[Flashback] Healing the Enemy

[Hex]

-:7th of Summer 509AV - Southern Cyphrus:- A passing wind carved motion into the grass, haunting the tiny holes and crevices of the land as it swept across the sea of grass, leaving no stalk or rock untouched. Dirt that had been pulled into the air currents sailed through the air, curling and twisting until evaporating over the landscape like sunlight hitting fog. Broken by the hum of distant bird calls, the eerie silence revealed the presence of a predator lurking in the shade of the tall grass. Curt tails of wind flighted over the grass tops but were interrupted as the stalking movements of a desert wildcat swooped its shoulders as it padded close to the ground, weaving itself through with the fluidity of a shuttle through the shed of a loom. On the crest of a hill the wildcat had caught the scent of a lone glassbeak as the wind carried it up from the south. Freshly wounded by a recent fight, by only a bells time and not yet into a stage of infection, the glassbeak hopped gingerly along as it stretched life's lingering thread. The glassbeak, whose time had inevitably come, pranced right into the claws of the clever wild cat; she had circled a perimeter around the beast twice, lapping at the scent of hot blood that floated before her nose. The wound on the glassbeak's thigh bled for some time, leaving behind it a trail of blood that coagulated with the dirt. It had undoubtedly been separated from its group and wandered into a panicked nightmare of isolation, vulnerable to the incoming elements. Approaching the glassbeak was a delicate balance between staying silent and making noise in rhythm with the stumbling sounds of the glassbeak dragging its leg, and the wildcat had managed to edge its way to the left flank of the deadly beast, laying in wait for the succinct moment to pounce. Darting its eyes back and forth, the wildcat made an intelligent analysis as to the energy levels of the glass-billed creature; it easily had a good fight still left in it as its fatigue did nothing to dampen the powerful capacity of its razor-edged jaw. If she could evade or sustain any wounds she'd be in the clear to thrust forward with one movement and crush the glassbeak's neck. There she was, hanging in suspense as she waited for her prey to lumber towards her in the exact direction it had been going before. Everything was set up, everything carefully prepared to flank it from the side as it neared her on its death row. Without warning the winds changed, shifting the air around the wildcat to spiral upwards through the long grass; the movement against her still form clearly revealed her spot and immediately alerted the glassbeak. It screeched in terror and tried to flee in the opposite direction but was pounced by its predator, who lunged with claws fully extended onto the glassbeak's back and then dragging it down onto the dry dirt. Keeping the thrashing head from turning around and nipping her skin, she drove her paws into the back of its head and its neck, trying to stabilize it as she kicked at its spinal column with her back claws trying vainly to rip past the thick scales to its flesh. The head swung dangerously close to her then and the wildcat roared in fright, struck in the left shoulder by the glassbeak's beak. With its head clamped in place, the wildcat raked and bit at its neck with its right paw until she had effectively severed the glassbeak from its body, rendering it limp and lifeless in the grass. Blood flooded the wildcat as it sat up and tried to lick at the wound. A putrid taste touched her tongue and she spat repeatedly to rid herself of whatever the glassbeak had dug its beak into it. An infection was imminent and as a 3 year old adult cat on her own, she was bound to die before she was even able to have offspring. Perhaps next life she thought, not in a conscious kind of way but a thought of general acceptance of the circle of life. Even those lifeforms that did not ponder its existence seemed to be inextricably in tuned to life's vibrational rhythm. ----- Silence in the grasses made Hex take a moment before stepping any further. She knew from her experience in Cyphrus that when death was about, the birds would stop chirping, the sun would retreat behind the clouds, even the streams would quiet their burps of flowing water that crashed against the rocks. All was eerily still as Hex crept between the base of two weaving hills that zig-zagged further into the ground until opening up into a clearing, the very clearing where wildcat battled glassbeak. Caught in a flurry of caution, Hex crouched onto all fours and pressed her fingers into the ground, closing her eyes and opening her third eye to the cosmic djed of her auristics and the extrasensory readings of her chaktawe ability. First she listened with her sense to the vibrations of the area; the bugs, birds, plants, and everything else appeared before her, information about each subtly oozing onto the canvas of her visual field like paint forming into fuzzy images. A particular animal form lit up amongst the others when it made growls of agony under its breath. The sound waves whipped through the sensation she had of the beast and when she focused her attention on the single source of energy with her auristics, she instantly knew that it was hurt. The chance of it being a deadly predator was high but something came through to her while she read its aura; a cry for help. Any urge to run away wasn't hard for Hex to resist - her thirst for adventure drove her forward through the long grass, slipping as silently as possible until she appeared short of the wildcat's location. Peering through the grass she noted the sand coloured fur that lay slick against its body, and the puffed up skin of the wound, red in colour and inflamed. Hex sat perfectly still and observed the wound from afar; the discovery of the infection solidified the beasts' fate - it was as good as dead. A divine daze decorated her face as she pressed her hand to her pack, using her auristics to see how many herbal healing vials she had left; ten. The amount was clearly not enough, and all logic would suggest that her skill not be able to heal a shattered shoulder bone with herbal remedies, but her faith outshone all of those initial reactions and something powerful nagged at her to help the wildcat, even if it was an enemy...

