A stitch in time (Malkaren)

[Min]

He drank without protest and Min watched him with satisfaction. Malkaren had done well and she felt that she herself had done a good job of patching him up. Once back in Riverfall, he should heal quickly, if she had truly cleansed the wounds well enough and the one on his hip didn’t harbor minute ticking time bombs in the form of bone fragments. When her patient reclined back onto the blanket, he thanked her and she shook her head brusquely. “You are welcome, Malkaren. But do not speak of debt. You owe me nothing. My skill is for all. You are fortunate. I am here and you found this camp. Otherwise, you would die, maybe…” Min looked at the Akalak thoughtfully, for it was true. Luck often had much more to do with who lived or died than the skill of any healer. She gave him another smile, a bit warmer and less teasing then before. “But, you will live. You did promise that to me. That is good.” She began to gather up her things, saying, “I will clean these and then I will return.” And she did just as she said, carefully making sure each iten was cleaned, dried and stowed away in an orderly fashion, to have them quick to hand should another situation arise where her skills were needed. It was the work of maybe fifteen minutes, and then she was back, taking a seat cross legged on the ground beside her patient. He appeared to be dozing, so she did not speak. Her impromptu assistant brought her a blanket, which she wrapped about her shoulders, preparing to sit a while, and keep watch over Malkaren, before finally she would lie down beside him, and sleep.

[Malkaren]

The 10th Night of Summer, 512 A.V. It was unsurprising that Min quickly shoved aside the mere idea of him being indebted to her. The base principles of so many true healers wouldn't allow them to use their skills in any way that took advantage of another and with her show of patience and skill, there was little doubt she held tightly to such principles. While this gave Malkaren some relief, it also gave him just a bit of unrest as well. A life debt was not something the akalak were taught to take lightly and despite the short protest he felt the need to do something in return. Of course there was nothing to be done in his current condition and from the looks of the camp they were more likely moving away from the city than towards. Even if he was able to recover this very moment he knew that simply leaving home to defend a perfect stranger was foolish. Before he could bother any complaint she smiled again with far more warmth than he remembered showing him before. Unsure of exactly why, the simple gesture left him unwilling to bother her with such matters, at least for the time being. As she got up to clean her equipment all he could was nod once, his eyes beginning to droop as he felt the fatigue of the day finally setting in. His eyes fluttered open a few times as he tried to fight off sleep but by the time his guardian managed to get back to him, he was already lost in a deep and thankfully dreamless rest. The 11th Day of Summer, 512 A.V. Malkaren drifted back into the waking world sometime around midday, his eyes pulling open slowly as he avoided looking at the bright sun that hung overhead. He lay there for a minute as he tried to make sense of his bearings which he quickly remembered belonged to the camp of travelers he'd come across. Sitting up slowly with one arm wrapped around his aching side, he squinted at his surroundings, spotting the ember filled firepit and the handful of tents that sat around the place as firm reminders that he wasn't caught in some delusion. He willed himself to try and stand but hardly started to get a good footing before plopping back on the mat in defeat, a look of frustration painted on his brow. "I can't even manage the simple act of standing," he mumbled bitterly to himself as he rubbed his now searing ribs and began looking around for any means to help pull himself up with.

[Min]

