The Kelpie's Cries (Completed)

Friend or Foe?

Finally, after about two hours of walking with the slow trees, the trail back to the tunnel of sticks and mud that housed the witch's hut came into view. Enfys had made sure to give her all to take care of the girl -who had fallen asleep by the time they arrived- in the absence of Odan and his dragon. Sure, she didn't like her much but she had become one of the forest's residents the moment she had stepped foot in it and therefore, she had to make sure that she would be fine. The woman stopped the dryad, telling her that she would take it from there and so with a little difficulty, she had the girl on her back, holding her up by her thighs.

Her feet ached from the walking and now that she had extra weight to carry with her, she didn't know how many days she would be unable to move. She swore that she would gain a hump from her charity act, she had to get angry at something to find the strength to keep herself moving. The tunnel was so close that she could feel the cold temperature and the humidity on the apples of her cheeks and she could not be happier. They were in a safe area but she did notice the few creatures that had accumulated in the area to rest or to plant their roots there.

"You better get going soon", she shouted at them, "There is no water for you outside and no sun inside of the tunnel".

The trees and creatures groaned tiredly in response. They had probably thought of that themselves and Enfys had to hide a triumph grin at the realization that they would actually leave. The original vegetation that lined the front was enough company for her. She prefered being left to her own devices after everything she had went through in the company of others. Her ears loved the silence and the bubbling and sizzling of her iron cauldron and her nose was addicted to the distinctive aroma of the hanging dry herbs on the walls of her home. She didn't like the noise and distraught of the world outside of the tunnel, hence why her mind returned to the image of those hunters in the forest time and time again as she walked. If there really were more roaming free in Blue Peace, she did not know what she would do nor how she would handle the situation. Probably really bad, she guessed as she passed into the shadows of the tunnel and kicked the door to the hut open with her foot.

Upon entering, she rushed to lie the girl on the bed and gather the herbs needed to treat the pain and somewhat help the healing process of her broken arm. It was quite easy to navigate the mess and clutter on the walls and table to find what she needed and in a few minutes, she had them boiling in a small pot. As she was stirring the herbs, she heard a small grumble coming from the bed, followed by the shuffling of the cloths that dressed the mattress. Looking over, she saw that the girl was awake and so, she moved to grab a hot cup of special tea -or potion- which she had prepared in advance and instructed her to drink it once it was colder.

The girl looked around the room with confusion and a hazy mind. She could vividly remember that they had been travelling with her friend before and then those hunters who shot Össur out of the sky as if he were a duck and then... and then... Nothing. What had happened? And with that question, it all came back to her. The bloody scene of the dead hunters, Enfys raising her on the kelpie's back, Odan going deeper into the forest. Tears brimmed in her eyes as her ears replayed that sickening crack, which echoed in her brain and drummed against her nerves. Her arm started to burn and her muscles felt like they had started to melt. Not caring about the temperature of the tea, she chugged it down her throat, panting softly afterwards. She might have burnt the back of her esophagus but she was more concerned about the horrid pain in her arm to pay attention to that.

"How are you feeling?", she heard the woman. The girl turned her head to face her. Enfys had not bothered looking away from the bubbling water to address her directly. She struggled to reply, mainly because her throat was burning as if she had eaten pure pepper for lunch.

"B-better", she stuttered, coughing a bit to clear her throat of that burn.
"You don't sound like it, then again, you downed the tea while it was burning hot", Enfys shrugged, putting the ladle aside and stepping towards the child. "It should make the pain go away soon though", she stated as she sat at the foot of the bed.

A few minutes passed and the girl's eyes stopped producing silent tears; the few that had accumulated on the edges fell from her lashes and on to her cheeks which she wiped clean. The pain in her arm was gone and the fire in her throat had been put out by the herbs. She looked around again and even tried to have a peek outside of the window to see if there was anyone else with them. There wasn't, she found out, and she looked at Enfys quizzically.

"Where is mister Odan and Össur?", she asked but she received no response. The woman seemed to be thinking of how to answer her question, evident by how she fumbled with her fingernails. The girl would have asked where her friend was but she recalled the other two going into the forest and not coming back so, she naturally questioned their absence.
"He is making sure that everyone is safe", Enfys said and stood up to check on her concoction. It appeared to be ready as she grabbed a ladle and poured some into a bowl she had set on the table.

"Where is my f... riend?", she asked but she couldn't help but be confused over what the kelpie had become to her. A friend or a foe or someone to generally be afraid of. Her father had told her that the only thing her four-legged friend wanted to do was kill her and she didn't want to believe him but... with what had happened, it seemed that was what he was going to do to her. He wouldn't have broken her arm if he was planning to do otherwise.

"He threw us off his back and ran off. I do not know of his whereabouts but I can tell you that kelpies are generally bad news", she responded, handing the bowl to the child, who took it with shaky hands.

Bad news in general?.. So was he planning to eat her? Alive like that? No, there was no way that could possibly be true. Why would her friend try to kill her? Wait, was he even her friend or someone playing pretend? Her brain was pumping confusion through her veins and she found herself shaking her head so much that the liquid inside the bowl almost spilled onto her lap.

"Careful!", Enfys exclaimed, hurrying to grab her hands and helping her drink. "It may not taste safe to drink but it will help".