Wolverton Falls

16. Connecting with Another

MAGGIE WAS AFRAID that she would throw up the food they'd given her.

The camp didn't have much in the way of food, only scraps of meat and water. Luckily, Isaiah, the tall man who examined her wounds earlier, had bought some normal food for her. She was grateful for his thoughtfulness and her stomach grumbled at the sight of bread, day-old chicken and some granola bars.

However, she hasn't had proper nutrition for a while and the more she ate, the more her stomach churned uncomfortably. Maggie quickly uncapped the water bottle Katya had given her and felt the relief once the cool liquid ran down her parched throat.

"You're gonna get sick if you drink that too fast."

The abrupt voice almost made Maggie choke on the water. Recovering quickly with an embarrassed flush appearing on her cheeks, Maggie clumsily wiped away the droplets of water that managed to dribble down her chin before looking up at the intruder.

Isaiah flashed his blindingly white teeth at her before promptly sitting opposite her in the small tent. He had a medical kit in his hand, implying he was here to check on her slowly healing wounds.

Maggie fiddled with the plastic bottle, before her brown eyes looked tentatively up at his hulking figure. "Thank you," She murmured after a moment.

"For nearly making you choke to death?" Isaiah joked with a grin, referring to his unannounced visit surprising her.

She shook her head, but a small smile reached her lips. "No. For the food. With everything that happened in the last few hours I didn't realise how hungry I was."

He shrugged off the gratitude with a flippant wave of his hand. "Don't worry about that – I couldn't leave you eating the scarps those mutts out there have." He mocked and let out an amused chuckle at some distinctive growls resonate from outside the tent.

He then passed Maggie a toothbrush and minty toothpaste which she thankfully grabbed and immediately started brushed. She moaned aloud at the sensation of cleaning her teeth which she continued for five minutes. She rinsed her mouth with water and mouthed a 'thank you' to the kind man. He simply nodded at her with a small smile.

Isaiah began to sift through his medical gear, grabbing some antiseptic cream and fresh roll of gauze. He let out an awed mumble, "I'm honestly surprised you haven't gone into shock with all that information Katya's told you. It's admirable that you haven't lost your shit. Those lycanthropes aren't particularly subtle."

She didn't verbally reply, only shrugged at him. Then she suddenly registered his last sentence, "Wait – you're not a lycanthrope?"

Isaiah shifted his tall figure in the small confines of the tent, his six foot three frame struggling to settle into a comfortable position. He then turned his attention to the girl in front of him and shrugged his broad shoulders with a nonchalant expression, "Nah, I'm a thaumaturge."

"A what?" Maggie frowned softly at the unfamiliar term.

He let out a sighed and looked down. "Katya didn't explain other supernatural beings, did she?" He looked back up with an expectant gaze.

"No, she said she'd tell me more later," Maggie replied and held out her sore wrists when Isaiah gestured towards them. He carefully began to unwind the damp bandages, careful to keep her from wincing at the tender, broken skin.

"A thaumaturge is basically an immortal being that possesses miraculous or magical powers. We're a part of the Orbem Terra dimension like the lycans. We have a connection to the earth as well." Isaiah explained simply. His gaze then narrowed at Maggie's red, injured wrists caused by the rope back at the cabin. He scrutinised the wounds, careful not to touch them and let out a small exhale, "No infection. That's good."