Min kept her vigil for several hours, watching Malkaren while her mind drifted. Her thoughts dwelled mostly on the home that she had just left, some few weeks ago. But they strayed to what lay ahead as well, and she thought that regardless of whether she was successful in what had been laid out for her to accomplish, this journey would certainly be an amazing one, with so many opportunities to learn. She also gave some thought to her patient, of course, and beyond regularly pressing her hand to his head to gage his temperature, she thought about the coming day. They were traveling north, to Syliras, and in the morning they would break camp and move on. But now they had Malkaren to think about, and somehow get back to Riverfall. They had only left the day before yesterday, so at least it wasn’t too terribly far to transport him. And transport him they must for he’d be in no fit condition to walk or ride. It wouldn’t be so hard to rig some sort of stretcher type accommodation, to be carried by men or along between two horses. The question for Min, though, was, would she be able to just let him go, without her? Yes, he was not her responsibility, and it would be inconvenient for her to turn back and delay the start of her journey in that way. On the other hand, she wasn’t pressed for time. Arriving in Syliras a few days later would make no difference. The real issue was the caravan that she traveled with. They had their own schedule, and she didn’t think they’d be too happy to wait for her to return the Riverfall and then come back to them. She sat by Malkaren’s side, and thought, but finally she knew she would just have to ask. Without any hesitation, she rose and went to the tent of the man who led the group of travelers. It wasn’t surprising that the man had already formulated his own plans. Come the morning they would send a small party of 4 back to the city with the injured man. He too had assumed the Akalak would not be able to ride so he easily accepted Min’s idea of a sling. The leader was quite surprised that the healer would really wish to accompany her patient – it would mean the trip there to Riverfall and then retracing her steps back, by which time the caravan would have moved on. His own men would of course be returning to him, but they would travel fast and light. The leader wanted to know – could she do that? Or would she slow them down? Min refrained from openly scoffing and merely replied that yes she knew how to travel fast. For some reason, she hadn’t quite thought ahead to what that meant – traveling by horse. The jungle was no place for horses but she knew how to travel by foot and by climbing. But she hadn’t conceptualized really that travel on the grassy plain would be far different. So Min and the leader came to an agreement. She and the four guides would leave on the morrow to take Malkaren back to Riverfall. And then she would leave just as soon as they had settled him with a healer there, and she and the guides would catch up the caravan and continue on to Syliras. It all seemed an easy fix. She had returned to her patient, who still slept on and seemed to be doing as well as could be expected. At least there was no sign of fever. After another hour or so of watching over him, she rolled herself in a blanket, stretched out beside him, and slept. Awaking before dawn, Min’s first thought was to check on her charge. He still slept peacefully enough – the exertions and trauma of the day before having taken a huge toll on his energy reserves. She watched him some more and then one of the men brought her something to eat. The camp was awake and getting ready to depart, and Min rose finally to oversee the creation of the sling in which they would carry him back to the city. Everything was packed and ready, and still her patient slept. Min asked that he be allowed to sleep on as it would be best for the healing process, and the jostling of the travel to come would of course be far from pleasant for him. So the leader nodded and gave his last orders, and the bulk of the caravan began to move off, leaving the smaller party behind. It wasn’t until mid-day that Malkaren awoke and of course, as these things happen, it was at a moment when Min had just stepped away to ready her own few things left inside the tent that had been meant for her to sleep in. Just as she was coming out, her eyes went to the recumbent form only to see that he was not so recumbent. She hurried over. Malkaren literally was falling down onto the blanket beneath him, though at least it looked like he hadn’t gotten up far enough for the tumbling back down to be of any great distance. She scowled and literally ran over to him, flopping down to her knees and placing a restraining hand to his chest. “No. Lie down. Do not move.” Her tone was sharp and commanding – her bedside manner was not the sweetest or gentlest. Hurriedly, she checked the wounds to make sure her good stitching held, and it had. But his movements had the hip wound oozing blood again. She had wanted light to better examine it, and now she had all she could use. Her eyes flicked to his and she repeated, “Do not move. You will bleed more. We take you to your city – to Riverfall.” She pronounced the word carefully. “But first, I must look.” Her fingers rested lightly on the bandaging over his hip. “And you must eat, and drink.” Almost as an after thought, she added, “It is good to see you awake, Malkaren.”

[Malkaren]

Malkaren gave the healer no complaints nor resistance, pressing his head back against the roll and crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled up at the sky as if trying to blame it for his misfortunes. He wasn't sure if his fatigue last night had been keeping him tame or the reality of just how bad his condition was didn't dawn upon him until that very moment but it was quite obvious that the entire situation was putting him on edge. No self respecting warrior should feel it necessary to be restrained by an injury that didn't cripple or kill them and despite knowing he couldn't walk without assistance in his condition he almost wanted to insist that he could just to try and push through it. At the very least Min had not chided him like some boy who kept picking at his scab though he was unsure whether he could really bring himself to get angry if she did. Despite her ill spoken Common and slight roughness of hand she at least seemed to be even headed enough to not antagonize a warrior when he was down. She stated that she would on his third aching wound that he could feel soaking the bandages as well as insisting that he eat and drink. Her last comment made him raise a brow and wonder if she had expected him to pass on the night from his injuries but the bright light shining in the corner of his eye reminded him that it must have been well into the day by now. "Normally I pace myself far better when I go out hunting so I can get up early the next morning without stressing my body. Either my escape or my injury must have taken it's toll on my stamina." Realizing he was most likely about to feel a bit more of that stinging from her prodding around his wounds, he decided to make some quick small talk to help keep his mind focused on something else. "So where is this caravan headed exactly?" he asked as he looked up at her.

