Hey, guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! Before we do anything else - review time!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee for reviewing! Yes, Olberic's tale is all about trying to regain his drive and sense of purpose! Good thing he's got seven new friends to help him out :)

With that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: None

10. Breathe Again

The forest canopy cast eerie shadows in the fading dusk light as the apothecary and the hunter picked their way through the undergrowth. The two of them had been out in the wilderness for a few hours by that time, collecting herbs and roots to refill Alfyn's satchel. He had originally planned on going out alone, but H'aanit had warned him against such an action. She knew the woods and its dangers well, so she had insisted that she and Linde would accompany him. Alfyn, for his part, welcomed the company.

"I appreciate you comin' along with me, H'aanit," Alfyn said with a grin as the two of them headed back towards town, where the rest of their allies would be waiting. "Havin' someone to talk to has been nice!"

H'aanit smiled in return and nodded. "Indeed. This hath been a pleasant excursion."

"Linde's been a big help too!" the apothecary added, grinning and patting the snow leopard on the head. "Without her nose, I don't think we would've been able to find half the roots we dug up!"

The huntress chuckled. "Her tracking skills often cometh in handy, and she is always happy to ben helpful."

Before Alfyn could reply, as if on cue, Linde lifted her head, pulling away from his hand and staring into the trees. The big cat's ears and nose twitched, and after a few seconds, she crouched, her hackles raising and a low snarl rising in her throat. In response to the leopard's obvious distress, Alfyn and H'aanit instantly drew their weapons.

"Of course, this trip hath been too easy," H'aanit growled, nocking an arrow. "Alfyn, preparen thyself."

"R-Right…" Alfyn nodded, gripping the handle of his axe tightly. "Guess we finally pushed our luck too far…what sorts of monsters live in these woods, again?"

"Wild animals such as foxes, marmots, or boar roameth the forest," the hunter said, lifting her bow. "In terms of monsters, however, one will most commonly see - "

An arrow streaked out of the darkness, striking a tree just to the left of Alfyn's head.

"Ratkin!" H'aanit shouted, dropping to the ground and rolling sideways as a barrage of arrows followed the first. She loosed her own arrow in response, and a split second after it vanished into the darkness, a gurgling cry followed by a thud sounded amongst the trees.

Several other screeches followed, and five Ratkin stormed out into the open, every one of them armed with bows and arrows of their own. Alfyn wasted no time in attacking the one that had emerged closest to him, swinging his axe and burying the blade in the creature's chest. With its final breath, the Ratkin screamed and attempted to physically jam an arrow into Alfyn's side, but the apothecary had already removed his axe and moved on, leaving the oversized rodent to fall dead on the forest floor.

At a command from H'aanit, Linde sprang forward, locking her jaws around another Ratkin's neck. The monster never even had a chance to fight back, having dropped its bow the moment the leopard had pounced. The Ratkin clawed feebly at Linde's face, but its throat was completely torn out before it could cause her any real harm.

The three remaining Ratkin scrambled to each other's sides, forming a line as they each nocked a new arrow. Each of them fired at a different target, yet thanks to the dexterity of their quarry, all of them missed their shots. The creatures, however, were not deterred, and continued firing upon the apothecary, the hunter, and the snow leopard.

"Lightning, doen my bidding!" H'aanit shouted, electricity beginning to crackle around her fingertips. The huntress thrust her arm out, sending a wave of lightning in the form of a great gleaming bird crashing down upon one of the beasts, the energy scorching it beyond saving within a matter of seconds.

"Cool off!" Alfyn added with a grin, flinging a blast of ice in the direction of another Ratkin. The rodent-like creature did not even have time to scream before its entire body froze over, effectively transforming it into a frigid statue. For good measure, Alfyn threw his axe, which collided with the frozen Ratkin and tipped it over, causing it to shatter to pieces on the ground.

Within the extra moment it took for the apothecary to throw his weapon, however, the final monster had nocked its last black-tipped arrow. Alfyn heard the twang of the bowstring a moment too late, and only had just enough time to turn his head and see the projectile headed straight for his chest…

…before H'aanit cried out, "Alfyn, watchen thyself!" and grabbed him by the collar, shoving him out of the arrow's path.

Linde was on the Ratkin in an instant, tearing it to shreds with tooth and claw. Blood spattered the forest floor as the monster's screeches of pain mixed with Linde's vicious snarls, but the leopard did not stop until her target fell silent and still at last. Finally, she lifted her head, blood still dripping from her chin, and darted to her mistress' side, beginning to make a sad, soft mewling noise that was quite unlike her usual growls.

Alfyn's eyes widened in horror as he realized why.

H'aanit lay on the ground a few feet away from him, having essentially traded places with the apothecary when she threw him out of the way of that final attack. That choice, however, appeared to have cost the huntress, as the feathered shaft of an arrow now sprouted from her shoulder.

