The Finders and all characters not previously owned and found in their company are copyright to each of their players. Elfquest and its concept is a registered trademark, and its logos, characters, situations and their distinctive likenesses are trademarks of WaRP Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. However, there are no trademarked Elfquest characters found in this story.

Who Heals the Healer?

Duskwhisper rose and stretched. Already the morning was growing hot, even under the canopy of the trees. There was a heavy humidity in the air that made the Finders' chieftess feel lethargic, despite her late rise.

Yet something else lingered in the air. Something intangible... unnamable. Pushing the odd sensation to the back of her head, Duskwhisper yawned, stretched again, and left her den to head down to the river to bathe.

As she walked along the forest floor, she couldn't help but open her senses to the summer day. A bird warbled in a nearby tree, and the healer wondered if it was Littlechirp. She remembered fondly how Wisedove had brought the injured bird to her and begged-- unnecessarily--for Duskwhisper to heal it. Ever since then, the songbird had stayed near Stormsinger's Rest.

Duskwhisper arrived at the river and followed it upstream to the pool at the base of the waterfall. There, she found Rayen, kneeling on the bank, staring intently into the water. He had shrugged out of the sleeves of his tunic, but its black material was still gathered at the waist by his red belt. Little beads of sweat shone on his back, which was facing the rising sun. Duskwhisper just stood quietly and watched him.

Suddenly, he plunged both hands into the water. Bringing them up just as quickly, the green-eyed maiden saw that he had a fish about the length of her forearm clasped between them. Needless to say, she was impressed. She began to applaud his antics. Rayen jumped and turned to face her.

"Catching breakfast, Rayen?"

Immediately, his impish grin was in place. "Yeah," he smiled. "Woke up hungry, so I thought I'd fix the problem." He wiped his wet brow with the back of his arm. Duskwhisper laughed and sat down next to him, removing her boots. "Well, that shows initiative." She unlaced her top and shrugged it off. Rayen quickly turned away and tended to his fish. Duskwhisper slid off her leggings then began to reach into the water to test the temperature. Without warning, Rayen turned around again, knocking the chieftess off her balance and into the water. Her good mood suddenly spoiled, she surfaced as quickly as she could and gasped for air. The silver-haired warrior sat on the bank laughing.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny," the healer snapped sarcastically at him, her auburn hair plastered to her forehead in a most undignified manner.

Wiping away tears of mirth, Rayen tried to stop laughing. "But," he gasped, "but you looked so funny!" One hand was clutched to his side and he continued to laugh. That was until a wave of cold water hit him. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Payback," Duskwhisper growled.

"That's not fair! You were going to get in the water, anyway! And I didn't mean to push you in! It was an accident!"

"So you're a little wet, too. You'll live."

"Why you…"

"Why me, what?" The two elves glared at each other. Emerald-green eyes met jewel-blue ones. That's when the skyfire arched out of a cloudless sky and struck. Suddenly, only the two of them seemed to exist, and each one was only aware of the other.

Duskwhisper's mind was awhirl with feelings and images that she didn't understand. One thought, "This is it," stood out in her mind, then was replaced with a single word, "Chah."

"Chah," she whispered, her throat constricting.

"Rahl," Rayen whispered back.

‘Oh, High Ones! My soul name!’ the chieftess thought.

Duskwhisper ducked under the water and franticly swam for the protective curtain of water at the far end of the pool. She surfaced behind the waterfall and hid behind it until she saw Rayen's form retreat into the woods.

** **

A wonderful smell greeted Rayen's nose as he walked back into the holt. Smokeweaver sat before the fire pit, a clay pot perched on a rack over the low flames before her. The cook and storyteller dipped a wooden spoon into the pot then pulled it out, full of broth.

She sipped the liquid in the spoon, then, catching sight of Rayen, set the utensil down.

"Good morning, Rayen! Successful in your fishing, I see!"

Distracted, he stared right through her for a moment. "Huh?" he asked, before what she said registered. "Oh! Oh, the fish! Right! Yeah. What you said."

"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a human!"

"A human? No. Something, though."

"Do you want to talk about--"

But before Smokeweaver could finish her question, he was gone form sight.

"--it?"

