Talon POV

The first thing you have to know about Kes is that, regardless of the situation, she had the energy of a puppy playing with its favorite toy. Not to say that in an insulting manner, but watching her dance around the bed of an unconscious girl who looked like she had been dragged along the ocean floor for just shy of a hundred miles, it was hard to paint it in a positive light.

“Is she dead yet?”

“She’s not gonna die, Kes.” Sitting on the corner of the desk, I was offered a perfect view of the happenings of the town. Forrusht was far from the bustle of most border towns. Unsurprising, given the local environment. There was still plenty of foot traffic for those who took less traveled routes or inconvenient destinations. Still, the buildings lacked the vibrant colors of paint in choice of more natural looks. Practicality over grandeur. 

“How do you know? Look at her!” Kes lifted the girl’s arm, showing the bandages that had been wrapped around dozens of lacerations and punctures. “You said it looked like Bog Rats got her. She could die!” Kes's eyes glowed as another idea struck her. “What if they were carriers of some dangerous fleshing-eating disease that’s eating up her insides right now? Or maybe she has a long-term allergy to rats, and she’s going into shock because of it!”

“Are you excited by that or worried?”

“Do I have to pick one?”

“Stars above, I hope so.”

Kes rubbed the back of her neck; long braids pulled into a loose knot today. A bruise was starting to show underneath her dark skin. “Think this will show too much?”

“I think you got off pretty light,” I tapped my chest and immediately regretted it from the shock of pain that followed. Luckily, nothing had been broken. “I’ll be feeling this for weeks.”

It was bizarre. The two of us had been walking the road to Forrusht, the town on the southernmost edge of the Hurpiti territory, when this girl had emerged from the treeline while being enveloped in a whirlpool. It was a mistake not to be more defensive. The look on her face, the absolute dead stare of a corpse not having realized it was dead, had clouded my judgment. I had tried to help instead of reaching for my sword. Then she struck me with a water fist and blasted me flat on my back. I’d been dazed, so I had missed the moment Kes had come for me and got struck when she crossed the girl’s path. Still, it had been Kes who had moved faster than me and knocked our attacker out. And still, Kes calmed me down and convinced me to bring us to the town and have the girl cared for by a proper healer.

It was shameful on my end. Not only had I acted sloppily, but I was aware that, though she was our attacker, the strange girl had not been in the proper headspace and in dire need of help. It was the right thing, but the lack of weight in the coin purse was still a hard pill to swallow.

“Do you think she’s a Naiad?” Kes had resumed her shuffle, now glaring down at the girl with a lack of thought for personal space that would make most people abashed. “You know, with all the water and stuff?”

“Probably so. The Hurpiti territory and Naiad’s border each other after all.” Aside from the unmistakable use of water, she had the markers for someone of the Naiad race. The slight olive skin isn’t uncommon for those closer to the Draekon border, and dark hair is a rather widespread trait. Beyond that, the faint blue and purple hues at her fingers and ears were enough to make the call.

“There’s not a lot of people that live in this area, right?”

“Not many. The border of the Naiads and Hurpiti have less than hospitable terrain, and that’s before discussion of creatures like Bog Rats and Murkdwellers.”

“Which ones were those?”

“The reptile that swallows you whole.”

“Oh, right. Do you think we should have some food ready?”

“We can get some when she wakes up.”

“But she must have been really, really hungry.”

“How so?”

“Because she was talking about fish before she passed out?”

“Fish?”

“Yeah! It was like,” Kes made a poor attempt to imitate a crashing noise and mimed being struck in the chest, spinning around three times before falling backward onto the inn’s floor. She coughed out, “B-Bass,” before her eyes rolled back and her tongue flopped out.

“Masterful performance.”

“Thank you!” A puff of wind aided her to stand and ruffled the window curtains. “If she was that focused on food,  then we should have gotten some right away.”

“I think we can wait until she’s, you know, conscious before we eat.”

