by Lisa Daniels
As she tried to bring her hair into some semblance of order, movement off to the side caught her attention. It was with a relatively muted sigh that the young woman looked in the direction of the movement in case it was something threatening. Though she could not fully make out what she was seeing, Noely could tell a few things about the figure moving along the boundary between the wood and the mountain. It was a shifter, a male shifter, and he was clearly injured, something that she could tell even from her current distance. He was trying with moderate success to be stealthy, but anyone as familiar with the woods as Noely was would not miss the movements. It was true that while he was failing to be invisible, the man was incredibly silent. Despite the obvious seriousness of the situation, she was impressed by the way he was able to silence everything around him, even with the clearly painful movements it required.
Tilting her head to the side, Noely picked up her basket and headed toward the figure. Her surprise at his silence became more pronounced as she moved toward him because she could tell that the wounds were incredibly serious, and her concern grew the closer she got to him. Looking around, Noely decided to follow him to see what he was doing. There was no way she was going to leave him to bleed to death, particularly if he was being hunted, and that was a very real possibility. It did not take her long to realize that he was looking for somewhere to hide. The young woman may not have known exactly what kind of shifter he was, but the desperation of trying to hide somewhere in his current state definitely narrowed down the type that he could be. Most shifters would simply move in their animal forms when injured, unless they were being hunted, or their shifter form was substantially larger than their human one. The fact that she had neither encountered nor heard anyone while she was out suggested that the shifter was one of the larger creatures. Also, there would be no reason to sneak around in human form if the man was an animal that people might hunt. No one would take an interest in an injured human, unless they were part of the palace guard. Noely had a certain bias for the larger shifters, so she knew what she had to do.
Stepping out of the woods with the basket draped over her arm, Noely caught his attention. “If you need somewhere to rest, there’s a cave not too far away.”
The shifter’s initial reaction was one of surprise as he quickly turned around and looked at her. Despite his wounds, the shifter was unbelievably agile, and his slight stumble at her voice was almost imperceptible. Noely made sure that both of her hands were visible so that he would know she was no threat. It worked. Following his shock, the shifter immediately relaxed a little, although only a few people like her would have been able to see it. The man was clearly used to being on his guard. Most shifters were around Yuezhi, particularly near its capital, Antakya.
“I can show you where, but it may be a bit of a walk.” Noely found that her mouth was able to keep going, just as she had learned at the castle. With a vague smile, she tried to make sure he remained relaxed – it would have been bad for the shifter’s heart rate to go up in his current state. While her face and voice worked to set him more at ease, the young woman could not help but notice how the man looked. The gashes on his arms and legs indicated that he had been attacked by several soldiers, and judging by the size of the marks, the shifter’s form must have been substantially larger than the most common types of shifters. His hair was a beautiful black that from some angles seemed to shimmer a dark blue, but it appeared that some of it had been cut. If she had to guess, his hair was likely cut during whatever fight he had been in before she found him. Noely had never heard of a shifter walking around with such uneven hair – at least not one who clearly tended to take care of his appearance. If she had met him five years ago, his startling bluish-grey eyes would have made her forget how to talk. That was before she learned how to cope with her shyness. Still, even now she could easily have gotten lost in his extraordinary eyes if habit had not kicked in. It was only in her frequent chatter at the castle that she had gotten accustomed to talking as her mind assessed her surroundings.
The shifter gave no indication that he was going to follow, or even speak, but from the amount of blood he had lost, he was going to need to rest soon. Shifters could heal much faster than humans, but they healed at different rates, and blood loss could be a serious problem for those who did not heal fast, especially with wounds like his. It was clear that this one needed to lie down as soon as possible because he was going to keep sacrificing blood loss for stealth. Foolish as it was, Noely could easily understand why a shifter would emphasize caution here. After all, it would be no better to be less careful and give away his hiding place than to die in peace while searching for a place to hide. That was a very common way of thinking for shifters.
She didn’t want to scare him, so she kept her back to him as she moved toward the cave. Figuring that she would need to explain a little, Noely said over her shoulder, “It will be a bit of a walk, but we shouldn’t have to climb too much.” This would be important because it was clear his arms were badly injured, likely rendering climbing next to impossible.
Finally, a firm, deep voice behind her caught up to her, and Noely found that she closed her eyes at the beautiful sound. “How do I know that you aren’t going to turn me in?” A slight shiver went through her body at his words, and her mind immediately went to the ocean and memories of growing up along the beach.
Turning slowly, she gave him a calming smile. “The castle is over there.” She pointed slowly in the opposite direction than they were going. “I am actually supposed to go back there tonight, but I don’t think they expect me to return at all.”
The man’s delicate features were incredibly well-defined as he looked at her with confusion.
