The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 11 Progress

He relaxed in slow increments. She watched as his breath came out shaking and uneven. She made her breathing a little slower, a little more obvious. Eventually, his breathing evened out. He didn't relax completely, she could still see the tension he held in his body, but he was no longer shocked still.

" I am going to start by dabbing your wounds with a tonic. I'm using gauze." She explained calmly.

She waited for him to nod before getting the gauze ready. She made sure to work in slow movements to not startle him.

"I'm going to start now." She told him before she touched his wings with the gauze.

He didn't freeze this time. There was just a twitch of his wing when the tonic made contact. She worked gently and efficiently to spread the tonic over his wings. She was heartbroken to see not only the damage to the skin but also the damage to some of his remaining feathers. She wasn't going to be able to spread the ointment on with the feathers twisted up and sticking out at odd angles.

"I need to sort out your feathers." She told him, keeping her voice soft and steady. "There is quite a bit of damaged ones."

He froze again, just for a second before turning to look at her. His face was blank but his eyes were frightened.

She didn't look away from those scared blue eyes as she continued. "Some of them will fall out. I'll put them where you can see them. I am not causing more damage to your wings, just removing the damage that was already dealt."

He turned back around. Massie waited a minute as he got his breathing back under control.

"'I'm going to start now."

She worked her way down from the top of his left wing. She gently laid wayward feathers flat and looked for irreparable damage. He took a sharp breath when the first feather fell. She moved it next to his left knee so it was in his eyeline.

Feathers continued to fall. Some fell as soon as she touched them. Others she had to prod them out of place gently. These were bent, broken, or cracked.

By the time she finished both wings, Wren had a pile of feathers by his knees and his wings were quivering.

She needed to finish quickly. "I'm going to put the ointment on now. It's going to be spread throughout your wings to help it heal. I will be using magic."

The last thing she wanted him to do was to lash out at the first hint of her magic.

He gave her a jerk of his head and she got to work. She had been keeping her magic tightly continued while Wren was around. She let a small amount flow freely and gather in her fingertips. She could feel the ointment reacting to her magic.

Wren didn't startle or freeze when her fingers touched her skin. He made no show of being affected by her use of magic.

She rhythmically chanted the words to activate the healing spell that was laced within the mat Wren was sitting on.

She could feel the magic spread from her fingers, into the the skin of his wings. She worked methodically, spreading the magic-enchanted ointment over his skin and then through his feathers. It was a long process, making sure that she didn't miss a spot. That each swipe of her finger contained the same amount of magic as the last. She chanted the words softly until she was done.

For the first time since she met him, Wren looked relaxed in front of her. His wings looked visibility healthier, despite the areas without feathers. They drooped slightly. His shoulders sloped down and for the first time since he escaped, he was pain-free.

"Leave the ointment on and sleep on your stomach. Most of the wounds will be gone in the morning and then your body's natural healing process can take over. I can give you a healing booster in a couple of days to help facilitate the healing. "

She gathered the used gauze and put it by the pile of feathers. Some of the gauze had speckles of blood from where scabs had bled. She stood up, ignoring the pins and needles the best she could. She moved to stand in front of him.

She showed him her hands. Massie shook out her shirt and lifted it towards her belly button so he could see her bicycle shorts, especially the lack of pockets.

It was important to her that he realized that his body autonomy was respected. She didn't keep anything that wasn't hers.

His fingers ghosted over the discarded pile of feathers.

"I can give you a box if you want to keep them."

He shook his head and stood up. He shook out his wings and limbs. "They need to be burned."

It didn't take long for Massie to start a fire in the living room fireplace. She used a little magic to help it along. After the wood had caught, Wren gathered his pile of feathers and gauze. He threw them in the fire and stood there and watched them burn.

Massie gathered up her supplies and returned them to her workshop. She spent a good couple of minutes washing her hands. He was still watching the fire when she returned to the living room. He sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace and was leaning back on his hands.

She went through the motions of locking the doors and turning out the lights before heading upstairs. She was halfway up the stairs when he called out.

"Thank you."

She turned and looked at him. He was looking up at her from his spot on the floor. He looked at peace. Massie felt her magic swirling inside at the joy of it all.

"You're welcome."