Adremedian Prince 32 The Fox

'Lilly?'

She turned slightly and he saw her bruised cheek. It was dark enough that he almost couldn't pick out the black grooves. 'Good morning, James.' Her smile was soft and free of pain.

'How are you feeling?'

'A lot better than I look.' She turned more fully towards him and he gasped. All of her exposed skin was a blackish purple.

He looked away. 'I'm...I'm sorry Lilly. I shouldn't have...'

Lilly moved to his side and an un-bandaged hand touched his face. 'James, what we shared last night has nothing to do with how I look this morning. I would have looked like this regardless.'

James looked at her bruised face again. 'Then why aren't you recovering?'

'I am recovering.'

He looked at her in unbelief.

'Not all recovery comes in the form of sleep,' she explained. 'Some comes with time, and some from those we love most.'

'You still look like you're in pain.'

'My skin is sensitive to pressure, but I feel well.'

'Still. I want you to rest.'

'What about you?'

'I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back by this evening.'

'All right.'

James kissed her lightly before he left the tree. He wandered through the trees for a few hours, not thinking of anything. He wandered to the heart of the forest and happened upon a wounded fox. For a moment he wondered if he could help once he knew what was wrong. Gently he used his energy to scan the animal. There was something wrong internally, but he didn't know how to do anything else but scan. Pulling away he watched it suffer.

"Much like Lilly," he said softly.

The sound of crunching leaves made him turn. It was Briar.

'James, I… wanted to apologize for my reaction yesterday. I've… never seen Lilly look like a wounded soldier before. Will you forgive me?'

'Of course.' Then he turned back to the fox.

'What's wrong with it?'

'Looks like a cut on one of the internal organs, but I can't heal it.'

'If you can see it, you can heal it. Would you like me to walk you through it?'

'You would do that?'

'That's what friends are for, aren't they?'

James nodded and Briar began his instruction. Everything seemed to be going well. The wound was slowly closing and James was feeling tired. Why wasn't it closing faster? His fatigue increased. Suddenly he felt a tight grip on his wrist.
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'James, pull out now!' It was Lilly. Her voice was commanding with a hint of...fear?

He pulled away immediately and fell back into her. His body shivered with cold. He felt Lilly's body warm as she held him and he snuggled closer. She held him with only one arm at first then pulled him even closer with the other.

'Lilly?' James asked weakly.

'Yes James.'

'What is going on?…Why are you… afraid?' He shivered more and Lilly created an energy bubble to contain the healing warmth that surrounded them to help keep James warm.

'Love and fear seem to go hand in hand. Tell me, James, who instructed you on your healing?'

His brow furrowed. Who was it? 'I can't… Male Adremedian… looks and name escape me.'

'That's all right.'

'Was it… wrong?'

'I won't lie to you, James…. Yes, it was wrong. Very wrong.'

'I'm sorry. I… I just… wanted to help.' He cried and buried his face into her shoulder.

'You're help was not wrong, James. The technique you were given was wrong.… How do you feel?'

'Cold, tired, and….' He couldn't find the word for it.

'You'll warm up soon. Try to sleep, okay?'

He nodded, moved his arms between them and closed his eyes in sleep.

James woke again around midnight. His head turned as he observed the starlit clearing.

'Where am I?… No… the fox! What happened to the fox?!' He sat up and looked around frantically for it.

'James.'

'Lilly. It's gone! The fox is gone!' he cried. His tone was full of sorrow and pain. Tears fell down his cheeks and his arms wrapped around her.

'The fox left, but it is still alive.'

'Did you heal it?'

'I did, Love. Now it is all better.'

'Can I see it?'

'He went back to his family, but you may see him again someday.'

'Okay.' He started to drift off again, barely registering the sound of Lilly's tears. He felt her hands on his head and started to settle deeper into the dream realm. But then pain spiked through the center of his head. James' hands tightly gripped her dress. 'My head hurts.'

'I'm sorry, James, but it's going to hurt for a while.… Can you walk? We need to move to a different spot.'

'Uh-huh.' He nodded just a little.

Lilly helped him stand and he leaned on her as they walked. She found some berries and got him to eat them. When they reached a healing tree, she had him climb on her back and she carried him to the top. He was asleep once they reached the top. Exhausted, Lilly also lay down to sleep.

James laid his head on Lilly's chest and she woke up.

'James?'

'Make my head stop hurting... please... my dear sweet wife.'

His face looked younger to her, but his eyes were full of pain. Lilly placed her right hand on his head and closed her eyes in concentration. James buried his face in her chest and his fingers bunched up her dress in a few places as the pain increased. The more she shifted whatever was in his head, the more the pain increased. He dug his fingers deeper into the fabric of her dress, hardly aware that he had started pinching her skin. His whimpers turned into screams. Lilly placed her left hand on his head as well. It lessened the pain a little, but the soon the pain was unbearable again. He struggled to breath. Anything to decrease the ever increasing pressure in his head. He felt Lilly's fingers digging into his skull before the pain vanished. He blacked out with the release.