She gave a little laugh. “They sent me out here to collect.” She held up the basket with a number of different herbs, flowers, and other things that could only be found in the wild. “Actually, I volunteered when it became obvious that no one else was going to do it. While others may have been okay with letting things run their course, I am not really capable of sitting idle when there is someone in need. You see, there are some sick children who need a few of these to get better, and I wasn’t about to leave them to die because others are afraid of the woods. It isn’t exactly my job, but it isn’t too much of a stretch since I work in the kitchen.” She shrugged when the man gave her a quizzical look. It was clear he had more questions, but she didn’t want him to spend too much time thinking and not enough time moving. To silence him, the young woman kept talking. “With the sun setting, it would probably be better for me to stay in the cave with you than to keep going. I’m clearly too distracted now to be safe in the woods when it starts to get dark. Normally I should have noticed you far earlier, although you were incredibly quiet. Someone with injuries as serious as yours should not have been able to be so unbelievably quiet. Still, your movements made it pretty easy to spot you from the right angles. Well, for someone like me anyway. That’s probably one of the reasons I am not afraid out in the forest – because I pretty much always see or hear anything long before it can sneak up on me. Or perhaps it is that the monsters out here are far less concerning. That’s the lesson I think I’ve learned working at the palace for so many years, nearly a decade now. You start to feel safer out in nature with the obvious monsters than in the castle with the human-shaped monsters.”
The man gave a little laugh.
“Good,” she said. “I can guarantee you that the cave is safe. I live there on and off, depending on the time of year, so I can tend to you. They won’t be expecting me back tonight, or like I said, ever, so I can ensure you are safe and your wounds treated. You are welcome to stay as long as you like, too. I am currently staying in the city, so after tonight you will have the place to yourself.”
“Why?” His voice wavered a bit, and Noely knew that he had lost too much blood.
Quickly she moved back to him, reaching him just as he stumbled. When he tried to move away, the young woman held up both hands. “I can
let you walk on your own, but it is a bit of a distance, and I don’t know that you will be able to make it before passing out. While I can help you walk a little faster, I am going to have trouble carrying you if you black out.”
“Why?” His beautiful eyes were like a storm as the concern shone in them. “Why are you helping me?”
“Why am I helping the children? I don’t turn my back on people in need. Even if they have been fighting with the guards.” She felt him tense up as she put his arm around her shoulder. It was obvious that he wanted to move away from her, but his eyes closed for a moment. Deciding it was best for him to keep his mind moving, Noely continued to explain as she helped him take a few steps forward, “I guess if you really want an honest answer, it’s because I am partial to shifters.” The man stumbled at the word. “It’s okay, I’m not going to try to kill you or turn you into an aphrodisiac. I don’t even know what kind of shifter you are. I can say you aren’t a bear, wolf, or one of the more common types. I admit to being a bit curious, but you don’t have to say anything. And in case you were wondering, I know Sir Gwavas. Well, I know about him. I don’t actually know him. I have never met him or communicated with him, but still, I know his work. So please just focus on making it to the cave. You are in no danger from me.”
At the mention of one of the most renowned men on the planet, the shifter sighed. Noely smiled as she felt him press into her, clearly at ease. Not many people outside of a couple particular circles knew the man’s name, so it acted like a safe word for certain species, particularly shifters. Though he didn’t look it, the man was remarkably well built. His thin frame was incredibly sinewy, and she could feel a lot more muscle than bone, which was surprising. Her initial assessment that he had been starving was clearly wrong. The young woman knew that she was holding up an incredibly rare and agile shifter. Again, her mind pondered what kind of shifter he could be to have such a deceptively lean physique. He looked like he would never be able to win in a fight, but feeling the way his muscles moved, Noely suspected that this particular shifter likely was not accustomed to losing.
To keep herself from blurting out any of her thoughts, Noely kept talking about basic things. “I’m Noely. As I told you, I work in the kitchens at the palace and live in the city. I’m not from around here though. I actually grew up on the shores of the Tethys in a tiny town called Kanza. It was washed away when I was young. Well, it wasn’t really washed away, but that was the story that was told about it after everyone disappeared. I was one of two living creatures who know that the people who lived there had decided that they would rather drown than be burned by the government. My parents sent me away, but I refused to go too far when they made the march into the water. I cried. My guardian held me that night, he didn’t even try to take me away. He just let me cry. When the military showed up the next day, they found that everyone was gone. Not that they knew where or even cared where the people of the town had gone. Since everything was left behind, the soldiers did what soldiers do best and started to spook themselves with speculation about what happened. One said that he had heard the town had been cursed, so they were pretty scared after that. I can kind of understand since you don’t usually find a town in good working order with everything showing signs of life, but no actual life anywhere around. It must have been pretty creepy for them, so I can kind of understand what they did. They didn’t think it necessary to burn our homes, or more likely they were too afraid if they did that their souls would be trapped there, so they just knocked all of the houses over and desecrated them. As soon as they started to push over our neighbors’ home, my guardian took me away, but I learned later what they did once I moved here. I suppose I’ve never quite forgiven them, even though they now employ me. Sort of.”
