Toxicity

Part 1

This is my first witcher fic so please be nice. I have only watched the series and read fics so I apologize for any inconsistencies to the universe. 

All this is, is Geralt whump with an original character. I hope you enjoy the first installment. 

Aleira trotted down the forest path, glad the day had not brought another blizzard. There was little cover under the trees, though everything around her was a glistening white. She breathed softly, her breath coming out in a soft puff of fog. 

She patted her horse on the neck, thankful she didn't have to trudge through the snow on foot. She was travelling to a nearby village to restock her herbs and potions, before carrying on her way as a mobile healer. 

A horse suddenly appeared in front of her, eyes rolling, clearly in distress. 

"Woah!" Aleira exclaimed, quickly dismounting to try and calm the frightened animal. 

She extended her hand to the chestnut coloured mare, murmuring under her breath as she approached the animal. The horse calmed instantly at her touch, leaning into her hand for comfort. 

"Where is your rider?" she asked the horse, noticing the empty saddle on her back. 

The horse nickered, as if she understood her and started pulling on the rope Aleira was now holding. Whistling softly to her own horse, Aleira followed the mare off the path and into the woods, the snow chilling her feet through her fur lined boots. Only a short way off the path, they came across a small cave on the side of a rocky hill. 

Aleira eyed the cave wearily as she hitched both horses to a nearby tree. Retrieving her hunting dagger from her saddlebag, she entered the cave slowly, completely aware of the fact that she could be walking into a potentially dangerous situation. 

After only a few meters, she heard a soft groan, followed by laboured breathing. 

"Hello?" she called softly, her voice echoing off of the cave walls. No one responded to her call so she pressed on quietly.  It was getting harder to see in the cave, so she was thankful when she saw a large leather boot sticking out from behind a bend in the rock. 

She rounded the corner, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. On the stone floor, a large man was laying in the fetal position, his muscular arms wrapped tightly around his abdomen. She followed his body up to his head, his long white hair obscuring his face. A silver wolf medallion hung from the man's neck. 

"Geralt?" she squeaked, realising who was laying in front of her. The fact that he hadn't woken upon her entering the cave had her incredibly worried. Usually he would have heard her, even in slumber. There had to be something terribly wrong. 

She rushed to his side, gently shaking his shoulder. "Geralt!" she called again, "Come on Witcher! Open your eyes for me!" When she received nothing but a pain groan in response, her stomach fell to her knees. 

She rushed back to her horse, retrieving her medical pack, cursing at the meager contents. 

Finding the vial she needed, she ran back into the cave, falling beside the unconscious man. Holding her breath, she opened the smelling salts, waving the vial under Geralt's nose. 

His eyes flashed open, a pained groan tearing desperately behind clenched teeth. He hunched further in on himself, his head turning into the rock floor in agony. 

Aleira watched in concern as the Witcher sucked in a pained breath, before rolling onto his front, one arm bracing him up, the other clutching agonisingly at his stomach. It only took seconds before he started to heave, his belly rejecting any meager contents he had managed to consume in the last day.