[Min]

Malkaren was a cooperative patient, and Min was pleased that he didn’t attempt to get back up again, though his face showed plainly that he was far from happy with the situation. Of course he would be – badly wounded and now stitched up like a child’s rag doll, his ability to move – to walk, to run, to ride, to hunt – all restricted for the next few weeks. It was the typical fate of a warrior, to suffer such injuries at some point in their life – or often, multiple times. So Malkaren would just have to resign himself to it, for a while, or risk doing something that would end up killing him and then of what use would he be to anyone? Min listened to his thoughts about why he had slept so long, while she carefully removed the bandage over his hip, and put her face close to the wound, first sniffing at it. There was no smell of putrification, so she next rose up a bit, and gently placed her fingers on the torn edges, pulling them apart ever so carefully. It would hurt, and she did not want to disrupt the healing that would have already begun to knit flesh and skin back together. But she did want to look, to see what there was to see. The surface of his torn muscles already had the darkened color of flesh preparing to mend. He would have a bad scar here, but after examining the tear for a few moments, she nodded, confirming her assessment of the night before. She sat back up, and said first, “Your body is tired. Weak. You did bleed a lot. It needs time. Sleep is for the good of your body.” She nodded at the hip wound. “I leave it with no stitches. It will heal best that way. But we must keep it clean. Very important.” Min was reaching for her pack which she had left handily beside his bedroll. “And you must not move, for two days.” She held up two fingers in emphasis of her point. His body needed to heal, but fairly soon he would need to move a bit too, to keep the skin from healing without ability to stretch in its normal way. She had seen the horrible outcome of wounds that were seen as so serious, that a well meaning but unskilled healer would bind them up tightly and leave them, with massive scar tissue forming like a web from one part of the broken body to another. She unstoppered the vial and poured a bit of the astringent cleanser over the wound. “After two days, you walk, a small walk. Every day, four – five times. One week.” Of course, the healer who had his care in Riverfall would be telling the Akalak the same thing, as far as his physical therapy went. “Then, you can walk, every day, as much as you can.” Min had finished with the application of the cleansing oil and began to rebandage the wound. “This caravan?” she finally said, addressing his question with her own questioning tone. “The caravan left, this morning. It goes to Syliras. We go to Riverfall.” She nodded in the direction where the city lay. “You, me, four guards. We take you back, to your city.” Having finished the bandage, she began to stow everything away again in her pack. “You eat, and drink. Then, we leave. We make a….” Min furrowed her brow, searching for the word. “A carry thing.” She formed her hand like a flat cup. “Between the horses. They carry you.” She shook her head in frustration, vexed that she could not think of the word the men had used. “A…a…swing?” No, that wasn’t it. She motioned for one of the men to bring the food they had set aside for Malkaren earlier, when they had all eaten their breakfast. He came, bringing also a water bag, both of which he set down beside the two. Min took the bag and offered it to her patient. “Drink, please,” she said, though it was still very obviously a command.

[Malkaren]

Malkaren's hands tightened on his crossed forearms as the foreign healer went back to work. Between being full conscious and having the good sense to prepare for it he didn't show many signs of just how much pain he was in. In truth the pain from last night was far worse since it had been accompanied by flesh stabbing needles that tightened the wound close. Agonizing and somewhat barbaric when one thought about it but far better than letting the wound stay open and rot the rest of the body. At the very least she seemed consistent as she had finished this quickly with her inspection and set herself with the much less painful task of cleaning and bandaging again as she stated that no stitches would be needed. Of course it just so happened that she decided to follow this up with a string of bad news. "Two days?" he asked, looking for clarification despite the obvious meaning of the fingers she was holding up. "Terrific. I get wounded by a beast, treated by a complete stranger who I'm assuming would refuse any payment I'm offered and now I'm to be carried to my home so I can lie there like a sick child until my body recovers enough to walk. Then I'll still have to pace myself and keep resting regularly..." he states in a slow voice brimming with broody irritation before closing his eyes. "I'm never going to hear the end of this one from master." As Min finished with her bandaging he uncrossed his right arm to run his fingers over the cloth clinging to his ribs. "And I'm slowing yourself and your comrades as well. It seems ill fortune is following closely in my wake these last few days." Despite the pain and guilt bearing down on him it did seem that some light could be found. It was obvious that Min was not merely poor spoken but badly versed in Common as a whole. The fact she had kept up a conversation without a mistake so far was impressive. While a simple and somewhat childish thing to find humorous, he decided to try and find the word for her to cut the tension hanging in the air. "I think you mean stretcher," he corrected, his voice blank but at the very least not edgy. When one of the men brought over food and water he did the same as he had the night before and took it without complaint, eager to wet his throat and fill his stomach. Taking water skin and pressing it's mouth to his lips he began drinking large mouthfuls in quick succession, easily draining it half way before pulling it away and resting it on his chest. He stopped for a few moments as he stared aimlessly up at the sky with his mind heavy on the burden he had become. Turning his head to look up at her again he spoke quietly to her. "Min, I already expect that you'll simply continue being modest despite what I say but I must speak it for peace of mind. You have done much for me despite being a stranger who held no obligation to one such as me and for that I am eternally grateful. Vowing my life to you a hundred times over would never be enough to repay this debt."

