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Healer Rhea's POV

After Rhea had marked the six males, things in the camp and their travels had turned a bit brighter. And no, she didn't think of her rebranding as a blessing, if anything, she wanted to give them some sort of protection—Even if she didn't necessarily know how well it would pass with a wolf's loyalty to the Alpha King.

Currently, they were walking diligently through the woods, hoping to find some type of shelter that would provide some cover from the incoming storm. One that Rhea and Gilroy had voiced their worry about, considering they could feel the lingering shots of pain within their healed injuries.

Rhea thought the trick was always a waste when a wolf's nose in the pack could sniff it that morning, or feel the slightest shift in the temperature. She didn't doubt that the packs needed both humans and wolves to function, the idea of being human and basically mortal kept the mortality rate of the entire pack in better shape.

She couldn't manage to count how many times she had to remind wolves that they were at risk of certain things as well. As illnesses were starting to pick through the pups—It just reminded Rhea that she had left all her notes back in her infirmary.

She was hopeful that Alpha Stephen will have saved something worthwhile, given that she spent actual years tending to the medical science of everything. If it wasn't available, Rhea was certain that she could repeat the given tests, her memory was fairly decent—Though one thing that had prevailed had been the cough that started to plague their group.

First, Rhea had assumed it had been from the inhalation of too much smoke from their fiery escape, but evidently, Ray had been feeling weak for quite some time. And this amount of travel and adrenalin had given him the wearing down, leaving travel to a minimum.

Or at least they had found a rather abandoned shack in what appears to have been a former human farm—Given that Dane caught sight of some rusted and broken equipment after sweeping through the better part of the shelter and fields.

"Wouldn't be a bad place, with the right amount of hands to clean it up," Dane claimed, his eyes out the cracked window while Hawes nudged him, as they were tasked with boarding up the given cracks with what they could find.

It was going to be chilly tonight, and the fire in the hearth wasn't going to be of any use if it slipped through.

In the midst of it all, Rhea had set up their sickened member in her robe and in the remanence of a padded chair. One that more than likely housed rodents a time or two.

"You're sweet, love, but I don't think this special treatment will do me any good." Ray laughed, though it swiftly turned into a cough that Rhea nearly flinched at.

"Some of us want a full night of sleep, damnit...Hey, Clive, hand me those spears—I saw a deer right along that way." Hawes huffed his approval into joining and Rhea stared out to see the collective group of men devises a game strategy. One that didn't go much farther than—Kill the deer.

"Goodness, you three—Get over here." She ordered, and Clive had been the first to stand at attention. And it certainly caused Rhea to tumble right onto her arse as she tried to get Ray tucked in properly.
"Clive, darling, really—You're not my soldier. None of you are...Here, take this—Deers are obsessed with it. My pack's humans were getting offended so they asked me to make this. Caught a few of the ingredients on the way over, just not sure how potent it is." She offered up the vial, and Clive felt powerful in the Queen giving him the attraction potion.

"My advice, if you decide to take it. Delude it with water, get positioned in the trees, and strike from above. We might not have the claws and teeth as the wolves do, but we can still hunt just fine." Rolf, who was still stationed beside the door had tossed his spear from one hand to the other. "Hunted a lot?"
"Absolutely not. But I've heard some horror stories and what they would've wished they had done instead of what caused them to come to need my aid. You pick up a thing or two...And if you could possibly keep an eye out for our tea leaves? That'd be a blessing." Clive had instantly shouted his agreement and taken to going outside, though Rolf and Hawes caught Rhea's shake of the head.

"Please stop him from getting killed?"

"Well, since you said please." Rolf winked, nudging Hawes while nodding towards Dane and Gilroy, a silent agreement that three and three were enough of a split up. Not that they did much wondering on their own, but after being shackled for so long—It was going to take some time to find a balance from being separated, let alone the idea of free will.

Ray, who was once titled the stoic male of the group by Rhea, had started to crack in character the longer his energy started to feel replenished. Even now, Rhea was patting a cooling wet rag onto his forehead and neck. "Tea sounds really nice." He sighed, and she hummed in return.

"Tea over fresh venison? I don't think my brew is that great." She teased, but Ray's only response was to wrap his hand into hers, squeezing it tightly as he could. "Better than what we're used to." He whispered, his breath starting to even out as exhaustion had finally taken place. And if it hadn't been for the comfort Rhea had given, both Gilroy and Dane would've assumed their friend had passed on.

"Anything we can do?" Gilroy questioned, clearly needing a task to get his thoughts in check, but Rhea sighed once more. She didn't mean to take such an authoritative position amongst these men, but after them living the way they had for so long was difficult to overcome. Living in a stilled state until they were ordered to do something.

Submission—Those damned Rogues had installed submission to these kind males.

"Up to sweeping?...Or finding a bit of extra wood?" Having phrased it as a question, the two able men had done so—Switching halfway through to give the other a chance to haul in the wood from outside. Rhea thought it was much more controllable even if they were rather small sticks.

