Speech = ``...´´
Thoughts = [... ]

ºº

She breathed in…

She breathed out…

The pure yet dry air making its way into her lungs. Her ears perking at the distant sounds of birds singing or the soft rustling of the leaves on the forest ground when the wind tried to pick up some sort of unseen pace as the small blond elf made her way towards the abandoned village.

A small smile warping around the edges of Alphas lips as she started to visualize the shapes of the buildings and inner roads of the town.

Her new home was not like the village she had been born in. Deep into the forest and where the winds seemed to whisper words to those willing to listen, where the leafs seemed to glistened with a glow of their own under the moonlight.

The ground felt different, the air a little more mundane, The leafs here did not glow as brightly as those did, and though there was wind here too…, it was silent for the most if not all the time.

Yes, it was...silent.

Too silent….

She would have to admit that it had been a bit unnerving at first.., like stepping in a dark room you have never wandered before and your mind started to make up things to fill the gaps of your imagination. Most of the time making things worse rather than better...

Her cheeks started to heat a little bit at the reminder of her first night, the way she could not manage to fall asleep as her mind went back again, and again, and again for some strange reason at the day she escaped by a hair with her life.

Going over of what she should have done, what she should have said….a part of her for better or for worse was still there. And the ache of the parting was what was driving this thorn deep into her heart.

That night too had been quiet...and the scars still too raw to wash off.

Alpha closed her eyes for a moment just as she felt that prickly warmth flaring once more at the corner of her eyes. She was not going to cry over this…, she had a promise to herself and she would be very disappointed if she could not keep it for even a month.

When she opened her eyes there was none of the melancholy that had weighed her down, but an ethereal sense of resolution that glowed red in their depths.

Things had been bad.., and yet it all went away when the sharp, wheezing sound of his mask reached her ears in the darkness.

Funny, wasn't it? That all that it took to push those dark thoughts was to tilt her head to the side and find those burning coals staring at her in silence in the darkness of the room. Sharp talons that were meant for harm, instead placing themselves gently over her shoulder and stroking it just once to let her know he was no apparition of her imagination.

He did not speak more than he needed to, in fact.., most of the time he did not speak at all when those "events" happened, choosing to remain silent as he stood to guard her rest. Words perhaps may have filled the void in her heart, and yet..., it was a "silence" that she had come to enjoy. To want…to desire.

Yes, words were good, but there was no need for them when they knew what was going on. A timid smile warped around her lips at those more kinder memories. The weirdness had never truly gone away, but it the impact had soften slightly afterwards.

``Always so kind…, so understanding. Making all the more difficult to show my appreciation in a manner worthy of him..´´

She mused to herself, placing a small finger over her own lips. One had to wonder what could she do to make up for it when each and every time he rose the bar with his constant selfless acts for her own betterment, but that would not deter her, one way or another she would find the right thing…

Now the mission was to get back to the town.., then she could prepare for another sparring match between her and the others to hone their skills while she thought of something else they could do tomorrow as a team exercise.

Looking up at the foliage covered sun whose beams protruded just barely through the thick leafs and warmed the ground underneath her feet told her that she was still an hour sooner than expected so there was no need to return in haste.

However, there would be something unexpected that would come across her path as she ventured more and more closer to the end of the forest. Her ears perking readily at a small, whimpering chirping sound…

It was weak

Faint

Pained…..

Her eyes narrowed as the last thought came passing by and before she realized she had already started moving towards the sound.

The wind gushing and wheezing behind her as it tried to catch up with her, feeling nothing but its cool touch brushing against her face while the world around her became a dimly lit tunnel of light. Trees, bushes and branches becoming nothing but barely detailed shadows in her path...

Seven seconds later she was where she was needed to be, a small shock-wave of air coursing by as it reached her now that she was no longer on the move, disturbing the peace of the trees for a few seconds, yet where the problem was she did not know.

Tilting her head left and right, her eyes looking around for the owner of those cries for help, but...she found nothing. When she looked down she realized why.

[Oh, you poor little thing….]

A slight pang of sadness clenched her heart. It was….a bird. A small looking bird.., barely twice the size of her thumb. Its fiery feathery form shivering and trying to cover from her..yet its small legs could not push it out from where it stood.

It was so small…., there was no way it was an adult, more likely a little one that had barely come out of the casket.

