Later that day, atop one of the nearby plateaus covered in dense woodland, Vada crept through the underbrush as silently as possible with a bow and arrow at the ready. She had followed the tracks of her prey and could hear the rush of a small stream nearby, hoping the deer had stopped for a drink she rounded a large boulder only to halt in surprise.
Sitting by the stream, attempting to wrap his own bleeding arm, was a man of mountainous proportions. Even though he rested on the ground, his legs were long and wide with muscle, Vada could easily see that he would tower over her if he were able to stand. It was not only his legs that were powerful, he was broad at the shoulders, but his torso tapered at the waist. A light shadow coloured his sharp, angular jaw line, but his face was young and handsome nevertheless. Though she stood at a distance, Vada could see that his icy blue eyes were clear, despite the poison evident by the blackening wound he was attempting to wrap.
Her heart hammered with apprehension, she was not the type to leave a man with such an awful wound to die lost and alone, but were he to see her as a threat, it could easily be her life in danger.
A tight knot twisted in her gut as she watched him fighting hard against the poison flooding his system. Sweat sprang up on his brow and began running in rivulets down his face, obscuring his vision. With a loud groan his fumbling hand fell from his blood spluttering wound. Unconciously Vada took a step forward, she knew that without immediate treatment he would surely die but fear still had a hold on her.
Taking a deep steadying breath, Vada returned her arrow to it's quiver. Chastising her fearful heart she stepped around the boulder and walked briskly towards the man. He looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and alarm as he scrambled for an old, poorly kept sword that lay in the dirt nearby.
Placing her foot firmly on the long blade so that he may not raise it against her she said, in a firm but soothing tone meant to put him at ease, 'you won't be needing that.'
Still standing over him, she reached into the satchel that hung at her side. Despite her attempts to appear non-threatening he recoiled at the action and anger flashed in his eyes. Worried he would do something silly and worsen his condition, Vada explained without breaking eye contact, 'I have a balm for your wound.'
The mans eyes darted from her face to the bag and back again, then he nodded slowly and released the hilt of the sword, dragging his hand back to his side with great effort.
Despite the display, Vada plucked up the sword and the man momentarily panicked, flinching away from her until she threw the sword far away from the two of them. As the sword clattered against a nearby tree their gazes met once more, each as wary as the other.
Taking to her knees, Vada began her work. As carefully as she could manage, she cut away the cloth around the mans infected wound with her hunting knife. He didn't so much as flinch which surprised her as the wound was clearly a very painful one.
Neither of them spoke as Vada tied a leather cord around his enormous bicep to stop the blood flow long enough to apply a healing balm that would counteract the poison that kept the wound from clotting.
The whole time she worked, the man watched her face with curious eyes. When he would gasp, Vada would halt and look up only to find their faces so close that the heat of his fever warmed her skin.
After a long while his gaze turned weary and his head began to flop. Vada would gently tap his cheek and reassure him that she had nearly finishing cleaning, treating and wrapping his wound. He would nod weakly and open his eyes extra wide to reassure her that he wasn't going to slip into unconsciousness.
When she had finished with his wound, Vada cleaned her bloody hands in the stream and soaked a cloth. The water was so cold that the man gave a start when she began dabbing his head and neck in an effort to help break his fever. Again he watched her and as he did heat rose in her cheeks, tinging them pink.
'Who are you?' he asked in a deep raspy voice. Vada stared at him, blinking in surprise as the sound of his words seemed to echo in her mind, 'Where are you from?' he added.
Vada opened her mouth to give him her name but stopped herself at the last moment, 'I can't tell you who I am, or where I'm from.'
'Because you don't know who I am?' he asked and Vada nodded silently, turning back to the stream to re-moisten the cloth. When she turned back she found he had sat himelf up straighter and in doing so, he had brought them even closer together. The ice in his eyes seemed softer, as though it was melting but Vada was frozen stiff by his gaze. With laboured breath he lifted his uninjured arm and cupped her face in his large, rough palm. 'You, needn't be afraid of me, I owe you... my life.'
As the last words left his lips it seemed his last ounce of energy left with them. His eyes rolled and his body sagged suddenly. Vada leapt forward to catch him, lowering him as gently as she could manage, to the ground.
Placing two fingers to his neck she checked the beat of his heart as she watched the way his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He was far from death, she concluded, but he needed rest, that much was obvious.
While the man slept soundly Vada set about making a small, well shrouded fire. A million questions buzzed around her head. Where did he come from? She wondered. Was his village far? How did he get injured? Would someone be waiting for him?
Curiosity jumped in her veins. Unable to sit still beside him and wary of waking him up prematurely Vada got to her feet and began to pace back and forth across the clearing. Soon enough the sky had turned dark, hanging over head like an inky black blanket .
Returning to the fireplace, Vada stared at the mans still form, watching the steady rise and fall of his broad chest. With a forlorn sigh she surmised that he wouldn't wake anytime soon and that she could wait no longer. Cas and Dani would be worried if she did not return soon. Digging through her satchel she pulled out a parcel of food that Dani had prepared. With one last long look at the wounded man, she placed the parcel beside him and left.
-
Back at the family cabin her siblings had prepared a stew for the evening that was more broth than anything else. Cas and Dani enquired about her hunting success and she explained that she'd had none but would go out again in the morning. She did not, however, tell them about the mystery man that she had spent the day nursing back to health. He would be her secret she decided, they would only fret if they knew.
-
In the clearing, the man opened his eyes to the darkness of night sky but despite the chill in the air, one side of his body was pleasantly warm and a soft glow caught his eye. Shifting with a wince, his arm protesting at the slightest movement, he turned to find a small fire. The mystery healer had vanished but in her place sat a small parcel wrapped in brown cloth. Stretching out his limbs to rouse them from their stiff slumber, he was surprised to find that much of his strength had already returned.
Turning to fully face the fire he reached for the parcel with his healthy arm. He stared at it for a moment, a small smile gracing his cracked lips. When he unfurled the cloth his stomach gave a loud growl at the sight of the food that had been tucked up inside. It was a simple fare or bread, dried meat and fruit, but to a starving man it was a royal feast.
As he ate he stared into the small, flickering flames of the camp fire recalling the beautiful amber eyes that he would never see again.