Lilau took another step. Makotae stumbled behind, his splinted leg and injured head further upsetting his balance. He fell and slid to the grass with a grunt.

A wave of nausea rolled over Lilau. She closed her eyes and swayed. There were few things she wouldn’t give for a bit of Wolf’s Spit, or any of the medicine’s ingredients. Anything to dull the connection between her and Makotae.

Once the nausea passed, she looked north, toward the direction they traveled. Through her blurred vision, something dark contrasted against the horizon. Another forest, perhaps.

Lilau sucked in a deep breath as she tried to soothe the sudden spike in her heartbeat. So far, forests meant either Wolf Tribe, who wanted to kill her, or a Great Eagle, who tried to kill her. We’re too far west for Wolf Tribe, and definitely too far away for anyone to recognize me. She thought it to herself, but projected it toward Makotae as she sought something to calm her growing anxiety.

He hobbled to her side, head drooping, and let out a long sigh. I wish I knew.

His thoughts were heavy with meaning beyond his few words. He didn’t understand why the eagle had attacked them anymore than she did, and getting directions from a Fokla set his fur on edge. The pounding in his head intensified, pulling his nose closer to the ground.

Lilau ran her hand down his back, then walked on. She wouldn’t lie to him. She wouldn’t tell him everything would be fine. They both knew better. Nature favored no one. If they wanted to survive, they had to use their own strength.

As the day wore on, she repeated those words louder and louder in her head. Makotae stumbled with every step. Blood seeped through the poorly wrapped poultice on her shoulder. White haze intruded in her peripheral vision, and this time she was sure it was her own body about to give out.

The forest rose above them now, green and thin-needled trees bunched together against the dead grass of Horse Tribe lands. The all-too-familiar trees made Lilau strain to hear the cries of Great Eagles, but only the distant sound of songbirds echoed from the boughs.

Lilau staggered as relief washed over her. Listen, Makotae. There are birds!

She caught a hint of interest from Makotae as he stumbled on. His injuries, and the forced march, had drained almost everything from him. Even his pain, so clear at first, had dulled to almost nothing in Lilau’s mind as his tenuous grasp on consciousness slipped further away.

His condition only spurred her on. Songbirds meant plants to feed on. Where there were healthy plants, there were healthy prey.

Something shimmered at the treeline. At first, she thought it a trick of the light, or exhaustion. It thickened, coalesced, taking the form of a bear. A round disc shone in its chest as it roared, highlighting the dark green of its body and sharp branches encircling its head.

Lilau’s breath caught as Makotae collapsed beside her, his thoughts going blank as he slipped into unconsciousness. Her knees gave out. This time, she didn’t bother catching herself. The bear Fokla roared again, a multi-tone sound recalling every predator Lilau had ever met. A challenge, threat, and promise.

Come into my lands, and I’ll rip you apart.

Lilau roared back. After all she’d survived, after all she’d fought so hard for, why did it always come back to this? Always the outcast, left to struggle and die under the accusing gaze of others. If only she still had her bow and could nock an arrow. She’d know if Fokla bled before she died.

Another figure appeared beside the bear. Four long, thin legs propelled it past the forest’s edge and toward Lilau. A large buck, coming to run her down.

She freed her knife and braced, ready to sink the blade into the creature’s chest as it closed in on her.

Lilau’s haggard mind struggled to grasp what happened as the deer slowed, then stopped, just out of striking distance. She could have still stabbed it if she lunged, yet her body refused to respond.

The buck split in two. No, not two. A rider.

Tanned furs covered nearly every inch of the rider, bringing acute attention to Lilau’s cold limbs.

The rider slid a fur bag from their shoulder and uttered a short, clipped phrase in a clear and feminine voice.

Lilau winced as pain blossomed in her head. Her knife shook.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The rider took notice and gestured for the buck to kneel as she did the same. Unknown words fell like drumbeats as the rider slipped a hand in her bag, pulling free a wooden carving and setting it on the ground facing Lilau.

The fox Fokla’s carved likeness stared at Lilau in miniature detail. Even the glyphs twisting across it were painted in the same startling blue.

Lilau’s hand dropped to her side as she let out a shuddering breath. She didn’t trust the Fokla, and before now, she had been the only one she knew of who could see them. Whether the woman had seen the fox, or the statue was the handiwork of the Fokla itself, Lilau had no way of telling. All she could hope for in going against the very healthy-looking buck and rider was a quick death, and as of yet, neither of the new arrivals had done anything threatening. Better to take the chance and stay obedient for now.

The rider grunted, seemingly satisfied with Lilau’s show of resignation. More things came from the bag. Bandages, medicine bundles, small tools. The rider motioned toward Lilau’s shoulder, Makotae’s unconscious form, then back to the medical spread. Her motions were punctuated with words Lilau didn’t need to understand. Lilau forced her hand open, letting her last weapon fall from her grasp as she nodded with a frown.

