A different voice responded. “A few hours. Zat’tor was in a panic.”
I faced the other person, a purple Maeleon I vaguely recognized from the feast. He had a slighter frame than Zat’tor. A basket full of supplies sat nearby.
I suddenly felt a hand touch me—a human hand, not a Maeleon one. When I turned the other way, I saw Jaeyoung frowning with concern.
“Thank god, you’re awake,” he murmured.
“Is the whole village here?” I said, trying to make a joke. Nobody was amused.
“Zat’tor told us what happened. He said you were fine one moment, then suddenly passed out in the fields,” Jaeyoung said. “He ran here as fast as he could.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I kinda remember that.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Zat’tor’s tail jerking back and forth in agitation. That must’ve been a terrifying experience.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened?” Jaeyoung asked. His brow furrowed in concentration as he entered his serious doctor mode.
I thought back, trying to remember anything out of the ordinary. “Pretty much what Zat’tor said,” I told him. “We planted a bunch of seeds, and after we finished, I just... passed out.”
Zat’tor faced the purple Maeleon. “Healer, would those seeds have a substance that’s harmful to humans?”
“I do not know,” the healer replied.
Jaeyoung put his palm to my forehead, then shook his head. “You don’t have a fever. Is your stomach unwell?”
“Not really.”
“Dizziness?”
“Not anymore, no.”
Jaeyoung tilted his head, examining my face. “You don’t look pale, either.”
A frustrated growl buzzed in Zat’tor’s throat. “Then, what happened to him? Has the sickness passed?”
I sat up tentatively. Nothing unusual happened. “I think so? I dunno what happened, but I feel fine now.”
Zat’tor’s tail kept twitching, like he wasn’t convinced. He turned to the purple Maeleon. “Healer, we had sex yesterday. Do you think—”
“Zat’tor!” I blurted. Heat flushed across my face. If it was just him and the healer, I wouldn’t have minded, but it was awkward in front of Jaeyoung.
The healer made a thoughtful sound. “I did not know. That changes things.”
“What do you mean?” Jaeyoung asked.
The healer gave me a long, scrutinizing glance, humming in thought. I sat there awkwardly as he inspected me. What did he see that Jaeyoung couldn’t? I was a human, not a Maeleon. Wouldn’t a human doctor understand my condition better?
But Jaeyoung seemed perplexed. He followed the healer’s lead, looking where he looked and trying to see what he saw. Even Zat’tor joined in.
After a while, I started to feel like an animal on display. “Well?” I prompted. “Anything?”
Finally, the healer grunted and stood. “Please wait a moment.”
He went to the back of his den, rummaging around by a window. I turned my attention back to Zat’tor and Jaeyoung.
“Seriously, I feel fine,” I insisted. “Maybe I just got heat stroke earlier?”
“I doubt it. The weather wasn’t that hot,” Jaeyoung said. He paused, then faced Zat’tor. “Why did you bring up the fact that you had sex?”