[Hex]

The fluttering in Hex's chest pulsated through every cell in her body, her heart hammered against the inside of her chest. and her legs reached wobbly proportions as she inched low to the ground through the ocean of dry grass husks. Their tender surfaces dehydrated and scorched lay like offerings of sacrifice to the malevolent sun that bounded across the sky to sweep up their spoils of death. Somehow Hex felt with all her heart what she was to do; she needed to communicate to the wildcat, on a psychic level with her meditation and auristics, that she was there to help, not harm. Hex knelt in the grass almost thirty feet from the wildcat with her feet under her the skin of her heels calloused and hard from running on rocks and dirt. The pressure of her body weight to the tops of the feet triggered a nerve in her body that released chemicals in her brain that rose her awareness and feeling of concentration. With back straight and shoulders relaxed Hex breathed deeply, extending her stomach and chest out on the inhale and pulling it in on the exhale. Breathing helped her get centered and focused, and if she could take the time to do it, it could also minimize the amount of djed that she needed for her Auristics. Bending her elbows with her shoulders relaxed, she pressed each tip of her fingers to their neighboured thumb: first beginning with the thumb and index, then the middle and thumb, the ring and thumb, and finally the little and thumb. Applying equal pressure to each finger, she repeated the sequence while controlling long steady breaths to empty her mind over several chimes; stripping away the emotions that paralyzed her spirit, mind, and body, ridding herself of fear and doubt. Trickling up from her solar plexus to between her eyes was an even flow of energy, it was the unlocked spiritual energy that resided in all beings and even the primitive wildcat had a flow of its own. To tap the energy took a great calmness to see one's own flow with feeling, and to attempt to make a union with another beings flow. In doing so, she could open up even the tiniest of channels to send a single thought, a single emotion out to the fanged beast. Like snakes uncoiling through the air, waves of energetic aura pulsated out from Hex's heart and searched for the existing aura of the wildcat, questing for the frequency of vibrations that emanated from its core. There it hummed, ignited and squirming like the beast that caged it, yet the irresistible tug that drew the aura towards Hex took the animal's attention suddenly. Through the pain the wildcat jolted her body upward and leaned on her good front leg to sense the surroundings. It didn't smell like another glassbeak and no movement could be seen from where she sat, helpless and vulnerable to anything that might come crashing through the brush; but she didn't ignore the warming sensation that crawled up her spine and focused in her chest. She felt neither comforted or alerted and a sense of neutrality instead left her suspended with a feeling of safety and freedom. Then it came through, a few pulses of what were thoughts in spirit form, crossing the barrier of air and matter and flowing through the others brain. I can't walk, licking hurts, I can't move. I'm scared. I'm hungry and the sharpbeak smells good but I'm in pain. Somethings there, what is it! I can't see it! I can only wait... The wildcat's thought train, at first like a roaring surge of terror, slowly quieted down until it was a mere whisper. She slid back onto her side and let out a grunting sigh as she rolled uncomfortably into a position where she could relax. The need to defend herself relaxed along with her body and she simply knew then that she was to wait and be helped. Like any other instinct she felt, this one rung true and clear and illuminated her beast mind to the very inkling of trust and connection with another species. You are safe from harm... I'm going to help you... stay calm, be relaxed... I will protect you. The familiar sounds of crinkling grass erupted closer and closer to the wildcat, and she braced herself but did not try to run. She already knew the being had been there and she knew sharpbeaks did not often wait so patiently to attack. No, what was approaching her was something completely different and she threw herself into the wind of risk with her very life; she was to die at that moment, or be pulled from the gallows of death back to life. I sure hope to taste boar flesh again...

