Chapters of a Life: Trainee (Complete)

15

Morning found me sideways on the sleeping mat with drool running down my neck. My whole body felt sore and my head was pounding, shifters don't get sick often but when we do it's bad. Dragging myself to the ladder I hang my head off the edge to see if I can't get a glimpse of Emily, no one appears to be here. UGH, all I want to do is curl up and sleep or die. At this point, each is equally compelling. Just as I decide to move down the ladder and go home, my wolf alerts. Someone is here and they are not one of us. Moving back toward the edge and peeking over I see no one and nothing out of place, until a shadow moves. Whatever in here is magic and not caporal. I knew if I didn't do something quick this shadow was going to find me and I did not want that. Even though it felt like my head would explode I reached out to my pack and sent out an S.O.S. The shadow seemed to sense me and moved toward the ladder, I couldn't more that call for help had used up the last of my strength. The last thing I saw was it standing at the foot of the ladder.

"If she doesn't wake soon she's getting an ice bath", I hear Sune say, sensing many others around me. My eyes feel as they have been nailed shut and then the hammer was used on my head and body.

Groaning and trying to open my eyes got an immediate reaction.

"Bo, it's Emily please don't try to move. You have been out for a while and you need to move slowly."

"Wa...", was all I could get out before speech again became impossible.

The rushing of many feet was heard before I felt a bit of water splash onto my face. It took almost all my energy to simply open my mouth, I hoped they had good aim and I didn't drown.

"Easy, Bo. Graham gently set her up, Rose get up there behind her and let her lean back on you. There we are, easy sips. Good, good. Mary go get that bone broth, we'll see if she can't get that down." Emily was busy barking out orders and I was too comfortable and pitiful to care. "Troels go tell them she is has had some water and a bit of bone broth." All I hear is the door swish open and close.

"Am. I. blind", I struggle to ask?

At this the entire room stills. "No, you are not. Tomorrow you will get out of that bed and go take a long soak. The next day you will return to training", Emily says as if it is a fact written in stone. Then gives me a sip of the bone broth.

"Good to know", I feel a bit better. "Guess I should take advantage of this last day of lazing about", I pushed out breathlessly. With a half-smile, half grimace I moved Rose and laid back down to sleep off my poor eyes and a poor excuse for a head and body.

Who opened the curtains? Is the entire pack in here? Why does my mouth feel so yucky? What is that smell? These and about a million others raced through my mind the moment I awoke. I stretched out and every muscle screamed, my joints popped like musket fire, and when it was done I felt fantastic. Slowly opening my eyes the world was bright and beautiful, the air smelled so sweet, and... wait a minute. That was not a sweet smell, I stink. Who let me lay here after I tangled with a skunk, that was the only explanation my brain could come up with. The door creaked as Emily bustled in, "Ooh, so you finally decided to join the world of the living"? She smiled as she hurried over and handed me a cup of water. "Ya need a bath, Rose and Troels will be here in a minute to take ya to the springs for a long soapy soak." The words had barely left her mouth before Rose ran in pulling a reluctant Troels.

"Yer awake," she smiled out, "Can ya stand or"?

"Oh for the sake of peter", Troels growled. He wasted no more time in snatching me up and leaving Emily's. Rose was a few minutes behind, she ran up scolding Troel about how he shouldn't just have snatched me up like a bag of grain. She rambled on about nothing the entire way to the spring. Entering was like coming home, we hadn't gotten fully into the pool room when I was flying through the air. The splash was massive and I was so happy no one else was here.