Still, at least it was not a person that was been attacked by a monster…. or worse. She immediately took a double take just in case, but alas...there was nothing to be worried about. No scheming shadow waiting for any unsuspecting victim.

Satisfied with her inspection of her surroundings she leaned down to get a better look at the still chirping bird..and perhaps wondering why it had not move out given how distressed his cries were echoing around her.

Was it trying to scare her off? Was it afraid of her..? Perhaps, but this was not it.., it was much worse and yet so much simple.

``C-chirk...!´´

``C-chirk...!´´

``C-chirk...!´´

The poor thing had fallen out from its nest, calling out for help for who knows how long and in pain as its small, chubby little wings were bent in direction that no wings should be.

She chew her lips, apprehension dawning like a hammer as she knelt right beside it. Raising her hands in a placating manner to calm it down and make it understand that she meant it no harm, as if the creature could understand the meaning of said gesture..

``Easy...easy there, you are hurt...don't try to move ok?´´

She muttered softly. It stopped chirping loudly, staring at her for a moment, round black eyes glaring at her direction as its small little head tilted to the side. Still shivering and cowling in far yes, but keeping a bit more quieter now.

She nodded. ``Yes, that's right...keep calm and I will help you, alright? You want to get back to your mother, no...?´´

Of course, the bird did not reply back, it couldn't...but the fact that it did not cowed away any further was good.

Slowly, patiently... she started to lean over the bird. Stretching her hands forward, always making sure that her eyes never let its, yet not too hard to scare it away. Carefully lifting the bird from the ground and holding its frail form close to her chest….she rose from her kneeling position.

It was warm for something as small as it was, still shivering, still flinching... but finding a small sense of comfort in her embrace.

It felt nice to be of help…., so why did it reminded it of her..?

She shook her head, pushing those thoughts away as she started to focus on the matter at hand. First the bird, then whatever came next. Sadly, its mother was not on the tree like she had first suspected.

The nest was empty, void of any sing of life but the unhatched eggs that waited for motherly affection. With that realization she was left wit fewer options.

She was not gonna kill it, nor she could leave it there either. Perhaps she could stand there and wait…, but there was nothing that could tell her for how long she would have to remain there until it was safe for the little bird to return to its mother...nor it would fix what ailed him now.

The only thing she could do was take it with her...

Lucky enough, she was already almost at the verge of the town so it did not took her much time to reach a far more safer and cleaner environment for the both of them. Entering in one of the three buildings they had rebuilt for their personal use and leaving the bird over a small, yet neat table.

She had no idea where the other two girls where at the moment, but she guessed that Beta was reading a book in the dormitory's since this was her free time. Her friends love for literature had not changed in the slightest since the last time she saw her. In fact, it had grown….

Alpha made a mental note to come swing by to tell her that she had arrived once she was finish here here. Now, focusing on her patient she placed a set of bandages and leafs over the table. It was nothing flashy, but the methods of her village or like any other elf town were not meant to be as such.

A practical use of natures gifts with some wisdom from others. She was fortunate enough that even if the forests around the ghost town were vastly different from those of her childhood...they could still be of use when picking healing herbs.

With skilled fingers she lifted the bird from the table who groaned and chirped in protest albeit for a brief moment as she placed it gently over a set of warm sheets. Making it remember once more the soothing sensation that her own warmth had given it when she had held it tightly against her chest.

She almost smiled at the way it almost fell asleep a few seconds later. Rubbing its feathery head with one hand. If one were to ignore the way its wings were bent inwards one could have said that it looked kinda cute...

..

..

Looking at the hand still stroking the bird, a moment of doubt passed by between her eyes. It could have been so simple, so easy with the energy flowing beneath the skin…, but the possibilities.., the possibilities! There were too many to count..

She knew she could try and "use" it…, but would it help? The short answer was yes, the long one however was that it may not end in the way she intended. The memory of her last attempt soured her mood a little bit.

She bit her lip. Healing magic was hard.., especially when it actively attempted to do its own thing instead of what she wanted it to do. Almost as if she was running in a different "circuit" than what she was used to.

Like...like she was swimming against the current…, adding more water to an already overwhelmed cauldron, or throwing more fire to an already unleashed firestorm.

It was not a lack...but an overwhelming amount of power that was making it difficult.

