Falling Angels

Word Count: 2445

Novel had never been to Auster before, but the land bridge she crossed to get to these parts was breathtaking to her. She had never been surrounded by the ocean before, so the land strip she used to get here was fascinating in itself. The water had been clear, the sea wind had been refreshing, and she couldn't wait to cross back over if only to experience it all over again. That of course, wasn't the reason she had crossed. She could have just stayed on the land bridge if she so chose, but her main goal was to see if this continent held any herbs she hadn't yet seen. Granted, there were a ton she had yet to discover, but with the seasonal differences, she was sure she'd find more here. Many plants seemed to flourish here still, evident by all the different herbs she had smelled on her way through. Her first destination, however, was the dam that lied near the Bifrost. She could hear the water as she neared it, as well as the occasional odd slapping sounds upon the water as she drew closer. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that there were plenty of beavers milling about the waters, some sending out warning calls upon seeing her, while others didn't care too much about the lone she-wolf.

She grinned, tongue hanging out a bit with delight as she trucked on, wondering what she might find here. It didn't take terribly long for her to find some familiar herbs, and she gasped at the different array that grew around the river. Elderberry, Lavender, Ginseng...just a few herbs that she saw and smelled. She decided that it would be good to take some of these along with her, so she set about carefully digging up what she could and gently collecting what she could as well. It was peaceful here. She was content. By the time she had finished collecting the herbs she thought to be most useful, night began to consume the sky and she figured she ought to find a place to rest and sleep till the morning. It didn't take long before she decided to bed down among the reeds and cover near the river. The soothing sounds of the nearby water helped to relax her mind from all the stimulation. She gently placed her bundle of collected herbs on the ground before heading towards the river to get a drink of water. The mixed taste of herbs filled her senses but was soon washed away after a few mouthfuls of water. She glanced across the river, noticing then that a cluster of pink flowers she hadn't seen before were growing on the other side. Curious, she walked a little ways back down the river until she found a beaver dam that she could use to cross to the other side. Excited about possibly finding a new herb, she swiftly bounded to where she had seen it, and upon approaching inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers.

She didn't know what they were, but she wanted to find out. She carefully dug out a couple of the flowers, bulbs and all, so she could take them back to her temporary quarters and study them. She carefully picked them up and hurried back to her chosen resting spot, and once there she placed them on the ground and lied down beside her herbs. She poked and prodded at the pink flowers with her paw, turning them over to get a good look at them. She wondered if they could be used in a mixture along with some of the herbs she had...and an idea began to brew, so she promptly got to work. She found a flat stone pretty easily, along with another rock that she could use to grind up some of the herbs. Placing the flat rock on the ground, she picked up some of the elderberry and ginseng and began to gently mash them up. Next, she picked up a couple of the pink flowers she had found, and mashed them up too, mixing the concoction together until she was satisfied. The concoction she made smelled good, and it smelled even better when she added a little lavender to it. This would make a good, potent medicine, wouldn't it? She wished she could test it, and in fact, almost decided about testing it on herself. But she wasn't sick, so there was no way that she would benefit from it, really. Oh well, she didn't mind. Perhaps she would find some use for it, or maybe she'd even be able to take it with her if she could find something to store it in. The girl yawned, tiredness hitting her like a ton of bricks. Lying down again, she curled up and quickly fell asleep...

Novel had been sleeping peacefully until a loud rustle stirred her awake. Eyes blinked open, the young woman stifling a yawn with no success. Bleary-eyed and half asleep, she lifted her head when she heard the rustling again. Was that a beaver? The intensity of the sound followed by rapidly approaching footsteps told her that no, it wasn't a beaver at all, but something larger and heavier than a beaver. She quickly rose to her paws, senses alert as she searched the darkness. Taking a few steps forward, she glanced around but saw nothing. Even the footsteps had stopped. Wary now, she walked the short distance to the river for a drink, and that was when someone burst through the bushes and startled her. Yelping with surprise, she back-peddled a few paces. Hackles rose in both surprise and defense as she stared at the form in front of her.

A shaggy, frail-looking she-wolf, and in her mouth she held a sickly looking pup. Her heart beat fast and hard against her chest as the pair of them stared at each other, neither knowing if the other was going to attack or not. Finally, after a few, long moments of the showdown, Novel's eyes wandered to the pup. She noticed his rapid breathing, the way he seemed to struggle. His eyes were practically rolled back into his head, and he was thin and almost lifeless. "He's...he's sick..." She whispered. She took another step back as the she-wolf advanced a pace towards her, gently placing her pup on the ground. "Are you a healer?" She questioned, almost desperately. Novel quietly nodded, her eyes trained on the mother wolf. "Please...you must help him! I...we...we've been moving for days, searching for someone to help us...can you help him?" Novel looked at the pup again, wondering if she'd be able to save him. It was her job as a healer to try though, right?

