Moon Scar

Poisoned

Elwood and Alura wandered round the Vertham forest looking for Elle. Even though it was Midday the forest was still ere and dark. The tress blocked out the sun from reaching the moist forest floor.

"Do you think we'll find her?" Alura said. "Anytime soon at least."

"How hard could it be?" Elwood said marking another tree with the crushed berries.

"You're right but you know what Balasie has been saying about this place."

"I mean as in she's quite loud." Elwood laughed.

"Yeah, I know. But how'd you know that?"

"The reason I meet her was cause she was shouting in the forest on the way to Temes."

"Typical." Alura rolled her eyes. "Mark another tree already."

"Oh," Elwood said marking the nearest tree. "expert now are we?"

"I just don't want to get lost."

Elwood leaned down to the bottom of a tree covered in purple moss.

"I wonder what all this purple moss is." He said cutting away at it with his dagger.

"Looks normal to me, just purple." Alura replied impatiently.

"Yeah." Elwood said standing back up.

"You know you're very vague."

"What do you mean?" Elwood replied as they started walking again.

"You don't reveal much about yourself."

"Oh." Elwood said looking down.

"There we go again." Alura rolled her eyes.

The two of them walked quite far from the place where they left their horses. Having to push through bushes of leafy plants and avoid hidden mud puddles. Alura walked ahead of Elwood, reminding him to mark the trees which he would have done anyway. Alura let out a scream, she had fallen over and scratched her arm on a thorn of a pink flower. She collapsed on the ground while pain shoot through her body making her shrivel and cry. Elwood ran up to her as soon as her heard.  

"I'm here, I'm here." Elwood said trying to aid her.

"Help!" Alura cried uncontrollably, shaking.

"What happened?" Elwood panicked then saw a bloody thorn above where Alura lay, "The pink flowers. What did Balasie say about them? He didn't say why we shouldn't touch them." he said pushing his hands through his hair.

"Ahh! Elwood!" Alura said grabbing his arm tightly, almost cutting him with her nails.

Alura continued to helplessly cry with pain. Her skin turned awfully pale and her eyes went ghostly. They turned light blue and her pupils were barely visible. Her breaths turned cold while her lips became purple.

"Oh, no!" Elwood said putting his free hand over his mouth, "I've seen this before." he muttered. "Its shadow realm poison, soon you'll become a Naudin."

"What is that?" Alura said slowly, drawing breaths between each word.

"I've got to go find medicine, Alura. But I'm going to have to leave you, okay?"

"No, no, no…" Alura said going out of her mind but letting her grip go.

"You'll be safe. Just got to find a special plant." Elwood said tapping his head with his fist. "Lasbreth!"

Elwood quickly ran from Alura but carefully enough to avoid a fate like Alura's. He leaped down to a bushy plant, scrapping his knees in the dirt and a small smile reached his face. It was a dark green bush with tiny leaflets of different shades. Little blue flowers were at the tips of its stems. Elwood picked a handful of the leafs off the plant. It smelled closely of peppermint.

He rushed back to Alura with the leaves and rubbed then in his hands. He took out his canteen and poured some water on the leaves, rubbing his hands together again. Alura looked deathly. Elwood knew she was closer to becoming a Naudin. Especially since her screams of pain had died down to just stuttering breaths.

"Here," Elwood said pushing the crushed Lasbreth into her wound. "It might take a while, if it works."

Elwood took off his brown cloak and put it over Alura. From the corner of Elwood's eye he saw Balasie and Gale coming.

"What are you doing Elwood?" Gale yelled. "Good thing you made this trail but we couldn't find Elle." She said frowning.

"Alura's hurt!"

"Oh my!" Gale looked worried and ran over to Elwood seeing Alura dying on the ground.

"She touched a pink flowers thorn by accident." Elwood replied.

Balasie slowly approached "I knew those flowers were bad news." then he saw the state Alura was in.

"It's Naudin poison, Balasie!" Elwood yelled up at Balasie doleful. "I gave her medicine but I don't know if it's enough."

"How could I have not realized this before." Balasie shock his head in shame. He put his hand lightly on Alura forehead and simply whispered "Get well."

Elwood gave him a blank look. "What didn't you realize?"

"This forest is not what I thought it would be, that's probably not even the half of it."

Gale spent her time by Alura's side trying to help her. She took her canteen and poured it into Alura's mouth. But Alura just coughed it up. Elwood clenched his teeth and grabbed the bottle out of Gale's hands making her fall backwards.

"Are you trying to drown her?" he shouted.

"No, I'm sorry." Gale said, her eyes watering up.

"It's not your fault Elwood," Balasie said "I know you feel like it was your responsibility to take care of Alura."

"And I failed." Elwood replied twisting the lid of the canteen back on he chucked it near Gale.

A terrifying scream echoed through the forest.

"That wasn't Alura." Gale said standing up.

"It must be Elle." Elwood said. "We have to find her. But I'll have to stay with Alura."

"Gale and I shall go." Balasie said pointing "That's the direction the scream came from, lets go!"

"Wait!" Elwood shouted. "Alura will survive, won't she?"

Balasie said nothing but gave Elwood a small nod and a reassuring smile.