The man was looking at her like she was a strange kind of creature, and it was clear the questions were accumulating in his mind, but she left him no opportunity to talk. Not that she thought he would speak much in his current state. There was something in his eyes that let the young woman know that there was far more going on in his mind that he was holding back. Though Noely was curious to know what he was thinking, she knew that it was more important to get him to sleep. That would be far more difficult if they started conversing. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would have been like to encounter him when he was not in such a dire situation. Something told her that his personality was adjusted to match his surroundings, and it made her curious to know more about the man. The thought passed as she realized that there would be no time to get to know him better since she would need to be at work for most of the next week, leaving her no time after that night to talk with him. Though his wounds were serious, experience had taught her that even the slowest healing shifters were able to heal much faster than humans, and it was very likely that this shifter would be able to move on within a week. It was a shame as it was the first time in years where she had taken any interest in another adult humanoid. Pressing forward, she kept talking about growing up with her guardian and being relatively happy, even though they didn’t have much. When her guardian had suddenly disappeared with only a short, vague note, she had tried to find him. She explained how his trail disappeared in the city, and how the funds she had would not allow her to track her guardian any further. In the end the only way to continue was to take a position to earn money, so at age 14 she had taken a job in the stalls because she was much better at dealing with the animals than the people. Of course, it was only meant to be a short-term job until she got enough to leave, but it soon became obvious that she could do a lot of good in the city. By the time she had enough to move on, a couple of years had passed, and Noely no longer felt confident enough that she could find her guardian. But here in the city she could accomplish things without having to put herself in too much danger. Everywhere around her, Noely saw people who were so much poorer than she had ever been. Not that she had more money growing up, but she and her guardian had been better able to stay fed and clothed in the country. There was always something to hunt, growing food was easy enough, and her guardian had been a master at making and adjusting clothing. All of this she had learned to do before his disappearance. They were skills she had never really appreciated until she had reached the city.
“I was only 14 years old at the time. It was rather difficult, but back then I looked more like a boy. That was probably my real saving grace, because few men bothered me until I had learned about the kinds of things they try on women. I would have fallen for it when I was young, despite my guardian’s warnings because it sounded so… sweet. Like the guys actually cared about the women they were seducing. And that is exactly what they want you to think, but I didn’t exactly believe it at first. The girls always seemed so happy after talking to them that I kind of hoped it would happen to me. It was only after I saw several of my acquaintances end up pregnant that I decided that I wasn’t going to fall for it. Yeah, it took several instances because I didn’t exactly grow up around other people. My guardian didn’t really talk much about other people because I don’t think he meant for me to live with so many other people. Not that I have any way of knowing what he intended since he disappeared. Anyway, given enough time, I evolved into the creature you see before you today. An odd-ball who spends more time taking care of people I barely know and turning down promotions that will put me in front of men who will want to use me. And here we are.” Noely smiled at the man, who had been watching her intently. He was a bit taller than her, and his hair was mingled in hers as he watched her. It was obvious that he hadn’t noticed, and at the moment she didn’t mind. As long as their hair didn’t get tangled it would be fine.
“Don’t worry. It’s a lot more comfortable than it looks. Now let’s get you to bed so that you can start to heal.” Slowly they made their way into the cave. “The bed’s just over here. In the morning I’ll show you around a little bit more,” her mouth continued to ramble as her mind considered the man. He had been quiet for a while, and she knew that only a fra
ction of what she was saying at this point was going to make sense to him. There had been far too much blood loss. Helping him onto the bed, she decided there was no more reason to talk. The shifter’s eyes closed as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Making sure to be careful as she sat back up, Noely’s head hitched a little. Reaching her hand out, she gently cradled the shifter’s head and began to separate their hair. She felt relief that the man seemed to be asleep, or nearly so, because this would have been incredibly embarrassing if he had been awake to see her trying to get her hair to be a bit less wild. As she separated the last few strands, Noely’s eyes went to the stranger’s face. He looked so peaceful, like a sleeping angel. On instinct, one of her hands went out to his face and she felt for a fever. She hadn’t expected for a fever to set in with his wounds still bleeding, so there was no surprise that he did not feel warm. Thinking that he felt a bit too cool, the young woman decided that it was probably an indicator that he had lost too much blood and that she needed to get to work tending to his wounds.