Alone Together

Chapter Three

        "There's about fifty or so tribe members," Apollo tells me as he leads me across the camp. "You've already met Moon-Song, so I'll take you to his partners first. Or, well, the ones that aren't out gathering more herbs to use for medicine. Moon-Song himself just went out with Clear-Peace, so you'll have to meet her later," he says. I nod, mostly concentrating on using the crutches. I've never had to use anything like this at all, and it's a lot harder than it seems. 

        Apollo sticks his head into the sick bay. The little girl from before is still curled up there, and  he leads me past her, to a passage. Passing her, she's covered in sweat and looks feverish. "Who's she?" I ask as we pass. Apollo stops for a moment, looking down at her. "Wind-Shimmer. She ate several strange berries before we could stop her, and they poisoned her. Moon-Song and Ivory-Veins are sure she'll pull through, though," he assures me. "Oh," I say softly. If I didn't have these damned crutches to maneuver, I'd have knelt down and pushed her hair out of her face. She looked to be about six winters old, and I've always had a soft spot for children. But I don't, and instead follow Apollo through a passage I hadn't noticed before and into a small clearing where there were four beds, handmade shelves, and several other things. The place was sheltered with a flat roof made of tightly sealed boards, and there were crude lanterns hung along the edges to provide plenty of flickering lighting. 

        "Apollo," says one of the healers, standing from her perch beside one of the shelves. "What ails you?" she asks, moving into the light. She's very pretty, with soft brown hair that goes down to her shoulders, her green eyes bright. "Nothing today, Ivory-Veins. I'm introducing the new blood to everyone. This is Ari, but I'm sure you know that already," he says, looking over his shoulder and grinning at me. "Well, it's good to see you when you're awake," Ivory-Veins says pleasantly. I smile at her. "You were supposed to meet with my husband this morning?" she asks, and it takes a moment for it to register that Ice-Veins is her husband. "Oh, yes," I say, a flutter of nervousness in my belly. I'm not sure how to react to these people. "How did that go?" she asks, giving me a wry grin. "Very well, I think. He said I'd be tested to see what I should be responsible for once my ankle heals," I say pleasantly. "Good, good," she says, before turning around, disappearing in between the shelves. Some of them are filled with books, some  are filled with what looks like herbal ingredients, and others seem to have potions and salves. I wondered if they ever used magic for healing. 

        She reappears with a man in tow. He looks much older than Ivory-Veins, who only seems to be around thirty winters old. "This is Dawn-Stream. He's also a healer," she says. Dawn-Stream holds his hand out and I reach out and shake it. He smiles at me. "It won't be long until you're out and about without help," he says, his eyes twinkling. His dark hair is mixed with silver, his brown eyes gleaming with wisdom. This is a man who's lived through many winters, and has grown immeasurably from it. After a short conversation with Dawn-Stream and Ivory-Veins, Apollo leads me back through into the main part of camp, the part that's surrounded by walls but is still open. 

        The camp itself is a curious thing. It's very, very large, probably bigger than some of cities that I've been through. The camp itself is more hospitable than the cities, and I can see myself making a nice home here and being satisfied. It's a mix of natural rock walls and man-made wooden ones, a massive gate at the entrance, and several side-gates marking the other areas. "Most of our tribemates are out hunting, patrolling, or going about their other business," Apollo says, leading the way deeper into the camp. I follow him until we get to a drop-off with wooden steps leading the way down. I regard them warily. "The smith is down here, along  with the elder's longhouse and the children's house," he says. He turns to me about three steps down and looks up, slowly realizing that these stairs are going to be the biggest challenge I've faced yet with these crutches.