The Water Howlers - Book II ✔

Chapter 3 - Ki

Ki and the others rushed out of the food tent, not waiting for Healer Fayka who trailed along after them in her long work dress. Ori took the lead and Ki felt the swell in her chest rise, her heart pumping. She was anxious to finally see Emmie awake. It had been all she could think about in the past week. Finally, her prayers had been heard.

Entering the Healer's tent, Ki had to fight her way through a flock of people all congregating around Emmie's sickbed. It would appear that a comatose Earth Howler could create quite a crowd upon waking. But Ki didn't mind. All that mattered was that her friend was awake.

There. Lying on the bed with a pale complexion and tired eyes roaming the crowd, Emmie surveyed the people around her. When she spotted them, her eyes lit up and her lips curved upwards in a dazed smile.

Ki and Thatch let Ori go ahead and he crouched by the side of the bed, immediately taking her hand in his and muttering something to her that Ki couldn't hear, but it brought a warmer smile to the Earth Howler's face, which in return left a big smile on Ki's face.

Standing there, she felt a warm hand close around her own and with a gentle squeeze she looked over at Thatch, smiling at the return of their friend. It was a few moments before Ori looked over and beckoned them closer. The crowd was slowly dispatching and leaving them to have a little privacy, but Healer Fayka remained, hovering close behind them in case something happened.

"You look better," Ki said as she took a seat on the edge of the bed with Thatch hovering next to her.

"I feel better," Emmie responded, but Ki noticed how weak her voice sounded. But the fact that she was speaking was too much and Ki flung herself at her friend, holding her close.

"I was so worried," she cried, "I thought you'd never wake up and we couldn't do anything to help you get better. I don't know what I'd do if you never woke up again. How could I forgive myself for letting it happen?" Getting herself under control she let Thatch pry her off of Emmie and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"I'm good now, thanks, I just needed to let that out," was all she said, clearing her throat, finally pulling herself together. Emmie's smile merely grew and she took hold of Ki's hand and squeezed it. A weakened squeeze, Ki once again noticed, but a squeeze nonetheless.

"Do you feel fit to get up and about?" Thatch asked, but Ori immediately shot him a glare.

"Let's not overdo it, alright? Give her some time."

"It's fine, Ori," Emmie smiled, slowly easing herself up into a sitting position. "I can't lie here forever, right?"

Ori reluctantly agreed and gave her the space to sit up properly. He watched her with a worrisome look on his face, but Ki understood. Their friend had come so very close to dying at the hands of a Shadow Walker and none of them knew the repercussions of that.

It took another two days of rest before Emmie was allowed to leave the tent. With strict instructions of constant observation and eating habits, Ki escorted Emmie to their now shared cabin.

"You better not be screaming in your sleep," Ki joked as she made the bed for her friend. "The Gods know I need my sleep." They shared a smile and Emmie went into the washroom to put away her things.

"I'll try and keep it down," she called from across the hall and Ki caught herself grinning, but on the inside, she hoped it was the truth. She wouldn't know the first thing about how to deal with something like that.

They met up with the guys for lunch before heading out to the training grounds all together. Emmie was insistent on testing her gift to see if any damage had come to it and told Ki and the others repeatedly that she felt stronger.

Out on the open grounds, Ki began her routine stretches, feeling the pleasure of her limps loosening up at the prospect of another training session. She was ready to get back in the game. To lose herself in the physical workout, to use her gift again.

She felt the heat of fire as Thatch unleashed his gift. Ori was stirring the water in the lake on the right side of the training grounds. For the time being they would all use their gifts separately, not connecting their minds until Ki and Emmie were fully recovered, both physically and mentally. It was hard for Ki not to stir the winds with a flick of a hand, but she knew the severe repercussions of using your gift before it'd had time to heal; it would only end up causing more damage to herself. So instead, she left her friends and ran to the other side of the lake to the soldiers' obstacle course. A few men were scattered around the course and Ki began the gruelling course at the starting line.

She went through it twice until she felt winded, but in a good way. She walked off to the side and took out a practice sword from a large barrel. She swung it around in big and small arcs, stabbing at the air in front of her.

"Want to spar?" Someone behind her said and she turned to find a tall soldier watching her. He was wearing a simple outfit of sturdy pants and a brown shirt. In one hand, he held a practice sword.

"I could use some resistance," Ki replied, lowering her sword.

"You're Howler Arynn, right? My name is Kellan."

"Hello Kellan."

"Thoran is a good friend of mine. He told me he trained with you, so you should be able to handle yourself."

"I'm more than capable, thank you."

"Let's put it to a test, then," Kellan said with a smile and Ki couldn't help but to smile in return. She missed training with Thoran, but until he was ready she would take what she could get to improve her sword fighting.

Kellan took his stance and Ki mirrored his moves. Without warning Kellan lunged and Ki barely had time to lift her sword to deflect his attack.

He was quick and Ki's endurance was put to the test. Ki could feel the sweat prick at her skin, loose strands of her hair stuck to her face. She ducked, parried and thrust her sword to the best of her abilities, remembering everything Thoran had taught her, but as she parried Kellan's sword a rumble stirred the ground and she stepped back wrongly, losing her balance, ending up on the ground with Kellan's sword only inches from her throat and out of instinct Ki conjured up a swift wind that knocked Kellan right off his feet.

"That was cheating," he said, dusting himself off as Ki scrambled to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she said, sticking the training sword into the ground. "Force of habit."

"I'm glad to see you're better," Kellan said with a smile. They shook hands and he left her to collect herself.

"I thought you couldn't use your gift at least another day?"

Ki looked to the left to see Thatch watching her from nearby.

"It just happened," she shrugged, retrieving her sword.

"That's good though. It means it's healed and ready to be used again."

Thatch followed Ki to the barrels full of training swords and she placed hers back in.

"I do feel ready," Ki said, flicking her hand to stir a slight breeze on the otherwise windless day. It caressed her face and her lips stretched into a smile.

"Feels good, doesn't it," Thatch stated, obviously watching her. She hummed a reply and just let motion of the gift flow through her.

"Emmie's gift seems to work fine."

"So that's what caused me to lose the fight," Ki mused, though she wasn't the least upset. Knowing Emmie's gift was fine overpowered her competitiveness.

"Sarko came to watch and said we could probably try and connect within a few days."

"Good. That's good," Ki responded as they walked back around the lake. The afternoon air was crisp and warm, the summer months stretching longer on this side of the country.

The others were waiting for them.

"Nice quake," Ki said to Emmie who grinned in return. The colour was returning to her friend's face, giving it its usual earthy glow and it looked good, Ki thought. She looked so much better already.

"Thank you. It's good to be back."

Ki only hoped Emmie felt as good as she said she did.