Solly lay at Nylia’s feet, chewing on a rabbit he had just caught. All around his mistress lay various dead animals, some rodents, some sheep, anything he could catch within easy site of her, but none of his offerings garnered a much of a response from her. His ears twitched at the sound of her voice, it varied between moans of pain and rambling delirium. He knew his Nylia was in a bad way, when he licked her face, it was hot, but he had drug her out of the sun under the tree. She was in the shade, but still she was hot.

Solly had to be on constant guard now because when he had moved his mistress, more of her blood spilled. There was a trail leading from her body to where she laid before. Not more than 10 yards away , lay a dead bear. It had caught the scent of the blood and came to investigate.

His lunch now finished, Solly laid there cleaning his paws. He knew if he did not get most of the filth off, he would have to bathe. He turned to look at Nylia laying slumped over. If she would pet him right now, he wouldn’t mind the bath. As he licked his big paws a new scent blew across his nose on the afternoon breeze. He knew that smell. It was a familiar one, one he knew he could trust to help his mistress.

It belonged to the druid.

He lifted his muzzle to the air and breathed in deep. The druid was coming closer. He must be coming along the road , just to the south of where Solly and Nylia lay. Solly looked over again at his mistress, then back at the field before him. Could he get the druid to come to his Nylia? He knew the druid could understand him, but could they get back in time, before some of the other forest creatures came to see what lay bleeding and dying.

With growl of frustration, Solly bound out from under the tree, towards the road. He lifted his nose to the air to find which way the druid went. Swinging to his left, Solly ran down the lane as fast as he could. He gathered speed, spying his target ahead of him, astride a kodo. Solly jumped in front of the duo, causing the kodo to stop quickly, nearly unseating his rider.

“Solaron,” the Tauren asked with just a touch of impatience, his deep baritone filling the afternoon air “where is your mistress?”

Solly let out a plaintive whine, picturing in his mind Nylia as she lay under the tree, her life seeping away. He willed the druid to understand the image he was sending. He let out a anguished roar and turned to run back to Nylia.

Ventari blinked as the image was forced across his mind, momentarily clouding his vision. When it cleared, he saw Solaron running away and turned his mount to follow. It would seem, Nylia had gotten herself into trouble again. He urged his mount to move faster, following the big cat up the incline to a huge pine tree. At first he could not see anything, the lower boughs of the tree swept the forest floor. Just then Soloran poked his head back out between the lower branches and let out a guttural sound. Ventari dismounted and made his way to the tree, pushing the branches out of the way.

All he could see between the pine needles were Nylia’s boots, a dead hare, and the trail of blood. With a few twists of his large hands, he pulled off some of the lower branches so he could reach her. Satisfied that he removed only what was necessary, he knelt down beside Nylia. She looked like a broken doll someone had tossed aside. She lay slumped to her right side, her chin resting against her chest. She did not look like she was breathing. At first he could not see what was wrong with her, but he could smell the blood. He paused long enough to dispose of Solly’s offerings and with gentle hands, he picked up Nylia and settled her onto her back. Moving her revealed the source of the blood. Without hesitation, he grasped the broken shaft of the pitch fork, and with a quick tug pulled it free of Nylia’s side.

When the prongs scraped free of Ny’s ribs, she let out a shriek, the pain bringing her around for a brief minute, her eyes flew open. Her fingers shaped into claws, she sat up and reached out to latch onto the fur on the sides of Ventari’s neck.

“You will not take me!” She screamed at him. Her face was flushed with the fever, her eyes wild, not really seeing him. “I am a free woman!”

Ny’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as her fingers lost their grip in his pelt. Ventari caught her in his arms, keeping her from hitting the ground as she succumbed to unconsciousness again. He raised a hand and brushed the hair back from her face, there was more to this little sin’dorei than what she had let on. He laid her back on the ground.

Solly, hearing his mistress scream, let out a threatening growl at Ventari. “Fret not, friend.” the tauren’s calming voice filled the little bower under the tree. “I mean her no harm.” He looked at the lynx, willing the cat to understand his words. Solly stared at him for a moment before settling back down , just outside the shelter, where he had been laying.

Ventari turned his attention back to Nylia. Many things needed to be done for her. First the poison that floated through her veins. Ventari cast the removal spell over Nylia, taking all the poison from her system. Next he cast reqrowth to allow her wounds to close. Then he placed a healing touch upon her, bring Nylia back from she danced with death. Nylia’s body was aglow from the healing taking place within her. The light overpowered the little bower, causing Solly to turn his eyes from the shine.

Ventari sent up a thank you to Earth Mother and placed a hand against Nylia’s brow. It was cool to the touch. He gave a little sigh. These sin’dorei, such fragile things, he thought with a shake of his head. He backed out of the little shelter and stretched, not realizing how cramped he had become under there.

He tilted his head to one side and then the other, working out the kinks. He surveyed the area when a flutter of red caught his eye in a near by tree. When he reached it, he realized it was back pack. Solly, watching him, sent another image to Ventari, this one of Nylia hanging the pack in the tree.

Hmm…, Ventari thought, plucking the pack from the tree. A quick search revealed a set of clothes and other various items. He looked back over at the tree where Nylia laid and then back down at the clothing in the pack. One of his brows quirked up and he dug into the backpack and pulled out a red linen shirt. His eyes drifted back over to the tree and then over to Solly.

“Think your mistress will mind if I get her out of that bloody tunic?” he asked the cat, with a slight smile.