Chapter Four

Tera, the local otter healer of a small community which residents had dubbed Paz Norte, sat in her chair by a roaring fire, eyes leaden, on the precipice of sleep. In her rocking arms was her season old kit, named Streamak.

She had stayed up half the night trying to get Streamak to stay asleep, this was the fourth time he had woken up and started crying, but she couldn't blame him. The blizzard that had raged outside was trouble for anybeast, inside or outside. She was mainly worried about the weight of the snow on her roof, fearing that too much might collapse it.

As Streamak had quieted down and began to sleep once more, Tera gave a sigh of relief and gently leaned into her chair, still rocking the sleeping kit. A series of squeaky snores announced that Streamak was now far along the path of sleep, she hoped he stayed that way until morning.

She was about to fall asleep herself when loud, rapid poundings hammered at her door. She gave a grimace and looked down at Streamak, he didn't stir. Laying him down gently on a soft moss, leaf, and rush carpet, and then covering him with a blanket, she rushed to the door and pulled it open. Immediately the chilly air of the post-blizzard evening filled the room, making Tera shiver.

A large male otter with a look of urgency on his face came in; brushing snow off himself and a cloak-covered bundle he carried, he immediately went to the table that was situated in the middle of the room and laid down his burden flat upon the table. The hours of sleeplessness, the pounding, the sudden cold, the thump of the load on the table coupled with the clanging of a sword that hung from the otter's belt was too much for Tera to handle.

In a hushed voice, she began berating her husband, "Alexei, are ye serious? Ah just got Streamak t'sleep and then ye come in all banging and noisy just as when ahm about t'sleep. By the Nor'ern Sea, can't ye restrain yourself at night and let the rest of us sleep peacefully?" She was about to continue on when she heard a dripping sound, Tera whirled around to find the cloaked bundle leaking blood onto the table which then flowed onto the floor. Approaching with caution, she walked up to the table, lifted the cloak gently, and gasped.

Sprawled in the bundle was Kaiju, with one thigh swollen and the other protruding a white object, Tera instinctively knew that it was bone. As she further inspected the severity of his wounds, she noted some nasty scratches, bruising, and more broken bones. When she poked around his chest, she noticed that there was something soft underneath his tunic which didn't really like part of his body. As she reached for some sheers that she kept nearby, she started to give out instructions.

"Alexei, star' boilin' water and preparing dockleaves and bandages. Also bring horehound, comfrey, and some nettle leaves." As she cut open Kaiju's tunic, her heart almost melted in both shock and sympathy at what she found. Little Azaira was still under Kaiju's tunic when he landed, although she wasn't as severely as injured as Kaiju, it was still pretty life threatening. A broken arm, broken ankle, and blood trickling out of her mouth indicated internal bleeding. With a renewed sense of urgency, she asked her husband to get some more things, "Get the agrimony and cattail pollen as well, it should be behind the dried calendula. Also get mah needles and prepare some yerba mate tea, 'tis going to be a long job ahead."

***

Kaiju found himself in his mind, which was a swirl of darkness. His first action was to try to look beyond, but he felt as if he was looking into a deep abyss, mysterious and unrevealing. He wondered what he was doing here, this clearly wasn't death. Occasionally he felt his skin prickle painfully for a short while which then stopped.

As he wandered around his mind, searching for an exit or something similar. He felt a chill come over him which was then followed by sudden warmth, as mysterious as those feelings were, what was odder was when a white misty cloud began to intermingle with the darkness of his mind, pushing away the darkness, almost as if the white cloud was banishing it.

A voice that was not his own began to echo around him, soft, warming, but firm.

With every beginning there is an end

One has been lost, but it is not the first, not the last

But when one dies, many others are saved

One, Five, Ten?

Understand that death is a task

The fate of Litavis is engraved

Mention these lines again

When your time has come to past

The voice trailed off, leaving Kaiju to struggle with its enigmatic meaning. As the voice finally died down completely, Kaiju once again found himself alone, but realized that the darkness was slowly fading away. He also noticed that he was beginning to ache all over as color began to seep into his vision.

Kaiju slowly opened his eyes and gazed in wonderment at the plain brown ceiling, amazed that he was alive. He also noticed a blanket covering him and wondered what happened to his clothes and little Azaira. Movement shifted in the corner of his view and he turned his head to get a better look, an otter suddenly filled his vision, staring intently at his face. He tried to lift his paws to push the face away to a more comfortable distance, but found them limp, almost as if there was a great weight holding it down.

The otter reached up at Kaiju's face and began checking around, she pinched open his eyelids, moved his face from side to side, opening and closing his mouth. Kaiju felt a bit foolish as the otter continued her inspection, then that exasperation turned to fear as the otter turned around to something bubbling in a small clay pot. After checking its consistency, she went over to a nearby shelf and grabbed a jar full of an unidentified white substance. Taking the clay pot off the heat, she grabbed a beaker and began to pour the boiling liquid very slowly into the waiting container. Opening up the jar of white substance, she grabbed a pawful of it and added it into the steaming cup. Taking a clean twig, she stirred the concoction until it dissolved.

