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She looks taken aback by my question. “How can you ask that? Look around.”
“The situation bothers you?” I do not know why this surprises me. Oaklyn is a kind person, but I know she was not comfortable here with my tribe.
“Death and destruction?” She glares at me, obviously offended by my opinion of her. “Yes, you could say I’m bothered.”
“They have been your people for less than a day. You are not even the same species,” I point out.
She frowns harder. “And that’s supposed to matter? I mean, yeah, my time in this village has been strange and a lot has happened without my consent, but it’s not like I wanted to see the place pillaged. And I don’t like seeing you hurting.”
I brush this off. “My wounds are minor.”
She narrows her green eyes. “I wasn’t talking about physical pain. But now that you mention it, you should let me look at your injuries. As healer, I’m the one who decides what’s minor and what isn’t.”
She points to one of the wooden chairs. “Take off your shirt and sit.”
Faintly amused, I follow her command. I have had far worse injuries in my time, but her concern for my health is endearing.
With cool, competent fingers, she examines my head, arms, and torso. “You’re right,” she finally says. “I think you’re mostly fine, though I’m a little worried about this gash here.” She points to my ribcage. “It’s deep and I don’t want it getting infected.”
She grabs a cloth and dunks it in the basin, which I filled fresh this morning, then carefully cleans the wound and applies some of the leftover balm she made. I kept it for just such an occasion.
As she tends to me, she asks me questions. “What did you find out there? And what are you going to do next?”
“There were four dead, but only one of my tribe. I have no choice but to bury them. Rokahn and Lakana have returned; he will help me. As for the others, Lakana says it is Galkaj practice to drive enemies from their homes. I can only assume they are out there, in the woods.”
She looks puzzled. “So they’ll just come home, right? All you have to do is wait?”
I shake my head. “It is not so simple. The warrior men know the area well and can probably make it home. But the women and children, the elderly…they could get lost. Or they could be injured. I must go and search for them.”
“But there are thousands of miles of forests in these mountains. It could take months, if not years.”
“I know. But what other option is there?”
She pauses for a moment, thinking. “I don’t know,” she finally says.
“I will start in the morning,” I say. “It is already getting late; it will be dark soon. There is no point in searching without light, and in the rain.”
“Good,” Oaklyn says. “It wouldn’t hurt you to get some rest and do a little healing. And you need food.”
I don’t argue. The fact is, I am both tired and hungry. We still have bread and stew left over from the previous night, and she serves it without a fuss.
“Eat,” she encourages, pulling up a chair for herself.
We dine quickly and quietly, both of us focused on our food. When we finish, I clear the dishes and move to the furs by the fire that serve as my bed when it is too cold to sleep on the feather-filled pallet. “Will you join me?” I ask.
She nods and settles next to me, sitting between my knees and leaning her back against my chest. I stroke her hair absently, and she makes a little hum of pleasure and leans in.
“Tell me something about yourself,” she says. “Something I don’t know.”
I pause to think. My life is simple and straightforward: I hunt, I lead our raids, I do what I can to care for the village and protect the tribe. “I suppose you already know that I enjoy swimming,” I say.
“Yes,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “That was fun.”
“It was,” I agree. “Hmm, what else? Oh, I know. I enjoy canines. Foxes and wolves and the like.”
“Really? Have you ever had one as a pet?”
“No,” I tell her. “I have encountered them in the wild, of course. I befriended a vixen once and used to bring treats to her and her kits, until they were grown and the whole family abandoned their den. But I could never bring myself to confine a wild animal to my home. It wouldn’t be right.”