[Hex]

Looking small and non-threatening Hex edged her way into view of the beast, staying very low to the ground as a gesture of surrender. It was imperative that the wildcat be approached from the front and regarded as the alpha animal between them. Hex required invitation to approach her within close range and leaning back on her haunches allowed the cat to get a look at her and get used to the idea of her being close to a natural enemy. Territorial growls rumbled in the wildcat's throat and her tail slapped against the grass in an intimidating motion. Sitting still for over an entire bell, Hex waited with vigor until the wildcat relaxed her tensed pose. Although Hex had tried to make it clear that she wasn't a predator, it was a long process to get the trust of a wild animal. If the circumstances weren't as such, Hex would have been dead in seconds, but with faith in her mission, Hex centered herself on the flatted spot of grass and continued to meditate, it was only a matter of time before the feline gave in completely to her situation and let Hex approach her; if she didn't she would surely be taken by fever first. A relenting groan was the only response the wildcat had energy for; the body quickly kicked into gear in an attempt to repair the damaged tissue, but such mending could not be done without the right tools. From what medicinal knowledge she had, it was apparent that the wound had to be cleaned but the presence of any foreign particles would need to be exterminated by a kind of potent chemical her people knew as "searing rain". The liquid could clear any wounded flesh of dirt or disease, but it was something only available back home. Where she was then, she only had water, her healing ointments, and a sewing needle with thread. She could stitch the skin back into place and sew it closed, if she could get close enough. One step, two step, three steps. Hex was still one one piece as she moved in between crouches, carefully folding away the grass stalks that towered over her. Her movements flowed like honey, a valuable skill for traveling through tall grass by being dismissed as just a breeze on the grass tops. This enemy saw her though and she wasn't trying to hide but skulked onward until she was directly in front and close enough to touch her. Hand and breath shaking, Hex fumbled for the water skin in her bag and several other supplies that were also unpacked and set off to the left side; a needle and thread and ointment vials lay scattered as Hex uncorked the water skin. She poured the water into her cupped hand and then let it fall over the wildcats fur. With no response from the cat she continued to rinse the wound until the dirt that had pasted itself in with the blood was flushed away. The laceration of the skin had split the shoulder muscle from the bicep and was gaping open red and bloated. Lymph charged out from between crushed bone that had torn through the flesh in many places. Getting the shards out would have been impossible unless the wildcat was unconscious and Hex in no way had the means or skill to put the animal to sleep long enough to operate on it. Even removing them was questionable seeing as how tightly the swollen muscles around it gripped the shards in place, trying to remove them would only result in terrible pain and possibly more blood loss. Hex sat kneeling over the beast's shivering form; even if she sutured the wound there was a higher chance than not that the bone would not set itself properly. It was incomprehensible that Hex would be able to save the animal that weakened before her eyes; a broken shoulder joint, torn ligaments, and muscles gone slack that normally held the great leg in place with smooth elasticity. The clinking of vials littered their ears, and the wildcat snapped its head up and growled in question to the unfamiliar noise. Putting a hand to the wildcat's neck she shushed her by stroking her gently, smoothing over a patch of fur displaced by clumped dirt. Popping the corks with her left thumb she shook the vials one by one over the wound, depositing a gelatinous green substance speckled with crushed herbs and smelling of what one could call the essence of Cyphrus. All the plants found in the region marked the air around with scents of its leaves, some warm and sweet smelling with others more cool and spicy. The aroma tickled the wild cats nose and while it didn't fidget, it kept its neck craned as it flared its nostrils to inhale the scent. The smells were familiar yet so concentrated and the wildcat reluctantly lets it head fall to its paws; the energy for caution opposed a body that needed the energy for healing, the wildcat gave up most of its distrustful feelings when the cool-warming sensation of the ointment was spread out in a thick layer over the red flesh of her insides. With fingers sticky and face perspiring, Hex leaned back on her feet, staring the wildcat in the face. Her amber eyes glowed against the pitch black of her round pupils, bursting like sunspots in the thick of a burning sphere. Hex pushed a lock of hair away with the back of her hand, taking steady deep breaths while analyzing her work. It wasn't much but she thought if she could only ease the animal's fear and possibly bring down the fever, just maybe she could give her comfort in her last hours. She had to do whatever she could to help, in any way possible. Her last effort was to sit with the wildcat, cross legged in front of her and meditate. In times of distress, sadness, fear, or anger, it was said that meditating calmed not only the body but the spirit and mind, interlocking the self with the universal infinite nature. Having practiced meditation for as long as she had been in the sea of grass, Hex felt guided by her stumbling on the animal and was confident that the path both the wildcat and her faced was the right one. She cried out in a prayer to the beyond, asking for guidance and direction, asking for the ability to heal the wildcat.