The rider wasted no time in getting far too close.

Lilau ground her teeth, her skin crawling and stomach turning as the makeshift bandage she’d made was removed from her shoulder. She hissed as probing fingers tested the area around the embedded arrow shaft. With the amount of blood she’d already lost, the wound needed to be cleaned and packed immediately. Most pain medicine Lilau knew of took a while to work and thinned the blood. Because of this, she didn’t argue as the rider braced her body against Lilau’s and offered her a bundle of leather.

She bit down on the bundle of leather as hard as she could manage, clenching her eyes shut as the rider’s weight shifted back, then thrust forward against the arrow shaft.

The world spun as agony washed away all reason. Lilau felt her body give and slump forward as if it was not her own. Muffled speech, the touch of hands. A whining in her ears which started small, then slammed her full force into cruel reality.

Deft hands finished securing a fresh poultice to her shoulder, smells of astringent plants hitting Lilau hard enough to make her eyes water.

The rider eased back, no doubt testing Lilau’s ability to stay upright. Lilau took the opportunity to scoot away from the rider. She regarded the woman with unease. The woman had every chance to kill Lilau and be her on her way, yet had instead helped her. Lilau knew she should be grateful. Still, the closeness of the stranger coupled with the invisible wound of being unable to save herself and Makotae stung like saltwater on cracked lips.

The rider’s face remained passive. She pointed at the still unconscious Makotae. Lilau nodded without softening her stare, shifting into a better position to watch as the woman moved to Makotae and ran her hands across him. Lilau frowned, suppressing the urge to yell at the woman. They were in desperate need of help. No matter how much it chafed, Lilau vowed to accept it for Makotae’s sake.

Her assessment finished, the woman busied herself replacing Makotae’s splint and adding her own medicines to his wounds. With a nod of satisfaction, the rider reached into her bag, produced a tiny, tightly stitched bladder, placed it under Makotae’s nose, and squeezed.

Makotae lurched up with a yelp, eliciting a yell from Lilau as she scrambled awkwardly to his side.

The woman leaped back. Her mount, which had stayed resting a distance away, was in front of her in an instant, head bowed and antlers at the ready.

Whatever the rider had in the bladder had done little to clear Makotae’s head. He stared in muddled confusion at the new arrivals as Lilau wrapped her arms around his neck. Who...what’s going on?

Lilau swiveled to keep the agitated buck in sight. The buck’s rider treated our wounds. Her eyes flicked to the small fox statue. It had fallen over at some point, and now lay face down in the dead grass. She knows the fox Fokla. I think it sent her.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I don’t know.

Makotae accepted her answer with a huff, dropping into as relaxed of a position as he could manage. His splinted leg stuck out at an odd angle. Let’s hope good. I’ve had enough of life or death situations. At least for today.

Me too. Lilau eased down beside him, trying not to jostle her throbbing shoulder or Makotae.

Tension bled out of the buck’s muscles as it picked its head up to regard them. It pranced back, revealing its rider, who stood with arms crossed and a blank expression on her face.

With the grating treatments and standoffs at an end, Lilau finally took in the rider’s features.

Only her head and hands were visible. An enviable amount of puffy furs and leathers covered the rest of her. Black hair and light brown skin framed large, dark eyes. Lilau sucked in a breath. She forced it out between her teeth. The woman’s features and clothes were close enough to Wolf Tribe to make Lilau’s heart jump, but on closer inspection, her face was too round, her skin lacked clay tones, and her clothes were a bit too bulky for the hunters of Wolf.

Lilau marveled at the rider’s continued ease as the woman placed her tools back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She pointed at the forest border, now devoid of bear Fokla, then made a sweeping motion which encompassed all four of them. She repeated the motions, adding in some of her unknown language.

I don’t want to move.

The conviction in Makotae’s thoughts held no malice or fear of the buck and rider, or their territory. It proved his delicate condition.

Lilau stroked his neck, then stood and nodded at the rider.

The woman walked toward the forest in the distance without a word, the buck ambling beside her.

Lilau took a step away from Makotae. Come on. If she bothered using her supplies to treat us, I doubt she plans to feed us to the Guardian.

Perhaps not. Makotae didn’t move. But I’m sure there’s something they want from us.

Then we’ll provide that something if we can, in exchange for her help. Besides, I bet she has food.

Makotae growled as he scrambled to his feet. Fine.

He couldn’t quite squash his hope as it popped up in Lilau’s mind. She smiled. He wasn’t so injured that food lost his interest, but the slow, painful trek to the forest’s edge certainly tested his focus on it.