"H'aanit!" Alfyn shouted, already reaching into his satchel as he dashed towards her.

She was not able to respond. H'aanit convulsed where she lay, grasping at her throat as she struggled to breathe. His heart beginning to pound, Alfyn quickly snatched one of the stray arrows that had not found a target off of the ground. Just as he had suspected, its tip was coated in a sticky black substance that gave off a foul, distinctive odor.

Poison.

Linde pawed at Alfyn's leg, looking up at him with what almost appeared to be a pleading expression. The apothecary gave the snow leopard a comforting pat on her head as he assured her, "Don't worry, Linde…I've got just the thing to help her."

Alfyn pulled his mortar and pestle out from his satchel, muttering to himself as he quickly prepared several ingredients. "Let's see…one Purifying Seed…three pieces of Noxroot…all mixed with a dollop of honey for good measure." He crushed the materials into a smooth, greenish paste faster than he had ever prepared a mixture before, then set down the small bowl for a moment as he gripped the shaft of the arrow in H'aanit's shoulder.

"I'm real sorry about this, H'aanit," he said with a wince, "but this thing is only gonna cause you more trouble if it stays in…here we go!" Careful not to shift the arrow to the side, lest it cut further into her skin, Alfyn pulled it straight out with one swift, practiced movement. H'aanit's body twitched and her eyes widened at the pain, but her swollen throat prevented her from crying out.

Not wasting any time, Alfyn mopped up the blood that had begun spraying from the huntress' wound, then grabbed a roll of cloth from his satchel. After slathering some of the paste he had mixed on a small section of it, he used it to bandage H'aanit's shoulder, taking care that the medicine itself was pressed up against her wound so that it would kill the poison at the source. Then, he took the canteen they had brought with them, adding just enough water to his mixture so that it would more readily flow, and then finally brought the mortar to H'aanit's lips, coaxing the medicine into her mouth and gently massaging her throat so that she could properly get it down.

As with all cures made from Orsterran healing seeds, Alfyn's remedy worked quickly. Within less than a minute, H'aanit could breathe again.

She gasped, sitting straight up despite her injured shoulder. Linde leaned forward and checked the huntress over, sniffing at her wound, then nuzzling up against her face. H'aanit laughed breathlessly and wrapped her uninjured arm around the snow leopard's neck, stroking her fur and murmuring softly to her to ease her worries.

"Alfyn…" H'aanit gasped as she recovered her breath. "I…I thanke thee. Thou savedst my life…"

The apothecary smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Shucks, well…I never would've been able to do that if you hadn't saved me first, you know? I should be the one thankin' you!"

The huntress wearily returned the smile and leaned her head against Linde's shoulder. "Still…no matter the order of events, I now owen thee my life. Thou art a brilliant man of medicine, Alfyn. I am glad thou wert here to helpen me."

Alfyn shook his head. "Oh, come on now," he protested. "The only reason you were here at all was because you were helpin' me! You're welcome for the medicine, but it's me who owes you a lot more. If you hadn't been here…well, I doubt I would've been able to take all those Ratkin on by myself. Without Linde, I might never have even seen 'em comin'! Not to mention that if I got hit with one of those nasty poison arrows, I don't think I would've been able to keep my head on straight long enough to whip up a cure. You're the real hero here, H'aanit, not me."

H'aanit sighed, shaking her head. "Thou art far too humble for thine own good, Alfyn. Still…thou art also welcome to my help." She smiled, reaching out with her good arm and clasping the apothecary's shoulder. "Letten us agreen that we both hath helped one another today, alright?"

"Well…" Alfyn grinned and nodded. "Sure. I can agree to that."

Suddenly, Linde popped her head up between the two of them, chuffing good-naturedly. The apothecary laughed, giving the snow leopard a pat on the head. "Of course, we couldn't have done any of it without Linde here!"

"Thou speakest true," H'aanit chuckled. "Linde, thou hast fought with the most bravery of us all."

The big cat sat up straight as though proud of herself, making a soft, contended purring noise reminiscent of those of her domesticated counterparts. The huntress smiled at her feline companion, then moved to rise, bracing herself against Linde's shoulder. Her legs wobbled a bit as she stood, no doubt a lingering effect of the fading poison, but she did not fall.

"Comen," she said, nodding to Alfyn. "Our friends will worry if we doe not returnen to them soon."

"Right!" The apothecary quickly gathered his supplies back into his satchel before standing as well. He did not immediately move to support H'aanit, as Linde seemed to be doing a fine enough job of keeping her standing, but he did stay close in case he happened to be needed to help her walk. "We'd better get out of here quick, before we lose what little light we've got left."

H'aanit nodded. "Agreede."

With that, the huntress and the apothecary continued along the trail towards the town in which their companions were waiting, leaving half a dozen Ratkin corpses behind them.

I'll see you guys next week for Tale 11: Memory!