[Charon]

Here she sat in the middle of the Sea of Grass face to face with a natural predator in its waning moments of life. Hex allowed herself to relax even though she risked her own life just getting here and her calm aura seemed to have flowed from her and toward the wildcat lying before her. Perhaps the wildcat lie calmed due to the aroma inhaled moments before, but the two bodies were matched in their relaxed states nonetheless. Meditating and sending prayers out for some form of guidance, the woman found her mind and thoughts adrift...

She could sense her thoughts traveling, sailing across the green waves that made up the Cyphrus region during summer. Pulling up and slowing, her mind now was filled with an image that seemed to be coming from above her. In fact she knew it was from above her as she could distinguish herself, her own image, sitting in the grassy plains next to the slumbering cat who was calmly preparing for her death. As she meditated and sent prayers in whatever form she felt comfortable with, Hex could hear herself asking many things from whatever entity might hear her inquiries. She asked for direction, she asked for support, she asked for abilities she did not currently posses. All these questions came from her body as she watched herself sitting there. From this perspective, however, those questions she had in mind were sent directly back toward her physical body. She was looking inward toward her soul looking for answers now.

What can my hands do? What is this wildcat feeling? How are her wounds affecting her? How did I get here? Most importantly, perhaps... why did I get here? The questions came back to her with more force behind them. They were not just words or wishes sent away to be left answered by somebody or something else. Now they had meaning behind them and it was her own conscious pressured to produce answers. She had a limited experience with medicines but lacked the expertise and materials to help here. This cat was wounded but she seemed to have accepted her fate. So how and why was she here? She telegraphed her intentions to the animal and she was allowed to approach slowly, but what would posses her to risk her own life simply because a beast felt pain? The logic failed her, but from somewhere deep within an answer dwelled.

It was not her natural sense of adventure and nose for a journey that compelled her toward this wounded enemy. It was something larger than that. From this perspective, nestled in the sky and looking down upon her humanly figure, she felt a presence beside her nudging her. It prodded her seemingly back down to the surface but what was it? What pushed her along? She kept moving back toward the scene of reality and the moment before her mind came back to form within her own solid head Hex understood she physically and mentally got here with a little provocation by a power much higher than her own mind or muscle.

Some questions may have been answered, but there was one remaining. Now what? She did not feel any more adept with her medicinal skills and she certainly did not have any more remedies to give the suffering creature. What could she do other than continue to sooth her feelings in these last moments? There seemed to be no more answers coming... at least not in the unusual form she had just experienced.

