~Jack

         I live on the outskirts of my village Estaria as the healer, my job lonely at times but otherwise nice. "This will greatly help us." My father had told me as he sent me into Sepia forest. "But what about the Lupius clan?" I had asked. He only shook his head and sent me on my way with nothing but the clothes on my back and Seipteach, the amulet that was given to me by my mother before she died that resembled a shark tooth with a green eyeball that glowed when used for healing. That was nearly ten years ago. Now I had built my own cabin made of stones I had collected and stuck together with mud and wood from trees I chopped down to make the roof, green moss coating it. I had built it by the base of a small warped tree, its branches sparsely covered with limp leaves that had recently changed colors to match the fall season. I had even created a small pathway to and from the door. I had assumed that I was alone in these woods. I was wrong. I knew there was wildlife like birds, squirrels, badgers and various other small creatures, but as I darted through the woods collecting more herbs for my medicine, I saw something I've never seen before. It was a wolf with raven black fur and soft chocolate brown eyes, its head lowered to the ground, sniffing by the edge of the forest, a pile of clothes lying nearby it. I saw no body or blood, meaning there was just a random pile of clothes. Why? I cautiously moved to take a step towards it, my curiosity getting the best of me. Its head snapped up instantly, pointed ears pointing towards me, the source of the sound. I cursed my own stupidity as I ducked behind a nearby tree, heart racing as I tried to determine if it saw me or not. I had left my bow and arrows inside, meaning that if the wolf was going to attack, I'd be defenseless. Before I could take further action, I spotted one of the hunters from my village behind my house, bow ready and arrow aimed at the wolf's heart. "Don't!" I hissed sharply to him, causing him to jump and release the arrow. To my relief, it didn't hit its intended target. Instead the arrow embedded itself close to the heart, the poison already beginning to take effect. The wolf howled in pain before collapsing to the ground. When I turned back to confront the person responsible, he was gone. I darted out of my hiding place and was surprised to find a man in place of the wolf lying on the ground, breath coming in gasps of air and eyes barely open in narrow slits. He had tan skin and bright red hair, along with a short well kept black goatee. Blood pooled from the arrow protruding from his chest. "You." I gasped, recognizing him instantly although I didn't know his name. He was the youngest son of the leader of the Lupius clan. "Here to finish the job?" He scowled weakly as he spat a clump of blood by my bare feet, nearly making me flinch. I shook my head no, carefully scooping him up. "I'm a healer." I told him as I carried him to my home, a sense of guilt welling up in me. I'm betraying my clan to care for the son of our enemy. I shifted him in my arms slightly so I could open the door, instantly bathed in a soft golden light from the lamp I had lit in my home. My cabin consisted of a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, all rooms very small but always well kept. I laid him down on my bed, then began gathering the nessecary ingredients for the cure of the poison now fully taking hold. His skin was already paler than before, forehead glistening with sweat as he shivered in his sleep, tossing and turning side to side. I moved quickly, rummaging through each cabinet in the kitchen until I found what I was looking for. On the plus side it was drinkable, however getting him to drink it might prove to be a challenge. "I need you to drink this." I ordered him softly as I held his head still, his body still thrashing around. Blood still poured out of the wound from the arrow, but I couldn't fix it until he was cured. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter. He would be dead before I could even blink. He was getting worse by the second, but he still refused. "Do you want to die?!?" I snapped impatiently, forcing his mouth open with one hand while pouring the cure in his mouth with the other. He finally seemed to settle down once he swallowed it, his breathing beginning to regulate as his body relaxed. I sighed in relief as I then began the next task of removing the arrow without damaging him further or even worse having the arrow break while still inside him. I went back to the kitchen and retrieved a wooden bowl of cold water that I had already retrieved from the nearby stream last night and a scrap of cloth, then returned by his side. Gripping Seipteach tightly in my hand, I yanked the arrow out with the other. He grunted in pain, but otherwise made no noise. Once I was sure that all of the arrow was out, I dropped it on the dirt floor with a muffled thud as I wiped away the excess blood from the wound with the wet cloth before pressing Seipteach to the wound. "Ordaímse an fear seo créachta a cured, chomh maith leis na pian go bhfuil sé ar endured." I muttered in my native language, the green eye glowing a bright green as the wound began closing up, leaving only a light pink scar when I finished. Feeling drained, I stumbled to the kitchen to find something to eat. There was nothing except herbs. Not for the first time, I once again cursed my stupidity as I started heading back towards my room. Halfway there, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, black spots appearing in the corner of my vision as my stomach churned violently. I was able to make it to the bathroom to vomit the contents of my breakfast in the toilet before falling unconscious on the floor.