[Min]

Min had listened to Malkaren’s unhappy thoughts, as she had put away her things, back in the pack. With a hand on his shoulder, she had spoken in a serious but sympathetic tone. “Your master? If he is a good master, he will be happy to know that you are still alive. And you will be happy too. It will not be so long. Soon you will hunt, ride, run. You will be useful, a warrior.” Clearly Min saw the Akalak’s worth in terms of what function he performed for his city, his people, his family. He hadn’t mentioned a wife, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one. Of course, the Akalaks were such an odd race – with such difficulties bringing children into the world. There were many of them, she had heard, who never found a mate – unless they bought a kelvic from the slave pens of Ravok. It was a pity, Min thought, for she found the huge warriors a worthy group. But any female would have to think twice about accepting the generous offers the Akalaks made to bribe them into carrying their children. The risks were very high, and many females died in the process. Each Akalak was very precious indeed - to their own race. So maybe that made it even more important for Malkaren to see that being laid up for a while wasn’t as bad as having lost his life. She gave him what was meant to be an encouraging smile. “I am not a stranger now. And there is no debt. What I can do, I do, for all who are in need. You are in my care, for two or three days. That is my job.” Malkaren then supplied the word she had been trying to recall, and she nodded, repeating it. “Stretcher – stretcher. Yes, I will remember now.” She let him drink, and she held the bowl of now cold cooked barley ready for him to eat when he was done. But before he ate, he once again spoke of a debt owed, and in quite serious tones. Malkaren spoke of a life debt, and to this Min shook her head. “No. No, Malkaren. One day, maybe, if life brings it to be, you will be where I am in danger. But…that does not seem so.” Her brow was furrowed, thinking of how to say this. She motioned with the wooden spoon in her hand. “Life can be a circle.” She waved the spoon in a big circle. “But…more…it is like this.” With the bowl and the spoon, she set them going in divergent paths. Min shook her head, and then shrugged. “We do not know. But if we do not meet again, then you will do this thing for another. You will pay the debt to some other person. That is life.” She brought bowl and spoon together again, dipped up some of the cereal and held it towards him, unconcerned if it would wound his dignity to let her feed him. He was injured and needed to lie still as much as he could, for now. “You owe Kihala, and Dira, and Rak’keli, and Myri, and…do you have a god, Malkaren?” There were so many in the Pantheon, she had no idea which one the Akalak might feel was of particular importance to himself.

[Malkaren]

As Malkaren lifted the water skin to his lips once again Min brought up how Amantis would surely be happy to see him alive and well and how he'll feel better about the whole ordeal eventually. He stopped for a moment, completely freezing up before starting to drink again and giving Min a very curious look as if just now spotting something he had never noticed before. He continued quietly drinking as she explained that they were no longer strangers and that there was no need to hold a debt as she was simply doing her job. She was incredibly stubborn and a bit pushy but looking past it all this woman appeared to be genuinely good willed and thoughtful. She wanted to help people simply because it was the right thing to do, refusing any offer of reward beyond her call of duty. Considering the lives many lived and the condition of the world as a whole a person like this was truly a diamond in the rough. He finally put down the skin as she began repeating the word he gave her, a small smile crossing his lips again. He didn't mean to find her humorous in a mean spirited way but there was something about the way she said the word that amused him. As he lay back and waited for the bowl in her hands she began explaining that if in life he happened to return the favor by chance then it would be repaid. She quickly lost him as she tried to explain the complexities of life in the form of nonsensical spoon movements but he did his best to grasp what she was trying to say. She finished what she had to say and held out a spoonful of barely to his face which quickly wiped what little humor there was on his face. Despite his now grumpy expression he didn't want to begin arguging and accepted it quickly, chewing thoroughly as she brought up whom in the pantheon he truly owed his life to. When she brought up the subject of whom he gave praise to he slowed down his chewing, looking thoughtfully up at the clouds before swallowing and speaking. "It is commonplace for my people to praise Wysar as he is lord of our city. My master taught me to give thanks to Caiyha as it is her land that our work treks through. I personally give thanks to Morwen as it was her season my birth fell upon."

