DETOXIKACIJA

“Come on mother! Didn’t you say you wanted to be back before noon?” The excited voice of a young boy, yipped. Too happy to be out of their small cabin to be deterred by her first warning for him to slow down. He hopped from rock to rock ahead of her, his sickly pallor from just a few days prior still slightly visible. Despite how brightly he grinned back at his mother. “You do want to surprise father, right?” The woman who was becoming slow with her older age grinned and nodded tenderly at her son. “Of course I do.” She sighed before thinking offhandedly that while that was certainly true, that she didn’t want her son falling ill again to one of her husbands’ surprises. Which was why he needed to slow down a bit. “But we won’t have much at all to surprise him with if you keep kicking up water like that.” She pointed out, making the boy grin bashfully before nodding. Doing his best to shake the rainwater and mud from his boots while standing as still as he could manage with all his pent up energy. Of course, being that he was only eight winters in, she could only huff warmly as she watched her son quickly reanimate upon hearing the sound of birds flying low above them. His need to jump around returning as he watched the sky. “Do you hear that? It’s got to be a duck or a pheasant, right?” His mother listened for a moment before nodding in agreement, her dulled senses doing her no good in this rain. “It seems like…” she whispered rhetorically before shushing him and slowly urging him forward. Both of them walking until they came upon the place where the birds had begun to land for cover from the rain. They were rather brightly colored compared to the rain darkened leaves around them and were easy to spot. The few of their heads that she had spotted, carrying a deep red that stood out just like her husbands. Faye pointed to one that was perched right on the edge of a branch, it’s relaxed posture suggesting that it was paying the least amount of attention to them as it sat, moving its head left and right. Ironically still not seeing them. “All right, here’s your chance, my love.” Faye motioned towards her son, before pointing him in the direction of the bird of her choice. The chances of him missing being already greatly lowered by the birds’ location out in the open and its need to be high above the others. Atreus’s eyes widened as he watched which bird she meant for just a moment before he nodded and quickly removed his bow, from around himself. Notching an arrow moments later before taking a moment to aim. He pulled back his arm and his mother took a moment to observe his profile. Adjusting his back arm just a tad, herself, before looking from his short sheared hair to his frail body. ‘He would certainly have a long ways to go when she was gone,’ she thought somberly. His draw shaking a bit due to his latest illness. The newest symptoms being the worst, as they involved him clawing himself in momentary wild bouts. However, when she watched him retract his arm further, straightening his back and, stopping his shaking. Her fears were suddenly erased as s familiar warmth took hold of her chest. Giving her back the hope she had felt waning at the sight of her sick little boy. 'He would be fine,’ she thought wistfully before a distant, yet, familiar noise grabbed her attention. It wasn’t anything alerting, like the screech of an animal. Or the cries of a Drauger. But rather the flapping of wings. Rather large wings that sent an odd chill down her spine. Which, was followed shortly by a sudden flash of familiar golden visions of a smiling girl that momentarily took her sight away. The mere thought of what was about to happen next making her pause and almost consider stopping her son, from firing. As she watched what play the girl would have in her sons future. However, by the time she did consider it, the scene that she remembered from so long ago, was already being set in motion. Right in front of her. Leaving Faye to watch, horrified, as her son let loose his arrow with great precision. His aim true and soaring right to where the bird should have sat. However, because the bird took notice of the large winged thing flapping towards it from above. It panicked and took flight causing Atreus’s arrow to instead, embed it’s self deeply into one of the large wings of whatever this poor creature was. Her sudden scream right before she slammed to the ground, making Atreus gasp aloud, in horror. As he stared mouth gaping at the wailing half-dressed girl that he had just shot out of the sky.

Wailing was maybe a tad too strong of a word but it still summed up just what Faye was forced to bear witness to. As she watched the small girl writhe in pain from her place in the mud. The older woman’s heart aching oddly, for her. As she watched tears streak her small face glaring up at them in terror. She began attempting to scooch away from them on her butt, with no real luck. While meanwhile her son who wasn’t fairing much better. Stood frozen his hands beginning to shake before he dropped his bow all together. Taking a moment to stare between his hands and the girl he had hurt. Before in his own childish untamed way attempting to go to the girl. Which of course was only met with more panicked gasps that quickly turned into cries of pain as she attempted to flip onto her stomach only managing to flip halfway, pinning her only good wing.

