Chapter 3

Ahhh! Sorry it's been a hot minute! I've been super busy with school but here's the next chapter!

As I slowly found my way back to consciousness my shoulder was a lump of pain and my leg, oh god my leg. It was a screaming mass of fire and I wanted to die right then and there. 

I took a sharp intake of breath and bit my lip.

“Oh you’re awake!” I recognized the voice of the girl who had helped me and I cracked an eye open to see her hovering above me. I then realized I was laying down, my head resting on my leather jacket. 

“I wish I wasn’t,” I rasped, my voice broken and small. 

Her mouth twitched with a smile. “I stitched you up while you were unconscious, I also managed to get the,” she cringed, “bone back into place.” 

I closed my eyes again, “Thank you.” the words fell from my mouth without permission. Why in the world was I thanking a human? She had saved my life, I guess. 

The girl hummed and I heard her moving around, I opened my eyes to watch her. She walked to the basket she had brought in earlier and pulled a jar out of it before walking back to me. 

“Can I touch you, just for a second? I need to get you sitting up.”

I nodded, and she gently grabbed my shoulders and lifted me up to rest against the wall. I groaned as the wounds were aggravated and the girl apologized. 

“I need you to drink this,” she said, uncorking the jar. Inside was a disgusting looking white liquid. 

My eyes widened, “What is that?”

“It’s medicine, it’ll help with the pain.” 

I looked at the bottle then up to the girl’s face. She seemed genuine but I still didn’t trust her, “I’m not drinking it.”

“But-”

“No, I barely know you. For all I know you could be trying to poison me.” 

She sighed and set down the bottle, “Ok, but it’s here if you want it, in the meantime though, at least drink some water.” She grabbed a waterskin and held it to my lips. I bit my lip and sniffed at it. It smelled like water, no extra ingredients. I loved having heightened senses. It was a relatively rare ability among the druids, and I was lucky enough to have it.

I drank some, making the girl smile. She pulled it away from me and I whined, I hadn’t had anything to drink in a while and just that little bit of water was like sweet nectar. 

She laughed, the sound echoing around the cave, “Ok ok, you can have a little more.” she lifted the water skin again and I took another greedy sip, “I’m Phee by the way, I never got to introduce myself yesterday.” 

“Kyrie,” I said as the water skin was lowered again. “Why are you helping me?”

She looked away from me. “I’ve always seen the war as pointless, our peoples should be able to get along. Besides, I couldn’t just leave you to die. People don’t do that to each other, druid or human.” 

I looked at her, her dark skin practically glowing in the dim light, “You’re a weird human.” 

Phee looked back to me, a hint of mischief in her eyes, “What?! How dare you. Just because I helped you doesn’t make me weird.” 

I smiled, “I don’t know you seem pretty weird to me.” 

“Oh shush.” she giggled, “Also thank you for trusting me.” 

With that I put my head down, “I don’t trust you. I don’t trust you at all. I just figure if you wanted to kill me you would’ve done it already.” 

Her smile fell but she nodded, “That’s fair.” 

In the distance the bells of the town rang, signaling that it was almost nightfall. “Oh no, I’ve got to go.” Phee pushed herself to standing and practically ran to the entrance of the cave. “I’ll be back in the morning with some food.” 

“I might not be here.” I was planning to make it back to my village tonight, then the healers would patch me up and I’d be as good as new. 

She raised an eyebrow before running out of the waterfall. 

I took a deep breath before sitting up further, the movement straining the wound on my shoulder. Looking down I noticed the girl had bandaged it. 

I then bit my lip and experimentally moved my leg. The world exploded in a kaleidoscope of pain, and I collapsed right back down onto the ground. I groaned and fought the tears swimming in my vision. 

Something in the back of my mind was telling me that there was no way, absolutely zero way I was going to stand, let alone get to my village. But I was way too stubborn to stop. I pushed myself back to sitting and then flipped myself onto my side. Then, very very carefully, without using practically any use of my leg, I brought myself to a crouch, and then to a stand. The word tilted dangerously as I stood and leaned against the wall. I cursed quietly before moving my leg just a tiny bit, ready to take a step. 

The pain nearly put me back on the floor, and I bit my tongue to stop from crying out. I carefully lowered myself back to the floor, my entire body shaking from pain and exertion. 

Yep, walking was not happening. I spied the medicine that Phee had left, the bottle still sitting on the ground next to me. 

I regretfully picked it up, and downed the viscous liquid. The effect was instantaneous. The pain was nearly gone and a sudden calming effect washed over me. Without my permission, my eyelids began to droop closed. My heartrate rose with horror, and before I knew it, I was asleep.