Zig was on watch when, seven mier, TJ dragged himself and the wendigo into town as the sun’s st light disappeared over the horizon. She was, to say in as many words, unimpressed.

  “How the hell is it that the big strong guy goes out alone, saying ‘I got this, I’m fine, I’ll help everyone else’ and then es back a ragged mess, bleeding all over the ground?”

  “Call Angelo.” TJ deadpanned. “Any other Disciples too, while you’re at it. Let’s get them some experienow hurry. I have about seven minutes left before I bleed out.”

  Zig’s face lost all geniality and mirth as TJ’s words sunk in. “ANGELO! Get your ass out here ahis man!” She screamed the instru before sprinting towards the firehouse. TJ felt that the dramatics weren’t necessarily necessary… then his HP ticked down by one, and three seds ter, ticked down again, and he felt that maybe it was worth freaking out about. The apathy scared him, and he couldn’t pce where it came from. The fear that surged iion to Zig’s own washed away the unnatural emotions that had settled into his heart, and TJ felt his heart rate surge even higher than his sprint there had made it. He began to hyperventite, and fought to calm himself. He still had enough time in his coatl form that the additional HP would keep him alive. He would be fine.

  TJ fought to soothe himself as the reality of the closeness of death settled over him. Aumbled out of the house, pulling a pair of pants on as his wild eyes flew everywhere. When TJ Appraised him, he saw he’d leveled up at least some, his dispyed level showing Disciple, 4.

  “Bro! What the hell happeo you?”

  “This.” TJ nodded weakly at the wendigo corpse. “I’ll expin it ter, but this–”

  “Is that a fu’ wendigo?” The young man asked, his jaw dropping.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “I k already with the pukwudgies, man, but this is something else.” Angelo was beginning to hyperventite as well, and the inopportuiming had TJ ugh enough to shake himself from freaking out too mubsp;

  “What do you mean? You heal me while you tell me.”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry. It’s just,” Angelo expined as his hands rested on TJ’s head that was resting on the ground, “So, I’m Navajo. Bloodline of Haashch’eezhini, the Bck God. Anyways, I knoukwudgies e from the Lenape and Shoshone and some other tribes that have different names for them. At least, I do now that the System told me, but they aren’t my people’s myths. My family and elders old stories about pukwudgies. I’ve heard of the Wendigo, though. Before the System, before all this crap, I’d heard of the wendigo. That’s something that actually es from my people. And now, there’s one here. That’s not good. They’re basically frozen zombies, man. Worse than just a zombie, actually. Way worse even thahough, is what else could be here.”

  As Angelo’s mouth tio run, his hands shook with the adrenaline of having to run out of the house aJ. Or with fear, as his voice too, shook.

  “What is it, Angelo?” TJ asked, feeling nervousness rip into his own innards at whatever it was that Angelo feared.

  “Yee naaldlooshii.” Angelo whispered before shaking his head. “I shouldn’t say anything. It’s not somethialk about.”

  “Why not?”

  “These are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders.” Angelo’s tone was brusque and final. “The world’s goo shit, and I reize you’re trying your best to help. But you don’t know how my people work, what we believe, or what we’ve seen. You don’t know my history nor our s. You never will.”

  Though he was wholly a s the time, TJ tried to raise his hands in a calmiure. He did nothing but fre his mane as he tried to do so. “It’s cool you know anything about anything. I don’t really have a lot of family history to go back to about my bloodline and I was just curious. I mean, I just know who Kukulkan was, a tiny bit. If there’s anything you want to say, you . If you don’t, then no worries.”

  Angelo nodded ond tinued healing TJ. There was a tense sileween them, but TJ didn’t mind it. Everyone had tender nerves, and he’d actally pushed Angelo’s. The younger man still willingly healed TJ, and he was grateful. Before long, Angelo stepped away, his face taught with effort.

  “That’s all I manage for now. Getting close to another level, but I’m not there.” Angelo nodded. “You should be fine, no more bleeding. Get some rest. I couldn’t take care of your tail, that might have to be Laura. Any questions?”

  “Nope. Sorry for making you get up.”

  “See you in the m.” Angelo nodded and walked bato the hunters’ lodge. TJ dropped his Diviransformation and stood tall before nearly falling. All the toes on his right foot were numb and unresponsive. When he poked them, he couldn’t feel anything. His panic spiked again at the thought of being uo walk or run without difficulty. There were so many potential problems with that in this world–He cut himself off from the w. It wouldn’t serve him any good, and would do nothing for him.

  At that moment, Zig came running back, Laura in her wake. Though she seemed obviously unfortable at the prospect, Laura came with all the speed she could muster, and was obviously focused on ing to help. Knowing how she felt about the sight of blood, TJ was touched. When they both saw TJ mostly whole, Zig slowed down with a stutter step while Laura’s unfortable run died with heavy steps.

  “You said you were dying!” Zig nearly screamed into TJ’s face while he raised both hands in a helpless gesture.

  “And you called felo, who took care of the active bleeding. Wasn’t that the point?”

  “But you called for every healer we had, just in case!”

  “No, I said we might as well let everyo experience. I uand I was in a bad state, but with Disciples around here, I was ok. I’m sorry I scared you both, but I merely unicated the gravity of the situation when I arrived. You misuood, which I uand, but I just wao see if everyone wao get some easy levels.”