Rayen walked into his ground-den, which was set at the roots of the tree where Wisedove made her room. The counselor was sitting in one of the lowest branches, playing snatches of a tune he didn’t recognize, not that he particularly cared at the moment. He threw the fish aside, and it hit a flat rock outside the den with a *splat!*

"Yum," Wisedove said, smiling in a sarcastic, yet pleasant way. "Dirty, raw fish."

Rayen failed to respond, but sat down heavily on a grass mat laying at the entrance to the cave and began to gut the fish.

Wisedove watched a moment in silence. She noticed that his usual firm movements had become shaky and erratic. "Did something happen to you today?" she asked in a curious manner.

"She... I... we... huh. Who'd have thought?"

"What are you babbling about, Rayen?"

"Duskwhisper...!"

"Yes?"

"She Recognized me!"

"And I suppose you didn't Recognize her in return."

"Huh? No! That's not what I meant! And that wasn't exactly the reaction I was expecting." Wisedove just smiled in response. "What am I going to do?" the warrior continued.

"What?"

"Wisedove... I don't exactly... want this. I'm not ready for a full-time relationship. Even if it's with the mother of my child."

"You're going to have to tell her that, Rayen. She deserves to know, does she not?"

"I know," Rayen sighed, resting his chin against his knees. "I know."

** **

"Recognized?"

Duskwhisper sat in her tree-den, combing her wet hair out. Smokeweaver sat across from her, jaw hanging open. "Yes! Just this morning!" she replied, working out a rather stubborn knot.

"That would explain why he was acting so oddly when he got back from fishing this morning."

"Eyr, do you realize what this means?"

Smokeweaver look up at the sound of her soul name to see an amazing amount of sparkle in he soul sister's eyes. She couldn't help but smile. "What?"

"My vow! I’ve found my One! I can finally let myself fall in love! And Smokeweaver, Rayen has no lifemate or lovemate!"

Smokeweaver grinned, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat apprehensive. She could only hope that everything would go as smoothly as Duskwhisper thought.

** **

By dinner, there wasn't a Finder who didn't know about the Recognition. Yet many noticed that, while Duskwhisper basked in the glow of the attention she was getting, Rayen seemed rather... gloomy. His was not the face of one excited at this new beginning in his life.

Duskwhisper was all smiles, and she fairly glowed with joy. She kept throwing sidelong glances at her Recognized, then turning and giggling with Smokeweaver and Twittersong.

Slowly, the minor celebration Smokeweaver had set up for the occasion broke apart as elves grew tired and headed off to their dens. Finally, only Rayen and Duskwhisper were left by the glowing remains of the fire.

"So," Rayen started. Duskwhisper placed her hand on his and slowly ran her fingers up his arm. Everywhere their skin made contact made his arm feel as if it were on fire. High Ones, how he needed her! He inhaled sharply and could smell her feminine scent, so alluring. His whole body began to heat up, from his smallest toes to the tips of his tapered ears. He sighed. Might as well get this over with. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

Duskwhisper was quickly on her own, and she took his hand and silently led him away from the holt. He followed with equal silence, to a place deep in the woods.

The starbugs danced through the forest in the warm summer air, their soft light leading Duskwhisper to a secluded spot. The branches of a willow bend down and touched the ground, forming a curtain to a private sanctum.

Without a word, the healer led the warrior through the leafy veil and into the core of the drooping branches. Earlier that day, she had placed soft furs and skins within the shelter, and she unfolded them now, laying them casually on the ground.

She could smell his sharp musk that distinctly marked him as male; feel his presence behind her in the darkness. For a moment, she faltered, wondering if Rayen wanted this as much as she did. Then , the thought was gone as she let her hair fall loosely about her shoulders and began removing her leathers.

To her delight, Rayen didn't hesitate to do the same. He let his braid loose, and his silver hair ran like a waterfall down his back. He removed his black leathers, and even slipped his treasured pendent over his head. Duskwhisper knew that even if he didn't want this, he needed her right now, just as she needed him.

The healer lay casually on the spread furs and waited for the warrior to join her--to join with her. Rayen knelt beside her, eased himself down, then took the chieftess in his arms.

A single sending buzzed between them, **Yes,** and Duskwhisper felt the night turn to fire and ice.