"Do you think they'll kill that deer?" Gilroy questioned after hauling another armful of wood, taking the offered water from Rhea with a smile in thanks.

"Course, that potion has a four out of five chance of success, it just depends on how they make do with it." Dane hummed from the corner of the room, and caught Rhea's attention once more.

"Dane? Everything alright?"
"Think this place has a cellar...I'm going to see if there's any way down." He claimed, and Rhea's eyes widened in excitement. "If you do, come back this way...I can make a small torch." Dane nodded, taking a quick glance towards how much sunlight he still has left to work with, and Gilroy slapped his back.

"Better now than later, I'd like to know what might be living down there before we shut our eyes tonight." Rhea smiled at the playfulness Gilroy caused, even if Dane scowled down at the touch.

"Be right back." He called, heading out the door and Rhea claimed that all he needed to do was yell—And they would come.

Yet it hardly took much longer before he returned with a smile on his face, one that he didn't give out too often. "Find anything good?"

"If there's one thing that the Vrovaria people were good at, is preservation." He deemed, holding out a pickled jar—And although the label of it was long gone, it still held the potential to what might be stored downstairs.

"Please be careful, if it's too much, then wait until the others come back or until morning. It isn't going anywhere." The idea of another option in case the others didn't return with a deer had caused Dane and Gilroy to excitedly rush out the front door as if their bottoms were on fire.

"You're taking good care of us, even if we're slowing you down." Ray croaked, his voice filled with sleep—But the looming illness seemingly taking over his body, not to mention the chill coursing through his body every now and again.

Even when he was wrapped in a cloak and sitting beside a roaring fire.

"Not slowing me down at all, besides, safety in numbers and all that. Right?"
"I'm just the bastard that's managed to get sick." Rhea's only response to his dampened mood was to keep his body cool. Even if he might feel cold, his body was confusing the better part of what he was experiencing.

Remaining underneath the blanket would only grow his fever, and illnesses thrived on it.

"When they come back, remind me. We'll make you a nice bone broth—Cook it up all night if we have to."
"Hmm. And you're spoiling us."
"You're wearing my mark, aren't you? That means you're my responsibility." The effort it took to let out a single laugh made Rhea weary of what else might be lurking about. And so Rhea had taken a small bundle and caught it on fire. "Could you open your mouth wide for me?"

Her question had been responded to with the very action, though it came in a delay because Ray had nearly fallen back asleep with the silence taking over the room. And just as she expected, there were a few mouth sores just in the back.

It was good that she caught that, as it was easier to identify which type of remedies might work best—Even if her inventory is getting increasingly low.

However, when she caught sight of the jar once more, her smile instantly widened at the thought of an old pickled vegetable containing the right amount of nutrients Ray needs to start fighting back.

In that instance, she hurried to her feet and used some of the clean water to wash out the found pot—Only a spider or two had washed along down with.

After doing that twice, she returned and drained out the vinegar solution out into a separate cup. Wondering if that would make due for a better seasoning than flavorless venison.

"What are you up to, little healer?" Gilroy questioned, his arms filled with a few of the same jars she was using, plus an assortment of others. "This might help him feel better, we'll save those for Ray. But I can certainly make something with the others." She claimed, smiling her thanks towards Gilroy before it extended to Dane.

"That certainly brought up morale, I heard a few shouts of victory off behind us. Sounds as though it'll pair well." Dane offered, and within the next hour, the three men who had been proclaimed hunters were thankful that those who remained with Rhea had prepped the fire pit for cooking.

Not to mention that they shared a few jars of pickled vegetables, or in Ray's case, mash.

With their bellies full for the first time in days, or the men's case, months—Rhea had taken to resting her head against her satchel's base and leveling out her breathing.
Hoping to at least get a nap in before checking Ray.

"She's so beautiful..." Clive whispered, and the others laughed lightly at the young boy's blushing cheeks. And it was none other than Dane who responded. "She's the Queen, did you expect anything less?"

"O-of course not!" This earned him a few slaps to the back, and while he cursed under his breath, he targeted the fair few. "At least I don't stare at her arse and burn myself in the pit." He directed towards Gilroy, and the man could only shrug, not giving a single care that the entire room knew it or not.

"It's a fine arse, don't think I'm the only one who looks...Besides, we know who you're curling up to, hm?" It was fair play, but Rhea couldn't help but smile to herself. These were her people, her people who knew the truth and still acted as though she were simply a healer.

This is the sort of life she dreamed of, even the idea of being called by her chosen name settled the worry in the pit of her stomach. They could have held her for ransom to the King, but here they were planning to make their way to the first safe and guarded town to explain to the Enforcers what has happened.

Yet even now, some were weary of leaving Rhea on her lonesome. To trust Alpha Stephen was a risk that they weren't sure they wanted to take.
Couldn't Rhea pretend to be a saved slave?

Wouldn't that pose as a better cover than the rest? None of the men had any ideas otherwise, but one thing was for certain—They planned to stay here until Roy felt better.

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Date: 04/29/23

Time: 11:11

Words: 2208