32 The Fox (1/2)

As they lay close together, James could see bruises start to form. Some of them were already as dark as her hands were. Tears fell down his cheeks, but Lilly pulled him close, his head pressed against her chest and they slept for the rest of the night. When he woke the next morning, Lilly was already up and sitting with her back to him.

'Lilly?'

She turned slightly and he saw her bruised cheek. It was dark enough that he almost couldn't pick out the black grooves. 'Good morning, James.' Her smile was soft and free of pain.

'How are you feeling?'

'A lot better than I look.' She turned more fully towards him and he gasped. All of her exposed skin was a blackish purple.

He looked away. 'I'm...I'm sorry Lilly. I shouldn't have...'

Lilly moved to his side and an un-bandaged hand touched his face. 'James, what we shared last night has nothing to do with how I look this morning. I would have looked like this regardless.'

James looked at her bruised face again. 'Then why aren't you recovering?'

'I am recovering.'

He looked at her in unbelief.

'Not all recovery comes in the form of sleep,' she explained. 'Some comes with time, and some from those we love most.'

'You still look like you're in pain.'

'My skin is sensitive to pressure, but I feel well.'

'Still. I want you to rest.'

'What about you?'

'I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back by this evening.'

'All right.'

James kissed her lightly before he left the tree. He wandered through the trees for a few hours, not thinking of anything. He wandered to the heart of the forest and happened upon a wounded fox. For a moment he wondered if he could help once he knew what was wrong. Gently he used his energy to scan the animal. There was something wrong internally, but he didn't know how to do anything else but scan. Pulling away he watched it suffer.

”Much like Lilly,” he said softly.

The sound of crunching leaves made him turn. It was Briar.

'James, I… wanted to apologize for my reaction yesterday. I've… never seen Lilly look like a wounded soldier before. Will you forgive me?'

'Of course.' Then he turned back to the fox.

'What's wrong with it?'

'Looks like a cut on one of the internal organs, but I can't heal it.'

'If you can see it, you can heal it. Would you like me to walk you through it?'

'You would do that?'

'That's what friends are for, aren't they?'

James nodded and Briar began his instruction. Everything seemed to be going well. The wound was slowly closing and James was feeling tired. Why wasn't it closing faster? His fatigue increased. Suddenly he felt a tight grip on his wrist.

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'James, pull out now!' It was Lilly. Her voice was commanding with a hint of...fear?

He pulled away immediately and fell back into her. His body shivered with cold. He felt Lilly's body warm as she held him and he snuggled closer. She held him with only one arm at first then pulled him even closer with the other.