Monster Legends - Volume 1: A World Of Monsters

11. The cure

The first time I regained consciousness, I was held in the arms of something big. Something massive. I forced my eyes to open. Everything hurt, and I felt pain throbbing in my veins. It was Tarty, his gaze on the road. I wanted to speak, but I couldn't, my throat dry and sore. My eyes started hurting again, they closed and I blacked out.

The second time I awoke, I was in a tent, Stella was sleeping beside me. I saw the shadow of Tarty on the tent wall, keeping watch. It was sunrise. I still felt terrible, but it was beginning to feel a little more comfortable. I realized I was thirsty like a camel going nine months without water. I didn't even try to speak, knowing I would not be able to. I try raising my right arm, and it doesn't budge. Pain still throbbed throughout the entire right half of my body. I couldn't even move my fingers. I imagined the hand swollen red, and shuddered. I felt exhausted, and I forced my left arm to reach out and poke Stella in her side. I was fortunate that she was a light sleeper, and she awoke, sitting up seconds after. It only took her a short while to realize why she woke up. She spins around, looking down at me. "Shay!? You're awake?" I smile, and then open my mouth and make a gurgling sound. "Thirsty?" She asks. I start to nod, but stop as pain erupts in my back all over again. She gets the message and searches behind her in her backpack. She puts her bottle to my lips. At first, I hesitate, not wanting to drink from her bottle, but then I realize venom isn't contagious, so I internally shrug and open my mouth. The cold refreshing water trickles slowly down my throat as I gulp it down hastily. "Thanks." I say. It was a weak effort, but at least it was some sort of sound close to human speech. "How you feeling?" She asks. "Better." I say. "Really?" She asks with surprise. "Where are we going?" Talking was hard, and took a lot of my energy. "To city Red Wings. My home city. We have a healer there, a real doctor. She'll fix you up real quick and fast." I smile. "Thank you." I say. I feel the world turning black again. She says something back, but I don't catch it. My eyes close for the third time.

The next time I awoke, I felt the soft feeling of a mattress under me. I was in a bed, a real comfy one at that! I open my eyes to see I'm in a large room with a white ceiling and orange walls. The matress and pillow under my head are also white, but the bed sheet is nowhere to be seen. I was feeling better. Much better actually. As if I could maybe even walk. But as soon as that thought pops into my head, the door to my right opens.

I sit up and look who entered. It was Stella, followed by a woman in her early thirties. She wore a white coat and I guessed she was the healer Stella talked about this morning. Or was it last morning? I didn't know, completely lost to the world of time.

The doctor comes quickly to my side. "Lie back down please Shay. You need to rest." Even after the large ammounts of sleep I've had, I still felt surprisingly tired. "What happened? Where am I?" I ask, even though I already guessed the answer. "City Red Wings, and you're in my healing centre. My name is Shyla Stevens, the lead healer and brewer of the town." I smile as I remember the name. It was the day when Stella and me met. We argued which invention, the Monstagram or health potion, was better.

I lie back down. "As you already know, you've been bitten by a Komocat. An old and powerful one at that. Must have been real angry. Pumped your arm full of venom." I gulp as I listen to her words. "You'll be alright. We need to make an antitoxin. The one against Komocat venom is special, and its called the Magnacattus, in Latin the Great Cat."

"Fancy name." I comment. Shyla laughs, but then she turns serious. "The Magnacattus is created from a plant that grows in ice caves and raveens. It needs the shade, the cold temperature and constant supply of water to survive. It's called an ice daisy, and can only survive in the open air for only a little over twenty minutes before drying up and becoming useless. Shay here is already in the second stage of the venom. The first stage includes passing out, feeling sick and throbbing pain throughout the body. Second stage, everything starts to feel better, almost to the point when the victim feels completely healed again. And then, in a matter of hours, everything goes downhill, the victim starts getting seizures, vomiting, powerful headaches, epilepsy attacks and even heart attacks."