[Hex]

Every new breath flooded Hex with particles of energy that skittered across the surface of her skin, electric in feeling and bursting like seed pods in a tumultuous wind. All sense of being was deepened, and the pair of wild beasts sat entwined in each others souls, slurping from life's chalice like two kittens lapping up milk. Something had come over them both, a connection of sorts that bridged their hopes, fears, and destinies. The link between them seemed to hang suspended in air, moving like a ribbon of seaweed with the force of a water current; it was delicate in appearance but a single swoop of a hand might break its string. But in actuality it vibrated with strength, like a desperate life line shared between two beings, and Hex had focused so intensely that a moment came when she slipped into a state far more relaxed than anything she had encountered before in her life. The determined discipline to keep her mind focused slipped away and in place of it glowed a most peaceful, accepting, and euphorically honest spiritual state. She no longer wished in all of her heart that the wildcat would be safe, instead she actually felt it and meditated for something so much more than the mere health of her or the wildcat; she prayed for the peaceful result of everyone and everything. The feeling was similar to that of one accepting the rightful pace and energy of life and thus being open to the immense lesson deemed from such experiences. Then an energy from above was felt and although Hex did not even flinch in its presence, she had turned an eye towards the stimulating aura that approached her. When reading auras at all, energy loss was common but because Hex had used her ability while meditating, she could look more deeply into the light of the looming aura and not become blinded by its magnificence. What occurred then astounded Hex to her core; upon reading the aura, she felt drawn in and utter a gasp at the sudden rush of feeling. The very aura of the presence emitted rays of healing light, golden, green and silver in colour, and expanding rapidly in fractal patterns that pulled damaged particles together and renewed them back to health. Images of tissue materializing back into existence flashed through Hex's mind; rashes dissolving into the skin, the edges of sliced tissue meeting in the middle, and mangled flesh retreating into their unmarked form. Paralyzed by the energy that encircled her, Hex sat in peaceful contemplation, allowing the presence around her to fade into the background as she once again pulled her focus to the dying beast before her. As long as she held the wildcat's spirit in tuned with hers, she could see the cat through her last moments.

[Charon]

The feelings that swarmed Hex were immense, numerous, swarming, yet somehow not quite overwhelming. The auras she experienced seemed quite clear in her mind at least in appearance- the images of mending flesh and tissue were lucidly playing before her inner vision while the myriad of colors clouded around her while they whisked their way from the beast lying before her lap. The life within the wildcat seemed to pour out to Hex in the form of a rainbow of shades as the woman prepared to comfort the animal as it lay dying.

It was then, with a failing life helpless in the grass before her, that Hex had yet another of her senses stimulated by the exchange of existence occurring in her presence. The sounds of the breeze sweeping across the tall grass had gently accompanied the scene in the usual faint way it surrounds every moment transpiring in life, but this new sound rose above the mild wafts of air and suddenly roused her interest. It seemed as if a voice were speaking out in a vague, soft language directed at nobody but intensely focused at the same time. The subtle, female voice seemed to be humming from a distance and though the sound was clearly reaching her ears, Hex knew she remained isolated from any other being than the wildcat before her.

The gentle, far-off humming was a beautiful noise but it abruptly transformed into clear words that filled her mind fully. You long to help the creature before you but have you resigned to simple comforting it's soul? Your heart is not satisfied with sitting beside a vanishing soul so why must you concede to that conclusion? The questions seemed rhetorical. They made Hex consider what her heart, mind, and body were feeling and wanting which masked the curiosity she should have experienced with the soft voice in her mind. Moments ago she had decided to stay with the dying wildcat in its final moments in this life but now her outlook on the situation was called into question. Her character was called into question even though her compassion was evident.

My caring child, this animal suffers and your heart is compelled to feel emotion during the difficult pain it endures. I can grant you the ability to please your heart's desires but not without sacrifice from you. With this great ability to heal those that suffer, you must swear to never discriminate among friend or foe, ally or enemy, comfort or danger. You must be compelled to heal all walks of life as you are compelled to help this poor creature today. Take this oath and you may feel the satisfaction of allowing this wildcat to live, but be warned that your future may not hold such satisfying conclusions.

Hex was faced with a decision. Her spirit was urged to immediately jump at the opportunity at hand yet deliberation was necessary. The warning was not concealed or hidden with fancy words. It hung within her mind, replacing the sensation the voice had allowed her to feel to begin with. Lifting its head with the last embers of energy remaining, the wildcat shifted its saddened eyes in Hex's direction before resting it once more on the harsh ground.