“I’m sorry, I did- didn’t mean to,” he began to panic heavily his voice cracking while Faye, who was already preparing to take control of the situation, pulled a few items from her satchel to use on the girl. Paying little attention to her sons panicking. Since she knew the girl couldn’t and wouldn’t do any harm to anyone, even her son if her vision was anything to go by.  "Mom, what do I-“ he began blubber however and Faye was left slightly peeved at her son.  Sending him one slightly hot look to make him silent. Which he became quickly, tears now leaking from his blue eyes and making her sigh tiredly. Before pulling him gently towards her.

"Listen,” she spoke as calmly as possible despite the still panicked child not too far from them. “There is no time for tears. We can fix this but not without your help. Do you understand?” She asked, gripping his arms and he nodded heavily, clearly regretful. Along with fully willing to help which she resisted the urge to coo at. ‘He was so different from other boys his age, already.’ She thought before standing back to her full height. Taking a moment to push her son behind her. Before she took a few cautious steps in the girls’ direction, despite the girls obvious panic. She raised her hands to show that she meant the girl no harm. Before squatting to her level so that she didn’t appear threatening. Holding up her hand in a calming gesture until the girl froze. If only long enough to see what the woman wanted.

The girl was breathing heavy and despite her dark skin, was becoming several shades lighter; her skin almost turning gray with her shock. 'She would quickly become sluggish, Faye figured, either from loss of blood or overall squeamishness.’ That was yet to be seen but it would surely aid her in the next few moments, as she remembered the root she kept with her at all times in case Atreus began to break out into another fever while awake.

Faye was about to decide the best way to speak to this terrified girl since she didn’t think she spoke any language close to theirs. However, she was proven wrong when the girl spoke first. Her voice, shrill as she talked through remnants of mud and blood that had made its way into her mouth. “What do you want?!” She questioned harshly her hands gripped tight in the mud bellow her as she began to glare through the pain. The girls’ eyes reminding her somewhat of Kratos as they seemed to flare with her frustration.

“We don’t wish to hurt you merely help.” The girl sucked in a breath at that and her naked toes curled as she spoke. “Liar! You wouldn’t have shot me, if so.” She spoke with much indignation, her gaze momentarily shifting to the culprit who was now replacing his bow on his back. His face now red as he stared at the girl, lip wobbling slightly.

Faye resisted the urge to warn the girl against looking at her son so murderously. But figured it was more out of motherly fears then worry of an actual threat, making her silently back down, since this was kind of her own fault. “It was an accident. My son was practicing when you got in the way!” Faye tries to say but the girl flies into further hysterics suddenly. “Oh, I didn’t know that it was custom to shoot people that get in your way.”

Faye resisted the urge to simply knock the girl out, her hard-headedness doing nothing for anyone right now. However, one sudden teeter-totter of the girl from front to back, following by the sudden rolling of her eyes into her skull had her forgetting the thought. Choosing to instead move and catch the girl before she fell on to her damaged side again. Much to the girls’ startlement. Whom immediately came back to life in the woman’s arms, at the first sign of threat. Laying a deep line of scratches into Faye’s arm as she panicked in the woman’s grasp, much to her chagrin.

However when the woman didn’t move to do anything more than grip her tightly in a hug. She couldn’t help but feel momentarily safe. Feeling both the warmth of her chest and the furs the woman wore over it. Which was like a fire when compared to her thin ship sail dress. The girl couldn’t help but bury her face into it slightly, having not felt such warmth in such a long time. She only further buried her face, when Faye spoke to her. “I know you’re scared. But believe me when I say, I will do you no harm.” Faye mumbled into the girl’s ratty hair. Making a point of rubbing the child’s arms and head, who had become surprisingly still in her startled haze.