Spirit Animals | Damaged

Chapter 17 | The Cure

I was afraid to hug Nullet, as if he would fall from being so weak.

This town looked very rundown, it reminded me of my home town. In order to keep a low profile we took of our cloaks. Rollan was hesitant to do so, but Meilin seemed to convince him.

I hated when people stared at me, it made me want to stick my tongue out at them. Just like a child would do.

The village was very small, and the people looked dirty. No one smiled, everyone just glared at us. Sal took us to a small shop at the end of the street. The shop was tiny and seemed to sell junk.

I didn't say anything, I just edged backwards towards Abeke. "Hello? Zala?" Sal stood at the front of the room. A small old lady crept out from behind the counter. She scanned us over with that same grumpy face like everyone in this town.

"Sar?" She squinted her eyes leaning towards Sal. He almost backed up, but managed to stay still. This place gave me the creeps. Meilin looked like she was ready to scream out for the cure, but her face still stood blank.

"Actually, its Sal." Sal grumbled his cheeks reddened. The old lady's face brightened at this. "We need a cure for," he glanced at me and Conor. "this disease."

He must know what disease it is, right? I kept silent, even though I had plenty of questions. "Sar, these are fellow Greenrags right?" She mumbled turning to the 5 of us.

Rollan made a face, "excuse me?" I glanced at the old lady. This lady called Zala, was supposed to have the cure for Nullet and Briggan? I started to get nervous.

She wore clothes seeming to be torn. Seeing how rundown this town was I wasn't surprised. "I think she means Greencloaks." Abeke said calmly. Rollan made a grunting noise.

What if Nullet didn't get cured? What if I lost my only true friend? "Well I'll get any cure for the Greenrags." She smiled, I noticed a couple of her teeth were missing.

Sal rolled his eyes, but followed the old lady into another small room. "Show me the animals." Zala patted the table. I wondered how she knew there were 2 spirit animals sick.

It didn't matter anyways, she had the cure. The sooner we got the cure the sooner Nullet would be healthy again.

Conor released Briggan first, then I released Nullet. I couldn't help but gasp. The cut was red and purple and now his entire leg was swollen, Briggan just the same.

Zala didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Yes, yes," She nodded her hand on her chin. Conor was very anxious to get the cure, as was I. But Zala wasn't in any rush.

"This is a very rare disease," She turned to several cabinets. "but luckily I have the cure." She pulled out a small bottle filled with a dark green liquid. "There's only one catch."

"Oh great." I mumbled letting my head fall. She placed the bottle on the counter. If I looked closely I saw small particles floating around in the liquid.

"I used up all of the activator," Zala turned to Sal. Sal lowered his head as if ashamed. "you'll need to go find some. But you better hurry," She turned to Briggan and Nullet. "they don't have long."

Those last words made my heart tremble. I already knew this, but Zala saying it aloud made it more real. I was afraid to hug Nullet, as if he would fall from being so weak. I lightly rubbed his ears, although the entire time my eyes watered.

Silence fell over the room, no one dared to disrupt the moment. But surprisingly, Conor cleared his throat. "We must hurry."

"The activator is-" Zala turned to the window and froze. It was like she saw something. I twisted my head to see out the window. But there was nothing there. "-is on a tree called the Aph. You can get some on the nearest island on your journey." On the nearest island?!

Great. This lady really is crazy. When she saw our faces she turned to Sal. Sal let out a long sigh, "The Aph tree is magical, it appears on the nearest island when you're on sea." Abeke shifted uncomfortably from her spot next to me.

"Thank you Zala. You're a great help, as always." Sal smiled giving Zala a small hug. But since Sal was much taller than her, he had to bend over. We left in silence, Conor was in control of the cure. We just need the activator and then we can continue on our journey.

The ride was very tense, everyone was waiting for an island to come into view. But it took a long time. Without Nullet I became very quiet. I liked to fight in battle, but when it came to patience, that was my weakness.

Rollan came over and sat beside me. We both stayed silent. "Don't you ever get tired of this?" I motioned towards the Greencloaks. His eyes shifted to the floor.

"Not really." That was his answer. What good advice. I shook my head, turning to Gaft. Gaft reminded me of Zala. He was a little crazy, like when he spun the wheel, the entire ship spins harshly. Abeke was beginning to look a little green. I found it funny how much Abeke resembles Uraza.

I didn't mind the sea, so I sat on a crate next to the railing. I held up my wrapped ankle, wincing as I lightly touched it. I could walk but not very well, if we're in a tough situation I'm not sure what I'll do.

"Island!!" Someone shouted, probably Gaft. Few Greencloaks had survived as tragic as that sounded. Battle shows no mercy. Sal decided it was best to send them back to Greenhaven. Olvan needed them to train, he was sure we could handle ourselves.

"Great, we can get off this cramped boat." I mumbled, Abeke nodded in agreement. The island looked pretty boring, not like those tropical islands you normally see. To be honest, I didn't think we would find this Aph Tree.

Sal led the way, releasing Lusty to keep watch. As usual, Essix flew above eyeing the sky. Uraza prowled along beside Abeke. Every tree looked almost the same, and few water sources were around.

I kept walking not really knowing where to, mainly following Sal. Sal said we would know which tree was the Aph. And when I saw it, I definitely knew it was the Aph Tree.

I couldn't believe how tall this tree was. It was triple the other trees. "Found it." Rollan grinned patting the shaggy bark. We all stood gaping at this wondrous tree. It seemed it went up forever.

"The activator is inside a special fruit held at the top of the tree." Sal said his voice stern and clear. Lusty grunted attempting to shake the tree. "Since Olivia's leg is still healing, Abeke would you like to try getting the fruit?"

Abeke hesitated as she scanned the tall tree but sighed, "Sure." I sat on a log covered in some type of moss. This would be very interesting.

As Abeke started to climb the Aph Tree, I pet Uraza. Uraza seemed a little tense with Abeke so high up. Abeke seemed to know what she was doing, she firmly gripped the large branches, making her way up.

My hands were leaning on the moss covered log, the moss almost felt fuzzy. It was a strange color too. The longer I watched Abeke the more blurry my vision became. The world felt so dizzy, just like when I injured my leg.

I glanced at my hands, they were Purple and Green spotted. What was happening to me? Conor was closest to me so I called out, "Something's..." but I never finished.