[Hex]

The voice hummed louder progressively until it was clear in her mind, at the forefront of her concentration. It was as if the voice had been there all along, but that Hex had only noticed it at that moment. The voice was ethereal, flowing into the air like a mist curling and dissipating into rays of sunlight. However in touch with life Hex thought she was, she had experienced nothing compared to that of Rak'keli, who was the goddess of healing - a form of creation on a cellular form. It was that moment that Hex was being introduced to the very inklings of djed powered healing, something Hex had never really known much about. But Hex did have something that attracted Rak'keli; her undeniable desire and purpose to help and mend others. She had done some of that when she learned and practised her skills in medicine, but pouring one's soul into the act of healing was a completely different thing. The voice suggested to Hex the possibility that the wildcat might not have to die, that she could use some kind of power granted by the voice to help this animal back to health. The thought evoked the possibility of one being power hungry with such a responsibility, but to Hex this was a blessed gift that she would do everything in her power to never abuse. Then came the vow, the oath to never discriminate between friend or foe, and to Hex the situation before her was a perfect test of that very concept; the wildcat could murder her in cold blood, and was a natural enemy to Hex, but she helped it find comfort out of respect for it having as much right to live as she did herself. Hex knew there would come a day when the decision to help an enemy would be far more difficult than she could ever presently imagine, but she was willing to take on the risk and responsibility that came with the power to heal. Yes she spiritually communicated to the voice.

[Charon]

Hex listened carefully and acknowledged the oath which she was presented with to confirm. The world stood still and without a breeze if she bothered to notice the ambient conditions cocooning the wildcat and the woman in a frozen moment in time. It was not a difficult choice to make in her mind. There certainly would be challenges for her to face in the future, but when realizing the challenged laid upon her at this very moment, the confirmation emanated from deep within her body, soul, and mind and effortlessly flowed toward the whispering voice she knew to belong to Rak'Keli.

At the very moment the agreement was made, the winds suddenly struck from lying in wait to swirling around the kneeling woman. The change was so sudden that Hex went a brief moment without feeling the warm hand on her left shoulder. Though out of place in this deserted area of the grasslands, the touch did not startle the woman or make her turn her head. Her gaze, instead, fell back to the wildcat lying before her, seemingly unaffected by the twisting winds or the presence of the Goddess.

Her blood flashed in warm ribbons of life the longer the hand rested upon her shoulder. Hex saw the entire world that surrounded her tint a warm shade of green as her heart physically felt as if it were swelling in brief waves. Pain slowly emerged from her skin under the graceful touch of Rak'Keli as she raked her fingers downward from Hex's left shoulder before taking her hand in the Goddess' own. Your oath is made under pure intentions and this will prove to the world that you have made it. It will also mark you to face more trials and challenges in the future under my name. The last touch was felt as Rak'Keli ran her fingers loosely over the open palm Hex had left extended without thought. As the warm feeling of Rak'Keli was lifted from her skin so was the burning sensation that ran the length of her arm to her left shoulder.

The opal shape was formed on Hex's left palm, feeling as if burned directly into her, but Hex no longer felt pain and her skin was not singed. The only physical indication remaining was the opal swirling mark Rak'Keli gave her. Before she knew it, however, even the Goddess was gone and the winds had calmed, though not to the eerily silent and still posture the wind maintained moments before. It was, in a sense, normal now. The green tint that flooded her eyes was fading and her heart, though beating stronger now it seemed, was not swelling nor was there any hint of lingering pain. A transformation had taken place within her and the discomfort Hex may have felt for a few brief moments would surely be forgotten soon enough.

