In the heat of battle, Kai spun to face each aggressor, her short blade flashing amid flesh and steel. One of her attackers lay at her feet, safely dispatched, but she bled herself and still the others pressed in on her from all sides. Her eyes were an icy mask of death as she battled her foes. In the distance she heard the barking of huntsmen’s dogs drawing ever closer, but she had no time to consider them as a sweeping blade cut the air before her eyes.
She dodged it barely, but there was already another slicing up towards her. Her ears rang with the sound of clashing blades and grunts, her nostrils assaulted with the scent of sweating brutes and the unmistakable tang of blood.
Then, in the next instant, the motion stopped. The tornado of movement was cut short as first one assailant, then the other gurgled unpleasantly and slid to the ground, dead before they landed, the earth quickly soaking with the blood from their mortal wounds.
Breathing heavily, and still very much on guard, Kai found herself looking at a tall black silhouette with cool gray eyes. Her rescuer flicked the blood from the blade with a quick motion that made it whistle, then wiped it clean on its sleeve before smoothly sheathing the blade.
“You are wounded.” The figure spoke with a strange accent as it stepped towards her.
Kai made to disagree, still holding her blade threateningly but she stayed her hand as the figure knelt and withdrew a length of bandage from its robes. Quickly and firmly, Kai’s wounds were dressed, the blood flow staunched. There was a nasty gash on her thigh, and several more superficial cuts along her legs. She felt herself waver where she stood, the battle had almost finished the last reserves of her strength.
“Thank you, you don’t have to…” she mumbled as she fainted dead away and was caught by mysterious hands.
***
Waking on a soft bed in a cool cave, Kai groaned softly. Her entire body ached from the blows she had sustained in battle and she was dizzy and weak, presumably from blood loss.
“Welcome back.” That voice again. Kai’s head jerked up and she caught sight of that same figure, now clad in a gray robe, with its back to her. The voice was hard to place, somewhere between masculine and feminine, with a pleasant depth to it.
“H..hello,” Kai replied faintly.
The figure turned, and Kai gasped. It was a woman, a woman with deep gray eyes, full crimson lips, and judging by the way the robe fell ever so slightly open, a full bosom to match. Kai blushed a deep red at being in such an undignified position with this lady whose eyes alone magnetized her helplessly. She squirmed in the little bed involuntarily, hiding behind her long straight black hair, her blue eyes shining through the veil at her rescuer.
“How do you feel?” The woman asked her with a kind smile, taking a step towards her carrying a cup of, what at that moment, seemed to be the most delicious smelling chicken soup Kai had ever smelled before. She helped Kai sit up and handed her the cup, which Kai drank down ravenously, not bothering to reply so great was her hunger.
The woman took the cup from her, refilling it with more soup. Once again, Kai drank it down with great hunger, and the process was repeated several times before Kai’s weak stomach was sated.
“You fight very well.” It was a statement, not a compliment.
“Thank you,” Kai mumbled, unsure of what else to say.
“I am Rael,” the woman said, draining her own cup.
Kai nodded and chewed on the edge of her vessel.
“So you do not wish to introduce yourself in kind?” Kai blushed and shook her head quickly. Rael chuckled more, evidently amused. “Well then, judging by the state of you, and the fact that you had attracted the attention of the King’s brigands, I shall hazard a guess that you are one of these mischievous urchins one hears about, wandering hither and thither and getting themselves into trouble.”
Kai bristled. “Who says I am an urchin?”
Rael’s lips curled up into a smile. “You bear no marks, dear. Not to mention the fact that you travel alone.”
Kai shrugged and gave Rael her best cold look. “Thank you for your help. I really must go,” she said, beginning to struggle out of the bed.
Rael nodded politely. “Of course. You will find your possessions packed by your side.”
Kai swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached down, picking up her bag, and finding it not only filled with all her things, but packed with clean clothes and stocked with dry meats, biscuits, and water. In spite of herself, Kai burst into tears at the kindness.
“Are you alright?” Rael asked, her brow furrowed with concern.
Kai nodded and wiped her eyes. “Yeah, sorry, I must be tired still. Thank you for the supplies.”
“You are welcome to stay if you wish.”
Kai shook her head. “I must go… I must… I…” Reminded of her mission, she felt tears prick at her eyes once more.
“You lost a lot of blood. An extra day’s rest will help you make better time,” Rael said firmly, taking the bag out of her hand and placing it beside the bed.
Kai nodded tearfully, abandoning her fight easily. She lay back on the bed, closing her eyes, and was startled by a movement near her knee that quickly traveled up her thigh. Squealing, she sat up, her arm reaching for the blade that was no longer at her side as her fearsome attacker leaped at a strand of her hair and dangled from it, a gray bundle of furry fury. She giggled with relief, and cradled the kitten in her hands, gently disentangling it from her hair. It purred and licked her skin, its unfocused blue eyes staring fuzzily up into her face.
“That is one of the kittens, there are two more about the place somewhere,” Rael smiled.
“He is cute.” Kai said, nuzzling the little kitten, forgetting the battle and her wounds as the little creature vibrated in her hands with pure joy.
Rael smiled, happy to see her guest enjoying the kitten. It was clear from the young lady’s demeanor that she had not had much enjoyment in her life up until this moment. “I think he will be a fearsome hunter when he is grown,” she commented, watching the little kitten bat at strands of hair that fell over Kai’s face.
Kai nodded enthusiastically, sending the kitten into spasms as it tried to catch the hair it bobbing up and down before it. “He will be the best hunter,” she said, smiling at the little thing, so frail in her hands. She could feel its tiny bones moving against her palm, and marveled at how such a small creature could be so feisty.
The light of the day was beginning to fade, and Kai played with the kitten as Rael moved about the cave, lighting candles. Once they were lit, she went to the entrance of the cave and with no little effort, rolled a large stone across the door. She caught Kai looking at her with a touch of claustrophobic panic in her gaze and winked. “Better to keep the brigands out than fight and kill them all.”
“I would rather kill them all,” Kai said fiercely.
Rael laughed a low laugh. “A life in blood is little of a life at all.”