I jumped off, swinging myself a short distance away, just outside the pool of blood, with the help of my vines.
The rainbow-haired creature was attempting to crawl away with one hand, dragging its legs as it tried to hold its side, grunting with each movement. My eyes widened in alarm as I saw crimson blood dripping from a slash that ripped the black cloth, leaving a trail in its wake.
This was bad.
The amount of blood in the area would attract other predators and scavengers looking for an easy meal. If I was going to be able to bring the rainbow-haired visitor back to my hometree without any incidents, I needed to swiftly put this pafeldae out of its misery and carry the wounded out of here before it was too late.
As I walked along the pool of blood, I noticed the dying pafeldae’s eyes were closed as it struggled to breathe. Raising my spear, I thrust it swiftly into its throat, watching as its body slowly came to a halt.
Closing my eyes, I sent a prayer to the mother tree, wishing for the needy to be able to use the dead pafeldae body and for the pafeldae to be able to return to the cycle of life.
After a few moments to ensure it wasn’t a ruse—that it was dead—I removed my spear, wiping the head on a nearby leaf before wrapping my vines around it and securing it against my back.
Now that the hostile creature was dealt with, I needed to make sure my hands were free if I was going to carry the injured rainbow-haired creature back to my hometree.
My hands were raised in a universal gesture of peace as I knelt beside the injured person, a respectable distance away so as not to scare my guest. I cursed myself for not arriving in time to prevent any harm from occurring to them; it was my fault that I was not present to protect this defenseless creature.
The rainbow-haired being winced, sucking in air between their dull teeth as they looked at me with apprehension. As it attempted to scoot away from me, it covered its bleeding side with its hand.
My eyes widened as I noticed the damage that I had previously overlooked. The unknown intruder’s black uniform was ripped to shreds as crimson blood beaded along the angry scrapes on their skin.
“I have no intention of harming you,” I soothed, reaching for my medpack and bandage from my belt. “I’m here to help.”
Their eyes studied mine, bouncing between my gaze and the items in my hands. I could tell there was some intelligence behind them, even though they couldn’t understand what I was saying. Eying their round ears that peeked through their long hair, I couldn’t find any evidence of a universal communicator, which would explain their lack of response.
Unfortunately, until I provided them with one when we returned to my hometree, there would be a language barrier between us.
They let out a soft sigh and nodded before lying down and relaxing, their body quickly losing all of its tension, even though I could see their pain clearly in their eyes.
Quickly, I got myself to work, using the medpack right above the bleeding wound, hoping that the medicine would instantly start working by sealing it. We should leave as soon as they are stable enough to move, before the brave hungry creatures arrive. My unannounced guest would be fine until we got home, at which point I’d put them in the Giving Pool and the hometree would heal all their wounds.
My rainbow-haired warrior's brown eyes began to struggle to stay awake as either they realized I was trying to help them or the medication had finally started to kick in. I hoped this meant they were beginning to trust me...
Something about them made my vines yearn to reach out to them… even though they weren’t a Calyzis.
CHAPTERSIX
ZYRE
“Who are you, hmm?” I whispered more to myself than to this… being.
Whatever it was, they were able to defeat a pafeldae, which was a feat in itself. Not many were able to kill such a vile creature alone and live to tell about it.
I frowned as I looked at the pafeldae corpse, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to collect any of its valuable body parts to take home with me. I’d take the risk if I weren’t concerned about my intruder’s health, but I knew how desperate the local scavengers could be when food became scarce. Their hunger would quickly turn to aggression, and it wouldn’t matter if I was the keeper of this land.
The wild would always be untamed, claiming what rightfully belonged to it in the end.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and returned my gaze to the injured. The scrape marks on their limbs worried me, as did the cut on their side. With so many wounds, it only meant that their crimson blood had spread throughout the area, and they had left a trail that would leave others here.
And with that new information, it was time for us to depart.
My intruder’s breathing had finally settled down to a calm pace, steady enough that I didn’t have to worry about them waking up on the way back. This meant I could take the risk of swinging from the canopy, avoiding any dangers between here and the hometree.
Leaning over, I stowed my medgun into my utility belt and scooped up the sleeping being. My pupils dilated as I looked down at them. To my surprise, they were as light as a petal, easily transportable for the journey, no matter how short.
They kept surprising me. How were they able to defeat the pafeldae on their own?
Something fluttered deep inside me as I held the rainbow-haired warrior close to my chest, like an itch I couldn’t draw—similar to the sensation of new flora growth, but more intense. I forced myself to pull my gaze away from the sleeping beauty and scanned the area for a lower branch to use to boost myself to the bottom of the canopy, shoving the vine of thought away to reexamine when things were safe and settled.
