One Tail at a Time

Trial of the Spirit - 5

"Mo Yuan, I am not bullying you.  If you want to walk again, you are going to have to grin and bare the pain." she sighed heavily as his much bigger frame was once again forced onto his side so she could get at the back of his legs which were now being untied from the planks.  

Six weeks had passed since his arrival and she never once let up on keeping his wounds clean, balmed and redressed.  He was healing well, but slowly, and now that six weeks had passed since she had splintered his legs, it was time to take them off so she could check them, though the amount of harsh groaning and sharp spasms when she began to untie the cord, had her wondering if it might be too soon.  

"If you are not bullying me, then why are you being so rough?  It's not your legs hurting!" he moaned again when one board gave way.

"I swear when you are walking, I am not only going to bully you, but you will dread the day you met me.  Just shut up so I can concentrate" she replied with a grunt of her own as the tie to the second board gave way.  Having been tied for six weeks, the white satin she had used had almost melded together with the bandages she also had to remove.

"Yeah?  Well when I do walk, you had better be running Bai Qian.  I plan on taking revenge!" he replied with a loud yelp when she hit the bandages.  

She really wasn't the most gentlest of women he had met, in fact she could have given his nanny a run for her money, because that woman could scold the lid off an iron pot with just a look.    Only this woman was far more coarse and he would even go so far as describing her as manly, she was that rough.  And the way she was looking at him having just threatened her had him wanting to laugh.  She was pulling the most silliest face because he guessed he wouldn't be running anywhere anytime soon going by the amount of pain that was shooting up his legs.

Only he didn't laugh, instead a few tears had begun to form, the pain was horrendous, and he couldn't help but wonder where she had learned her healing skills from.  That she knew how to splinter a broken leg was most impressive, but whoever taught her, had obviously not included the finer art of tenderness.  Her hands might have been small and rather dainty even for a woman, but the brute strength was that of a soldier, she was that rough!

"Uh..... Mo Yuan..... I don't think your legs are ready just yet......." she whispered as the first bandage was removed which was abruptly followed by a succession of loud screams and deep heavy panting which only increased his desire to cause her a serious injury.

"You don't say!" he wheezed painfully as she quickly began to rebandage the one leg.   "And where exactly did you learn to heal? The local butchers?" he screamed in agony as a hand roughly seized her wrist to stop her so he could catch his breath and glare at her at the same time.

"Mo Yuan!  If you want to walk again, you're going to have to let me finish wrapping them, they are not ready!" she squealed at the sudden pain in her wrist that he was squeezing too tightly.

"Just ..... let me ... rest a bit... " he stammered between large intakes of air that were barely touching the sides of his lungs.

"Don't be such cry baby!  Anyone would think you've never suffered a little, you're caterwauling like a little girl!" she snorted at the scrunched up face and sweaty brow.  He looked like death warmed up and the way his shoulders were heaving to bring the pain under control did make her feel a little guilty, but then again, he did this to himself so it didn't last long.

Picking up a piece of clean cloth she had set aside to wash his legs, she rammed into his mouth.

"Bite down hard if it helps, but if you don't let me finish, I am going to chop these legs off and be done with them!" she threatened with a dangerous glint in her eye that gave him the impression that she actually meant it which sent the fear of God straight into his heart with a chill so cold that he immediately braced himself.