Nodding, she turned around and beckoned the she-wolf to follow. She didn't wait for the two to sit before she started gathering up her herbs. "What's wrong with him?" She questioned as she milled about. "I fear he has a high fever...he won't eat or drink, I've been carrying him because he's too weak to walk...I-I don't know what happened to him..he just fell ill!" Novel moved to check the pups temperature, a frown forming when she realized how hot he felt. This was definitely not normal, she had never seen someone with such a high fever, much less a pup that seemed to be barely two seasons old. "Fetch some water from the river, there's moss over here." She quickly pointed it out before returning to the task at hand. She had no idea what the pup was sick from. All she knew was that his fever was incredibly high, and his breathing was labored. Had he eaten something to make him sick? An infection? Parasites? She didn't know what to treat him for exactly, but she knew she had to get his fever down. Or try to, anyway. When his mother returned with water, Novel began to gently dab him with the moss to cool him down, as well as tried to trickle some of the water into his mouth. When she finished that, she eyed the herbs she had mixed earlier. She was lucky that she didn't have to waste any time mashing them up properly because she had already done it. "Open his mouth a little, I have some herbs that will help with his fever, as well as give him some strength and to help his immune system. I also have plenty of lavender to calm him down, and hopefully, allow him to rest." Ginseng...elderberry...lavender...that was all she needed.

She carefully scooped up some of the mix and place it in his mouth. He didn't seem to want to swallow, so with the help of his mother, the both of them managed to get him to swallow most of it. Novel continued to try and cool him down, gently dabbing him with damp moss here and there. After about an hour, the boy's breathing seemed to even out. "There...I think I managed to get his breathing under control, and the fever seems to have gone down a bit. Rest easy now, he'll be alright." At least...she hoped so. Sitting back, Novel continued to monitor the pup, and so far, he seemed to be resting easy. Likewise, the she-wolf was resting beside him.

Pleased that she had been able to help, Novel lied down again and the tiredness took over once more. She could rest her eyes for a few minutes, right?

She awoke with a start when the panicked and distressed cries of the she-wolf grew increasingly louder. Novel's eyes flew open and she quickly jumped to her feet. She was confused for a brief moment as she wildly looked around, then her eyes settled on the mother and pup. Eyes widened when her gaze locked onto the pup, his body thrashing as his body was seizing. Immediately, Novel rushed forward as her heart began to race. She raced to his side and upon touching his paw pads, realized that his fever had skyrocketed, he was having a seizure, there was bloody vomit on the ground near him, and his breathing had gone erratic. She sniffed him and examined him as she tried to figure out what was going on as quickly as she could, but she was also panicking. "Help him!" His mother cried out to her. "Try to keep him from biting his tongue! I'll be right back!" Rushing towards the river, Novel set about collecting water and some more of the herbs she had collected earlier. She also gathered some meadowsweet and watercress that she spotted a little further up the bank, and when she headed back towards the others, her eyes caught sight of the pink flowers across the way. Her heart dropped. She had completely forgotten about those! She remembered now that she had mixed them with the other herbs earlier, but she had forgotten when she gave it to the pup.

A howl broke her from her thoughts, so she hurried until they came into view. When she approached, the she-wolf was lying beside her pup, his body completely still. Swallowing back the fear at what might have just happened and what she might have accidentally done, she slowly approached. The herbs she held dropped to the ground, and she stared at the pup. He wasn't seizing anymore...and he wasn't breathing anymore...What have I done...?

"He's gone..." His mother whispered. A soft whine escaped Novel, and she was about to speak until suddenly, the she-wolf rounded on her with a fierce snarl. "What did you do!?" Novel fell back, trying to scramble away. But the she-wolf was quick, and promptly leaped at her, pinning her head to the ground. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know!" She cried out, yelping as the larger she-wolfs claws bit into her ear. "You killed him...what did you use on my baby!?" Novel's eyes squeezed tight with fear, heart pounding hard and fast against her chest. "I-I gave him ginseng and elderberry! And something else, but I don't--" Her reply was cut short as she was let go. The moment she was released, she scrambled onto her feet, fur sticking up in clumps and her head throbbing. She watched as she she-wolf investigated the herbs she had and was terrified at what might happen next.

"You gave him autumn crocus..." Novel's ears perked up a little. That's what the pink flower was? [b]"I-I'm s-sorry, I didn't know! I forgo-" Her breath was knocked out of her as she went flying backward onto the ground. Her ears pinned to her head; the she-wolfs snarling was deafening. "You poisoned him! You killed my baby! You murdered my boy!" "No! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean t-" Again, she would not be allowed to finish as the she-wolf came flying at her. Novel barely had a second to react before the she-wolf landed on top of her, the force of her weight pushing Novel into the ground. She cried and yelped with pain as she felt teeth biting her, pulling at her scruff, trying to find her throat...But Novel managed to flip over and kick the she-wolf in the stomach, just enough where she could get up and scramble to her feet. As soon as she turned around to run, however, she was knocked back to the ground while teeth sank into her rump. Once again, Novel flailed and kicked, trying to get up and get away. She cried out in pain once more as teeth buried themselves deep within the muscles on her left thigh.

Was she going to die here? Was she about to pay with her life for the life of the child? She hadn't meant to do it. It was a complete accident. But still, maybe she did deserve all this pain. Surely her attacker was suffering even greater pain...right?

Thoughts were interrupted when she felt the crack of bone in her left leg, and a blinding pain shooting up her body. She twisted and turned, trying to get up again. She had to get away! She coiled her right leg and aimed a kick at the she-wolfs face with as much power as she could. The moment the she-wolf let go again, Novel scrambled up and ran off. She ran and ran, not daring to look back. She didn't know if the she-wolf would follow. She couldn't even think about that right now! She had to get away! The pain that radiated throughout her body made her wince and whine with pain, but she wasn't about to stop. Little did she know, however, that the she-wolf remained with her child's body. But Novel would not stop running until she could get as far away as she possibly could...