"Alice? ALLISSSE?!?! Are you ok?" Though he is only 19 years old, I can tell his voice is deeper than I remembered. Did I hit my head too? I ponder the possible injuries he and I could have possibly acquired. Once I hear his worried cries I know he must be relatively in good shape.
"Ughh…I'm finneee." I grumble as my head bounces off the animal skin that is draped across the man's back. I hear a sigh of relief and I close my eyes, focusing on not letting him hear the whimper that gags in my throat. Maybe if I could distract myself…but my thoughts are rudely interrupted by a small female that bounces up beside me. She seems to be the only female in the group, but she doesn't look threatening. She wears clothing enormous compared to her tiny body with a tuft of feathers sticking straight up on top of her head. Her leather satchel is decorated with a series of beads and paint that has started to chip away. I realize why once I notice it drags nearly on the ground, for the strap is too long for her size.
"How! Me Rising Sun! We take you to healing tent! The healer will fix you!" She exclaims in an excited voice with her palm pointed at the sky. I smile at her exuberance. At this point I am sure she and the rest of the tribe mean me no harm. I decide to return her friendliness despite the pain that digs into my wounds.
"Hello. My name is Alice. My friend behind us is named Jasper. Thank you for saving us. We crashed coming around a tight spot as to not knock into a tree, but ran into a boulder and fell down into a ditch instead. We somehow got off the trail, it was an accident. We were lost and scared. Thanks again, how will we be able to thank your people?" Once I open my mouth the words flow out like waterfall. I can't stop. I somehow feel the need to tell this small girl everything that I had experienced over the past few hours. It keeps my mind off the pain anyway. She mostly speaks English and uses simple terms, so it was easy to keep up a conversation with her. I feel I had practically made a friend in the short 25 minutes or so we talked. She grew up the daughter of the chief. Their tribal name translated into English was the Wanders because they didn't stay in the same area for a long period of time. Although I thought the name was quite interesting, she claims it sounded a lot better in their language. She explained they had encountered some form of sickness that infected a majority of the tribe and they had to stop her for the entire winter. Their tents and fires could only spare them enough heat to survive at their peak of health, but with many of them ill, a lot of them had already suffered cold and painful deaths.
The amount of medicine was scarce and after only a short time they completely ran out of the necessary drugs. They found us while on a hunt for some wild game, though most animals were scarce in the area on account of it being near to the ski slope. With a small droplet of water streaming down her cheek, she explained how they come across Jeremy sobbing over an unconscious me. She said they literally had to pry him off of me he was so insane from losing hope of saving me. Once they explained to him they intended to aid him and I, he allowed them to carry me and walked alongside the others chatting happily enough, for he knew that I was in good hands. As soon as I hear of this my heart warms and a strange feeling squirms at the pit of my stomach. I can't figure out what this feeling was. I strain my neck in order to see his face at this moment, and a warm pink blush creeps up his hollowed cheeks as he ducks his head to escape humiliation. I notice he walked with a small limp, though he wasn't the type to complain. I decide to ask him about it.
"Jasper, what's wrong with your leg?" I questioned softly.
"Umm…its nothing. I'm…um…fine." I could tell he was hiding his pain from me, for he winced when he thought I wasn't looking. Seriously? I thought I saw him turn at an angle as to hide some bloodstain of sort, but I couldn't tell. I didn't believe his attempt in trying to cover up his pain. I know him better than that.
"Alright…if you say so." I mumble these words without meaning. From the look on his face he knows I had figured him out. He wore a pained and older expression. I never realized how much of a man he had recently become. How had I missed so much? I once again pondered over a possible head injury until a bright light interrupted my train of thought. It was a huge bonfire in the middle of a spiral of makeshift tents and various hut-like structures. Two older women possibly in their 40s or 50s nod at us as they wave blankets at the fire, careful to send the enormous billow of smoke upward. About ten others duck into their tents once they notice the new company and I thought I saw some little children peek out the flaps to their homes with a burning curiosity in their eyes. I can't help but return the look as I took in the unfolding landscape before me. I hear an abrupt scream come from the interior of the tents but it is quickly muffled and brought to a stop.
The man who carried me drops me before one of the bigger tents and nudges me inside with a small grunt escaping his lips. Due to my recent injury my legs don't have the strength to hold me upright and I tumble down to the ground, landing with a soft thud. I wince as new pain overwhelms me and a series of groans thunder out of me. Jasper walks in not a second later and practically trips over me, for I am sprawled out in front of the door. He scrambles to pick my limp body up in a swift motion. I want to tell him this wasn't necessary but nothing besides a moan came out my lips. I could feel the strain in the muscles in his arms and chest. He was undoubtedly in so much pain, but he carries me over to a cot and carefully set me inside it. I sigh from the comfort the soft animal fur that covered the bed and I crack my eyelids to catch a glimpse of a small smile that plays upon his lips and that soft blush return to his cheekbones. I smile and close my eyes once again. I fall into a peaceful slumber knowing we were warm and safe.
I awake with a start. Gasping for air, I remember where we were. I am propped up on something that reminds me of a sack of flour. An unfamiliar face hovers over my cot, attending to my leg. She looks no older than I but definitely with some wisdom to be the healer Rising Sun had discussed. She grins and continues to work. I don't feel any pain, but this is strange as I was told medicine is scarce.
"How. Me Healer of the village. I help you and friend." She briefly explains her purpose as she jerks her beaded headdress towards a similar cot to mine in which Jasper snores contently. The strange feeling returns.
"I am Alice and that is Jasper. Thank you for all that you and your people have done for us. I don't know how we will ever be able to repay you. Your tribe saved our lives." Yet again my mouth abandons me, talking nonstop to someone who probably couldn't understand what I was saying. Her fingers glide over the soft cloth she wraps my leg with, much like she is playing an invisible piano. After a good two minutes of attending to me, a thought flashes in her eyes and she gives me a knowing look.
"We suffer long winter. No medicine, no food, no wood to warm fires. When spring comes, food and wood return, but no medicine. We need it to help the ill and injured." She pointedly stares at my now painlessly wrapped leg. I suddenly feel guilt for using their resources. They have so little, but are so inclined to help Jasper and I out of the kindness of our hearts. That's when I know we should do something. To help, I mean. They need medicine, we should give it. Jasper awakes with a twitch and once I explain my idea, he agrees. The healer leaves and we discuss the possibilities. It turns out they are endless. Medicine for one tribe, what about donations of medicine for all that may need it? My head swarms with ideas that could come from this. Jasper excitedly talks of hospitals that donate special medicine for various causes. He becomes so enthusiastic about the whole situation; he grabs my hand without thinking. It's my turn to blush. I realize what the feeling is. It's love.
Not like the best friend love I have felt for him for the majority of my life, but something more. I can't keep the smile off my face for it is the happy ending I thought would never come. My life is saved, love is realized, and I can give back to the people who have helped me so much. As I think about this, I notice Jasper is slowly leaning towards me. He doesn't kiss me or anything, but what he does is oddly more romantic. His slightly dry fingertips brush my cheek, swiping a small strand of my blond hair out of my face and leaving a trail of fire in its place. I smile.