[Hex]

Hex blinked down at the palm of her left hand, momentarily glowing with opal like auras until fading into an etched mark on her flesh. As the swirling pattern of the mark throbbed with light and mixed like water, there in the pit of her solar plexus was what could best be described as a cosmic storm of djed and healing. She had made some sort of connection with Rak'keli - the thought struck her like a wave of revelation and while she had never worshipped Rak'keli previous to their encounter, Hex felt inextricably familiarized with what the goddess had shown of her values and philosophy. But still remained the fate of the wildcat, who's life dwindled like a flame sinking into the puddle of an exhausted candle. There it lay, literally in the palm of Hex's hand. If she healed the animal it could turn on her and devour her, but if she let it die, she was already going back on her word with the goddess. Hex, being the daredevil she was took the risk and laid her palm over the wound, making sure not to strain herself trying to focus, but allow it to naturally flow. As if locked in to a trance, Hex felt a slight jolt of energy as she became transfixed, steered by the mark into a state of being a conduit for healing energy, as if attracting it from the stars and channelling it into the wildcat's destroyed shoulder. The light that illuminated from the energy was hard to look away from, and reminded her of rays of sunlight on clear mornings; it was comforting and therapeutic - go figure. Loose bits and pieces of the wildcat's flesh had began stringing themselves back together, and as new bone was being built inside, shards of the broken bone were even utilized by the magic to restructure the bone material on a spirit-cellular level. Even though Hex could never verbalize such concepts about how the healing magic worked, it was simply understood - passed on by Rak'keli herself to the novice healer through a level of communication that was neither speech nor action. The wound eventually sealed up, and left behind was a naked patch of fresh skin with tiny budding hair follicles that lay over the skin like peach fuzz. It reminded Hex of young cubs, their fur fluffy and newly constructed by nature. Hex was truly in awe of the power of nature and magic that had been granted to her, she was humbled.

[Charon]

Without spending much time to wrap her mind around every second that just passed, the woman quickly deliberated over what her next actions would be. Consciously, Hex made the decision to try and heal the creature who lay wounded before her, but what she was unaware of was the fact that she was going to heal the wildcat regardless of what her conscious mind told her to do. With Rak'keli having marked her moments before, Hex would now be compelled to heal both enemies and allies alike and attempting to make decisions inconsistent with that mindset could upset the goddess over time.

With none of that in mind currently, Hex placed her palms over the wounds and started to feel the healing process begin. Though she could feel and even see the process unfolding before her, with light green auras illuminating from beneath her hands, the changes were not immediate nor were they drastic. Limited to only a single gnosis mark by Rak'keli, Hex would only be able to heal some small wounds, bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Internal bleeding or failing organs, even large bones in need of repair were beyond the scope of what Hex could heal with her newfound divine abilities. Regardless, the parts of the wound she could fix would stop the bleeding and, as it looked to be turning out, might give the wildcat a chance to live after all.

The experience left Hex with a sense more powerful than she could have imagined. She suddenly felt a deeper and more meaningful connection to all living things around her. The wildcat, still laying before her though more alert than before, gave off a more evident aura than any other life form that may have been near and that was partly due to the fact that she now shared a new connection with the creature that few ever truly experienced. She had used a new energy to give this animal a second chance and though difficult to describe, that feeling was amazing.

Hex sat there, staring at the animal and wondering about the energy that just flowed through her and into it. There were many new and wonderful questions that ran through her mind, all of which momentarily distracted her from the fact that the wildcat itself was limping to its feet. It carefully shifted its weight as it tested its own energy and always kept a glancing eye on the woman beside her. Though obviously not imposing an immediate threat, the cat was in a very vulnerable position and, understandably, did not quite understand the events that just transpired. Taking a moment to analyze the situation and the possible courses of action to take, the wildcat shifted its weight to its hind legs before making a quick strike toward Hex's face.

Suddenly, a paw came swiping up toward her and without enough time to react, the edge of an extended claw caught Hex on the left side of her chin. Just as quickly, the cat was moving away at the quickest pace it felt was manageable. Soon enough the Sea of Grass engulfed the beast and the woman was left kneeling where she was before only now with a thin red line ending in a slowly dripping trail of fresh blood. It would go away soon enough on its own, causing a scar that would only last a couple weeks at most, but the feeling of being alive is what captivated the young healer. She was certainly alive and though she did not need the show of blood to prove that, Rak'keli must have thought it a necessary demonstration.