Attacking was simple, you could call for as much energy as necessary in a "wide" area….healing wounds...needed so much less and yet so much control of a small area.

..

..

After a few seconds of consideration she decided to give up any unnecessary risk that she may willingly or not unleash on her small sized patient. Choosing instead to go at it the old way...: stomping the leafs and extracting the juice from withing, before spilling the greenish liquid over the cloths, so that they would become all perfectly drenched in the substance.

It was a good remedy for small bones or superficial wounds…, not really meant to be eaten though. It tasted rather bitter.

``Its gonna be a bit painful, but can you hold stiff for me?´´

It was rather nonsensical for her to even voice out said instructions, but a part of her felt that those words needed to be said. One always needed to heal wounds properly lest them fester and get worse. The bird could only stare at her with mild confusion…..

Its innocence was rather touching, but it did not make her feel any better...much to the contrary in fact as she knew that soon enough, those curious eyes would not be looking at her with a positive glint any time soon.

It was a bitter thing, to know that sometimes to do good, you needed to do some bad.

As expected…., just as she tried to slowly push the broken wing back into its rightful socket so that the mending was actually good, the small animal started to screech loudly. Flapping uselessly its limbs as it tried to escape her grasp. It would not be able though, but having it make such a racket would do it no good either..

``Please, please don't move...the last thing I want is to make it worse..´´

She tried to reason with it...however her pleads fell in deaf ears as it continued to struggle for its freedom, not understanding that the more int moved the more pain it caused itself. She tried to soothed the pain away, uttering comforting words to quell whatever fears ran rampant in its head, stroking and caressing its small, feathery head as she attempted to wrap the cloths around its wings..

But it would not have it as it continued to struggle.

..

..

This was not working…

One could not work in this sort of environment where both the medic was unsure how to proceed and the wounded refused to be treated. It was just not feasible And yet, she could not leave the poor thing like that either…

She had to try, she had to do it...but how? How could she do it..? Swinging a sword really seemed to be far more simpler and easier now. She took a deep breath, her brows furrowing as she tried to come up with an idea.

``Think Alpha, what would Reaper do in my place...?´´

Surely, there was something he would have seen or known on how to approach this situation. An outlet of that endless wisdom he was more than willing to share with her.

A spell perhaps that could compelled animals to listen to their owners every-word or maybe one that could freeze it in time?

An unknown language meant to speak with the children of nature to soften their fears and distrust?

A secret remedy that needed not any physical touch on the wounded areas...?

Hmm, thinking it better, perhaps trying to emulate after her master was not the best idea. A nice attempt perhaps, but her dark clad savior just knew TOO many things that it was hard to wrap it all up in just a few choices.

And so she was back to square one.

She started to rub her head a bit more frantically. Ah! If only he was here now nothing of the sort would have happened, if she was actually capable of fixing bones and not making them bigger she would not be here. And yet...here she was, hitting her head in a hammer.

It was then that a particular idea crossed her mind.

To be honest, she was not sure or thrilled at the prospect of what the idea enticed, but she had heard that sometimes a proper shock was good for once health. Yes, it was a bit hard to wrap her head around how she was gonna accommodate that idea to..this, but it was better than nothing.

And maybe, just maybe...it was crazy enough to work.

..

..

Alpha closed her eyes, took a deep breath before she clasped loudly her hands together in what was almost a praying position. A sparkling look in her eyes that almost sent chills down the birds spine and it was not precisely because of the cold.

Yes, there was something eerily wrong with the look of determination glowing in Alphas eyes as she started to tie a blue bandanna over her forehead as-well as a white with pinkish flowers apron around her waist. Her expression motherly, yet her smile was too wide to be filled with affection.

And why was he pulling out cooking gloves..?

Why was she pulling out those long knifes...?

Well…., like her master had once said: That was trade secret~

ºº

A/N
Here comes another chapter, I hope you like it and leave a comment down below to share your opinion if you want, sometimes it helps to know your thoughts whether why you like something or why you dont, or just your doubts...

º

Reaper: I can not stand to be expected to deal with the needs of a suicidal ghost and an emotional dependent little girl. I am barely qualified as it is..!

Author-san drops a sheet of paper where Reaper will become the emotional chew-toy of 666+ girls and have thousands of children.

Reaper: Have mercy…

Author-san: Oh, but there is more..

The amazing Digital circus Meme starts playing.