Haunted Wood shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather

a small form approached; cloaked in shadow as he was, he could have been black as night. like— alsek, surya mouthed, tears coming to his eyes. why was he so far? but then the boy spoke, and the illusion was shattered. this was not alsek, and surya was far from home, slumped across the threshold of death's door.

and then another, an older wolf, and then a silent woman; he found it near impossible to answer their inquiries. he felt as if his tongue was a thousand pounds.

i—need—healer, he managed, each word separated by a dreadfully long pause as he gathered strength. there was a healer here, right? he didn't know what to do if not. the only healer he knew by name was aphrodite—and surya could barely drag himself a stone's throw, let alone across the mountains and back to whitebark stream.

help, he croaked, and desperately held the flood of anguished tears at bay.