Healer's Hands

The Attack

"Thea! Thea!"

16 year old Althea Aaun looked up from her journal. Her younger brother, Thao was running up to her, with something in his hands.

"Look what I caught!" He said excitedly. He opened his hands revealing a cartofrog.

Althea smiled. "Good job, buddy. Those are hard to catch."

Thao grinned. "I'm gonna go show Mom and Dad!" The 9 year old ran off towards the house, leaving Althea to her journal. She was documenting herbs and wildlife that could be used for salves and remedies.

She would carefully sketch out the plant before going over it with ink and coloring it, adding helpful notes along the way. The journal was her father's, old and leather bound. He had started it for Althea's mother for the family apothecary, but since he spent most of his time in the fields, Althea had taken it up.

A light breeze rustled her long black hair. A trait her whole family shared. Anyone in the village could recognize an Aaun by their characteristic black hair and yellow eyes.

Althea looked down to her journal. She had filled it up quite a bit with drawings of herbs and berries. That's probably enough for today. She thought to herself. After all, it was midday and she hadn't helped her mother in the apothecary yet. She closed the journal, leaving the pencils and pen inside, and wrapped the thin leather cord around it, binding it shut.

Althea stood up and dusted herself off. Her planet of Elstar was a grassy plain, and she didn't want any grass stuck to her pants. She began to walk to her house through the village. It was a small village, only about 100 people. Everyone lived in thatch huts woven from thick stalks of grass. The thick grass grew to be taller than Althea and about as wide as her arm. The thatch was perfect for the climate. It was always warm, the perfect spring weather. In the winter it rained, and that wasn't fun.

Althea hated to be cooped up inside. Not when she could be running through the fields or documenting herbs.

As she walked through the village, familiar faces waved to her. Some were mothers with their children, others farmers harvesting the crop, but Althea knew them all. She reached her own home, which was larger than the rest. The front served as an apothecary, with a counter and several shelves with medicine and remedies. A curtain covered the doorway leading into their main room, where the Aaun family ate and cooked. There was an upstairs with two rooms. One for Althea and Thao, and one for their parents.

Althea's mother, Lucia was standing at the counter, her hands occupied by a mortar and pestle. Her long brown hair was tied back in a bun, with elaborate braids woven throughout. "Nice of you to show up." She said.

Althea put her journal on the counter. "Well, I'm here now."

Lucia put the mortar and pestle down. "You can do this now, while I prepare the balm."

Althea took the pestle and began to grind the herb. By looks alone she would have never been able to tell what it was. It was ground to a paste after all. But the smell was poignant, so she could tell it was smellweed.

Smellweed, it was used as a kind of smelling salt. When ground into a paste, it was smeared on an unconscious person's upper lip to wake them up. Althea had made this thousands of times, but she would never get used to the smell.

"Did you see Thao caught a cartofrog?" She asked.

Lucia nodded as she rolled the balm in her hands. "He's out showing your father now." There was a moment of silence, the only sound being the mortar and pestle. Lucia was the one that broke it. "Althea," She started. "Do you ever want something more?"