Zera and I are no strangers to swearing. We heard it all the time at the academy and, on occasion, the swearing came from inside my apartment whenever I stubbed my toe on something.
I could handle getting kicked by a drake no problem. Stubbing my little toe on a chair leg? That’s something else entirely.
When someone swore loudly in the middle of the forest in the middle of the day, it immediately caught our attention. Her head snapped up, pointing in the direction I could only assume was where the voice came from. The tone had sounded…frightened, and maybe a little angry.
“Zera wait,” I commanded, leaping to my feet. I had a bag of medical supplies and a few weapons near the door in case of emergencies. She looked at me, expectantly, her eyes begging me to send her out. I looped the medical bag over her neck.
“Take the long tether. Stay clear until you know its safe. I will follow. Go.”
She turned and bolted out the door, only slowing long enough to grab the tether before disappearing into the woods. No way I could keep up with her but the tether would allow me to catch up.
I grabbed a few more things before giving chase, making sure that I had a knife and makeshift shield where I could easily use either. My mind raced with possibilities as I tore through the woods, following the trail Zera left behind.
The woods didn’t have any known monsters, but that didn’t mean there weren't predators. Hunting accidents could happen to even the most experienced. Camping trip gone wrong.
I tried not to think about the other things. That wouldn’t help.
When I caught up with Zera, she seemed extremely preoccupied with something on the ground. I approached her slowly, trying not to spook her. As I neared her head, I quickly realized what it was that had her attention. It was a hunting accident, just not in the way I expected.
The hole must have been well covered when someone made the mistake of trying to walk across it, because at the bottom of the handmade pit was a very cross looking woman who held her arm close to herself. I shifted back before she could spot me.
“Hello there,” I said, waving my hand over the hole. “I heard you scream and came to help. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I don’t need your help,” she spat.
“I’m normally not one to argue, but you did just fall into a pretty deep hole in the middle of the woods. I have some medical supplies and a very long rope. Also, I’m already here. Let me help.”
She didn’t respond for a while and I would have worried she might have lost consciousness had she not been grumbling under her breath. Zera kept looking between me and the woman, waiting for me to tell her want to do. She wouldn’t be leaving until we got the woman to safety.
Finally, she sighed and started shifting her shawl around to make a sling for her arm, splinting it with a stick.
“Toss me the rope,” she said, “after you’ve anchored it, please.”
“Will do, just give me a minute. I've also got some medicine and bandages up here, if you’d like to make use of them,” I explained as I looped the tether around the trunk of a very sturdy tree, leaving one end tied to Zera while I created a loop on the other end.
“I can take care of myself, thanks.”
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“It is not required or expected, but I offer it freely with no expectation of a return.” I dropped the looped end of the rope down the hole, smiling at the grumpy woman. “Now, can you climb, or do you need a lift?”
“I can climb,” she grumbled.
Despite her protest, she did slide her foot into the loop before starting her climb. I shifted my stance so she couldn’t see my hand and subtly directed Zera when to move, picking up some of the slack and giving our grumpy new friend the boost she didn’t ask for. It took a few minutes, but eventually we had her above ground.
She quickly scrambled a few feet away from me, watching me warily. Surprisingly, Zera’s presence didn’t bother her in the slightest.
“The supplies are right there, if you care to make use of them. There might also be some berries in there, if you are hungry.” I made a point of giving her some space, focusing instead on unwinding the tether from around the tree.
Zera snuffled through the grass, unable to wander too far due to still being tied. The whole endeavor would leave her hungry, which meant she was probably trying to get ahead on her hunting.
“Thank you,” the woman muttered, not quite looking at me. She searched through my emergency bag with one hand, her injured arm pressed to her stomach.
“You’re welcome, though it was truly the least we could do. It’s not in my nature to ignore someone in need, especially in the middle of the woods. I’m cautious, yes, but not callous.”
“And what exactly were you doing out here?”
“We live out here. Have for about a week now. I tend to keep to myself but Zera here likes to explore.” I patted Zera’s neck. “She can be a little nosy, but she’s easy to chase off if she happens to find her way onto your territory.”
“You moved into the cottage, didn’t you?”
“That we did. Been cleaning the place up and working on the garden. If you are ever in the area, you are welcome to visit. You can even take from the garden if you need, though I do request you leave some for me if it looks like I haven't harvested yet.” As I spoke, I could tell from the look on her face that she had no interest in ever doing so. It’s almost as if the suggestion offended her, so I let the matter drop.
She finished adjusting her split and treating her cuts, making a show of returning everything to the bag before she got up and left, not taking her eyes off Zera and me.
Then, it was just the two of us standing in front of a pretty deep hole.
“We can’t just leave it like this,” I said, looking at Zera. “Someone else could fall in, and we might not hear them in time to help. Can you help me round up some long, sturdy sticks?”
She nodded once and trotted off, testing each stick with her foot before picking up whichever ones she decided were sturdy enough. The task helped wear off some of her excess adrenaline while giving her the chance to explore a bit. I took the sticks she found and drove them into the ground, forming a ring around the hole.
It might not be enough to stop smaller creatures from falling, but it would at the very least provide everyone a visual cue that something there needed their attention. Satisfied, I tossed the looped tether around Zera’s neck and we started the long walk back to the cottage.
I took the tether off her neck and the bag off her back, putting both near the door where they had been sitting before our unexpected rescue mission. Zera took a few minutes to roll rather dramatically in the grass before going back to exploring her little kingdom.
When I went back to working on the garden, she came closer so she could supervise. And by supervise, I mean she sprawled out in the grass to watch me upside down, making no effort to help.
I didn’t really need her help, though. Most of the weeds were gone, save a few that were twined closely with the plants I wanted to keep. Next up, I wanted to create more clear divisions between the different kinds of plants. I’d figured out what most of them were, but there were a couple I still wasn’t sure on.
I’d also fashioned a makeshift lattice for some of the vining plants. It would work until winter time, when the cold would push the plants back and then, I could replace it with something a bit more permanent.
“Alright. I will probably have to redo most of this in the spring, but this should keep us fed through winter.” I stood, dusting the dirt off my knees and hands.
Zera rolled over and stood, pretending that she hadn’t fallen asleep. The sun sat far closer to the horizon than I expected, but then again the days were growing short as fall started to make way for winter.
Our first winter in the cottage. The locals said the weather would be mild, but only time would tell.
I started making a list of what we might need to do to prepare. Even retired, I found the most peace in having projects.
