Makotae’s food proved as safe as Lilau’s, and with no further attempts at sedation forthcoming, she ventured to try the medicine that was left for her.

She scooted sideways, shielding her injured side from the view of the guards as she pulled the side of her hide pants down just far enough to look at the cuts she had received from the creatures in the forest. Dried blood made it a slow and painful process. This was the first time she had looked since receiving it, although she had felt the injury all day.

Three jagged gashes as long as her fingers etched their way diagonally from her hip bone down. They were deep enough that old blood now stuck to most of her upper hip, but shallow enough for the bleeding to have slowed not too long after the attack. Of course, after all the tugging, it was oozing again. It needed to be cleaned. But with nothing available to do so, the best she could do was slather on the medicine and hope infection didn’t set in. She glanced at Makotae, who was sleeping off the remnants of the sedative. When he woke, she would have to have him clean it for her, as wolf’s spit was a good healing ointment all by itself.

Lilau returned to her task, applying a thick layer of paste and gritting her teeth against the hearty complaints of the torn flesh. Pain was good. Pain meant there wasn’t any serious damage to the sensations of the area.

As the wound went numb, Lilau steeled herself for sedation, but there was none, at least none beyond her own exhaustion. Pulling her encrusted pants back into place, she curled up against Makotae, face hidden from the ever-present stare of the sentinels at the entrance.

*****

Morning saw the return of the soft-looking woman, laden with water, more medicine and clothing, which she set near the entrance. While Lilau and Makotae looked on with curiosity, she engaged the guards in a heated debate that she seemed destined to win. With shoulders squared and a finger wagging, she scolded them until, with a roll of eyes and patient sighs, they quit their arguments and left.

She turned to Lilau and Makotae with a kind smile. Taking her supplies in hand, she moved towards them. They tensed. She stopped with a sigh, knelt and placed everything within reach. She said something in a calm voice, rubbing her own hip in the spot of their injuries before retreating to the entrance, where she sat down in a cross-legged position and regarded Lilau with a long-suffering look.

Lilau knew what she wanted. She supposed having the woman present for cleaning and dressing was better than the two hard-eyed guards. Still, something about the woman’s demeanor made Lilau feel weak and vulnerable. She hated it.

Your wound needs to be cleaned, Makotae noted with a mental nudge. I have felt it since we woke. Uncomfortable as it may be in present company, you must take care of yourself.

He was right, of course. He did not enjoy their audience anymore than she did, but to not keep themselves healthy when given the opportunity would be foolish.

A look at her thigh showed her pants once again glued to the torn flesh by dried blood that had continued to ooze throughout the night. The pain had eased, but she knew if she wasn’t careful, it would come back with a vengeance.

She collected the water and medicine before moving over to where Makotae could reach her hip. He licked it with care as she soaked the cloth that was draped across one of the bucket’s edges, adding moisture to the wound whenever he stopped. A few moments later, the leather pulled away from her skin as the blood adhesion dissolving away.

With the most delicate work over, it was a simple affair to slip the filthy clothing off to finish cleaning herself and applying medicine. Lilau eyed the new clothes. Much to her dismay, there were no pants or leggings of any sort, and now that she thought about it, she had seen no one wearing such. She held up the largest rectangle of woven hair, what the girl had called cloth, and grimaced. It looked double her length, in bold greens, blues and reds. It was beautiful in its own way, although she doubted its usefulness when trying to remain unseen. Her old leathers of faded browns and grays were far better suited to stalking and stealth, and she missed the familiar comfort they provided.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Lilau was considering putting her dirty leathers back on when the woman came over, gingerly lifting the cloth from Lilau’s hands. Lilau tensed and drew back. A warning growl from Makotae sealed their unified discomfort. The woman frowned, but stood her ground as she wrapped the cloth around her shoulders and torso with a practiced hand. The cloth was far too small for her, but it was enough for Lilau to realize what she was doing. She forced herself to relax as she gestured for the cloth back. Doing her best to mimic what the woman had done, she wrapped it in a way that at least felt similar to a proper covering. An experimental step proved it would not stay. The woman chuckled as she picked up the rest of the cloth pile.

With effort, a lot of demonstration from the woman, and a no small amount of frustration, Lilau affixed the ensemble in place. A smaller, plainer piece of cloth wrapped around her waist under the larger piece, which draped from her shoulders down to her knees, this time held in place by a thinner version of the rope that hobbled Makotae.

The woman gave an approving nod, swiped Lilau’s leathers and walked out before she could protest.

You look... bright, Makotae mused. Do you think they’ll give me a flowery blanket too?

She glared at him, kneeling to examine his own injury. Be careful, I haven’t treated your wound yet.

He let out an exaggerated whine, laying his head down as she leaned closer to examine him. While she had been fussing with her new clothes, he had been cleaning the cuts until they were just as clean as her own. That was fortunate, since she no longer had fresh water to do it herself. It was also knitting together. The surrounding flesh glistened a healthy pink. Whatever was in the wound ointment was working.

She was in the middle of applying more ointment when the girl from the previous day walked in with Lilau’s most recent guards on her heels. They brought with them more food for Lilau and Makotae that they set down nearby. Lilau ate with one eye on them. They shifted on their feet, their focus flitting about as if they had somewhere important to be.

Or something distasteful to do, Makotae added, careful to keep his outward appearance calm. I’m not sure we’ll like what comes next.

She had to agree with his sense of unease, although the steady supply of nutritious food and the clean clothes made her think that whatever it was wouldn’t be hazardous to their health. The girl’s animated and unending chatter directed at everyone in the room supported this idea. Lilau had experience with plenty of people who turned their back or even took glee in her suffering. Their desires sprang from a dark place and it showed in the way they carried themselves, which was far different from the innocence in the girl’s movements.

The guards acted far less enthused, but their body language held no more malice. Not wanting to give her anxiety time to take hold, she gulped down the rest of her meal, finishing right after Makotae.

The girl noticed first, her stream of words coming to an abrupt halt. She pointed to Makotae’s bonds, uttered the word for ‘rope,’ then made a sawing motion as she spoke a new sound.

“Cut,” Lilau echoed, gaining a toothy grin from the girl that vanished from view as one guard stepped in front of her and drew a knife. He put a hand up at their reflexive jerk backwards, miming the act of slicing rope as he repeated the words for it.

Makotae’s ears perked up. They’re setting me free?

Looks like it, Lilau ventured, taking a cautious step around him until she was behind his back. Even the girl frowned as the guard leaned over and cut the ropes.

As soon as the ropes fell free, Makotae scrambled into a standing position, forcing everyone around him back. Lilau used the surprise to slip under his neck, coming to stand between him and the spears that pointed his way.

Move slowly, no reason to make them regret their decision just yet.

Slow is about all I can manage.

She glanced back. Makotae stood hunched over, his head low and his legs shaking. The dull ache that had pervaded his limbs blossomed into sharp pain as he forced them into motion for the first time in over a day. Don’t worry though, I’m sure a little exercise will work the tightness out.

The girl clapped, pulling all focus to her. She jabbed a thumb at her chest, another new word flowing from her mouth, then out of Lilau’s. Kuhle, her name. She pointed towards Lilau, then Makotae, and waited.

Lilau obliged, all of them repeating their monikers until Kuhle spoke each one with ease. The girl pushed the guard’s spear tips away, stepped forward, and clapped a hand on Lilau’s shoulder as she shared a new moniker, that of ‘friend.’