[Min]

Wysar, Caiyha, Morwen – these were all names known to her and of the three, Caiyha was certainly the one more prominent in importance to the Myrians. Morwen was the least of them, for her wintry touch barely affected their jungles at all. Min wondered if Malkaren had been marked by any – especially Wysar, for he dwelled there with his Akalaks and was said to be seen often amongst them. Of course, she herself was marked by Myri, for she had been raised in the city which Myri ruled over and had ordered the construction of, and had undergone her coming of age rites there. But she saw now that the men who waited on the healer and her patient were making the last preparations to have all packed up and on the horses so that they could leave. So she left off idle conversation and concentrated on spooning the barley cereal into Malkaren, to give him some strength for what was most certainly not going to be a pleasant trip back to Riverfall. “Eat,” she said, simply, holding another spoonful to his lips. She could see he wasn’t thrilled by this, but so far he had been compliant and that was a mark of intelligence, in her books. She was an exceedingly proud person herself, but sometimes pride had to bend in order for the body to mend. When the bowl was empty, she beckoned to the four men who would be responsible for getting the huge Akalak into the jury rigged stretcher. To Malkaren, she said, “This will be painful but there isn’t any other way to get you home. You can not walk, or ride.” The last bit was said with a firm emphasis, as if she already was arguing with him on this point. Probably, having seen his attempt to rise earlier, she thought he might be stubborn about it. The men approached, with the two horses, and a tent canvas that had been slung between the two and secured to their saddles. The idea was to help Malkaren to his feet and then settle him in the impromptu sling. Min stepped back and let the men see to this.

[Malkaren]

Malkaren accepted each spoonful with neither a single word of complaint or thanks as he was just grateful to have something to put in his stomach after going without food for so long. The last time he had eaten was a handful of dried meats he'd forced down the day before to keep his energy up. Of course the meal presented to him now was hardly the most enjoyable as the taste reminded him as to why he enjoyed cooked meats so much. Perhaps he was simply spoiled on the rewards of the hunt as he often saved some of the most choice prey for him and his family to dine on. Just the thought of his mother's nabato steak almost made his half filled stomach rumble in longing. Wanting to pry his mind from such thinking he began searching for anything else to occupy his thoughts and found himself looking to Min yet again, not on her words and actions but her. Despite how much he kept analyzing her stubbornness and care he hadn't put much thought into how she looked. The word exotic came to mind quickly as he found the konti who lived in Riverfall and the women of other races who visited the city were very different from her in most every way. Groups of Myrians traveling to Riverfall was a common sight as the warring race loved to test their mettle again the akalak warriors. From the few times he'd seen them it was the women who proved to be faster, fiercer and tougher than all the rest. While hardly a delicate flower herself, Min looked softer and less fierce with a slender figure and light skin. Her height seemed average though it was difficult to tell since he had been lying down ever since they met and she seemed much lighter on her feet than the warriors he had met. While not the best person to be a judge of physical beauty he had to admit that she was rather pretty despite rarely smiling and often looking as if she wasn't sure how she was suppose to when she did. Time must have dragged on very quickly as he ate and thought because before long he was snapped out of his own little world by Min beckoning the men over with the horse hung stretcher. The sight of it wobbling ever so slightly with each little move the horses made made his wounds ache already and Min's words were hardly comforting. Noting the tone of voice she spoke in he said, "You don't have to worry about me doing anything stupid. I learned my lesson this morning." He said this with a slight scoffing edge as two men grabbed the two ends of the mat he was lying on and lifted it carefully off the ground. The jerky movements quickly aggravated the cuts as they hustled over to the makeshift stretcher, quickly placing him back down on it before any real damage can be done. "How far are we from the city?" he asked as they made sure his position was secure, him praying the answer was a good one.