My dreams weren't happy. They were full of poison and flames, so different from the flying dream of the night before. I was standing on a wooden floor that was rocking wildly. It took me a few moments to realize that I was on a ship. But there was something wrong. The ship was burning, and the beasts around me were fighting furiously. Instinctively I drew my dagger. I turned around and saw the horrible gleam of light on fangs, a drawn sword glistening with blood and a huge dark shadow rearing up above me. The sword was drawn back and plunged into my chest. I felt an explosion of pain then a strange numb feeling. Just as the blackness that was creeping into my vision overcame me, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the healer's chamber.
Abruptly I sat up. Looking across the room I could see that the strange otter that we had rescued the day before was twitching slightly in his sleep. I decided that I had slept enough and would walk down to the River Moss for a swim.
When I reached the river I saw that my childhood friend Strom was already there. He was sitting on a fallen tree by the water's edge. Strom was a tall, strong otter, and often came up in the shallow conversations of Tera and her friends. However, I had known him since we were kits, and did not think of him the same way they did. To me he was a training buddy, and someone to run to when Father wanted me to put a dress on for visitors. He was also the only one in the holt who knew I could do a triple back flip off the tree stump he was sitting on.
"If you aren't getting in, at least get off the good jumping tree." I said striding out of the forest.
Strom jumped high into the air.
"Oh. Runa! I didn't see you there." He gasped.
"Obviously." I said. "I think that I am finally better at moving silently than you!"
"No way! My skills of stealth are way more advanced than yours!"
"Fine then, prove it." I said stepping away from the tree. "Walk over hear as quietly as you can."
"Don't you worry. You won't hear my footsteps at all." Strom said with an evil look in his eye.
"Strom?"
Without responding he leapt up from the fallen tree and charged towards me, tackling me into the stream. It is lucky that I am an otter, for he held me under the water for a very long time. I, in turn, retaliated by pulling on his ear until he let go.
"Ow, ow, ow! That was uncalled for!" Strom whined, holding onto his ear.
"That's what you get for tackling me." I replied primly. Then I tackled him.
We wrestled in the stream until we were both out of breath and exhausted. He had won but I had gotten a few good shots in. I was about to comment on how if I had actually been trying, I could of beaten him easily, when he said something unexpected.
"Did you really bring a dead otter to the holt last night?" Strom asked suddenly.
"No!" I exclaimed. "He was wounded. Me and Tera found him at the beach."
"What did your pa say?"
"Just what you'd expect him to. He yelled a little and eventually I just grabbed the otter and dragged him to the healers."
"Have you talked to him since?" Strom asked with laughter in his voice.
"Um, no." I replied. "But I don't want to! What kind of beast would refuse to help an injured creature? That poor otter would have died if we hadn't found him, and Father Dear wanted to just abandon him!"
"I heard that he threw a fit when he heard that Tera wanted to heal him."
"Yeah. Speaking of Tera I should go check if there has been any change in the otter's health."
"Bye Runa"
"See ya, Strom"
As I was walking away I could have sworn that I heard Strom sigh.
When I got back to the holt, I saw that the clearing around it, that should of been full of kits playing, was suspiciously empty. A few more steps told me why.
An acrid stench and a thin trail of black oily smoke poured from the entrance to the healer's chamber. With one hand, I lifted the collar of my tunic to cover my nose and drew my dagger with the other. Cautiously, I crept through the entrance of the chamber. I was met with a strange sight: My sister was kneeling by the bed of our rescued otter and holding burning feathers by his nose.
"What are you doing?" I cried.
"Waking him up." She replied calmly.
"By making him smell something bad?"
"Yes. It shocks his system into waking up."
"It doesn't seem to be working."
"I can see that!" My beloved twin snapped.
"Why don't you just do this?"
And without asking permission, I stepped forward, grabbed the otter's ear and screamed into it as loud as I could. He sat up so was that his head smashed into mine. The loud CRACK caused by our craniums colliding made my sister jump into action.
Completely ignoring me and my aching head, she kneeled beside the bed and started caring for the moaning otter that had once again collapsed on the bed.
"Are you alright? What hurts?" She asked franticly. The otter pointed to his head.
"Your head?" She asked. "Oh, that's no problem. I'll just make you a healing salve for the bruise."
Tera immediately thrust a mortar and pestle, small knife and bunch of lush green leaves at me.
"Chop the leaves, then grind them together in the mortar and pestle." My sister ordered.
As she busied herself with other medicines, the lecture began.
"What was going through your head that made you want to do this? He is an injured otter! He doesn't need to be shouted at and scared! Look at him, he hasn't moved or spoken since you performed you brilliant wake up plan!"
At this moment I looked over at the furry brown form sitting on the bed. Indeed, he hadn't moved. But Tera wasn't going to know that I agreed with her.
"He's a warrior, like me! He isn't scared of a little screaming." I protested.
"You are not a warrior Runa! You train with the warriors, yes, but you are not a warrior."
"I can fight just as well as any of them! How am I not a warrior?"
"You're a female!"
The moment she said that I froze. Those three words were probably my least favourite words I know.
"Now you sound like Father." I said coldly, and ran out the door.
The eyes of the strange otter followed me out of the room.
A/N Thank you to everyone who read my story. I have 29 hits and two reviews in less then a week so I am over the moon. Thank you to warrior4 and avatargirl4eva for being those reviewers. I know that this chapter is three hundred words shorter then the last one but I thought that this is a good place to end it. I promise that the next chapter will be longer.