The woods outside Creekshire were loud that night.

The howling of a creature, drawn out and constant.

Through the trees, a man approached the beast.

It stood, it growled, it was bleeding between the shoulders. A wound that was fresh yet cauterized, tearing back open.

"I'm not here to hurt you," said the man. "I know you're upset about something."

The wolf's snout creased as it snarled.

Putting up his hands, the man stepped closer.

"Please. I know what you are, and I know something's wrong. Please tell me what it is."

The wolf eyed him for a moment, then took a humanoid form.

Her skin wasn't a human color.

She looked even more mistrustful with that face. But sober, like someone who had given up.

"He's dying," she said.

There was a mass on the ground behind her. A body that was limp, heavily breathing.

"Of what?"

"Snakebite."

"Let me see him. I can try to help."

She looked like she was regretting everything, but she let him past.

He knelt down to the boy and turned him over.

The wound was hideous and swollen. It was still bleeding.

"What kind of snake?"

"I don't know," said the girl.

The boy whimpered softly as his hand was manipulated.

The girl put his head in her lap.

"How does it look?" she asked softly.

The man shook his head. He drew a couple of vials from his pocket, held each of them up to the hazy light of the dawn, and finally selected one.

"Swallow it," he said, putting it to the boy's lips.

He seemed to be struggling even with that.

The man wet a cloth with something and started to clean the wound.

"It might be a while before the fever goes down. I think he'll be all right, though."

The birds were getting louder as the sky turned light. Beneath them, the man prepped a bandage.

The girl pushed the boy's hair out of his face as he fell asleep.

"You're bleeding, too," said the man.

"I'll be fine."

"As long as you're sure," he said, getting up. "You should change the bandage in a couple hours."

"Sir… don't go yet."

"What is it?"

"You said you know what we are…"

"Yes. I do."

"Then you know what this means. For him."

The man waved a hand.

"It's fine. Just take care of yourselves."

The girl growled, just a little.

"You don't seem to REALLY understand."

"No, I do. But I don't consider it a debt and neither should you."

She looked at the boy, sadly.

"It's too late for that."

The man knelt back down beside her.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"He's the only family I have left."

"He might not even remember it," said the man. "He'll be fine if he doesn't know."

"Do you even KNOW what happens to a fairy who doesn't pay a debt?" she glared. "There's no telling WHAT kind of curse it could be. I'm not gonna let him risk that."

The man shook his head in defeat.

"All right, all right, I'm not gonna force you either way. But I don't expect he'll be happy about this."

"We can stand 'not happy.'"

"I can tell. You're sure you don't want anything for that burn?"

"Quite."

It was a beautiful morning, with the birds awake and the sun starting to hit the dew.

"If you're going to be staying around, there IS something you can help me with," said the man. "What's your name?"

"Acxa."

"That's lovely."

"It was his idea."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," said the man.

"So, what about you?"

"Folks around here call me Shiro."