The man, who Fenris finally learned was named Astor, was a great healer, one that Amira was thankful as it meant that he can take over her duties as the village healer. The man was rather loud and boisterous, often with a drink in his hip flask, but he knew more about healing than Amira ever did, having traveled Thedas in search of knowledge. In his story, he said that he was without coin when the slavers found him, trying to employ him as a healer for the magisters of Tevinter, only to be sold as a slave rather than a servant.

Fenris hated to admit it, but the man was rather useful, creating a poultice so powerful that bruises that they acquired during raids disappeared in a matter of hours instead of days, and the village loved to hear his stories from his adventures. But still, he kept an eye on him, as something still seemed a bit off about the man.

"Fenris?"

He blinked and looked behind him to see Unie, wearing her white cloak and armor, her quiver full of arrows. Behind her, he saw Adhom carefully seething his broadsword at his back, and he immediately understood, "You're heading out for a raid?"

"Yes." Unie said simply as she adjusted her gauntlets, "It's just a small party. We've heard that an important magister was travelling and we thought we might ambush him with a few men. There might not be any slaves with him to free, but his coin would be good enough to steal for food and supplies for our camp."

"And yet you are not taking me with you?" Fenris asked her, turning so that his body faced her.

She shrugged, "It's just a few people, Fenris… no more than four. We can handle it." She said before patting his arm, "You know we're starting to care for you, but you don't have to worry about us. We've done this plenty of times to be wary."

"I don't give a fig about the others." He said vehemently, before he could even think about what he was saying, "I care about yo…"

He raised a hand on his mouth before the last word could slip out, but from the red tint spreading from Unie's cheeks, he could tell that she had guessed what he meant. He growled at his own stupidity, but Unie smiled serenely at him. "I know." She told him, and she raised herself up to kiss him on the cheek again, making him blush redder. "I care about you, too."

Fenris looked at her, flabbergasted, but she merely grinned before turning away, not giving him a chance to speak, and heading for Adhom, who was waiting for her, glaring at him. He exhaled a breath, not realizing that he had been holding it, and he continued to watch her as she and the others disappeared in the night.

"She's quite the girl, eh?"

He turned around quickly to see Astor, leading against a tree, smoking a pipe and looking at the spot where Unie disappeared, and he felt himself become defensive. He turned around to head back into his tent, but he heard Astor chuckle.

"Kinda easy to see how a girl like that could get into anyone's blood." Astor was saying behind him, and he felt his fist clench, "She's got good hips… child-bearing hips, even."

Fenris growled, and he lowered his voice, "Touch her, and you die, bastard."

Astor let out a loud laugh, before coughing, "I'd like to see you try, boy. Just because I'm a healer, doesn't mean I could kick your ass."

Fenris rounded on the man, his fist tight and glowing white with lyrium. At the sight of the glow of his lyrium lines, Astor silenced, his face registering fear and uncertainty. "And just because you're healer, doesn't mean I could go easy on you." Fenris muttered to him, raising his clawed gauntlet and glowing hand, "I will tear your heart out of your very chest if you dare disrespect her again, bastard. You have my word."

Astor remained silent, looking at his hand, and seeing that the man seemed to have taken his word, he turned, heading back into his tent. As he walked he saw Amira standing by her tent, not seeing him, but sensing the lyrium on his skin, and she had a look of disapproval. He turned away from her as he headed inside, ashamed that the elder woman had sensed his violence.

The flurry of activity was the thing that woke him, even at the dead of night. He raised his head from his cot, listening to the sounds outside. He could hear people trying to be quiet, and he could hear someone whimpering. He blinked when recognized the heavy footsteps, and he jumped up, wide awake and opened his tent flap just in time to see someone enter Amira's tent.

He smelled blood in the air, and immediately he headed towards the elder's tent and opened its flap, and he gasped. Adhom had lowered Unie on a cot, layered with furs, but there was blood coming out of her abdomen. He felt the panic rise up from his chest, and he rushed forward over her. "Unie?!" He cried out at her, but her eyes were red-rimmed and unfocused, her face pale. "Unie, can you hear me?! What happened?!"

"A Crow." Adhom told him as he stripped her off her boots and socks, before putting a blanket to cover her feet. "That blasted magister had hired an Antivan Crow. Fucking bastard had poisoned blades, and he got her in the stomach. She killed him before she collapsed, though."

Amira was tearing through her clothes to get to the wound, touching it lightly, but it seemed to have some sort of effect on Unie, making her cry out in pain as if she was being stabbed again. The Elder raised a hand, coated with Unie's blood, and she sniffed before grimacing, "Quiet Death. She won't have much time." She looked up towards the sound of Adhom's voice, "Adhom, get that new healer here right now."

Adhom nodded and headed out of the tent, and Amira turned to Fenris, "You, boy, get me some more furs outside."

Fenris nodded, heading out of the tent, and running around it until he spotted Amira's furs, newly washed and dry, and he took as many as he could carry. He grabbed a few bandages from the line as well, and he headed back to the flap just as Adhom and Astor came running, the bearded man carrying a basket full of poultices.

Fenris laid the furs beside Unie, and Astor was looking at Unie's wound, her shirt pulled up, looking at her wound with a critical eye, "Aye, it's Quiet Death, alright." He huffed as he started taking out bottles and powders from his basket, and he looked at Adhom and Fenris. "Elder, you might want to let these two gentlemen leave. It's getting stuffy in here, and I'm going to need more light and room to move."

Amira nodded and raised a hand at the general direction of the two men, "Adhom, take the elf and stay outside."

Adhom looked a little torn, but he nodded, taking Fenris' arm, "Come on, elf. We'll wait it outside."

Fenris flinched at the man touching his arm, particularly since unlike Unie, his touch made the lyrium lines on his skin hurt. He turned towards the bearded man and pointed a finger at him, "You'd better take care of Unie, bastard, or I'll…"

"Rip my heart out of my very chest, I get it." Astor finished for him, still busy with concocting an anti-venom for Unie, "You can threaten me later after this girl's up, elf, and not before. So get out."

Fenris grit his teeth and stormed out, his hands shaking, and he felt Adhom's massive presence behind him. He touched his shoulder, wary of his lyrium lines, and patted him in re-assurance. But Fenris couldn't be comforted, still clenching his fist, and it took all of his will to not barge into the tent again as Unie started to scream from pain.