“But Talon,” she drawled, leaning against me before letting her legs go to jelly, hanging onto me in a half-lean, half-dangle. “It’s important.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “Are you sure you aren’t the hungry one?”

“Two things can be true.”

“Of course.” I helped her back to her feet, and she crossed her arms. “We did just spend quite a bit of our Rue on a healer for a stranger that pummeled us, so we’re a little short on cash.”

“True,” Kes sighed. She dug her toe into the corner of the threadbare carpet. “A snack, at least.”

It was a sin to whoever let this girl have a mastery of pleading eyes that made you feel rubbish for denying her anything.  I could face swords, flames, and fangs far easier than I could last against her. “Fine. But please, not too much.”

“Promise!” Kes jumped from foot to foot as she pranced over to the Naiad’s side again. She loomed barely an inch above her face. “You seem like a sweets person to me.”

The Naiad woke up. Her eyes, a deep blue with a ring of violet around the pupil, were locked with the emerald green hovering above. A long second locked us in place, broken by Kes’s soft “oh” right before the Naiad shoved her away and got to her feet. Her gaze darted around the room, finding the window and door as she looked between the two of us. Kes held up her hands, and the Naiad shot for the window. I placed myself between them, and the Naiad tackled me with unexpected strength. My back hit the desk, but I stayed upright. 

“We’re not going to harm you!” I said right before the Naiad grabbed the cloth at my shoulder, spun around, and threw me against the bed. She had already thrown open the window before I could stand, and I rushed to grab her before she flung herself out the second story. “Would you wait a second!”

In response, her arms went straight up, and she slid out of my grip like an eel. On the way down, she squared up and slammed her elbow into my crotch. 

The world grew dark for a second, and I was on the ground, clasping a wound no man should suffer. Kes was standing in front of the door, holding her hands out like she was calming a frenzied beast. Which, at this point, seemed fitting.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright! We aren’t gonna do anything,” Kes whispered as if she would spook the raging Naiad. “We found you on the road in bad shape and brought you to get patched up. We were helping. Want some fish?”

My current state prevented me from recalling if that immediate question was an insult to the water-attuned race or not. 

“Get the fuck away,” the Naiad spat, voice deep and damaged.

“Nuh-uh. You’re really messed up. Look at yourself.”

It was the first time the Naiad noticed the bandages around her arms and more that hid underneath her clothing. “Where am I?”

“Forrusht. It was pretty close to where we found you.”

“Forrusht, Forrusht,” the Naiad repeated as if the taste of it was sour. “I need to go.”

The Naiad lunged for the door, but Kes closed her fist to make a gust to push the Naiad back. “Just hold on. At least take a moment to get yourself together.”

“I’m fine,” she said, though she struggled to right herself from the push.

The pain subsided, I pulled myself up so I could rest my upper half on the bed, kneeling on the floor. “It was Bog Rats, right?” The Naiad glared but stayed silent. “Not the most dangerous separately, but strong in numbers. Some groups can pass an infliction through their claws and tails.”

“Poison?”

“Bacteria, but it might as well be.” I was sitting on the bed now, still suffering from a soft pant. “Enough of it makes their prey weak. Unsteadies to make them easy targets. It’s also how they survive against stronger predators in the region.” I would add that groups inhabiting areas with little to no large apex predators lack the presence of such bacteria, but it doesn’t seem worth mentioning at the moment. “It’s only short-term in a healthy person, but it can leave you shaky if you don’t take a rest. And judging from your wounds, you faced a swarm.”

The Naiad stayed tense, but she made no more move to leave. “How long does it last?”

“A healer gave you some medicine, but I’d say blood loss and your other injuries aren’t helping.” I was standing now, my composure back in full. “Now, unless you want to make your current state worse, I’d recommend sitting down.”

The moment stretched one, all of us waiting for the other to leap first. The Naiad sighed and sat down. Kes shot me a grin, but I moved away to the desk chair. The tension set in fast, the air almost heavy as no one spoke. Kes looked us over and said, “Do y’all prefer meat buns or kabobs?”