A Healer's Duty
By Autumnlea Breezepoint
It was winter. I was very excited for the Story Contest, but I was so busy, I didn’t have time to write. Plus, I couldn’t think of any ideas. I had promised myself that I would submit a story soon. But I hadn’t the time! I was one of the best healers in the Sentinels of Mossflower so I had many responsibilities. I had just gotten a splinter out of a Dibbun’s paw and he hugged me as thanks, taking care to avoid my spines.
Suddenly Bren Sprakenwulf, the Sentinels 2nd in command and the leader of the minstrels, came running up to me. “Autumnlea, Lilac needs you. She says it’s urgent. She’s waiting by that campfire, so get over there!”
I felt privileged, but also anxious. Lilac Blacktip was not only the leader of the healers, but the overall leader of the Sentinels, so I felt very important for her to need me, but I was worried about what she needed me for; Bren had sounded anxious, also. When I got to where Bren had pointed out, I saw the hare with a distressed look on her face. “Autumnlea,” Lilac said, “It’s Mattia. She’s very ill. I have called on our best healers to help me with her.”
I went to where Mattia, the leader of the scouts, was lying on a bed of moss with other healers were dabbing at her brow with wet poultices. “What’s wrong Mattia?” I said to the albino hare.
Mattia’s eyelids flickered, but did not open, and her voice sounded tired when she spoke. “It hurts, Autumnlea and I can hardly move.” She winced as a jolt of pain struck her. I had seen this only once before when I was roaming before I joined the Sentinels. It was a deadly illness, but luckily, it was easy to cure.
The Squirrel Brothers, who had apparently been spying, jumped out of the treetops and landed next to Mattia. “Well?” one started.
“What’s wrong with her?” the other finished. Lilac glanced worriedly at me, awaiting my answer.
“Nightstorm Ague,” I replied, “There’s no need to worry. It’s lethal, but it can be treated easily with some wild angelica.” I reached into my pouch of herbs, and then grimaced. I hopefully asked Lilac, “Do you have any angelica?”
She returned my grimace. “No, I just used the last of it when Strongpaw had fever.”
I asked the other healers there if they had any angelica. Sadly, they all shook their heads, no. I look at who all was there, and grimaced again. Nobeast else even carried their own herbs. and it was winter; there wouldn’t be any more growing around. I turned to Lilac, remarking, “Now there’s a need to worry.”
Mattia gasped. “Does this mean that you won’t be able to heal me?” Even the Squirrel Brothers, the leaders of the archers, could tell that it was an effort for her even to speak.
“Don’t worry, Mattia.”
“Lilac and Autumnlea will find a way to have you right as rain soon.”
Strongpaw the badger, the leader of the warriors, stepped in. “I’ve heard tales that just up that mountain, is a cliff where there is always an abundance of all herbs, no matter what the season, but it’s just a legend.”
“I don’t care if it’s a story thought up by Dibbuns, if I have a chance of saving Mattia, I’m going! It’s my duty as a healer to do whatever I can to help whenever I can! The Law of the Sentinels states that healers should never turn away if a friend is in need!” I snapped.
“I’m going too,” Lilac stated.
“No, they need you here, Lilac,” Mattia whispered.
“I’ll go,” Strongpaw volunteered, “The journey probably won’t even take a day, and my warriors can take care of themselves for that long.”
So after packing up some provisions, Strongpaw and I set off to the mountain, to gather the angelica that would save Mattia’s life.
At the foot of the mountain, Strongpaw remarked, “I’m the strongest, so you should go on top. That way I can help you along and catch you if you fall. I doubt that if I went on top, and I fell, that you would be able to catch me.” I chuckled at the idea of a small hedgehog healer like me being able to catch a badger warrior of Strongpaw’s size.
We began climbing, but it was easier than either of us had thought, with many pawholds and nothing jutting out. Finally we made it to the top. I looked around in awe at the sight that greeted me. I had never seen so many herbs in one place! I immediately spotted the angelica, and hastily picked an amount sufficient enough to cure Nightstorm Ague. Then I realized that I was in a legendary place, surrounded by almost every herb in existence! I spotted some yarrow; that would be very useful in the future and it was rare in Mossflower, so I gathered some. I saw lots of rare, useful herbs and soon my herb pouch, and both my, and Strongpaw’s haversacks were filled with herbs.
We made our decent down the mountain without much trouble, but when we got back to the camp, there was turmoil. Most of the Sentinels seemed to be panicking, especially the scouts, with Mattia being their leader. Strongpaw and I went to where Mattia had been when we left, fearing the worst. Mattia was still lying on the bed, and as we went over to her, Lilac noticed us, “Oh, good you’re back. Shortly after you left, Mattia went into a coma, but we have the supplies to wake her back up, and now that you’ve returned, we can heal her completely.”
Mattia awoke, and spoke to us, which was more of a challenge to her than before. “Who’s that? Oww…”
Strongpaw began stroking the albino hare’s head, as I got the angelica out of my pouch & answered. “It’s Autumnlea Breezepoint and Strongpaw. We’re back, and you’ll be fine soon, Mattia.”
Mattia gasped as another sharp jolt of pain hit her. “Good. I won’t be able to stand this much longer.” Lilac and I quickly got to work, with the other healers helping when needed.
3 days later, Mattia, who was up and about, came to visit me in the healer headquarters (the Ash Hollow). She tripped and fell into the snow. Upon seeing this, I dashed over to her and helped her up. “Mattia, are you alright?”
“Never better, thanks to you and Strongpaw, Autumnlea. I just slipped on the snow.” Mattia still had a bit of trouble moving about, but wouldn’t admit it, and besides, she would probably be like she had never had Nightstorm Ague by tomorrow. “Everyone is complaining about all of the herbs that you and Strongpaw brought back taking up too much room, but Lilac is very pleased with you two. Silverleaf the archer, on the other hand, says, and I quote, ‘If that hedgehog brings back this many plants from where ever she goes again, I’m gonna smack her spines strait into next winter.’”
I laughed. Silverleaf was a good friend of mine, but the squirrel loved to joke around, and had an attitude. Just then, Silverleaf came by, and upon seeing me, he brandished his unstrung bow that he always carried like a stave, and came at me in mock severity, shouting, “I’ll teach you to fill the cupboards with so many plants that there’s no room for a squirrel to find a decent breakfast!”
Mattia just stared at Silverleaf chasing me, pretending to be angry, and then she started snickering, then giggling, which turned into uproarious laughter. It turned out to be a good winter, full of joy and laughter among friends.
When Silverleaf finally stopped chasing me, I picked up a quill pen and a scroll, and started writing. I had an idea for the Story Contest now! I started with ‘It was winter. I was very exited for the Story Contest, but I was so busy, I didn’t have time to write!’
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