Of Witches and Wolves

Strangers

The rumors were true. It took Gunnar travelling two days and nights with a cart strapped to his back, but the house stood as it was promised. The house was a small two-story cottage with a wall surrounding the front yard. Gunnar managed to drag Aric up the pathway, knocking heavily on the front door.

The woman that opened the door was small, but her curves made up for what her height lacked. Her curly hair was braided back, but a few wild strands escaped. Her overalls were smudged with dirt and the shirt under it could have been white at some point. She froze and eyed the pair carefully. She barely recognized the man that freed her.

"How the fuck did you find me, Gunnar"

Gunnar smiled wide at the small woman, relief at just the sight of her, "Nice to see you too, Lyra"

Her expression didn't change, "Answer the question." 

"I asked around." He shrugged "I heard rumors of people being brought back from the brink of death. " He stepped forward towards the door, "Can we discuss this inside, please? I can explain everything."

She closed the door slightly at his advances, "Give me one good reason to let you in, Gunnar."

"Because you owe me, Lyra"

"I don't owe you shit" she said as she started to close the door more.

"Please, he's a friend and he needs your help" he pleaded.

"I'm sure you know plenty of healers"

"None like you."

She glared at him, but her resolve waivered. Gunnar leaned on the door with his hand, struggling to balance the man in his arms. "His mother told me he has to live. Please, Lyra."

Her eyes softened at the sight of the man in Gunnar's arms. He was obviously sick with a day at most left before the Moon Goddess took him. Eyes flicking between the two, she weighed her options. She opened the door wider for the pair. "Fine. Bring him in."

Lyra took Aric's other side and helped Gunnar haul him into the house. The best way Gunnar could describe it was a causal disarray. There was a cloak and some sweaters hanging on pegs by the door along with a bag that sat on a bench under it. Gunnar almost tripped on a watering can in the hallway. The living space was relatively open, allowing for the large windows to let in light. He took note of the kitchen down the hall as she steered them into another hallway.

"We have no idea what's happened. He was fine and healthy but then he just..." He explained as they maneuvered through the little hallway, trying to fit all three bodies through the bedroom door at once.

She huffed as Aric landed on the bed, "Well at least you brought me a fun one." 

In the daylight that poured in through the window of the white room, he looked even more gaunt. Lyra wasted no time. Lyra closed her eyes hovered her hand over his heart. The energy in the room pulsed, a low and faint thumping. She pulled back harshly, running down the hall to her kitchen. It was a room of organized chaos similar to the rest of the house. There were things all over the counters. She worked in a frenzy, pulling out somehow even more jars and bottles from her cabinets. Gunnar rushed out after her "What are you doing? Is he okay?"

"Your friend is close to death. I need to get the poison out of him now," her back still turned to the counter as she worked. She put the kettle on the fireplace, lighting the fire under it. She flipped through her supplies, muttering under her breath, listing, and rejecting possible sicknesses and remedies.

"You can work your magic though, right?"

She turned to face him "Gunnar, you know that's not how it works. I can bring someone closer to life or closer to death, but not to one or the other completely. I could bring him as close to life as possible, but at the end of the day whatever is inside your friend is going to kill him eventually if I don't get it out."

He paced while he watched her work. She came over to her friend, took him by the shoulders and placed him into a chair at her table. Now that they were eye-level, she said "Gunnar, I will cure him." She placed bread with jam on it in front of him and a poured hot water into a cup with some herbs "Now sit, eat, calm down. Let me take care of him."

She went to her living room. There was a couch with a patchwork blanket thrown over it, a big oversized chair in the corner stacked with more fabric that could've passed as a blanket at some point. The bookshelf in the corner was stuffed to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes. She looked over the titles and pulled them into her arms, some falling to the floor in the process. She carried them into the bedroom. She kept one hand on his pulse as she flipped through looked through for answers. None of them were helpful. She swore under her breath. Gunnar joined her at his bedside, looking between her and his friend. He watched the gears in her head turn as she stared at him. She nodded to herself before running back downstairs.

She returned in the room with a knife and a tray with a pitcher of water, a bowl of broth and some muffins. She put the knife in her pocket, moved her chair closer to the bed, and looked up at Gunnar. "I need you to hold him down. I don't know what the poison is and he's going to die before I figure it out. I'm going to revive him as much as I can."

Gunnar paled a little and moved to place his hands on his friend's shoulders. She hovered her hand again over his heart. The energy in the room pulsed again, this time nearly knocking Gunnar off his feet. He looked over at Lyra, whose hair was floating around her. She looked ethereal, nearly floating off the ground.

As sudden as it started, it stopped. Lyra fell back into the chair, making it rock back before landing on the floor. It was quiet for a moment before Aric gasped, struggling against the hands on his shoulders. He threw him back into the wall, shaking the house. He looked at Lyra and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her towards his face. He growled as his eyes glowed golden. With shaking hands, she drew the knife from her pocket and thrust it against his neck.

Aric's eyes roamed her face. Lyra's grip on the knife slackened as she went limp and passed out.