The kingdom of Arga is one of the seven kingdoms ruling over the land. Having a landscape surrounded by mountains and forests, the kingdom boast of its vast variety of plants especially the ones used in medicines.
In the bustling streets of the kingdom of Arga, many people come and go as they look for different things. Mostly, people look for plants and if they were unable to find them in stores, they would look someone who can take them in the forests to go and get the plants they needed.
At a corner of one of the streets, there stood a small rustic store selling high quality dried plants. The store has a small garden beside it for their most common plants. They also have a workplace at the back for drying their plants which are mostly herbs.
The bell of the store rang as the door revealed a pudgy middle-aged man wearing an armor-like clothing. The store clerk, a gorgeous silver-haired wolf girl in her late teens, smiled as the customer entered.
"Welcome! How may I be of help to you, sir?"
The man smiled back nodding at her greeting as he looked around the store. He took out a piece of paper giving it to the clerk, " Do you happen to have these plants?". The young clerk took the piece of paper and looked at it. She walked to some rows of cabinets, looking at the paper occasionally while she checks the plants written on it.
"Yes, we have all of the plants you need", she said showing some bundle of one of the plant the man needs, "Is this to your liking?"
The man took the bundle and inspects it thoroughly before smiling at her, "Yes, yes, these are all good. Please pack 2 bundles of each plant." The young clerk nodded and happily took out a basket before collecting all the plants on the paper. She packed them carefully inside a small magic pouch before giving them to the man. "These are all the plants you need."
"How much for all of them?", he asked her after receiving the small pouch. "That would be 200 leons" the young clerk smiled, "The small pouch was threw in as a gift." The man handed her the exact amount before thanking her for her warm assistance.
"Please do come again and tell your friends about our store", she said as she see the man out of the store. An old lady then came out of the small door leading to the back of the store.
"Nanna was that a customer?", the old lady affectionately asked her as she made her way towards the rows of cabinets with a basket full of freshly dried plants. "Yes grandma, I sold a lot today" Nanna excitedly told her. "We can have something good today. What do you want to eat grandma?" she added as she helped her arrange the plants on the cabinets.
Days had gone by peacefully, more and more customers had stopped by at Nanna's store buying different kinds of plants. When the plants they need cannot be found in her store, she directs them to some more others or to someone who can accompany them inside the forest to get the plants they need.
One day after gathering some of their plants in the garden, Nanna went directly to the back of the store to her horror her grandmother was lying on the ground unconscious. She quickly went to her all the while dropping the basket she was holding.
"Grandma" she called out as she gently shakes the old lady. She feels her breathing after a while of her not waking up, to her surprise her grandmother had already stopped breathing. Nanna panicked thinking of what to do next not wanting to accept the reality. She picked her up gently making her way to one of the rooms inside the store and gently placing her grandma on it.
"Grandma stay here I'll come back with the doctor" she stood up quickly making her way towards the clinic, she then comes back with the doctor.
Nanna anxiously waited for the doctor to finish his examination, "How is she?" she asked him after she saw the doctor was done.
"I'm sorry Nanna, she was already dead before we arrived, I'm truly sorry", the doctor patted her shoulders in comfort as he told her the bad news. Nanna cried for a long while.
The funeral was simple and did not take long. All the people who knew them came and sympathized with Nanna. She stayed at her grandmother's grave even when the people have already dispersed.
After some time, Nanna stood up drying her face as she promised to her grandmother ,with her heart, that she will continue on living like before even if she is no longer beside her.
As she made her way back to the store, she was stopped by two people who stood in front of her. She recognized these two as her aunt and uncle who were both disowned by her grandmother because of their gambling and drinking habits. "What are you doing here?" she asked them as she tried to hold back herself from lashing out at them.
"What do you mean what are we doing here? Definitely to attend our mother's funeral", her uncle said with irritation in his voice. Her aunt elbowed him before speaking carefully, "As your uncle said we are here to attend the funeral as well as to help you in taking care of the store."
Nanna was patiently listening to them with her fist clenched before she looked at them and sternly spoke, "I don't need your help. I can manage the store by myself. If you need money, I don't have it, so if you kindly move, I have a lot of things to prepare for tomorrow" she quickly move passed them making her way to the store. The two looked at each other meaningfully before catching up to Nanna.
"We are not here for money or any thing else. We are genuinely here to take care and help you manage the store" her aunt said lovingly leaving a bad taste in her mouth as her aunt never talked to her like this before she is now sure that these two have something up their sleeve so she needs to be careful.
"I will say it again, I don't need you to help me manage the store, I can do it myself" before she can walk her aunt spoke again, "Ok then we won't force you anymore to accept our genuine help instead can you at least let us eat dinner with you, just the three of us."
"Don't worry after this you won't be seeing us anymore so just do this once for us, for mother" her uncle said indifferently while her aunt nodded in agreement to his uncle's words.
Nanna skeptically looked at her aunt and uncle before sighing thinking that even if they want to do something to her, the most they could do was extort money out of her, so she reluctantly agreed.
They went to a restaurant nearby. Nanna's aunt and uncle ordered different kinds of food enough to feed 10 grown men, "Why are you ordering so much? Do you have money to pay all these?" she said astonished by all the food in front of her.
"You don't have to worry about it, just enjoy yourself, when was the last time you had these amount of food, come on eat, don't be shy" her aunt encouraged her placing some food on her plate as her uncle poured her some water placing it beside her. Nanna, still skeptic of her aunt and uncle's intentions, hesitantly eats.
After dinner, Nanna felt a little bit sleepy, she looked at her aunt and uncle who were also feeling sleepy. She stood up and stretches before making a bow to them as a thank you for the food but before she could walk far, she felt dizzy her aunt quickly supported her as her uncle paid.
"Are you ok?", her aunt asked her in concern.
"I'm fine I'm just really tired and all those food made me very sleepy", she answered her as she pushed her aunt away before making her way towards the store which was two stores down from the restaurant.
"No, no we won't be at ease if we don't send you back" her aunt said as she holds Nanna's hand to support her while her uncle holds her other hand supporting her also.
"No! I said I can do it" she said refusing the help of the two as she clearly knew that something is definitely wrong with her but before she could walk more her vision suddenly got blurry before she knew it Nanna already fainted on his uncle's arms.