Swiftcurrent Creek I sew myself shut

”Don’t worry about all of that,” she said. ”The pack can pick up the slack while you rest.”

He continued to ramble as they ambled towards his sleeping place, and she listened as the corner of her lips curled coyly. She assumed “numb nuts” and “dick head” were Akavir, which made this all the funnier and endearing to her. She’d keep what he said close to her chest; there was no need to repeat his delirious thoughts.

Furthermore, she nodded at his request to not have poppies. “Sounds good—I’ll leave them behind. But, I’ll get everything you need for your aches and pain.”

He was quick to collapse when they made it to the willows, and the smell of mint swirled about as he settled. She made a mental note to grab him some more.

“Alright,” she said, lingering for a beat to see if he needed anything before she went. “I’ll be right back. Sleep tight.”

She hurried through the forest and collected some celandine, mint, daisy leaves, and moss from her supplies and wrapped them all in a fox pelt that she used as a pouch. On the way back, she stopped to soak the moss in the water, assuming he’d be thirsty and she wanted to prevent dehydration.

When she returned, she sat at a distance and went to work on organizing everything in neat piles. She would wait until he woke up, regardless of how long that took.