The Tale Unfolds

Chapter 2: Re-Awakening

       The first thing I noticed was the smell of wood smoke paired with the crackling and popping of burning wood. the subtle svent undergones of dried herbs and meat, as well as the blankets that covered me told me I was in someone's house.

       My body felt a little numb, but I also felt wonderful at the same time, as if I had never been hurt. No headache or stomach pain. Then a thought occured to me. Had everything I thought I had just gone through been a dream? Three things told me that no, it hadn't been a dream. First, I still had no idea who I was. The second and third things were the bandages I found on both my head, and my midsection. I let out a sigh, wishing that it in fact had been just a nightmare.

       The room I was in was kind of dark, but in the flickering light of the fire crackling away in the fireplace I was still able to see everything. The fireplace itself was made of a black stone, while the walls were made  of horizontally laid, dark orange colored wood. There were a few paintings as well as a mounted animal head. There were lanterns hung on metal hooks in spaced out intervals on the walls, but they were unlit.

       I looked back at the animal head and felt a brief stab of pain in my head as I suddenly remembered what it was. Known as a Black Scrite, with their sheer size, immense strength, combined with their teeth, claws, and bony, armor-like plating, they are nearly impossible for even the best hunters to take down.

       I heard a door open, followed by the brief sound of wind howling before the door closed with a slam. There were a few quiet thuds before I heard footsteps coming closer. I watched as the same hooded figure from before walked into the room.

       "It's about time you woke up." They said. 

       I did a double-take. They were female, but the bulky leather and fur outfit and face mask had made me mistake them for a man.

       "Where am I?" Was the first question I asked

       She took off her hood and face mask before replying. "You're at my house in a spare bedroom. I brought you here and helped you, cared for you as you healed. You nearly died." She explained as she stoked the dwindling fire with a poker, then throwing two chunks of wood on the fire.

       "What attacked me?" I quietly asked her. I tried to stretch after asking, but winced as I felt a sharp pain shoot through my stomach. I must have made a small noise in pain because she said, "I wouldn't exert yourself yet. Your stomach wound is, and will still be tender for a while." With a sigh, she grabbed a stool from the end of the bed, set it down near me then sat on it.

       "What attacked you is called a monaami. Not many people know about them, but they are vicious creatures not of this world. They have a powerful sense of smell, can see in the dark, and have poisonous claws that can kill in a single pass. They're usually pretty far from civilization, so it's fatal most of the time."

       I closed my eyes and tried to wrap my head around everything that had happened to me recently.

       "How long was I out?" I asked as I looked at her again. With the fire behind her now, her face was shrouded in shadow and I couldn't make out much detail, but I noticed her eyes seemed to shine a little in the darkness. She took a deep breath before answering, "A little over 2 dites. About 20 passes. Honestly, I thought you werent gonna wake up after 14 passes."

       "Thank you." I paused before continuing, "Who are you?"

       "Don't thank me just yet, but my name is Theresa Fain. Who are you?" She replied with a question of her own.

       "In complete honesty, I have no idea who I even possibly could be." I told her. "I woke up in the middle of some lake with nothing but a head wound and tattered clothing, nearly drowning."