  Laura tried to keep her face calm and collected, but TJ watched as she ground her jaw before speaking. “Is there any reason why I sprinted out here right now?”

  “Actually yes, but not because I’m dying. Zig, you should be part of most of this, and I’d guess at least Charlie too should e along. First, Laura, you heal my feet?”

  “There is a reason most of us wear shoes, TJ.” Laura sighed before doing anything.

  “Yes. I know, that’s not the point. Half of eay feet is paralyzed.”

  Laura looked at him with a stony face. “That is good information, I suppose.” When her hand reached TJ’s shoulder, though, her face fell.

  “I wasn’t kidding.”

  “Nor did I think you were. You’ve sustained minor nerve damage to the base of your spine. I don’t know how it’s only your toes that’re affected, but you’re lucky. I’ll see what I do, but it might be better to take our time while we do so. You said you have something to tell us?”

  TJ nodded in agreement, and without any further discussion, Laura sent Zig to get Charlie from wherever he was.

  “We’ll meet in the home you’ve been staying in. It’ll be easiest for you not to move as much as possible.” Laura led the way towards the house where TJ and Stanton had been staying. TJ didn’t argue, merely tiredly followieps until he stood at the door.

  “Oh, we’ll hat wendigo corpse here.”

  Laura’s lip curled in distaste at the statement. “Is there something I o see on it?”

  “What? No. The cws and horns will definitely be useful though.”

  “I got it.” Stanton interrupted, walking out of the house. “Whatever it was, it did a number on you. I’d like to hear what happened.”

  “Course. Could have used you.”

  “Now you admit it.” Stanton sighed as he grabbed his Stetson from a peg on the door and put it on his head. Though dirty and obviously tired, or maybe because of it, TJ saw something of an old ovie in the old man as he walked out, the light go and his silhouette starkly obvious. TJ colpsed to the couch, ung of the mess he was making and put his feet up with a groan. Laura pulled a kit chair up o the overstuffed coud sat straight upright beside his feet.

  Without further ent, Laura stretched a hand out a lightly on TJ’s feet. A faint tingle flowed into his toes, though it didn’t return full sensation. It wasn’t long before Zig and Charlie jogged up the porch with what would have been unnaturally quick feet before this whole apocalypse thing.

  “That’s weird.” Zig said as she flopped into the other cou the room. Charlie nudged her over with his hip as he sat and she grumbled as she adjusted herself. “Why’re you massaging his feet? You got a thing for it?”

  “No, and you know that.” Laura responded primly.

  “Why would I know that you don’t have a thing for feet?”

  “Zig.” Laura’s disapproving tone had the younger woman raising her hands in mock surrender.

  “Got it. Any progress on helping him feel his toes?”

  “Yes. We’re going slowly so I don’t exhaust myself. Now, we’ll wait for Stanton to return before TJ gives his important information.”

  TJ, now that they had an audience, was quite unfortable with ying down with his feet up while the mayor teo his boo boo. Sure, it ermaly paralytierve damage, but he did feel like he was being dramatic. Laura, though, didn’t seem to care whatsoever, keeping a finger on each foot for a moment before shaking her head.

  “Would you y on your stomach? The more I try it this way, the more I feel I’m going about this the wrong way. I suspect the real healing that o be done will be on your spine.”

  TJ plied and y down while Laura gently ran a finger down his spihe teouch immediately made him tense up–other than Junior, nobody had really touched him since Mari’s death. Though he remained unfortable, TJ held still and asked, more to break the silehan anything else, “Charlie, what did you have to do to qualify as a Neophyte?”

  “Hm?” Charlie asked, and TJ only then realized the younger man had been murmuring something into Zig’s ear. The artificial redhead’s face matched her hair and Charlie smiled ically. TJ pushed through the hormonal foolishness and asked again,

  “What did you do to qualify as a Neophyte?”

  “Oh, uh, yeah. So, my Bloodline is Loki. He was a shapeshifter, and did all sorts of things, kinda tricky, you know? Yeah, so uh–”

  “He tricked a deer with mating calls!” Zig interrupted. “But he couldn’t just make it e, he had to make it feel like ‘she’ desperately wa!” She dissolved into a puddle of ughter while TJ’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. Charlie nodded and sighed.

  “A bit awkward, I basically had to moan for it for a while until I was told I succeeded. He ran off before I could catch him or anything. Something about how Loki deceived man and animal alike.”

  TJ scoffed. “You act all embarrassed, but I wish that was all I’d had to do.”

  After a moment’s silence, Zig asked, leaning forward in curiosity. “How about you?”

  Though he didn’t want to answer, all three people in the house looked at him in obvious desire to know. As Stanted the Wendigo up the porch, he poked his head in as well, letting him know that he wasn’t getting off so easily. TJ scratched his head. “I… ate a rattlesnake.”

  “You… like, had to cook it?”

  “No.” TJ kept his face as stoic as possible.

  “How’d you kill it?”

  “You probably don’t wanna know.” TJ lifted his head as much as he could manage and finally spoke about why they were there. “Now, I o tell you about what I saw out there.”

  Thanks for reading! If you're dying to read more, joireon, where you read up to 28 chapters ahead!

  Join the swarm! https://disc/RqzsKj8hkD