** **

For the second morning in a row, Duskwhisper woke late, to full sunlight and heat from the daystar.

High Ones, what a ride it had been. The chieftess blushed slightly, thinking about how the previous night had been no-holds-barred. She turned away from the sleeping form next to her and stretched out her muscles. It had been a long time, and she unconsciously healed small aches and pains she had received in the night.

Suddenly, she felt the furs rustle beside her, and a small void of cold air was left where Rayen's warm body had been a moment before. Duskwhisper looked up. Already, he had put his pendent and leggings back on and was tugging on his boots. The green-eyed maiden watched him for a while, but when he draped his tunic over his arm and stood to leave, her heart sped up.

"No... Rayen, Wait!" she implored, her hand reaching out to him. "You don't... have to go just yet... do you?"

The silver-haired male stopped and turned partway around to face her. She could see his one purple earring stud gleam in the dappled sunlight. "Duskwhisper... I don't know what you think this is, but Recognition does not imply a lifemating or even a lovemating. That this happened when it did and to whom it did was a fluke. I'm not looking for a mate of any kind right now. I don't know when—or if—I will be. So... so don't look for more than is there, okay?"

The tears stung behind Duskwhisper's eyes as she watched Rayen part the whip-thin branches and leave. Though her heart kept crying for him to return, her mind cursed him and wished him away forever.

Once again, her heart had been broken, and this time by her One! Not knowing what else to do, she pulled on her leathers, gathered up the furs, and left the shelter of the willow.

** **

The sunlight playing across Duskwhisper's bronze skin did nothing to warm her mood. She currently sat at the river's edge, breaking sticks and throwing the pieces into the running water. Soon enough, this bored her, as had everything else she'd done that day. She rose to her feet, threw one last stick in the water, then walked towards a rocky outcrop she had Place Named Shale Ridge.

She made her way between the large broken boulders that were home to many small game animals. Plenty of rabbits, snakes, lizards, and other small, tasty creatures lived there. Shale Ridge was right at the edge of the forest, and overlooked the stretch of plain that she and her companions had come through to reach Stormsinger's Rest.

Duskwhisper perched on a rock and stared out at the tall stalks of grass waving leisurely in the breeze. Suddenly, on that self-same breeze, the healer heard a cry that tugged at her heart. She leapt up and listened harder. It came again! High-pitched and desperate, like the cry of a baby!

Wasting no time, the chieftess began searching for the source of the cry. She scrabbled around the bases of the boulders and followed the sound. The closer she got, the more distinct it became.

Finally, she discovered the source. It came from behind a pile of fallen rocks, grouped around the base of one of the boulders. Duskwhisper quickly moved them aside to reveal the opening to an animal den. She reached into the darkness, and her hand closed around a ball of fur.

When she pulled it out again, she found it holding a tiny tuft cat. It—no, he was about the size of her two fists put together, and he looked half starved. Duskwhisper could immediately tell that he was hurt, and she was rather certain that his mother was gone. How else could something so small get so thin and bony in this plentiful season?

She took him back into the forest, all the while cooing things like, "Don't worry, little one! I won't hurt you!" and "Ssh! I'll make that leg of yours feel all better! I promise!"

She whisked the tuft cat into her den and set to work healing him.

** **

"He's so cute!" Twittersong cooed. "What's his name?"

"Wiggleshanks," Duskwhisper replied, scratching the kitten behind the ears. His reply was to tilt his head to give her a better angle and more to scratch. Wisedove giggled and Smokeweaver scratched under his chin.

"Wiggleshanks?" Longrunner scrunched up his nose. "How did you arrive at a name like that?"

"Watch."

Duskwhisper set her hand in front of her new pet and moved her fingers. The tuft cat's eye locked on her hand, and his hindquarters began to wag in anticipation of the pounce. Everyone laughed, and Duskwhisper scooped him up into her arms before he could attack her fingers. She’d already healed several bites and scratches he’d given her while play hunting. He gently pawed her cheek and licked her hand, then broke into a loud purr. Duskwhisper smiled.

‘My little Wiggleshanks…’ she thought as a sadness pressed against her heart. ‘At least someone new loves me today.’

** **

TBC…