Wrinkling her snout, she was apparently not satisfied with the current results; grabbing another pawful, she added it in small amounts, stirring the whole time. Finally when the mixture was to her approval, she grabbed it in her paws and brought the still steaming beaker over to where Kaiju lay.

Bringing it close to his mouth, Kaiju defiantly clamped his jaw and locked it. Motioning with the beaker to tell him to open his mouth, Kaiju still firmly closed it and shook his head vigorously. Giving a growl of irritation, she set the beaker aside and wrenched open his mouth forcefully. As Kaiju feebly tried to fight her tremendous paw strength, she held his mouth open with one hand while pouring the liquid down his throat with the other.

Contrary to the steaming image that the beaker was giving off, the mixture was soothing and cool to the touch. Kaiju also felt his aches starting to recede as the coolness left his mouth and became a relaxing warmth. From where he was lying, he tried to speak, but all that came out was a husky sound made by his swollen tongue. Grabbing a fresh beaker, the otter filled it with clear sparkling water from a nearby pail and gave it to him. "Don't ye try t'speak for now, the herbs ah gave you put you t'sleep for a good six days, 'tis only to be expected that yore tongue is swollen and you can't speak immediately. Mah name is Tera, the locale healer 'round these parts. Wha 'tis yore name if ye feel well enough t'speak?"

Kaiju found his voice, although it was slow and rasping, "My name is Kaiju, there was a little squirrel with me, is she…?" Tera nodded, "She will be alrye, though she may have a limp when she is older, the damage ter her ankle was too much, even for one as young as her." Kaiju let out a sigh, "Thank fortune. Err…what did you put in the drink if you don't mind me asking?"

Tera promptly began reciting a poem,

"T' help old beasts when their bones creak

Prickly bark, comfrey, burdock ye must seek

For the chills and aches of head

Hemlock, beetroot, then lie in bed

If the stomach of the ailing will not rest

Chew some lavender then digest

Wounds of all which will pain

Horehound, willow bark, and plantain."

Kaiju recited the rest of the woodland poem,

"While rest, come not sleep

Valerian, chamomile slowly seep

When its hot and you have to sprint

Drink cold tea, with hint of mint"

Tera raised an eyebrow, "Ah see ye know woodland healing verses, mine d'if ah ask how?" Kaiju merely gave a grunt and closed his eyes, "That is a story for later winter nights, but for now, I'm feeling rather tired. As long as Zaira is safe for the moment, my conscience will let me sleep." Tera nodded understandably, "I will wake ye up if anything happens." But soft snores already denounced Kaiju's entrance to the realm of sleep.

Alexei stepped out from the shadows where he was watching, weapon at the ready in case the strange ferret in his home decided to turn hostile. He motioned with his blade at the ferret, "Strange one, is he not?" Tera nodded, used to her bluntness, "Aye, that he is, who'ver heard of vermin waking up and asking about some other beast welfare besahde themselves?"

"And the squirrel? She seemed to be in bad condition when you began to work on her."

"Ah yes, she has a better chance t'live than Kahju over there. In fact, she should be up and abou t'in a few days, ah'll introduce her to Streamak, she'll need a friend a'ter her ordeal."

"Aye, that be true, she'll make a good companion for Streamak." His eyes grew hard, "But I don't him hanging about with that ferret." Tera turned to meet her husband, "Why not? 'Tis obvious that he's not like other vermin, or shouldn't be considered vermin for that matter." Alexei shook his head in finality, "Doesn't matter to me, vermin will always be vermin, even if one like him is clearly different. I will not have him under my roof once he heals."

"But…" Alexei furrowed his brow and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, "Tera that is final! He was born vermin; he shall be vermin. That is a fact of life! Even though he does care deeply about the squirrelbabe, I still don't feel comfortable leaving her in his paws."

The question came quietly enough, "But'en, why did ye rescue him?" Alexei answered firmly in the same tone "Twas the honorable thing to do, would you leave a beast to die in the snow, even if it was the most despicable creature you've ever met?"

Tera gave a reply of indignity "Of course not! Plus, ah'm a healer; t'would be against mah nature ter leave some beast to die, especially when ah can delay death from taking that beast." Alexei responded with a look of frustration, "Then you have my position."

Tera walked over to where Azaira was being kept, arm and leg covered with casts, "Ah see yore point, but'at still doesn't explain why ye don't like Kahju in the home." The answer came briefly and flatly enough.

"Because vermin like him killed my family and left me for dead. 'Tis only willpower that is keeping me from slaying that ferret right now."