chose to truly look. Then she was darting off again, back to Sorin and the salve that would hopefully save him.
Her brother was always pale, but this was a different sort, a pasty sheen that made her tremble. There were deep shadows beneath his eyes, and he breath was shallow. She swallowed hard, and then quickly began to prepare the salve, all the while weaving intent and praying to the gods and goddesses that this would work.
Lumi still slept curled next to Sorin, the toddler apparently pleased for the soft bed and a chance to sleep soundly, her slightly runny nose leaving a damp mark on the pillow.
@Rhi-Rhi
So they were still out there. Alexander bit back a grimace, but he remained quiet for the moment so the girl could work, and simply took a seat on the chest at the foot of the bed. If whoever--or whatever--did this was still out there, they may still be actively looking for the kids. And if that were the case, he wondered how well these kids had covered their tracks?
Probably not very well, with the oldest one wounded and bleeding. They would have left tracks. They would have left footprints, the dragging gait of the wounded, and a spattered trail of blood. They would be easy to follow.
Easy to follow straight to his home.
Alexander tensed at the thought, and finally spoke up as the girl tended to the boy.
"Who did this to the boy?" he asked, looking up at her.