The people of Sorrow's End were preparing a celebration to welcome the Wolfriders. ShenShen was practicing a dance with some of her friends. Skywise, when she found her, stood mesmerized, watching the graceful movements and the flowing veils. She had never cared much for making herself pretty, and now for the first time did she suspect she might have missed something.
Finally she remembered what she had come for.
"Healer?"
ShenShen halted, then spoke to her friends:
"Go on without me."
Then she turned to the silver-haired maiden.
"What is it? Is Redlance all right?"
"Yes, don't worry, you mended him enough that he can mend himself. I've come to ask something for myself. A healing."
"Yes?"
"Some turns ago, our tribe was attacked by a monster born of foul magic. Madcoil. It slew six, among them Cutter's parents – and Rain the Healer. But the full count of lives lost was seven. It struck me down, and I lost the life I was bearing. And later I learned I had lost something else – I could not bear a cub anymore. And we had no healer. Can you help me?"
"I'll try. Come."
She took her into her hut and instructed her to lie down.
"What's your name, by the way?"
"Skywise."
"And who's your lifemate? The one whose child it would have been?"
She smiled when she answered:
"Cutter. Our chief."
"Why didn't he come with you?"
"Because if I can't be healed, I don't want another disappointment for him. A pleasant surprise is much better."
ShenShen touched her, joined minds in a way that resembled, but was not quite, sending. Soon she saw what was wrong. Like many of the worst ills, it was a small thing really, that was out of place and broken. Easy to mend. So she mended it.
When she lifted her hands, Skywise moaned. She realized the Wolfrider had been biting her lip to silence herself.
"Oww – that hurt, you know? Did you…?"
"Yes. It is done."
Skywise got up and took ShenShen's hand between her own two hands.
"How can I ever thank you enough?"
"No need, I just did my duty."
"Well, you've earned my friendship, ShenShen. Now and for ever."
But ShenShen didn't answer. Skywise thought she was tired from the healing. In fact, she was fighting back tears. How easily the wolfblood used words like 'for ever', totally ignorant 'for ever' was something she didn't have.